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THE 


COMPLETE    WORKS 


REV.    ANDREW  'FULLER, 


WITH  A  MEMOIR  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


ANDREW  GUNTON  FULLER 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES. 


VOL.  II. 

EXPOSITORY  DISCOURSES  AND  NOTES— SERMONS  AND  SKETCHES— CIRCULAR 
LETTERS— LETTERS  ON  SYSTEMATIC  DIVINITY— THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING 
—LIFE  OF  PEARCE— APOLOGY  FOR  MISSIONS— TRACTS  AND  ESSAYS— RE- 
VIEWS—ANSWERS  TO  QUERIES— FUGITIVE  PIECES. 


BOSTON. 

PUBLISHED    BY    LINCOLN,    EDMANDS    &    CO. 

No.  59,  Washington-street. 
1833. 


CONTENTS 


Dedication     -  -  .  -  11 

Abstract  of  Prophecy         -  -  13 

Disc.  I.  Introduction  and  preparatory  vision 

(chap,  i.)  -  -  -  -  17 

Disc.  II.  III.  Epistles  to  the  churches  (chap. 

ii.  iii.)        -  -  -  -      19,  21 

Disc.  IV.    Vision   of  the  throne   of   God 

(chap,  iv.)  25 

Disc.  V.  The  Book  with  Seven  Seals  (chap. 

v.)  26 

Disc.  VI.  VII.   The  Seals  opened    (chap. 

vi.)  -  -  -  -     27,  29. 

Disc.  VIII.  Sealing  of  the  Servants  of  God 

(chap,  vii.)  31 

Disc.  IX.    Seventh   Seal   subdivided   into 

Seven  Trumpets  (chap.  viii.  1 — 12)  32 

Appendix. — History  of  the  First  Four  Trum- 
pets 33 
Disc.  X.  First  Woe-Trumpet;  or  the  Smoke 

and  Locusts  (chap.  viii.  13;  ix.  1 — 12)         36 
Disc.  XI.  Second  Woe-Trumpet;    or  the 

Army  of  Horsemen  (chap.  ix.  13 — 21)  38 

Disc.   XII.    Introduction   to  the  Western 

Papal  Apostacy  (chap,  x.)  39 

The  First  General  Description  of  the 

Papal,  Apostacy. 
Disc.  XIII.  State  of  the  Church  under  the 

Papal  Apostacy  (chap.  xi.  1 — 6)     -  41 

Appendix. — History  of  the  Witnesses  43 

Disc.  XIV.  Slaughter  and  Resurrection  of 

the  Witnesses,  with  the    Falling  of  the 

Tenth  Part  of  the  City  (chap.  xi.  7 — 13)     46 
Disc  XV.  Sounding  of  the  Seventh  Angel 

(chap.  xi.    14—19)  49 

The  Second  General  Description. 
Disc.  XVI.  The  Great  Red  Dragon,  and 

the  Woman  fleeing  into  the  Wilderness 

(chap.  xii.  1 — 6)  50 

Disc.  XVII.  War  between  Michael  and  the 

Dragon  (chap.  xii.  7 — 17)  -  52 

The  Third  General  Description. 
Disc.  XVIII.  The  Beast  with  Seven  Heads 

and  Ten  Horns  (chap.  xiii.  1 — 10)  54 

Disc.  XIX.  The    Beast  with   Two   Horns 

like  a  Lamb  (chap.  xiii.  11 — 18)     -  56 

Disc.  XX.    The  Lamb's  Company  (chap. 

xiv.    1 — 5)  58 

Disc  XXL  Messages  of  the  Three  Angels, 

the  Harvest,  and  the  Vintage   (chap.  xiv. 

6—20)       -  ...  59 

Disc    XXII.    Introduction    to     the   Vials 

(chap,  xv.)  61 

Disc  XXIII.  XXIV.  On  the  Vials  (chap. 

xvi.)  -  -  -  -      62,  64 

Disc   XXV.    The  Great   Harlot    and    the 

Beast   (chap,  xvii.)  66 


Disc  XXVI.  Fall  of  Babylon— Marriage  of 
the  Lamb  (chap,  xviii. ;  xix.  1 — 10)  69 

Disc  XXVII.  Beast  and  False  Prophet 
taken  (chap.  xix.   11 — 21)  -  72 

Disc  XXVIII.  The  Millennium  (chap.  xx. 
1—6)  ...  74 

Disc  XXIX.  The  Falling  Away— End  of 
the  World — Resurrection — Last  Judg- 
ment (chap.  xx.  7 — 15)       -  -  87 

Disc  XXX.  New  Heaven — New  Earth — 
New  Jerusalem  (chap.  xxi. ;  xxii.  1 — 5)      78 

Disc  XXXI.  Attestations  to  the  Truth  of 
the  Prophecy  (chap.  xxii.  6 — 21)     -  79 

Conclusion  81 

Addition  in  1814  85 

EXPOSITION  OF  THE  SERMON  ON  THE 

MOUNT. 
Section  I.  The  Beatitudes  (Matt.  v.  1 — 
12)  -  -  -  -  86 

Section  II.  Character  of  Christians  and 

Ministers  (ver.  13—16)  89 

Section  III.    Perpetuity  and   Spirituality 

of  the  Moral  Law  (ver.  17—32)      -  90 

Section  IV.  On  Oaths  (ver.  33 — 37)  92 

Section  V.  On  Resisting  Evil  (ver.  38 — 

42)  -  -  -  -  93 

Section  VI.  Love  to  Enemies  (ver.  43 — 

48)  -  -  -  -  94 

Section  VII.  Almsgiving  and  Prayer  (vi. 

1— S)  96 

Section  VIII.  The  Lord's  Prayer  (ver.  9 

—15)         _  ...  97 

Section   IX.    Fasting   and   other  Duties 

(ver.  16—34)        -  -  -  101 

SectionX.  Judging  others — Casting  Pearls 

before  Swine  (vii.  1—6)       -  -  103 

Section  XI.  Prayer  and  Equity  (ver.  7  to 

12)  -  -  -  104 

Section  XII.  Broad   and  Narrow  Way; 

Criterion  of  Teachers  (ver.  13 — 20)  105 

Section  XIII.  Last  Judgment;  Test  of  Re- 
ligion (ver.  21—29)  -  -  106 

EXPOSITION  OF   PASSAGES   RELATING 
TO  THE  CONVERSION  OF  THE  JEWS. 

Letter  I.  Ezekiel  xxxvii.     -  -  108 

Letter  II.  Hosea  i.  ii.  iii.    -  -  HO 

Letter  III.  Hosea  xi.  xiii.  xiv.;  Jer.  xxxi. 

15—21       -  -  -  -  111 

Letter  IV.   Isa.  xi.  xii.         -  -  113 

Letter  V.  Zech.  xi.  xii.  xiii.   1         -  115 

EXPOSITION  OF  CERTAIN  PROPHECIES 
RELATING  TO  THE  MILLENNIUM. 

Isaiah  xxvi.  &c.  -  -  *■  J 17 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


EXPOSITION  OF  THOSE  SCRIPTURES 
WHICH  REFER  TO  THE  UNPARDON- 
ABLE SIN. 

John  ix.  41,  xii.  42;  Acts  viii.  22;  1  Tim. 
i.  13;  Heb.  vi.  4,  x.  26;  2  Pet.  ii.  20; 
1  John  v.  16  -  -  -  120 

EXPOSITORY  NOTES  ON  VARIOUS  PAS- 
SAGES. 

Appearance  to  Elijah  (1  Kings  xix.)  -  124 
Lying  Spirit  persuading  Ahab  ( 1  Kings  xxii. 

21  to  23)  126 

Mystery  of  Providence  (Job  xii.  6  to  25)         ib. 
Wisdom  proper  to  Man  (Job  xxviii.)       -       127 
Inward  Witness  of  the  Spirit  (Ps.  lxxxv.  8, 

xxxv.  3)     -  -  -  -  129 

Prov.  xii.  1,  3,  5;    xiii.  11,  14,  19;    xiv.  2, 

6,  7,  23;  xxx.  24  to  28        -  -  130 

Mediocrity  in  Wisdom  and  Virtue  Satirized 

(Eccl.  vii.  15  to  19)  -  -  131 

Fulfilment  of  Prophecy  (Isa.  ix.  7)      -  132 

The  Burden  of  Dumah  (Isa.  xxi.  11,12)  134 
Application  of  Promises,  as  (Isa.  xliii.  25)  135 
Destruction  of  the  Mystical  Babylon   (Isa. 

lxiii.  1  to  6)  -  -  136 

Ezekiel's  Visions  (Ezek.  i.  and  x.)      -  137 

Daniel's  Conflict  with  the   Persian  Court 

(Dan.  x.  13)  138 

The  Royal  Tribe  (Zech.  x.  4)  -  139 

On  the  Latter  Days  (Mai.  iii.  18)         -  140 

Kingdom  of  Heaven  forced  (Matt.  xi.  12, 13)  142 
The  Duty   of  Christian  Forgiveness  (Matt- 

xviii.  23,  &c.)         -  ib. 

Parable  of  the  Unjust  Steward    (Luke  xvi. 

1  to  12)      -  -  -  -  143 

Case  of  the  Converted  Thief  (Luke  xxiii.  39 

to  43)  -  -  -  144 

John's  Testimony  to  Jesus  (John  iii.  22  to  26)  148 
On  the  Trial  of  the  Spirits  (John  iv.  1)  149 

Christ's  Washing  the  Disciples'  Feet  (John 

xiii.)  150 

Final  Restitution  (Acts  iii.  21)  -  152 

Weaker  Disciples  honored  (1  Cor.  xii.  24)  153 
Vindication  of  the  Apostle  Paul  (2  Cor.  xii. 

16)  155 

Evangelical   Truth  the  object  of  Angelical 

Research  (1  Pet.  i.  12)        -  -  ib. 

Regeneration  by  the  Word  of  God  (1  Pet.  i. 

23) 157 

EXPOSITION  OF  PASSAGES  APPARENT- 
LY CONTRADICTORY. 

John  v.  40  with  vi.   44,  45,  65  -  158 

Gen.  vi.  9  with  1  Sam.  xv.  29  -  160 

1  Cor.  x.  33  with  Gal.  i.  10  -  161 
Gen.  viii.  22  with  xlv.  6  -  -  ib. 
Prov.  xxvi.  4  with  xxvi.  5  -  -  162 
Gal.  ii.  16  with  James  ii.  21  -  ib. 
Exod.  xx.  5  with  Ezek.  xviii.  20  -  ib. 
Gen.  xiii.  17,  xxiii.  17,  18,  with  Acts  vii.  5  163 
Gen.  xxxii.  30  with  Exod.  xxxiii.  20                ib. 

2  Sam.  xxiv.  1,  with  1  Chron.  xxi.  1  -  ib. 
Matt.  vii.  7,8,  with  Luke  xiii.  24  -  -  164 
Prov.  xxvii.  2  with  1  Cor.  xv.   10,  2  Cor. 

xii.  11         -  -  -  -  ib. 

Matt.  v.  16  with  Matt.  vi.  1     -  -  165 

Matt.  ix.  30  with  Mark  v.  19  -  ib. 

Matt.  xi.  14  with  John  i.  21    -  -  ib. 

Matt.  xxi.  38  with  1  Cor.  ii.  8  -  ib. 


Luke  i.  33  with  1  Cor.  xv.  24  -  166 

Luke  x.  23   with  John  xx.  29  -  ib. 

John  v.  31  with  viii.  14  -  ib. 

Heb.  xi.  33  with  xi.  39  ib. 

John  xx.  17  with  xx.  27  -  167 

Rom.  ii.  14  with  Eph.  ii.  3      -  -  ib. 

Rom.  xiv.  5  with  Gal.  iv.  10,  11  -  ib. 

Acts  ix.  7  with  xxii.  9  168 

1  Cor.  x.  13  with  2  Cor.  i.  8  -  ib. 

Gal.  vi.  2  with  Gal.  vi.  5        -  -  ib. 

Phil.  iv.  5  with  2  Thes.  ii.  2     -  -  ib. 

1  John  i.  8  with  1  John  iii.  9  -  169 

2  Tim.  iii.  12  with  Prov.  xvi.  7  -  ib. 
1  Cor.  viii.  S— 13  with  1  Cor.  x.  20,  21  ib. 

SERMONS  AND  SKETCHES. 

I.  The  Nature  and  Importance  of  Walking 

by  Faith,  (2  Cor.  v.  7.)  -  -         170 

II.  The  Qualifications  and  Encouragements 
of  a  Faithful  Minister,  illustrated  by  the 
Character  and  Success  of  Barnabas,  (Acts 

xi.  24)  -----         183 

HI.  The  Instances,  the  Evil  Nature,  and  the 
Dangerous  Tendency  of  Delay  in  the  Con- 
cerns of  Religion,  (Hag.  i.  2)  -  190 

IV.  The  Blessedness  of  the  Dead  who  die  in 

the  Lord,  (Rev.  xiv.  13)  -         -         195 

V.  The  Nature  and  Importance  of  a  Deep 
and  Intimate  Knowledge  of  Divine  Truth, 
(Heb.  v.  12— 14)  201 

VI.  The  Christian  Doctrine  of  Rewards, 
(Gal.  vi.  7,  S)  -         -         -         -         211 

VII.  God's  Approbation  of  our  Labors  ne- 
cessary to  the  Hope  of  Success,  (Numb. 
xiv.  8)  ------         217 

VIII.  The  Obedience  of  Churches  to  their 
^Pastors  explained  and  enforced,  (Heb.  xiii. 

17)        ------         226 

IX.  Christian  Patriotism:  or  the  Duty  of 
Religious  People  towards  their  Country, 
(Jer.  xxix.  7)  ...         230 

X.  Jesus  the  True  Messiah  (Psa.  xl.  6—8)     235 

XI.  Solitary  Reflection:  or  the  Sinner  di- 
rected to  look  into  himself  for  Conviction 
(Psa.  iv.  4)     -         -'  -         -         243 

XII.  Advice  to  the  Dejected:  or  the  Soul 
directed  to  look  out  of  itself  for  Consola- 
tion (Psa.  xiii.  2)    -         -         -         -         248 

XIII.  The  Prayer  of  Faith;  exemplified  in 
the  Woman  of  Canaan  (Matt.  xv.  21  to 

28)  254 

XIV.  The  Future  Perfection  of  the  Church, 
contrasted  with  its  Present  Imperfections 
(Ephes.  v.  25  to  27)  -  -  259 

XV.  The  Gospel  the  only  Effectual  Means 
of  producing  Universal  Peace  among  Man- 
kind [Mai.  iv.  5,  6]  -  266 

XVI.  The  Reception  of  Christ  the  Turning 
Point  of  Salvation  [John  i.  10  to  12]  275 

XVII.  XVIII.  XIX.  On  Justification  [Rom. 

iii.    24]  -  -  281,  286,  291 

XX.  The  Believer's  Review  of  his  Past  and 
Present  State  [Ephes.  ii.  13]  -  296 

XXI.  The  Nature  and  Importance  of  Love 

to  God   [Joshua  xxiii.  11]  -  301 

XXII.  Conformity  to  the  Death  of  Christ 
[Phil.  iii.  10]  -  -  305 

XXIII.  The  Life  of  Christ  the  Security  and 
Felicity  of  his  Church  [Rev.  i.  18]  309 

XXIV.  Christianity  the  Antidote  toPresump- 


CONTENTS. 


tion  and  Despair  [1  John  ii.  1)      -  313 

XXV.  The  Sorrow  attending  Wisdom  and 
Knowledge  [Eccles.  i.  17,  18]       -  318 

XXVI.  The  Magnitude  of  the  Heavenly  In- 
heritance [Rom.  viii.  IS  to  23]      -  322 

XXVII.  The  Principles  and  Prospects  of  a 
Servant  of  Christ  (Jude  20,  21)     -  .    328 

XXVIII.  Paul's  Prayer  for  the  Philippians 
[Phil.  i.  9  to  11]  -  -  337 

XXIX.  The  Peace  of  God  [Phil.  iv.  7]         341 

XXX.  Soul  Prosperity  [3  John  2]    -  346 

XXXI.  The  Common  Salvation  [Jude  3]      350 

XXXII.  The  Good  Man's  Desire  for  the 
Success  of  God's  Cause  [Psa.  xc.  16,  17]   352 

XXXII  I.  Prayer  of  David  in  the  Decline  of 
Life  [Psa.  lxxi.  9]  -  -  355 

XXXIV.  Advantages  of  Early  Piety  [Psa. 

xc.  14]    -  -  -  -  356 

XXXV.  The  Choice  of  Moses  [Heb.  xi.  24 

to  26]       -  -  -  -  359 

XXXVI.  Paul's  Prayer  for  the  Ephesians 
[Eph.  iii.  14  to  16]  -  -  361 

XXXVII.  Individual   and   Social  Religion 

[1  Pet.  ii.  4,5]     -  -  -  363 

XXXVIII.  On  the  Vanity  of  the  Human 
Mind  [Psa.  xciv.  11]         -  -  365 

XXX [X.  Equity  of  the  Sentence  recorded 
against  those  who  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  [1  Cor.  xvi.  23]      -  -  367 

XL.  Fellowship  of  God's  People  in  Evil 
Times  [Mai.  iii.  16, 17]     -  -  370 

XLI.  Public  Worship  [Psa.  lxviii.  26  to  28]    ib. 

XLII.  Great  Sinners  encouraged  to  Return 
to  God  [Deut;  iv.  29]        -  -  371 

XLIII.  Consolation  to  the  Afflicted  [John 
xiv.  2  to  4]  -  -  -  372 

XLIV.  On  Covetousness  [Luke  xii.  15]         374 

XLV.  Mysterious  Nature  of  Man  [Psa. 
cxxxix.  14]  -  -  -  376 

XLV1.  Life  and  Death:  or  the  Broad  and 
the  Narrow  Way  [Matt.  vii.  13,  14]  377 

XLV II.  Hope  in  the  Last  Extremity  [Jo- 
nah ii.  4]  -  379 

XLVI1I.  Past  Trials  a  Plea  for  Future  Mer- 
cies [Psa.  xc.  15]  -  -  382 

XLIX.  The  Changes  of  Time  [1  Chron. 
xxix.  29,  30]         -  -  383 

L.  On  True  Wisdom  [Prov.  xiv.  8]  385 

LI.  Irremediable  Evils   [Eccl.   i.  15]  386 

LII.  Importance  of  Union  of  Public  and 
Private  Interests  in  the  Service  of  God 
[Neh.  iii.  28  to  30]  -  -  388 

LII  I.  Christ  our  Substitute  in  Death  and 
Judgment  [Heb.  ix.  27,  28]  -  392 

L!V.  Pastors  required  to  feed  the  flock  of 
Christ  [John  xxi.  16]         -  -  392 

LV.  Spiritual  Knowledge  and  Holy  Love 
necessary  for  the  Gospel  Ministry  [John 
v.  35]       --.  _  394 

LVI.  On  an  Intimate  and  Practical  Ac- 
quaintance with  the  Word  of  God  [Ezra 
vii.  10]     -  -  ,  -  _  397 

LVI  I.  Ministers  are  appointed  to  root  out 
Evil  and  to  cultivate  that  which  is  Good 
[Jer.  i.  10]  -  -  _  399 

LVlll.  Ministers  should  be  concerned  not 
to  be  despised  [Tit.  ii.  15]  -  401 

L1X.  Ministers  are  Fellow-Laborers  with 
God  [1  Cor.  iii.  9]  -  -  403 


LX.  The  Nature  of  the  Gospel,  and  the 
Manner  in  which  it  ought  to  be  Preached 
Col.  iv.  3,  4]         - 

LX1.  The  Work  and  Encouragement  of  the 
Christian  Minister  [Matt.  xxv.  21] 

LXII.  On  Preaching  Christ,  &c.  [2  Cor. 
iv.  5]        - 

LXII1.  The  Influence  of  the  Presence  of 
Christ  on  the  Mind  and  Work  of  a  Min- 
ister [2  Tim.  iv.  22] 

LX1V.  Habitual  Devotedness  to  the  Work 
of  the  Ministry  [1  Tim.  iv.  15,  16] 

LXV.  Affectionate  Concern  of  a  Minister  for 
the  Salvation  of  his  Hearers  [1  Thess.  ii. 
7,8]         - 

LXV1.  The  Nature  and  Encouragements  of 
the  Missionary  Work  [John  xx.  21] 

LXVII.  The  Christian  Ministry  a  Great 
Work  [Neh.  vi.  3] 

LXVIII.  Faith  in  the  Gospel  a  necessary 
Pre-requisite  to  Preaching  it  [2  Cor.  iv. 
13] 

LXIX.  The  Young  Minister  exhorted  to 
make  full  Proof  of  his  Ministry  [2  Tim. 
iv.  5,  6] 

LXX.  Importance  of  Christian  Ministers 
considered  as  the  Gift  of  Christ  (Ps.  lxviii- 
18) 

LXXI.  Nature  and  Importance  of  Christian 
Love  [John  xiii.  34,  35]     - 

LXXI1.  Christian  Churches  Fellow-helpers 
with  their  Pastors  to  the  Truth  [3  John  S] 

LXXIII.  On  Christian  Steadfastness  [1 
Thess.  iii.  8] 

LXX1V.  Churches  Walking  in  the  Truth 
the  Joy  of  Ministers  [3  John  4]      - 

LXXV.  Churches  should  exhibit  the  Light 
of  the  Gospel  [Rev.  ii.  1] 

LXXVI.  On  Cultivating  a  Peaceful  Dispo- 
sition [Rom.  xiv.  19]         - 

LXXV1I.  Christian  Churches  are  God's 
Building  [1  Cor.  iii.  9]      - 

LXXVI11.  The  satisfaction  derived  from  a 
consciousness  that  our  Religious  Exercises 
have  been  characterized  by  Godly  Sim- 
plicity [2  Cor.  i-   12] 

LXX1X.  The  Reward  of  a  Faithful  Min- 
ister [1  Thess.  ii.  19] 

LXXX.  Ministers  and  Churches  Exhorted 
to  Serve  One  Another  in  Love  [Gal- v.  13] 

LXXX  I.  Ministerial  and  Christian  Com- 
munion [Rom.  i.  12] 

LXXXlI.  Ministers  and  Christians  Exhort- 
ed to  Hold  Fast  the  Gospel  [2  Tim.  i.  13] 

LXXXIII.  Nature  of  True  Conversion  and 
Extent  of  it  under  the  Reign  of  the  Mes- 
siah [Ps.  xxii.  27] 

LXXX1V.  Effect  of  Things  differ  accord- 
ing to  the  State  of  the  Mind  [Titus  i.  15] 

CIRCULAR  LETTERS. 

The  Excellence  and  Utility  of  Hope  (A.  D. 
1782)  -  -  -  -  446 

Causes  of  Declension  in  Religion,  and  Means 
of  Revival  (1785)        _  -  -  453 

Why  Christians  in  the  Present  Day  possess 
less  jov  than  the  Primitive  Disciples  (1795)  458 

The  Discipline  of  the  Primitive  Churches  Il- 
lustrated and  Enforced  (1799)  -  462 


405 
406 
409 

412 

413 

414 
416 
417 

419 

X 

421 

423 
424 
425 
427 
42S 
430 
432 
434 

435 
437 
438 
439 
440*/ 

442 
444 


CONTENTS. 


The  Practical  Uses  of  Christian  Baptism 
(1802)  -  -  -  -  468 

The  Pastor's  Address  to  his  Christian  Hearers, 
entreating  their  assistance  in  Promoting  the 
interest  of  Christ  (1806)  -  -  472 

On  Moral  and  Positive  Obedience  (1807)  477 

The  Promise  of  the  Spirit  the  Grand  Encour- 
agement in  Promoting  the  Gospel  (1810)     482 

The  Situation  of  the  Widows  and  Orphans  of 
Christian  Ministers,  &c.  (1815)         -  485 

LETTERS  ON  SYSTEMATIC  DIVINITY. 
Letter  I.  Importance  of  Systematic  Divinity  487 

Letter  II.  Importance  of  a  True  System  ib. 
Letter  III.  Plan  Proposed  to  be  Pursued  491 
Letter  IV.  On  the  Being  of  God         -  493 

Letter  V.  On   the   Necessity  of  a   Divine 

Revelation       -  -  -  -  495 

Letter.  VI.  On  the  Inspiration  of  the  Holy 

Scriptures        ...  -  497 

Letter  VII.  On  the  Uniform  Bearing  of  the 

Scriptures    on    the    Person    and    Work    of 

Christ  ....  500 

Letter  VIII.  On  the  Perfections  of  God  501 
Letter  IX.  On  the  Doctrine  of  the  Trinity  503 

THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 
Letter  I.    On  Expounding  the  Scriptures    507 
Letter  II.    On  Sermons,  and  the  Subject- 
matter  of  them  ...  50S 
Letter  III.  On  the  Composition  of  a  Ser- 
mon    -             -             -             -             -  511 
Letter  IV.  On  the  Composition  of  a  Sermon  515 
On  the  Abuse  of  Allegory  in  Preaching       -       516 
» 
MEMOIRS  OF   THE   REV.    SAMUEL 
PEARCE. 
Dedication          ....             519 
Introduction        ....  520 
Chap.  I.  His  parentage,  conversion,   call  to 

the  ministry,  and  settlement  at  Birmingham  521 
Chap.  II.  Laborious  exertions  in   promoting 
missions   to  the    heathen;  and  his  offering 
himself  as  a  missionary  -  -  527 

Chap.  III.  Exercises  and  labors  from  the  time 
of  his  giving  up  the  idea  of  going  abroad  to 
the  commencement  of  his  last  affliction  537 

Chap.  IV.  Account  of  his  last  affliction,  and 
the  holy  and  happy  exercises  of  his  mind 
under  it  548 

Chap.  V.  General  outlines  of  his  character  562 
Letters    -  -  _  -  -  -  568 

Concluding  reflections    -  572 

Specimen  of  devotional  poetry    -  -  574 

AN    APOLOGY    FOR    THE    LATE    CHRIS- 
TIAN  MISSIONS  TO  INDIA,  IN  THREE 
PARTS,  WITH  AN   APPENDIX. 
Part  I. 

Section  I.  Address  to  Edw.  Parry,  Esq., 
chairman  of  the  East  India  Company  575 

Section  II.  Strictures  on   the  preface  of  a 
pamphlet    entitled     "Observations    on   the 
present  State  of  the  East  India  Company  "  581 
Part  II. 

Introduction        ....  591 

Section  I.  Remarks  on  Major  Scott  War- 
ing's  Letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Owen      -  592 

Section  II.  Remarks  on  "  A  Vindication 
of  the  Hindoos,  by  a  Bengal  officer  "  595 

Part  III. 

Preface  ....  606 

Section  I.  Strictures  on  Major  Scott  War- 
ing's  third  pamphlet    -  607 


Section  II.  Remarks  on  "A  Letter  to  the 
President  of  the  Board  of  Control  on  the 
propagation  of  Christianity  in  India"  616 

Section  III.  Remarks  on  the  propriety  of 
confining  missionary  undertakings  to  the 
established  church      ...  616 

Appendix. 

Recent  testimonies  to  the  character  of  the  mis- 
sionaries ....  622 

The  principles  of  the  petitioners  to  Parliament 
for  religious  toleration  in  India:  a  letter  to 
John  Weyland,  Jun.  Esq.,  occasioned  by 
his  letter  to  Sir  Hugh  Inglis,  Bart.,  on  the 
state  of  religion  in  India         -  -  623 

Answer  to  an  anonymous  letter  from  "  An  Ob- 
server," on  his  objections  to  Foreign  Mis- 
sions  -----  625 

ESSAYS,  LETTERS,  &c.  ON   ECCLESIAS- 
TICAL POLITY. 
An  inquiry  into  the  right  of  private  judgment 

in  matters  of  religion  -  -  628 

On  creeds  and  subscriptions       -  -  629 

Thoughts  on  the  principles  on  which  the  apos- 
tles proceeded  in  forming  and  organizing 
Christian  churches,  &c.  -  -  630 

A  brief  statement  of  the  principles  of  dissent      637 
Vindication  of  protestant  dissent,  in  reply  to 

the  Rev.  Thomas  Robinson,  M.  A.     -  639 

On  the  presence  of  Judas  at  the  Lord's  supper  646 
On  dissent  ....  647 

State  of  dissenting  discipline      -  .  649 

Discipline  of  the  English  and  Scottish  baptist 

churches  -  -  -  650 

State  of  the  baptist  churches  in  Northampton- 
shire  -----  652 
Decline  of  the  dissenting  interest           -            653 
Agreement  in  sentiment,  the  bond  of  Christian 
union                ....  657 
On  Ordination: 
Re-onlination  and  imposition  of  hands  660 
Validity  of  lay  ordination           -            -  661 
Administering  the  Lord's  supper  without  ordi- 
nation             ....  662 
Administering   the    Lord's   supper  without  a 

minister  ...  -  ib. 

Counsel  to  a  young  minister  in  prospect  of  or- 
dination ....  ib. 
On  tiie  apostolic  office    -  663 

On  Terms  of  Communion  : 
Remarks  on  infant   baptism  and  infant   com- 
munion ....  664 
Strictures  on  the  Rev. John  Carter's  "Thoughts 

on  Baptism  and  Mixed  Communion"  665 

Thoughts  on  open  communion,  in  a  letter  to 
the  Rev.  W.  Ward,  missionary  at  Seram- 
pore  ....  667 

Strict  communion  in  the  church  at  Serampore  669 
The   admission  of  unbaptized  persons  to  the 
Lord's   supper   inconsistent    with    the   New 
Testament        ....  670 

On  instrumental  music  in  Christian  worship       675 
Thoughts  on  singing       ...  679 

MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,  ESSAYS, 
LETTERS,  &c. 

On  truth  -  _  -  -  -  681 

The  great  question  answered      -  -  693 

The  awakened  sinner;   or  letters  between  Ar- 

chippus  and  Epaphras  -  -  700 

On  Spiritual  Pride,  &c. 
Introduction       -    ■        -  711 

Section  I.  Occasions  or  objects  of  spiritual 

pride    -----  712 


CONTENTS. 


Section  II.  Causes  of  spiritual  pride  719 

Remarks  on  two  sermons  by  W.  W.  Home  of 

Yarmouth        -  722 

The  moral  law  the  rule  of  conduct  to  believers  727 
Strictures  on  sentiments  of  the   Rev.  Robert 

Robinson         -  -  -  -  729 

On  spiritual  declension  and  means  of  revival     750 

The  Backslider,  &c.       -  -  764 

General  nature  and  different  species  of  back- 
sliding -  -  -  -  765 
Symptoms  of  a  backsliding  spirit            -  770 
Injurious  and  dangerous  efliects   of  sin   lying 

upon  the  conscience  unlamented  -  773 

Means  of  recovery  ...  777 

Progressiveness  of  sin  and  of  holiness     -  7S3 

Persuasives  to    a  general  union  in  prayer  for 

the  revival  of  religion  -  -  788 

Thoughts  on  Civil  Polity. 

Attachment  to  government  -  -  791 

Reflections  on  the  Epistle  of  Jude  -  793 

Influence  of  the  conduct  of  religious  people  on 

the  well-being  of  a  country  -  794 

Political  self-righteousness  -  -  795 

The  proper  and  improper  use  of  terms  796 

The  immaculate  life  of  Christ     -  -  802 

On  the   Deity  of    Christ. 
The  Deity  of  Christ  essential  to  the  atonement  807 
The  Deity  of  Christ  essential  to  our  calling  on 

his  name,  and  trusting  in  him  for  salvation    809 
Defence  of  the  Deity  of  Christ    -  -  810 

Remarks  on  the  indwelling  scheme         -  811 

On  the  sonship  of  Christ  -  -  815 

On  the  Trinity  817 

Justification. 

On  the  doctrine  of  imputed  righteousness  818 

On  imputation  and  original  sin  (from  a  MS.)  826 

To  the  afflicted  -  -  -  827 

The  Heavenly  Glory. 
Nature  and  Progressiveness  of  heavenly  glory   830 
Degrees  in   glory  proportioned   to   works   of 
piety  consistent  with  salvation  by  grace  alone  841 

REVIEWS. 

The  abuse  of  reviews      ...  844 

Scott's  "  Warrant  and  Nature  of  Faith  "  847 

Booth's  "Glad Tidings,"  &c.    -  -  849 

Booth's  Sermon — the  "Amen  of  Social  Prayer"  851 
Memoirs  of  the  Rev.  James  Garie  -  ib. 

Bevan's  defence  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Friends  852 
Jerram's  "  Letters  on  the  Atonement  "  854 

"  The  Voice  of  Years  concerning  the  late  W. 
Huntington,  S.  S."    -  -  -  855 


ANSWERS  TO  QUERIES. 

The  fall  of  Adam             ...  858 
The  accountability  of  man          -             -  859 
Moral  inability                 -              -              -  860 
The  love  of  God,  and  its  extension  to  the  non- 
elect    -----  861 
The  prayer  of  the  wicked            -             -  863 
Aspect  of  gospel  promises  to  the  wicked  ib. 
Power  and  influence  of  the  gospel           -  864 
The  nature  of  regeneration          -             -  865 
Faith  not  merely  intellectual       -             -  86S 
Faith  required  by  the  moral  law             -  S69 
Christian  love  ib. 
Christian  charity             ...  870 
Character  not  determined  by  individual  acts      871 
Satan's  temptations         -            -             -  ib. 
Obedience  and  sufifering  of  Christ           -  872 
Jesus  growing  in  wisdom  and  knowledge  873 
Reading  the  Scriptures                -             -  ib. 
State  of  the  mind  in  social  and  secret  prayer  874 
Nature  of  indwelling  sin              -             -  875 
Preservation  against  backsliding             -  876 
Ministerial  call  and  qualifications           -  877 

FUGITIVE  PIECES. 

Necessity  of  seeking  important  things  first         878 
On  party  spirit   -  879 

On  evil  things  which  pass  under  specious  names  ib. 
Scriptural  treatment  of  rich  and  poor  Christians  882 
Dangerous  tendency  of  the  doctrine  of  univer- 
sal salvation     -  -  -  -  883 
Mystery   of    Providence,    especially   towards 

different  parts  of  the  world  in  different  ages  885 
Connections  in  which  the  doctrine  of  election 

is  used  in  the  Scriptures  -  -  886 

Remarks  on    the    English  translation    of  the 

Bible  -  •  -  -  888 

On  Commendation  -  -  889 

Funeral  oration  for  the  Rev.  Robert  Hall,  of 

Arnsby  -  -  -  890 

Lines  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Hall  -  892 

Nature  of  true  virtue      ...  ib. 

Morality  not  founded  in  utility  -  893 

Sin  its  own  punishment  -  -  S94 

The  vision  of  dry  bones  -  -  898 

The  satisfaction  of  Christ  -  -  900 

Credulity  and  disingenuity  of  unbelief  902 

On  the  establishment  of  the  Glasgow  Mission- 
ary Society     •-  903 
Importance  of  a  lively  faith,  especially  in  mis- 
sionary undertakings                -             -             905 
Infinite  evil  of  sin            ...  906 
The  Leper           -             -             .             .             ib. 
The  Christian  Sabbath                 -             -            ib. 
Picture  of  an  antinomian            -            -  907 


EXPOSITORY  DISCOURSES 


APOCALYPSE 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  2. 


BAPTIST    CHURCH    OF    CHRIST 


AT    KETTERING. 


Dear  Brethren., 

It  is  at  your  request  that  these  Discourses  appear  in  print.  When  in  the  course  of 
exposition  I  first  entered  on  them,  it  was  not  from  an  idea  that  I  at  that  time  sufficiently 
understood  the  prophecy,  but  from  a  hope  that  by  this  means  I  might  understand  it  better. 
And,  now  that  I  have  ventured  to  publish,  it  is  not  because  I  am  fully  satisfied  of  having 
given  the  true  meaning  in  every  instance.  There  are  parts  in  which  I  can  only  say,  I  have 
done  the  best  I  could.  If,  however,  I  had  not  been  satisfied  as  to  the  general  meaning  of 
the  prophecy,  or  had  been  conscious  of  having  thrown  no  new  light  upon  it,  I  should  have 
felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  withhold  my  papers  from  the  public  eye. 

Observing  the  blessing  pronounced  on  "  him  that  readeth,  and  on  them  that  hear,  the 
words  of  this  prophecy,  and  keep  those  things  Avhich  are  written  therein,"  I  had  a  desire 
to  enter  upon  it,  accompanied,  I  think,  with  some  sense  of  my  dependence  upon  the  en- 
lightening influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  reason  also  assigned  why  we  should  study 
this  part  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  particular,  — that  "  the  time  is  at  hand,"  seemed  to  have 
greater  force  after  a  lapse  of  above  seventeen  hundred  years  than  it  could  have  at  the  time 
of  its  being  written.  I  conceived  also  that  the  events  of  the  present  times,  though  we 
should  beware  of  illusive  hypotheses  founded  upon  them,  yet  called  for  a  special  attention 
to  prophecy.  They  might  also  be  expected  to  throw  some  light  upon  it.  Some  late  writers 
upon  the  subject  appear  to  understand  many  things  which  earlier  ones  did  not;  and 
there  is  reason  to  expect  that  prophecy  will  be  understood  much  better  in  years  to  come 
than  it  is  at  present 

The  method  I  pursued  was,  first  to  read  it  carefully  over,  and,  as  I  went  on,  to  note  down 
what  first  struck  me  as  the  meaning.  After  reducing  these  notes  into  something  like  a 
scheme  of  the  prophecy,  I  examined  the  best  expositors  I  could  procure,  and,  comparing 
my  own  first  thoughts  with  theirs,  was  better  able  to  judge  of  their  justness.  Some  of 
them  were  confirmed,  some  corrected,  and  many  added  to  them. 

I  have  dealt  but  little  in  quotations  ;  refusing  nothing,  however,  from  any  writer,  which 
appeared  to  me  to  be  just.  And,  as  to  what  appeared  otherwise,  I  have  generally  passed 
it  over  without  attempting  to  refute  it,  as  being  rather  desirous  of  giving  the  true  meaning 
than  of  proving  that  other  men's  opinions  were  founded  in  mistake. 


\2  ADDRESS. 

The  exposition  of  a  prophecy,  delivered  in  symbolical  language,  must  be  liable  to  many 
mistakes.  A  style  so  highly  figurative  furnishes  great  scope  for  the  imagination,  which, 
unless  it  be  accompanied  with  a  sober  and  just  judgment,  will  lead  us  into  labyrinths  of  er- 
ror. How  far  I  have  been  enabled  to  avoid  them,  and  to  succeed  in  throwing  light  upon 
any  part  of  the  prophecy,  it  is  not  for  me  to  decide.  This  I  know,  my  object  has  been  to 
obtain  its  true  meaning,  and  to  communicate  it  in  a  manner  suited,  not  to  the  curious,  but 
to  the  Christian  reader. 

The  manuscript  has  lain  by  me  between  four  and  five  years,  during  which  I  have  fre- 
quently re-examined  its  contents,  and  availed  myself  of  any  farther  light  which  by  reading 
or  reflection  has  appeared  on  the  subject.  During  this  period  several  of  our  most  highly 
esteemed  friends,  who  joined  in  the  request,  are  gone  the  way  of  all  the  earth.  We 
shall  soon  follow  them.  We  have  seen  enough,  amidst  all  the  troubles  of  our  times,  to 
gladden  our  hearts  ;  and  trust  that  our  children  will  see  greater  things  than  these. 

I  am  your  affectionate  Pastor, 

ANDREW  FULLER. 
Kettering,  March  21,  1815. 


»>l 


TIE 


OKl'oS 


SCHEME  OF  THE  PROPHECY. 


The  addresses  to  the  seven  churches  are  applicable  to  all  other  churches  in  similar  cir- 
cumstances in  all  ages,  but  not  prophetic. — The  things  which  the  apostle  was  commanded 
to  write  being  those  which  he  had  seen  ;  those  which  were,  and  those  which  should  be  here- 
after, prove  that  the  prophecy  commences,  not  from  the  time  of  the  vision,  but  probably 
from  the  ascension  of  Christ,  in  like  manner  as  the  four  monarchies  of  Daniel  commenced 
from  the  rising  up  of  the  Babylonish  empire,  many  years  before  the  time  of  the  vision. — 
Chap.  i. — iii. 

The  book  of  seven  seals  contains  the  whole  of  the  prophecy,  the  trumpets  being  only  a 
subdivision  of  the  seventh  seal,  and  the  vials  of  the  seventh  trumpet. — Chapters  iv.  v. 

The  opening  of  the  first  seal, — on  which  appeared  "  a  white  horse,  and  he  that  sat  on 
him  had  a  bow  ;  and  a  crown  was  given  unto  him  :  and  he  went  forth  conquering  and  to 
conquer," — represents  the  great  progress  of  the  gospel  in  the  apostolic  age. — Chap, 
vi.  1,  2. 

The  opening  of  the  second  seal, — on  which  there  appeared  "  a  red  horse,  and  power 
was  given  to  him  that  sat  thereon  to  take  peace  from  the  earth,  and  that  they  should  kill 
one  another," — signifies  the  wars  between  the  Jews  and  the  Romans,  who  had  united  in 
persecuting  Christ  and  his  followers. — Chap.  vi.  3,  4. 

The  opening  of  the  third  seal, — on  which  there  appeared  a  "  black  horse,  and  he  that 
sat  on  him  had  a  pair  of  balances  in  his  hand,"  &c, — denotes  a  famine,  or  scarcity  ap- 
proaching to  famine,  in  which  the  necessaries  of  life  would  be  required  to  be  weighed 
out  with  the  utmost  care,  and  which  was  fulfilled  during  the  reigns  of  the  Antonines. — 
Chap.  vi.  5,  6. 

The  opening  of  the  fourth  seal, — on  which  there  appeared  '•  a  pale  horse,  and  his  name 
that  sat  on  him  was  Death,  and  hell  followed," — signifies  great  mortality,  owing  to  the  in- 
trigues and  intestine  wars  in  the  empire,  between  the  years  193  and  270,  which  produced 
famine  and  pestilence,  and  by  diminishing  the  number  of  men  gave  ascendency  to  the 
beasts  of  prey. — Chap.  vi.  7,  8. 

The  fifth  seal  was  opened, — on  which  were  seen  "  under  the  altar  the  souls  of  them  that 
were  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  which  they  held :  and  they  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not  judge  and 
avenge  our  blood  on  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth  ?  And  white  robes  were  given  unto 
every  one  of  them,  and  it  was  said  unto  them  that  they  should  rest  [or  wait]  yet  for  a  lit- 
tle season,  until  their  fellow-servants  also,  and  their  brethren  that  should  be  killed  as  they 
were,  should  be  fulfilled."  This  seal  represents  the  state  of  the  church  about  the  year 
270,  when  it  had  endured  nine  out  of  the  ten  heathen  persecutions,  and  was  about  to 
endure  the  tenth,  under  Dioclesian  and  Maximian,  after  which  God  would  avenge  their 
cause,  by  an  utter  overthrow  of  their  persecutors. — Chap.  vi.  9 — 11. 

The  opening  of  the  sixth  seal, — on  which  appeared  "  an  earthquake,"  and  as  it  were  a 
day  of  judgment, — signified  the  Revolution  of  Constantine,  when  the  pagan  empire  was 
overthrown,  and  the  prayers  of  the  souls  under  the  altar  were  answered. — Chap.  vi.  12 — 17. 

The  "  sealing  of  the  servants  of  God  in  their  foreheads"  portends  danger  to  the  spiritual 
interests  of  the  church  from  its  outward  prosperity,  and  distinguishes  the  faithful  f-om 
the  crowd  of  nominal  Christians  that  would  now  be  pressing  into  it. — Chap.  vii.  1 — ST ..'  ?' 

This  chapter  concludes  with  a  vision  of  the  martyrs  who  had  overcome,  serving  to 
strengthen  the  servants  of  God  to  encounter  new  trials. — Chap.  vii.  9 — 17. 


14  EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 

The  .seventh  seal  is  opened. — A  solemn  pause  ensues. — It  is  then  subdivided  into  seven 
trumpets,  which  are  put  into  the  hands  of  seven  angels  ;  and  the  sounding  of  them  is  pre- 
faced by  "  another  angel's  offering  up  the  prayers  of  the  saints  with  much  incense,  filling 
his  censer  with  fire,  and  casting  it  into  the  earth,"  denoting  that  the  judgments  to  be 
brought  by  the  trumpets  would  be  in  answer  to  their  prayers. — Chap.  viii.  1 — 5. 

The  sounding  of  the  fast  four  trumpets,  which  affect  "  the  earth,  the  sea,  the  fountains 
of  waters,  and  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,"  denote  the  judgments  on  the  continental,  the  mari- 
time, and  the  mountainous  parts  of  the  empire,  by  the  invasion  of  the  northern  nations,  the 
issue  of  which  was  the  eclipse  of  the  government  supreme  and  subordinate.  As  the  seals 
overthrew  the  Pagan  empire,  these  overthrow  the  Christian. — Chap.  viii.  6 — 12. 

The  sounding  of  the  fifth,  or  first  woe-trumpet,  on  which  followed  "  smoke  from  the  bot- 
tomless pit,  and  locusts,"  represents  Popery  as  filling  the  world  with  infernal  darkness, 
and  thus  preparing  the  way  for  Mahomedan  delusion  and  depredation. — Chap.  ix.  1 — 12. 

The  sixth,  or  second  woe-trumpet,  is  complex,  relating  partly  to  the  "  loosing  of  the  four 
angels  in  Euphrates,"  followed  by  "an  army  of  horsemen,"  and  partly  to  the  conduct  of 
"  the  rest  of  the  men,  who  were  not  killed  by  these  plagues," —  the  former  denoting  the 
rise  and  ravages  of  the  Turks,  by  whom  the  eastern  empire,  and  with  it  the  Greek  church, 
were  overthrown  ;  and  the  latter,  the  idolatries  and  cruelties  of  the  members  of  the  west- 
ern church,  who,  instead  of  taking  warning  from  the  fate  of  the  eastern,  repented  not,  but 
persisted  in  corrupting  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  persecuting  his  witnesses. — 
Chap.  ix.  13—21,  to  chap.  xi.  14. 

The  vision  of  the  angel  with  "  a  little  book  open,"  whose  cry  was  followed  by  "  seven 
thunders,"  refers  to  the  western  or  papal  church,  which  the  prophecy  now  goes  some  ages 
back  to  take  up,  and  which  occupies  the  whole  of  what  follows  till  the  beast  and  the  false 
prophet  are  taken,  or  down  to  the  times  of  the  Millennium. — The  "  thunders  "  may  proba- 
bly refer  to  the  same  things,  in  the  form  of  a  general  threatening,  which  are  afterwards 
particularly  disclosed  under  the  vials  :  for  it  appears  to  be  of  their  execution  that  the 
angel  swears  by  Him  that  liveth  for  ever  and  ever  that  there  shall  be  no  delay :  but 
that  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,  when  he  shall  begin  to  sound  (that  is, 
in  the  times  of  the  pouring  out  of  the  vials,)  the  mystery  of  God  should  be  finished.  This 
accounts  for  the  command  "  not  to  write  them,"  as  they  would  be  particularized  under  the 
vials. — Chap.  x. 

The  eleventh  and  three  following  chapters  are  considered  as  three  general  descriptions 
of  the  false  church,  chiefly  under  the  1260  years  of  antichristian  usurpation,  together  with 
the  state  of  the  true  church  during  the  same  period.  These  general  descriptions  of  course 
are  not  confined  to  the  times  of  this  or  that  trumpet,  but  comprehend  those  of  the  great- 
er part  of  the  trumpets. 

The  first  general  description,  contained  in  the  eleventh  chapter,  denominates  the  false 
church  "  gentiles,"  and  the  true  church  "  witnesses,"  who  bear  testimony  against  them. 
It  leaves  out  of  "  the  temple  of  God  "  the  place  occupied  by  the  former.  It  represents,  by 
the  "  slaughter  of  the  witnesses,"  the  prevalence  of  the  antichristian  party  ;  by  their 
"  resurrection  and  ascension  to  heaven,"  the  Protestant  Reformation  ;  and  by  the  "  earth- 
quake," in  which  a  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell  (and  which,  by  the  way,  marks  the  termina- 
tion of  the  sixth,  or  second  woe-trumpet,)  the  late  revolution  in  France.  By  the  sounding 
of  the  seventh  angel,  a  signal  is  given  of  the  progress  of  the  gospel.  And,  by  the  song 
of  the  heavenly  choir,  are  intimated  the  judgments  which  should  be  inflicted  on  the  anti- 
christian party,  and  the  Millennial  glory  that  should  follow. — Chap.  xi. 

The  second  general  description,  contained  in  the  twelfth  chapter,  represents  the  true 
church,  prior  to  the  introduction  of  antichristian  corruptions,  as  "clothed  with  the  sun,  hav- 
ing the  moon  under  her  feet,  and  upon  her  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars."  These  corrup- 
tions originate  in  a  third  part  of  the  stars  of  heaven  being  drawn  from  their  orbits  by  the 
tail  of  the  dragon,  and  cast  upon  the  earth  ;  or  by  the  rulers  of  the  church  being  seduced 
by  the  riches  and  honors  of  the  Roman  empire.  The  dragon,  having  thus  prevailed  over 
a  part  of  the  Christian  church,  aims  to  devour  the  other.  The  true  church  fleeth  into  the 
wilderness,  where  she  exists  without  legal  protection  or  toleration  till  the  Reformation  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  when  Michael  fights  her  battles,  and  the  dragon  is  cast  down.  Suc- 
ceeding persecutions  are  the  effect  of  his  defeat. — Chap.  xii. 

The  third  general  description,  contained  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  chapters,  repre- 
sents "  a  beast  rising  out  of  the  sea,  with  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  and  upon  his  horns 
ten  crowns,  &c,"  signifying  that  secular  government  by  which  the  false  church  has  been 
all  along  supported — namely,  the  Roman  empire  under  its  last  head,  after  it  had  been 
divided  into   ten  independent  kingdoms,  each  of  which  was  a  horn  of  the  beast.     When 


SCHEME    OF    THE    PROPHECY.  15 

paganism  was  overthrown,  the  beast  in  one  of  its  heads  was  "  as  it  were  wounded  to  death  ; " 
but,  when  Christianity  became  so  corrupted  as  to  be  paganized,  "  the  deadly  wound  was 
healed." — Chap.  xiii.  1 — 10. 

Another  beast  "  rose  out  of  the  earth,  with  two  horns  like  a  lamb,  but  who  spake  as  a 
dragon," — denoting  the  hierarchy,  or  false  church  itself,  which  is  contemporary,  and  all 
along  acts  in  concert  with  the  first  or  secular  beast. — Chap.  xiii.  11 — 18. 

During  the  ravages  of  these  beasts,  and  in  opposition  to  them  and  their  followers,  ap- 
pears "  a  Lamb  standing  upon  Mount  Sion  and  with  him  144,000,  having  his  Father's  name 
written  in  their  foreheads.  Their  victory  over  antichristian  error  and  corruption  at  the  re- 
formation is  signified  by  "  the  voice  of  many  waters,  like  thunder,  and  of  harpers  harping 
with  their  harps."  The  spirit  lately  excited  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  heathen  is  thought  to 
be  denoted  by  the  evangelical  "  angel."  The  diminution  and  approaching  dissolution  of 
the  antichristian  power  is  represented  by  "  another  angel  following,  and  saying,  Babylon 
is  fallen,  is  fallen  ! "  And  the  danger  of  symbolizing  and  tampering  with  antichristianism 
is  suggested  by  the  solemn  warnings  of  a  "  third  angel."  Then  follows  that  of  which 
the  signal  only  had  been  given  in  the  cry  of  the  second  angel — namely,  the  overthrow  of 
Babylon,  which  is  denoted  by  a  harvest  and  a  vintage. — Chap.  xiv. 

Three  general  descriptions  having  been  given,  each  of  which  carried  us  to  the  end  of 
the  1260  years,  the  series  of  the  prophecy,  from  the  time  of  the  sounding  of  the  seventh, 
or  third  woe-trumpet,  is  now  resumed.  This  trumpet  wears  a  two-fold  aspect:  it  is  partly 
a  woe-trumpet,  and  partly  what  may  be  called  a  jubilee-trumpet.  In  the  former  view  the 
seven  vials  are  a  subdivision  of  it —  in  the  latter  it  comprehends  the  Millennium,  and  all 
that  follows  to  the  end  of  the  prophecy. — Chap.  xv. 

The  sounding  of  the  seventh  angel  is  the  signal  for  the  commencement  of  the  pouring 
out  of  the  vials,  and  is  supposed  to  have  taken  place  within  the  last  five-and-twenty  years. 
The  vials  are  interpreted  on  the  principle  of  their  resemblance  to  the  trumpets  : — namely, 
the  first,  poured  out  on  the  "  earth,"  is  supposed  to  denote  the  late  wars  on  the  conti- 
nent, between  France  and  the  other  continental  powers :  the  second,  poured  upon  the 
"  sea,"  the  wars  carrying  on  in  the  maritime  nations  of  Spain  and  Portugal :  the  third, 
poured  upon  the  "  rivers  and  fountains  of  water,"  the  wars  which,  if  the  principle  here 
adopted  be  just,  Avill  ere  long  befal  Italy  and  Savoy,  the  countries  where  was  shed  in  shock- 
ing profusion  the  blood  of  the  Waldenses :  the  fourth,  poured  upon  the  "sun,"  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  supreme  government  to  which  the  antichristian  church  will  be  subjected  at  the 
time :  the  fifth,  poured  on  the  "  seat  of  the  beast,"  such  judgments  as  will  either  drive  him 
from  his  den,  or  render  him  very  miserable  in  it :  the  sixth,  poured  on '  Euphrates,'  and  pro- 
ducing the  battle  of  "  Armageddon,"  partly  the  overthroAv  of  the  Turkish  empire,  and 
partly  the  temporal  ruin  of  the  adherents  of  popery  :  the  seventh,  poured  into  the  "  air,"  the 
overthrow  of  the  spiritual  power  of  popery,  and  of  every  other  species  of  false  religion. — 
Chap.  xvi. 

The  three  following  chapters  are  considered  as  Notes  of  Illustration,  containing  more 
particular  accounts  of  several  subjects  which  have  been  already  introduced.  In  the  first 
of  them  (chap,  xvii.)  the  false  church  is  described  under  the  opprobrious  name  of  "  the 
great  whore,"  and  the  powers  which  support  her  under  that  of  "  a  beast  with  seven  heads 
and  ten  horns."  This  beast,  namely,  the  Roman  empire,  "  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is." 
When  it  was  Pagan,  it  existed  with  all  its  beastly  properties  ;  when  it  became  Christian, 
it  was  supposed  to  have  lost  them,  and  to  be  a  beast  no  longer  ;  but  by  the  corruptions  in- 
troduced into  Christianity,  and  which  were  supported  by  it,  the  beast  still  continued. 

The  "  seven  heads  "  of  the  beast  have  a  two-fold  application. — First,  they  are  said  to  be 
"  seven  mountains,  on  which  the  woman  sitteth  ; "  referring  to  the  seven  hills  on  which 
Rome,  when  in  its  full  extent,  is  well  known  to  have  stood,  and  so  pointing  out  the  seat  of 
the  hierarchy. — They  are  also  said  to  be  "  seven  kings,"  that  is,  governments,  under 
which  the  empire  had  subsisted,  did  subsist,  or  would  subsist  hereafter.  The  forms  under 
which  it  had  subsisted,  but  which  were  passed  away  at  the  time  of  the  commencement 
of  the  prophecy,  were  kings,  consuls,  dictators,  decemvirs,  and  military  tribunes  ;  the  form 
under  which  it  then  subsisted  was  that  of  emperors  ;  and  that  which  was  "  yet  to  come, 
and  to  continue  a  short  space,"  was  the  government  which  succeeded  the  overthrow  of 
the  emperors,  and  continued  under  various  changes  for  about  300  years,  till  the  days  of 
Charlemagne  ;  when  a  government  was  established  which  combined  all  the  nations  of  Eu- 
rope in  support  of  the  antichristian  hierarchy.  This  short-lived  intermediate  power  might, 
on  some  accounts,  be  considered  as  the  "  seventh  "  head  of  the  beast,  and  as  such  be  dis- 
tinguished from  its  last  head,  whioh,  in  this  view,  would  be  the  "  eighth  :  "  but  upon  the 
whole  it  was  rather  to  be  considered  as  belonging  to  that  in  which  it  terminated,  and 
which  in  this  view  would  be  "  of  the  seven." 


16  EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 

The  "  ten  horns  "  are  the  kingdoms  of  Europe,  winch,  till  the  Reformation,  all  united 
with  the  empire  in  supporting  the  harlot;  but  which  have  already  begun  and  will  go  on  to 
hate  her,  to  eat  her  flesh,  and  to  burn  her  with  fire. — Chap.  xvii. 

The  second  of  these  Notes  of  Illustration  (contained  in  the  18th  chapter  and  the  first 
eight  verses  of  the  19th)  is  a  sacred  ode,  sent,  as  it  were,  from  heaven,  to  be  sung  at  the 
overthrow  of  the  antichristian  church,  in  which  are  celebrated  not  only  the  "  fall  of  Baby- 
lon," but  "the  marriage  of  the  Lamb ;  "  that  is,  not  only  the  termination  of  the  reign  of  the 
beast,  but  the  introduction  of  the  Millennial  reign  of  Christ,  which  shall  follow  upon  it. — 
Chap,  xviii.  xix.  1 — 8. 

The  third  and  last  of  these  notes  (which  begins  at  the  ninth  verse  of  the  19th  chapter) 
describes  the  actual  accomplishment  of  the  fall  of  Babylon,  which  the  foregoing  ode  had 
anticipated.  He  whose  name  is  the  Word  of  God  goes  forth  "  riding  upon  a  white  horse," 
(The  appropriate  symbol  for  the  success  of  the  gospel,)  joined  by  his  faithful  followers. 
This  provokes  the  adherents  of  the  beast  and  of  the  false  prophet,  who,  gathering  togeth- 
er their  forces  to  oppose  them,  perish  in  the  attempt. — Chap.  xix.  9 — 21. 

As  the  overthrow  of  the  antichristian  hierarchy  was  celebrated  in  the  preceding  ode,  un- 
der the  symbol  of  "  the  fall  of  Babylon,"  prior  to  its  actual  accomplishment ;  so  was  the 
Millennium  under  that  of  "  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb."  This  glorious  period  is 
now  introduced  as  actually  talcing  place.  The  "beast  and  the  false  prophet,"  or  the  secu- 
lar and  ecclesiastical  powers,  being  fallen,  the  dragon  himself  is  next  seized  and  thrust 
into  a  state  of  confinement. — "  Thrones  "  may  denote  stations  of  importance  both  in  the 
world  and  in  the  church,  which  will  now  be  filled  by  righteous  men  :  thus  "  the  kingdom 
is  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  ;  and,  as  the  public  mind  will  favor 
it,  righteousness  will  every  where  prevail;  corruptions,  oppressions,  wars,  tumults,  and 
rebellions,  will  cease  from  the  earth,  and  all  nations  feel  towards  each  other  as  children  of 
the  same  family. — Now  "judgment"  is  given  to  the  martyrs,  inasmuch  as  the  cause  for 
which  they  were  slain  is  vindicated,  and  their  memory  honored ;  while  "  the  rest,"  or  the 
remnant  of  the  antichristian  party,  who  escaped  from  the  battle  in  which  their  leaders  were 
"  taken,"  will  be  as  dead  men  till  the  thousand  years  are  ended.  To  them  this  glorious 
period  will  be  a  burial,  but  to  the  other  a  "  resurrection." 

After  the  Millennium,  Satan  is  loosed  for  a  little  season,  and  makes  one  more  desperate 
effort  to  corrupt  the  world,  and  to  destroy  the  church. — This  brings  on  the  general  confla- 
gration— the  resurrection  of  the  dead — and  the  last  judgment. — Chap.  xx. 

After  this  appear  "  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth,"  spoken  of  by  Peter,  "  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness."  The  world,  purified  from  sin  and  its  effects,  becomes  the  ever- 
lasting abode  of  the  righteous,  who,  having  been  raised  from  the  dead,  are  immortal. — The 
whole  animate  and  inanimate  creation,  in  so  far  as  it  has  been  "  made  subject  to  the  vani- 
ty "  of  subserving  the  cause  of  evil,  is  emancipated,  and  possesses  that  for  which  it  has 
"travailed  in  pain,"  from  the  fall  of  man  until  now. — No  more  shall  the  earth  be  polluted 
and  desolated  by  a  succession  of  beasts  ;  but  lo,  "the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and 
he  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  will  be  with  them, 
and  be  their  God!" 

Conclusion. — The  present  the  period  of  the  vials ;  or  that  space  of  time  which  begins 
with  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  and  ends  in  the  Millennium. — The  termination 
of  the  1260  years  probably  uncertain.  A  time  of  persecution  to  be  previously  expected. 
— Great  success  will  attend  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  before  the  Millennium. — Aspect 
of  the  present  times. — The  Millennial  glory. — Concluding  reflections  on  the  recent 
changes  in  Europe. 


EXPOSITORY  DISCOURSES. 


DISCOURSE  I. 


THE  INTRODUCTION  AND    PREPARATORY    VISION. 


Revelation  i. 


I  have  lately  expressed  a  wish  to  enter 
upon  this  difficult  part  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  not  because  I  conceive  myself  at 
present  equal  to  the  undertaking-,  but  be- 
cause I  think  I  understand  something-  of  it, 
and  hope,  by  going  through  it  in  the  way  of 
exposition,  to  understand  more.  I  enter  on 
it  with  fear :  but,  as  I  shall  not  attempt  to 
explain  that  which  appears  to  me  of  doubt- 
ful import,  I  hope  it  may  not  be  presumptu- 
ous, but  a  profitable  undertaking.* 

Ver.  1 — 3.  The  book  takes  its  title,  it 
seems,  from  the  first  verse.  All  scripture  is 
a  revelation,  in  some  sense,  but  this  is  a  dis- 
closure of  things  to  come. 

Christ  is  tlie  great  prophet  of  the  church. 
He  it  was,  as  we  shall  see,  that  was  found 
worthy  to  open  the  sealed  book.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  distinguish  between  the  knowledge 
of  Christ  as  a  divine  person,  and  that  which 
he  possesses  as  the  prophet  of  his  church. 
As  divine  he  knows  all  things  ;  all  things 
are  naked  to  the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom  we 
have  to  do  ;  but  as  a  prophet  he  receives  his 
messages  from  the  Father,  and  makes  them 
known  to  us.  In  this  sense  he  knew  not  the 
day  of  judgment ;  that  is,  it  was  no  part  of 
the  revelation  which  God  gave  to  him  to 
make  known  to  men.  As  Christ  in  the  char- 
acter of  a  prophet  has  these  things  revealed 
to  him,  so,  in  communicating  them  after  his 
ascension,  he  made  use  of  an  angel.  It 
might  have  been  too  much  for  a  mortal  man 
to  be  admitted  directly  to  converse  with  him 
in  his  glorified  state. 

The  writer  introduces  himself  to  the 
churches  in  the  character  of  a  ivitness,  de- 
claring that  the  things  which  he  was  about 
to    communicate    were    from    above — they 

*  These  discourses  were  delivered  in  the  years 
1809  and  1810,  drawn  out  in  1811,  and  have  lain 
by  from  that  time  to  the  present  (1815.) 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  3. 


were  "the  word  of  God,"  and  therefore 
might  be  depended  upon — "  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ,"  on  the  fulfilment  of  which 
he  rested  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  and  which 
he  himself  in  vision  plainly  "  saw." 

To  induce  us  to  give  the  most  serious 
attention  to  the  subject,  a  blessing  is  pro- 
nounced on  those  who  "  read,  and  hear,  and 
keep,"  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  especially 
as  the  time  of  its  fulfilment  was  at  hand. 
I  recollect  no  other  part  of  Scripture  that  is 
prefaced  with  such  an  inducement  to  read 
and  understand  and  practically  regard  it.  The 
prophecy  must  be  of  immediate  concern  to 
the  church  of  Christ,  and  requires  to  be  read 
and  heard,  not  for  the  gratifying  of  curiosity, 
but  for  the  obedience  of  faith.  We  must 
"  keep "  it,  as  one  engaged  in  a  voyage 
through  dangerous  seas  keeps  his  chart,  and 
consults  it  on  all  necessary  occasions.  It  is 
that  to  the  New  Testament  church  which 
the  pillar  of  the  cloud  was  to  the  church 
in  the  wilderness,  guiding  it  through  the 
labyrinths  of  antichristian  errors  and  cor- 
ruptions. It  must  not  be  neglected  under 
a  notion  of  its  being  hard  to  be  understood. 
As  well  might  the  mariner  amidst  the  rocks 
neglect  his  friendly  chart  under  an  idea  of 
its  being  difficult  to  understand  and  apply  it. 
It  would  seem,  too,  from  this  promise, 
that  the  successful  study  of  the  prophecy 
depends  not  merely  on  literary  attainments, 
but  on  a  practical  regard  to  the  things  con- 
tained in  it.  Whatever  advantages  attach 
to  the  former,  and  these  are  many  and  great, 
they  will  not  succeed  nor  obtain  the  blessing 
without  the  latter, 

Ver.  4 — 7.  The  proconsular  Asia  had 
probably  been  the  chief  seat  of  the  writer's 
labors  since  the  death  of  the  apostle  Paul. 
To  the  churches  in  this  province,  therefore, 
he  was  directed  to  address  the  prophecy. 
The  benediction  is  affectionate  and  appro- 


18 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


priate.  The  periphrasis  used  of  God  the 
Father,  "  Who  is,  and  who  was,  and  who  is 
to  come,"  is  singularly  appropriate  as  an  in- 
troduction to  a  prophecy  concerning  the  mu- 
tability of  creatures.  The  "  seven  spirits  " 
are  the  abundant  gifts  and  graces  of  the  Ho- 
ly Spirit,  or  the  Holy  Spirit  in  respect  of  his 
abundant  gifts  and  graces.  The  number 
seven  is  not  only  a  well-known  symbol  of 
perfection,  but  corresponds  with  the  number 
of  the  churches  ;  and,  as  they  represent  the 
whole  church,  so  these  describe  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  his  rich  and  abundant  influences. 

To  the  blessing  from  the  Father  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  he  adds,  "  And  from  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  the  faithful  witness,  the  first 
begotten  of  the  dead,  and  the  prince  of  the 
kings  of  the  earth."  By  the  first  of  these 
appellations  our  Lord  accredits  the  prophecy 
as  being  his  testimony  ;  and  by  the  last  two 
cheers  his  suffering  followers,  by  reminding 
them  of  his  having  emerged  from  death  and 
obtained  a  complete  ascendancy  over  all  his 
and  their  enemies. 

And  now,  having  mentioned  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  he  cannot  leave  it  without  ad- 
ding a  sweet  doxology  on  his  dying  love, 
and  its  interesting  effects — "  Unto  him  that 
loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his 
own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and 
priests  unto  God  and  his  Father  ;  to  him  be 
glory  .  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen."  Nor  has  he  yet  taken  leave  of  this 
subject :  Christ's  suffering  people  must  be 
directed  to  his  second  coming,  when  the 
persecuting  Jews  who  pierced  him  in  his 
person,  and  the  persecuting  Gentiles  who 
were  now  piercing  him  in  his  members,  will 
be  called  to  account.  To  their  just  punish- 
ment, dreadful  as  it  will  be,  the  servants  of 
God  will  add  their  "  Amen." 

Ver.  8.  The  apostle,  after  expatiating  on 
the  glory  of  Christ  in  his  salutation,  now  in- 
troduces him  as  speaking  himself.  That 
these  are  his  words,  and  not  those  of  the 
Father,  will  appear  from  comparing  them 
with  ch.  i.  1,  and  xxii.  6 — 16.  It  was  Jesus 
Christ,  and  not  the  Father,  who  communicat- 
ed, through  the  angel,  with  his  servant  John. 
The  Father  is  sometimes  referred  to  in  the 
prophecy  ;  but,  if  I  mistake  not,  it  is  in  the 
third  person  only :  not  as  speaking,  but  as 
spoken  of.  Jesus  Christ  therefore  is  "  the 
Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  beginning  and 
the  ending,  who  is,  and  who  was,  and  who 
is  to  come,  the  almighty  ; "  and  consequent- 
ly is  able  to  preserve  his  church,  and  to  ex- 
ecute the  punishments  denounced  in  this 
prophecy  against  her  enemies. 

Ver.  9 — 20.  It  was  usual  for  the  most 
eminent  prophets  to  be  introduced  to  their 
work  by  an  extraordinary  vision.  Such  was 
the  introduction  of  Isaiah  (ch.  vi.)  of  Jere- 


miah, and  of  Ezekiel ;  and  such  is  that  of 
John.  Having  been  banished  to  the  Isle  of 
Patmos  by  Domitian  for  .preaching  Christ, 
the  spirit  of  prophecy  came  upon  him  on  the 
Lord's-day,  when  he  heard  from  behind  him 
a  great  voice  as  of  a  trumpet,  saying  I  am 
Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first  and  the  last,  and 
what  thou  seest  write  in  a  book,  and  send  it 
unto  the  seven  churches  which  are  in  Asia. 
Turning  to  see  whence  the  voice  proceed- 
ed, he  saw  "  seven  golden  candlesticks,  and 
in  the  midst  of  them  one  like  unto  the  Son 
of  man."  It  was  from  him  therefore  that 
the  great  voice  proceeded.  In  short,  he  saw 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  as  to  his  human 
nature  had  lived  and  died  on  earth,  but  who 
as  to  his  divine  person  was  "  the  first  and 
the  last,"  standing,  as  the  great  High  Priest 
over  the  house  of  God,  in  the  midst  of  his 
churches,  clothed  with  ineffable  glory. 

The  effect  of  such  a  vision  was  more  than 
a  frail  mortal  could  sustain.  He  who  when 
his  Lord  was  upon  earth  leaned  familiarly 
on  his  bosom  now  "  fell  at  his  feet  as  dead." 
But,  laying  his  right  hand  upon  him,  he  said, 
"  Fear  not,  I  am  the  first  and  the  last ;  I  am 
he  that  liveth  and  was  dead,  and  behold  I  am 
alive  for  evermore,  Amen ;  and  have  the 
keys  of  hell  and  of  death."  This  impres- 
sive vision  would  not  only  excite  in  his  mind 
a  deep  interest  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
and  so  prepare  him  for  what  he  was  to  see, 
and  hear,  and  write  ;  but  must  have  tended 
greatly  to  relieve  him  from  his  anxieties  for 
his  brethren  and  companions  in  tribulation 
from  whom  he  had  been  separated.  All  the 
apostles  were  dead  :  he  only  was  left,  and 
the  heathen  rulers  had  banished  him.  Hell 
and  death  threatened  to  swallow  up  the 
church.  In  this  situation  he  is  told  not  to 
fear,  for  that  his  Lord  lived,  and  had  the 
control  of  both  the  invisible  and  visible 
world. 

Being  commanded  to  write  "  the  things 
which  he  had  seen,  the  things  that  ivere,  and 
the  things  that  should  be  hereafter,"  we  may 
conclude  that  what  he  wrote  respected  not 
only  the  future  sta£e  of  the  church  from  the 
time  of  the  vision,  but  the  whole  gospel  dis- 
pensation, from  the  ascension  of  Christ  to 
the  end  of  the  world. 

What  is  said  of  the  "  seven  stars  and  sev- 
en golden  candlesticks"  would  tend  greatly 
to  encourage  both  the  ministers  and  the 
churches  of  Christ.  There  was  a  golden 
candlestick  in  the  tabernacle,  and  in  the 
second  temple. — Exod.  xxv.  31 — 40  ;  Zech. 
iv.  2.  That  was  but  one  candlestick,  though 
it  had  seven  branches  :  but  these  are  seven 
candlesticks ;  agreeing  with  the  different 
constitutions  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
church,  the  former  being  national,  and  the 
latter  congregational. 


THE    EPISTLES    TO  THE    CHURCHES. 


19 


DISCOURSE   II. 

THE    EPISTLES    TO    THE    CHURCHES. 

Rev.  ii.  1—17.. 

Before  we  enter  on  these  epistles  dis- 
tinctly, it  is  proper  to  make  a  few  general 
remarks. 

First:  Some  have  considered  these  church- 
es as  prophetically  representing  the  different 
states  of  the  church  at  large  under  the  gospel 
dispensation.  There  is  no  doubt  but  analo- 
gies may  be  found  between  them  :  but  it  ap- 
pears to  me  that  the  hypothesis  is  unfounded. 
The  church  of  Ephesus,  if  designed  to  repre- 
sent the  whole  Christian  church  in  the  age 
of  the  apostles,  might  be  expected  to  sustain 
as  high  a  character  at  least  as  any  that 
follow  ;  whereas  Smyrna,  in  respect  of  its 
purity,  is  manifestly  superior  to  it.  Every 
thing  addressed  to  the  latter  is  in  its  praise  ; 
which  is  not  the  case  with  the  former.  But 
surely  it  is  not  true  that  any  age  of  the  church 
since  that  of  the  apostles  is  to  be  compared 
with  it,  much  less  that  it  has  excelled  it  in 
evangelical  purity. 

Others,  doubting  the  justness  of  this  hy- 
pothesis, have  considered  the  epistles  to  the 
churches  as  referring  to  the  then  present  state 
of  the  church,  and  the  sealed  book  to  that 
which  was  future.  And  this  they  consider 
as  agreeing  with  the  division  of  the  book  in- 
to "  things  which  the  writer  had  seen,  things 
which  were,  and  things  which  shoidd  be  here- 
after,"—Ch.  i.  19.  This  is  Mr.  Lowman's 
view  of  it.  When  I  entered  upon  these 
Discourses  from  the  pulpit  I  adopted  this 
opinion  :  but  before  I  had  proceeded  far  in 
the  work  I  was  compelled  to  give  it  up  ;  the 
reasons  for  which  will  appear  when  we  enter 
on  the  opening  of  the  seals,  in  ch.  vi.,  under 
the  fifth  general  remark  in  Discourse  VI. 

Instead  of  considering  the  epistles  to  the 
seven  churches  either  as  prophetic,  or  as  de- 
scriptive of  the  state  of  the  church  at  large 
as  it  then  was,  I  should  rather  consider  them 
as  descriptive  of  the  state  of  those  seven 
churches  as  they  then  were,  and  as  designed 
to  furnish  encouragements,  reproofs,  warn- 
ings, and  counsels,  to  all  other  churches  and 
Christians,  in  all  future  ages,  as  their  cases 
are  found  to  resemble  theirs.  The  application 
ought  not  to  be  confined  to  one  age  more 
than  to  another,  nor-  even  to  collective 
bodies :  every  one,  in  every  age,  that  hath  an 
ear  to  hear,  is  called  to  "  hear  what  the  Spirit 
saith  unto  the  churches." 

In  applying  them  to  ourselves,  we  should 
consider  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  as 
watching  over  us,  and  closely  observing  the 
state  of  our  hearts  towards  him,  with  all  our 
proceedings,  whether  good  or  evil ;  and  in- 
quire what  would  be  his  address  to  us  were 
he  to  commission  an  angel  or  an  apostle  to 
write  to  us. 


Secondly  :  By  the  epistles  being  address- 
ed to  the  angels,  we  are  not  to  understand 
them  as  concerning  the  pastors  only,  in  dis- 
tinction from  the  churches,  but  to  consider 
them  as  their  representatives.  That  which 
the  Spirit  saith  in  these  epistles  is  "  to  the 
churches." 

Thirdly  :  In  every  address  to  the  churches 
Christ  assumes  a  distinct  character,  taken 
from  some  one  part  of  the  description  given 
of  him  in  the  preceding  vision  ;  each  of 
which,  if  we  rightly  understand  it,  will  be 
found  to  be  appropriate  to  the  character  or 
circumstances  of  the  church  addressed. 

Fourthly  :  Every  address  begins  with  com- 
mendation, provided  there  be  any  thing  to 
commend.  This  shows  that  Christ  knows 
all,  and  notices  that  which  is  good  amongst 
us  as  well  as  that  which  is  evil ;  nay,  that  he 
takes  more  pleasure  in  noticing  the  good 
than  in  complaining  of  the  evil — an  example 
worthy 'of  our  imitation  in  dealing  with  one 
another.  If  we  wish  to  reclaim  our  brethren 
who  have  fallen  into  sin,  we  must  begin  by 
appreciating  the  good  in  them,  and  by  can- 
didly commending  it,  before  we  reprove 
them  for  their  faults.  Such  was  the  conduct 
of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  when  about  to 
censure  them  for  their  abuse  of  the  Lord's 
supper — "  Now  I  praise  you,  brethren,  that 
ye  remember  me  in  all  things,  and  keep 
the  ordinances  as  I  delivered  them  unto 
you." 

Fifthly  :  Most  of  the  churches  have  some- 
what on  account  of  which  they  are  censured 
and  admonished.  This  is  an  humbling  truth, 
even  of  the  first  and  purest  churches  :  how 
much  more  of  those  in  our  times  !  If  the  Son 
of  God,  whose  eyes  are  as  a  flaming  fire, 
were  to  pronounce  our  character,  would  there 
not  be  "  somewhat  against  us  ?  "  We  can 
see  each  other's  errors  and  defects  ;  but  it 
were  to  much  more  advantage  if  we  could 
detect  our  own. 

Finally  :  Every  epistle  concludes  with  a 
promise  to  him  that  overcometh,  and  an  ex- 
hortation to  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  churches.  Professing  Christians  in  this 
world  are  soldiers  enlisted  under  the  banner 
of  Christ.  Some  have  proved  deserters  ; 
many  have  been  partially  overcome ;  the 
Captain  of  the  Lord's  host  here  addresses 
them,  holding  forth  the  glory  that  awaits 
them  who  are  finally  victorious. 

Ver.  1 — 7.  Ephesus  was  the  metropolis 
of  the  Proconsular  Asia  ;  and  it  is  probable 
that  all  these  churches  were'  planted  by  the 
labors  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  during  his  two 
years'  residence  at  Ephesus,  when  "  all  they 
who  dwelt  in  Asia  heard  the  word  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  both  Jews  and  Greeks." — Acts 
xix.  10. 

The  Ephesians  appear  to  have  been  in  a 
good  state  when  the  apostle  Paul  took  leave 
of  their  elders  at  Miletus  ;  but  he  then  gave 
them  to  expect  a  time  of  trial  after  his  de- 


20 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


parture,  and  which  by  this  time  seems  to 
have  come  upon  them. 

The  character  which  our  Lord  here  as- 
sumes is  taken  from  ch.  i.  16,  20,  and  seems 
to  contain  both  encouragement  and  warning  ; 
which  fitly  applies  to  their  character,  as  part- 
ly commendable  and  partly  blameable.  They 
had  been  distinguished  by  their  exertions 
in  promoting  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  their 
sufferings  on  account  of  it.  They  "  work- 
ed," yea,  they  "  labored "  for  Christ,  and 
when  called  to  encounter  persecution,  bore 
it  with  "  patience."  They  were  zealous 
also  in  the  exercise  of  a  strict  and  holy  dis- 
cipline, not  suffering  evil  characters  and  im- 
postors to  remain  amongst  them  :  and  in 
this  course  of  obedience  they  had  "  not  faint- 
ed." Altogether,  this  is  a  high  character. 
Yet  even  here  is  something  amiss  ;  they  had 
"left  their  first  love."  We  see  here  that 
the  Lord  looketh  at  the  heart.  We  may  re- 
tain our  character  and  respectability  among 
the  churches,  while  yet,  as  to  the  state  of 
our  minds,  Christ  has  somewhat  against  us. 
To  leave  our  first  love  is  a  very  common  case, 
so  much  so  that  some  will  give  young  Chris- 
tians to  expect  it  as  a  matter  of  course  :  but 
Christ  treats  it  as  a  sin,  and  calls  on  the  par- 
ties to  "  repent  "  of  it,  yea,  and  threatens  to 
"  remove  their  candlestick  out  of  its  place 
except  they  repented."  To  decline  in  our 
attachment  to  Christ,  his  gospel,  his  ordi- 
nances, his  people,  and  his  cause,  is  practi- 
cally reproaching  him  :  it  is  saying,  to  those 
around  us,  We  have  not  found  that  in  his  re- 
ligion which  we  once  expected  to  find.  "  O 
my  people,  what  have  I  done  unto  thee,  and 
wherein  have  I  wearied  thee  ?  Testify 
against  me !  " 

A  declension  in  love  is  followed  by  a  de- 
generacy in  good  works.  If  this  had  not 
been  the  case,  they  would  not  have  been  ad- 
monished to  do  their  "  first  works."  Either 
they  were  neglected,  or  attended  to  in  a  half- 
hearted manner,  different  from  what  they 
were  at  the  beginning. 

The  Lord,  to  show  that  he  did  not  find 
fault  with  them  with  pleasure,  again  com- 
mends them  as  far  as  they  were  commenda- 
ble :  they  hated  the  doctrine  of  the  Nicolai- 
tanes,  which  he  also  hated.  Clemens  of 
Alexandria,  as  quoted  by  Eusebius.  speaks  of 
these  as  a  people  who  practised  a  communi- 
ty of  wives,  living  in  fornication  and  adulte- 
ry. It  is  thought,  and  with  some  probability, 
that  they  were  the  people  to  whom  Peter 
and  Jude  refer — the  antinomians  of  the  prim- 
itive church. 

If  we  have  an  ear  to  hear  what  the  Spirit 
saith  unto  this  church,  we  shall  learn  from  it, 
among  other  things, — that  works  are  the 
chief  test  of  character — that  in  serving  the 
Lord  in  this  world  there  is  great  occasion 
for  patience  under  sufferings,  and  discrimi- 
nation of  characters — and  that,  while  justly 


censuring  others,  we  may  decline  in  spiritu- 
ality ourselves. 

The  promise  to  him  that  overcometh  is, 
that  he  shall  "  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God." 
That  which  grew  in  the  earthly  paradise  be- 
came inaccessible  by  sin ;  but  no  flaming 
sword  nor  cherubim  prevent  access  to  this. 

Ver.  8 — 11.  Of  the  church  of  Smyrna,  as 
well  as  several  others,  no  mention  is  made 
except  in  these  epistles. — Polycarp,  the  dis- 
ciple of  John,  was  pastor  of  it,  and  suffered 
martyrdom.  Whether  he  was  the  angel 
here  addressed  is  uncertain  ;  but  when  he 
suffered,  which  was  about  the  year  162,  he 
speaks  of  himself  as  having  served  Christ 
eighty-six  years,  and  Irenseus  speaks  of  him 
as  having  been  ordained  bishop  of  Smyrna 
by  the  apostles.  This  church  seems  distin- 
guished by  its  persecutions  ;  all  that  is  said 
has  respect  to  them. 

The  character  under  which  Christ  ad- 
dresses them  is  taken  from  ch.  i.  11,  18. 
"  These  things  saith  the  first  and  the  last, 
who  was  dead,  and  is  alive."  The  former  is 
expressive  of  his  Godhead,  and  suggests 
how  vain  it  is  for  the  enemies  of  the  gospel 
to  oppose  him.  In  the  latter  he  holds  up 
himself  as  an  example  of  persecution  be- 
fore them,  and  as  an  earnest  of  deliverance 
from  it. 

The  commendation  of  their  "  works  "  in 
the  midst  of  tribulation  and  poverty  (poverty, 
it  is  likely,  arising  from  their  persecutions) 
is  much  to  their  honour.  We  see  here  of 
what  little  account  worldly  wealth  is  in  the 
estimation  of  Christ.  We  hear  much  of  re- 
spectable congregations  and  churches,  when 
little  else  is  meant  but  that  they  are  numer- 
ous or  opulent :  but  the  estimation  of  Christ 
goes  on  quite  another  principle.  What  a 
contrast  there  is  between  this  church  and 
that  at  Laodicea !  They  were  rich  in  this 
world's  goods,  but  poor  towards  God  :  these 
were  poor  in  this  world,  but  rich  towards 
God. 

It  is  intimated  that  they  had  not  only  to 
contend  with  heathens,  but  Jews,  who  had 
a  synagogue  in  this  city  :  and  it  is  remarka- 
ble that,  in  the  account  of  the  martyrdom  of 
Polycarp,  the  Jews  are  spoken  of  as  being 
very  active  in  it,  and  as  joining  the  heathens 
in  kindling  the  fire.  We  see  here  to  what 
a  state  of  mind  that  people  Avere  left  after 
having  rejected  Christ :  they  had  been  the 
people  of  God,  but  were  now  no  longer  such, 
but  blasphemers  :  their  synagogues  had  been 
places  where  God  had  been  worshipped : 
there  our  Lord  himself  attended,  and  to  them 
the  friends  of  God  in  heathen  countries  had 
been  used  to  resort ;  but  hence  they  became 
the  synagogues  of  Satan  ! 

They  are  given  to  expect  more  persecu- 
tions, but  are  encouraged  to  meet  them  with 
fortitude.    The  devil  would  stir  up  his  agent9 


THE    EPISTLES    TO    THE    CHURCHES    CONTINUED. 


21 


to  imprison  some  of  them  for  a  season,  and 
some  of  them  might  expect  to  die  for  the 
name  of  Christ ;  but,  if  faithful  unto  death, 
they  are  promised  a  crown  of  life. 

It  was  about  sixty-seven  years  after  this 
that  Polycarp,  and  other  members  of  this 
church,  suffered  martyrdom  ;  the  account  of 
which  is  given  by  Eusebius  in  a  letter  from 
the  church  of  Smyrna.  When  Polycarp  was 
apprehended  by  his  persecutors,  they  set 
him  on  an  ass,  and  brought  hiin  to  the  place 
of  judgment.  He  was  met  by  some  of  the 
magistrates,  who  took  him  into  their  carriage, 
and  tried  to  persuade  him  to  deny  Christ 
and  save  his  life,  but  which  he  resisted.  On 
his  approaching  the  place  of  execution,  the 
proconsul,  ashamed  of  putting  so  aged  and 
venerable  a  man  to  death,  urged  him  to  blas- 
pheme Christ.  It  was  then  that  he  answer- 
ed, "  Eighty-six  years  I  have  served  him, 
during  all  which  time  he  never  did  me  inju- 
ry ;  how  then  can  I  blaspheme  my  king  and 
my  Saviour  ?  "  When  farther  urged,  his  ans- 
wer was,  "  I  am  a  Christian."  When  threat- 
ened with  wild  beasts,  he  said,  "  Bring  them 
forth."  When  with  fire,  he  reminded  them 
of  the  eternal  fire  that  awaited  the  ungodly. 
His  last  address  to  God  had  more  of  praise 
in  it  than  of  prayer. 

It  is  a  high  honor  to  this  persecuted  peo- 
ple that  nothing  is  said  to  them  in  a  way  of 
reproof.  To  be  "  blameless  and  harmless,  the 
sons  of  God,  without  rebuke  in  an  evil  gen- 
eration," is  great,  even  in  respect  of  our  fel- 
low creatures  ;  but  to  be  without  rebuke 
from  Christ  himself  is  much  greater. 

To  this  suffering  church  Christ  saith,  "  Be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee 
a  crown  of  life.  He  that  overcometh  shall 
not  be  hurt  of  the  second  death."  Let  every 
one  that  hath  an  ear  hear  this  language,  and 
be  armed  by  it  against  the  fear  of  man. 

Ver.  12 — 17.  Pergamos  was  a  city  of 
Mysia,  not  far  from  Troas.  We  find  the 
apostle  Paul  at  this  latter  city  more  than 
once  ;  and  "  a  door  was  here  opened  to  him 
of  the  Lord,  to  preach  Christ's  gospel." — 2 
Cor.  ii.  12.  Here  it  was  that  he  afterwards 
commemorated  the  Lord's  death  with  the 
disciples  ;  and,  as  he  had  to  wait  seven  days 
for  their  coming  together,  it  would  seem  as 
if  they  had  to  come  from  some  great  distance. 
The  church  at  Pergamos  might  therefore  be 
planted  about  the  same  time. 

The  character  under  which  our  Lord  ad- 
dresses them  is  taken  from  chap.  i.  16, — "  He 
that  hath  the  sharp  sword  with  two  edges  " — 
and  wears  a  terrible  aspect  towards  a  cor- 
rupt party  amongst  them,  against  whom  he 
threatens  to  wage  war. 

Kind  and  encouraging  things  however  are 
addressed  to  the  body  of  them.  Christ  knew 
their  "  works,"  and  their  firm  adherence  to 
him  under  great  trials  and  persecutions,  in 
which  one  of  their  number  in  particular,  and 
probably  their  pastor,  had  suffered  martyr- 


dom. Pergamos  was  a  city  said  to  be  "  sa- 
cred to  the  gods  :  "  here  therefore  we  might 
expect  to  find  the  head-quarters  of  idolatry 
and  persecutions ;  and  their  standing  firm 
in  such  a  place,  and  at  such  times,  was  much 
to  their  honor. 

But  there  were  "  a  few  things  "  amongst 
them  which  displeased  Christ.  Some  of  the 
members  tampered  with  idolatry  and  its  or- 
dinary attendant,  fornication  ;  and  the  rest 
connived  at  it.  This  is  called  "the  doctrine 
of  Balaam,"  because  it  was  in  this  way  that 
that  wicked  prophet  drew  Israel  into  sin. 
They  had  also  some  of  the  "  Nicolaitanes  " 
amongst  them,  whose  principles  and  practices 
the  Lord  abhorred. 

They  are  called  upon  to  repent  on  pain  of 
Christ's  displeasure,  who  threatens,  except 
they  repent,  to  come  unto  them  quickly,  and 
to  execute  the  judgments  of  his  word  against 
them,  even  against  the  transgressors  them- 
selves, and  all  who  favored  them. 

These  warnings  and  threatenings  require 
our  attention,  and  that  of  all  who  are  guilty 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  the  same  evils  : 
nor  do  the  encouragements  to  them  that  over- 
come require  it  less.  The  "  hidden  manna," 
the  "  white  stone,"  and  the  "  new  name,"  be- 
ing promised  as  the  reward  of  them  that  over- 
come, seems  to  refer  to  the  blessedness  and 
honor  of  a  future  state,  rather  than  of  the 
present ;  though  Christians  doubtless  have  a 
foretaste  of  them  even  in  this  life.  The 
"hidden  manna"  refers  to  those  who  should 
deny  themselves  of  "  eating  things  sacrificed 
to  idols,"  and  other  carnal  enjoyments,  for 
Christ's  sake  ;  and  denotes  that  there  is  a 
feast  in  reserve  for  them,  which  shall  infi- 
nitely exceed  the  pleasures  of  flesh  and  sense. 
The  Romans  in  judgment  are  said  to  have 
given  their  suffrage  for  condemnation  by 
casting  black  stones  into  an  urn,  and,  for  abso- 
lution, by  casting  in  white  stones.  White 
stones  are  also  said  to  have  been  given  by 
the  Greeks  to  the  conquerors  in  the  Olym- 
pic games,  with  their  names  upon  them,  and 
the  value  of  the  prize  they  won.  The  appli- 
cation of  this  is  easy. 


DISCOURSE  III. 


THE     EPISTLES      TO      THE      CHURCHES     CON- 


Rev.  ii.  18—29;  iii. 

The  character  under  which  our  Lord  ad- 
dresses the  church  of  Thyatira  is  taken  from 
chap.  i.  13 — 15,  with  this  variation  :  there  he 
is  described  as  "  one  like  unto  the  Son  of 
man : "  but  here  he  is  called  "  The  Son  of 
God  ; "  as  denoting  his  divine  personality. 
With  this  agrees  what  is  said  of  him,  that 
"  his  eyes  were  like  unto  a  flame  of  fire," 
discerning  the  secrets  of  the  heart ;  "  and 
his  feet  like  fine  brass,"  denoting  the  sta- 


22 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


bility  and  glory  of  his  proceedings.  It  is 
like  saying,  "  All  things  are  naked  and  open 
to  the  eyes  of  him  with  whom  you  have  to 
do."  "  Seeing  then  that  ye  have  a  great 
high-priest,  that  is  passed  into  the  heavens, 
Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  hold  fast  your  pro- 
fession !  " 

It  is  a  high  commendation  that  is  given  of 
this  church,  for  its  "  works,  and  charity,  and 
service,  and  patience,  and  works."  Nor  is 
this  last  word  repeated  without  cause  ;  it  de- 
notes their  persevering  and  even  abounding 
in  good  works ;  "  the  last  were  more  than 
the  first."  There  are  few  churches,  I  fear, 
of  which  this  can  be  said.  Christ  may  know 
our  works — and  our  works :  but  in  most 
cases  the  first  are  more  than  the  last ! 

Yet,  with  all  this  excellence,  Christ  has  a 
few  things  against  them.  With  all  this  pos- 
itive good,  there  was  a  mixture  of  relative 
evil.  "  The  woman  Jezebel  "  seems  to  relate 
to  a  corrupt  part  of  the  church,  who  though 
united  to  God's  people,  as  Jezebel  was  by 
marrying  an  Israelitish  prince,  yet  were  in 
heart  attached  to  idolatry,  and  labored  to  se- 
duce others  into  it.  As  a  corrupt  part  of  the 
Christian  church  is  described  as  a  harlot,  so 
a  corrupt  part  of  a  particular  church  may  be 
thus  designated  ;  and  as  Jezebel  pretended 
to  divine  authority,  and  had  her  prophets  to 
draw  the  servants  of  God  into  literal  and 
spiritual  fornication,  so  these  had  a  kind  of 
religion  which  would  comport  witli  eating 
and  drinking  at  idolatrous  temples,  and  so 
with  occasional  conformity  to  idolatry.  They 
had  had  space  to  repent ;  the  Lord  had  long 
borne  with  them  :  but  his  forbearance  opera- 
ted, as  it  often  does,  to  harden  them  in  their 
sin.  This  forbearance,  however,  Avill  not 
continue  always  :  Jezebel,  with  her  adulter- 
ous paramours,  will,  except  they  repent,  be 
cast  together  into  a  bed  of  devouring  fire  ; 
and  this  for  a  warning  to  the  churches. 

It  seems  that,  like  some  among  the  Corin- 
thians, they  boasted  of  their  knowledge,  as 
being  able  to  distinguish  between  eating  at 
an  idol's  temple  and  worshipping  it  (1  Cor. 
viii.  1 ;)  they  spoke  of  their  depths  in  knowl- 
edge ;  but  Christ  calls  them  "  the  depths  of 
Satan,"  and  virtually  disowns  their  abettors, 
distinguishing  the  faithful  from  them — "  Un- 
to you,  I  say,  and  unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira, 
as  many  as  have  not  this  doctrine,  and  who 
have  not  known  the  depths  of  Satan,  as  they 
speak  ;  I  will  put  upon  you  none  other  bur- 
den. But  that  which  ye  have  hold  fast  till  I 
come." 

The  promise  to  them  that  overcome  the 
temptations  of  the  present  life  is  a  final  tri- 
umph. They  shall  judge  the  world  of  the 
ungodly :  and  those  who  have  persecuted 
them,  and  set  themselves  against  them,  will 
then  fall  before  them.  As  a  potter's  vessel 
is  broken  to  shivers,  so  shall  they  be  destroy- 
ed ;  and  all  this  according  to  the  commission 
which  Christ  received  of  his  Father. 


Nor  is  this  all :  Christ  will  give  unto  them 
that  overcome  "  the  morning  star."  As  this 
is  one  of  the  names  assumed  by  himself  (chap, 
xxii.  l(i),  it  may  denote  that  he  himself  will 
be  their  portion. 

The  exhortation  "  he  that  hath  an  ear,  let 
him  hear,"  &c,  may  in  this  case  direct  our 
attention  to  the  following  important  particu- 
lars,— That  we  may  be  members  of  a  true 
church,  and  yet  not  true  members  of  the 
church  ;  that  the  mixture  of  evil  characters 
and  evil  things  which  at  present  is  found  in 
Christ's  visible  kingdom  greatly  tarnishes  its 
glory,  but  in  the  end  he  will  gather  them 
out,  and  then  shall  the  righteous  shine  like 
the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father  ;  that 
we  may  have  space  given  us  for  repentance 
and  yet  never  repent,  which  will  greatly  ag- 
gravate our  doom  ;  that  there  is  a  species  of 
knowledge  with  which  it  is  our  honor  and 
happiness  to  be  unacquainted  ;  finally,  that 
the  hope  of  victory  is  sufficient  to  stimulate 
us  under  all  our  conflicts. 

Ch.  iii.  ver.  1 — 6.  The  church  of  Sardis 
lies  under  the  heavy  charge  of  having  "  a 
name  to  live  while  it  was  dead."  The  ad- 
dress to  it  is  taken  from  chap.  i.  4,  20,  and 
may  be  designed  to  direct  them  and  their 
pastor  where  to  look  for  reviving  grace. 
Nothing  is  said  in  a  way  of  commendation, 
except  to  individuals  amongst  them.  This 
indicates  a  bad  state  indeed.  There  are  not 
many  churches,  but  individuals  might  be 
found  in  them  who  love  the  Lord.  The 
"  works "  which  Christ  knew  appear  to  be 
the  same  as  those  which  he  had  "  not  found 
perfect  before  God."  Though  therefore  he 
knew  them,  he  did  not  approve  of  them.  It 
is  bad  for  the  world  to  be  dead  ;  but  for  a 
church  to  be  so  is  worse  :  this  is  salt  with- 
out savor,  which  is  neither  fit  for  the  land 
nor  the  dunghill.  It  is  bad  for  individuals  to 
be  dead  ;  but  for  the  body  of  a  church  to  be 
so  is  deplorable.  It  is  implied  that  they 
were  not  only  destitute  of  spirituality,  but 
had  defiled  their  garments  by  worldly  con- 
formity. 

There  had  been  some  good  amongst  them, 
or  they  would  not  have  been  called  to  "re- 
member how  they  had  received  and  heard ; " 
and  some  remains  of  it  might  continue.  As 
no  complaint  is  made  of  false  doctrine,  it  is 
likely  they  continued  orthodox,  and  kept  up 
the  forms  of  godliness.  There  seem  to  have 
been  something  of  truth,  love,  and  zeal ;  but 
they  were  like  dying  embers,  ready  to 
expire. 

Christ  admonished  them  to  awake  from  their 
supineness,  to  take  the  alarm,  and  to  strength- 
en the  tilings  which  remained,  that  were 
ready  to  die.  This  is  done  by  each  one  be- 
ginning with  himself,  and  ending  with  one 
another. 

The  means  of  recovery  from  such  a  state 
are,  "  remembering  how  we  received  an  d 
heard  "  the  gospel  at  the  first.     Call  to  re- 


THE    EPISTLES    TO    THE  CHURCHES    CONTINUED. 


23 


membrance  the  former  days,  not- to  get  com- 
fort under  our  declensions,  but  to  recover 
those  views  and  sensations  which  we  had  at 
the  beginning  of  our  Christian  course.  There 
were  many,  also,  who  at  first  had  received 
the  gospel  with  much  heart,  and  had  heard 
it  with  delight,  but  who  in  the  course  of  for- 
ty years  would  be  removed  by  death.  Let 
them  call  to  remembrance  the  love  and  zeal 
of  their  fathers,  and  be  ashamed  of  their  own 
declensions.  If  these  admonitions  did  not 
awaken  them,  they  are  given  to  understand 
that  Christ  will  come  upon  them  in  an  unex- 
pected hour,  even  as  a  thief  cometh  in  the 
night. 

The  "  few  names  which  had  not  defiled 
their  garments"  are  highly  commended.  To 
walk  with  God  at  any  time  is  acceptable 
to  him :  and  to  do  this  while  others  around 
us  are  corrupt  is  more  so.  This  is  being 
faithful  among  the  faithless.  They  shall 
walk  with  Christ  in  glory,  honor,  and  purity. 

With  this  agrees  the  promise  to  them  that 
overcome  :  "  They  shall  be  clothed  in  white 
raiment ;  and  Christ  will  not  blot  out  their 
names  from  the  book  of  life."  The  blessed 
God  is  represented  as  keeping  a  register  of 
his  servants,  not  as  elect,  or  as  redeemed, 
or  as  called,  but  as  his  professed  followers. 
When  any  turn  back,  their  names  are  blotted 
out.  Hence  at  the  last  judgment  it  is  made 
the  rule  of  condemnation.  "  Whosoev- 
er was  not  found  written  in  the  book  of 
life  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire." — Ch. 
xx.  15.  Some  were  never  there,  having 
never  professed  to  be  the  followers  of  Jesus, 
while  others  who  had  been  there  were  blot- 
ted out :  in  either  case  their  names  would 
not  be  found  there.  Hence  also  it  is  the 
rule  of  admission  into  the  New  Jerusalem. — 
Ch.  xxi.  27. 

"  He  that  hath  an  ear  to  hear  let  him  hear." 
Let  us  beware  of  judging  ourselves  by  what 
others  think  of  us.  We  may  have  a  name 
to  live  amongst  our  brethren,  and  yet  be 
dead.  Our  names  may  be  written  among 
the  professed  followers  of  Christ,  and  yet  be 
blotted  out  when  he  comes  to  judgment. 
But  let  faithful  individuals  know  that,  what- 
ever may  be  the  end  of  others,  Jesus  will 
confess  them  before  his  Father,  and  before 
his  angels. 

Ver.  7 — 13.  There  is  a  great  difference 
between  the  church  at  Philadelphia,  and 
that  at  Sardis  :  in  that  there  was  nothing  to 
commend  ;  in  this  nothing  is  censured.  The 
character  under  which  they  are  addressed  is 
taken  from  chap.  i.  18,  and  accords  with  the 
address  itself.  "  He  that  was  holy  and  true  " 
approved  of  them  ;  and  "  he  that  had  the  keys 
of  David,  who  opened  and  no  man  shut,  had 
"  set  an  open  door  before  them." 

The  Lord  knew  and  approved  of  their 
works,  and  would  make  them  more  and  more 
successful.  They  were  not  distinguished 
by  opulence,  nor  perhaps   by  any  of  those 


things  that  render  a  people  respectable  in 
the  eyes  of  the  world ;  but  of  their  "  little 
strength  "  they  had  made  good  use  ;  they 
held  fast  the  truth,  and  stood  firm  under  per- 
secution, which  is  of  more  account  in  the 
esteem  of  Christ  than  all  other  things. 

This,  and  most  of  the  primitive  churches, 
met  with  great  opposition  from  the  Jewish 
synagogue,  which  is  here  again  called  "  the 
synagogue  of  Satan  ;  "  whose  members,  hav- 
ing rejected  the  Messiah,  were  no  longer 
worthy  of  the  name  of  Jews.  They  that  say 
they  are  what  they  are  not,  whether  it  be 
Jews  or  Christians,  are  commonly  the  bitter- 
est of  persecutors.  Their  "  coming  "  to  them 
in  a  way  of  cringing  submission  may  refer 
to  a  state  of  things  in  which,  a  door  being 
opened  in  a  way  of  success,  the  Christians 
should  be  increased  in  number  and  in  pow- 
er ;  while  the  Jews,  owing  to  their  wars 
with  the  Romans,  would  be  glad  of  their 
friendship. 

The  gospel  is  called  "  the  word  of  Christ's 
patience,"  in  respect  of  what  it  was  to  them. 
The  retention  of  it  under  a  succession  of 
cruel  persecutions  required  great  patience  ; 
yet  they  had  kept  it,  and-  the  Lord  prom- 
ised in  return  to  keep  them  in  a  particular 
time  of  trial  that  was  coming  upon  the  world. 
It  might  be  by  a  renewal  of  persecution  in 
the  empire,  or  by  the  prevailing  of  corrup- 
tions in  the  church.  As  the  Lord  punishes 
sin  by  giving  men  up  to  sin,  so  he  rewards 
righteousness  by  preserving  them  in  the 
paths  of  it.  We  have  had  many  of  these 
hours  of  temptation,  and  may  have  many 
more  :  blessed  are  they  that  are  preserved 
through  them ! 

They  are  directed  to  look  for  the  coming 
of  their  Lord,  and  to  hold  fast  truth  and  true 
religion,  lest  their  adversaries  should  wrest 
it  out  of  their  hands,  and  so  deprive  them  of 
their  reward. 

The  promise  to  them  that  overcome  is, 
that  they  shall  be  "  pillars  "  in  the  celestial 
temple  ;  and,  unlike  those  of  the  Jewish  tem- 
ple, which  were  removed  by  the  Chaldeans 
and  by  the  Romans,  shall  "  go  no  more  out." 
We  are  not  to  reckon  the  future  greatness 
of  men  according  to  their  talents  in  this 
life,  but  according  to  the  use  made  of 
them.  Those  who  have  here  had  but  "  a  lit- 
tle strength "  may  there  become  pillars  in 
the  temple.  The  pillars  of  the  church  on 
earth  go  out  and  leave  it  by  death  ;  but  those 
of  the  church  above  will  abide  forever. 

The  writing  upon  them  of  the  name  of 
God,  and  the  name  of  the  city  of  God,  the 
New  Jerusalem,  and  of  his  own  new  name, 
doubtless  means  as  much  as  this — that  they 
shall  be  treated  as  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  the  Lord  Almighty,  as  citizens  of  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  as  those  who  are 
redeemed  from  among  men. 

It  is  for  us,  both  as  individuals  and  as 
churches,  to  take  encouragement  from  this 


24 


EXPOSITION    OK    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


address  to  hold  that  fast  which  we  have,  that 
no  man  take  our  crown. 

Ver.  14 — 22.  The  Laodicean  church  ap- 
pears to  have  been  in  the  worst  state  of  any 
of  the  seven.  Sardis,  though  it  had  nothing 
to  commend,  had  a  few  excellent  names  : 
but  Laodicea  is„censured  without  distinction. 
Yet  even  this  church  is  not  given  up,  but  re- 
buked in  love. 

The  character  under  which  the  Laodice- 
ans  are  addressed  is  that  of  "  the  Amen,  the 
faithful  and  true  witness."  Being  lifted  up 
with  their  riches,  they  might  be  tempted  to 
refuse  this  faithful  witness  that  was  .  borne 
against  them ;  but,  however  disagreeable,  it 
was  "  true."  Christ  is  here  called  "  The  be- 
ginning of  the  creation  of  God."  It  is  true 
that  as  to  his  human  nature  he  was  himself 
created  ;  the  name  here  assumed,  however, 
does  not  refer  to  this,  but  to  his  being  the 
head  ( «*§;&ij )  and  first  cause  of  creation. 
Thus,  in  Col.  i.  15,  he  is  called  "the 
first-born  of  every  creature  ;  "  not  as  being 
himself  a  creature,  but  the  first  cause  of  cre- 
ation :  "  For  (it  is  added)  by  him  were  all 
things  created  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that 
are  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether 
thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or 
powers  ;  all  things  were  created  by  him  and 
for  him.  And  he  is  before  all  things,  and 
by  him  all  things  consist."  A  message  from 
such  a  character  deserved  their  serious  at- 
tention. 

Christ  knew  their  works,  but  could  not 
approve  of  them  ;  for  they  were  "  neither 
cold  nor  hot."  They  may  be  said  to  be  cold 
who  have  no  religion,  and  pretend  to  none  ; 
and  they  to  be  hot  who  are  zealously  engaged 
in  Christ's  work  :  but  these  people  were 
neither  this  nor  that.  They  were  not  de- 
cidedly religious,  and  yet  would  not  let  re- 
ligion alone. 

This  state  of  mind  is  represented  as  being 
peculiarly  offensive  to  Christ.  To  .halt  be- 
tween truth  and  error,  God  and  the  world,  is 
worse  in  many  respects  than  to  be  openly  ir- 
religious. Corrupt  Christianity  is  more  offen- 
sive to  God  than  open  infidelity.  No  man 
thinks  the  worse  of  religion  for  what  he  sees 
in  the  openly  profane  ;  but  it  is  otherwise  in 
respect  of  religious  professors.  If  he  that 
nameth  the  name  of  Christ  depart  not  from 
iniquity,  the  honor  of  Christ  is  affected  by 
his  misconduct. 

These  people  appear  to  have  been  very 
proud,  and  withal  very  ignorant  of  them- 
selves. Their  opulence  seems  to  have  lift- 
ed them  up.  Religion  seldom  thrives  with 
much  worldly  prosperity.  Men  covet  such 
things,  and  value  themselves  upon  them  ;  but 
they  are  commonly  snares  to  their  souls.  It 
is  a  hard  thing  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  If  these  were  the 
"  riches  "  of  which  they  boasted,  it  shows  that 
the  estimate  of  worldy  greatness,  formed  by 
the  faithful  and  true  witness,  is  very  different 


from  that  of  the  generality  of  men.  Of  what 
account  is  it  in  his  sight  to  be  rich  and  in- 
creased in  goods,  while  as  to  our  spiritual 
concerns  we  are  wretched,  and  miserable, 
and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked  ? 

Being  charged  with  blindness,  and  coun- 
selled to  use  means  to  remove  it,  it  would 
seem,  however,  that  the  riches  of  which 
they  boasted  included  those  of  the  mind ; 
and  that  they  were  proud  of  their  knowl- 
edge and  gifts  as  well  as  of  their  wealth. 
Like  the  Corinthians,  "  they  were  full, 
they  were  rich,  they  reigned  as  kings " 
without  the  apostles.  There  is  much  of  this 
still  among  professing  Christians.  One  par- 
ty looks  down  upon  another,  and  values  it- 
self for  its  superior  light ;  one  declaims 
against  pharisaism  in  the  true  spirit  of  a 
pharisee  ;  another  is  busy  about  the  mote  in 
his  brother's  eye,  regardless  of  the  beam  in 
his  own.  The  sentence  of  the  faithful  and 
true  witness,  concerning  all  that  are  wise 
and  righteous  in  their  own  eyes,  is,  Thou  art 
wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind, 
and  naked,  and  knowest  it  not ! 

In  respect  of  the  counsel  offered  them,  they 
are  addressed  like  sinners  in  common,  who 
knew  not  the  Saviour.  This  was  probably 
the  case  with  many  of  them ;  and  if  some 
had  known  him,  yet,  being  in  a  backsliding 
state,  the  best  counsel  that  could  be  given 
them  was,  that  they  should  come  as  sinners 
immediately  to  the  Saviour.  They  are  di- 
rected to  seek  the  true  riches,  the  true  right- 
eousness, and  the  true  wisdom,  and  to  deal 
with  Christ  for  them  ;  not  as  giving  him  any 
valuable  consideration  for  them  (for  this  as 
being  poor  they  could  not,)  but  as  parting 
with  all  for  them.  This  is  "  buying  without 
money  and  without  price."  This  is  the  way 
in  which  sinners  come  to  Christ  at  first,  and 
this  is  the  way  for  backsliders  to  be  restored. 
The  child  that  has  been  ill  taught  must  begin 
anew,  and  go  over  every  rule  again. 

To  reconcile  them  to  this  sharp  and  hum- 
bling reproof  they  are  assured  that  these 
were  not  the  words  of  an  enemy,  but  of  one 
that  bore  them  good  will.  It  shows  the 
great  forbearance  and  long-suffering  good- 
ness of  our  Lord,  even  towards  them  that 
have  greatly  dishonored  him.  It  also  teach- 
es us  to  put  a  right  construction  on  divine 
rebukes,  receiving  them  as  the  rod  of  correc- 
tion to  bring  us  to  repentance. 

To  counsel  is  added  a  word  of  encourage- 
ment and  of  warning  : — "  Behold  I  stand  at 
the  door  and  knock :  If  any  man  hear  my 
voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to 
him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me." 
Here  again  they  seem  to  be  treated  rather 
as  sinners  than  as  Christians.  If  the  com- 
mon invitations  of  the  gospel  be  acceptable, 
they  are  welcome  to  them.  Jesus  stands  at 
their  door  and  knocks  for  admission.  Do  they 
hear  him  ?  and  will  they  open  the  door  and 
welcome  him  ?  If  so,  he  will  come  in,  and  be 


THE    EPISTLES    TO    THE    CHURCHES    CONTINUED. 


25 


their  guest.  But  if  they  are  so  taken  up  with 
their  present  company  as  not  to  hear  him,  or 
at  least  not  to  open  to  him,  he  will  go  away 
as  he  did  from  the  Jewish  temple — "  Behold 
your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate." 

If  this  serious  and  tender  address  did  not 
reclaim  them  as  a  body,  yet  the  promise  to 
them  that  should  overcome,  that  they  should 
"  sit  down  with  him  in  his  throne,  as  he  also 
had  overcome,  and  was  set  down  with  Ms 
father  in  his  throne,"  might  encourage  in- 
dividuals to  return  and  hold  out  to  the  end. 

Let  these  censures,  warnings,  and  encour- 
agements, addressed  to  the  seven  churches  in 
Asia,  as  a  specimen  of  the  whole,  be  heard  and 
regarded  by  the  churches  of  Christ,  and  by 
every  individual  member  of  them,  to  the  end 
of  time. 


DISCOURSE   IV. 

THE    VISION    PRECEDING    THE    BOOK    WITH 
SEVEN    SEALS. 

Rev.  iv. 

The  whole  of  this  chapter  is  introductory 
to  what  follows.  The  scene  of  the  vision  is 
the  heavenly  world.  Nowhere  else  could  it 
have  been  with  equal  propriety.  Where, 
but  at  the  fountain  of  intelligence  and  influ- 
ence, should  a  creature  learn  the  secrets  of 
futurity?  When  Ahab's  destiny  was  re- 
vealed to  Micaiah,  the  scene  of  the  vision 
was  laid  in  heaven. — 1  Kings  xxii.  19 — 22. 

A  door  being  opened,  the  apostle  is  invited 
to  enter  in.  Having  entered,  he  immediately 
finds  himself  under  prophetic  inspiration. 
He  was  not  removed  from  the  earth  as  to  his 
body :  but  as  Ezekiel  was  carried  by  the 
spirit  to  Jerusulera,  and  saw  what  was  trans- 
acting there,  while  his  body  was  still  in 
Chaldea,  so  it  was  with  him :  he  was  still  in 
the  Isle  of  Patmos,  while  wrapt  up  by  divine 
inspiration,  and  introduced  into  the  immedi- 
ate presence  of  God. 

In  this  supernatural  state  of  mind  he  be- 
held a  "  throne,"  and  one  "  sitting  upon  it," 
who  was  the  supreme  disposer  of  all  the 
concerns  of  creatures.  Such  a  sight  would 
impress  him  with  the  conviction  that  what- 
ever should  befal  the  church,  or  the  world, 
it  was  all  according  to  his  will  who  ruled  in 
the  armies  of  heaven  and  among  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  earth. — Ver.  1,  2. 

No  description  is  given  of  the  ever-bless- 
ed God,  only  that  his  glory  seemed  to  resem- 
ble the  lustre  of  certain  precious  stones  ; 
and  this  may  allude  to  the  visible  glory  of 
the  God  of  Israel  as  displayed  in  the  temple. 
A  rainbow  was  also  round  about  the  throne, 
in  appearance  like  an  emerald.  We  know 
that  this  from  of  old  was  a  sign  of  peace 
and  good  will  to  men.  It  may  here  denote 
that  the  glorious  majesty  of  God,  which  in 


itself  was  too  much  to  be  endured,  would  be 
displayed  towards  his  church  in  connection 
with  covenant  mercy. — Ver.  3. 

Having  spoken  of  the  king  eternal,  im- 
mortal, and  invisible,  sitting  on  his  throne, 
he  next  describes  his  retinue.  Here  are 
twenty-four  seats,  or  subordinate  thrones,  on 
which  sat  twenty-four  elders,  clothed  in 
white,  and  with  crowns  of  gold  upon  their 
heads.  The  "lightnings,  and  thunderings, 
and  voices,"  may  denote  not  only  the  awful 
majesty  of  God,  as  when  he  appeared  at  Si- 
nai, but  that  from  him  proceeded  all  the  ter- 
rible judgments  which  would  shortly  afflict 
the  earth.  Besides  these  there  were  "  sev- 
en lamps  of  fire  before  the  throne,"  which 
are  said  to  be  "the  seven  spirits  of  God;" 
answering,  it  may  be,  to  the  seven  candle- 
sticks, and  being  as  it  were  a  lamp  to  each 
candlestick.  The  light  imparted  by  the 
churches  is  all  derived  from  the  Holy  Spirit. 
These  seven  lamps  enlighten  the  world. — 
Ver.  4,  5. 

"  Before  the  throne  was  a  sea  of  glass 
like  unto  crystal."  This  crystal  sea,  as  it 
was  in  appearance,  but  which  was  so  solid 
that  the  harpers  are  afterwards  described  as 
standing  upon  it,  may  be  opposed  to  the 
troubled  tumultuous  sea  out  of  which  the 
beast  would  rise,  and  may  denote  the  gran- 
deur and  immutability  of  the  divine  throne 
as  opposed  to  the  turbulence  and  uncertain- 
ty of  earthly  thrones.  The  four  living  crea- 
tures seem  to  be  the  same  as  those  describ- 
ed by  Ezekiel,  and  to  allude,  as  they  did,  to 
the  cherubim  in  the  holy  of  holies.  That 
which  the  wheels  were  to  the  one  the  elders 
are  to  the  other  ;  connected  with  them,  like 
horses  in  a  chariot,  in  all  their  movements. 
Of  the  former  it  is  said,  "  When  the  living 
creatures  went,  the  wheels  went  by  them ; 
when  those  stood,  these  stood  ;  and,  when 
those  were  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  these 
were  lifted  up  over  against  them :  for  the 
spirit  of  the  living  creature  was  in  the 
wheels."— Ezek.  i.  21.  Of  the  latter  it  is 
said,  "When  those  living  creatures  give 
glory,  and  honor,  and  thanks  to  him  that  sit- 
teth  on  the  throne,  who  liveth  for  ever  and 
ever,  the  four-and-twenty  elders  fall  down 
before  him,  and  worship  him  that  liveth  for 
ever  and  ever,  and  cast  their  crowns  before 
the  throne,  saying,  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord, 
to  receive  glory,  and  honor,  and  power,  for 
thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy 
pleasure  they  are  and  were  created." 

The  living  creatures  cannot  be  angels,  for 
both  they  and  the  elders  are  distinguished 
from  them  in  chap.  vii.  11,  where  all  the  an- 
gels are  said  to  "stand  round  about  the 
throne,  and  about  the  elders,  and  the  four 
living  creatures."  Besides  this,  the  living 
creatures  and  the  elders  speak  of  themselve- 
as  "  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  out 
of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people, 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  4 


26 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


and  nation." — Chap.  v.  9.  Those  who  led 
the  worship  under  the  Old  Testament  might 
he  meant  by  the  living  creatures  of  Ezekiel ; 
and  those  who  lead  the  worship  under  the 
New  Testament  may  be  signified  by  those 
of  John.  They  and  the  elders,  like  the 
stars  and  the  candlesticks,  appear  to  be  the 
representatives  of  Christ's  ministers  and 
churches  in  the  heavenly  assembly.  They 
are  not  described  as  being  themselves  on 
earth,  or  in  a  state  of  affliction,  but  as  before 
the  throne  of  God,  as  though  a  number  of 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  had 
been  chosen  of  God  to  represent  in  his  im- 
mediate presence  their  brethren  upon  earth, 
and  who,  as  things  should  be  described 
which  concerned  the  church,  would  express 
the  interest  they  felt  in  them. 

The  description  of  the  living  creatures  as 
bearing  a  resemblance  to  certain  animals, 
and  as  having  each  six  wings,  which  wings 
were  "full  of  eyes  within,"  would  naturally 
express  their  useful  properties,  particularly 
the  union  of  zeal  and  knowledge  ;  and  their 
unceasing  ascriptions  of  glory  to  God  may 
denote  the  tendency  of  their  ministerial  la- 
bors. The  elders  were  crowned,  but  they 
cast  their  crowns  before  the  throne.  Such 
appear  to  be  the  scene  and  scenery  of  this 
preparatory  vision. — Ver.  6 — 11, 


DISCOURSE   V. 

THE  BOOK  WITH  SEVEN  SEALS. 

Rev.  v. 

That  which  is  here  called  "a  book"  must 
not  be  supposed  to  resemble  our  books, 
which  since  the  invention  of  printing  have 
been  very  different  from  those  of  the  an- 
cients. Conceive  of  seven  skins  of  parch- 
ment, written  upon  one  side,*  and  rolled  up, 
suppose  on  wood.  At  the  end  of  every  skin 
a  seal  is  affixed  on  the  backside,  so  that  the 
contents  of  it  cannot  be  read  till  the  seal  is 
opened.  This  book,  or  roll,  or  volume,  being 
"  in  the  right  hand  of  him  that  sat  on  the 
throne,"  denotes  that  futurity  is  known  only 
to  God.  The  proclamation  made  for  one 
that  should  be  worthy  to  open  the  book 
shows  how  desirable  it  was  that  the  mind  of 
God  in  regard  to  futurity  should  be  revealed, 
for  strengthening  the  faith  and  supporting 
the  hope  of  his  church  upon  earth;  and  as 
John  had  been  invited  for  the  very  purpose 

*  By  the  punctuation  in  our  translation  it  would 
seem  as  if  ihey  were  written  upon  on  both  sides; 
but  tliis  would  not  comport  witli  the  contents  be- 
in"  secret,  which  they  were  till  the  seals  were 
unloosed.  It  seerus,  therefore,  that  a  comma  is  ne- 
cessary after  the  wonl  "  within,"  in  verse  1.  Sev- 
eral other  versions,  and  some  cd'tions  of  our  own, 
read  it,  A  hook  written  within,  and  on  the 
frack  side  sealed  with  seven  teals. 


of  learning  "the  things  that  should  be  here- 
after," things  which  related  to  the  church 
of  Christ,  which  he  had  been  employed  in 
raising,  it  must  be  peculiarly  interesting  to 
him.  He  must  needs  be  anxious  to  know 
the  things  that  should  befal  these  his  people 
in  the  latter  days.  To  see  a  book  therefore 
which  contained  them,  and  yet  none  in  heav- 
en or  earth  found  worthy  to  open  it,  might 
well  make  him  weep. — Ver.  1 — 4. 

This  want  of  a  suitable  person  to  open  the 
book  is  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  doing 
honor  to  the  Lamb,  whose  success  gives  uni- 
versal joy  and  satisfaction.  The  work  of 
making  known  the  mind  of  God  was  an 
honor  too  high  for  any  mere  creature  in 
heaven  or  on  earth ;  it  was  given  to  Christ 
as  the  reward  of  his  obedience  unto  death. 
— Ver.  9.  The  honor  of  preaching  the  gos- 
pel is  represented  as  being  of  grace:  "Un- 
to me  (said  Paul,)  who  am  less  than  the 
least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given,  that  I 
should  preach  among  the  gentiles  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ."  That  which 
Christ  received  as  the  reward  of  his  death, 
we  receive  in  our  measure  of  grace,  and  for 
his  sake  ;  and  a  great  favor  it  is  to  be  bear- 
ers of  such  good  tidings. 

One  of  the  elders,  perceiving  the  apostle 
to  weep  under  an  apprehension  that  all  must 
remain  unknown,  saith  unto  him,  "Weep 
not ;  behold  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah, 
the  root  of  David,  hath  prevailed  to  open  the 
hook,  and  to  loose  the  seven  seals  thereof." 
John  was  not  so  unacquainted  with  the 
Scriptures  as  to  be  at  any  loss  whom  this 
could  mean.  Probably,  however,  he  expect- 
ed to  behold  his  Lord  in  some  majestic 
form  corresponding  to  the  imagery  :  but  lo, 
instead  of  a  lion,  he  saw  a  lamb,  a  lamb  as  it 
had  been  slain!  yet  invested  with  perfect 
authority,  and  possessing  perfect  knowledge, 
so  as  to  qualify  him  for  the  work:  for  he 
had  "seven  horns,  and  seven  eyes." — Ver. 
5,6. 

This  glorious  personage,  in  whom  are 
united  the  majesty  of  the  lion  and  the  gen- 
tleness of  the  lamb,  approaches  him  that  sat 
upon  the  throne,  and  takes  the  book  out  of 
his  right  hand;  denoting  on  his  own  part  the 
undertaking  of  the  work,  and  on  that  of 
God  his  perfect  approbation. — Ver.  7. 

And  now  the  whole  church  of  God  by 
their  representatives  are  described  as  falling 
down  before  the  Lamb,  and  joining  in  a 
chorus  of  praise.  "  The  golden  vials  full  of 
odors"  doubtless  allude  to  those  of  the 
priests  who  offered  incense,  and  denote  that 
the  church  on  earth  is  ever  employed  in  pre- 
senting its  petitions  before  the  throne. 
They  had  also  "  harps"  as  well  as  vials,  and 
"sung  a  new  song,"  denoting  the  great  oc- 
casion there  now  was  for  joy  and  praise.  A 
new  song  is  suited  to  a  new  manifestation 
of  mercy.     The  Lamb   is  found  worthy  to 


THE    EPISTLES    TO  THE    CHURCHES    CONTINUED. 


27 


take  the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals ;  and 
they  perceive  the  ground  of  it  to  lie  in  his 
having  redeemed  them  at  the  expense  of  his 
blood.  For  this  they  bless  his  name,  as 
also  for  his  having  made  them  kings  and 
priests  unto  God,  and  given  them  to  expect 
that,  however  they  were  at  present  oppress- 
ed on  earth,  they  should  even  there  be  final- 
ly victorious. — Ver.  8 — 10. 

Nor  could  the  angels  on  such  an  occasion 
be  silent,  but  must  join  in  the  choir.  Myri- 
ads of  myriads,  a  number  that  no  man  could 
number,  unite  in  ascribing  worthiness  to  the 
Lamb,  and  that  on  the  same  ground  as  re- 
deemed men  had  done,  namely,  his  having 
been  "  slain :"  a  proof  this  of  disinterested 
affection,  both  to  the  Redeemer  and  the  re- 
deemed. "  He  took  not  on  him  the  nature 
of  angels,  but  the  seed  of  Abraham:"  yet 
angels  unite  in  praising  him  for  his  love  to 
men. 

In  enumerating  the  things  which  he  was 
worthy  to  receive,  it  is  remarkable  how  they 
keep  their  eye  on  those  perfections  of  which 
he  had  emptied  himself  in  his  humiliation. 
He  did  not  lay  aside  any  thing  pertaining  to 
his  goodness,  but  merely  what  belonged  to 
his  greatness.  He  was  no  less  holy,  just, 
faithful,  and  merciful,  when  on  earth,  than  he 
is  now  in  heaven  :  but  he  emptied  himself  of 
"  power,"  as  laying  aside  his  authority,  and 
taking  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant — of 
"  riches,"  as  becoming  poor,  that  we  through 
his  poverty  might  be  made  rich — of  "wis- 
dom," as  making  himself  of  no  reputation — of 
"  strength,"  as  becoming  weak  and  subject  to 
death  like  other  men — of  "  honor,"  as  not  ap- 
pearing in  his  native  divinity,  but  as  a  man, 
and  a  man  of  obscure  birth,  despised  of  the 
people— of  "  glory,"  as  subjecting  himself  to 
shame  and  disgrace — and  of  "  blessing,"  as 
receiving  not  the  benedictions  so  much  as  the 
execrations  of  those  among  whom  he  sojourn- 
ed. The  purport  of  the  song  is,  By  how  much 
he  hath  emptied  himself  on  earth,  by  so  much 
let  him  be  magnified  and  exalted  in  heav- 
en!—Ver.  11,12. 

Nor  is  the  song  confined  to  angels ;  the 
whole  creation  joins  in  praising  him  that 
sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  the  Lamb,  for 
ever;  while  at  every  pause  the  representa- 
tives of  the  redeemed  add  their  emphatic 
"  Amen,"  adoring  in  humble  prostration  him 
that  liveth  for  ever  and  ever. — Ver.  13. 

Such  an  august  and  affecting  representa- 
tion expresses  the  sentiments  which  become 
the  friends  of  Christ  while  contemplating 
that  great  cause  which  is  carrying  on  in  the 
world,  and  which  the  world  in  a  manner 
overlooks.  To  this  may  be  added,  If  such 
be  the  glory  ascribed  to  the  Saviour  whilst 
events  are  merely  foretold,  what  will  it  be 
when  they  are  actually  accomplished,  and 
when  they  shall  be  reviewed  in  the  heaven 
of  heavens  to  all  eternity ! 


DISCOURSE  VL 

THE  SEALS  OPENED. 
Rev.  vl. 

Before  we  enter  on  the  opening  of  the 
seals,  the  sounding  of  the  trumpets,  or  the 
pouring  out  of  t!ie  vials,  it  will  be  proper  to 
make  a  few  general  remarks. 

First:  The  whole  series  of  events  here 
revealed  is  included  in  the  sealed  book. 
We  are  not  to  conceive  of  the  seals  as  con- 
taining one  series  of  events,  the  trumpets 
another,  and  the  vials  another;  but  as  all 
being  included  in  the  seals :  for  the  seven 
trumpet?  are  only  subdivisions  of  the  seventh 
seal,  and  the  seven  vials  of  the  seventh 
trumpet. 

Secondly:  This  division  into  seals,  and 
subdivision  into  trumpets  and  vials,  appears 
to  be  the  only  one  which  the  prophecy  re- 
quires, or  even  admits.  Not  to  mention 
its  divisions  into  chapters,  which  are  some- 
times made  in  the  midst  of  a  subject,  the 
scheme  of  dividing  it  into  periods,  which 
Mr.  Lowman  and  many  others  have  favored, 
seems  to  be  merely  a  work  of  the  imagina- 
tion. There  are  doubtless  some  remarkable 
periods  in  the  prophecy,  such  as  that  of  the 
I960  years,  &c. ;  but  to  make  them  seven  in 
number,  and  for  this  purpose  to  reckon  the 
day  of  judgment,  and  the  heavenly  state,  as 
periods,  is  fanciful.  It  is  by  the  division  of 
the  prophecy  itself  into  seals,  and  the  subdi- 
vision of  the  seventh  seal  into  trumpets,  and 
of  the  seventh  trumpet  into  vials,  that  we 
must  steer  our  course. 

Thirdly  :  In  tracing  the  events  symbolized 
by  the  seals,  trumpets,  and  vials,  there  is  no 
necessity  for  supposing  that  every  preceding 
one  must  be  finished  before  that  which  fol- 
lows it  can  have  begun.  It  is  enough  if  they 
succeed  each  other  in  the  manner  of  the 
four  monarchies  predicted  in  the  seventh 
chapter  of  Daniel.  The  Babylonish  empire 
was  not  extinct  before  that  of  Persia  be- 
gan ;  nor  that  of  Persia  before  that  of  Mace- 
donia began  ;  nor  that  of  Macedonia  before 
that  of  Rome  began.  The  latter  end  of 
each  would  be  contemporary  with  the  be- 
ginning of  that  which  followed :  yet  upon 
the  whole  they  succeeded  each  other  in  the 
empire  of  the  world :  and  this  was  sufficient 
to  justify  their  being  represented  in  succes- 
sion. Thus  the  wars  of  the  red  horse  in 
this  chapter  might  commence  before  the 
conquests  of  the  tohite  horse  were  ended, 
and  continue  in  part  while  the  events  signi- 
fied by  the  black  horse  occurred.  The  be- 
ginnings and  endings  of  each  might  run  in- 
to the  other,  while  yet  upon  the  whole  they 
were  successive.  It  is  on  this  account  that 
I  am  not  solicitous  to  determine  the  year 
when  each  begins  or  ends. 

Fourthly:  So  far  as  the  seal?,  trumpets,  or 


28 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


vials,  respect  the  world,  it  is  as  connected 
with  the  church.  The  plan  of  this  prophecy  is 
much  the  same  as  that  of  the  Old  Testament : 
it  follows  religion,  and  what  concerns  reli- 
gion only.  Why  is  there  so  much  said  in 
the  scriptures  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon  rather 
than  of  other  heathen  cities  in  those  times, 
but  because  these  powers  had  to  do  with 
the  people  of  God  ?  Why  are  the  ravages  of 
the  four  beasts  predicted  by  Daniel,  but  for 
the  same  reason  ?  Had  it  not  been  for  this, 
they  might  have  risen  and  fallen  unnoticed 
by  the  Scriptures,  as  much  as  Carthage, 
Palmyra,  or  Pekin.  It  is  this  that  accounts 
for  so  much  being  said  by  Daniel  of  Anti- 
ochus  Epiphanes.  It  is  this  that  accounts 
for  so  much  being  said  by  John  of  the  Ro- 
man empire  rather  than  of  the  other  great 
empires  of  the  earth ;  for  it  was  here  that 
Christianity  would  be  principally  embraced. 
And,  as  the  Roman  empire  and  the  profession 
of  Christianity  Avouldin  the  latter  ages  be  in 
a  manner  confined  to  Europe,  so  the  greater 
part  of  Avhat  respects  the  world  in  the  latter 
part  of  these  prophecies  is  in  a  manner  con- 
fined to  that  quarter  of  the  earth.  The 
Scriptures,  foreseeing  that  Europe  would  be 
the  seat  of  both  the  Christian  church  and 
the  antichristian  beast  and  harlot,  predict 
events  concerning  this  part  of  the  world 
while  they  overlook  the  other  parts. 

Nor  must  we  expect  to  find  all  the  great 
events  even  of  those  parts  of  the  world  which 
are  connected  withithe  church.  As  the  Old 
Testament  history,  in  respect  of  the  nations 
connected  with  Israel,  is  select,  so  we  may 
expect  to  find  the  New  Testament  prophecy. 
If  some  of  the  mightiest  changes  in  Europe 
have  no  place  in  this  prophecy,  we  are  not 
to  consider  the  omission  of  them  as  a  defect, 
but  rather  take  it  for  granted  that  God  did 
not  judge  the  introduction  of  them  necessary 
for  his  purpose. 

Fifthly :  The  commencement  of  the  pro- 
phecy is,  I  apprehend,  to  be  reckoned  from 
the  ascension  of  Christ.  It  has  been  com- 
mon, I  am  aware,  to  reckon  it  from  the  time 
of  the  vision,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been 
under  the  reign  of  Domitian,  about  the  year 
95.  On  this  principle  Mr.  Lowman  pro- 
ceeds. Hence  he  confines  the  opening  of 
the  first  seal,  on  which  it  is  said  "  there  ap- 
peared a  ivhite  horse,  and  he  that  sat  on  him 
had  a  bow,  and  a  crown,  and  went  forth 
conquering  and  to  conquer,"  to  the  success 
of  the  gospel  after  the  year  95,  leaving  out 
the  whole  of  that  which  accompanied  the  la- 
bors of  the  apostles.  In  like  manner  the 
opening  of  the  second  seal,  on  which  there 
went  forth  "  a  red  horse,  and  power  was  giv- 
en to  him  that  sat  thereon  to  take  peace 
from  the  earth,  and  that  they  should  kill  one 
another,"  is  confined  to  those  wars  between 
the  Jews  and  Romans  which  occurred  be- 
tween the  years  100  and  138,  leaving  out 
the  whole    of  those   which  issued  in  the  de- 


struction of  Jerusalem/*  But  surely  it  must 
appear  singular  that  in  a  prophetic  descrip- 
tion of  the  success  of  the  gospel  in  the 
early  ages  the  most  glorious  part  of  it 
should  be  left  out;  and  that  in  a  like  de- 
scription of  the  wars  between  the  Jews 
and  Romans  the  most  terrible  part  should 
be  omitted.  The  reason  given  by  Mr:  Low- 
man  for  its  being  so  is,  "  The  destruction 
of  Jerusalem,  being  past,  can  hardly  be 
supposed  to  be  denoted  by  a  prediction  of 
a  judgment  to  come."  Doubtless  it  is  in 
general  true  that  prophecies  are  predic- 
tions of  things  to  come  :  in  some  instances 
however  they  may  refer  to  events  the  be- 
ginnings of  which  are  already  accomplished. 
There  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  this  in 
the  prophecies  of  Daniel  concerning  the  four 
monarchies.  He  speaks  of  his  seeing  them 
all  "  rise  up  out  of  the  sea,"  ch.  vii.  1 — 3  ; 
yet  at  the  time  of  the  vision  the  first  of 
them,  namely  Babylon,  had  risen,  and  reign- 
ed, and  was  near  its  end  ;  for  it  was  in  the 
first  year  of  Belshazzar,  who  was  its  last 
king.  And  why  should  not  the  apostle  in 
like  manner  commence  the  prophecy  with 
the  commencement  of  the  Christian  dispen- 
sation, though  he  wrote  above  sixty  years 
after  it  ?  This  makes  the  sealed  book  to 
contain  a  perfect  system  of  New  Testament 
prophecy,  from  the  ascension  of  Christ  to 
the  end  of  all  things.  By  this  we  include 
the  success  of  the  apostles  in  the  conquests 
of  the  man  on  the  white  horse  under  the 
first  seal,  and  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
and  the  temple  in  those  of  the  red  horse  un- 
der the  second  seal.  By  this  too  we  are  fur- 
nished with  an  easy  interpretation  of  the 
division  of  the  book  into  "  things  which  the 
writer  had  seen,  tilings  which  ivere,  and  things 
which  should  be  hereafter.''''  He  had  actual- 
ly seen  the  great  progress  of  the  gospel  from 
the  time  of  Christ's  ascension,  and  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans  ;  he 
then  saw  the  church  struggling  under  a 
cruel  persecution  ;  and  that  which  should  be 
revealed  to  him  would  carry  on  those  strug- 
gles till  she  should  rise  triumphant  over  all 
opposition  in  her  New  Jerusalem  glory. 

Ver.  1,  2.  There  is  no  doubt  of  this  be- 
ing meant  of  the  glorious  success  of  the  gos- 
pel in  the  early  ages  of  the  church,  even 
when  it  had  to  encounter  the  most  bloody 
persecutions.  Of  this  the  white  horse  is  the 
appropriate  symbol. — Ch.  xix.  11, 12.  "  Gird 
thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh,  O  most  mighty  : 
with  thy  glory  and  thy  majesty.  And  in  thy 
majesty  ride  prosperously,  because  of  truth, 
and  meekness,  and  righteousness  :  and  thy 
right  hand  shall  teach  thee  terrible  tilings." — 
Ps.  xlv.  3,  4.  I  need  not  show  how  truly 
this  accords  with  historic  fact.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  from  the  beginning,  as  the  Jews  al- 

*  See  Lowman's  History  of  the  First  and  Second 
Seals,  pp.  40—42. 


THE    EPISTLES    TO    THE  CHURCHES    CONTINUED. 


2S 


leged  against  the  apostles,  "Jerusalem  was 
filled  with  their  doctrine."  It  was  foretold 
that,  before  the  destruction  of  that  city,  the 
gospel  should  be  preached  in  all  the  world. — 
Matt.  xxiv.  14.  Paul  himself  preached  it, 
and  that  fully,  "from  Jerusalem  round  about 
unto  Illyricum:"  and,  as  he  says  in  behalf  of 
himself  and  his  fellow-laborers,  "  God  always 
caused  them  to  triumph  in  every  place." 
The  Csesars  set  themselves  against  it ;  yet 
in  spite  of  all  their  efforts  there  were,  even 
in  Paul's  time,  saints  in  Csesar's  household. 

The  epistles  of  Pliny  and  Tiberianus, 
governors  of  Asia  Minor  and  Syria,  to  Tra- 
jan the  Emperor,  within  ten  or  twelve  years 
after  the  banishment  of  John  to  the  Isle  of 
Patmos,  furnish  a  striking  and  unexception- 
able proof  of  the  progress  of  the  gospel  in 
those  times.  By  the  amazing  number  of 
persons  who  avowed  themselves  Christians, 
and  so  exposed  themselves  to  death,  they 
were  moved  with  compassion,  and  wrote  to 
know  what  they  were  to  do  with  them. 
"  The  number  is  so  great,"  says  Pliny,  "  as 
to  call  for  the  most  serious  deliberation.  In- 
formations are  pouring  in  against  multitudes, 
of  every  age,  of  all  orders,  and  of  both  sexes  : 
and  more  will  be  impeached  ;  for  the  conta- 
gion of  this  superstition  hath  spread,  not 
only  through  cities,  but  villages,  and  hath 
even  reached  the  farm-houses."  He  also 
speaks  of  the  temples  as  having  been  almost 
desolate,  the  sacred  solemnities  [of  idolatry] 
as  having  been  intermitted,  and  sacrificial 
victims  as  finding  but  few  purchasers.  "  I 
am  quite  wearied,"  says  Tiberianus,  "with 
punishing  and  destroying  the  Galileans." 

Ver.  3,  4.  This  and  the  two  following 
seals  relate  to  the  judgments  of  God  upon 
the  church's  enemies.  Great  and  terrible 
wars  are  as  naturally  suggested  by  the  sym- 
bol of  a  red  horse  as  the  success  of  the  gos- 
pel was  by  a  white  one.  The  wars  particular- 
ly alluded  to  appear  to  be  those  between  the 
Jews  and  Romans,  who  having  united  in 
persecuting  the  church,  as  well  as  in  cruci- 
fying its  head,  were  now  permitted  to  "  kill 
one  another."  It  is  well  known  that  in  the 
reign  of  Vespasian,  the  Jews  having  rebelled 
against  the  Romans,  Jerusalem  was  taken 
and  destroyed,  the  temple  reduced  to  ashes, 
and  an  immense  number  of  persons  slain.* 
Forty  or  fifty  years  after  this,  in  the  reign 
of  Trajan,  the  Jews  in  Egypt  and  in  Cyprus 
rebelled,  and  are  said  to  have  slain,  with 
great  marks  of  cruelty,  four  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  men ;  yet  the  Jews  were 
everywhere  subdued:  a  far  greater  number, 
therefore,  must  have  been  slain  amongst 
themselves.  Soon  after  this,  in  the  reign  of 
Hadrian,  the  Jews  who  were  left  in  Pales- 

*  Mr.  Lowman,from  Usher's  Annals,  says  "A 
million  and  a  half  according  to  some,  according  to 
others  two  millions,  besides  what  were  slain  on  the 
side  of  the  Romans." 


tine  after  the  destruction  of  their  metropolis 
were  drawn  into  a  new  rebellion,  by  adher- 
ing to  a  pretended  messiah,  whose  name 
was  Barehocab.  In  these  wars,  besides 
what  were  lost  on  the  side  of  the  Romans, 
the  Jews  are  said  to  have  had  a  thousand 
cities  and  fortresses  destroyed,  with  the 
slaughter  of  above  five  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  men.  The  Jews  having  employed 
the  Roman  power  to  crucify  the  Lord  of  glo- 
ry, God  employed  it  to  destroy  them  and  their 
city.  Their  carnal  policy  told  them  that  if 
they  let  him  alone  all  men  would  believe  on 
him,  and  the  Romans  would  come  and  take 
away  both  their  place  and  nation.  Whether 
guilty  or  not  guilty,  it  was  judged  expedient 
that  he  should  die,  and  that  the  whole  nation 
should  not  perish.  The  whole  nation  how- 
ever did  perish,  and  that  by  means  of  the  Ro- 
mans. Such  was  the  result  of  that  policy 
which  was  employed  against  the  Lord,  and 
against  his  Christ :  and  thus  was  fulfilled  the 
prophecy  of  Daniel, — "and  after  threescore 
and  two  weeks  shall  Messiah  be  cut  off,  but 
not  for  himself:  and  the  people  of  the  prince 
that  shall  come  shall  destroy  the  city  and  the 
sanctuary,  and  the  end  thereof  shall  be  with 
a  flood,  and  unto  the  end  of  the  war  desola- 
tions are  determined." — Chap.  ix.  26. 

DISCOURSE  VII. 

THE  OPENING  OF  THE  SEALS  CONTINUED. 

Rev.  vi. 

Ver.  5,  6.  A  black  horse  is  the  symbol 
of  famine,  or  of  a  scarcity  approaching  to 
famine,  by  which  the  necessaries  of  life 
required  to  be  dealt  out  by  weight  and 
measure,  and  special  orders  to  be  given  that 
nothing  should  be  wasted. — Lam.  v.  10 ; 
Lev.  xxvi.  26.  Such  appears  to  have  been 
the  state  of  things  in  the  Roman  empire 
for  a  long  time,  during  the  reigns  of  the 
Antonines.  It  is  in  reference  to  these, 
among  other  calamities,  that  Terhdlian 
speaks,  representing  the  heathens  as  ascrib- 
ing them  to  the  Christians,  because  they 
taught  men  to  despise  the  gods,  f 

The  "  measure  "  here  referred  to  is  the 
chcenix,  which  contained  the  ordinary  allow- 
ance of  corn  to  a  man  for  a  day ;  and  as  the 
price  of  a  measure  of  wheat  in  those  times 
was  a  roman  "penny,"  which  was  the 
amount  of  a  day's  wages,  it  follows  that  for 
a  poor  man  to  have  lived  on  wheaten  bread 
would  have  required  all  his  labour,  without 
any  thing  for  other  necessaries,  or  even 
bread  for  his  family  ! 

Ver.  7,  8.  The  pale  horse  was  the  sym- 
bol of  great  mortality,  by  various  means  : 
particularly  by  the  sword,  by  hunger,  by 
pestflence,  and  by  the   beasts  of  the   earth. 

tApology,  Ch.  XL.  Lowman's  History  of 
the  Third  Seal,  p.  46. 


30 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


The  facts  were,  that  between  the  years  193 
and  270,  that  is,  in  less  than  eighty  years, 
there  were  more  than  twenty  emperors,  and 
at  one  time  thirty  pretenders  to  the  throne. 
It  is  said  also  there  were  thirty  usurpers, 
who  raised  war  for  themselves  in  different 
parts  of  the  empire.  Such  a  state  of  things 
is  sufficient  to  account  for  all  that  is  here 
predicted:  for  intestine  wars  must  needs 
produce  famine  and  pestilence,  and  by  de- 
stroying men  give  an  ascendency  to  the 
beasts  of  prey.  In  this  manner  the  ene- 
mies of  the  gospel  were  visited,  who  con- 
tinued, with  but  little  intermission,  to  per- 
secute the  church  of  God. 

In  understanding  the  symbols  of  the 
ivhite,  the  red,  the  black,  and  the  pale  horses, 
of  the  success  of  the  gospel,  and  the  judg- 
ments of  God  on  its  enemies,  there  is 
sufficient  unity  of  design.  They  all  bear  a 
relation  to  the  church,  and  to  the  Jews  and 
Romans  only  as  persecuting  it. 

Ver.  9 — 11.  A  view  of  an  altar,  and  the 
sacrifices  that  had  been  made  upon  it,  fitly 
represent  the  numerous  martyrdoms  which 
had  been  made  at  the  time  under  the  heathen 
emperors.  The  "souls  under  the  altar" 
are  the  departed  spirits  of  those  Christians 
who  had  fallen  in  the  arduous  contest, 
which  are  supposed  to  cry  aloud  for  retribu- 
tion. The  "  white  robes  "  denote  the  heav- 
enly honours  conferred  upon  them.  The 
answer  to  their  appeal,  in  which  they  are 
encouraged  to  expect  a  retribution  "  after  a 
little  season,  and  when  the  number  of  their 
fellow-servants  and  brethren,  who  should 
be  killed  as  they  were  (by  the  hands  of 
paganism,)  should  be  fulfilled,"  determines 
the  period  to  which  the  vision  refers.  It 
is  supposed  that  they  had  suffered  under 
nine  of  the  ten  persecutions,  and  had  only 
to  wait  for  the  completion  of  their  number 
under  the  tenth,  which  being  accomplished, 
God  would  take  vengeance  on  their  per- 
secutors. The  opening  of  this  seal,  there- 
fore, would  refer  to  about  the  year  270,  when 
the  ninth  persecution  was  past,  and  the 
tenth,  under  Dioclesian  and  Maximian,  was 
approaching;  and  which  is  said  to  have 
been  more  extensive  and  bloody  than  any 
which  had  gone  before  it.  Its  professed  ob- 
ject was  nothing  less  than  the  utter  extir- 
pation of  Christianity.  The  places  for 
Christian  worship  were  every  where  demol- 
ished, bibles  destroyed,  and  an  immense 
number  of  Christians  put  to  death.  "  It 
were  endless  and  almost  incredible,"  says 
Echard,  "  to  enumerate  the  variety  of  suf- 
ferers and  torments :  they  were  scourged  to 
death,  had  their  flesh  torn  off  with  pincers, 
and  mangled  with  broken  pots ;  were  cast 
to  lions,  tygers,  and  other  wild  beasts  ;  were 
burnt,  beheaded,  crucified,  thrown  into  the 
sea,  torn  in  pieces  by  the  distorted  boughs 
of  trees,  roasted  by  gentle  fires,  and  holes 
made  in  their  bodies  for  melted  lead  to  be 


poured  into  their  bowels.  This  persecution 
lasted  ten  years  under  Dioclesian  and  some 
of  his  successors ;  and  the  number  of 
Christians  who  suffered  death  and  punish- 
ment made  them  conclude  that  they  had 
completed  their  work :  and  in  an  ancient 
inscription  they  tell  the  world  that  they  had 
effaced  the  name  and  superstition  of  the 
Christians,  and  had  restored  and  propagated 
the  worship  of  the  gods.  But  they  were  so 
much  deceived  that  this  hastened  the  de- 
struction of  Paganism."  * 

This  was  the  first  persecution  that  reach- 
ed Britain,  then  a  Roman  colony,  in  which 
Alban  suffered,  and  great  numbers  after  him. 
"  Our  stories  record,"  says  Fox  the  martyr- 
ologist,  "  that  all  Christianity  almost  in  the 
whole  island  was  destroyed,  the  churches 
subverted,  all  books  of  Scripture  burned, 
and  many  of  the  faithful,  both  men  and 
women,  slain." 

Ver.  12 — 17.  "  An  earthquake  "  is  the 
appropriate  symbol  of  a  revolution ;  and 
an  earthquake  accompanied  with  an  eclipse 
of  the  sun  and  moon,  and,  what  was  more 
than  an  eclipse,  the  "  falling  of  the  stars  to 
the  earth,"  as  though  nature  itself  were 
dissolved,  denotes,  I  conceive,  the  overthrow 
of  the  pagan  empire  by  the  arms  of  Con- 
stantine.  The  ruling  poAvers  of  the  world 
are  that  to  the  common  people  which  the 
sun  and  moon  and  stars  are  to  the  earth : 
hence  great  changes  in  nations  are  express- 
ed by  God's  "  shaking  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  ; "  and  sometimes  by  the  very  image- 
ry here  used.  "  All  the  host  of  heaven 
shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  heavens  shall  be 
rolled  together  as  a  scroll :  and  all  their 
host  shall  fall  down  as  the  leaf  falleth  off 
from  the  vine,  and  as  a  falling  fig  from  the 
fig-tree.  For  my  sword  shall  be  bathed  in 
heaven :  behold  it  shall  come  down  upon 
Idumea,  and  upon  the  people  of  my  curse, 
to  judgment." — Isa.  xxxiv.  4,  5.  The  revo- 
lution that  took  place  in  the  time  of  Con- 
st antine  was  not  of  a  civil,  so  much  as  of  a 
religious  character.  The  government  was 
still  imperial,  and  the  difference  between 
one  emperor  and  another  would  be  of  little 
or  no  account.  But  it  was  an  eclipse  of 
those  powers  which  had  so  long  endeavored 
to  crush  the  cause  of  Christ.  It  is  lan- 
guage applicable  to  the  last  judgment:  and 
wasto  them  actually  a  day  of  judgment  in 
miniature.  The  bloody  enemies  of  Christ 
must  now  have  felt,  whether  they  would  or 
not,  that  they  had  incurred  the  wrath  of  the 
Lamb.  Now  the  number  of  the  martyrs 
under  the  pagan  persecutions  is  completed, 
and  the  prayers  of  the  souls  under  the  altar 
are  answered. 

*  Roman  History,  Vol.  II.  p.  550.  Eusehius 
in  ihe  Vlilthbook  of  his  Ecdfsiastical  History 
gives  a  particular  account  of  this  persecution,  of 
which  lie  was  an  eye-witness. 


THE    EPISTLES    TO    THE    CHURCHES    CONTINUED. 


31 


DISCOURSE  VIII. 

THE  SEALING  OF  THE  SERVANTS  OF  GOD. 
Rev.  vii. 

Ver.  1 — 8.  This  chapter  is  a  continua- 
tion of  the  sixth  seal ;  and  bears  a  relation 
to  the  great  revolution  which  had  taken 
place  by  the  accession  of  a  christian  empe- 
ror. Considering  what  the  church  had  had 
to  encounter  under  a  succession  of  heathens, 
this  event  would  appear  to  be  most  auspi- 
cious. Christians  would  now  look  forward 
to  times  of  peace,  happiness,  and  prosperity. 
And  true  it  is  that  during  the  life  of  this 
emperor  there  was  not  only  a  season  of 
peace,  but  considerable  accession  to  the 
Christian  profession.  On  this  account,  it 
seems,  Mr.  Lowmas  and  others  have  been 
led  to  interpret  this  sealing  of  the  servants 
of  God  in  their  foreheads  of  the  numerous 
conversions  made  in  those  times  to  the 
christian  faith.  But  sealing  denotes,  not 
conversion,  but  the  preservation  of  those 
who  are  converted.  Those  who  were  seal- 
ed did  not  by  this  become  the  servants  of 
God,  but  are  supposed  to  be  such  already. 
Instead  of  signifying  the  enlargement  of 
the  church,  the  object  is  to  prevent  it  from 
being  utterly  swept  away.  It  portends 
danger  no  less  than  the  striking  of  the  door- 
posts of  the  Israelites  when  the  destroying 
angel  should  pass  through  the  land ;  or  than 
the  marking  of  those  who  "sighed  and  cri- 
ed "  when  Jerusalem  was  to  be  destroyed  by 
the  Chaldeans.  It  was  for  the  preservation 
of  a  seed  for  God  amidst  a  flood  of  corrup- 
tion. Hence,  when  these  evils  had  actually 
deluged  the  church,  we  find  the  sealed 
servants  of  God  standing  in  triumph  upon 
Mount  Sion. — Ch.  xiv.  1.  God  seeth  not 
as  man  seeth:  that  which  man  is  apt  to 
think  a  great  acquisition,  God  often  knows 
to  be  a  great  temptation. 

It  is  remarkable  that,  instead  of  a  con- 
gratulation of  the  church  on  its  recent 
victory,  by  the  striking  up  of  the  heavenly 
choir  (as  is  usual  in  the  prophecy  when  new 
and  glorious  events  occur,)  the  choir  on  this 
occasion  is  mute.  It  is  described,  indeed, 
as  a  day  of  judgment  to  the  persecuting 
heathens,  and  in  itself  doubtless  afforded 
matter  of  thankfulness  to  Christians ;  but, 
had  they  known  what  would  arise  out  of  it, 
the  joy  of  that  day  would  have  been  turned 
into  mourning. 

From  this  time  men  were  ripe  for  such  spec- 
ulations as  those  of  Anus,  who  argued  that, 
if  Christ  was  begotten  of  the  Father,  there 
must  have  been  a  time  token  he  was  not ;  and 
for  all  the  intrigues,  wars,  and  persecutions, 
which  on  both  sides  by  turns  were  practised. 
From  this  time  our  Lord's  doctrine  of  the 
new  birth  seems  in  a  manner  to  have  been 
laid  aside,  and  conversion  to  Christianity 
was  little  more  than  being  baptised,  or  con- 


senting to  wear  the  Christian  badge.  From 
this  time  conversions  were  mostly  produced 
by  authority,  or  by  the  hope  of  worldly  ad- 
vantage, or  by  exhortations  addressed  to 
kings  that  they  should  convert  their  subjects. 
From  this  time  the  glory  of  the  church 
seems  to  have  been  placed  more  in  splendid 
edifices  and  pompous  ceremonies  than  in 
conformity  to  its  head.  In  short,  from  this 
time  she  became  a  courtier,  and,  laying 
aside  her  own  simple  garb,  appeared  in  a 
dress  more  befitting  the  mother  of  harlots 
than  the  bride  of  Christ.  "What  she  gain- 
ed in  outward  splendor  and  prosperity," 
says  Mr.  Faber,  "  she  lost  in  purity  of 
manners  and  doctrine.  The  holy  simplicity 
of  primitive  Christianity  was  no  more  ;  and 
the  heresy  of  Arius  introduced  a  succession 
of  crimes  disgraceful  alike  to  humanity  and 
religion.'1 — See  Mosheim's  Account  of  the 
Fourth  Century. 

Doubtless  there  were  hypocrites  and 
merely  nominal  Christians  in  all  ages  of  the 
church ;  but  they  were  never  before  so 
designated  as  they  now  are.  "The  servants 
of  God "  are  from  this  time  distinguished 
from  "  the  men  who  had  not  the  seal  of 
God  in  their  foreheads."  This  distinction 
might  not  take  place  immediately  after  the 
accession  of  Constantine,  but  from  that  time 
the  seeds  of  it  were  sown.  The  alliance 
between  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  authori- 
ties, described  in  the  thirteenth  and  seven- 
teeth  chapters  by  a  woman  riding  on  a  beast, 
originated  here.  Here,  therefore,  we  must 
look  for  the  grand  origin  of  that  apostacy 
which  the  apostle  Paul  foretold,  and  which 
succeeding  ages  witnessed.  If  the  account 
given  of  the  state  of  things  by  Mosheim  be 
just,  it  requires  a  great  stretch  of  charity  to 
believe  that  what  was  called  the  Catholic 
church,  even  in  the  fourth  century,  was  the 
church  of  Christ.  Christ  certainly  had  a 
people  at  that  time,  but  they  seem  to  have 
consisted  of  individuals  rather  than  of  that 
visible  community  which  called  itself  the 
church.  They  were  "  the  servants  of  God 
whom  he  sealed  in  their  foreheads." 

These  ideas  will  be  confirmed  by  attend- 
ing to  the  manner  in  which  the  sealing  of 
the  servants  of  God  is  introduced.  Four 
angels  are  seen  "  standing  on  the  four 
corners  of  the  earth."  Angels  are  the 
executioners  of  the  divine  providence. 
Their  number  answering  to  the  four  quar- 
ters of  the  earth  may  express  its  extend- 
ing over  the  whole  world.  Their  "  holding 
the  winds "  would  denote  that  they  were 
commissioned  of  God  to  afflict  the  earth 
with  evils,  or  to  withhold  them,  according 
to  his  will.  The  short  period  in  which 
they  held  back  the  winds  seems  to  refer  to 
that  season  of  tranquillity  which  the  church 
enjoyed  on  the  government's  becoming 
Christian,  and  before  the  temptations  of  its 
new  situation  had  had  time  to  operate. — Ver. 


32 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


1,  2.  But,  as  the  principal  part  of  the  com- 
mission of  the  four  angels  was  to  "  hurt  the 
earth  and  the  sea,"  they  stand  ready,  only 
waiting  till  the  greater  angel  has  sealed  the 
servants  of  God  ere  they  execute  it. 

The  "  winds,"  which  were  to.be.  let  loose 
upon  the  earth  and  the  sea,  were  "spiritual 
rather  than  temporal  judgments,  and  would 
principally  grow  out  of  the  new  order  of 
things  ;  namely,  errors,  superstitions,  corrup- 
tions, divisions,  and  a  conformity  to  the  man- 
ners and  habits  of  the  world.  These  were 
the  winds  which  in  the  end  swept  away  the 
great  body  of  nominal  Christians  into  the 
gulphs  of  popery  and  Mahomedism. — 
Ver.  3. 

And,  as  many  of  the  symbols  in  the 
prophecy  are  taken  from  the  Jewish  temple, 
so  the  servants  of  God  are  symbolized  by  a 
certain  number  for  an  uncertain,  taken  from 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  The  Christian 
church,  being  now  the  true  "  Israel  of  God," 
were  to  the  apostate  Christians  what  Israel 
was  to  an  apostate  world ;  namely,  God's 
witnesses. — Ver.  4 — 8. 

Ver.  9 — 17.  After  the  sealing  of  God's 
servants  is  accomplished,  the  saints  and 
martyrs  of  Jesus,  who  during  the  preceding 
persecutions  had  overcome  and  been  receiv- 
ed into  glory,  joining  with  the  whole 
heavenly  chorus,  engage  in  a  triumphant 
song  of  praise  to  God  and  to  the  Lamb. 
The  reason  of  their  being  here  introduced 
seems  to  be  that  the  sealed  servants  of  God, 
who  were  yet  on  earth,  and  had  to  pass 
through  a  series  of  trials,  might  by  a  view 
of  their  happy  end  be  strengthened  to  follow 
their  example.  As  great  numbers  would  be 
against  them  in  this  world,  they  are  directed 
to  view  the  numbers  of  friends  which  they 
have  in  heaven ;  who  not  only  look  back  to 
their  own  deliverance,  and  ascribe  it  to  God, 
but  seem  to  look  down  to  their  brethren 
upon  earth,  and  to  say,  "  Hold  fast  the  pro- 
fession of  your  faith  without  wavering  !  " 

The  view  of  such  a  holy  and  happy  as- 
sembly is  supposed  to  excite  in  the  apostle 
emotions  of  admiration  and  joy.  On  this 
one  of  the  elders  asks  him  what  he  conceives 
them  to  be,  and  whence  they  could  come. 
It  would  seem  as  if  they  must  be  pure 
celestial  beings,  whose  whole  existence  had 
been  filled  up  with  righteousness  and  bless- 
edness. He  does  not  presume,  however, 
to  say  what  he  thought  they  were,  whether 
men  or  angels,  nor  to  offer  any  opinion  as 
to  whence  they  came,  but  modestly  refers  it 
to  his  instructer  to  inform  him.  The  answer 
is,  in  effect,  that  they  are  men — men  who 
were  lately  upon  earth,  exposed  to  great 
tribulations,  but  who  had  come  out  of  them. 
And,  as  to  their  "  white  robes,"  they  had 
been  once  impure,  but  were  washed  and 
made  white,  not  in  their  own  blood,  though 
that  in  innumerable  instances  had  been 
shed,  but  "  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."    It 


was  as  believing  in  his  death  that  they  were 
justified  and  sanctified ;  and,  having  lived 
by  faith  on  him,  they  were  without  fault 
"before  the  throne  of  God." 

Still  more  to  stimulate  the  servants  of 
God  in  this  world  to  persevere,  he  adds, 
"And  he  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne  shall 
dwell  among  them.  They  shall  hunger  no 
more,  neither  thirst  any  more  ;  neither  shall 
the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For 
the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne 
shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto 
living  fountains  of  waters  :  and  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes  ! " 


DISCOURSE    IX. 

THE    SUBDIVISION     OF    THE     SEVENTH     SEAL 
INTO    SEVEN    TRUMPETS. 

Rev.  viii. 

Ver.  1 — 6.  We  are  now  come  to  the 
opening  of  the  last  of  the  seven  seals,  and 
which  is  longer,  and  includes  far  more,  than 
the  preceding  six.  They  have  reached  but 
little  beyond  three  hundred  years  ;  whereas 
this  will  reach  thence  to  the  end  of  all  things. 

"Silence  in  heaven  about  the  space  of 
half  an  hour"  seems  to  denote  a  solemn 
pause  preparatory  to  other  events.  It  is 
like  saying,  And  now  prepare  thee  for  anoth- 
er scene  ! — This  scene  is,  "  the  appearance 
of  seven  angels  standing  before  God,  to 
whom  were  given  seven  trumpets."  As 
nothing  is  said  on  the  opening  of  the  seventh 
seal  but  what  follows  under  the  trumpets, 
the  latter  must  be  considered  as  a  subdivi- 
sion of  the  former. 

But,  prior  to  the  sounding  of  the  trumpets, 
"  another  angel "  comes  forward,  and  stands 
at  the  altar,  "having  a  golded  censer,  to 
whom  much  incense  is  given,  that  he  should 
offer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all  saints  upon 
the  golden  altar  before  the  throne."  There 
were  two  altars  belonging  to  the  temple- 
worship  ;  one  for  sacrifice,  called  "the  altar 
of  burnt-offering,"  and  the  other  for  burning 
incense,  called  "the  golden  altar  before  the 
throne."  The  allusion  here  is  to  the  latter. 
Our  great  High-priest,  having  offered  him- 
self without  spot  to  God,  passed  into  the 
heavens,  where  he  ever  liveth  to  make  in- 
tercession for  us.  Through  him  our  prayers 
ascend  with  acceptance  before  God. 

The  "  prayers "  here  referred  to  appear 
to  have  a  special  relation  to  the  events 
about  to  be  predicted  by  the  sounding  of  the 
trumpets.  The  events  would  occur  in  an- 
swer to  those  prayers ;  which  might  be  so 
many  intercessions  for  the  success  of  Christ's 
cause,  and  against  that  of  its  adversaries. 
Heathen  Rome  was  overthrown  in  answer 
to  the  prayers  of  the  souls  under  the  altar, 
and  Christian  Rome  may  fall  in  the  same 
manner.   Should  it  be  objected  that  in  the  lat- 


HISTORY    OF    THE    FIRST    FOUR   TRUMPETS. 


23 


ter  there  would  be  less  to  pray  against,  it  may 
be  answered  that  those  who,  under  the  name 
of  Christians,  corrupted  and  debased  Chris- 
tianity, modelling'  it  to  their  fleshly  minds, 
and  converting  it  into  an  engine  of  state 
policy,  might  incur  more  of  the  divine  dis- 
pleasure than  those  who,  under  the  name  of 
Heathens,  openly  opposed  it.  For  the  per- 
secutions of  pagan  Rome  the  persecutors 
only  were  punished,  having  their  power  ta- 
ken from  them  and  given  to  the  Christians  ; 
but  for  the  corruptions  of  Christian  Rome 
we  shall  see  the  empire  itself  dissolved,  and 
divided  amongst  the  barbarians. 

The  symbolical  language  under  which 
these  events  are  represented  is  that  of  the 
angel  taking  the  censer,  filling  it  with  fire 
of  the  altar,  and  casting  it  into  the  earth  ;  on 
which  follow  voices,  and  thunderings,  and 
lightnings,  and  an  earthquake.  "  Fire  " 
cast  into  the  earth  by  an  angel  would  be  the 
precursor  of  dreadful  wars  ;  and  an  "  earth- 
quake "  is  the  well-known  symbol  of  a  revo- 
lution, or  such  an  overturning  in  matters  of 
government  as  should  introduce  a  new  order 
of  things.  Such  were  the  events  which  dis- 
tinguished the  times  between  Constantine 
and  Augustulus,  especially  those  between 
the  years  400  and  476.  Whatever  virtues 
attached  to  Constantine  or  his  successors, 
and  whatevever  obligations  the  Christians 
were  under  for  the  protection  afforded  them 
by  their  government,  yet  the  system  which 
from  those  times  was  adopted  proved  ruin- 
ous both  to  the  church  and  to  the  empire. 
The  corruptions  of  the  former,  as  we  have 
seen  already,  required  the  servants  of  God 
to  be  sealed  in  their  foreheads  ;  and  the 
calamities  of  the  latter  we  shall  see  describ- 
ed under  the  sounding  of  the  first  four 
trumpets. 

Ver.  7—19.  The  fulfilment  of  these  pre- 
dictions must,  according  to  the  chronologi- 
cal series  of  the  prophecy,  be  looked  for  in 
the  fourth  or  fifth  centuries.  They  are  the 
same  things  particularly  described  as  those 
which  followed  the  fire  cast  by  the  angel 
into  the  earth.  Moreover,  as  the  seals  went 
to  destroy  the  empire  as  Pagan,  the  trumpets 
will  go  to  overturn  it  as  Christian.  Both 
issue  in  an  "  earthquake  "  (ch.  vi.  12,  with 
viii.  5,)  the  ordinary  symbol  of  a  revolution. 

The  Roman  empire,  as  being  now  the 
seat  of  Christianity,  is  here  considered  as  a 
world  of  itself;  having  not  only  its  earth, 
its  sea,  and  its  rivers,  but  its  sun,  and  moon, 
and  stars.  By  the  earth  we  may  understand 
those  parts  of  the  empire  which  were  conti- 
nental, as  Gaul  and  the  southern  parts  of 
Germany.  On  these  fell  the  effects  of  the 
first  trumpet,  burning  up  the  trees  and  the 
grass,  or  destroying  great  numbers  among 
the  middle  and  lower  orders  of  men.  By 
the  sea  we  may  understand  those  parts  of 
the  empire  which  were  maritime,  such  as 
Spain,  Portugal,  and  the  lower  parts  of 
Vol.  2— Sig.  5. 


Italy.  On  these  fell  the  effects  of  the  second 
trumpet,  turning  the  waters  into  blood,  and 
destroying  whatever  was  in  them.  By  the  riv- 
ers and  fountains  oj  luaters  may  be  understood 
the  mountainous  parts  of  the  empire,  as  Up- 
per Italy,  and  the  countries  about  the  Alps;  at 
no  great  distance  from  which  rise  the  Loire, 
the  Po,  the  Rhine,  the  Rhone,  and  the  Dan- 
ube. On  these  fell  the  effects  of  the  third 
trumpet,  imparting  to  their  streams  a  mortal 
bitterness.  By  the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  we 
may  understand  the  governing  powers,  su- 
preme and  subordinate.  On  these  fell  the 
fourth  trumpet,  smiting  them  with  darkness, 
or  with  a  general  eclipse.  Finally,  by  a 
third  part  only  being  affected  at  once  may 
be  meant,  not  only  that  the  events  should  take 
place  by  several  successive  calamities,  but 
that  the  effect  of  the  whole  would  not  he  to 
destroy  the  western  empire,  but  merely  to 
subvert  it.  The  empire  was  to  continue, 
though  under  another  form,  namely  as  com- 
posed of  the  ten  kingdoms.  Mr.  Cuning- 
hame  very  properly  remarks  the  difference 
between  the  effects  of  the  trumpets,  which 
refer  to  the  subversion  of  the  empire,  and 
those  of  the  vials,  which  refer  to  its  final 
dissolution.  The  former  are  partial,  the  lat- 
ter total. — Dissertation,  pp.  80,  81. 

Whether  the  events  pertaining  to  each 
trumpet  can  be  exactly  ascertained  or  not, 
thus  much  is  certain,  that  the  ravages  of  the 
Goths,  the  Vandals,  and  the  Huns,  were 
that  to  the  empire  which  a  terrible  hail-storm, 
accompanied  with  thunder  and  lightning,  is 
to  the  "  trees  and  the  fields ; "  which  a 
burning  mountain,  thrown  into  the  sea, 
would  be  to  the  waters  ;  and  which  a  blazing 
meteor  that  should  fall  upon  the  rivers  and 
fountains  of  waters,  and  imbitter  them,  would 
be  to  a  country ;  while  the  effects  of  these 
successive  ravages  on  the  government  would 
resemble  a  great  though  not  a  total  eclipse 
of  the  heavenly  bodies, 


APPENDIX   TO  DISCOURSE    IX. 

CONTAINING  A  SKETCH  OF    THE    HISTORY  OF 
THE  FIRST  FOUR  TRUMPETS. 

In  the  northern  and  north-eastern  parts 
of  Europe,  bordering  on  the  Baltic  and  the 
Euxine  seas,  there  were  many  barbarous 
nations  which  were  never  subdued  by  the 
Roman  arms :  such  were  the  Saxons,  the 
Visigoths,  the  Ostrogoths,  the  Vandals,  the 
Burgundians,  the  Huns,  the  Alans,  &c,  and 
who  were  often  associated  in  their  enter- 
prises. About  the  year  376,  during  the 
reign  of  the  eastern  emperor  Valens,  the 
Goths  having  been  driven  from  their  own 
country  by  the  Huns  and  Alans,  a  body  of 
not  fewer  than  two  hundred  thousand  of 
them,  besides  women  and  children,  under 
Alavivus  and  Fritigern,  two  of  their  chiefs, 


34 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


obtained  permission  to  settle  in  Thrace,  a 
province  of  the  Roman  empire.  To  the  im- 
prudence of  admitting  such  a  body  of  hostile 
emigrants  were  added  several  instances  of 
injurious  treatment  after  their  arrival.  These 
first  produced  resistance,  and  then  a  battle, 
in  which  the  Romans  were  defeated,  and 
the  emperor  lost  his  life.  By  the  prudent 
and  energetic  measures  of  Theodosius  the 
Great,  who  succeeded  Valens,  the  Gothic 
emigrants  were  so  far  subjugated  as  to  be 
rendered  serviceable  to  the  empire.  But 
after  his  death  the  jealousies  between  Rufi- 
nus  and  Stilicho,  ministers  of  state  at  Con- 
stantinople and  Rome,  under  Arcadius  and 
Honorius  the  emperors,  afforded  them  oppor- 
tunity to  renew  their  hostilities. 

Alaric,  an  Arian  Christian,  the  successor 
of  Fritigern,  had  been  in  the  Roman  service 
for  several  years,  having  commanded  a  body 
of  his  countrymen  in  the  wars  of  Theodo- 
sius: but  thinking  himself  not  sufficiently 
rewarded  by  that  prince,  and  perceiving  as 
he  thought  a  fair  opportunity,  he  was  dis- 
posed to  carve  for  himself.  To  this  he  is  said 
to  have  been  encouraged  by  Rufinus,  princi- 
pal ruler  under  Arcadius  at  Constantinople, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  oppose  him.  Marching 
his  army  into  Macedonia  and  Thessaly,  he 
laid  waste  the  country  as  he  went.  Through 
the  treachery  of  Rufinus  the  straits  of 
Thermopylae  were  left  unguarded,  and  so 
opened  a  free  passage  for  him  into  Greece, 
where  the  villages  were  plundered  and  burnt, 
the  males  who  were  capable  of  bearing  arms 
massacred,  and  the  females  led  captive.  His 
successes  obtained  for  him  a  command  in 
the  eastern  empire,  which  having  improved 
to  the  strengthening  of  his*  own  army,  he 
resolved  to  invade  that  of  the  west.  Hav- 
ing laid  waste  Epirus  and  Pannonia,  he  in 
402  entered  Italy.  Italy  however  was  for 
this  time  delivered  from  his  depredations. 
The  Romans  under  Stilicho,  after  twice  de- 
feating him,  suffered  him  to  quit  the  country 
with  the  remnant  of  his  army. 

In  406  another  vast  army,  composed  of 
Goths,  Huns,  Vandals,  Suevi,  Burgundians, 
Alani,  &c,  under  Radagaisus,  a  heathen, 
attempted  the  invasion  of  "Italy.  The  num- 
ber of  fighting  men  is  said  to  have  been  two 
hundred  thousand,  besides  slaves,  women, 
and  children,  who  are  reckoned  to  have 
amounted  to  as  many  more.  But  neither 
were  they  successful.  Radagaisus  was  de- 
feated and  slain,  and  a  great  part  of  his  army 
either  perished  or  were  sold  for  slaves. 

But,  though  the  capital  of  the  western 
empire  was  by  these  events  once  more  saved, 
yet  its  provinces  were  reduced  to  desolation. 
Gaul  was  at  this  time  invaded  by  the  Van- 
dals, the  Suevi,  the  Alani,  and  the  Burgun- 
dians, who,  with  the  remains  of  Radagaisus's 
army,  destroyed  all  before  them.  "  On  the 
last  day  of  the  year  (says  Gibbon,)  when 
the  waters  of  the  Rhine  were  probably  fro- 


zen, they  entered  without  opposition  the  de- 
fenceless provinces  of  Gaul.  This  mem- 
orable passage  of  the  Suevi,  the  Vandals, 
the  Alani,  and  the  Burgundians,  who  never 
afterwards  retreated,  may  be  considered  as 
the  fall  of  the  Roman  empire  in  the  countries 
beyond  the  Alps  ;  and  the  barriers  which 
had  so  long  separated  the  savage  and  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  earth  were  from  that 
fatal  moment  levelled  with  the  ground. — The 
banks  of  the  Rhine  Avere  crowned,  like  those 
of  the  Tiber,  with  elegant  houses,  and  well 
cultivated  farms.  This  scene  of  peace  and 
plenty  was  suddenly  changed  into  a  desert ; 
and  the  prospect  of  the  smoking  ruins  could 
alone  distinguish  the  solitude  of  nature  from 
the  desolation  of  man.  The  flourishing  city 
of  Mentz  was  surprised  and  destroyed  ;  and 
many  thousands  of  Christians  were  inhu- 
manly massacred  in  the  church.  Worms 
perished  after  a  long  and  obstinate  siege  ; 
Strasburgh,  Spires,  Rheims,  Tournay,  Arras, 
and  Amiens,  experienced  the  cruel  oppres- 
sion of  the  German  yoke  ;  and  the  consu- 
ming flames  of  war  spread  from  the  banks  of 
the  Rhine  over  the  seventeen  provinces  of 
Gaul.  That  rich  and  extensive  country,  as 
far  as  the  ocean,  the  Alps,  and  the  Pyren- 
nees,  was  delivered  to  the  barbarians,  who 
drove  before  them  in  a  promiscuous  crowd 
the  bishop,  the  senator,  and  the  virgin,  laden 
witli  the  spoils  of  their  houses  and  altars." — 
Decline,  &c,  ch.  xxx. 

Thus  far  events  appear  to  answer  to  the 
"hail  and  fire  mingled  with  blood"  under 
the  first  trumpet,  which,  as  they  are  said  to 
be  on  the  eaHh,  correspond  with  the  calami- 
ties which  in  those  times  were  brought  upon 
the  continental  parts  of  the  empire. 

Alaric,  the  king  of  the  Visigoths,  had 
made  peace  with  the  emperor  Honorius,  and 
been  made  master-general  of  the  Roman 
armies  in  Illyricum.  In  the  invasion  of  Rad- 
agaisus he  took  no  part,  but  was  attentive  to 
the  recruiting  of  his  own  army.  In  408  he 
made  large  demands  on  the  Roman  govern- 
ment, accompanied  with  intimations  of  what 
would  follow  if  they  were  not  complied 
with.  Stilicho  persuaded  the  senate  to  com- 
ply with  them,  and  four  thousand  pounds  of 
gold  were  promised  him  under  the  name  of  a 
subsidy.  But,  before  the  promise  was  ful- 
filled, Stilicho  was  disgraced  and  slain.  Of 
the  measures  of  his  successors,  Alaric  is 
said  to  have  had  just  cause  of  complaint. 
The  result  was,  he  determined  again  to  in- 
vade Italy.  •  Passing  over  the  Alps,  he 
pillaged  the  cities  of  Aquileia,  Altinum,  Con- 
cordia, and  Cremona,  which  yielded  to  his 
arms  ;  increased  his  forces  by  the  accession 
of  thirty  thousand  auxiliaries  ;  and  without 
opposition  marched  to  the  gates  of  Rome. 
Here,  encompassing  the  city,  he  reduced  it 
to  a  state  of  famine,  of  which  many  thou- 
sands died.  To  this  succeeded  a  destructive 
pestilence.     At  length  the  siege  was  raised 


HISTORY    OP    THE    FIRST    FOUR   TRUMPETS. 


35 


on  a  large  sum  of  money  being  paid  him : 
but  his  terms  of  peace  being  rejected  by 
Honorius,  who  had  shut  himself  up  in  Ra- 
venna, Rome  was  a  second  time  besieged. 
After  this  it  was  taken,  and  for  three  days 
given  up  to  the  plunder  of  the  besiegers. 
Vast  numbers  of  the  Romans  were  slain,  not 
only  by  the  Goths,  but  by  their  own  slaves, 
forty  thousand  of  whom,  being  liberated, 
fell  upon  their  masters. 

About  ten  months  before  this  terrible  ca- 
lamity on  Rome  and  the  Lower  parts  of  Italy 
by  the  Goths,  Spain  and  Portugal  were 
invaded  by  the  Vandals,  the  Suevi,  and  the 
Alani.  These  nations  had  already  desolated 
Gaul,  whence  passing  over  the  Pyrennees 
they  conquered  the  peninsula.  Echard  says, 
"  The  Vandals  took  Galicia,  where  they  set- 
tled ;  the  Suevi  pushed  their  conquests 
farther;  and  the  Alani  fixed  themselves  in 
Portugal  and  Andalusia.  From  these  bar- 
barians (he  adds)  descended  the  ancient 
kings  of  Spain." 

The  calamities  of  this  invasion  are  thus 
described  by  Gibbon  from  a  Spanish  Histo- 
rian : — "  The  barbarians  exercised  their  in- 
discriminate cruelty  on  the  fortunes  of  the 
Romans  and  Spaniards,  and  ravaged  with 
equal  fury  the  cities  and  the  open  country. 
The  progress  of  famine  reduced  the  miser- 
able inhabitants  to  feed  on  the  flesh  of  their 
fellow-creatures  :  and  even  the  wild  beasts, 
that  multiplied  without  control  in  the  desert, 
were  exasperated  by  the  taste  of  blood,  and 
the  impatience  of  hunger,  boldly  to  attack 
and  devour  their  human  prey.  Pestilence 
soon  appeared,  the  inseparable  companion 
of  famine  ;  a  large  portion  of  the  people  was 
swept  away  ;  and  the  groans  of  the  dying 
excited  only  the  envy  of  their  surviving 
friends.  At  length  the  barbarians,  satiated 
with  carnage  and  rapine  and  afflicted  by  the 
contagious  evils  which  they  themselves  had 
introduced,  fixed  their  permanent  seats  in 
the  depopulated  country." — Rom.  Hist.  ch. 
xxxi. 

These  events  seem  to  answer  to  the 
"  burning  mountain  cast  into  the  sea,"  caus- 
ing a  third  part  of  it  to  become  blood,  and 
destroying  a  third  part  of  all  which  were  in 
it,  as  described  under  the  second  trumpet. 
If  JEtna,  or  Vesuvius  had  literally  been 
thrown  into  the  ocean,  it  could  hardly  have 
produced  a  greater  effervescence  among  the 
waters  than  these  things  produced  among 
the  nations.  The  sea  would  also  have  a 
special  reference  to  these  calamities  being 
brought  upon  the  maritime  parts  of  the 
empire. 

After  this,  the  empire  received  another 
mighty  shock  from  the  Scythians,  or  Huns, 
a  heathen  nation,  more  barbarous  and  cruel 
than  either  the  Goths  or  Vandals.  Attila, 
their  king  and  commander,  was  distinguished 
by  his  ferocity,  affecting  to  be  called   the 


"  scourge  of  God,"  and  declaring  that  "  the 
grass  would  never  grow  upon  those  places 
where  his  horse  had  trodden !  "  About  441 
he  fell  upon  the  eastern  empire,  where, 
bearing  down  all  before  him,  the  country 
was  in  a  manner  destroyed  by  fire  and 
sword.  Gibbon  says,  "  The  whole  breadth 
of  Europe  as  it  extends  above  five  hundred 
miles,  from  the  Euxine  to  the  Adriatic,  was 
at  once  invaded  and  occupied,  and  desolated 
by  him."  The  government  at  Constantino- 
ple, after  seventy  cities  had  been  razed  to 
the  ground,  was  compelled  ignominiously  to 
purchase  Ms  retreat. 

In  the  year  450  Attila  again  declared  war 
against  both  the  eastern  and  western  em- 
pires. He  was  defeated  in  Gaul  with  a  loss 
(says  Echard)  of  170,000  men ;  yet  in  the 
following  year  he  invaded  Italy  with  a 
larger  army  than  that  with  which  he  had 
entered  Gaul.  Aquileia  after  a  siege  of 
three  months  was  taken,  and  so  effectually 
destroyed  that  the  succeeding  generation 
could  scarcely  discover  its  ruins.  After 
this,  Verona,  Mantua,  Padua,  and  many 
other  cities,  shared  the  same  fate  ;  the  men 
were  slain,  the  women  ravished,  and  the 
places  reduced  to  ashes.  These  devasta- 
tions, however,  were  confined  to  those  parts 
of  Italy  which  border  on  the  Alps.  Attila 
threatened  Rome,  but  was  induced,  partly 
by  fear  of  the  Roman  army,  partly  by  the 
remonstrances  of  his  own,  and  partly  by  the 
embassy  of  Leo  the  Roman  pontiff,  to 
forego  the  attempt,  and,  returning  into  his 
own  country,  he  shortly  after  ended  his 
days. 

This  surely  must  be  the  "  great  star  burn- 
ing as  it  were  a  lamp,"  which  followed  the 
sounding  of  the  third  trumpet,  and  which, 
shooting  like  a  fiery  meteor  from  east  to 
west  and  falling  upon  the  rivers  and  foun- 
tains of  waters,  impregnated  the  streams 
with  a  mortal  bitterness.  If  the  rivers  and 
fountains  denote,  as  has  been  supposed, 
the  mountainous  parts  of  the  empire,  whence 
they  have  their  origin,  the  facts  have  a  re-? 
markable  coincidence  with  the  prediction. 

As  to  the  remainder  of  the  history,  every 
thing  from  this  time  went  to  eclipse  the  im- 
perial government.  Africa,  Spain,  Britain, 
the  greatest  part  of  Gaul,  Germany,  and 
Illyricum,  are  said  to  have  been  dismem- 
bered from  the  empire  ;  the  court  was  full 
of  intrigues  and  murders  ;  Valentinian  the 
emperor  ravished  the  wife  of  Maximus,  one 
of  his  senators ;  Maximus  in  return  got 
Valentinian  murdered,  usurped  his  throne, 
and  compelled  Eudoxia  the  empress  to 
marry  him  ;  Eudoxia,  in  hatred  to  the  usur- 
per, invited  Genseric,  the  Vandal,  to  come 
over  from  Africa  and  revenge  tire  death 
of  Valentinian  ;  Genseric  prepared  to  in- 
vade Italy,  Maximus,  on  hearing  it,  instead 
of  taking  measures  for  repelling  him,  sunk 


36 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


into  despondency  ;  the  senators  stoned  him 
to  death,  and  threw  his  body  into  the  Ti- 
ber ;  Genseric  entered  Rome  without  op- 
position, and  gave  it  up  to  be  sacked  and 
plundered  by  his  soldiers  for  fourteen  days. 
Hence,  as  bishop  Newton  observes,  "  the 
western  empire  struggled  hard,  and  gasped 
as  it  were  for  breath  through  eight  short  and 
turbulent  reigns,  for  the  space  of  twenty 
years,  and  at  length  expired  in  the  year  476, 
under  Momyllus,  or  Augustulus,  as  he  was 
named  in  derision,  being  a  diminutive  of 
Augustus." 

After  this,  Odoacer,  king  of  the  Ostro- 
goths, invaded  the  country  and  seized  the 
government,  which  he  held,  hoAvever,  not 
as  head  of  the  western  empire,  but  merely 
as  King  of  Italy.  There  were  indeed  a 
senate  and  council  after  this,  but  they  had 
only  the  shadow  of  authority. 

Thus  it  was,  I  conceive,  that  the  eclipse 
of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  as  described 
under  the  fourth  trumpet,  was  accomplished. 
It  may  be  thought  that  these  events  had 
too  slight  a  relation  to  the  church  of  Christ 
to  become  the  subject  of  prophecy :  two 
things,  however,  may  be  alleged  in  answer. 
First :  They  were  necessary  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  other  prophecies,  particularly 
Dan.  vii.  7,  8  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  7.  Hereby  a 
way  was  made  for  the  beast  to  have  "  ten 
horns,"  as  after  the  overthrow  of  the  empire 
it  was  divided  into  so  many  independent 
kingdoms,  which  with  little  variation  con- 
tinue to  this  day.  Hereby  also  a  way  was 
made  for  the  "  little  horn  "  of  Daniel's  fourth 
beast,  or  the  papal  antichrist,  to  come  up 
amongst  them  ;  or,  as  the  apostle  expresses 
it,  for  the  man  of  sin  to  be  revealed.  "  The 
mystery  of  iniquity  hath  already  begun  to 
work  (saith  he,)  only  he  who  now  letteth 
will  let,  until  he  be  taken  out  of  the  way  : 
and  then  shall  that  wicked  (one)  be  re- 
vealed." While  the  imperial  authority  con- 
tinued, there  was  not  sufficient  scope  for  ec- 
clesiastical ambition ;  but,  when  this  was  re- 
moved, the  other  soon  appeared  in  its  true 
character.  The  Goths  embracing  the  re- 
ligion of  the  conquered  Romans,  the  clergy 
became  objects  of  superstitious  veneration 
amongst  a  barbarous  people,  and  of  this 
they  availed  themselves  to  the  establishment 
of  their  spiritual  authority.  Hence  the  see 
of  Rome  made  no  scruple  of  setting  up  for 
supremacy. 

Secondly :  In  these  judgments  upon  the 
empire  we  perceive  the  divine  displeasure 
for  its  having  corrupted  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, and  transformed  it  into  an  engine 
of  state.  The  wars  of  the  Assyrians  and 
Babylonians  were  the  scourges  of  God  on 
those  who  had  corrupted  the  true  religion  ; 
and  such  were  those  of  the  Goths,  the  Van- 
dals, and  the  Huns,  on  the  Christian  gov- 
ernments of  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries. 


DISCOURSE  X. 

THE    FIRST    WOE-TRUMPET,    OR  THE    SMOKE 

AND    LOCUSTS. 

Rev.   viii.  13  ;    ix.  1—12. 

As  the  first  four  trumpets  were  connected 
in  their  objects,  so  are  the  last  three.  The 
last  verse  of  the  eighth  chapter  is  introduc- 
tory to  them. 

Ver.  13.  "This  solemn  denunciation  seems 
to  be  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  drawing 
our  attention  to  the  great  importance  of  the 
events  which  were  to  happen  under  the  last 
three  trumpets.  It  serves  also  as  a  chrono- 
logical mark  to  show  that  these  three  trum- 
pets are  all  posterior  to  the  first  four,  not 
only  in  order,  but  in  time  ;  and  that  they 
belong  to  a  new  series  of  events."  *  The 
most  distinguishing  plagues  which  were  to 
befal  the  church  and  the  world  are  desig- 
nated by  them.  The  first  two  seem  to  refer 
to  the  prevalence  of  popery  and  Maho- 
medism,  and  the  last  to  those  vials  of 
wrath  which  should  effect  their  overthrow. 

Ch.  IX.  ver.  1—12.  The  fifth,  or  first 
woe-trumpet,  is  short,  but  awfully  impres- 
sive. Looking  at  this  dreadful  irruption  of 
darkness  and  desolation,  we  perceive  the 
necessity  there  was  for  "  sealing  the  servants 
of  God  in  their  foreheads,"  that  they  might 
be  preserved  amidst  these  trying  times. 
These  are  the  "  winds  "  which  those  minis- 
ters of  vengeance  to  whom  it  was  given  to 
hurt  the  earth  (ch.  vii.  1,  2,)  at  length  let 
loose  upon  it.  The  professing  Christian 
world  being  exceedingly  corrupt,  it  became 
necessary  to  try  them.  The  "  sealed  "  ser- 
vants of  God  would  endure  the  trial ;  but 
"  those  men  who  had  not  the  seal  of  God  in 
their  foreheads  "  would  be  carried  away  and 
perish. 

That  the  locusts  refer  to  the  ravaging 
hordes  of  Saracens,  who,  with  Mahomed  at 
their  head,  subdued  and  destroyed  the  east- 
ern part  of  Christendom,  seems  to  be  gen- 
erally admitted ;  and  some  have  considered 
the  "  smoke  "  as  denoting  his  false  doctrine, 
and  the  "  star  "  which  fell  from  heaven  to 
the  earth  as  meaning  himself.  But,  on  the 
most  mature  consideration,  I  concur  with 
those  expositors  who,  while  admitting  the 
locusts  to  be  Mahomed's  destructive  hordes 
of  Saracens,  yet  understand  the  smoke  of 
popish  darkness,  which  was  preparatory  to 
the  other,  and  the  fallen  star  of  the  fallen 
bishop  of  Rome,  f     If  the  fourth  trumpet 

*Cuninghame's    Dissertation,  p.  84. 

f  It  is  true  that  that  part  of  the  prophecy  which 
treats  directly  of  the  great  papal  community  is 
yet  in  reserve  :  but,  as  in  a  history  of  any  nation 
frequent  mention  requires  to  be  made  of  other  na- 
tions, so,  in  a  prophecy  of  the  ravages  of  Maho- 
medism,  mention  may  require  to  be  made  of  popery, 
as  preparing  its  way. 


THE    SMOKE    AND    LOCUSTS. 


37 


refer  to  the  subversion  of  the  imperial  gov- 
ernment under  Augustulus,  it  may  be  presu- 
med that  the  fifth  would  refer  to  thing's  not 
very  distant  from  it,  and  probably  rising  out 
of  it :  but  the  appearance  of  Mahomed  was 
130  years  after  this  event,  and  seems  to  have 
no  immediate  connection  with  it.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  is  a  connection  between 
the  subversion  of  the  imperial  government 
and  "  the  revelation  of  the  man  of  sin."  It 
was  the  imperial  authority  which  "  let"  or 
hindered  him,  and  which,  when  "  taken  out 
of  the  way,"  made  room  for  his  appearing. 
— 2  Thess.  ii.  4 — 8.  Thus  the  eclipse  under 
the  fourth  trumpet  prepared  the  way  for 
the  irruption  of  darkness  under  the  fifth. 
The  mystery  of  iniquity  had  long  been  at 
work  ;  but  now  it  burst  forth  as  the  smoke 
of  a  great  furnace,  impeding  the  light  of  the 
gospel,  and  darkening  the  moral  atmosphere 
of  the  Christian  world. 

With  this  also  agrees  the  application  of 
"  the  fallen  star  "  to  the  pope  or  bishop  of 
Rome.  It  comports  with  the  symbolical 
style  of  the  book  that  a  prophetical  person 
should  denote  not  an  individual,  but  a  suc- 
cession of  individuals  in  an  official  charac- 
ter. The  bishop  of  Rome  was  once  a  star 
in  the  Christian  firmament ;  but  abandoning 
the  doctrine  and  spirit  of  a  Christian  minis- 
ter, and  setting  up  for  worldly  domination, 
he  "  fell  from  heaven  unto  the  earth,"  and 
thus  became  a  fit  agent  for  "  opening  the 
bottomless  pit."  The  bishop  of  Meaux  ac- 
knowledges that  "Hell  does  not  open  of 
itself:  it  is  always  some  false  doctor  that 
opens  it." 

The  darkness  of  popery  is  not  only  of 
infernal  origin,  but  brings  with  it  a  state  of 
mind  prepared  for  the  grossest  delusions. 
Intercepting  the  light  of  truth,  it  darkened 
the  world  with  its  doctrines.  It  changed 
the  truth  of  God  into  a  lie,  and,  like  old 
heathenism,  "worshipped  and  served  the 
creature  more  than  the  Creator,  who  is 
blessed  for  ever,  Amen !  "  Wherefore  God 
gave  them  up  to  Mali ome  dan  imposture, 
depredation,  and  ruin.  As  the  smoke 
brought  forth  the  locusts  (though  both  pro- 
ceeded from  the  pit,)  so  popery  brought  forth 
Mahomedism.*  But  for  the  one,  the  other 
could  not  have  prevailed  as  it  did  where  the 
light  of  the  gospel  had  once  appeared.  The 
Roman  Catholics  have  made  great  noise 
about  the  keys  ;  and  truly  a  key  has  been 
given  them,  "  the  key  of  the  bottomless 
pit ! " 

As  to  the  locusts,  they  are  described 
chiefly  by  their  depredations.  The  wrath 
of  God  is  less  directed  against  them  than 
against  that  out  of  which  they  came.  They 
were  indeed  from  beneath,  and  so  was  the 
conquering  system  of  Assyria  and  Babylon ; 

*  See  Mr.  Cuninghame's  Dissertation  on  the 
Trumpets,  ch.  VI. 


but,  as  these  powers  were  the  rod  of  God's 
anger  against  a  nation  which  had  corrupted 
the  true  religion,  it  is  not  till  they  in  their 
turn  are  punished  that  much  is  said  of  their 
crimes.  And  thus  the  destructive  hordes  of 
Saracens  that  laid  waste  a  great  part  of  the 
eastern  world  are  described  as  executing 
a  commission,  not  against  "  grass,  or  green 
things,  or  trees,"  like  ordinary  locusts,  but 
"against  the  men  who  had  not  the  seal  of 
God  in  their  foreheads  " — that  is,  against 
the  corrupters  of  Christianity. — Ver.  4. — 
There  was  a  direction  given  to  their  succes- 
ses very  much  like  that  which  has  of  late 
years  been  given  to  those  on  the  continent 
of  Europe  against  the  papal  countries.  The 
Christianity  of  the  Greek  church,  whose 
patriarch  resided  at  Constantinople,  was  in 
a  great  degree  absorbed  by  them. 

It  is  observable,  however,  that  the  men 
against  whom  their  commission  was  direct- 
ed were  not  to  be  killed,  but  tormented  for  a 
certain  time.  They  doubtless  did  kill  great 
numbers,  individually  considered  ;  but  with 
all  their  ravages  they  only  harassed  those 
countries  where  corrupted  Christianity  pre- 
vailed. They  were  not  able  to  destroy 
either  the  Greek  or  the  Latin  Church. 

The  time  in  which  they  should  harass 
them  is  limited  to  "  five  months,"  which  pro- 
bably alludes  to  the  usual  season  for  the 
ravages  of  the  natural  locusts.  It  has  been 
thought  to  intend  so  many  prophetical  days, 
or  years.  Five  months,  reckoning  thirty 
days  to  a  month,  and  each  day  a  year, 
would  be  150  years  ;  and  this  was  the  period 
in  which  the  Saracen  arms  are  said  to  have 
prevailed.  They'began  about  612.  After 
the  death  of  Mahomed,  they  continued, 
though  Math  some  interruptions,  to  carry  on 
their  conquests.  In  713  they  entered  Spain, 
which  in  a  few  years  was  subjugated  to 
them,  and,  passing  the  Pyrennees,  they  en- 
tered France,  which  was  then  said  to  be  the 
only  rampart  of  Christianity.  They  advanced 
as  to  a  certain  victory,  whereupon  ensu- 
ed one  of  the  bloodiest  battles  that  the 
world  had  ever  seen.  Of  the  Saracens 
there  were  400,000  men,  besides  women  and 
children,  who  came  with  them,  designing  to 
settle  in  France,  and  no  doubt  to  extirpate 
Christianity  from  Europe.  Tliree  hundred 
and  seventy  thousand  of  them  are  said  to 
have  been  slain,  including  their  general. 
This  battle  was  fought  by  Charles  Martel, 
the  grandfather  of  Charlemagne,  in  734, 
and  put  a  stop  to  the  progress  of  the  Sara- 
cen arms  in  Europe.  About  762,  after  the 
"  five  months  "  of  years  which  were  g-iven 
them  to  continue  had  elapsed,  they  ceased 
to  extend  their  conquests  by  settling  peace- 
ably in  the  countries  which  they  had 
conquered,  and  so  ceased  to  ravage  as 
locusts. 

The  description  given  of  these  locusts, 
ver.  7 — 10,  answers  to  most  of  the  peculiari- 


38 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


ties  of  the  Saracen  armies  ;  as  their  use  of 
cavalry  ;  their  turbans  resembling  crowns, 
in  which  they  gloried ;  the  union  of  fierce- 
ness and  effeminacy  in  their  character ;  the 
impenetrability  of  their  forces  ;  the  rapidity 
of  their  conquests  ;  and  their  carrying  with 
them  the  sting  of  deadly  imposture. 

Finally :  This  fearful  army  is  described  as 
having  "  a  king  over  them,  even  the  angel 
of  the  bottomless  pit,"  whence  they  came, 
and  "  whose  name  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  is 
Abaddon,  but  in  the  Greek  Apollyon."  This 
would  seem  to  be  Mahomed  and  his  succes- 
sors, or  Satan  as  working  by  them.  The 
genius  of  Mahomedism  is  to  destroy  the  lives 
as  well  as  the  souls  of  men. 

After  this  we  are  told,  "  One  woe  is 
past:  and  behold  there  come  two  woes 
more  hereafter."  By  the  term  "  hereafter" 
it  seems  to  be  intimated  that  the  second 
woe  would  not  follow  very  soon  after  the 
first,  but  that  a  considerable  lapse  of  time 
would  intervene  betwixt  them.  In  this  re- 
spect the  language  differs  from  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  third  woe,  in  eh.  xi.  14,  where 
it  is  said,  "  The  second  woe  is  past,  and  be- 
hold the  third  woe  cometh  qtiickly." 


DISCOURSE  XI. 

THE  SECOND   WOE-TRUMPET,    OR    THE    ARMY 
OF  HORSEMEN. 

Rev.  ix.  13—21. 

We  here  enter  on  the  sixth,  or  second 
woe-trumpet,  which,  embracing  different 
contemporary  events,  may  be  expected  to 
require  several  discourses.  That  part  of  it 
which  we  are  now  upon  contains  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  revival  of  the  Mahomedan  deso- 
lations by  the  Turks,  in  the  thirteenth  and 
following  centuries.  It  will  be  recollected 
that  the  second  woe  was  not  to  come  quick- 
ly, but  "hereafter."  Such  was  the  fact. 
Several  centuries  elapsed  between  the 
ravages  of  the  Saracens  and  those  of  the 
Turks.  But  as  the  desolations  wrought  by 
the  followers  of  Mahomed,  whether  Saracens 
or  Turks,  would  be  less  injurious  to  the 
cause  of  Christ  than  the  abominations  of 
popery,  there  is  not  only  much  less  said  of 
them  than  of  the  other,  but  what  is  said  is 
finished  before  the  other  is  particularly 
begun,  that  the  thread  of  the  principal  sub- 
ject might  not  be  broken.  There  is  no 
reason  to  think  that  the  Turkish  wars  would 
have  occupied  a  place  in  Scripture  prophecy, 
but  for  their  being  the  appointed  means  of 
crushing  a  corrupt  part  of  the  Christian 
church.  For  these  reasons  I  question  the 
propriety  of  calling  the  Mahomedan  power 
the  eastern  antichrist.  There  is  no  doubt  of 
its  being  opposed  to  Christ,  and  the  same 
may  be  said  of  heathenism ;  but  nothing  is 
called  antichrist  in  the  Scriptures  ivhich  makes 


no  profession  of  being  on  the  side  of  Christ. 
If  there  was  an  eastern  antichrist,  it  was 
that  community  which  the  Mahomedans 
destroyed,  namely,  "  the  men  who  had  not 
the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads  !  " 

The  leading  facts  corresponding  with  this 
part  of  the  prophecy  were  as  follows : — The 
Turks,  a  people  who  in  the  ninth  century 
had  migrated  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Mount  Caucasus,  and  settled  in  Armenia 
Major,  by  the  eleventh  century  became  for- 
midable to  their  neighbors.  They  consisted 
of  four  Sultanies,  the  seats  of  which  were  at 
Bagdad,  Damascus,  Aleppo,  and  Iconium: 
all  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Euphrates. 
Their  principal  struggles  were  with  the 
eastern  Roman  empire,  or  the  Christians  of 
the  Greek  church.  For  about  two  centuries 
their  ambition  was  restrained,  partly  it  may 
be  by  the  European  crusades,  or  what  were 
called  the  holy  ivars,  for  the  recovery  of  Jeru- 
salem: but,  the  disasters  which  attended 
these  undertakings  inducing  the  European 
princes  at  length  to  relinquish  them,  they 
were  then  at  liberty  to  pursue  their  objects. 
In  1281  they  obtained  a  decided  victory  over 
the  eastern  Christians ;  and  in  1299  a  new 
empire  was  founded  by  Othman,  composed 
of  the  four  Turkish  Sultanies,  which  still 
subsists,  and  is  called  after  his  name  the 
Ottoman  empire.  During  the  fourteenth 
century  their  successes  continued.  In  the 
middle  of  the  fifteenth  (1453)  Constantino- 
ple was  taken,  the  eastern  Roman  empire 
fell,  and  with  ifthe  Greek  church,  neither  of 
which,  except  in  the  religion  of  the  latter 
being  embraced  by  the  Russians,  has  since 
lifted  up  its  head. 

The  "  four  angels"  then  denote  the  four 
Turkish  governments  near  the  Euphrates. 
These  are  called  angels,  as  being  messengers 
of  wrath,  commissioned  to  destroy  the  cor- 
rupt Christians  of  the  east.  The  "  loosing" 
of  them  refers  to  the  removal  of  those  ob- 
structions which  for  a  time  impeded  their 
progress.  The  "  voice"  which  ordered  them 
to  be  loosed  proceeding  from  the  "  four  horns 
of  the  golden  altar"  signifies  that  these 
judgments,  like  those  in  chap.  viii.  3 — 5, 
would  be  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the 
saints :  or,  perhaps,  as  bishop  Newton  says, 
"  intimating  that  the  sins  of  men  must  have- 
been  very  great,  when  the  altar,  which  was 
their  sanctuary  and  protection,  called  aloud 
for  vengeance."  Their  continuance  "  for  an 
hour  and  a  day,  and  a  month  and  a  year," 
reckoning  by  prophetic  time,  includes  391 
years  ;  which  beginning  from  1281,  the  year 
of  their  first  victory  over  the  eastern  Roman 
empire,  extends  to  1G72,  the  year  of  then- 
last  victory  over  the  Poles;  from  which 
period  they  have  been  sinking  into  such  dis- 
order and  imbecility  as  forebode  their  ruin. 
Their  armies  being  described  as  "horsemen," 
answers  to  the  numerous  cavalry  of  the 
Turks.     The  number  of  them,  consisting  of 


WESTERN    APOSTACY. 


39 


"myriads  of  myriads,"  shows  the  vast  armies 
which  they  brought  into  the  field.  "  Breast- 
plates of  fire,  of  jacinth,  and  of  brimstone," 
may  denote  the  glittering  harness  with 
which  the  horses  were  caparisoned.  Their 
"  heads  being  as  the  heads  of  lions"  is  ex- 
pressive of  their  strength  and  fierceness. 
"  Fire  and  smoke  and  brimstone,  issuing  out 
of  their  mouths,"  seems  to  allude  to  the  use 
of  gunpowder  in  war,  which  began  about 
this  period.  Great  guns  were  used  in  the 
taking  of  Constantinople  in  1453.  The  sym- 
bol is  expressive  of  what  a  body  of  horse- 
men, fighting  with  fire-arms,  would  appear 
to  a  distant  spectator,  who  had  never  before 
seen  or  heard  of  any  thing  of  the  kind. 

There  is  one  remarkable  difference  be- 
tween the  locusts  and  the  horsemen:  the 
former  were  not  commissioned  to  kill,  but 
merely  to  torment;  whereas  of  the  latter  it 
is  said,  "  By  these  were  the  third  part  of 
men  killed,  even  by  the  fire,  and  by  the 
smoke,  and  by  the  brimstone  which  issued 
out  of  their  mouths."  They  both,  doubtless, 
killed  men  as  individuals  ;  but  the  latter 
only  were  permitted  to  kill  those  political 
bodies  to  which  the  prophecy  refers.  The 
eastern  Roman  empire,  and  the  Greek  church 
as  connected  with  it,  fell  not  by  the  Sara- 
cens of  the  eighth,  but  by  the  Turks  of  the 
fifteenth  century.  Finally,  their  "  power 
was  in  their  mouth,  and  in  their  tails." 
Now,  as  the  fire  and  smoke  and  brimstone 
are  said  to  issue  from  the  former,  they  would 
seem  to  denote  their  artillery  ;  and,  as  in 
respect  of  the  latter  they  resemble  the 
locusts,  these  are  the  destructive  principles 
which  they  propagate  by  the  sword  in  com- 
mon with  the  Saracens.  Mahomedism  was 
that  to  the  Christian  church  in  the  east  which 
Assyria  and  Babylon  were  to  Samaria  and 
Jerusalem.  Its  first  appearance  in  the 
seventh  and  eighth  centuries  was  a  judgment 
upon  them  for  having  corrupted  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine  and  worship ;  but  as  a  body  it 
went  only  to  "  torment"  them,  not  to  "  kill " 
them.  It  said,  "  Repent,  or  I  will  remove 
thy  candlestick  out  of  his  place  !  "  but  they 
repented  not.  Its  last  appearance  therefore, 
in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries, 
carried  the  threatening  into  execution.  The 
candlestick  of  the  eastern  church  was  re- 
moved, and  her  children  were  killed  with 
death ! 

But  that  which  is  the  most  remarkable  is 
the  effect,  or  rather  the  want  of  effect,  of 
these  terrible  judgments  on  those  who  sur- 
vived them.  "  The  rest  of  the  men  (that  is, 
of  the  men  who  had  not  the  seal  of  God  in 
their  foreheads,)  who  were  not  killed  by 
these  plagues,  repented  not."  As  those  that 
were  killed  were  the  eastern  Roman  empire 
and  the  Greek  church  as  connected  with  it, 
so  those  that  were  not  killed  were  the  west- 
ern Roman  empire  and  the  Latin  church. 
These  two  churches  were  as  Aholah  and 


Aholihah.  The  fall  of  the  one  ought  to  have 
been  a  warning  to  the  other ;  but  it  was 
not.  They  persisted  in  their  image-worship, 
which  was  only  the  old  idolatry  of  the  Pa- 
gans upder  a  new  form:  nor  were  they 
behind  them  in  their  murderous  persecu- 
tions, their  foul  impostures,  their  filthy  in- 
trigues, and  their  fraudulent  impositions. 
And  though,  soon  after  the  overthrow  of  the 
Greek  church,  the  Reformation  began,  yet 
they  reformed  not.  The  Council  of  Trent, 
which  was  called  on  this  occasion,  sat 
eighteen  years,  and  at  last  left  things  as 
it  found  them.  Babylon  was  not  to  be 
healed ! 


DISCOURSE  XII. 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  WESTERN  OR   PAPAL 

APOSTACY. 

Rev.  x. 

The  eastern  church,  as  connected  with 
the  Roman  empire,  being  slain,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  prophecy  may  be  expected 
to  concern  the  western,  or  "  the  rest  of  the 
men,  who  were  not  killed  by  these  plagues." 
This  it  does ;  so  much  of  it,  at  least,  as 
brings  us  to  the  taking  of  the  beast  and  of 
the  false  prophet  and  so  to  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Millennium.  The  corruptions 
of  the  western  church  have  been  intimated 
before  ;  as  by  the  sealing  of  the  servants  of 
God  in  their  foreheads,  chap.  vii. ;  by  the 
judgments  inflicted  on  the  western  empire 
under  the  first  four  trumpets,  chap.  viii. ;  and 
by  the  clouds  of  smoke  from  the  bottomless 
pit:  but  now  the  prophecy  treats  directly 
and  exclusively  of  them.  Nor  is  it  surpris- 
ing that  the  apostacy  of  this  church  should 
occupy  so  large  a  part  of  the  prophecy,* 
inasmuch  as  both  for  its  duration  and  mis- 
chievous effects  there  is  nothing  equal  to 
it  under  the  gospel  dispensation.  The 
period  allotted  for  its  continuance  is  no  less 
than  1260  years  ;  during  which  the  holy 
city  is  trodden  under  foot,  the  witnesses 
prophecy  in  sackcloth,  the  true  church  fleeth 
into  the  wilderness,  and  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High  are  persecuted  to  death  by  a 
ferocious  and  cruel  beast.  This  apostate 
church  was,  no  doubt,  the  man  of  sin  foretold 
by  Paul ;  and,  notwithstanding  what  has 
been  advanced  against  it  by  a  late  respecta- 
ble writer,  I  have  no  doubt  of  its  being  the 
Antichrist  which  the  Christians  in  John's 
time  had  heard  shoidd  come.\ 

*  From  the  beginning  of  chap.  x.  to  the  end  of 
chap.  xix. 

f  This  appears  to  be  evidently  made  out  by  Mr. 
Scott,  in  his  notes  on  2  Thess.  ii.  3 — 12,  and  1 
John  ii.  IS.  As  to  its  being  a  character  of  Anti- 
christ that  he  "  denieth  the  Father  and  the  Son" 
(ver.  22,)  it  is  of  the  Antichrists  already  come 


40 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


Before  we  enter  upon  this  subject  it  will 
be  proper  to  give  the  outlines  of  the  ten 
chapters  in  which  it  is  contained.  Chap.  x. 
I  consider  as  merely  introductory.  Chap, 
xi.  gives  a  general  representation  of  this 
corrupt  and  persecuting  power,  with  the 
state  of  the  church  of  Christ  under  it,  during 
the  1260  years.  Chap.  xii.  gives  a  second, 
and  chap.  xiii.  and  xiv.  a  third  general  repre- 
sentation of  it  during  the  same  period. 
Chap.  xv.  and  xvi.  gives  a  more  particular 
account  of  that  part  of  the  subject  which 
commences  at  the  sounding  of  the  seventh 
trumpet,  and  contains  a  subdivision  of  that 
trumpet  into  seven  vials,  the  pouring  out  of 
which  brings  us  down  to  the  Millennium. 
The  xviith,  xviiith,  and  xixth  chapters  con- 
tain what  in  modern  publications  we  should 
call  notes  of  illustration,  giving  particular  ac- 
counts of  things  which  before  had  only  been 
generally  intimated. 

We  are  not  to  expect  the  events  relating 
to  the  western  church  to  follow  the  conclu- 
sion of  those  of  the  eastern,  in  order  of  time. 
In  tracing  the  issue  of  the  one,  we  were  led 
almost  down  to  the  times  of  the  Reformation  ; 
but,  in  taking  up  the  other,  we  must  expect 
to  go  many  centuries  back  again.  It  is  in 
prophecy  as  it  is  in  history,  when  describing 
contemporary  events,  the  writer,  having 
gone  through  one  series,  returns  and  takes 
up  the  other.  It  is  thus  in  the  history  of 
Judah  and  Israel  in  the  second  book  of 
Kings  ;  with  this  difference,  that,  in  carrying 
on  those  histories  together,  the  writer  went 
through  only  a  single  reign  of  one  of  them 
ere  he  returned  to  the  other ;  whereas  in 
this  the  overthrow  of  the  eastern  church 
is  completed  before  the  account  of  the 
western  is  begun.  The  former  brought  us 
down  to  the  fifteenth  century ;  the  latter, 
when  tracing  the  origin  of  things,  may 
glance  at  events  as  early  as  the  fourth. 

Ver.  1 — 11.  The  "  mighty  angel "  appears 
by  his  description  to  be  the  Son  of  God 
himself,  and  this  may  indicate  the  im- 
portance of  the  vision.  His  being  "  clothed 
with  a  cloud  "  may  express  the  concealment 

that  this  is  spoken,  who  had  professed  Christianity, 
and  whose  apostacy  consisted  not  in  a  disavowal 
of  the  name  of  Christ,  but  of  certain  Christian 
doctrines,  which  included  a  virtual  denial  of  Jesus 
being  the  Christ,  as  that  also  was  a  virtual  denial 
of  the  Father.  Had  these  "forerunners  of  Anti- 
christ," as  Mr.  Scatt  very  properly  calls  them, 
been  avowed  infidels,  they  could  not  have  been 
seducers  to  the  churches  of  Christ  (ver.  26,)  a 
name  given  to  false  teachers.  Such  were  those 
deceivers  in  2  John  7,  who,  by  denying  the  real 
humanity  of  Christ,  denied  his  being  come  in  the 
flesh.  But,  if  a  virtual  denial  of  the  Father  and 
the  Son  rendered  those  who  were  already  come 
Antichrists,  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not 
do  the  same  of  him  that  should  come.  It  is  not 
probable  that  John  would  have  allowed  "  the  man 
of  sin"  to  acknowledge  either  the  Father,  or  the 
Son,  while  he  usurped  the  place  of  both. 


of  his  designs,  and  the  hiding  of  his  power. 
He  could  have  crushed  this  great  conspiracy 
at  the  outset,  but  he  did  not.  The  "  rainbow 
on  his  head  "  is  the  sign  of  peace,  or  of 
covenant  mercy,  and  may  here  denote  that 
whatever  evils  might  be  permitted  in  order 
to  try  the  church,  yet  there  should  not  be 
such  a  deluge  as  to  destroy  it.  His  counte- 
nance being  compared  to  "  the  sun,"  and  his 
feet  to  "  pillars  of  fire,"  may  intimate  that 
neither  is  his  glory  tarnished  nor  his  majesty 
diminished,  by  all  the  corruptions  which  are 
introduced  under  his  name.  Finally,  his 
"  coming  down  from  heaven"  seems  to  de- 
note a  change  of  scene.  The  Lamb's  com- 
pany stand  upon  Mount  Sion  ;  but  the  harlot 
sitteth  upon  the  waters,  and  the  beast  riseth 
out  of  the  sea.  Thus,  as  the  subject  respects 
the  same  apostate  community,  the  scene  is 
the  earth,  and  the  angel  descends  from 
heaven  to  disclose  it. 

The  "  little  book"  which  the  angel  held 
open  in  his  hand  relates  doubtless  to  the 
western  apostacy.  It  has  been  thought  to 
be  a  kind  of  Appendix,  or  Codicil,  to  the 
sealed  book,  and  a  part  of  what  follows  to 
be  chapters  of  it.  But  this  seems  too  much  : 
for,  if  so,  it  would  not  properly  belong  to  the 
sealed  book,  whereas  all  that  pertains  to  the 
apostacy,  and  to  the  state  of  the  church  to 
the  end  of  the  world,  belongs  to  the  trumpets, 
which  trumpets  are  a  subdivision  of  the 
seventh  seal.  It  is  not  therefore  anything 
added  to  the  sealed  book,  but  a  marked  di- 
vision of  it, — a  book  as  it  were  within  a 
book. — The  angel's  setting  his  right  foot 
upon  the  sea,  and  his  left  foot  on  the  earth, 
would  express  his  absolute  dominion  over 
both.  His  "  crying  with  a  loud  voice  as 
when  a  lion  roareth"  was  awfully  preparato- 
ry to  the  seven  thunders  which  immediately 
uttered  their  voices.  On  hearing  them,  John 
was  about  to  write,  but  is  told  by  a  voice 
from  heaven  to  "  seal  up  the  things  which 
the  thunders  uttered,  and  write  them  not." 
The  thunders  then  were  not  mere  sounds, 
but  certain  "things,"  which,  though  they 
were  not  at  present  to  be  disclosed,  yet 
in  due  time  should  be  fulfilled.  Their 
fulfilment  too  was  an  object  of  such  im- 
portance, and  lay  so  near  the  angel's  heart, 
that  with  the  utmost  indignation  he  "  sware 
by  Him  that  liveth  forever  and  ever  that 
there  should  be  no  delay ; "  but  that  in  the 
days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,  when 
he  should  begin  to  sound,  they  should  be 
accomplished.* 

*  Whether  ort  %jpovot  ovk  tccu  tn  be  rendered, 
as  in  our  version,  that  there  should  be  time 
no  longer;  or,  more  literally,  as  by  Mr.  Daubuz 
and  others,  that  the  time  shall  not  be  yet;  or,  as 
Dr.  Gill  says  the  words  will  bear  to  be  rendered, 
that  there  should  be  delay  no  longer;  the  mean- 
ing cannot  be  that  time  itself  should  then  be  at  an 
end.  Nor  does  it  seem  to  be  an  object  of  sufficient 
importance  for  an  oath  that  the  time  for  the  seven 


DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    PAPAL    APOSTACV. 


41 


From  these  considerations  it  appears  plain 
that  the  seven  thunders  relate  to  the  same 
"  things"  as  those  which  are  afterwards  dis- 
closed under  the  seven  vials.  They  both 
express  the  wrath  of  God  against  the  papal 
antichrist;  the  one  describes  it  only  in 
general,  and  that  in  the  form  of  threalenings, 
the  other  descends  to  particulars,  and  de- 
scribes it  as  actually  executing.  The  thunders 
being  introduced  before  the  prophetic  ac- 
count of  the  apostacy  may  denote  the  dis- 
pleasure of  God  against  it  from  its  very 
beginning,  and  tend  to  support  the  faith  and 
patience  of  the  church  under  it. 

The  forbidding  the  apostle  to  write,  and 
commanding  him  to  eat  the  book,  seems  like 
saying, — The  apostacy  is  not  yet  ripe.  The 
wrath  of  God  against  it  will  be  deferred  for 
the  present.  Under  the  sounding  of  the 
seventh  angel  he  will  pour  forth  the  vials  of 
his  indignation  upon  it.  At  present,  there- 
fore, write  it  not ;  but  receive  a  general  im- 
pression of  things  by  eating  the  book  ! — The 
allusion  doubtless  is  to  Ezek.  iii.  1 — 3,  and 
denotes  that  he  must  understand  and  digest 
its  contents.  The  book,  he  was  told,  would 
be  sweet  in  his  mouth,  but  bitter  in  his  belly. 
The  same  desire  of  understanding  the  future 
state  of  the  church  which  made  him  weep 
when  no  one  was  found  worthy  to  open  the 
sealed  book  must  make  him  rejoice  when  an 
open  book  was  put  into  his  hand,  with  a 
direction  to  eat  it ;  but  when  he  came  to 
digest  it,  and  to  perceive  the  corruptions 
and  persecutions  that  should  prevail,  and  for 
so  long  a  period  retard  the  progress  of  the 
gospel,  it  would  be  grievous  to  him. 

To  teach  him  that  what  he  had  now  seen 
and  done  was  designed  only  as  a  general 
impression,  preparatory  to  what  should  fol- 
low, he  is  given  to  understand  that  he  must 
go  over  the  ground  "  again,"  writing  prophe- 
cies which  respect  many  "  peoples,  and  na- 
tions, and  tongues,  and  kings." 

thunders  to  be  executed  should  not  be  yet.  It  is 
not  their  not  being  yet,  but  their  being  at  the  ap- 
pointed time;  not  the  protraction,  but  the  accom- 
plishment notwithstanding  the  protraction,  to 
which  the  angel  swears.  There  is  a  manifest 
reference  in  the  passage  to  Dan.  xii.  7  :  "  And  I 
heard  the  man  clothed  in  linen,  who  was  upon  the 
waters  of  the  river,  when  he  held  up  his  right  hand 
and  his  left  hand  unto  heaven,  and  sware  by  him 
that  liveth  forever,  that  it  shall  be  for  a  time,  times, 
and  a  half,  and  when  he  shall  have  accomplished  to 
scatter  the  power  of  the  holy  people,  all  these  things 
shall  be  finished."  It  was  of  the  Papal  Antichrist, 
of  whom  Antiochus  Epiphanes  was  a  type,  that  the 
man  clothed  in  linen  spake,  and  of  him  speaks  the 
angel  to  John.  As  the  former  predicts  his  fall,  so 
does  the  latter;  and  as  Antiochus  had  been  per- 
mitted to  scatter  the  power  of  the  holy  people  for 
a  time,  times,  and  half  a  time,  so  should  Anti- 
christ be  permitted  to  scatter  the  church  of  Christ 
for  the  same  prophetic  period,  reckoning  a  year 
for  a  day,  that  is,  for  the  space  of  1260  years. 
See  "Prideaux's  Connection,"  Part  11.  Book 
III.  at  the    close. 

Vol.  2,-hSig.  6. 


DISCOURSE  XIII. 

THE  FIRST  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 
PAPAL  APOSTACY,  AND  OF  THE  STATE  OF 
THE  CHURCH  UNDER  IT. 

Rev.  xi.  &c. 

I  conceive  with  Mr.  Lowman  that  the 
following  chapters  contain  three  general 
descriptions  of  the  papal  Antichrist,  and  of 
the  state  of  the  church  under  it ;  only  he 
confines  them  to  the  eleventh,  twelfth,  and 
thirteenth  chapters,  whereas  it  appears  to  me 
that  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  should 
not  be  divided,  but  considered  as  containing 
between  them  the  third  general  description. 
The  reasons  for  considering  these  four 
chapters  not  as  one  continued  prophecy,  but 
as  general  representations  of  the  events  of 
the  same  period,  are  the  following : — 

First :  The  events  foretold  by  the  slaugh- 
ter and  resurrection  of  the  witnesses  in  ch. 
xi. ;  by  the  flight  of  the  woman  into  the 
wilderness,  and  the  victory  over  the  dragon 
in  ch.  xii. ;  with  the  ravages  of  the  beasts 
and  the  triumph  of  the  Lamb's  company  in 
chapters  xiii.  and  xiv.,  are  the  same. — Se- 
condly :  These  representations  are  not  con- 
fined to  one  or  two  trumpets,  but  comprehend 
the  times  of  the  greater  part  of  them.  Some 
of  the  things  represented,  particularly  those 
at  the  beginning  of  ch.  xii.,  in  which  the 
origin  of  the  apostacy  is  traced,  appear  to  go 
back  to  the  times  of  the  first  four  trumpets, 
namely,  to  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries ; 
others,  particularly  those  at  the  close  of 
chapters  xi.  and  xiv.,  which  describe  the 
overthrow  of  the  apostate  church,  go  for- 
ward to  the  times  of  the  last  trumpet,  and 
even  of  the  last  vials,  into  which  that  trum- 
pet is  subdivided.  This  will  be  evident  by 
comparing  ch.  xi.  19  with  ch.  xvi.  18.  In 
both  mention  is  made  of  "lightnings,  and 
voices,  and  thunderings,  and  an  earthquake, 
and  great  hail ;"  both,  therefore,  manifestly 
refer  to  the  same  events. — Thirdly :  In  each 
of  these  descriptions  there  is  a  reference  to 
the  1260  years,  the  period  which  in  prophe- 
cy marks  the  duration  of  the  antichristian 
power.  So  long  were  the  witnesses  to 
prophecy  in  sackcloth,  so  long  the  woman 
to  be  in  the  wilderness,  and  so  long  the 
beast  to  make  war  with  the  saints.  It  is 
therefore  to  the  events  of  this  period  that 
these  chapters  relate ;  containing  an  ac- 
count of  the  rise,  the  reign,  and  the  over- 
throw of  the  papal  Antichrist. 

It  could  scarcely  be  expected  that  so  long 
a  period,  embracing  such  multifarious  char- 
acters and  events,  events  too  which  so  deeply 
interest  the  church  of  God,  should  be  passed 
over  without  particular  notice.  The  sacred 
writer  is  as  it  were  made  to  pause,  and  to 
give  us  several  distinct  views  of  the  subject, 


42 


EXPOSITION    OP    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


according  to  the  different  lights  in  which  he 
beheld  it.  I  only  add,  if  these  chapters  do 
really  comprehend  the  events  of  the  1200 
years,  we  might  almost  presume,  in  going 
over  them,  to  meet  with  something  under 
each  description  relating  to  so  distinguished 
an  event  as  the  Reformation,  and  must  cer- 
tainly have  thrice  to  cross  the  meridian  of 
our  own  times. 

The  first  of  these  general  descriptions, 
which  we  now  enter  upon,  does  not  appear 
to  trace  the  origin  of  the  apostacy,  but  to 
take  it  up  from  the  time  in  which  things 
were  so  matured  that,  in  taking  the  measure- 
ment of  God's  temple,  the  papal  community 
was  ordered  to  be  left  out,  as  not  belonging 
to  it. 

Ver.  1.  2.  The  language  no  doubt  is 
Jewish,  but  the  doctrine,  worship,  and 
worshippers  of  the  Christian  church  are  in- 
tended. Christianity,  having  become  the 
religion  of  the  state  abounded  with  con- 
verts; but  such  would  be  their  character, 
and  such  the  kind  of  religion  they  would 
introduce,  that  the  extent  of  the  church 
would  require  to  be  contracted.  The  outer 
court,  containing  the  body  of  the  worshippers, 
must  be  left  out.  That  which  had  been 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Catholic  church 
must  be  given  up  as  idolatrous;  and  thus 
the  profanation  of  the  temple  by  Antiochus 
would  be  acted  over  again.* 

Ver.  3 — 6.  The  import  of  these  verses  is 
that,  during  the  long  period  of  papal  cor- 
ruption and  persecution,  God  would  have  his 
faithful  witnesses,  who  should  bear  testimony 
against  it,  though  it  were  in  sackcloth.  As, 
in  the  language  of  the  prophecy,  a  king  de- 
notes not  an  individual  monarch,  but  a  suc- 
cession of  kings,  or  a  kingdom,  so  by  "  two 
witnesses"  we  are  doubtless  to  understand 
not  two  individual  witnesses,  but  a  competent 
succession  of  them.  This  is  manifest  from 
their  continuing  through  the  long  period  of 
1260  years,  which  can  only  be  true  of  a 
succession  of  men.  Some  have  supposed 
them  to  be  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
others  the  old  and  New  Testament  churches  ; 

*"Our  Reformers  (says  Mr.  Faeer)  never 
thought  of  unchurching  the  church  of  Rome,  though 
they  freely  declared  it  to  have  erred.  Hence,  while 
they  rejected  its  abominations,  they  did  not  scru- 
ple to  derive  from  it  their  line  of  episcopal  and 
sacerdotal  ordination."     Vol.  II.  p.  3,  note. 

The  English  Reformers  might  allow  the  church 
of  Rome  to  be  a  true  church  of  Christ ;  but  do  the 
Scriptures  support  them  in  this  concession  1  The 
church  of  Rome  was  once  a  part  of  God's  temple  ; 
but  hence  it  is  left  out  of  the  measurement.  In- 
stead of  being  "  the  holy  city,"  it  is  a  body  of 
idolaters  who  tread  it  under  foot.  It  is  not  Zisn, 
but  Babylon.  Some  of  God's  people  might  be 
found  in  her,  but  they  are  commanded  to  come 
out  of  her.  She  is  not  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife, 
but  the  mother  of  harlots.  Finally,  If  the  church 
of  Rome  continued  to  be  a  church  of  Christ,  what 
must  that  church  be  who  fled  from  her  persecutions 
into  the  wilderness'? 


but  I  see  no  reason  why  they  should  not  be 
understood  of  the  faithful  servants  of  Christ, 
who,  during  this  period,  would  bear  witness 
for  the  truth.  It  is  of  the  true  church  as 
opposed  to  the  false  that  the  other  general 
descriptions  speak ;  namely,  of  the  woman 
and  her  seed  who  fled  into  the  wilderness, 
and  of  the  Lamb's  company  as  opposed  to 
that  of  the  beast:  I  conclude,  therefore, 
that  such  are  the  two  witnesses  in  this. 

Moreover,  the  correspondence  of  1260 
days,  in  which  they  should  prophecy,  with 
the  "  time,  times,  and  the  dividing  of  time," 
in  Daniel  (ch.  vii.  25,)  not  only  determines 
the  general  application  of  the  prophecy,  but 
the  parties  concerned  in  both  to  be  the  same. 
In  the  latter  end  of  the  fourth,  or  Roman, 
government,  according  to  Daniel,  a  little 
horn  should  grow  up  among  the  ten  horns, 
that  should  "  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High,  until  a  time,  times,  and  the  dividing 
of  time."  According  to  John,  the  witnesses, 
during  the  same  period,  should  prophecy  in 
sackcloth,  and  be  persecuted  and  slain.  The 
witnesses  of  John,  therefore,  and  the  saints 
of  Daniel,  are  the  same. 

These  two  witnesses  are  said  to  be  "  the 
two  olive-trees  and  the  two  candlesticks, 
standing  before  the  God  of  the  earth."  The 
olive-trees  and  the  candlestick  of  Zechariah, 
to  which  there  is  a  manifest  reference,  were 
not  the  same.  The  former  supplied  the 
latter,  or  the  two  sides  of  the  bowl  of  it, 
with  oil.  The  candlestick  seems  to  have 
signified  the  church,  and  the  olive-trees  the 
prophets  of  God  who  were  with  the  builders 
helping  them — Ezra  v.  2.  Corresponding 
with  this,  the  olive-trees  of  John  are  faithful 
ministers,  and  the  candlesticks  Christian 
churches.  The  same  prophecying  which 
bears  witness  against  the  corruptions  of 
Antichrist  supplies  the  friends  of  Christ  as 
with  fresh  oil,  and  enables  them  to  shine  as 
lights  in  the  world.  Both  the  olive-trees 
and  the  candlesticks  in  different  ways  are 
witnesses  to  the  truth. 

The  "  fire  that  proceedeth  out  of  their 
mouth  "  denotes  the  divine  threatenings  to 
which  those  who  reject  their  testimony  are 
exposed.  In  this  way  all  who  have  per- 
severingly  set  themselves  against  the  truth 
of  God  have  been  slain  by  it,  not  only  as 
incurring  the  wrath  to  come,  but  spiritual 
judgments  even  in  this  life  ;  such  are  blind- 
ness of  mind  and  hardness  of  heart,  tire  most 
awful  and  sure  presages  of  eternal  death. 
Their  having  "  power  to  shut  heaven  that 
it  rain  not  in  the  days  of  their  prophecy,  to 
turn  waters  into  blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth 
with  plagues  as  often  as  they  will,"  denotes 
the  influence  of  prayer  when  presented  in 
faith  and  in  conformity  to  the  will  of  God. 
There  is  a  reference  no  doubt  to  the  prayer 
of  Elijah  against  apostate  Israel,  which 
prayer  was  answered  with  a  dearth :  but, 
without  any  thing  properly  miraculous,  the 


HISTORY    OP    THE    WITNESSES. 


43 


prayers  of  God's  suffering  servants  may 
draw  down  both  temporal  and  spiritual  judg- 
ments on  persecuting  nations.  The  terrible 
things  which  God  is  now  in  righteousness 
inflicting  on  the  nations  may  be  in  answer 
to  the  prayers  of  his  servants  of  former  ages, 
who  century  after  century  have  been  crying, 
"  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou 
not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth  !  "  Such  cries  enter 
the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  and  must  be 
answered. 


APPENDIX  TO  DISCOURSE  XIII. 

The  history  of  the  witnesses  prior  to 
the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries  is  diffi- 
cult to  be  traced,  owing  to  the  want  of 
materials :  and  during  those  centuries  almost 
all  the  accounts  that  we  have  of  them  are 
from  the  pens  of  their  persecutors,  who  have 
not  failed  to  transmit  their  memory  to  pos- 
terity in  the  most  odious  colors.  That 
some  who  in  church-history  are  deemed 
heretics  were  really  such  need  not  be  ques- 
tioned :  but  let  any  serious  Christian  read 
the  church-history  of  Mosheim  ;  and,  un- 
less he  can  find  a  portion  of  true  religion 
under  the  article  of  "  heresies  and  heretics 
that  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  church 
during  this  century,"  it  is  difficult  to  say 
where  he  is  to  look  for  it.  After  .the  utmost 
search  through  other  parts,  he  may  ask, 
"  Where  is  wisdom,  and  where  is  the  place 
of  understanding  ?  " 

There  is  little  doubt  but  that  all  through 
these  dark  ages  there  were  many  thousands 
who  stood  aloof  from  the  corruptions  of  the 
times,  and  bore  practical  testimony  against 
them;  and  who,  notwithstanding  some 
errors,  were  much  nearer  the  truth  and  true 
religion  than  those  who  have  reproached 
them  as  heretics. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  among-st 
the  Novations,  the  Paulicians,  the  Cathari, 
the  Paterines,  and  others  who  separated 
from  the  catholic  church,  and  were  cruelly 
persecuted  by  it,  there  were  a  great  number 
of  faithful  witnesses  for  the  truth  in  those 
days. 

We  should  not,  like  Bishop  Newton, 
confine  the  witnesses  to  councils,  princes, 
and  eminent  men,  who  in  their  day  bore 
testimony  against  error  and  superstition. 
They  will  be  found  I  doubt  not  in  great 
numbers  amongst  those  who  were  unknown, 
and  consequently  unnoticed  by  historians. 
God  hath  chosen  the  things  that  are  not  to 
bring  to  nought  the  things  that  are.  Let  a 
church-history  of  our  own  times  be  written 
on  the  principles  of  that  of  Mosheim,  and 
the  great  body  of  the  most  faithful  witnesses 
would  have  no  place  in  it. 

The  history  of  the  witnesses  will  be  princi- 
pally found  in  that  of  the    JFaldenses  and 


Alhigenses,  who  for  a  succession  of  centuries 
spread  themselves  over  almost  every  nation 
in  Europe,  and  in  innumerable  instances 
bore  testimony,  at  the  expense  of  their 
lives,  against  the  corruptions  of  the  anti- 
christian  party. 

John  Paul  Perrin,  a  French  protestant  of 
the  city  of  Lyons,  who  early  in  the  seven- 
teenth century  wrote  the  history  of  these 
churches,  traces  their  origin  to  Peter  Waldo, 
who  was  also  a  citizen  of  Lyons.  Waldo, 
as  we  shall  see  presently,  was  not  the  father 
of  the  Waldenses  ;  but  he  was  an  excel- 
lent man.  About  the  year  1160  he  began 
to  bear  testimony  against  the  papal  corrup- 
tions. The  archbishop  of  Lyons,  being 
informed  of  his  proceedings,  sought  to  appre- 
hend him  ;  but  Waldo,  having  many  friends 
in  the  city,  was  concealed  there  for  about 
three  years.  After  this,  he  was  driven  from 
Lyons,  and  it  is  said  that  he  retired  into 
Dauphine  in  the  south  of  France,  and  after- 
wards into  Picardy  in  the  north ;  and  that  his 
followers  spread  themselves,  not  only  in 
Piedmont,  Provence,  Languedoc,  &c,  but 
in  almost  all  the  nations  of  Europe. 

Waldo  translated,  or  procured  to  be  trans- 
lated, the  Scriptures  into  the  French  lan- 
guage ;  by  means  of  which  his  followers 
disseminated  the  truth  over  a  great  part  of 
Europe. 

In  Piedmont,  whither  some  of  his  follow- 
ers were  driven,  churches  were  planted, 
which  though  exposed  to  innumerable 
oppressions  and  persecutions  from  their 
princes,  who  were  stirred  up  by  the  priests, 
yet  continued  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth, 
not  only  till  the  Reformation,  but  for  a  con- 
siderable time  after  it.  In  Picardy,  whither 
Waldo  himself  retired,  the  houses  of  three 
hundred  gentlemen  who  adhered  to  him 
were  razed  to  the  ground,  and  several  walled 
towns  were  destroyed.  Being  driven  thence, 
he  and  his  followers  retired  into  Flanders, 
where  great  numbers  of  them  were  burnt 
to  death.  Thence  many  fled  into  Germany, 
particularly  into  Alsace,  and  the  country 
along  the  Rhine,  where  the  bishop  of  May- 
ence  caused  to  be  burnt  thirty-five  burgesses 
in  one  fire,  and  eighteen  in  another,  who 
with  great  constancy  suffered  death.  At 
Strasburg  eighty  were  burnt  at  the  instance 
of  the  bishop  of  the  place.  They  were 
scattered  through  the  whole  kingdom  of 
France.  From  the  year  1206,  when  the  In- 
quisition was  established,  to  1228,  such 
multitudes  were  seized,  particularly  in 
France,  that  even  the  bishops  declared  to 
the  monks  inquisitors,  that  "  the  expense  of 
supporting  them  would  be  more  than  could 
be  defrayed,  and  that  there  would  not  be 
found  lime  and  stone  sufficient  to  build  pris- 
ons which  should  contain  them  !"  A  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  were  burnt  alive  at  one 
time  in  Paris.  In  1223  they  had  goodly 
churches  in  Bidgaria,   Croatia,  Dalmatia, 


44 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


and  Hungary ;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
persecution,  in  Germany,  one  of  their  mar- 
tyrs assured  his  persecutors,  in  the  year 
1315,  that  there  were  then  80,000  of  the 
same  mind  in  the  country.  In  Bohemia,  a 
colony  of  Waldenses  settled  and  planted 
churches  240  years  before  the  time  of  Huss. 
Another  colony  went  from  Dauphine  about 
1370,  and  settled  in  Calabria,  where  they 
were  defended  by  their  landlords  against 
the  priests  till  1560,  when  they  were  exter- 
minated by  the  papal  soldiery.  In  England, 
during  the  reign  of  Henry  II.,  namely,  from 
1174  to  1189,  they  were  persecuted  under 
the  name  of  Publicans.  About  1315, 
Lollard,  who  was  seven  years  afterwards 
burnt  to  death  at  Cologne,  came  over  to 
England  and  taught  many,  who  thence  were 
called  Lollards,  and  were  persecuted  with- 
out mercy.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Lol- 
lard, the  same  doctrines  were  taught  by 
Wickliff,  whose  followers  also  for  a  century 
and  a  half,  down  to  the  Reformation,  were 
burnt  in  great  numbers. 

Perrin,  as  has  been  observed,  traces  the 
origin  of  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses  to 
Peter  Waldo  :  yet  there  are  several 
things  even  in  his  history  which  prove  then- 
existence  LONG  BEFORE  THE  TIME  OF 
Waldo.  He  quotes  Reynerius  the  inquis- 
itor, who  wrote  within  sixty  years  after 
Waldo,  as  saying  of  the  Waldenses  that 
"  they  had  resisted  the  church  of  Rome  for 
a  long  time.''''  He  quotes  a  Waldensian  poem, 
called  The  Noble  Lesson,  which  poem  ap- 
pears by  its  contents  to  have  been  written 
about  the  year  1100,  that  is,  forty  or  fifty 
years  at  least  before  the  appearance  of 
Waldo.  He  quotes  Claudius  Rubis,  who, 
in  his  Histoi~y  of  Lyons,  says  of  the  Wal- 
denses, in  a  way  of  reproach,  that  "  being 
retired  unto  the  Alps,  at  their  departure 
from  Lyons,  they  became  like  the  rest  of  the 
people  of  that  country,  besom-riders,"  or 
sorcerers.  There  must  then  have  been  a 
people  among  the  Alps  who  were  reproach- 
ed as  sorcerers,  before  the  disciples  of 
Waldo  went  and  joined  them.  Finally,  in 
Perrin's  History  of  the  Albigenses,  he  says, 
They  received  the  belief  of  the  Waldenses 
soon  after  the  departure  of  Waldo  from 
Lyons,  that  is,  soon  after  11  GO,  and  yet  that 
the  instruments  who  were  employed  in  this 
work  were  Peter  of  Bruis,  Henry,  Joseph, 
Esperon,  and  Arnold  Holt.  But  Peter  of 
Bruis  began  to  preach  against  the  corrup- 
tions of  popery  in  1110,  and  was  burnt  in 
1130,  and  Henry  was  soon  after  imprisoned 
at  Rome ;  all  before  the  times  of  Waldo. 
There  must  therefore  have  been  a  body  of 
these  faithful  witnesses  from  an  early  period, 
probably  from  the  times  in  which  the  Chris- 
tian church  began  to  be  overspread  with 
corruptions. 

In  the  spring  of   1655  a  most  horrible 
massacre  of  the  Waldenses  was  perpetra- 


ted in  the  dominions  of  the  duke  of  Savoy. 
On  this  occasion  Sir  Samuel  Morland,  going 
over  as  envoy  from  the  protector  Cromwell 
to  the  court  of  Savoy,  was  charged,  as  he 
says,  by  archbishop  Usher,  before  he  left 
England,  to  make  the  most  diligent  inquiry 
into  the  antiquity  of  the  Waldenses.* 
Having  finished  his  business  at  Turin,  and 
retired  to  Geneva,  he  was  requested  by 
secretary  Thurloe  to  write  his  History  of 
the  Evangelical  Churches  of  the  Valleys  of 
Piedmont.  In  his  history,  Sir  Samuel, 
besides  relating  many  things  of  the  Wal- 
denses since  the  days  of  Perrin,  and  narra- 
ting the  particulars  of  the  late  massacre, 
makes  it  appear  that  these  churches  remain- 
ed united  with  all  other  Christian  churches 
so  long  as  they  retained  the  true  religion  ; 
but,  when  the  church  of  Rome  departed 
from  it,  they  began  to  depart  from  her; 
and  that  the  followers  of  Peter  Waldo,  who 
about  1165  fled  from  the  south  of  France 
into  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  were  not  the 
first  Waldenses,  but  rather  that  they  joined 
themselves  to  those  their  faithful  brethren 
who  had  been  there  long  before  them. 

The  learned  Dr.  Allix,  a  French  pro- 
testant  who  took  refuge  in  England  on  the 
revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes,  largely 
establishes  the  same  thing  in  his  Remarks 
on  the  Ecclesiastical  History  of  the  Ancient 
Churches  of  Piedmont  and  of  the  Country  of 
the  Albigenses.  He  has  proved  that  these 
people,  from  their  situation  in  the  valleys, 
and  not  from  Waldo,  were  denominated 
Wallenses,  or  the  Vaudois — that  though  not 
free  from  a  portion  of  the  general  corruption, 
yet  they  continued  to  maintain  the  leading 
principles  of  what  is  now  called  the  protest- 
ant  religion — that  before  the  year  1026  a 
body  of  men  in  Italy,  connected  with  Gun- 
dulfus,  believed  contrary  to  the  opinions  of 
the  church  of  Rome,  condemned  its  errors, 
and  sent  their  brethren  into  divers  places  to 
oppose  themselves  to  the  superstitions  that 
reigned  throughout  the   west — that  in  the 

*  It  was  on  occasion  of  this  horrible  massacre 
that  Milton  wrote  the  following  sonnet  : — 

Avenge,  O  Lord,  thy  slaughter'd  saints,  whose  bones 

Lie  scatler'd  on  trie  Alpine  mountains  cold ; 

Even  them  who  kept  thy  truth  so  pure  of  old, 
When  all  our  fathers  worshipp'd  stocks   and  stones, 
Forget  not :  in  thy  book  record  their  groans, 

Who  were  thy  sheep,  and  in  their  ancient  fold 

Slain  by  the  bloody  Piedmontese,  that  roll'd 
Mother  and  infant  down  the  rocks.     Their  moans 

The  vales  redoubled  to  the  hills,  and  they 
To  heaven.     Their  martyr'd  blood  and  ashes  sow 

O'er  all  th'  Italian  fields,  where  still  doth  sway 
A  triple  tyrant ;  that  from  these  may  grow 

A  hundred  fold,  who,  having  learn'd  thy  way, 
Early  may  fly  the  Babylonian  woe  ! 

Not  only  did  the  English  government  interfere 
with  the  court  of  Turin  in  behalf  of  the  remnant 
of  these  persecuted  people,  but  a  collection  was 
made  for  them  through  the  nation,  which  amounted 
to  nearly  £40,000,  (a  prodigious  sum  in  those 
times,)  which  was  sent  to  them  by  Sir  Samuel 
Morland. 


HISTORY    OP    THE    WITNESSES. 


45 


same  century  another  body  of  the  Christians 
of  Italy  denominated  Paterines,  and  whose 
principles  were  much  the  same  with  those 
who  were  afterwards  called  Waldenses, 
separated  from  the  church  of  Rome — that 
soon  after  the  year  1100  it  was  said,  "If  a 
man  loves  those  that  desire  to  love  God  and 
Jesus  Christ,  if  he  will  neither  curse,  nor 
swear,  nor  lie,  nor  whore,  nor  kill,  nor 
deceive  his  neighbor,  nor  avenge  himself 
of  his  enemies,  they  presently  say,  He  is  a 
Vaudes,  he  deserves  to  be  punished  ;  and 
by  lies  and  forging  are  found  to  take  away 
from  him  what  he  has  got  by  his  lawful  in- 
dustry " — that  about  1160  many  of  the  fol- 
lowers of  Peter  Waldo  retired  into  the 
valleys  of  Piedmont,  and  there  joined  the 
Vaudois — that,  Waldo  himself  being  con- 
demned as  a  heretic,  it  was  common  for  the 
papists  to  call  all  religious  people  Walden- 
ses, hoping  thereby  to  fix  a  stigma  upon 
them,  and  to  represent  them  as  a  sect  but 
newly  risen  up — and  that  from  this  time  to 
the  Reformation,  a  period  of  between  three 
and  four  hundred  years,  the  Waldenses 
were  persecuted  with  but  little  intermission  ; 
partly  by  armies  sent  to  destroy  them,  and 
partly  by  the  horrid  process  of  the  inquisi- 
tion ;  which  persecutions  they  bore  with 
unparalleled  constancy. 

Similar  remarks  are  made  by  Dr.  Allix 
on  the  churches  of  the  Alhigenses,  so  called 
from  AIM,  a  city  in  the  South  of  France. 
He  has  proved  that  these  churches  continued 
for  many  centuries  independent  of  the  pope 
■ — that  about  the  middle  of  the  eleventh 
century  Berengarius  of  Tours  opposed  the 
doctrines  of  the  Romish  church,  and  was 
charged  by  its  adherents  with  having  cor- 
rupted almost  all  the  French  Italians,  and 
English — that  early  in  the  twelfth,  namely, 
about  the  year  1110,  Peter  of  Bruis,  and 
after  him  Henry,  taught  the  same  doctrines, 
for  which  the  former  was  burnt,  and  the 
latter  died  in  prison — that  in  the  fourth 
canon  of  the  Council  of  Tours,  held  in  the 
year  1163,  it  is  said,  "In  the  country  about 
Thoulouse  there  sprang  up  long  ago  a 
damnable  heresy,  which  by  little  and 
little,  like  a  canker,  spreading  itself  to 
the  neighboring  places  in  Gascoin,  hath 
already  infected  many  other  provinces" — 
that  between  1137  and  1180  Languedoc  was 
so  full  of  the  disciples  of  Peter  of  Bruis 
and  Henry,  that  the  archbishop  of  Narbonne, 
writing  to  Louis  VII.  king  of  France,  com- 
plains as  follows  : — "My  lord  the  king,  We 
are  extremely  pressed  with  many  calamities, 
among  which  there  is  one  that  most  of  all 
affects  us,  which  is,  that  the  catholic  faith 
is  extremely  shaken  in  this  our  diocese, 
and  St.  Peter's  boat  is  so  violently  tossed  by 
the  waves  that  it  is  in  great  danger  of 
sinking !  " 

From  the  whole  it  appears  that  in  the 
early  ages  of  the  papal  apostacy,  before  the 


introduction  of  image-worship,  transubstan- 
tiation,  and  other  gross  departures  from  the 
faith,  the  opposition  of  the  faithful  would  be 
less  decided  than  in  latter  times.  Other 
Christian  churches,  while  they  preserved 
their  independency,  might  not  go  the  same 
lengths  as  that  of  Rome  ;  but  neither  might 
they  at  once  separate  from  it,  nor  probably 
be  clear  of  a  participation  in  its  corrup- 
tions. The  opposition  to  it  might  be  expect- 
ed also  to  be  chiefly  from  individuals  rather 
than  from  churches  ;  and  this  appears  to 
have  been  the  fact. 

The  famous  Claude,  bishop  of  Turin,  in 
the  ninth  century,  though  he  preached  the 
doctrine  of  Christ  in  great  purity,  and 
boldly  opposed  almost  all  the  errors  of 
popery,  yet  does  not  appear  to  have  so 
separated  from  the  church  of  Rome  as  to 
form  independent  churches.  The  principles 
however  which  he  taught  led  to  this  issue, 
and  were  acted  upon  after  his  death.  His 
preaching  and  writings  contributed  greatly 
to  the  spread  of  true  religion  in  the  Valleys 
of  Piedmont. 

From  the  fourth  to  the  tenth  century  but 
little  is  said  of  the  Waldenses  in  history : 
yet  as  Reynerius,  who  wrote  about  the  year 
1230,  speaks  of  the  Vaudois  as  "  a  sect  of 
the  longest  standing,"  and  as  the  Council 
of  Tours,  about  seventy  years  before  this, 
speaks  of  the  same  heresy  as  having 
"  spruno-  up  long  ago,"  we  may  conclude  even 
from  the  acknowledgments  of  the  adversa- 
ries that  God  was  not  without  his  witnesses 
in  those  dark  ages.  Milton  also,  in  the 
sonnet  before  quoted,  represents  the  Vau- 
dois, or  people  of  the  Valleys,  as  having 
"  kept  God's  truth  so  pure  of  old,  when  all 
our  fathers  worshipped  stocks  and  stones." 
He  must  therefore  have  considered  them 
as  having  preserved  the  purity  of  Christian- 
ity ichile  our  Saxon  ancestors  were  yet 
heathens.  After  the  tenth  century,  when 
iniquity  was  at  the  full,  the  opposition  was 
more  decided.  For  500  years,  during  the 
most  murderous  wars  and  persecutions,  the 
Paterines  the  Petrobrussians,  the  IValdcnses, 
the  Albigenses,  the  Lollards,  the  JVicMiffites, 
&c,  maintained  their  ground.  Nor  were 
they  contented  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth 
in  their  own  countries,  but  employed  mis- 
sionaries to  almost  all  the  nations  of  Europe  ; 
and  this  notwithstanding  each  missionary 
could  expect  nothing  less  than  martyrdom 
for  his  reward  ! 

Nor  were  their  labors  unproductive. 
The  numbers  who  espoused  their  principles 
in  the  South  of  France  only  were  such  that 
a  crusade  of  500,000  men  was  sent 
against  them.  It  was  by  this  army  of  bloody- 
minded  fanatics  that  the  ctiy  of  Bezicrs  was 
taken,  and  the  inhabitants,  without  distinc- 
tion, men,  women,  and  children,  to  the 
number  of  60,000,  were  put  to  the  sword  ! 


46 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


DISCOURSE  XIV. 

THE  FIRST  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  CONTIN- 
UED ;  OR  THE  SLAUGHTER  AND  RESUR- 
RECTION OF  THE  WITNESSES,  WITH  THE 
FALLING  OF  A  TENTH  PART  OF  THE  CITY. 

Rev.  x\.  7—13. 

Ver.  7 — 12.  If  the  testimony  of  the  wit- 
nesses be  the  same  as  their  prophecying  in 
sackcloth,  it  must  continue  through  the 
whole  of  the  12G0  years.  But  it  does  not 
appear  that  the  beast  at  the  termination  of 
that  period  will  be  able  to  "  overcome  and 
kill  them,"  seeing  he  himself  will  then  be 
slain  and  his  body  given  to  the  burning  flame. 
Several  commentators  therefore  have  ren- 
dered it,  while  they  shall  perform,  or  be  about 
to  finish,  their  testimony,  &c.  And  with  this 
agrees  the  account  which  represents  the 
beast  and  his  party  at  the  time  of  the  slaying 
of  the  witnesses  as  being  in  the  plenitude 
of  their  power. 

The  slaughter  of  the  witnesses  would  not, 
according  to  the  usual  style  of  the  prophecy, 
denote  their  being  put  to  death  as  individu- 
als, but  silenced  and  crushed  as  witnessing 
bodies.  It  was  thus,  as  we  have  seen,  that 
the  eastern  empire,  and  the  Greek  church 
as  connected  with  it,  were  killedby  the  turk- 
ish  horsemen. — Ch.  ix.  18. 

Of  the  beast  that  shall  kill  them  no  men- 
tion is  made  before  ;  but  we  shall  hear  much 
of  him  hereafter.  Suffice  it  at  present  to 
say,  it  is  the  same  as  Daniel's  fourth  beast, 
ch.  vii.,  and  as  that  which  is  described  by 
John,  in  ch.  xiii.  1 — 8  of  this  book,  as  hav- 
ing "  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  and  upon 
his  horns  ten  crowns  :  "  it  is  the  Roman  em- 
pire under  its  last  form,  as  divided  into  ten  in- 
dependent kingdoms.  There  he  is  described 
as  rising  out  of  the  sea  ;  here  out  of  the  abyss, 
or  bottomless  pit :  the  one,  as  Mr.  Faber 
remarks,  may  denote  his  political,  and  the 
other  his  spiritual  origin. 

The  witnesses  were  to  be  killed  in  the 
great  city,  which  "  spiritually  is  called  Sod- 
om and  Egypt,  where  also  our  Lord  was 
crucified."  We  shall  have  occasion  more 
than  once  to  notice  an  antichristian  city  as 
opposed  to  the  church  of  Christ,  just  as 
the  great  harlot  is  opposed  to  the  bride 
the  Lamb's  wife.  It  will  be  proper  there- 
fore to  fix  the  meaning  at  the  outset.  If 
the  prophecy  had  related  to  Old  Testa- 
ment times,  when  God  chose  a  literal  city 
in  which  to  build  his  temple,  a  literal  city 
might  have  been  properly  opposed  to  it. 
When  Zion  was  his  dwelling-place,  Babylon 
was  its  adversary.  But,  as  the  true  church 
under  the  gospel  is  not  confined  to  place, 
neither  is  the  false  church.  The  New-Testa- 
ment Zion  does  not  consist  of  material 
buildings,  but  is  a  .community  scattered 
among  the  nations ;  and  such  is  the  New- 


Testament  Babylon.  The  "  great  city  M 
therefore  means  Rome,  not  in  respect  of  its 
buildings,  nor  the  inhabitants  within  its  walls, 
nor  as  apolitical  empire,  the  symbol  of  which 
is  the  beast ;  but  as  the  head  of  the  antichris- 
tian community.  This  city,  or  community 
of  nations  under  one  ecclesiastical  head,  was 
a  Sodom  for  its  filthiness,  an  Egypt  for  its 
idolatry  and  persecution,  and  a  Jerusalem  for 
its  malignant  hatred  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  dead  bodies  of  the  witnesses  were  to 
lie  in  the  street  of  the  great  city  unburied  : 
that  is,  being  silenced  and  crushed  through- 
out Christendom,  they  would  for  a  time  be 
treated  with  the  utmost  indignity  and  re- 
proach, as  those  are  who  are  denied  the  ordi- 
nary decencies  of  burial.  Nor  would  these 
indignities  be  inflicted  by  the  highest  orders 
only ;  but  "  peoples,  and  kindreds,  and 
tongues,  and  nations,"  that  is,  the  body  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Christendom,  would  take 
a  part  in  them.  While  insulting  the  wit- 
nesses, they  would  make  merry  on  their  own 
account,  as  being  no  longer  tormented  with 
their  testimony. 

Such  is  the  description  given  of  the  witr 
nesses,  and  of  the  treatment  which  they 
would  receive,  both  from  the  ruling  pow- 
ers and  the  common  people.  The  question  is, 
What  are  the  facts  which  correspond  with  it  ? 
It  is  thought  by  some  that  both  the  slaugh- 
ter and  the  resurrection  of  the  witnesses 
are  yet  to  be  fulfilled.  If  so,  it  is  vain  to  look 
for  corresponding  fasts  in  past  events.  This 
was  the  opinion  of  bishop  Newton,  of  doc- 
tor Gill,  and  of  other  expositors  of  note. 
I  cannot  but  consider  this  as  a  mistake.  In 
the  bishop  it  appears  to  have  been  founded 
on  the  supposition  of  the  time  of  the  dead  that 
they  should  be  judged,  spoken  of  in  ver.  18, 
referring  to  the  last  judgment,  or  "  the  consu- 
mation  of  all  things  ; "  but  which  manifestly 
refers  to  the  avenging  of  the  martyrs  by  the 
judgments  to  be  inflicted  on  the  Papal  pow- 
er, under  the  seven  vials,  antecedent  to  the 
Millennium. — Comp.  ch.  xi.  18,  19 ;  ch.  xvi. 
12 — 21.  Dr.  Gill  speaks  of  the  war  by 
which  the  witnesses  are  slain  as  being  "  the 
last  Avar  of  the  beast "  (on  chap.  xi.  8  ;)  but 
the  last  war  of  the  beast  is  that  in  which  he 
and  the  false  prophet  will  be  taken  ;  and  in 
which  the  followers  of  Christ,  instead  of  be- 
ing killed,  shall  be  victorious  over  their  ene- 
mies.— Chap.  xix.  20.*  It  is  remarkable, 
too,  that  both  the  slaughter  and  resurrection 
of  the  witnesses,  together  with  the  falling 
of  a  tenth  part  of  the  city,  are  introduced 
before  the  termination  of  the  sixth,  or  sec- 
ond woe-trumpet.  I  question  therefore 
whether  these  prophecies  can  refer  to  events 
of  so  late  a  date  as  this  hypothesis  requires. 

The  time  in  which  the  witnesses  are  slain, 
and  their  bodies  lie  unburied,  appears  to  be 

*  See  President  Edwards  on  Agreement  in 
Extraordinary  Prayer,  p.  100. 


THE    EARTHQUAKE. 


47 


a  time  in  which  the  beast  is  in  the  height  of 
his  power,  or,  as  President  Edwards  says, 
"  in  which  the  true  church  of  Christ  is  low- 
est of  all,  most  of  all  prevailed  against  by 
Antichrist,  and  nearest  to  an  utter  extinc- 
tion ;  a  time  in  which  there  is  left  the 
least  visibility  of  the  church  of  Christ,  yet 
subsisting  in  the  world,  and  the  least  remains 
of  any  thing  appertaining  to  true  religion 
whence  a  revival  of  it  could  be  expected." — 
p.  92.  It  is  true  we  know  not  what  is  before 
us  ;  but,  if  such  a  state  of  things  as  this 
should  return  after  what  has  occurred  in 
Europe  within  the  last  three  hundred  years, 
it  will,  as  Mr.  Edwards  I  think  has  proved, 
be  contrary  to  all  God's  usual  methods  of 
proceeding.  I  cannot  therefore  but  think 
with  him  that  the  persecution  and  slaughter 
of  the  witnesses  preceded  the  Reformation. 

After  the  suppression  of  the  Bohemians, 
for  nearly  a  hundred  years,  true  religion 
was  in  a  manner  crushed.  The  enemy  con- 
tinued without  resistance  to  "  wear  out  the 
saints  of  the  Most  High."  Not  a  society  or 
body  of  Christians  was  to  be  found  which 
dared  to  oppose  the  general  corruption. 
The  Popish  party  considered  the  heretics  as 
suppressed,  and  congratulated  each  other 
on  so  happy  an  event.  The  security  that 
they  felt  was  manifest  by  the  bare-faced 
manner  in  which  they  sold  their  pardons 
and  indulgences  at  the  time  when  Luther's 
indignation  was  first  kindled  against  them. 

Whether  the  "  three  days  and  a  half,"  du- 
ring which  the  witnesses  should  lie  unburi- 
ed,  denote  three  years  and  a  half,  and  refer 
to  a  particular  period  of  that  duration,  or 
only  to  a  short  space  of  oppression,  in  allu- 
sion to  the  "  three  times  and  a  half,"  as 
being  a  kind  of  1260  years  in  miniature,  I 
am  not  able  to  determine  ;  nor  have  I  seen 
any  thing  on  the  subject  relating  to  a  par- 
ticular period  which  afforded  me  satisfac- 
tion. However  this  may  be,  if  the  slaying 
of  the  witnesses  refer  to  the  times  imme- 
diately preceding  the  Reformation,  their 
resurrection  and  ascension  to  heaven  must 
denote  the  Reformation  itself,  and  the 
placing,  by  Divine  Providence,  of  the  par- 
ties concerned  in  it  out  of  the  reach  of 
their  enemies.  The  resurrection,  as  it 
were,  of  the  Waldenses,  the  Wickliffites, 
and  other  reputed  heretics,  in  the  persons  of 
Luther  and  his  contemporaries,  with  the 
rapid  progress  made  by  them  in  various  na- 
tions nearly  at  the  same  time,  would  cause 
great  fear  to  fall  upon  their  adversaries ; 
and  the  security  in  which  they  were  placed 
by  the  secession  of  those  nations  from  the 
see  of  Rome  was  equal  to  their  being  taken 
up  to  heaven  in  a  cloud,  where  those  who 
thirsted  for  their  blood  could  only  look  after 
them  with  malignity  and  envy. 

Ver.  13.  After  the  resurrection  of  the 
witnesses,  and  before  the  sounding  of  the 
seventh,  or  third  woe-trumpet,   follows  an 


earthquake,  and  a  tenth  part  of  the  city  falls. 
In  the  earthquake  are  slain  of  men  (or 
names  of  men)  seven  thousand,  and  the 
remnant  are  affrighted,  and  give  glory  to  the 
God  of  heaven.  If  the  meaning  of  this 
passage  can  be  clearly  ascertained,  it  will 
determine  the  time  of  the  sounding  of  the 
seventh  angel,  and  serve  as  a  medium  by 
which  to  judge  of  several  other  tilings. 

The  "  earthquake  "  must,  1  conceive,  de- 
note a  revolution,  as  this  is  the  appropriate 
and  well-known  symbol  of  such  an  event. 
The  "  city "  is  doubtless  the  same  as  that 
which  in  the  8th  verse  is  "  spiritually  called 
Sodom  and  Egypt ; "  that  is,  the  Romish 
church,  or  the  Apocalyptic  Babylon.  By 
"  a  tenth  part "  of  it  must  be  understood  a 
considerable  portion  of  it,  and  very  probably 
a  part  belonging  to  one  of  the  ten  horns, 
or  kingdoms,  into  which  the  empire  under 
its  papal  form  was  to  be  divided.  By  "  the 
names  of  men,"  Dr.  Goodwin  and  others 
have  understood  titles  or  orders  of  men,  and 
supposed  that  the  revolution  signified  by  the 
earthquake  would  destroy  them.  Or  if  the 
phrase  denote,  as  some  have  understood 
it,  men  of  name,  it  would  signify  the  de- 
struction made  among  the  higher  orders, 
and  which  would  of  course  be  accompanied 
with  great  slaughter  among  the  common 
people.  "  The  remnant  that  were  affright- 
ed and  gave  glory  to  God  "  would  denote 
those  of  the  same  community  who  escaped, 
and  whose  fears  would  forebode  other  ex- 
amples of  the  divine  justice. 

What  event  is  there  during  the  1260 
years  of  antichristian  usurpation  which  an- 
swers to  these  characters  ?  It  has  been  un- 
derstood of  the  fall  of  the  Greek  church  in 
1453,  when  Constantinople  was  taken  by 
the  Turks  :  but  that  event  has  been  de- 
scribed in  the  vision  of  the  horsemen  (chap, 
ix  ;  )  and  it  is  the  western  or  Latin  church 
that  occupies  the  whole  of  these  chapters. 
It  were  much  better  to  understand  it  of  the 
falling  off  of  the  northern  nations  from  the 
see  of  Rome,  which  was  an  immediate  con- 
sequence of  the  Reformation.  Its  being 
"  in  the  same  hour"  with  the  resurrection  of 
the  witnesses  would  favor  this  interpreta- 
tion, but  in  several  other  particulars  it  does 
not  agree.  No  reason  can  be  given  why 
the  seceding  northern  nations  should  be 
called  "  a  tenth  part  of  the  city ;  "  nor  do 
any  events  which  attended  the  Reforma- 
tion appear  to  correspond  with  the  slaugh- 
ter of  "  seven  thousand  names  of  men." 
If  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell  as  early  as 
the  Reformation,  the  seventii  angel  must 
have  sounded  his  trumpet  "  quickly"  after 
it ;  and  this  some  Avriters  who  believed  the 
former  have  very  consistently  maintained, 
conceiving  also  that  the  Millennium  com- 
menced, or  would  commence,  towards  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  But 
surely  we  must  allow  that  events  have  con- 


48 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


tradicted  this  explication.  The  character 
of  the  seventh  trumpet  is  that  under  it  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  were  to  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ :  but 
the  nations  which  have  fallen  off  from  the 
papal  see  have  not  answered  to  this  de- 
scription, but  have  rather  sunk  into  formali- 
ty and  irreligion.  And,  as  to  the  Millen- 
nium, one  of  its  characters  is  that  the  beast 
and  the  false  prophet  shall  first  have  gone 
into  perdition,  and  Satan  be  bound ;  but 
neither  of  these  has  taken  place.  It  is  also 
in  the  Millennium,  if  ever,  that  we  are  to 
look  for  the  cessation  of  war,  and  the 
universal  prevalence  of  true  religion,  both 
among  Jews  and  Gentiles,  neither  of  which 
has  yet  come  to  pass. 

All  things  considered,  I  knoAv  of  no  event 
that  seems  to  correspond  so  well  with  the 
prophecy  as  the  late  Revolution  in  France. 
Thus  it  has  been  understood  by  some  of 
the  ablest  expositors,  and  that  for  ages  prior 
to  the  event.  A  writer  in  the  Eclectic  Re- 
vieiv  has  collected  no  fewer  than  ten  of 
them  who  have  referred  to  this  event,  and 
that  long  before  it  occurred,  and  several 
of  them  in  commenting  on  the  passage. 
Among  these  are  the  names  of  Dr.  Thomas 
Goon  win,  and  Vitringa.  Dr.  Goodwin, 
who  wrote  in  1639,  says,  "  By  the  tenth  part 
of  the  city,  I  understand,  as  Mr.  Brightman 
before  me,  some  one  tenth  part  of  Europe." 
"  I  think  it  probable  that  France  may  be  this 
country ;  and  that  in  this  revolution  men 
will  be  deprived  of  their  names  and  titles, 
which  are  to  be  rooted  out  forever,  and 
condemned  to  perpetual  forgetfulness." 
"France  may  have  the  honor  to  have  the 
last  great  stroke  in  the  ruining  of  Rome. 
And  this  figurative  earthquake,  though  hap- 
pening only  in  one  country,  may  extend  its 
effects  to  others,  so  that  a  great  shaking  of 
states,  as  well  political  as  ecclesiastical, 
may  be  intended." 

Vitringa,  who  wrote  in  1719,  asks, 
"  What  can  be  more  suitable  than  to  under- 
stand here  by  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  some 
illustrious  kingdom,  which,  being  under  the 
dominion  of  Rome  with  respect  to  religion, 
was  of  distinguished  rank  among  the  ten 
kingdoms,  and  had  hitherto  defended  the 
Romish  superstitions  ?  It  is  here  said,  in  a 
figurative  sense,  that  it  would  fall,  since  by 
means  of  those  mighty  commotions  by  which 
it  was  to  be  shaken  it  would  be  torn  from 
the  body  of  the  antichristian  empire." 
"  France  may  be  the  forum  of  the  great 
city."  "  The  earthquake  in  this  tenth  part 
of  the  city  is  an  event  which  history  must 
illustrate.  It  is  not  perfectly  clear  from  the 
prophecy  of  what  kind  these  commotions 
are  ;  whether  warlike,  such  as  are  wont  to 
shake  the  world,  and  subvert  the  existing 
government,  or  whether  they  are  such  as 
arise  on  a  sudden  from  the  insurrection  of 
a  nation  that  has  been  long  oppressed  :  the 


words  of  the  prophecy  appear  to  favor  the 
latter  sense.  In  the  predicted  catastrophe 
some  thousands  will  undoubtedly  perish  dis- 
tinguished by  their  elevated  dignities  or  no- 
bility of  birth." — Eclectic  Review  for  Febru- 
ary, 1814. 

Dr.  Gill,  in  1748,  speaking  of  the 
earthquake,  says,  "  Something  yet  to  come 
is  here  intended  ;"  and  "  I  think  the  king- 
dom of  France  is  meant,  the  last  of  the  ten 
kingdoms  which  rose  up  out  of  the  ruins  of 
the  Roman  empire."  And,  in  his  note  on 
chap.  xiii.  18,  he  speaks  of  the  destruction 
of  Antichrist  as  "  quickly  following  the 
downfal  of  the  kingdom  of  France,  as  the 
tenth  part  of  the  city,  which  should  fall  a 
little  before  the  third  woe  came  on." 

The  revolution  in  France  has  been  truly 
a  moral  earthquake,  which  has  shaken  the 
papal  world  to  its  centre.  One  of  the  ten 
kingdoms  which  composed  it,  and  that  the 
principal  one,  has  so  fallen  as  at  present  to 
be  rather  a  scourge  than  a  support  to  it.  If 
by  names  of  men  be  meant  titles,  they  were 
abolished :  or,  if  men  of  name,  the  slaugh- 
ter predicted  of  them  certainly  corresponds 
Avith  the  calamities  which  befel  the  princes, 
the  nobles,  and  the  priests,  during  that  awful 
period  ;  and,  as  the  fall  of  a  few  thousands 
of  great  men  would  involve  that  of  an  im- 
mense number  of  the  common  people,  such 
has  been  the  effect  in  this  instance.  Whether 
the  remaining  adherents  to  the  papal  cause 
have  given  "  glory  to  God"  in  the  manner 
they  ought,  or  not,  they  have  felt  his  hand, 
and  by  their  fear  and  dismay  have  been  com- 
pelled to  yield  a  sort  of  involuntary  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  justice. 

The  only  objection  I  feel  to  this  applica- 
tion of  the  prophecy  is  that  it  is  said  to  be 
"in  the  same  hour"  as  that  in  which  the 
witnesses  ascended  into  heaven,  which,  if 
understood  of  that  legal  security  which 
from  the  Reformation  was  afforded  to  the 
protestants  against  popish  persecutions,  may 
seem  to  be  at  too  great  a  distance  for  such 
a  mode  of  expression.  It  is  however  not 
only  under  the  same  trumpet,  but  during  the 
period  in  ivhich  the  ivit7iesses  continue  to  en- 
joy that  security  to  which  they  were  then  in- 
troduced,  that  this  event  has  occurred.  In- 
stead of  the  great  Babylonish  city  recover- 
ing itself  so  as  to  renew  its  persecutions 
against  the  witnesses,  it  is  itself  smitten  of 
God  as  by  an  earthquake  and  in  a  measure 
overthrown.  If  the  opinions  of  Goodwin, 
Vitringa,  and  Gill  be  correct,  and  if  the 
events  which  have  of  late  years  occurred  be 
the  accomplishment  of  them,  the  last  of 
these  writers  must  have  been  mistaken  in 
supposing  the  slaying  of  the  witnesses  to 
be  something  future;  for  the  fall  of  the 
city  is  placed  after  the  slaying  and  rising 
again  of  the  witnesses.  If  therefore  the 
one  be  now  past,  so  is  the  other. 


END  OF  THE  SECOND  WOE. THE  SEVENTH  TRUMPET. 


40 


DISCOURSE  XV. 

THE  FIRST  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  CON- 
CLUDED ;  OR  THE  SOUNDING  OF  THE 
SEVENTH  ANGEL. 

Rev.    xi.  14—19. 

After  the  great  earthquake,  we  hear  as 
it  were  the  cry  of  the  watchman,  telling  us 
the  hour  of  the  night — "  The  second  Avoe  is 
past,  and  behold  the  third  woe  cometh 
quickly !  "  When  the  first  woe  was  past, 
the  second  and  third  woes  were  to  come 
hereafter;  but  between  the  last  two  there 
would  be  but  a  short  space.  As  things 
should  approach  to  a  crisis,  events  would 
occur  in  more  rapid  succession. 

This  second  woe,  as  it  introduced  the 
Turkish  horsemen  (ch.  ix.  13 — 19,)  must  have 
commenced  about  1281,  and  (if  the  falling 
of  a  tenth  part  of  the  city  has  been  rightly 
interpreted)  ended  about  1791.  Its  having 
commenced  with  the  introduction  of  the 
Turks  does  not  prove  that  it  comprehended 
them  only,  nor  that  it  must  needs  end  with 
the  passing  away  of  their  empire.  On  the 
contrary,  the  accomplishment  of  their  over- 
throw seems  to  be  reserved  for  the  sixth 
vial  of  the  third  woe-trumpet,  which  will  be 
poured  upon  the  Euphrates,  near  the  times 
of  the  Millennium. 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  how  is  it  that  the 
sounding  of  the  trumpets  should  be  intro- 
duced in  this  place  ?  If  this  and  the  three 
following  chapters  contain  general  descrip- 
tions of  the  papal  apostacy,  including  the 
times  of  various  trumpets,  but  not  divided  by 
them,  how  is  it  that  in  the  midst  of  one  of 
these  descriptions  mention  should  be  made 
of  the  second  woe  ending,  and  the  third 
woe  coming  quickly  ?  I  answer,  Though 
these  general  descriptions  are  not  divided 
by  trumpets,  yet,  as  they  comprehend  the 
times  of  the  trumpets,  each  of  them  might 
have  been  so,  and,  for  our  information,  one 
of  them  actually  is  so.  And,  as  the  termi- 
nation of  the  sixth  and  the  sounding  of  the 
seventh  trumpet  forms  an  era  in  the  church 
of  Christ,  it  is  here  marked  with  peculiar 
emphasis.  It  is  from  this  era,  as  we  shall 
find,  that,  after  these  three  general  descrip- 
tions are  given,  the  series  of  the  prophecy 
is  resumed,  and  the  vials  are  introduced. 

But,  if  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  angel 
forms  an  era  in  the  Christian  church,  it  re- 
quires that  we  pause,  and  pay  particular  at- 
tention to  it. 

The  events  of  this  trumpet  were  antici- 
pated by  the  angel  at  the  distance  probably 
of  more  than  a  thousand  years,  when  he 
forbade  the  seven  thunders  to  be  written — 
"The  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh 
angel,  when  he  should  begin  to  sound,"  are 
marked  as  the  period  when  the  great  de- 
signs of  heaven,  foretold  in  prophecy,  should 
be  accomplished. — Chap.  x. 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  7. 


The  contents  of  this  trumpet  are  of  deep- 
er interest  than  any  that  have  preceded  it, 
both  to  the  enemies  of  the  church  and  to  the 
church  itself.  It  wears  a  two-fold  aspect* 
Towards  the  enemies  of  the  church  it  is  a 
woe-trumpet,  and  a  signal  of  mighty  ven- 
geance :  towards  the  church  itself  it  is  a 
harbinger  of  joy,  a  kind  of  jH&t7ee-trumpet, 
announcing  the  year  of  enlargement;  for, 
when  the  "seventh  angel  sounded,  there 
were  great  .voices  in  heaven,  saying,  The 
kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ;  and 
he  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever ! "  Under 
the  former  of  these  aspects  it  includes  the 
seven  last  plagues,  which  are  but  so  many 
subdivisions  of  it,  and  which  are,  I  conceive, 
the  execution  of  the  seven  thunders  in  chap, 
x.  These  thunders,  it  is  observable,  are  not 
only  referred  to  "  the  days  of  the  voice  of 
the  seventh  angel,"  but  to  those  in  which  he 
should  "  begin  to  sound,"  that  is,  to  the  early 
part  of  them.  Under  th§  latter  aspect  it 
comprehends  all  the  success  of  the  gospel 
previous  to  and  during  the  Millennium,  with 
all  the  glorious  results  of  it  as  described  in 
the  remainder  of  the  prophecy.  We  are 
not  to  consider  it,  however,  under  either  of 
these  aspects  as  being  more  than  a  signal 
of  things  ivhich  are  to  follow.  As  the  ven- 
geance will  not  all  be  poured  forth  at  once, 
so  neither  will  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  at 
once  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and 
of  his  Christ :  but  from  the  sounding  of  this 
trumpet  both  shall  have  a  commencement, 
and  both  be  singularly  progressive  under  it. 

With  respect  to  the  time,  if  the  applica- 
tion of  the  "  earthquake  and  the  falling  of  a 
tenth  part  of  the  city"  to  events  which  have 
occurred  within  the  last  twenty  years  be 
just,  there  can  be  little  if  any  doubt  of  the 
seventh  angel's  having  sounded  his  trumpet 
within  that  period,  and  of  the  whole  of 
these  verses  containing  a  general  view  of 
the  state  of  things  from  our  times  to  the 
commencement  of  the  Millennium. 

On  this  occasion  the  heavenly  chorus 
strikes  up.  The  four-and-twenty  elders, 
who  sit  before  God  on  their  seats,  fall  upon 
their  faces  and  worship  God.  This  heaven- 
ly chorus  is  not  introduced  on  ordinary  oc- 
casions. Things  must  therefore  be  pending 
of  deep  interest  to  the  church  of  God.  By 
the  matter  of  the  song  we  may  learn  some- 
thing of  what  they  are.  Corresponding 
with  the  two-fold  aspect  of  the  seventh  trum- 
pet, those  who  have  destroyed  the  earth  are  to 
be  destroyed,  and  those  who  have  suffered  for 
Christ  are  to  be  rewarded. 

The  character  under  which  the  Most 
High  is  praised— "the  Lord  God  Almighty, 
who  is,  and  was,  and  is  to  come" — seems  to 
imply  that  he  could  have  suppressed  the 
power  of  his  enemies  at  any  time  ;  that 
though,  for  wise  reasons,  he  had  not  for  ages 
past^exerted  his  strength,  yet  now  he  was 


50 


EXPOSITION    OP    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


about  to  "take  unto  him  his  great  power, 
and  to  reign ; "  and  that  all  this  is  the  result 
of  his  immutable  counsels. 

The  "anger"  of  the  nations  had  been 
great  both  against  God  and  his  servants, 
opposing  him,  and  persecuting  them  with 
unrelenting  cruelty :  but  now  his  wrath  is 
come ;  now  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  of  past 
ages  shall  be  avenged  (chap,  xviii.  20;)  now 
their  labors  and  sufferings  shall  produce 
their  effects  ;  from  the  seed  which  has  been 
sown  during  a  succession  of  centuries  in 
tears  and  blood  a  harvest  of  joy  will  spring 
up  ;  finally,  those  who  by  persecutions,  cor- 
ruptions, and  unjust  wars,  have  destroyed 
the  earth,  shall  now  be  themselves  de- 
stroyed. 

Under  the  image  of  opening  the  heavenly 
temple  seems  to  be  set  forth  the  glorious 
state  of  the  church  when  these  judgments 
shall  be  executed  upon  her  enemies.  As  the 
temple  was  polluted  and  shut  up  under  cer- 
tain idolatrous  reigns,  and  opened  in  times 
of  reformation,  so  the  gospel  temple  has 
been  treated  under  the  reign  of  Antichrist, 
and  so  it  shall  be  restored  at  or  towards  the 
end  of  the  1260  years.  "  The  ark  of  the 
testament  being  seen"  implies  the  removal 
of  the  veil ;  and  as  it  was  not  to  be  seen*  in 
the  second  temple,  but  only  in  the  first,  its 
being  seen  here  would  seem  to  denote  the 
restoration  of  pure  primitive  Christianity,  as 
it  was  taught,  believed,  and  practised,  when 
the  gospel  temple  was  fir^t  erected.  "The 
lightniii'  thunderings,  earthquake, 

an'1  hail,"  are  the  same  things  which  are  de- 
scribe., te  seventh  vial. — Chap  cvi. 
18 — 21.  Both  refer  to  the  same  events; 
only  this  is  general,  and  that  more  particu- 
lar :  and  as  there  the  language  seems  to 
refer  to  the  efficacj  of  the  gospel,  and  of 
the  spiritual  judgments  on  those  who  reject 
it — purifying  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the 
world — such  appears  to  be  its  meaning  here. 

DISCOURSE  XVI. 

THE      SECOND     GENERAL    DESCRIPTION;      OR 
THE       GREAT       RED       DRAGON,      AND       THE 
WOMAN    FLYING    INTO    THE   WILDERNESS. 
Rev.  xii.  1 — 6. 

The  first  general  description,  it  has  been 
observed,  took  up  the  apostacy  at  the  time 
when  things  were  so  matured  that  the  Catho- 
lic church  was  ordered  to  be  left  out  of 
God's  temple,  as  not  belonging  to  it:  but 
this  appears  to  trace  it  to  its  origin.  Here 
we  go  back  to  an  early  period  of  history ; 
possibly  as  far  as  to  the  fourth  century,  and 
to  the  times  of  some  of  the  first  trumpets. 
At  a  time  when  the  church  was  in  danger 
of  being  lost  in  superstition  and  worldly 
conformity,  it  was  natural  for  the  faithful  to 
feel  anxious  for  the  cause  of  Christ.    For 


their  encouragement,  the  church  is  describ- 
ed in  vision  as  bearing  a  seed  which  should 
be  preserved  by  the  special  care  of  heaven, 
through  all  these  evil  times,  and  become  in 
the  end  victorious  over  the  whole  earth. 
Such  appears  to  be  the  scope  of  this  second 
general  description. 

Prior  to  the  introduction  of  antichristian 
corruptions,  the  church  is  described  as  "a 
woman  clothed  with  the  sun,  and  having  the 
moon  under  her  feet,  and  upon  her  head  a 
crown  of  twelve  stars  ; "  denoting  the  pleni- 
tude of  gospel  light  which  compassed  her  as 
a  garment ;  her  superiority  to  the  Jewish 
dispensation ;  and,  in  consequence  of  her 
adherence  to  the  doctrine  and  examples  of 
the  apostles,  her  triumph  over  ten  successive 
persecutions. 

The  woman  is  said  to  be  "with  child, 
travailing  in  birth,  and  pained  to  be  deliver- 
ed ;  "  denoting,  it  may  be,  the  earnest  desires 
of  the  true  church  after  the  increase  of  be- 
lievers. Such  has  always  been  its  character. 
Worldly  men  who  have  taken  upon  them  the 
Christian  name  have  invariably  been  employ- 
ed in  compassing  selfish  objects.  But  true 
Christians  have  at  all  times  been  distinguished 
by  a  desire  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

The  following  description,  by  Eusebius, 
of  the  labors  of  the  immediate  successors 
of  the  apostles,  is  doubtless  applicable  to  the 
church  so  long  as  it  adhered  to  their  doc- 
trine and  example.  "  They  built  up  those 
churches  the  foundations  of  which  were  laid 
by  the  apostles,  promoting  greatly  the 
doctrine  of  the  gospel,  and  scattering  the 
salutary  seed  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  at 
large  over  the  whole  world. — Travelling 
abroad,  they  performed  the  work  of  evan- 
gelists to  those  who  as  yet  had  not  heard  the 
word  of  faith,  being  very  ambitious  to  preach 
Christ,  and  to  deliver  the  books  of  the  divine 
gospels.  And  these  persons  having  only 
laid  the  foundation  of  faith  in  remote  and 
barbarous  places,  and  constituted  other  pas- 
tors, committed  to  them  the  culture  of  those 
they  had  perfectly  introduced  to  the  faith, 
departing  again  to  other  regions  and  nations, 
accompanied  with  the  grace  and  co-opera- 
tion of  God."— Lib.  III.  c.  37. 

While  the  woman  is  thus  in  labor,  "  be- 
hold a  great  red  dragon,  having  seven  heads 
and  ten  horns,  and  seven  crowns  upon  his 
heads,  whose  tail  drew  the  third  part  of  the 
stars  of  heaven,  and  did  cast  them  to  the 
earth,  stands  before  her,  ready  to  devour  her 
child  as  soon  as  it  was  born."  The  dragon 
is  in  ver.  9  expressly  called  "  the  devil  and 
Satan  Avho  deceiveth  the  whole  world,"  and 
all  that  is  said  of  him  in  the  remainder  of 
the  prophecy  agrees  Avith  this  in  its  literal 
application :  but,  by  his  having  the  heads 
and  horns  of  the  Roman  beast,  is  intimated 
that  it  was  under  this  form,  or  by  means  of 
this  government,  that  he  did  what  he  did  in 
the  present  instance. 


THE    WOMAN    AND    THE    DRAGON. 


51 


As  the  woman  is  not  an  individual,  but 
the  society  of  the  faithful,  so  neither  is  the 
man-child  an  individual,  but  the  woman's 
seed,  which,  in  ver.  17,  is  explained  of  them 
who  "  keep  the  commandments  of  God  and 
have  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ."  It  was 
this  seed  that  the  dragon  aimed  by  persecu- 
tion and  corruption  to  destroy.  This  child 
was  born  to  rule :  not  however  at  present ; 
for,  if  so,  there  had  been  no  need  of  his  be- 
ing caught  up  to  the  throne  of  God,  nor  for 
his  mother's  flying  into  the  wilderness  for 
1260  years.  It  is  at  the  termination  of  that 
period  that  the  man-child,  or  the  seed  of  the 
church,  shall  rule ;  and  this  accords  with 
Dan.  vii.  27,  "  The  kingdom  and  dominion, 
and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the 
whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  people 
of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High."  Nor  need 
it  be  objected  that  the  sceptre  of  this  govern- 
ment is  a  rod  of  iron ;  for  such  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  must  ever  be  to  the  ungodly. 

There  are  two  marks  by  which  the  times 
referred  to  in  this  vision  may,  if  I  mistake 
not,  be  ascertained.     One  is  the  1260  days, 
or  years,  which,  being  the  appropriate  num- 
ber of  the  reign   of  the  papal   Antichrist, 
proves  it  to  have  no  reference  to  the  times 
of  paganism.      The  other  is,  that  the  ten 
horns  are  not  upon  the  beast,  but  upon  the 
dragon,  and  the  crowns  are  not  as  yet  upon 
them,  but  upon  the  seven  heads.     When  the 
horns  are  spoken  of  in  reference  to  the  times 
following  the  overthrow  of  the  empire  by 
the  northern  nations,  and  of  its  becoming 
ten    independent   kingdoms,   they  are   de- 
scribed as  being  upon  the  beast,  and  as  hav- 
ing crowns  upon  them. — Ch.  xiii.  1.     This 
indicates  that  the  introduction  of  the  vision 
contained   in   the   first   five  verses  of  this 
chapter,  though  it  does  not  go  so  far  back 
as  to  the  days  of  paganism,  yet  neither  does 
it  go  so  far  forward  as  to  the  times  of  popery  ; 
but  to  those  which  were  intermediate  and  pre- 
paratory,    namely,     the    fourth    and     fifth 
centuries,  in  which  Christianity  became  ex- 
ceedingly   corrupt,    and  a   connection  war 
introduced  between  the  secular  and  eccle1" 
astical  powers  which  issued  in  what  is  ex" 
hibited  in  ch.  xvii.,  a  woman  riding  -Pon  a 
scarlet   colored   beast!     I  do   not  -uppose 
that  the  1260  years  of  the  reign  0^Antichrist 
are  to  be  reckoned  from  the  tiny  when  these 
corruptions    began.       Anti^1."^    did    not 
commence   his   reign   fror*  his   birth;    but 
thence  his   way  was  preparing.      It  is  of 
what  was  done  prior  &  the  woman's  flight 
into  the  wilderness  fiv  1260  years  that  these 
verses  speak.    By  the  accession  of  Constan- 
tine,  the  beast  was  "as  it  were  wounded  to 
death  ; "  and  this  may  be  the  reason  why  no 
mention  is  made  of  him.     Under  the  Chris- 
tian emperors  the  beast  for  some  time  would 
lie  apparently  dead:  the  dragon,  however, 
"  that  old  serpent  the  devil  and  Satan,  who 
deceiveth  the  whole  world,"  knew  how  even 


at  that  time  to  make  use  of  the  pomp  and 
power  of  the  empire  to  serve  his  purposes. 

It  is  in  the  corruptions  of  the  fourth  and 
fifth  centuries  that  we  are  to  look  for  the 
origin  of  popery.  It  was  by  the  influx  cf 
worldly  power  and  glory  into  the  church 
that  Satan  first  seduced  a  great  part  of  those 
who  had  shone  like  stars  in  the  Christian 
firmament,  and  (alluding  perhaps  to  his 
having  originally  drawn  into  apostacy  a  great 
part  of  the  angels  of  heaven)  cast  them  to 
the  earth.  But  .perceiving,  notwithstanding 
what  had  been  done  as  to  a  number  of  the 
leaders  of  the  church,  that  a  large  body  of 
the  faithful  were  still  intent  on  not  only 
preserving  but  extending  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom,  the  dragon  aims  to  destroy  the 
fruits  of  their  labors.  When  he  saw  that 
the  bait  of  worldy  pomp  and  power  had  so 
far  succeeded  as  to  draw  the  principal  men 
into  his  net,  it  was  doubtless  his  object  to 
make  a  full  end  of  the  church  of  Christ.  But 
he  was  disappointed.  The  woman  "  brought 
forth  a  man-child,  who,  in  the  end,  vould 
rule  all  nations  as  with  a  rod  of  iron." 

By  the  woman's  flying  into  the  wiUerness 
seems  to  be  meant  her  retiring  infJ  obscuri- 
ty, where   she   would   exist  wi*iout  legal 
protection,  in  some  such  manrfr  as  David 
did  when  he  fled  from  the  r-rsecutions  of 
Saul,  and  without  any  othi"  defence  than 
that  which   was  afforded  Jy  the  shielding 
providence  of  God.     In  -bis  ^ay  the  true 
church  existed  in  all  th-  nations  of  Europe 
from  the  time  that  po-ery  first  obtained  the 
ascendancy,  and  du'»S'  the  long  period  of 
its    domination.      Wherever   this    religion 
prevailed,  all  th^e   Christians  who  refused 
to  yield  to  its  corruptions  were  driven  into 
obscurity.    xt  was  tnus  n°t  only  in  those 
countries  ordering  upon  Italy,  but  in  others 
at  the  reatest  distance.     It  is  thought  by 
some  o0  nave   Deen  thus  with   the  British 
cJnr&es  in  Wales,  with  the  Ouldees  in  Scot- 
jPid  and  Ireland,  and  probably  with  every 
jther  body  of  Christians  where  this  influence 
extended.     Many  of  them  were  so  pursued 
by  persecution,  that,  if  they  had  any  com- 
munion with  each  other,  it  was  in  a  secret 
way.     If  they  met  to  worship  God,  it  must 
be  in  the  night,  in  woods,  or  mountains,  or 
caves  of  the  earth.     So  little  visibility  be- 
longed to  the  church,  in  this  state,  that  it 
requires  some  attention  to  ascertain  where 
it  was  to  be  found.     To  the  question,  how- 
ever, "  Where  was  your  church  before  Lu- 
ther? we  may  answer,  In  the  wilderness, 
where  prophecy  has  placed  her,  and  whither 
those  who  ask  the  question  had  driven  her. 
If  one  place  was  more  distinguished  than 
another  as  affording  a  shelter  to  the  faithful, 
it  ivas  among  the  mountains  and  valleys  of 
the  Alps, 

It  may  be  difficult  to  decide  upon  the 
time  when  the  woman  fled  into  the  wilder- 
ness.    This,  however,  we  know,  that  very 


52 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


soon  after  the  revolution  by  the  accession 
of  Constantine  corruptions  in  doctrine,  di- 
visions, intrigues,  persecutions,  and  a  flood 
of  superstition,  overspread  the  Catholic 
church.* 

In  such  a  state  of  things  true  Christians 
must  not  only  be  offended,  but  must  become 
offensive  to  others,  and  so  be  persecuted, 
and  compelled  to  retire  as  into  the  wilder- 
ness. 

The  ancient  Vaudois  are  said  to  "  date 
their  origin  from  the  beginning  of  the  fourth 
century ;  when  one  Leo,  at  the  great  revo- 
lution in  religion  under  Constantine  the 
Great,  opposed  the  innovations  of  Sylvester, 
bishop  of  Rome.  This  agrees  with  what 
was  said  by  Rainerius,  a  monk  inquisitor  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  that  they  were  the 
most  pernicious  of  all  sects,  for  three  rea- 
sons. 1.  "Because  it  is  the  most  ancient. 
Some  aver  their  existence  (says  he)  from 
the  days  of  Sylvester,  others  from  the  very 
times  of  the  apostles.  2.  Because  it  is  so 
%miyt)-sal :  for  there  is  hardly  a  country  into 
whiclnjiis  sect  has  not  crept.  3.  Because 
all  otheig  render  themselves  detestable  by 
their  blas}]iemies ;  but  this  has  a  great  ap- 
pearance oj  crodliness,  living  a  righteous  life 
before  men,\elieving  right  concerning  God, 
confessing  all-he  articles  of  the  creed,  only 
hating  and  reviW  the  church  of  Rome," 


DISCOI^SE  XVII. 

THE    SECOND    GENERAL    •>ESCRIpTI0N     CON- 
TINUED;     OR     THE     WA.     BETWEEN     MI_ 
CHAEL    AND    THE    DRAGON. 
Rev.  xii.  7—17. 

Ver.  7 — 12.  The  dragon,  havn^  (iriven 
the  true  church  into  the  wilderKgS  jg 
supposed  to  have  carried  things  in  his  <^wn 
way  among  the  rest.  At  a  certain  peiv^ 
however,  during  her  1260  years'  residenc' 
in  the  wilderness,  Michael  her  prince 
espouses  her  cause,  and  makes  war  upon 
the  dragon. 

There  is  no  doubt  a  reference  in  this  part 

*  We  may  see  into  what  a  gulf  of  superstitious 
imposture  the  Catholic  church  was  sunk  within 
fifty  years  after  the  death  of  Constantine,  by  the 
following  story,  taken  from  Dr.  Allix.  Sulpicius 
Severus,  who  lived  early  in  the  fifth  century,  wrote 
The  Life  of  a  Saint  Martin  of  Tours,  who  had 
lived  in  the  latter  part  of  the  fourth.  In  writing 
this  life,  Sulpicius  speaks  of  a  certain  altar,  which 
the  popular  superstition  had  rendered  famous, 
because  some  martyr  was  pretended  to  have  been 
buried  in  the  place.  "  St.  Martin  not  being  able 
to  make  any  certain  discovery  of  the  name  of  the 
martyr,  and  the  circumstances  of  his  sufferings, 
and  being  loth  absolutely  to  doubt  the  truth  of  it, 
thought  fit  himself  to  go  to  this  famous  sepulchre  in 
company  with  some  of  his  brethren.  Being  come 
to  the  place,  he  earnestly  begged  of  God  to  reveal 
to  him  the  name  and  merit  of  the  martyr.     After 


of  the  prophecy  to  what  was  predicted  in 
Dan.  x.  13 — 21,  xii.  1.  Michael  is  there 
described  not  only  as  standing  up  for  the 
people  of  God  under  Persian  oppression, 
but  as  fighting  the  battles  of  the  church  in 
later  ages,  even  during  the  "  time,  times, 
and  half  a  time,"  or  during  the  dominion  of 
Antichrist. 

The  account  given  of  Michael  agrees  not 
with  the  character  of  a  created  angel,  but 
with  that  of  Messiah  the  prince,  who  defends 
his  church  against  the  dragon,  "  that  old 
serpent  the  devil."  Each  has  his  angels, 
who  perhaps  are  the  visible  agents  in  the 
war.  But,  before  we  determine  the  appli- 
cation of  this  part  of  the  vision,  it  will  be 
proper  to  notice  a  few  of  its  general  charac- 
ters. 

First:  The  scene  is  laid  in  "heaven," 
Yet  in  this  heaven  there  is  supposed  till  now 
to  have  been  a  place  found  for  the  dragon. 
It  could  not  therefore  be  in  the  church 
above,  where  there  has  been  no  place  for 
him  since  he  "  left  his  first  estate."  But  in 
the  church  below  there  has.  The  latter 
therefore  must  have  been  the  scene  of  the 
present  contest. 

Secondly :  The  war  is  made  by  Michael 
on  the  dragon,  and  not  by  the  dragon  on 
Michael.  This  intimates  that  it  must  have 
been  at  a  time  when  the  dragon  possessed 
such  a  plenitude  of  power  in  what  was 
called  the  Christian  church  that  his  object 
was  not  to  extend  so  much  as  to  retain  it. 

Thirdly :  Whatever  of  worldly  power 
and  policy  might  accompany  the  war,  the 
war  itself  was  spiritual.  It  was  a  war 
between  truth  and  error,  righteousness  and 
unrighteousness;  for  the  victors  "overcame 
by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word 
of  their  testimony." 

Fourthly :  It  is  supposed  that  in  this  great 
struggle  many  of  Michael's  adherents  would 
lose  their  lives,  but  that  nevertheless  they 
would  overcome.  The  cause  of  truth  and 
righteousness  would  prevail,  and  those  who 
•uffered  for  Christ's  sake  would  bear  such  a 
tHimony  for  truth,  and  obtain  such  a  victo- 
ry G-er  the  world,  as  to  be  more  than  con- 
quero^ 

this,  turnip  himself  towards  the  left,  he  saw 
standing  a  hit,ous  ghost.  They  command  him  to 
declare  himself.  The  ghost  obe'ys,  tells  his  i^me, 
confesses  that  he  had  been  executed  for  robbei^ 
that  it  was  only  theorror  of  the  people  that  caused 
him  to  be  canonized,  that  he  was  in  nothing  like 
the  martyrs,  they  were -n  glory,  whereas  he  was 
in  pain.  The  good  St.  Jffartin,  being  troubled  to 
hear  this  account,  caused  \he  altar  to  be  carried 
to  another  place,  and  so,  says  his  biographer,  de- 
livered the  people  from  a  superstitious  error." 

The  same  Sulpicius  Severus,  though  a  monk 
himself,  yet,  speaking  of  the  monks  of  his  time, 
says,  "  They  do  almost  all  things  in  such  a  manner 
that  you  would  not  so  much  think  they  had  re- 
pented for  their  former  crimes,  as  that  afterwards 
they  had  repented  of  their  repentance  !  " 


MICHAEL    AND    THE    DRAGON. 


53 


Such  are  the  characters  of  the  war :  to 
what  event  during  the  1260  years  of  anti- 
christian  usurpation  does  it  apply  ?  I  can 
conceive  of  none  but  the  Reformation  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  Satan,  as  ruling  by  means 
of  Rome,  was  then  attacked,  and  cast  out 
of  those  nations  where  the  Reformation 
prevailed  ;  which  nations,  being  the  seat  of 
Christ's  visible  kingdom,  are  accounted  as 
"  heaven,"  while  those  which  still  cleave  to 
the  apostacy  are  "  the  earth." 

A  song  of  the  heavenly  host  is  introduced 
on  this  occasion :  for  the  "  loud  voice " 
(ver.  10)  does  not  appear  to  be  that  of  an 
individual,  but  of  a  multitude,  who  join  as 
with  one  voice  in  a  shout  of  joy  and  praise. 
It  fits  the  lips  of  the  holy  army  of  martyrs 
before  the  throne,  who,  feeling  for  their 
brethren  upon  earth,  rejoice  in  their  having 
obtained  a  portion  of  relief.  As  Satan 
accused  Job,  and  obtained  permission  of 
God  to  persecute  him,  so,  by  the  agency  of 
the  bishop  of  Rome,  he  had  from  century 
to  century  accused  and  persecuted  the  saints 
of  the  Most  High.  But  now  were  come 
"salvation  and  strength,  and  the  kingdom  of 
our  God,  and  the  power  of  his  Christ:  for 
the  accuser  of  our  brethren,"  say  they, 
"is  cast  down,  that  accused  them  to  our  God 
day  and  night."  The  Reformation  was  at 
once  a  pledge  of  Antichrist's  consumption, 
and  of  the  increase  of  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom. 

The  weapons  by  which  the  victory  was 
obtained  are  celebrated  by  the  heavenly 
host,  and  are  worthy  of  our  special  atten- 
tion. Some  of  the  followers  of  Christ 
among  the  Albigenses,  the  Bohemians,  and 
the  Reformers,  thought  it  necessary  to  take 
arms,  and  fight  for  their  religion  :  but  it  has 
proved,  I  believe,  in  almost  every  instance, 
that  where  a  body  of  Christians  have  taken 
the  sword  to  defend  themselves  against 
persecution  they  as  a  body  have  perished  by 
the  sword.  Whatever  of  this  spirit  there 
might  be  amongst  the  Reformers,  it  was 
not  by  this,  but  by  "  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
and  the  word  of  their  testimony,"  that  they 
overcame. 

The  "  heavens,"  from  which  the  dragon 
is  cast  out,  are  called  upon  to  rejoice,  while 
a  woe  is  pronounced  upon  the  inhabiters  of 
"  the  earth  and  of  the  sea,"  or  those  conti- 
nental and  maritime  nations  where  he  still 
dwelleth,  and  to  which  his  influence  is  in 
one  sense  confined.  The  power  of  Satan 
in  this  way,  being  reduced  to  narrower 
limits,  would  be  the  more  mischievous 
within  those  limits.  He  would  consider  the 
Reformation  as  only  a  first  step  towards  the 
overthrow  of  a  system  by  which,  under  the 
c^stian  name,  he  had  deceived  mankind 
with  e<!vuil  facility  as  by  the  delusions  of 
heathenism.  Knowing  therefore  that  his 
time  was  short,  he  wouid  be  the  more 
assiduous  in  improving  it.     The  denuncia. 


tion  wears  a  terrible  aspect  towards  those 
nations  which,  notwithstanding  all  the  light 
of  the  reformation,  still  cleave  to  the  aposta- 
cy. It  may  be  equal  to  saying,  Woe  unto 
you  Austria,  France,  Spain,  Portugal,  and 
Italy  ;  for  the  devil  is  come  down  unto  you, 
having  great  wrath,  because  he  knoweth 
that  he  hath  but  a  short  time  ! — Prom  this 
language  it  might  be  expected  that,  in  those 
countries  which  rejected  the  Reformation, 
popery  would  operate  so  as  either,  by  pro- 
ducing its  proper  effect,  to  lead  its  votaries 
into  downright  infidelity,  or,  by  rivetting  the 
delusion,  to  render  them  more  and  more  the 
dupes  of  imposture.  And  thus  it  has  actu- 
ally operated  :  the  nations  which  still  cleave 
to  it  are  nearly  divided  into  two  classes,  the 
deceivers  and  the  deceived  ;  the  former  of 
which  appear  to  be  the  destined  instruments 
of  heaven  in  destroying  the  latter,  and  so  of 
executing  the  vials  of  God's  displeasure 
upon  them. 

Ver.  13 — 17.  The  wrath  of  the  dragon, 
for  having  been  cast  out  of  heaven,  is  direct- 
ed against  not  only  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
his  own  subjects,  but  the  lives  of  those 
Christians  who  were  situated  within  his 
territories.  The  friends  of  Christ  in  popish 
countries  have  since  the  Reformation  been 
persecuted  with  increased  violence.  In  the 
ordinary  measures  of  legal  process,  persecu- 
tion has  indeed  diminished  ;  it  has  in  a  man- 
ner been  shamed  out  of  countenance  by 
the  prevalence  of  tolerant  principles :  but, 
the  more  it  has  been  restrained  in  this  way, 
the  more  violent  have  been  its  ebullitions  in 
a  way  of  occasional  outrage.  Of  this  the 
massacre  of  Paris  in  1572,  the  cruelties  in 
the  valleys  of  Piedmont  in  1(355,  and  the 
revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes  in  1685,  are 
horrible  examples. 

From  the  times  of  the  Reformation  the 
church  of  Christ  had  in  a  manner  come  out 
of  the  wilderness.  Having  obtained  a  de- 
gree of  legal  protection  in  several  nations, 
its  members  were  not  obliged  as  heretofore 
to  retire  into  woods,  and  mountains,  and 
caves,  nor  to  have  recourse  to  midnight 
assemblies  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  the 
gospel:  but  after  these  renewed  persecu- 
tions the  woman  is  obliged  to  fly  a  second 
time  into  the  wilderness,  as  to  her  wonted 
place  of  refuge.  Such  has  been  the  state  of 
the  protestants  in  all  popish  countries  :  such 
has  been  their  state  in  France  from  the 
revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685, 
to  the  Revolution  in  1789,  though  of  late 
they  were  treated  with  less  severity  than 
formerly,  being  allowed  to  meet  in  the  day 
time,  only  under  military  inspection.  Nor 
was  it  in  popish,  countries  only  that  the 
wrath  of  the  dragon  vented  itself.  A  por- 
tion of  the  poison  of  a  persecuting  spirit 
was  found  among  protestants,  even  in  our 
own  country,  from  the  Reformation  to  the 
Revolution  of  1688.     If  one  place  was  more 


54 


EXPOSITION   OF   THE   APOCALYPSE. 


distinguished  than  another,  as  affording  a 
shelter  for  the  woman  at  the  time  of  this  her 
second  flight,  I  suspect  it  was  North  Ameri- 
ca, where  the  church  of  Christ  has  been 
nourished,  and  may  continue  to  be  nourished, 
during  the  remainder  of  the  1260  years. 
And,  as  to  those  parts  of  the  church  which 
still  exist  in  a  state  of  insecurity,  the 
serpent  has  not  been  suffered  to  make  a  full 
end  of  them  ;  they  are  nourished  by  the 
word  of  God,  and  shall  doubtless  survive  the 
reign  of  antichristian  corruption  and  perse- 
cution. 

The  flood  of  waters  cast  after  the  woman 
by  the  dragon,  and  the  war  made  on  the 
remnant  of  her  seed,  referring,  as  it  appears, 
to  the  latter  end  of  the  12G0  years,  may  be 
something  yet  to  come.  It  is  not  impossible 
that  persecution  may  yet  be  revived.  The 
antichristian  cause  can  hardly  be  supposed 
to  expire  without  some  deadly  struggles. 
Indeed  it  is  in  the  very  act  of  "  making  war 
on  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  horse,  and  his 
army,"  that  the  "  beast  and  the  false  prophet 
will  be  taken ;"  and  this  seems  to  be  the 
same  war  which  is  here  made  with  the 
"  remnant  of  the  woman's  seed." 

Should  a  flood  of  persecution  yet  be  in 
reserve  for  the  church  of  Christ,  it  may  be 
the  last  effort  of  an  expiring  foe ;  and  from 
that  the  earth  will  preserve  her  by  swallow- 
ing it  up :  it  may  be  in  some  such  way  as 
the  invasion  of  the  Philistines  preserved 
David,  or  as  political  struggles  have  often 
been  favorable  to  Christians,  by  furnishing 
those  who  wished  to  persecute  them  with 
other  employment.  The  dragon,  provoked 
by  his  want  of  success  against  the  woman, 
may  vent  his  malice  on  the  remnant  of  her 
seed  that  are  within  his  reach ;  but  his  time 
is  short.  His  agents,  "the  beast  and  the 
false  prophet,"  will  soon  be  taken  ;  and  the 
Angel,  with  a  great  chain  in  his  hand,  shall 
next  lay  hold  of  him,  and  cast  him  into  the 
bottomless  pit. 

DISCOURSE  XVIII. 

THE  THIRD  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  :  OR 
THE  BEAST  WITH  SEVEN  HEADS  AND 
TEN  HORNS. 

Rev.  xiii.  1—10. 

The  apostle,  in  vision,  standing  as  upon 
the  sea  shore,  sees  "  a  beast  rise  up  out  of 
the  sea,  having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns, 
and  upon  his  horns  ten  crowns,  and  upon  his 
heads  the  name  of  blasphemy."  A  beast 
#  rising  out  of  the  sea  is  an  empire  opposed  to 
God  and  his  Christ  rising  out  of  the  per- 
turbed state  of  things  in  the  world. 

The  description  given  of  this  beast  leaves 
no  doubt  of  its  being  the  same  as  the  fourth 
beast  in  the  seventh  chapter  of  Daniel,  name- 
ly, the  Roman  Empire ;  with  only  a  few  cir- 


cumstantial differences.  Daniel  viewed  it 
in  its  whole  duration,  whereas  John  describes 
it  with  special  reference  to  its  last  or  papal 
form ;  Daniel  says  nothing  of  its  heads, 
which  John  does  ;  and,  lastly,  Daniel  speaks 
merely  of  the  ten  horns  pertaining  to  the 
beast,  but  John  describes  them  as  having 
"  crowns,"  which  shows  that  the  times  refer- 
red to  are  those  in  which  the  western  em- 
pire would  be  overthrown,  and  ten  indepen- 
dent kingdoms  arise  out  of  it. 

This  seven-headed  and  ten-horned  beast 
does  not  appear  to  be  the  pope,  or  popedom, 
nor  the  church  of  Rome ;  but  that  secular 
power  which  Ims  supported  the  church  of  Rome 
through  the  ivhole  of  her  corrupt  and  bloody 
progress.  The  beast  is  not  the  harlot,  but 
that  on  which  the  harlot  rides.  That  which 
has  been  denominated  The  Holy  Roman 
Empire,  of  which  sometimes  a  French  and 
sometimes  a  German  monarch  has  been  the 
head,  seems  to  be  the  government  principal- 
ly intended,  as  being  the  great  supporter  of 
that  church.  It  is  not  this  government,  how- 
ever, exclusively  of  that  of  the  other  Europe- 
an nations,  but  merely  as  aprincipal  amongst 
them.  The  ten  horns  were  not  distinct  from 
the  beast,  but  constituent  parts  of  it.  Eu- 
rope, prior  to  the  Reformation,  was  a  family 
of  nations,  united  in  respect  of  religion  by 
one  ecclesiastical  head.  As  nations  they 
were  independent,  and  often  engaged  in  war 
with  one  another;  but  in  supporting  the 
church  they  were  united.  The  beast  is  in- 
deed distinguished  from  its  horns,  as  any 
other  beast  may  be,  while  yet  the  horns  are 
constituent  parts  of  it.  The  ten  horns  are 
said  to  "  agree  and  to  give  their  kingdom  to 
the  beast"  (ch.  xvii.  17:)  that  is,  they 
united  with  the  emperor  in  supporting  the 
church.  Things  were  so  managed  indeed 
by  the  church  that  the  rulers  of  every  nation 
in  Christendom  were  in  a  manner  compelled 
to  unite  in  her  support.  "  All  the  civil  pow- 
ers were  obliged  by  the  council  of  Lateran 
to  take  an  oath,  on  pain  of  ecclesiastical  cen- 
sures, that  they  would  endeavor  to  exter- 
minate all  who  were  declared  heretics  by 
the  church  out  of  their  dominions ;  and  if 
any  prince  or  ruler  refused  to  do  so,  after 
admonition,  it  was  to  be  certified  to  the  pope, 
who  should  declare  all  his  subjects  absolved 
from  their  allegiance,  and  any  Catholic  was 
free  to  seize  his  dominions."  Such  was  this 
monstrous  beast,  and  such  the  means  used 
by  his  rider  to  guide  and  govern  him. 

Of  the  heads  and  horns  of  the  beast  we 
shall  have  occasion  to  speak  hereafter  more 
particularly.  At  present  we  may  observe  he 
is  described  as  possessing  the  properties  of 
the  first  three  of  Daniel's  four  beasts,  a  leop- 
ard, a  bear,  and  a  lion,  each  ferocious  any- 
destructive :  and,  whereas  the  dragon  is 
said  to  have  given  him  his  authority,  the  gov- 
ernment, though  profes^<flv  Christian,  was 
under  the  influence  of  the  wicked  one.    Af- 


THE    TEN-HORNED    BEAST. 


65 


ter  the  empire  became  Christian,  the  dragon 
for  a  while  seemed  to  take  the  work  of  se- 
ducing and  persecuting-  men  into  his  own 
hand  (ch.  xii.  1 — 6 ;)  but  he  is  now  contented 
to  transfer  it  to  the  beast  as  a  kind  of  deputy 
under  him. — Ver.  2. 

"I  saw  one  of  his  heads,"  continues  the 
apostle,  "  as  it  were  wounded  to  death,  and 
his  deadly  wound  was  healed,  and  all  the 
world  wondered  after  the  beast."  To  under- 
stand this,  we  must  know  what  is  meant  by 
the  heads  of  the  beast,  and  this  we  must 
learn  from  ch.  xvii.  7 — 11.  They  are  there 
said  to  be  "  seven  mountains  on  which  the 
woman  sitteth,  and  seven  kings,  five  of  which 
are  fallen,  one  is,  and  the  other  is  not  yet 
come."  It  was  not  one  of  the  seven  moun- 
tains that  was  "  as  it  were  wounded  to  death," 
but  one  of  the  seven  kings,  or  governments, 
or  forms  of  government,  under  which  Rome 
existed.  These  according  to  Tacitus  the 
Roman  historian,  were  kings,  consuls,  dicta- 
tors, decemvirs,  military  tribunes,  and  emper- 
ors ;  five  of  which  forms  of  government  had 
passed  away  at  the  time  of  the  prophecy  ; 
the  sixth,  namely  that  of  emperors,  then  was, 
and  the  other  was  not  yet  come.  The 
wound  which  the  beast  is  said  to  have  re- 
ceived in  one  of  his  heads  was  so  serious  that 
he  was  for  a  time  considered  as  dead ;  yet 
was  he  not  dead  in  reality,  but  merely  "as 
it  ivere  wounded  to  death  :"  for  after  this  he 
revived  and  lived  and  reigned,  to  the  won- 
der of  the  world.  Hence  the  language  in 
ch.  xvii.  8,  "And  they  that  dwell  on  the 
earth  shall  wonder — when  they  behold  the 
beast  that  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is !  " 

There  are  two  interpretations  of  this  part 
of  the  prophecy  on  which  good  commenta- 
tors have  been  divided.  One  is  that  the 
sword  by  which  the  beast  was  wounded  was 
that  of  the  northern  nations  in  the  fifth  cen- 
tury, by  which  Rome,  under  its  sixth  or 
imperial  head,  was  overthrown ;  but  by 
means  of  popery  the  wound  was  healed,  and 
she  who  had  been  given  up  for  lost  became 
in  a  new  form  the  mistress  of  the  western 
world.  The  other  is  that  the  deadly  wound 
was  caused  by  the  sword  of  Constantine, 
who,  having  in  different  engagements  de- 
feated his  pagan  colleagues,  subverted  the 
ancient  religion  of  the  empire,  so  that  for  a 
few  years  the  beast  was  as  it  were  dead  ;  but 
that  when,  under  the  influence  of  corruption, 
it  again  became  idolatrous  and  persecuting, 
the  beast  revived,  and  the  world  wondered 
after  him. 

Till  of  late  I  have  preferred  the  former  of 
these  interpretations  ;  but  upon  a  closer  ex- 
amination of  the  prophecy  I  am  inclined  to 
think  the  latter  to  be  the  meaning.  It  does 
not  seem  likely  that  so  extraordinary  a  change 
in  the  empire,  and  one  that  so  deeply  inter- 
ested the  church  of  God,  should  be  over- 
looked, while  one  which  is  much  more  or- 
dinary, and  of  but  small  account  to  religion, 


should  be  held  up  to  view.  It  seems  also, 
notwithstanding  the  corruptions  introduced 
under  the  first  Christian  emperors,  it  were  too 
much  to  suppose  that  the  empire  continued 
to  be  the  same  beast  as  it  was  in  the  times  of 
paganism,  or  that  the  difference  was  so 
small  as  not  to  require  any  kind  of  notice  in 
the  page  of  prophecy. 

That  the  species  of  Christianity  introduced 
in  the  times  of  Constantine  was  injurious  to 
the  church  is  allowed,  even  by  those  who 
approve  of  national  religious  establishments  ; 
yet  the  prophecy  may  be  very  applicable  to 
the  event.  Supposing  this  to  be  its  true 
meaning,  there  is  no  countenance  given  by 
it  to  that  partial  and  corrupt  system  which  at 
that  time  was  introduced.  On  the  con- 
trary, there  is  a  strong  intimation  conveyed 
in  those  saving  terms  "  as  it  were  "  that  the 
beast,  though  stunned,  was  not  slain.  He 
was  not  wounded  to  death,  but  merely  as  it 
were  wounded  to  death.  As  soon  as  circum- 
stances favored  his  recovery,  the  wound 
was  healed,  and  the  beast  resumed  his  wont- 
ed vigor. — Ver.  3. 

"They  worshipped  the  dragon  and  the 
beast."  The  homage  of  the  world  is  gener- 
ally paid  to  success,  though  it  be  in  the 
worst  of  causes.  Those  powers  which  raised 
and  supported  the  antichristian  harlot,  being 
successful,  receive  the  homage  of  the  nations 
called  Christian,  though  in  paying  it  they 
sink  into  old  idolatry  under  a  new  name, 
and  in  reality  worship  the  wicked  one. — 
Ver.  4. 

The  "  great  tilings"  spoken  by  this  secu- 
lar beast  may  refer  to  that  spirit  which  gives 
not  God  the  glory  of  success,  but,  like  Sen- 
nacherib and  Nebuchadnezzar,  arrogates 
every  tiling  to  self.  Its  "  blasphemies"  relate 
to  words  and  assumptions  more  immediately 
directed  against  God  and  his  cause.  The 
charge  of  blasphemy  was  preferred  against 
all  the  heads  of  the  beast  (ver.  1,)  though 
most  of  them  were  pagan,  and  of  course  un- 
acquainted with  the  true  God.  The  blas- 
phemies referred  to  therefore  must  be  not 
merely  his  speeches  directly  uttered  against 
the  Great  Supreme,  but  his  arrogating  and 
assuming  that  ivhich  exclusively  belongs  to 
him.  This  charge  is  repeated  and  enlarged 
upon  in  ver.  6,  where  also  it  is  followed  with 
"  making  war  upon  the  saints."  If  God  had 
been  within  the  reach  of  the  beast,  he  would 
have  made  war  with  him ;  but,  as  he  was 
not,  his  hatred  against  him  was  discovered 
in  making  war  upon  his  people.  A  species 
of  practical  blasphemy  seems  to  constitute 
the  principle  from  which  all  persecution 
proceeds ;  for  it  is  no  other  than  usurping 
the  throne  of  God  in  the  mind  of  man  ?  This 
principle  has  been  common  through  all  those 
pagan  and  papal  governments  which  have 
come  in  contact  with  the  church  of  God.  Nay, 
is  it  not  exceedingly  prevalent  in  almost  all 
the  governments  now  in  being  ?    It  is  rare, 


56 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


very  rare,  for  those  who  occupy  the  supreme 
place  in  civil  affairs  to  respect  the  claims  of 
conscience  and  of  God.  Had  these  claims 
been  properly  respected,  it  had  never  entered 
the  minds  of  the  rulers  of  any  nation  that 
all  the  people  within  certain  geographical 
boundaries  should  be  compelled  to  worship 
God  in  a  given  way  ! 

The  blasphemies  of  this  beast  are  directed 
not  only  against  the  "name,"  but  against 
"  the  tabernacle  of  God,  and  them  that  dwell 
in  heaven,"  or  his  celestial  attendants.  The 
very  saints  and  angels  before  the  throne  are 
by  him  represented  as  rebels  against  God,  by 
receiving  that  homage  which  is  due  to  him, 
and  participating  in  their  abominations. 
The  church  of  God  on  earth,  relatively  con- 
sidered, or  as  being  his  "tabernacle,"  pos- 
sesses a  sacred  character.  If  any  man 
destroy  or  defile  it,  as  Antiochus  did  that  of 
the  Jews,  him  will  God  destroy.  What  then 
must  be  the  guilt  contracted  by  those  perse- 
cuting powers  who,  under  the  pretence  of 
extirpating  heresy,  have  reproached  the  liv- 
ing God,  and  done  every  thing  in  their 
power  to  drive  the  religion  of  the  Bible  out 
of  the  world ! 

The  time  allotted  for  the  continuance  of 
this  beast  is  "  forty  and  two  months."  A 
day  being  here  put  for  a  year,  it  is  the  same 
period  as  the  "  thousand  two  hundred  and 
threescore  days"  in  which  the  witnesses 
were  to  prophecy  in  sackcloth,  and  the  wo- 
man was  to  continue  in  the  wilderness. 

The  war  which  it  was  "given  him  to  make 
with  the  saints "  is  the  same  as  that  which 
he  is  said  to  have  made  against  the  witness- 
es.— Chap.  xi.  7.  It  is  that  continued  series 
of  persecutions  which,  during  that  part  of 
the  1200  years  which  has  already  elapsed, 
he  has  been  carrying  on  against  the  follow- 
ers of  Christ. 

As  the  beast  had  assumed  the  place  of 
God,  so  the  multitude  consented  to  treat  him 
as  the  sovereign  lord  of  conscience,  and  to 
be  of  that  religion  which  he  required.  In 
describing  this  unworthy  compliance,  how- 
ever, the  Holy  Spirit  takes  care  to  except 
"those  whose  names  were  written  in  the 
Lamb's  book  of  life  ; "  thus  branding  the 
idolaters  with  the  black  mark  of  reprobation. 
Such  language  wears  a  terrible  aspect  to- 
wards those  who  enter  into  the  abominations 
of  Antichrist  and  persevere  therein ;  but  a 
pleasing  one  towards  the  chosen  of  God, 
who  in  the  worst  of  times  maintain  their  al- 
legiance to  Christ. — Ver.  8. 

The  account  of  this  secular  beast  (which 
from  its  character  of  supporting  the  popish 
hierarchy  may  be  denominated  papal)  here 
closes  with  a  few  words  by  way  of  solemn 
warning — "  If  any  man  have  an  ear  let  him 
hear.  He  that  leadeth  into  captivity  shall  go 
into  captivity  ;  he  that  killeth  with  the  sword 
must  be  killed  with  the  sword.  Here  is  the 
patience  and  faith  of  the  saints."    The  per- 


secutor shall  soon  be  persecuted,  and  the 
destroyer  detroyed ;  and  this  not  only  in 
the  Avorld  to  come,  but  even  in  this  world. 
Meanwhile,  let  the  saints  know  that  this  is 
the  season  for  the  trial  of  their  patience,  and 
of  their  faith  ;  the  one  to  bear  up  under  the 
persecutions  of  their  enemies,  and  the  other 
to  keep  in  view  the  crown  of  life  before 
them.— Ver.  9,  10. 


DISCOURSE  XIX. 

THE  THIRD  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  CON- 
TINUED: OR  THE  BEAST  WITH  TWO  HORNS 
LIKE  A  LAMB. 

Rev.  xiii.  11—18. 

Ver.  11 — 15.  The  former  of  these  beasts 
we  have  considered  as  designed  to  symbolize 
the  Roman  empire  under  its  last  head,  or 
that  secular  government  which,  in  connection 
with  the  ten  horns  or  kingdoms  of  Europe, 
supported  popery  through  all  its  foul  and 
bloody  deeds  :  but  here  arises  another  beast, 
diverse  from  the  former,  yet  acting  in  con- 
cert with  him.  Daniel,  when  describing  the 
fourth  or  Roman  beast,  speaks  of  a  little  horn 
which  should  grow  up  as  it  were  insensibly 
among  the  ten  horns,  and  displace  three  of 
them.  John  says  nothing  of  this  little  horn 
of  Daniel,  and  Daniel  is  equally  silent  about 
this  second  beast  of  John :  but  from  the 
character  given  to  them  both  they  appear  to 
be  one  and  the  same,  namely,  that  ecclesias- 
tical power  which  was  to  co-exist  ivith  the 
secular,  and  both  assist  it  and  be  assisted 
by  it. 

This  beast  is  described  as  "rising  out  of 
the  earth,"  in  which  particular  it  is  distin- 
guished from  the  other,  which  "rose  out  of 
the  sea."  For  a  beast  to  rise  out  of  the  sea 
is  for  an  empire  to  rise  out  of  the  perturbed 
state  of  things  in  the  world,  and  such  was 
the  empire  before  described  ;  but  for  one  to 
rise  from  the  earth  is  for  a  power  to  grow  up 
insensibly,  like  a  weed  in  a  garden,  out  of 
the  established  order  of  things. — Such  was 
popery. 

"And  he  had  two  horns  like  a  lamb,  and  he 
spake  as  a  dragon."  This  perfectly  answers 
to  that  affectation  of  Christian  meekness, 
accompanied  in  reality  by  the  spirit  and 
doctrine  of  the  wicked  one.  On  one  occa- 
sion it  can  be  the  servant  of  servants :  on 
another  the  deposer  of  kings  and  disposer  of 
empires. 

"  He  exerciseth  all  the  power  of  the  first 
beast,  before,  or  in  the  sight  of  him."  "  He 
is  (says  bishop  Newton)  the  prime  minister, 
adviser,  and  mover,  of  the  first  or  secular 
beast.  He  holdeth  imperium  in  imperio, 
an  empire  within  an  empire  ;  claimeth  a 
temporal  authority  as  well  as  a  spiritual ; 
hath  not  only  the  principal  direction  of  the 


THE    TEN-HORNED    BEAST. 


57 


temporal  powers,  but  often  engageth  them  in 
his  service,  and  enforceth  his  canons  and  de- 
crees with  the  sword  of  the  civil  magistrate." 

"  He  causeth  men  to  worship  the  first 
beast."  As  the  secular  authority  invested 
the  ecclesiastical  with  power  and  riches  and 
honors,  so,  in  return,  the  ecclesiastical, 
by  consenting  that  Christianity  should  be- 
come an  engine  of  state  policy,  and  con- 
science itself  be  subjected  to  its  interests, 
transferred  that  homage  to  man  which  was 
due  only  to  the  eternal  God.  It  is  this 
ecclesiastical  influence  that  has  constituted 
the  European  nations  a  continuation  of  the 
old  Roman  empire.  It  is  the  only  bond 
which  for  ages  has  held  them  together,  so 
as  to  render  them  one  great  antichristian 
beast— Ver.  12. 

He  is  next  described  by  his  pretended 
miracles.  He  doeth  great  wonders,  so  that 
he  maketh  (or  seemeth  to  make)  "fire  come 
down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the  sight 
of  men,  and  deceiveth  them  that  dwell  on 
the  earth  by  means  of  those  miracles  which 
he  had  power  to  do  in  the  sight  of  the  beast." 
This  part  of  his  character  answers  to  what 
was  foretold  by  the  apostle  of  the  man  of 
sin — that  he  should  come  Avith  "  signs  and 
lying  wonders."  All  these  impositions  of 
"the  false  prophet,"  as  he  is  elsewhere  called 
(chap.  xvi.  13,  14,)  being  wrought  in  the 
sight  of  the  first  beast,  and  in  that  of  the 
people,  were  to  ingratiate  himself  with  them, 
and  to  persuade  them  that  he  was,  as  is  said 
of  the  sorcerer,  "  the  great  power  of  God." 
While  therefore  he  was  professing  to  hon- 
or magistracy,  he  was  laboring  to  subject 
it  to  himself. 

To  show  his  devotion  to  the  secular  beast, 
he  directs  the  people  to  make  an  image  to 
him ;  which  being  done,  he,  after  his  manner, 
endues  it  with  life,  and  speech,  and  great 
authority  :  but  all  is  "  deceit ; "  for  the  object 
is  not  to  exalt  the  secular  beast,  but  himself. 

This  making  of  an  image  to  the  beast 
seems  to  allude  to  the  heathen  practice  of 
making  images  to  their  deities.  The  gods 
themselves  were  supposed  to  be  invisible. 
The  same  deity  had  images  made  to  him  in 
divers  places.  The  design  of  making  an 
image  to  a  god  would  be  to  acknowledge 
him  as  their  deity,  and  to  give  a  visibility  and 
an  establishment  to  his  worship.  To  "  make 
an  image  to  the  beast  whose  deadly  wound 
was  healed"  would  therefore  be  to  give 
visibility  and  authority  to  his  worship  ;  or  to 
require  implicit  obedience  to  his  commands 
in  whose  reign  Paganism  was  revived  under 
the  name  of  Catholic  Christianity !  It  is  as 
guarantee  of  this  system  that  the  first  beast 
is  designated  by  the  healing  of  his  deadly 
wound,  and  that  the  second  beast  exerts  all 
his  influence  in  his  favor. 

It  has  been  observed  that,  while  the  secu- 
lar beast  is  said  to  make  war  upon  the  saints, 
the  ecclesiastical  is  only  said  to  "  cause  them 
to  be  killed."    The  council  of  Lateran  de- 
Vol.  2.— Sis.  8. 


creed  not  to  put  heretics  to  death,  but  to 
deliver  them  over  to  the  secular  power  to  be 
killed!  "The  inquisitors  (says  Burnet) 
on  this  occasion,  with  a  disgusting  affecta- 
tion of  lamb-like  meekness,  are  wont  to  be- 
seech the  civil  magistrates  to  show  mercy 
to  those  whom  they  themselves  have  given 
up  to  be  consigned  to  the  flames  !  " — Ver.  15. 

Ver.  16 — 18.  Such  was  to  be  the  growing 
influence  of  this  last  beast  that  he  could 
"cause"  all  ranks  and  degrees  of  men  to 
enlist  under  the  banners  of  the  first,  to  re- 
ceive like  soldiers  his  mark  and  number,  and 
so  to  be  aiding  and  assisting  in  the  execu- 
tion of  his  measures.  Such  has  actually 
been  the  conduct  of  the  Roman  hierarchy  : 
so  that  the  common  rights  of  men  have  been 
suspended  on  condition  of  their  receiving 
the  papal  badge.  Such,  in  fine,  is  the  nature 
of  the  alliance  established  by  this  system 
between  the  ecclesiastical  and  the  secular 
powers  :  each  plays  into  the  other's  hands  : 
the  church  consents  that  religion  shall  be 
an  engine  of  state  policy,  and  in  return  the 
state  supports  the  church  in  all  her  corrupt 
proceedings. 

Respecting  the  "  mark  "  and  the  "  name" 
of  the  beast,  it  is  opposed,  I  conceive,  to 
the  seal  of  God  on  the  foreheads  of  his  ser- 
vants.-^Chap.  vii.  And  as  the  seal  and 
name  of  God  on  the  forehead  appear  to  be 
the  same  (compare  chap.  vii.  3  with  chap, 
xiv.  1,)  so  may  the  mark  and  the  name  of 
the  beast.  Both  are  thought  to  allude  to 
the  ancient  practice  of  marking  servants  and 
soldiers  with  their  owner's  name  in  their 
forehead  or  in  their  hand. 

I  cannot  pretend  to  be  certain  what  is 
meant  by  the  "name  of  the  beast."  It  may 
be  observed,  however,  that,  as  the  beast  here 
evidently  means  the  secular  and  not  the 
ecclesiastical  power,  there  is  a  name  given 
to  him  in  the  prophecy.  He  is  called  "  the 
beast  that  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is"  (chap, 
xvii.  8,  11 ;)  the  meaning  of  which  I  con- 
ceive to  be, — the  government  that  existed 
in  all  its  beastly  properties  as  Pagan,  that 
appeared  to  have  lost  them  as  Christian,  but 
that  in  supporting  a  corrupted  Christianity 
resumed  them.  In  other  words,  it  is  Pagan- 
ism revived  under  the  form  of  Catholic 
Christianity.  Now,  as  names  are  signs  of 
character,  to  have  this  name  or  mark  of  the 
beast  would  be  the  same  thing  as  being 
openly  of  this  character  or  religion. 

As  to  the  "  number  of  his  name,"  I  have 
nothing  to  offer  which  is  fully  satisfactory 
to  my  own  mind.  It  is  something  which 
requires  "wisdom  and  understanding  to 
count  it ; "  and  yet,  by  its  being  the  "  number 
of  a  man,"  it  would  seem  not  to  surpass 
human  comprehension.  It  may  be  a  name 
whose  numerals  amount  to  666,  as  the 
Greek  word  xtnuvos,  or  other  words  in 
which  this  number  has  been  found  :  but,  as 
this  appears  to  be  merely  conjecture,  I 
leave  it  undecided. 


58 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


DISCOURSE    XX. 

THE     THIRD      GENERAL     DESCRIPTION     CON- 
TINUED ;     OR    THE     LAMB'S     COMPANY. 

Rev.  xiv.  1 — 5. 

Unless  we  consider  the  whole  of  the 
fourteenth  chapter  as  a  continuation  of  the 
thirteenth,  we  cannot  be  said  to  have  a  third 
general  view  of  the  rise,  reign,  and  over- 
throw of  popery ;  for  the  whole  of  the 
thirteenth  chapter  is  taken  up  with  a  descrip- 
tion of  its  rise  and  reign,  and  nothing  is 
said  in  it  of  its  downfall.  Nor  is  any  thing 
said  of  the  state  of  the  church  of  Christ  du- 
ring these  "forty  and  two  months,"  save 
that  the  beasts  "  made  war  "  with  its  mem-' 
bers  and  "caused  them  to  be  killed."  But, 
if  the  fourteenth  chapter  be  considered  as  a 
continuation  of  the  subject,  we  have  then 
a  complete  view  of  it,  and  a  most  animating 
description  of  the  state  of  the  church  of 
Christ  during  the  "  forty  and  two  months," 
or  12G0  years,  in  beautiful  opposition  to  the 
beasts  and  their  followers. 

Ver.  1.  The  first  of  the  beasts  was  a 
monster,  having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns  ; 
a  compound  of  the  leopard,  the  bear,  and  the 
lion.  And  as  to  the  last,  though  in  respect 
of  its  horns  it  was  like  a  lamb,  yet  it  had 
nothing  of  a  lamb  in  its  nature.  What  a 
charming  contrast  is  here ;  not  only  between 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  and  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world,  but  between  a  compound  of  hy- 
pocrisy and  malignity,  and  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ!  There  was  something  like 
a  lamb  :  but,  lo,  here  is  a  lamb ! 

One  of  the  beasts  is  described  as  rising 
out  of  the  sea,  and  the  other  out  of  the 
earth;  but  the  Lamb  as  standing  upon  a 
mountain.  "  Standing  "  is  a  reigning  pos- 
ture.— Dan.  xi.  3.  He  had  been  slain,  but 
now  "  stands  up,  and  rules  with  great  do- 
minion." It  also  denotes  that  the  party  is 
not  only  unvanquished,  but  triumphant.  It 
might  have  been  supposed  that  from  the 
rising  up  of  these  beasts  the  Lamb  should 
have  found  no  place  to  exercise  his  govern- 
ment among  men  ;  but  he  stands  his  ground, 
and  has  his  followers,  as  the  beasts  have 
theirs.  His  kingdom  was  never  overturned 
even  in  the  most  corrupt  ages. 

The  place  on  which  he  stood  was  "  Mount 
Sion."  This  is  his  proper  ground,  as  much 
as  Babylon  was  of  the  other.  In  his  church 
even  upon  earth,  and  amidst  the  sharpest 
persecutions,  the  Lamb  standeth  upon  the 
mount  Sion. 

The  company  said  to  be  with  him  are  the 
same  that  were  sealed  in  chap.  vii.  This 
sealing  was  prior  to  the  papal  apostacy,  and 
contained  an  assurance  that  God  would  pre- 
serve himself  a  people  under  it ;  and  lo, 
after  all  the  ravages  of  the  beasts,  here  we 
find  them ;  not  in  Babylon,  but  with  the 
Lamb  in  Sion.    The  followers  of  the  beast 


were  designated  by  his  mark  and  the  num- 
ber of  his  name ;  and  the  followers  of  the 
Lamb  "  have  his  Father's  name  written  in 
their  foreheads."  These  are  the  same  with 
the  two  witnesses,  and  the  woman  that  fled 
into  the  wilderness  :  they  denote  the  Israel 
of  God,  and  were  that  to  an  apostate  church 
which  the  twelve  tribes  who  served  God 
day  and  night  were  to  an  apostate  world. 

In  reviewing  the  dark  ages  of  popery,  we 
are  apt  to  think  there  could  have  been  but 
few  who  clave  to  the  truth  in  those  times : 
but,  if  the  Christian  world  were  again  put 
to  such  a  test  of  their  sincerity,  it  were  well 
if  the  number  of  the  faithful  proved  greater 
than  in  those  days.  Mede  (says  Bishop 
Newton)  hath  observed,  from  good  authori- 
ties, that  in  the  war  with  the  Waldenses  and 
Albigenses  there  perished  in  France  alone 
a  million :  from  the  first  institution  of  the 
Jesuits  to  the  year  1480,  that  is,  in  little 
more  than  thirty  years,  nine  hundred  thou- 
sand. In  the  Netherlands  alone,  the  duke 
of  Alva  boasted  that  within  a  few  years  he 
had  dispatched  to  the  amount  of  thirty-six 
thousand,  and  those  all  by  the  hand  of  the 
common  executioner.  In  the  space  of 
scarcely  thirty  years  the  inquisition  destroy- 
ed by  various  kinds  of  tortures  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand.  Saunders,  himself  a 
popish  Avriter,  confesses  that  an  innumerable 
multitude  of  Lollards  and  Sacramentarians 
were  burnt  throughout  all  Europe ;  who  yet, 
he  says,  were  not  put  to  death  by  the  pope 
and  bishops,  but  by  the  civil  magistrates." 
That  is,  the  secular  beast  did  the  work,  and 
the  ecclesiastical  only  caused  it!  These, 
and  many  more  whose  names  will  appear 
another  day,  composed  the  company  who 
stood  with  the  Lamb. 

Ver.  2,  3.  But  hark !  A  sound  is  heard 
— It  is  from  a  great  distance — It  is  like  the 
roaring  of  the  sea,  or  the  rolling  of  thunder 
— It  is  the  sound  of  a  multitude — There  is 
music — It  seems  like  a  new  song — It  is  the 
moving  of  God's  host ! — What  can  be  the 
meaning  ?  If  I  mistake  not,  this  is  a  de- 
scription of  the  same  event  which  is  signi- 
fied in  the  first  general  view  by  the  resur- 
rection of  the  witnesses,  and  in  the  second 
by  the  victory  of  Michael  and  his  angels 
over  the  dragon  and  his  angels ;  that  is  to 
say,  The  reformation  of  the  sixteenth  centu- 
ry. The  song  intimates  that  something  has 
occurred  which  furnishes  matter  for  rejoic- 
ing. A  new  song  commonly  supposes  a 
new  or  recent  deliverance ;  and  to  what 
event  during  the  1260  years  can  this  be  ap- 
plied unless  it  be  to  the  Reformation  ?  It 
was  then  that  the  army  of  the  Lamb  felt  its 
ground,  and  gloriously  triumphed.  That 
which  at  a  distance  was  only  "  as  it  were  " 
a  new  song,  on  drawing  nearer  proved  to  be 
one  in  reality,  and  one  that  none  but  the 
redeemed  could  unite  in.  The  joy  attending 
the  Reformation  would  be  confined  to  the 


THE   MESSAGES    OP   THE    THREE    ANGELS. 


59 


faithful.  As  to  worldly  men  who  engaged 
in  it,  they  would  rejoice  only  as  their  tem- 
poral interests  were  promoted  by  it :  and,  as 
to  the  devotees  of  the  beasts,  they  would 
deplore  the  dangers  of  the  church :  but  they 
who  had  been  reclaimed  from  the  apostacy 
of  their  species,  and  preserved  from  that  of 
professing  Christians,  would  enter  into  the 
spirit  of  it.  In  them  it  was  the  triumph  of 
faith.  The  blood  of  the  Lamb  and  the  word 
of  their  testimony  would  be  the  burden  of 
their  song. 

The  Lamb's  company  are  here  particular- 
ly characterized.  First :  By  the  things 
from  which  they  had  been  preserved  ;  name- 
ly, spiritual  fornication  and  adultery,  into 
which  the  generality  of  professing  Chris- 
tians had  fallen.  Secondly :  By  the  course 
they  had  pursued.  They  followed  the 
Lamb  whithersoever  he  went :  in  his  doc- 
trine, worship,  afflictions,  spirit,  and  conduct, 
he  was  their  example.  Thirdly :  By  the 
distinguished  blessings  conferred  upon  them. 
They  were  "  redeemed  from  among  men, 
being  the  first-fruits  unto  God  and  to  the 
Lamb."  They  were  the  travail  of  his  soul, 
in  which  he  was  satisfied.  In  them  ap- 
peared the  efficacy  of  his  death :  while 
others,  though  calling  themselves  Chris- 
tians, still  continued  under  the  worst  of 
bondage.  And  as,  in  the  law  of  the  first- 
fruits,  a  part  was  accepted  for  the  whole,  so, 
when  that  which  called  itself  the  church 
apostatized,  those  who  continued  faithful 
were  accepted  as  the  Christian  church,  or 
reckoned  as  the  Lord's  portion.  Fourthly  : 
By  their  sincerity  and  purity.  "  In  then- 
mouth  was  found  no  guile  ;  for  they  were 
without  fault  before  the  throne  of  God." 
While  the  followers  of  the  beasts  were 
trimming  and  worshipping,  as  their  worldly 
interests  required,  these  were  upright 
before  God  in  all  their  conversation. 

Such  is  the  contrast  between  the  beast 
and  the  blasphemies  of  his  worshippers  on 
the  one  hand,  and  the  Lamb  and  the  praises 
of  his  followers  on  the  other. 


DISCOURSE  XXI. 

THE  THIRD  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  CON- 
CLUDED ;  OR  THE  MESSAGES  OF  THE 
THREE  ANGELS,  THE  HARVEST,  AND  THE 
VINTAGE. 

Rev.  xiv.  6—20. 

If  the  foregoing  application  of  the  new 
song  of  the  Lamb's  company  to  the  Reforma- 
tion in  the  sixteenth  century  be  just,  it  may 
be  expected  that  what  follows  will  relate  to 
events  subsequent  to  that  distinguished  era. 

Ver.  6,  7.  I  am  aware  that  this  commis- 
sion of  the  flying  angel  has  been  generally 


understood  as  addressed  to  papal  idolaters, 
and  the  passage  of  course  applied  to  the 
evangelical  labors  of  the  reformers.  The 
fall  of  Babylon,  and  the  warnings  against 
worshipping  the  beast  and  his  image  which 
follow,  may  have  led  to  this  application. 
There  are  other  things,  however,  which 
have  led  me  to  consider  "the  angel  flying 
in  the  midst  of  heaven "  as  sent  to  pagan 
rather  than  to  papal  idolaters. 

It  is  true  we  are  in  danger  of  magnifying 
the  events  of  our  own  times,  and  of  expect- 
ing to  find  things  occupying  a  conspicuous 
place  in  prophecy  which  upon  the  great 
chart  of  the  divine  proceedings  may  have  no 
place,  or  at  most  be  only  as  a  speck.  I  have 
not  sought  however  for  any  thing  which 
might  be  applied  to  the  events  of  present 
times,  nor  interpreted  the  passage  in  any 
other  than  what  appears  to  be  its  most  nat- 
ural meaning. 

There  are  four  characters  pertaining  to 
the  prophecy,  some  of  which  appear  to  be 
inapplicable  to  the  evangelical  labors  of  the 
reformers,  but  which  are  all  applicable  to 
the  attempts  to  evangelize  the  heathen.  1. 
The  parties  to  whom  the  message  is  sent 
are  not  merely  the   nations  of  Europe,  but 

EVERT  NATION,  AND  KINDRED,  AND    TONGUE, 

and  people.  2.  The  message  itself  seems 
to  intimate  that  they  had  hitherto  read  only 
the  book  of  nature,  and  that  without  learn- 
ing from  it   so   much   as   who   made   the 

HEAVENS,  AND  THE  EARTH,  AND  THE  SEA, 
AND  THE  FOUNTAINS  OF  WATERS.   3.  It  is 

supposed  that  when  the  spread  of  the  gos- 
pel should  be  attempted  in  good  earnest,  and 
in  a  humble  dependence  upon  God,  dijficid- 
ties  which  before  seemed  insuperable  would 
subside.  The  church  has  long  felt  too  much 
like  the  unbelieving  Israelites  in  respect  of 
going  up  to  possess  the  promised  land. 
Giants  have  seemed  in  the  way,  and  walls 
reaching  up  to  heaven ;  but,  when  the  work 
is  attempted  in  the  name  of  Christ,  it  is  like 
an  angel  flying  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  whose 
course  none  are  able  to  arrest.  4.  The  tone 
in  which  the  nations  are  addressed  is  solemn 
and  imperious.  "  The  hour  of  his  judgment 
is  come ! "  There  was  something  resem- 
bling this  when  the  gospel  was  first  announc- 
ed. "  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  at  hand." — "  The  times  of  this  ignorance 
God  winked  at ;  but  now  commandeth  all 
men  every  where  to  repent:  because  he 
hath  appointed  a  day  in  the  which  he  will 
judge  the  world  in  righteousness,"  &c. 
The  kingdom  of  the  Messiah  was  then  at 
hand,  but  now  it  draws  near  in  its  most 
extended  form;  and  those  nations  and 
governments  that  will  not  bow  to  him  shall 
be  dashed  in  pieces  as  a  potter's  vessel ! 
It  is  now  coming  to  this,  that  "  All  they  that 
go  down  to  the  dust  shall  bow  before  him  : 
and  none  can  keep  alive  his  own  soul :" — 


60 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


which,  as  our  poet  expresses  it,  is  equal  to    to,  the  time  immediately  preceding  the  fall 


saying 

And  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth 
Shall  worship,  or  shall  die  ! 

The  desire  which  has  been  kindled  of  late 
years  to  carry  the  gospel  among  the  heathen 


of  the  antichristian  power,  and  so  looks  with 
a  severe  aspect  on  those  who  persevere  in 
their  attachment  to  it,  notwithstanding  the 
light  which  will  have  been  diffused  in  the 
world.     They  who  at  any  period  surrender 


does  not  appear  to  be  anobject  unworthy  of  their  consciences  to  human  authority,  and 

a  place  in  prophecy.     It'  has   engaged  the  fully  imbibe  the    antichristian   system,  will 

attention  of  a  larger  portion  of  the  Christian  incur  the  wrath  of  God  :  but  they  who  do 

church,    and  excited   more   earnest  prayer  this  in  the  face  of  that  light  which  by  this 

and  disinterested     exertion,    than   perhaps  time  will   be  spread  through  the  world  will 


any  thing  which  has  occurred  since  the 
Reformation.  Nor  ought  we  to  consider 
what  has  hitherto  been  done  as  any  thing 
more  than  the  commencement  of  the 
angel's  flight.  It  has  indeed  for  its  object 
the  evangelizing  of  "every  nation,  and 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and   people  ;"   but   at 


incur  greater  degrees  of  the  divine  dis- 
pleasure than  those  Avho  have  been  earned 
away  with  it  in  darker  ages.  The  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  verses  would  seem  to  por- 
tend a  time  of  persecution  prior  to  the 
final  overthrow  of  the  antichristian  power ; 
a  time  which  may  be  as  the  last  struggles  of 


present  this  is  far  from  being  accomplished,  the  beast.  This"  is  the  flood  cast  out  of  the 
We  have  seen  enough,  hoAvever,  to  convince  mouth  of  the  dragon  after  the  woman  (ch. 
us  with  what  ease  the  great  God,  by  touch-  xii.  15  ;)  the  gathering  together  of  the  "kings 
ing  the  hearts  of  a  few  individuals,  can  of  the  earth  and  of  the  whole  world  to  the 
accomplish  it.  battle  of  the  great  day  of  God  Almighty 

Ver.  8.  This  is  the  first  time  that  men-  (ch.  xvi.  14  ;)  and  the  tear  made  by  the  beast 
tion  is  made  of  Babylon.  The  allusion  and  the  kings  against  him  who  sat  upon  the 
doubtless  is  to  old  Babylon,  by  which  the  horse,  and  against  his  army. — Chap.  xix.  19. 
church  was  formerly  oppressed  ;  and  to  the  Ver.  14 — 20.  The  angels  have  delivered 
predictions  of  her  fall  as  given  by  the  their  messages,  and  now  the  Lord  himself 
prophets  (Isa.  xxi.  9  ;  Jer.  li.  8  :)  but  the  appears.  He  comes  as  it  were  to  judgment, 
Babylon  here  referred  to  doubtless  is  Rome,  and  to  the  antichristian  party  a  terrible 
considered  as  the  head  of  that  great  anti-  judgment  it  will  be.  Under  the  symbols  of 
christian  community  which  has  corrupted  '  a  harvest  and  a  vintage  is  predicted  its  utter 
the  religion  of  Christ,  and  persecuted  his  overthrow.  Whatever  distinction  there  may 
followers.  be  between  the  one  and  the  other,  both  I 

There  may  be  no  such  immediate  connec-  doubt  not  refer  to  that  series  of  calamities 
tion  between  the  preaching  of  the  everlast-  which  is  reserved  to  destroy  the  beast  and 
ing  gospel  to  the  heathen  world  and  the  fall  his  adherents.  They  refer  to  the  same 
of  antichristian  Babylon  as  that  the  latter  things  which  have  been  noticed  from  ch.  xi. 
should  be  the  effect  of  the  former ;  but  it  18,  when  the  wrath  of  God  was  come,  and 
may  comport  with  the  wisdom  of  God  to  the  time  of  the  dead  that  they  should  be 
render  it  a  concomitant.  When  the  ser-  avenged,  and  those  destroyed  who  had  long 
vants  of  Christ  lay  themselves  out  for  his  destroyed  the  earth.  This  being  a  general 
name  in  one  way,  it  is  not  unusual  with  him  description  of  events  which  will  be  more 
to  promote  the  same  general  object  in  particularly  set  forth  under  the  pouring  out 
another.  If  we  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  of  the  vials,  we  shall  find  them  again  under 
God  and  his  righteousness,  temporal  bless-  "  the  battle  of  Armageddon,  or  the  great 
ings  are  added  unto  us  ;  and  thus  if  we  lay  day  of  God  Almighty  "  (ch.  xvi. ; )  also  in 
ourselves  out  in  extending  his  cause  among  the  "  supper  of  the  Great  God,"  to  which 
the  heathen,  he  may  at  the  same  time,  by  the  fowls  are  invited,  and  in  which  "the  beast 
his  providence,  be  working  in  another  quar-  and  the  false  prophet  are  taken." — Ch.  xix. 
ter  the  overthrow  of  that  which  is  opposed  One  thing  is  remarkable  in  both  the  har- 
to  it.  vest  and  the  vintage,  they  indicate  that  the 

The  cry  of  the  angel  does  not  denote  that  papal  abominations  shall  be  ripe,  fully  ripe. 
Babylon  would  be  immediately  and  entirely  There  is  a  tendency  to  maturity  in  both 
destroyed  at  this  time  ;  for,  if  so,  the  warn-  good  and  evil,  in  individuals  and  communi- 
ings  of  the  third  angel,  which  follow,  would  ties,  and  even  in  the  world  itself.  Popery 
be  unnecessary.  Besides,  it  is  by  the  matured  is  Infidelity.  To  this  it  tends,  and 
harvest  and  the  vintage,  towards  the  close  of  here  it  will  probably  land  the  great  body  of 
the  chapter,  that  the  overthrow  will  be  its  adherents.  I  see  no  solid  ground  for 
effected.  But  the  church  is  here  called  Mr.  Faber's  hypothesis  of  an  infidel  king, 
upon  to  expect  it,  and  to  observe  the  course  any  more  than  of  an  infidel  antichrist,  the 
of  events,  as  preparing  the  way  for  it.  historical  exposition  of  the  eleventh  chapter 

Ver.  9 — 13.  This  is  the  language  of  of  Daniel  by  Pride aux  (Connection  Part  II. 
solemn  warning.  It  is  addressed  to  all  Book  II.,  III.)  appearing  to  me  to  be  the 
whom  it  concerns,  good  and  bad,  especially  true  one  ;  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  infidelity 
to  those  who  live  at  the  time  here  referred    is,  and  will  be,  the  distinguishing  feature  of 


INTRODUCTION    TO    THE    VIAL3. 


61 


the  last  times.  What  is  said  of  the  "  scoff- 
ers of  the  last  times  "  is  indeed  descriptive 
of  what  we  daily  witness  ;  hut  it  is  only  of 
individuals  that  these  things  are  spoken. 
Infidelity  does  not  appear  to  be  symbolized 
in  the  Scriptures,  either  by  a  beast,  a  horn, 
or  a  king :  it  is  merely  the  papal  beast  grown 
old,  or  popery  as  having  produced  its  proper 
fruits,  which  fruits  may  be  the  appointed 
means  of  its  destruction. 


DISCOURSE  XXII. 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  VIALS. 

Rev.  XV. 

Three  general  descriptions  having  been 
given  of  the  antichristian  power,  each  of 
which  carried  us  to  the  end  of  the  1260  years, 
the  series  of  the  prophecy  from  the  time  of 
the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet  is  now 
resumed.  This  trumpet,  it  has  been  observ- 
ed before,  wears  a  two-fold  aspect.  It  is 
partly  a  woe-trumpet,  and  partly  the  har- 
binger of  joy.  The  seven  vials  are  a  part 
of  it,  and  answer  to  the  former  view.  The 
other  part  comprehends  the  success  of  the 
gospel  preparatory  to  the  Millennium,  the 
Millennium  itself,  and  all  that  follows  to  the 
end  of  the  prophecy,  and  answers  to  the 
latter  view.  At  present  we  are  to  consider 
it  as  a  woe-trumpet,  or  as  comprehending 
the  seven  vials ;  which,  containing  a  more 
particular  account  of  the  judgments  already 
hinted  at  towards  the  end  of  the  general  de- 
scriptions, will,  like  them,  bring  us  to  the 
close  of  the  1260  years. 

The  angels  with  the  vials  are  called  "a 
sign  in  heaven,  great  and  marvellous,"  be- 
cause the  judgments  which  follow  are  signal 
and  fearful,  and  the  times  very  eventful,  so 
as  deeply  to  interest  the  church  of  God. 

The  seven  vials  are  denominated  "the 
seven  last  plagues,  in  ivhich  will  be  filed  up 
the  ivrath  of  God."  This  supposes  that  in 
various  instances  God  had  already  poured 
forth  his  wrath  upon  these  antichristian 
powers,  but  that  this  should  be  the  finish- 
ing blow.  Hence  it  follows  that  we  are 
not  to  consider  these  vials  as  including  all 
those  plagues  which  at  different  periods 
have  been  poured  upon  the  antichristian 
party,  but  merely  those  ivhich  shall  bring  it  to 
its  end.  As  the  vials  are  a  subdivision  of 
the  third  and  last  Avoe-trumpet,  they  could 
not  begin  to  be  poured  out  till  that  trumpet 
was  sounded :  and,  as  they  are  emphatically 
called  the  seven  last  plagues,  they  must  refer 
to  the  latter  end  of  the  1260  years.  In 
short,  they  are  the  particulars  of  what  was 
signified  under  the  general  representations 
by  God's  wrath  being  come,  and  the  time  of 
the  dead  that  they  should  be  avenged — and 
by  the  harvest  and  the  vintage. — Ch.  xi.  xiv. 
All  those  expositions  of  the  vials,  there- 


fore, which  suppose  them  to  have  been  pour- 
ing out  at  different  periods  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  1260  years,  appear  to  me  to  be 
founded  in  mistake.  The  farthest  point  to 
which  we  can  look  back  for  the  commence- 
ment of  these  calamities  may  be  found  to 
be  within  the  last  five-and-twenty  years. — 
Ver.  1. 

The  "  sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire"  is 
the  same  which  is  said  in  ch.  iv.  6  to  have 
been  before  the  throne.  It  is  opposed,  I 
conceive,  to  that  perturbed  element  from 
which  the  beast  arose  ;  and  describes  the 
pure,  calm,  and  triumphant  state  of  those 
who  have  overcome.  The  striking  up  of 
the  heavenly  choir  on  this  occasion  was  to 
express  the  great  good  that  should  arise 
from  these  evils.  The  song  they  sing  is 
that  of  "Moses  and  the  Lamb."  As  the 
song  of  Moses  at  the  Red  Sea  magnified  the 
victory  of  the  Lord  over  the  Egyptians,  so 
this  song  will  celebrate  the  triumph  of  the 
Lamb  and  of  his  followers  over  enemies  of 
a  similar  character.  If  the  works  of  God  in 
redeeming  his  people  from  the  long  and  hard 
bondage  of  Egypt  were  "  great  and  marvel- 
lous," much  more  so  would  they  be  in  de- 
livering his  saints  from  the  long  and  hard 
bondage  of  "  that  great  city  which  is  spirit- 
ually called  Egypt;"  and,  if  his  "ways  were 
just  and  true"  in  the  former  instance,  they 
would  be  still  more  manifestly  so  in  the 
latter. — Ver.  2,  3. 

It  is  not  in  malignity  towards  any  crea- 
ture, but  in  love  to  God,  whose  honor  had  for 
so  long  a  time  been  trampled  under  foot, 
that  these  heavenly  minds  rejoice ;  not  for 
the  evil  considered  as  evil,  but  for  the  good 
that  should  arise  from  it.  Hence,  anticipat- 
ing the  righteousness  which  the  world  shall 
learn  when  these  judgments  are  abroad  in 
the  earth,  they  triumphantly  ask,  "  Who  shall 
not  fear  thee,  O  Lord,  and  glorify  thy  name  ? 
for  thou  only  art  holy :  for  all  nations  shall 
come  and  worship  before  thee ;  for  thy 
judgments  are  made  manifest."  By  this  lan- 
guage we  are  given  to  expect  that  the  judg- 
ments on  the  antichristian  powers,  in  connec- 
tion ivith  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  will 
contribute  to  the  universal  spread  of  true  re- 
ligion over  the  face  of  the  earth. — Ver.  4. 

As  the  throne  of  the  God  of  Israel  was  in 
the  holy  of  holies,  so  his  throne  in  heaven 
is  described  as  in  his  temple  ;  and  as,  when 
the  high-priest  entered  into  the  former  once 
a  year,  he  saw  the  ark  of  the  testimony,  so, 
the  heavenly  temple  being  opened,  the 
apostle  looked  and  saw  the  seven  angels 
come  out  from  before  the  throne,  as  having 
received  their  commissions.  They  are  de- 
scribed as  "  clothed  in  pure  and  white  linen, 
and  having  their  breasts  girded  with  golden 
girdles."  Nothing  could  better  express  the 
state  of  their  minds  in  executing  the  divine 
displeasure.  God  had  sometimes  employed 
evil  angels  to  execute  his  will,  even  towards 


62 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


his  own  people,  as  in  the  case  of  Job,  and 
in  such  instances  they  have  been  certain  to 
discover  their  malignity.  But  when  good 
angels  execute  the  divine  will,  though  it  be 
upon  his  worst  enemies,  they  have  no  ma- 
lignant bitterness,  but  are  influenced  purely 
by  the  love  of  God  and  righteousness. — 
Ver.  5,  6. 

Next  to  the  description  of  the  messengers 
follows  the  delivering  to  them  their  respec- 
tive messages  ;  and  this  was  from  the  hand 
of  one  of  the  four  living  creatures  who  rep- 
resented redeemed  men.  God  does  not 
usually  employ  his  people  in  this  world  to 
overthrow  either  corrupt  churches  or  anti- 
christian  governments.  This  is  a  kind  of 
work  not  suited  to  them.  They  must,  how- 
ever, have  some  concern  in  it.  Their  prayers 
for  deliverance  are  answered  by  terrible 
things  in  righteousness  upon  their  persecu- 
tors; and  to  all  the  judgments  of  God  they 
must  add  their  cordial  Amen. — Ver.  7. 

The  effect  of  the  delivery  of  these  mes- 
sages is  described  as  "filling  the  temple 
with  smoke  from  the  glory  of  God,  and  from 
his  power,  so  that  no  man  could  enter  it." 
"This  cloud  (says  Dr.  Guyse)  appeared  like 
a  thick  smoke,  awfully  glorious,  which  was 
a  symbol  of  the  divine  vengeance  (Ps.  xviii. 
8,)  as  going  forth  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  be  executed  by  the  glory  of  his 
power,  in  the  destruction  of  Antichrist ;  even 
as  the  cloud  on  the  tabernacle  was  of  his 
dreadful  judgment  upon  Korah,  Dathan,  and 
Abiram,  and  the  murmuring  Israelites 
(Numb.  xvi.  19,  43;)  and  as  Moses  could 
not  enter  into  the  tabernacle,  nor  the 
priests  stand  to  minister  in  the  temple,  while 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  house  of 
the  Lord  (Exod.  xl.  35 ;  1  Kings  viii.  11 ;) 
so  no  one  could  enter  into  this  heavenly 
temple  to  intercede  for  the  preventing  of 
these  grievous  calamities  upon  the  beast : 
none  were  suffered  to  do  this,  that  judgment 
must  have  its  free  course,  till  all  the  seven 
punishments  to  be  inflicted  by  the  ministry 
of  the  seven  angels  were  fully  executed  in 
their  order." 


DISCOURSE  XXIII. 

ON  THE  VIALS. 

Rev.  xvi.  1—9. 

I  enter  upon  this  part  of  the  subject  with 
diffidence,  because  I  consider  the  events 
predicted  as  mostly  future ;  and  the  exposi- 
tion of  unfulfilled  prophecy,  especially  when 
couched  under  symbolical  language,  is  rare- 
ly accurate.  When  in  looking  at  a  symbol 
we  compare  it  with  facts,  we  can  judge  of 
the  one  as  being  designed  to  predict  the  oth- 
er:  but,  in  looking  at  the  symbols  without  the 
facts,  we  can  seldom  make  much  out  in  ex- 
plaining them.    Nor  does  it  appear  to  have 


been  the  design  of  prophecy  to  enable  us  to 
foresee  things  with  any  considerable  degree 
of  precision  ;  but  to  keep  up  a  general  hope 
before  the  accomplishment,  and  to  strength- 
en our  faith  after  it. 

Ver.  1.  Before  entering  on  particulars  I 
shall  offer  two  or  three  general  remarks: — 

First :  Some  of  these  "  plagues,"  and  it 
may  be  the  greater  part  of  them,  will  consist 
in  ivars  between  the  nations  of  Christendom. 
Such  is  doubtless  the  meaning  of  those  in 
which  mention  is  made  of  "  blood,"  and  of 
the  "  battle  of  Armageddon,  the  great  day  of 
God  Almighty."  It  is  thus  that  the  nations 
which  have  shed  the  blood  of  his  saints  will 
have  blood  given  them  to  drink  ! 

Secondly :  As  the  grand  design  of  these 
wars  is  the  destruction  of  the  antichristian 
hierarchy,  they  may  be  expected  to  have  a 
providential  direction  given  to  them,  causing 
them  to  bear  more  especially  upon  that  ob- 
ject. If  this  remark  be  just,  it  furnishes  a 
presumption  that  the  vials  have  been  pouring 
out  for  the  last  twenty  years.  As  a  fire  kin- 
dled in  a  city  has  a  direction  given  to  its 
ravages,  by  the  wind,  or  by  some  other 
means ;  so  Providence  has  caused  the  deso- 
lations of  the  Continent  to  bear  principally, 
though  not  entirely,  upon  the  papal  cause. 

Thirdly :  The  resemblances  between  the 
vials  and  the  trumpets  may  throw  more  light 
upon  the  subject  than  any  other  medium  of 
which  we  are  in  possession.  It  is  a  fact  very 
remarkable  that  each  of  the  seven  trumpets 
has  a  point  of  resemblance  to  one  of  the  sev- 
en vials — For  example,  The  first  trumpet 
affected  the  earth ;  and  so  does  the  first  vial.* 
The  second  trumpet  turned  the  sea  into  blood  ; 
and  the  second  vial  was  poured  out  upon  the 
sea,  which  became  as  the  blood  of  a  dead 
man.  f  The  third  trumpet  affected  the  riv- 
ers and  fountains  of  water  ;  and  so  does  the 
third  vial,  J  The  fourth  trumpet  respected 
the  sun  ;  and  the  fourth  vial  does  the  same.§ 
The  fifth  trumpet  was  followed  by  darkness 
and  pain ;  and  such  were  the  effects  of  the 
fifth  vial.  ||  The  sixth  trumpet  was  complex, 
relating  partly  to  the  depredations  of  the 
Euphratean  horsemen  in  the  east,  and  partly 
to  the  idolatries  and  persecutions  of  the 
beast  and  his  associates  in  the  west ;  and  so 
is  the  sixth  vial,  relating  partly  to  the  Eu- 
phratean waters  being  dried  up,  and  partly 
to  the  battle  of  Armageddon,  by  which  the 
cause  of  the  beasts  will  be  ruined.H  Finally, 
The  seventh  trumpet  presents  a  closing 
scene ;  and  so  does  the  seventh  vial.  *  These 
resemblances  cannot  be  accidental.  Though 
they  refer  to  events,  therefore,  more  than  a 

*Comp.  ch.  viii.  7,  xvi.  2. 

t  Ch.  viii.  8,  xvi.  3. 

fCh.  viii.  10,  11,  xvi.  4. 

§  Ch.  viii.  12,  xvi.  8,  9. 

||  Ch.  ix.  1-3,  xvi.  10. 

IT  Comp.  ch.  ix.  14,  xi.  14,  xvi.  12—16. 

*  Ch.  xi.   15,  xvi.  17. 


ON   THE    VIALS. 


63 


thousand  years  distant  from  each  other,  yet 
there  must  be  some  important  points  of  like- 
ness between  them  ;  and  as  the  trumpets  are 
all,  except  the  last,  fulfilled,  we  may  by 
means  of  them  form  some  judgment  of  the 
vials  which  yet  may  be  unfulfilled. 

It  is  on  this  principle  that  Dr.  Gill  seems 
to  have  proceeded  in  expounding  the  vials. 
"  The  first  vial,"  says  he,  "  will  be  poured 
out  upon  the  earth,  and  designs  those  popish 
countries  which  are  upon  the  continent,  as 
France  and  Germany,  especially  the  latter  : 
and,  as  the  first  trumpet  brought  the  Goths 
into  Germany,  so  the  first  vial  will  bring 
great  distress  upon  the  popish  party  in  the 
empire. — The  second  vial  will  be  poured  upon 
the  sea,  and  may  intend  the  maritime  powers 
belonging  to  the  church  of  Rome,  particular- 
ly Spain  and  Portugal :  and,  as  the  second 
trumpet  brought  the  Vandals  into  these 
places,  so  this  vial  will  affect  the  same,  and 
bring  wars  and  desolations  into  them. — The 
third  vial  will  be  poured  out  upon  the  rivers 
and  fountain  of  ivaters,  which  may  point  to 
those  places  adjacent  to  Rome,  as  Italy  and 
Savoy  :  and,  as  the  third  trumpet  brought 
the  Huns  into  those  parts,  so  this  vial  will 
bring  in  large  armies  hither,  which  will 
cause  much  bloodshed,  and  a  great  revolution 
in  church  and  state."* 

This  comment  on  the  vials,  founded  upon 
their  analogy  with  the  trumpets,  bids  fair,  in 
my  judgment,  to  be  the  true  one  ;  especially 
that  on  the  first  three  which  has  just  been 
quoted. 

The  doctor  adds — "As  yet  I  take  it  none 
of  them  are  poured  out,  though  some  great 
and  learned  men  have  thought  otherwise. 
As  yet  there  have  been  no  such  devastations 
on  the  continent,  as  in  France  and  Germany, 
as  to  produce  the  above  effects  ;  nor  in  the 
countries  of  Spain,  Portugal,  &c."  This 
was  doubtless  the  case  in  1752,  the  year  in 
which  the  sermon  from  which  the  above  ex- 
tract is  made  was  printed,  but  this  is  more 
than  can  be  said  in  1810  ! 

Ver.  2.  If  by  the  "  earth  "  be  meant  "  the 
continent,  as  France  and  Germany,  especially 
the  latter"  (and  I  know  of  no  interpretation 
more  natural,)  we  have  certainly  seen  a  suc- 
cession of  evils  falling  upon  the  men  who"  had 
the  mark  of  the  beast,"  first  in  France,  and 
after  that  in  Germany,  grievous  as  the  most 
"noisome  sores,"  and  like  them  indicative 
of  a  state  of  corruption  and  approaching 
dissolution. 

_  Ver.  3.  If  this  vial  respect  the  papal  man- 
time  nations,  particularly  Spain  and  Portugal 
(and  here  also  I  know  of  no  interpretation 
more  natural,)  we  have  seen  a  commence- 
ment of  things  in  those  countries,  but  have 
not  yet  seen  the  issue.  What  it  will  be  God 
knoweth.     Whether  this   or  that  political 

*  Sermon  on  The  Glory  of  the  Church  in  the 
latter  Day,   pp.  12—15.     ' 


party  prevail,  it  will  be  a  plague,  and  a  plague 
that  will  tend  to  accomplish  the  ruin  of  the 
antichristian  cause. 

There  is  a  circumstance  of  additional  hor- 
ror in  this  vial,  which  was  not  in  its  corres- 
ponding trumpet :  the  blood  into  which  this 
"sea"  would  be  turned  is  described  as  stag- 
nant, "as  the  blood  of  a  dead  man;"  as 
though  such  a  quantity  should  be  shed  as  not 
only  to  tinge,  but  to  congeal  the  ocean,  turn- 
ing it  as  it  were  into  a  putrid  mass  ! 

Ver.  4 — 7.  If  the  rivers  and  fountains  of 
ivaters  denote  "  Italy  and  Savoy,"  these 
countries  may  be  expected  to  be  the  scene 
of  the  next  great  convulsions  which  shall  agi- 
tate Europe.  And,  if  it  be  so,  it  may  be  a 
just  retribution  for  the  blood  of  the  Waldens- 
es,  which  was  there  shed  in  shocking  profu- 
sion for  many  successive  centuries. 

The  responsive  language  of  the  angels  on 
this  occasion  accords  with  such  an  interpre- 
tation, and  is  exceedingly  impressive.  It 
shows  in  what  light  the  persecution  of  the 
faithful  is  viewed  in  heaven.  This  sin  im- 
plies such  a  hatred  of  God  and  his  image  as 
would,  if  he  were  within  reach,  dethrone  and 
kill  him !  Unjust  war  is  a  great  sin :  it  is 
murder  on  an  extended  scale :  yet  it  is  not 
to  be  named  in  comparison  of  persecution 
for  Christ's  sake.  The  one  is  destroying 
God's  natural  image  ;  but  the  other  is  aimed 
at  his  moral  image.  In  the  former  "the 
potsherd  striveth  with  the  potsherds  of  the 
earth : "  but  in  the  latter  man  striveth  with 
his  Maker  !  This  was  the  sin  which  crowned 
the  wicked  life  of  Herod  the  tetrarch,  who 
to  all  his  other  crimes  "  added  this,  above  all, 
that  he  shut  up  John  in  prison  ! "  Blood 
shed  in  persecution  of  God's  servants  hath 
a  cry  which  must  sooner  or  later  be  heard. 
The  persecutions  of  former  ages  may  be 
forgotten  by  men :  but  he  "  who  is,  and  was, 
and  shall  be "  will  not  forget  them.  The 
judgments  of  our  own  times  are  examples  of 
this  :  all  Europe,  previously  to  the  Reforma- 
tion, was  stained  with  the  blood  of  the  mar- 
tyrs ;  and,  since  that  memorable  era,  France 
and  Germany,  and  Spain,  and  Portugal,  and 
Italy ,  have  been  deeply  engaged  in  that  impi- 
ous practice.  Is  it  surprising  then  that  all  Eu- 
rope in  measure,  and  those  nations  in  par- 
ticular which  have  persisted  in  it,  should  be 
made  to  drink  the  bloody  draught  ?  While 
we  feel,  and  ought  to  feel,  for  suffering 
humanity,  it  is  not  for  us  to  join  with  the 
merchants  of  the  earth  in  their  wailings  ;  but 
rather  with  the  angels  in  heaven,  saying, 
"Thou  art  righteous,  O  Lord,  because  thou 
hast  judged  thus !  " 

Ver.  8,  9.  In  discoursing  upon  the  trum- 
pets it  was  observed  that  the  Roman  empire, 
then  become  the  seat  of  Christianity,  was 
considered  as  a  world  of  itself;  having  not 
only  its  earth,  its  sea,  and  its  rivers,  but  its 
sun,  and  moon,  and  stars ;  symbols  of  its  su- 
preme and  subordinate  governments. — Ch. 


64 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


viii.  G — 12.  When'the  sun  was  eclipsed, 
on  the  sounding  of  the  fourth  trumpet,  it 
signified  the  fall  of  the  imperial  authority : 
but  the  fourth  vial,  though  poured  upon  the 
sun,  yet,  unlike  its  corresponding  trumpet, 
does  not  terminate  upon  it,  but  upon  the 
people  on  whom  it  shines.  The  sun  here, 
instead  of  being  eclipsed,  or  having  its 
power  diminished,  has  it  increased.  Its 
heat  is  rendered  more  intense,  so  as  to  be- 
come a  plague  to  those  who  are  under  its 
influence. 

By  the  "  sun"  is  undoubtedly  to  be  under- 
stood the  supreme  secular  government  of 
what  is  called  the  Holy  Roman  Empire, 
which  is  denominated  the  beast,  and  distin- 
guished by  its  carrying  or  supporting  the 
harlot.  Its  scorching  heat  cannot  be  under- 
stood of  the  persecution  of  the  faithful ; 
for  they  would  not  "  blaspheme  "  under  it. 
It  would  seem,  therefore,  to  be  the  galling 
tyranny  by  which  the  adherents  of  the  beast 
will  be  oppressed  :  while  yet  they  repent  not 
of  their  deeds. 


DISCOURSE  XXIV. 

THE      VIALS      CONTINUED. 

Rev.  xvi.  10—21. 

Ver.  10,  11.  By  the  "beast"  we  have 
all  along  understood  that  secular  govern- 
ment which  at  the  head  of  the  other  Euro- 
pean governments  has  supported  the  papal 
Antichrist.  This  certainly  has  not  been  the 
imperial  government  of  France,  but  of  Ger- 
many, to  which  therefore  the  character  of 
the  beast  belongs.  The  station  from  which 
his  influence  and  authority  proceeds  will  be 
his  "  seat,"  or  throne,  or  we  may  say  his 
den ;  and  that  which  the  swellings  of  Jor- 
dan were  to  the  lions  which  made  their  dens 
amongst  the  thickets  growing  upon  its  mar- 
gin (Jer.  xlix.  19,)  that  will  this  plague  be 
to  him,  causing  him,  if  not  to  quit  his  den 
with  bowlings,  yet  to  be  very  miserable  in 
it.  This  is  intimated  by  his  "  kingdom  being 
full  of  darkness,"  and  by  their  "  gnawing 
their  tongues  for  pain."  The  supporters  of 
the  papal  cause  will  be  confounded.  Dark- 
ness and  anguish  will  come  upon  them.  Yet 
being  given  up,  like  Pharaoh,  to  hardness  of 
heart,  they  will  continue  to  blaspheme  the 
God  of  heaven,  and  will  not  repent  of  their 
deeds.  These  blasphemies  and  this  perse- 
verance in  impenitence  are  sure  signs  of  its 
being  the  determination  of  Heaven  to  de- 
stroy them.  Individuals  may  repent  and 
escape  ;  but  as  a  community  they  are  ap- 
pointed to  utter  destruction. 

Ver.  12 — 16.  This  vial,  so  far  as  respects 
the  temporal  dominion  of  Christ's  enemies, 
possesses  a  final  character ;  and  seems  partly 
to  respect  the  overthrow  of  the  Turkish 
power,  signified  by  the  "  drying  up  of  the 


waters  of  the  Euphrates,"  and  partly  that  of 
the  papal,  signified  by  the  battle  of  "Arma- 
geddon," or  of  that  "  great  day  of  God  Al- 
mighty." 

With  regard  to  the  first,  as  the  sixth  trum- 
pet respected  the  rise  of  the  Turkish  power 
to  punish  the  eastern  church,  so  the  sixth 
vial  seems  to  denote  its  overthrow,  along 
witli  that  of  the  western  church.  The  dry- 
ing up  of  waters  fitly  expresses  that  diminu- 
tion of  strength  and  defence  in  a  nation 
-which  issues  in  destruction.  Thus,  when 
God  would  destroy  Babylon,  he  saith,  "  A 
drought  is  upon  her  waters,  and  they  shall 
be  dried  up — I  will  dry  up  her  sea,  and  will 
make  her  springs  dry.  And  Babylon  shall 
become  heaps,  a  dwelling-place  for  dragons, 
an  astonishment  and  a  hissing,  without  an 
inhabitant."  "  The  kings  of  the  east "  may 
denote  those  who  shall  be  employed  in  over- 
throwing this  power,  as  the  armies  of  Cyrus 
and  Darius,  on  the  waters  of  the  Euphrates 
being  diverted,  were  employed  in  overthrow- 
ing Babylon. 

I  have  expressed  a  doubt  whether  either 
the  doctrines  or  the  wars  of  Mahomed 
would  have  had  a  place  in  this  prophecy  but 
for  their  relation  to  the  Christian  church  (on 
ch.  ix.  13 — 21 ;  )  and  I  think  it  questionable 
whether  the  downfall  of  the  Turks  would 
have  been  noticed  but  on  the  same  account. 
This  was  the  reason  of  so  much  being  said 
of  old  Babylon.  She  might  have  risen  and 
fallen  unnoticed  by  the  prophets,  if  she  had 
had  nothing  to  do  with  Jerusalem.  But 
though  she  was  an  instrument  in  God's  hand 
in  purging  that  corrupted  city,  yet  seeing 
she  "meant  not  so,"  but  set  herself  against 
God  himself,  it  required  that  she  should  in 
the  end  be  overthrown,  and  that  her  over- 
throw should  be  marked  in  prophecy.  In 
like  manner,  though  Mahomed  and  his  fol- 
lowers were  instruments  in  punishing  a 
corrupt  part  of  the  Christian  church,  yet 
seeing  they  meant  not  so,  but  set  themselves 
against  Christ  himself,  they  also  shall  be 
overthrown,  and  their  overthrow  is  marked  in 
prophecy. 

With  regard  to  the  second  part  of  this 
vial,  or  that  which  respects  the  papal  powers, 
this  is  the  most  tremendous.  This  is  the 
last  struggle  of  the  beast  and  his  adherents, 
and  it  will  issue  in  their  utter  overthrow. 
This  is  "the  great  day  of  God  Almighty;" 
the  same  as  the  harvest  and  the  vintage  in 
chap,  xiv.,  and  the  "  taking  of  the  beast  and 
the  false  prophet "  in  chap.  xix. 

Preparatory  to  this  great  day  we  have  the 
mustering  of  the  forces. — "  Three  unclean 
spirits  like  frogs"  are  described  as  going 
forth  amongst  the  nations,  to  gather  them  to- 
gather  ;  one  from  the  mouth  of  the  dragon, 
another  from  that  of  the  beast,  and  another 
from  that  of  the  false  prophet.  These 
spirits  may  denote  the  corrupt  principles 
which  shall  be  disseminated  in  the  earth, 


THE    LAST    THREE    VIALS. 


65 


tending  to  deceive  and  destroy  mankind. 
As  the  dragon  is  described  as  the  grand 
mover  of  all  these  mischiefs,  as  he  is  not 
said  to  be  taken  with  the  beast  and  the  false 
prophet  in  chap,  xix.,  and  is  denominated 
"  that  old  serpent  the  devil  and  Satan,"  I 
consider  him  as  a  being  of  a  different  order 
from  either  of  them ;  and,  as  the  unclean 
spirit  which  proceeded  from  the  dragon  may 
be  supposed  to  correspond  with  his  charac- 
ter, it  may  be  a  spirit  of  diabolical  malignity 
against  God  and  true  religion. — The  beast 
being  understood  of  the  last  head  of  the 
Roman  empire,  the  great  supporter  of 
popery,  the  unclean  spirit  proceeding  out  of 
his  mouth  may  be  that  which  assumes  the 
place  of  God  in  the  consciences  of  men,  and 
converts  Christianity  into  an  engine  of  state 
policy. — The  false  prophet,  though  designa- 
ted by  a  new  name,  appears  to  be  the  same 
power  that  was  represented  in  chap.  xiii. 
by  the  two-horned  beast,  and  in  2  Thes.  ii.  3 
by  "  the  man  of  sin."  This  is  evident  from 
the  character  of  each  being  the  same.  The 
coming  of  the  man  of  sin  was  to  be  with 
"signs  and  lying  wonders."  The  two- 
horned  beast  "  deceived  them  that  dwell  on 
the  earth  by  means  of  his  miracles  ;  "  and 
amongst  the  operations  of  the  three  evil 
spirits  mention  is  made  of  "  miracles,"  which 
seem  to  pertain  to  the  false  prophet.  The 
man  of  sin,  the  two-horned  beast,  and  the 
false  prophet,  therefore  are  the  same  ;  name- 
ly, the  papal  hierarchy,  or  the  community 
of  which  the  pope  is  the  head.  The  evil 
spirit  proceeding  out  of  his  mouth  may  be 
that  of  blind  zeal,  and  religious  imposture. 

These  three  evil  spirits,  discordant  as  they 
may  be  in  some  respects,  will  be  united  in 
their  opposition  to  true  religion.  Hence  in 
the  great  battle  wherein  the  beast  and  the 
false  prophet  are  taken  (chap,  xix.,)  and 
which,  as  has  been  observed,  is  the  same  as 
this  at  Armageddon,  the  whole  triumvirate 
is  engaged  "  against  him  that  sat  on  the 
horse,  and  against  his  army."  It  will  be  a 
character,  it  seems,  of  these  times,  that  the 
friends  and  enemies  of  Christ  will  be  nearer 
together  than  they  have  been  wont  to  be : 
irreligion  and  false  religion  will  unite  their 
standards  and  fight  with  neither  small  nor 
great  but  with  Christ  and  his  adherents. 
Where  men  agree  in  the  grand  outlines  of 
false  doctrine,  and  conceive  themselves  to 
meet  in  their  political  interests,  they  can 
easily  overlook  other  differences. 

It  seems  as  if  a  spirit  of  infatuation,  like 
that  in  Pharaoh  and  his  host  at  the  Red  Sea, 
would  possess  the  enemies  of  Christ  prior  to 
this  their  last  overthrow.  The  kings  of  the 
earth  are  gathered  together,  partly  by  hatred 
of  God  and  religion  (the  spirit  of  the  dra- 
gon,) partly  by  the  desire  of  subjugating 
both  to  political  purposes  (the  spirit  of  the 


beast,)  and  partly  by  blind  zeal  and  reli- 
gious imposture  (the  spirit  of  the  false  pro- 
phet,) and  being  assembled  will  direct  all 
their  force  against  God  and  his  cause.  In 
what  particular  mode  their  hostility  will  be 
manifested,  and  by  what  means  Christ  will 
prevail  against  them,  it  is  too  much  for  us  to 
determine.  The  former  may  be  by  direct 
persecution,  or,  if  by  war,  it  will  be  one 
whose  object  shall  be  to  exterminate  the 
true  religion ;  and  the  latter  may  be  by 
turning  their  hearts  one  against  another. 
Though  they  have  been  gathered  together, 
and  have  unitedly  engaged  in  this  notable 
enterprise,  yet,  finding  it  unsuccessful,  they 
may  fall  out  witli  one  another.  The  spirit 
of  the  dragon  may  prevail  over  that  of  the 
beast  and  that  of  the  false  prophet,  and  he 
may  think  to  govern  the  world  without  them. 
The  antichristian  kings  also,  perceiving  how 
things  are  going,  may  be  for  joining  the 
strongest  side.  But,  if  so,  they  will  find 
themselves  deceived.  The  next  vial  will 
purify  the  world  of  their  baleful  influences, 
and  the  angel  with  a  great  chain  in  his  hand 
stands  ready  to  lay  hold  on  the  dragon 
himself  and  to  cast  him  into  the  bottomless 
pit. 

The  warning  language  addressed  to  the 
faithful  (ver.  15)  seems  to  intimate  that  these 
important  events  will  come  upon  men  unex- 
pectedly, and  that  many  will  be  stripped  by 
them  of  their  professions  and  prospects. 
Blessed  are  they  whose  religion  will  stand 
the  test  of  such  times  of  trial. 

Ver.  17 — 21.  As  the  sixth  vial  has  issued 
in  the  overthrow  of  the  temporal  power  of 
Antichrist,  the  seventh  seems  to  respect  its 
spiritual  dominion,  or  the  hold  which  it  has 
on  the  minds  of  men.* 

The  moral  atmosphere  of  the  world  has 
long  been  polluted  by  false  religion,  from 
which  it  seems  to  be  the  object  of  this  vial 
to  cleanse  it  as  by  a  thunder-storm,  which 
thunder-storm  produces  a  great  earthquake, 
and  this  the  falling  to  pieces  of  the  great 
antichristian  city,  and  other  cities  with  it. 
The  face  of  the  world  hence  becomes  chang- 
ed, and  the  wrath  of  God  pursues,  as  by  a 
terrible  hail-storm,  the  men  who  repent  not 
of  their  deeds. 

Nor  will  this  purification  of  the  moral  at- 
mosphere be  confined  to  Christendom,  but 
will  extend  to  the  whole  earth.  Paganism, 
Mahomedism,  apostate  Judaism,  and  every 
thing  which  stands  opposed  to  the  truth, 
shall  now  be  driven  out  of  the  world.  An 
"  earthquake  "  is  the  well-known  symbol  of 

*That  these  are  very  distinct  we  need  go  no  fur- 
ther than  Ireland  for  proof.  Popery  has  there 
long  existed,  not  only  without  the  aid  of  temporal 
power,  but  in  a  manner  against  it  :  yet  there  are 
few  if  any  countries  where  it  has  faster  hold  en  the 
minds  of  men. 


Vol.  2.--Sig.  9. 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


a  revolution ;  and  so  great  and  mighty  a  re- 
volution of  religious  principle  may  well  jus- 
tify the  description  given  of  it.  And  now, 
a  voice  out  of  the  temple  of  heaven,  even 
from  the  throne  of  God,  is  heard,  saying, 
"  it  is  done  ! "  The  threatening  of  the 
angel  in  chap.  x.  7  is  accomplished — the 
12b0  years  are  ended — the  mystery  of 
God  is  finished  ! 

As  this  vial  seems  to  be  wholly  of  a 
spiritual  nature,  the  "  thunders,  and  light- 
nings, and  earthquake,  and  hail,"  do  not 
seem  to  refer  to  wars,  or  to  any  other  tem- 
poral calamities,  but  it  may  be  to  the  effects 
of  truth,  and  to  those  spiritual  judgments 
which  will  fall  on  them  who  continue  to  re- 
ject it.  The  body  of  Antichrist,  as  I  may 
say,  will  be  destroyed  by  the  temporal  sword, 
as  described  under  the  preceding  vial ;  but 
the  "  spirit  of  Christ's  mouth  "  shall  destroy 
his  spirit.  Such  from  the  beginning  was  the 
doom  passed  upon  that  wicked  one  ;  and 
such  is  the  punishment  of  those  who  escape 
in  the  great  battle  wherein  the  beast  and 
false  prophet  shall  be  taken,  but  who  repent 
not  of  their  deeds :  they  shall  be  "  slain 
with  the  sword  of  him  that  sat  upon  the 
horse,  which  sword  proceedeth  out  of  his 
mouth." — Chap.  xix.  21. 

The  city  being  "divided  into  three  parts," 
as  by  an  earthquake,  denotes  I  think  the 
breaking  up  of  the  papal  system ;  and  what 
"  the  cities  of  the  nations  "  which  fall  with 
it  can  be  understood  to  mean  but  those 
worldly  establishments  of  religion  which 
have  symbolized  with  popery,  not  only  in 
worship  and  ceremonies,  but  in  an  alliance 
luith  the  kingdoms  of  this  ivorld,  I  cannot 
conceive.  To  understand  "the  great  city" 
of  the  Roman  empire,  and  "  the  cities  of  the 
nations "  of  particular  states,  neither  com- 
ports with  the  meaning  of  the  terms  in  other 
parts  of  the  prophecy  nor  with  the  spiritual 
judgments  denoted  by  this  vial.  "  The  great 
city  "  is  mentioned  in  several  other  places 
in  the  prophecy — as  in  chap.  xi.  8,  "  Their 
dead  bodies  shall  lie  in  the  streets  of  the 
great  city,  which  spiritually  is  called  Sodom 
and  Egypt,  where  also  our  Lord  was  cruci- 
fied."— And  in  chap.  xiv.  8,  "Babylon  is 
fallen,  that  great  city.,, — And  in  chap,  xviii. 
10,  21,  "  Alas,  that  great  city,  Babylon." — 
"  Thus  with  violence  shall  thai  great  city 
Babylon  be  thrown  down."  In  none  of  these 
passages  does  it  appear  to  mean  the  empire, 
but  the  church  of  Rome.  The  empire  is 
symbolized  by  a  beast,  from  Which  the  great 
city  is?  distinguished. — Chap.  xi.  7,  8.  But 
if  "  the  great  city "  mean  the  Church  of 
Rome,  even  "  great  Babylon  who  now  comes 
in  remembrance  before  God,  to  give  unto 
her  the  cup  of  the  wine  of  the  fierceness  of 
his  wrath,  "the  cities  of  the  nations  "must 
mean  those  ecclesiastical  communities  which 
have  symbolized  with  her. 


DISCOURSE  XXV. 

THE  GREAT  HARLOT,  AND  THE  BEAST  THAT 
CARRIETH  HER. 

Rev.    xvii. 

Having  gone  through  the  vials,  we  have 
arrived  at  the  commencement  of  the  Mil- 
lennium. Indeed  we  descended  to  this 
period  in  each  of  the  three  general  descrip- 
tions, and  in  the  pouring  out  of  the  vials  have 
only  retraced  the  latter  part  of  the  ground 
more  particularly.  All  that  remains  between 
this  and  the  twentieth  chapter  would  in  mo- 
dern publications  be  called  notes  of  illustra- 
tion. No  new  subject  is  introduced,  but  mere 
enlargement  on  what  has  already  been  an- 
nounced. We  have  heard  much  of  the  beast 
in  the  thirteenth  chapter ;  but  in  the  seven- 
teenth we  have  a  still  more  particular  account 
of  him,  and  of  the  woman  that  sitteth  upon 
him,  without  which  we  should  not  have  been 
able  to  understand  the  other.  We  had  a 
hint  given  us  of  the  fall  of  Babylon  in  the 
fourteenth  chapter;  but  in  the  eighteenth 
and  part  of  the  nineteenth  we  have  a  trium- 
phant ode,  sent  as  it  were  from  heaven,  to 
be  sung  on  the  occasion.  Finally,  we  have 
been  given  to  expect,  in  the  fourteenth 
chapter,  that  prior  to  the  overthrow  of  the 
antichristian  cause  the  gospel  would  be 
making  progress ;  but  in  the  nineteenth 
we  see  the  word  of  God  going  forth,  riding 
upon  a  white  horse,  and  the  antichristian 
powers  destroyed  in  the  very  act  of  opposing 
him. 

The  first  of  these  illustrative  notes,  as  we 
shall  call  them,  is  contained  in  the  seven- 
teenth chapter,  and  respects  the  leading  char- 
acters of  the  antichristian  party. 

Ver.  1 — 6.  The  object  of  this  vision  was 
not  to  gratify  curiosity,  but  to  show  the  jus- 
tice of  those  plagues  which  were,  or  were 
about  to  be,  inflicted. 

The  opprobrious  name  given  to  the  woman 
determines  its  reference  to  a  corrupt  and  false 
church,  as  opposed  to  "the  bride  the  Lamb's 
wife."  Her  "  sitting  upon  many  waters," 
and  which  are  said  to  be  "  peoples  and  mul- 
titudes and  nations  and  tongues"  (ver.  15,) 
prove  that  this  corrupt  and  false  church 
would  not  be  confined  to  a  single  city,  or 
nation,  but  would  extend  over  a  number  of 
nations.  The  "kings  of  the  earth  that  have 
committed  fornication  with  her"  are  all 
those  governments  which  are  or  have  been 
within  the  pale  of  her  communion,  and  which 
till  the  Reformation  included  the  whole  of 
western  Europe,  "  the  great  Gothic  family," 
as  they  have  been  denominated.  It  is  this 
their  idolatrous  communion  with  her  that  is 
called  fornication.  Those  who  have  been 
made  "drunk  with  the  wine  of  her  fornication" 
are  those  who  have  drunk  into  her  doctrines, 


THE  HARLOT  AND  THE  BEAST. 


G1 


worship,  spirit,  and  practices,  and  have  be- 
come as  it  were  intoxicated  by  them. 

To  have  a  view  of  this  harlot,  the  apostle 
is  carried  in  vision  "into  the  wilderness." 
She  was  represented  before  as  sitting  upon 
many  waters ;  but,  as  she  is  now  to  be  de- 
scribed as  riding  upon  a  beast,  it  is  proper 
that  it  should  be  upon  the  earth.  Though 
the  imagery  however  is  changed,  yet  the 
meaning  may  be  much  the  same :  for  a 
wilderness,  no  less  than  many  waters,  signi- 
fies peoples  and  multitudes  and  nations  and 
tongues.  Hence  the  nations  into  which  Ju- 
dah  was  carried  captive  are  called  "  the 
wilderness  of  the  people." — Ezek.  xx.  35. 
For  the  apostle  to  be  carried  into  the  wilder- 
ness may  be  equal  to  his  being  placed  in  the 
midst  of  the  nations  of  Europe — say  in 
London,  Paris,  Madrid,  or  Vienna — at  a 
time  when  papal  Rome  was  in  all  her  glory. 

Being  in  the  wilderness  he  sees  a  woman 
sitting  upon  a  beast,  which  beast  was  capar- 
isoned with  scarlet  trappings,  full  of  the 
names  of  blasphemy,  having  seven  heads 
and  ten  horns.  This  beast  is  manifestly  the 
same  as  that  which  is  described  in  the  thir- 
teenth chapter  as  "  rising  out  of  the  sea," 
and  is  no  other  than  the  Roman  empire  under 
its  last  head  or  form  of  government,  or  that 
which  has  been  knoivn  in  history  as  the  ivestern 
or  Holy  Roman  Empire,  in  connection  with 
the  kingdoms  of  E  ..-ope,  ivhich  are  its  ten 
horns.  It  is  this  government  which  has 
given  the  title  of  emperor,  sometimes  to  a 
king  of  one  nation,  and  sometimes  of  an- 
other; but,  whoever  has  possessed  it,  he  has 
been  considered  as  the  grand  supporter  of 
the  papal  hierarchy. 

It  is  said  (hat  the  ancient  pagan  emperors 
were  wont  to  be  dressed  in  "  scarlet"  in 
times  of  war, — a  fit  attire  then  for  a  bloody 
period,  and  now  for  a  bloody  persecuting 
government.  Its  "names  of  blasphemy" 
express  its  impious  and  antichristian  charac- 
ter, assuming  the  throne  of  God  in  the  minds 
and  consciences  of  men. 

The  "  purple,  and  scarlet,  and  gold,  and 
precious  stones,  and  pearls,"  with  which  the 
woman  was  arrayed,  allude  no  doubt  to  the 
attire  of  a  harlot  of  no  ordinary  rank.  The 
design  is  to  describe  her  as  being  of  the 
world,  and  seeking  the  things  of  the  world, 
or  as  contriving  by  her  meretricious  orna- 
ments to  dazzle  the  eyes  of  her  beholders. 
It  is  by  that  ceremonious  pomp,  splendor, 
and  will- worship,  which  have  often  been  de- 
fended under  the  name  of  decency,  and 
deemed  necessary,  both  to  gratify  the  taste 
of  the  polite  and  to  excite  the  admiration  of 
the  vulgar,  that  false  religion  makes  its  way. 
The  "  golden  cup  in  her  hand,  full  of  abomi- 
nations and  filthiness  of  her  fornication," 
are  her  corrupt  principles  and  idolatrous 
practices,  recommended  by  her  seducing 
emoluments.  The  "  name  on  her  forehead  " 
is  thought  to  allude  to  the  ancient  practice 


of  harlots,  who  not  only  used  to  put  their" 
names  on  their  doors,  but  some  of  them  upon 
their  foreheads.  It  is  expressive  not  only 
of  the  general  character  of  the  antichristian 
church,  but  of  her  impudence  ;  practising  day 
by  day  the  foulest  and  filthiest  impostures, 
and  yet  calling  herself  the  Holy  Catholic 
Church,  and  denying  salvation  to  all  without 
her  pale  !  The  name  of  "  mystery"  was 
given  to  this  apostacy  by  Paul  as  well  a3 
John,  and  with  this  very  proper  exposition, 
"  The  mystery  of  iniquity."  The  system  is 
full  of  "  the  depths  of  Satan,"  which  it  is  an 
honor  not  to  know. — She  is  farther  denomi- 
nated "  Babylon  the  great."  Here  we  see 
that  the  apocalyptic  Babylon  and  the  harlot 
are  the  same :  it  is  Rome,  as  an  antichris  - 
tian  community  extending  over  many  na- 
tions. What  Babylon  was  to  the  Old-testa- 
ment church  she  is  to  the  New ;  and  such 
will  be  her  end. — Finally,  she  is  denominated 
"  The  mother  of  harlots  and  abominations  of 
the  earth."  There  are  other  corrupt  churches 
as  well  as  that  of  Rome  ;  but  she  is  the  prin- 
cipal, and  the  parent  of  them,  the  harlot  of 
harlots.  Not  only  by  "  forbidding  to  marry" 
does  she  open  the  flood-gates  to  illicit  com- 
merce between  the  sexes,  and  even  to  un- 
natural crimes,  but  sells  indulgences  and 
pardons  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ ! 

To  complete  the  character  of  this  mother 
of  harlots,  she  is  described  as  making  others 
intoxicated,  and  as  being  herself  "drunken 
with  the  blood  of  the  saints !  "  Persecution 
is  the  crowning  sin  of  the  greatest  sinners. 

The  apostle,  having  beheld  her, "  wondered 
with  great  admiration,"  as  well  he  might. 
So  much  wickedness,  be  it  committed  by 
whom  it  might,  was  wonderful ;  but  who 
could  have  thought  that  thts  was  a  picture 
of  what  would  be  called  The  Holy  Catholic 
Church,  in  whose  pale  only  was  salvation  !  !  I 
The  Christian  church  was  an  object  dear  to 
him :  what  then  must  be  his  feelings  to  be 
told  that  it  should  come  to  this  ! 

Ver.  7.  The  answer  of  the  angel  is  de- 
signed to  allay  the  admiration  of  the  apostle : 
and  this  it  does  by  accounting  for  what  had 
been  seen.  When  Hazael  wondered  at  his 
own  predicted  cruelties,  and  scarcely  thought 
them  possible,  he  was  told  in  answer,  "  The 
Lord  hath  showed  me  that  thou  shalt  be  king 
over  Syria."  This  was  answer  sufficient; 
and  that  of  the  angel  resembles  it.  The 
character  of  the  woman  is  accounted  for  by 
her  alliance  with  the  beast.  Let  the  Chris- 
tian church  consider  this,  and  tremble  at 
such  alliances ! 

Ver.  8 — 11.  Having  given  an  account  of 
the  woman,  the  angel  proceeds  to  describe 
"  the  beast  that  carneth  her."  This  no  doubt 
is  the  Roman  empire,  described  as  the  "  beast 
that  was,  and  is  not,  and  yet  is."  Prior  to  the 
overthrow  of  Paganism  by  Constantine,  it 
was — it  was  that  idolatrous,  blasphemous, 
persecuting  power  which  Daniel  had  fore- 


68 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


told.  From  that  period,  professing  to  be- 
come a  Christian  government,  the  properties 
of  the  beast  were  as  it  were  laid  aside,  and 
it  ivas  not.  Such  was  its  character  from  the 
days  of  Constantine  to  the  revelation  of  the 
man  of  sin.  It  might  have  been  denominat- 
ed the  beast  that  zvas,  and  is  not ;  or  the 
late  Pagan,  but  note  Christian  empire.  But, 
notwithstanding  this  his  profession  of  Chris- 
tianity, his  origin  is  "the  bottomless  pit," 
and  his  end  "  perdition."  He  may  deceive 
the  blinded  multitude  with  his  pretences  of 
being  not  that  which  he  once  was  ;  but,  as 
the  angel  informs  the  apostle,  he  yet  is. 
He  had  indeed  a  "  wound  by  a  sword," 
which  was  thought  at  the  time  to  be  mortal, 
but  it  did  not  prove  so.  The  corruptions  of 
Christianity  healed  it,  and  all  the  properties 
of  the  beast  revived  in  their  wonted  vigor. 

The  angel  proceeds  to  inform  the  apostle 
more  particularly  concerning  the  "  seven 
heads"  of  the  beast,  and  intimates  that  in 
understanding  this  subject  there  will  be  em- 
ployment for  "  wisdom."  They  are  said 
first  to  be  "  seven  mountains  on  which  the 
woman  sitteth."  This  determines  the  seat  of 
the  hierarchy  to  be  Rome,  Well  known  as 
standing,  when  in  its  full  extent,  upon  seven 
hills.  They  are  also  said  to  be  "  seven 
kings,"  or  forms  of  government,  under  which 
the  empire  had  subsisted,  did  subsist,  or 
would  hereafter  subsist.  The  forms  which 
had  subsisted  (as  has  been  observed  on 
chap,  xiii.)  were  kings,  consuls,  dictators, 
decemvirs,  and  military  tribunes :  the  form 
which  subsisted  at  the  time  of  the  com- 
mencement of  the  prophecy  was  that  of 
emperors ;  and  that  which  was  yet  to  Come, 
and  to  "  continue  a  short  space,"  seems  to 
be  that  non-descript  government  which 
succeeded  the  overthrow  of  the  emperors, 
and  continued  in  divers  forms  for  about  three 
hundred  years,  till  the  establishment  of 
that  government  which  from  the  days  of 
Charlemagne  to  the  Reformation  (a  space 
of  above  seven  hundred  years)  combined  all 
the  nations  of  Europe  in  support  of  the  anti- 
christian  hierarchy. 

This  short-lived  intermediate  power  might 
on  some  accounts  be  considered  as  the 
"  seventh "  head  of  the  beast,  and  as  such 
be  distinguished  from  its  last  head,  which 
in  this  view  would  be  the  "  eighth : "  but 
upon  the  whole  it  was  rather  to  be  consider- 
ed as  belonging  to  that  in  which  it  merged, 
and  which  in  this  view  would  be  the  seventh, 
or  "  of  the  seven." 

There  is  an  apparent  difficulty  in  this  last 
head  of  the  Roman  government  being  de- 
scribed as  the  beast  that  ivas  and  is  not,  as 
though  the  changes  here  alluded  to  were 
peculiar  to  that  last  head,  when  in  fact  they 
respect  the  beast  under  different  heads. 
The  answer  I  conceive  to  be  this: — The 
beast,  it  is  true,  was  under  his  first  five 
heads,  and  was  not  under  his  sixth ;  but  till 


the  last  stages  of  his  existence  this  descrip- 
tion could  not  be  applied  to  him,  or  become 
as  it  were  his  proper  name.  From  this  time 
he  would  be  known  as  the  beast  which  teas 
and  is  not,  or  as  the  no  longer  pagan,  but 
Christian  empire. 

Ver.  12 — 18.  In  every  description  of  the 
Roman  beast,  whether  by  Daniel  or  John, 
the  ten  horns  are  a  distinguished  part  of  it. 
"  Ten  kings,"  in  the  language  of  prophecy, 
are  ten  kingdoms,  or  governments.  They 
were  not  kingdoms  at  the  time  of  the  vision : 
hence  the  kings  are  said  to  have  "  received 
no  kingdom  as  yet ;"  but,  on  the  overturning 
of  the  empire  by  the  Goths  in  the  fifth  cen- 
tury, those  nations  which  had  before  been 
dependent  provinces,  together  with  others 
that  were  without  its  jurisdiction,  became 
independent  kingdoms ;  and,  having  em- 
braced the  religion  of  Rome,  in  process  of 
time  United  in  supporting  it. 

The  reign  of  these  kings  is  said  to  be 
"  one  (or  the  same)  hour  with  the  beast;" 
that  is,  with  the  last  head  of  the  Roman 
empire.  They  had  overturned  the  empire 
in  its  preceding  head  or  form  ;  but  by  agree- 
ing together  in  religion  they  established  it 
under  a  new  form :  and,  being  of  the  same 
mind  with  the  beast  in  this  his  new  form  as 
to  supporting  the  church,  they  unanimously 
"  gave  their  power  and  strength  and  king- 
doms to  him,"  for  this  end.  They  did  not 
subject  their  kingdoms  to  him  as  a  secular 
power,  for  then  had  they  not  been  indepen- 
dent ;  their  only  connection  with  him  would 
be  ecclesiastical,  or  in  his  supporting  the 
harlot.  That  this  was  the  only  bond  of 
union  between  them  is  manifest  from  the 
result  of  things  :  when  their  love  should  be 
turned  into  hatred,  they  are  not  said  to  hate 
the  beast,  but  the  whore  ;  it  was  the  whore 
therefore,  and  not  the  beast,  that  was  the 
object  of  their  attachment.  While  he, 
caparisoned  in  scarlet,  should  carry  her 
through  all  her  filthy  and  bloody  courses, 
they  would  be  with  him,  holding  up  his 
trappings,  or  lending  their  authority  to  en- 
force his  measures. 

Such  was  actually  the  conduct  of  all  the 
governments  of  Christendom  prior  to  the 
Reformation,  and  such  has  been  the  conduct 
of  many  of  them  since.  It  is  thus  that  they 
are  said  to  have  made  "  war  with  the  Lamb." 
Their  proceedings  with  respect  to  religion 
have  been  antichristian.  All  that  has  been 
done  for  more  than  a  thousand  years  in 
invading  the  rights  of  conscience  has  been 
assuming  his  throne ;  and  all  the  cruel 
edicts  against  what  they  call  heresy  and 
heretics,  with  all  the  bloody  executions  of 
them,  have  been  in  direct  hostility  against 
his  kingdom.  "  But  the  Lamb  shall  overcome 
them."  Whosoever  shall  gather  together 
against  him  will  fall  for  his  sake.  They 
may  ask,  Who  is  like  unto  the  beast,  and 
who  is  able  to  make  Avar  with  him  ?     But  the 


THE    FALL    OF    BAB¥LON. 


Lamb  is  "Lord  of  lords,  and  King1  of  kings," 
and  must  prevail.  His  army,  too,  is  a  select 
band,  "  called,  and  cliosen,  and  faithful," 
who  following  their  leader  are  certain  to  be 
victorious.  The  overthrow  of  the  govern- 
ments of  Christendom  does  not  respect 
them  as  monarchical  in  distinction  from  re- 
publican (for  one  of  Daniel's  "  kingdoms  " 
was  a  republic,)  but  as  antichristian.  Those 
governments  that  "  make  war  with  the 
Lamb,"  whatever  be  their  form,  the  "  Lamb 
will  overcome  them." 

In  the  progress  of  this  war  it  is  intimated 
that  the  kings  who  have  supported  the  har- 
lot shall  have  their  hearts  turned  to  "  hate  " 
her,  and  shall  be  instruments  in  her  destruc- 
tion. The  hierarchy  will  become  as  odious 
in  the  eyes  of  the  nations  as  a  wrinkled 
prostitute  is  in  the  eyes  of  her  paramours. 
This  is  the  way  in  which  the  antichristian 
church  is  doomed  to  fall.  It  will  not  be 
from  the  increase  of  religious  people  who 
withdraw  from  her  communion,  as  she  has 
always  apprehended ;  but  from  those  who 
have  been  her  companions  in  sin,  and  who, 
when  nothing  more  is  to  be  expected  from 
her,  shall  turn  against  her  and  destroy  her. 
It  is  not  by  Protestantism,  nor  by  Metho- 
dism (as  serious  Christianity  is  now  called 
amongst  us,)  but  by  Infidelity,  that  false 
religion  will  be  overthrown. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  the  powers 
which  supported  the  antichristian  harlot 
should  be  the  instruments  employed  in 
destroying  her ;  but  so  it  is  appointed  of 
heaven.  God,  who  saw  the  end  from  the 
beginning,  intended  for  wise  ends  to  permit 
the  apostacy,  and  so  to  order  it  that  the 
governments  of  Europe  should  for  a  time 
unite  in  supporting  it.  But  it  is  only  for  a 
time  :  when  the  purposes  and  prophecies  of 
God  are  fulfilled,  he  will  cause  a  spirit  of 
discord  to  separate  these  workers  of  iniqui- 
ty, so  that  they  shall  destroy  one  another. 

Finally  :  That  no  doubt  might  be  left  as 
to  what  was  signified  by  the  woman,  she  is 
called  "that  great  city  which  reigned  "  at 
the  time  of  the  vision  "  over  the  kings,"  or 
kingdoms,  "  of  the  earth."  This  was  equal 
to  saying,  It  is  Rome,  considered  as  the 
seat  of  an  antichristian  hierarchy,  which  in 
the  latter  part  of  her  empire  shall  prevail, 
but  which,  like  all  her  other  forms,  shall  go 
into  perdition. 

DISCOURSE  XXVI. 

THE    FALL     OF     BABYLON,     AND     THE     MAR- 
RIAGE   OF    THE    LAMB. 
Rev.  xviii.  xix.  1 — 10. 

Ch.  xviii.  This  is  another  note  of  illus- 
tration ;  a  sacred  ode,  much  resembling  that 
on  the  fall  of  old  Babylon. — Is.  xiv.  4 — 23  ; 
xxi.  9.    That  which  old  Babylon  was  to 


Zion,  the  Roman  hierarchy  has  been  to  the 
Christian  church  ;  and  the  end  of  the  one 
shall  correspond  with  that  of  the  other. 

Her  fall  being  sudden,  and  accomplished 
by  the  "  strong  arm  of  him  that  judgeth 
her,"  seems  to  relate  to  her  political  over- 
throw, as  predicted  by  "  the  harvest  and  the 
vintage,"  ch.  xiv.  ;  by  the  "battle  of  Ar- 
mageddon," ch.  xvi. ;  and  by  "  the  supper 
of  the  great  God,"  ch.  xix.  And  as  the 
city  to  be  destroyed  does  not  consist  of 
material  buildings,  but  is  a  community  ex- 
tending over  many  nations,,  so  the  fire  by 
which  it  is  consumed  will  doubtless  be  such 
as  is  suited  to  the  object.  The  events  of 
ivar  may  be  that  to  the  antichristian  cause 
which  fire  is  to  a  city. 

I  shall  barely  notice  the  contents  of  the 
song,  and  remark  on  a  few  of  its  parts.  An 
angel  descends  from  heaven  and  proclaims 
the  important  event;  and,  while  he  pro- 
nounces the  doom  of  the  criminal,  states 
withal  what  have  been  her  crimes. — Ver.  1 
— 3.  Another  voice  is  heard  from  heaven 
addressed  to  the  people  of  God  who  have  in 
different  ways  and  degrees  been  connected 
with  her,  to  come  out  of  her  as  Lot  escaped 
from  Sodom,  lest,  being  partakers  of  her 
sins,  they  receive  also  of  her  plagues. — Ver. 
4.  This  second  voice  also  confirms  the 
charges  exhibited  against  her  by  the  first ; 
and  reiterates  her  doom.  Ver.  5 — 8.  A 
description  is  given  of  her  overthrow  under 
the  image  of  a  city  on  fire  :  Those  who 
have  been  seduced  by  her  wiles  shall  be 
filled  with  astonishment  at  beholding  her 
fearful  end. — Ver.  9 — 13.  The  criminal 
herself  is  tauntingly  addressed,  as  having 
lost  all  that  her  heart  had  been  set  upon. — 
Ver.  14.  Interested  men  make  great  lam- 
entations on  account  of  her. — Ver.  15 — 19. 
Apostles,  prophets,  and  martyrs  are  called 
upon  to  rejoice  over  her. — Ver.  20.  Her 
fall  is  compared  to  the  sinking  of  a  great 
millstone  cast  into  the  sea. — Ver.  21.  Her 
desolations  are  described  by  the  loss  of  all 
her  enjoyments. — Ver.  22 — 24.  Great  in- 
terest is  excited  in  heaven  by  her  over- 
throw.— Ch.  xix.  1 — 6.  A  general  joy 
pervades  the  church  of  God  both  in  heaven 
and  earth,  and  the  Millennium  quickly 
follows. — Ver.  7 — 9.  The  song  concludes 
with  an  account  of  the  effect  of  the  vision  on 
the  apostle  towards  his  informant. — Ver.  10. 

By  the  language  in  ch.  xviii.  G,  7,  it  may 
seem  as  if  the  servants  of  God  avouUI  be 
the  executioners  of  his  wrath  upon  this  cor- 
rupt community  :  but  their  being  called  to 
"  reward  her  as  she  rewarded  them  "  may 
only  denote  that  the  judgments  inflicted 
upon  her  will  be  according  to  their  testimo- 
ny, and  in  answer  to  their  prayers.  It  was 
thus  that  the  two  witnesses  inflicted  plagues 
upon  their  enemies. — Ch.  xi.  5,  6.  The 
visible  agents  employed  in  the  work  will  be 
the  governments  of  Christendom  which  will 


70 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


"hate  the  whore,  and  eat  her  flesh,  and  burn 
her  with  fire." 

That  which  will  greatly  contribute  to  the 
fearfulness  of  her  overthrow  will  be  her 
previous  security.  She  saith  in  her  heart, 
"  I  sit  a  queen,  and  am  no  widow,  and  shall 
see  no  sorrow,"  If  she  had  been  "  the  bride, 
the  Lamb's  wife,"  she  could  not  have  been 
more  secure ;  so  much  the  greater  therefore 
will  be  her  fall. 

The  events  which  to  a  political  eye  seem 
to  occur  only  from  the  chances  of  war  are 
here  described  as  the  process  of  the  Judge 
of  heaven  and  earth.  The  power  which 
will  be  exerted  will  be  that  exercised  over  a 
condemned  malefactor  by  a  judge,  at  whose 
command  the  officers  of  justice  proceed  to 
execution.  Power  is  the  only  thing  that  she 
has  respected ;  and  by  the  strong  arm  of 
power  she  shall  be  brought  down ! — Ver.  8. 

We  have  heard  of  the  hearts  of  the 
kings  being  turned  to  hate  the  whore ;  yet 
we  find  here  kings  lamenting  her  overthrow). 
The  kings  or  kingdoms  of  Europe  may  then 
be  what  they  now  are — divided  into  parties. 
One  party,  and  that  the  successful,  will,  from 
interested  considerations,  hate  and  set  them- 
selves against  her ;  another  party,  from  sim- 
ilar considerations,  will  espouse  her  cause, 
and  these,  proving  unsuccessful,  will  lament 
over  her. — Ver.  10. 

The  kings  are  joined  in  their  lamentations 
by  the  "  merchants,"  who  seem  to  be  those 
who  have  made  a  trade  of  religion ;  which, 
however  it  may  include  many  amongst  the 
laity,  must  refer  more  immediately  to  the 
mercenary  part  of  the  clergy. 

The  most  notable  article  in  the  list  of  her 
commodities  is  "  the  souls  of  men."  There 
is  doubtless  an  allusion  to  Ezek.  xxvii.  13,  but 
"the  persons  of  men"  can  there  mean  only 
•slaves,  Avhereas  "  the  souls  of  men "  are 
here  distinguished  from  slaves.  Tyre  dealt 
only  in  men's  bodies,  but  Rome  in  their 
souls.  I  know  not  what  else  to  make  of  the 
sale  of  indulgences  and  pardons ;  of  the 
buying  and  selling  of  church  livings ;  of 
confessions,  prayers  for  the  dead,  and  of 
every  other  means  of  extorting  money  from 
the  ignorant. 

That  which  will  excite  the  most  doleful 
lamentations  among  the  adherents  of  the 
antichristian  church  will  cause  the  friends  of 
Christ  to  shout  for  joy.  The  marks  of  deso- 
lation are  recounted  with  triumph.  The 
sounds  of  music,  the  bustle  of  craftsmen, 
the  grinding  of  the  millstone,  the  light  of 
a  candle,  and  the  joyful  salutations  of  the 
bridegroom  and  the  bride,  are  all  ceased, 
and  succeeded  by  the  awful  stillness  of 
death.  And  if  any  ask,  Wherefore  hath  the 
Lord  done  this  ?  What  meaneth  the  heat 
of  this  great  anger?  the  answer  is,  "In  her 
was  found  the  blood  of  prophets,  and  of 
saints,  and  of  all  that  were  slain  upon  the 
earth." 


The  first  ten  verses  of  the  nineteenth 
chapter,  which  are  a  part  of  the  sacred  ode, 
describe  the  effect  of  the  fall  of  Babylon 
on  the  friends  of  God  both  in  heaven  and 
earth. 

Ch.  xixj  1 — 8.  The  heavenly  host  with 
one  voice  raises  the  shout  of  "  Alleluia  ! 
Salvation,  and  glory,  and  honor,  and  power, 
unto  the  Lord  our  God  ;  for  true  and  right- 
eous are  his  judgments  :  for  he  Jiath  judged 
the  great  whore,  which  did  corrupt  the 
earth  with  her  fornication,  and  hath  avenged 
the  blood  of  his  servants  at  her  hand.  And 
again  they  said  Alleluia  !  and  her  smoke 
rose  up  forever  and  ever."  What  a  con- 
trast between  this  and  the  whining  lamenta- 
tions of  the  merchants ! 

The  punishment  of  every  community  as 
such  requires  to  be  in  this  world:  when 
therefore  her  smoke  is  said  to  "rise  up  for- 
ever and  ever,"  the  allusion  may  be  to  a 
city  consumed  by  fire  ;  and  the  meaning  is, 
that  it  shall  never  be  rebuilt,  but  its  over- 
throw, like  that  of  Sodom,  shall  be  set 
forth  for  an  everlasting  monument  of  the 
divine   displeasure. 

After  this  a  voice  is  heard  out  of  the 
throne,  saying,  "  Praise  our  God  all  ye  his 
servants,  and  ye  that  fear  him,  both  small 
and  great."  The  theme  is  acceptable  to 
him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  must 
be  encored.  In  answer  to  this  call  of  the 
angel,  the  servants  of  God  both  in  heaven 
and  earth  are  described  as  in  a  state  of 
delightful  agitation.  With  one  voice  they 
renew  the  song,  and  expatiate  on  the  sub- 
ject. The  sound  of  their  voices  is  as  that 
of  an  immense  multitude  of  people,  or  as 
the  roaring  of  the  sea,  or  as  continued 
peals  of  thunder,  saying,  "Alleluia  ;  for 
the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth !  "  God 
had  always  been  omnipotent,  and  had  al- 
ways reigned ;  but  while  his  enemies  were 
suffered  to  prevail  on  earth  he  did  not 
appear  to  reign  in  that  part  of  his  empire 
as  he  now  will.  Now  his  right  hand  and 
his  holy  arm  will  have  gotten  him  the 
victory ! 

But  the  song  is  not  yet  finished :  it  is  ad- 
ded, "  Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give 
honor  to  him,  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb 
is  come,  and  his  wife  hath  made  herself 
ready."  The  Lamb  and  his  wife  are  fitly 
introduced  in  opposition  to  the  harlot  and  her 
paramours  ;  namely,  the  beast  and  the  kings 
of  the  earth.  The  fall  of  the  one  is  the  sig- 
nal for  the  glorious  appearance  of  the  other. 
Such  was  the  taking  away  of  the  dominion 
of  the  little  horn  to  the  kingdom  and  domin- 
ion, and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under 
the  whole  heaven,  being  given  to  the  people 
of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High. — Dan.  vii. 
26,  27.  This  marriage  of  the  Lamb  I  con- 
ceive is  the  Millennium  itself.  Both  this 
and  the  fall  of  Babylon,  which  precedes  it, 
are  here  introduced  by  way  of  anticipation. 


FALL  OF  BABYLON,  AND  MARRIAGE  OF  THE  LAMB. 


71 


They  each  come  into  the  song  of  heaven  pre- 
viously to  their  being  actually  accomplished 
on  earth.  The  account  of  the  one  follows  in 
the  remainder  of  this  chapter,  where  the 
beast  and  the  false  prophet  are  taken ;  and 
that  of  the  other  in  the  first  six  verses  of  the 
chapter  following. 

The  accession  of  believers  to  Christ  at  any 
period  is  represented  by  the  espousal  of  a 
chaste  virgin  to  her  husband  ;  and  the  whole 
gospel  dispensation  is  described  as  a  mar- 
riage supper.  What  an  espousal,  then,  and 
what  a  supper  will  that  be,  when  Jews  and 
Gentiles,  from  every  nation  under  heaven, 
shall  be  brought  to  believe  in  him !  The 
appearance  of  the  Christian  church  has  not 
been  such  of  late  ages  as  might  have  been 
expected  of  one  that  had  Christ  for  her  head. 
She  has  been  not  only  scattered  by  persecu- 
tion, but  her  beauty  greatly  tarnished  by  er- 
rors, corruptions,  and  divisions,  so  as  scarcely 
to  sustain  a  visible  character :  but  when 
believers  all  over  the  world  shall  have  purified 
their  souls  by  obeying  the  truth — when  they 
are  what  they  were  in  the  days  of  pentecost, 
"  of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul  " — and  when 
there  is  nothing  but  distance  of  situation  to 
hinder  their  being  united  in  one  body — then 
will  "  the  bride  have  made  herself  ready." 

The  church  is  described  as  being  active 
in  putting  on  her  robes  of  glory,  but  they 
are  ready  prepared  for  her.  To  her  was 
"granted  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine 
linen,  clean  and  white."  Reference  may  be 
had  to  the  wedding  garments  provided,  ac- 
cording to  the  representation  in  the  parable, 
at  the  expense  of  the  bridegroom.  It  is  said 
to  be  "  the  righteousness  of  the  saints  ;"  yet 
as  it  respects  the  saints  not  individually  but 
collectively,  and  at  the  millennial  period,  it 
would  seem  to  denote  a  justification  of  the 
church  from  all  things  which  have  stood 
against  her,  analogous  to  that  of  an  individual 
believer  on  his  first  espousal  to  Christ.  As 
the  perdition  of  the  anticliristian  community 
is  described  in  language  alluding  to  that  of 
individual  unbelievers  (Ver.  3, 20,)  soothe  glo- 
ry bestowed  on  the  church  at  this  period 
alludes  to  that  which  is  conferred  on  individu- 
al believers  when  they  are  "  washed,  and  jus- 
tified, and  sanctified,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God." 
Thus  the  church  in  the  days  of  Zerubbabel, 
when  she  had  been  polluted  among  the 
heathen,  is  represented  by  Joshua  the  high 
priest  "clothed  with  filthy  garments,"  and 
her  justification  by  the  "  taking  away  of  his 
filthy  garments  and  clothing  him  with  change 
of  raiment."  Thus  also  the  glory  of  the 
church  at  another  period  is  expressed  in  lan- 
guage applicable  at  all  times  to  individual 
believers: — "I  will  greatly  rejoice  in  the 
Lord,  my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in  my  God  ; 
for  he  hath  clothed  me  with  the  garments 
of  salvation,  and  hath  covered  me  with  the 
robe  of  righteousness,  as  a  bridegroom  deck- 


eth  with  ornaments,  and  as  a  bride  adorneth 
with  jewels."  Christ's  salutation  will  then  be 
to  her  as  a  beautiful  garment,  and  his  right- 
eousness as  an  ornamental  robe. 

Ver.  9.  A  blessing  was  pronounced  by 
our  Lord  on  those  who  saw  and  heard  the 
things  which  were  then  to  be  seen  and  heard, 
and  a  still  greater  blessing  is  in  reserve  for 
those  who  shall  see  and  partake  of  the  good 
here  predicted.  The  most  glorious  things 
spoken  of  the  church  of  God  will  then  be 
accomplished.  The  success  of  the  gospel 
in  different  parts  of  the  world  during  the  peri- 
od of  the  vials  will  then  meet  as  a  confluence 
of  rivers  near  the  ocean.  The  tides  of  mer- 
cy and  judgment  towards  Jews  and  Gentiles 
will  now  find  their  level  in  the  salvation  of 
both.  "  In  times  past  we  believed  not  God, 
but  obtained  mercy  through  their  unbelief:" 
now  "through  our  mercy  they  also  shall 
have  obtained  mercy." — Rom.  xi.  30,  31. 
In  former  ages  God  blessed  the  eastern  parts 
of  the  world ;  of  late  ages  the  western  ;  but 
now  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  like  a  return- 
ing tide,  shall  spread  over  both  west  and  east. 
— Isa.  lx.  1 — 11. "  Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth, 
and  cometh  to  the  thousand,  three  hundred, 
and  five -and- thirty  days  !" — Dan.  xii.  12. 

These  predictions  respecting  the  over- 
throw of  Babylon,  and  the  establishment  of 
the  church,  are  attested  by  the  angel  as 
"  the  true  sayings  of  God."  Such  an  attes- 
tation would  tend  to  strengthen  the  faith  and 
hope  of  believers,  who  might  otherwise,  du- 
ring the  long  reign  of  the  antichristian  beasts, 
be  tempted  to  think  that  God  had  forgotten 
to  be  gracious,  and  would  be  favorable  to  his 
church  no  more. 

Here  I  consider  the  sacred  ode  on  the  fall 
of  Babylon  and  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  as 
closing,  with  only  a  few  words  of  the  apos- 
tle concerning  his  informant. 

Ver.  10.  The  angel  here  spoken  of  seems 
to  be  him  whose  voice  was  heard  out  of  the 
throne,  calling  for  a  repetition  of  the  song. — 
Ver.  5.  John  probably  supposed  him  to  be 
the  Son  of  God  himself,  who  had  more  than 
once  in  his  visions  appeared  as  an  angel, 
and  Avhom  he  was  in  the  habit  of  worship- 
ping. But  the  angel  refuses  his  adoration 
on  the  ground  of  his  being  merely  a  servant, 
the  fellow-servant  of  him  and  of  his  brethren, 
who  had  the  testimony  of  Jesus.  Tliey  tes- 
tified of  things  concerning  him  which  were 
accomplished  ;  as  of  his  birth,  life,  death, 
resurrection,  ascension,  and  the  way  of  sal- 
vation by  him :  he  revealed  prophecies  which 
as  yet  were  unaccomplished.  Yet  their 
work  was  much  the  same  :  the  theme  of  their 
testimony  contained  the  spirit  or  substance 
of  what  he  had  imparted  for  prophecy. 
They  were  therefore  fellow-laborers  in  the 
same  cause,  and  must  not  worship  one  anoth- 
er, but  God.  Christ  himself  is  not  an  object 
of  worship  considered  as  man,  but  as  God 
only.    That  he  is  God  as  well  as  man,  and 


72 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


as  such  an  object  of  divine  worship,  this  cir- 
cumstance of  the  angel's  refusal  fully 
evinces.  We  see  in  his  conduct  what  we 
see  in  that  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Iconium  ; 
and  every  creature  who  fears  God  must  fol- 
low the  example.  If  Jesus  therefore  were 
not  God,  he  ought  on  all  occasions  to  have 
refused  divine  worship,  and  certainly  would 
have  done  so.  His  never  having  done  this 
is  sufficient  proof  of  his  divinity.  Nor  can 
it  be  justly  alleged  that  the  worship  paid  to 
Christ  was  mere  civil  respect ;  for  then  the 
same  might  be  said  of  John's  worshipping 
the  angel,  and  which  he  might  have  done 
without  being  repulsed.  We  learn  there- 
fore from  this  circumstance  that  Jesus  is  not 
only  the  theme  of  the  gospel  ministry,  and 
the  spirit  or  substance  of  prophecy,  but 
that  he  is  truly  and  properly  divine. 

DISCOURSE  XXVII. 

THE  TAKING  OF  THE  BEAST  AND  THE  FALSE 
PROPHET. 

Rev.  xix.  11—21. 

When  the  Israelites,  full  of  fearful  appre- 
hension from  the  pursuit  of  their  enemies, 
cried  out  for  fear,  Moses  said  unto  them, 
"  Fear  not,  stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of 
the  Lord :  for  the  Egyptians,  whom  ye  have 
seen  to-day,  ye  shall  see  no  more  forever ! " 
In  going  over  these  last  ten  chapters  we  have 
seen  and  heard  much  of  the  beast  and  the 
false  prophet,  and  of  the  mischiefs  which 
they  have  wrought  upon  the  earth  :  but  this 
is  the  last  account  that  we  shall  have  of 
them.  By  the  prophecies  in  these  verses 
they  are  buried  in  oblivion,  so  that  the  church 
in  after  times  shall  know  of  them  only  as 
we  know  of  Pharaoh  and  his  host,  namely, 
as  matters  of  history. 

In  cases  wherein  the  parties  have  been 
assured  of  victory,  it  has  not  been  unusual 
for  a  battle  to  be  preceded  by  a  song  of 
triumph.  It  was  thus  when  Jehoshaphat 
went  forth  against  his  enemies:  singers 
were  first  appointed  to  praise  the  Lord,  and 
then  the  army  was  led  on  to  the  engage- 
ment.— 2  Chron.  xx.  And  thus  our  Lord, 
when  about  to  engage  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness, being  certain  of  victory,  exclaimed, 
"Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world  :  now 
shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out! 
— Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified,  and  God 
is  glorified  in  him  !" — John  xii.  31 ;  xiii.  31. 
It  is  thus,  I  conceive,  that  the  prophecy, 
having  anticipated  the  victory  over  Babylon 
in  a  song  of  triumph,  proceeds  to  describe 
the  battle.  The  scene  of  the  song  was  in 
heaven,  but  the  battle  in  which  the  event 
will  actually  occur  is  upon  earth.  It  is  the 
same  as  that  before  described  under  the 
sixth  vial,  namely,  the  battle  of  Armaged- 
don,— "  the  great  day  of  God  Almighty," — 
"  the  supper  of  the  great  God ! " 


Observe  the  preparations  for  it. — "  Heav- 
en is  opened,  a  white  horse  is  seen,  and  he 
that  sat  upon  it  is  called  faithful  and  true, 
who  in  righteousness  doth  judge  and  make  t 
war."  We  can  be  at  no  loss  in  deciding 
who  this  great  warrior  is.  He  is  doubtless 
the  same  that  is  addressed  in  Psa.  xlv.  3,  4 : 
— "  Gird  thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh,  O  most 
mighty,  with  thy  glory  and  thy  majesty:  and 
in  thy  majesty  ride  prosperously,  because  of 
truth,  and  meekness,  and  righteousness : 
and  thy  right  hand  shall  teach  thee  terrible 
things." — I  may  add,  he  is  the  same  that  is 
described  in  the  first  six  verses  of  the  sixty- 
third  chapter  of  Isaiah  ;  and  what  is  here 
predicted  by  John  not  only  alludes  to  that 
prophecy,  but  appears  to  refer  to  the  same 
event.  His  coming  up  from  Edom  with 
garments  stained  with  the  blood  of  his  ene- 
mies appears  to  be  justly  paraphrased  by  Dr. 
Watts :— 

"  I  lift  my  banner  (saith  the  Lord) 

Where  Antichrist  has  stood; 
The  citv  of  my  gospel-foes 

Shalfbe  a  field  of  blood. 

My  heart  hath  studied  just  revenge, 

And  now  the  day  appears ; 
The  day  of  my  redeemed  is  come, 

To  wipe  away  their  tears. 

Slaughter,  and  my  devouring  sword, 

Shall  walk  the  streets  around  ; 
Babel  shall  reel  beneath  my  stroke, 

And  stagger  to  the  ground." 

It  may  be  thought  that  this  bloody  repre- 
sentation is  unsuitable  to  the  character  of 
the  Prince  of  Peace ;  and  that  the  battle 
between  him  and  his  army  on  the  one  side, 
and  that  of  the  beast  and  kings  on  the  other, 
is  contrary  to  the  genius  of  the  gospel  dis- 
pensation. To  solve  this  difficulty,  let  it  be 
observed  that  the  war  here  described  is  of 
two  kinds,  and  Christ  sustains  a  two-fold 
character  in  conducting  it.  The  first  is 
spiritual ;  and  this  he  undertakes  as  the 
"head  of  the  church."  In  this  character  he 
rides  upon  a  ivhite  horse,  and  the  armies  of 
heaven  follow  him  upon  ivhite  horses ;  fitly 
representing  the  great  efforts  that  shall  be 
making,  at  the  very  period  of  Babylon's  over- 
throw, to  spread  the  gospel  over  the  whole 
earth.  The  second  is  providential ;  and  this 
he  undertakes  as  "head  over  all  things  to 
the  church."  In  this  character  he  is  "cloth- 
ed with  a  vesture  dipped  in  i/ooiZ."  In 
making  war  in  his  spiritual  character,  he 
does  not  wait  to  be  attacked  by  his  enemies  : 
he  goes  forth  in  this  respect  conquering  and 
to  conquer.  But,  in  so  far  as  the  war  is  of 
a  providential  character,  the  enemies  are  the 
aggressors.  The  beast,  and  the  kings  of 
the  earth,  and  their  armies,  "  gather  together 
to  make  war  against  him  and  his  army." — 
Ver.  19.  The  idea  conveyed  by  this  lan- 
guage is  that  while  he  who  sitteth  upon  the 
white  horse  and  his  army  are  going  forth, 
to  spread  the  everlasting  gospel  in  the  world, 
the  beast  and  his  allies  will  gather  together 


THE  BEABT  AND  THE  FALSE  PROPHET  TAKEN. 


to  oppose  its  progress,  and  will  perish  in  the 
attempt. 

There  is  no  necessity  for  supposing  the 
armies  of  Christ  will  have  literally  to  fight 
with  those  of  the  beast  and  the  kings :  but, 
while  they  are  following  him  in  spreading 
the  gospel,  He,  as  "  King  of  kings  and  Lord 
of  lords,"  may  work  the  utter  overthrow  of 
their  adversaries,  by  setting  them  at  variance 
tvith  one  another.  We  have  seen  this  ac- 
complished in  part  already  in  the  antipathies 
and  wars  which  have  raged  between  infi- 
delity and  popery  ;  and  such  may  be  the 
progress  of  things,  till,  like  two  furious  beasts 
of  prey,  they  shall  both  be  destroyed.  The 
account  itself  agrees  with  this  supposition : 
for,  though  the  armies  of  the  beast  are 
said  to  have  gathered  together  against 
the  armies  of  him  that  sat  upon  the  horse, 
yet  there  is  no  mention  of  any  being  engag- 
ed in  their  overthrow  but  he  himself.  It  is 
he  that  "  smites  the  nations,"  "  treads  the 
wine-press,"  and  has  his  "vesture  dipped 
in  blood."  It  is  remarkable,  too,  that  in  the 
corresponding  prophecy  of  Isa.,  lxiii.  1 — 5, 
he  is  said  to  have  "trodden  the  wine-press 
alone,  and  of  the  people  there  was  none 

WITH  HIM." 

These  remarks  may  suffice  for  the  gene- 
ral meaning  of  the  prophecy.  Let  us  now 
attend  to  a  few  of  the  particulars. 

It  is  a  joyful  sight  to  see  the  Son  of  God 
riding  forth  upon  the  white  horse.  He  will 
not  wait  for  the  fall  of  the  antichristian 
powers  ere  he  extends  his  spiritual  kingdom. 
The  flight  of  the  evangelical  angel  was 
prior  to  the  fall  of  Babylon  ;  such  is  still  the 
order  of  things  ;  and  it  is  in  opposing  this 
great  and  good  work  that  the  enemies  of  the 
gospel  will  bring  destruction  upon  them- 
selves. 

The  character  given  to  this  divine  warrior 
must  not  be  overlooked.  He  is  "  faithful  and 
true,"  as  performing  all  his  engagements  to 
God,  and  fulfilling  all  his  promises  to  men. 
"In  righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make 
war."  The  cause  in  which  he  is  engaged  is 
just,  and  all  his  measures  are  in  harmony 
with  it.  "  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire," 
burning  with  holy  indignation  against  his 
enemies.  "  And  on  his  head  were  many 
crowns,"  denoting  his  great  power  and  nu- 
merous conquests.  "  And  he  had  a  name 
written  that  no  man  knew  but  he  himself;" 
for  after  all  that  is  known  of  the  glory  of 
his  character  it  passeth  knowledge.  The 
"  vesture  dipped  in  blood  "  refers  to  what 
has  been  said  of  the  destruction  of  his  ene- 
mies by  means  of  wars  kindled  by  their  own 
malignity.  "His  name  is  called  the  Word 
of  God,"  as  being  that  divine  person  whose 
office  it  is  to  reveal  the  mind  of  God  to  men, 
and  whose  victories  are  accomplished  by 
means  of  the  gospel.  "  The  armies  of 
heaven  on  white  horses  "  are  the  friends  of 


Christ  who  go  forth  in  their  respective 
stations,  and  lay  themselves  out  to  promote 
his  kingdom.  "  The  sharp  sword  that  goeth 
out  of  his  mouth  "  is  his  truth,  which  is  not 
only  the  means  of  saving  believers,  but  of 
punishing  unbelievers.  By  his  word  they 
shall  be  judged  at  the  last  day,  and  his 
threatenings  will  fall  upon  them  even  in  the 
present  world.  Those  who  are  not  destroy- 
ed by  his  judgments  on  the  antichristian 
party  will  be  despoiled  of  their  power,  and 
ruled  as  with  a  rod  of  iron.  "  And  he 
treadeth  the  wine-press  of  the  fierceness 
and  wrath  of  Almighty  God." — The  vine  of 
the  earth  being  ripe  for  destruction,  like 
grapes  cast  into  a  press,  he  will  tread  them 
in  his  anger,  and  trample  them  in  his  fury. 
"  And  he  hath  on  his  vesture  and  on  his 
thigrh  a  name  written,  KING  OF  KINGS 
AND  LORD  OP  LORDS."  In  this  there 
is  something  especially  appropriate,  as  it 
respects  those  kings  who  have  opposed  his 
gospel,  and  lorded  it  over  the  consciences 
of  his  subjects.  He  has  long  sustained 
this  name  in  right,  but  henceforward  he  will 
sustain  it  in  fact. 

And  now  comes  on  the  decisive  battle, 
"the  battle  of  Armageddon,"  "the  great 
day  of  God  Almighty,"  "  the  supper  of  the 
great  God  !  "  Terrible  things  in  righteous- 
ness have  occurred  in  our  times  ;  but,  by  the 
strong  language  used  to  express  this  event, 
it  seems  as  if  it  would  surpass  every  thing 
which  has  gone  before  it.  It  is  unlikely 
that  it  should  consist  of  a  single  battle,  but 
rather  of  a  war,  or  succession  of  battles, 
though  doubtless  one  must  be  the  last.  It 
is  proclaimed  by  an  "angel  standing  in  the 
sun,"  whose  voice  would  of  course  be  heard 
from  the  rising  to  the  going  down  thereof. 
The  mode  in  which  he  announces  it  is  by  an 
invitation  to  the  fowls  of  heaven  to  come  as 
to  a  supper,  to  feast  upon  the  carcasses  of  all 
ranks  and  degrees  of  men  who  shall  be 
found  on  the  antichristian  side.  The  beast 
and  the  kings  of  the  earth  who  make  com- 
mon cause  with  him,  being  gathered  togeth- 
er with  their  armies  to  make  war  against 
him  that  sitteth  upon  the  horse  and  against 
his  army,  will  now  be  utterly  overthrown. 
Those  powers  which  shall  be  found  support- 
ing the  papal  hierarchy,  together  with  "  the 
false  prophet,"  or  the  hierarchy  itself,  after 
a  corrupt  and  bloody  reign  of  1260  years, 
will  be  "  taken  and  cast  alive  into  a  lake  of 
fire,  burning  with  brimstone." 

It  was  remarked,  on  chap.  xvii.  7,  that  the 
corruption  of  the  church  is  ascribed  to  her 
alliance  with  the  secular  beast,  and  it  is  no 
less  remarkable  that  the  overthrow  of  the 
secular  beast  is  ascribed  to  its  alliance  with 
the  church.  It  was  "because  of  the  great 
words  that  the  little  horn,  spake  against  the 
Most  High  that  the  beast  on  whose  head  it 
grew  should  be  slain,  and  his  body  destroy- 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  10. 


74 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


ed,  and  given  to  the  burning  flame." — 
Dan.  vii.  11.  Let  governments  consider  this, 
and  tremble  at  such  alliances. 

It  is  true  that  neither  political  nor  eccle- 
siastical bodies  as  such  can  be  literally  cast 
into  a  place  of  torment,  as  individual  unbe- 
lievers that  compose  them  will  be :  they 
may,  however,  be  cast  into  perdition  so  as 
never  to  rise  any  more,  which  may  be  the 
whole  of  what  is  intended.  As  the  Chris- 
tian church  in  her  millennial  glory  is  de- 
scribed in  language  applicable  to  individual 
believers  (ver.  8,)  so  the  antichristian  church 
is  represented  as  a  hardened  sinner,  arrested 
in  a  course  of  wickedness,  and  sent  to  his 
own  place. 

Finally :  It  is  supposed  that  after  this 
terrible  overthrow  there  will  be  a  remnant, 
like  the  scattered  remains  of  a  defeated 
army,  who  shall  still  be  on  the  side  of  Anti- 
christ ;  but  they  shall  be  "  slain  by  the  sword 
of  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  horse,  which 
sword  proceedeth  out  of  his  mouth."  As 
the  battle  above  described  is  the  same  as 
that  of  Armageddon  under  the  sixth  vial,  so 
"  the  sword  proceeding  out  of  Christ's 
mouth"  corresponds  with  the  spiritual  judg- 
ments under  the  seventh  vial.  They  who 
have  escaped  the  temporal  calamities  of  the 
former  will,  except  they  repent,  fall  under 
the  spiritual  judgments  of  the  latter.  The 
threatenings  of  Christ's  word  will  overtake 
them.  Their  hearts  will  fail  within  them, 
as  did  the  heart  of  Nabal  when  told  of  the 
words  of  David.  Like  him  they  will  be 
smitten  of  God  and  die ;  and,  having  no 
successors  to  stand  up  in  their  place,  their 
cause  will  die  with  them. 


DISCOURSE  XXVIII. 

ON  THE  MILLENNIUM. 

Eev.  xx.  1 — 6. 

Ver.  1 — 3.  We  have  seen  the  taking 
of  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet,  and  in 
that  the  fall  of  Babylon :  but  the  principal 
mover  in  the  confederacy  is  the  dragon  and 
of  him  no  mention  was  made  in  the  battle 
before  described.  Hence,  though  he  had 
not  been  expressly  called  "  that  old  serpent 
the  devil  and  Satan,"  we  might  have  pre- 
sumed that  he  was  not  of  an  order  of  beings 
to  be  crushed  by  the  hand  of  man.  His  be- 
ing in  one  place  described  as  "  a  great  red 
dragon,  with  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horns  of 
the  Roman  beast  (ch.  xii.  3,)  can  therefore 
only  respect  the  form  under  which  he  at 
that  time  acted  out  his  mischievous  designs. 

This  great  red  dragon  that  had  formerly 
been  cast  out  of  heaven  is  supposed  to  be 
yet  on  earth,  and  after  the  taking  of  his 
agents,  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet,  is 
about  to  rally  his  scattered  forces,  and  to 


and  against  his  Christ.  If  he  be  not  bound, 
all  the  success  against  the  other  will  signify 
but  little ;  for  he  will  not  be  at  a  loss  how 
to  deceive  the  world,  and  to  engage  them 
anew  in  some  antichristian  enterprise. 

But  who  is  able  to  bind  him  ?  The  hand 
of  man  cannot  take  him.  Lo,  "  an  angel 
comes  down  from  heaven,  having  the  key  of 
the  bottomless  pit  and  a  great  chain  in  his 
hand,  and  lays  hold  on  him  and  binds  him  a 
thousand  years  !  "  The  apprehension  and 
imprisonment  of  this  enemy  will  complete 
the  victory. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  who  this  angel  is ; 
for  we  know  who  hath  the  "  keys  of  hell  and 
of  death."  To  him  it  appertaineth,  after 
having  been  manifested  to  destroy  his  works, 
to  arrest  him  in  his  course,  and  to  set  bounds 
to  his  operations.  The  hand  of  man  could 
not  take  him  ;  but  the  hand  of  Christ  can  lay 
fast  hold  of  him. 

The  dragon  being  cast  into  the  bottom- 
less pit,  and  shut  up,  and  a  seal  set  upon  him 
to  prevent  his  deceiving  the  nations  for  a 
thousand  years,  the  kingdom  of  Christ  shall 
now  be  established  over  the  whole  earth. 

Various  questions  have  arisen  concerning 
this  millennial  state,  both  as  to  its  nature 
and  duration.  With  respect  to  the  latter, 
the  "  thousand  years"  require,  I  think,  in  this 
instance  to  be  taken  literally ;  for,  if  under- 
stood of  so  many  years  as  there  are  days  in 
this  period,  the  duration  of  the  world  would 
greatly  exceed  what  we  are  elsewhere  given 
to  expect.  The  apostles  seem  to  have  con- 
sidered themselves  as  having  passed  the 
meridian  of  time,  and  as  drawing  on  towards 
the  close  of  it.  Such  appears  to  be  the 
import  of  the  following  passages  : — "  God 
hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  to  us  by  his 
Son. — But  now  once  in  the  end  of  the  world 
hath  he  appeared  to  put  away  sin  by  the 
sacrifice  of  himself. — The  end  of  all  things 
is  at  hand. — The  coming  of  the  Lord  draw- 
eth  nigh. — Behold  the  judge  standeth  before 
the  door. — He  that  testifieth  these  things 
saith,  Surely  J  come  quickly ! "  But,  if  the 
thousand  years  were  reckoned  a  day  for  a 
year,  we  are  at  present  but  upon  the  thresh- 
old of  time :  the  last  judgment  must  in  this 
case  be  at  a  distance  of  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  years. 

A  question  of  more  importance  is  that 
which  respects  the  nature  of  this  millennial 
reign  of  Christ,  whether  it  be  spiritual  or 
personal.*  Those  who  favor  the  former, 
consider  it  as  a   time  in  which  the  gospel 

*  I  say  nothing  of  a  third  class,  which  might  be 
denominated  political,  and  which,  in  the  delirium 
that  prevailed  a  few  years  since,  made  the  dragon 
to  be  "  monarchy  in  general,"  the  millennial 
thrones  (ch.  xx.  4)  seats  of  magisterial  authority  to 
which  the  people  were  exalted,  and  the  new 
heavens  and  the  new  earth  the  results  of  the  Ameri- 
can and  French  Revolutions  !  Such  are  the  effects  of 
interpreting  prophecy  with  the  view  of  establishing 
a  political  hypothesis. 


THE    MILLENNIUM. 


75 


will  be  spread  over  the  whole  earth,  and 
cordially  embraced  both  by  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles ;  when  those  prophecies  will  be  fulfilled 
which  speak  of  the  cessation  of  wars — of 
the  stone  cut  out  without  hands  becoming  a 
great  mountain  and  filling  the  whole  earth — 
of  the  little  leaven  leavening  the  ivhole  lump 
— of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  covering 
the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea — of 
the  first  dominion  coming  to  Zion — and  of 
the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  great- 
ness of  the  kingdom,  under  the  whole  heaven, 
being  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of 
the  Most  High. 

Those,  on  the  other  hand,  who  plead  for 
a  personal  reign  of  Christ  upon  earth,  con- 
sider the  Millennium  as  a  state  of  immortali- 
ty, a  state  subsequent  to  the  general  con- 
flagration, wherein  the  righteous,  being 
raised  from  their  graves,  shall  live  and  reign 
with  Christ  a  thousand  years ;  after  which, 
the  wicked  dead  being  raised,  the  general 
judgment  shall  follow. 

Whatever  respect  I  feel  for  some  who 
have  maintained  the  latter  hypothesis,  I  find 
insurmountable  objections  to  the  hypothesis 
itself. 

First:  The  idea  of  a  personal  reign  ap- 
pears to  me  nearly  to  exclude  that  of  a  spirit- 
ual one,  by  leaving  little  or  no  place  for  it. — 
It  is  clear  that  the  pouring  out  of  the  seven 
vials  is  principally  for  the  purpose  of  destroy- 
ing the  antichristian  system,  and  that  when 
this  is  accomplished  the  Millennium  follows. 
No  sooner  are  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet 
taken  under  the  sixth  vial,  and  the  world 
(like  the  temple  after  being  polluted  by 
Antiochus)  purified  from  its  abominations 
by  the  seventh,  than  the  dragon  is  bound 
for  a  thousand  years.  If  then  this  thousand 
years'  reign  be  personal,  the  second  coming 
of  Christ  must  immediately  succeed  the  ruin 
of  Antichrist.  But,  if  so,  how  or  when  are 
all  those  prophecies  to  be  fulfilled  which 
describe  the  prosperity  of  the  church  in  the 
latter  days  ?  How  is  war  to  cease  in  the 
earth,  and  peace  succeed  to  it,  when,  as  soon 
as  the  troubles  of  the  earth  are  destroyed, 
the  world  will  be  at  an  end  ?  On  this  prin- 
ciple Antichrist  will  reign  till  the  heavens 
are  no  more.  The  end  of  the  1260  years 
will  be  the  end  of  time,  and  the  church  will 
have  no  existence  upon  the  present  earth 
but  "  in  the  wilderness."  Instead  of  the 
stone,  after  breaking  in  pieces  the  image, 
"  becoming  a  great  mountain,  and  filling  the 
whole  earth,"  no  sooner  is  the  image  broken 
to  pieces  than  the  earth  itself  shall  be  burnt 
up.  And  on  the  destruction  of  the  little 
horn  (Dan.  vii.  26,  27,)  instead  of  "  the  king- 
dom, and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  being 
given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High,"  no  sooner  shall  that  horn  be 
broken  than  the  whole  earth  will  be  destroy- 
ed with  it ! 


Secondly:  The  idea  of  a  personal  reign 
represents  Christ's  second  coming  at  a 
thousand  years'  distance  from  the  last  judg- 
ment ;  whereas  the  Scripture  speaks  of  the 
one  as  immediately  following  the  other,  and 
as  being  the  grand  object  of  it.  "  The  Lord 
Jesus  will  be  revealed  from  heaven  with  his 
mighty  angels  in  flaming  fire,  taking  ven- 
geance on  them  that  know  not  God,  and 
that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ :  who  shall  be  punished  with  everlast- 
ing destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
and  from  the  glory  of  his  power ;  when  he 

SHALL      COME      TO      BE      GLORIFIED     IN    HIS 

saints,  and  to  be  admired  in  all  them  that 
believe  in  that  day." — "  Behold  the  Lord 
cometh  with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints  to 
execute  judgment  upon  all,"  &c. — "I  charge 
thee  before  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at 
his  appearing  and  kingdom.'''' 

Thirdly  :  The  idea  of  a  personal  reign 
represents  believers  as  raised  to  a  state  of 
immortality  a  thousand  years  before  the  close 
of  Christ's  mediatorial  kingdom;  where- 
as the  Scripture  represents  the  one  as  im- 
mediately succeeding  the  other.  Speaking 
of  the  resurrection,  the  apostle  says, 
"  Christ  the  first  fruits,  and  afterwards  they 
that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming.  Then 
cometh  the  end,  when  he  shall  have  delivered 
up  the  kingdom  to  God  even  the  Father ; 
when  he  shall  have  put  down  all  rule,  and 
all  authority  and  power ;  for  he  must  reign 
till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet. 
The  last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is 
death."  Now  the  resurrection  of  the  saints 
will  itself  be  the  destruction  of  death.  If 
therefore  the  end  then  cometh,  there  is  no 
place  for  a  personal  reign  of  a  thousand 
years  between  them.  Besides,  if  death  be 
the  last  enemy,  and  this  enemy  be  destroyed 
in  the  resurrection,  how  can  there  be  a  Gog 
and  Magog  army  to  be  destroyed  a  thou- 
sand years  after  it  ? 

Fourthly:  Those  who  consider  the  mil- 
lennial reign  as  personal  confine  the  last 
resurrection  and  the  final  judgment,  as  de- 
cribed  in  the  latter  part  of  the  chapter,  to  the 
wicked :  but  there  is  nothing  in  that  account 
of  the  resurrection  which  requires  it  to  be 
limited  to  them.  The  sea  is  said  to  give  up 
the  dead  which  were  in  it ;  and  death  and  hell 
(or  the  grave)  to  give  up  the  dead  which  were 
in  them  ;  which  language  equally  applies  to 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked :  and  as  to  the 
last  judgment,  which  immediaWl^  follows, 
had  it  been  confined  to  the  wicked  it  would 
not  have  been  said  "whosoever  was  not  found 
written  in  the  book  of  life  was  cast  into  the 
lake  of  fire,"  since  on  this  principle  they 
could  none  of  them  be  found  written  in  it. 

If  the  last  judgment,  as  described  in  ch. 
xx.  11 — 15,  do  not  include  that  of  the  right- 
eous as  well  as  the  wicked,  there  is  no 
proof  from  this  account  of  their  being  judged 


76 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


at  all.     The  Scriptures,  however,  are  very    the  souls  that  were  beheaded  for  the  witness 
express,  that  "  we  must  all  appear  before  »of  Jesus,"  denotes  that  God  will  now  vindi- 


the  judgment  seat  of  Christ,  and  give  ac- 
count of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body  ;  "  and 
that  "God  will  bring  every  work  into  judg- 
ment, whether  it  be  good  or  whether  it  be 
evil." 


cate  their  characters,  and  avenge  their 
wrongs.  This  appears  to  be  the  meaning 
in  chap.  xi.  18  and  xviii.  20.  The  vengeance 
poured  upon  the  antichristian  party  is  in  the 
former  of  these  passages  called  judging  the 


Fifthly :  The   account   of  Satan's   being  dead,  because  it  vindicates   them   and  the 

loosed  after  a  thousand  years'  restraint,  and  cause  in  which  they  suffered,  and  avenges 

going  forth  to   deceive   the   nations,  and  to  them  on  their  adversaries.     Thus  it  will  be 

gather    together    the   armies   of   Gog   and  during    the    Millennium.      The    cause    in 

Magog,   does  not  comport    ivith   a  state  of  which  the  martyrs   have   suffered   will  then 

immortality,  or  with    the   condition  of  men  triumph :  and,   while   the   names   of     their 

after  their  resurrection.     Wicked  men  may  persecutors    will    rot    in    execration,  their 

rise,  indeed,  with  the  same  enmity  against  labors  will  be  in  request,  and  their  characters 

God    and    religion    as   they    possessed    at  embalmed  in  the  memory  of    mankind.     It 


death  :  but  as  to  their  being  able  to  collect 
together,  and  to  encompass  the  church  of 
God  in  hope  of  destroying  it,  the  idea  is 
gross  and  inadmissible.     The   sea  and  the 


is  thus,  I  conceive,  that  the  martyrs  will 
"  live  and  reign  with  Christ  a  thousand 
years." 

The  antichristian  party,  on  the  other  hand, 


grave  will  give  up  their  dead,  not  to  become    called  "the  rest  of  the  dead,"  or  the   "rem 


followers  of  Satan  in  a  new  enterprise,  but 
to  be  judged  every  man  according  to  his 
works. — Ver.  13. 

Finally:  To  represent  the  Millennium, 
which  precedes  the  last  judgment,  as  a  state 
of  immortality,  is  to  confound  it  with  the 
New  Jerusalem  which  follows  it.     The  lat- 


nant "  that  escaped  from  the  battle  in  which 
"  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  were  taken, 
were  slain  with  the  SAvord  of  him  that  sat  on 
the  horse,  which  sword  proceeded  out  of  his 
mouth."  In  other  words,  they  will  become 
as  dead  men  during  the  whole  of  the  millen- 
nial period.     They  would  die  as  a  body  in 


ter  is  indeed  a  state  of  immortality  ;  for  that  they  had  no  successors  to  stand  up  in 
"  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sor-  their  place,  and  as  individuals,  if  any  remain- 
row,  nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  ed,  would  be  unable  to  impede  the  progress 
more  pain  ;  for  the  former  things  are  passed  of  the  gospel.  After  this  their  leader 
away"  (xxi.  4  :)  but  this  language  itself  im-  being  let  loose,  and  permitted  to  make  one 
plies  that  till  after  the  final  judgment  it  shall  more  desperate  effort,  they  will  then  "live 
not  be  so.  again,"  though  it  will  be   but  for  a  short 

For  these  reasons,  as  well   as   from  the  season. 

figurative  language   of  almost  the  whole  of  "This  (adds  the  sacred  writer)  is  the  first 

the  prophecy,  I  cannot  think  that  the  Millen-  resurrection.     Blessed  and  holy   is  he   that 

nium  is  to  be  understood  of  a  personal  reign  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection :  on   such 

of  Christ,  in  a  state  of  immortality ;  but   of  the  second  death  hath  no  power ;  but  they 

that   glorious   rest  which  the   church    will  shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ,   and 

enjoy  after  the  destruction  of  her  antichris-  shall    reign   with   him   a  thousand   years." 

tian  enemies.     Under  this  view,  therefore,  I  Those    who  consider  the  reign   of    Christ 

shall  now  attend  to  the  description  given  of  it.  personal  understand  this  of  the  resurrection 

Ver.    4 — G.    These    thrones    correspond  of  the  bodies  of  the  righteous,  which  they 

with  the   account   in  Dan.  vii.,  where,  after  suppose  will  be  a  thousand  years  before  that 

the  power   of  the   little   horn  is   broken,  it  of    the   wicked.     A    "  first     resurrection" 

follows,  "  And  the  kingdom  and   dominion,  doubtless  implies  a  second,   as   much  as   a 

and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  "  second  death  "  implies  a  first :  but,  as  the 

whole  heaven,  was  given  to   the   people   of  first  and  second  deaths  are  different  in  their 

the  saints  of  the   Most  High."     Stations  of  nature,  so  may  the  first  and  second  resurrec- 

importance  both  in   the   Avorld   and  in  the  tions.    I  question  if  there  be  any   proof  of 

church,   will   be   filled  by    righteous   men.  the  corporeal  resurrection  of  the   righteous 

Righteousness  therefore  will  flow  as  a  river,  being  prior  in  order  of  time  to  that  of  the 

and    corruption   and   violence    will   recede  wicked.     The    only   passage  that  I   recol- 

before  it.     The  public  mind  will  favor  this  lect  to  have  seen  alleged  for  it  is  1  Thes.  iv. 

course  of  things.     Thus  it  is  that  wars  and  16:    "And   the   dead   in   Christ   shall   rise 

oppressions,  and  all  other  disorders,  will  in  a  first."     It  is  not,  however,  in  respect  of  the 

great  measure  subside.     Every  thing  being  resurrection    of  the   wicked  that  they    are 

done  on   Christian  principles,    Christ    will  said  to  rise  first,  but  of  the  change   of  the 

reign.     "God's   way   will   be   known   upon  living  saints :  for  it  follows,  "then  we   who 

earth,    and    his    saving    health   among    all  are  alive,  and  remain,  shall   be   caught  up," 

nations.     The  peoples  shall  be  glad  and  sing  &c.      The    context  says    nothing   of   the 

for  joy,  for  the  Lord  will  judge  them  right-    wicked,  or  of  their  resurrection.     The  res- 

eously." — Psalm  lxvii.  urrection  of  the  righteous  being  mentioned 

The  "judgment  given  unto  them,  and  to  alone,  or  without  that  of  the  wicked,  does 


THE    RESURRECTION. 


77 


not  prove  that  the  one  will  be  prior  to  the 
other.  If  it  prove  any  thing  concerning 
the  wicked,  it  would  seem  to  be  that  there 
will  be  no  resurrection  of  them :  but,  know- 
ing from  other  Scriptures  that  there  will 
be  a  resurrection  "both  of  the  just  and 
the  unjust,"  we  do  not  draw  this  inference  ; 
nor  have  we  any  ground  for  drawing  the 
other. 

The  "  first  resurrection "  appears  to  me 
to  be  no  other  than  the  Millennium  itself,  to 
which  all  that  is  said  of  it  will  apply.  Dur- 
ing this  glorious  period,  the  church  will  have 
its  Pauls  and  Peters  and  Johns  over  again. 
Men  will  be  raised  up  who  will  go  forth  in 
the  spirit  and  power  of  those  worthies,  as 
much  as  John  the  Baptist  did  in  the  spirit 
and  power  of  Elias.  Thus  the  apostles  and 
martyrs  will,  as  it  were,  be  raised  from  their 
graves  and  live  again  upon  the  earth. 

The  blessedness  pronounced  upon  him 
that  hath  a  part  in  it  is  expressive  of  the  hap- 
piness of  those  times.  The  idea  is  the  same 
as  that  in  chap.  xix.  9,  "  Blessed  are  they 
that  are  called  to  the  marriage  sapper  of  the 
Lamb  ;" — and  that  in  Dan.  xii.  12,  "  Bless- 
ed is  he  that  waiteth  and  cometh  to  the 
thousand  three  hundred  and  five-and-thirty 
days  !  "  Each  of  these  passages  refers  to 
the  same  period.  If  a  blessing  was  pro- 
nounced on  those  who  saw  the  early  part  of 
gospel  times,  much  more  on  those  who 
shall  enjoy  the  latter.  It  were  not  enough 
however  to  exist  in  those  times :  to  be 
blessed  we  must  have  "  a  part "  in  all  that 
is  going  on ;  and  in  order  to  this  we  must 
be  "  holy."  Otherwise,  God  might  work  a 
work  in  our  days  which  we  should  not 
believe,  but  despise  it,  and  wonder,  and 
perish ! 

The  first  resurrection  supposes  a  second, 
and  which  seems  to  be  that  of  the  just  and 
the  unjust.  In  this  the  wicked  shall  be 
raised  to  die  a  second  death ;  but  over  the 
followers  of  Christ  the  second  death  shall 
have  no  power.  As  a  pledge  of  their  victo- 
ry, they  are  already  made  priests  of  God 
and  of  Christ,  and.  shall  reign  in  spiritual 
prosperity  from  generation  to  generation, 
for  the  space  of  a  thousand  years. 


DISCOURSE  XXIX. 

THE  FALLING   AWAY THE   END  OF   THE 

WORLD THE   RESURRECTION   OF   THE 

DEAD AND  THE  LAST  JUDGMENT. 

Rev.  xx.  7 — 15. 

Ver.  7,  8.  It  seems  almost  incredible, 
after  so  long  and  glorious  a  season  of  grace, 
that  Satan  should  so  recover  his  influence  in 
the  world  as  that  the  number  of  his  adherents 
should  become  "as  the  sand  of  the  sea!" 
Yet  thus  it  is.  What  is  ordinarily  called  the 
religion  of  a  people  becomes  a  sort  of  na- 


tional habit,  to  which  they  are  attached  from 
generation  to  generation.  But  it  is  not  thus 
with  true  religion.  There  is  nothing  in  it 
suited  to  the  temper  of  mind  with  which  men 
are  born  into  the  world.  If  therefore  the 
Holy  Spirit  be  aggrieved,  and  withdraw  his 
influence  but  from  one  generation,  it  will  be 
like  that  which  succeeded  the  times  of  Josh- 
ua, that  "  knew  not  the  Lord."  If  in  such  a 
state  of  things  Satan  be  permitted  to  ply 
with  his  temptations,  he  is  certain  to  be 
successful. 

"The  four  quarters  of  the  earth"  prior  to 
this  must  have  been  evangelized  by  the  gos- 
pel ;  but  the  dragon  being  let  loose  deceives 
them;  not  by  any  new  superstition,  like  that 
of  Popery  ;  for,  as  to  the  beast  and  the  false 
prophet,  they  will  long  since  have  gone  to 
perdition.  It  may  be  by  a  persecuting  infi- 
delity, the  spirit  inspired  by  the  dragon  him- 
self, that  this  last  effort  will  be  made.  Hav- 
ing seen  so  much  of  Christianity  in  the  world, 
the  hearts  of  the  wicked  will  rise  against  it, 
and  be  so  far  "  deceived  "  by  the  Wicked  One 
as  to  imagine  themselves  capable  of  extirpa- 
ting it  from  the  earth. 

The  name  given  to  the  enemies  of  Christ 
is  borrowed  from  the  thirty-eighth  and  thirty- 
ninth  chapters  of  Ezekiel,  where  mention  is 
made  of  Gog  and  Magog.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear however  that  the  prophecy  of  Ezekiel 
and  John  refer  to  the  same  period ;  but  that 
the  language  is  merely  allusive.  EzekiePs 
Gog  and  Magog  seem  to  refer  to  a  combina- 
tion among  the  nations  against  the  house  of 
Israel,  soon  after  their  restoration  to  their  own 
land  and  their  eoriversion  to  Christ,  and  which 
will  be- prior  to  or  at  the  commencement  of 
the  Millennium  :  but  the  Gog  and  Magog 
army  of  John  is  "  after  the  thousand  years 
are  expired."  The  meaning  may  be,  that, 
like  as  the  nations  will  combine  against 
restored  and  converted  Israel,  so  will  the 
whole  world  of  the  ungodly  combine  to  ex- 
terminate Christianity  from  the  earth  :  and, 
as  the  one  would  issue  in  the  utter  overthrow 
of  the  assailants,  so  would  the  other. 

Ver.  9,  10.  As  there  is  nothing  in  the 
account  which  intervenes  between  this  and 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  the  "  fire  that 
cometh  down  from  God  out  of  heaven"  may 
be  no  other  than  the  general  conflagration 
itself,  spoken  of  by  the  apostles  Peter  and 
Paul — "  The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as 
a  thief  in  the  night ;  in  the  which  the  heav- 
ens shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  and 
the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat ; 
the  earth  also  and  the  works  that  are  therein 
shall  be  burnt  up. — The  Lord  Jesus  shall  be 
revealed  from  heaven  with  his  mighty  angels, 
in  flaming  fire,  taking  vengeance  on  them 
that  know  not  God,  and  that  obey  not  the 
gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." — 2  Pet.  iii. 
10  ;  2  Thes.  i.  8. 

And  now  the  grand  mover  of  all  the  mis- 
chief which  has  taken  place  in  the  world  is 


78 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


not  merely  bound  for  a  season,  as  before,  but 
cast  into  perdition,  where  his  agents,  the 
beast  and  the  false  prophet,  are.  There  is 
no  mention  of  their  being  "  tormented,"  be- 
cause they  as  political  bodies  were  incapa- 
ble of  it ;  but  of  him  it  is  said  he  "shall  be 
tormented  day  and  night  forever  and  ever." 
Perdition  to  them  will  be  oblivion;  but  to 
him  a  state  of  everlasting  punishment. 

Ver.  11 — 15.  A  more  impressive  descrip- 
tion of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  of 
eternal  judgment,  is  scarcely  in  the  power  of 
language.  The  words  are  simple,  but  the 
sentiments  exceedingly  sublime.  "The 
language  is  so  plain  (says  Mr.  Blackwell) 
as  not  to  need,  and  so  majestic  and  grand  as 
to  exceed,  commentary  or  paraphrase."  But 
it  is  not  for  us  to  stand  admiring  the  lan- 
guage till  we  overlook  the  event  itself. 

Lo,  the  dead,  both  "  small  and  great,  stand 
before  God !  "  Young  and  old,  rich  and  poor, 
all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ. 
None  are  so  insignificant  as  to  be  over- 
looked ;  none  so  mighty  as  to  escape :  the 
governors  and  the  governed,  the  parent  and 
the  child,  the  master  and  the  servant,  the 
oppressor  and  the  oppressed,  the  preacher 
and  the  hearer,  all  must  give  an  account  of 
themselves  to  God ! 

Men,  owing  to  the  imperfection  of  their 
knowledge,  and  of  their  memories,  make  use 
of  "  books  :  "  but  God's  infinite  knowledge 
requires  no  such  assistance.  It  is  merely 
in  allusion  to  human  proceedings  that  this  is 
spoken.  His  memory  is  itself  the  book  from 
which  he  will  judge  the  world. 

Believing  sinners  are  justified  by  grace  : 
but  both  believers  and  unbelievers  will  be 
judged  "according  to  their  works."  Those 
who  have  sinned  without  the  light  of  revela- 
tion will  be  judged  by  the  light  of  nature. 
Those  who  have  sinned  against  revelation 
will  be  judged  by  it,  according  to  the  light 
they  had,  or  might  have  had.  Believers 
themselves,  though  not  dealt  with  according 
to  their  deserts,  (for  they  will  "obtain  mercy 
of  the  Lord  in  that  day !")  yet  their  works 
will  be  censured  or  approved  according  to 
what  they  were.  Their  sinful  works  will  be 
burnt  up,  though  they  themselves  are  saved  ; 
and  as  to  their  good  works,  though  there  be 
nothing  in  them  deserving  eternal  life,  or 
furnishing  the  least  ground  for  boasting,  yet 
will  they  be  admitted  as  evidences  in  their 
favor.— Matt.  xxv.  31 — 40. 

There  have  been  many  days  of  judgment, 
as  it  were,  in  miniature,  but  this  will  be  uni- 
versal. Whether  men  have  died  at  sea,  or 
on  land;  and  whatever  became  of  their 
bodies,  whether  slain  in  battle,  devoured  by 
beasts  of  prey,  or  decently  interred  in  their 
graves,  all  will  rise  and  be  judged. — Ver.  13. 

"Death  and  hell  (or  the  grave)  were  cast 
into  the  lake  of  fire."  Death  and  the  grave 
are  things  which  belong  to  time,  and  which, 
as  rivers  are  lost  in  the  ocean,  will  now  be 


swallowed  up  in  eternity.  Prior  to  the  day 
of  judgment  the  ungodly  were  confined  un- 
der their  power  as  in  a  prison  :  but  having 
received  their  doom  they  shall  not  be  remand- 
ed thither,  but  shall  go  away  into  everlast- 
ing punishment.  "This  is  the  second 
death."  Into  this  dreadful  abyss  all  will  be 
cast,  as  the  just  punishment  of  their  sins, 
excepting  those  whose  names  are  "  written 
in  the  book  of  life."  An  interest  in  the  sal- 
vation of  Christ  is  the  only  security  against 
eternal  death. 


DISCOURSE  XXX. 

THE     NEW    HEAVEN   AND    THE     NEW     EARTH, 
WITH  THE  NEW  JERUSALEM. 

Rev.  xxi.  xxii.  1 — 5. 

Ch.  xxi.  We  have  seen,  in  the  forego- 
ing chapter,  the  end  of  the  world  and  the 
last  judgment,  even  that  fearful  issue  of 
things  described  by  the  apostle  Peter: 
"  The  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in 
the  night,  in  the  which  the  heavens  will  pass 
away  with  a  great  noise,  and  the  elements 
shall  melt  with  fervent  heat ;  the  earth  also, 
and  the  works  that  are  therein,  shall  be 
burnt  up." — But  as  the  same  apostle  adds, 
"  Nevertheless  we,  according  to  his  promise, 
look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  where- 
in dwelleth  righteousness  ; "  so  in  this  chap- 
ter, and  the  first  five  verses  of  the  next,  we 
find  an  ample  description  of  them. 

What  then  are  we  to  understand  by  this 
"  new  heaven  and  new  earth,"  this  "  new  Je- 
rusalem, coming  down  from  God  out  of 
heaven,"  and  this  "  pure  river  of  the  water 
of  life,"  which  is  supposed  to  flow  in  the 
midst  of  it  ?  Some  have  considered  it  as  only 
a  more  particular  account  of  the  Millennium. 
But  to  this  it  is  objected— First:  The  Mil- 
lennium precedes  the  last  judgment,  whereas 
the  new  heavens  and  the  earth  follow  it. 
Secondly :  The  Millennium  was  for  a  limited 
time  ;  but  this  is  "  forever  and  ever." — Ch. 
xxii.  5.  Thirdly :  Under  the  Millennium  the 
dragon  is  only  bound  for  a  season,  and  after- 
wards loosed;  but  here  there  is  no  dragon 
nor  enemy  of  any  kind.  The  devil  will  have 
been  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone, 
to  be  tormented  day  and  night  forever  and 
ever  (ch.  xx.  10 ;)  "  and  there  shall  be  no 
more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying, 
neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain  ;  for  the 
former  things  are  passed  away." — Ver.   4. 

For  these  reasons  others  have  considered 
it  as  no  other  than  the  heavenly  state.*  Yet 
it  seems  singular  that  the  heavenly  state 
should  be  introduced  as  a  subject  of  prophecy. 
It  is  doubtless  an  object  of  promise,  but 
prophecy  seems  rather  to  respect  events  in 
the  world  in  which  we  dwell  than  in  the  world 

*  Lowhan — Hopkins  on  the  Millennium,  p.  48. 


THE  NEW  HEAVEN  AND  THE  NEW  EARTH. 


79 


to  come.  Whatever  is  meant  by  the  glori- 
ous state  here  described,  the  earth,  as  purified 
by  the  conflagration,  is  the  scene  of  it.  The 
whole  of  what  is  said,  instead  of  describing 
the  heaven  of  heavens,  represents  the  glory 
of  that  state  as  "  coining  down  upon  the 
earth." — Ver.  1 — 4.  The  truth  appears  to 
me  to  be  this :  it  is  a  representation  of  heav- 
enly glory  in  so  far  as  that  glory  relates  to 
the  state  of  the  earth  on  which  ive  dwell ;  which, 
instead  of  being  the  stew  of  the  mother  of 
harlots,  shall  become  the  seat  of  "  the  holy 
city,  the  new  Jerusalem,  coining  down  from 
God  out  of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride 
adorned  for  her  husband."  The  earth  will 
not  be  annihilated  by  fire  any  more  than  it 
was  by  water.  It  will  be  purified  from  sin 
and  all  its  effects.  The  generations  of  a  cor- 
rupt race  of  creatures  having  terminated,  it 
will  become  the  perfect  and  perpetual  abode 
of  righteousness.  The  creation  has  long 
been  subjected  to  the  "vanity  "of  supplying 
its  creator's  enemies  with  the  means  of  carry- 
ing on  their  rebellion  against  him.  Under 
this  "  bondage  of  corruption  "  it  has  "  groaned 
and  travailed,"  as  it  were  in  pain,  longing  to 
be  delivered.  And  now  the  period  is  arrived. 
The  liberation  of  the  sons  of  God  from  the 
power  of  the  grave  shall  be  the  signal  of  de- 
liverance to  the  whole  creation. — Rom.  viii. 
19—23. 

It  is  not  the  object  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
tell  us  what  the  heaveidy  glory  is,  but  rather 
what  this  tvorld  shall  become,  in  opposition  to 
what  it  now  is.  This  opposition  is  preserved 
throughout  the  description.  We  have  read 
of  Babylon  ;  not  that  in  Chaldea,  but  a  neiv 
Babylon  :  here  we  read  of  Jerusalem ;  not 
that  in  Palestine,  but  a  new  Jerusalem — of  a 
city  by  whose  delicacies  the  merchants  of 
the  earth  were  made  rich ;  now  of  another 
city  in  the  light  of  which  "  the  nations  of 
them  that  are  saved  shall  walk,  and  to  which 
kings  shall  bring  their  glory  and  honor  " — 
of  a  troubled  "sea,"  whence  arose  those  mon- 
sters which  were  the  plagues  of  the  earth  ; 
now  of  there  being  "  no  more  sea  " — of  the 
"  great  whore  that  sat  upon  many  waters  ;" 
now  of  "the  bride  the  Lamb's  wife  " — of 
"  great  tribulations  out  of  which  the  saints 
of  God  have  had  to  come  ;"  now  of  "  all  tears 
being  wiped  from  their  eyes,  and  of  death 
and  sorrow  and  crying  and  pain  having  passed 
away" — finally,  of  "a  golden  cup  full  of 
abominations  and  filthiness  ;"  but  now  of  the 
"  pure  river  of  the  water  of  life,  clear  as 
crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God 
and  of  the  Lamb,"  together  with  the  "  fruits  of 
the  tree  of  life,  which  bears  twelve  kinds  of 
fruit,  and  yields  its  fruit  every  month." 

As  the  new  Jerusalem  is  denominated 
"  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife,"  all  that  is  said 
of  her  as  a  city,  from  ver.  10 — 27,  though 
couched  in  highly  figurative  language,  is  de- 
scriptive of  the  church  triumphant.  In  this, 
as  in  many  other  places,  there  is  a  reference 


to  the  prophecies  of  Ezekiel  (ch.  xlviii.  31 — 
34,)  though  the  events  predicted  are  not  al- 
ways the  same.  The  city  in  Ezekiel  seems 
to  be  the  church  in  a  day  of  great  spiritual 
prosperity ;  this  in  a  state  of  immortality. 
Her  high  wall  denotes  her  complete  security  ; 
her  twelve  gates,  on  which  were  inscribed 
the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  de- 
note that  none  but  Israelites  indeed,  who 
have  the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads,  will 
enter  into  it ;  her  twelve  foundations  may 
refer  to  the  doctrine  of  the  apostles  on  which 
she  stands  ;  the  pearls  and  precious  stones 
with  which  she  is  adorned  are  her  spiritual 
riches  and  glory  ;  there  being  "  no  temple, 
nor  sun,  nor  moon,"  denotes  that  there  will 
be  no  need  of  those  means  of  grace  which 
we  now  attend  upon  ;  what  we  now  receive 
mediately  we  shall  then  receive  immediate- 
ly;  finally,  the  nations  of  the  saved  walking 
in  the  light  of  it  may  allude  to  the  interest 
which  surrounding  nations  take  in  a  metropo- 
litan city,  and  denotes  that  the  saved,  who 
have  been  gathered  from  all  nations,  will 
rejoice  in  the  honor  that  God  will  have  be- 
stowed upon  his  church. 

To  complete  the  description  of  the  city, 
and  to  finish  the  prophecy,  we  must  consider 
the  first  five  verses  of  the  twenty-second 
chapter  in  connection  with  the  foregoing. 

Ch.  xxii.  1 — 5.  There  is  doubtless  an 
allusion  in  these  verses  to  the  waters  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  the  trees  of  life,  described  in 
Ezekiel  xlvii.  I — 12.  Both  Ezekiel  and 
John  make  mention  of  a  city — of  a  river — 
of  trees  growing  upon  the  banks  of  it — and 
of  the  fruit  thereof  being  for  meat,  and  the 
leaf  for  medicine.  Ezekiel's  waters  flowed 
from  the  temple,  near  the  altar ;  those  of 
John  out  of  "  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the 
Lamb."  The  city  is  doubtless  the  same  in 
both  ;  but  I  conceive  at  different  periods. 
Ezekiel's  city  had  a  temple,  but  that  of  John, 
as  we  have  seen,  had  no  temple  ;  for  "  the 
Lord  God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are  the 
temple  of  it."  The  former  therefore  de- 
scribes the  church  in  her  latter-day  glory  ; 
the  latter  in  a  state  of  perfection — and  which 
answers  to  the  promise  in  ch.  ii.  7,  "  To 
him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of 
the  tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
paradise  of  God." 


DISCOURSE   XXXI. 

ATTESTATIONS   TO  THE  TRUTH  OF   THE 
PROPHECY,  &C. 

Rev.  xxii.  6-21. 

We  have  gone  through  the  prophecy :  all 
that  remains  consists  of  attestations,  direc- 
tions, invitations,  and  warnings  concern- 
ing it. 

Ver.  6.  Such  is  the  solemn  attestation 
of  the  angel  to  the  truth  of  all  that  he  had 


80 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


made  known  to  the  apostle.  He  had  receiv- 
ed it  from  the  son  of  God,  even  the  Lord 
God  of  the  holy  prophets,  who  had  sent  by 
him  to  signify  it  unto  his  servant  John. — 
Ch.  i.  1. 

Ver.  7.  After  the  attestation  of  the  an- 
gel follows  that  of  him  that  sent  him.  The 
"coming  of  Christ"  refers  to  his  second 
appearing.  His  declaring  that  this  would 
be  "  quickly "  is  declaring  that  the  things 
which  had  been  foretold  should  soon  be  ac- 
complished. Meanwhile  they  would  be  a 
guide  to  the  faithful,  and  a  blessing  should 
attend  those  who  adhered  to  them. 

Ver.  8.  This  is  the  attestation  of  the 
writer.  He  not  only  saw  and  heard  these 
things,  but  such  was  their  effect  on  his  mind 
that  on  one  occasion  he  conceived  the  angel 
who  revealed  them  to  him  to  have  been  the 
Son  of  God  himself,  and  therefore  fell  down 
to  worship  him.  Some  have  expressed  sur- 
prise that  the  apostle,  after  the  angel  had 
once  refused  his  adoration,  should  offer  it  a 
second  time  :  but  it  appears  to  me  that  what 
is  here  related  is  merely  a  repetition  of 
what  was  said  and  done  before. — Ch.  xix.  10. 
He  first  tells  of  his  having  "  seen "  the 
things  that  were  to  be  seen,  and  "  heard  " 
the  things  that  were  to  be  heard  ;  and  now 
of  his  having  been  so  overcome  by  them  as 
to  suppose  the  angel  from  whom  they  pro- 
ceeded to  be  the  Son  of  God,  and  of  course 
to  have  fallen  down  to  worship  him.  The 
design  of  the  repetition  is  merely  to  add 
weight  to  the  attestation. 

Ver.  10 — 16.  He  who  speaketh  in  these 
verses  is  not  the  angel,  but  the  Son  of  God 
himself,  whose  speech  is  resumed  from  verse 
7.  The  eighth  and  ninth  verses  are  a 
parenthesis,  in  which  the  writer  expresses 
his  own  feelings.  He  who  in  verse  7  said, 
"  Behold,  I  come  quickly,"  here  adds,  "  Seal 
not  the  sayings  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book, 
for  the  time  is  at  hand."  As  if  he  should 
say,  Do  not  conceal,  but  declare  them,  for 
they  are  things  of  immediate  concern. — To 
this  is  added  a  solemn  declaration  of  the 
near  approach  of  that  period  when  the 
characters  of  men  should  be  unalterably 
fixed.  Let  the  persecutors  and  corrupters 
of  the  gospel  know  that  there  is  no  change 
but  on  earth,  no  Saviour  nor  Sanctifier 
beyond  the  grave.  Let  the  righteous  know 
also,  who  have  faithfully  adhered  to  him 
through  all  the  temptations  and  persecutions 
of  the  world,  that  the  time  draws  nigh  when 
their  conflicts  shall  be  ended,  and  they  shall 
be  immutably  confirmed  in  righteousness 
and  true  holiness.  And  now  the  solemn 
warning  of  his  near  approach  is  repeated, 
accompanied  with  a  declaration  that  "his 
reward  is  with  him,  and  that  he  will  give 
every  man  according  as  his  work  shall  be." 
The  character  assumed  by  the  Judge,  that 
of  "  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and 
the  end,  the  first  and  the  last,"  while  it  as- 


certains his  proper  divinity,  conveys  an  im- 
pressive idea  of  the  proceedings  of  that 
day.  It  is  equal  to  saying,  He  that  shall 
judge  the  world  will  be  possessed  of  a  divine 
as  well  as  of  a  human  nature  ;  and,  where 
God  is  judge  himself,  the  heavens  will  de- 
clare his  righteousness, — Blessed  shall  they 
be  in  that  day  who  have  "  done  his  com- 
mandments," or  who,  amidst  the  temptations 
and  persecutions  of  the  world,  have  kept  his 
sayings.  All  the  blessedness  contained  in 
partaking  of  "the  tree  of  life,"  and  of  the 
glory  of  "  the  new  Jerusalem,"  shall  be 
theirs. — On  the  other  hand,  "  dogs,  and  sor- 
cerers, and  whoremongers,  and  murderers, 
and  idolaters,  and  whosoever  loveth  and 
maketh  a  lie,"  are  "  without."  Nor  does 
this  description  appear  to  refer  to  ordinary 
sinners,  of  which  the  world  is  full,  but  rather 
to  the  enemies  of  the  gospel,  and  the  corrupt- 
ers of  pure  religion.  Thus  "dogs"  denote 
false  teachers  ;  "  sorcerers  "  those  who  have 
been  employed  in  drawing  away  mankind 
by  the  lures  of  the  mother  of  harlots  ; 
"  whoremongers  "  those  who  have  commit- 
ted spiritual  fornication  with  her,  or  her 
daughters  ;  "  murderers  "  those  who  have 
entered  into  her  persecuting  spirit ;  "idola- 
ters "  those  who  have  gone  into  the  worship 
of  saints  and  images ;  and  "  he  that  loveth 
and  maketh  a  lie  "  is  one  whose  heart  favor- 
ing false  doctrine,  has  employed  himself  in 
framing  and  propagating  it. — See  chap, 
xxi.  8. 

The  Lord  Jesus,  having  from  the  10th  to 
the  10th  verse  addressed  himself  to  the 
apostle,  here  turns  to  the  churches,  assuring 
them  that  all  which  was  revealed  in  the 
foregoing  prophecy  was  for  their  use.  "  I, 
Jesus,  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto 
you  these  things  in  the  churches."  Nor 
was  it  to  those  only  which  were  then  in 
being,  but  to  all  the  churches  of  succeeding 
ages.  The  things  contained  in  this  prophe- 
cy therefore  are  a  message  from  Christ  in 
his  glorified  state  to  us.  And,  as  in  refer- 
ence to  his  second  coming  he  assumed  the 
character  of  "  the  first  and  the  last,"  here 
he  is  "  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David, 
the  bright  and  morning  star,"  which  names 
are  descriptive  of  Him  who  is  God  in  our 
nature,  and  whose  coming  will  introduce  an 
everlasting  day  of  light,  and  joy,  and  glad- 
ness. 

Ver.  17 — 21.  Christ  does  not  only  as- 
sume a  name  suited  to  the  revelations  which 
had  been  made,  but  draws  from  them  the 
most  affecting  invitations  and  solemn  warn- 
ings ;  and  with  these  the  book  concludes. 

Reader,  as  if  he  should  say,  You  have 
read  of  "  the  water  of  life : "  you  are  invited 
to  "come,"  and  drink  "  freely"  of  it.  You 
have  read  or  heard  of  "  the  Spirit "  that 
spake  to  the  churches :  he  speaks  also  to 
you  individually,  and  the  sum  of  what  he 
saith  is,  "  come."     You  have  heard  of  the 


CONCLUSION. 


81 


"  bride,"  and  of  the  glories  prepared  for  her : 
she  does  not  covet  to  enjoy  these  things  by 
herself,  but  joins  with  the  Spirit  of  inspira- 
tion in  inviting  you  to  "  come."  Nay,  every 
one  that  "heareth"  and  believeth  these 
things  is  warranted  to  invite  his  neighbor. 
And  let  every  one  who  has  any  regard  for 
his  own  soul  avoid  the  cup  of  the  mother  of 
harlots,  and  come  to  these  living  waters. 
There  need  be  no  hesitation  on  the  score  of 
qualifications,  for  it  is  free  to  all  who  are 
willing  to  receive  it. 

Know  also  that  the  words  of  this  prophecy 
are  sacred.  If  any  man  add  to  them,  God 
will  add  to  him  its  plagues ;  and,  if  any  man 
take  away  from  them,  God  will  take  away 
from  him  whatever  he  may  have  expected 
to  receive  of  its  blessings.  He  who  testifi- 
eth  these  things  saith,  the  third  time,  "  Sure- 
ly, I  COME    QUICKLY." 

To  this  solemn  testimony  of  Christ  the 
apostle  adds  his  cordial  "  Amen.  Even  so 
come,  Lord  Jesus  !  "  And,  as  he  had  in- 
troduced the  prophecy  with  an  address  to 
the  seven  churches,  so  he  concludes  it  with 
the  apostolic  benediction  :  "  The  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all. 
Amen." 


CONCLUSION. 

The  reader  may  ask,  What  are  the  signs 
of  the  present  times  ? — What  judgments 
may  yet  be  expected  to  befal  the  nations  ? — 
and,  What  cheering  prospects  await  the 
church  ? 

If  the  outlines  of  the  foregoing  commen- 
tary be  just,  we  are  now  under  the  penod  of 
the  vials,  or  that  space  of  time  which  com- 
mences with  the  sounding  of  the  seventh 
angel,  and  terminates  in  the  Millennium. 
This  is  a  period  which  appears  to  be  marked 
in  the  prophecy ;  particularly  in  chap.  x.  7, 
"  But  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh 
angel,  when  he  shall  begin  to  sound,  the 
mystery  of  God  shall  be  finished,  as  he  hath 
declared  to  his  servants  the  prophets." 
That  is,  in  the  times  in  which  the  seven 
vials  shall  be  poured  out  the  great  designs 
of  heaven  concerning  the  overthrow  of  the 
papal  Antichrist,  and  the  establishment  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ,  as  foretold  by  the 
prophets,  shall  be  accomplished. 

This  is  the  period  in  which,  according  to 
Daniel,  "  The  thrones  are  pitched  down,  and 
the  Ancient  of  days  doth  sit — in  which  they 
shall  take  away  the  dominion  of  the  little 
horn,  to  consume  and  to  destroy  it  unto  the 
end."  We  see  not  yet  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  become  the  kingdoms  of  our 
Lord  and  of  his  Christ ;  but  we  see  that 
which  is  both  preparatory  and  introductory 
to  it. 

Moreover,  If  the  exposition  of  the  vials 
by  the  trumpets,  adopted  from  Dr.  Gill,  be 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  11. 


just,  we  are  as  yet  but  under  the  second 
vial,  which  for  several  years  has  been  pour- 
ing out  upon  the  sea,  or  the  maritime  papal 
nations  of  Spain  and  Portugal ;  and,  notwith- 
standing what  has  taken  place,  it  may  be 
suspected  that  much  of  it  is  yet  to  come. 

Much  has  been  written  on  the  commence- 
ment and  consequent  termination  of  the 
1260  years  assigned  in  prophecy  for  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  antichristian  power.  If  the 
former  could  be  ascertained,  the  latter  would 
follow  of  course.  Some  think  that  they 
have  already  terminated,  and  others  that 
they  are  on  the  point  of  doing  so.  But  of 
this  I  think  we  may  be  certain,  that  unless 
the  vials  are  all  poured  out,  to  which  few  if 
any  will  pretend,  the  reign  of  the  papal 
Antichrist  cannot  have  terminated,  seeing 
they  are  the  appointed  means  of  its  destruc- 
tion. The  finishing  of  "the  mystery  of 
God"  (chap.  x.  7)  is  the  same  as  the  termi- 
nation of  the  1260  years,  as  is  evident  from 
the  corresponding  passage  in  Dan.  xii.  7, 
where  the  angel  swears  that  it  shall  be  for 
"  a  time,  times,  and  a  half."  The  pouring 
out  of  the  last  vial  is  the  termination  of  the 
1260  years  :  accordingly,  a  great  voice  is 
then  heard  out  of  the  temple  of  heaven  say- 
ing, "It  is  done." — Chap.  xvi.  17. 

It  may  be  questioned,  however,  whether 
the  precise  time  of  the  commencement  and 
termination  of  this  period  be  not  purposely 
concealed  from  us.  It  does  not  appear  to 
be  the  design  of  prophecy  so  to  fix  the 
time  of  future  events  as  that  we  should 
know  them  beforehand,  to  a  day,  or  a  month, 
or  a  year.  It  deserves,  moreover,  to  be  par- 
ticularly noticed,  that  those  prophecies  in 
ivhich  an  exact  number  of  years  is  specified 
are  generally,  if  not  always,  covered  ivith  ob- 
scurity in  respect  of  the  time  of  their  accom- 
plishment, and  in  some  cases  have  appeared 
to  have  had  different  accomplishments.  Sev- 
enty years,  for  instance,  were  determined 
for  the  Babylonish  captivity ;  but,  as  the 
captives  were  carried  away  and  restored  at 
different  times,  it  was  hard  to  say  when  it 
began,  and  consequently  when  it  ended. 
From  the  first  captivity  in  the  fourth  year 
of  Jehoiakim,  Avhen  Daniel  and  others  were 
carried  to  Babylon,  to  the  first  restoration  by 
the  decree  of  Cyrus,  was  seventy  years  ; 
that  is,  from  A.  M.  4108  to  4178.— 2  Chron. 
xxxvi.  5 — 7,  22,  23.  From  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  and  the  temple,  in  the  reign  of 
Zedekiah,  to  the  decree  of  Darius  to  restore 
it,  was  seventy  years ;  that  is,  from  A.  M. 
4126  to  4196.— 2  Chron.  xxxvi.  14—21,  Ezra 
vi.  And  from  the  captivity  by  Nebuzaradan, 
which  finished  the  desolations,  to  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  second  temple,  which  complet- 
ed the  restoration,  was  seventy  years ;  that 
is,  from  A.  M.  4130  to  4200.— Jer.  Hi.  30 ; 
Ezra  vi.  16—22.  See  the  Tables  in  Pri- 
deaux. 

Again,  seventy  weeks  of  years  were  de- 


82 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


termined  for  the  coming  of  Messiah ;  but 
things  were  so  ordered  that  though  the 
weeks  were  well  understood  to  mean  490 
years,  yet  the  exact  time  of  their  commence- 
ment was  not  understood.  A  general  ex- 
pectation of  him  certainly  did  prevail  about 
the  time  that  he  appeared,  but  that  was  all 
that  was  gathered  from  the  prophecy,  and 
might  be  all  that  it  was  intended  should  be 
gathered.  Those  who  entertained  carnal 
views  of  his  kingdom  were  so  blind  as  not 
to  know  it  when  it  did  appear.  The  phari- 
sees  demanded  of  him  when  the  kingdom 
of  God  should  come.  "The  kingdom  of 
God  cometh  (answered  he)  not  Avith  obser- 
vation ;  neither  shall  they  say,  Lo  here  !  or 
lo  there !  for,  behold,  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  among  you !  "  As  if  he  should  say,  The 
kingdom  of  God  will  not,  like  the  kingdoms 
of  this  world,  rise  out  of  turbulence,  intrigue 
and  bloodshed,  nor  be  accompanied  with 
ostentation  and  parade.  Imperceptible  and 
gradual  in  its  operations,  it  comes  Avhen  you 
little  expect  it.  You  shall  not  be  able  to 
point  to  the  place  and  say,  Lo  it  is  here,  or 
lo  it  is  there !  Nay,  little  as  you  may  think  of 
it,  it  is  already  in  the  midst  of  you  ! 

In  some  such  manner  as  this  we  may  look 
for  the  expiration  of  the  years  of  Antichrist, 
and  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
in  these  latter  days.  While  curiosity  is 
gaping  after  wonders,  and  demanding,  When 
shall  these  things  be  ?  behold  it  will  be 
amongst  us  !  The  antichristian  cause  rose 
gradually,  and  will  probably  fall  gradually. 
"  They  shall  take  away  his  dominion  to  con- 
sume and  to  destroy  it  unto  the  end."  Its 
temporal  power  has  already  been  shaken  and 
diminished ;  but  it  is  reserved  for  the  battle 
of  Armageddon,  that  "great  day  of  God 
Almighty,"  under  the  sixth  vial,  to  accom- 
plish its  overthrow.  And  when  this  is  done 
the  seventh  will  purify  the  moral  atmosphere 
of  the  world  from  its  abominable  principles, 
and  so  make  way  for  the  Millennium. 

When  two  of  Christ's  disciples  were  in- 
quiring after  the  honors  of  his  kingdom,  they 
were  asked,  "Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the 
cup  that  I  shall  drink  of,  and  to  be  baptized 
with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with?" 
Ho  would  himself  have  to  sutler  before  he 
reigned,  and  they  must  expect  to  suffer 
with  him.  It  is  true  his  sufferings  would  be 
but  for  a  short  time,  and  so  might  theirs  ;  but 
they  required  to  be  the  immediate  object  of 
their  attention.  Something  similar  to  this 
may  be  expected  in  what  is  before  us. 
Some  commentators  have  supposed  the 
slaughter  of  the  witnesses  in  ch.  xi.  to  inti- 
mate as  much  as  this.  I  have  already  given 
my  reasons  for  understanding  that  part  of 
the  prophecy  of  past  events :  but  there  are 
other  passages  which  seem  to  give  us  to  ex- 
pect that  the  adversary  will  not  expire  with- 
out a  deadly  struggle.  Thus  towards  the 
close  of  the  12G0  years,  in  which  the  church 


is  described  as  being  in  the  wilderness,  the 
dragon  is  represented  as  casting  out  of  his 
mouth  a  "  flood  "  after  her,  and  as  making  war 
with  her  seed. — Ch.  xii.  15 — 17.  Previous- 
ly to  "  the  harvest  and  the  vintage  " — which 
synchronizing  with  the  sixth  vial,  describe 
the  utter  overthrow  of  the  antichristian 
powers — the  patience  of  the  saints  is  cele- 
brated, and  a  blessing  pronounced  on  the 
dead  that  die  in  the  Lord. — Ch.  xiv.  12,  13. 
Previously  to  the  battle  of  Armageddon,  the 
kingdoms  are  gathered  together  to  fight 
against  God. — Ch.  xvi.  14.  The  beast,  and 
the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  their  armies,  are 
gathered  together  to  make  war  with  him 
that  sat  on  the  horse,  and  against  his  army, 
and  perish  in  an  attempt  to  crush  them. — 
Ch.  xix.  11—21. 

If  these  events  signify  war  between  the 
nations,  as  possibly  they  may,  yet  it  will  be 
a  war  directed  against  Christ  and  true  re- 
ligion, and  in  which  the  church  of  Christ 
may  expect  a  sharp  persecution ;  and  this 
not  merely  from  one,  but  all  parties,  who, 
like  Herod  and  Pilate,  will  be  made  friends, 
and  unite  in  such  a  work  as  this.  We  may 
think  that,  from  the  repeated  blows  which 
popery  has  received  on  the  continent,  it  will 
never  be  able  to  persecute  to  any  consider- 
able degree  again  ;  that  from  the  antipathy 
between  its  adherents  and  the  patrons  of  in- 
fidelity they  can  never  again  coalesce  ;  and 
that,  from  the  dishonor  Avhich  public  opin- 
ion attaches  to  intolerance,  persecution  can 
never  more  lift  up  its  head :  but  we  may  be 
mistaken  in  all  these  particulars.  If  the 
temporal  power  of  popery  has  diminished  on 
the  continent,  its  spiritual  power  has  in- 
creased in  Britain.*  If  papists  and  the 
avowed  enemies  of  religion  have  fallen  out, 
it  has  been  chiefly  on  political  subjects,  a 
union  in  which  would  bring  them  together 
again.  We  have  lived  to  see  both  whigs 
and  tories  unite  in  opposing  a  free  toleration 
of  Christian  Missionaries  ;  and  an  English 
writer  of  note,  who  professes  to  be  "the 
enthusiastic  friend  of  freedom,"  though  he 
wishes  the  "  Catholics  the  utmost  degree  of 
religious  liberty,"  yet  proposes  in  respect  of 
the  evangelical  party,  "  by  well-concerted 
and  well-applied  regulations,  to  restrain 
them !  "  f  The  spirit  of  the  beast  and  the 
false  prophet  certainly  can  and  will  unite 
with  that  of  the  dragon  in  the  war  with  God 
Almighty. 

It  is  a  consolation  that  this  persecution,  or 
this  war  against  religion,  will  be  the  last, 
and  of  short  duration:  tins  very  effort  of  the 
enemy  will  prove  his  final  overthrow:  our 
immediate  inquiry,  however,  seems  to  be, 
Are  we  able,  previously  to  our  entrance  on 

*  Recent  events  have  also  revived  its  temporal 
power.     N.  B.  Written  in  1814. 

t  Characters  of  the  late  Charles  James  Fox. 
By  Philopatris  Varvicensis.  Eclectic  Review  for 
December,  1809,  p.  1128. 


CONCLUSION, 


83 


the  millennial  reign  of  Christ,  to  drink  of 
his  cup,  and  to  be  baptized  with  his  baptism  ? 
But,  though  our  Lord  checked  the  as- 
piring minds  of  his  disciples  concerning  his 
kingdom  by  presenting  to  them  a  time  of 
trial,  yet  he  did  not  fail  to  cheer  them  with 
the  promise  of  glorious  things  beyond  it. 
"A  woman  (saith  he)  when  she  is  in  travail 
hath  sorrow  because  her  hour  is  come :  but, 
as  soon  as  she  is  delivered  of  the  child,  she 
remembereth  no  more  the  anguish,  for  joy 
that  a  man  is  born  into  the  world.  And  ye 
now  therefore  have  sorrow :  but  I  will  see 
you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and 
your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you."  The 
glory  of  the  Millennium  will  more  than  bal- 
ance all  the  trials  during  the  1260  years  of 
antichristian  usurpation.  Nor  shall  we  have 
to  wait  for  the  Millennium,  nor  even  for  the 
ruin  of  the  antichristian  cause,  ere  we  see 
glorious  times.  Two  hundred  years  have 
been  thought  to  be  the  utmost  point  to  which 
the  pouring  out  of  the  vials  can  extend : 
they  may  terminate  in  less  time  :  but,  if  not, 
there  is  great  encouragement  for  the  friends 
of  Christ  in  the  promised  progress  of  his 
cause  during  this  period.  We  shall  not 
have  to  wait  for  the  Millennium,  I  say,  ere 
we  see  glorious  days  in  respect  of  the  suc- 
cess of  the  gospel.  The  seventh  trumpet, 
though  it  includes  the  vials,  and  in  this  view 
is  a  woe-trumpet,  yet  is  introductory  of  good 
tidings  to  the  church.  At  the  same  lime 
that  her  enemies  are  bleeding  under  the 
strokes  of  heaven,  the  "  kingdoms  of  this 
world  are  becoming  the  kingdoms  of  our 
Lord  and  of  his  Christ."  The  pouring  out 
of  the  vials  will  be  to  the  Millennium  that 
which  the  wars  of  David  were  to  the  pacific 
reign  of  Solomon.  The  servants  of  Christ 
may  have  to  encounter  great  opposition ; 
but,  as  "  the  Lord  prospered  David  whither- 
soever he  went,"  so  he  will  prosper  them. 
Paganism,  Mahomedism,  popery,  and  infi- 
delity, shall  fall  before  them.  Nor  shall  the 
obstinacy  of  Judaism  maintain  its  ground. 
The  wall  shall  be  built,  though  it  be  in  troub- 
lous times.  What  short  of  this  can  be  inti- 
mated by  the  "  angel  flying  in  the  midst  of 
heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel  to 
preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth, 
and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue, 
and  people" — and  this  before  the  fall  of  the 
antichristian  Babylon  ? — Ch.  xiv.  (J — 8. 

What  else  can  be  meant  by  the  sono- 
preceding  the  pouring  out  of  the  vials — 
"  All  nations  shall  come  and  worship  before 
thee,  for  thy  judgments  are  made  manifest  ?  " 
— Ch.  xv.  3,  4.  The  judgments  referred  to 
are  those  of  the  vials,  or  "  seven  last  plagues" 
(ch.  xv.  1 ;)  the  effect  of  which  on  the  na- 
tions will  be  to  induce  them  to  "  come  and 
worship"  before  God.  They  shall  so  "  mani- 
festly" appear  to  be  the  judgments  of  God 
against  the  antichristian  powers,  that  the 
nations_  will  be   deeply   impressed   by  the 


conviction ;  and,  by  the  concurring  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  "everlasting 
gospel,"  will  be  subdued  to  the  obedience 
of  faith. 

To  the  same  purpose  is  that  remarkable 
passage  in  Isa.  xxvi.9,  "When  thy  judg- 
ments are  in  the  earth  the  inhabitants  of  the 
world  will  learn  righteousness."  "  The 
church  under  the  gospel  dispensation,"  says 
an  able  writer,  "  is  in  this  and  the  preceding 
chapter  the  principal  subject  of  prophecy. 
Zion  is  introduced  singing.  A  song  is  al- 
ways in  the  prophecies  a  symbol  of  the  en- 
largement of  the  church.  Inverses  17,  18, 
she  complains  of  feeble  and  ineffectual 
efforts  in  extending  the  interests  and  king- 
dom of  her  Redeemer:  'We  have  not 
wrought  any  deliverance  in  the  earth,  neither 
have  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  fallen.' 
She  receives  in  answer  the  consoling  prom- 
ise of  a  period  when  she  shall  make  vigorous 
and  successful  exertions,  and  no  longer 
complain  of  abortive  labors  ;  when  converts 
numerous  as  the  morning  dew  shall  join  her 
standard:  'Thy  dead  shall  live.' — 'Awake 
and  sing — thy  dew  is  as  the  dew  of  herbs.' 
No  season  or  time  is  particularly  ascertain- 
ed when  this  promise  will  be  accomplished; 
but  another  event  is  foretold,  and  immedi- 
ately connected  with  this.  A  judgment,  a 
singular  judgment,  inflicted  as  the  punish- 
ment of  a  peculiar  and  enormous  crime,  is 
mentioned.  The  event  is  represented  as 
inevitable  ;  the  Lord's  people  may  not  pray 
for  its  removal,  but  are  directed  to  fly  to 
their  chambers,  and  hide  themselves  until 
the  indignation  be  overpast.  '  For  behold 
the  Lord  cometh  out  of  his  place  to  punish 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  for  their  iniqui- 
ty :  the  earth  also  shall  disclose  her  blood, 
and  shall  no  more  cover  her  slain ! '  The 
terms  here  used,  compared  with  parallel 
expressions  in  the  Revelation,  put  it  beyond 
a  doubt  that  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  in- 
tended, and  the  punishment  predicated  is  the 
avenging  of  that  blood.  This  is  introduced 
as  a  coetaneous  event  with  the  enlargement 
of  the  church.  Whenever  that  precious 
blood  begins  to  be  avenged,  then  Zion  will 
sing  of  mercy  as  well  as  judgment;  then  a 
new  and  prosperous  ministry  will  arise  in 
the  church,  and  her  borders  be  widely  ex- 
tended." * 

If  the  "punishment"  referred  to  at  the 
close  of  the  twenty-sixth  chapter  of  Isaiah 
be  that  which  is  appointed  for  the  antichris- 
tian Babylon  for  her  having  shed  the  blood 
of  the  martyrs,  in  which  not  only  this  writer 
but  almost  all  our  ablest  commentators  are 
agreed,  the  ninth  verse  doubtless  refers  to 
the  same  events.  The  pouring  out  of  the 
vials  are  the  "judgments"  which  while  they 
are  in  the  earth  the  inhabitants  of  the  world 


*  Dr.  Livingstone's  Sermon  on  Rev.  xiv.  6, 
before  the  New  York  Miss.  Soc.  April  3,  1804. 


84 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    APOCALYPSE. 


will  learn  righteousness.  Many  judgments 
have  been  in  the  earth  without  producing 
this  effect ;  but  the  Lord  will  in  tills  instance 
accompany  them  with  his  word  and  Spirit, 
and  so  render  them  effectual  to  salvation. 

The  same  things  in  substance  are  taught 
us  in  Rev.  xix.  11 — 19,  where,  prior  to  the 
last  struggle  with  the  beast  and  the  false 
prophet,  Christ  is  described  as  "  going  forth 
upon  a  white  horse,  and  as  being  followed 
by  the  armies  of  heaven  on  white  horses." 
And  when  their  enemies,  provoked  by  their 
success,  shall  gather  together  in  order  to 
oppose  their  progress,  they  themselves  shall 
fall  to  rise  no  more. 

The  period  of  the  vials  being  a  season  of 
warfare,  it  is  in  this,  rather  than  in  the  Mil- 
lennium itself,  that  we  are  to  look  for  the 
most  distinguished  victories  over  error, 
superstition,  and  irreligion.  The  Millennium 
is  a  reign ;  but  a  reign  presupposes  posses- 
sion of  the  throne,  and  that,  in  cases  where 
it  has  been  previously  occupied  by  an  ene- 
my, a  victory.  It  is  in  this  period  therefore 
that  we  are  to  look  for  the  overthrow  of 
paganism,  Mahomedism,  popery,  and  infi- 
delity ;  and  towards  the  close  of  it  may  ex- 
pect the  malignant  opposition  of  the  Jews 
to  give  place  to  the  gospel.  The  glorious 
millennial  rest  will  not  commence  while 
such  an  enemy  remains  unsubdued.  The 
marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb  must  include 
the  children  of  Abraham  in  its  train.  The 
return  of  this  long-lost  prodigal  will  height- 
en the  joy  of  the  feast,  and  be  as  life  from 
the  dead. 

Supposing  the  period  of  the  vials  to  have 
commenced  within  the  last  five-and-twenty 
years,  let  it  be  considered  whether  the  aspect 
of  the  times  do  not  correspond  with  what  we 
are  given  to  expect.  It  must  of  necessity  be 
a  period  of  unprecedented  wars  ;  and,  if  those 
wars  are  designed  of  God  to  avenge  the  blood 
of  the  martyrs,  it  may  be  expected  they 
should  have  a  kind  of  special  direction  given 
them  towards  the  countries  where  that  blood 
has  been  principally  shed.  How  far  this  is 
applicable  to  late  events  it  is  easy  to  judge. 
It  must  also  be  a  period  of  extraordinary 
prayer  and  unprecedented  exertion  for  the 
spread  of  the  gospel.  It  is  during  this  period 
that  "  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  are  to  be- 
come the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his 
Christ."  But  the  accomplishment  of  such 
mighty  moral  changes  is  not  to  be  expected 
by  any  other  than  the  means  above  mention- 
ed. When  the  Lord  buildeth  up  Zion  he 
regards  the  prayer  of  the  destitute ;  and 
when  his  servants  take  pleasure  in  her  stones, 
and  favor  her  dust,  then  the  time  to  favor 
her,  even  the  set  time,  is  come. — Ps.  cii.  14 
— 17.  Had  we  been  more  importunate  in 
prayer  we  might  have  been  more  successful ; 
but,  with  all  our  imperfections,  the  prayer 
of  faith  has  been  presented  and  heard ! 
God  hath  given  the   word,  and,   compared 


with  former  times,  great  is  the  company  of 
those  that  publish  it.  Can  we  overlook  that 
providence  which  has  been  raising  up  nu- 
merous societies  and  plans,  some  for  teach- 
ing the  poor  to  read,  and  others  for  furnish- 
ing them  with  books,  especially  Avith  the 
oracles  of  God  ?  Ought  we  to  overlook  the 
translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  various 
languages  of  the  east ;  or  the  circulation  of 
them  through  the  earth  in  such  a  degree  as 
perhaps  was  never  before  known?  Can  we 
be  inattentive  to  the  desire  after  evangelical 
preaching  which  prevails,  not  in  one  or  two 
countries  only,  but  almost  every  where  ? 
If  our  Lord  concluded,  from  the  flocking  of 
the  Samaritans  to  hear  the  word,  that  "  the 
fields  were  white  already  to  harvest,"  are  we 
not  warranted  to  draw  the  same  conclusion  ? 

Let  us  observe  the  state  of  the  public 
mind  a  little  before  the  coming  of  Christ, 
and  compare  it  with  its  present  state.  "  The 
people  were  in  expectation,  and  all  men 
mused  in  their  hearts  whether  John  were 
the  Christ  or  not."  And  who  that  is  not 
blind  to  the  operations  of  God's  hand  does 
not  muse  in  his  heart  whether  the  extra- 
ordinary changes  which  have  of  late  years 
taken  place  in  the  world  do  not  indicate 
something  great  to  be  pending — whether, 
notwithstanding  the  many  venders  of  false 
prophecies,  and  mistaken  comments  on  the 
true,  there  be  not  a  body  of  genuine  and 
important  prophecies  fulfilling  and  about  to 
be  fulfilled — whether  some  of  the  convul- 
sions among  the  nations  may  not  issue  in 
what  is  foretold  of  the  restoration  of  the 
Jews — and,  finally,  whether  all  that  is  going 
on  be  not  a  preparing  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
and  making  straight  his  paths  ? 

Look  at  the  blessing  already  attending  the 
various  attempts  to  propagate  the  gospel. 
To  some  it  may  appear  a  "  day  of  small 
things  ; "  but,  if  God  does  not  despise  it,  it 
will  increase.  Already  have  we  been  pro- 
voked to  jealousy  by  Hindoos  and  Hotten- 
tots :  nor  is  this  all ;  look  at  our  fleets  and 
armies :  did  we  ever  before  hear  of  so 
many  lovely  groups  of  Christian  people 
amongst  them  ?  It  would  seem  as  if  God 
had  begun  with  these  publicans  and  sinners 
to  shame  the  rest  of  the  nation. 

Finally :  If  these  be  not  sufficient,  look 
at  the  state  of  mind  amongst  the  enemies  of 
religion.  Do  not  their  hearts  fail  them,' 
like  those  of  the  Canaanites  before  Joshua 
and  his  army  ?  Why  do  the  brahmans  trem- 
ble for  their  gods  ?  and  why  are  practical 
unbelievers  afraid  of  godliness,  whether  in 
or  out  of  the  establishment  ?  It  is  pleasant 
to  observe,  while  endeavouring  to  stigma- 
tize it  under  the  name  of  "  Methodism," 
how  despondingly  they  confess  their  inability 
to  arrest  its  progress.*  Surely  these  are 
tokens  for  good  to  the  church  of  Christ. 

*  See  Edinburgh  Review,  No.  XXII.,  p.  241, 

Art.  Methodism. 


CONCLUSION. 


85 


On  the  period  of  the  vials  being  closed, 
thai  of  the  Millennium  will  commence. 
"The  Lord  gave  Solomon  rest  round  about 
from  all  his  enemies  ; "  and  the  Lord  will  now 
give  rest  to  his  people  from  theirs.  It  is 
probably  in  allusion  to  his  quiet  and  pacific 
reign  that  that  of  the  Messiah  is  denominat- 
ed a  rest — "  His  rest  shall  be  glorious." — Isa. 
xi.  10.  Then  wars  and  oppressions  will 
cease  ;  then  the  iron,  the  clay,  the  brass,  the 
silver,  and  the  gold  of  the  image,  being 
broken  to  pieces,  and  become  like  the  chaff 
of  the  summer  threshing  floors,  the  stone 
that  smote  it  will  have  become  a  great  moun- 
tain, and  shall  fill  the  whole  earth ;  then  the 
judgment  having  sat  upon  the  little  horn, 
and  his  dominion  being  taken  away,  "the 
kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness 
of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven, 
shall  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of 
the  Most  High,  whose  kingdom  is  an  ever- 
lasting kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall 
serve  and  obey  him.     Amen." 


ADDED    IN    1814. 

The  above  was  written  in  1810  or  1811, 
since  which  time  the  tide  of  human  affairs 
has  taken  another  turn.  A  mighty  change 
has  taken  place  in  Europe,  in  favor  of  old 
establishments,  and  so  in  favor  of  popery 
We  have  seen  the  inquisition,  which  had 
been  suppressed  in  Spain,  revived  ;  and  the 
pope,  whose  temporal  power  had  been  taken 


aAvay,  restored.  But,  as  the  foregoing  expo- 
sition rests  not  on  any  hypothesis  formed 
from  passing  events,  so  it  is  not  materially 
affected  by  them.  The  direction  that  things 
have  taken  as  it  relates  to  the  liberation  of 
nations,  and  their  restoration  to  peace  and 
independence,  must  needs  be  grateful  to 
every  friend  of  humanity  and  justice :  and 
though  the  papal  cause  may  hereby  regain 
some  of  its  former  ascendency,  yet  this  may 
be  but  for  a  short  time,  and  that  it  may  be 
destroyed  for  ever.  These  tides  in  human 
affairs  may  be  permitted,  as  by  a  flux  and 
reflux  of  the  ocean,  to  wash  away  those 
things  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  heaven  to 
destroy.  The  antichristian  power  may  rise 
and  fall  repeatedly  before  it  falls  to  rise  no 
more.  Irrespective  of  prophecy,  it  is  easy 
for  an  observant  mind  to  perceive  that,  not- 
withstanding the  political  advantages  which 
have  arisen  from  recent  changes  to  most  of 
the  papal  nations,  yet  they  are  not  at  ease. 
There  remains  in  them  the  seeds  of  discon- 
tent and  of  future  wars.  Look  at  the  state 
of  Spain,  in  particular. — Popery  must  be 
what  it  always  has  been,  a  persecuting  ene- 
my of  true  religion,  or  nothing.  The  prepon- 
derating powers  of  Europe,  by  restoring  its 
authority,  and  recommending  it  to  exercise  a 
liberal  government,  suited  to  the  times,  have 
done  all  perhaps  that  was  in  their  power 
towards  lengthening  out  its  tranquillity;  but 
it  is  in  vain.  We  would  have  healed 
Babylon,  they  may  say,  but  she  is  not 

HEALED ! 


EXPOSITION 


SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT. 


SECTION  1. 

ON  THE  BEATITUDES. 

Matt.  v.  1—12. 

Ver.  1, 2.  We  have  already  had  a  gener- 
al account  of  our  Saviour's  ministry  (iv.  23;) 
but  here  the  evangelist  informs  us  of  his 
doctrine.  Of  this  the  sermon  on  the  mount 
is  an  important  specimen.  Observe,  First : 
The  occasion  of  this  sermon — it  was  on  see- 
ing the  multitudes  that  he  betook  himself 
forthwith  to  a  convenient  place  to  instruct 
them.  Christ  never  beheld  a  multitude  of 
people  without  sentiments  of  compassion.  It 
was  on  seeing  the  Samaritans  coming  down 
the  hills  to  hear  the  word,  that  he  told  his 
disciples  the  fields  were  ivhite  already  to  har- 
vest, and,  like  Abraham's  servant,  refused  to 
eat  bread  till  he  told  his  tale.  Secondly  : 
The  place — He  went  up  into  a  mountain. 
Mountains  were  commonly  covered,  at  least 
in  part,  with  wood.  Hence  they  afforded 
secrecy  and  retirement.  In,  or  among,  these 
mountain  woods,  the  defeated  forces  of  the 
five  kings  found  shelter. — Gen.  xiv.  10. 
Thither  also  the  spies  fled  and  hid  themselves 
three  days,  when  they  departed  from  the 
house  of  Rahab  the  harlot. — Josh.  ii.  22.  The 
object  of  our  Saviour  was  retirement.  See- 
ing multitudes  of  people  who  wished  to  hear 
him,  he  drew  them  away  from  the  interrupt- 
ing concerns  of  cities  and  towns,  into  a  place 
where  all  was  still,  solemn,  and  impressive. 
Thirdly  :  The  posture — He  sat  and  taught 
them.  This  is  said  to  have  been  the  usual 
posture  of  eminent  teachers  among  the  Jews. 
It  certainly  was  befitting  the  majesty  of  this 
teacher,  who  taught  as  one  having  authority 
— as  a  judge,  rather  than  as  a  counsellor. 
Fourthly  :  He  spoke  in  the  hearing  of  all, 
but  with  a  special  respect  to  his  disciples. 


Not  that  our  Saviour  confined  his  preaching 
to  believers ;  but  this  discourse  seems  to  have 
been  principally  addressed  to  them.  Having 
lately  called  his  disciples,  it  was  his  intention 
to  instil  into  their  minds,  at  the  outset,  right 
sentiments.  At  the  same  time,  if  the  multi- 
tudes mixed  faith  in  hearing,  they  would 
be  no  less  profited  by  it  than  if  it  had  been 
immediately  addressed  to  him. 

Our  Saviour  begins  his  sermon  by  de- 
claring toho  ivere  blessed ;  and,  considering 
him  as  the  future  judge  of  the  world,  an  ex- 
traordinary importance  attaches  to  his  de- 
cisions. It  is  observable,  in  general,  that 
the  characters  which  he  pronounces  blessed 
are  not  those  accounted  so  by  the  world : 
on  the  contrary,  they  are  such  as  the  world 
hate,  despise,  and  persecute.  On  this  ac- 
count all  these  beatitudes  possess  the  air  of 
paradox.  It  is  also  observable  that  it  was 
our  Saviour's  manner  of  preaching  to  exhibit 
marks  or  signs  of  grace,  and  to  pronounce 
those,  and  those  only,  who  possess  them,  in 
a  blessed  state.  The  offer  of  salvation  was 
made  to  every  creature ;  but  the  blessings 
were  promised  only  to  believers.  Some  have 
pretended  that  marks  and  signs  are  no  cer- 
tain evidences  of  grace  ;  and  that  this  is  a  le- 
gal and  dangerous  way  of  preaching,  as  tend- 
ing to  lead  men  to  look  into  themselves  for 
comfort ;  but,  so  far  as  comfort  proceeds  from 
evidence  of  our  interest  in  the  divine  favor, 
it  must  imply  a  consciousness  of  our  being 
the  subjects  of  those  spiritual  dispositions  to 
which  the  promises  are  made.  It  is  true  the 
first  genuine  comfort  which  a  soul  possesses 
is  by  directly  believing  in  Christ ;  or  from  a 
view  of  what  he  is,  rather  than  from  any 
thing  in  himself:  for  it  is  impossible  that  he 
should  be  conscious  of  any  good  in  himself, 
till  he  has  believed  in  him.  I  may  add,  it  is 
equally  true  that  the  richest  consolations  to 


THE    BEATITUDES. 


87 


a  believer  are  derived  from  the  same  source  ; 
namely,  from  beholding  the  glory  of  Christ, 
and  of  salvation  through  his  name.  But 
there  is  no  contradiction  between  this  and 
his  knowing  himself  to  be  interested  in  that 
salvation,  by  an  habitual  consciousness  of  his 
possessing  those  dispositions,  or  sustaining 
those  characters,  to  which  it  is  promised. 
"  Hereby  we  know  that  we  are  of  the  truth, 
and  shall  assure  our  hearts  before  him."  If 
our  hearts  condemn  us  of  hypocrisy,  much 
more  will  the  all -searching  eye  of  God :  but, 
if  our  hearts  condemn  us  not,  then  have  we 
confidence  toward  God. — 1  John  iii.  19 — 21. 

Ver.  3.  The  first  of  these  beatitudes  is 
pronounced  on  the  poor  in  spirit. — Many 
seem  to  think  that  because  they  are  poor  in 
circumstances,  or  great  sufferers  in  this 
world,  therefore  they  shall  be  blessed  in 
another:  but  this  will  prove  a  fatal  mistake. 
Nor  is  every  kind  of  poverty  of  spirit  that 
which  the  Lord  approves.  The  Laodicean s 
Avere  censured  for  being  poor ;  and  the  same 
censure  falls  on  multitudes  in  the  present 
day.  It  is  not  what  we  are,  but  what  we  are 
in  our  oivn  estimation,  that  is  here  intend- 
ed !  To  be  poor  in  spirit  is  the  opposite  of 
being  proud  in  spirit,  or  rich  and  full  in  our 
own  eyes.  He  who  trusts  in  his  own  right- 
eousness, his  own  wisdom,  his  own  strength, 
or  his  own  inherent  graces,  has  this  lesson 
yet  to  learn :  and,  let  me  add,  it  is  a  lesson 
that  none  can  learn  but  he  that  is  taught  of 
God.  A  lowly  spirit  is  one  of  the  most  dif- 
ficult things  in  the  world  to  assume,  where  it 
is  not  possessed. — The  blessing  pronounced 
is  suited  to  encourage  them  under  the  con- 
tempt of  the  present  world,  and  to  teach 
them  to  bear  it  with  patience.  An  everlast- 
ing kingdom  awaits  them ;  and  even  in  the 
present  state  they  have  received  a  kingdom 
that  shall  not  be  moved.      . 

Ver.  4.  The  next  blessing  is  on  the 
mourner. — The  mourning  to  which  Christ 
promises  comfort  must  be  restricted  to  that 
which  is  spiritual ;  as  mourning  on  account 
of  our  own  sins,  or  the  sins  of  others,  or  for 
any  tiling  by  which  the  name  of  the  Lord  is 
dishonored,  or  his  cause  injured  or  impeded. 
We  are  hereby  taught,  First:  The  folly  of 
measuring  the  profitableness  of  preaching 
by  the  degrees  of  comfort  which  it  affords 
us.  We  may  not  go  to  hear  in  a  condition 
for  the  gospel  to  comfort  us.  Conviction 
may  be  more  necessary  for  us  than  comfort. 
If  the  gospel  comfort  those  that  mourn,  that 
is  all  which  it  professes  to  do.  Secondly  : 
The  connection  between  godly  sorrow  and 
gospel  joy.  We  have  heard  much  of  the 
gospel  containing  comfort  for  the  mere  sin- 
ner ;  and  if,  by  the  mere  sinner,  be  meant 
one  that  has  nothing  to  plead  but  the  mercy 
of  God,  through  the  atonement,  like  the  pub- 
lican in  the  parable,  it  is  for  such,  and  only 
such,  that  the  gospel  contains  consolation. 


But  if,  by  the  mere  sinner,  be  meant  the  im- 
penitent though  distressed  sinner,  it  has  no 
comfort  for  such  in  their  present  state.  Re- 
pentance is  necessary  to  forgiveness,  in  the 
same  sense  as  faith  is  necessary  to  justifica- 
tion ;  for  it  is  not  possible  for  a  sinner  either 
to  embrace  the  Saviour,  or  prize  the  con- 
solations of  the  gospel,  while  insensible  to 
the  evil  of  sin.  There  is  no  grace  in  the 
gospel,  but  upon  the  supposition  that  God  is 
in  the  right,  and  that  sin  is  exceedingly  sin- 
ful ;  and  consequently  none  to  be  perceived 
or  prized. 

Ver.  5.  The  next  blessing  is  on  the  meek. 
— The  word  signifies  gentle,  humble,  loivly. 
Every  grace,  however,  has  its  semblance. 
There  is  a  kind  of  meekness,  as  well  as  of 
mourning,  which  is  merely  natural  or  con- 
stitutional. A  lamb-like  temper  is  a  bless- 
ing, and,  however  it  may  be  despised  by  the 
hectoring  spirits  of  this  world,  it  is  highly 
advantageous  to  society :  but  the  gentleness 
of  a  renewed  mind  is  a  different  thing,  and 
has  the  promise  of  different  blessings.  Saul 
of  Tarsus  was  naturally  violent :  but,  being 
apprehended  of  Jesus,  he  came  to  him,  took 
his  yoke,  and  learned  his  spirit.  This  is 
that  spirit  which  receives  the  engrafted 
word ;  which  insures  our  being  guided  in 
judgment;  which  is  an  ingredient  in  the 
wisdom  from  above  ;  which  submits  to  God 
under  adverse  providences ;  which  stands 
aloof  from  noise,  contention,  and  clamor, 
and  renders  our  religion  still  and  affection- 
ate ;  which,  in  fine,  is  the  ornament  of 
Christians,  and  causes  them  to  resemble  the 
myrtle  trees  that  grew  in  the  valley,  and 
had  the  Lord  among  them. — But  how  is  it 
that  such  characters  should  have  the  promise 
of  inheriting  the  earth  ?  It  seems  to  be  sup- 
posed that  in  one  respect  they  have  but 
little  of  it.  But,  First :  Meekness  of  spirit 
is  connected  with  rest  to  the  mind;  and 
this  makes  much  of  a  little.  The  proud  and 
restless  do  not  inherit  the  earth,  though  it 
be  in  their  hand.  The  humble  Christian 
has  far  more  enjoyment  in  a  cottage  than 
they  can  have  in  distressing  and  dividing 
the  world.  "  A  little  with  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  better  than  great  treasure,  and 
trouble  therewith."  Secondly  :  The  meek 
ones  shall  have  the  rule  of  the  world  in  God's 
due  time. — Dan.  vii.  27.  Nor  need  they  lay 
aside  their  meekness  or  engage  in  revolu- 
tionary schemes  to  accomplish  it:  God  will 
revolutionize  the  world,  by  planting  fear  in 
the  hearts  of  princes  as  well  as  subjects, 
and  then  the  work  is  done ;  and  Christian 
principles  will  govern  the  nations. 

Ver.  6.  "Blessed  are  they  that  hunger 
and  thirst  after  righteousness,"  &c. — It  is  a 
truth  that  the  obedience  of  Jesus  unto  death, 
which  is  the  righteousness  on  account  of 
which  believers  are  justified,  is  the  object 
of  their  most  intense  desire ;  but,  as  this  is 


88 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


less  introduced  prior  to  its  being  actually 
wrought  than  afterwards,  I  doubt  not  but 
that  the  term  in  this  place  refers  to  the  uni- 
versal prevalence  of  righteousness  in  the 
mind  and  in  the  world.  Unbelievers  are 
hungering  and  thirsting,  but  it  is  after  car- 
nal and  worldy  gratifications.  Some  thirst 
for  gold,  and  care  not  much  by  what  means 
they  obtain  it ;  others  may  be  more  scrupu- 
lous on  this  head,  yet  it  is  chiefly  on  account 
of  their  own  honor.  Self,  in  one  shape 
or  other,  is  the  idol  in  the  heart  of  every 
sinner.  What  then  is  true  religion  ?  An 
earnest  desire  to  do  right,  and  to  see  righte- 
ousness toward  God  and  toward  man  prevail 
in  the  earth.  Hence  arise  the  believer's 
desires  for  the  spread  of  Christ's  kingdom, 
his  sighs  for  the  evils  among  men,  and  his 
secret  moans  over  those  of  his  own  heart. 
— It  is  a  source  of  great  joy  that,  while  those 
who  hunger  and  thirst  after  the  world  are 
disappointed,  those  who  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness  shall  be  filled.  The 
way  to  have  our  desire  is  for  the  mind  to  be 
one  with  the  mind  of  God. 

Ver.  7.  "  Blessed  are  the  merciful,"  &c. 
— This  character  respects  our  dispositions 
towards  men.  It  is  that  kindness  and  good- 
ness which  feels  the  miseries  of  others,  not 
only  as  our  fellow-creatures,  but  as  God's 
creatures,  and,  it  may  be,  the  purchase  of 
the  Saviour's  blood.  There  is  a  principle 
of  compassion  in  that  mutual  affection 
which  God  has  planted  in  all  men,  and  even 
in  animals  towards  their  kind  :  and  where  it 
is  cherished  by  the  grace  of  God,  or  even 
by  an  enlightened  conscience,  it  is  produc- 
tive of  great  and  good  effects  to  society. 
The  true  knowledge  of  God,  as  taught 
among  the  Israelites,  had  such  an  influence 
upon  Ahab  and  his  predecessors  that,  idola- 
ters as  they  were,  its  effects  were  not  wholly 
obliterated  ;  for  the  kings  of  the  house  of 
Israel  were  still  known  and  acknowledged 
among  the  heathen  as  merciful  kings.  The 
same  effects  are  seen  to  this  day  in  countries 
where  the  gospel  is  preached,  compared 
with  those  where  it  is  not  preached.  This 
is  certainly  to  the  honor  of  religion,  and  af- 
fords much  cause  for  thankfulness.  It  must 
not,  however,  be  confounded  with  that  spirit 
of  which  our  Saviour  speaks.  True  religion 
may  cherish  natural  affection,  and  false  re- 
ligion quench  it :  but  its  proper  origin  is  not 
religion,  but  creation.  That  merciful  spirit 
to  which  Christ  annexes  the  blessing  is  an 
effect  of  the  grace  of  God,  or  of  love  written 
upon  the  fleshly  tables  of  the  heart.  Christ 
was  full  of  compassion  ;  and,  as  we  learn  of 
him,  we  feel  as  he  felt.  An  unmerciful 
spirit  is  inconsistent  with  true  religion. — 
Whatever  pretences  we  may  make  to  or- 
thodoxy, or  to  devotion,  if  we  show  no  mer- 
cy to  the  poor  and  the  afflicted,  we  shall  on 
a  future  day  meet  with  judgment  without 


mercy.  But  he  who  imbibes  the  merciful 
spirit  of  Jesus,  and  acts  upon  the  principles 
upon  which  he  acted,  shall  obtain  mercy.  He 
shall  seldom  want  a  sympathizing  friend  in 
this  world;  and,  what  is  infinitely  more, 
shall  obtain  mercy  of  the  Lord  another  day. 

Ver.  8.  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart," 
&c. — The  import  of  this  phrase,  I  take  it,  is 
much  the  same  as  what  we  mean  by  pure 
intention,  or  godly  simplicity.  It  is  the  op- 
posite of  subtilty  and  duplicity.  Genuine 
Christianity  lays  aside,  not  only  malice,  but 
guile  and  hypocrisy.  It  is  not  enough  to  be 
pure  in  words,  nor  in  outward  deportment, 
and  still  less  to  be  pure  in  our  own  eyes  ;  for 
all  this  may  consist  with  inward  wickedness. 
True  religion  has  its  seat  in  the  heart,  whence 
are  the  issues  of  life. — Purity  is  a  quality  but 
little  esteemed  in  the  world.  Men  bless  the 
subtle,  rather  than  the  simple-hearted ;  but 
Christ  judges  otherwise :  the  one  may  suc- 
ceed in  his  measures,  and  rise  high  in  things 
of  this  life  ;  but  the  other  shall  see  God,  and 
stand  accepted  in  his  presence. 

Ver.  9.  "  Blessed  are  the  peace-makers," 
&c. — As  one  of  the  ways  in  which  lust  op- 
erates is  by  breeding  divisions,  contentions, 
strifes,  wars,  and  the  like,  and  thus  diffusing 
death  through  every  vein  of  society  ;  so  one 
of  the  ways  in  which  true  religion  operates 
is  by  preventing,  or  allaying  them.  The 
desire  of  such  persons  is  not  merely  to  avoid 
giving  or  taking  offence,  and  to  stand  aloof 
from  the  quarrels  of  the  neighborhood ;  but, 
if  possible,  by  a  wise,  temperate,  and  friend- 
ly interference,  to  heal  them  at  an  early 
stage.  It  is  a  great  blessing  to  a  church,  a 
neighborhood,  or  a  nation,  to  have  such  cha- 
racters among  them.  There  is  no  calcula- 
ting the  mischiefs  which  have  raged  in  these 
different  departments  of  society,  and  which 
might  have  been  prevented  by  listening  to  a 
few  words  from  a  pacific  friend. — The  bless- 
edness pronounced  on  these  characters  is 
the  honor  of  being  called  "  the  children  of 
God  ; "  and  this  no  doubt  because  they  re- 
semble him.  He  that  seeks  peace  on  pure 
and  honorable  principles  is  of  God's  mind, 
acting  on  the  same  principles  as  God  acts  in 
reconciling  the  world  to  himself  through 
Jesus  Christ. 

Ver.  10 — 12.  "  Blessed  are  they  which 
are  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake,"  &c. 
■ — It  is  a  strong  proof  of  human  depravity 
that  men's  curses  and  Christ's  blessings 
should  meet  on  the  same  persons.  Who 
would  have  thought  that  a  man  could  be 
persecuted  and  reviled,  and  have  all  manner 
of  evil  said  of  him,  for  righteousness'  sake  ? 
And  do  wicked  men  really  hate  justice,  and 
love  those  who  defraud  and  wrong  their 
neighbor  ?  No  ;  they  do  not  dislike  righte- 
ousness as  it  respects  themselves :  it  is 
only  that  species  of  it  which  respects  God 
and  religion  that  excites  their  hatred.    If 


CHARACTER    OF    CHRISTIANS    AND    CHRISTIAN    MINISTERS. 


89 


Christians  were  content  with  doing  justly, 
and  loving  mercy,  and  would  cease  from 
walking  humbly  with  God,  they  might  go 
through  the  world,  not  only  in  peace,  but 
with  applause :  but  he  that  will  "  live  godly 
in  Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution. 
Such  a  life  reproves  the  ungodliness  of  men, 
and  provokes  their  resentment.  Persecu- 
tion is  not  confined  to  those  acts  of  violence 
which  are  sanctioned  by  law,  and  affect 
liberty,  property,  or  life  ;  but  extends  to 
slanderous  and  reproachful  language,  and 
every  other  way  in  which  enmity  is  ex- 
pressed. Through  the  goodness  of  God  we 
have  been  long  protected  from  legal  perse- 
cution ;  but  the  enmity  of  the  serpent  will 
find  ways  of  expressing  itself.  If,  from  the 
most  disinterested  compassion,  you  warn 
your  wicked  neighbors  of  their  danger,  you 
will  be  called  disturbers  of  the  peace ;  crimes 
will  be  imputed  to  you  of  which  you  are  in- 
nocent ;  and  even  your  best  actions  ascribed 
to  the  worst  motives.  If  you  model  your 
religion  by  the  word  of  God,  and  pay  no 
regard  to  human  establishments  any  further 
than  as  they  agree  with  it,  you  may  expect 
to  be  represented  as  enemies  to  government, 
a  discontented  sort  of  people,  "turning  the 
world  upside  down."  A  view  of  such  a  state 
of  things,  to  one  that  is  weak  in  faith,  may 
appear  discouraging ;  but  there  is  no  just 
cause  for  being  cast  down.  Only  see  to  it 
that  whatever  you  suffer  be  "  for  righteous- 
ness' sake,"  and  that  all  the  evil  which  is 
said  of  you  be  false,  and  for  Christ's  sake, 
and,  instead  of  being  discouraged,  you  Avill 
have  reason  to  "  rejoice  and  be  exceedingly 
glad."  Unbelievers  may  tell  you  that  this 
is  extravagant  and  impossible,  and  that  no 
man  can  be  happy  in  such  circumstances ; 
but  it  is  not  so.  The  primitive  Christians 
entered  into  the  spirit  of  their  Lord's  doc- 
trine, "rejoicing  that  they  were  counted 
worthy  to  suffer  shame  for  his  name's  sake." 
When  to  this  is  added  the  promised  "king- 
dom," the  "reward  in  heaven"  which  awaits 
those  that  overcome,  miserable  as  your  lot 
may  be  accounted  by  the  world,  it  will  be 
found  to  be  not  only  preferable  to  that  of 
your  persecutors,  but  even  to  that  of  such 
Christians  as,  by  yielding  in  a  measure  to  the 
world,  escape  a  few  of  its  censures.  You 
have  more  satisfaction,  and  consequently 
more  happiness,  in  this  life ;  and  your  re- 
ward in  heaven  will  be  greatly  augmented : 
for,  if  afflictions  in  general  "  work  for  us  a 
far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory,"  much  more  those  which  we  have 
suffered  for  righteousness'  sake.  Every 
wound  received  in  this  warfare  will  then  be 
a  scar  of  honor :  a  seed,  productive  of  a 
harvest  beyond  all  our  present  conceptions. 


SECTION  II. 

ON     THE     CHARACTER     OF    CHRISTIANS    AND 
CHRISTIAN    MINISTERS. 

Matt.  v.  13—16. 

Ver.  13.  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth," 
&c. — This  character,  I  conceive,  applies  to 
the  disciples,  both  as  Christians  and  as 
Christian  ministers.  There  are  three  things 
observable. 

First:  Their  use  as  a  preservative. — The 
world  is  corrupt,  and,  if  left  to  itself,  would 
in  a  little  time  work  its  own  ruin ;  but  as  the 
Lord  of  hosts  had  a  seed  in  Israel,  who  other- 
wise would  have  been  as  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah, so  he  has  a  people  scattered  over 
the  towns,  cities,  and  nations  of  the  earth, 
who  to  them  are  that  which  salt  is  to  a  sub- 
stance tending  to  putrefaction.  The  influ- 
ence which  a  few  people,  who  imbibe  the 
gospel  and  act  up  to  its  principles,  have 
upon  the  consciences  and  conduct  of  others, 
is  much  beyond  calculation.  Had  the  ruling 
powers  of  France  been  friendly  to  the  ser- 
vants of  Christ  in  the  seventeenth  century,  it 
might  have  prevented  the  horrors  of  a  revo- 
lution in  the  eighteenth;  but,  having  de- 
stroyed or  banished  them,  nothing  was  left 
to  counteract  the  torrent  of  infidelity ; 
which,  being  natural  to  the  carnal  mind,  and 
cherished  by  popery,  had  before  risen  to  a 
great  height,  and  now  overwhelmed  the 
country.  Humble  and  serious  Christians, 
though  often  accused  of  being  inimical  to 
civd  government,  are  in  reality  its  best 
friends ;  while  those  governments  which 
persecute  them  are  their  own  enemies. 

Secondly:  Their  value  as  consisting  in 
their  savor. — There  are  many  things  which, 
though  useless  for  one  purpose,  yet  may  be 
very  useful  for  another :  but  things  which, 
by  possessing  only  one  distinguishing  prop-'  ■ 
erty,  are  designed  for  a  single  specific  pur- 
pose, if  that  property  be  wanted,  are  good 
for  nothing.  It  is  thus  with  the  vine,  as  to 
bearing  fruit.  If  other  trees  were  barren, 
yet  their  trunks  might  be  applied  to  various 
uses :  but,  if  a  vine  be  barren,  it  is  good  for 
nothing  but  to  be  burnt. — Ezek.  xv.  1 — 6. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  salt.  Many  things 
which  have  ceased  to  be  good  for  food,  may 
yet  be  useful  for  manure :  but  salt,  if  it  once 
lose  its  savor,  is  good  for  nothing :  it  is  fit 
for  neither  the  land  nor  the  dunghill.  And 
thus  if  Christians  lose  their  spirituality,  or 
Christian  ministers  cease  to  impart  the  savor 
of  the  heavenly  doctrine,  of  what  use  are 
they  ?  of  what  in  the  family  ? — of  what  in 
the  church  ? — of  what  in  the  world  ? 

Thirdly  :  Their  irrecoverable  condition  on 
having  lost  their  savor.  It  is  true  all  things 
are  possible  with  God ;  but  where  persons, 
after  having  professed  the  name  of  Christ 
and  in  some  cases  preached  his  word,  turn 


Vol.  2.— Sic.  12. 


90 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


back,  or  go  into  another  gospel,  there  is  lit- 
tle hope  of  them,  and  indeed  none  from  the 
ordinary  course  of  things.  Salt  may  recover 
unsavory  meat ;  but  what  is  to  recover  un- 
savory salt  ? 

Ver.  14—10.  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the 
Avorld,"  &c. — This  character  implies  that 
the  world,  notwithstanding  its  attainments  in 
science,  is  in  a  state  of  darkness  ;  and  that  the 
only  true  light  that  is  to  be  found  in  it  is  that 
which  proceedeth  from  Christ.  It  may  seem 
too  much  for  our  Saviour  to  give  that  char- 
acter to  his  disciples  which  he  elsewhere 
claims  as  his  own.  The  truth  is,  He,  as  the 
sun,  shines  with  supreme  lustre,  and  they, 
as  the  moon,  derive  their  light  from  Him, 
and  reflect  it  on  the  world.  As  ministers, 
it  is  for  them  to  show  unto  men  the  way  of 
salvation  ;  and,  as  Christians,  to  set  the  ex- 
ample of  walking  in  it.  On  this  account 
they  require  to  be  conspicuous.  There  is 
indeed  a  modesty  in  true  religion,  which,  so 
far  as  respects  ourselves,  would  induce  us  to 
steal  through  the  world,  if  possible,  un- 
noticed ;  but  this  cannot  be  :  Christians  be- 
ing diverse  from  all  people  in  their  principles 
and  pursuits,  all  eyes  will  be  upon  them. 
They  are  as  "  a  city  set  upon  a  hill,  which 
cannot  be  hid."  Their  faults,  as  well  as 
their  excellences,  will  be  marked  both  by 
friends  and  enemies.  Nor  is  it  desirable  it 
should  be  otherwise.  Light  is  not  intended 
to  be  hid,  but  exposed  for  the  good  of  those 
about  it.  On  this  account  we  must  even  be 
concerned  to  let  our  light  shine  before  men  ; 
not  by  any  ostentatious  display  of  ourselves, 
but  by  a  practical  and  faithful  exhibition  of 
the  nature  and  effects  of  the  gospel,  by  which 
our  heavenly  Father  is  glorified.  It  is  not 
merely  by  words,  but  works,  that  gospel 
light  is  conveyed  to  the  consciences  and 
hearts  of  men. 

There  is  another  saying  of  our  Lord  in 
another  place,  nearly  akin  to  this,  though 
under  a  different  image.  "Herein  is  my 
Father  glorified,  that  ye  bring  forth  much 
fruit:  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples."  The 
glory  of  a  husbandman  does  not  arise  from 
his  fields  or  vines  bearing  fruit,  but  much 
fruit.  A  few  ears  of  corn  in  the  one,  nearly 
choked  with  weeds,  or  here  and  there  a 
branch,  or  a  berry,  on  the  other,  while  the 
greater  part  is  covered  with  leaves  only, 
would  rather  dishonor  than  honor  him. 
And  thus  it  is  in  spiritual  fruitfulness.  A 
little  religion  often  dishonors  God  more  than 
none.  An  undecisive  spirit,  halting  between 
God  and  the  world,  walking  upon  the  con- 
fines of  good  and  evil,  now  seeming  to  be 
on  the  side  of  God,  and  now  on  that  of  his 
adversaries,  causes  his  name  to  be  evil  spoken 
of  much  more  than  the  excesses  of  the  irre- 
ligious. Hence  we  may  see  the  force  of 
the  rebuke  to  Laodicea :  "  I  know  thy  works, 
that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot.  So  then 
because   thou  art  lukewarm,  and    neither 


cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spue  thee  out  of  my 
mouth."  It  is  also  intimated  that  without 
bearing  much  fruit  we  are  unworthy  to  be 
considered  as  Christ's  disciples.  He  was 
indeed  a  fruitful  bough.  His  life  was  filled 
Avith  the  fruits  of  love  to  God  and  man.  It 
behoves  us  either  to  imitate  his  example  or 
forego  the  profession  of  his  name. 

The  glory  of  God  being  manifested  by 
the  good  works  of  his  children  implies  that 
they  are  all  to  be  ascribed  to  him  as  their 
proper  cause.  Though  we  act,  he  actuates. 
A  mind  set  on  things  too  high  for  it  may 
deny  the  consistency  of  this  with  the  free- 
agency  and  accountableness  of  creatures  ; 
but  the  humble  Christian  will  turn  it  to  a 
better  use.  "  Thou  wilt  ordain  peace  for  us, 
for  thou  hast  wrought  all  our  works  in  us." 


SECTION  III. 

ON    THE    PERPETUITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY  OF 
THE    MORAL    LAW. 

Matt.  v.  17—32. 

Ver.  17 — 19.  It  might  appear  to  some 
of  our  Lord's  disciples  as  if  he  intended  to 
set  aside  the  religion  which  had  been  taught 
by  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and  to  introduce 
an  entirely  new  state  of  things.  It  was  true 
indeed  that  he  would  abolish  the  ceremonial 
law,  and  explode  all  dependence  upon  the 
works  of  any  law  for  acceptance  with  God, 
as  indeed  Moses  and  the  prophets  had  done 
before  him ;  but  it  was  no  part  of  his  design 
to  set  aside  the  law  itself.  Being  about  to 
correct  various  corruptions  which  had  ob- 
tained among  the  Jews,  he  prefaces  what  he 
has  to  say  by  cautioning  them  not  to  miscon- 
strue his  design,  as  though  he  were  setting 
himself  against  either  Moses  or  the  prophets, 
neither  of  whose  Avritings  were  at  variance 
with  his  kingdom,  but  preparatory  to  it.  So 
far  from  his  having  any  such  design,  he, 
with  the  most  solemn  asseveration,  declares 
the  law  to  be  of  perpetual  obligation.  Such 
also  Avas  his  regard  for  it  that  if  any  one 
professing  to  be  a  minister  in  his  kingdom 
should  break  the  least  of  its  precepts,  and 
teach  others  to  make  light  of  it,  he  should 
be  as  little  in  the  eyes  of  his  Lord  as  the 
precept  Avas  in  his  eyes  ;  Avhile,  on  the  con- 
trary, those  ministers  Avho  should  practise 
and  inculcate  every  part  of  it  should  have 
his  highest  approbation. 

Ver.  20.  Having  made  these  declara- 
tions by  Avay  of  introduction  (and  to  Avhich 
we  may  have  occasion  hereafter  to  refer,) 
our  Lord  proceeds  to  denounce  the  system 
of  pharisaical  religion,  and  to  exhibit  in  con- 
trast with  it  that  of  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
Avhich,  purified  from  all  corrupt  glosses,  he 
recommends  to  his  followers.  In  general 
he  declares  that,  "  except  their  righteous- 
ness exceed  that  of  the  scribes  and  phari- 


PERPETUITY    AND    SPIRITUALITY    OF    THE    MORAL    LAW. 


91 


sees,  they  could  in  no  case  enter  the  king- 
dom of  heaven."  This,  at  the  time,  must 
have  been  a  most  extraordinary  and  alarm- 
ing declaration.  The  scribes  and  pharisees 
were  the  reputed  models  of  strict  religion. 
The  common  people  seem  to  have  thought 
that  men  in  general  could  not  be  expected 
to  attain  the  heights  of  purity  to  which  they 
had  arrived.  If,  therefore,  any  had  attached 
themselves  to  Jesus,  in  hopes  of  obtaining 
a  little  more  latitude  than  was  allowed  them 
by  their  own  teachers,  they  would  find  them- 
selves greatly  mistaken.  For  not  only  did 
he  inculcate  an  equal,  but  even  a  superior 
degree  of  strictness  to  that  which  they 
practised.  Nor  did  he,  by  righteousness, 
mean  that  which  was  imputed  to  them  for 
justification;  but  that  judgment,  mercy,  and 
love  of  God,  of  which  the  scribes  and  phari- 
sees, with  all  their  tenacity  for  forms  and 
ceremonies,  were  wofully  destitute. 

In  proof  of  the  gross  defectiveness  of  the 
Pharisaical  system  of  morality,  he  goes  on 
to  account  for  it,  by  convicting  its  authors 
of  having  by  their  glosses,  in  a  course  of 
time,  greatly  corrupted  the  law :  and  this 
must  have  cut  the  deeper  on  account  of  an 
attachment  to  the  law  being  their  principal 
pretext  for  opposing  him. 

Ver.  21,  22.  The  first  example  alleged 
is  the  sixth  commandment,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
kill."  All  that  the  pharisees  understood 
by  this  was  a  prohibition  of  the  act  of  mur- 
der :  but  our  Lord  insists  that  the  command- 
ment, taken  from  its  true  intent,  prohibited 
not  only  the  overt  act,  but  every  evil  work- 
ing of  the  mind,  Avhich  led  to  it ;  such  as 
causeless  anger,  with  contemptuous  and 
provoking  language.  This  was  going  to 
the  root  or  principle  of  things.  The  differ- 
ent degrees  of  punishment  here  referred  to 
allude  doubtless  to  the  courts  of  justice 
among  the  Jews  ;  and  express  not  merely 
what  sin  was  in  itself  as  a  breach  of  the 
divine  law  (for  in  that  sense  all  sin  exposes 
to  hell  fire,)  but  how  many  degrees  of  evil 
there  were,  short  of  actual  murder,  which, 
would  endanger  a  man's  salvation. 

Ver.  23,  24.  Of  this  doctrine  our  Lord 
proceeds  to  make  some  practical  uses,  by 
applying  it  to  certain  cases.  First,  he  en- 
forces speedy  reconciliation  ivith  an  offended 
brother. — Be  sure  there  be  no  enmities  rank- 
ling in  thy  bosom  from  day  to  day,  every  one 
of  which  is  murder  in  embryo  ;  nor  let  any 
conduct  of  thine  be  the  cause  of  their  rank- 
ling in  the  bosom  of  another.  The  best 
means  of  preventing  both  is  to  examine 
thyself  in  thy  most  solemn  approaches  to 
God :  for  then,  if  ever,  the  conscience  is 
tender,  and  likely  to  bring  to  remembrance 
what  is  wrong  between  thee  and  thy  broth- 
er.— What  must  I  do,  say  you,  who  have 
offended  my  brother  ?  Must  I  not  worship 
God  nevertheless  ?  No,  not  in  that  state, 
for  God  will  not  accept  of  thy  gift.     What 


then,  must  I  keep  away  ?  No ;  but  go  im- 
mediately to  thy  brother,  and  acknowledge 
thy  fault,  or,  if  no  offence  were  intended, 
explain  matters  to  him,  and,  thus  being 
reconciled  to  thy  brother,  then  come  and 
offer  thy  gift. — -If  the  door  of  God's  house 
were  shut  against  every  one  who  refused  to 
comply  with  this  direction,  it  would  make 
many  feel :  yet  the  door  of  mercy,  or  divine 
acceptance,  is  shut;  which  is  of  far  greater 
account.  It  is  observable  that  the  exhor- 
tation is  given  to  the  offender,  and  the 
term  reconciled  is  not  expressive  of  a  con- 
ciliatory spirit  on  his  part,  but  of  its  effect 
upon  his  brother.  The  meaning  of  it  is,  Be 
restored  to  thy  brother's  favor.  And  this  is 
the  sense  in  which  the  word  is  sometimes 
used  on  a  higher  subject,  namely,  that  of 
reconciliation  to  God.  We  are  often  told 
by  the  adversaries  of  the  atonement  that 
God  is  never  said  to  be  reconciled  to  us  by 
the  death  of  Christ,  but  to  have  reconciled 
us  to  himself  by  it.  This  is  true  ;  but  the 
term  in  this  connection  does  not  mean  his 
appeasing  our  anger  by  offering  us  mercy 
through  Christ;  but  his  making  his  soul 
an  offering  for  sin,  and  thereby  restoring 
us  to  his  favor.  Hence  God's  having  re- 
conciled us  to  himself  by  Christ  is  alleged 
as  a  motive  to  our  being,  as  to  the  state 
of  our  minds,  reconciled  to  him. — 2  Cor. 
v.  18—20. 

Ver.  25.  From  the  case  of  an  offended 
brother,  he  proceeds  to  that  of  an  adversary, 
recommending  a  speedy  agreement  with 
him  also.  The  law  of  love,  if  truly  com- 
plied with,  would  promote  universal  peace. 
But  a  small  difference,  where  there  is  little 
or  no  love  to  counteract  it,  often  terminates 
in  mutual  and  settled  dislike  ;  and,  being 
accompanied  with  a  proud  reluctance  to  con- 
cession, litigations  and  contentions  frequent- 
ly follow,  to  which  death  only  puts  a  period. 
But  what  is  this?  It  is  murder! — And 
wouldst  thou  wash  thy  hands  from  thy 
neighbor's  blood?  Go  then,  and  be  at 
peace  with  him !  Human  prudence  would 
recommend  a  timely  agreement  for  thine 
own  sake  :  let  religion,  let  benevolence, 
even  to  thine  adversary,  recommend  it  for 
his.  Say  not,  Our  differences  shall  be  tried 
before  legal  judges,  whatever  be  the  con- 
sequences ;  but  offer  just  and  generous 
terms  whilst  thou  art  in  the  way  with  him, 
that  if  the  breach  can  be  healed  it  may,  or, 
if  not,  that  the  fault  may  not  lie  at  thy  door. 
— It  were  desirable  that  there  were  no  strife 
among  us,  and,  if  Ave  loved  one  another  as 
God's  law  requires,  there  would  be  none: 
but,  seeing  it  is  otherwise,  the  same  princi- 
ple which  in  innocent  creatures  would 
operate  to  prevent  it  must  in  guilty  crea- 
turps   operate  to  heal  it. 

Ver.  27,  28.  Having  taken  an  example 
from  the  sixth  commandment,  and  reproved 
the  pharisaical  system  with  respect  to  sins 


92 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


of  the  mind,  our  Lord  proceeds  to  the 
seventh,  and  detects  the  sins  of  the  flesh. 
They  had  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of 
old  time,  "  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adulter})  ; " 
and  they  had  heard  the  truth:  but  the  Phar- 
isaical glosses  would  confine  its  meaning-,  as 
in  the  former  instance,  to  outward  actions ; 
whereas,  in  its  true  intent,  it  comprehended 
the  inward  affections  of  the  mind,  censuring 
the  wanton  look  and  the  impure  desire. 
The  pharisees  were  worldly  men,  and  the 
relio-ion  of  such  men  is  merely  political :  so 
far  as  good  and  evil  affect  society,  they  feel 
in  some  degree  ;  but,  as  to  the  honor  of  God, 
they  have  no  concern  about  it. 

Ver.  29,  30.  As  Christ  had  turned  his 
former  decision  to  practical  use,  so  he  does 
the  present  one.  "  If  thy  right  eye  offend 
thee,  pluck  it  out,  or,  if  thy  right  hand  offend 
thee,  cut  it  off,"  &c.  The  word  rendered 
offend,  in  this  and  several  other  passages  in 
the  New  Testament,  does  not  mean  to  dis- 
please, but  to  cause  to  offend,  and  so  it  is 
rendered  in  the  margin.  The  meaning  is 
not,  If  they  displease  thee  ;  but  if,  by  becom- 
ing a  stumbling-block  or  snare  to  thy  soul, 
they  cause  thee  to  offend  God,  &c.  Neither 
was  it  our  Lord's  design  that  we  should 
literally  go  about  to  maim  our  bodies ;  but 
he  hereby  teaches  us  either  that  we  had 
better  be  without  eyes  or  hands  than  to 
employ  them  in  wantonness,  or  that  we  must 
on  pain  of  eternal  damnation  give  up  those 
companions,  situations,  or  pursuits,  though 
dear  to  us  as  right  eyes,  or  right  hands, 
which  prove  a  snare  to  our  souls. 

The  tremendous  consequences  held  up  to 
induce  such  sacrifices  teach  us  that  a  single 
lust  persisted  in  will  issue  in  eternal  ruin, 
and  that  it  is  necessary  even  for  those  whom 
the  Lord  may  know  to  be  the  heirs  of  salva- 
tion, in  certain  situations,  to  be  threatened 
with  damnation,  as  the  means  of  preserving 
them  from  it. 

Ver.  31,  32.  Under  the  head  of  adultery 
there  occurred  another  case,  namely,  that  of 
divorce,  in  which  the  pharisaical  doctrine 
had  greatly  corrupted  the  law.  In  this  case 
our  Saviour  may  seem  to  depart  from  the 
law  of  Moses  rather  than  to  expound  it ;  and 
true  it  is  that  he  took  for  his  standard,  in  this 
instance,  the  original  law  of  creation,  to 
which  it  was  his  design,  under  the  gospel 
dispensation,  to  bring  his  followers.  This 
law,  however,  as  well  as  the  other,  was 
given  by  Moses :  and  the  difference  between 
them  he  elsewhere  accounts  for,  by  alleging 
that  Moses  rather  suffered  divorce  than 
required  it,  and  that  because  of  the  hardness 
of  their  hearts.  In  what  he  now  taught, 
therefore,  he  was  not  against  the  mind  of 
Moses  or  of  God,  neither  of  whom  approved 
of  divorce,  except  in  case  of  fornication  ; 
but  barely  permitted  it  to  prevent  a  greater 
evil.  And  though  the  law  respecting  mar- 
riage, as  given  to  Israel,  was  less  pure  than 


the  original  law  of  creation,  yet  it  was  much 
purer  than  it  had  since  become  in  the  hands 
of  pharisaic  expositors,  through  whom  divor- 
ces were  become  so  common,  as,  in  a  man- 
ner, to  deluge  the  land  with  adultery. 


SECTION  IV. 

ON    OATHS. 

Matt.  v.  33—37. 

What  our  Lord  says  of  swearing  may 
have  respect  to  the  third  commandment,  in 
which  we  are  forbidden  to  "  take  the  name 
of  the  Lord  our  God  in  vain."  It  had  also 
been  said, "  Thou  shall  not  swear  by  my  name 
falsely  ;  neither  shalt  thou  profane  the  name 
of  thy  God."  And  again,  "  If  a  man  vow  a 
vow  unto  the  Lord,  or  swear  an  oath  to  bind 
his  soul  with  a  bond,  he  shall  not  break  his 
word,  he  shall  do  according  to  all  that  pro- 
ceedeth  out  of  his  mouth."  To  these  pas- 
sages, and  to  the  construction  which  had 
been  put  upon  them,  our  Lord  seems  to  have 
alluded  in  what  he  here  teaches. 

Many  have  supposed  that  oaths  of  ev- 
ery kind  are  here  forbidden,  and  therefore 
refuse  in  any  form,  or  on  any  occasion,  to 
take  them.  To  determine  this  question,  we 
must  have  recourse  to  the  principles  laid 
down  at  the  outset  of  the  sermon.  "  Think 
not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law  or  the 
prophets ;  I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to 
fulfil.  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Till  heav- 
en and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall 
in  no  wise  pass  from  the  the  law,  till  all  be 
fulfilled,"  ver.  17,  18.  The  question  is,  then, 
whether  oaths  of  any  kind  belonged  to  the 
law,  or  whether  they  arose  from  the  false 
glosses  of  the  elders  ?  If  the  former,  it  was 
not  Christ's  design  to  destroy  them  ;  but,  if 
the  latter,  it  was.  That  they  were  a  part  of 
the  divine  law,  and  not  of  merely  human  au- 
thority, is  sufficiently  manifest  from  Deut.  vi. 
13,  "  Thou  shalt  fear  the  Lord  thy  God,  and 
serve  him,  and  shalt  swear  by  his  name." 
Consequently,  it  was  not  our  Lord's  design 
to  destroy  them. 

If  it  be  objected  that,  though  Christ  did 
not  destroy  the  moral  law,  yet  there  were 
various  precepts  pertaining  to  the  ceremonial 
and  judicial  laws  of  Israel,  which,  on  his  ap- 
pearance, ceased  to  be  binding,  and  that 
oaths  might  be  of  this  description, — I  an- 
swer, in  abolishing  things  which  had  been  of 
divine  authority,  he  is  never  known  to  have 
cast  reproach  on  them,  or  to  have  imputed 
the  observance  of  them  to  evil.  He  could  not 
therefore  be  said  to  have  destroyed  even  the 
ceremonial  law,  but  rather  to  have  fulfilled  it. 
But  the  oaths  against  which  he  inveighs  are 
expressly  said  to  come  of  evil;  and  therefore 
could  never  have  been  of  divine  authority. 

To  this  may  be  added,  If  all  oaths  be  un- 
lawful under  the  gospel  dispensation,  some 


ON    OATHS — ON    RESISTING    EVIL. 


of  the  most  solemn  and  impressive  passages 
in  the  epistles  of  Paul  must  be  utterly  wrong. 
"The  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  blessed  for  evermore,  know- 
eth  that  I  lie  not — God  is  my  witness,  whom 
I  serve  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son."  Each  of 
these  is  an  oath,  and  that  of  the  most  solemn 
kind ;  yet  who  ever  thought  of  accusing  the 
apostle  of  violating  his  Lord's  precept? 

The  truth  appears  to  be  this— the  Jews 
had  construed  the  commandment  merely 
as  a  prohibition  of  perjury ;  accounting  that 
if  they  did  but  swear  truly  as  to  matters  of 
fact,  or  perform  their  oaths  in  case  of  prom- 
ise, all  was  right.  They  seem  to  have  had 
no  idea,  or  at  most  but  a  very  faint  one,  of 
sinning  by  swearing  lightly.  But,  for  an 
oath  to  be  lawful,  it  required,  not  only  that 
the  affirmation  were  true,  or  the  vow  per- 
formed ;  but  that  such  a  mode  of  affirming 
or  vowing  were  necessary.  This  is  evident 
from  the  words  of  the  divine  precept,  "  Thou 
shalt  not  swear  by  my  name  falsely,  neither 
shalt  thou  profane  the  name  of  thy  God." 
Thousands  of  things  are  true  which  yet  it 
would  be  profaning  the  name  of  God  to 
swear  to.  Here  lay  the  sin  which  it  was  the 
design  of  Christ  to  reprove.  He  did  not 
censure  his  countrymen  for  what  was  said 
before  a  magistrate,  to  put  an  end  to  strife  ; 
but  for  what  passed  in  their  ordinary  commu- 
nications (ver.  37  :)  that  is,  for  light  and  un- 
necessary oaths,  by  which  the  name  of  God 
was  profaned.  This  was  a  sin  so  prevalent 
among  the  Jews,  that  even  Christians,  who 
were  called  from  among  them,  stood  in  need 
of  being  warned  against  it. — James  v.  12. 

It  may  appear  rather  extraordinary  that 
any  person  who  fears  God  should  stand  in 
need  of  these  warnings  ;  and,  if  profane 
swearing  were  confined  to  expressly  naming 
the  name  of  God,  they  might  be  in  general 
unnecessary  among  persons  who  had  any 
claim  to  seriousness  of  character.  But  as 
both  Jews  and  Christians  have  learned  to 
mince  and  soften  their  oaths,  by  leaving  out 
the  name  of  God,  while  yet  it  is  implied, 
and  consequently  profaned,  such  warnings 
cannot  be  considered  as  superfluous.  We 
perceive  by  our  Lord's  words  that  it  was 
common  among  the  Jews  to  swear  "  by 
heaven,  by  earth,  by  Jerusalem,  by  the  tem- 
ple, by  the  altar,  by  their  own  head,"  &c. 
&c.  They  had  also  some  curious  distinc- 
tions between  swearing  by  the  temple,  and 
by  the  gold  of  the  temple  ;  the  altar,  and 
the  gift  upon  the  altar  ;  but  our  Lord,  look- 
ing deep  into  the  principles  of  things,  con- 
siders them  all  as  amounting  to  the  same 
thing — the  profanation  of  God's  holy  name. — 
Matt,  xxiii.  16—22. 

It  is  thus  that  oaths  are  used  among  men 
calling  themselves  Christians.  In  popish 
countries,  your  ears  are  continually  stunned 
by  hearing  people  swear,  not  only  by  their 
saints,  but   by  Jesus,  by  his  blood  and  his 


wounds :  and,  even  in  protestant  countries, 
these  terrible  oaths  are  turned  into  exclama- 
tions on  many  a  trivial  occasion.  The  word 
'£  blood,  '£  tcounds,  &c,  are  no  other  than 
these  old  popish  oaths  minced,  or  contracted 
by  the  dread  of  expressly  naming  the  blood 
and  wounds  of  Christ.  Every  person  who 
uses  such  language  may  not  be  apprised  of 
the  meaning ;  but  every  thing  of  the  kind 
cometh  of  evil.  The  same  may  be  said  of  all 
such  phrases  as  the  following — Of  faith, 
By  my  troth,  Upon  my  soid,  Upon  my  life, 
Upon  my  honor,  Upon  my  ivord.  By  our 
Lord's  exposition  of  such  language,  in  Matt, 
xxiii.  16 — 22,  all  these  modes  of  speaking 
would  be  found  to  bear  a  relation  to  God,  and 
so  to  be  a  profaning  of  his  name. 

How  opposite  to  all  this  profane  jargon  is  the 
simple  and  dignified  language  prescribed  by 
our  Lord, — "  Let  your  communication  be  yea, 
yea ;  nay,  nay  ;  for  whatsoever  is  more  than 
these  cometh  of  evil."  He  that  is  conscious 
of  a  want  of  veracity  may  find  it  necessary 
to  confirm  his  words  Avith  oaths  ;  but  he(that 
habitually  speaketh  the  truth  will  have  no 
occasion  for  resorting  to  such  mean  and  pro- 
fane expedients. 


SECTION  V. 

ON    RESISTING    EVIL. 

Matt.   v.  38—42. 

In  the  judicial  law  of  Israel,  it  had  been 
enacted  as  follows : — "  If  men  strive  and 
hurt  a  woman  with  child,  so  that  her  fruit 
depart  from  her,  and  yet  no  mischief  follow, 
he  shall  be  surely  punished,  according  as  the 
woman's  husband  shall  lay  upon  him,  and 
he  shall  pay  as  the  judges  determine.  And, 
if  any  mischief  follow,  then  thou  shalt  give 
life  for  life,  eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth, 
hand  for  hand,  foot  for  foot,  burning  for 
burning,  wound  for  wound,  stripe  for  stripe." 
This  law,  in  the  hands  of  the  magistrate,  was 
equitable,  and  adapted  to  the  general  good  : 
nor  was  it  our  Lord's  design  to  undermine 
its  authority.  But,  by  the  glosses  of  the 
Jews,  it  had  been  perverted  in  favor  of  pri- 
vate retaliation  and  revenge.  Against  this 
principle  our  Saviour  inveighs.  He  did  not 
complain  of  the  law  in  the  hands  of  the  ma- 
gistrate, nor  forbid  his  followers  appealing 
to  it  for  the  public  good;  but  they  must 
neither  take  upon  them  to  judge  of  their 
own  cause,  nor  repair  to  a  magistrate  from 
a  principle  of  revenge  ;  but  must  keep  in 
view  the  good  of  the  party,  or  at  least  that 
of  the  community.  He  does  not  crush  any 
passion,*  no  not  that  of  anger  ;  but  merely 

*The  passions  are  commonly  confounded  by  in- 
fidel writers  with  vicious  propensities.  The  for- 
mer is  the  name  indeed  by  which  they  choose  to 
denominate  the  latter;  and  that  with  the  obvious 
intent  of  apologizing  for  them.     But  they  are,  ne- 


94 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


requires  that  it  be  not  selfish,  but  subordi- 
nate to  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of 
mankind.  And,  however  unbelievers  may 
affect  to  deride  this  precept,  it  so  approves 
itself  to  the  judgment  of  men  in  general, 
that  you  shall  rarely  know  an  individual  ap- 
peal to  justice,  but  under  a  profession,  at 
least,  of  being  influenced  by  some  other 
motive  than  that  of  private  revenge. 

With  respect  to  the  precept  "turning  the 
other  cheek  to  him  that  smiteth  thee,"  it 
certainly  does  not  mean  that  we  should  court 
insult,  or  in  all  cases  submit  to  it  without 
any  kind  of  resistance  ;  for  this  was  not  the 
practice  of  our  Lord  himself.  When  unjust- 
ly smitten  before  the  high-priest,  he  did  not 
invite  the  repetition  of  the  indignity  ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  remonstrated  against  it.  "If" 
said  he,  "  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness 
of  the  evil ;  but,  if  well,  why  smitest  thou 
me  ? "  In  this  remonstrance,  however,  he 
was  not  influenced  by  a  spirit  of  retaliation, 
but  of  justice  to  his  own  character,  which, 
under  the  form  of  striking  his  person,  was 
assaulted  ;  and  what  he  said  had  a  tendency 
to  convict  the  party  and  assembly.  Such 
remonstrances  are  doubtless  allowable  in  his 
followers.  But  the  meaning  of  the  precept 
is,  that  we  render  not  evil  for  evil ;  but  ra- 
ther suffer  injury,  and  that  injury  to  be  re- 
peated, than  go  about  to  avenge  ourselves. 
It  is  the  principle,  rather  than  the  act,  which 
is  inculcated ;  yet  even  the  act  itself  would 
be  right  in  various  cases  ;  and,  instead  of 
degrading  the  party,  would  raise  him  in  the 
esteem  of  the  wise  and  good.  When 
Greece  was  invaded  by  Persia,  Themisto- 
cles,  the  Athenian  general,  by  warmly  urg- 
ing a  point  in  a  council  of  war,  is  said  to 
have  so  provoked  the  displeasure  of  Eury- 
biades,  the  Spartan,  the  commander  in  chief, 
that  the  latter  lifted  up  his  cane  over  his 
head  in  a  menacing  posture.  "  Strike,  (said 
the  noble  Athenian,)  but  hear  me !  "  He  did 
hear  him,  and  the  country  was  saved.  And 
why  may  not  a  Christian  act,  or  rather  for- 
bear to  act,  on  the  same  principle,  and  for 
an  infinitely  greater  end,  even  the  eternal 
salvation  of  his  enemies  ?  What  else  has 
been  the  language  of  the  noble  army  of 
the  martyrs  from  the  beginning?  Have 
they  not  practically  said  to  an  enraged 
world,  Strike,  but  hear  us?  Similar  remarks 
might  be  made  on  the  precept  of  giving  our 
"  cloak  to  him  that  would  sue  us  and  take 
away  our  coat."  It  is  the  principle  that  is 
to  be  regarded,  rather  than  the  act.  It 
would  be  far  from  just  in  many  cases  to  give 
place  to  the  overbearing  treatment  of  men, 

vertheless,  perfectly  distinct.  The  former  belong 
to  us  as  creatures ;  the  latter  as  sinners :  the 
Scriptures  regulate  the  one,  but  prohibit  the  other. 
Elias  was  a  man  of  like  passions  with  other  men  ; 
but,  in  praying  for  the  giving  or  withholding  of  rain, 
he  did  not  act  under  the  influence  of  vicious  pro- 
pensity. 


as  it  must  tend  not  only  to  ruin  our  own 
families,  but  to  encourage  the  wicked  in 
their  wickedness.  But  the  spirit  here  in- 
culcated is  of  the  greatest  importance  :  it  is 
that  disposition  which  would  rather  put  up 
with  injury  than  engage  in  litigious  contests. 
All  strife  for  victory,  or  for  the  sake  of  hav- 
ing our  will  of  men,  is  here  forbidden,  as 
carnal  and  antichristian. 

The  precept  of  going  "two  miles  with 
him  that  would  compel  you  to  go  with  him 
one  "  teaches  us  to  need  no  compulsion  in 
works  of  benevolence  ;  but  to  be  willing  to 
do  good  to  all  men,  even  beyond  their  re- 
quests. 

In  harmony  with  this  is  the  practice  of 
"  giving  and  lending  to  them  that  ask  us." 
To  suppose  that  Christ  is  here  laying  down 
a  literal  and  universal  rule  of  action  would 
be  supposing  him  to  inculcate  a  practice 
which  must  soon  destroy  itself,  by  putting 
it  out  of  our  power  either  to  give  or  lend. 
But  by  this  language  he  recommends  a  kind 
and  liberal  spirit,  ready  to  do  good  to  the 
utmost  of  our  power.  Such  was  the  spirit 
of  Christ  himself  towards  an  impoverished 
world,  and  such  is  the  spirit  of  his  religion ; 
selfishness,  in  every  shape  and  form,  is  anti- 
christian. 


SECTION  VI. 

ON    LOVE    TO    ENEMIES. 

Matt.  v.  43—48. 

It  was  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  "  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  The 
construction  which  the  Jews  put  upon  this 
precept  is  easily  discerned  by  the  question 
of  the  self-justifying  lawyer,  "  And  who  is 
my  neighbor  ?  "  They  excluded  from  that 
character  heathens  and  Samaritans,  and  in- 
deed all  those  of  their  own  country  who 
were  unfriendly  towards  them ;  and  so  con- 
sidered the  command  to  love  their  neighbors 
as  allowing  them  to  hate  their  enemies. 

In  opposing  this  sentiment,  our  Lord  did 
not  oppose  the  law  ;  but  merely  the  selfish 
gloss  of  the  rabbin  ;  for  the  law  did  not  al- 
low of  any  such  hatred  as  they  cherished. 
Yet,  in  comparing  it  with  David's  language 
in  the  Psalms,  some  Christian  writers  have 
seemed  willing  to  concede  that  the  Jewish 
gloss  was  really  founded  upon  the  spirit  of 
the  Old  Testament,  and  have  represented 
the  doctrine  of  love  to  enemies  as  peculiar 
to  the  gospel  dispensation.  That  it  is  more 
clearly  taught  and  powerfully  enforced  by 
our  Saviour,  than  it  had  been  before,  is  al- 
lowed ;  but  the  notion  of  his  opposing  his 
doctrine  to  that  of  Moses  or  David  is  inad- 
missible ;  for  this  had  been  to  "destroy  the 
law,"  and  to  render  the  New  Testament  at 
variance  with  the  Old. 

That  good- will  to  men  is  both  taught  and 


ON    LOVE    TO    ENEMIES. 


95 


exemplified  in  the  Old  Testament  is  mani- 
fest from  the  joy  expressed  by  David  and 
the  prophets,  when  predicting'  the  conver- 
sion of  the  heathen.  They  even  prayed 
and  taught  their  countrymen  to  pray  for  the 
blessing  of  God  upon  themselves  in  sub- 
serviency to  it. — See  Psal.  lxvii. ;  Isa.  xlix. 
Nor  are  the  prayers  of  David  against  his 
enemies  at  variance  with  this  principle.  If 
they  be,  however,  the  New  Testament  is 
also  at  variance  with  it :  for  the  same  kind  of 
language  is  used  in  Paul's  Epistles  as 
abounds  in  David's  Psalms.  "  If  any  man 
love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be 
accursed." — "  Alexander,  the  coppersmith, 
did  me  much  evil :  the  Lord  reward  him  ac- 
cording to  his  works  !  "  Much  confusion 
has  arisen,  on  these  subjects,  from  not  dis- 
tinguishing between  benevolence  and  compla- 
cency. The  one  is  due  to  all  men,  whatever 
be  their  character,  so  long  as  there  is  any 
possibility  or  hope  of  their  becoming  the 
friends  of  God :  the  other  is  not,  but  requires 
to  be  founded  on  character.  The  Old  Tes- 
tament writers,  being  under  a  dispensation 
distinguished  by  awful  threatenings  against 
sin,  dwell  mostly  upon  the  latter,  avowing 
their  love  to  those  who  loved  God,  and  their 
hatred  to  those  who  hated  him  ;  the  New- 
Testament  writers,  living  under  a  dispensa- 
tion distinguished  by  its  tender  mercy  to 
sinners,  dwell  mostly  upon  the  former  :  but 
neither  of  these  principles  is  inconsistent 
with  the  other.  We  may  bear  the  utmost 
good-will  to  men  as  the  creatures  of  God, 
and  as  being  within  the  limits  of  hope ; 
while  yet,  considered  as  the  Lord's  enemies, 
we  abhor  them.  If  we  love  others  as  we 
love  ourselves,  that  is  all  that  is  required ; 
but  the  love  which  a  Christian  bears  to  his 
own  soul  is  consistent  with  his  abhorring 
himself  as  a  sinner.  Our  Lord  exemplified 
both  these  dispositions  at  the  same  time.  In 
denouncing  the  damnation  of  hell  against 
the  scribes  and  pharisees,  you  would  think 
him  void  of  every  feeling  but  that  of  inflexi- 
ble justice :  yet,  looking  upon  the  same  peo- 
ple in  reference  to  their  approaching  mise- 
ries, he  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears.  The  same 
spirit  possessed  the  apostle  Paul  towards 
his  countrymen.  When  they  rejected  the 
gospel,  he  did  not  scruple  to  apply  to  them 
the  awful  prophecies  of  Isaiah,  "Go  unto 
this  people,  and  say,  Hearing  ye  shall  hear, 
and  shall  not  understand ;  and  seeing  ye 
shall  see,  and  shall  not  perceive,"  &c,  yet 
the  same  apostle  solemnly  declares  that  he 
had  great  heaviness  and  continual  sorrow  in 
his  heart  on  their  behalf.  So  far  from  an 
abhorrence  of  the  wicked  in  respect  of  their 
wickedness  being  inconsistent  with  genuine 
benevolence,  it  is  necessary  to  it.  The 
compassion  that  is  void  of  this  is  not  benevo- 
lence, but  the  working  of  disaffection  to 
God,  and  of  criminal  partiality  towards  his 
enemies. 


Benevolence  has  not,  as  observed  before, 
an  immediate  respect  to  character ;  yet  it 
considers  its  objects  within  the  limits  of 
hope,  in  respect  to  their  becoming  the  friends 
of  God.  If  a  creature  be  a  confirmed  ene- 
my to  God,  as  in  the  case  of  devils  and  lost 
souls,  true  benevolence  will  cease  to  mourn 
over  them,  as  it  would  imply  a  reflection 
upon  the  Creator.  It  is  on  this  principle 
that  Aaron  was  forbidden  to  mourn  for  his 
sons'Nadab  and  Abihu,  and  that  Samuel 
was  reproved  for  mourning  over  Saul. — Lev. 
x.  6;  1  Sam.  xvi.  1.  Hence  also  we  see  in 
the  benevolence  of  David  and  Isaiah  towards 
the  heathen  (Psal.  lxvii.,  Isa.  xlix.)  a  pros- 
pect of  their  future  conversion :  and,  as  this 
prospect  was  to  be  realized  under  the  gospel 
dispensation,  Ave  perceive  the  reason  of 
benevolence  in  it  arising  to  its  highest  pitch. 
By  the  appearance  and  sacrifice  of  Christ, 
the  glory  of  God  was  to  be  manifested  in  a 
way  of  good  will  to  men,  even  to  enemies ; 
angels  therefore  dwelt  upon  this  idea  at  his 
birth,  and  the  disciples  were  taught  to  cher- 
ish it. 

But  to  bear  good  will  to  our  enemies,  to 
pity  them  that  hate  us,  and  to  pray  for  them 
that  despitefully  use  us  and  persecute  us, 
is,  after  all,  a  strange  doctrine  in  the 
account  of  a  selfish  world.  If  the  love  of 
God  be  not  in  us,  self-love,  in  one  shape  or 
other,  will  have  possession  of  our  souls. 
Hence  infidels  have  treated  this  precept  as 
extravagant,  and  imputed  the  conduct  of 
Christians  to  affectation.  Conscious,  it  seems, 
that  self-love  is  the  governing  principle  of 
their  own  actions,  they  imagine  it  to  be  the 
same  with  all  others.  The  general  preva- 
lence also  of  this  spirit  leads  them  to  expect 
little  else  from  one  another,  and  to  act  as  if 
it  were  a  law  of  nature  for  every  one  to  love 
himself  supremely,  and  all  other  beings  only 
as  they  are  subservient  to  him.  Nor  are 
infidels  the  only  persons  who  have  spoken 
and  written  in  this  strain :  many  of  the  ad- 
vocates of  Christianity  have  so  formed  their 
systems  as  to  render  self-love  the  foundation 
on  which  they  rest.  Neither  God  nor  man 
is  to  be  regarded  but  on  our  own  account. 
On  this  principle,  however,  it  would  follow 
that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  glorifying  God 
as  God,  nor  hating  sin  as  sin,  and  that  the 
gospel  has  no  charms  on  account  of  its  re- 
vealing mercy  in  a  way  of  righteousness, 
any  more  than  if  it  had  revealed  it  in  a  way 
of  unrighteousness.  If  our  love  be  directed 
merely  "  to  that  which  relieves  us,"  it  would 
be  equally  worthy  of  acceptation,  in  our 
account,  let  that  relief  come  how  it  might ; 
and  thus  the  character  of  God  as  "the  just, 
and  the  justifcr  of  them  that  believe  in 
Jesus,"  forms  no  part  of  the  good  news  to 
sinful  men:  the  glory  of  the  gospel  is  no 
glory. 

There  is  much  meaning  in  the  words  of 
the  apostle  John — "We  are  of  God;  he 


9G 


EXPOSITION    OP    THE    SERMON    ON   THE    MOUNT. 


that  knoweth  God  heareth  us  ;  he  that  is  not 
of  God  heareth  not  us.  Hereby  know  we 
the  spirit  of  truth  and  the  spirit  of  error." 
Every  false  system  of  religion  originates 
and  terminates  in  self.  This  is  the  charac- 
ter of  the  spirit  of  error.  But,  if  we  be  of 
God,  we  shall  love  him,  and  every  image  of 
him  in  creation.  Those  objects  which  bear 
his  moral  image,  such  as  his  holy  law,  his 
glorious  gospel,  and  his  renewed  people, 
will  occupy  the  first  place  in  our  esteem ; 
and  those  which  at  present  bear  only  his 
natural  image  while  there  is  any  hope  of 
their  recovery  to  a  right  mind,  will  be  the 
objects  of  our  tender  compassion,  and  their 
salvation  the  subject  of  our  earnest  prayers. 

It  is  thus  that  we  manifest  ourselves  to  be 
"  the  children  of  our  Father  who  is  in  heav- 
en ; "  who,  till  sinners  are  fixed  in  a  state 
of  irreconcileable  enmity  to  him  and  to  the 
general  good,  "  causeth  his  sun  to  rise  and 
his  rain  to  descend  "  upon  them,  whatever  be 
their  characters. 

If  self-love  be  the  spring  of  our  religion, 
it  is  declared  by  our  Saviour  to  be  of  no 
value,  and  that  it  will  issue  in  no  divine  re- 
ward. How  should  it  be  otherwise,  when  it 
differs  not  from  the  spirit  of.  the  world  ? 
The  most  abandoned  men  love  those  that 
love  them.  If  this  were  true  religion,  we 
do  not  need  to  be  taught  it  of  God  ;  for  it  is 
perfectly  suited  to  our  depraved  nature. 
But  if  true  religion  consists  in  being  of  the 
mind  of  God,  or  in  being  "perfect,  as  our 
Father  who  is  in  heaven  is  perfect,"  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  that  we  be  born  again, 
or  we  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 


SECTION  VII. 

ON    ALMS-GIVING,    AND    PRAYER. 

Matt.  vi.  1— S. 

Our  Saviour  having  detected  various  false 
glosses  upon  the  law,  and  shown  the  spiritu- 
ality of  its  requirements,  proceeds  to  dis- 
course on  some  of  the  most  common  and 
important  duties  of  religion.  Of  these  he 
instances  alms-giving  and  prayer.  Three 
things  are  observable  from  what  is  said  of 
the  former. — Ver.  1 — 4. 

First :  It  is  taken  for  granted  that  the  dis- 
ciples of  Christ  were  in  the  habit  of  giving 
alms  ;  and  this  notwithstanding  they  gener- 
ally consisted  of  persons  who  labored  for 
their  subsistence.  And  would  this  bear  to 
be  taken  for  granted  of  the  body  of  profes- 
sors among  us  ?  They  might  have  said, 
We  have  enough  to  do  to  provide  for  our 
own  houses :  it  is  for  the  rich,  and  not  for 
laboring  people,  to  give  alms.  But  feeling, 
as  they  did,  for  the  afflicted  and  necessitous, 
especially  for  those  of  the  household  of 
faith,  they  would  deny  themselves  many 
comforts  for   the   sake  of  being    able    to 


relieve  them.     True  religion  always  teach- 
es men  to  be  merciful. 

Secondly :  As,  through  the  deceitfulness 
of  the  human  heart,  the  most  beneficial 
actions  may  arise  from  corrupt  designs,  and 
thereby  be  rendered  not  only  void,  but  evil 
in  the  sight  of  God,  we  are  warned  as  to  our 
motives — "  Take  heed  that  ye  do  not  your 
alms  before  men,  to  be  seen  of  them — do  not 
sound  a  trumpet  before  you,  as  the  hypocrites 
do."  In  what  concerns  the  relief  of  indi- 
viduals this  council  will  commonly  apply  in 
the  most  literal  sense  of  the  words.  The 
liberality  of  vain  men,  having  no  other 
object  than  to  be  thought  generous,  is  com- 
monly either  publicly  proclaimed  or  exercis- 
ed in  a  way  that  shall  by  some  means  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  neighborhood; 
while  that  of  the  modest  Christian,  desirous 
only  of  approving  himself  to  God,  is  done 
in  secret.  The  words,  however,  do  not 
apply  in  all  cases.  It  is  not  so  much  the 
act  as  the  principle,  or  motive,  that  our  Lord 
condemns.  If  we  understand  it  literally  of 
the  former,  it  would  follow  that  nothing 
ought  to  be  given  in  public  subscriptions  or 
collections  for  the  poor ;  for,  in  this,  con- 
cealment would  be  improper,  if  not  impossi- 
ble. The  primitive  Christians  did  not  always 
conceal  their  donations  ;  but  consulted  and 
subscribed  for  the  poor  brethren  at  Jerusa- 
lem.— Acts  xi.  29,  30.  Nor  would  privacy 
be  consistent  with  other  commandments  ; 
particularly  that  in  ch.  v.  16,  "Let  your 
light  so  shine  before  men  that  others,  seeing 
your  good  works,  may  glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  There  is  no  evil  in 
our  works  being  seen  of  men,  provided  they 
be  not  done  for  this  end,  but  for  the  glory  of 
God.  Secrecy  itself  may  become  a  cloak 
to  avarice :  and  it  is  a  fact  that  many,  by 
affecting  to  be  very  private  in  their  dona- 
tions, have  contrived  to  keep  their  money  to 
themselves,  and  at  the  same  time  to  be 
thought  very  generous.  The  evil  lies  in 
the  motive  ;  doing  what  we  do  from  ostenta- 
tion, or  to  be  seen  of  men.  The  desire  of 
human  applause  is  a  canker  that  eats  out 
the  charity  of  many  gifts,  and  renders  that 
which  would  otherwise  be  good  and  well 
pleasing  to  God  a  mere  exercise  of  selfish 
hypocrisy. 

Thirdly :  As  every  thing  in  this  world 
bears  a  relation  to  eternity,  we  are  remind- 
ed of  the  final  issue  of  things.  If  we  give 
from  ostentation,  we  have  our  reward:  but 
if  from  love,  and  with  an  eye  to  the  glory  of 
God,  "  that  which  has  been  done  in  secret 
shall  be  rewarded  openly."  It  is  so  ordered 
in  the  divine  administration  that  the  selfish 
soul  shall  be  disappointed  in  the  end; 
while  he  who  seeks  the  good  of  others  shall 
find  his  own.  But  how  is  it  that  the  works 
of  sinful  creatures  should  be  rewarded  Avitli 
eternal  life  ?  In  themselves  considered  they 
cannot ;  and  if  any  man  think,  by  a  series  of 


ON    PRAYER. 


97 


beneficent  actions,  to  atone  for  the  sins  of 
his  past  life,  and  to  obtain  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  he  will  be  awfully  deceived.  But, 
if  he  believe  in  Jesus,  he  is  accepted  in  him  ; 
and,  being  so,  his  offerings  are  accepted 
and  rewarded,  both  in  this  world  and  that 
which  is  to  come. 

From  alms-giving  our  Lord  proceeds  to 
prayer. — Ver.  5 — 8.  The  former  respected 
our  conduct  to  men,  the  latter  our  approach- 
es to  God.  And  here  also  it  is  observable 
that  it  is  taken  for  granted  that  Christ's  dis- 
ciples are  praying  men.  What  he  says  is 
not  to  persuade  them  to  prayer,  but  to  di- 
rect them  in  it.  Infidels  may  imagine 
that  God  does  not  concern  himself  with 
the  affairs  of  mortals,  and  may  excuse 
themselves  by  pretending  that  it  were  pre- 
sumption in  them  to  solicit  the  Supreme 
Being  to  do  this  or  that ;  formalists  may  say 
their  prayers,  and  be  glad  when  the  task  is 
over ;  but  Christians  cannot  live  without 
communion  with  God.  Prayer  has  with 
propriety  been  called  the  breath  of  the  new 
creature.  To  satisfy  Ananias  that  Saul  was 
become  a  christian,  it  was  enough  to  say, 
"  Behold,  he  prayeth  ! " 

What  is  said  of  the  privacy  of  prayer  will 
literally  apply  to  that  which  is  personal,  or 
expressive  of  individual  desire.  The  proper 
resort  for  this  is  the  closet,  or  a  place  of  re- 
tirement from  the  interruptions  and  observa- 
tions of  men.  A  vainglorious  professor  may 
enjoy  no  freedom  in  this,  because  there  is 
none  to  witness  and  admire  his  devotions  : 
but  the  child  of  God  is  here  at  home,  even 
in  the  presence  of  his  Father,  who  heareth 
him  in  secret.  If  we  have  no  freedom  in 
private  prayer,  but  live  nearly  if  not  entirely 
in  the  neglect  of  it,  and  at  the  same  time 
possess  great  zeal  and  fluency  in  our  public 
exercises,  we  ought  surely  to  suspect  that 
things  are  far  from  being  right  between  God 
and  our  souls. 

The  words  of  our  Lord,  however,  must 
not  be  literally  applied  to  all  cases.  Respect 
is  had  more  to  the  principle  of  the  act  than 
to  the  act  itself.  To  understand  it  of  the 
latter  would  be  to  censure  all  public  prayer, 
and  standing  in  prayer,  which  was  no  part  of 
the  design.  A  good  man  might  pray  "  stand- 
ing in  the  synagogue,"  or  even  at  "  a  corner 
of  the  street,"  on  some  occasions.  Paul 
prayed  with  the  Tyrian  disciples,  with  then- 
wives  and  children,  and  gave  thanks  to  God, 
in  the  presence  of  a  ship's  company.  That 
which  Christ  meant  to  censure  was  the  lov- 
ing to  pray  in  public  places  in  order  to  be 
seen  of  men.  His  object  was  not  to  appoint 
the  place  or  the  posture  of  prayer ;  but  to 
detect  the  vanity  of  the  mind,  and  to  direct 
his  followers  to  seek  the  approbation  of  God, 
rather  than  the  applauses  of  men. 

The  motive  with  which  these  counsels  are 
urged  is  very  impressive :  "  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  they  have  their  reward!"     God 

Vox.  2.— Sig.  13. 


will  apportion  our  rewards  according  to  the 
things  we  seek.  If  the  objects  of  our  de- 
sire be  confined  to  this  world,  this  world 
shall  be  our  all ;  but,  if  they  extend  to 
another,  that  other  shall  be  our  portion. 

What  is  said  of  "vain  repetitions,"  and 
"  much  speaking,"  admits  of  similar  remarks 
to  that  which  goes  before  it.  In  general  it 
is  right  to  avoid  long  prayers,  especially  in 
the  family,  and  in  the  church,  which  are  not 
only  wearisome  to  men,  but  offensive  to  God. 
A  proper  sense  of  the  majesty  of  the  great 
Supreme  would  cure  this  evil.  "  God  is  in 
heaven,  and  we  on  earth  :  therefore  let  our 
words  be  few."  The  contrary  practice  sa- 
vors of  heathenism.  Let  the  devotees  of 
Baal  vociferate  from  morning  till  noon  ;  but 
let  not  the  worshippers  of  Jehovah  imitate 
them.*  Our  heavenly  Father  knoweth  what 
things  we  need.  If  he  require  importunity  in 
prayer,  it  is  not  because  he  needs  to  be  per- 
suaded ;  but  that  his  favors  may  be  known, 
accepted,  and  prized. 

It  is  not  our  Lord's  design,  however,  to 
condemn  all  long  prayers,  nor  all  repetitions. 
He  himself,  on  some  occasions,  continued 
for  a  whole  night ;  and  in  Gethsemane  he 
three  times  repeated  the  same  words. 
They  are  vain  repetitions  which  he  cen- 
sures, and  the  hope  of  being  heard  for  much 
speaking.  It  is  observable,  however,  that 
whenever  Christ  or  any  of  the  apostles  were 
long  in  prayer  it  was  in  private.  If  many 
who  pray  for  an  hour  or  longer  in  public, 
and  with  tedious  repetitions,  were  equally 
circuitous  in  the  closet,  whether  we  should 
commend  their  discretion  or  not,  we  might 
hope  well  of  their  sincerity.  But,  where  the 
reverse  of  this  is  true,  it  certainly  has  the 
appearance  of  the  very  spirit  which  it  was 
our  Saviour's  intention  to  condemn. 


SECTION  VIII. 

ON    THE    LORD'S    PRATER. 
Matt.    vi.  9—15. 

This  admirable  summary  of  prayer,  as  in- 
troduced by  Matthew,  would  seem  to  be  on- 
ly for  the  purpose  of  illustrating,  by  example, 
the  foregoing  precepts.  Lukev,  however, 
represents  it  as  occasioned  by  our  Saviour's 
being  engaged  in  prayer  at  a  certain  place, 
and,  when  he  ceased,  one  of  his  disciples  say- 
ing unto  him,  "Lord  teach  us  to  pray,  as  John 
also  taught  his  disciples."  If  in  any  thing 
we  need  divine  instruction,  it  is  in  drawing 
near  to  God.  It  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  Christ's  design  to  establish  a  form  of 
prayer,  nor  that  it  was  ever  so  used  by  the 

*  Heathenism  still  retains  the  same  character  as 
it  did  in  the  days  of  Elijah.  The  Hindoos  at  this 
day,  in  worshipping  the  idol  Kreeshnoo,  or  Hurry, 
will  cry  (or  hours  together,  without  intermission, 
"Hurry  bolo  !  Hurry  bolo!"  i.e.  Kreeshnoos 
speak  !     Kreeshnoo,  speak  ! 


98 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


disciples  :  but  merely  a  brief  directory  as  to 
tbe  matter  and  manner  of  it.  Such  a  direc- 
tory was  adapted  not  only  to  instruct,  but  to 
encourage  Christians  in  their  approaches  to 
God.  It  was  putting  words  into  their  mouths. 
In  supplicating  divine  mercy,  they  might 
plead,  Thus  and  thus  our  Saviour  taught  us 
to  say  ;  even  he  in  whom  thy  soul  delight- 
eth :  hear  us  for  his  sake  !  Observe, 

First :  The  character  under  which  we  are 
allowed  to  draw  near  to  the  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth. — "  Our  Father."  It  has  been  a 
question,  though  I  conceive  it  ought  not, 
whether  God  is  here  to  be  considered  as  our 
Father  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  not  rather  as 
our  Creator ;  and  whether  the  prayer  be  not 
suited  to  all  men,  who  are  God's  creatures, 
as  well  as  to  believers.  That  the  prayer  is 
free  to  every  one  Avho  can  cordially  utter  its 
sentiments  there  is  no  doubt :  but,  whatever 
others  have  done,  Christ  would  never  pre- 
scribe a  prayer  suited  to  an  unbeliever. 
As  the  Scriptures  inculcate  no  precept  but 
what,  if  obeyed  in  its  true  intent,  Avould  prove 
us  in  the  way  to  eternal  life,  so  they  prescribe 
no  prayer  but  what,  if  offered  up  in  its  true 
meaning,  would  be  heard  and  answered.  It 
is  true  that  God  is  the  Father  of  all  men  by 
creation  ;  but,  like  prodigals,  they  are  by  sin 
alienated  from  him,  and  his  love  to  them  as 
a  Creator  is  in  a  manner  extinguished.  He 
cannot  consistently  treat  them  as  children, 
but  as  strangers  and  enemies.  If  strict  jus- 
tice had  its  course,  he  would  "  destroy  man 
whom  he  hath  created,  from  the  face  of  the 
earth."  The  effect  is,  that,  if  any  of  the  sons 
of  men  approach  him  as  a  Father,  it  must  be 
through  a  mediator.  The  original  relation 
is,  as  to  any  access  to  him,  or  communion  with 
him,  dissolved.  If  any  sinner  be  now  treated 
as  a  child  of  God,  it  is  as  an  adopted  alien  put 
among  the  children. — See  John  i.  13. 

It  is  no  small  proof  that  the  privilege  of 
approaching  God  as  a  Father  has  respect  to 
the  mediation  of  Christ  that  it  is  almost  con- 
fined to  the  gospel  dispensation.  To  Israel, 
it  is  true,  pertained  the  national  adoption ; 
but  this  was  only  a  shadow  of  that  to  which 
believers  were  predestinated  through  Jesus 
Christ.  Old-Testament  believers  were  no 
doubt  related  to  God  as  a  Father,  as  well  as 
we  ;  but  they  were  not  ordinarily  in  the  hab- 
it of  addressing  him  under  that  endearing 
character.  The  spirit  of  that  dispensation 
was,  when  compared  with  ours,  a  spirit  of 
bondage.  It  was  reserved  for  the  times  of 
the  Messiah,  in  the  spirit  of  adoption,  to  cry 
Abba,  Father.  The  encouragement  contained 
in  this  tender  appellation  is  inexpressible. 
The  love,  the  care,  the  pity,  which  it  com- 
prehends, and  the  filial  confidence  which  it 
inspires,  must,  if  we  are  not  wanting  to  our- 
selves, render  prayer  a  most  blessed  ex- 
ercise. 

Secondly :  The  place  of  the  divine  resi- 
dence.— "  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven." 


As  the  endearing  character  of  a  father  in- 
spires us  with  confidence,  this  must  have  no 
less  a  tendency  to  excite  our  reverence ; 
and  both  together  are  necessary  to  accepta- 
ble worship.  "  As  for  me,  I  will  come  into 
thy  house  in  the  multitude  of  thy  mercy  : 
and  in  thy  fear  will  I  worship  toward  thy 
holy  temple."  Fear  without  hope  would 
sink  us  into  despair ;  and  hope  without 
fear  would  raise  us  to  presumption  ;  but,  unit- 
ed together,  they  constitute  the  beauty  of 
holiness.  It  is  not,  however,  for  the  purpose 
of  inspiring  reverence  only  that  God  is  said 
to  be  in  heaven,  but  to  encourage  us  to  con- 
fide in  his  absolute  supremacy  and  almighty 
power.  He  is  above  all  our  enemies,  and 
has  the  direction  and  control  of  all  events. 
What  can  be  more  consoling  than  the  thought 
of  having  the  Lord  of  the  universe  for  our 
father !  When  the  heathen  triumphed  over 
the  church,  and  sneeringly  asked  each  other, 
"  Where  is  now  their  God  ?  "  It  was  suffi- 
cient to  answer,  "  Our  God  is  in  the  heav- 
ens, he  hath  done  whatsoever  he  hath 
pleased." 

Thirdly  :  The  social  principle  which  per- 
vades the  prayer. — "  Our  Father — forgive 
us,"  &c.  Assuredly  we  are  hereby  taught 
not  to  confine  our  petitions  to  what  respects 
ourselves,  but  to  identify  with  our  own  cases 
those  of  our  brethren.  Nor  is  it  necessary 
that  they  should  be  actually  present  to  hear 
us,  and  join  with  us :  the  prayer  of  faith  and 
love  will  embrace  in  its  arms  brethren  at 
the  greatest  distance  ;  and  not  only  such  as 
are  known,  but  such  as  are  unknown,  even 
the  whole  family  of  God  upon  earth.  Nei- 
ther is  it  necessary  to  social  prayer  that  all 
who  are  present  should  be  believers.  Were 
this  the  case,  we  must  restrain  prayer  in  our 
congregations,  and  in  our  families.  The 
worship  of  the  primitive  churches  had  in  it 
both  prayer  and  singing,  and  that  in  a  lan- 
guage that  might  be  understood  ;  yet  it  was 
open  to  unbelievers,  or  any  person  who 
chose  to  join  in  it. — 1  Cor.  xiv.  15,  23 — 25. 
If  either  prayer  or  praise  was  a  positive  in- 
stitution, we  might  be  under  the  necessity 
of  refusing  admission  to  some  characters,  as 
is  the  case  in  other  positive  institutions  ;  but, 
if  they  are  immediately  binding  on  all  men, 
whatever  be  their  characters,  any  man  has  a 
right  to  be  present.  If  he  can  join  in  either, 
let  him ;  and,  if  not,  it  is  to  himself  only. 
Our  only  concern  in  such  cases  is,  not  to 
give  unbelievers  to  understand  that  they  are 
considered  differently  from  what  they  are  ; 
and  this  may  be  avoided,  without  refusing 
to  pray  or  praise  in  company  with  them. 
Paul  would  not  have  united  with  the  ship's 
company  in  celebrating  the  Lord's  supper, 
but  he  did  not  scruple  to  take  common  bread, 
and  "  give  thanks  "  on  their  behalf,  "  in  the 
presence  of  them  all." 

Fourthly  :  The  brevity  of  it. — "  Use  not 
vain  repetitions,  but  in  this  manner  pray  ye." 


THE    LORD  S    PRAYER. 


99 


The  prayers  recorded  in  the  Scriptures  are 
commonly  as  brief  as  they  are  impressive. 
It  is  true  our  Lord  continued  in  prayer  for  a 
whole  night;  but  he  was  then  by  himself. 
The  importunity  which  induces  us  when 
alone  to  wrestle  with  our  heavenly  Father 
for  a  blessing,  and  to  be  unwilling  to  retire 
without  it,  is  very  different  from  that  tedious 
circumlocution  so  wearisome  to  families,  and 
disgusting  to  the  most  solemn  assemblies. 
There  may  be  indeed  an  extreme  on  the 
other  side.  Some  persons  conclude  their 
prayers  ere  they  have  well  begun  them,  and 
without  affording  opportunity  for  their  own 
hearts,  or  the  hearts  of  others,  to  be  affected 
in  them.  Prayer  is  the  pouring  out  of  the 
soul  before  God  ;  it  therefore  requires  to  be 
long  enough  to  interest  the  mind  and  affec- 
tions, and  not  so  long  as  to  drown  them  in  a 
flood  of  unmeaning  words. 

Fifthly :  The  order  of  it. — Our  attention 
is  first  directed  to  those  things  which 
are  of  the  first  importance,  and  which  are 
fundamental  to  those  which  follow.  Such 
are  sanctifying  and  hallowing  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  praying  that  his  kingdom  may 
come,  and  that  his  will  may  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  After  this,  we  are  al- 
lowed to  ask  for  those  things  which  pertain  to 
our  own  immediate  wants,  both  temporal  and 
spiritual.  This  is  seeking  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  his  righteousness.  The  glory 
of  God's  character,  and  the  coming  of  his 
kingdom,  stand  first  in  all  his  works,  and 
therefore  must  have  the  precedence  in  all 
our  prayers.  The  love  of  God  stands  before 
the  love  of  our  neighbor,  or  of  ourselves,  in 
the  divine  law  ;  and  the  glory  of  God  before 
peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men,  in  the 
gospel.  We  must  subscribe  to  this  ere  we 
are  allowed  to  ask  for  our  daily  bread,  or  the 
forgiveness  of  our  sins.  To  desire  salvation 
at  the  expense  of  the  divine  honor  would  be 
direct  rebellion  against  the  majesty  of  heav- 
en and  earth.  Self-love  may  induce  a  sin- 
ner to  regard  a  doctrine  which  relieves  him, 
and  merely  on  account  of  its  relieving  him ; 
but  that  which  endears  the  gospel  to  a  Chris- 
tian is  that  it  reveals  a  way  in  which  "  God 
can  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that  be- 
lieveth  in  Jesus."  Why  is  it  that  sinners, 
under  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  continue 
averse  to  the  way  of  salvation  ?  It  is  not 
becausejthey  would  not  be  glad  to  have  their 
sins  forgiven  ;  but,  having  no  regard  for  the 
honor  of  God's  name,  they  see  no  need  for 
such  an  interposition  as  the  gospel  exhibits, 
in  order  to  sanctify  it,  and  render  forgiveness 
consistent  with  it.  Hence,  like  Cain,  they 
present  their  offerings  without  an  eye  to 
the  gospel  sacrifice.  That  which  some  have 
denominated  "disinterested  love,"  or  the 
love  of  God  for  what  he  is  in  himself,  as  far 
as  I  understand  it,  is  no  other  than  hallowing 
his  name,  which  is  essential  to  true  religion. 
Not  that  we  are  called  upon  to  love  any  thing 


in  the  divine  character  which  is  not  mani- 
fested in  the  icork  of  saving  sinners,  nor  to  be 
unconcerned  about  our  own  salvation  ;  but  to 
embrace  the  gospel  as  first  glorifying  God, 
and  then  giving  peace  on  earth  ;  and  to  seek 
our  own  interest  as  bound  up  with  the  honor 
of  his  name,  and  as  tending  to  promote  it. 

We  are  taught  to  pray  for  even  the  com- 
ing of  God's  kingdom,  and  the  universal  pre- 
valence of  righteousness  in  the  world,  in 
subserviency  to  the  honor  of  his  name.  It 
is  to  this  end  that  God  himself  pursues  these 
great  objects;  to  this  end  therefore  we 
must  pray  for  them.  But,  though  they  are 
placed  after  the  hallowing  of  his  name,  yet 
they  stand  before  any  private  petitions  of 
ours,  and  in  this  order  each  requires  to  be 
sought.  Why  is  it  that  so  little  has  been 
done,  from  age  to  age,  for  the  general  inter- 
est of  Christ  ?  Is  it  not  owing  to  a  practical 
error  on  this  subject?  placing  our  own  pri- 
vate interests  before  his,  dwelling  in  our 
ceiled  houses,  while  the  temple  of  God  has 
been  in  ruins,  or  at  most  seeking  the  pros- 
perity of  a  small  part  of  the  church  which 
happens  to  be  connected  with  us,  to  the 
utter  neglect  of  the  general  kingdom  of  the 
Redeemer? 

As  Christ  has  taught  us  to  pray  for  the 
coming  of  God's  kingdom,  and  the  universal 
spread  of  righteousness  in  the  world,  we 
may  rest  assured  that  these  things  will  come 
to  pass.  Christ  would  not  have  directed  us 
to  ask  for  a  specific  object,  and  without  any 
proviso,  when  he  knew  it  would  never  be 
granted.  Whether  the  kingdom  of  G  od  here 
means  the  same  as  the  Messiah's  kingdom, 
or  whether  it  relates  to  that  state  of  things 
when  the  kingdom  shall  be  delivered  up  to 
the  Father  and  God  shall  be  all  in  all,  it 
makes  no  difference.  The  coming  of  the 
latter  supposes  the  gradual  completion  of 
the  former  :  to  pray  therefore  for  what  is  ul- 
timate in  the  system  is  to  pray  for  whatever 
is  intermediate.  At  present  God's  name,  in- 
stead of  being  sanctified  in  the  earth,  is  dis- 
regarded and  blasphemed.  He  reigns  in 
the  hearts  of  but  few  of  the  children  of 
men.  Instead  of  earth  resembling  heaven, 
as  to  obedience  to  the  divine  will,  it  bears  a 
much  nearer  resemblance  to  hell.  But  it 
shall  not  be  thus  always.  He  who  taught 
us  thus  to  pray  was  manifested  to  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devil,  and  destroyed  they 
will  be.  And,  as  the  grand  means  by  which 
this  great  end  will  be  accomplished  is  the 
preaching  of  the  cross,  we  have  abundance 
of  encouragement  to  persevere  in  that  ar- 
duous employment. 

As  there  are  three  petitions  in  respect  of 
God's  name  and  cause  in  the  world,  so  there 
are  three  which  regard  our  own  immediate 
wants  ;  one  of  which  concerns  those  which 
are  temporal,  and  the  other  two  those  which 
are  spiritual. 
"Give  us  this  day  (or  day  by  day)  our  dai- 


100 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    SEUMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


ly  bread."  Bread  comprehends  all  the  ne- 
cessaries but  none  of  the  superfluities  of  life. 
If  God  give  us  the  latter,  Ave  may  receive 
them  with  thankfulness,  only  considering 
them  as  a  trust  committed  to  us,  but  we  are 
not  at  liberty  to  ask  for  them.  Nor  are  we 
allowed  to  ask  for  what  may  be  necessary 
in  days  to  come ;  but,  as  children  on  their 
father,  must  depend  upon  God  for  the  bread 
of  each  day  as  the  day  occurs.  Still  less  are 
we  allowed  to  ask  for  the  bread  of  others,  or 
to  covet  our  neighbors'  goods  ;  but  must  be 
contented  with  what  the  Lord  gives  us  in  the 
way  of  honest  industry,  or  by  the  kindness 
of  our  friends. 

Such  is  the  spirit  inculcated  by  this  pe- 
tition. How  opposite  to  the  spirit  of  this 
world  !  Man  as  a  sinner  aspires  to  be  inde- 
pendent of  God,  and  to  raise  himself  out  of 
the  reach  of  adversity.  He  cannot  trust 
God  to  provide  for  him  and  his  children,  but 
desires  to  take  the  charge  upon  himself. 
Unlike  the  sheep  of  Christ's  pasture,  who  go 
in  and  out  as  he  leads  them,  he  emulates  the 
wild  beasts  which  roam  through  the  forest 
in  quest  of  prey  for  themselves  and  for  their 
young  ones.  Ever  anxious  to  accumulate, 
he  has  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  think 
of  any  thing  else,  till,  in  some  unexpected 
hour,  he  is  arrested  in  his  course,  and  is 
obliged  to  spare  time — to  die !  Christian, 
canst  thou  envy  such  a  character  ?  wilt  thou 
learn  his  ways  ?  No,  surely  !  Covet  not 
to  be  rich,  lest  it  should  cause  thee  to  deny 
thy  God,  and,  by  treating  sacred  things  with 
lightness,  to  take  his  name  in  vain.  Is  it 
best  for  thee,  is  it  best  for  thy  children,  even 
in  the  present  world,  that  thou  shouldst 
emulate  the  beast  of  prey  in  providing  for 
thy  young  ones?  Remember  "the  young 
lions  do  lack  and  suffer  hunger ;  but  they 
that  seek  the  Lord  shall  not  want  any  good 
thing." 

"Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our 
debtors."  As  bread  in  this  prayer  compre- 
hends all  the  necessaries  of  life,  so  the  for- 
giveness of  sin  comprehends  the  substance 
of  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  well-being 
of  our  souls.  Sin  is  the  only  bar  between 
God  and  man:  if,  therefore,  this  be  removed, 
there  is  nothing  left  to  impede  the  most  am- 
ple communications  of  his  favor.  Sins  are 
called  debts,  not  properly,  but  metaphorical- 
ly. All  that  belongs  to  a  debt  will  not  ap- 
ply to  a  crime.  The  former,  as  being  a 
mere  private  obligation,  may  be  remitted  by 
the  creditor,  if  he  please,  without  any  satis- 
faction ;  but  the  latter  being  a  public  evil, 
committed  against  God  as  the  governor  of 
the  world,  cannot  be  consistently  forgiven 
without  an  atonement  which  shall  effectually 
distinguish  that  forgiveness  from  connivance. 
There  is  a  sufficient  resemblance,  however, 
between  them  to  justify  the  use  of  the  term. 
We  oive  to  God  as  his  creatures  supreme 
love  and  unreserved  obedience  ;  and,  in  de- 


fault of  paying  it,  fall  under  an  obligation  to 
punishment.  As  a  rebel  against  the  state 
forfeits  his  life,  which  is  his  all,  to  his  injur- 
ed country  ;  so,  as  rebels  against  God,  we 
have  forfeited  our  souls,  which  are  our  all, 
to  his  injured  government. 

From  this  petition  we  learn  four  things. 
First :  That  we  have  daily  sins  to  be  forgiv- 
en. It  is  to  our  shame  that  it  should  be  so  : 
but  so  it  is.  To  disown  it  does  not  make  it 
the  better,  but  the  worse.  The  direction  of 
Christ  contains  an  insuperable  objection  to 
the  notion  of  those  deluded  people  who  ima- 
gine themselves  to  have  attained  to  a  state 
of  sinless  perfection.  No  man  that  is  not 
blinded  to  the  spirituality  of  that  law  which 
requires  supreme,  perfect,  and  unabated  love, 
can  be  insensible  of  his  vast  defects.  The 
highest  degree  of  love  that  we  at  any  time 
attain  comes  immensely  short  of  what  Ave 
ought  to  feel,  and  of  what  we  shall  feel 
when  presented  faultless  before  the  presence 
of  the  divine  glory.  The  only  reply  that 
can  be  made  is,  that  the  petition  may  refer 
to  past  sins,  and  not  to  present  ones.  But 
is  it  not  presented  along  with  a  petition  for 
our  daily  bread,  and  in  a  prayer  which  is 
supposed  to  be  daily  offered?  Secondly: 
That  the  shedding  of  Christ's  blood  as  the 
price  of  our  redemption  is  perfectly  consist- 
ent with  the  free  grace  of  God,  not  only 
in  providing  the  Saviour,  but  in  forgiving 
the  sinner  for  his  sake.  If  we  had  borne 
the  full  penalty  due  to  sin  in  our  own  proper 
persons,  all  must  allow  there  had  been  no 
place  for  forgiveness.  And,  if  the  union 
between  Christ  and  his  elect  people  had 
been  so  intimate  as  to  render  the  actions  or 
sufferings  of  one  the  very  actions  and  suf- 
ferings of  the  other,  the  same  consequence 
would  follow.  Or,  if  the  satisfaction  made 
by  Christ  in  our  stead  had  been  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  debtor  and  creditor,  whatever  obli- 
gation we  might  have  been  under  to  the 
surety,  or  to  the  creditor  for  providing  him, 
the  debt  could  not  be  said  to  have  been  for- 
given. But  as  we  have  not  borne  the  pen- 
alty of  sin  in  our  own  persons,  and  as  sin 
itself  is  transferrable  to  another  only  in  its 
effects,  we  must  still  be  considered  as  deserv- 
ing of  death,  and,  whatever  be  the  consid- 
erations on  which  God  proceeds  in  our  for- 
giveness, as  being  freely  forgiven.  We 
may  plead  the  atonement  as  that  for  the 
sake  of  which  Ave  may  be  forgiven,  in  a  Avay 
glorious  to  the  divine  character,  together 
Avith  the  invitations  and  promises  of  the 
Avord ;  but  this  is  all.  We  must  not  go  as 
claimants,  but  as  supplicants.  Thirdly : 
That  the  perfection  and  perpetuity  of  justi- 
fication are  consistent  with  a  daily  applica- 
tion to  God  for  forgiving  mercy.  It  is  an 
important  truth  that  he  that  believeth  in 
Christ  "  shall  not  come  into  condemnation." 
There  is  no  such  idea,  hoAvever,  held  out  in 
the  Scriptures  as  the  pardon  of  sins,  past, 


ON    FASTING,    AND    OTHER    DUTIES. 


101 


present,  and  to  come.  Forgiveness  invariably 
presupposes  repentance.  It  is  not  bestowed 
on  that  account,  yet  it  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  it.  As  justification  includes  for- 
giveness, we  maybe  said  to  be  fully  forgiven 
from  the  first  moment  that  we  believe  in 
Christ ;  but  it  is  in  some  such  way  I  con- 
ceive as  we  are  said  to  be  glorified.  The 
thing  is  rendered  sure  by  the  purpose  and 
promise  of  God ;  but,  as  in  that  case  a  per- 
severance to  the  end  is  supposed  and  provid- 
ed for,  so  is  repentance  and  a  continued  ap- 
plication for  mercy  through  Jesus  Christ  in 
this.  If  it  were  true  that  a  believer  might 
not  persevere  to  the  end,  it  would  be  equal- 
ly true  that  he  might  never  be  glorified :  and 
if  it  were  possible  for  him  to  live  in  sin,  and 
never  repent  of  it,  it  would  be  equally  pos- 
sible that  he  would  never  be  forgiven — but 
he  that  has  promised  that  which  is  ultimate 
has  provided  for  every  thing  intermediate. 
Fourthly  :  That  we  are  not  allowed  to  ask 
or  hope  for  forgiveness  at  the  hand  of  God 
while  we  refuse  it  to  those  who  have  offend- 
ed us.  It  is  not  enough  to  say,  we  cannot 
expect  the  comfort  of  it :  we  cannot  expect 
the  thing  itself.  While  we  indulge  in  im- 
placable resentment,  it  is  presumption  to  ex- 
pect any  other  than  that  we  shall  perish  in 
our  sins. — Ver.  14,  15. 

"Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver 
us  from  evil."  The  last  petition  respected 
the  bestowment  of  the  greatest  good  ;  this, 
deliverance  from  the  worst  of  evils.  Christ 
teaches  us  to  suspect  ourselves.  To  be  de- 
livered from  evil,  we  must  not  only  avoid 
running  into  temptation,  but  pray  that  God 
in  his  providence  may  not  lead  us  into  it. 
Though  temptation  and  sin  be  not  in  them- 
selves necessarily  connected,  yet  there  is 
almost  a  moral  certainty  of  their  being  so 
in  our  case.  Christ  indeed  went  into  the 
field  of  contest,  and  came  out  unhurt ;  but 
this  is  more  than  can  be  said  with  certainty 
of  any  of  his  followers.  They  have  indeed 
been  preserved  from  actual  compliance  with 
many  evils ;  but  the  temptation  may  never- 
theless have  left  such  impressions  upon 
their  imaginations  and  desires  as  to  be  a 
source  of  guilt  and  shame  for  years  to 
come.  He  that  carries  about  him  inflam- 
mable materials  will  do  well  to  keep  at 
the  greatest  possible  distance  from  fire. 
Many  a  fair  character,  both  in  the  world  and 
in  the  church,  if  fed  into  temptation,  would 
be  soon  stripped  of  his  glory.  What 
then  do  we  mean  by  courting  applauses,  by 
forming  carnal  connections,  by  plunging 
into  unnecessary  cares,  or  by  coveting  lucra- 
tive situations?  Much  of  what  men  call 
the  leadings  of  providence  is  in  fact  God's 
leading  them  into  temptation,  for  the  detect- 
ing of  their  true  character.  Lot  might  no 
doubt  have  pleaded  that  providence  led  him 
to  discover  a  rich  and  well  ivaiered  plain, 
and  he  only  followed  its  openings.     Gehazi 


had  a  fine  opportunity  afforded  him  ;  and  he 
only  embraced  it.  Moses,  however,  had  a 
much  greater  opening  than  either  of  them  ; 
but  he  declined  it.  The  truth  is,  providence 
is  no  rule  of  duty,  independent  of  Scripture. 
If  the  Scriptures  warrant  a  measure,  and 
providence  open  the  way,  we  may  safely 
walk  into  it :  but  woe  to  him  that  catcheth 
every  opportunity  that  offers  to  aggrandize 
himself.  Many  a  man  would  have  killed 
Saul  in  the  cave  of  Adullum,  and  have 
pleaded,  as  David's  servants  did,  that  "  the 
Lord  had  delivered  his  enemy  into  his 
hand  : "  but  so  did  not  David,  because  of  the 
fear  of  God. — I  only  add,  There  is  no  ne- 
cessary connection  between  going  into 
temptation  and  coming  out  of  it.  Both  Ju- 
das and  Peter  went  in,  but  only  one  of 
them  returned :  and  those  who  go  in  on  a. 
presumption  of  coming  out  again  by  repent- 
ance will  probably  be  fatally  mistaken. 

The  concluding  doxology,  though  omit- 
ted by  Luke,  and  thought  by  some  not  to 
have  been  originally  included  by  Matthew, 
appears  to  agree  with  the  foregoing  petitions, 
and  to  furnish  encouragement  to  hope  for 
an  answer. 


SECTION  IX. 

ON    FASTING,    AND    OTHER    DUTIES. 

Matt.  vi.  16—34. 

Our  Lord's  discourse  is  not  designed  to 
amuse  his  disciples  with  curious  disquisitions, 
but  to  direct  them  as  to  their  daily  walk, 
partly  in  their  approaches  to  God,  and  partly 
in  their  conversation  with  the  Avorld. 

Ver.  16.  "  Moreover,  when  ye  fast," 
&c.  Fasting  is  supposed  to  be  the  ordina- 
ry practice  of  the  godly.  Christ  does  not 
make  light  of  it,  but  merely  cautions  them 
against  its  abuses.  There  has  doubtless 
been  much  formality  and  hypocrisy  in  some 
who  have  attended  to  it :  but  it  does  not 
follow  that  the  thing  itself  should  be  neglect- 
ed. It  is  an  appendage  to  prayer,  and 
designed  to  aid  its  importunity.  It  is  hum- 
bling, and  in  a  manner  chastising,  ourselves 
before  God.  The  spirit  of  it  is  expressed 
in  the  following  passages — "  So  do  God  to 
me,  and  more  also,  if  I  taste  bread,  or  aught 
else,  till  the  sun  be  down." — "  Surely  I  will 
not  come  into  the  tabernacle  of  my  house, 
nor  go  up  into  my  bed  ;  I  will  not  give  sleep 
to  mine  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  mine  eye-lids, 
until  I  find  out  a  place  for  the  Lord,  an  hab- 
itation for  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob."  No 
mention  is  made  of  the  time,  or  how  often 
the  duty  should  be  attended  to.  It  seems 
to  be  proper  on  various  occasions,  especially 
when,  as  the  Scripture  phrase  is,  we  "set 
ourselves  to  seek  the  Lord."  It  is  only  a 
means,  however ;  if  rested  in  as  an  end,  it 
will  be  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God. 
In  the  direction  of  our  Lord  concerning  it, 


102 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


respect  is  had  to  the  principle  of  things 
rather  than  to  the  things  themselves.  A 
sad  countenance,  if  it  be  expressive  of  a  sad 
heart,  and  in  our  secret  approaches  to  God, 
has  nothing  in  it  improper.  The  evil  con- 
sists in  counterfeit  sadness  and  ostentatious 
grief.  Whatever  be  your  concern  of  mind, 
make  no  show  of  it  before  men,  but  rather 
appear,  when  in  company,  as  at  other  times. 
Let  all  be  between  thyself  and  thy  Father, 
who  seeth  in  secret. 

Ver.  19,  20.  "  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves 
treasures,"  &c.  The  Lord  here  proceeds 
to  a  variety  of  counsels,  and  all  upon  things 
in  common  life.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
busy  world  are  taken  up  in  accumulating 
something  which  may  be  called  their  own, 
and  in  setting  their  hearts  upon  it  rather 
than  upon  God.  So  common  is  this  prac- 
tice that,  provided  they  do  not  injure  one 
another,  it  insures  commendation  rather 
than  reproach.  "  Men  will  praise  thee  when 
thou  doest  well  to  thyself."  Hence  we  are 
in  greater  danger  of  this  sin  than  of  most 
others.  In  opposition  to  this,  we  are  di- 
rected to  "lay  up  treasures  in  heaven." 
Not  that  the  heavenly  inheritance  is  the 
reward  of  our  doings :  but,  believing  in 
Christ,  and  setting  our  affections  on  things 
above,  where  Christ  sitteth  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,  every  thing  we  do  in  his  name, 
whether  it  be  to  the  poor,  or  any  others,  for 
his  sake,  turns  to  our  account.  Heavenly 
enjoyment  accumulates,  as  we  in  this  way 
make  much  of  it.  It  is  thus  that,  in  "  giving 
alms,  we  provide  ourselves  bags  which  Avax 
not  old,  a  treasure  in  the  heavens  which 
faileth  not."  Men  commonly  choose  a  safe 
place  to  lay  up  their  treasure.  It  is  said 
that  many  millions,  during  the  late  depreda- 
tions on  the  continent,  have  been  placed  in 
the  English  funds ;  and  no  wonder.  But 
still  there  is  nothing  secure  in  this  world. 
If  we  would  place  our  treasure  in  a  bank 
where  no  marauder  cometh,  it  must  be  "  hid 
with  Christ  in  God." 

From  this  passage,  some  have  seriously 
concluded  that  it  is  forbidden  us  in  any  case 
to  add  to  our  property.  To  be  consistent, 
however,  they  should  not  stop  here,  but  go 
on  to  "  sell  what  they  have  and  give  it  to  the 
poor : "  for  the  one  is  no  less  expressly  re- 
quired than  the  other.  But  this  were  to 
overturn  all  distinctions  of  rich  and  poor, 
and  all  possession  of  property,  which  is 
contrary  to  the  whole  current  of  Scripture. 
To  lay  up  "treasures  upon  earth  "  is  to  trust 
in  them,  or  make  them  our  chief  good,  in- 
stead of  using  them  as  a  means  of  glorifying 
God  and  doing  good  in  our  generation. 
This  is  evident  from  the  reason  given  against 
it,  that,  "  where  our  treasure  is,  there  will 
our  heart  be  also."  The  Lord  prospered 
David;  yet  David's  treasures  were  not  in 
this  world.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  dis- 
tinguished from   "  men  of  this  world,  who 


had  their  portion  in  this  life ; "  declaring, 
"  As  for  me,  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  right- 
eousness :  I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake 
in  thy  likeness."  If,  however,  our  treasure 
be  in  heaven,  we  shall  not  be  eager  to  lay 
up  worldly  wealth  ;  but  rather  to  lay  out 
that  which  God  intrusts  in  our  hands  for 
promoting  the  good  of  his  cause,  and  the 
Avell-being  of  mankind. 

Ver.  22—24.  "  The  light  of  the  body  is 
the  eye,"  &c.  Our  Lord  here  seems  to 
illustrate  and  enforce  the  principle  on  which 
he  had  all  along  proceeded  ;  namely,  the 
importance  of  pure  design  or  right  motive 
in  every  thing  we  do.  This,  to  the  soul,  is 
that  which  a  clear  sight  of  the  eye  is  to  the 
body.  A  single  eye  has  but  one  object, 
and  this  is  God.*  It  is  opposed  to  an  evil 
eye.  The  one  is  expressive  of  that  spiritu- 
ality of  mind,  which,  as  the  apostle  says, 
"  approves  the  excellent,"  Phil.  i.  10.  The 
other  is  a  mind  blinded  by  the  love  of  the 
world,  or  other  corrupt  affections,  by  which 
the  judgment,  Avhich  should  be  the  guide  of 
the  soul,  becomes  dark,  and  leads  it  into 
evil.  Thus  the  gospel  is  rejected,  and  some 
false  doctrine  received  instead  of  it ;  and 
thus  religion,  by  which  men  hope  to  find 
their  way  out  of  their  labyrinths,  serves 
only  to  bewilder  them  more  and  more,  till  at 
length  they  plunge  into  perdition.  To  show 
the  importance  of  a  single  eye,  it  is  added, 
"  No  man  can  serve  two  masters,"  &c.  He 
that  has  his  eye  partly  on  God  and  partly  on 
mammon,  wishing  to  grasp  both  worlds,  will 
deceive  his  soul.  He  may  lose  both  ;  or,  if 
not,  he  will  certainly  lose  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Our  minds  must  be  supremely  set  on 
him,  and  the  world  must  be  sought  only  in 
subserviency  to  him.  Two  masters  we  can- 
not serve. 

Ver.  25.  "  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  take 
no  thought  for  your  life,"  &c.  This  affec- 
tionate dissuasive  from  worldly  anxiety  is 
supposed  to  be  the  natural  consequence  of 
what  had  been  spoken.  It  is  as  though  he  had 
said,  Seeing  you  cannot  serve  two  masters, 
serve  the  Lord ;  and,  as  you  must  not  look 
two  ways,  let  your  eye  be  single  ;  keeping 
one  great  end  in  view,  and  treating  every 
thing  else  as  a  secondary  or  subordinate 
object.  The  command,  "  Take  no  thought," 
may  seem  to  be  inconsistent  with  that  dili- 
gence in  business  which  the  Scriptures 
commend,  and  which  is  necessary  to  the 
providing  of  things  honest  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  man.  Certain  it  is  that  this  cannot 
be  done  without  thought :  but  the  word  here 
used  is  expressive  of  anxious  solicitude.  It 
does  not  mean  every  care,  but  the  care 
which  groweth  of  distrust.  It  becomes  us, 
after  using  all  lawful  means,  to  be  anxiously 

*  Dr.  Campbell  excludes  the  idea  of  single, 
rendering  the  word  "  sound,"  as  opposed  to  "  dis- 
tempered :"  but  the  context  clearly  favors  the 
common  translation. 


ON    JUDGING    OTHERS. 


103 


careful  for  nothing,  but  in  every  thing  by- 
prayer  and  supplication,  with  thanksgiving, 
to  let  our  requests  be  made  known  unto  God. 
Ver.  26 — 34.  To  enforce  the  most  entire 
confidence  in  our  heavenly  Father,  we  are 
reminded  that,  having  done  the  greater,  he 
will  do  the  less  (he  has  given  us  our  lives 
and  our  bodies ;  and  the  life  is  more  than 
meat,  and  the  body  more  than  raiment) — 
that  he  provides  for  the  fowls  of  the  air, 
which,  without  anxiety,  receive  their  food  at 
his  hand — and  that  all  our  fretfulness  is 
unavailing  ;  for,  however  we  may  think  to 
raise  ourselves  by  it,  we  can  accomplish 
nothing  beyond  the  will  of  God,  any  more 
than  we  can  add  to  our  stature.  And  as  to 
dress,  God  clothes  the  lilies,  Avithout  any  soli- 
citude on  their  part,  so  as  to  cause  them  to 
surpass  us  all  in  finery.  To  be  anxious  con- 
cerning what  we  shall  eat,  what  we  shall 
drink,  and  wherewithal  we  shall  be  clothed, 
is  heathenism,  and  more  suited  to  men  who 
live  without  God  in  the  world  than  to  the 
children  of  the  Most  High.  All  such  anx- 
iety and  distrust  must  proceed  on  the 
principle  that  God  either  does  not  know  our 
wants,  or  that  he  careth  not  for  us.  Let  it 
suffice  us,  therefore,  to  be  told  that  "  our 
heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  we  have  need 
of  all  these  things."  Seek  those  things 
first  which  are  of  the  first  importance. 
Take  care  of  God's  interest,  and  God  will 
take  care  of  yours.  The  ills  of  the  time 
present  are  sufficient  for  us,  without  calling 
in  those  of  futurity.  God  has  promised 
strength  for  the  day,  but  no  more  :  the  evils 
which  we  bring  in  from  the  morrow,  we 
must  bear  ourselves. 


SECTION  X. 

ON    JUDGING      OTHERS,     AND     CASTING     OUR 
PEARLS    BEFORE    SWINE. 

Matt.  vii.  1—6. 

Ver.  1—5.  "Judge  not,"  &c.  This  pro- 
hibition, like  many  others  in  our  Lord's 
discourse,  if  interpreted  in  its  utmost  lati- 
tude, would  go  to  censure  what  is  elsewhere 
commended.  If  we  judge  not  truth  and 
error,  good  and  evil,  we  cannot  embrace  the 
one  and  avoid  the  other ;  neither  can  we 
discharge  the  duties  of  our  station  in  the 
world,  or  in  the  church,  without  forming 
some  judgment  of  those  about  us.  Paul  and 
Silas  are  supposed  to  have  judged  Lydia  to 
be  faithful,  ere  they  entered  her  house  ;  and 
Peter  did  not  scruple  to  tell  the  sorcerer 
that  he  "  perceived  him  to  be  in  the  gall  of 
bitterness,  and  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity." 
We  are  not  only  allowed,  but  directed,  even 
in  this  discourse,  to  judge  of  men,  as  of  trees, 
by  their  fruit. — Ver.  1G — 20.  It  is  part  of  our 
duty  as  ministers  to  declare  from  God's  word 
that  they  who  live  after  the  flesh  will  die  ; 


and  that  they  who  are  carried  away  by  strong 
delusions  and  the  belief  of  a  lie  are  in  the 
utmost  danger  of  damnation.  They  may  be 
displeased  with  us  for  thinking  so  hardly  of 
them,  and  may  allege  this  passage  as  a 
reproof  to  our  presumption.  The  judgment 
which  Christ  forbids  is  that  Avhich  arises  not 
from  good-will  and  a  faithful  discharge  of 
duty,  but  from  a  censorious  spirit,  which 
takes  pleasure  in  thinking  and  speaking  evil 
of  those  about  us,  puts  the  worst  construc- 
tion upon  actions  of  doubtful  motive,  and  is 
severe  in  detecting  smaller  faults  in  another, 
while  blinded  to  far  greater  ones  in  our- 
selves. It  stands  opposed  by  Luke  to  a 
forgiving  spirit. — Ch.  vi.  27.  It  is  therefore 
the  judgment  of  rancour,  selfishness,  and  im- 
placability. "  All  men,"  says  Calvin  on  the 
passage,  "  do  flatter  and  spare  themselves  ; 
and  every  man  is  a  severe  censor  against 
others.  There  is  a  certain  sweetness  in 
this  sin,  so  that  there  is  scarcely  a  man  who 
itcheth  not  with  a  desire  to  inquire  after 
other  men's  faults.  This  wicked  delight  in 
biting,  carping,  and  slandering,  doth  Christ 
forbid,  when  he  saith,  Judge  nof." 

It  is  remarkable  that  those  who  are  most 
disposed  to  detect  the  faults  of  others  are 
commonly  the  most  faulty  themselves,  and 
therefore  the  least  qualified  for  that  which 
they  are  so  eager  to  undertake.  And  herein 
lies  their  hypocrisy  :  they  would  seem  to  be 
great  enemies  to  sin,  whereas,  if  this  were 
the  case,  they  would  begin  with  their  own. 
It  is  therefore  nothing  better  than  selfish 
rancor,  under  the  mask  of  zeal  and  faithful- 
ness. It  also  deserves  notice  that  he  who 
is  under  the  dominion  of  any  sin  is  utterly 
unqualified  to  reprove  ;  but  he  that  has  first 
repented  of  his  own  sin  shall  thereby  be 
fitted  to  deliver  his  brother  from  his. 
"  When  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy 
brethren." 

To  deter  us  from  this  evil  spirit  and  prac- 
tice, we  are  given  to  expect  that  if  we  judge 
we  "  shall  be  judged,"  and  that  "  with  what 
measure  Ave  mete  it  shall  be  measured  to  us 
again."  Such  is  the  ordinary  course  of 
things  even  in  the  present  life.  A  censori- 
ous spirit  toAvards  others  brings  censure  in 
abundance  upon  ourselves.  Hence  arise 
debates,  envyings,  Avraths,  strifes,  backbit- 
ings,  Avhisperings,  sAvellings,  tumults.  Thus 
the  SAveets  of  society,  both  civil  and  religi- 
ous, are  embittered  ;  and,  instead  of  the  ills 
of  life  diminishing,  they  greatly  accumulate 
in  our  hands.  Neither  is  it  in  this  life  only, 
nor  chiefly,  that  such  things  Avill  meet  Avith 
a  righteous  retribution.  If  we  go  on  con- 
demning in  tins  manner  till  death,  Ave  must 
expect  to  be  condemned  at  a  judgment-seat 
from  the  decisions  of  which  there  is  no 
appeal. 

Ver.  6.  "  Give  not  that  which  is  holy 
unto  the  dogs,"  &c.  Tins  precept  may 
have   no  immediate    connection    Avith   the 


104 


EXPOSITION  OF  THE  SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT. 


foregoing  one,  and  may  apply  to  the  disci- 
ples as  teachers.  Though  they  must  preach 
the  word  to  all,  yet  it  must  be  with  due  dis- 
crimination, giving  to  every  character  that 
which  the  Scripture  assigns  him.  Thus  did 
Christ  himself,  at  the  beginning  of  this  ser- 
mon. I  am  inclined  to  think,  however,  that 
there  is  a  connection  between  this  precept 
and  the  foregoing  one  ;  and  that  the  former 
dissuades  from  evil-minded  censures,  and 
this  from  imprudent  ones.  Though  we 
should  reprove  men  from  the  purest  motives, 
yet,  if  what  we  say  be  harsh  or  unseasona- 
ble, instead  of  doing  them  good,  we  shall 
provoke  their  resentment,  and  do  both  them 
and  ourselves  harm.  The  conduct  of  Paul 
in  his  voyage  to  Rome  (Acts  xxvii.)  fur- 
nishes an  example  of  the  contrary.  He 
was  not  so  awed  as  to  leave  the  company 
in  any  doubt  who  he  was,  nor  yet  so  obtru- 
sive as  unnecessarily  to  draw  upon  him  their 
displeasure.  His  behavior  was  such  from 
the  beginning  as  to  procure  him  a  courteous 
treatment  from  Julius  the  centurion. — Ver. 
3.  When  danger  approached,  he  gave  them 
a  respectful  admonition,  and,  to  excite  their 
attention  to  the  gospel,  foretold  what  would 
be  the  disastrous  issue  of  the  voyage. — Ver. 
10.  Finding  his  word  disregarded,  he  held 
his  peace,  till  "  all  hope  that  they  should  be 
saved  was  taken  away."  Then,  with  a  gen- 
tle reproof  for  their  unbelief,  he  renews  his 
predictions,  declares  the  ground  on  which 
he  uttered  them,  acknowledges  himself  more 
fully  the  servant  of  God,  and  addresses 
them  in  encouraging  language. — Ver.  21 
— 25.  After  this  he  rises  in  their  esteem, 
his  influence  among  them  is  extended,  he 
takes  bread  and  gives  thanks  in  the  presence 
of  them  all,  and  they  are  cheerful,  and  eat 
with  him. — Ver.  31 — 36.  Whether  this 
conduct  issued  in  the  conversion  of  any  of 
them,  or  not,  it  so  interested  the  centurion, 
that,  when  the  soldiers  wanted  to  kill  the 
prisoners,  he  kept  them  from  their  purpose 
for  Paul's  sake.  We  see  in  it  a  union  of 
zeal,  which  never  lost  sight  of  its  object, 
and  of  discretion,  which  selected  the  best 
means  and  seized  the  fittest  opportunities 
for  accomplishing  it.  All  was  the  effect  of 
good  will,  which,  wherever  it  prevails,  either 
prevents  the  violent  attacks  of  the  wick- 
ed, or,  if  they  come  unprovoked,  enables  us 
to  bear  them. 

SECTION  XI. 

ON    PRAYER    AND    EQUITY. 

Matt.  vii.  7—12. 

From  negative  religion,  our  Lord  pro- 
ceeds to  enforce  that  which  is  positive — 
prayer  to  God,  and  justice  to  men.  We 
have  had  directions  already  concerning  the 
duty  of  prayer,  and  are  now  furnished  with 
encouragements  to  engage  in  it. 


Observe  the  terms  by  which  it  is  expres- 
sed— asking,  seeking,  knocking.  No  men- 
tion is  made  of  what  we  are  to  ask  or  seek 
for ;  but  it  is  understood  that  every  thing  we 
want,  both  for  this  world  and  that  to  come, 
is  richly  provided,  and  that  the  way  of  access 
to  God  is  opened  by  the  Saviour.  Such  an 
invitation  would  not  else  have  been  given. 
It  is  also  understood  that  what  we  receive 
is  of  grace,  and  that  we  must  apply  for  it, 
not  as  haughty  claimants,  but  as  needy  and 
unworthy  supplicants.  The  prayer  of"  the 
Pharisee  had  not  a  single  petition  in  it. 
We  may  also  perceive  that  true  prayer  is 
that  by  which  we  look  out  of  ourselves,  and 
seek  help  from  above.  The  formalist  rests 
in  the  deed  done,  but  the  believer  in  Jesus 
thinks  not  of  his  own  seekings,  but  of  the 
objects  sought.  There  is  also  a  gradation 
of  desire  expressed  in  the  terms.  Seeking 
is  somewhat  more  than  asking,  and  knock- 
ing more  than  seeking.  The  mind,  when 
properly  engaged  in  this  exercise,  increases 
in  its  importunity,  like  his  who  said,  "  I  will 
not  let  thee  go  except  thou  bless  me." 

Observe,  next,  the  encouragements  af- 
forded us  in  the  exercise.  It  is  wonderful 
how  they  are  heaped,  as  it  were,  one  upon 
another.  Here  are  first  promises,  "  It  shall 
be  given  you,"  &c. ;  next  examples, "  Every 
one  that  asketh,  receiveth,"  &c. ;  and  then 
an  appeal  to  the  feelings  of  a  parent,  argu- 
ing thence  to  the  compassion  of  our  heaven- 
ly Father. 

It  is  of  great  account  in  prayer  to  lay  hold 
of  the  promises.  It  is  this  constitutes  it  the 
prayer  of  faith.  It  is  true  we  may  pray  for 
temporal  things  which  are  not  specifically 
promised,  provided  it  be  in  submission  to  the 
will  of  God,  leaving  it  to  his  wisdom  to  give 
or  to  withhold,  as  seemeth  good  to  him. 
But  even  here  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  his 
general  promise,  to  withhold  no  good  thing 
from  them  that  walk  uprightly.  It  is  also 
true  that,  if  there  were  only  a  possibility  of 
success  in  matters  of  salvation,  considering 
the  urgency  of  our  case  as  lost  and  helpless 
sinners,  we  might  well  supplicate  mercy. 
Such  were  the  reasonings  of  the  four  lepers, 
and  of  Esther  the  queen ;  but  though  they 
have  sometimes  been  applied  to  the  sinner's 
application  for  mercy,  yet  they  are  not  cases 
in  point.  We  must  not  compare  our  hea- 
venly Father  to  capricious  heathens,  who 
might  have  spurned  their  supplicants,  in- 
stead of  hearing  their  petition  ;  nor  an  ap- 
plication at  a  mere  peradventure  to  coining 
on  an  invitation,  and  under  a  promise  of 
acceptance. 

And  then,  with  respect  to  examples,  our 
Lord  directs  the  attention  of  his  followers 
to  facts.  "  Every  one  that  asketh,  receiveth  ; 
and  he  that  seeketh,  findeth."  This  is  like 
challenging  them  to  find  an  instance  of  a 
poor  supplicant  perishing  at  a  throne  of 
grace,  or  of  a  single  petition  offered  in  the 


ON    PRAYER    AND    EQUITY THE    BROAD    AND    NARROW    WAY. 


105 


faith  of  Jesus  falling  to  the  ground.  Last- 
ly :  His  appealing  to  the  heart  of  an  earthly 
parent,  and  arguing  that  "  if  we,  being  evil, 
know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to  our  children, 
much  more  will  our  heavenly  Father  give 
good  things  to  them  that  ask  him,"  is  truly 
overwhelming.  And  is  it  possible,  after  all 
this,  that  we  should  ever  feel  reluctant  to 
draw  near  to  him  ?  O  what  must  be  that 
alienation  of  heart  which  can  make  light  of 
such  a  privilege,  that  guilt  and  shame  that 
makes  it  seem  almost  a  duty  to  stand  aloof, 
and  that  distrust  of  God  which  gives  to  our 
approaches  before  him  an  appearance  of 
presumption ! 

Ver.  12.  "Therefore  all  things,  what- 
soever," &c.  It  may  seem  as  if  there  could 
be  no  connection  between  this  precept  and 
those  which  preceded  it.  On  close  inspec- 
tion, however,  we  may  find  it  otherwise. 
It  may  have  a  connection  with  various  other 
precepts  which  had  gone  before,  and,  so  far 
as  they  related  to  the  duty  of  man  to  man, 
contain  a  sort  of  summary  of  the  whole. 
Or  it  may  well  be  considered  as  connected 
with  what  is  said  on  prayer.  All  inordinate 
affection  toward  this  world  (which  is  the  im- 
petus that  moves  men  to  over-reaching  prac- 
tices) has  its  root  in  a  distrust  of  God. 
Were  we  daily  to  ask  for  all  we  want  of  him, 
seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,  and  relying  upon  his  promise 
to  add  other  things  as  he  sees  them  to  be 
best  for  us,  we  should  have  no  inclination 
to  covetousness  or  injustice.  But  if,  instead 
of  depending  like  sheep  on  the  care  of  their 
shepherd,  we  set  off  like  beasts  of  prey,  to 
forage  the  world  for  ourselves,  we  shall 
often  judge  it  to  be  wise  and  necessary  to 
seize  on  that  which  equity  forbids.  Hence 
arises  the  hateful  distinction  among  states- 
men between  what  is  right  and  what  is  poli- 
tic, and  hence  all  the  rapacity  which  deso- 
lates the  earth.  It  will  be  found  in  the  end 
that  whatever  was  right  was  wise  ;  but  this 
lesson  is  seldom  learned  till  it  is  too  late. 
O  what  a  world  would  it  be  if  this  rule  were 
acted  upon  !  What  families,  churches,  cities, 
and  nations,  would  our  eyes  behold  !  But  this 
is  not  to  be  expected  till  it  shall  be  written 
in  the  hearts  of  men  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  golden  rule,  as 
we  call  it,  is  God's  witness  in  every  human 
breast.  Every  one  has  so  much  regard  for 
himself  as  quickly  to  feel  wherein  he  is 
wronged,  and  to  pass  censure  on  the  person 
who  has  wronged  him.  He  has  therefore 
only  to  apply  the  principle  to  his  own  con- 
duct, and  the  right  and  the  wrong  must  in- 
stantly appear.  Hence  no  one  can  plead 
ignorance.  Even  the  heathens,  who  have 
not  the  written  law,  "  are  a  law  unto  them- 
selves, their  consciences  bearing  witness, 
and  their  thoughts  the  meanwhile  accusing 
or  else  excusing  one  another." 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  14. 


SECTION  XII. 

ON  THE  BROAD  AND  NARROW  WAY  J  AND 
HOW  TO  JUDGE  OF  TEACHERS  WHO  DI- 
RECT TO  THE  ONE  AND  TO  THE  OTHER. 

Matt.  vii.  13—20. 

Ver.  13,  14.  "Enter  ye,  &c."  Our 
Lord  now  proceeds  to  set  before  his  hearers 
life  and  death,  exhorting  them  to  choose  life. 
From  the  whole  of  what  he  had  advanced, 
it  must  appear  that  the  way  of  the  world  was 
broad,  and  that  his  own  was  narrow,  or  diffi- 
cult ;  but  though  the  one  might  be  agreea- 
ble, to  the  flesh,  and  the  other  disagreeable, 
his  counsel  is  "Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait 
gate."  It  is  as  if  he  had  said,  If  you  walk  in 
the  way  which  I  have  been  warning  you 
against,  the  entrance  will  be  easy,  and  you 
will  meet  with  but  few  obstructions  in  your 
progress.  Every  thing  will  accord  with 
your  corrupt  propensities.  The  transition 
from  sin  to  sin,  and  from  occasional  to  ha- 
bitual indulgences,  will  be  quite  easy.  You 
will  have  full  scope  for  inclination,  and 
free  choice  of  the  vices  best  suited  to  your 
birth,  rank,  or  turn  of  mind.  Temptations, 
like  wind  and  tide,  will  help  you  on !  You 
will  be  in  no  want  of  company  ;  for  old  and 
young,  rich  and  poor,  learned  and  illiterate, 
walk  there  ;  but  remember  "  it  leadeth  to 
destruction!"  If,  on  the  other  hand,  you 
walk  in  the  way  which  I  have  marked  out, 
great  difficulties  may  present  themselves  at 
your  entrance,  hard  struggles  will  attend 
your  progress,  and  you  may  expect  but  few 
to  keep  you  company:  but  it  "leadeth  unto 
life  !  "  Whosoever  therefore  chooses  the 
broad  way,  "  enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate  !  " 

Ver.  15 — 20.  "  Beware  of  false  pro- 
phets," &c.  As  this  warning  was  designed 
for  Christians  in  every  age,  the  term  rendered 
prophets  must  here,  as  it  often  is  elsewhere, 
be  understood  of  ordinary  teachers.  There 
are  few,  if  any,  more  dangerous  temptations 
than  those  which  arise  from  false  teaching. 
Men  are  led  on  by  one  another,  and  by 
preaching  more  than  by  most  other  things. 
As  the  true  doctrine  directs  to  the  narrow 
way,  which  leadeth  unto  life  ;  so  false  doc- 
trine directs  to  the  broad  way,  which  leadeth 
to  destruction.  It  is  the  characteristic  of 
false  teachers  that  they  recommend  a  loose 
religion,  a  flesh-pleasing  scheme,  the  effects 
of  which  are  commonly  fatal.  A  criterion 
therefore  by  which  they  may  be  known  and 
avoided  must  needs  be  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance. 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  criterion  does 
not  consist  of  any  external  distinction  con- 
ferred by  others.  Whatever  may  be  said  in 
favor  of  ordination  from  any  order  of  men, 
it  is  not  this  that  will  render  us  true  minis- 
ters. It  is  not  any  profession  that  may  be 
made  by  the  parties  ;  for  they  may  come  in 


106 


EXPOSITION    OF    THE    SERMON    ON    THE    MOUNT. 


sheep's  clothing-,  and  yet  be  wolves.  Loud 
professions  of  zeal  and  sanctity  may  be  re- 
sorted to  merely  as  means  of  success.  It  is 
the  spirit  and  conduct  by  which  we  are  di- 
rected to  judge  of  men,  and  of  the  tenden- 
cy of  their  ministry.  "  Ye  shall  know  them 
by  their  fruits." 

The  principle  on  which  this  rule  proceeds 
is  this :  true  teachers  have  imbibed  the  true 
doctrine,  which  is  productive  of  good  fruit 
both  in  themselves  and  others ;  and  false 
teachers  have  imbibed  a  false  doctrine,  which 
is  productive  of  evil  fruits  both  in  themselves 
and  others.  There  may  be  difficulties  in 
applying  the  rule  :  we  may  be  mistaken  both 
on  the  favorable  and  the  unfavorable  side  ; 
yet  as  a  general  direction  for  those  who  sit 
not  as  final  judges,  but  merely  for  the  prac- 
tical purposes  of  the  present  life,  there  is  none 
like  it.  Men  may  put  on  the  demure  and 
the  devout  for  mere  selfish  purposes,  but  fol- 
low them  into  private  and  domestic  life,  and 
they  will  ordinarily  declare  themselves.  We 
may  at  least  know  enough  of  men  by  this 
medium  to  guide  us  in  our  choice  of  them  ; 
and  that  is  the  end  to  be  answered. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  fruit  by  the  pres- 
ence or  absence  of  which  we  are  directed  to 
judge  of  teachers ;  namely,  good  and  evil. 
With  respect  to  the  former,  every  true  min- 
ister of  Christ  is  a  good  tree  and  bringeth 
forth  good  fruit.  Having  believed  the  gos- 
pel himself,  he  speaks  it  from  the  fulness  of 
his  heart.  The  love  of  Christ  constrains  him. 
The  love  of  souls  induces  him  to  labor,  and 
to  deny  himself  for  their  salvation.  He 
seeks  not  theirs,  but  them.  And,  where  it  is 
so,  it  will  appear  and  approve  itself  to  the 
consciences  of  those  about  him.  A  false 
teacher,  on  the  other  hand,  can  no  more  bring 
forth  this  good  fruit  than  a  thorn  can  bear 
grapes,  or  a  thistle  figs.  There  will  be  a 
manifest  want  of  those  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
enumerated  by  the  apostle;  namely,  of  "love, 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, faith,  meekness,  temperance."  Even 
in  those  who  may  have  maintained  a  fair 
character,  as  it  is  commonly  accounted  by 
the  world,  you  will  often  perceive  a  shocking 
vacancy  with  respect  to  these  things.  When 
the  pharisee,  full  of  scorn  and  self-compla- 
cency, thought  ill  of  Christ  even  for  his  suf- 
fering a  sinner  to  wash  his  feet  with  her 
tears,  he  was  told  of  his  own  sins.  But 
what  were  they  ?  Neither  himself  nor  his 
acquaintance  might  know  of  any  that  could 
be  laid  to  his  charge.  Jesus,  however,  was 
not  at  a  loss  to  find  them ;  and  they  consist, 
not  so  much  in  what  he  had  done,  as  in  what 
he  had  not  done.  In  this  view,  how  naked 
does  the  poor  creature  appear,  and  what  a 
disparity  is  there  between  him  and  the  sin- 
ner whom  he  had  despised  !  "  I  entered 
into  thy  house  ;  thou  gavest  me  no  water  for 
my  feet ;  but  she  hath  washed  my  feet  with 
her  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  the  hairs  of 
her  head.    Thou  gavest  me  no  kiss ;  but  this 


woman  since  the  time  I  came  in  hath  not 
ceased  to  kiss  my  feet :  mine  head  with  oil 
thou  didst  not  anoint ;  but  this  woman  hath 
anointed  my  feet  with  ointment." 

With  respect  to  the  presence  or  absence 
of  evil  fruit,  a  true  minister  of  Christ  cannot 
live  in  sin,  no  not  in  private,  any  more  than 
a  good  tree  can  "  bring  forth  evil  fruit." 
Neither  can  a  false  teacher  suppress  for  any 
considerable  time  the  ruling  propensity  of 
his  heart,  nor  forbear  to  manifest  it,  though 
undesignedly,  to  those  about  him.  "  A  cor- 
rupt tree  bringeth  forth  evil  fruit." 

The  motives  which  influence  these  differ- 
ent characters  being  opposite,  their  effects 
will  ordinarily  correspond  with  them.  All 
the  labors  of  a  false  teacher  originate  and 
terminate  in  self.  Some,  under  the  disguise 
of  apparent  sanctity,  are  seeking  to  gratify 
the  foulest  propensities.  Others  flatter  their 
audiences  either  as  to  what  human  nature 
is,  or  what  they  are  in  distinction  from  many 
around  them.  Some  are  adepts  at  gain- 
ing an  ascendancy  over  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  so  of  getting  possession  of  a  con- 
siderable part  of  their  property.  Others, 
less  addicted  to  avarice,  are  eager  after  ap- 
plause ;  hence  their  chief  study  is  to  obtain 
the  graces  of  a  public  speaker,  or  that  ele- 
gance of  diction  which  shall  render  them  ad- 
mired. Where  such  things  are,  they  cannot 
be  concealed,  unless  it  be  from  those  who 
are  willingly  ignorant.  But  how  opposite  to 
every  thing  of  the  kind  is  the  spirit  and  con- 
duct of  the  man  of  God!  Read  1  Thess.  ii. 
"  Our  exhortation  was  not  of  deceit,  nor  of 
uncleanness,  nor  of  guile  :  but,  as  we  were 
allowed  of  God  to  be  put  in  trust  with  the 
gospel,  even  so  we  speak,  not  as  pleasing 
men,  but  God,  who  trieth  our  hearts.  For 
neither  at  anytime  used  we  flattering  words 
as  ye  know,  nor  a  cloak  of  covetousness ; 
God  is  witness  !  nor  of  men  sought  we  glory, 
neither  of  you,  nor  yet  of  others.  Being 
affectionately  desirous  of  you,  we  were  wil- 
ling to  have  imparted  unto  you,  not  the  gospel 
of  God  only,  but  also  our  own  souls,  because 
ye  were  dear  unto  us."  False  teachers  will 
often  be  on  their  guard  before  enemies,  but, 
when  with  their  friends  only,  will  throw  off 
their  disguise  and  indulge  in  licentious  free- 
doms, under  the  name,  it  may  be,  of  the  lib- 
erty of  the  gospel :  but  it  was  not  so  with 
the  apostles  and  true  ministers  of  Christ: 
"  Ye  are  witnesses,  and  God  also,  how  holily, 
and  justly,  and  unblamably  we  behaved  our- 
selves among  you  that  believe." 

SECTION  XIII. 

ON  THE  LAST  JUDGMENT,  AND  WHAT  WILL  BE 
ACCOUNTED  TRUE  RELIGION  IN  THAT  DAY. 

Matt.  vii.  21—29. 

Our  Lord,  in  drawing  to  the  close  of  his 
discourse,  is  unusually  solemn  and  impres- 
sive.    He  anticipates  the  last  judgment,  and 


THE    LAST    JUDGMENT,    &C. 


107 


places  his  hearers  before  the  great  tribunal. 
The  sum  of  what  he  says  is,  that  mere  pro- 
fession will  avail  nothing,  and  that  real  prac- 
tical godliness  is  the  only  thing  which  in 
that  day  will  be  approved. 

Ver.  21—23.  "Not  every  one  that  saith 
unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,"  &c.  The  greater 
part  of  those  who  in  that  day  will  have  to 
stand  before  him  have  not  acknowledged  him 
as  their  Lord;  and  not  every  one  of  them  that 
have  will  be  accepted.  Professions,  though 
repeated  with  earnestness,  will  avail  noth- 
ing. It  is  not  what  we  say,  but  what  we  do, 
that  will  be  admitted  as  evidence  in  that 
day.  As  to  what  we  do,  unless  the  Father's 
will  be  our  will,  Christ  will  not  regard  us. 
Such  is  the  union  between  the  Lawgiver 
and  the  Saviour,  that  each  is  guarantee  as 
it  were  to  the  honor  of  the  other.  If  the 
Father's  wrath  abide  on  all  who  believe  not 
on  the  Son,  the  Son  no  less  excludes  from 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  all  who  obey  not  the 
Father.  Many  who  in  this  world  have  said, 
"Lord,  Lord,"  in  a  way  of  high  profession, 
will  in  that  day  repeat  their  words  with  very 
different  sensations,  and  with  earnest  impor- 
tunity for  admittance,  but  all  in  vain.  They 
may  plead  their  having  been  not  only  profes- 
sing Christians,  but  Christian  teachers,  and 
some  of  them  possessed  of  extraordinary 
gifts,  but  all  in  vain.  Having  been  workers 
of  iniquity,  whatever  else  they  have  wrought, 
it  stands  for  nothing.  They  were  never 
known  as  his  friends  in  this  world,  and  shall 
be  utterly  disowned  in  the  next.  Nothing 
will  avail  in  that  day  but  what  is  holy.  Ho- 
liness is  made  of  little  account  here  ;  shin- 
ing talents  carry  the  bell:  but  there  the 
meanest  Christian  is  approved ;  while  the 
most  distinguished  preacher  who  has  lived 
in  sin  will  be  cast  out. 

Ver.  24 — 29.  "  Therefore  whosoever  hear- 
eth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them," 
&c.  The  regard  or  disregard  we  pay  to 
the  doctrine  and  precepts  of  Christ  in  this 
world  is  here  compared  to  building  a  house 
on  a  good  or  a  bad  foundation,  and  the  issue 
of  things  at  the  last  judgment  to  a  tempest 
that  shall  try  our  work.  Still  he  presses 
the  necessity  of  practical  godliness.  It  is 
he  that  heareth  his  sayings  and  doeth  them 
whose  religion  will  stand  the  test ;  while  he 
that  hearetli  them  and  doeth  them  not — lie 
who  has  heard  and  talked  about  repentance, 
but  never  repented — has  heard  and  talked 
about  believing,  but  never  believed — has 
heard  and  applauded  the  morality  of  the  gos- 
pel, but  never  walked  by  it — his  building 
shall  fall,  and  "  great  will  be  the  fall  of  it ! " 
Other  losses  have  been  repaired  by  time, 
but  this  will  be  irreparable  and  eternal. 

There  are  two  ways,  and  perhaps  I  may 


say  three,  in  which  this  solemn  passage  has 
been  perverted^  We  see  here,  say°some, 
that  it  is  by  doing,  rather  than  by  believing, 
that  we  shall  stand  approved.  But  though 
doing,  in  the  article  of  justification,  stands 
opposed  to  believing  (Gal.  iii.  10 — 12,)  yet 
here,  being  introduced  as  the  evidence  of  a 
state  of  salvation,  it  is  opposed  to  sayino-, 
or  to  mere  profession,  and  includes  believing. 
Faith  itself  is  a  practical  persuasion  of  the 
truth  of  Christ's  sayings,  and  is  followed 
with  a  course  of  obedience  to  his  precepts. 
Moreover,  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  sayings  is 
not  the  rock,  but  the  building  upon  it. — We 
see,  say  others,  that  it  matters  but  little  what 
doctrines  we  believe,  provided  we  lead  a 
good  life  ;  it  is  not  by  what  we  have  believed, 
but  by  what  we  have  done,  that  we  shall  be 
judged!  But,  if  doing  Christ's  sayings, 
instead  of  being  opposed  to  believing,  in- 
clude it,  this  remark  is  altogether  unfounded. 
Finally  :  Others,  overlooking  the  scope  of 
our  Lord,  are  from  this  passage  continually 
insisting  on  the  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith,  in  opposition  to  the  works  of  the  law, 
and  comparing  those  who  believe  in  the 
Saviour  for  acceptance  Avith  God  to  the  wise 
man  who  built  his  house  upon  a  rock ;  and 
those  who  depend  upon  their  own  righteous- 
ness to  the  foolish  man  who  built  his  house 
upon  the  sand.  But  this  way  of  treating 
the  Scriptures  betrays  the  truth  into  the 
hands  of  its  adversaries,  who,  perceiving  the 
force  put  upon  them  in  supporting  a  favorite 
doctrine,  conclude  that  it  has  no  foundation 
in  Scripture.  The  truth  is,  our  Lord  is  not 
discoursing  on  our  being  justified  by  faith, 
but  on  our  being  "judged  according  to  our 
works,"  which,  though  consistent  with  the 
other,  is  not  the  same  thing,  and  ought  not 
to  be  confounded  with  it.  The  character 
described  is  not  the  self-righteous  rejecter 
of  the  gospel,  but  one  who,  though  he  may 
hear  it  and  profess  to  believe  it,  yet  brings 
forth  no  corresponding  fruits. 

The  impressive  manner  in  which  he  who 
will  be  our  Judge  enforces  the  practice  of 
religion  reminds  me  of  the  words  of  that 
miserable  man,  Francis  Spira,  who  was  a 
fearful  example  of  the  contrary.  "Take 
heed,"  said  he  to  the  spectators  who  sur- 
rounded his  bed,  "  of  relying  on  that  faith 
which  works  not  a  holy  and  unblamable  life, 
worthy  of  a  believer.  Credit  me,  it  will 
fail.  I  have  tried  ;  I  presumed  I  had  gotten 
the  right  faith  ;  I  preached  it  to  others ;  I 
had  all  places  in  Scripture  in  memory  that 
might  support  it;  I  thought  myself  sure, 
and  in  the  mean  time  lived  impiously  and 
carelessly  ;  and,  behold,  now  the  judgment 
of  God  hath  overtaken  me  not  to  correction, 
but  to  damnation !  " 


EXPOSITORY   REMARKS 


RELATIVE    TO    THE 


CONVERSION    OF   THE   JEWS 


LETTER    I. 


Ezek.  xxxvii. 


To  the  Editor  of  the  Missionary  Magazine. 

I  was  lately  reading  a  book,  published 
about  eighty  years  ago,  in  which  the  author 
reproves  another  for  having  prayed  for  the 
conversion  of  the  Jews,  contending  that  they 
had  sinned  "  the  sin  unto  death  ; "  that  there- 
fore prayer  for  them  was  not  the  prayer  of 
faith ;  and  that  there  was  nothing  in  the 
Scriptures  whence  we  could  conclude  that 
they  ever  would  be  converted.  I  shall  not 
trouble  your  readers  with  the  author's  argu- 
ments, which  appear  to  me  to  have  no 
weight;  but,  having  been  employed  of  late 
years  in  a  morning  exposition,  I  have  met 
with  several  parts  of  the  prophecies  which 
have  appeared  to  me  inexplicable  on  any 
other  supposition ;  and,  as  it  may  furnish 
Christians  with  matter  and  motives  for 
prayer,  I  will  offer  a  few  remarks  on  two  or 
three  passages  which  I  conceive  to  relate  to 
this  subject.  My  present  paper  will  be 
grounded  on  the  vision  of  the  dry  hones,  in 
the  37th  chapter  of  Ezekiel. 

This  vision,  I  allow,  had  its  first  and  im- 
mediate accomplishment  in  the  restoration 
of  the  Jews  from  the  Babylonish  captivity, 
who  in  that  country  were  like  dead  men,  or 
rather  like  bones  of  a  dead  man  disunited 
and  scattered,  and  in  a  manner  without  hope 
of  recovery.  Their  restoration  by  Cyrus 
was  a  kind  of  resurrection  from  the  dead ; 
and  as  the  Assyrian  power,  which  carried 
away  the  ten  tribes,  had  been  swallowed  up 
by  that  of  Babylon,  and  Babylon  was  now  in 
its  turn  swallowed  up  by  that  of  Media  and 
Persia,  opportunity  would  probably  be  af- 
forded for  many  of  the  other  tribes  to  attach 
themselves  to  Judah,  and  return  with  them. 
The  inquiry  at  that  time  does  not  appear  to 
have  been,  whether  they  were  of  Judah,  or 
Benjamin,  or  Levi ;  but  ivhether  they  were  of 
Israel.     This  may  in  some  degree  answer 


to  the  two  sticks  of  Ephraim  and  Judah  be- 
coming one.  Being  governed  also  by  princes 
of  the  house  of  David,  he  might  be  said  to 
reign  over  them,  and  to  be  their  one  shep- 
herd.—Ver.  16—24. 

But  as  it  is  not  unusual  for  the  same  thing 
(the  passover  for  instance)  to  refer  immedi- 
ately to  one  event,  and  remotely  to  another, 
so  it  is  common  for  a  prophecy  to  have  a 
partial  fulfilment  in  something  at  or  near  the 
time,  and  a  more  perfect  one  at  some  distant 
period.  God's  works  being  a  whole,  and  the 
end  seen  from  the  beginning,  there  is  often 
a  dignified  analogy  between  them ;  system 
as  it  were  within  system  ;  one  train  of  events 
making  way  for  another,  and  furnishing  an 
earnest  of  its  fulfilment.  Thus  the  kingdom 
of  the  Messiah  is  manifestly  predicted  in  the 
seventy-second  Psalm,  though  it  is  mostly 
under  the  form  of  the  prosperous  reign  of 
Solomon.  In  like  manner  the  vision  in 
question  contains  a  prediction  of  the  restora- 
tion and  conversion  of  the  Jews  in  the  latter 
days,  though  it  is  mostly  under  the  form  of 
the  return  of  their  forefathers  from  Babylon. 
In  proof  of  this,  let  the  following  particulars 
be  considered.  First:  The  number  of  the 
ten  tribes  who  might  return  with  Judah  was 
too  small  to  contain  a  full  accomplishment 
of  the  prophecy  which  is  expressly  applied 
to  "  the  whole  house  of  Israel."  Secondly  : 
Those  who  were  to  return  are  described  as 
an  exceedingly  great  army,  but  that  of  Ju- 
dah and  the  other  tribes  which  returned 
from  Babylon  was  very  far  from  answering 
to  this  description :  they  were  but  a  small 
company  compared  with  the  number  which 
usually  composed  an  eastern  army.  Ezra  ii. 
(i4.  Thirdly  :  It  is  said  of  David,  God's 
servant,  who  was  to  be  king  over  them,  that 
he  should  be  their  "  prince  forever."  This 
is  language  which  very  much  resembles  that 
of  the  covenant  with  David,  that  "  his  seed 
should  be  established  forever,  and  his  throne 
built  up  to  all  generations,  even  as  the  sun 
and  moon  in  the  heavens,"  which  is  clearly 


EZEK.    XXXVII. 


109 


to  be  understood  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
There  is  also  a  similar  phraseology  in  a 
prophecy  of  Hosea :  "  For  the  children  of 
Israel  shall  abide  many  days  without  a  king, 
and  without  a  prince,  and  without  a  sacrifice, 
and  without  an  image,  and  without  an  eph- 
od,  and  without  teraphim.  Afterward  shall 
the  children  of  Israel  return  and  seek  Je- 
hovah their  God,  and  David  their  king,  in  the 
latter  days."  Fourthly  :  Though  the  com- 
pany who  returned  with  Zerubbabel  were 
many  of  them  godly  people,  yet  the  history 
of  the  nation  from  that  event  till  the  coming 
of  Christ  is  far  from  answering  to  what  is 
said  of  them  in  this  prophecy,  that  they 
should  "  walk  in  God's  judgments,  observe 
his  statutes,  and  do  them."  Such  promises 
also  as  "  his  tabernacle  being  with  them, 
and  his  sanctuary  in  the  midst  of  them  for 
evermore,"  seem  to  be  much  too  strong  for 
the  above  period.  Finally :  It  accords  with 
the  general  design  of  this  prophet,  towards 
the  latter  end  of  his  prophecies,  which  was, 
under  the  form  of  Jewish  phraseology,  to 
foretel  the  glory  of  the  latter  days.  Hence 
his  description  of  a  new  temple  (chap.  xl.  xli. 
xlii. ;)  of  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  as 
dwelling  in  it  (xlii. ;)  of  the  division  of  the 
land  by  lot  (xlv. ;)  of  the  holy  waters  (xlvii. ;) 
and  of  the  city  whose  name  should  be 
called  Jehovah-shammah,  The  Lord  is  there 
(xlviii.) 

Admitting  the  prophecy  to  refer  to  the 
condition  of  the  Jews  in  their  last  dispersion, 
and  future  return  to  Christ,  there  is  some- 
thing very  impressive  in  the  whole  account. 
Their  present  scattered  and  unconverted  state 
is  fitly  represented  by  a  number  of  dry  bones. 
The  allusion  may  be  to  a  field  of  battle,  where, 
many  years  before,  thousands  upon  thousands 
fell  by  the  sword,  and,  their  bodies  remaining 
unburied,  their  bones  lay  scattered  overall  the 
plain.  Once  they  lived,  but  can  they  live  a- 
gain?  Israel  was  once  a  living  body,  and,  what 
was  more,  lived  to  God  ;  yea,  they  were  the 
only  people  who  did  so.  But  what  are  they 
now  ?  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  earth  ; 
no  longer  a  body,  but  separated  bone  from  his 
bone ;  no  more  possessed  of  that  life  and 
spirit  which  distinguished  their  holy  prede- 
cessors, but  dry  as  bones  which  have  been 
long  dead ;  not  only  devoid  of  everything 
like  true  religion,  like  other  sinners,  but 
singularly  averse  to  it.  All  unconverted 
sinners  are  dry,  but  they  are  very  dry.  They 
indeed  retain  something  of  the  resemblance 
of  religion;  but  it  is  that  which  a  skull  re- 
tains of  the  human  countenance — ugly,  dis- 
gusting, and  horrid. 

Their  hopeless  condition  is  also  fitly  ex- 
pressed by  the  question  to  the  prophet, 
"  Can  these  bones  live  ?  "  Judging  by  sense, 
the  answer  must  have  been — They  cannot. 
There  is  no  people  so  apparently  hardened 
against  conviction;  none  who  have  lived 
among  Christians  so  much  in  vain ;  none 


who  manifest  such  diabolical  enmity  and 
wrath  when  reasoned  with,  though  it  be  in 
the  meekest  manner.  The  frequent  disap- 
pointments which  we  have  met  with  in  at- 
tempting their  conversion  is  almost  enough 
to  overcome  us  with  despair.  Even  they 
themselves  seem  to  have  no  hopes,  except 
what  are  of  a  wordly  nature.  Yet,  hoping 
in  him  with  whom  all  things  are  possible, 
we  may  answer  with  the  prophet,  "  O  Lord 
God,  thou  knowest." 

Their  restoration  and  conversion  are  no 
less  fitly  represented  by  a  resurrection.  Such 
is  the  idea  given  us  by  the  apostle  of  this 
very  event.  "  If  the  casting  away  of  them 
be  the  reconciling  of  the  world,  what  shall 
the  receiving  of  them  be  but  life  from  the 
dead  ? "  So  extraordinary  an  instance  of 
divine  power  and  goodness  could  scarcely 
be  illustrated  by  anything  more  suitable. 

The  order  in  which  it  will  be  accomplished 
is  worthy  of  notice.  Several  things,  it 
seems,  will  precede  their  becoming  truly 
alive  to  God,  some  of  which  may  be  prepa- 
ratory to  it.  If  they  should  be  collected  and 
combined  by  some  occurrence  in  providence, 
previously  to  their  conversion  to  Christ,  it 
will  correspond  not  only  with  the  account 
here  given  of  their  first  "  coming  forth  out  of 
their  graves,"  &c,  and  their  "  having  the 
Spirit  of  God  imparted,"  but  with  another 
given  by  Zechariah.  Jerusalem  is,  by  him, 
represented  as  "  a  torch  of  fire  in  a  sheaf  to 
her  enemies,"  and  afterwards  as  having  "  a 
spirit  of  grace  and  supplication  "  given  her, 
by  which  her  inhabitants  should  "look 
on  him  whom  they  had  pierced  and  mourn." 
Though  sinners  do  nothing  preparatory  to 
their  own  conversion,  yet  God  frequently 
does  much  in  this  way  with  them,  and  for 
them ;  and  many  events  may  precede  the 
effectual  calling  of  God's  ancient  people, 
which  may  answer  to  the  "noise,"  the 
"  shaking,"  and  "  the  bones  coming  together, 
bone  to  his  bone."  Even  "the  sinews  and 
the  flesh  may  come  upon  them,  and  the 
skin  cover  them  from  above,"  while  yet  there 
is  "no  breath  in  them."  In  other  words, 
they  may  become  a  body  politic,  and  possi- 
bly have  the  form  of  devotion  as  heretofore, 
while  yet  it  is  only  a  form.  But  if,  while 
the  doctrine  of  the  cross  is  preached,  the 
Spirit  of  life  from  God  out  of  heaven  breathe 
upon  these  slain  that  they  live,  then  shall 
they  "  know  that  the  Son  of  God  is  come, 
and,  having  an  understanding  given  them  to 
know  Him  that  is  true,  shall  believe  and  be 
in  him  that  is  true,  even  in  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ."— 1  John  v.  20. 

In  two  or  three  future  papers,  I  may  offer 
some  remarks  on  a  few  more  prophecies  on 
this  subject.  At  present,  I  only  observe 
that  God's  designs  of  mercy  towards  the 
descendants  of  his  ancient  people  are,  I 
hope,  sufficiently  manifest  to  afford  a  ground 
for  the  prayer  of  faith. 


110 


CONVERSION    OF    THE    JEWS. 


LETTER  II. 


Hos. 


Having  in  a  former  paper  considered  the 
vision  of  the  dry  bones,  I  shall  here  offer  a 
few  remarks  on  some  passages  which  I  con- 
ceive have  reference  to  the  same  subject  in 
the  prophecies  of  Hosea.  These  are  chiefly 
addressed  to  the  ten  tribes,  as  those  of  Eze- 
kiel  were  to  Judah. 

Under  the  form  of  signs  and  parables,  as 
I  suppose,  he  delivers  in  the  first  chapter 
some  very  pointed  reproofs  to  that  idolatrous 
people;  but  concludes  with  great  and 
precious  promises  to  their  distant  posterity. 

He  is  commanded  to  go  and  take  "  a  wife 
of  whoredoms,  and  children  of  whoredoms," 
and  is  supposed  to  have  children  by  her. 
Such  a  command  communicated  to  the  peo- 
ple would  shock  them  as  grossly  indelicate. 
"  Nay,"  saith  the  prophet,  like  Nathan  to 
David,  "but  ye  are  the  men  !  If  the  Lord  be 
a  husband  to  you,  he  must  have  a  wife  of 
worse  whoredoms  than  these  !  " 

This  wife  of  whoredoms  is  supposed  to 
bear  him  three  children,  whose  names  are 
prophetic.  The  first,  Jezreel,  predicts  evil 
against  the  government,  of  which  this  place 
was  a  seat;  the  second,  Lorukamah,  inti- 
mates the  discontinuance  of  the  divine  mer- 
cy to  the  nation  ;  and  the  third,  Loammi, 
God's  renouncing  them  as  his  people.  Yet 
these  terrible  denunciations  are  followed 
(in  verses  10,  11)  by  something  not  a  little 
encouraging  to  the  faithful,  whose  hearts 
would  tremble  as  for  the  ark  of  God.  The 
promises  to  Abraham  should  nevertheless 
be  fulfilled:  children  should  be  raised  up 
to  him  from  the  Gentiles.  Nor  is  this  all : 
the  children  of  Judah  and  of  Israel,  forget- 
ting their  former  enmities,  should  unite  in 
the  Messiah,  as  under  a  captain  or  leader; 
and  then  Jezreel,  from  being  a  scene  of 
wickedness  and  bloodshed,  should  have  her 
day  of  mercy.  Nor  does  this  seem  to  con- 
clude the  prophecy  ;  the  first  verse  of  the 
second  chapter  seems  properly  to  belong  to 
the  preceding  rather  than  the  following  sub- 
ject, and  to  contain  an  address  to  the  faith- 
ful of  the  land,  directing  them  to  look  out 
of  the  then  present  generation  for  brethren 
and  sisters,  even  to  the  latter  days,  and,  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  to  greet  them  with 
the  cheering  names  of  Ammi  and  Ruhamah, 
My  people  having  obtained  mercy ! 

After  many  cutting  things  in  the  second 
chapter,  in  which,  to  show  the  odiousness  of 
Israel's  conduct  and  to  bring  it  home  to 
their  bosoms,  they  are  again  compared  to  an 
adulterous  wife,  who,  having  dissolved  the 
marriage  bond,  deserved  to  be  stripped,  and, 
with  her  spurious  offspring,  turned  out  by  her 
injured  husband.  They  are  even  told  that 
such  will  actually  be  their  portion.  Yet 
after  this,  from  ver.  14  to  the  end,  the  most 


precious  promises  are  made  to  their  posteri- 
ty. His  "  alluring  her,  and  bringing  her 
into  the  wilderness,"  however,  seems  rather 
to  be  expressive  of  present  judgments  than 
of  future  mercies.  It  denotes,  I  apprehend, 
not  the  drawings  of  love,  but  the  devisings 
of  providence  to  render  her  sin  its  own  pun- 
ishment.* As  an  injured  husband  makes 
use  of  the  adulteries  of  his  wife  to  convict 
and  banish  her ;  so  the  Lord  would  cause 
the  fondness  of  this  people  for  idolatry  and 
idolaters  to  draw  them  into  the  Assyrian  net 
(ch.  vii.  11,  12,)  and  they  should  be  carried 
away  captive  among  the  nations  as  into  a 
wilderness,  and  for  a  long  time  be  in  a  man- 
ner lost,  Ezek.  xx.  35.  Yet,  as  in  the  wil- 
derness of  old  he  spake  kindly  to  their  fa- 
thers, and  thence  gave  them  the  land  of 
promise,  so  thence  shall  she  again  "receive 
her  vineyards  :"  and  as  '"the  valley  of  Achor," 
where  Achan's  idolatry  was  punished,  was 
to  Israel  "  a  door  of  hope,"  in  that  the 
fierce  anger  of  the  Lord  was  hereby  turned 
away  (Josh.  vii.  26 ;)  so  shall  it  be  in  this 
case.  After  having  made  an  example  of 
many  for  their  idolatry,  his  anger  will  be 
turned  away,  and  he  will  comfort  the  survi- 
vors. Then  shall  they  "  sing  as  in  the  days 
of  their  youth,  as  in  the  day  Avhen  they 
came  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt." — See 
also  Exod.  xv.  1 — 21,  compared  with  Isa.  xi. 
11 — 16,  and  xii. 

And  now,  bein^  brought  to  believe  in  the 
Messiah,  she  shall  be  cured  of  her  spiritual 
adultery  and  become  chaste  to  God,  no  more 
polluting  his  worship  with  idolatrous  mix- 
tures, but  cleaving  to  him  with  singleness  of 
heart,  as  to  the  husband  of  her  youth. — Ver. 
16,  17. 

In  that  day,  the  whole  creation,  which  has 
in  a  manner  been  at  war  with  her,  shall  be  at 
peace  (ver.  18,)  and  he  that  had  cast  her  off, 
saying,  "  She  is  not  my  wife,  neither  am  I  her 
husband,"  shall  "  betroth  her  unto  him  for- 
ever in  righteousness,  and  in  judgment,  and 
in  loving-kindness,  and  in  mercies."  Nor  are 
these  the  only  attributes  that  shall  be  glori- 
fied in  her  recovery :  "  he  will  betroth  her 
unto  him  in  faithfulness,  and  she  shall  know 
the  Lord ; "  his  covenant  promises,  made 
even  from  the  days  of  Abraham,  shall  now 
be  fulfilled,  and  the  veil  which  has  so  long 
remained  on  her  heart  shall  be  taken  away. 
—Ver.  19,  20. 

Finally :  He  who  had  taken  away  his 
corn,  his  wine,  his  oil,  and  his  flax,  owing 
to  their  being  ascribed  to  idols,  and  abused 
to  idolatry,  will  now  graciously  restore  them. 
God  will  hear,  and  supply  the  heavens  with 
water;  they  the   earth  with  rain,  and   the 

*  I  cannot  find  that  nno  any  where  signifies  to 
influence  in  a  way  of  mercy,  but  properly  means 
to  entice  or  deceive;  and  thus  God,  in  just  judg- 
ment, entices  and  deceives  sinners,  by  giving  them 
up  to  their  own  delusions.  See  2  Chron.  xviii. 
19—22;  Ezek.  xiv.  9. 


HOS.    XI.    XIII.    XIV. 


Ill 


fruits  of  it  with  moisture  :  and  these  the 
people  with  plenty.  The  earth  shall  yield 
her  increase,  and  God,  even  their  own  God, 
will  take  pleasure  in  blessing  them.  Nor 
is  this  all:  Israel  shall  be  a  blessing  to  the 
world.  What  the  seed  is  to  the  harvest, 
that  shall  they  be  to  the  nations  among 
whom  they  have  sojourned.  And  now,  in- 
stead of  "  Loruhamah  "  and  "  Loammi,"  they 
are  called  Ruhamah  and  Ammi;  "for  I  wdl 
have  mercy  upon  her,  saith  the  Lord,  that 
had  not  obtained  mercy,  and  will  say  to 
them  that  were  not  my  people,  Thou  art  my 
people  ;  and  they  shall  say,  Thou  art  my 
God."  Thus,  like  friends  re-united  after  a 
long  separation,  their  communion  is  more  in- 
timate than  ever. 

The  third  chapter  contains  another  pro- 
phecy on  the  same  subject.  Like  the  for- 
mer, it  is  introduced  under  the  form  of  a 
parable.  The  case  supposed  is  that  of  a 
man  attached  to  a  Avoman  who  is  an  adulte- 
ress. Go,  saith  the  Lord  to  the  prophet, 
see  if  thou  canst  love  such  a  one ;  yet 
such,  if  any  thing,  must  be  my  love  to  this 
people.  The  prophet  is  further  supposed  to 
go  and  covenant  with  this  adulteress,  en- 
gaging her  to  desist  for  many  days  from  her 
lewd  courses,  living  as  it  were  a  widow  by 
herself,  and  afterwards  she  should  become 
his  wife.  Such  was  the  love  of  the  Lord  to 
the  children  of  Israel.  He  loved  them  not- 
withstanding their  idolatry,  and  intended,  at 
a  future  time,  to  take  them  to  be  his  people. 
He  would  not  receive  them,  however,  in  their 
idolatry,  nor  till  a  proper  time  had  elapsed, 
in  which  they  should  live  in  a  state  of  sepa- 
ration ;  but  in  due  season  he  would  take 
them  to  himself  as  his  church  and  people, 
remembering  their  sin  no  more. 

"  The  children  of  Israel  shall  abide  many 
days  without  a  king,  and  without  a  prince, 
and  without  a  sacrifice."  Never  surely 
has  a  prophecy  corresponded  more  exactly 
with  fact.  Nor  is  this  all :  The  whole  of 
the  Israelitish  race  with  whom  we  have  any 
acquaintance  have  also  been  "without  an 
image,  and  without  an  ephod,  and  without 
teraphim  ;  "  that  is,  though  mixed  with  the 
nations  of  the  world,  and  in  other  respects 
wicked  in  the  extreme,  yet  they  have  not 
been  suffered  to  go  into  their  former  idola- 
trous practices ;  and  thus  have  answered  to 
the  adulteress  ceasing  from  playing  the  har- 
lot, and  abiding  for  her  husband  in  a  state  of 
separation  many  days.  "  Afterwards  shall 
the  children  of  Israel  return  and  seek  Jeho- 
vah their  God,  and  David  their  king  ;  and 
shall  fear  the  Lord  and  his  goodness  in  the 
latter  days."  On  this  no  reflection  need  be 
made,  save  this,  that  the  superabundant  grace 
of  God  towards  them  in  their  outcast  and 
perishing  condition  shall  not  only  fill  their 
hearts  with  gratitude,  but  inspire  them  with 
a  holy  fear  of  offending  him  any  more. 


LETTER  III. 

Hos.   xi.  xiii.  xiv.;  Jer.  xxxi.  15 — 21. 

In  my  last  I  offered  some  observations  on 
those  prophecies  which  I  considered  as  re- 
lating to  God's  future  designs  of  mercy 
towards  Israel,  in  the  first  three  chapters  of 
Hosea ;  in  this  I  shall  notice  some  others  in 
the  remaining  part  of  that  book,  together 
with  a  passage  from  Jeremiah. 

The  ten  tribes,  in  this  and  other  prophe- 
cies, are  frequently  personified  under  the 
name  of  Ephraim.  Much  is  said  of  Ephra- 
im's  sin,  and  of  his  punishment;  but  sev- 
eral strong  intimations  are  also  given  of  his 
being  brought  to  repentance,  and  obtaining 
mercy.  Of  this  we  have  a  beautiful  exam- 
ple in  ch.  xi.  8,  &c:  "How  shall  I  give 
thee  up,  Ephraim  !  Shall  I  deliver  thee, 
Israel  ?  How  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah  ! 
Shall  I  set  thee  as  Zeboim  ?  Mine  heart 
is  turned  within  me ;  my  repentings  are 
kindled  together."  Half  the  force  and  mean- 
ing of  this  melting  passage  appears  to  me 
to  be  lost,  by  twice  introducing  the  supple- 
mentary termkow.  So  read,  it  contains  one 
continued  appeal  of  Jehovah  to  his  own 
mercy  and  faithfulness  ;  but,  read  without 
it,  it  is  an  alternate  appeal,  first  in  the 
language  of  covenant  mercy,  addressed  to 
himself,  and  then  in  the  language  of  jus- 
tice, addressed  to  the  conscience  and  other 
feelings  of  the  offender :  q.  d.  How  can  I 
bear  to  give  thee  up,  Ephraim  ?  yet  thou 
deservest  to  be  delivered  over  to  destruc- 
tion. What  sayest  thou?  Shall  I  deliver 
thee  ?  How  can  I  bear  to  make  thee  as 
Admah  ?  Yet  this  is  thy  due.  What  say- 
est thou  ?  Shall  I  set  thee  as  a  monument 
of  endless  displeasure,  like  Zeboim  ?  Ah 
no !  my  heart  revolts  at  the  thought,  my 
repentings  are  kindled  together  ;  I  will  not 
execute  the  fierceness  of  mine  anger ;  I 
will  not  return  to  destroy  Ephraim  ;  for  I  am 
God  and  not  man,  the  Holy  one  in  the  midst 
of  thee  ;  and  I  will  not  enter  into  the  city  as 
an  avenger,  but  rather  as  a  father  will  turn 
away  mine  eyes  from  thee,  that  I  may  not  be 
provoked  by  thy  sins. 

Inverses  10,  11,  it  is  intimated  that  there 
should  come  a  time  when  Ephraim  should 
be  of  another  mind,  and  the  Lord  would 
spare  that  generation,  as  well  as  many 
succeeding  ones,  for  their  sakes  ;  that  the 
signal  of  their  return  to  God  should  be  some 
terrible  event  in  the  world,  in  which  he 
would  "  roar  like  a  lion,"  filling  the  minds  of 
men  with  consternation  and  terror ;  and 
that,  in  the  midst  of  these  alarms,  they 
should  come  from  the  west,  and  from  the 
south,  and  from  the  east,  as  trembling 
doves  to  their  windows,  "and  I  will  place 
them  in  their  houses,  saitli  the  Lord." 

In  ch.  xiii.  14  Ephraim  is  considered  as  dead 
and  buried  ;  and  now  what  will  his  father 


112 


CONVERSION    OF    THE    JEWS. 


do  ?  Will  he  lament  over  him,  like  David 
over  Absalom  ?  No ;  his  power  is  equal  to 
his  mercy.  He  will  storm  the  castle  that 
detains  him.  "I  will  ransom  him  from  the 
power  of  the  grave,  I  will  redeem  him  from 
death.  O  death  !  I  will  be  thy  plagues.  O 
grave !  I  will  be  thy  destruction.  Repent- 
ance shall  be  hid  from  mine  eyes  ! "  In  this 
astonishing  language,  we  see  the  anger  of 
the  father  towards  his  disobedient  son,  now 
that  he  is  dead,  turned  against  death  itself 
that  cut  him  off,  and  the  grave  that  enclosed 
him,  resolving  to  rescue  him  by  destroying 
his  destroyers. 

To  the  above,  I  think  I  ought  to  add  ch. 
xiv.  4 — 8,  as  belonging  to  the  same  subject. 
It  is,  I  am  aware,  expressive  of  the  blessings 
which  the  Lord  would  have  bestowed  upon 
Israel  in  case  of  their  return  to  him,  as  they 
were  most  pathetically  exhorted  to  in  the 
preceding  verses.  But,  if  there  come  a 
time  Avhen  they  shall  thus  return,  the  bless- 
ings Avill  then  be  actually  bestowed.  Like 
a  field  refreshed  by  dew,  like  a  lily  blossom- 
ing with  beauty,  like  Lebanon  casting  forth 
her  roots,  God  will  bless  him,  and  he  shall 
be  a  blessing  to  all  about  him.  Nor  shall 
this  goodness  be  abused  as  heretofore,  but 
shall  heighten  his  abhorrence  of  his  former 
courses.  Ephram,  being  grafted  into  "the 
green  fir-tree,"  shall  answer  to  his  name ; 
he  shall  be  "fruitful"  among  his  brethren: 
nor  shall  he,  as  formerly,  bring  forth  fruit 
unto  himself,  but  to  him  that  hath  had  mercy 
upon  him. 

I  shall  conclude  this  piece  with  a  few 
remarks  on  a  well  known  passage  in  the 
prophecies  of  Jeremiah,  as  belonging  to  the 
same  subject.  I  refer  to  ch.  xxxi.  15—21. 
The  ten  tribes  are  here,  as  in  other  proph- 
ecies, personified  under  the  name  of  Ephra- 
im. They  had,  at  the  time  of  its  delivery, 
been  carried  away  captive  more  than  a  cen- 
tury. Alluding  to  the  distresses  of  that 
period,  the  prophet  spake  as  follows :  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  A  voice  was  heard  from 
Ramah,  lamentation,  and  bitter  weeping ; 
Rachel,  weeping  for  her  children,  refused  to 
be  comforted  for  her  children  because  they 
were  not!"  Rachel  was  the  mother  of  Jo- 
seph, from  whom  Ephraim  descended :  and, 
by  a  most  affecting  figure  of  speech,  she  is 
here  represented  as  risen  from  the  grave, 
and  looking  about  for  her  children  ;  but, 
finding  none  of  them  in  the  land  of  their 
fathers,  she  weeps  for  the  loss  of  them  with 
bitter  lamentations.  But  let  not  Rachel,  or 
rather  the  church  of  God  whom  she  person- 
ates, despair.  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Re- 
frain thy  voice  from  weeping,  and  thine  eyes 
from  tears  ;  for  thy  work  shall  be  rewarded, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  thy  children  shall  come 
again  from  the  land  of  the  enemy.  And 
there  is  hope  in  thine  end,  saith  the  Lord, 
that  thy  children  shall  come  again  to  their 
own  border."     But  whence   is  this  hope  to 


be  entertained  by  Rachel  ?  Her  children 
had  been  gone  for  more  than  a  century  ; 
and  their  name  and  memorial  were  in  a 
manner  perished,  observe  the  answer,  "I 
have  surely  heard  Ephraim  bemoaning  him- 
self, Thou  hast  chastised  me,  and  I  was 
chastised  as  a  bullock  unaccustomed  to  the 
yoke :  turn  thou  me,  and  I  shall  be  turned  ; 
for  thou  art  Jehovah  my  God.  Surely  after 
that  I  was  turned,  I  repented  ;  and,  after  that 
I  was  instructed,  I  smote  upon  my  thigh :  I 
was  ashamed,  yea,  even  confounded,  because 
I  did  bear  the  reproach  of  my  youth."  This 
confession  of  Ephraim  is  not  historic,  but 
prophetic  ;  for  the  state  of  mind  here  depict- 
ed is  represented  as  taking  place  at  a  time 
so  very  distant  that  he  should  look  back 
upon  the  days  of  his  idolatry  as  the  period 
of  his  youth.  Nevertheless,  when  he  shall 
return  to  the  Lord,  he  shall  obtain  mercy. 
Ephraim  has  not  only  a  mother  to  bewail 
him,  but  a  father,  who,  as  soon  as  he  hears 
the  voice  of  the  prodigal,  is  moved  with 
compassion,  and  runs  to  meet  him.  "  Is 
Ephraim  my  dear  son?  is  he  a  pleasant 
child  ?  for,  since  I  spake  against  him,  I  do 
earnestly  remember  him  still :  therefore  my 
bowels  are  troubled  for  him ;  I  will  surely 
have  mercy  upon  him,  saith  the  Lord."  The 
virgin  of  Israel  is  then  directed  to  prepare 
for  returning  home.  "  Set  thee  up  way- 
marks,  make  thee  high  heaps ;  set  thine 
heart  toward  the  high  way,  even  the  way 
which  thou  wentest:  Turn  again,  O  virgin 
of  Israel,  turn  again  to  these  thy  cities." 

But  Rachel  was  not  only  the  mother  of 
Joseph,  and  so  of  Ephraim,  but  also  of  Ben- 
jamin, whose  tribe  adhered  to  Judah ;  and 
inasmuch  as  her  voice  was  heard  from  Ra- 
mah,&  city  of  Benjamin,  the  prophecy  would 
not  only  have  a  retrospective  aspect  to  the 
captivity  of  Ephraim  by  Assyria,  but  a  pro- 
spective one  to  that  of  Judah  and  Benjamin 
by  Babylon.  It  was  in  the  latter  that  the 
children  were  carried  away  from  Ramah, 
which  seems  to  have  been  the  head-quarters 
of  the  Babylonish  general  after  the  taking 
of  Jerusalem,  and  whence  he  disposed  of 
his  prisoners. — Jer.  xl.  1 — 3.  Thus  both 
the  ten  and  the  two  tribes,  sustaining  a  re- 
lation to  Rachel,  are  combined  in  the  pro- 
phecy, as  they  should  actually  be  in  their 
restoration.  Hence  it  follows,  "  How  long 
wilt  thou  go  about,  O  thou  backsliding 
daughter  ?  For  the  Lord  hath  created  a 
new  thing  in  the  earth.  A  woman  shall 
compass  a  man.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  Israel,  as  yet  they  shall 
use  this  speech  in  the  land  of  Judah,  and  in 
the  cities  thereof,  when  I  shall  bring  again 
their  captivity,  The  Lord  bless  thee,  O  habi- 
tation of  justice,  and  mountain  of  holiness. 
And  there  shall  dwell  in  Judah  itself,  and  in 
all  the  cities  thereof  together,  husbandmen, 
and  they  that  go  forth  with  flocks.  For  I 
have  satiated  the  weary  soul,  and  I  have  re- 


ISA.     XI.     XII. 


113 


plenished  every  sorrowful  soul."  The  im- 
port of  these  verses  I  take  to  be  this  :  How 
long  wilt  thou  seek  deliverance  from  human 
help  ?  God  will  cause,  what  is  contrary  to 
all  human  calculation,  weakness  to  overcome 
strength,  and  the  church  to  be  triumphant. 
Judah,  with  Ephraim,  shall  return ;  and 
righteousness,  holiness,  and  peace,  shall  be 
established  in  their  land.  The  prophecy 
being  a  vision,  the  prophet  adds,  "Upon 
this  I  awaked,  and  beheld;  and  my  sleep 
was  sweet  unto  me." 

As  there  is  nothing  in  all  this  which  inti- 
mates the  return  of  the  ten  tribes  as  a  dis- 
tinct nation,  but  in  connection  with  Judah, 
so  neither  is  there  any  thing  which  leads  us 
to  look  for  the  fulfilment  merely  in  the  re- 
turn of  Judah  from  Babylon,  accompanied 
with  a  few  of  the  Israelites ;  and,  if  we 
read  on  to  ver.  31 — 34,  we  shall  find  that  the 
blessings  promised  were  not  to  be  under  the 
same  covenant  as  that  of  their  fathers,  but 
"  a  new  covenant,"  in  which  God  will  "  put 
his  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in 
their  hearts,  and  wdl  be  their  God,  and  they 
shall  be  his  people  ;"  all  which  determines 
it  to  have  reference  to  gospel  times. 


LETTER  IV. 

Isa.  xi.  xii. 

That  these  chapters  refer  to  the  gospel 
dispensation  there  can  be  no  doubt,  seeing 
they  are  introduced  with  a  prophecy  "that 
a  rod  shall  come  forth  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse, 
and  a  branch  shall  grow  out  of  his  roots  ;" 
and  by  some  passages  in  them  they  would 
seem  to  have  a  special  reference  to  the  lat- 
ter part  of  it.  The  language  in  which  peace 
and  amity,  as  succeeding  to  a  state  of  enmity 
and  hostility,  is  described  in  ver.  6 — 8,  seems 
much  too  strong  for  any  thing  the  church 
has  yet  seen,  and  to  accord  with  no  period 
short  of  that  mentioned  ver.  9,  when  "  the 
earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 

Ver.  10  describes  the  great  accession  to 
the  church  of  Christ  from  among  the  Gen- 
tiles. "  In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  root  of 
Jesse,  which  shall  stand  for  an  ensign  to  the 
people  ;  to  it  shall  the  Gentiles  seek,  and  his 
rest  shall  be  glorious."  The  term  rest  de- 
notes an  established  government,  succeed- 
ing to  wars  and  troubles,  like  the  reign  of 
Solomon  to  that  of  David.  Such  will  be  the 
government  of  Christ  in  that  day,  to  what  it 
has  been  in  all  former  periods,  during  which 
it  has  been  engaged  in  one  continued  strug- 
gle. And  as  the  reign  of  Solomon  was  ex- 
empted from  wars,  and  distinguished  by  its 
buildings,  so  shall  be  the  reign  of  Christ  in 
that  day.  The  Lord  will  then  buildup  Zion, 
and  appear  in  his  glory. 

In  the  midst  of  this  glory  God  is  represent- 
ed as  remembering  his  ancient  people,  both 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  15. 


Israel  and  Judah.  "  It  shall  come  to  pass,  in 
that  day,  that  the  Lord  shall  set  his  hand  a 
second  time  to  recover  the  remnant  of  his 
people,  which  shall  be  left,  from  Assyria,  and 
from  Egypt,  and  from  Pathros,  and  from 
Cush,  and  from  Elam,  and  from  Shinar,  and 
from  Hamath,  and  from  the  islands  of  the  sea. 
And  he  shall  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  na- 
tions, and  shall  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Is- 
rael, and  gather  together  the  dispersed  of 
Judah,  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth. 
The  envy  also  of  Ephraim  shall  depart,  and 
the  adversaries  of  Judah  shall  be  cut  off: 
Ephraim  shall  not  envy  Judah,  and  Judah 
shall  not  vex  Ephraim."  This  second  time 
of  God's  setting  his  hand  cannot  refer  to  the 
restoration  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon  ;  for 
though  that  event  might  be  so  denominated 
in  respect  of  their  being  first  brought  out  of 
Egypt,  yet  the  period  of  the  whole  prophecy 
does  not  answer  to  it.  That  which  is  here 
referred  to  is  something  which  should  be 
wrought  for  Israel  under  the  reign  of  the  Mes- 
siah, and  at  a  time  when  "  the  earth  should  be 
full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  wa- 
ters cover  the  sea ;"  and  what  it  can  be  but 
their  conversion  to  him,  I  am  not  able  to 
conceive. 

What  follows,  in  ver.  14 — 16,  compares 
the  return  of  the  remnant  of  God's  ancient 
people  to  the  coming  up  of  their  fathers  out 
of  Egypt.  The  kingdom  of  the  Messiah 
shall  be  enlarged,  as  the  borders  of  Israel 
were  formerly  by  their  victories  over  the 
surrounding  nations ;  and  as  then  God 
dried  up  the  tongue,  or  bay,  of  the  Red 
Sea,  and  caused  the  waters  of  Jordan  to  go 
backward,  so  now  he  will  remove  every  ob- 
struction out  of  their  way,  and  bring  them 
home  to  himself  with  a  high  hand  and  an  out- 
stretched arm. 

Ch.  xii.  is  a  continuation  of  the  subject, 
and  contains  a  hymn,  or  sacred  song  of 
praise,  suited  to  the  joyful  occasion  of  their 
deliverance.  It  is  observable  that  their  first 
deliverance  from  Egypt  was  followed  by  a 
triumphant  song  on  the  shores  of  the  Red 
Sea.  So  also  was  their  deliverance  from 
Babylon. — Psa.  cxxvi.  Their  joy  on  that 
occasion  was  so  great  that  what  had  taken 
place  seemed  to  them  a  dream — too  much  to 
be  true.  Surrounding  nations  beheld  and 
acknowledged  "  that  the  Lord  had  done 
great  things  for  them ;  "  wrhile  their  thank- 
ful spirits  echoed  the  acknowledgment : 
"  The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us, 
whereof  we  are  glad."  But  neither  of  these 
deliverances  was  equal  to  that  which  is  here 
celebrated. 

We  may  observe,  in  the  first  place,  the 
use  of  the  singular  pronouns  :  "Thou  shalt 
say,  O  Lord,  /  will  praise  thee,"  &c.  This 
may  denote  the  unity  that  shall  prevail 
among  them.  In  their  divided  and  scattered 
condition  they  said,  "  Our  bones  are  dried, 
and  our  hope  is  lost ;    ivc  are  cut  off  for  our 


114 


CONVERSION    OF    THE    JEWS. 


parts ; "  but  now  they  are  of  one  heart  and 
of  one  soul. 

With  respect  to  the  matter  of  the  song, 
they  begin  with  praise  to  Jehovah  for  his 
great  mercy  in  pardoning  their  sins,  or  re- 
moving that  fierce  anger  which  had  for  so 
many  ages  burned  against  them.  "  Thou 
shalt  say,  O  Lord,  I  will  praise  thee  :  though 
thou  wast  angry  with  me,  thine  anger  is 
turned  away,  and  thou  comfortest  me." 
This  is  perfectly  in  character:  true  peni- 
tents look  back  upon  past  sins  with  bitter- 
ness, and  thankfulness  for  having  escaped 
them  and  the  wrath  of  God  revealed  from 
heaven  against  them.  The  anger  of  God 
against  the  Jews,  for  their  crucifying  his 
Son,  the  Lord  of  glory,  and  continuing  in 
such  bitter  enmity  against  him,  has  indeed 
been  great.  It  was  truly  said  of  them  that 
"  wrath  was  come  upon  them  to  the  utter- 
most." The  calamities  which  befel  them  in 
the  destruction  of  their  city,  the  length  of 
their  dispersion,  the  contempt  they  have  en- 
dured, and,  what  is  more  than  all,  the  judi- 
cial blindness  and  hardness  of  heart  to  which 
they  are  given  up,  are  so  many  expressions  of 
divine  displeasure  against  them,  with  which 
their  former  history  furnishes  no  parallel. 
The  remembrance  therefore  of  this,  while  it 
fills  them  with  the  deepest  self-abasement, 
furnishes  them  with  the  highest  sensations 
of  grateful  joy.  It  is  this  compound  sensa- 
tion that  is  described  in  Hos.  iii.  5,  "  They 
shall  fear  the  Lord,  and  his  goodness,  in  the 
latter  days." 

The  language  of  ver.  2,  though  suited  to 
Old-Testament  times,  conveys  the  strongest 
ideas  of  joyful  amazement.  Behold,  God  is 
my  salvation  ;  I  will  trust  and  not  be  afraid  : 
for  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  my  strength  and  my 
song ;  he  also  is  become  my  salvation." 
Had  this  part  of  the  song  been  expressed  in 
New-Testament  language,  it  might  have 
been  nearly  in  the  words  of  the  apostle,  "  I 
count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency 
of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord  ; 
for  whom  I  have  suffered  the  loss  of  all 
things,  and  do  count  them  but  dung,  that  I 
may  win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him,  not 
having  mine  own  righteousness,  which  is  of 
the  law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith 
of  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God 
by  faith  " — "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed, 
and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep 
that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him 
against  that  day."  Of  old  he  had  been  the 
salvation  of  their  fathers  ;  of  late  of  the  Gen- 
tiles :  but  now  "  all  Israel  shall  be  saved  ;  as 
it  is  written,  There  shall  come  out  of  Sion 
the  deliverer,  and  shall  turn  away  ungodli- 
ness from  Jacob."  Such  an  interposition  of 
free  and  great  grace  may  well  be  introduced 
with  the  note  of  attention  "  behold  !  "  And 
now  he  will  be  to  them  a  refuge.  Though 
their  sins  have  been  great  as  the  sea,  yet, 
without  fear,  they  may  trust  in  him  to  heal 


them ;  and  though  their  builders  formerly 
set  him  at  nought,  yet,  without  any  appre- 
hension of  being  confounded,  they  may  rest 
their  hopes  upon  him:  and  wherefore  ?  Be- 
cause in  him  they  shall  recognise  "  the  ever- 
lasting Jehovah"  the  God  of  their  fathers. 

The  effect  of  so  great  a  salvation  must 
needs  be  a  general,  an  exceeding,  a  mighty 
joy.  Such  is  that  described  in  ver.  3,  "  With 
joy  shall  ye  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of 
salvation."  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Jews,  on  the  last  day  of  the  feast 
of  tabernacles,  to  draw  water  in  a  golden 
pitcher  from  the  well  of  Siloam,  and  to  pour 
it,  mixed  with  wine,  on  the  sacrifice  as  it  lay 
on  the  altar,  singing  all  the  while  a  part  of 
this  hymn,  especially  this  third  verse,  with 
great  rejoicings,  and  looking  forward  to  that 
abundance  of  blessings  which  they  expected 
in  the  times  of  the  Messiah.  If  so  it  was, 
they  were  not  far  from  the  true  intent  ei- 
ther of  their  feast  of  tabernacles  or  of  the 
prophecy.  The  words  of  our  Saviour,  in 
John  vii.  37,  will  hence  appear  peculiarly 
appropriate  : — "  In  the  last  day,  that  great 
day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  and  cried,  say- 
ing, If  any  one  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me 
and  drink  !  "  As  the  keeping  of  the  feast 
of  the  passover  was  prefigurative  of  the  joy 
and  obedience  of  faith  under  the  gospel  (1 
Cor.  v.  8,)  so  was  the  keeping  of  the  feast 
of  tabernacles :  hence,  in  the  prophecy  of  Ze- 
chariah,  a  rejection  of  Christ  is  expressed  by 
a  refusal  to  come  up  to  Jerusalem  to  keep 
this  feast. — Ch.  xiv.  16,  19.  But  though 
some,  even  in  the  latter  days,  will  thus  stand 
out  against  the  Saviour,  yet  the  feast  shall 
be  kept  by  the  great  body  of  mankind,  espe- 
cially by  God's  ancient  people  the  Jews. 
The  salvation  of  Christ  shall  be  to  them  as 
wells  of  water  in  a  dry  land,  from  which 
they  shall  draw  in  abundance.  Such  will  be 
the  types  and  prophecies  of  their  own  sacred 
writings  ;  which,  though  full  of  living  water, 
have,  through  their  unbelief,  been  of  no  ac- 
count to  them.  The  wells  were  deep,  and 
they  had  nothing  to  draw  with.  Such  also 
will  be  the  doctrines  and  ordinances  of  the 
New  Testament,  in  which  they  have  hither- 
to seen  no  beauty,  but  rejected  the  counsel 
of  God  against  themselves. 

And  now,  being  filled  with  joy  themselves, 
they  Avill  not  be  able  to  contain  it,  but  will 
feel  an  ardent  desire  to  recommend  the  Sa- 
viour to  the  Gentile  nations.  "  In  that  day 
shall  ye  say,  Praise  the  Lord,  call  upon  his 
name,  declare  his  doings  among  the  people, 
make  mention  that  his  name  be  exalted. 
Sing  unto  Jehovah  ;  for  he  hath  done  ex- 
cellent things ;  this  is  known  in  all  the 
earth," — Ver.  4,  5.  From  this  and  other 
passages,  especially  Rom.  xi.  12,  15,  it  ap- 
pears that  the  conversion  of  the  Jews  will 
be  a  kind  of  resurrection  to  the  world.  In 
every  way,  God,  according  to  his  promise, 
will  make  Abraham's  seed  a  blessing  toman- 


XI.    XII.    XIII.    1. 


115 


kind.  Their  fall  and  diminution  were  an 
occasion  of  our  riches ;  but  their  recovery 
will  be  much  more  so.  So  great  an  event, 
"known  in  all  the  earth,"  will  in  a  manner 
put  infidelity  out  of  countenance.  Their 
coming  over  to  Christ  will  be  like  Abner's 
coming  over  to  David,  which  broke  up  the 
power  of  his  enemies,  and  issued  in  the 
peaceable  establishment  of  his  kingdom. 

Finally:  Zion  is  congratulated  and  called 
upon  to  "  cry  out  and  shout,  for  that  God 
will  then  dwell  in  the  midst  of  her." — Ver. 
6.  I  am  not  sure  that  Zion  in  this  place  is 
not  to  be  understood  literally  of  the  city  of 
Jerusalem.  I  may  be  mistaken  in  thinking 
that  God  has  promised,  not  only  to  convert 
the  great  body  of  Abraham's  descendants, 
but  to  restore  them  to  their  own  country ; 
but  I  am  not  able,  on  any  other  supposition, 
to  understand  several  passages  of  scripture  ; 
especially  Zech.  xii.  6,  and  Luke  xxi.  24. 
"  Jerusalem  shall  be  inhabited  again  in  her 

OWN    PT,ACE,     EVEN     IN    JERUSALEM. They 

shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall 
be  led  away  captive  into  all  nations  ;  and 
Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  down  of  the 
Gentiles,  until  the  times  of  the  Gen- 
tiles be  fulfilled."  Whatever  figura- 
tive meaning  may  be  put  upon  the  words  of 
the  prophet,  which,  however,  it  appears  to 
me  must  be  very  forced ;  yet  there  can  be 
no  figure  in  those  of  our  Lord,  which  clearly 
intimate  that  that  same  Jerusalem  which  shall 
be  for  a  time  trodden  down  by  the  Gentiles 
shall  be  no  longer  so  than  till  the  times  of 
the  Gentiles  shall  be  fulfilled.  But  whether 
Zion  in  this  passage  be  taken  literally  for 
Jerusalem,  or  figuratively  for  the  whole 
church  of  God,  both  Jews  and  Gentiles  being 
united  in  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  presence  and 
blessing  of  God  will  be  her  greatest  glory. 
The  name  of  the  city  from  that  day  shall 
be  called  Jehovah-shammah,  The  Lord  is 
there. 


LETTER  V. 

Zech.  eh.  xi.  xii.  xiii.  1. 

That  we  may  perceive  the  connection  of 
the  prophecy  in  chap.  xii.  it  will  be  proper 
to  observe  that  chap.  xi.  contains  a  predic- 
tion of  the  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  nation 
by  the  Romans.  It  is  introduced  by  the 
burning  of  the  temple,  composed  of  the  wood 
of  Lebanon  (ver.  1,)  by  the  fall  of  some  of 
their  great  men  (ver.  2,)  and  by  the  conster- 
nation of  others  (ver.  3.)  To  represent  the 
state  of  religion  among  them  at  this  time, 
the  prophet  is  directed  to  "  take  unto  him 
the  instruments  ;  "  that  is,  to  personate  cer- 
tain shepherds  which  God  would  raise  up  in 
the  land.  First,  the  great  and  good  Shep- 
herd of  the  sheep,  who  should  now  make 
his  appearance  upon  earth,  ver.  4 — 14. 
Secondly,  a  foolish  and  sordid  shepherd,  to 


which  they  should  be  given  up  after  having 
rejected  him,  ver.  15 — 17.  While  person- 
ating the  former,  the  prophet  speaks  of  him- 
self as  commissioned  to  feed  the  flock  of 
slaughter,  especially  the  poor  of  the  flock, 
whose  possessors  slew  them  and  held  them- 
selves guiltless,  ver.  4,  5.  These  possessors, 
with  the  great  body  of  the  nation,  are  given 
up,  ver.  6.  But  a  remnant  should  be  saved 
from  among  the  poor,  and  these  should  be 
fed  by  the  good  Shepherd  (ver.  7,)  who 
also  would  set  himself  against  those  who 
sought  not  them,  but  theirs,  ver.  8,  9.  By 
the  breaking  of  his  staves,  Beauty  and 
Bands  (the  instruments  of  his  rule  as  a  shep- 
herd,) is  set  forth  the  dissolving  of  the  cove- 
nant of  peculiarity  made  with  Israel,  and  the 
giving  them  up  to  divisions  one  among  an- 
other. This  judgment  should  be  so  mani- 
fest that  the  believing  part  of  the  nation 
should  see  the  hand  of  God  in  it,  and  that  it 
was  his  design  thereby  to  put  an  end  to 
their  place  and  nation,  ver.  11.  The  cause 
of  these  great  evils  is  found  in  their  con- 
temning, rejecting,  and  crucifying  Christ, 
ver.  12,  13.  And  now,  having  rid  themselves, 
as  they  supposed,  of  him,  God  would,  in  just 
judgment,  raise  up  for  them  a  foolish  shep- 
herd ;  denoting  that  they  should  not  only  be 
deserted  of  God,  and  punished  by  the  Roman 
sword,  but  given  up  to  the  influence  of  a  set 
of  blind  and  sordid  priests,  who  should  lead 
them  into  the  ditch,  and  there  perish  with 
them,  ver.  15 — 18.  Such  appears  to  be  the 
sum  of  chap,  xi.,  which  is  altogether  against 
the  body  of  the  Jewish  nation  ;  but  chap, 
xii.  contains  a  prophecy  of  their  restoration, 
and  is  therefore  called,  "The  burden  of  the 
word  of  the  Lord  for  Israel." — Ver.  1. 

The  events  of  this  and  the  foregoing  pro- 
phecy, though  wide  asunder  as  to  time,  yet 
very  properly  follow  each  other.  Paul  takes 
but  little  notice  of  the  state  of  the  Jews 
during  their  long  dispersion;  but  passing 
over  that  chasm,  as  included  in  their  being 
"broken  off","  proceeds  to  speak  of  their  be- 
ing "  grafted  in  again." — Rom.  xi. 

The  prophecy  finds  Jerusalem  "  besieged  " 
by  enemies,  but  very  differently  circum- 
stanced from  what  she  was  in  the  foregoing 
chapter.  Her  enemies  were  then  avenging 
the  cause  of  God  and  of  his  Christ  ;°and 
therefore,  whatever  might  be  their  motives, 
were  successful :  but  in  this  siege  God  is 
on  her  side,  and  therefore  she  is  "  a  cup  of 
trembling  "  to  her  enemies.  Of  course,  this 
must  refer  to  the  period  when  she  shall  be 
restored. 

The  character  Avhich  Jehovah  assumes  in 
the  preface  to  the  prophecy  is  worthy  of 
notice :  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  which 
stretcheth  forth  the  heavens,  and  layeth  the" 
foundation  of  the  earth,  and  formeth  the 
spirit  of  man  within  him."  These  mighty 
works  relate  to  the  first  creation  of  the  world, 
and  the  mention  of  them  may  intimate  that, 


116 


CONVERSION    OF    THE    JEWS. 


at  the  time  of  the  prophecy  being  fulfilled, 
they  shall  in  a  manner  be  acted  over  again. 
That  which  he  will  then  accomplish  towards 
his  ancient  people  shall  be  a  kind  of  new 
creation. 

It  were  presumptuous  to  be  very  positive 
as  to  the  meaning  of  a  prophecy  which  is 
yet  to  be  accomplished ;  but,  comparing  it 
with  other  prophecies  of  the  same  event,  the 
following  particulars  appear  to  be  conveyed 
by  it.  First :  That  the  Jews  shall  be  re- 
stored to  their  own  land  prior  to  their  con- 
version: "Jerusalem  shall  be  inhabited 
again  in  her  own  place,  even  in  Jerusalem." 
— Ver.  6.  This  event  may  be  accomplished 
in  the  ordinary  course  of  providence,  by 
some  of  the  great  conquerors  of  the  world, 
who  shall  find  their  interest  in  it,  and  be  in- 
duced, as  Cyrus  was  in  a  former  instance, 
to  favor  it.  Secondly :  That  a  grand  com- 
bination will  be  formed  against  them  with  a 
view  to  dispossess  them. — Ver.  2,  9.  Third- 
ly :  That  the  nations  engaged  in  this  com- 
bination will  be  repulsed,  and  sorely  punish- 
ed for  their  presumptuous  attempt,  which, 
after  witnessing  the  remarkable  fulfilment 
of  prophecy  towards  the  Jews,  must  be 
against  the  light  of  their  own  consciences  : 
"Jerusalem  shall  be  a  cup  of  trembling  (a 
cup  as  it  were  of  poison)  to  those  who  go  up 
against  her ;  a  rock  falling  upon  their  heads  ; 
a  hearth  of  fire  among  the  wood  ;  and  a  torch 
in  a  sheaf."— Ver.  2—6.  Fourthly :  That 
the  country  and  the  city  shall  be  united 
against  the  enemy. — Ver.  5 — 7.  Fifthly  : 
That  they  should  be  guarded  by  Providence, 
and  strengthened  to  encounter  the  greatest 
difficulties  :  "  The  Lord  will  defend  them, 
and  he  that  is  feeble  among  them  shall  be  as 
David,"  &c— Ver.  8.  Sixthly  :  That,  after 
all  these  temporal  interpositions,  the  Lord 
will  pour  upon  them  a  spirit  of  grace  and  of 
supplications,  and  they  shall  lament  over 
their  sins,  and  the  sins  of  their  fathers,  par- 
ticularly in  having  crucified  the  Lord  of 
glory. — Ver.  10. 

This  order  of  things  seems  perfectly  to 
agree  with  what  is  said  in  Ezek.  xxxvii., 
where  the  process  is  described,  first,  by  "  a 
noise,"  then  "a  shaking,  a  coming  together 
bone  to  his  bone,"  a  being  covered  with 
"sinews  and  flesh  and  skin,"  and  last  of  all 
by  their  having  breathed  into  them  "the 
breath  of  life." — Ver.  7 — 9.  To  the  same 
purpose  they  are  described  in  ver.  13,  14,  as 
first  brought  out  of  their  graves,  and  then  as 
knowing  their  deliverer. 

The  only  difficulty  attending  this  state- 
ment seems  to  arise  from  ver.  5,  where,  pre- 
viously to  the  pouring  out  of  the  spirit  of 
grace  upon  them,  the  governors  of  Judah 
are  supposed  to  strengthen  themselves,  and 
one  another,  in  "the  Lord  of  Hosts,  their 
God."  But  it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  the 
leaders  of  a  people  in  time  of  war,  though 
destitute   of  true  religion,  yet  to  have    so 


much  of  a  conviction  of  the  dependence  of 
all  upon  God  as  to  strengthen  themselves 
and  their  armies  by  a  hope  of  divine  assist- 
ance. Joab  could  say  to  his  brother,  "  Be 
of  good  courage,  and  let  us  play  the  man  for 
our  people,  and  for  the  cities  of  our  God ; 
and  the  Lord  do  that  which  seemeth  him 
good."— 2  Sam.  x.  12.  So  Abijah,  2  Chron. 
xiii. 

A  few  remarks  on  the  spiritual  part  of  the 
prophecy  shall  conclude  this  paper.  First: 
The  subjects  of  this  great  change :  these 
will  be  both  princes  and  people.  In  the 
pouring  out  of  the  Spirit,  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, there  were  many  of  the  latter,  but 
few  if  any  of  the  former  ;  but  now  all  de- 
scriptions of  men  shall  bow  to  our  Redeemer's 
sceptre.  Secondly:  The  cause  of  it ;  name- 
ly, the  pouring  upon  them  "  a  spirit  of  grace 
and  of  supplications."  The  spirit  of  true  re- 
ligion is  a  spirit  of  grace  in  respect  of  its 
source,  and  of  supplications  in  respect  of  its 
issue,  importunate  prayer.  Looking  at  the 
state  of  these  people  at  present,  we  are 
grieved  for  the  hardness  of  their  hearts  ;  but 
when  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  shall  take 
the  work  in  hand,  the  heart  of  stone  shall 
become  a  heart  of  flesh.  Thirdly:  The 
grand  medium  of  it ;  namely,  the  remem- 
brance of  Him  whom  their  fathers  crucified, 
and  Avhom  they  themselves  have  pierced  by 
justifying  them  in  it.  A  believing  view  of 
Jesus  on  the  cross  will  dissolve  the  most  ob- 
durate spirit  in  godly  sorrow.  Fourthly : 
The  intenseness  of  the  grief:  it  shall  be  a 
great  mourning,  like  that  of  a  father  for  the 
loss  of  an  only  son,  or  like  the  lamentations 
at  the  death  of  Josiah,  in  the  valley  of  Megid- 
don.  Fifthly :  Its  universality:  the  land  shall 
mourn,  and  every  family  of  every  remain- 
ing tribe.  Scarcely  a  house  shall  be  found, 
but  on  entering  it,  you  shall  find  them  weep- 
ing over  their  former  obstinacy  and  unbelief. 
Sixthly :  The  individuality  and  retirement  of 
it:  "Every  family  shall  mourn  apart,  and 
their  wives  apart."  They  will  not  only  weep 
together  when  they  meet,  but  retire  to  lament 
in  secret  over  their  own  iniquity.  Scarcely  a 
closet  or  private  place  shall  be  found,  but 
seme  one  will  be  watering  it  with  his  tears. 
Finally:  The  remedy  to  all  this  grief :  "In 
that  day,  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened  to 
the  house  of  .David,  and  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem,  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness." 
By  looking  to  Jesus  they  were  wounded, 
and  by  looking  to  Jesus  they  are  healed. 
The  "  first  fruits "  of  this  great  work  ap- 
peared on  the  clay  of  Pentecost,  when  thou- 
sands were  pricked  to  the  heart,  repented, 
and  were  baptized  in  that  name  which  they 
had  despised  ;  but  "the  lump"  is  yet  to  ap- 
pear. "  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God,  the  God 
of  Israel,  who  only  doth  wondrous  things. 
And  blessed  be  his  glorious  name  forever  : 
and  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled  with  his 
glory.     Amen  and  amen  !  " 


EXPOSITION  OF  THE  PROPHECIES 


ISAIAH  XXVI,  AND  ITS  CONNECTION, 


AS    RELATING    TO 


THE  TIMES  OF  THE  MILLENNIUM 


AND    THOSE    WHICH    PRECEDE    IT,    INCLUDING    OUR    OWN. 


[Written  in  the  beginning  of  1815.] 

It  is  very  evident  that  the  prophecies  in 
Isaiah  xxvi.,  and  other  chapters  connected 
with  it,  relate  to  gospel  times.  It  must  be  in 
them  that  the  Lord  of  Hosts  makes  a  feast 
of  fat  things  unto  all  people — destroys  the 
face  of  the  covering  cast  over  all  people — 
swalloweth  up  death  in  victory — and  wipeth 
away  tears  from  all  faces. — Chap.  xxv.  6 — 
9.  The  only  question  is  as  to  what  part  of 
the  gospel  dispensation  this  strong  language 
can  apply.  Some  of  it  appears  to  be  too 
strong  to  agree  with  events  which  have  yet 
occurred,  and  therefore  has  been  generally 
understood  of  the  latter-day  glory,  when 
Jews  and  Gentiles  shall  embrace  the  gospel 
to  a  far  greater  extent  than  has  hitherto 
been  seen.  With  this  accords  the  language 
at  the  close  of  chap,  xxiv.,  and  which  seems 
to  glance  at  the  conversion  of  God's  ancient 
people.  "  Then  the  moon  shall  be  confound- 
ed, and  the  sun  ashamed,  when  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  shall  reign  in  Mount  Zion  and  in  Je- 
rusalem, and  before  his  ancients  gloriously." 
With  this  also  accords  the  whole  xxvth 
chapter,  which  describes  the  triumphs  of 
the  church  over  her  enemies,  and  to  have 
been  complete  should  I  conceive  have  includ- 
ed the  first  two  verses  of  the  xxvith,  where 
the  city  of  God  is  represented  as  having 
salvation  for  walls  and  bulwarks,  and  as 
throwing  open  her  gates  and  inviting  the 
faithful  to  enter  in. 

But,  as  certain  parts  of  the  xxvth  chapter 
refer  to  the  conflicts  which  precede  the  tri- 
umph, so  does  the  remainder  of  the  xxvith, 
and  the  first  verse  of  the  xxviith.  Now  it 
is  in  these  prophecies,  referring  to  times 
which  precede  the  Millennium,  that  we  shall 
find  the  events  of  our  own  times.  By  giv- 
ing what  appears  to  be  the  meaning  of  every 
verse,  accompanied  by  a  quotation  of  the 
verse  itself,  the  reader  will  be  able  to  judge 
of  the  justness  of  the  application  of  the 
prophecy. 


Ver.  3 — 6.  The  faithful  are  encouraged 
to  trust  in  the  Lord  in  troublous  times  :  for, 
before  the  city  of  God  shall  be  encompassed 
with  salvation,  Babylon,  the  antichristian 
city,  must  be  destroyed ;  which  will  be  at- 
tended with  such  calamities  that  peace  will 
in  a  manner  be  taken  from  the  earth,  "Thou 
wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind 
is  stayed  on  thee,  because  he  trusteth  in 
thee.  Trust  ye  in  the  Lord  forever  ;  for  in 
the  Lord  Jehovah  is  everlasting  strength. 
For  he  bringeth  down  them  that  dwell  on 
high ;  the  lofty  city  he  layeth  it  low,  even 
to  the  ground  ;  he  bringeth  it  even  to  the 
dust.  The  foot  shall  tread  it  down,  even 
the  feet  of  the  poor,  and  the  steps  of  the 
needy. 

Ver.  7.  The  church  pleading  with  God 
takes  encouragement  from  his  regard  to 
righteousness  that  he  will  not  always  suffer 
her  enemies  to  triumph  over  her. — "The 
way  of  the  just  is  uprightness:  thou,  most 
upright,  dost  weigh  the  path  of  the  just." 

Ver.  8,  9.  The  grievous  persecutions 
which  she  had  borne  during  the  long  and 
dark  night  of  antichristian  domination  are 
viewed  as  divine  chastisements,  or  "judg- 
ments beo-inning  at  the  house  of  God  ;  "  un- 
der which  she  declares  her  feelings,  and 
hopes  for  deliverance. — "  Yea,  in  the  way  of 
thy  judgments,  O  Lord,  have  we  waited  for 
thee  ;  the  desire  of  our  soul  is  to  thy  name, 
and  to  the  remembrance  of  thee.  With  my 
soul  have  I  desired  thee  in  the  night ;  yea, 
with  my  spirit  within  me  will  I  seek  thee 
early." 

Ver.  9,  latter  part.  The  ground  of  this 
hope  is,  not  only  that  God  has  punishments 
in  reserve  for  her  enemies,  but  that  the  ca- 
lamities which  the  infliction  of  these  punish- 
ments will  bring  upon  the  world  shall  be 
made  subservient  to  her  increase. — "For 
when  thy  judgments  are  abroad  in  the  earth 
the  inhabitants  of  the  world  will  learn  right- 
eousness." 

Ver.  10,  11.  The  adherents  of  Antichrist 


118 


PROPHECIES    RELATING    TO    THE    MILLENNIUM. 


will  not  profit  by  these  events :  but,  being 
given  up  to  perverseness  and  blindness,  nei- 
ther mercies  nor  judgments  will  humble 
them :  that,  however,  which  was  unaccom- 
plished by  forbearing  goodness  shall  be  ac- 
complished by  the  strong  arm  of  justice — 
they  shall  be  humbled  and  consumed  in  fires 
of  their  own  kindling. — "  Let  favor  be  shown 
to  the  wicked,  yet  will  he  not  learn  righte- 
ousness :  in  the  land  of  uprightness  will  he 
deal  unjustly,  and  will  not  behold  the  majes- 
ty of  the  Lord.  Lord,  when  thy  hand  is 
lifted  up,  they  will  not  see :  but  they  shall 
see,  and  be  ashamed  for  their  envy  at  the 
people  :  yea,  the  fire  of  thine  enemies  shall 
devour  them." 

Ver.  12.  The  church  expresseth  her  con- 
fidence that  these  calamities,  though  they 
should  take  peace  from  the  earth,  yet  shall 
contribute  to  her  prosperity  :  for  all  that  she 
hath  wrought,  it  is  God  that  hath  wrought 
it  in  and  by  her ;  and  he  will  not  forsake 
the  work  of  his  own  hands. — "  Lord,  thou 
wilt  ordain  peace  for  us  :  for  thou  also  hast 
wrought  all  our  works  in  us." 

Ver.  13,  14.  She  recounts  her  persecu- 
tions, cleaves  to  Christ,  and  anticipates  the 
fall  of  her  persecutors. — "  O  Lord,  our  God, 
other  Lords  besides  thee  have  had  dominion 
over  us  ;  but  by  thee  only  will  we  make 
mention  of  thy  name.  They  are  dead,  they 
shall  not  live,  they  are  deceased,  they  shall 
not  rise  :  therefore  hast  thou  visited  and  de- 
stroyed them,  and  made  all  their  memory  to 
perish." 

Ver.  15,  16.  After  the  fall  of  the  anti- 
christian  powers  the  church  will  be  increas- 
ed, and  God  will  be  glorified  ;  especially 
by  the  conversion  of  the  Jews,  who  under 
the  chastising  hand  of  God  shall  be  brought 
to  pray  unto  him. — "Thou  hast  increased 
the  nation,  O  Lord,  thou  hast  increased  the 
nation :  thou  art  glorified  :  thou  hadst  re- 
moved it  far  unto  all  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Lord,  in  trouble  have  they  visited  thee:  they 
poured  out  a  prayer  when  thy  chastening 
was  upon  them." 

Ver.  17,  18.  She  laments  her  ineffectual 
and  abortive  labors  for  ages  preceding  in 
subduing  the  world  to  Christ. — "Like  as  a 
woman  with  child,  that  draweth  near  the 
time  of  her  delivery,  is  in  pain,  and  crieth 
out  in  her  pangs ;  so  have  we  been  in  thy 
sight,  O  Lord  :  we  have  been  with  child,  we 
have  been  in  pain,  we  have  as  it  were 
brought  forth  wind !  we  have  not  wrought 
any  deliverance  in  the  earth ;  neither  have 
the  inhabitants  of  the  world  fallen." 

Ver.  19.  To  these  complaints  of  the 
church,  God  graciously  answers  by  promises 
of  better  times. — "  Thy  dead  shall  live,  my 
deceased,  they  shall  arise  (Lowth:)  awake 
and  sing,  ye  that  dwell  in  dust :  for  thy  dew 
is  as  the  dew  of  herbs,  and  the  earth  shall 
cast  out  the  dead." 

Ver.  20,  21,  and  chap,  xxvii.  1.    He  an- 


swers further  by  inviting  her  to  retire  into 
her  chambers,  as  for  shelter  from  the  storm. 
There  will  be  no  need  for  her  to  fight  in  this 
battle,  but  to  pray  in  secret :  it  will  be  soon 
over:  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  must  be 
avenged,  and  the  antichristian  power,  that 
great  leviathan,  that  piercing  and  crooked 
serpent,  must  be  slain  by  the  "  sore,  and 
great,  and  strong  "  sword  of  Jehovah.  Then 
the  church  of  Christ  shall  shine  forth  in  all 
her  millennial  glory. — "In  that  day  sing  ye 
unto  her,  a  vineyard  of  red  wine.  I  the 
Lord  do  keep  it,  I  will  water  it  every  mo- 
ment ;  lest  any  hurt  it,  I  will  keep  it  night 
and  day  !  " — Chap,  xxvii.  2,  3. 


REMARKS    ON  ISAIAH    XXVI.    9,    IN  REFER- 
ENCE   TO    THE     PRESENT    TIMES. 

"When  thy  judgments  are  abroad  in  the  earth, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  world  will  learn  righteous- 
ness." 

If  the  foregoing  piece  contain  the  true 
meaning  of  these  prophecies,  there  can  be 
no  doubt  but  the  words  in  verse  9  refer  to 
the  calamities  preparatory  to  the  overthrow 
of  the  papal  Antichrist  and  the  introduction 
-of  the  Millennium.  Some  of  these  we  have 
seen  ;  others  are  yet  to  come  ;  but  the  most 
interesting  character  pertaining  to  them  is 
that  under  them  "the  inhabitants  of  the 
Avorld  will  learn  righteousness."  It  is  not 
enough  to  understand  them  of  what  ought 
to  be,  but  of  what  ivill  be.  The  inhabitants 
of  the  world  have  in  all  ages  been  taught 
righteousness  by  the  judgments  of  God  ;  but 
now  they  shall  learn  it.  The  same  thing  is 
foretold  in  Rev.  xv.  4  ;  where,  in  reference 
to  the  pouring  out  of  the  vials,  it  is  asked 
"  Who  shall  not  fear  thee,  O  Lord,  and  glo- 
rify thy  name  ?  For  thou  only  art  holy  ;  for 
all  nations  shall  come  and  worship  before 
thee,  for  thy  judgments  are  made  manifest?" 
The  sense  is  that  the  judgments  already 
found  upon  the  earth,  and  those  which  are 
yet  to  come,  will,  with  the  word  of  God, 
which  shall  at  the  same  time  be  spreading, 
be  the  means  of  effecting  that  great  change 
in  the  moral  state  of  the  world  which  proph- 
ecy gives  us  to  expect. 

Let  us  observe  the  effects  produced  by 
the  events  which  have  already  occurred. 
We  are  informed,  by  a  serious  and  intelli- 
gent spectator,  that  a  deep  impression  was 
made  upon  the  continental  armies  by  the 
late  sanguinary  contests.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Hallbeck,  Moravian  minister,  who,  in  the 
summer  of  1813,  travelled  through  the  north 
of  Germany,  while  occupied  by  the  French 
and  Allied  armies,  and  published  a  narrative 
of  his  journey,  writes  as  follows  :  — "  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  the  ardor  and  enthu- 
siasm which  prevailed  in  Prussia,  as  soon  as 
the  people  were  permitted  to  take  up  arms 
against  their  oppressors.     Scarcely  were  the 


ISAIAH    XXVI.    9. 


119 


intentions  of  the  monarch  known,  before  the 
whole  country  was  in  motion,  and  thousands 
flew  to  arms.  Counts  and  barons,  profes- 
sors and  students,  masters  and  servants, 
enrolled  themselves  as  common  soldiers,  and 
those  who  could  not  bear  arms  gave  money. 
The  ladies  sold  their  jewels,  their  gold,  their 
very  hair,  to  aid  the  common  cause ;  they 
left  the  toilet  to  provide  for  hospitals,  to  dig 
entrenchments,  &c. 

"  This  enthusiasm,  to  which  modern  his- 
tory presents  no  equal,  was  combined  with 
a  religious  spirit  pervading  the  ivhole  na- 
tion. The  iron  time  (as  it  is  called)  since 
1807  had  subdued  the  pride  of  the  people, 
and  the  terrible  judgments  in  Russia  had 
opened  their  eyes.  The  soldiers  were  so- 
lemnly consecrated  for  the  war  by  their  pa- 
rish ministers.  It  was  a  most  affecting 
scene  to  see  some  thousands  of  young  war- 
riors together,  receiving  instructions  from 
their  minister,  and  the  blessing  of  the  church, 
of  their  parents  and  relatives,  before  they 
went  to  fight  for  liberty.  Every  heart  was 
moved,  every  eye  shed  tears. 

"  The  same  good  disposition  and  unparal- 
leled enthusiasm  pervaded  also  the  regular 
troops.  They  were  no  more  the  boasting 
self-confident  Prussians  of  1809 ;  on  the 
contrary,  modesty,  and  dependence  on  help 
from  above,  formed  the  general  character  of 
Blucher's  army.  With  God,  for  our 
king  and  country,  was  the  motto  embroid- 
ered on  their  standards,  engraven  in  their 
hearts.  Cursing  and  swearing,  the  common 
vices  of  soldiers,  were  seldom  heard ;  no 
songs  were  allowed  to  be  sung  till  revised 
by  the  colonel,  and  approved  by  a  clergy- 
man. Many  of  these  songs  were  of  a  relig- 
ious, and  all  of  a  moral  tendency.  The 
regiments  were  not  indeed  provided  with 
chaplains,  but  they  attended  divine  service 
as  often  as  circumstances  permitted. 

"  Eight  hundred  Prussians  were  once 
quartered  in  Herrnhut.  The  commanding 
officer  had  ordered  the  band  to  parade  the 
streets  as  usual  in  the  evening  ;  but,  being 
told  that  there  was  a  meeting  for  divine 
worship  at  that  hour,  he  postponed  the  music, 
and  he  and  all  the  officers  and  soldiers  at- 
tended the  chapel. 

"To  this  modest  and  pious  spirit  was 
joined  a  bravery  equally  enthusiastic,  of 
which  it  is  not  easy  to  form  an  idea  without 
having  been  a  witness  to  it.  Conquer  or 
die  was  a  resolution  legible  in  the  counte- 
nance of  every  soldier,  which  was  not  effac- 
ed by  the  most  adverse  circumstances,  and 
which  influenced  those  who  were  naturally 
of  a  weak  and  timid  disposition." 

I  lay  no  stress  on  the  durability  of  these 
impressions :  some  of  them  may  have  con- 
tinued, others  may  have  subsided ;  but, 
however  this  be,  we  may  see  how  the  mighty 
hand  of  God,  when  stretched  out,  can  sub- 
due the  spirits  of  men.     The  inhabitants  of 


Prussia,  and  other  continental  nations,  have 
of  late  years  been  said  to  be  remarkable  for 
their  infidelity :  but  infidelity  at  this  time 
seems  to  have  hid  its  head. 

Further,  is  it  not  deserving  of  notice  that 
while  some  of  the  most  awful  judgments  have 
been  abroad  in  the  earth,  and  men's  minds 
have  been  impressed  by  them,  an  impulse 
has  been  given  to  circulate  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures, such  as  was  never  before  known  ? 
Without  inquiring  whence  this  impulse  pro- 
ceeded, its  existence  and  extent  are  mani- 
fest to  every  observant  eye.  The  remarks 
made  upon  this  subject  in  respect  of  Russia, 
in  the  Eclectic  Revieiv  for  November,  are 
worthy  of  notice,  and  will  in  part  apply  to 
other  nations  as  well  as  Russia.  "  In  con- 
templating the  exertions  which  are  made 
by  Christians  of  all  denominations  for  the 
universal  diffusion  of  religious  knowledge, 
it  is  indeed  gratifying  to  reflect  on  the  pow- 
erful influence  which  the  Russian  church, 
and  the  Russian  people,  may  exert  on  the 
progress  of  divine  truth  among  the  nations. 
Their  capabilities  in  this  view  are  extremely 
great,  nearly  surrounded  as  they  are  by 
many  numerous  tribes,  who  are  sitting  in 
darkness,  and  in  the  land  of  the  shadow  of 
death  ;  and  their  zealous  co-operation  in  the 
cause  of  revealed  truth  may  be  regarded  as 
one  of  those  events  which,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  a  divine  agency,  bear  the  closest 
relation  to  the  propagation  of  the  gospel, 
and  the  immortal  interests  of  the  human 
race." — p.  431. 

From  what  is  said  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  world,  that  "  when  God's  judgments  are 
abroad  in  the  earth  they  will  learn  righteous- 
ness," we  are  not  to  suppose  that  this  effect 
will  be  produced  by  the  events  of  providence 
only :  the  word  of  God,  and  the  Spirit  of 
God,  will  accompany  them  and  co-operate 
with  them.  Such  appears  to  be  the  actual 
state  of  things  already  in  some  degree,  and 
such  we  may  expect  will  be  their  progress. 

These  remarks  may  be  thought  to  afford 
but  little  prospect  of  continued  peace,  but 
rather  give  us  to  expect  a  succession  of 
judgments.  I  wish  all  success  to  every 
attempt  at  peace  ;  but,  so  long  as  popery  re- 
mains in  the  earth,  I  believe  there  will  be  no 
continued  peace  for  it.  "Is  it  peace,  Jehu? 
What  peace,  so  long  as  the  Avhoredoms  of 
thy  mother  Jezebel,  and  her  witchcrafts  are 
so  many  ?  "  Prophecy  apart,  it  cannot  es- 
cape the  observation  of  thinking  men  that 
popery,  notwithstanding  its  being  raised  by 
recent  events  to  somewhat  of  its  former 
greatness,  is  still  dissatisfied.  It  must  be  a 
persecuting  enemy  of  true  religion  or  noth- 
ing. There  is  not  a  papal  nation  in  being, 
of  any  account,  but  what  has  in  it  the  seeds 
of  discontent  and  future  wars.  The  pre- 
ponderating powers  of  Europe  will  have  to 
say,  We  would  have  healed  Babylon,  but  she 
is  not  healed  ! 


EXPOSITION    OF    PASSAGES 


RELATING    TO 


THE    UNPARDONABLE    SIN 


The  forgiveness  of  sin  is  doubtless  one  of 
the  most  interesting  subjects  to  a  sinful  crea- 
ture ;  and  if  there  be  one  sin  upon  which  the 
Divine  Being  lias  thought  fit  to  set  a  mark 
of  peculiar  displeasure,  by  declaring  it  un- 
pardonable, it  is  worthy  of  the  most  serious 
inquiry  to  determine  what  it  is.  Perhaps  the 
most  likely  method  of  coming  at  the  truth 
will  be  by  first  taking  a  view  of  those  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  where  it  is  either  fully 
expressed  or  implied,  and  then  making  a  few 
remarks  upon  them. 

There  is  no  express  mention  of  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Spirit  under  the  former 
dispensation.  It  seems,  however,  that  there 
was  a  period  in  the  lives  of  Cain  and  Saul, 
and  perhaps  of  some  others,  when  they  were 
given  up  of  God  to  inevitable  destruction. 
The  first,  or  rather  the  only  express  mention 
that  we  have  of  it,  is  in  the  evangelists, 
where  it  is  applied  to  the  Pharisees,  on  oc- 
casion of  their  blasphemously  asserting, 
"  This  fellow  doth  not  cast  out  devils,  but 
by  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  the  devils." 
Dr.  Whitby  thinks  these  passages  were 
only  designed  to  warn  them  of  the  sin,  and 
that  it  was  not  possible  to  be  actually  com- 
mitted till  the  pouring  out  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost ;  and  assigns  this 
as  a  reason,  that  Christ  afterwards  prayed 
for  those  very  persons.  But  those  for  whom 
Christ  prayed  "  knew  not  what  they  did  :  " 
they  were  in  the  same  situation  with  Saul 
while  a  persecutor ;  they  "  did  it  ignorantly, 
and  in  unbelief."  This,  however,  was  not 
true  of  all  his  murderers.  Those  who  made 
answer  to  Judas,  who  confessed  that  he  had 
betrayed  innocent  blood,  "  See  thou  to  that," 
could  not,  I  am  afraid,  have  this  plea  alleged 
on  their  behalf.  It  is  true  the  multitude  did 
it  ignorantly,  and  many  of  their  rulers,  as 
Peter  candidly  acknowledged  ;  but  this,  I 
should  think,  is  more  than  could  be  said  of 
them  all.    It  is  pretty  evident  that  some  of 


them  acted  upon  the  principles  suggested 
by  our  Lord :  "This  is  the  heir,  come  let 
us  kill  him."  It  is  no  objection  to  this  that 
it  is  said,  "If  they  had  known  him,  they 
would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory;" 
for  knoivledge  is  not  here  put  for  a  mere 
conviction  that  he  was  the  Messiah,  but  for 
that  spiritual  discernment  which  is  possessed 
only  by  believers,  being  "  revealed  to  them 
by  the  Spirit,  who  searcheth  the  deep  things 
of"  God."  From  certain  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture it  appears  to  me  that  some  of  the  Pha- 
risees were  guilty  of  the  unpardonable  sin. 
See  John  ix,  41,  and  xii.  42,  43. 

Perhaps  the  next  intimation  that  is  given 
of  this  sin  is  in  Peter's  address  to  Simon 
Magus :  "  Repent  of  this  thy  wickedness, 
and  pray  God,  if  perhaps  the  thought  of 
thine  heart  may  be  forgiven  thee.  It  does 
not  appear  that  the  apostle  considered  the 
sorcerer  as  having  certainly  committed  the 
unpardonable  sin  :  but  it  seems  he  consider- 
ed it  as  a  matter  of  doubt,  and  therefore, 
with  a  view  to  impress  upon  his  mind  the 
greatness  of  his  wickedness  and  the  danger 
he  was  in,  expressed  himself  in  that  doubt- 
ful manner  which  he  was  not  used  to  do  in 
ordinary  cases. 

The  apostle  Paul  seems  to  have  had  an 
eye  to  this  sin,  when,  s.peaking  of  himself, 
he  says,  "I  obtained  mercy,  because  I  did  it 
ignorantly  and  in  unbelief."  None  will 
suppose  that  Saul's  ignorance,  much  less  his 
unbelief,  had  anything  in  it  meritorious, 
which  could  induce  the  Divine  Being  to 
show  him  mercy  :  on  the  contrary  it  was  sin- 
ful, and  that  for  which  he  reckoned  himself 
the  chief  of  sinners.  But  it  was  not  accom- 
panied with  such  circumstances  of  aggrava- 
tion as  to  exclude  him  from  an  interest  in 
divine  mercy :  it  was  not  the  unpardonable 
sin. 

In  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  there  are 
several  intimations  of  this  sin ;  particularly 


EXPOSITION    OF    PASSAGES    ON    THE    UNPARDONABLE    SIN. 


121 


in  the  following  passages  :  "  It  is  impossible 
for  those  who  were  once  enlightened,  and 
have  tasted  the  heavenly  gift,  and  were 
made  partakers  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  have 
tasted  the  good  word  of  God,  and  the  powers 
of  the  world  to  come,  if  they  shall  fall  away, 
to  renew  them  again  unto  repentance  ;  see- 
ing they  crucify  to  themselves  the  Son  of 
God  afresh,  and  put  him  to  an  open  shame." 
— "  For  if  we  sin  wilfully,  after  that  we  have 
received  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  there 
remaineth  no  more  sacrifice  for  sin,  but  a  cer- 
tain fearful  looking  for  of  judgment,  and  fiery 
indignation,  which  shall  devour  the  adversa- 
ries. He  that  despised  Moses'  law  died 
without  mercy,  under  two  or  three  witnesses  : 
Of  how  much  sorer  punishment,  suppose  ye, 
shall  he  be  thought  worthy  who  hath  trodden 
under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  hath  counted 
the  blood  of  the  covenant  wherewith  he  was 
sanctified  an  unholy  thing,  and  hath  done 
despite  to  the  Spirit  of  grace  ?  " 

Peter  also  describes  the  same  characters  : 
"  For  if  after  they  have  escaped  the  pollu- 
tions of  the  world,  through  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  they 
are  again  entangled  therein,  and  overcome, 
the  latter  end  is  worse  with  them  than  the 
beginning.  For  it  had  been  better  for  them 
not  to  have  known  the  way  of  righteousness, 
than,  after  they  have  known  it,  to  turn  from 
the  holy  commandment  delivered  unto  them. 
But  it  is  happened  unto  them  according  to 
the  true  proverb,  The  dog  is  turned  to  his 
own  vomit  again  ;  and  the  sow  that  was 
washed  to  her  wallowing  in  the  mire." 

Lastly  :  It  must  be  with  reference  to  this 
sin  that  John  writes  in  his  First  Epistle  ;  "  If 
any  man  see  his  brother  sin  a  sin  not  unto 
death,  he  shall  ask,  and  he  shall  give  him 
life. — There  is  a  sin  unto  death  ;  I  do  not 
say  that  he  shall  pray  for  it." — "  We  know 
that  whosoever  is  born  of  God  sinneth  not  ; 
but  he  that  is  begotten  of  God  keepeth  him- 
self, and  that  wicked  one  toucheth  him  not." 

The  above  are  the  principal,  if  not  the 
only,  passages  in  which  reference  is  made  to 
the  unpardonable  sin.  From  these,  taken  al- 
together, I  shall  offer  the  following  remarks  : 

First :  When  the  Scripture  speaks  of  any 
sin  as  unpardonable,  or  of  the  impossibility 
of  those  who  have  committed  it  being  re- 
newed again  unto  repentance,  we  are  not  to 
understand  them  as  expressing  any  natural 
limitation  of  either  the  power  or  the  mercy 
of  God,  nor  yet  of  the  efficacy  of  the  Saviour's 
blood  ;  but  merely  of  a  limitation  dictated  by 
sovereign  wisdom  and  righteousness. 
.  Secondly  :  It  is  not  any  one  particular  act 
of  sin  that  denominates  it  unpardonable,  but 
the  circumstances  under  which  it  is  com- 
mitted. The  act,  in  the  case  of  the  Phari- 
sees, was  uttering  blasphemous  language 
against  the  miracles  of  Christ ;  in  the  sup- 
posed case  of  Saul,  it  was  blasphemously 
persecuting,  and  otherwise  injuriously  treat - 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  16. 


ing,  the  church  of  Christ ;  in  the  case  of  the 
Hebrews,  it  was  apostacy  from  the  truth  ; 
in  the  false  teachers  described  by  Peter,  it 
was  not  only  preverting  the  truth,  but  re- 
turning to  sensual  abomination.  These  acts 
being  various,  the  unpardonable  sin  could 
not  consist  in  any  one  of  them  in  itself  con- 
sidered, but  in  their  being  committed  under 
certain  circumstances. 

Thirdly :  The  peculiar  circumstances  un- 
der which  any  of  these  acts  becomes  unpar- 
donable seems  to  be  the  party  being  pos- 
sessed of  a  certain  degree  of  light;  and  that 
not  merely  objective,  as  exhibited  in  the 
gospel,  but  subjective,  as  possessed  by  the 
understanding.  This  light,  which  is  attribu- 
ted to  the  Holy  Spirit,  seems  to  afford  the 
specific  reason  of  the  unpardonable  sin  be- 
ing represented  as  committed  against  him. 
The  distinction  which  our  Lord  makes  be- 
tween blasphemy  against  the  Son  of  Man 
and  that  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  declaring 
the  one  pardonable  and  the  other  unpardon- 
able, seems  to  consist  in  this:  the  former, 
during  his  humiliation,  might  be  the  effect 
of  ignorance  and  unbelief;  but  the  latter 
(imputing  to  satanic  influence  those  be- 
nevolent miracles  which  were  not  only 
wrought  before  their  eyes  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  but  approved  themselves  to  their  con- 
sciences to  be  of  God)  could  be  no  other 
than  wilful  malignity.  And  this  would  be 
the  case  especially  after  the  pouring  out  of 
the  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when 
such  ablaze  of  light  shone  forth  in  confirma- 
tion of  the  gospel :  a  blasphemous  opposition 
to  it  at  that  period  would,  where  the  light 
was  not  only  exhibited  but  possessed  in  the 
understanding,  be  a  black  mark  of  reproba- 
tion. The  blasphemy  of  Saul  was  accom- 
panied with  a  great  degree  of  objective  light ; 
but  it  did  not  so  possess  his  understanding 
and  conscience  but  that  he  did  it  ignorantly 
and  in  unbelief.  Had  he  committed  the 
same  blasphemy  knowingly,  or  in  spite  of  a 
full  persuasion  in  his  conscience  that  the 
cause  he  opposed  was  the  cause  of  God,  it 
is  supposed,  by  his  own  manner  of  speaking, 
that  it  would  have  been  unpardonable,  and 
that  he  would  not  have  obtained  mercy. 
The  case  of  the  Hebrews  turns  entirely  upon 
the  same  circumstance  :  they  not  only  had 
the  gospel  objectively  exhibited  before  them, 
but  became  the  subjects  of  deep  convictions, 
and  powerful  impressions.  They  were  "  en- 
lightened," and  had  "tasted  the  heavenly 
gift ;  "  were  made  "  partakers  of  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  tasted  the  good  word  of  God,  and 
the  powers  of  the  world  to  come."  None 
of  these  expressions,  it  is  true,  denotes  that 
divine  change  which  accompanies  salvation, 
being  expressly  distinguished  from  it  (and 
John  also,  in  his  First  Epistle,  intimates  that 
those  ivho  are  "born  of  God"  cannot  be 
guilty  of  this  sin,)  yet  they  undoubtedly  ex- 
press powerful  impressions,  and  deep  con- 


122 


EXPOSITION    OF    PASSAGES    ON    THE    UNPARDONABLE    SIN. 


victions,  together  with  some  extraordinary 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  were  common 
in  those  times.  All  this  rendered  a  depart- 
ure from  the  truth  what  the  apostle,  in  the 
tenth  chapter  of  the  same  epistle,  calls  "  sin- 
ning wilfully,  after  we  have  received  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  ;  treading  under  foot 
the  Son  of  God,  and  doing  despite  to  the 
Spirit  of  grace."  It  is  also  upon  this  circum- 
stance of light  that  the  case  of  those  apostates 
mentioned  by  Peter  turns.  "  After  t^iey 
have  knoivn  the  way  of  righteousness,  to  turn 
from  the  holy  commandment "  is  that  which 
seals  their  doom. 

Fourthly:  The  impossibility  of  such  char- 
acters being  recovered  and  saved  arises  from 
tvo  causes: — 

1.  The  only  way,  or  medium,  of  a  sinner's 
salvation  is  by  the  sacrifice  of  Christ ;  but 
the  nature  of  their  sin  is  such  that  they 
"  wilfully  tread  him  under  foot,  and  treat  the 
blood  of  the  covenant,  wherewith  he  was 
sanctified,  as  an  unholy  thing."  Now,  if  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ  be  thus  treated,  there  is 
no  other  way  of  escape  :  "  There  remaineth 
no  more  sacrifice  for  sin,  but  a  fearful  looking 
for  of  judgment."  Hence  it  becomes  a  hope- 
less undertaking  for  the  servants  of  God  to 
attempt  any  thing  for  their  recovery.  What 
can  they  do  ?  Nothing  but  what  they  have 
done  already  in  vain.  The  grounds  which 
they  have  ordinarily  to  go  over,  in  saving  sin- 
ners from  the  wrath  to  come,  are,  "  Repent- 
ance from  dead  works  ;  faith  towards  God ; 
baptism"  of  water,  and  in  the  primitive 
times  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  accompanied  with 
"  the  laying  on  of  hands  ; "  exhibiting  to 
them  "the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and 
eternal  judgment;"  but  these  things  have 
been  knoivn  and  rejected,  have  lost  their 
force  :  why  should  they  be  repeated  ?  No, 
saith  the  apostle,  "  leaving  these  first  princi- 
ples," and  those  who  have  rejected  them,  in 
the  hand  of  God,  we  Avill  "  go  on  "  with  our 
work  "  unto  perfection." — "  The  ploughman 
doth  not  plough  all  day  to  sow " — and 
"  bread-corn  is  bruised,  because  he  will  not 
ever  be  threshing  it." 

2.  The  only  efficient  cause  of  a  sinner's 
being  brought  to  repentance,  and  so  to  for- 
giveness, is  the  almighty  and  sovereign  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  the  only  hope 
that  is  left  for  such  characters  must  arise 
from  the  exertion  of  His  power,  with  whom 
all  things  are  naturally  possible  :  "  But  of 
him  they  are  given  up  !  they  have  done  de- 
spite to  the  Spirit  of  grace,"  and  he  hath  ut- 
terly abandoned  them  to  their  own  delu- 
sions !  See  Heb.  vi.  7,  8. 

Fifthly  :  The  cases  which  in  our  times  ap- 
pear to  approach  the  nearest  to  this  sin  are 
those  of  persons  who  apostatize  from  the 
truth  after  having  enjoyed  great  religious 
advantages,  obtained  much  light,  felt  strong 
convictions,  and  made  considerable  progress 
in  reforming  their  conduct.     The  apostacy 


of  such  characters,  as  of  some  among  the 
Hebrews,  is  sometimes  sentimental.  Having 
long  felt  the  gospel  way  of  salvation  to  grate 
upon  their  feelings,  they  fall  in  with  some 
flesh-pleasing  scheme,  either  that  of  open  in- 
fidelity, or  some  one  of  those  which  approach 
the  nearest  to  it;  and  now,  their  conduct  be- 
coming equally  loose  with  their  principles, 
when  reproved  by  their  friends  they  keep 
themselves  in  countenance  by  professing  to 
have  changed  their  sentiments  in  religious 
matters.  In  them  is  fulfilled  what  was  pre- 
dicted of  some  by  the  apostle  Paul :  "They 
received  not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they 
might  be  saved.  And  for  this  cause  God 
shall  send  them  strong  delusions,  that  they 
should  believe  a  lie  ; — and  be  damned." 

The  apostacy  of  others,  like  those  describ- 
ed in  the  Second  Epistle  of  Peter,  is  of  a 
more  practical  nature.  Having  long  felt  the 
yoke  of  religion  galling  to  their  inclinations, 
they  burst  the  bonds  and  let  loose  the  reins 
of  lust;  and,  to  ward  off  reproof  and  keep 
themselves  in  countenance,  they  affect  to 
treat  all  religion  with  contempt,  raking  to- 
gether the  faults  of  professing  Christians,  as 
an  excuse  for  their  own  iniquities.  Such 
characters  are  commonly  the  worst  of  all,  and 
the  most  dangerous  to  society  ;  nor  do  I  re- 
collect any  instance  of  their  having  been  "  re- 
newed again  unto  repentance:"  "twice 
dead,"  they  seem  doomed  to  be  "plucked  up 
by  the  roots."  In  them  is  verified  what  our 
Lord  speaks,  of  a  man  out  of  whom  should 
be  cast  an  unclean  spirit,  which  goeth  forth 
in  search  of  a  new  habitation,  seeking  rest, 
but  finding  none,  and  at  length  resolves  on  a 
return  to  his  old  abode.  "And  when  he 
cometh  he  findeth  it  empty,  swept  and  gar- 
nished. Then  he  goeth,  and  taketh  with  him 
seven  other  spirits,  more  wicked  than  himself, 
and  they  enter  in,  and  dwell  there  ;  and  the 
last  state  of  that  man  is  worse  than  the  first." 

I  am  afraid  that  to  the  above  might  be  ad- 
ded a  great  number  of  characters  who,  in 
early  life,  were  of  a  decent  and  grave  deport- 
ment ;  and  who,  possessing  promising  abil- 
ities, were  encouraged  by  their  friends  to 
engage  in  the  ivork  of  the  ministry.  Their 
main  study  being  to  cultivate  their  powers, 
they  have  at  length  attained  the  art  of  convey- 
ing truth  and  commending  virtue  in  a  style 
of  pleasing  energy.  But  as  they  have  nev- 
er loved  nor  lived  upon  the  truth  which  they 
have  communicated,  so  neither  have  they 
practised  the  virtues  which  they  have  re- 
commended. Slaves  to  popularity,  avarice, 
or  lust,  they  pass  through  life  under  a  dis- 
guise ;  and,  being  conversant  with  divine 
things  as  surgeons  and  soldiers  are  with  the 
shedding  of  human  blood,  they  cease  to  have 
any  effect  upon  them  with  respect  to  their 
own  souls.  I  would  not  presume  to  pass 
sentence  on  all  such  characters  ;  but  neither 
would  I  be  in  their  situation  for  the  whole 
world ! 


EXPOSITION    OF    PASSAGES    ON    THE    UNPARDONABLE    SIN. 


123 


The  chief  difficulties  which  attend  the  ac- 
count of  the  unpardonable  sin  affect  minis- 
ters, in  their  praying  for  and  preaching  to  sin- 
ners and  dejected  souls,  who  are  apt  to  draw 
dark  conclusions  against  themselves.  With 
respect  to  prayer,  we  have  directions  given 
us  on  this  head. — 1  John  v.  1(j.  We  are  not 
to  pray  that  God  would  forgive  men  this  sin, 
because  this  would  be  contradicting  the  re- 
vealed will  of  God  ;  but,  as  we  cannot  tell 
with  certainty  who  are  the  subjects  of  it,  we 
may  pray  for  sinners,  without  distinction, 
that  God  would  give  them  repentance  to  the 
acknowledging  of  the  truth  ;  always  submit- 
ting our  petitions  to  the  sovereign  direction  of 
unerring  wisdom.  But  it  may  be  asked,  with 
respect  to  preaching,  How  can  a  minister  pro- 
claim the  mercy  of  God  to  his  auditory  in  an 
indefinite  way  ?  How  can  he  invite  them  to  a 
participation  of  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  ? 
How  can  he  declare  that  if  any  one  of  them, 
even  the  greatest  sinner  among  them,  return 
to  God  by  Jesus  Christ,  he  will  be  accepted  ; 
when,  for  aught  he  knows,  there  may  be  per- 
sons in  his  presence  who  may  be  in  the  sit- 
uation above  described,  and  for  whom  no 
mercy  is  designed  ?     To  this  I  answer,  The 


same  objection  may  be  made  against  the  doc- 
trine of  election ;  and  is  made  by  the  adver- 
saries of  that  doctrine.  Let  a  minister  pur- 
sue his  work,  and  leave  the  effect  to  God. 
What  he  declares  of  the  willingness  of  Christ 
to  pardon  and  receive  all  who  return  to  him  is 
true ;  and  it  might  be  said  of  any  man,  in 
truth,  that  if  he  returned  to  God  by  Jesus 
Christ  he  would  be  forgiven.  The  impossi- 
bility, with  respect  to  those  who  have  com- 
mitted the  unpardonable  sin,  respects  their 
repentance  as  well  as  their  forgiveness  ;  and 
even  that  is  not  a  natural,  but  a  moral  im- 
possibility. 

With  respect  to  dejected  minds,  let  it  be 
observed  that  no  person,  let  his  crimes  have 
been  what  they  may,  if  he  be  grieved  at 
heart  for  having  committed  them,  and  sin- 
cerely ask  forgiveness  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
needs  to  fear  that  he  shall  be  rejected.  Such 
grief  is  itself  a  proof  that  he  has  not  commit- 
ted the  sin  against  the  Holy  Spirit,  because 
it  is  a  mark  of  that  sin  to  be  accompanied 
with  a  hard  and  impenitent  heart.  Such 
characters  may  feel  the  remorse  of  a  Cain, 
a  Saul,  or  a  Judas ;  but  a  tear  of  godly  sor- 
row never  dropped  from  their  eyes. 


EXPOSITORY   NOTES 


VARIOUS    PASSAGES   OF    SCRIPTURE 


ON    THE     EXTRAORDINARY    APPEARANCE     TO 

ELIJAH    AT    MOUNT    HOREB. 

1  Kings   xix. 

[Written  in  1799.] 

Elijah  lived  in  a  time  of  great  apostacy. 
His  history  is  more  particularly  related  than 
that  of  most  of  the  other  prophets,  and  is  very 
interesting.  The  most  distinguishing  event 
of  his  time  was  a  sore  famine.  For  three 
years  and  six  months  the  heavens  were  shut 
up.  Of  this  Ahab  was  previously  warned  ; 
and,  to  prove  that  it  was  a  visitation  from 
God  for  sin,  he  was  assured  by  Elijah  that, 
as  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  lived,  there  should 
be  neither  dew  nor  rain,  but  according  to  his 
word.  Hitherto  he  preserves  his  character, 
not  only  as  a  man,  but  as  a  man  of  God. 
We  admire  his  magnanimity  also,  when,  to- 
wards the  close  of  this  afflictive  period,  he 
looked  Ahab  in  the  face  and  reproved  him. 
Still  more  do  we  admire  him  when,  singly 
by  himself,  he  braved  the  host  of  Baal's  ad- 
herents, and  confounded  them  before  the 
people.  But  alas,  what  is  man  !  After  all 
this  he  is  intimidated  by  the  threatenings  of 
Jezebel,  and  flees  for  his  life.  After  going 
a  day's  journey  into  the  wilderness,  he  sits 
down  under  a  juniper  tree,  and  requests  for 
himself  that  he  may  die.  Hence  he  arose 
and  went  to  Horeb,  the  mount  of  God.  En- 
tering into  a  cave,  he  was  there  interrogat- 
ed by  him  whose  cause  he  had  seemed  to 
desert,  What  dost  thou  here,  Elijah  ?  He  at- 
tempts to  excuse  himself  by  accusing  Israel. 
He  had  been  very  jealous  for  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel :  but  they  had  digged  down  his 
altars,  and  slain  his  prophets  with  the  sword  ; 
he  only  was  left,  and  they  sought  his  life. 
Thus,  according  to  his  account,  it  seemed 
time  for  him  to  flee.  But,  that  which  is  worse 
than  all,  in  excusing  himself,  he  does  not 
barely  accuse  Israel,  but  seems  tacitly  to  re- 
flect upon  the  Lord  himself,  as  though  he 


had  done  little  or  nothing  to  vindicate  hisi 
own  name,  and  what  then  could  his  poor  ser- 
vant do  there  alone  ? 

Jehovah  could  no  doubt  have  confounded 
the  complaining  prophet;  but  forbearing, 
like  himself,  when  dealing  with  erring  crea- 
tures, he  makes  him  no  answer,  but  calls 
him  forth  to  appear  on  the  top  of  the  mount. 
Here  he  is  made  to  witness  a  very  extraor- 
dinary scene. — "  The  Lord  passed  by,  and 
a  great  and  strong  wind  rent  the  mountains, 
and  broke  in  pieces  the  rocks ;  but  the  Lord 
was  not  in  the  wind :  and  after  the  wind  an 
earthquake  ;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the 
earthquake  :  and  after  the  earthquake  a  fire  ; 
but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  fire  :  and  after 
the  fire  a  still  small  voice.  And  it  was  so 
when  Elijah  heard  it,  that  he  wrapped  his 
face  in  his  mantle,  and  went  out,  and  stood 
in  the  entering  in  of  the  cave." 

"  The  Lord  was  not  in  the  wind : " — that 
is,  he  did  not  answer  Elijah  out  of  the  whirl- 
wind as  he  did  Job ;  nor  out  of  the  earth- 
quake, nor  out  of  the  fire.  These  awful  ap- 
pearances were  only  harbingers  which  pre- 
ceded the  voice  of  Jehovah.  On  hearing  the 
still  small  voice,  like  the  seraphim  on  the 
appearance  of  the  divine  glory,  he  wrapped 
his  face  in  his  mantle,  and  retired  to  his 
cave.  The  interrogation,  "What  dost  thou 
here,  Elijah  ?  "  is  repeated,  and  Elijah  re- 
peats his  answer.  The  Lord  replies,  by  di- 
recting him  to  go  on  his  way  to  the  wilder- 
ness of  Damascus  ;  to  anoint  Hazael  to  be 
king  over  Syria,  Jehu  to  be  king  over  Israel, 
and  Elisha  to  be  a  prophet  in  the  place  of 
himself.  This  was  an  answer  to  Elijah's  tacit 
reflection.  It  was  saying,  I  have  judgments 
enough  in  reserve,  both  temporal  and  spirit- 
ual, to  vindicate  my  name,  and  Israel  shall 
feel  them  in  due  time ;  for  "  it  shall  come 
to  pass  that  him  that  escapeth  the  sword  of 
Hazael  shall  Jehu  slay,  and  him  that  esca- 
peth the  sword  of  Jehu  shall  Elisha  slay." 
But  is  all  Israel  gone  off  from  God  ?     Is  it 


EXTRAORDINARY  APPEARANCE  TO  ELIJAH  AT  HOREB. 


125 


as  Elijah  supposes,  that  he  only  is  left;  and 
is  it  all  wrath  and  terror  that  is  revealed 
against  them  ?  No  ;  there  is  a  heart-reviv- 
ing exception  at  the  end :  "  Yet  I  have  left 
me  seven  thousand  in  Israel,  all  the  names 
which  have  not  bowed  unto  Baal,  and  every 
mouth  which  hath  not  kissed  him." 

These   great  events  undoubtedly  bear  a 
near  resemblance  to  the  extraordinary  ap- 
pearances on  the  mount ;  and  it  seems  pro- 
bable, if  not  more  than  probable,  that  the 
one  was  designed  to  represent  the   other. 
If  so,  the  wind,  the  earthquake,  and  the  fire, 
would  refer  to  those   dire   calamities  with 
which  God  was  about  to  punish  Israel  for 
their  apostacy ;  and  the  still  small  voice  to 
the  mercy  and  peace  Avhich  should  follow. 
Particularly,  first,  by  the  great  and  strong 
wind  that  rent  the  mountains,  and  broke  in 
pieces  the  rocks,  understand  Hazael's  wars, 
by  which  "  the  strong  holds  of  Israel  were 
set  on  fire,  their  young  men  slain  with  the 
sword,  their  children  dashed,  and  their  wo- 
men with  child  ripped  up :  "  by  these  means 
God  punished  the  common  people.    Second- 
ly, by  the  earthquake  understand  the  revo- 
lution of  Jehu,  who   "  smote  the  house   of 
Ahab,  and   avenged  the  blood  of  the  pro- 
phets, and  of  all  the  Lord's  servants,  at  the 
hand  of  Jezebel;"  by  this  God  punished  the 
royal   family.     Thirdly,  by  the  fire  under- 
stand  Elisha's   trying  prophecies,   and   the 
judgments    which   accompanied   them :    by 
these  it  is  probable  the  idolatrous  priests  and 
false  prophets  were  confounded.     Fourthly, 
by  the  still  small  voice  understand  the  mer- 
cy and  goodness  which  followed  these  dire 
calamities.     It   was   doubtless   soothing   to 
Elijah's  mind  to  be  told  of  seven   thousand 
faithful  men  in  reserve  ;  and  while  they  re- 
mained in   the   nation  a  reserve  of  mercy 
in  its  favor  might  be  expected,  notwithstand- 
ing all  their  transgressions.     And  this  was 
actually   experienced   under  the  reigns  of 
Jehoahaz  the  son  and  Joash  the  grandson  of 
Jehu.      The   former   "besought  the   Lord, 
and  the  Lord  hearkened  unto  him :  for  he 
saw   the  oppression  of  Israel,  because  the 
king   of   Syria    oppressed    them. — Hazael 
king  of  Syria  oppressed  Israel  all  the  days 
of  Jehoahaz  ;  but  the  Lord  was  gracious  unto 
them,  and  had  compassion  on  them,  and  had 
respect  unto  them,  because  of  his  covenant 
with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  would 
not  destroy  them,  neither  cast  he  them  from 
his  presence  as  yet ;  so  Hazael  king  of  As- 
syria died,  and  Benhadad  his  son  reigned  in 
his  stead." 

As  there  appears  to  be  a  resemblance  in 
the  wind,  the  earthquake,  the  fire,  and  the 
still  small  voice,  to  the  events  which  suc- 
ceeded, so  there  is  something  in  the  order  of 
these  things  analogous  to  the  general  tenor 
of  the  divine  proceedings.  It  is  common 
for  the  still  small  voice  to  succeed  the  wind, 
the  earthquake,  and  the  fire ;  or,  in  other 


words,  for  the  blessings  of  mercy  and  peace 
to  be  preceded  by  terrible  things  in  righte- 
ousness. 

When  God  revealed  his  word  unto  .Mo- 
ses, and  by  him  to  Israel,  the  terrors  of 
mount  Sinai  were  preparatory  to  other  things 
of  a  different  nature.  Many  of  the  appear- 
ances on  that  solemn  occasion  resembled 
those  on  the  present ;  and  indeed  there  ap- 
pears a  manifest  allusion  in  the  account  of 
Elijah  to  that  in  the  nineteenth  chapter  of 
Exodus.  Nor  does  the  still  small  voice 
which  terminated  the  one  less  resemble  the 
declarations  of  mercy  which  followed  the 
other.  Jehovah  proclaimed  himself,  "the 
Lord,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious, 
long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness 
and  truth  ;  "  promising  also  "  to  raise  up  un- 
to them  a  prophet  from  the  midst  of  them, 
like  unto  Moses,  to  whom  they  should 
hearken." 

The  dispensations  of  providence  have 
generally  moved  in  a  similar  order.  Many 
terrible  judgments  have  fallen  on  the  Avorld  ; 
but  they  have  been  commonly  followed  with 
peace  and  mercy  to  the  church.  The 
plagues  of  Egypt,  and  the  destruction  of 
Pharaoh  and  his  host  in  the  Red  Sea,  termi- 
nated in  the  joyful  deliverance  of  the  people 
of  God.  The  same  was  true  of  the  over- 
throw of  Babylon  by  the  Persians.  Thus  it 
was  that  by  terrible  things  in  righteousness 
God  answered  the  prayers  of  his  people. 
The  great  calamities  with  which  the  world 
was  afflicted  by  the  successive  struggles  of 
the  four  great  monarchies  of  Babylon,  Per- 
sia, Macedon,  and  Rome,  terminated  in  the 
peaceful  empire  of  the  Son  of  God.  The 
diadem  was  overturned,  overturned,  and 
overturned  again,  till  he  came  whose  right 
it  was,  and  to  him  it  was  given. 

Similar  observations  might  be  made  on 
the  Lord's  proceedings  in  the  dispensation  of 
his  grace.  As  the  thunders  of  Sinai  pre- 
ceded the  blessings  of  Zion,  so  the  terrible 
is  still  seen  in  many  instances  to  go  before 
the  peaceful.  Deep  conviction  may  produce 
fearful  expectation  of  eternal  ruin  ;  but,  if 
it  terminate  in  a  well-grounded  peace,  we 
do  not  regret  the  pain  of  mind,  because  it 
renders  the  hope  of  the  gospel  more  wel- 
come. 

Finally  :  Is  there  not  reason  to  hope  from 
these  things  that  the  present  convul- 
sions of  the  world  will  be  followed  with 
peace  and  prosperity  to  the  church?  The 
fall  of  ancient  Babylon  was  followed  by  the 
liberation  of  the  people  of  God ;  and  it  is 
intimated  in  prophecy  that  the  fall  of  the 
New-testament  Babylon  shall  be  followed 
by  the  "  marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb. 
The  present  may  be  the  time  of  whirlwinds, 
earthquakes,  and  fires,  and  God  as  the  God 
of  grace  may  be  in  none  of  them ;  but  they 
may  be  preparatory  to  the  still  small  voice 
of  truth  and  peace.     In  this  God  will  be 


126 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


present,  and  will  be  heard.  Then  "the 
mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  es- 
tablished in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and 
shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills,  and  all  na- 
tions shall  flow  unto  it."  Should  this  be  the 
issue  of  the  present  convulsed  state  of  the 
nations,  afflictive  as  it  may  be,  it  will  be 
more  than  compensated,  and  serve  as  a 
foil  to  heighten  the  glory  that  shall  follow. 


THE    LYING    SPIRIT    PERSUADING    AHAB. 

1  Kings  xxii.  21—23. 

When  Ahab  sent  for  Micaiah,  there  was 
evidently  no  sincerity  in  his  request.  Like 
many  others,  who  ask  counsel  of  their  friends, 
and  even  seek  direction  of  God,  not  with  a 
view  to  be  influenced,  but  in  hope  of  being 
countenanced  by  it,  he  was  determined  to 
go  against  Ramoth-gilead,  let  Micaiah  say 
what  he  might.  The  messenger  sent  to  call 
Micaiah  seems  to  have  been  furnished  with 
a  secret  message  ;  and  tried  what  he  could 
do  at  tampering  with  the  prophet.  Hence 
it  appears  evident  that  Ahab  did  not  desire 
to  know  the  mind  of  God,  but  chose  delu- 
sion. Micaiali  came,  and  Ahab  thus  accost- 
ed him:  "Micaiah,  shall  we  go  against  Ra- 
moth-gilead to  battle  or  shall  we  forbear  ?  " 
Micaiah  answered  in  a  strain  of  irony  (which 
might  be  very  evident  from  his  tone  and 
manner  of  delivery)  "  Go  and  prosper.  The 
Lord  will  doubtless  deliver  it  into  the  hand 
of  the  king :  "  for  who  can  hesitate  on  the 
truth  of  that  which  has  the  testimony  of 
four  hundred  prophets  to  confirm  it? 

Ahab  felt  the  irony,  and  conjured  him  to 
be  serious.  Micaiah  then  assumed  another 
tone,  and  told  him  the  truth  without  reserve  ; 
and  which  amounted  to  nothing  less  than  that 
he  should  lose  his  life  in  the  battle.  Ahab, 
full  of  rancour,  appealed  to  Jehoshaphat, 
that  he  had  told  him  beforehand  what  would 
be  the  effect  of  sending  for  this  man. 
Micaiah,  like  a  man  of  God,  now  looked  the 
very  monarch  in  the  face,  and  said,  "  Hear 
the  word  of  the  Lord ! "  It  may  be  thought 
incredible  that  I  only  should  be  right,  and 
four  hundred  prophets  in  the  wrong:  I  will 
relate  a  vision  that  will  perfectly  account 
for  it : — 

I  beheld  the  Lord,  the  great  disposer  of 
all  events,  sitting  upon  his  throne,  surround- 
ed by  the  host  of  heaven.  Fully  acquainted 
with  the  whole  of  thy  ungodly  life,  and 
viewing  thee  as  ripe  for  destruction,  he  de- 
termined to  destroy  thee  :  and  seeing  that, 
in  this  instance,  thou  hast  preferred  flattery 
to  truth,  he  has  determined  to  destroy  thee 
by  means  of  flattery.  Know  then,  Ahab, 
that  hell  and  all  its  agents,  delusion  and  all 
its  instruments,  are  under  his  control :  they 
go  and  come  at  his  bidding.  That  spirit  to 
whom  thou  hast  sold  thyself  to  work  wicked- 
ness in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  now  desires 


thee  for  his  prey.  He  that  has  seduced  thee 
into  sin  now  asks  permission  of  God  to  de- 
ceive thy  prophets,  that  he  may  plunge  thee 
into  destruction ;  and  God  has  granted  him 
his  desire.  And  that  which  Satan  is  doing 
for  his  own  ends  God  will  do  for  his.  There 
is  as  much  of  the  judicial  hand  of  God  in  a 
lying  spirit  having  misled  thy  prophets,  as  of 
readiness  in  the  evil  one  to  entangle  and 
seize  thee  as  his  prey. 


THE    MYSTERY    OF    PROVIDENCE. 
Job  xii.  6 — 25. 

The  great  controversy  between  Job  and 
his  friends  respected  the  system  of  provi- 
dence. They  maintained  that  God  govern- 
ed the  world  upon  the  principle  of  minute 
retribution,  rendering  to  every  man  in  the 
present  life  according  to  his  works.  When, 
therefore,  great  calamities  befel  an  individ- 
ual, they  concluded  that  he  was  more  wick- 
ed than  other  men.  He,  on  the  contrary, 
maintained  that  the  system  of  providence 
proceeded  on  no  such  principles,  but  on  a 
large  scale,  full  of  inscrutable  wisdom ;  and 
that  good  and  evil  came  alike  to  men,  wheth- 
er they  were  righteous  or  wicked. 

In  proof  of  this,  he  appeals  to  the  follow- 
ing things  : — 

First:  The  success  which  often  attends 
the  worst  of  men,  even  in  the  worst  of  caus- 
es :  "  The  tabernacles  of  robbers  prosper, 
and  they  that  provoke  God  are  secure,  into 
whose  hand  God  bringeth  abundantly." 

Secondly :  The  large  proportion  which 
wicked  men  possess  of  the  earth  and  its 
productions :  "  But  ask  now  the  beasts,  and 
they  shall  teach  thee  ;  and  the  fowls  of  the 
air,  and  they  shall  tell  thee  ;  or  speak  to  the 
earth,  and  it  shall  teach  thee  ;  and  the  fishes 
of  the  sea  shall  declare  unto  thee."  As  if 
he  should  say,  Ask  them  to  whom  they 
belong.  Is  it  to  good  men  only,  or  chiefly  ? 
Is  it  for  the  righteous  few  that  the  animals 
breed,  or  the  productions  of  the  earth  vege- 
tate ?  Is  it  not  also,  yea  principally,  the 
proud  and  the  luxurious  ? 

Thirdly :  Adverse  providences  towards 
individuals  and  families,  which  are  dispensed 
alike  to  good  and  bad,  which  there  is  no 
withstanding,  and  from  which  there  is  no 
escaping:  "Behold,  he  breaketh  down,  and 
it  cannot  be  built  again :  he  shutteth  up  a 
man,  and  there  can  be  no  opening." 

Fourthly :  Public  calamities,  which  also 
come  alike  to  all ;  such  as  drought  and  con- 
sequent famine  at  one  time  ;  and  desolating 
inundations  at  another :  "  Behold,  he  with- 
holdeth  the  waters,  and  they  dry  up ;  also, 
he  sendeth  them  out,  and  they  overturn  the 
earth." 

Fifthly :  The  absolute  and  supreme  con- 
trol of  God  over  all  the  devices  and  intrigues 
of  men.     Instead  of  preserving  the  weak, 


THE    WISDOM    PROPER    TO    MAN. 


127 


and  punishing  the  mighty,  according  to  the 
minute  rules  of  retributive  justice,  he  in  this 
world  lays  his  mighty  hand  on  bcth,  and 
causes  each  to  subserve  his  infinitely  wise 
purposes  :  "  With  him  is  strength  and  wis- 
dom ;  the  deceived  and  the  deceiver  are 
his." 

Lastly  :  He  appeals  to  those  events  which 
agitate  the  world,  and  involve  the  overthrow 
of  nations  ;  in  which  calamities  come  alike 
to  all,  without  respect  to  character. 

It  is  a  very  atfecting  picture  which  is  here 
drawn,  from  the  17th  verse  to  the  end  of 
the  chapter,  of  the  overthrow  of  a  nation  by 
invasion.     It  is  described  as  follows  : — 

The  great  advisers  of  public  measures 
are  driven  from  their  seats,  and  the  adminis- 
trators of  government  are  like  men  beside 
themselves,  not  knowing  what  measures  to 
take  :  "  He  leadeth  c  lunsellors  away  spoiled, 
and  maketh  the  judges  fools." 

The  strong  band  of  power  which  kept  all 
orders  of  the  state  in  subjection  is  dissolved, 
and  the  sovereign  himself  becomes  bound 
with  the  cord  of  a  captive  :  "  He  looseth  the 
bond  of  kings,  and  girdeth  their  loins  with 
a  girdle." 

Governors  of  provinces  are  led  captive,  and 
the  commanders  of  armies  defeated  in  bat- 
tle :  "He  leadeth  princes  away  spoiled,  and 
overthroweth  the  mighty." 

The  patriotic  orator,  whose  eloquence  has 
so  often  charmed  a  nation,  and  whose  coun- 
cil has  been  frequently  resorted  to  in  a  peril- 
ous hour,  is  heard  no  more  ;  the  wisdom 
also  of  the  most  experienced  statesman  is 
nonplussed  :  "  He  removeth  away  the  speech 
of  the  trusty,  and  taketh  away  the  under- 
standing of  the  aged." 

The  most  illustrious  characters  are  strip- 
ped of  their  excellency,  and  those  whose 
words  made  nations  tremble,  having  lost 
their  influence,  are  become  weak  as  other 
men  :  "  He  poureth  contempt  upon  princes, 
and  weakeneth  the  strength  of  the  mighty.  " 

On  such  an  awful  occasion,  a  darkness 
supernatural  seems  to  have  burst  upon  the 
world  ;  as  though  the  shades  of  death  had 
found  their  way  from  beneath,  and  had  cov- 
ered the  face  of  the  earth,  so  that  men  are 
bewildered  and  lost  in  their  pursuits:  "He 
discovereth  deep  things  out  of  darkness, 
and  bringeth  out  to  light  the  shadow  of 
death." 

Such  an  event  has  an  influence  on  sur- 
rounding nations.  Like  a  mountain  sinking 
into  the  sea  and  agitating  the  waters,  it  puts 
every  thing  out  of  place.  Some  are  in- 
creased by  its  spoils,  others  ruined  by  its 
overthrow,  and  even  the  same  nation  is  by 
turns  both  sunk  and  raised,  contracted  and 
enlarged:  "He  increaseth  the  nations,  and 
destroyeth  them :  he  enlargeth  the  nations, 
and  straiteneth  them  again." 

Finally :  Those  great  characters  of  the 
land  who  have  escaped  the  hands  of   the 


conqueror,  yet,  having  lost  all  spirit  to  resist 
or  to  stand  their  ground,  betake  themselves 
to  flight.  Wandering  up  and  down  the 
world,  like  men  who  have  lost  their  way  in  a 
wilderness,  they  beccme  intoxicated  with 
grief  and  dismay,  and  knew  not  what  mea- 
sures to  take  to  retrieve  their  losses;  or, 
if  they  did,  have  no  resolution  to  pursue 
them:  "He  taketh  away  the  heart  of  the 
chief  of  the  people  of  the  earth,  and  causeth 
them  to  wander  in  a  wilderness  where  there 
is  no  way.  They  grope  in  the  dark  without 
light,  and  he  maketh  them  to  stagger  like  a 
drunken  man." 

O  my  soul!  can  I  meditate  on  such  a  ca- 
tastrophe without  feeling  for  ethers,  or  fear- 
ing for  my  native  country  ?  Yet,  if  such 
should  be  its  lot,  it  is  a  part  of  that  great 
system  of  providence  that  directs  all  human 
suffering,  and  will  ultimately  issue  in  the 
greatest  good.  Meanwhile,  "having receiv- 
ed a  kingdom  that  cannct  be  moved,"  may 
I  have  grace  that  I  may  serve  God  accepta- 
bly with  reverence  and  with  godly  fear. 


THE    WISDOM    PROPER    TO    MAN. 
Job  xxviii. 

In  the  warm  disputes  between  Job  and 
his  friends,  the  great  question  was,  Whether 
the  providence  of  God  towards  men,  in  a 
way  of  prosperity  or  adversity,  afforded  any 
criterion  of  character.  They  contended  it 
did  ;  and  therefore  concluded  from  the  sore 
calamities  which  had  befallen  him  that  he 
was  a  wicked  man.  He,  on  the  contrary, 
contended  that  it  did  net ;  and  that  there  is 
a  depth  in  God's  ways  which  surpasseth 
mortal  scrutiny.  Such  is  the  drift  of  his 
argument  all  through  this  chapter;  in  which 
he  allows  that  man  had  dug  deep,  but  con- 
tends that  it  was  not  deep  enough  for  this  : 
that  this  was  wisdom  peculiar  to  God,  and 
that  the  wisdom  which  was  proper  to  man 
was  of  another  description. 

Man,  he  allows,  had  found  out  many 
things ;  he  had  not  only  surveyed  all  that 
was  visible  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  but  had 
gone  into  the  bowels  of  it  in  search  of  hid- 
den treasures.  By  carrying  artificial  light 
into  the  mineral  regions,  he  had  in  a  manner 
contracted  the  reign  of  darkness.  Subter- 
ranean floods  had  yielded  to  his  control. 
Leaving  far  behind  him  that  part  of  his  spe- 
cies who  obtained  bread  by  cultivating  the 
surface,  he  had  descended  in  search  of  the 
sparkling  ore  and  the  brilliant  gems.  He 
had  trodden  a  path  unoccupied  by  either 
bird  or  beast.  By  applying  his  skill  to  the 
massy  rocks,  though  so  deep  as  to  form  as 
it  were  the  roots  of  mountains,  he  had  piece 
by  piece  fairly  overturned  them.  Being  in- 
commoded by  waters,  he  had  for  the  purpose 
of  drawing  them  off,  and  for  washing  away 


128 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


the  rubbish,  that  the  precious  objects  of  his 
pursuit  might  become  visible,  made  channels 
at  the  bottom  of  the  mine  like  livers  ;  and, 
lest  they  should  rise  and  overflow  him,  he 
had  contrived  by  the  use  of  machinery  to 
diminish  and  thereby  to  confine  them  with- 
in proper  bounds.  In  short,  by  his  skill  and 
perseverance  he  had  brought  forth  the  pre- 
cious articles  to  light.  See  him  walking 
upon  the  eartli  in  triumph !  Who  can  deny 
him  their  applause  ? 

After  all  these  deep  and  successful  re- 
searches, however,  one  question  remained 
unanswered — "Where  shall  wisdom  be 
found ;  and  where  is  the  place  of  under- 
standing ?  "  The  vein,  or  mine,  where  wis- 
dom grows,  was  yet  unexplored.  The 
depths  of  providence  were  still  beyond  hu- 
man reach.  Industry  could  not  discover  it, 
nor  all  its  precious  treasures  purchase  it ! 
You  may  search,  not  the  earth  only,  but  the 
ocean,  and  still  the  question  will  return, 
"  Whence  cometh  Avisdom ;  and  where  is  the 
place  of  understanding  ?"  It  is  hid  from 
the  eyes  of  all  living,  even  from  the  most 
soaring  minds.  Death  or  futurity  may  throw 
some  light  upon  it;  but  even  that  will  be 
partial.  A  perfect  comprehension  of  it  is 
the  prerogative  of  God  only.  He  only  who 
made  all  things  can  comprehend  his  own 
designs. 

There  is,  however,  a  species  of  wisdom 
within  the  province  of  man  ;  and  let  him 
attend  to  that  as  his  own  proper  concern. 
Unto  man  he  said,  "The  fear  of  the  Lord, 
that  is  wisdom  ;  and  to  depart  from  evil  is 
understanding." 

From  the  whole,  we  see  there  are  three 
species  of  wisdom : — The  first  is  the  wisdom 
of  this  world,  which  is  common  among 
men  ; — the  next  is  the  wisdom  peculiar  to 
God,  but  to  which  men  too  frequently  as- 
pire ; — and  the  last  is  the  wisdom  from 
above,  which  is  proper  to  man. 

With  respect  to  the  first,  there  is  much 
to  admire.  The  extent  to  which  human 
ingenuity  will  go,  in  accomplishing  worldly 
objects,  is  astonishing.  The  energies  here- 
in exerted  are  worthy  of  a  better  cause. 
What  self-denial,  what  resolution,  what  con- 
trivance, Avhat  application,  what  patience, 
what  perseverance  !  There  is  scarcely  a 
danger,  but  men  will  encouuter  it ;  or  a 
difficulty,  but  they  will  surmount  it.  That 
which  strength  cannot  effect  at  once,  art 
and  application  will  accomplish  by  degrees. 
But  alas !  the  prize  for  which  all  these  en- 
ergies are  exerted  is  perishing,  and  will 
shortly  be  of  no  account.  "  Where  then  is 
wisdom ;  and  where  is  the  place  of  under- 
standing ?  "     Surely  it  is  not  here  ! 

With  respect  to  the  second,  it  is  not  Job's 
friends  only  that  have  intruded  into  things 
which  they  have  not  seen.  "It  is  well," 
said  a  great  writer,  "  for  man  to  know  the 
length  of    his  tether."     Our  Saviour  was 


asked, "  Whether  there  were  few  that  should 
be  saved  ? "  But  he  refused  a  direct  an- 
swer ;  and  there  are  hundreds  of  questions 
started  in  divinity,  which,  I  believe,  Christ 
and  his  apostles  would  have  treated  in  the 
same  manner.  I  have  seen  attempts  to  as- 
certain how  God  exists  in  three  persons, — 
hoiv  divine  predestination  consists  with  hu- 
man agency  and  accountableness, — how  a 
pure  creature  came  to  entertain  the  idea  of 
casting  off  the  government  of  his  Creator ; 
and  many  other  things  of  the  kind :  but 
they  always  seemed  to  me  to  darken  coun- 
sel with  words  without  knowledge.  We 
find  the  solution  of  no  such  question  in  the 
word  of  God ;  and  we  find  Moses  warning 
the  Israelites  that  "  secret  things  belong  un- 
to the  Lord  our  God;  but  those  things 
which  are  revealed  belong  unto  us  and  to 
our  children  forever."  We  also  hear  David 
declaring,  "  Lord,  my  heart  is  not  haugh- 
ty, nor  mine  eyes  lofty ;  neither  do  I  exer- 
cise myself  in  great  matters,  or  in  things 
too  high  for  me.  Surely  I  have  behaved 
and  quieted  myself  as  a  child  that  is  weaned 
of  his  mother ;  my  soul  is  even  as  a  weaned 
child."  Let  vain  men  on  this  account  go  on 
to  speak  of  the  Scriptures  as  not  adapted  to 
"any  high  perfection  in  knowledge:" — let 
them  charge  the  sacred  writers,  and  even 
their  Lord  himself,  with  ignorance  ;  *  but 
let  not  serious  Christians  aim  to  be  wise 
above  what  is  written.  When  we  see  a 
writer  of  this  description  discussing  subjects 
too  high  for  him,  and  concerning  which  the 
Scriptures  are  silent,  however  we  may  re- 
spect his  character  or  his  talents,  we  must 
needs  say  to  him  as  Job  does  to  the  miner, 
"  Where  is  wisdom  ;  and  where  is  the  place 
of  understanding  ?  "  It  is  beyond  the  limits 
of  thy  researches. 

The  third  and  last  kind  of  wisdom  is  that 
which  is  proper  to  man.  "  Unto  man  he 
said,  The  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom  ; 
and  to  depart  from  evil  is  understanding."  It 
is  practical,  and  not  merely  speculative.  All 
speculative  knowledge  is  either  in  itself  in- 
jurious, or,  through  the  corruption  of  the 
human  heart,  dangerous  :  but  this  directly 
tends  to  humble,  and  so  to  profit  the  soul. 
The  very  words  are  of  a  humbling  nature  : 
it  is  the  language  of  a  wise  master  to  a 
weak  but  conceited  servant,  charging  him  to 
keep  to  that  employment  which  he  has  set 
him  about,  and  not  to  neglect  it  by  interfer- 
ing in  what  does  not  concern  him.  It  is 
language  that  abases  the  pride  of  science ; 
for  in  fearing  the  Lord,  and  departing  from 
evil,  the  unlearned  and  learned  stand  upon 
the  same  ground.  Science,  it  is  true,  is  in 
many  ways  friendly  to  religion  ;  but,  to  ren- 
der it  truly  profitable,  it  is  necessary  that, 
amidst  all  its   acquirements,  a  man  should 

*  Lindsey's  Apclogy,  Chap.  II.  Priestly  on 
Necessity,  p.  133. 


INWARD    WITNESS    OF    THE    SPIRIT. 


129 


"become  a  fool  that  he  may  be  wise."  Fi- 
nally :  the  language  implies  that  man  is  so 
sunk  and  entangled  in  evil  that  there  is  work 
enough  for  his  understanding,  during  the 
short  space  allotted  him  in  this  world,  to  de- 
part from  it.  Instead  of  perplexing  himself 
with  things  too  high  for  him,  let  him  ask, 
"  Wherewith  shall  a  young  man  cleanse  his 
way  ?  "  How  is  the  love  of  evil  to  be  con- 
quered ?  What  principle  is  that  which  will 
raise  my  soul  from  the  bondage  of  corruption  ? 
Where  is  the  good  way,  that  I  may  walk  in 
it,  and  find  rest  for  my  soul  ?  "  Here  is  wis- 
dom, and  here  is  the  place  of  understanding," 
at  least,  that  which  is  proper  to  man. 


INWARD    WITNESS      OF      THE      SPIRIT,      OR 
GOD    SPEAKING    PEACE     TO    HIS     PEOPLE. 

Psal.  lxxxv.  8,  xxxv.  3. 

The  meaning  of  these  passages  requires 
to  be  ascertained  from  the  context.  The 
former  appears  to  have  been  written  after 
the  captivity,  and,  on  account  of  the  Jews 
having  fallen  into  sad  declensions,  which 
had  brought  on  fresh  troubles.  In  the  fore- 
going part  of  the  Psalm,  the  writer  acknow- 
ledges God's  great  goodness  in  their  resto- 
ration ;  and  on  this  grounds  a  plea  that  he 
would  again  turn  them  from  their  sins,  and 
cause  his  anger  to  cease.  And  having  of- 
fered up  his  petition,  "  Show  us  thy  mercy, 

0  Lord,  and  grant  us  thy  salvation,"  he  sets 
himself  as  it  were  upon  his  watch-tower,  to 
receive  an  answer,  which  his  confidence  in 
the  divine  goodness  presumed  would  be  an 
answer  of  peace.  The  word  "  shalom,"  in 
the  Old  Testament,  commonly  signifies  pros- 
perity. This  was  the  object  for  which  he 
had  been  praying :  and  when  he  says,  "  God 
will  speak  peace  unto  his  people,"  he  means, 

1  take  it,  that  he  will  bestow  prosperity  upon 
them.  For  God  to  speak  peace  is  the  same 
thing  as  to  bestow  it ;  he  speaks,  and  it  is 
done  ;  he  commands  and  it  stands  fast. 

The  meaning  of  the  other  passage  is 
much  the  same.  It  is  a  prayer  of  David,  that 
God  would  save  him  from  his  enemies ;  as 
if  he  should  say,  Speak  but  the  word,  "  I  am 
thy  salvation,"  and  all  my  enemies  will  be 
disappointed. 

Concerning  believers  of  the  present  day, 
the  question  amounts  to  this :  In  what  form 
or  manner  does  God  communicate  peace  to  our 
minds,  and  the  knowledge  of  our  interest  in 
his  salvation  ? 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  true  Christians 
do  possess,  though  not  without  interruption, 
peace  of  mind,  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  a 
solid  well-grounded  persuasion  of  their  in- 
terest in  eternal  life :  and  some  have  repre- 
sented these  enjoyments  as  conveyed  to  the 
heart  by  immediate  revelation  from  heaven, 
or  by  the  suggestion  of  some  passage  of 
Scripture  to  the  mind,  the  import  of  which 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  17. 


seems  to  include  the  happy  intelligence. 
Suppose,  for  example,  a  person  to  be  under 
great  dejection  and  fear  respecting  his  in- 
terest in  Christ,  and  while  he  is  poring  over 
his  case  the  passage  above  alluded  to  is  sug- 
gested to  his  mind,  "  I  am  thy  salvation  ; " 
some  would  suppose  this  was  no  other  than 
the  voice  of  God  speaking  peace  to  his 
soul,  and  that  for  him  to  question  the  good- 
ness of  his  state  after  this  would  be  un- 
belief. 

If  this  be  God's  way  of  manifesting  him- 
self to  his  people,  then  revelation  is  not 
perfect ;  but  God  is  making  new  revelations, 
and  revelations  of  new  truths  continually  ; 
for  as  to  the  interest  that  any  individual  has 
in  spiritual  blessings,  be  it  ever  so  much  a 
truth,  it  is  nowhere  directly  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures  :  nor  is  there  any  possible  way 
of  proving  it  thence,  except  by  inference. 
There  is  not  a  passage  in  the  Bible  that 
says,  concerning  any  one  of  us,  "  I  am  thy 
salvation."  The  Scripture  speaks  only  of 
characters ;  and,  if  we  answer  to  these  char- 
acters, we  can  prove  that  the  things  pro- 
mised belong  to  us,  but  not  otherwise.  I 
own  that  I  consider  all  such  suggestions, 
wherein  it  is  not  the  truth  contained  in  the 
passage  itself,  but  a  presumption  of  its  be- 
ing immediately  sent  from  God  to  the  party, 
that  affords  the  comfort,  as  real  enthusiasm, 
and  as  destitute  of  all  foundation  in  the 
word  of  God.  I  do  not  deny  that  many 
godly  people  have  been  carried  away  by  such 
things  ;  but  I  have  seen  evils,  more  than  a 
few,  which  have  arisen  from  them. 

Those  persons  who  ground  their  evi- 
dences for  heaven  on  impressions  of  Scrip- 
ture on  their  minds  are  generally  favored, 
as  they  suppose,  with  many  other  revela- 
tions, besides  those  which  relate  to  their  in- 
terest in  eternal  life.  They  are  often  direct- 
ed as  to  present  duty,  and  informed  of  fu- 
ture events.  If  in  a  state  of  hesitation  as 
to  the  path  of  duty,  they  pray  to  the  Lord ; 
so  far  they  do  well.  But  in  addition  to  this, 
instead  of  inquiring  into  the  mind  of  God 
as  revealed  in  his  word,  they  expect  some 
immediate  suggestion  from  him.  And  if, 
while  they  are  thinking  of  the  conduct  in 
question,  such  a  passage  as  that  occur  to 
their  minds,  "This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in 
it,"  they  immediately  conclude  that  this  is  a 
direction  from  God  to  follow  that  particular 
course  which  at  the  time  occupied  the  mind, 
and  which  generally  if  not  always  proves  to 
be  the  course  to  which  their  hearts  were 
previously  inclined.  By  such  means  many 
have  been  deluded  into  great  errors,  to  the 
dishonor  of  God  and  the  ruin  of  their  future 
peace. 

By  the  same  means  others  have  been  led 
to  suppose  themselves  in  the  secret  of  God 
concerning  future  events.  They  have  been 
prayincr,  it  may  be,  for  the  conversion  of  a 
favorite  child,  and  some  such  passage  as  this 


130 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


has  been  suggested  to  their  minds,  "  I  will 
surely  have  mercy  upon  him,  saiththe  Lord." 
Hence  they  have  concluded  that  the  child 
would  some  time  be  converted  and  saved. 
And  this  their  confidence  has  been  commu- 
nicated till  the  child  himself  has  heard  of  it; 
and,  being  willing  to  catch  at  any  thing  that 
might  buoy  up  his  vain  hope,  he  has  pre- 
sumed upon  a  future  conversion  while  living 
in  a  course  of  sin.  At  length,  however, 
the  parent  has  witnessed  the  death  of  the 
child,  and  that  without  any  signs  of  a  change. 
The  consequence  has  been  despondency, 
and  calling  in  question  his  own  personal  re- 
ligion. If,  says  he,  this  promise  did  not 
come  from  God,  I  have  no  reason  to  think 
any  other  did  ;  and  so  all  may  be  delusion. 

This  is  not  the  worst.  Godly  persons  are 
not  the  only  characters  who  have  passages 
of  Scripture  impressed  upon  their  minds, 
and  that  "  with  power,"  as  it  is  often  termed. 
The  most  abandoned  sinners,  if  they  have 
been  used  to  read  and  hear  the  word  of 
God,  can  talk  of  such  things  as  these.  I 
have  seldom  known  persons  of  this  descrip- 
tion but  who  have  some  such  false  hope,  by 
which  they  quiet  their  minds  amidst  a  ca- 
reer of  iniquity.  Twenty  or  thirty  years 
ago,  they  will  tell  you,  they  were  under 
strong  convictions,  and  they  had  a  promise  ; 
and  have  ever  since  had  some  hope  that  they 
should  at  last  be  saved,  though  they  must 
confess  that  their  life  has  been  very  far  from 
what  it  should  have  been. 

But  the  question  will  again  be  asked,  In 
what  ivay  does  God  speak  peace  to  his  people, 
or  say  unto  a  soul,  I  am  thy  salvation  ? 

If  I  were  to  answer,  By  bestowing  gospel 
peace  upon  them,  or  enabling  them  to  dis- 
cern and  approve  the  gospel  way  of  salva- 
tion, it  would  be  a  just  application  of  the 
passages  where  these  expressions  are  found, 
and  would  accord  with  other  Scriptures. 
The  Lord  directs  poor  sinners,  saying, 
"  Ask  for  the  good  old  way,  and  walk  there- 
in, and  ye  shall  find  rest  for  your  souls." — 
Jer.  vi.  16.  Our  Lord  takes  up  this  lan- 
guage, and  applies  the  good  old  way  to  him- 
self, saying,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and 
learn  of  me,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  to  your 
souls."— Matt.  xi.  28,  29.  Thus  it  is  by  an 
approving  view  of  God's  way  of  salvation, 
such  a  view  as  leads  us  to  walk  in  it,  that 
we  may  obtain  peace :  and  thus  it  is  that  God 
speaks  peace  to  the  soul,  and  says,  "  I  am  thy 
salvation." 

It  is  very  indifferent  by  what  means  we 
are  brought  to  embrace  the  gospel  way  of 
salvation,  if  we  do  but  cordially  embrace  it. 
It  may  be  by  silent  reflection,  by  reading  or 
hearing  the  word,  or  by  some  suitable  part 
of  Scripture  occurring  to  the  mind,  by  means 
of  which  the  soul  is  led  to  see  its  lost  condi- 
tion and  the  only  door  of  hope  opened  by 


the  gospel.  There  is  such  a  harmony  in  di- 
vine truth  that  a  proper  view  qf  any  one 
branch  of  it  will  lead  on  to  a  discovery  of 
others  ;  and  such  a  connection  that  we  can- 
not cordially  approve  of  a  part,  but  that 
the  whole  will  follow.  And  no  sooner  is 
the  gospel  in  possession  of  the  heart  than 
joy  and  peace  will  ordinarily  accompany  it; 
for  if  we  behold  the  glory  of  God's  way  of 
saving  sinners,  and  approve  of  it,  we  must, 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  be  conscious  of  it ; 
and,  knowing  that  the  whole  tenor  of  the 
New  Testament  promises  eternal  life  to  be- 
lievers, we  cannot  but  conclude  ourselves 
interested  in  it.  Believing  on  the  Son  of 
God,  we  are  justified  ;  and,  being  thus  justi- 
fied, we  have  peace  with  God,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. — Rom.  v.  1. 


PASSAGES    IN     THE     BOOK     OF     PROVERBS. 

Chap.  xii.  1,  "Whoso  loveth  instruc- 
tion loveth  knowledge ;  but  he  that  hateth 
reproof  is  brutish." 

He  and  he  only  that  loves  the  means, 
loves  the  end.  The  means  of  knowledge 
are  "  instruction  "  in  what  is  right,  and  "  re- 
proof" for  what  is  wrong.  He  who  is  an 
enemy  to  either  of  these  means  is  an  enemy 
to  the  end :  and,  whatever  he  may  pretend 
to,  he  deserves  not  the  name  of  a  man,  but 
of  a  "  brute." 

Ver.  3,  "  A  man  shall  not  be  established 
by  wickedness ;  but  the  root  of  the  right- 
eous shall  not  be  moved." 

Men  are  apt  to  think  of  gaining  their  ends 
by  wicked  means,  but  they  shall  not  suc- 
ceed. In  the  end  their  building  shall  fall ; 
but  righteousness  will  stand  at  last,  when  all 
is  said  and  done. 

Ver.  5,  "  The  thoughts  of  the  righteous 
are  right ;  but  the  counsels  of  the  wicked  are 
deceit." 

A  righteous  man,  in  taking  counsel,  does 
not  merely  consult  what  will  be  for  his 
worldly  interest,  but  whether  the  thing  itself 
be  right  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man :  and 
as  to  those  who  never  take  this  into  consider- 
ation, though  they  think  they  have  advan- 
tage of  an  upright  man,  in  that  they  are  not 
scrupulously  confined  to  rule  as  he  is,  yet 
it  is  all  self-deception.  They  shall  either  be 
disappointed  of  their  ends,  or  disappointed 
in  them.  "  Do  they  not  err  that  devise  evil  ? 
But  mercy  and  truth  shall  be  to  them  that  de- 
vise good." — Ch.  xiv.  22. 

Chap.  xiii.  11,  "Wealth  gotten  by  vanity 
shall  be  diminished ;  but  he  that  gathereth 
by  labor  shall  increase." 

Lightly  come,  say  we,  lightly  go.  What 
is  ill-gotten  is  commonly  ill-spent.  Yea,  not 
only  wealth  obtained  by  injustice,  but  that 
also  which  is  obtained  by  mean  and  niggard- 
ly actions. 

Ver.  14,  "The  law  of  the  wise  is  a  foun- 


PASSAGES    IN    THE    BOOK    OF    PROVERBS. 


131 


tain  of  life,  to  depart  from  the   snares   of 
death." 

Place  a  wise  man  in  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, and  the  "law  "  he  enacts  will  not  be 
such  as  shall  be  grievous  to  the  people,  but, 
rather  such  as  shall  be  a  blessing  to  them, 
and  like  a  fence  to  guard  the  traveller  from 
falling  into  a  pit. 

Ver.  19,  "  The  desire  accomplished  is 
sweet  to  the  soul ;  but  it  is  abomination  to 
fools  to  depart  from  evil." 

The  accomplishment  of  desire  is  essential 
to  happiness  ;  this  is  only  to  be  expected  in 
the  way  of  righteousness :  but  it  is  abomina- 
tion to  fools  to  depart  from  evil. 

Chap.  xiv.  2,  "  He  that  walketh  in  his  up- 
rightness feareth  the  Lord :  but  he  that  is 
perverse  in  his  ways  despiseth  him." 

All  our  actions,  in  some  respects,  have 
God  for  their  object.  Real  uprightness  is 
fearing  God ;  and  perverseness,  by  dis- 
regarding his  authority,  is  a  contempt  of  God. 

Ver.  6,  "  A  scorner  seeketh  wisdom,  and 
findeth  it  not :  but  knowledge  is  easy  unto 
him  that  understandeth." 

The  state  and  disposition  of  the  heart  de- 
termine our  success  in  the  pursuit  of  truth. 
If  our  inquiries  be  influenced  by  a  spirit  of 
pride  and  self-sufficiency,  Ave  shall  stumble 
at  every  thing  we  meet  with:  but  he  who 
knows  his  own  weakness,  and  conducts  his 
inquiries  with  humility,  shall  find  knowledge 
easy  of  attainment.  "The  meek  will  he 
guide  in  judgment,  and  the  meek  will  he 
teach  his  way." — Psal.  xxv.  9. 

Ver.  7,  "  Go  from  the  presence  of  a  fool- 
ish man,  when  thou  perceivest  not  in  him 
the  lips  of  knowledge." 

Silence  is  the  best  answer  to  some  per- 
sons :  disputing  Avith  them  will  be  of  no  use. 

Ver.  23,  "  In  all  labor  there  is  profit :  but 
the  talk  of  the  lips  tendeth  only  to  penury." 

Tell  me  not  of  those  who  talk  most,  but  of 
those  who  do  most. 

Chap.  xxx.  24—28,  "  There  be  four  things 
which  are  little  upon  the  earth,  but  they  are 
exceeding  wise.  The  ants  are  a  people  not 
strong,  yet  they  prepare  their  meat  in  the 
summer  :  the  conies*  are  a  feeble  flock,  yet 
make  their  houses  in  rocks  :  the  locusts  have 
no  king,  yet  they  go  forth  all  of  them  by 
bands :  the  spider  taketh  hold  with  her 
hands,  and  is  in  kings'  palaces." 

Man  is  here  sent  to  four  of  the  most  di- 
minutive parts  of  the  creation,  to  learn  wis- 
dom from  their  instinctive  sagacity.  Each  of 
them  is  "  little,  but  exceeding  wise."  Vain 
man  would  be  wise,  but  it  cannot  be.  Ere 
he  can  be  wise,  he  must  become  a  fool. 
Man  is  naturally  more  diminutive  in  the  sight 
of  God  than  the  smallest  insect  can  be  in  our 
siorht ;  and  by  sin  has  rendered  himself  of 
little  account  indeed  in  a  moral  view. 
Child  of  man!     Know  thine  insignificance, 

*  The  word  by  some  is  rendered  mountain  mice. 


and  follow  the  example  of  these  little  crea- 
tures, who  are  placed  before  thee  to  furnish 
thee  with  instruction. 

Go  to  the  ants,  and  know  in  this  thy  day  the 
things  which  belong  to  thy  peace,  ere  they 
be  forever  hid  from  thine  eyes. 

Go  to  the  rabbits,  and  learn  to  trust  not  in 
thine  own  strength,  but  in  the  power  of  om- 
nipotent grace. 

Go  to  the  locusts,  which,  without  king  or 
commander,  preserve  the  strictest  order ; 
and  be  ashamed  that  the  best  laws,  human  or 
divine,  are  insufficient  to  prevent  thy  dis- 
cords, or  preserve  moral  order  in  the  world. 

Go  to  the  spider,  and  observe  the  slender 
curtains  by  which  she  is  surrounded.  Hail, 
rain,  or  wind,  would  sweep  them  all  away ; 
beasts  of  the  field  would  tread  them  under 
foot ;  birds  of  the  air  would  seize  the  inhab- 
itant for  their  prey.  But  she  avails  herself 
of  the  abodes  of  the  lord  of  the  creation 
for  a  shelter,  and  even  of  the  sumptuous 
buildings  of  the  most  exalted  characters. 
Learn  hence,  feeble  and  despicable  as  thou 
art,  to  trust  for  safety  where  alone  it  can  be 
found;  aspire  to  the  heaven  of  heavens,  and 
lay  hold  of  eternal  life. 


MEDIOCRITY    IN    WISDOM    AND    VIRTUE    SAT- 
IRIZED. 

Eccles.  vii.  15 — 19. 

There  have  been  various  opinions  on  the 
advice  of  the  wise  man,  "  Be  not  righteous 
overmuch,"  &c.  Great  numbers  have  pro- 
duced it  with  a  view  to  censure  religious 
zeal,  and  in  favor  of  a  spirit  of  indifference. 
Others,  who  would  abhor  such  an  abuse  of 
it,  have  yet  thouo-ht  it  directed  against  in- 
temperate zeal.  Others  have  thought  right- 
eousness and  wisdom  here  to  mean  a  spirit  of 
self -righteousness,  and  a  being  ivise  in  our 
oivn  eyes.  Others  have  thought  the  verses 
to  be  a  caution  against  presumption  on  the 
one  hand  and  despair  on  the  other.  And  some 
have  considered  the  whole  book  as  a  dialogue 
between  a  libertine  and  a  moral  philosopher ; 
and  that  the  above  passage  is  the  language  of 
the  former.  It  is  not  my  design  to  find  fault 
with  any  .except  the  first ;  though  I  ac- 
knowledge they  have  none  of  them  afforded 
me  satisfaction.  The  following  paraphrase 
is  submitted  to  the  judgment  of  the  intelli- 
gent reader. 

Suppose  Solomon  to  be  addressing  himself 
to  a  young  man,  which  he  frequently  does, 
under  the  character  of  a  son,  not  only  in  the 
Proverbs,  but  in  this  book  also. — Chap.  xi. 
9  ;  xii.  1,  12.  And  suppose  verges  16  and 
17  to  be  an  irony,  or  a  cutt'iiiT1  sarcas  n  upon 
the  unrighteous  and  foolish  tnH  of  .  ,e 
world. 

Ver.  15,  "  All  things  have  I  seen  in  the 
days  of  my  vanity :  there  is  a  just  man  that 


132 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


perisheth  in  his  righteousness,  and  there  is  a 
wicked  man  that  prolongeth  his  life  in  his 
wickedness." 

I  have  lived  to  see  many  strange  things  in 
my  life  time  ;  things  that  have  made  me  lose 
all  liking  to  the  present  state.  I  have 
seen  uprightness,  instead  of  promoting  a 
man  in  the  esteem  of  those  about  him, 
only  serve  to  bring  him  to  ruin.  I  have  also 
seen  wickedness,  instead  of  exposing  a  man 
to  the  loss  of  life  or  estate,  often  go  unpun- 
ished, yea,  and  even  be  the  means  of  his  pro- 
motion. 

Ver  16,  "  Be  not  righteous  overmuch,nei- 
ther  make  thyself  over- wise  :  why  shouldest 
thou  destroy  thyself  ?  " 

My  son,  if  you  wish  to  go  through  the 
world  with  applause,  hearken  to  me.  You 
must  not  be  very  righteous,  I  assure  you ! 
nor  yet  very  uise.  A  man  whose  con- 
science will  stick  at  nothing  will  get  promot- 
ed before  you ;  and  a  vain,  confident  fool 
will  gain  the  popular  applause,  while  you, 
with  your  sterling  but  modest  wisdom,  will 
be  utterly  neglected.  Be  not  overmuch 
wise  nor  righteous,  my  son :  why  should  you 
ruin  yourself? 

Ver.  17,  "Be  not  overmuch  wicked; 
neither  be  thou  foolish  :  why  shouldest  thou 
die  before  thy  time  ?" 

Only  take  care  you  be  not  too  much  wick- 
ed ;  for,  however  mankind  are  averse  to  ten- 
derness of  conscience,  they  do  not  like  an 
arrant  villain.  If  you  play  too  much  at  that 
game,  you  may  lose  your  life  by  it.  Neither 
must  you  be  too  much  of  a,  fool ;  for  how- 
ever mankind  are  not  fond  of  sterling  wis- 
dom, yet  barefaced  folly  will  not  always  go 
down  with  them;  if  you  would  please  the 
world,  and  get  honor  among  the  generality 
of  men,  you  must  be  neither  a  sterling  wise 
man  nor  a  stark  fool. 

As  it  is  the  distinguishing  mark  of  an 
irony  to  close  seriously,  and  as  such  a  close 
gives  it  its  edge  and  force,  (See  1  Kings 
xxii,  15,  17 ;  Eccles.  xi.  9  ;)  so  now  it  is 
supposed  the  irony  ends,  and  the  serious 
style  is  resumed. 

Ver.  18,  "It  is  good  that  thou  shouldest 
take  hold  of  this  ;  yea,  also  from  this  with- 
draw not  thine  hand :  for  he  that  feareth 
God  shall  come  forth  of  them  all." 

As  if  he  should  say,  But  hearken,  my  son  ; 
another  word  before  we  part.  Notice  what 
I  say  to  you,  and  abide  by  it.  Let  the 
world  say  what  they  will,  and  let  things  go 
as  they  may  in  the  world,  righteousness  and 
wisdom  shall  be  found  best  at  last ;  and  he 
that  feareth  God  will  not  dare  to  sacrifice 
these  excellences  to  obtain  a  few  tempora- 
ry honors  :  he  will  sooner  live  and  die  in  ob- 
scurity. 

Ver.  19,  "Wisdom  strengthened  the 
wise,  more  than  ten  mighty  men  which  are 
in  the  city." 

A  consciousness  of  his  being  in  the  right, 


too,  will  wonderfully  sustain  his  mind  ;  far 
more  than  any  popular  applause  could  do,  or 
even  the  rewards  and  honours  of  the  great. 

If  the  above  be  the  sense  of  the  passage, 
then,  it  may  be  observed,  how  foreign  as 
well  as  foolish  is  that  sense  which  some  have 
put  upon  it,  as  if  it  were  intended  to  recom- 
mend a  kind  of  mediocrity  of  virtue  and  vice; 
whereas  this  is  the  very  thing  intended  to 
be  satirized !  A  sensualist  might  as  well 
plead  for  his  practices  from  chapter  xi.  9, 
"Rejoice  O  young  man  in  thy  youth,"  &c, 
as  a  lukewarm  professor  use  this  passage  to 
plead  for  his  indifference. 

THE   ZEAL   OF   THE   LORD   OF   HOSTS 
PLEDGED   FOR   THE   FULFILMENT   OF 


PROFHECY. 


Isaiah  ix.  7. 


Prophecy  is  with  great  propriety  called 
"  a  light  that  shineth  in  a  dark  place." 
There  is  not  only  a  general  darkness  at- 
tending the  present  state,  under  which  the 
light  of  revelation  is  as  a  lamp  to  our  feet ; 
but  a  more  particular  one  with  respect  to  the 
events  of  futurity,  into  which  the  light  of 
prophecy,  and  that  only,  can  penetrate.  We 
are  not  to  indulge  an  idle  curiosity  to  pry 
into  things  which  God  hath  been  pleased  to 
conceal ;  but  neither  ought  we  to  neglect 
those  things  which  are  not  concealed,  but 
rather  to  search  them  out.  To  the  "  sure 
word  of  prophecy  we  do  well  to  take  heed." 

The  context  contains  a  glorious  predic- 
tion of  the  coming  and  kingdom  of  the 
Messiah,  a  part  of  which  we  have  already 
seen  accomplished.  We  can  now  say  in  the 
language  of  history,  what  was  then  said  only 
in  the  language  of  prophecy, "  Unto  us  a  child 
is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given."  We  have 
seen  the  "  government  upon  his  shoulders," 
and  acknowledged  him  under  all  those  ex- 
pressive names  by  which  he  is  there  describ- 
ed, "  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  Mighty  God, 
Everlasting  Father,  Prince  of  Peace." — 
There  is  one  part  of  the  prophecy,  however, 
which  yet  remains  to  be  fulfilled,  and  an  im- 
portant part  too  ;  so  important  as  to  interest 
the  very  heart  of  God.  If  LowtJCs  version 
be  just,  uthe  greaves  of  the  armed  ivarrior, 
and  the  garment  rolled  in  much  blood,  shall  be 
for  a  burning,  even  fuel  for  the  fire,  "  (and 
it  certainly  agrees  with  what  follows  of  the 
government  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,)  this 
remains  at  present  to  be  accomplished.  Nor 
is  this  all :  there  is  an  increase  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Messiah  which  has  not  yet 
been  carried  to  its  full  extent.  We  have 
seen  him  sitting  upon  the  throne  of  David, 
and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to 
establish  it,  with  judgment  and  with  justice  ; 
but  we  have  not  yet  seen  judgment  sent 
forth  unto  victory.  Christ  has  yet  to  con- 
quer a  large  portion  of  heathen  superstition, 


FULFILMENT    OF    PROPfLECY. 


133 


Mahomedan    delusion,    Popish    corruption, 
Jewish  obstinacy,  and  Deistical  malignity. 

But  it  is  not  my  design  to  insist  so  mucli 
on  the  specific  objects  of  prophecy,  as  on 
the  ground  of  assurance  that  we  possess  of 
its  being  accomplished ;  much  has  already 
come  to  pass,  and  the  zeal  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts  is  pledged  for  the  fulfilment  of  what 
remains. 

Zeal,  as  it  respects  the  disposition  of 
creatures,  is  an  ai-dent  affection  of  the  mind. 
It  comes  from  a  word  that  signifies  to  burn. 
But  this  does  not  sufficiently  distinguish  it 
from  other  affections  ;  for  the  same  may  be 
said  of  love  and  anger.  Among  other  things, 
it  is  distinguished  from  these  affections  by 
its  object.  Love  and  anger  commonly  ter- 
minate on  persons ;  but  zeal  on  a  thing  or 
things.  Zeal  is  that  ardor  of  mind  which 
prompts  us  to  pursue  a  course  or  undertak- 
ing with  earnestness  and  perseverance,,  and 
to  encounter  every  difficulty  that  may  stand 
in  the  way  of  attaining  our  object.  To  ren- 
der it  justifiable,  it  requires  that  the  object 
be  good  ;  that  it  be  a  good  proportioned  in 
magnitude  to  the  effort ;  and  that  it  be  itself 
not  a  mere  momentary  passion,  but  an  abid- 
ing principle.  Each  of  these  ideas  is  in- 
cluded in  the  words  of  the  apostle  to  the 
Galatians,  "It  is  good  to  be  zealously  affect- 
ed always  in  a  good  thing  :  "  and  each  will 
apply  to  the  zeal  of  God,  as  well  as  to  that 
of  creatures. 

It  may  be  questioned  by  some  whether 
zeal  is  properly  applied  to  the  Divine  Being, 
any  more  than  anger  and  repentance.  The 
reason  why  the  latter,  when  applied  to  God, 
are  interpreted  figuratively,  is,  if  I  mistake 
not,  that  taken  in  their  literal  sense  they,  in 
their  own  nature,  imply  imperfection  ;  but  I 
know  not  that  this  can  be  said  of  zeal,  any 
mere  than  of  love ;  and  we  are  certainly  not 
to  conceive  of  God  as  void  of  pleasure  or 
displeasure,  or  imagine  that  he  is  uncon- 
cerned with  the  affairs  of  his  creatures. 
We  might  as  well  deprive  him  of  existence 
as  reduce  him  to  a  stock.  We  have  the  full- 
est evidence  that  his  heart  is  deeply  and  in- 
variably interested  in  his  own  cause  ;  and  it 
is  fit  it  should  ;  it  is  a  cause  which  embraces 
every  thing  great  and  good,  and  therefore 
worthy  of  it. 

The  strength  of  zeal  is  estimated  by  the 
degree  of  attention  which  it  excites.  Where 
we  see  the  thoughts  absorbed  in  an  object, 
the  mind  rejoicing  in  the  contemplation  of  it, 
and  other  things  pursued  only  in  subservien- 
cy to  it,  we  ascribe  great  zeal  to  the  party. 
And  thus  it  is,  or  nearly  thus,  that  the  Scrip- 
tures represent  the  Divine  Being  as  engaged 
in  the  establishment  of  his  own  cause.  It 
occupied  his  thoughts  before  the  worlds 
were  made.  His  infinite  wisdom  was  ex- 
ercised concerning  it;  "rejoicing  in  the 
habitable  part  of  the  earth  ;  and  its  delights 
were  with  the  sons  of  men."     All  his  other 


works  have  been  pursued  in  subserviency  to 
this.  The  work  to  be  accomplished  by 
Christ  is  that  great  work  to  which  all  others 
are  preparatory  ;  for  all  things  were  created 
not  only  by  him,  but  for  him. 

The  strength  of  zeal  is  estimated  also  by 
the  efforts  used  and  the  expense  bestowed  in 
carrying  it  into  execution.  It  was  the  plea- 
sure of  God  to  exert  his  power  to  the  utter- 
most at  any  period,  but  to  accomplish  his 
designs  by  slow  degrees,  that  creatures  at 
every  step  might  perceive  and  admire  ;  yet, 
from  the  day  that  war  was  first  declared 
against  the  kingdom  of  Satan,  never  did  he 
lose  sight  of  his  grand  object,  which  was  to 
establish  another  kingdom  upon  its  ruins,  or, 
as  the  Scriptures  express  it,  "  to  send  forth 
judgment  unto  victory."  For  this  he  called 
Abraham,  blessed  and  increased  him,  watch- 
ed over  his  posterity,  and  made  of  them  a 
great  nation  ; — for  this  they  were  brought 
out  of  Egypt  with  a  high  hand,  preserved  in 
the  wilderness,  planted  in  Canaan,  and  every 
nation  punished  that  set  themselves  to  op- 
pose them  ; — for  this  Jehovah  condescended 
to  become  their  legislator,  gave  them  a  body 
of  laws,  set  up,his  worship  amongst  them,  pre- 
served them  amidst  the  hatred  of  surrounding 
nations,  and  raised  up  his  servants  the  proph- 
ets to  bear  testimony  in  their  day,  and  to 
commit  to  writing  the  lively  oracles  of  truth. 
If  God  interpose  by  a  series  of  miracles,  we 
may  be  assured  it  is  for  some  great  object, 
and  something  that  lies  near  his  heart.  He 
would  not  turn  the  established  laws  of  na- 
ture out  of  their  course,  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  little  things.  If  the  great  exertions 
of  Divine  power  in  Egypt,  in  the  wilderness, 
and  through  the  wrhole  history  of  Israel,  had 
terminated  in  the  events  of  those  times, — if 
the  Divine  Being  had  no  other  object  in  view 
than  taking  part  with  one  nation  against  a 
number  of  others, — we  might  well  be  sur- 
prised, and  almost  question,  as  some  on  this 
account  have  done,  whether  the  religion  of 
the  Old  Testament  was  a  religion  worthy  of 
God.  But  if  those  divine  interpositions,  un- 
important as  some  of  their  events,  unconnec- 
ted with  other  things,  may  appear,  were  so 
many  parts  of  one  great  design,  they  were 
worthy  of  him  who  is  great  in  council  and 
mighty  in  working. 

We  have  no  reason  to  think  the  Divine 
Being  would  have  made  such  sacrifices,  as  of 
Egypt,  and  the  seven  nations  of  Canaan, 
wicked  as  they  were,  but  for  the  sake  of 
some  greater  good  that  should  result  from  it. 
To  them  it  was  a  just  punishment  for  their 
iniquity:  but  to  the  world,  in  its  succeeding 
generations,  as  well  as  to  Israel,  it  was  a 
proceeding  full  of  wisdom  and  mercy,  and, 
while  we  speak  of  the  efforts  and  sacrifices 
which  the  Lord  hath  made  in  carrying  this 
great  cause  into  execution,  the  labors  and 
sufferings  of  his  servants  must  come  into  ac- 
count.    Their  tears  have  not  escaped  his 


134 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


notice,  and  their  blood  has  been  precious  in 
his  sight;  nor  would  he  have  suffered  mil- 
lions of  them  to  have  fallen  in  a  contest  the 
issue  of  which  would  not  more  than  make 
amends  for  all.  But  why  do  I  speak  of  the 
sacrifice  of  nations,  or  of  the  blood  of  mar- 
tyrs? He  hath  given  his  only  begotten 
Son,  and  given  him  to  be  made  a  sacrifice. 
For  this  purpose  was  the  Son  of  God  mani- 
fested, that  he  might  destroy  the  works  of 
the  devil. 

Now  if  such  has  been  the  zeal  of  Jeho- 
vah's mind  in  the  fulfilment  of  this  great 
cause  :  if  it  has  occupied  his  thoughts  before 
the  worlds  were  made — if  he  rejoiced  in  the 
contemplation  of  its  issue — if  all  his  other 
works  were  pursued  in  subserviency  to  it — 
and  if  the  greatest  sacrifices  have  been  made 
to  accomplish  it — may  we  not  hence  form  a 
judgment  of  the  force  of  that  sacred  pledge 
that  is  given  us  for  every  part  of  it  being  in 
due  time  carried  into  execution  ? 

The  zeal  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  under 
whose  banner  we  fight,  ought,  undoubtedly, 
to  stimulate  ours.  It  is  the  distinguishing 
character  of  a  Christian  to  be  of  one  heart 
with  God  and  with  Christ:  this  was  the  ob- 
ject of  our  Saviour's  intercessory  prayer, 
that  we  all  might  be  one.  If  he,  who  in 
righteousness  doth  judge  and  make  war,  is  de- 
scribed as  riding  on  a  white  horse,  the  armies 
of  heaven  must  also  follow  him  upon  white 
horses.  Can  we  conceive  of  any  encourage- 
ment to  christian  activity  equal  to  this  ?  The 
zeal  of  prophets,  apostles,  and  martyrs  ani- 
mates us:  the  efforts  to  spread  the  Gospel 
among  all  denominations  of  serious  Chris- 
tians provoke  us ;  and  the  disinterested  love 
of  those  who  have  left  all  to  bear  the  name  of 
Christ  amongst  the  heathen  excites  in  us  a 
lively  hope  that  some  good  fruits  will  follow  ; 
but  what  is  all  this  to  the  zeal  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts  ?  The  great  cause  in  which  we  are 
engaged  lies  nearer  his  heart,  than  ours. 
Our  Tittle  fires  were  kindled  at  his  altar,  and 
are  fed  by  him  continually.  We  are  damp- 
ed by  difficulties  and  dismayed  by  repeated 
disappointments,  but  he  is  not  dismayed. 
What  are  Hindoo  castes,  Otaheitan  volup- 
tuousness, African  barbarism,  Popish  preju- 
dice, Jewish  obstinacy,  or  Deistical  malig- 
nity ?  Who  will  set  the  briars  and  thorns 
against  him  in  the  day  of  battle  !  He  will 
go  through  them ;  he  will  burn  them  up  to- 
gether. 

Finally  :  It  is  a  truth  that  ought  to  sink 
deep  into  our  hearts,  that  though  God  is 
pleased  to  honor  us  with  being  instruments 
in  promoting  his  cause  in  the  world,  yet  it  is 
not  because  he  stands  in  need  of  us.  His 
cause  will  go  on  whether  we  help  or  hinder. 
If  we  are  wicked,  we  may  perish  in  our 
wickedness,  but  we  cannot  impede  his  de- 
signs. If  through  Aveakness,  fickleness,  or 
unbelief,  we  go  not  up  to  possess  the  land  ; 
if  missionary  societies  fail  in  their  undertak- 


ings, and  missionaries  themselves  be  dis- 
couraged through  want  of  success  ;  the  work 
will  nevertheless  go  on.  Deliverance  will 
arise.  When  our  carcasses  are  dead  in  the 
wilderness,  our  children  will  renew  the  con- 
test and  succeed.  The  promise  of  Jehovah 
is  pledged.  The  sacrifice  of  his  Son  will  be 
rewarded.  The  souls  under  the  altar  will 
be  heard. 

THE  BURDEN  OF    DUMAH. 

Isa.  xxi.  11—12. 

In  offering  an  exposition  of  a  difficult  pas- 
sage of  Scripture,  which  has  so  much  divided 
interpreters,  it  doubtless  becomes  us  to  be 
diffident ;  yet  I  hope  no  apology  need  be 
made  for  attempts  to  elucidate  any  part  of 
the  sacred  oracles. 

There  are  three  distinct  prophecies  in  this 
chapter,  and  they  are  all  termed  burdens,  as 
containing  heavy  judgments.  The  first  re- 
spects Babylon,  called  "  the  desert  of  the 
sea,"  whose  overthrow  by  the  Medes  and 
Persians  is  predicted  in  the  first  ten  verses ; 
the  next  Dumah,  Idumea,  or  Edom,  inhabit- 
ing mount  Seir ;  and  the  last  Arabia. 

The  fall  of  Babylon  by  the  Medes  and 
Persians  is  announced  under  the  form  of  a 
ivatchman  stationed  to  discover  approaching 
objects,  with  orders  to  declare  what  he  saw, 
ver.  6 — 9.  It  was  an  event  peculiarly  inter- 
esting to  Judah.  Babylon  was  the  floor  on 
which  Judah  was  to  be  threshed,  till  the  ref- 
use should  be  separated  from  the  grain. 
The  event  which  destroyed  the  one  deliver- 
ed the  other.  It  was  on  account  of  this  in- 
terest which  the  people  of  God  had  in  the 
fall  of  this  oppressive  city  that  the  Scriptures 
deign  to  notice  it,  as  is  intimated  in  that 
pathetic  address  in  ver.  10,  "  O  my  threshing, 
and  the  corn  of  my  floor:  that  which  I  have 
heard  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Isra- 
el, have  I  declared  unto  you." 

The  fall  of  Babylon  was  interesting  to 
other  nations  as  well  as  Judah ;  particularly 
to  the  Idumeans  or  Edomites,  who  were  re- 
duced to  servitude  by  its  arms  within  a  few 
years  after  the  taking  of  Jerusalem.  Now, 
seeing  that  Judah  had  received  a  favorable 
report,  Edom  must  needs  inquire  of  the 
watchman  (like  Pharaoh's  baker  of  Joseph, 
after  he  had  announced  good  tidings  to  the 
butler)  whether  there  were  nothing  equally 
favorable  for  them.  The  answer  is  nothing  ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  the  lot  of  Judah's  ene- 
mies, "  a  burden." 

The  revolution  would  indeed,  for  a  time, 
excite  the  joy  of  the  conquered  nations :  all 
the  trees  of  the  forest  would  triumph  on 
that  occasion ;  saying  to  Babylon,  "  Since 
thou  art  fallen,  no  feller  is  come  up  against 
us : "  but  the  Edomites  should  meet  with  a 
disappointment.  To  them  a  change  of 
government  should  be  only  a  change  of 
masters.    The  fair  morning  of  their  hopes 


APPLICATION    OF    ABSOLUTE    PROMISES. 


135 


should  issue  in  a  long  and  dark  night  of  des- 
pondency. In  the  day  of  Babylon's  fall, 
according-  to  the  prayer  of  the  captives,  when 
every  prisoner  was  lifting  up  his  head  in 
hope,  Edom  was  remembered,  as  excepted 
from  an  act  of  grace,  on  account  of  his  sin- 
gular atrocities. — Psa.  cxxxvii.  7 — 9. 

The  Edomites  were  very  impatient  under 
the  Babylonish  yoke,  and  very  importunate  in 
their  inquiries  after  deliverance  ;  reiterating 
the  question,  "  What  of  the  night  ?  watch- 
man, what  of  the  night?  "  When  will  this 
dark  and  long  captivity  be  ended  ?  And, 
now  that  their  hopes  are  repulsed  by  the 
watchman's  answer,  they  are  exceedingly 
unwilling  to  relinquish  them.  Loth  to  de- 
part with  an  answer  so  ungrateful,  they  lin- 
ger, and  inquire  again  and  again,  in  hopes 
that  the  sentence  may  be  reversed.  But 
they  are  told  that  all  their  lingering  is  in 
vain.  "  If  ye  will  inquire,  inquire  ye,  re- 
turn, come  "  again  ;  yet  shall  your  answer 
be  the  same. 

And  what  was  the  crime  of  the  Edomites 
that  should  draw  down  upon  them  this  heavy 
burden,  this  irresistible  doom  ?  Their  in- 
veterate hatred  of  the  people  of  God.  "  For 
thy  violence  against  thy  brother  Jacob, 
shame  shall  cover  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be 
cut  off  forever." — Obad.  x.  Perhaps  there 
was  no  nation  whose  treatment  of  Israel 
was  so  invariably  spiteful,  and  whose  enmity 
was  accompanied  with  such  aggravating  cir- 
cumstances. They  were  descended  from 
Abraham  and  Isaac,  and  were  treated  by  Is- 
rael, at  the  time  they  came  out  of  Egypt,  as 
brethren;  but  as  then  they  returned  evil  for 
good  (Numb.  xx.  14 — 21,)  so  it  was  ever  af- 
terwards. Their  conduct,  on  the  melancho- 
ly occasion  of  Jerusalem's  being  taken  by 
the  Chaldeans,  was  infamous  beyond  every 
thing.  They  rejoiced  in  it,  joined  the  plun- 
derers, insulted  their  afflicted  brethren,  and 
stood  in  the  cross  ways  to  cut  off,  or  deliver 
up,  those  of  them  that  had  escaped. — Obad. 
10—16. 

The  passage  affords  a  tremendous  les- 
son to  ungodly  sinners,  and  especially  to 
those  who,  having  descended  from  pious  pa- 
rents, and  possessed  religious  advantages, 
are,  notwithstanding,  distinguished  by  their 
enmity  to  true  religion.  The  situation  of 
the  Edomites  rendered  it  impossible  for  them 
to  be  so  ignorant  as  other  heathen  nations 
of  the  God  of  Israel ;  and  their  hatred  ap- 
pears to  have  been  proportioned  to  their 
knowledge.  Such  is  the  character  of  great 
numbers  in  the  religious  world.  They  have 
both  seen  and  hated  the  truth.  The  conse- 
quence will  be,  if  grace  prevent  not,  they 
will  flatter  themselves  a  while  with  vain 
hopes  ;  but,  ere  they  are  aware,  their  morning 
will  be  changed  into  endless  night. 

Edom  Avas  once  addressed  in  the  language 
of  kindness  and  brotherly  affection;  but, 
having  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  this,  all  their 


inquiries  after  deliverance  are  now  utterly 
disregarded.  Such  will  be  the  end  of  sin- 
ners. "When  once  the  judge  hath  risen 
up,  and  shut  the  door,  they  may  begin  to 
knock,  may  inquire  and  return,  and  come 
again,  but  all  will  be  vain :  a  night  of  ever- 
during  darkness  must  be  their  portion. 

The  passage  also,  taken  in  its  connec- 
tion, holds  up  to  us  the  different  situation 
of  the  friends  and  enemies  of  God  under  pub- 
lic calamities.  It  is  natural  in  such  seasons 
for  all  to  inquire,  "  What  of  the  night  ? 
watchman,  what  of  the  night?  Each  also 
may  experience  a  portion  of  successive  light 
and  darkness  in  his  lot.  But  the  grand  dif- 
ference lies  in  what  shall  be  the  issue  of 
things.  God's  people  were  threshed  on  the 
floor  of  Babylon  ;  and,  when  purified,  were 
presently  restored.  To  them  there  arose 
light  in  darkness.  Weeping  continued  for  a 
night,  but  joy  came  in  the  morning.  Not  so 
with  Edom  :  their  night  came  last.  Such 
will  be  the  portion  of  God's  enemies :  they 
may  wish  for  changes,  in  hope  of  their  cir- 
cumstances being  bettered  ;  but  the  princi- 
pal thing  wanting  is  a  change  in  themselves. 
While  strangers  to  this,  the  oracles  of  heav- 
en prophecy  no  good  concerning  them.  A 
morning  may  come  ;  but  the  night  cometh 
also. 

APPLICATION  OF  ABSOLUTE  PROMISES. 
Such  as  Isa.  xliii.  25. 

The  sense  of  this  passage,  like  most  oth- 
ers, requires  to  be  ascertained  from  the  con- 
text. God  is  addressing  Jacob,  or  Israel,  as  a 
nation,  and  reminding  them  of  their  great 
depravity :  whence  he  asserts  that  all  the 
mercy  exercised  towards  them  must  be  free 
or  unmerited.  God  often  spared  them  as  a 
nation,  when  he  might  utterly  have  destroyed 
them,  and  must  have  done  so  had  he  dealt  with 
them  according  to  their  sins  ;  and  his  thus  re- 
mitting the  punishment  of  their  iniquity  was 
a  kind  of  national  pardon. — Numb.  xiv.  19, 
20.  Such  a  pardon  Avas  bestowed  of  God, 
for  his  "  own  name's  sake  ; "  or,  as  he  often 
reminds  them,  out  of  regard  to  the  covenant 
which  he  had  made  .with  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob  ;  and  was  extended  equally  to  the 
godly  and  ungodly  among  them.  To  fulfil 
the  promise  which  he  had  made  to  the  patri- 
archs, of  preserving  their  posterity  in  being 
as  a  nation,  till  Shiloh  the  Messiah  should 
come,  it  was  necessary  that  many  such  na- 
tional remissions  should  be  bestowed;  though 
multitudes  among  them  were  uninterested 
in  such  a  pardon  as  is  connected  with  eternal 
life. 

If  the  forementioned  passage  include  any 
thing  more  than  the  above,  if  it  comprehend 
such  a  forgiveness  of  sins  as  implies  the  spe- 
cial favor  of  God,  it  could  belong  to  none 
but  the  godly  among  them.  The  truth 
taught  in  the  passage  will  doubtless  apply 


136 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


to  them,  and  to  all  other  godly  persons  ; 
namely,  that  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins  is 
wholly  owing  to  the  free  grace  of  God.  It 
is  not  for  any  thing  in  us,  but  for  his  own 
name's  sake,  that  he  saveth  and  calleth  us, 
forgiveth  and  accepteth  us.  As  to  naming 
this  an  "  absolute  promise,"  all  promises  of 
spiritual  blessings  are  in  this  sense  absolute, 
though  made  to  characters  of  a  certain  de- 
scription ;  yet  it  is  not  on  account  of  any 
goodness  in  them,  but  for  his  own  name's 
sake,  that  every  blessing  is  conferred. 
Where  promises  are  addressed  to  particular 
characters,  as  in  1  John  i.  9,  "  If  we  confess 
our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us 
our  sins,"  they  are  designed  to  point  out  the 
subjects  interested  in  them,  and  to  exhibit 
encouragements  to  return  to  God.  Where 
no  character  is  described  which  is  of  a 
spiritual  nature,  as  in  the  passage  in  question, 
the  design  is  to  point  out  the  cause  of  salva- 
tion. But  the  Scriptures  ought  to  be  taken 
together,  and  not  in  detached  sentences. 
No  person  has  a  warrant  to  conclude  himself 
interested  in  a  promise,  wherein  God  merely 
teaches  the  cause  of  forgiveness,  unless  he 
possess  that  contrition  which  leads  him  to 
"  confess  and  forsake  his  sins ; "  for  this 
would  be  to  have  fellowship  with  him  while 
we  walk  in  darkness. — 1  John  i.  6;  Prov. 
xxviii.  13. 

Still  it  is  inquired,  What  use  may  the 
people  of  God  in  all  ages  make  of  those 
promises  and  declarations  of  Scripture  which 
were  made  to  particular  persons  on  spe- 
cial occasions?  "As  thy  day  is,  so  shall 
thy  strength  be  " — "  The  eternal  God  is  thy 
refuge,  and  underneath  are  the  everlasting 
arms" — "I  will  not  fail  thee,  nor  forsake 
thee  " — "  When  thou  passest  through  the 
Avaters,  I  will  be  with  thee." — Deut.  xxxiii. 
25,  27  ;  Josh.  i.  5  ;  Isa.  xliii.  2. 

I  answer,  examine  the  truth  contained  in 
each  of  the  promises,  and  try  whether  it 
fairly  applies  to  your  particular  case,  as  well 
as  theirs  to  whom  it  was  originally  address- 
ed. General  truths,  or  truths  of  general 
use,  are  often  delivered  in  Scripture  to  par- 
ticular persons,  and  on  special  occasions. 
If  the  above  passages  were  originally  ad- 
dressed to  men  considered  as  the  people  of 
God  in  the  highest  sense,  that  is,  to  the  truly 
godly  among  the  Israelites,  they  are  equally 
applicable  to  the  people  of  God  in  all  ages 
of  time,  when  placed  in  similar  circumstan- 
ces. Or  if  otherwise,  if  they  had  an  imme- 
diate reference  to  God's  providential  care 
over  Israel  as  a  nation,  still  it  is  just  to  rea- 
son from  the  less  to  the  greater.  Dear  as 
that  nation  was  to  God,  yet  "  Israelites  in- 
deed," the  spiritual  children  of  Abraham, 
are  still  more  so.  That,  therefore,  which  to 
them  would  contain  only  blessings  of  an 
earthly  nature,  to  the  others  would  include 
blessings  spiritual,  heavenly,  and  without 
end.     There  is  nothing  in  any  of  these  pas- 


sages, that  I  recollect,  but  what  in  other 
parts  of  Scripture  is  abundantly  promised 
to  all  the  people  of  God  in  all  ages  of  time. 
It  is  therefore  consistent  with  the  whole 
tenor  of  God's  word  that  Christians,  through 
patience  and  comfort  of  such  promises  of 
Holy  Scripture,  might  have  hope. 

I  shall  add  one  thing  Avhich  may  afford 
assistance  to  some  who  are  desirous  of  know- 
ing whether  they  have  an  interest  in  the  di- 
vine promises.  If  the  blessing  contained 
in  any  promise  of  a  spiritual  nature  be  such 
as  to  meet  your  desires ;  if  you  be  willing 
to  receive  it  in  the  way  that  God  bestows  it ; 
if  you  would  prefer  this  blessing,  could  you 
but  obtain  it,  above  any  thing  and  every 
thing  of  a  worldly  nature,  it  is  undoubtedly 
your  own :  for  every  one  that  thirsteth  is  wel- 
come to  the  waters  of  life. 


FINAL     DESTRUCTION    OF     MYSTICAL 
BABYLON. 

Isa.  lxiii.    1 — 6. 

It  is  not  uncommon,  I  believe,  to  under- 
stand this  sublime  passage  of  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah,  to  shed  his  blood  for  the 
salvation  of  his  people  ;*  but  it  is  evidently 
the  design  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  describe 
the  apparel  of  the  conqueror,  not  as  red 
with  his  own  blood,  but  with  that  of  his  ene- 
mies. The  event  described  is  not  any  per- 
sonal appearance  of  the  Messiah,  but  a  tre- 
mendous carnage  among  the  wicked,  which 
he  would  accomplish  by  his  providence,  and 
which  should  issue  in  favor  of  his  church. 
The  dreadful  overthrow  of  Jerusalem,  and 
that  of  the  Roman  heathen  empire,  are  each 
represented  by  "  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
man  in  the  clouds  of  heaven ; "  each  being 
a  day  of  judgment,  as  it  were,  in  miniature. 
— Luke  xxi. ;  Rev.  vi.  12 — 17.  The  objects 
of  his  vengeance  are  described  under  the 
name  Edom,  the  ancient  enemy  of  Israel,  in 
much  the  same  way  as  Rome  is  called  Baby- 
lon, as  being  another  Babylon  to  the  church 
of  God. 

The  period  to  which  the  prophecy  refers 
may,  I  think,  be  collected  with  a  good  de- 
gree of  certainty,  partly  from  the  context  and 
partly  from  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  the 
Revelation  of  John,  where  many  things  ap- 
pear to  be  borrowed  from  this  passage.  The 
foregoing  chapter,  namely,  the  sixty-second, 
is  manifestly  prophetic  of  glorious  times  yet 
to  come  ;  times  when  "  the  righteousness  of 
the  church  shall  go  forth  as  brightness,  and 
the  salvation  thereof  as  a  lamp  that  burnetii " 
— when  she  shall  be  "  a  crown  of  glory  in 
the  hand  of  her  God  " — when  she  shall  be 
called  Hephzi-bah,  and   her  land   Beulah  ; 

*  This  erroneous  idea  is  countenanced  by  a  mis- 
print in  some  editions  of  Dr.  Watis's  Hymns  (28, 
1  B.  line  20)  where  the  pronoun  "  my  "  is  substi- 
tuted for  their. 


EZEKIEL/S    VISIONS. 


137 


for  the  Lord  will  delight  in  her,  and  her 
land  shall  be  married" — and  when  "God 
himself  shall  rejoice  over  her,  as  a  bride- 
groom rejoiceth  over  his  bride." 

The  last  three  verses  seem  to  have  an 
allusion  to  the  taking  of  old  Babylon,  and 
to  the  consequent  deliverance  of  the  church 
from  her  captivity,  in  which  Cyrus  and  his 
armies,  though  messengers  of  death  to  the 
former,  were  to  the  latter  the  harbingers  of 
life  and  peace.  And,  while  they  should  be 
"  going  through  and  through  the  gates,"  the 
friends  of  Zion  are  commanded  to  "prepare 
the  way,  and  to  lift  up  the  standard." 
Analogous  to  this  shall  be  the  overthrow 
of  mystical  Babylon.  Her  gates,  which 
have  long  been  barred,  must  be  thrown 
open.  At  them  destruction  shall  enter  to 
her,  but  salvation  to  those  whom  she  has  op- 
pressed and  persecuted:  and,  while  this  is 
going  on  by  instruments  that  "  mean  not 
so,"  let  the  friends  of  Christ  be  active  in 
their  proper  sphere,  "  preparing  the  way," 
removing  obstructions,  and  "  lifting  up  the 
standard"  of  evangelical  truth.  Lo,  then 
"  cometh  the  salvation  of  Zion  :  behold  his 
reward  is  with  him,  and  his  work  before 
him!"  The  issue  is:  the  church  shall  be- 
come "a  holy  people,  the  redeemed  of  the 
Lord :  and  she  shall  be  called,  Sought  out,  a 
city  not  forsaken." 

It  is  thus  that  the  sublime  passage  un- 
der consideration  is  introduced.  It  is  not 
enough  to  say,  the  salvation  of  Zion  ivill 
come  ;  but  we  are  presented,  as  it  were, 
with  a  sight  of  Him,  glorious  in  his  apparel, 
travelling  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength, 
declaring  to  his  admiring  people  that  the 
day  of  vengeance  is  in  his  heart,  and  the 
year  of  his  redeemed,  the  jubilee  of  the 
church,  is  come ! 

Then  follows  a  penitential  confession  of 
the  Jewish  church,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
overwhelmed  and  melted  into  repentance  by 
his  great  goodness  and  the  multitude  of  his 
loving  kindnesses  towards  them,  amidst  all 
their  disobedience  and  rebellion  against  him. 
Hence  it  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  that  the 
prophecy  is  yet  to  be  fulfilled.  But  another 
source  of  evidence  of  the  same  thing  may 
be  taken  from  the  nineteenth  of  the  Revela- 
tion, where  many  things,  as  already  noticed, 
are  borrowed  from  this  passage.  As  in  Isai- 
ah, so  here,  we  see  a  glorious  personage  in 
warlike  attire  :  "  His  name  is  Faithful  and 
True,  and  in  righteousness  he  doth  judge 
and  make  war.  He  is  clothed  in  a  vesture 
dipped  in  blood,  and  treadeth  the  wine-press 
of  the  fierceness  and  wrath  of  Almighty 
God."  The  ftnvls  of  heaven  are  called 
together  "to  eat  the  flesh  of  kings,  and 
of  captains,  and  of  mighty  men,  and  of 
horses,  and  of  them  that  sat  on  them,  and 
of  men  both  free  and  bond,  small  and  great." 
The  issue  of  this  dreadful  war  is,   that  the 


beast  and  the  false  prophet  are  taken,  Satan 
is  bound,  and  Christ  reigns. 

But  little  if  any  doubt,  I  think,  can  be 
entertained  of  the  events  in  these  two  pas- 
sages being  the  same,  and  of  their  being 
designed  to  describe  the  tremendous  wars 
by  which  the  great  Head  of  the  church  ac- 
complishes the  ruin  of  Antichrist.  "  Behold, 
he  cometh  as  a  thief:  blessed  is  he  that 
watcheth  and  keepeth  his  garments,  lest  he 
walk  naked,  and  they  see  his  shame." 


EZEKIELS    VISIONS. 

Ezek.  i.  and  x. 

These  visions  seem  very  obscure.  Most 
expositors  consider  the  "  living  creatures  " 
to  be  angels  :  but  they  appear  to  be  the 
same  as  the  "  four  beasts,"  or  living  crea- 
tures, in  Rev.  v.  8,  9.  And  these  are  re- 
deemed men  ;  for  they  sung,  "  thou  hast 
redeemed  us."  Others  interpret  them  by 
the  four  beasts  in  the  Revelation,  under- 
standing both  of  gospel  ministers.  But 
what  relation  had  gospel  ministers  with  the 
visions  of  Ezekiel,  or  the  prophecies  that 
follow  ?  Probably  the  following  observations 
may  cast  some  light  upon  the  subject. 

1.  It  was  not  unusual  for  the  prophets, 
when  they  first  received  their  commission, 
to  be  favored  with  some  extraordinary  vis- 
ion.— Isa.  vi. ;  Rev.  1. 

2.  These  visions  had  something  in  them 
suited  to  the  occasion.  The  year  that  king 
Uzziah  died,  Isaiah  had  a  vision  of  Jehovah 
"  sitting  upon  a  throne,  high  and  lifted  up, 
and  his  train  filled  the  temple."  The  great 
high  priest  of  the  church,  "  walking  among 
the  seven  golden  candlesticks,"  denoted  the 
interest  he  took  in  the  affairs  of  the  church, 
to  which  the  prophecies  of  the  Revelation 
referred.  We  may  therefore  expect  to  find 
something  in  Ezekiel's  visions  suited  to  the 
state  of  things  at  that  time. 

3.  They  may  therefore  be  understood  in 
general  as  a  representation  of  the  God  and 
King  of  Israel,  with  a  glorious  retinue,  in  a 
moveable  position,  as  ready  to  take  leave  of 
Jerusalem.  God  had  been  used  to  "  dwell 
between  the  cherubim  "  in  the  temple  :  this 
was  the  character  under  which  he  was  often 
addressed. — Psal.  lxxx.  1.  The  cherubim 
formed,  as  it  were,  the  retinue  or  attendants 
of  the  God  and  King  of  Israel.  While  he 
divelt  in  Zion,  they  were  stationary  ;  but 
now  he  was  about  to  depart  from  his  abode, 
and  therefore  his  retinue  are  represented  as 
in  a  moveable  position,  connected  with  a 
kind  of  wheel  chariot,  or  moveable  vehicle. 
This  accords  with  the  glory  of  God  depart- 
ing from  the  temple,  and  standing  upon  the 
threshold.— Ezek.  x.  4.  This  also  would 
render  the  exclamation  "  Oh  wheel ! "  very 
affecting,  as  the  sight  of  a  chariot  ready  to 


Vol.  2.— Sig,  18. 


138 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


take  away  your  dearest  friend. — Ch.  x.  13. 

4.  This  retinue  may  perhaps  be  interpret- 
ed by  a  reference  to  the  "  living  creatures  " 
in  the  Revelation,  who,  as  we  have  noticed, 
appear  to  be  redeemed  men.  Who  then 
amongst  men  were  the  attendants  of  God  ? 
The  priests  and  prophets  under  the  Old 
Testament,  and  evangelical  ministers  under 
the  New.  By  the  "  living  creatures  "  there- 
fore, in  Ezekiel,  may  be  understood  those 
servants  of  God  who  attended  him  in  that 
day,  of  which  the  cherubim  in  the  temple 
were  emblematical ;  and,  by  those  of  John, 
the  ministers  of  the  gospel  who  attended 
him  under  that  dispensation,  and  took  the 
lead  in  the  worship  and  progress  of  the 
church. 

The  stationary  situation  of  the  cherubim 
in  the  temple  might  afford  a  constant  lesson 
to  the  servants  of  God.  Their  figure  and 
position  would  point  out  to  them  their  duty. 
And  the  appearance  of  them  to  Isaiah  and 
Ezekiel  in  vision  would  impress  them  with  a 
lively  sense  of  the  importance  of  that  office 
they  were  going  to  assume. 

Perhaps,  after  all,  the  retinue  of  the  God 
and  King  of  Israel  included  not  only  the 
priests  and  prophets,  but  the  holy  angels. 
The  seraphim  in  Isaiah's  vision  seem  most 
easily  applied  to  them ;  and,  an  allusion  to 
the  stooping  posture  of  the  cherubim  over 
the  ark  and  mercy-seat  in  the  temple,  the 
angels  are  said  to  "  look  into  "  the  things  of 
the  gospel. — 1  Pet.  i.  12. 


DANIEL  S      CONFLICT      WITH     THE     PERSIAN 

COURT. 

Dan.  x.  13. 

This  vision  is  said  to  be  in  the  third  year 
of  Cyrus,  that  is,  two  years  after  the  procla- 
mation for  Judah's  return. — Ezra  i.  That 
we  may  understand  it,  it  is  necessary  to  re- 
view the  situation  of  persons  and  things  at 
the  time.  Daniel  himself  did  not  return  with 
the  other  captives  into  Judea,  but  remained 
in  Persia  till  his  death,  which  was  in  a  few 
years.  As  they  were  still  dependent  on  the 
Persian  government,  they  needed  a  friend 
at  court  to  counteract  the  machinations  of 
enemies,  which  would  certainly  be  at  work 
against  them;  it  was  therefore  wisely  or- 
dered that  he  should  remain  where  he  was. 
He  would  serve  the  interests  of  the  church 
more  by  this  than  by  going. 

But,  though  absent  from  his  brethren  in 
body,  he  was  present  with  them  in  spirit. 
The  welfare  of  Jerusalem  lay  near  his  heart. 
Previously  to  the  vision  which  he  saw,  he  is 
said  to  have  "mourned  three  full  weeks." 
What  could  be  the  cause  of  this  mourning  ? 
The  first  four  chapters  of  the  book  of  Ezra, 
I  conceive,  will  furnish  an  answer.  It  was 
the  state  of  things  in  Judea,  which  was  not 
unknown  to  Daniel,  that  afflicted  him.    His 


eye  and  heart  had  followed  Sheshbazzar 
and  his  goodly  company  in  some  such  man- 
ner as  ours  have  followed  those  disinterested 
servants  of  Christ  who  have  gone  forth  to 
proclaim  the  word  of  life  among  the  heathen. 
The  pious  Jews  set  out  under  favorable 
auspices :  prophecy  encouraged  them,  the 
royal  proclamation  was  on  their  side,  their 
brethren  blessed  and  prayed  for  them,  and 
the  hand  of  God  was  with  them.  No  sooner 
had  they  arrived  at  Jerusalem  than  they 
"  set  up  the  altar,"  and  prepared  to  rebudd 
the  temple.  In  the  second  year  of  their 
coming  to  Jerusalem,  that  is,  in  the  third 
year  of  Cyrus,  tilings  were  in  such  a  state  of 
forwardness  that  the  foundation  of  the  Lord's 
house  was  laid ;  and  though  the  old  men, 
who  had  seen  the  glory  of  the  former  house, 
lamented  the  disparity,  yet,  upon  the  whole, 
it  was  a  time  of  great  joy.  But  alas,  when 
all  were  filled  with  expectation  of  seeing  the 
temple  erected,  the  adversaries  of  Judah 
were  suffered  to  retard  the  work!  First, 
they  endeavored  to  weaken  the  hands  of  the 
budders :  and,  when  this  could  not  be 
accomplished,  they  "hired  counsellors" 
against  them  at  the  court  of  Persia;  and, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  Cyrus  himself  ap- 
pears to  have  been  influenced  by  them  in 
such  a  degree  as  to  discourage  the  work 
which  he  had  begun  to  patronize ;  for  we 
are  told  that  they  frustrated  the  purposes  of 
the  budders  all  the  days  of  Cyrus,  even  until 
the  reign  of  Darius  (Hystaspis,)  king  of  Per- 
sia, a  period  of  about  fifteen  years. 

Now  as  this  councfl,  which  operated  in 
the  Persian  court  and  put  a  stop  to  the  budd- 
ing of  the  temple,  could  not  be  unknown 
to  Daniel,  who  was  upon  the  spot,  we  may 
easily  perceive  the  cause  of  his  mourning 
"  three  full  weeks,  eating  no  pleasant  bread," 
and  "  setting  his  heart  to  chasten  himself 
before  his  God."— Ver.  2,  3,  12.  Hence, 
also,  we  may  understand  the  seasonableness 
of  the  visions  which  are  recorded  in  the 
tenth  and  eleventh  chapters,  respecting  the 
oppositions  the  church  should  meet  with,  and 
the  help  that  should  be  afforded  her. 

After  three  weeks'  mourning  and  chasten- 
ing himself,  the  prophet,  being  by  the  river 
Hiddekel,  saw  a  vision.  A  great  personage 
appeared  to  him,  who,  by  the  description 
given  of  him  (verses  5,  6,)  could  be  no  other 
than  the  Son  of  God. — See  Rev.  i.  13 — 15. 
At  first  he  seems  to  have  been  awake,  and 
heard  the  words  which  were  spoken  to  him ; 
but  afterwards  was  cast  into  a  deep  sleep, 
with  his  face  to  the  ground.  While  asleep, 
an  angel,  who  seems  to  have  accompanied 
this  august  personage,  touched  him,  and  set 
him  upon  his  feet ;  and,  as  he  stood  tremb- 
ling, thus  addressed  him : — "  Fear  not,  Dan- 
iel ;  for,  from  the  first  day  that  thou  didst 
set  thine  heart  to  understand,  and  to  chasten 
thyself  before  thy  God,  thy  words  were 
heard,  and  I  am  come  for  thy  words.    But 


THE    ROYAL    TRIBE. 


139 


the  prince  of  the  kingdom  of  Persia  with- 
stood me  one-and-twenty  days ;  but  lo, 
Michael,  the  first  of  the  chief  princes,  came 
to  help  me,  and  I  remained  there  with  the 
kings  of  Persia.  Now  I  am  come  to  make 
thee  understand  what  shall  befal  thy  people 
in  the  latter  days."  It  may  appear  strange 
that  the  heavenly  messenger  should  be  with- 
stood by  the  prince  of  Persia,  and  detained 
for  one-and-twenty  days.  But  the  language, 
I  apprehend,  is  figurative  and  prophetic. 
Under  the  form  of  the  prince  of  Persia  op- 
posing the  angel,  who  was  commissioned 
with  words  of  peace  to  the  prophet,  is  signi- 
fied the  opposition  which  should  be  made 
for  a  time  by  the  Persian  government  to  the 
rebuilding  of  the  temple.  The  prince  of 
Persia  does  not  mean,  perhaps,  any  one  of 
its  kings  in  particular,  but  the  power  or 
government  of  Persia,  as  in  other  parts  of 
this  prophecy  a  king  is  put  for  a  kingdom  or 
government. — Ch.  vii.  17.  The  Persian 
government,  which  was  heathen,  was  under 
the  influence  of  the  god  of  this  world,  and 
therefore  had  a  natural  tendency  to  oppose 
the  kingdom  of  God.  The  conflict  which  is 
here  described,  between  the  angels  and  the 
power  of  Persia,  represents  the  influence  of 
invisible  agents  upon  the  counsels  of  princes. 
While  Satan,  by  means  of  the  Samaritans, 
was  blowing  up  the  envy,  jealousy,  and  am- 
bition of  this  court,  and  thereby  provoking 
it  to  oppose  the  church,  the  holy  angels  were 
employed  in  counteracting  these  machina- 
tions. Without  doubt  it  is  in  allusion  to 
this  language,  and  expressive  of  the  same 
truth,  that  the  papal  persecutions  carried  on 
against  the  Christian  church  are  described  "as 
a  war  in  heaven ;  Michael  and  his  angels 
fighting  against  the  dragon  and  his  angels." — 
Rev.  xii.  And  as,  during  the  detention  of  the 
angel,  the  prophet "  mourned  and  chastened 
himself; "  so,  during  the  obstruction  of  the 
Avork  of  God,  the  church  should  have  to  do 
the  same.  Finally :  As  the  angel  came  at 
length  to  the  prophet  with  words  of  peace 
and  comfort,  so  the  people  of  God,  after 
a  while,  should  be  relieved  from  their  afflic- 
tion, and  be  permitted  to  resume  their  labors. 
And,  with  respect  to  more  distant  tunes, 
though  exposed  to  various  hardships  and 
cruel  persecutions,  during  the  wars,  in- 
trigues, and  struggles  of  the  surrounding 
nations,  to  which  they  would  be  subject; 
yet  Michael,  their  prince,  would  stand  up 
on  their  behalf,  and  bring  all  things  to  a 
glorious  issue. 

From  the  whole,  we  see  in  this  account, 
how  much  the  holy  angels  are  interested  in 
the  welfare  of  the  church  on  earth,  and  the 
promotion  of  true  religion.  We  know  so 
little  of  the  invisible  world  that  we  should 
not  have  supposed  an  angel  could  have  said 
what  he  did  to  John:  "  I  am  thy  fellow  ser- 
vant, and  of  thy  brethren  that  have  the  tes- 
timony of  Jesus."    Though  we  might  have 


admitted  that  these  glorious  intelligences 
are  "fellow  servants,"  employed  by  the 
same  Lord  and  Master,  yet  we  could  scarce- 
ly have  imagined  that  they  were  employed 
about  the  same  ivork  as  ourselves,  the  pro- 
motion of  the  gospel.  The  young  man  who 
was  with  Elisha  would  not  have  supposed 
that  they  were  surrounded  with  "horses  and 
chariots  of  fire,"  to  protect  them  from  the 
wrath  of  the  Syrians :  yet  so  it  was.  As- 
suredly it  affords  a  source  of  great  encour- 
agement that,  though  principalities  and 
powers  are  engaged  against  us,  yet  princi- 
palities and  powers  are  also  engaged  for  us  ; 
and  that  in  all  our  efforts  to  promote  the 
gospel  they  are  our  fellow-laborers.  Who 
can  tell  how  much  we  are  indebted  to  their 
suggestions  to  the  minds  of  leading  charac- 
ters0 for  the  warding  off"  of  persecutions, 
and  the  concessions  which  of  late  ages  have 
been  made  to  the  rights  of  conscience. 
When  we  read  accounts  of  the  perils  and 
hair-breadth  escapes  which  those  servants 
of  Christ  have  experienced  that  are  gone 
forth  among  the  heathen,  we  tremble  and 
rejoice.  To  us  it  often  seems  as  if  the  con- 
tinuance of  their  labors,  and  in  some  cases 
of  their  lives,  has  depended  on  the  humor  of 
individuals :  but  events  which  to  us  may 
appear  merely  casual  may  have  been  influ- 
enced by  invisible  agency.  A  single  turn 
of  thought  in  some  leading  character  has 
given  a  favorable  turn  to  their  affairs  ;  and 
that  thought  might  be  suggested  by  an  an- 
gel, who  was  all  intent  on  their  preservation 
and  the  progress  of  their  undertaking. 

Nor  is  it  merely  from  the  ministry  of  an- 
gels that  we  are  here  encouraged:  "Mi- 
chael, our  prince,  standeth  for  us  ! "  What- 
ever they  effect,  it  is  owing  to  his  holding 
ivith  them  in  these  things.  If,  instead  of 
fears  and  distrustful  hesitations,  we  lived 
under  the  influence  of  these  important 
truths,  much  more  would  be  done  for  God 
than  is  done,  and  that  which  was  done  might 
be  expected  to  be  followed  with  a  much 
greater  blessing  than  that  which  we  ordi- 
narily perceive.  We  should  think  of  noth- 
ing, in  order  to  determine  our  conduct,  but 
what  is  duty  ?  and  be  always  ready  to  die, 
if  called  to  it,  for  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus. 


THE    ROYAL     TRIBE. 
Zech.  x.  4. 
"Out   of  him,"   namely,   Judah.     Judah 
had  all  along  been  a  favored  tribe,  whence 
proceeded    their   governors,   who   were   as 
"corner  stones"  in  the  building  ;  as  "nails, 
on  which  was  suspended  the   glory  of  the 
nation;  as  "  battle-bows  "  for  annoying  the 
enemy,  and  preserving  order  at  b>j*  signifies 
Isa.    xxii.  23,  24.     The  word  home.— See 
to  oblige  to  perform  work,  or  to  pay  money, 


140 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


either  by  right  or  by  power.  Here  it  mani- 
festly denotes  a  legal  exaction,  and  there- 
fore ought  not  to  have  been  rendered  "  op- 
pressor." 

Out  of  Judah  also  should  proceed  the 
Messiah,  the  greatest  of  all  rulers,  in  whom 
all  these  characters  are  united  ;  and  it  seems 
to  be  of  his  reign  that  the  passage  speaks, 
and  out  of  regard  to  him  that  God  would 
visit  his  ancient  flock,  and  have  mercy  upon 
them,  and  cause  them  to  be  as  though  he 
had  not  cast  them  off. 


ON   THE   LATTER    DAYS. 

Mai.    iii.    18. 

The  conduct  of  God  in  the  administra- 
tion of  his  providence,  however  dark  and 
mysterious  it  may  have  appeared  at  particu- 
lar seasons,  even  in  the  eyes  of  his  own 
people,  has  always  been  the  result  of  infi- 
nite and  unerring  wisdom  ;  and  not  the  least 
event  has  at  any  time  taken  place,  whether 
in  the  history  of  nations  or  that  of  individ- 
uals, which  has  not  been  designed  of  God 
to  illustrate  and  promote  the  glory  of  his 
own  name.  His  path  indeed  has  often  been 
in  the  sea,  and  his  footsteps  in  the  mighty 
waters  ;  and  men  have  been  ready  to  ex- 
claim in  beholding  the  triumph  of  the  un- 
godly, or  the  depression  of  those  who  fear- 
ed the  name  of  the  Lord,  "  Surely,  God 
seeth  not,  neither  doth  the  God  of  Jacob  re- 
gard ;  "  but  the  event  has  shown,  or  assured- 
ly will  show  ere  long,  that,  as  the  ears  of  the 
Lord  are  always  open  to  the  cry  of  his  peo- 
ple, so  his  face  is  uniformly  set  against  all 
those  who  do  wickedly.  In  the  ages  that 
are  past  the  Lord  in  his  dealings  towards 
men  has,  for  the  most  part,  reserved  the 
wicked  for  the  day  of  wrath.  In  the  pre- 
sent life  they  have  hitherto  been  the  most 
prosperous,  and  their  success  in  unhallowed 
enterprises  has  oftentimes  been  ready  to 
stumble  the  minds  of  the  Lord's  own  dear 
children ;  but,  when  they  went  into  the 
sanctuary  and  viewed  their  end — when  God 
drew  aside  the  veil,  and  showed  them  their 
misery  in  the  eternal  state — O  !  how  were 
their  minds  impressed  with  solemn  awe  ! 
how  did  they  exclaim,  "  Surely  Lord,  thou 
didst  set  them  in  slippery  places,  and  in  a 
moment  thou  castedst  them  down  into  de- 
struction :  they  are  utterly  consumed  with 
terrors  !  "  The  ungodly,  however  mighty 
and  exalted  in  power,  now  appear  to  them 
objects  of  the  greatest  pity.  They  perceive 
that  their  triumphing  is  but  for  a  moment, 
and  that,  though  for  a  while  they  may  exult 
as  princes,  their  latter  end  is  that  they  pe- 
rish forever.  The  firm  persuasion  of  this 
truth  has  a  suitable  effect  upon  the  minds  of 
the  people  of  God.  It  completely  cures 
them  of  their  envy  of  sinners,  and  they  de- 
sire rather  to  suffer  affliction  for  the  name 


of  Jesus,  than  to  enjoy  those  pleasures,  if 
such  they  may  be  called,  which  are  low  and 
debasing  in  their  nature,  temporary  and  un- 
certain in  their  duration,  and  assuredly  lead- 
ing to  destruction  in  their  issue.  But  still, 
with  regard  to  the  bulk  of  men,  the  charm 
remains.  Not  only  do  the  honors,  riches, 
and  pleasures  of  a  present  life  attract  their 
notice,  but  also  the  characters  of  those  that 
enjoy  them.  These  they  behold  living  with- 
out God  in  the  world,  openly  despising  his 
authority,  and  casting  all  his  commandments 
behind  their  backs;  and, as  sentence  against 
their  evil  works  is  not  executed  speedily, 
therefore  the  hearts  of  multitudes  are  fully 
set  in  them  to  join  their  evil  and  ungodly 
courses.  One  generation  thus  passeth 
away,  and  another  succeeds  in  the  same 
round  of  wickedness  and  carnal  security, 
and  God  endureth  with  much  long-suffering 
those  vessels  of  wrath  who  are  thus  fitting 
themselves  for  signal  and  everlasting  de- 
struction. 

But  the  long-suffering  and  forbearance  of 
God  appear  to  have  their  limits,  even  in  a 
present  life.  There  seems,  from  the  predic- 
tions of  the  word  of  God,  to  be  a  time  com- 
ing when  such  a  distinction  of  character 
shall  be  made  as  shall  serve  to  impress  the 
minds  of  men  with  a  solemn  conviction  that 
God  will  not  be  mocked,  and  when  the  dis- 
criminating nature  of  his  judgments  shall 
enable  them  to  discern  between  the  right- 
eous and  the  wicked,  between  him  that  serv- 
eth  God  and  him  that  serveth  him  not. 
This  is  not  an  inference  drawn  from  a  doubt- 
ful or  solitary  passage  of  Scripture.  It  ap- 
pears to  be  predicted  in  explicit  language  by 
many  of  the  prophets,  and,  if  the  writer  do 
not  mistake,  some  characters  of  the  period 
are  given  so  plainly  as  to  enable  them  that 
believe  to  ascertain  when  it  is  drawing  nigh. 
A  reference  to  the  prophets  themselves  will 
afford  the  best  illustration  of  this  remark 
In  the  2d  chapter  of  Isaiah's  prophecy,  we 
read  of  God  "arising  to  shake  terribly  the 
earth."  "  The  day  of  the  Lord,"  it  is  said, 
"  shall  be  upon  every  one  that  is  proud  and 
lofty,  and  he  shall  be  brought  low  ;  and  the 
loftiness  of  man  shall  be  bowed  down,  and 
the  Lord  alone  shall  be  exalted  in  that  day ; 
and  the  idols  shall  be  utterly  abolished."  In 
the  34th  chapter  of  the  same  book,  it  is 
said,  "  The  indignation  of  the  Lord  is  upon 
all  nations,  and  his  fury  upon  all  their  ar- 
mies ; "  and  it  is  styled,  "  the  day  of  the 
Lord's  vengeance,  the  year  of  recom- 
penses for  the  controversy  of  Zion."  It  is 
abundantly  manifest  that  the  first  prediction 
yet  remains  to  be  accomplished ;  and  others 
of  the  prophets  will  equally  show  that  the 
latter  refers,  nor  to  any  period  prior,  but 
subsequent  to  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish 
state.  In  the  23d  chapter  of  the  prophecy 
of  Jeremiah,  at  verse  19,  it  is  said,  "  Behold, 
a  whirlwind  of  the  Lord  is  gone   forth  in 


ON    THE    LATTER    DAYS. 


141 


fury,  even  a  grievous  whirlwind;  it  shall 
fall  grievously  upon  the  head  of  the  wicked. 
The  an^er  of  the  Lord  shall  not  return  till 
he  haveexecuted  and  till  he  have  performed 
the  thoughts  of  his  heart.  In  the  latter 
days  "  (a  phrase  uniformly  applied  to  express 
the  times  of  Christianity)  "ye  shall  consider 
it  perfectly."  In  the  30th  chapter  the  same 
declaration  is  repeated ;  and,  to  mark  the 
period,  it  is  said,  chap.  xxxi.  "  At  the  same 
time  will  I  be  the  God  of  all  the  families  of 
Israel,  and  they  shall  be  my  people."  The 
whole  of  the  25th  chapter  seems  to  be  a  pre- 
diction respecting  the  same  time  :  at  verse 
30  it  is  said,  "  The  Lord  shall  roar  from  on 
high  ;  he  shall  shout  against  all  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  earth.  He  hath  a  controversy 
with  all  nations.  He  will  plead  Math  all 
flesh,  and  will  give  them  that  are  wicked  to 
the  sword.  Behold,  evd  shall  go  forth  from 
nation  to  nation,  and  the  slain  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  at  that  day  from  one  end  of  the 
earth  to  the  other  end  of  the  earth."  Dan- 
niel  seems  to  point  to  the  very  same  time, 
when  he  says,  in  chap.  xii.  of  his  prophecy, 
"  There  shall  be  a  time  of  trouble,  such  as 
never  was,  since  there  was  a  nation,  even 
to  that  same  time.  "  That  this  has  not  yet 
taken  place  is  plain  from  his  immediately 
adding,  "  at  that  time  thy  people  shall  be  de- 
livered ; "  evidently  referring  to  the  return  of 
the  Jews  in  the  last  days. 

It  is  in  this  awful  manner,  it  would  seem, 
that  God  means  to  arise  and  plead  his  own 
cause.  It  is  in  this  awful  manner  that  Mes- 
siah intends  to  arise  and  assert  his  right  to 
universal  empire,  and  to  introduce  his  glori- 
ous-and  peaceful  government  among  all  the 
nations  of  the  habitable  earth.  And  what 
if  he  be  already  risen  up  ?  the  inquiry  is  not 
only  important,  but  it  is  the  indispensable 
duty  of  every  professing  Christian,  lest  that 
denunciation  should  apply  to  him,  "  Because 
they  regard  not  the  operation  of  the  Lord, 
therefore  will  he  destroy  them,  and  not  build 
them  up." 

In  connection  with  the  passages  formerly 
quoted,  there  is  a  very  striking  one  in  the 
book  of  the  prophet  Zephaniah,  which  states 
in  the  most  unequivocal  manner  that  the  uni- 
versal spread  of  truth  and  of  righteousness 
shall  be  preceded  or  accompanied  by  univer- 
sal judgment.  In  chap.  iii.  8.  "  Therefore 
wait  ye  upon  me,  saith  the  Lord,  until  the  day 
that  I  rise  up  to  the  prey,  for  my  determina- 
tion is  to  gather  the  nations,  that  I  may  as- 
semble the  kingdoms  to  pour  upon  them 
mine  indignation,  even  all  my  fierce  anger, 
for  all  the  earth  shall  be  devoured  by  the 
fire  of  my  jealousy  :  For  then  will  I  turn  to 
the  people  a  pure  language,  that  they  may 
all  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  with 
one  consent,  from  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethi- 
opia my  suppliants,  even  the  daughter  of 


my  dispersed,  shall  bring  mine  offering." 
This  passage  serves  as  a  key  to  the  others, 
inasmuch  as  it  shows  that  the  period  predicted 
shall  be  coincident  with  God's  turning  to  the 
nations  a  pure  language  ;  and  the  others  at 
the  same  time  serve  to  show  that,  though 
the  judgments  of  God  shall  be  universal,  yet 
they  shall  be  discriminating — that  they  shall 
chiefly  fall  on  the  heads  of  the  wicked.  It 
is  too  plain  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth  have  been  guilty  of  much  sin  ;  and 
therefore  all  of  them  are  to  suffer  exemplary 
punishment.  This,  it  would  appear,  God  in- 
tends to  employ  as  a  means  of  awakening  men 
every  where  to  call  upon  his  name.  If  they 
refuse  to  repent  and  turn  to  the  Lord,  "  they 
shall  be  devoured  with  the  sword,  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it."  The 
purpose  of  God,  in  regard  to  the  period  re- 
ferred to,  seems  to  be  that  men  shall  either 
be  saved  by  the  gospel  or  destroyed  by  judg- 
ments, and  thus  the  earth  shall  be  cleansed, 
in  order  to  its  becoming  a  quiet  resting-place 
for  the  servants  of  Jesus  :  "  There  shall  be  a 
time  of  trouble,  such  as  never  was  since  there 
was  a  nation."  Our  Lord  uses  similar  lan- 
guage respecting  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem. Like  many  declarations  in  the  proph- 
ecies, this  may  be  considered  as  having  both 
a  primary  and  a  plenary  accomplishment. 
In  both  views,  it  may  be  capable  of  a  con- 
sistent interpretation.  The  sufferings  of  the 
siege  of  Jerusalem  may  probably  have  been 
greater  in  their  nature  than  any  that  ever 
have  been  or  shall  be  ;  but,  in  respect  of  the 
universality  of  their  extent,  the  judgments 
of  God  which  shall  be  poured  out  in  the 
last  days  may  render  the  language  of  the 
prophecy  equally  and  exclusively  applica- 
ble in  that  sense.  That  this  time  has 
already  passed  will  not  be  proved,  until 
it  be  shown  that  all  nations  have  already 
united  in  calling  upon  the  Lord  with 
one  consent,  as  prophesied  by  Zephaniah. 
When,  however,  in  obedience  to  the  com- 
mand of  Christ,  we  mark  the  signs  of  the 
times — when  we  behold  the  Lord  putting 
it  into  the  hearts  of  his  people  to  commiser- 
ate the  state  of  the  heathen,  and  messengers 
going  forth  to  gather  them  unto  Jesus— and 
when  at  the  same  time  we  mark  the  judc- 
ments  of  God  extending  from  nation  to  na- 
tion— surely  we  discern  enough  to  incite 
to  holy  watchfulness,  lest  the  day  of  the 
Lord  should  come  upon  us  at  a  moment  when 
we  are  not  aware.  "  Behold  I  come  as  a 
thief,"  says  Jesus,  "  blessed  is  he  that  watch- 
eth,  and  keepeth  his  garments,  lest  he  walk 
naked,  and  men  see  his  shame."  Let  sin- 
ners in  Zion  be  afraid :  let  them  seek  the 
Lord  now  while  he  is  to  be  found,  and  call 
upon  him  while  he  is  near,  lest  suddenly 
wrath  should  come  upon  them  to  the  utter- 
most. 


142 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  HEAVEN  FORCED. 
Matt.  xi.  12,  13. 

There  is  no  doubt,  I  think,  that  the  ques- 
tion sent  by  John  to  Jesus — "  Art  thou  he 
that  should  come,  or  do  Ave  look  for  another  ?  " 
— must  have  arisen  from  a  misconception  of 
the  design  of  his  appearance,  probably  of  the 
same  kind  with  that  which  occupied  the 
mind  of  Christ's  disciples,  as  to  the  nature  of 
his  kingdom.  It  has  been  a  question  wheth- 
er John  himself  wasthe  subject  of  this  mis- 
conception, or  some  of  his  disciples,  whom 
he  personated.  There  is  certainly  an  air  of 
reproof  contained  in  the  answer,  ver.  4 — 6. 
First :  In  its  being  indirect.  Jesus  would 
not  say  whether  he  was  the  Messiah  or  not ; 
but  left  it  for  his  works,  and  their  correspon- 
dence with  prophecy,  to  determine  the  ques- 
tion. Secondly:  In  its  implying  that  his 
outward  meanness  had  proved  an  occasion 
of  offence.  Whether  it  were  John  or  his 
disciples,  some  must  have  been  offended, 
and  sinfully  too,  else  such  language  would 
not  have  been  used. 

It  may  be  thought  that  John  himself,  like 
the  disciples  of  Christ,  might  be  infected 
with  the  notion  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  be- 
ing a  temporal  kingdom  ;  that,  on  his  being 
cast  into  prison,  he  expected  Christ  would 
publicly  assume  his  throne,  and  release  him  ; 
and  that  hearing  of  nothing  more  than  of 
his  being  followed  up  and  down  by  a  num- 
ber of  poor  people,  and  by  few  if  any  of 
better  condition,  he  was  stumbled,  and  knew 
not  what  to  make  of  things.  But  on  review- 
the  chapter,  and  comparing  it  with  other 
things  spoken  of  John,  it  seems  more  natur- 
al to  think  that  the  doubt  belonged  to  his 
disciples.  Two  reasons  may  here  be  men- 
tioned for  this.  First :  There  appears  to 
have  been  a  greater  degree  of  gospel  light 
in  the  mind  of  John  than  in  any  of  Christ's 
disciples  prior  to  his  resurrection.  They 
never  seem  to  have  understood  the  doctrine  of 
his  putting  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  him- 
self till  the  thing  was  accomplished ;  but  he 
pointed  his  disciples  to  the  Saviour  as  the 
"  Lamb  of  God  that  should  take  (or  bear) 
away  the  sin  of  the  world."  And,  when  an 
attempt  was  made  to  excite  his  jealousy  (John 
iii.  25,  2(3,)  his  answer  contains  an  exhibi- 
tion of  the  person  and  work  of  Christ,  wor- 
thy of  an  evangelical  minister.  "  The  Fa- 
ther loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things 
into  his  hand.  He  that  believeth  on  the 
Son  hath  everlasting  life  ;  and  he  that  be- 
lieveth not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the 
wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  He  was  a 
burning  and  a  shining  light,  while  as  yet 
darkness  covered  their  minds.  He  was  not 
allowed  to  enter  into  the  gospel  rest ;  but 
he  had  a  Pisgah's  view  of  it  beyond  any  of 
his  contemporaries.  Secondly :  Jesus,  on 
the  departure  of  the  messengers,  vindicated 
him  before  the  multitudes,  and  that  from  be- 
ing "a  reed  shaken  with  the  wind,"  as  the 


message  which  had  been  sent  by  him  would 
seem  to  represent  him. 

The  chief  design  of  our  Lord,  however, 
in  this  his  vindication  of  John,  was  to  estab- 
lish his  ministry,  and  former  testimonies,  and 
and  by  consequence  his  own  Messiahship. 
These,  by  the  message  recently  sent,  were  in 
danger  of  suffering  in  the  esteem  of  the  peo- 
ple. It  is  in  respect  of  this  his  ministry,  as 
the  Messiah's  harbinger,  rather  than  of  his 
personal  qualities,  that  he  is  declared  to  be 
"more  than  a  prophet,"  and  yet  "less  than 
the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Thus 
it  is  that  Jesus  continues  magnifying  his 
own  spiritual  kingdom,  and  describing  the 
interest  which  it  had  already  excited  from 
the  time  that  John  had  proclaimed  it.  The 
Pharisees  and  lawyers  indeed  refused  to  en- 
ter in,  and  did  all  they  could  to  hinder  oth- 
ers ;  but  the  common  people  and  the  publi- 
cans "justified  God,  being  baptized  with  the 
baptism  of  John." — See  Luke  vii.  18 — 30. 
By  comparing  this  passage  with  that  in  ques- 
tion, it  is  manifest  that  this  was  the  violence 
which  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffered.  As 
the  two  blind  men,  when  rebuked  by  the 
multitude,  and  charged  to  hold  their  peace, 
cried  the  more  a  great  deal,  and  pressed  to- 
wards the  Saviour,  so  the  publicans  and  sin- 
ners were  not  to  be  deterred  by  the  rebukes 
of  their  leaders  ;  but,  on  hearing  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,  "  pressed  into  it." 

To  account  for  the  mighty  effects  of  John's 
ministry,  on  those  who  believed  it,  and  to 
show  the  inexcusableness  of  those  who  dis- 
believed it,  his  preaching  is  contrasted  with 
that  of  Moses  and  the  prophets.  They 
spake  of  things  as  at  a  distance,  but  he  of 
things  as  at  hand.  There  seems  to  be 
an  elipsis  in  ver.  13,  which  requires  to  be 
supplied  as  follows.  "  All  the  prophets  and 
the  law  prophesied  until  John,"  but  he  did 
more  than  prophecy.  He  declared  that  the 
Messiah  was  now  among  them,  and  that  his 
kingdom  was  at  hand.  Hence,  the  door  be- 
ing opened,  there  was  a  pressing  into  it ;  it 
was  taken  in  a  manner  by  force. 

THE  DUTY  OF  CHRISTIAN  FORGIVENESS. 
Matt,  xviii.  23,  and  following  verses. 

The  manifest  design  of  the  parable  is  to 
impress  upon  us  the  duty  of  forgiveness  one 
to  another,  from  the  consideration  of  God's 
freely  forgiving  us.  That  in  the  parable,  I 
imagine,  which  struck  the  querist*  as  incon- 
sistent with  Calvinistic  principles,  was  the 
supposition  of  a  man  being  given  up  to  the 
tormentors  whose  sins  had  been  forgiven. 
Some  expositors,  in  order  to  solve  this  diffi- 
culty, suppose  the  punishment  to  mean  his 
being  given  up  to  church  censures  ;  others 
to  temporal  calamities,  and  the  accusations 

*  This  article  first  appeared  in  the  Evangelical 
Magazine,  in  reply  to  the  inquiries  of  a  corres- 
pondent. 


PARABLE    OF    THE    UNJUST    STEWARD. 


143 


of  a  guilty  conscience.  But  it  appears  to 
me  that  this  is  altogether  foreign  from  the 
design  of  Christ.  Our  Lord  certainly  meant 
to  suggest  to  all  the  professors  of  Christian- 
ity, all  the  subjects  of  his  visible  kingdom,  that 
unless  they  forgave  men  their  trespasses 
they  themselves  should  not  be  forgiven,  but 
should  be  cast  into  endless  torment.  The 
true  solution  of  the  difficulty  I  take  to  be 
this  :  It  is  common  with  our  Lord  in  his  para- 
bles to  address  rnennpon  their  own  principles: 
not  according  to  what  they  were  in  fact,  but 
what  they  were  in  profession  and  expecta- 
tion. For  example  :  "  There  is  joy  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth,  more  than  over  ninety 
and  nine  just  persons  tvhich  need  no  repent- 
ance.— The  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but 
they  that  are  sick:  I  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance."  Not 
that  there  were  any  among  mankind  who 
were  righteous,  whole,  and  needed  no  repen- 
tance, in  fact,  but  merely  on  their  own  ac- 
count. The  elder  son  in  the  parable,  in 
Luke  xv.,  is  doubtless  intended  to  represent 
the  scribes  and  pharisees,  who  at  that  time 
drew  near  and  murmured  at  Christ's  receiv- 
ing sinners. — Ver.  1,  2.  And  yet  this  elder 
son  is  allowed  to  be  very  obedient  (at  least 
he  is  not  contradicted  in  this  matter)  and  to 
have  a  large  interest  in  his  father's  inher- 
itance ;  not  because  it  was  so  in  fact,  but  as 
reasoning  with  them  upon  their  own  prin- 
ciples. 

But  what  is  nearer  still  to  the  case  in 
hand  is  the  parable  addressed  to  Simon  the 
pharisee.  Our  Lord  here  supposes  that  Si- 
mon was  a  little  sinner,  and  a  forgiven  sin- 
ner ;  and  yet  in  fact  he  was  neither.  No 
set  of  men  were  greater  sinners  in  reality 
than  the  Pharisees  ;  and  this  man  gave  proof 
of  his  being  in  an  impenitent  and  unforgiven 
state.  But  Christ  reasoned  Avith  him  upon 
his  own  principles  ;  q.  d.  You  reckon  your- 
self a  little  sinner,  and  that  what  few  failings 
you  have  will  doubtless  be  forgiven  you : 
well,  be  it  so;  this  woman  is  a  great  sinner, 
and  so  accounts  herself:  I  forgave  her  all  her 
trangressions,  and  therefore  you  need  not 
wonder  at  her  conduct ;  her  love  to  me  is 
greater  than  yours,  even  allowing,  for  argu- 
ment's sake,  that  your  love  is  sincere. 

Thus,  in  the  parable  under  consideration, 
our  Lord  solemnly  warns  all  the  members  of 
his  visible  kingdom,  who  professed  to  be  the 
people  of  God,  and  who  had  their  expecta- 
tions of  being  forgiven  of  him,  without  de- 
termining whether  their  professions  were 
sincere  or  their  expectations  well  founded, 
that,  if  they  forgave  not  men  their  trespas- 
ses, neither  would  his  heavenly  Father  for- 
give them  their  trespasses.  Whether  they 
were  sincere  or  not,  made  no  difference  as 
to  the  argument :  If  a  person  lays  his  ac- 
count with  being  forgiven  of  God,  and  is  un- 
forgiving to  his  brother,  his  conduct  is  in- 
consistent and  wicked ;  for,  being  under  the 


power  of  self-deception,  his  motive  is  the 
same  as  if  it  had  been  otherwise. 

There  are  some  subjects  on  which  I  feel 
myself  incapable  of  throwing  any  fresh  light. 
Where  this  is  the  case  I  think  it  my  duty  to 
decline  them.  Under  this  description  I  must 
reckon  the  questions  of  a  correspondent  who 
signs  himself  A  Berean  :  and  another  who 
has  addressed  me  under  the  signature  of 
Candidus,  concerning  the  decrees  of  God.  I 
feel  difficulties  upon  those  great  subjects,  on 
which,  at  present,  I  had  rather  pray  than 
write. 

ON       THE       PARABLE       OF       THE       UNJUST 

STEWARD. 

Luke  xvi.  1 — 12. 

It  will  not  be  expected  that  we  should 
affix  a  distinct  idea  to  every  term  in  a  para- 
ble. There  are  some  parts  of  almost  every 
composition  of  this  kind  which  belong  to 
what  may  be  called  the  drapery  of  it;  and, 
were  we  to  aim  at  a  minute  explication  of 
them,  we  should  presently  feel  ourselves 
lost  in  mazes  of  folly  and  impertinence. 
The  first  and  chief  object  in  the  exposition 
of  parables  is  to  find  out  the  leading  design 
of  the  speaker.  The  leading  design  in  this 
parable  is  manifestly  to  expose  the  sin  of 
covetousness.  So  it  was  understood  by  the 
pharisees,  who,  as  the  sacred  writer  observes, 
(ver.  14,)  "  were  covetous,"  and  who,  "  Avhen 
they  heard  these  things,  derided  him." 
They  perceived  the  parable  was  aimed  at  a 
sin  in  which  they  lived ;  but,  instead  of 
being  reproved  and  humbled,  they  affected, 
like  the  same  kind  of  people  in  the  present 
day,  to  carry  it  off  with  a  high  hand,  and 
treated  the  reprover  with  derision. 

To  show  the  evil  of  the  sin  of  covetous- 
ness, our  Lord  represents  every  man  in  the 
possession  of  worldly  property  as  a  steward 
under  God,  and  intimates  that  a  time  will 
come  when  we  must  give  account  of  our 
stewardship,  and  be  no  longer  stewards. 
From  the  supposed  case  of  one  of  the 
"  children  of  this  world,"  who,  on  being 
summoned  to  give  account  of  his  steward- 
ship, took  measures  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  his  lord's  tenants,  our  Saviour  takes 
occasion  to  reprove  the  folly  of  avarice, 
and  to  enforce  the  practice  of  charity  and 
liberality ;  by  which  that  worldly  proper- 
ty which  had  hitherto  been  unjustly  detained 
from  the  necessitous,  and  which  therefore 
was  in  danger  of  proving  injurious  to  the 
souls  of  its  possessors,  might  be  turned  to 
their  everlasting  advantage.  "The  chil- 
dren of  this  world,"  he  observed,  "  are 
wiser  in  their  generation  than  the  children 
of  light."  The  expedient  supposed  to  be 
used  by  one  of  the  former  is  introduced  in 
order  to  shame  the  latter,  and  to  provoke 
them  to  be  as  wise  for  their  souls  as  the 
others  are  for  their  bodies. 


144 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


The  want  of  integrity  in  the  unjust  stew- 
ard does  not  appear  to  consist  in  his  giving 
back  a  part  of  the  rents  to  his  lord's  tenants, 
but  in  his  having  embezzled  and  misapplied 
his  property.  The  abatements  which  he  is 
supposed  to  have  made  seem  to  have  been, 
whatever  might  be  his  motive,  but  an  exer- 
cise of  justice  towards  those  whom  for  his 
own  private  interest  he  had  oppressed.  In 
oppressing  the  tenants  and  defrauding  his 
lord,  the  unjust  steward  fitly  represents  the 
conduct  of  those  who  at  the  same  time 
withhold  what  is  meet  from  the  poor  and 
from  the  Lord,  appropriating  what  Provi- 
dence puts  into  their  hands  to  merely  selfish 
purposes. 

Worldly  riches  are  called  "  the  mammon 
of  unrighteousness,"  not  because  it  is  un- 
righteous to  be  rich,  nor,  as  I  am  inclined  to 
think,  on  account  of  their  having  been  ob- 
tained by  unrighteous  methods  ;  but  rather 
because  of  their  being  unrighteously  detain- 
ed from  the  poor  and  needy.  Our  riches 
may  have  been  righteously  obtained  with 
respect  to  men,  and  yet  unrighteously  de- 
tained with  respect  to  God,  and  with  respect 
to  the  poor,  who  are  his  tenants,  his  repre- 
sentatives in  this  world.  Such  an  unright- 
eous detention  of  our  worldly  wealth  is 
tantamount  to  the  conduct  of  the  unjust 
steward,  who  "  wasted  his  lord's  goods." 
That  which  is  not  applied  to  the  purposes 
for  which  it  was  entrusted  in  our  hands  is 
embezzled  and  misapplied  in  God's  account. 
In  this  view  the  most  covetous  persons  are 
the  greatest  wasters ;  and  every  one  who 
possesses  more  than  he  ought,  by  hav- 
ing detained  it  from  the  poor  and  needy,  is 
in  possession  of  unrighteous  mammon,  is  an 
unjust  steward,  and  must  shortly  have  to 
give  account  of  his  stewardship  ! 

But,  if  the  mere  detention  of  our  property 
beyond  what  is  fit  and  right  constitute  it  the 
mammon  of  unrighteousness,  who  then  is 
innocent  ?  Who  that  is  in  possession  of 
wealth  can  wash  his  hands,  and  say,  "  I  am 
clear  in  this  matter ;  I  owe  nothing  to  reli- 
gion, nothing  to  the  poor  ?  "  Alas,  every 
one  must  feel  self-condemned  !  The  preva- 
lence of  this  sin  may  account  for  our  Lord's 
speaking  of  riches  in  general,  in  ver.  11,  as 
the  unrighteous  mammon.  There  is  per- 
haps a  part  at  least  of  every  man's  property 
that,  if  all  had  their  dues,  would  not  be  his. 

And  what  is  to  be  done  with  this  overplus, 
this  unrighteous  mammon  ?  The  answer  is, 
Apply  it  to  the  uses  to  which  it  ought  to  have 
been  applied  before  ;  not  only  communicate 
liberally  of  your  substance  to  all  those  pur- 
poses for  which  you  are  entrusted  with  it, 
which  ought  to  be  your  general  course,  but, 
like  Zaccheus,  pay  up  your  arrears.  This 
will  be  "  making  friends  of,"  or  by,  "  the 
mammon  of  unrighteousness ;  laying  up 
treasure  in  heaven  ;  laying  up  in  store  for 
ourselves  a  good  foundation  against  the  time 


to  come,  that  we  may  lay  hold  on  eternal 
life." 

It  is  true,  the  mere  communication  of 
relief  to  the  needy,  if  unaccompanied  by 
love,  will  avail  us  nothing  ;  and,  even  if  it 
spring  from  love,  there  is  nothing  in  it  that 
can,  strictly  speaking,  merit  the  kingdom  of 
God ;  yet,  God  having  graciously  promised 
eternal  life  as  the  reward  of  those  who  give 
but  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a  disciple  of 
Christ  because  he  belongs  to  him,  a  compli- 
ance with  the  one  affords  a  foundation  to 
expect  the  other.  As  God  graciously  re- 
wards even  his  own  work  in  this  world,  so  it 
will  be  in  that  to  come  :  those  who  have  sown 
sparingly  here  will  reap  sparingly  hereafter  ; 
while  those  who  have  sown  plentifully  shall 
reap  plentifully.  We  may  as  truly  be  said, 
by  laying  out  ourselves  for  God,  to  lay  up 
treasures  in  heaven,  as  if  eternal  life  were 
literally  the  reward  of  human  merit ;  and 
though  when  we  have  done  all  we  are  un- 
profitable servants,  having  done  no  more  than 
was  our  duty  to  do,  yet,  through  the  super- 
abounding  goodness  of  God,  we  may  be  said 
by  these  means  to  make  to  ourselves  friends, 
who  will  bear  such  witness  in  our  favor  as 
that  Ave  shall  be  received  into  everlasting 
habitations. 

To  enforce  the  exercise  of  liberality,  our 
Lord  holds  up  the  disparity  between  earthly 
and  heavenly  riches ;  the  one  as  little,  the 
other  as  much  ;  the  one  as  unrighteous,  de- 
ceitful, or  false  mammon,  the  other  as  the 
true  riches ;  this  as  pertaining  to  another 
man,  of  which  we  are  only  stewards,  that  as 
being  properly  our  oivn,  an  inalienable  and 
eternal  inheritance  ;  seriously  warning  us, 
at  the  same  time,  that  if  we  continue  unfaith- 
ful in  the  one  we  can  never  expect  to  be 
put  in  possession  of  the  other. 

ON  THE  CASE  OF  THE  CONVERTED    THIEF. 

Luke  xxiii.  39 — 43. 

It  is  an  opinion  entertained  by  some  who 
imbibe  what  is  called  rationed  Christianity 
that  character  being  formed  by  habits,  and 
habits  by  a  series  of  actions,  sudden  conver- 
sions are  impossible.  It  would  seem  to  be 
in  support  of  this  hypothesis  that  doubts 
have  been  suggested  as  to  the  previous 
character  of  the  converted  thief,  as  whether 
his  crime  might  not  consist  in  some  affair  of 
a  political  nature,  which,  being  accounted 
seditious,  affected  his  life ;  and  whether  he 
might  not,  upon  the  whole,  have  been  a  good 
character  notwithstanding.  There  is  noth- 
ing however,  in  the  story,  that  countenances 
such  a  notion.  He  is  called  a  malefactor,  or 
evil-doer  ;  and  the  term  here  rendered  a  thief 
signifies  as  much  as  a  robber.  It  is  the  same 
word  that  is  used  of  Barabbas,  who  was  a 
robber  and  murderer.  Besides,  he  condemns 
himself;  who  then  shall  go  about  to  justify 
him  ? 


THE    CASE    OF    THE    CONVERTED    THIEF. 


145 


Those  who  imbibe  this  opinion  could  have 
nothing  to  say  to  a  condemned  malefactor, 
unless  it  were  to  examine  him  as  to  the 
reality  and  heinousness  of  his  crimes,  hoping 
to  find  him  less  guilty  than  was  alleged.  If 
on  inquiry  they  find  he  has  been  a  bad  char- 
acter, they  must  give  him  up  as  to  any 
change  being  effected  in  this  life.  The 
gospel  which  they  preach  will  not  reach  his 
case.  He  must  die,  therefore,  in  his  sins, 
and  whither  the  Saviour  is  gone  he  cannot 
go! 

Some  that  have  not  carried  matters  to  this 
length  have  yet  considered  the  conversion  of 
bad  characters  as  every  thing  but  hopeless. 
They  do  not  say  it  is  impossible,  but  con- 
ceive it  to  be  exceedingly  improbable  ;  as 
if  the  probability  of  a  sinner's  conversion 
depended  on  his  previous  character,  and  was 
influenced  by  it.  Jesus,  however,  commis- 
sioned his  disciples  to  "  preach  repentance 
and  remission  of  sins,  in  his  name,  among 
all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem"  the 
crimes  of  whose  inhabitants,  in  crucifying  the 
Lord  of  glory,  were  such  that,  compared 
with  them,  those  of  ordinary  malefactors  are 
but  little  follies. 

The  doctrine  of  grace  to  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners never  seems  to  be  guarded  in  the  Scrip- 
tures in  the  manner  Ave  sometimes  see  it  in 
human  writings.  The  salvation  of  a  great 
sinner  is  not  there  held  up  as  a  singular  in- 
stance, which  we  are  not  to  expect  to  see 
repeated;  but  rather  as  a  proof  that  no  sin- 
ner need  despair  on  account  of  the  magnitude 
of  his  sins. — "For  this  cause  I  obtained 
mercy,  that  in  me  first  Jesus  Christ  might 
show  forth  all  long-suffering,  for  a  pattern  to 
them  who  should  hereafter  believe  on  him 
to  everlasting  life." 

The  way  in  which  the  Scriptures  guard  the 
doctrine  of  grace  is  not  by  limiting  its  opera- 
tions, but  by  insisting  upon  its  effects.  They 
put  no  questions  to  a  sinner  coming  to  Jesus 
for  mercy,  as  to  the  magnitude  of  his  sins ; 
but  they  declare  without  reserve  that,  "  if 
any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature : 
old  things  are  passed  away  ;  behold  all  things 
are  become  new."  On  this  principle  let  us 
carefully  inspect  the  case  of  the  converted 
thief,  and  apply  it  as  we  go  along  to  cases 
in  our  own  times. 

First :  He  frankly  acknoivledges  his  guilt 
and  the  justice  of  his  condemnation. — "We, 
indeed,  justly ;" — "we  receive  the  due  re- 
ward of  our  deeds."  The  sinner  who  palli- 
ates or  prevaricates  as  to  any  part  of  his 
conduct  is  not  a  neAv  creature,  and  therefore 
is  not  in  Christ. 

It  is  possible,  however,  that  a  convict  may, 
through  the  fallibility  of  the  most  upright 
judge  and  jury,  be  condemned  to  die  for  a 
crime  of  which  he  is  not  guilty,  although  he 
has  been  guilty  of  many  other  crimes  ;  while, 
therefore,  he  acknowledges  the  justice  of 
God  in  his  condemnation,  he  cannot  in  re- 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  19. 


spect  of  the  proceedings  of  man  say,  with 
the  dying  thief,  I  suffer  justly.  Such  a  case 
as  this  may  occur,  and  where  it  does  it  is 
doubtless  right  for  the  party  to  speak  the 
truth.  But,  before  he  is  entitled  to  credit, 
the  credibility  of  the  evidence  against  him 
requires  to  be  carefully  and  impartially  con- 
sidered. Truth  also  is  consistent,  and  very 
rarely  devoid  of  evidence.  Before  he  is  en- 
titled to  credit,  in  the  denial  of  what  has 
been  legally  proved  against  him,  it  should  be 
considered  also  that  he  may  have  an  interest 
in  trying  to  persuade  those  about  him  of  his 
innocence  in  respect  of  the  crime  for  which 
he  is  condemned  to  suffer,  as  it  is  by  this 
only  that  he  can  hope  for  an  application  be- 
ing made  on  his  behalf  for  the  mitigation  of 
his  punishment.  When  a  compassionate 
minister  attends  a  convict  in  such  circum- 
stances, and  hears  him  confess  how  great  a 
sinner  he  has  been  in  other  things,  though 
as  to  the  crime  for  which  he  is  about  to  suffer 
he  is  innocent,  he  may  be  induced  to  believe 
him,  and  this  the  convict  will  quickly  per- 
ceive, and  will  go  on  by  every  means  in  his 
power  to  work  up  his  feelings.  The  convict 
may  even  exaggerate  his  other  crimes  for 
the  sake  of  producing  a  belief  of  his  inno- 
cence of  the  crime  for  which  he  stands  con- 
demned. But  it  ought  to  be  considered 
that,  for  the  crimes  which  he  confesses,  he 
lies  under  no  indictment,  and  therefore  they 
do  not  affect  his  life  :  but,  for  the  crime  which 
he  denies,  he  stands  not  only  indicted  but 
condemned  : — this  therefore  affecting  his 
life,  he  is  under  the  strongest  temptation 
that  can  be  conceived  to  deny  it.  The  sum 
is,  that,  when  a  person  is  found  guilty  by  a 
humane  judge  and  an  impartial  jury,  it  may 
be  laid  down  as  a  general  rule  that  he  is 
guilty,  and  no  professions  of  repentance 
while  he  continues  to  deny  it  can  be  sincere : 
and  though  there  are  particular  exceptions 
to  this  rule,  yet  no  convict  ought  to  be  con- 
sidered as  one  of  them  on  his  own  bare  word, 
unaccompanied  with  evidence,  especially 
when  he  is  under  the  greatest  possible  temp- 
tation, though  he  were  guilty,  to  wish  to  be 
thought  innocent. 

Secondly :  The  few  things  uttered  by  the 
dying  thief  had  no  bearing  on  his  temporal 
interest,  but  were  the  pure  dictates  of  truth 
and  righteousness. — In  condemning  his  own 
conduct,  he  justified  his  countrymen  as  to 
their  treatment  of  him ;  yet  at  the  same  time 
he  condemned  them  as  to  their  treatment  of 
Jesus.  If,  by  the  former,  he  might  be  sup- 
posed to  conciliate  them,  and  induce  them  to 
make  interest  for  his  being  taken  down  from 
the  cross,  the  latter  would  have  a  contrary 
effect.  His  words,  therefore,  taken  together, 
must  have  arisen  from  a  regard  to  what  was 
true  and  right. 

Thirdly :  His  repentance  toward  God  was 
accompanied  with  "faith  toward  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."— The  prayer  that  he  offered 


146 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


was  that  of  faith,  and,  considering' his  circum- 
stances, of  great  faith.  A  man  of  his  habits 
cannot  be  supposed  to  have  been  much  ac- 
quainted with  the  prophecies  or  the  miracles 
of  Christ.  Excepting  the  general  notion, 
which  may  be  considered  as  common  to  every 
Jew,  that  the  Messiah  would  come,  he  would 
probably  know  little  or  nothing  of  religion. 
It  is  not  unlikely  that,  till  he  saw  Jesus  in 
the  hands  of  the  rulers,  he  knew  nothing  of 
him  ;  and,  now  that  he  saw  him,  it  was  under 
every  circumstance  of  weakness  and  dis- 
grace :  his  enemies  were  triumphing  over 
him,  his  friends  had  mostly  forsaken  him, 
public  opinion  was  against  him,  and  his  very 
crucifixion  was  deemed  inconsistent  with 
his  Messiahship.  The  lowliness  of  his  con- 
dition from  the  beginning  was  a  great  stum- 
bling-block to  the  Jews,  and  the  circumstan- 
ces of  his  death  must  render  it  more,  espe- 
cially to  one  who  had  never  seen  him  but  in 
this  situation.  Even  those  who  had  believed 
in  him  were  made  to  doubt  by  his  crucifix- 
ion. Yet  under  all  these  disadvantages  he 
had  the  fullest  conviction  of  his  Messiahship, 
or  he  could  not  have  offered  the  prayer  which 
he  did,  "Lord  remember  me  when  thou 
comest  into  thy  kingdom !  "  By  the  request 
to  be  remembered,  he  must  have  meant  as 
much  as  if  he  had  asked  to  be  saved,  which 
implies  his  belief  in  Jesus  as  the  Saviour. 
Indeed  he  must  have  believed  him  to  be  the 
Saviour  even  of  the  chief  of  sinners,  or  he 
would  not  have  hoped  to  be  remembered  by 
him.  A  self-righteous  spectator  would  have 
cried  shame  on  such  a  petition  ;  and,  had  he 
himself  been  influenced  by  that  spirit,  he 
might  have  suppressed  it,  as  being  unworthy 
of  so  great  a  favor.  He  must  also  have  be- 
lieved that  this  Jesus,  though  now  expiring 
upon  the  cross,  would  shortly  be  in  posses- 
sion of  a  kingdom  in  the  heavenly  world.  In 
this  again  he  was  before  the  apostles,  whose 
notions  of  an  earthly  kingdom  blinded  their 
minds.  Finally,  it  would  seem  as  if  he  be- 
lieved that  in  that  blessed  kingdom  Jesus 
would  "make  intercession  for  transgress- 
ors ;"  why  else  did  he  ask  to  be  remembered 
by  him?  This  is  certain,  that,  if  he  had 
possessed  the  clearest  views  of  the  interces- 
sion of  Christ,  he  could  not  have  expressed 
himself  better. 

Hoav  full  and  appropriate  was  the  term 
which  his  heart  dictated.  It  is  as  if  he  had 
said,  Think  of  me  when  it  shall  be  well  with 
thee. — He  might  have  said,  pardon  me,  save 
me,  bless  me  ;  but  the  words  "  remember  me  " 
include  them  all.  An  interest  in  Christ's 
heart  will  comprehend  an  interest  in  all  his 
benefits.  Nor  was  the  term  less  appropriate 
to  the  condition  of  the  petitioner;  an  outcast 
from  society,  who  will  remember  him1?  The 
public  would  think  no  more  of  him ;  his 
friends  would  be  glad  to  forget  him,  as  hav- 
ing disgraced  the  family  ;  but  there  is  one 
with  whom  he  ventures  to  lodge  a  petition, 
"Lord,  remember  me !  " 


How  shall  we  account  for  so  large  a  por- 
tion of  faith  and  spiritual  understanding  in 
one  circumstanced  as  he  was,  and  in  so  short 
a  time?  Without  divine  influence  it  cannot 
be  accounted  for,  but  with  it  that  which  he 
saw  and  heard  was  sufficient  for  every  pur- 
pose. When  led  to  the  place  of  execution, 
he  heard  the  answer  of  Jesus  to  the  women 
who  lamented  him, — "  Daughters  of  Jerusa- 
lem, weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  your- 
selves, and  for  your  children  :  for  behold  the 
days  are  coming  in  the  which  they  shall  say, 
Blessed  are  the  barren,  and  the  wombs  that 
never  bare,  and  the  paps  which  never  gave 
suck.  Then  shall  they  begin  to  say  to  the 
mountains,  Fall  on  us  ;  and  to  the  hills,  Cover 
us :  for,  if  they  do  these  things  in  a  green 
tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ?  "  He 
had  also  heard  the  prayer  for  his  enemies, 
when  they  were  nailing  him  to  the  cross, 
"  Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  To  a  heart  which  the  Lord 
had  opened,  these  sayings  would  be  more 
than  so  many  sermons.  Nor  was  this  all : 
he  would  gather  from  the  very  jeers  of  his 
enemies  that  Jesus  professed  to  be  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God,  and  the  Saviour  of  men. 
Even  the  impenitent  thief  knew  this,  and 
joined  in  reproaching  him  for  it.  The  su- 
perscription written  over  him,  "  This  is  the 
king  of  the  Jeius"  was  equal  to  saying,  This 
is  the  Messiah  ;  and  so  contained  a  testimony 
for  him,  on  which  account  the  Jews  wished  to 
have  it  altered.  He  would  also  perceive  the 
spirit  of  the  sufferer  and  that  of  his  persecu- 
tors. Altogether,  he  saw  that  he  had  done 
nothing  amiss  ;  and  his  mind,  being  open  to 
conviction,  would  quickly  admit  the  conse- 
quences— He  must  be  Avhat  he  professes  to 
be,  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  Saviour 
of  the  world. 

From  this  conviction  proceeded  his  peti- 
tion to  be  remembered  by  him ;  and,  consid- 
ering the  well-known  character  of  Christ, 
it  was  not  surprising  that  it  should  be  heard 
and  answered.  He  had  declared  in  his  dis- 
courses, "  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out ; "  and  he  acted  up  to  it. 
— "Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  to-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  para- 
dise." Of  the  reproaches  that  were  cast 
upon  him  by  his  enemies  he  took  no  notice  ; 
but  the  prayer  of  the  contrite  and  believing 
sinner  arrested  his  attention.  At  a  time 
when  he  was  grappling  with  the  powers  of 
darkness,  and  sustaining  the  load  of  human 
guilt,  we  should  have  thought  he  might 
have  been  excused  from  attending  to  indi- 
vidual applications ;  but  a  sinner  can  never 
come  to  him  in  an  unacceptable  time.  He 
gives  him  an  answer  of  peace,  and  that 
without  delay.  There  was  a  case  in  which  he 
held  the  petitioner  a  while  in  suspense,  al- 
leging, "  It  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's 
bread,  and  cast  it  to  the  dogs  ; "  but  this  was 
an  urgent  case.  In  a  very  little  time  the 
spark  of  life  would  be  extinguished.    The 


THE    CASE    OF    THE    CONVERTED    THIEF. 


147 


word  must  be  nigh  him,  or  it  will  be  una- 
vailing. Had  he  been  required  to  ascend 
to  heaven  or  to  descend  into  the  deep  for 
the  blessing,  it  had  been  utterly  out  of  reach. 
Had  it  been  necessary  for  him  to  possess  a 
set  of  virtuous  habits,  each  acquired  by  a 
series  of  virtuous  acts,  the  way  had  been  too 
circuitous  for  him :  but  the  word  of  faith 
was  nigh  him,  and  he  laid  hold  of  it ;  with 
his  heart  believing  unto  righteousness,  and 
with  his  moutli  making  confession  unto  sal- 
vation. 

As  the  request  to  be  remembered  includ- 
ed much,  so  did  the  answer.  To  be  with 
Christ  in  paradise,  not  only  supposes  that 
his  soul  would  exist  when  separated  from 
the  body,  but  intimates  the  forgiveness  of 
his  sins,  and  all  that  was  necessary  to  salva- 
tion. It  exceeds  all  that  he  asked  or 
thought:  he  asked  to  be  remembered  by 
him  ;  and  is  told  he  shall  be  with  him :  he 
asked  to  be  remembered  at  a  future  time, 
he  knew  not  when  ;  and  is  assured  that, 
before  the  day  should  end,  they  would  be  to- 
gether in  paradise.  And,  lest  it  should  seem 
too  much  to  be  true,  Jesus  prefaced  the  as- 
surance with  the  solemn  asseveration,  "Ve- 
rily I  say  unto  thee."  The  dying  man,  no 
doubt,  believed  him,  and  rejoiced  in  hope  of 
eternal  life. 

But  Fourthly :  Though  assured  of  being 
with  Christ  in  paradise,  there  is  no  mention 
of  his  making  this  a  part  of  his  confession, 
or  telling  the  spectators  that  he  ivas  goiiig 
to  heaven. — What  was  said  on  this  subject 
was  by  Christ,  and  not  by  him.  Is  it  unnatu- 
ral to  suppose  that  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  died  would  induce  him  to  suppress 
things  which  might  have  been  proper  in  oth- 
er circumstances  ?  Had  he  been  a  martyr 
to  the  truth,  he  might  have  declared,  with 
great  propriety,  that,  though  they  had  cast 
him  out,  God  would  receive  him ;  or  had  he 
died  in  his  bed,  like  other  righteous  men,  he 
might  have  said  with  an  apostle,  "  If  the 
earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dis- 
solved, we  have  a  building  of  God,  a  house 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  hea- 
vens ; "  but,  dying  as  a  malefactor,  whatever 
were  his  hopes,  or  joys,  he  would  not  be  for- 
ward to  speak  of  them.  If,  in  cases  where 
men  are  "buffeted  for  their  faults,"  the  most 
exemplary  patience  loses  its  glory  and  thank- 
worthiness,  much  more  where  they  are  exe- 
cuted for  their  crimes.  It  must  appear  to 
the  dying  thief,  and  I  think  to  any  true  peni- 
tent in  his  situation,  that  the  expressions  of 
a  lively  hope  would  have  no  glory,  but  must 
rather  appear  incongruous  and  disgusting. 
In  such  circumstances,  therefore,  he  would 
rather  choose  to  steal  out  of  the  world  in 
silence.  Duty  required  him  to  acknowledge 
his  sin,  and  he  did  so,  without  prevarication 
or  reserve.  Let  the  world  think  ill  of  his 
conduct;  the  more  they  do  this,  the  better; 
but,  as  to  their  thinking  well  of  his  future 
state,  he  discovered  no  concern  about  it. 


Besides,  except  his  acknowledgment  of 
the  justice  of  his  sentence,  he  had  no  claim 
to  the  credence  of  the  spectators  for  the 
sincerity  of  his  repentance.  Unless  his  life 
had  been  prolonged,  he  could  give  no  proof 
of  it :  what  right  then  had  he  to  expect  to 
be  credited  as  to  his  future  happiness  ?  The 
testimony  of  a  single  witness  was  not  ad- 
mitted in  certain  cases  under  the  Mosaic 
law :  whatever,  therefore,  such  a  witness 
might  know,  he  would  not  be  forward  to  ut- 
ter, and  still  less  to  claim  credit  for  the 
truth  of  that  of  which  he  could  produce  no 
legal  proof:  so  the  truly  penitent  convict, 
knowing  that  he  has  no  such  means  of  prov- 
ing his  sincerity  as  he  would  have  if  his 
life  were  prolonged,  will  not  be  eager  in 
proclaiming  it. 

The  above  remarks  are  submitted  to  the 
serious  consideration  of  those  ministers  or 
private  Christians  who  are  called  to  attend 
persons  under  sentence  of  death.  Let  the 
case  of  the  dying  thief  have  all  its  weight 
in  encouraging  us  to  use  means  for  their 
conversion  ;  but  let  us  not  hastily  flatter  our- 
selves, and  still  less  the  unhappy  convict, 
that  we  have  succeeded.  If  his  supposed 
penitence  be  attended  with  an  eagerness  to 
proclaim  his  own  sincerity,  and  his  certain 
expectation  of  future  happiness,  it  should  be 
strongly  suspected  ;  and  if  with  a  denial  of 
what  has  been  clearly  proved  against  him, 
or  a  disposition  to  palliate  or  prevaricate,  ut- 
terly discredited. 

The  boasting  language  so  common  among 
convicts  who  profess  to  repent  and  believe 
the  gospel,  in  our  times,  has  caused  some  to 
ask  whether  the  gallows  was  not  the  surest 
way  to  heaven. 

There  certainly  are  principles,  apart  from 
religion,  which  account  for  much  that  in 
such  circumstances  passes  for  conversion. 
Besides  what  has  been  observed  under  the 
first  remark,  of  men  being  induced  to  pro- 
fess repentance  for  their  other  sins  while 
they  deny  that  for  which  they  are  to  suffer, 
in  hope  of  saving  their  lives,  there  may  be 
strong  feelings  respecting  a  future  state, 
while  yet  there  is  no  true  repentance. 
When  a  man  has  received  the  sentence  of 
death,  and  knows  he  must  shortly  stand 
before  his  Maker,  is  it  surprising  that  his 
heart  fails  him?  And  if,  when  his  charac- 
ter and  condition  are  faithfully  stated  to  him, 
he  iveeps,  is  it  any  wonder?  I  add,  if  when 
the  hope  of  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ  is  held 
up  to  him  he  catches  at  it  with  eagerness, 
as  his  only  refuge  against  terror,  and  if  a 
gleam  of  hope  be  thus  kindled  in  his  mind 
and  he  be  encouraged  to  think  well  of  his 
state,  it  does  not  require  the  supernatural 
influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  cause  him 
to  weep  for  joy.  And  this  in  the  account  of 
a  good  minister,  whose  desires  are  ardently 
drawn  forth  for  his  salvation,  will  render  him 
an  object  of  hope.  But,  after  all,  should 
the  convict  be  pardoned,  the  minister,  if  he 


148 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


be  wise  as  well  as   good,  will  have  many 
painful  apprehensions   lest   the   event  that 
terminates  his  terrors  should  also  terminate  . 
his  religion ! 

If  only  one  fn  ten  of  those  for  whom  hope 
is  entertained  in  the  hour  of  terror  should, 
on  their  lives  being  prolonged,  prove  truly 
religious  characters,  it  is  sufficient  to  en- 
courage the  utmost  efforts  for  the  conver- 
sion of  such  unhappy  men,  but  not  to  justi- 
fy our  pronouncing  on  every  one,  who  dies 
with  apparent  contrition,  that  he  has  gone  to 
heaven. 


John's  testimony  of  jesus   as   the 

MESSIAH. 

John  iii.  22—86. 

While  John  and  Jesus  were  both  baptiz- 
ing at  a  little  distance  from  each  other, 
there  arose  questions  between  some  of  the 
disciples  of  the  former  and  the  Jews  about 
purifying.  Whether  they  conceived  of  bap- 
tism as  a  mode  of  purifying  and  thought 
they  had  enough  of  this  already,  or  what- 
ever they  thought,  they  were  manifestly 
disposed  to  set  John  at  variance  with  Jesus, 
by  endeavoring  to  work  upon  his  jealou- 
sies. Probably  the  objection  was  first  made 
by  the  Jews  to  some  of  John's  disciples ;  and 
they,  being  staggered  by  it,  came  with  it  to 
their  master:  "Rabbi,"  say  they,  "he  that 
was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom  thou 
barest  witness,  behold  the  same  baptizeth, 
and  all  men  come  unto  him."  If  John  had 
been  under  the  influence  of  such  principles 
as  govern  the  greater  part  of  mankind,  this 
poison  must  have  taken  effect.  Its  import 
was  nothing  less  than  this:  This  Jesus 
whom  you  exalt  is  become  your  rival,  and 
draws  away  your  disciples  after  him,  Can  he 
be  the  Messiah  ? 

John,  instead  of  being  fired  with  jealousy, 
feels  indignant  at  the  attempt  to  place  him 
in  competition  with  his  Lord,  and  rejects  the 
idea  with  great  force  of  language.  "A 
man,"  saith  he,  "  can  receive  nothing  except 
it  be  given  him  from  heaven  ; "  and  be  assur- 
ed it  was  never  given  me  from  heaven  to  be  a 
competitor  with  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  ver. 
28.  "Ye  yourselves  bear  me  witness  that  I  said 
I  am  not  the  Christ,  but  that  I  am  sent  before 
him,"  ver.  26.  And,  as  to  "  all  men  coming 
to  him,"  it  is  as  it  should  be.  Instead  of  un- 
dermining the  proof  of  his  Messiahship,  it 
establishes  it :  for  "  he  that  hath  the  bride  " 
(i.  e.  the  people  who  believe  in  him)  "  is  the 
bridegroom."  Envy  not,  I  beseech  you, 
therefore  for  my  sake.  It  is  enough  for  me 
to  be  "  the  bridegroom's  friend."  I  have 
seen  him,  and  heard  his  voice,  and  this  to 
me  is  joy  unspeakable,  ver.  29.  That  of 
which  you  complain  is  the  course  in  which 
things  will  continue  to  move  :  "for  he  must 
increase  and  I   decrease,"  ver.  30.      Nor 


ought  any  to  desire  it  to  be  otherwise ;  for 
"  he  that  cometh  from  above  (as  Jesus  doth) 
is  above  all:  he  that  is  of  the  earth  (as  I  am  ) 
is  earthly,  and  speaketh  of  the  earth:  he 
that  cometh  from  heaven  is  above  all,"  and 
ought  not,  therefore,  to  be  compared  with  a 
worm  of  the  dust,  ver.  31. 

Having  thus  commended  his  person,  he 
proceeds  to  commend  his  doctrine,  and  like 
an  evangelical  minister  to  exhibit  him  as  the 
only  author  of  salvation.  He  describes  his 
testimony  as  different  from  all  others,  in 
that  it  consists  of  things  which  he  had  "seen 
and  heard  "  in  heaven,  as  being  privy  to  all 
the  divine  counsels :  whereas  those  who 
were  of  the  earth  could  only  believe  and 
therefore  speak.  But,  though  he  spoke  as 
never  man  spoke,  yet  men  in  general  reject- 
ed his  testimony ;  those  however  who  re- 
ceived it,  as  there  were  some  that  did  (ver. 
32,)  in  so  doing  not  only  did  him  just  honor, 
but  subscribed  to  the  veracity  of  God  in  all 
the  promises  and  prophecies  of  his  word ; 
while  those  who  rejected  it,  however  they 
might  make  their  boast  of  God,  treated  his 
oracles  as  lies,  and  himself  as  a  liar,  ver.  33. 
The  reason  given  for  his  thus  identifying 
the  testimony  of  Christ  and  the  truth  of  God 
is  that  God  had  "  sent  him  and  he  spake  the 
very  words  of  God  ;"  and  this  not  only  as  hav- 
ing been  privy  to  all  his  counsels,  but  as  par- 
taking of  his  Spirit  without  measure,  ver.  34. 

He  proceeds  to  warn  them  of  the  danger 
of  being  found  fighting  against  God.  "  The 
Father,"  saith  he,  "  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath 
given  all  things  into  his  hands."  Will  you 
set  yourselves  against  the  mind  and  purpose 
of  God  ?  He  is  his  chief  delight.  His  heart 
is  set  on  honoring  him.  To  him  he  hath 
committed  all  the  great  concerns  of  his  mor- 
al empire,  that  he  may  restore  it  to  order, 
and  carry  into  execution  all  his  designs  of 
mercy  and  judgment.  Be  ye  therefore  of 
God's  mind,  ver.  35.  If  ye  believe  on  the 
Son,  everlasting  life  is  yours :  if  ye  believe 
not  the  Son,  you  will  never  see  life  ;  but 
"  the  wrath  of  God "  revealed  from  heaven 
against  you,  in  all  the  curses  of  his  righteous 
law,  will  be  bound  forever  upon  you! — ver.  36. 

Let  the  reader  seriously  consider  this 
testimony  of  John.  Let  him  remember  that 
it  is  as  applicable  to  us  in  these  days  as  it 
was  to  the  parties  immediately  addressed. 
It  is  the  same  doctrine  as  that  which  our 
Lord  himself  delivered  to  Nicodemus,  in 
verses  14 — 18,  and  is  that  word  by  which  we 
shall  be  judged  at  the  last  day.  "  As  Moses 
lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even 
so  must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  per- 
ish but  have  eternal  life.  For  God  so  loved 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should 
not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life.  For 
God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  con- 
demn the  world ;  but  that  the  world  through 


THE    TRIAL    OF    SPIRITS. 


149 


him  might  be  saved.  He  that  believeth  on 
him  is  not  condemned  ;  but  he  that  believeth 
not  is  condemned  already  ;  because  he  hath 
not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only  begot- 
ten Son  of  God." 


ON    THE    TRIAL    OF    SPIRITS. 
John  iv.  1. 

The  predicted  enmity  between  the  seed 
of  the  woman  and  of  the  serpent  has  been 
peculiarly  fulfilled  in  the  times  of  the  gos- 
pel. No  sooner  was  the  Christian  church 
established,  by  the  preaching  of  the  cross, 
than  it  began  to  be  assailed  by  a  flood  of 
false  doctrine.  Christ  had  his  ministers  in 
every  quarter,  and  Satan  had  his.  It  is  in 
this  way  that  the  devil  has  wrought  his 
greatest  achievements.  The  persecutions 
of  the  first  three  centuries  accomplished  but 
little  in  his  favor,  but  the  corruptions  of  the 
fourth  introduced  a  species  of  apostacy 
which  has  deluged  the  Christian  world  for 
more  than  a  thousand  years. 

The  design  of  God  in  permitting  these 
things  may  surpass  our  comprehension  :  we 
are  told,  however,  that  "  it  must  needs  be 
that  offences  come,"  and  that  "  there  must 
be  heresies  among  us,  that  they  who  are 
approved  may  be  made  manifest."  The 
existence  of  such  things,  therefore,  should 
neither  vex  nor  surprise  us,  but  merely  ex- 
cite in  us  that  circumspection  which  is  neces- 
sary in  walking  among  pits  and  snares. 
Such  was  the  temper  of  mind  which  the 
apostle  John  aimed  to  excite  in  the  primitive 
Christians.  "  Beloved,  believe  not  every 
spirit,  but  try  the  spirits  whether  they  are 
of  God  ;  because  many  false  prophets  are 
gone  out  into  the  world."  If  such  caution 
was  necessary  for  the  primitive  Christians, 
unless  we  could  depend  on  the  floods  of 
false  doctrine  having  of  late  ages  subsided, 
or  on  our  having  better  securities  against 
them  than  those  who  were  contemporary 
with  the  apostles,  it  must  be  necessary  for 
us.  As  neither  of  these  suppositions  can 
be  admitted,  I  may  be  allowed  to  apply  the 
warning  language  of  the  apostle  to  our  own 
times. 

The  spirits  which  are  to  be  tried  seem  to 
refer  not  so  much  to  persons  as  to  things  ; 
things  which  are  presented  for  belief,  or 
doctrines.  The  "  spirit  that  confesseth  not 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh  "  ap- 
pears to  be  the  same  thing  as  the  doctrine 
that  is  opposed  to  that  great  truth.*  This 
doctrine  may  be  called  a  spirit,  not  only  as 
professing  to  come  from  divine  inspiration, 
but  on  account  of  its  energies.  False  doc- 
trines are   described   as  contagious  winds, 

*  The  three  unclean  spirits  coming  out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  dragon,  of  the  beast,  and  of  the 
false  prophet  (Rev.  xvi.  13,)  may  he  no  other 
than  delusive  and  destructive  principles. 


that  waft  poison  into  the  minds  of  men ;  a 
pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness,  insinuat- 
ing its  malignant  influence  in  so  insensible 
a  manner  that  the  work  of  death  is  effected 
ere  the  party  is  aware. 

Beloved,  believe  not  every  doctrine  that  is 
proposed  to  you,  whatever  may  be  the  pre- 
tensions or  the  confidence  of  the  proposer. 
Error  seldom  or  never  goes  abroad  undis- 
guised. 

Believe  not  every  doctrine  that  comes  to 
you  in  a  rational  garb.  There  is  nothing  in 
true  religion  repugnant  to  sound  reason  ; 
but  a  system  that  hangs  upon  subtle  reason- 
ing is  not  the  gospel.  There  is  no  cause 
but  what  may  be  made  to  appear  plausible 
by  ingenious  men  ;  of  this  any  one  may 
satisfy  himself  who  listens  but  a  few  hours 
to  the  speeches  of  the  bar  or  the  senate. 
For  a  doctrine  to  be  of  God,  it  must  not  only 
be  conveyed  in  plain  language,  such  as  with- 
out any  force  put  upon  it  naturally  suggests 
the  idea  to  a  humble  and  intelligent  reader, 
but  must  quadrate  with  the  whole  word  of 
God,  and  be  productive  of  effects  similar  to 
that  of  Christ  and  his  apostles.  The  same 
divine  oracle  which  teaches  us  to  "  incline 
our  ear  unto  wisdom,  and  apply  our  heart  to 
understanding,"  directs  to  "  cry  and  lift  up 
our  voice  for  it,  to  trust  in  the  Lord  with  all 
our  heart,  and  not  to  lean  to  our  own  under- 
standing." 

Believe  not  every  doctrine  that  comes  to 
you  in  a  holy  garb.  That  the  gospel  is  holy, 
and  of  a  holy  tendency,  cannot  be  doubted 
by  one  who  believes  it:  but  holiness  itself 
is  capable  in  a  degree  of  being  assumed. 
The  false  teachers,  who  corrupted  the  Corin- 
thians, found  it  necessary,  in  order  to  accom- 
plish their  end?,  to  "  transform  themselves 
into  the  apostles  of  Christ ;  and  no  marvel," 
saith  Paul,  "for  Satan  himself  is  transform- 
ed into  an  angel  of  light."  It  is  no  uncom- 
mon thing  for  the  gospel  to  be  undermined 
by  a  pretended  zeal  for  morality.  The  phar- 
isees  were  wont  to  be  considered  as  almost 
the  only  friends  to  good  works ;  alleging 
against  Jesus  that  he  kept  company  with 
sinners,  and  ate  with  them.  Yet  they  were 
denounced  as  hypocrites.  If  an  evangeli- 
cal minister  among  us  be  called  to  contend 
for  the  purity,  spirituality,  and  perpetual 
authority  of  the  divine  law,  or  for  any  par- 
ticular branch  of  practical  godliness  ;  it  is 
not  unusual  for  others,  Avho  are  very  differ- 
ently affected  to  evangelical  truth,  to  claim 
kindred  with  him,  and  to  wish  to  have  it 
thought  that  all  the  suspicions  that  had  been 
entertained  of  them  were  merely  owing  to 
their  zeal  for  holiness.  But  there  are  few 
men  who  are  farther  off  from  the  holiness 
of  the  New  Testament  than  tho^e  who  urge 
the  duty  to  the  neglect  of  the  principles 
from  which  it  rises.  We  must  both  "  rebuke 
and  exhort,"  but  it  must  be  with  "  all  long- 
suffering  and  doctrine." 


150 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


Believe  not  every  doctrine  that  comes  to 
you  in  an  evangelical  garb.  Nothing  can 
be  truly  evangelical  but  it  must  be  of  God  ; 
but,  under  the  pretence  of  this,  some-  of  the 
most  pernicious  errors  have  been  introduced. 
That  species  of  religion  which  by  the  pro- 
fessed adherence  to  faith  "  maketh  void  the 
law  "  is  chiefly  under  the  disguise  of  exalt- 
ing grace.  Of  this  kind  was  the  religion 
of  those  of  whom  James  writes,  whose 
"  faith  was  dead,  being  alone."  Of  this  kind 
was  the  religion  of  those  awful  characters 
described  by  Peter  and  Jude.  "  Speaking 
great  swelling  words  of  vanity,  alluring 
through  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  and  much 
wantonness  those  who  were  clean  escaped 
from  them  who  live  in  error,  promising  them 
liberty,  while  they  themselves  were  the  ser- 
vants of  corruption."  Finally :  Of  this 
nature  appears  to  have  been  "  the  doctrine 
of  the  Nicolaitans,"  which  led  to  unholy 
deeds,  and  which  the  Lord  hated. 

Believe  no  doctrine  in  matters  of  religion 
but  what  is  of  God.  This  is  the  criterion  by 
which  we  are  directed  to  try  the  spirits. 
For  a  doctrine  to  be  of  God,  it  must  be 
expressive  of  the  mind  of  God  as  revealed 
in  his  word.  If  we  lose  sight  of  this  we 
shall  soon  be  lost  in  the  mazes  of  uncertain- 
ty. "  We  are  of  God,"  saith  the  apostle  ; 
"  he  that  knoweth  God  heareth  us ;  he  that 
is  not  of  God  heareth  not  us.  Hereby  know 
Ave  the  spirit  of  truth  and  the  spirit  of  error." 
The  doctrine  of  the  apostles  being  itself  of 
God  was  a  test  by  which  to  try  the  spirits, 
and  such  it  still  continues.  We  see  in  their 
writings  the  very  mind  of  God  on  all  the 
great  subjects  pertaining  to  his  character, 
government,  and  gospel.  If  they  write  of 
God,  it  is  with  the  profounde^t  reverence,  as 
of  him  who  is  "  blessed  for  ever;  "  if  of  his 
law,  it  is  "holy,  just,  and  good;"  if  of  sin, 
it  is  "exceeding  sinful;"  if  of  sinners, they 
are  "  under  the  curse;"  if  of  Christ,  "as 
concerning  the  flesh,  he  was  of  the  seed  of 
David;"  but,  as  concerning  his  original  na- 
ture, "  the  Son  of  God,  over  all,  God  blessed 
forever;"  if  of  salvation,  it  is  "  of  grace, 
through  faith,  and  that  not  of  ourselves,  it  is 
the  gift  of  God."  Finally:  If  they  describe 
the  end  for  which  Christ  gave  himself  for  us, 
it  was  that  he  might  "redeem  us  from  all 
iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works."  This  doc- 
trine is  of  God ;  and  he  that  knoweth  God 
heareth  it.  But  that  which  begets  high 
thoughts  of  ourselves,  low  thoughts  of  God, 
light  thoughts  of  sin,  and  mean  thoughts  of 
Christ,  is  not  of  God  and  it  is  at  the  hazard 
of  our  salvation  to  receive  it. 

Lastly:  That  which  is  of  God  will  lead 
us  to  side  with  God  in  the  great  controversy 
between  him  and  his  apostate  creatures.  The 
spirit  of  apostacy  has  always  been  complain- 
ing of  the  ways  of  the  Lord  as  unequal. 
His  precepts  are  too  rigid  at  least  for  a  poor 


fallen  creature ;  his  threatenings  are  too 
severe  ;  it  is  hard  to  punish  with  everlasting 
destruction  the  errors  of  a  few  years :  it  had 
been  hard  if  he  had  not  sent  his  Son  to  save 
us ;  and  is  still  hard  if,  after  doing  all  we 
can,  we  must  stand  upon  the  same  ground 
as  the  chief  of  sinners :  surely  he  does  not 
mean,  after  all,  to  punish  unbelievers  with 
eternal  punishment. — Such  are  the  workings 
of  an  apostate  mind,  and  every  false  system 
of  religion  favors  them.  But  that  which  is 
of  God  will  take  a  different  course.  While 
it  teaches  us  to  seek  the  salvation  of  our 
fellow  sinners,  it  will  never  suffer  us  to  pal- 
liate or  excuse  their  sin.  Its  language  is, 
"I  esteem  all  thy  precepts  concerning  all 
things  to  be  right ;  and  I  hate  every  false 
way. — Thou  art  holy  in  all  thy  ways,  and 
righteous  in  all  thy  works. — Behold  I  am 
vile  ;  what  shall  I  answer  thee  ?  I  will  lay 
mine  hand  upon  my  mouth.  Once  have  I 
spoken,  but  I  will  not  answer ;  yea,  twice, 
but  I  will  proceed  no  further. — Thou  shalt 
be  justified  when  thou  speakest,  and  clear 
when  thou  judgest. — If  thou,  Lord,  shouldest 
mark  iniquity,  O  Lord,  who  shall  stand  ? — 
God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 


■on  Christ's  washing  the  disciples'  feet. 
John  xiii. 

This  significant  action,  so  full  of  kindness 
and  condescension  on  the  part  of  our  Sa- 
viour, is  recorded  for  our  example.  Happy 
shall  we  be,  if  we  truly  copy  it.  Here  is  no 
affectation  of  humility,  but  humility  itself; 
nor  is  it  performed  as  a  mere  ceremony,  but 
to  teach  us  "  in  love  to  serve  one  another." 
Its  being  done  at  a  time  when  "  Jesus  knew 
that  his  hour  was  come,  that  he  should  depart 
out  of  this  world  unto  the  Father,"  renders 
it  additionally  impressive.  It  was  the  same 
night  in  which  he  was  betrayed ;  a  night  in 
which  it  might  have  been  thought  his  own 
approaching  trials  would  have  engrossed  his 
whole  attention :  yet  then  he  was  fully  em- 
ployed in  behalf  of  others  ;  setting  an  ex- 
ample of  brotherly  affection,  ordaining  a 
standing  memorial  of  his  death,  fortifying, 
by  a  speech  full  of  unparalleled  consolation, 
the  hearts  of  his  disciples,  and  commending 
them  to  the  care  of  God  his  father.  "  Surely 
he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows,"  not  only  in  making  his  soul  an  of- 
fering for  sin,  but  in  every  step  that  led  on  to 
that  awful  crisis. 

Lying  aside  his  garments,  he  took  a  towel, 
girded  himself  with  it,  poured  the  water  into 
a  basin,  and  went  from  one  to  another,  per- 
forming the  work  of  a  menial  servant.  When 
it  came  to  Peter's  turn,  his  feelings  re- 
volted at  the  idea.  "Lord,"  saith  he,  view- 
ing his  dignity  on  the  one  hand  and  his  own 
insignificance  on  the  other,  "  dost  thou  wash 
■my  feet?"     Jesus  answered,   "What  I  do 


on  Christ's  washing  the  disciples'  feet. 


151 


thou  knowest  not  now ;  but  thou  shalt  know 
hereafter  :  "  intimating  that  he  had  a  reason 
for  so  doing  which,  though  it  might  not  be 
manifest  at  present,  would  at  a  future  time  be 
rendered  plain.  "  Nay,"  saith  Peter,  almost 
indignantly,  "thou  shalt  never  wash  my 
feet !  "  As  though  he  had  said, — This  is  too 
much,  and  what  I  can  never  submit  to ! 

Jesus  answered  him,  "  If  I  wash  thee  not, 
thou  hast  no  part  with  me."  What !  If  he 
washed  not  his  feet  ?  No,  his  soul,  from  the 
pollution  of  sin.  Transitions  like  this,  from 
things  natural  to  things  spiritual,  were  usual 
with  our  Saviour.  Thus,  when  he  had  healed 
a  blind  man,  he  took  occasion  to  observe, 
"  For  judgment  I  am  come  into  this  world, 
that  they  who  see  not  may  see  ;  and  that  they 
who  see  may  be  made  blind."  The  answer 
in  the  present  instance  was  to  this  effect, — 
Dost  thou  account  it  too  great  a  stoop  for 
me  to  wash  thy  feet  ?  Let  me  tell  thee,  I 
must  stoop  lower  than  this,  or  woe  be  to 
thee  !  I  must  cleanse  thee  from  a  defile- 
ment much  more  loathsome  than  this,  or  thou 
canst  have  no  part  with  me  in  my  kingdom. 

Peter,  perceiving  now  that  he  spoke  of  the 
purifying  of  his  soul  from  sin,  suddenly 
changed  his  tone.  "  Lord,"  saith  he,  "  not 
my  feet  only,  but  also  my  hands  and  my 
head."  q.  d.  If  this  be  thy  meaning,  I 
know  that  I  need  to  be  cleansed  throughout. 
t  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  "He  that  is  washed 
needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is 
clean  every  whit ;  and  ye  are  clean,  but  not 
all."  As  it  is  sufficient  for  persons  who 
have  bathed  their  bodies  in  the  stream  to 
wash  off  the  defilement  attached  to  their 
feet  by  walking  on  the  shore,  so  they  that 
have  believed  in  Christ  shall  never  come  in- 
to condemnation,  and  need  not  the  repetition 
of  a  passing  from  death  to  life,  but  merely  an 
application  for  the  pardon  of  their  daily  sins. 
Such  was  the  character  of  all  the  disciples, 
except  Judas,  who,  notwithstanding  his  pro- 
fession, was  yet  in  his  sins. 

From  this  interesting  conversation,  we 
are  taught  several  important  truths. 

First :  We  may  sin  against  Christ,  under 
a  show  of  modesty  and  reverence  for  his 
name.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  Peter's 
first  objection  sprang  from  these  motives ; 
and,  had  he  yielded  to  the  first  answer,  per- 
haps he  had  been  blameless  ;  but,  to  resist 
after  he  was  assured  that  his  Lord  had  a 
good  reason  for  what  he  did,  though  he  at 
present  did  not  comprehend  it,  was  setting 
up  his  own  wisdom  and  will  against  his. 
Nor  was  this  the  first  instance  in  which  Pe- 
ter was  guilty  of  so  doing.  When  our  Sa- 
viour spoke  of  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  of 
suffering  many  things,  and  being  killed,  and 
rising  again  the  third  day,  he  rebuked  him, 
saying,  "  Be  it  far  from  thee,  Lord  ;  this 
shall  not  be  unto  thee."  In  all  this  he  "  sa- 
vored not  the  things  that  were  of  God,  but 
the  things  that  were  of  men." 


There  is  much  of  this  spirit  in  oui  self- 
righteous  objections  to  the  grace  of  the 
gospel,  and  self-willed  oppositions  to  Christ's 
revealed  will.  One  pleads  that  salvation  by 
mere  grace  is  dishonorable  to  God's  moral 
government:  but  let  him  know,  from  the  ex- 
ample of  Peter,  that  there  may  be  a  regard 
to  Christ's  honor  which  he  doth  not  require 
at  our  hands  ;  and  that  we  should  act  much 
more  becoming  by  acquiescing  in  his  will, 
than  by  obtruding  our  own  conceits  in  oppo- 
sition to  it.  Another  alleges,  It  is  too  much 
for  a  sinner  so  unworthy  as  I  am  to  hope  for 
so  great  salvation. — But  can  you  do  with 
less  ?  and  is  it  the  comparatively  worthy 
that  mercy  delighteth  to  honor  ?  True  wis- 
dom will  fall  in  with  that  May  of  honoring 
God  which  is  revealed  in  the  gospel  ;  and 
genuine  modesty  will  not  dispute  with  the 
Saviour,  but  humbly  take  him  at  his  word. 
And  the  same  spirit  that  receives  his  grace 
without  hesitation  will  obey  his  precepts 
without  delay ;  not  asking  why  or  wherefore 
the  Lord  requireth  this,  but  accounting  it 
our  meat  to  do  his  will. 

Secondly  :  A  cordial  and  practical  acqui- 
escence in  the  way  of  salvation  through  the 
blood  of  Christ  is  necessary  to  a  participa- 
tion of  his  benefits.  It  may  seem  rather"  sin- 
gular that  Christ  should  suspend  his  blessing 
on  his  own  act — "  If  I  wash  thee  not,"  &c, 
but  that  act  supposes  the  concurrence  of  the 
party.  He  stood  ready  to  wash  Peter,  and 
stands  ready  to  wash  the  foulest  of  sinners. 
If  therefore  they  be  not  washed,  it  is  owing 
to  their  preference  of  pollution,  or  their  self- 
righteous  objections  to  the  way  of  being 
cleansed.  To  feel  ourselves  entirely  pollu- 
ted, and  ready  to  perish — to  despair  of  being- 
cleansed  by  any  thing  that  we  can  perform, 
or  work  ourselves  up  to— to  place  no  depen- 
dence on  prayers  or  tears,  on  our  bitterest 
repentance  or  most  unfeigned  faith,  consid- 
ered as  acts  of  holiness — and  to  repair,  al- 
together vile  as  we  are,  to  the  blood  of  Je- 
sus, as  to  a  fountain  set  open  for  sin  and  for 
uncleanness — this  is  the  hinge  of  true  reli- 
gion, without  which  we  shall  have  no  inter- 
est with  him  in  his  benefits,  nor  portion  with 
him  in  his  heavenly  kingdom.  If  we  come 
not  to  him  as  polluted  sinners  to  be  washed, 
our  iniquities  are  still  upon  our  head  ;  and, 
if  we  die  in  this  state,  they  will  go  down 
with  us  to  the  grave,  rise  with  us  at  the  res- 
urrection, be  found  upon  us  at  the  judgment, 
and  forever  bar  against  us  those  gates 
through  which  nothing  unclean  can  enter. 
In  this  case,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  the 
Saviour  might  as  well  have  never  come  into 
the  world,  nor  have  laid  down  his  life  :  nay, 
better ;  for,  if  our  filthiness  be  found  upon 
us  at  the  last  day,  it  will  be  the  bitterest  of 
all  aggravations  that  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
has  been  nigh  unto  us. 

Thirdly  :  Though  the  believer,  who  hath 
passed    from    death    to    life,    shall    never 


152 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


come  into  condemnation ;  yet  he  standeth 
in  need  of  continual  cleansing  from  his  daily 
defilements.  The  notion  that  it  is  inconsist- 
ent for  a  believer  to  pray  for  the  pardon  of 
his  sins  is  contrary  to  the  express  directions 
of  Christ,  and  to  the  example  of  the  godly 
in  all  ages.  It  belongs  to  a  "  life  of  faith  on 
the  Son  of  God ; "  and  without  it,  whatever 
self-flattering  ideas  we  may  entertain,  we 
are  dead  while  we  live  :  and  in  whatever 
degree  we  come  short  of  such  a  life,  wearing 
away  our  transgressions  by  forgetfulness  in- 
stead of  washing  them  away  by  repeated  ap- 
plication to  the  blood  of  the  cross,  we  incur 
the  displeasure  of  Christ  and  forsake  our 
own  mercies. 

ON    FINAL    RESTITUTION. 
Acts  iii.  21. 

Of  all  the  sentiments  advanced  in  the  re- 
ligious world,  there  are  few  perhaps  that  are 
likely  to  have  a  greater  spread  than  that  of 
final  and  universal  salvation,  or  the  release  of 
ivicked  men  and  devils,  at  some  unknoton pe- 
riod after  the  day  of  judgment.  It  is  not  sup- 
posed that  this  sentiment  is  attended  with 
such  convincing  evidence  as  must  bear  all 
before  it :  far  from  it ;  but  it  is  a  sentiment 
suited  to  the  corrupt  passions  and  prejudices 
of  men ;  and  we  know  the  propensity  of  our 
minds  to  believe  a  thing  to  be  as  we  would 
wish  to  have  it. 

It  is  one  presumptive  argument,  however, 
against  the  sentiment  referred  to,  that  it  is 
destitute  of  real  utility.  Admitting  it  to  be 
true,  of  what  use  is  it  ?  Who  are  encou- 
raged by  it  ?  Not  the  upright ;  they  are 
safe  without  it.  It  is  the  ungodly  sinner,  if 
any.  He  is  encouraged,  it  is  true  ;  not  how- 
ever to  forsake  his  sins,  or  to  flee  to  the 
remedy ;  but  to  conclude  that  he  shall  have 
peace  at  last,  "  though  he  walk  after  the  im- 
agination of  his  heart,  to  add  drunkenness  ( 
to  thirst."  If  it  be  a  truth,  it  seems  to  be  of 
such  a  nature  that  the  world  would  be  much 
better  without  the  knowledge  of  it  than  with 
it.  On  the  other  hand,  admitting  it  to  be  an 
error,  it  must  be  allowed  to  be  tremendous 
in  its  consequences.  Nothing  ought  more 
to  be  dreaded  than  that  which  tends  to  de- 
ceive the  souls  of  men,  and  that  in  matters 
of  everlasting  consequence ! 

The  following  thoughts  are  not  offered  as 
a  discussion  of  the  subject,  but  merely  as 
what  may  throw  some  light  upon  one  par- 
ticular passage  of  Scripture  upon  which  it  is 
frequently  grounded.  This  passage  is  in 
Acts  iii.  21,  "  Jesus  Christ — whom  the  hea- 
vens must  receive  until  the  times  of  restitu- 
tion of  all  things,  which  God  hath  spoken  by 
the  mouth  of  all  his  holy  prophets  since  the 
world  began."  On  this  passage  I  would 
offer  the  three  following  observations. 

First :  The  times  of  restitution  cannot  mean 
any  time  or  times  beyond  those  of  the  resurrec- 


tion and  the  last  judgment.  This  is  evident 
from  the  passage  itself  compared  with  va- 
rious other  Scriptures.  The  heavens  have 
received  Christ,  and  will  retain  him  till  the 
times  of  restitution  of  all  tilings — but  the 
w'hole  tenor  of  Scripture  declares  that  the 
heavens  will  not  retain  Christ  beyond  the 
times  of  the  resurrection  and  the  last  judg- 
ment— therefore  the  times  of  restitution 
cannot  be  beyond  that  period. 

Christ's  being  retained  in  the  heavens  till 
the  times  of  the  restitution  of  all  things  is 
said  to  have  been  "  spoken  by  the  mouth  of 
all  the  holy  prophets  since  the  world  began." 
This,  if  applied  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Mes- 
siah terminating  in  the  resurrection  and  the 
last  judgment,  is  true  ;  for  from  Enoch  to 
Malachi  this  was  a  subject  to  which  all  the 
prophets  bore  witness.  But  if  applied  to 
some  future  period  after  the  final  judgment, 
when  wicked  men  and  devils  shall  be  releas- 
ed, it  is  not  true,  the  abettors  of  this  notion 
themselves  being  judges.  What  evidence 
can  they  pretend  to,  supposing  the  thing 
itself  were  a  truth,  that  God  by  the  mouth 
of  all  his  holy  prophets  said  any  thing  about 
it?  Much  less  that  Christ  should  be  re- 
tained in  the  heavens  till  the  arrival  of  this 
supposed  period.  On  the  contrary,  by  the 
mouth  of  all  his  holy  prophets  he  hath  said 
just  the  reverse.  He  hath  all  along  repre- 
sented Christ's  second  coming  as  being  im- 
mediately before  and  in  order  to  the  last  judg- 
ment, and  not  after  it. — Jude  14,  15.  Job 
xix.  25,  26.  Psa.  1.  3,  4 ;  xcvi.  13 ;  xcviii. 
9.     Joel  iii.  13. 

Secondly :  The  times  of  the  resurrection 
and  the  last  judgment  are  with  pecidiar  pro- 
priety called  the  times  of  restitution  of  all 
things,  because  that  is  the  period  when  the 
moral  disorder  of  the  creation  shall  come  to 
|  an  end.  By  the  introduction  and  prevalence 
of  moral  evil,  every  thing  in  creation  has 
been  disjointed  and  thrown  into  a  state 
of  anarchy  and  confusion.  God's  authority 
J  has  been  set  aside,  his  just  revenue  of  glory 
i  withheld,  and  even  the  creatures,  which  were 
I  all  designed  to  promote  righteousness,  order, 
and  happiness,  are  abused,  and  made  to  sub- 
serve the  gratifications  of  brutal  appetite. 
The  sun  emits  his  rays,  and  the  clouds  let 
fall  their  showers,  the  mountains  abound 
with  cattle,  and  the  valleys  with  corn  ;  and 
all  to  furnish  man  Avith  what  he  subverts  to 
the  vilest  purposes.  All  this  is  unnatural  to 
the  creation.  The  grand  end  of  every  be- 
ing, intelligent  or  unintelligent,  was  to  sub- 
serve the  Creator's  glory.  If  the  creatures 
of  God  are  made  to  promote  the  cause  of 
iniquity,  it  is  unnatural.  It  is  a  vanity  to 
ivhich  they  are  unwillingly,  as  it  were,  made 
subject,  and  under  which,  as  under  a  burden, 
"they  groan  and  travail  in  pain,"  longing  for 
the  "  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God," 
whichshall  arrive  at  the  resurrection.  The 
empire  of  sin  shall  then  be  utterly  destroyed, 


THE    HONOR    CONFERRED    ON    CHRIST'S    WEAKER    DISCIPLES. 


153 


order  fully  restored,  and  peace  and  righte- 
ousness flow  in  their  ancient  channels. 

But  nothing  of  all  this  implies  the  restora- 
tion of  wicked  men  and  devils  to  their  origi- 
nal state.  If  a  rebellion  break  out  in  the 
dominions  of  an  earthly  king,  which  is  car- 
ried to  such  a  height  that  the  laws  are  set 
aside,  the  royal  authority  disregarded,  and 
all  the  productions  of  that  part  of  his  domin- 
ions appropriated  to  purposes  of  hostility  ; 
if  after  this  the  king  should  crush  the  con- 
spiracy, reinstate  himself  upon  his  throne, 
and  call  the  offenders  to  justice ;  if  he 
should  pardon  some,  punish  others,  and 
restore  law,  peace,  and  order,  to  his  whole 
dominions ;  this  might  be  termed  a  restitu- 
tion of  all  things :  but  who  would  imagine 
that  this  implied  the  restitution  of  all  the 
rebels  to  their  ancient  dignities  and  hon- 
ors? 

Thirdly :  Tlie  times  of  refreshing  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord,  and  the  times  of  resti- 
tution of  all  things,  appear  to  be  the  same  ,* 
and  a  share  in  both  is  held  up  as  a  motive  to 
repentance  and  conversion.  The  apostle,  in 
the  text,  says,  "  Repent,  therefore,  and  be 
converted,  that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out, 
when  the  times  of  refreshing  shall  come 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  And  he 
shall  send  Jesus  Christ,  who  before  was 
preached  unto  you  ;  whom  the  heavens  must 
perceive  until  the  times  of  restitution  of  all 
things,  which  God  hath  spoken  by  the  mouth 
of  all  his  holy  prophets  since  the  world 
began."  This,  if  applied  to  the  times  of  the 
resurrection  and  the  last  judgment,  is  all 
rational  and  beautiful ;  but  if  applied  to 
some  period  after  those  times,  when  devils 
and  wicked  men  shall  be  released,  it  is  ab- 
surd and  contradictory.  Is  it  possible  to 
suppose  Peter's  meaning  should  be  to  the 
following  purpose  : — Repent  and  be  convert- 
ed, that  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out,  when 
these  times  of  refreshing  and  restitution 
shall  come  ;  though,  after  all,  your  sins 
shall  then  be  blotted  out,  whether  you  repent 
and  be  converted  or  not  ? 


THE       HONOR      CONFERRED      ON     CHRIST  S 

WEAKER    DISCIPLES. 

1    Cor.    xii.  24. 

Among  other  disorders  in  the  church  at 
Corinth,  they  were  lifted  up  with  their  gifts. 
Hence  this  whole  chapter  is  spent  on  the 
subject.  Indeed  the  same  spirit  is  noticed 
at  the  outset  of  the  epistle  (ch.  i.  12,)  where, 
though  he  mentions  his  own  name,  and  those 
of  Apollos,  &c,  as  the  idols  of  their  admira- 
tion, yet  it  was  only  in  a  figure  (ch.  iv.  6,) 
that  he  might  with  a  better  grace  pull  them 
down.  Probably  the  objects  of  their  idola- 
try were  neither  Paul  nor  Apollos,  but  their 
own  false  teachers.  In  order  to  impress  a 
true  sense  of  things  upon  their  minds,  he 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  20. 


represents  them  under  the  form  of  a  human 
body,  composed  of  many  members,  insinua- 
ting that  it  was  no  less  absurd  for  invidious 
distinctions  and  divisions  to  take  place  on 
account  of  different  gifts  than  it  would  be 
for  certain  members  of  the  body  to  be  exalt- 
ed, and  the  rest  set  at  nought. 

The  apostle  first  addresses  himself  to  the 
inferior  members,  who  were  in  danger  of 
being  discouraged  :  "  If  the  foot  should  say, 
Because  I  am  not  the  hand  I  am  not  of  the 
body ;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body  ? " 
And,  afterwards,  to  the  superior  members 
who  were  in  danger  of  discouraging  them  : 
"  And  the  eye  cannot  say  to  the  hand,  I 
have  no  need  of  thee  :  nor  again  the  head 
to  the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you."  Final- 
ly :  he  notices  the  peculiar  honor  which  we 
confer  upon  those  parts  of  the  body  which 
are  least  comely,  or  honorable  :  "  And  those 
members  of  the  body  which  we  think  to  be 
less  honorable,  upon  these  we  bestow  more 
abundant  honor,  and  our  uncomely  parts  have 
more  abundant  comeliness."  And  he  inti- 
mates in  the  text  that  God  does  the  same  to 
his  church.  Consequently  we  ought  to 
follow  the  example,  giving  more  honor, 
rather  than  less,  to  the  feeble  members 
of  Christ's  body.  What  is  this  ?  What  is 
the  peculiar  honor  which  God  has  conferred 
on  the  less  splendid  members  of  the  church, 
rather  than  the  other  ? 

First :  That  which  distinguishes  the  ordi- 
nary members  of  Christ's  body  is  of  far 
greater  importance  than  that  which  distin- 
guishes the  extraordinary,  or  gifted  ones. 
The  one  is  grace,  the  other  gifts.  This  idea 
is  held  up  in  the  text.  After  speaking  of 
apostles  and  prophets,  and  pastors  and  teach- 
ers, &c,  he  allows  them  to  covet  the  best 
gifts.  "  Yet,"  says  he,  "  show  I  unto  you 
a  more  excellent  way."  And  what  was 
this  but  charity,  or  love  ?  Hence  he  goes 
on  to  contrast  gifts  and  tongues  with  eharity 
in  ch.  xiii.,  giving  the  decided  preference 
to  the  latter.  Now  this  was  giving  honor 
to  the  part  that  lacked ;  making  that  which 
was  common  to  Christians,  even  the  mean- 
est, of  infinitely  greater  account  than  that 
which  was  possessed  by  a  few  of  the  gifted 
among  them. 

Secondly :  The  most  gifted  members  of 
Christ's  body,  in  a  proper  state  of  mind, 
when  they  have  expressed  their  strongest 
desires,  and  the  objects  in  which  they  have 
gloried,  have  never  selected  those  tilings 
which  were  peculiar  to  them  as  gifted,  but 
those  which  are  possessed  by  good  men  in 
common.  The  highest  object  of  David's 
desire  was  that  which  was  possessed  by  the 
meanest  good  man.  "  One  thing  have  I 
desired  of  the  Lord  ;  that  will  I  seek  after ; 
that  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 
all  the  days  of  my  life,  to  behold  the  beauty 
of  the  Lord,  and  to  inquire  in  his  temple." 
That   in  which  Paul  gloried  was  not  his 


154 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


greatness,  but  his  infirmity,  and  the  "  cross 
of  Christ :  "  and  that  which  he  desired  was 
to  be  "  found  in  him,  not  having  his  own 
righteousness." 

Thirdly :  The  greater  is  subordinate  to 
the  less,  and  not  the  less  to  the  greater. 
Churches  are  not  for  ministers,  but  minis- 
ters for  churches.  The  poor,  the  feeble, 
and  the  afflicted,  are  not  ordained  to  honor 
a  splendid  orator,  by  attending  upon  him  and 
admiring  him :  but  the  most  accomplished 
orator,  or  even  apostle,  to  be  "  their  servant 
for  Jesus'  sake."  As  the  eye  and  the  hand 
are  subservient  to  the  body,  so,  "  whether 
Paul  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  life,  or  death, 
all  are  yours."  The  greatest  of  all  must  be 
the  servant  of  all:  "And  he  gave  some 
apostles,  and  some  prophets,  and  some  evan- 
gelists, and  some  pastors  and  teachers  ;  for 
the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of 
the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of 
Christ :  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  faith, 
and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God, 
unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the 
stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ." 

Fourthly  :  In  their  vocation  God  has  con- 
ferred peculiar  honor  upon  the  poor,  and  the 
weak,  and  the  feeble,  in  taking  the  generali- 
ty of  his  people  from  among  them.  "  God 
hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world 
to  confound  the  wise  ;  and  God  hath  chosen 
the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
things  which  are  mighty. — Jesus  answered 
and  said,  I  thank  thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of 
heaven  and  earth,  because  thou  hast  hid 
these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes." 

Fifthly  :  All  the  consolations  and  promises 
of  God  are  addressed  to  us,  not  as  gifted, 
but  as  gracious.  God  speaks  encouraging 
words  to  both  rich  and  poor ;  but  mark  the 
difference  :  "Let  the  brother  of  low  degree 
rejoice  in  that  he  is  exalted ;  but  the  rich 
in  that  he  is  made  low  ;  because  as  the 
flower  of  the  grass  he  shall  pass  away." 
See  also  the  beatitudes. 

Sixthly  :  That  which  distinguishes  the 
gifted  members  of  Christ  is  only  for  time, 
and  is  found  in  hypocrites  ;  but  that  which 
is  common  to  the  weak  is  "  a  well,  spring- 
ing up  unto  eternal  life." — "  Not  every  one 
that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven.  Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day, 
Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy 
name,  and  in  thy  name  have  cast  out  devils, 
and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful 
works  ?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them, 
I  never  knew  you  :  depart  from  me,  ye  that 
work  iniquity." 

This  subject  may  be  applied  to  the  sup- 
pression of  vanity,  and  the  removal  of  de- 
spondency. 

Gifts  and  knowledge  puff  men  up  now  as 
well  as  formerly.     A  poor  or  feeble-minded 


Christian  is  in  danger  of  being  overlooked, 
and  men  are  valued  by  the  splendor  of  their 
appearance  or  talents.  Ministers  also,  of 
less  splendid  abilities,  are  often  despised  by 
those  who  have  itching  ears  and  curious 
minds.  But  these  things  ought  not  so  to  be. 
We  have  seen  that  God  does  not  proceed  on 
any  such  principle.  If  ye  say,  I  am  for  this 
great  man,  and  I  for  that,  "  Are  ye  not  car- 
nal ?  "  And,  if  any  one  set  himself  above 
his  brethren,  let  him  know  that  he  could  not 
do  without  them.  "  The  eye,"  beautiful  and 
piercing  as  it  is,  "  cannot  say  to  the  hand,  I 
have  no  need  of  thee."  The  greatest  of 
Christian  ministers,  such  as  Paul,  felt  his 
need  of  his  brethren.  Hence  he  frequently 
intreats  their  prayers  for  him.  The  influ- 
ence which  the  early  attendance,  lively 
attention,  and  affectionate  reception  of  the 
Avord  in  common  Christians  has  upon  a 
minister's  heart,  is  indescribable.  O  what-a 
difference  do  we  feel  in  preaching  to  a  hum- 
ble, spiritual,  and  affectionate  congregation, 
to  what  we  do  when  addressing  a  haughty, 
worldly,  and  unfeeling  people !  The  uni- 
form demeanor  of  serious  Christians  in  life 
recommends  the  doctrines  delivered  from 
the  pulpit ;  yea,  it  has  been  known  to  carry 
conviction  where  the  gospel  itself  has  been 
preached  without  effect.  Listen,  ye  wives  ! 
"  Be  in  subjection  to  your  own  husbands, 
that  if  any  obey  not  the  word,  they  also 
may,  without  the  Avord,  be  won  by  the  con- 
versation of  the  wives." 

And  as  some  are  puffed  up  in  these  times, 
as  well  as  formerly,  so  others  are  consequent- 
ly cast  down.  Many  a  poor  Christian,  be- 
cause he  is  poor,  thinks  himself  a  dry  tree, 
of  little  or  no  use,  like  the  strangers,  or 
eunuchs  (Isa.  lvi ;)  and  many  a  feeble-mind- 
ed low-spirited  Christian,  whose  words  are 
few,  feels  the  same.  Yea,  many  a  worthy 
minister  of  less  splendid  talents,  being  over- 
looked by  others,  feels  his  heart  sink  with- 
in him,  and  is  as  if  he  were  not  of  the  body. 
"  But  if  the  foot  say,  because  I  am  not  the 
hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body,  is  it  therefore 
not  of  the  body  ?  "  &c.  Assuredly  it  is  a 
necessary  part  of  it.  "  Nay,  much  more, 
those  members  of  the  body  which  seem 
to  be  more  feeble  are  necessary."  And,  as 
God  has  put  more  abundant  honor  upon  the 
part  which  lacked,  let  them  not  be  discour- 
aged. 

That  one  question,  "  Is  it  not  of  the  body  ?  " 
is  full  of  meaning.  It  denotes  that  you  are 
connected  with  Christ  your  head,  and  par- 
takers of  his  fulness,  even  all  that  is  common 
to  the  body.  Particularly  you  have  an  in- 
terest in  Christ's  love :  "  For  we  are  mem- 
bers of  his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his 
bones."  In  his  salvation :  "For  the  husband 
is  the  head  of  the  wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the 
head  of  the  church  :  and  he  is  the  Saviour 
of  the  body."  In  all  that  is  communicated 
from  him,  you  have  a  part :  "  But,  speaking 


VINDICATION    OF    THE    APOSTLE    PAUL. 


155 


the  truth  in  love,  may  grow  up  into  him  in   evangelical  truth  the  grand  object  of 
all  things  which  is  the  head,  even  Christ ; 
from  whom  the  whole  body,  fitly  joined  to- 
gether, and  compacted  by  that  which  every 
joint  supplieth,   according  to   the  effectual 


ANGELICAL    RESEARCH. 

1  Pet.  i.   12. 

It  is  a  truth  allowed  by  all  Christians  that 


working  in  the  measure  of  every  part,  ma-  tae    dispensation   under  which  we  live  af- 

keth  increase  of  the  body,  unto  the  edifying  for(js  us  far  greater  advantages  for  spiritual- 

of  itself  in  love."     Yea,  you  are  necessary  to  jtv  an(j  heavenly  enjoyment  than  any  other 

s,  the  fulness  of  him  that  wnich  preceded  it.     To  us  life  and  immor- 


his  relative  fulness, 


VINDICATION  OF  THE  APOSTLE    PAUL. 
2  Cor.   xii.  16. 


filleth  all  in  all :  "Which  is  the  body,  the  tality  are  brought  to  light.  The  spirit  that 
fulness  of  him  that  filleth  all  in  all."  If  the  properly  belongs  to  it  is  not  a  spirit  of  bond- 
least  member  were  gone,  it  would  not  be  a  age?  but  Gf  adoption  ;  crying,  "  Abba,  Fa- 
full,  or  perfect  body.  ther."     The   happiness   attainable  under  it 

approaches  nearer  to  that  of  the  heavenly 
world  ;  so  nigh  does  its  land  border  as  it 
were  upon  it,  that  believers  in  the  present 
state  are  said  to  be  "  come  to  mount  Sion,  to 
This  passage  is  so  far  from  being  friend-  the  city  of  the  living  God,  to  the  heavenly 
ly  to  the  exercise  of  guile,  that  it  is  a  mani-  Jerusalem,  to  the  innumerable  company  of 
fest  disavowal  of  it.  It  is  an  irony.  The  angels,  to  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  per- 
apostle  does  not  describe  what  had  actually  feet,"  &c.  Yet  it  is  not  less  true  that  the 
been  his  conduct,  but  that  of  which  he  stood  greater  part  of  professing  Christians  live  as 
accused  by  the  Corinthian  teachers.  They  though  they  stood  upon  no  such  ground,  and 
insinuate  that  he  was  a  sly  crafty  man,  go-  possessed  no  such  opportunities.  We  pos- 
ing about  "  preaching,  persuading,  and  catch-  sess  an  Old-testament  spirit  amidst  Ne  w-tes- 
ing  people  with  guile."  Paul  acknowledges  tament  advantages.  A  promise  is  left  us 
that  he  and  his  colleagues  did  indeed  "  per-  of  entering  into  rest ;  but  we  seem,  at  least, 
suade  men,"  and  could  not  do  otherwise  ;  to  come  short  of  it.  How  is  this  ?  Is  it 
for  "  the  love  of  Christ  constrained  them." —  not  owing,  in  a  great  degree,  to  the  neglect 
Chap.  v.  11,  14.  But  he  indignantly  repels  of  the  gospel  ?  Having  assented  to  a  system 
the  insinuation  of  its  being  from  mercenary  of  doctrines,  we  fancy  we  know  almost  the 
motives.  "We  have  wronged  no  man,"  whole  that  is  to  be  known  upon  this  subject, 
says  he  ;  "  we  have  corrupted  no  man;  we  and  have  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  hold 
have  defrauded  no  man."— vii.  2.  Having  de-  them  fast  against  the  errors  of  the  times, 
nied  the  charge,  he  shows  the  absurdity  of  it.  and  take  heed  that  we  do  not  dishonor  them 
Mercenary  men,  who  wish  to  draw  people  by  inconsistency  of  conduct.  Hence  what 
after  them,  have  an  end  to  answer :  and  is  called  religious  conversation  seldom  turns 
what  end,  says  Paul,  could  I  have  in  view,  upon  the  gospel,  unless  any  part  of  it  be 
in  persuading  you  to  embrace  the  gospel  ?  called  in  question  ;  but  either  upon  our  own 
Have  I  gained  any  thing  by  you  ?  When  I  want  of  spirituality,  or  the  pleasures  that  we 
was  with  you,  was  I  burdensome  to  you  ?  have  formerly  experienced,  or  perhaps  upon 
No:  nor,  as  things  are,  will  I  be  burden-  the  talents  of  this  or  that  popular  preacher, 
some.  "Yet,  being  crafty,"  forsooth  "I  When  a  company  of  Christians  meet  to- 
caught  you  ivith  guile  !  "  gether,  and  feel  a  wish  for  improving  conver- 

6h,  said  the  accusers,  he  affected  great  sation,  let  one  of  them  take  a  bible  and  read, 
disinterestedness  at  first,  that  he  might  the  and,  as  he  reads,  let  him  frequently  pause, 
more  easily  take  you  in  afterwards.  He  de-  and  let  any  one  who  can  make  a  remark,  or 
clined  taking  any  thing  with  his  own  hands,  ask  a  serious  question,  so  as  upon  the  whole 
with  the  intention  of  sending  others  to  col-  to  promote  the  understanding  of  what  is 
lect  it  for  him  at  a  more  convenient  season !  read.  This  would  draw  off  the  attention 
"  Did  I  then  make  a  gain  of  you,"  replies  from  less  profitable  things  ;  and  the  blessing 
the  apostle,  "by  any  of  them  whom  I  sent  of  the  Lord  attending  it  would,  ere  we  are 
unto  you  ?  I  desired  Titus,  and  with  him  aware,  produce  those  holy  pleasures  which, 
I  sent  a  brother :  did  Titus  make  a  gain  of  while  poring  over  our  own  barrenness,  we 
you  ?  Walked  we  not  in  the  same  spirit  ?  shall  sigh  after  in  vain, 
walked  we  not  in  the  same  steps  ?  " — Chap.  To  comfort  the  primitive  Christians,  who 
xii.  17,  18.  were  "in  heaviness  through  manifold  temp- 

Nothing  is  more  evident  than  that  "  all  tations,"  Peter  took  no  other  method  than 
guile  and  hypocrisy  were  laid  aside"  by  the  that  of  declaring  unto  them  the  glorious 
primitive  ministers.  "  Our  rejoicing  is  this,"  truths  of  the  gospel,  and  the  vast  advantages 
says  the  apostle,  "  the  testimony  of  our  con-  which  they  had  over  all  others  of  former 
science,  that  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincer-  ages,  in  possessing  the  knowledge  of  them, 
ity,  not  in  fleshly  wisdom,  but  by  the  grace  Three  things  in  particular  he  holds  up  to  their 
of  God,  we  have  had  our  conversation  in  the  consideration  :  1.  That  the  prophets  were 
world,  and  more  abundantly  to  you  ward."  ministering  servants  to  us  :  "  Not  unto  them- 
— Chap.  i.  12.  selves,  but  unto  us,  did  they  minister  things 


156 


EXPOSITORY    NOTES. 


which  are  now  reported."  They  sowed 
that  we  might  reap.  2.  That  the  things 
which  they  foretold,  and  which  we  possess, 
were  the  objects  of  their  own  most  intense 
research  :  "  Of  which  salvation  the  proph- 
ets have  inquired  and  searched  diligently ; 
searching  what,  and  what  manner  of  time, 
the  Spirit  of  Christ,  which  was  in  them,  did 
signify,  when  it  testified  beforehand  of  the 
sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should 
follow."  3.  That  such  is  the  excellence 
and  glory  of  the  gospel  as  not  only  to  be  the 
study  of  prophets,  but  of  angels :  "  Which 
things  the  angels  desire  to  look  into." 

It  is  generally  supposed,  I  believe,  that 
the  phrase  "look  into"*  alludes  to  the  cher- 
ubim which  were  placed  bending  over  the 
mercy-seat,  and  looking  as  it  were  with  in- 
tenseness  at  it.  Thus  Mary  stooped,  and 
looked  into  the  sepulchre,  in  hope  of  dis- 
covering her  Lord  ;  and  thus  believers  are 
described  as  looking  into  the  perfect  law  of 
liberty,  or  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

In  former  ages,  the  angels  employed  their 
capacious  powers  on  other  themes.  At  first, 
the  display  of  the  divine  perfections  in  crea- 
tion furnished  them  with  matter  for  praise 
and  gladness.  "  The  morning  stars  sang  to- 
gether, and  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy." 
Afterwards,  the  providence  of  God,  in  the 
government  of  the  world,  enlarged  their  men- 
tal boundary.  "  One  cried  to  another,  say- 
ing, Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord  of  hosts  : 
the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory  !  "  But 
since  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  God  in  our 
nature,  and  the  laying  down  of  his  life,  they 
appear  to  have  been  so  engaged  on  this  sub- 
ject as  to  be  comparatively  indifferent  to  ev- 
ery other.  In  the  other  works  of  God,  they 
had  seen  sometimes  one  perfection  glorified, 
and  sometimes  another ;  but  here  all  unite 
their  beams,  and  form  one  general  blaze. 
These  are  the  things,  therefore,  which  now 
they  "  desire  to  look  into." 

The  powers  of  angels  are  far  superior  to 
those  of  men.  Their  means  of  instruction  al- 
so, and  long  experience  of  divine  things,  must 
render  them  far  more  capable  of  understand- 
ing the  gospel  than  we.  Yet,  with  all  their 
advantages  and  discoveries,  such  is  the  ful- 
ness of  the  subject,  that  they  are  at  an  infi- 
nite distance  from  comprehending  it:  all 
that  is  said  of  them  is  that  they  desire  to  look 
into  it. 

Angels  were  doubtless  acquainted  with 
the  general  design  of  salvation,  from  its  first 
discovery  to  man  ;  but  the  particular  way  in 
which  it  should  be  accomplished  appears  to 
have  been,  in  a  great  measure,  hidden  from 
them.  It  was  a  way  so  much  above  what 
any  creature  would  have  expected  that 
though  there  were  hints  of  it  under  the  Old 
Testament,  and  some  very  plain  intimations, 
yet  it  was  far  from  being  clearly  comprehend- 

*  n&^utuTri-a),  to  bend  or  stoop. 


ed.  The  prophets,  as  we  have  seen,  did  not 
fully  understand  their  own  prophecies,  but 
diligently  searched  into  the  meaning  of 
them  :  neither  did  the  apostles,  with  all  their 
advantages,  prior  to  the  event ;  neither  did 
evil  angels,  with  all  their  subtilty  ;  for,  if 
Satan  had  known  that  from  the  death  of 
Christ  his  cause  would  receive  so  deadly  a 
wound,  it  is  scarcely  conceivable  that  he 
would  have  stirred  up  Judas  and  the  Jewish 
rulers  to  accomplish  it.  He  appears  to  have 
entertained  a  kind  of  forlorn  hope,  that,  by 
getting  him  put  to  death  in  the  most  igno- 
minious form,  and  by  the  only  religious  na- 
tion upon  earth,  he  should  be  able  to  stamp 
everlasting  infamy  upon  his  name,  and  that  all 
future  generations  would  be  ashamed  to  own 
him.  The  disappointment  and  unexpected 
shock  that  he  and  his  adherents  met  with  on 
this  occasion  seem  plainly  intimated  by  our 
Saviour's  having  "  spoiled  principalities  and 
powers,  and  made  a  show  of  them  openly,  tri- 
umphing over  them  on  his  cross: "  and,  though 
the  holy  angels  might  be  supposed  to  under 
stand  much  more  than  the  fallen  ones,  yet 
were  they  not  equal  to  this  subject  till  events 
made  it  manifest.  Hence  it  is  said  "from  the 
beginning  of  the  world  to  have  been  hid  in 
God,  who  created  all  things  by  Jesus  Christ, 
to  the  intent  that  now  unto  the  principalities 
and  powers  it  might  be  known  by  the  church 
(that  is,  by  the  redemption  of  the  church) 
the  manifold  wisdom  of  God."  When  the 
event  transpired,  therefore,  it  was  like  a 
flood  of  light  bursting  forth  upon  them.  The 
resurrection  of  Christ  filled  all  heaven  with 
transport.  Hence,  perhaps,  we  may  account 
for  the  question  of  the  angel  to  Mary,  "  Wo- 
man, why  weepest  thou  ?  "  q.  d.  Did  you 
but  know  all,  you  would  not  weep !  It  is 
not  you  that  should  weep  now,  but  your  ad- 
versaries ! 

The  cross  of  Christ,  instead  of  issuing  in 
disgrace,  is  followed  with  glory.  His  friends 
learned  to  glory  in  it ;  yea,  and  to  glory  in 
nothing  else  :  and  well  they  might.'  It  was 
glorious  to  see  the  powers  of  darkness  strip- 
ped naked,  as  it  were,  to  their  shame  ;  to 
see  Satan  foiled  by  the  woman's  seed,  and 
his  schemes  exposed  to  the  derision  of  the 
universe ;  to  see  him  taken  in  his  own  net, 
and  falling  into  the  pit  that  himself  had  dig- 
ged. It  was  glorious  to  contemplate  the 
numerous  and  important  bearings  of  this  one 
great  event.  By  this  the  divine  displeasure 
against  sin  is  manifested  in  stronger  lan- 
guage than  if  the  world  had  been  made  a 
sacrifice  ; — by  this  a  way  is  opened  for  the 
consistent  exercise  of  mercy  to  the  chief  of 
sinners  ; — by  a  believing  view  of  this,  peace 
arises  in  the  mind,  and  at  the  same  time 
purity  in  the  heart ; — for  this  he  is  crowned 
with  glory  and  honor  in  the  heavens,  princi- 
palities and  powers  being  made  subject  to 
him.  This  is  the  only  hope  of  a  lost  world, 
the  only  medium  of  acceptance  with  God, 


REGENERATION    BY    THE    WORD    OF    GOD. 


157 


and  the  only  admissible  plea  in  our  ap- 
proaches before  him.  This  it  is  which  will 
put  every  grace  in  exercise  in  this  world, 
and  impart  all  the  happiness  in  that  to 
come  of  which  created  minds  are  susceptible. 
These  are  a  few  of  the  bearings  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  cross.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
angels  should  desire  to  look  into  it  ?  Rather 
is  it  not  matter  of  wonder  and  shame  that 
we,  who  are  more  immediately  interested  in 
it  than  they,  shuold  be  so  far  behind?  How 
is  it  that  we  should  be  the  last  to  bring  back 
the  king,  who  are  his  bone  and  his  flesh! 
Our  Redeemer  took  not  upon  him  the  nature 
of  angels  ;  yet  they  love  him,  and  the  gospel 
of  salvation  by  him  ;  and  wherefore  ?  They 
love  God,  and  therefore  rejoice  in  every 
thing  that  glorifies  him  in  the  highest ; — they 
love  men,  and  therefore  rejoice  in  that  which 
brings  peace  on  earth  and  good-will  to 
them ; — they  rejoice  in  every  instance  of  the 
prosperity  of  Christ's  kingdom,  and  in  being 
themselves  made  subject  to  him.  Had  we 
but  their  love,  with  our  interest,  we  should 
not  only  emulate  but  exceed  their  highest 
praise.  While  they,  in  innumerable  myri- 
ads, were  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Worthy 
is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power, 
and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and 
honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing,"  we  should 
not  only  say,  "  Amen  ; "  but  add,  "  Thou  art 
worthy ;  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  re- 
deemed ms  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  na- 
tion ! " 


REGENERATION  BY    THE  WORD  OF    GOD. 

1  Pet.  i.  23. 

The  incorruptible  "seed,"  by  which,  ac- 
cording to  this  passage,  we  are  born  again, 
alludes  to  the  first  principle,  not  in  vegeta- 
bles, but  in  animals ;  and  what  this  is  in 
generation  the  word  of  God  is  allowed  to  be 
in  regeneration.  This  I  apprehend  is  giving 
all  the  scope  to  the  passage  which  can 
reasonably  be  desired. 

That  there  is  a  divine  influence  in  this 
change  which  is  immediate,  or  without  any 
instrument  whatever,  is  supposed  in  a  former 
communication  ;  *  but  I  do  not  consider  this 
as  expressive  of  the  whole  change  denoted  by 
the  term  regeneration.  I  admit  regeneration 
to  be  by  the  word  of  God,  and  that  this  truth 
is  taught  us  by  the  passage  in  question,  and 
also  in  James  i.  18  ;  nor  does  this  concession 
appear  to  clash  with    the   above  position. 


*  On  the  Power  and  Influence  of  Truth. 
Vol.  V. 


See 


When  God  created  man,  he  breathed  into 
him  the  breath  of  life,  and  man  became  a 
living  soul.  And  in  procreation,  unless  we 
maintain  that  souls  are  generated  by  human 
instrumentality,  there  is  an  immediate  divine 
agency,  very  similar  to  that  in  creation,  and 
which  is  expressed  by  "  forming^ the  spirit  of 
man  within  him."  Now  as  this  is  consistent 
with  man's  being  brought  into  existence  by 
the  instrumentality  of  man,  why  should  not 
an  immediate  influence  from  Him  who 
"  quickeneth  all  things  "  be  consistent  with 
the  instrumentality  of  the  word  in  regenera- 
tion ? 

Regeneration  has  frequently  been  distin- 
guished from  conversion;  and  I  have  no 
doubt  but  the  terms  are  of  different  signifi- 
cation, as  are  also  the  terms  creation  and 
resurrection,  by  which  the  same  divine 
change  is  indicated.  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that  these  terms  are  not  designed  to  express 
the  different  stages  of  God's  work  upon  the 
soul,  but  the  same  divine  work  under  dif- 
ferent ideas  or  representations.  It  has  been 
said  that  regeneration  expresses  that  part  of 
the  change  wherein  we  are  passive,  and  con- 
version that  wherein  we  are  active  ;  but  the 
idea  of  passivity,  as  well  as  activity,  is  in- 
cluded in  conversion.  God  turns  us  ere  we 
turn  to  him.  Sinners  are  said  to  be  convert- 
ed, as  well  as  to  convert.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  idea  of  activity,  as  well  as  passivi- 
ty, is  included  in  regeneration.  Whatever 
may  be  said  of  the  generation  of  an  ani- 
mal, we  can  form  no  conception  of  the 
change  in  the  temper  of  a  rational  soul,  or, 
as  the  Scriptures  express  it,  of  "  renewing 
the  spirit  of  our  minds,"  without  the  mind 
being  in  exercise.  It  is  passive  with  respect 
to  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  produ- 
cing the  change,  so  as  to  contribute  nothing 
towards  it ;  but  the  very  nature  of  the  change 
itself,  being  from  a  state  of  enmity  to  love, 
implies  activity  of  mind.  It  does  not  there- 
fore seem  perfectly  accurate  to  say  we  are 
first  endued  with  spiritual  life,  and  then  we 
become  active ;  no  otherwise,  at  least,  than 
as  by  the  order  of  nature,  seeing  that  ac- 
tivity is  of  the  very  essence  of  spiritual 
life. 

Now,  considering  regeneration  as  expres- 
sive of  that  entire  change  by  which  we  enter 
as  it  were  a  new  moral  world,  and  possess  a 
new  kind  of  being  (and  in  this  sense  I  think 
it  is  always  to  be  understood  in  the  New 
Testament,)  it  is  as  proper  to  say  we  are  re- 
generated by  the  word  of  God,  as  it  is  to  say 
that  "  Abraham  begat  Isaac ; "  though  in 
Isaac's  coming  into  the  world  he  was  the 
subject  of  a  divine  agency  in  which  Abraham 
had  no  concern. 


EXPOSITION 


PASSAGES   APPARENTLY  CONTRADICTORY. 


"  And  ye  are  not  willing  to  come  to  me  that  ye 
might  have  life." — John  v.  40. 

"  No  man  can  come  to  me  except  the  Father, 
who  hath  sent  me,  draw  him.***  It  is  written 
in  the  prophets,  And  they  shall  be  all  taught  of 
God.  Every  man  therefore  that  hath  heard  and 
hath  learned  of  the  Father  comelh  unto  me." 

"  Jesus  knew  from  the  beginning  who  they 
were  that  believed  not :  and  he  said,  Therefore 
said  I  unto  you  that  no  man  can  come  unto  me  ex- 
cept it  were  given  unto  him  of  my  Father." — John 
vi.  44,  45,  64,  65. 

Admitting  the  divine  authority  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  their  harmony  ought  not 
to  be  called  in  question  ;  yet  it  must  be  al- 
lowed by  every  considerate  reader  that  there 
are  apparent  difficulties.  Nor  is  it  unlawful, 
but  laudable,  to  wish  to  see  those  difficul- 
ties removed,  and  to  aim  at  a  perception  of 
the  particular  beauty  of  God's  word,  as  well 
as  a  general  persuasion  of  its  harmony. 

My  thoughts  on  the  above  passages  will 
be  comprised  in  the  seven  following  obser- 
vations : — 

First :  There  is  no  way  of  obtaining  eter- 
nal life  but  by  Jesus  Christ.  This  observa- 
tion is  fully  implied  in  the  first  passage,  and 
I  suppose  may  stand  without  any  further 
confirmation. 

Secondly:  They  that  enjoy  eternal  life 
must  come  to  Christ  for  it.  Coming  is  not  an 
act  of  the  body,  but  of  the  mind  and  heart. 
It  is  a  term  which  in  the  New  Testament  is 
commonly  used  as  synonymous  with  believ- 
ing in  Christ.  In  common  speech  we  fre- 
quently apply  it  to  the  yielding  of  a  per- 
son's mina  who  has  heretofore  been  in  a 
state  of  enmity  or  variance.  When  we  see 
a  change  in  his  views  of  things,  his  proud 
spirit  begin  to  subside,  his  prejudice  give 
way,  the  high  tone  of  his  expressions  low- 
ered, and  his  heart  inclining  towards  a  re- 
conciliation, we  say,  He  is  coming. 


Thirdly:  It  is  the  revealed  will  of  Christ 
that  every  one  ivho  hears  the  gospel  should 
come  to  him  for  life.     This  position,  I  should 
think,   is   equally  evident  from  the  text  in 
question  as  either  of  the  above.     Our  Lord 
would  not  have  complained  of  the  Jews  for 
not  coming  to  him,  nor  have  imputed  it  to 
the  obstinacy  of  their  ivill,  if  the  contrary 
had  not  been  their  duty,  as  well  as  their 
highest  interest.     Every  one  who  hears  the 
gospel  must  either  feel  willing  to  be  saved 
in  God's  way,  or  unwilling,  or  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other.     If  we  are  willing,  we 
are  true   believers ;    if  unwilling,  we    are 
what   the   Scriptures  style  disobedient,  like 
these  Jews,  and  like  them  fall  under  the  dis- 
pleasure of  Christ.     But  may  we   not  be 
neutral  ?     That  a  being  positively  unwilling 
to  be  saved  in  God's  way  is  sinful  seems  to 
be  almost  self-evident:  but  is  there  no  such 
thing  as  a  medium  ?     To  which  I  answer, 
If  there  be  a  medium  between  a  being  wil- 
ling and  unwilling,  it  must  consist  in  that 
state  of  mind  wherein  a  person  feels  indif- 
ferent; that  is,  neither  for  Christ  nor  against 
him.     But  this  is  declared  to  be  impossible : 
"  He  that  is  not  against  us,"  said  Christ,  "  is 
on  our  side."     If  a  person  could  feel  indif- 
ferent in  this  case,  that  indifference  would 
be   deemed  disloyalty.     As   the   curse   fell 
upon  Meroz  for  his  not  coming  forth  to  the 
help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty,  so  an 
Anathema  Maranatha  is  denounced  against 
any  man   that  loveth  not  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  sincerity.     It  is  inconsistent  with 
the  perfections  of  God  to  allow  any  sinner 
who   hears    the   gospel  of   Christ  to  feel 
either  aversion  or  indifference  towards  him. 
Fourthly  :  The  depravity  of  human  nature 
is  such  that  no  man,  of  his  own  accord,  xoill 
come  to   Christ  for  life.     This   position,   it 
may  be  objected,  is  not  sufficiently  evident 
from  Christ's  words  in  the  first  of  these  pas- 


john  v.  40;  vi.  44,  45,  64,  65. 


159 


sages  ;  seeing  it  does  not  follow  that  be- 
cause the  Jews  would  not  come  to  him 
therefore  none  else  would.  To  this  it  is  re- 
plied, Be  it  so  ;  it  is  sufficiently  evident  from 
this  passage,  taken  in  connection  Avith  other 
Scriptures,  and  even  with  those  two  with 
which  it  is  here  attempted  to  be  reconciled. 
To  come  to  Christ  for  life  is  to  feel  the  dan- 
ger of  our  situation,  and  be  in  real  earnest 
after  escape  ;  in  such  earnest  as  one  that 
was  fleeing  to  the  city  of  refuge,  with  the 
avenger  of  blood  in  pursuit  of  him.  But 
men  are  naturally  at  ease,  or,  if  awakened 
by  the  alarms  of  providence  or  conscience, 
are  disposed  to  fly  to  any  refuge  rather  than 
Christ.  To  come  to  Christ  for  eternal  life 
is  to  feel  and  acknowledge  ourselves  desti- 
tute of  every  claim  on  his  favor,  and  worthy 
of  eternal  death  ;  but  this  is  too  humiliating 
to  human  pride.  To  come  to  Christ  for  life, 
in  short,  is  to  give  up  our  own  righteousness, 
and  be  justified  by  his ;  our  own  wisdom, 
and  be  guided  by  his;  and  our  own  will,  and 
be  ruled  by  his  :  it  is  to  receive  him  as  our 
all  in  all :  but  man  by  nature  is  unwilling  to 
part  from  his  idols  ;  he  had  rather  hazard  his 
soul's  eternal  welfare  than  give  them  up. 

Fifthly  :  The  degree  of  this  depravity  is 
such  as  that,  figuratively  speaking,  men  can- 
not come  to  Christ  for  life.  It  is  not  here  sup- 
posed that  they  would  come  to  Christ  but 
cannot;  nor  that  they  could  not  come  if  they 
would.  It  is  true,  when  the  word  cannot  is 
used  in  its  literal  and  proper  sense — that  is, 
when  it  is  applied  to  a  natural  inability — 
this  idea  is  always  implied  :  "  Abijah  coidd 
not  see,  by  reason  of  his  age." — "  The  king 
of  Moab  would  have  broken  through  the 
hosts  of  his  enemies,  but  he  coidd  not." — 
"  The  mariners  rowed  hard  to  bring  the  ship 
to  land,  but  they  coidd  not."  In  each  of 
these  cases  there  was  properly  a  want  of 
power,  which  denominated  the  parties  una- 
ble, though  they  were,  or  might  be  suppos- 
ed to  be,  ever  so  willing.  But  it  is  usual, 
both  in  Scripture  and  in  common  speech,  to 
express  the  state  of  a  person  under  the  do- 
minion of  an  exceedingly  strong  propensity 
by  the  terms  cannot,  unable,  &c.  "They 
that  are  in  the  flesh  cannot  please  God." — 
"  Why  do  ye  not  understand  my  speech  ? 
Because  ye  cannot  hear  my  word." — "  Hav- 
ing eyes  full  of  adultery,  and  cannot  cease 
from  sin." — "Joseph's  brethren  coidd  not 
speak  peaceably  to  him." — "How  can  ye, 
being  evil,  speak  good  things  ?  " — "  How  can 
ye  believe,  who  receive  honor  one  of  anoth- 
er ?  "  Now,  when  the  word  is  used  in  this 
sense,  it  would  be  a  contradiction  to  sup- 
pose a  willingness,  or  an  incapacity  in  case 
of  willingness,  seeing  it  is  the  want  of 
willingness  wherein  the  incapacity  con- 
sists. 

That  the  term  cannot,  in  John  vi.  44,  de- 
notes the  strength  of  evil  propensities,  and 
not  any  natural  and  excusable  hindrance,  is 


evident  from  the  cure  here  mentioned ; 
namely,  the  Fathers  drawing.  When  we 
are  drawn  by  divine  influence  to  come  to 
Christ,  it  is  a  drawing  of  the  heart  towards 
that  to  which  it  was  before  averse  ;  conse- 
quently it  was  the  aversion  of  the  heart  where- 
in the  inability  consisted. 

It  has  been  usual  with  writers  to  express 
the  difference  between  these  two  different 
kinds  of  inability  by  the  terms  natural  and 
moral.  To  this  it  has  been  objected  "  that 
the  Scripture  knows  of  no  such  distinction." 
If  by  this  is  meant  that  the  Scripture  does 
not  expressly  make  such  a  distinction,  it  is 
true  ;  but,  if  this  be  a  proof  that  the  Scrip- 
ture knows  nothing  of  the  thing,  it  will  at 
the  same  time  prove  that  the  Scripture 
knows  nothing  of  the  doctrines  of  the  tri- 
nity, divine  providence,  the  satisfaction 
of  Christ,  with  many  other  acknowledged 
truths  of  the  last  importance.  After  all, 
terms  are  not  worth  disputing  about,  provid- 
ed the  ideas  included  under  them  are  admit- 
ted. That  the  ideas  in  this  case  are  scriptu- 
ral is  sufficiently  evident  from  the  forecited 
passages.  Every  person  of  common  under- 
standing, whether  he  will  or  not,  must  of 
necessity  perceive  a  difference  between  the 
inability  of  the  mariners  recorded  in  Jonah 
and  that  of  the  adulterers  mentioned  by  Pe- 
ter ;  and  that  the  one  rendered  the  parties 
excusable,  and  the  other  constituted  them 
the  more  highly  culpable.  Let  this  differ- 
ence be  but  admitted,  it  matters  not  what 
terms  are  used,  provided  they  do  but  suffici- 
ently express  it. 

Sixthly:  A  conviction  of  the  righteousness 
of  God's  government,  of  the  spirituality  and 
goodness  of  his  law,  the  evil  of  sin,  our  lost 
condition  by  nature,  and  the  justice  of  our 
condemnation,  is  necessary  in  order  to  our 
coming  to  Christ.  I  think  each  of  these 
ideas  is  included  in  the  phrase  "learned  of 
the  Father."  Without  this,  there  can  be  no 
solid  conviction  of  the  need  of  a  Saviour. 
The  sinner  will  be  whole  in  his  own  ac- 
count ;  and  they  that  are  whole  need  not  a 
physician.  A  knowledge  of  the  Father,  as 
the  lawgiver  of  the  world,  must  precede  a 
hearty  reception  of  Christ  as  a  Saviour.  It 
is  "  through  the  law  we  become  dead  to  the 
law,  that  we  may  live  unto  God.  The  law 
is  our  schoolmaster,  to  bring  us  to  Christ." 
It  is  therefore  very  unreasonable,  as  well  as 
unscriptural,  for  any,  under  the  pretence  of 
knowing  Christ,  to  decry  the  law  of  God, 
seeing  it  is  by  learning  at  that  school  we  are 
prepared  to  come  to  Christ. 

Lastly  :  There  is  absolute  necessity  of  a 
special  divine  agency  in  order  to  our  coming 
to  Christ.  "  No  man  can  come  unto  me  ex- 
cept the  Father,  who  sent  me,  draw  him." 
Those  who  deny  the  grace  of  God  to  be  in- 
vincible in  its  operations,  understand  this, 
and  other  passages,  of  what  is  sometimes 
called,  I  think,  moral  influence  ;  that  is,  such 


160 


APPARENT    CONTRADICTIONS. 


influence  as  men  may  have  upon  the  minds 
of  each  other  in  a  way  of  persuasion.  And 
so  they  suppose  the  sense  of  the  text  is,  that 
no  man  can  come  to  Christ  unless  he  have 
the  gospel  preached  unto  him.  But  it  ought 
to  be  considered  that  "  drawing,"  in  verse 
44,  is  tantamount  to  having  "  learned  of  the 
Father,  in  verse  45,  where  it  is  declared 
that  "  every  man  that  hath  heard  and  learned 
of  the  Father  cometh  unto  Christ."  But  it 
is  not  every  one  that  hath  been  objectively 
instructed  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
who  comes  to  Christ :  it  must  therefore  be 
such  an  instruction  and  drawing  as  is  pecu- 
liar to  true  believers ;  such  a  drawing  as 
that  whereon  our  coming  certainly  follows  : 
and  thus  we  believe  "  according  to  the  work- 
ing of  his  mighty  poAver." 

Upon  the  whole,  we  see  from  these  passa- 
ges taken  together,  first,  if  any  man  is  lost, 
whom  he  has  to  blame  for  it — himself  ; 
secondly,  if  any  man  is  saved,  whom  he  has 
to  praise  for  it — God. 


"It  repented  the  Lord  that  he  had  made  man  on 
the  earth,  and  it  grieved  him  at  his  heart." — 
Gen.  vi.  6. 

"  The  Lord  is  not  a  man  that  he  should  repent," 
—  1  Sam.  xv.  29. 

The  seeming  contradiction  in  these  pas- 
sages arises  from  the  same  term  being  used 
in  the  one  metaphorically  and  in  the  other 
literally.  It  is  literally  true  that  repentance 
is  not  predicable  of  the  divine  nature,  inas- 
much as  it  implies  mutability  and  imperfec- 
tion in  knowledge  and  wisdom,  neither  of 
which  can  be  applied  to  the  infinitely  bless- 
ed God.  But,  in  order  to  address  himself 
impressively  to  us,  he  frequently  personates 
a  creature,  or  speaks  to  us  after  the  manner 
of  men.  It  may  be  doubted  whether  the 
displeasure  of  God  against  the  wickedness 
of  men  could  have  been  fully  expressed  in 
literal  terms,  or  with  any  thing  like  the  ef- 
fect produced  by  metaphorical  language. 
To  evince  this,  I  shall  take  the  liberty  to  in- 
troduce a  few  brief  expository  notes  which 
I  have  by  me  on  the  six  preceding  verses  in 
Genesis  : — This  chapter  gives  us  an  account 
of  the  corruption  which  preceded  the  flood, 
and  which  moved  an  infinitely  good  and 
merciful  Being  to  bring  it  upon  the  earth. 
We  may  notice, 

1.  The  occasion  of  this  corruption;  viz. 
the  increase  of  population:  it  was  "when 
men  began  to  multiply  on  the  face  of  the 
earth"  that  they  began  to  corrupt  one  an- 
other. Population  is  itself  a  good:  but  it 
often  becomes  the  occasion  of  evil ;  because 
men,  when  numbers  of  them  assemble  to- 
gether, excite  and  provoke  one  another  to 
sin.  Hence  it  is  that  sin  commonly  grows 
rankest  in  populous  places.  We  are  origin- 
ally made  to  be  helpers  of  one  another:  but 
sin  perverts  the  course  of  things,  and  renders 
us  tempters  of  one  another.     We  draw  and 


are   drawn  into  innumerable   evils.      "Oh, 
draw  me  not  with  the  workers  of  iniquity !  " 

2.  The  first  step  towards  this  corrupt  state 
of  things  was  the  mixing  of  the  church  and 
the  world  in  marriages.  "The  sons  of  God 
saw  the  daughters  of  men  that  they  were 
fair ;  and  they  took  them  wives  of  all  whom 
they  chose."  The  "  sons  of  God  "  were  those 
of  the  family  of  Seth,  of  whom  Ave  read  lately 
that  they  "  called  upon  the  name  of  the 
Lord." — iv.  16.  "The  daughters  of  men" 
were  of  the  race  of  Cain,  whose  parents, 
having  gone  forth  "from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,"  or  turned  their  back  on  religion, 
were  a  kind  of  atheists.  This  was  a  con- 
junction betAveenthe  seed  of  the  Avoman  and 
the  seed  of  the  serpent,  Avhich  must  needs 
be  unnatural  and  mischievous.  The  object 
of  a  good  man's  choice  should  be  a  "  help- 
meet." We  need  to  be  helped  in  our  Avay 
to  heaven,  and  not  hindered  and  corrupted. 
Hence  God  forbad  all  such  alliances  with 
idolaters  (Deut.  vii.  3,  4 ;)  and  hence  also 
Christian  marriages  were  limited  to  those 
"only  in  the  Lord"  (1  Cor.  vii.  39:)  the  ex- 
amples which  we  have  seen  to  the  contrary 
have,  by  their  lamentable  effects,  fully  justi- 
fied these  restrictions.  They  corrupt  and 
ruin  many  a  ^promising  character :  and  we 
see  by  this  history  that  they  were  the  first 
cause  of  the  ruin  of  a  Avorld ! 

3.  The  great  offence  Avhich  God  took  at 
this  conduct,  and  Avhat  grew  out  of  it.  "  The 
Lord  said,  my  Spirit  shall  not  ahvays  strive 
with  man,  for  that  he  also  is  flesh ;  yet  his 
days  shall  be  a  hundred  and  twenty  years." 
Had  the  sons  of  God  kept  themselves  to 
themselves,  and  preserved  their  purity,  God, 
it  may  be  supposed,  would  have  spared  the 
world  for  their  sakes :  but  they  mingled  to- 
gether, and  became  one  people.  This  he 
considered  as  a  heinous  crime.  The  name 
by  which  they  are  called  is  worthy  of  notice 
— man.  Seeing  the  sons  of  God  have  become 
one  people  with  the  daughters  of  men,  they 
have  lost  their  honorable  distinction,  and  are 
called  by  the  common  name  of  the  species. 
The  special  notice  taken  of  the  conduct  of 
professors,  rather  than  of  others,  is  likewise 
observable.  He  also,  or  they  also,  as  some 
read  it,  namely,  the  sons  of  God,  are  flesh  ; 
viz.  they,  as  well  as  others,  are  become  cor- 
rupt. By  the  Spirit  of  God  is  meant  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  prophets,  by  which  he 
preached  and  contended  with  the  wicked. — 
See  Neh.  ix.  30 ;  1  Pet.  iii.  19,  20.  But 
now,  seeing  the  professedly  righteous,  who 
should  have  stood  firm,  had,  as  it  were,  joined 
the  standard  of  the  enemy,  God  resolved  to 
give  them  all  up  together,  or  to  decline  any 
farther  strivings  with  them.  "The  plough- 
man will  not  plough  all  day  to  sow — bread- 
corn  is  bruised,  because  he  will  not  ever  be 
threshing  it,  nor  break  it  with  the  wheel  of 
his  cart,  nor  bruise  it  with  his  horsemen." 
Yet  amidst  all  this  displeasure  there  is  great 


1  cor.  x.  33  ;  gal.  i.  10. 


161 


long-suffering.  "  His  days  shall  be  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years."  God  would  wait 
that  time  ere  he  brought  the  flood  upon 
them. — 1  Pet.  hi.  20.  All  this  time  God  did 
strive  or  contend  with  them;  but,  that  prov- 
ing ineffectual,  they  were  at  last  given  up. 

4.  Observe  the  fruits  of  these  unlawful 
mixtures  ;  a  sort  of  monstrous  beings,  whose 
figures  were  but  emblems  of  their  minds. 
They  seem  to  have  been  fierce  and  cruel 
men.  The  word  giants  signifies  fellers,  or 
men  who  caused  others  to  fall  before  them 
like  trees  before  an  axe.  So  far  as  respects 
character,  this  was  the  natural  effect  of  such 
intermarriages :  family  religion  is  subverted  ; 
and  the  fear  of  God  has  a  greater  connec- 
tion with  a  proper  regard  to  man  than  many 
are  willing  to  allow. 

5.  Observe  the  estimate  which  God  makes 
of  things.  "  God  saw  that  the  wickedness 
of  man  was  great  in  the  earth,  and  that  eve- 
ry imagination  of  ,the  thoughts  of  his  heart 
was  only  evil  continually."  Such  is  the 
case  when  the  church  is  gone  and  lost  in 
the  world.  There  were  some  hopeful  ap- 
pearances when  the  "  sons  of  God  began  to 
call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord :  "  but  now, 
a  very  few  excepted,  they  are  all  gone. 
What  a  picture  is  here  given  of  what  the 
world  naturally  is !  It  is  evil ;  without  mix- 
ture— only  evil :  without  cessation — evil  con- 
tinually: from  the  very  fountain-head  of 
action — "  the  thoughts  of  the  heart : "  and 
all  this  is  not  the  exaggerated  language  of 
creatures — "God  saw  it!" 

6.  Notice  the  amazing  displeasure  of  God 
against  sin.  "  It  repented  the  Lord  that  he 
had  made  man  on  the  earth,  and  it  grieved 
him  at  his  heart !  " — Was  ever  such  language 
uttered !  What  words,  besides  them,  could 
convey  to  us  such  an  idea  of  the  evil  of  sin  ? 
It  is  true  we  are  not  to  understand  them  lit- 
erally :  but  they  convey  to  us  an  idea  that 
the  sin  of  man  is  so  heinous,  and  so  mis- 
chievous, as  to  mar  all  the  works  of  God, 
and  to  render  them  Avorse  than  if  there  were 
none.  So  that,  if  God  had  not  counteracted 
it,  there  had  better  have  been  no  world! 
Any  created  being,  on  seeing  all  his  works 
thus  perverted,  would  repent,  and  wish  he 
had  never  made  them.  Oh,  the  exceedingly 
provoking  nature  of  sin !  What  must  be  that 
grace  which  could  give  his  only-begotten 
Son  to  die  for  it,  and  could  find  in  his  heart, 
for  his  sake,  freely  to  forgive  it !  Be  it  our 
great  concern  that,  like  Noah  in  the  ark,  we 
may  be  found  in  him. 


are  exceedingly  diverse  ;  no  less  so  than  a 
conduct  which  has  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  mankind  for  its  object,  and  one  that 
originates  and  terminates  in  self.  The  for- 
mer of  these  passages  should  be  read  in 
connection  with  what  precedes  and  follows 
it :  ver.  31 — 33,  "  Whether,  therefore,  ye 
eat  or  drink,  or  whatever  ye  do,  do  all 
to  the  glory  of  God.  Give  none  offence, 
neither  to  the  Jews,  nor  to  the  Gentiles,  nor 
to  the  church  of  God  ;  even  as  I  please  all 
men  in  all  things;  not  seeking  mine  own 
profit,  but  the  profit  of  many,  that  they  may 
be  saved."  Hence  it  appears  plain  that  the 
things  in  which  the  apostle  pleased  all  men 
require  to  be  restricted  to  such  things  as 
tend  to  their  "  profit,  that  they  may  be  saved." 
Whereas,  the  things  in  which,  according  to 
the  latter  passage,  he  could  not  please  men 
and  "  yet  be  the  servant  of  Christ,"  were  of 
a  contrary  tendency.  Such  were  the  objects 
pursued  by  the  false  teachers  whom  he  op- 
posed, and  who  desired  to  make  a  fair  show 
in  the  flesh,  lest  they  should  suffer  persecu- 
tion for  the  cross  of  Christ. — Ch.  vi.  12. 

The  former  is  that  sweet  inoffensiveness 
of  spirit  which  teaches  us  to  lay  aside  all 
self-will  and  self-importance ;  that  charity 
which  "  seeketh  not  her  own,"  and  "  is  not 
easily  provoked  ; "  it  is  that  spirit,  in  short, 
which  the  same  writer  elsewhere  recom- 
mends from  the  example  of  Christ  himself: 
"  We  then,  who  are  strong,  ought  to  bear 
the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  not  to  please 
ourselves. — Let  every  one  of  us  please  his 
neighbor  for  his  good  to  edification :  for  even 
Christ  pleased  not  himself;  but,  as  it  is  writ- 
ten, The  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached 
thee  fell  on  me." 

But  the  latter  spirit  referred  to  is  that  sor- 
did compliance  with  the  corruptions  of  hu- 
man nature  of  which  flatterers  and  deceiv- 
ers have  always  availed  themselves,  not  for 
the  glory  of  God  or  the  good  of  men,  but  for 
the  promotion  of  their  own  selfish  designs. 


"  I  please  all  men  in  all  things." — 1  Cor.  x.  33. 
"  If  I  yet  pleased  men,  I  should  not  be  the  ser- 
vant of  Christ."— Gal.  i.  10. 

Though  both  these  kinds  of  action  are 
expressed  by  one  term,  to  please,  yet  they 


"While  the  earth  remaineth,  seed  time  and  har- 
vest shall  not  cease." — Gen.  viii.  22. 

"  There  are  five  years  in  which  there  shall  be 
neither  earing  nor  harvest." — Gen.  xlv.6. 

The  former  of  these  passages  contains  a 
general  truth  or  rule,  which,  as  is  common 
with  general  rules,  has  its  particular  excep- 
tions. And  yet  it  hardly  amounts  to  an  excep- 
tion ;  for  there  never  was  a  year  since  the 
flood  in  which  there  was  no  harvest  through- 
out the  world.  To  understand  the  promise  of 
God's  engaging  never  to  afflict  any  particu- 
lar nation,  or  number  of  nations,  with  fam- 
ine, is  to  make  it  universal  as  to  place,  as 
well  as  uninterrupted  in  respect  to  time  ; 
and  this  would  go  to  insure  a  harvest  to  the 
sluggard  who  refuses  to  sow. 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  21. 


162 


APPARENT    CONTRADICTIONS. 


"  Answer  not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,  lest 
thou  also  be  like  unto  him." — Prov.  xxvi.  4. 

"  Answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,  lest  he 
be  wise  in  his  own  conceit." — Prov.  xxvi.  5. 

A  "  fool,"  in  the  sense  of  Scripture, 
means  a  wicked  man,  or  one  who  acts  con- 
trary to  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above,  and 
who  is  supposed  to  utter  his  foolishness  in 
speech  or  writing.  Doubtless,  there  are 
different  descriptions  of  these  characters ; 
and  some  may  require  to  be  answered,  while 
others  are  best  treated  with  silence.  But 
the  cases  here  seem  to  be  one  :  both  have 
respect  to  the  same  character,  and  both  re- 
quire to  be  answered.  The  whole  difference 
lies  in  the  manner  in  which  the  answer  should 
be  given.  The  terms  "according  to  his  fol- 
ly," in  the  first  instance,  mean  in  a  foolish 
manner,  as  is  manifest  from  the  reason  giv- 
en, "  lest  thou  also  be  like  unto  him."  But, 
in  the  second  instance,  they  mean  in  the  man- 
ner which  his  Jolly  requires.  This  also  is 
plain  from  the  reason  given,  "lest  he  be 
wise  in  his  own  conceit."  A  foolish  speech 
is  not  a  rule  for  our  imitation  ;  nevertheless, 
our  answer  must  be  so  framed  by  it  as  to 
meet  and  repel  it. 

Both  these  proverbs  caution  us  against 
evils  to  which  we  are  not  a  little  addicted ; 
the  former,  that  of  saying  and  doing  to  oth- 
ers as  they  say  and  do  to  us,  rather  than  as  ive 
woidd  they  should  say  and  do  ;  the  latter, 
that  of  suffering  the  cause  of  truth  or  justice 
to  be  decried,  while  we,  from  a  love  of  ease, 
stand  by  as  unconcerned  spectators. 

The  former  of  these  proverbs  is  exempli- 
fied in  the  answer  of  Moses  to  the  rebellious 
Israelites;  the  latter  in  that  of  Job  to  his 
wife.  It  was  a  foolish  speech  which  was 
addressed  to  the  former:  "  Would  God  that 
we  had  died  when  our  brethren  died  before 
the  Lord !  And  why  have  ye  brought  up  the 
congregation  of  the  Lord  into  this  wilder- 
ness, that  we  and  our  cattle  should  die 
there  ?  "  Unhappily  this  provoked  Moses  to 
speak  unadvisedly  with  his  lips ;  saying, 
"Hear  now,  ye  rebels;  must  we  fetch  you 
water  out  of  this  rock  ?  "  This  was  answer- 
ing folly  in  a  foolish  manner,  which  he  should 
not  have  done  ;  and  by  which  the  servant  of 
God  became  but  too  much  like  them  whom 
he  opposed.  It  was  also  a  foolish  saying  of 
Job's  wife,  in  the  day  of  his  distress  ;  "  Curse 
God  and  die !  " — Job  answered  this  speech, 
not  in  the  manner  of  it,  but  in  the  manner  it 
required.  "What,  shall  we  receive  good  at 
the  hand  of  God,  and  shall  Ave  not  receive 
evil  ?" — In  all  the  answers  of  our  Saviour  to 
the  scribes  and  pharisees,  we  may  perceive 
that  he  never  lost  the  possession  of  his  soul 
for  a  single  moment ;  never  answered  in  the, 
manner  of  his  opponents,  so  as  to  be  "like 
unto  them  ; "  but  neither  did  he  decline  to 
repel  their  folly,  and  so  to  abase  their  self- 
conceit. 


"  By  the  works  of  the  law  shall  no  flesh  living 
be  justified." — Gal.  ii.  16. 

"Was  not  Abraham,  our  Father,  justified  by 
works." — James  ii.  21. 

Paul  treats  of  the  justification  of  the  un- 
godly, or  the  way  in  which  sinners  are  accept- 
ed of  God,  and  made  heirs  of  eternal  life. 
James  speaks  of  the  justification  of  the  god- 
ly, or  in  what  way  it  becomes  evident  that  a 
man  is  approved  of  God.  The  former  is  by 
the  righteousness  of  Chri^|  the  latter  is 
by  works.  The  former  of  these  is  that 
which  justifies  :  the  latter  is  that  by  which 
it  appears  that  we  are  justified.  The  term 
justification,  in  the  former  of  these  passages, 
is  taken  in  a  primary  sense  :  in  the  latter,  it 
is  taken  in  a  secondary  sense  only,  as  in 
Matt.  xi.  19,  and  in  other  places. 


"I,  the  Lord  thy  God,  am  a  jealous  God,  visit- 
ing the   iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the   children 
unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  them   that 
hate  me." — Exod.  xx.  5. 

"  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die  :  the  son 
shall  not  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  father,  neither 
shall  the  father  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  son." — 
Ezek.  xviii.  20. 

Neither  of  these  passages  appears  to  be 
applicable  to  men  as  the  individual  subjects 
of  God's  moral  government,  and  with  respect 
to  a  future  world,  but  merely  as  members  of 
society  in  the  present  life.  Nations,  and 
other  communities,  as  snch,  are  considered 
in  the  divine  administration  as  persons. 
That  which  is  done  by  them  at  one  period  is 
visited  upon  them  at  another ;  as  the  histo- 
ry of  the  children  of  Israel  and  of  all  other 
nations  evinces.  The  effects  of  the  conduct 
of  every  generation  not  being  confined  to  it- 
self, but  extending  to  their  posterity,  would, 
in  proportion  as  they  were  possessed  of 
natural  affection,  furnish  a  powerful  motive 
to  righteousness  ;  and,  to  them  who  sinned, 
prove  an  aggravation  of  their  punishment. 

This  part  of  divine  providence  was  object- 
ed to  in  the  times  of  Ezekiel  as  unjust. 
"  The  fathers,"  said  they,  "  have  eaten  sour 
grapes,  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set  on 
edge:  the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  not  equal." 
To  this  objection  two  things  were  suggested 
in  reply  : — 

1.  That  though  it  was  so  that  the  sins 
from  the  times  of  Manasseh  fell  upon  that 
generation,  yet  there  was  no  injustice  in  it ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  much  mercy  :  for  what 
they  bore  was  no  more  than  what  their  oivn 
sins  deserved  ;  and  its  not  having  been  in- 
flicted before  was  owing  to  divine  forbear- 
ance. God  might  have  punished  both  their 
fathers  and  them.  Hence,  "As  I  live,  saith 
the  Lord,  ye  shall  not  have  occasion  any 
more  to  use  this  proverb  in  Israel." — "  The 
soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die  ! "  Which  is 
as  if  he  had  said,  I  will  no  more  forbear  with 
you  as  I  have  done,  but  will  punish  both  fa- 


GEN. 


xiii.   17;  xxiii.   17,     18;  gen.  xxxii.  30;  &c. 


163 


ther  and  son,   instead    of  the   son   only. — 
Ezek.  xviii.  1 — 4. 

2.  That,  if  the  sins  of  the  fathers  fell  upon 
the  children,  it  was  not  without  the  chil- 
dren having  adopted  and  persisted  in  their 
fathers'  crimes.  The  visiting-  of  the  iniqui- 
ty of  the  fathers  upon  the  children,  unto 
the  third  and  fourth  generation,  is  only  of 
them  that  hate  him  ;  that  is,  where  the  fa- 
thers hate  him,  and  the  children  tread  in  the 
fathers'  steps.  If  Judah  in  the  times  of  Eze- 
kiel  had  been  righteous,  they  had  not  gone 
into  captivity  for  what  was  done  in  the  times 
of  Manasseh. 


"Arise,  walk  through  the  land,  for  I  will  give  it 
unto  thee." — Gen.  xiii.  17. 

"  And  the  field  of  Ephron,  which  was  in  Mach- 
pelah,  the  field  and  the  cave  which  was  therein,  and 
all  the  trees  which  were  in  the  field,  that  were  in 
all  the  borders  round  about,  were  made  sure  unto 
Abraham  for  a  possession." — Gen.  xxiii.  17,  18. 

"  He  gave  him  none  inheritance  in  it,  no  not  so 
much  as  to  set  his  foot  on  :  yet  he  promised  that  he 
would  give  it  to  him  for  a  possession,  and  to  his 
seed  after  him." — Acts  vii.  5. 

The  first  of  these  passages  is  the  lan- 
guage of  promise  :  the  last  intimates  that 
the  promise  was  not  performed  to  Abraham, 
but  reserved  for  his  posterity.  It  is  true  he 
purchased  a  burying-ground  of  the  sons  of 
Heth,  according  to  the  second  passage :  but 
that  could  hardly  be  called  ground  to  set  his 
foot  on,  which  expresses  an  idea  different 
from  that  of  a  place  to  lay  his  bones  in  ;  and 
much  less  an  inheritance  of  God's  giving  him 
to  set  his  foot  on.  His  having  to  purchase 
even  a  grave  was  rather  a  proof  that  he  was 
considered  as  a  stranger  than  of  his  being  a 
native  of  the  soil.  An  inheritance  given  of 
God  he  had  not:  that  only  was  such  which 
his  posterity  enjoyed  without  purchase,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  land  being  driven  out  be- 
fore them. 


"  I  have  seen  God  face  to  face,  and  my  life  is 
preserved." — Gen.  xxxii.  30. 

"  Thou  canst  not  see  my  face  ;  for  there  shall 
no  man  see  me  and  live." — Exod.  xxxiii.  20. 

The  difference  here  seems  to  arise  from 
the  phrase  "  face  of  God."  In  the  one  case 
it  is  expressive  of  great  familiarity,  com- 
pared with  former  visions  and  manifestations 
of  the  divine  glory  :  in  the  other,  of  a  ful- 
ness of  knowledge,  of  this  glory,  which  is 
incompatible  with  our  mortal  state,  if  not 
with  our  capacity  as  creatures.  What  Jacob 
said  of  himself,  that  he  had  seen  God  "face 
to  face,"  is  repeatedly  spoken  of  Moses,  and 
as  that  by  which  he  stood  distinguished  from 
other  prophets. — Deut.  xxxiv.  10.  Even  in 
the  same  chapter  wherein  it  is  said  he  could 
not  see  his  face  and  live,  it  is  said  that  Jeho- 
vah spake  unto  him  face  to  face. — Exod. 
xxxiii.  II,  20.     He  whom  Jacob  saw  had  at 


least  the  appearance  of  a  man,  who  conver- 
sed and  wrestled  with  him  till  day-break. 
Yet,  before  they  parted,  he  was  convinced 
that  he  was  more  than  man,  even  God ;  who 
on  that,  as  on  other  occasions,  assumed  a 
visible  and  tangible  form  to  commune  with 
his  servants,  as  a  prelude  of  his  future  in- 
carnation. The  face  which  was  seen  on 
this  occasion  Avas  human  ;  though  belonging 
to  one  that  was  divine.  Jacob  said,  "  I  have 
seen  God  face  to  face."  Thus,  also,  that 
which  was  beheld  by  Moses  is  called  "the 
similitude  of  Jehovah  "  (Numb.  xii.  8)  or  a 
glorious  divine  appearance;  of  which, 
though  we  are  unable  to  form  an  adequate 
idea,  yet  we  may  be  certain  that  it  came 
short  of  what  he  was  afterwards  told  he 
"  could  not  see  and  live."  Though,  in  com- 
parison of  other  dark  speeches  and  visions, 
it  was  seeing  him  face  to  face  ;  yet,  when 
compared  with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
glory  of  God,  it  was  but  seeing  what  among 
creatures  would  be  called  the  shadow,  or  at 
most  the  back  parts  of  a  great  personage. 


"  The  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against 
Israel,  and  he  moved  David  against  them,  to  say, 
Go  number  Israel   and  Judah." — 2  Sam.  xxiv.  1. 

"  And  Satan  stood  up  against  Israel,  and  provok- 
ed David  to  number  Israel." — 1  Chron.  xxi.  1. 

The  English  translators  consider  the 
pronoun  he  in  the  former  of  these  passages 
as  relating  not  to  Jehovah,  but  to  Satan,  re- 
ferring in  the  margin  to  the  latter  passage 
as  a  proof  of  it.  But  this  seems  to  be  a 
forced  meaning ;  for  not  only  is  the  name 
Jehovah  placed  as  the  immediate  and  only 
antecedent  to  the  pronoun,  but  also  a  reason 
why  he  did  it. 

1.  It  is  certain  that  God  did  not  so  move 
David  to  sin  as  either  to  partake  of  it,  or  to 
become  his  tempter;  for  "he  cannot  be 
tempted  of  evil,  neither  tempteth  he  any 
man."  It  was  Satan  that  tempted  David  to 
sin,  not  Jehovah. 

2.  It  is  equally  certain  that  the  providence 
of  God  was  concerned  in  this  affair ;  and 
that,  Israel  having  offended  him,  he  deter- 
mined in  this  way  to  punish  them. 

3.  God  is  said  to  do  that  which  is  done  upon 
the  minds  of  men  by  the  ordinary  influence 
of  second  causes,  which  causes  would  not 
have  been  productive  of  such  effects  but  for 
their  depravity.  The  hardness  of  cjay,  no 
less  than  the  softness  of  wax,  is  ascribed  to 
the  sun ;  yet  the  sun's  producing  this  effect 
is  entirely  owing  to  the  qualities  of  the 
object  on  Avhich  he  shines.  God  hardened 
the  heart  of  Pharaoh  by  so  ordering  tilings 
by  his  providence  that  considerations  should 
present  themselves  to  his  mind,  when  placed 
under  certain  circumstances,  which  (he  be- 
ing righteously  given  up  of  God)  would  be 
certain  to  provoke  his  pride  and  resentment, 
and  to  determine  him  to  run  all  risks,  for  the 


164 


APPARENT    CONTRADICTIONS. 


sake  of  having'  his  will.  In  other  words, 
God  led  him  into  temptation  ;  and  there,  in 
just  judgment,   left  him   to    its    influence. 

With  respect  to  David,  it  is  probable  his 
mind  was  previously  lifted  up  with  his  great 
successes  in  war.  It  is  after  the  relation  of 
these  that  the  story  is  introduced,  both  in 
Samuel  and  the  Chronicles.  The  Lord 
therefore  led  him  into  temptation,  and  right- 
eously left  him  in  it ;  the  certain  issue  of 
which  was  that  which  actually  took  place. 

If  it  be  observed  that  this  is  ascribing  sin 
to  God  indirectly,  though  not  directly,  I  an- 
swer, It  is  no  otherwise  ascribing  it  to  God 
than  as  any  man  is  willing  to  have  it  ascrib- 
ed to  himself.  The  conduct  of  a  good 
father  may,  through  the  disaffection  of  a 
son,  cause  him  to  go  on  worse  and  worse. 
His  threatenings  may  harden,  and  his  kind- 
est entreaties  and  promises  excite  nothing 
but  contempt.  What  then  ?  Is  this  to  the 
father's  dishonor  ?  Certainly  not.  It  were 
strange  if  God  must  cease  from  doing  what 
is  right,  lest  sinful  men  should  be  induced 
by  it  to  become  more  sinful. 

The  best  use  for  us  to  make  of  such  a 
doctrine  is,  not  curiously  to  pry  into  things 
too  high  for  us,  but  when  we  pray,  to  say, 
"  Our  Father — lead  us  not  into  temptation, 
but  deliver  us  from  evil !  " 


shut  to  the  door,  and  sinners  shall  begin  to 
stand  without,  to  knock  at  the  door,  saying, 
Lord,  Lord,  open  unto  us ;  and  he  shall  an- 
swer and  say  unto  them,  I  know  you  not 
whence  you  are,  depart  from  me  all  ye  work- 
ers of  iniquity." 

There  is  therefore  no  contradiction  what- 
ever in  these  passages.  Every  one  that 
seeketh  mercy  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  while 
the  door  is  open,  succeeds :  but  he  that 
seeketh  it  not  till  the  door  is  shut  will  not 
succeed.  "Then  shall  they  call  upon  me, 
but  I  will  not  answer  ;  they  shall  seek  me 
early,  but  they  shall  not  find  me." 


"  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  :  seek,  and  ye 
shall  find  :  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you. 
For  every  one  that  asketh,  receiveth  ;  and  he  that 
seeketh,  findeth  ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh,  it 
shall  be  opened." — Matt.  vii.  7,  8. 

"  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate  ;  for 
many,  I  say  unto  you,  will  seek  to  enter  in,  and 
shall  not  be  able." — Luke  xiii.  24. 

Some  have  supposed  a  difference  in  the 
latter  passage  between  seeking  and  striving : 
as  though  it  were  not  enough  to  seek,  with- 
out striving,  even  to  an  agony.  But  this 
does  not  reconcile  the  two  passages  ;  for 
seeking  in  the  one  is  connected  with  finding, 
whereas  in  the  other  it  is  not. 

The  distinction  appears  to  lie  in  the  time 
and  nature  of  seeking.  Seeking,  in  Matthew, 
refers  to  the  application  for  mercy  through 
Jesus  Christ,  in  the  present  life  :  but,  in  Luke, 
it  denotes  that  anxiety  which  the  workers  of 
iniquity  will  discover  to  be  admitted  into 
heaven  at  the  last  day.  The  strait  gate  in 
this  latter  passage  does  not  mean  an  intro- 
duction to  the  kingdom  of  grace,  but  of  glo- 
ry ;  and  striving,  or  agonizing,  to  enter  in 
at  it,  does  not  describe  an  exercise  of  mind 
which  is  necessary  to  conversion,  but  to 
final  salvation.  The  striving  here  exhorted 
to  is  the  life's  work  of  a  Christian,  in  order 
that  he  may  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heav- 
en at  last.  All  this  is  manifest  from  the 
context,  which  determines  it  to  refer  to  Avhat 
shall  take  place  at  the  great  day  "  when  the 
master  of  the  house  is  risen  up,  and  hath 


"  Let  another  praise  thee,  and  not  thine  own 
mouth  ;  a  stranger,  and  not  thine  own  lips." — 
Prov.  xxvii.  2. 

"  I  laboured  more  abundantly  than  they  all. — In 
nothing  am  I  behind  the  very  chiefest  apostles." — 
1  Cor.  xv.  10 ;  2  Cor.  xii.  11. 

So  near  is  the  resemblance  of  good  and 
evil,  with  respect  to  their  outward  expres- 
sions, that  the  one  is  very  liable  to  be  mis- 
taken for  the  other.  Vices  pass  for  virtues, 
and  virtues  for  vices.  Thus  indifference  is 
taken  for  candor,  bitterness  for  zeal,  and 
carnal  policy  for  prudence.  The  difference 
in  these  things  may  frequently  lie,  not  in 
the  expression  or  action,  but  merely  in  the 
motive,  which,  being  beyond  human  cogni- 
zance, occasions  their  being  so  often  con- 
founded. 

It  is  thus  that  a  just  and  necessary  vindi- 
cation of  ourselves,  when  we  have  been 
unjustly  accused,  is  liable  to  be  construed 
into  self-applause.  That  which  was  con- 
demned by  Solomon,  and  that  which  was 
practised  by  Paul,  were  far  from  being  the 
same  thing ;  yet  they  appear  to  be  so  with 
respect  to  the  outward  act  or  expression. 
A  vain  man  speaks  well  of  himself;  and 
Paul  speaks  well  of  himself.  Thus  the 
branches  intermingle.  But  trace  them  to 
their  respective  roots,  and  there  you  will 
find  them  distinct.  The  motive  in  the  one 
case  is  the  desire  of  applause ;  in  the  other, 
justice  to  an  injured  character,  and  to  the 
gospel  which  suffered  in  his  reproaches. 

The  apostle,  in  defending  himself,  was 
aware  how  near  he  approached  to  the  lan- 
guage of  a  fool,  that  is,  a  man  desirous  of 
vain  glory,  and  how  liable  what  he  had 
written  was  to  be  attributed  to  that  motive. 
It  is  on  this  account  that  he  obviates  the 
charge  which  he  knew  his  adversaries  would 
allege.  "  Yes,"  says  he,  "  I  speak  as  a 
fool  ....  but  ye  have  compelled  me."  This 
was  owing  that,  as  to  his  ivords,  they  might 
indeed  be  considered  as  vain  glorying,  if  the 
occasion  were  overlooked  :  but,  if  that  were 
justly  considered,  it  would  be  found  that  they 
ought  rather  to  be  ashamed  than  he,  for  hav- 
ing reduced  him  to  the  disagreeable  neces- 
sity of  speaking  in  his  own  behalf. 


MATT 


.  v.   16  ;  vi.   1  ;  matt.  ix.  30  ;  mark  v.  19  ;  &c. 


165 


"  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they 
may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father 
who  is  in  heaven." — Malt.  v.  16. 

"  Take  heed  that  ye  do  not  your  alms  before 
men  to  be  seen  of  them  ;  otherwise  ye  have  no  re- 
ward of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven." — Matt. 
vi.  1. 

This  is  another  of  those  cases  in  which 
the  difference  lies  in  the  motive.  It  is  right 
to  do  that  which  men  may  see,  and  must  see  ; 
but  not  for  the  sake  of  being  seen  by  them. 

There  are,  indeed,  some  duties,  and  such 
are  prayer  and  the  relief  of  the  needy,  in 
which  a  truly  modest  mind  will  avoid  being 
seen;  but  in  the  general  deportment  of  life 
no  man  can  be  hid,  nor  ought  he  to  desire  it. 
Only  let  his  end  be  pure,  namely,  "to  glorify 
his  Father  who  is  in  heaven,"  and  all  will 
be  right. 

"  Jesus  straitly  charged  them,  saying,  See  that 
no  man  know  it." — Matt.  ix.  30. 

"  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Go  home  to  thy  friends, 
and  tell  them  what  great  things  the  Lord  hath  done 
for  thee,  and  hath  had  compassion  on  thee." — 
Mark  v.  19. 

The  foregoing  remarks  may  be  of  some 
use  here.  Our  Saviour  did  not  wish  his 
miracles  to  be  utterly  unknown  ;  for  then 
God  would  not  have  been  glorified,  nor  the 
end  of  establishing  the  truth  of  his  Messi- 
ahship  answered:  but  neither  did  he  wish 
to  make  an  ostentatious  display  of  them. 
First:  Because  he  had  no  desire  of  vain 
glory  about  him.  Secondly :  He  did  not 
wish  to  give  any  unnecessary  provocation 
to  his  enemies,  which  might  have  hindered 
him  in  the  execution  of  his  work.  Thirdly : 
Where  there  was  no  danger  from  enemies, 
yet  such  was  the  eagerness  of  the  people  to 
see  his  miracles  that  they  flocked  together 
from  all  parts  of  the  country,  thronging  and 
hindering  him  in  preaching  the  gospel.  To 
the  two  former  of  these  causes  the  injunc- 
tion of  secrecy  seems  to  be  attributed  in 
Matt.  xii.  13 — 20 ;  and  to  the  last  in  Mark 
i.  4,  which  is  the  case  in  question,  as  related 
by  Mark.  We  are  there  informed  that,  ow- 
ing to  the  leper  having  "  blazed  abroad  the 
matter,  Jesus  could  no  more  openly  enter 
into  the  city ;  but  was  without  in  desert 
places,"  which  was  a  serious  injury  to  that 
work  which  his  miracles  were  intended  to 
subserve. 

But  in  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes  the 
case  was  different.  He  was  there  in  no  dan- 
ger of  being  hindered  from  his  great  work 
by  the  thronging  of  the  people  :  on  the  con- 
trary, they  were  afraid,  and  "  prayed  him  to 
depart  out  of  their  coasts  ;  "and  he  did  depart. 
In  such  circumstances  let  not  the  story  of  the 
destruction  of  the  swine  be  the  only  one  in 
circulation:  let  the  deliverance  of  the  poor 
demoniac  also  be  told  ;  and  let  him  be  the 
person  who  should  tell  it.  Let  him  leave 
these  people  who  wanted  to  get  rid  of  the 


Saviour,  and  go  home  to  his  friends,  and  tell 
how  great  things  the  Lord  had  done  for  him, 
and  had  had  compassion  upon  him.  Luke  tells 
us  that  he  published  it  throughout  the  whole 
city. — Chap.  viii.  39. 


"  This  is  Elias,  who  was  to  come." — Matt, 
xi.   14. 

"  Art  thou  Elias  1  And  he  saith,  I  am  not.  Art 
thou  that  prophet]  And  he  answered,  No. " — 
John  i.  21. 

John  the  Baptist  was  not  literally  the 
person  of  Elias ;  and  it  was  proper  for  him 
to  say  he  was  not,  in  order  to  correct  the 
gross  notions  of  the  Jews  on  that  subject. 
Had  he  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  had 
they  believed  him,  he  would  have  confirmed 
them  in  a  gross  falsehood. 

Yet  John  the  Baptist  was  that  Elias  of 
whom  the  prophet  Malachi  spoke  (ch.  iv.  5  ;) 
that  is,  as  Luke  expresses  it,  he  came  "in 
the  spirit  and  power  of  Elias "  (ch.  i.  17 ;) 
and  so  it  was,  as  it  were,  another  Elias. 


"This  is  the  heir;  come,  let  us  kill  him,  and  let 
us  seize  on  his  inheritance." — Matt.  xxi.  38. 

"  Which  none  of  the  princes  of  this  world  knew  ; 
for,  had  they  known,  they  would  noi  have  crucified 
the  Lord  of  glory." — 1  Cor.  ii.  8. 

It  is  difficult  to  decide  whether  the  Jew- 
ish rulers  acted  directly  against  the  light  of 
their  consciences  in  crucifying  the  Lord  of 
glory,  or  whether  they  did  it  ignorantly  and 
in  unbelief,  as  Saul  persecuted  the  church. 
Several  passages  seem  to  favor  the  former 
of  these  hypotheses.  They  who  took  coun- 
sel to  put  Lazarus  to  death,  because  that 
through  him  many  believed  in  Jesus  (John 
xii.  10,  11) — and  they  who  replied  to  Judas, 
"  What  is  that  to  us  ?  see  thou  to  it  (Matt, 
xxvii.  4) — do  not  seem  to  have  acted  igno- 
rantly. The  counsel  of  Caiaphas,  to  which 
the  rest  agreed,  did  not  proceed  upon  the 
ground  of  Christ's  being  an  impostor,  but 
merely  that  of  expediency. — John  xi.  50. 
That  is,  policy  required  that  he  should  be 
made  a  sacrifice  ;  for  the  Jewish  church  was 
in  danger.  With  this  agrees  the  former  of 
the  above  passages  ;  "  This  is  the  heir  ;  come, 
let  us  kill  him,  and  the  inheritance  shall  be 
ours."  With  this  also  agrees  the  intimation 
that  some  of  them  had  committed  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  should  never 
be  forgiven,  by  ascribing  his  casting  out 
devils  to  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  devils, 
when  in  their  consciences  they  knew  better. 
—Matt.  xii.  24 — 32.  Finally :  perhaps  with 
this  also  agrees  such  language  as  the  follow- 
ing : — "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to 
them,  they  had  not  had  sin ;  but  now  they 
have  no  cloak  for  their  sin." — "  He  that 
hateth  me,  hateth  my  Father  also." — "  If  I 
had  not  done  among  them  the  works  which 
none  other  man  did,  they  had  not  had  sin : 


166 


APPARENT    CONTRADICTIONS. 


but  now  they  have  both  seen  and  hated  both 
me  and  my  Father." 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  several  pas- 
sages which  seem  to  maintain  the  contrary. 
Among  these,  some  have  reckoned  the  latter 
of  the  above  passages,  namely,  1  Cor.  ii.  8, 
"  Had  they  known,  &c."  But  I  apprehend 
the  term  "  known,"  in  this  passage,  is  put 
for  that  spiritual  discernment  which  is  pecu- 
liar to  true  Christians.  The  knowledge 
which  the  princes,  or  great  ones,  of  this 
world,  had  not,  is  said  to  be  revealed  to  be- 
lievers by  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  proves  it 
to  be  spiritual.  Had  the  murderers  of  our 
Lord  been  possessed  of  this,  they  would  not, 
they  could  not,  have  crucified  him.  But, 
whatever  light  they  had  in  their  consciences, 
they  were  blind  to  the  real  glory  of  his 
character,  and  such  is  every  unregenerate 
sinner. 

But,  though  this  passage  be  easily  recon- 
ciled with  the  foregoing  hypothesis,  yet 
there  are  others  more  difficult ;  particularly 
the  words  of  Peter  in  Acts  iii.  17,  and  of 
Paul  in  Acts  xiii.  27 :  "  And  now,  brethren, 
I  wot  that  through  ignorance  ye  did  it,  as 
did  also  your  rulers  " — "  For  they  that  dwell 
at  Jerusalem,  and  their  rulers,  because  they 
knew  him  not,  nor  yet  the  voices  of  their 
prophets,  which  are  read  every  Sabbath-day, 
they  have  fulfilled  them  in  condemning 
him." 

I  know  of  no  way  to  reconcile  these  things 
but  by  supposing,  what  indeed  is  very  pro- 
bable, that  there  were  some  of  each  descrip- 
tion ;  and  that  the  former  passages  refer  to 
the  one  and  the  latter  to  the  other. 


"  He  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever, 
and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end." — Luke 
i.  33. 

"  Then  cometh  the  end,  when  he  shall  have  de- 
livered up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father  ; 
when  he  shall  have  put  down  all  rule,  and  all  au- 
thority, and  power." — 1  Cor.  xv.  24. 

When  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  said  to 
have  "no  end,"  it  may  mean  that  it  shall 
never  be  overturned  or  succeeded  by  any 
rival  power,  as  all  the  kingdoms  of  this 
Avorld  have  been,  or  shall  be.  Such  is  the 
interpretation  given  of  the  phrase  in  Dan. 
vii.  14,  "  His  dominion  is  an  everlasting  do- 
minion, which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his 
kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed." 

But  this  need  not  be  alleged  in  order  to 
account  for  the  phraseology,  which  will  be 
found  to  be  literally  true.  The  end  of  which 
Paul  speaks  does  not  mean  the  end  of  Christ's 
kingdom,  but  of  the  world,  and  the  things 
thereof.  "  The  delivering  up  of  the  kingdom 
to  the  Father  "  will  not  put  an  end  to  it,  but 
eternally  establish  it  in  a  new  and  more  glo- 
rious form.  Christ  shall  not  cease  to  reign, 
though  the  mode  of  his  administration  be 
different.    As  a  divine  person,  he  will  al- 


ways be  one  with  the  Father ;  and,  though 
his  mediatorial  kingdom  shall  cease,  yet  the 
effects  of  it  will  remain  forever.  There  will 
never  be  a  period  in  duration  in  which  the 
Redeemer  of  sinners  will  be  thrown  into  the 
shade,  or  become  of  less  account  than  he 
now  is,  or  in  which  honor,  and  glory,  and 
blessing,  will  cease  to  be  ascribed  to  him, 
by  the  whole  creation. 


"  Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  see  the  things  that 
ye  see." — Luke  x.  23. 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet 
have  believed." — John  xx.  29. 

The  former  of  these  passages  pronounces 
a  blessing  upon  those  who  saw  the  fulfilment 
of  what  others  have  believed;  the  latter  up- 
on those  who  should  believe  the  gospel 
upon  the  ground  of  their  testimony,  without 
having  witnessed  the  facts  with  their  own 
eyes.  There  is  no  contradiction  in  these 
blessings  ;  for  there  is  a  wide  difference  be- 
tween requiring  sight  as  the  ground  of  faith, 
which  Thomas  did,  and  obtaining  it  as  a 
completion  of  faith,  which  those  who  saw  the 
coming  and  kingdom  of  the  Messiah  did. 
The  one  was  a  species  of  unbelief,  the  other 
was  faith  terminating  in  vision. 


"  If  I  bear  witness  of  myself,  my  witness  is  not 
true." — John  v.  31. 

"  Though  I  bear  record  of  myself,  yet  my  record 
is  true."     John  viii.  14. 

Our  Lord,  in  one  of  these  passages,  ex- 
presses what  was  to  be  admitted  as  truth  in 
the  account  of  men ;  in  the  other,  what  his 
testimony  was  in  itself.  Admitting  their 
laws  or  rules  of  evidence,  his  testimony 
would  not  have  been  credible  ;  and,  therefore, 
in  the  verses  following  he  appeals  to  that  of 
John  the  Baptist,  and  the  works  which  he 
had  wrought  in  his  Father's  name,  which 
amounted  to  a  testimony  from  the  Father. 
But,  though  he  in  a  manner  gave  up  his  own 
testimony,  yielding  himself  to  be  tried  even 
by  their  forms  of  evidence,  yet  would  he  not 
so  far  concede  as  to  dishonor  his  character. 
He  was  in  fact,  whatever  they  might  judge 
of  him,  the  Amen,  the  faithful,  and  the  true 
witness ;  and,  as  such,  he  taught  many 
things,  prefacing  what  he  delivered  with 
that  peculiar  and  expressive  phrase — "  Veri- 
ly, verily,  I  say  unto  you ! " 


"  Who  through  faith — obtained  promises." — Heb. 
xi.  33. 

"  And  these  all— received  not  the  promise." — 
Heb.  xi.  39. 

The  promises  which  were  obtained  by 
faith  refer  to  those  which  were  fulfilled  du- 
ring the  Old-testament  dispensation.  It  was 
promised  to  Abraham  that  he  should  have  a 
son ;  to  Israel,  that  they  should  possess  the 


john  xx.   17  ;  xx.  27  ;  rom.  ii.  14  ;  eph.  ii.  3 


167 


t  thea^aw 
lis  was  re- 


land  of  Canaan  for  an  inheritance ;  to  David, 
that  they  should  return  from  the  Babylonish 
captivity,  &c,  and  by  faith  each  of  them  in 
due  time  obtained  the  promise. 

But  there  was  one  promise  which  was  of 
greater  importance  than  all  the  rest ;  namely, 
the  coming  of  the  Messiah.  In  the  faitli  of 
this  the  fathers  lived  and  died  ;  but  the 
not  its  accomplishment.  To  see  this 
served  for  another  generation.  Hence  the 
words  of  our  Saviour  to  his  disciples: — 
"Blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see;  and 
your  ears,  for  they  hear.  For  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  that  many  prophets  and  righteous 
men  have  desired  to  see  those  things  which 
ye  see,  and  have  not  seen  them ;  and  to 
hear  those  things  which  ye  hear,  and  have 
not  heard  them." 

It  is  thus  that  God  has  wisely  balanced 
the  advantages  of  different  ages.  The  fa- 
thers obtained  much,  but  not  all.  In  respect 
of  the  blessings  of  Messiah's  kingdom,  they 
sowed,  and  we  reap  ;  they  labored,  and  we 
enter  into  their  labors.  Thus  it  is  ordered 
that  "they  without  us  should  not  be  made 
perfect."  The  fulfilments  of  our  times  must 
come  in  to  answer  the  faith  and  complete 
the  hopes  of  those  who  have  gone  before  us. 


do  not  imagine  that  I  am  raised  to  a  mere 
mortal  life,  or  am  going  to  set  up  a  temporal 

kingdom  in  this  world  ....  No "I 

ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your  Father : 
and  unto  my  God,  and  your  God." 


"  Jesus  saith  unto  Mary,  Touch  me  not :  for  I  am 
not  yet  ascended  to  my  Father." — John  xx.  17. 

"  Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  fin- 
ger, and  behold  my  hands  ;  and  reach  hither  thy 
hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my  side  ;  and  be  not  faithless, 
but  believing.'' — John  xx.  27. 

It  is  manifest,  from  these  and  other  pas- 
sages, that  the  reason  why  Mary  was  for- 
bidden to  touch  her  risen  Saviour  was  not 
because  the  thing  itself  was  impossible. 
Indeed,  if  it  had  been  so,  the  prohibition  had 
been  unnecessary ;  for  we  need  not  be 
forbidden  to  do  that  which  cannot  be  done. 
There  might,  however,  be  an  impropriety  in 
her  using  the  same  freedoms  with  him  in  his 
immortal  state  as  she  had  been  wont  to  do 
in  his  mortal  state.  It  might  be  proper  to 
touch  him  at  his  own  invitation,  and  so  to 
answer  an  important  end  (see  Luke  xxiv.  30,) 
and  yet  improper  to  do  so  without  it.  By 
comparing  the  passage  with  Matt,  xxviii.  9, 
10,  it  appears  that  Mary  Magdalene  and  the 
other  Mary  who  was  with  her  did  touch  him; 
for  they  are  said  to  have  "  held  him  by  the 
feet  and  worshipped  him."  There  is  reason 
to  think,  therefore,  that  the  words,  "Touch 
me  not,"  in  John,  were  used  merely  to  induce 
her  to  desist  from  what  she  was  doing  ;  and 
that  on  account  of  his  having  more  important 
employment  for  her — "  Go,  tell  my  breth- 
ren ! "  This  agrees  with  the  reason  given 
in  John — "  Touch  me  not ;  for  I  am  not  yet 
ascended  to  my  Father,"  &c.  This  was  as 
much  as  if  he  had  said,  You  need  not  be  so 
unwilling  to  let  go  my  feet,  as  though  you 
should  see  me  no  more  :  I  am  not  yet  as- 
cended :  nor  shall  I  ascend  at  present.     Yet 


"  The  Gentiles  which  have  not  the  law,  do  by 
nature  the  things  contained  in  the  law." — Rom. 
ii.  14. 

"Among  whom  we  all  had  our  conversation  in 
times  past  ....  and  were  by  nature  the  children 
of  wrath  even  as  others." — Eph.  ii.  3. 

The  term  "nature"  in  these  two  pas- 
sages is  of  very  different  signification.  In 
the  former  it  stands  opposed  to  the  written 
law  of  God,  or  the  light  of  revelation.  In 
the  latter  it  is  opposed  to  custom,  education, 
or  any  thing  merely  accidental.  In  the  one 
case,  it  is  expressive  of  their  want  of  exter- 
nal means  ;  in  the  other  of  the  inward  dis- 
position of  their  minds.  The  phrase  "  by 
nature,"  in  the  former,  refers  to  the  ride  of 
action  ;  but,  in  the  latter,  to  the  caiwe  of  it. 
All  arguments,  therefore,  against  the  total 
depravity  of  human  nature,  or  in  favor  of  a 
natural  disposition  to  virtue,  drawn  from  the 
former  of  these  passages,  are  entirely  un- 
founded. 


"  One  man  esteemeth  one  day  above  another  : 
another  esteemeth  every  day  alike;  Let  every 
man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind." — Rom. 
xiv.  5. 

"  Ye  observe  days,  and  months,  and  times,  and 
years.  I  am  afraid  of  you,  lest  I  have  bestowed 
upon  you  labor  in  vain." — Gal.  iv.  10,  11. 

The  key  to  this  apparent  difficulty  will 
be  found  in  attending  to  the  persons  ad- 
dressed. The  Roman  and  Galatian  churches 
were  each  composed  of  both  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles ;  but  they  are  not  addressed  promis- 
cuously; neither  are  they  the  same  de- 
scription of  people  who  are  addressed  in 
both  passages.  Those  who  regarded  days 
among  the  Romans  were  the  converted  Jeivs, 
who,  having  from  their  youth  observed  them 
as  divine  appointments,  were  with  difficulty 
brought  to  lay  them  aside.  And,  as  their 
attachment  had  its  origin  in  a  tender  regard 
to  divine  authority,  they  were  considered  as 
keeping  the  day  unto  the  Lord ;  and  great 
tenderness  was  enjoined  upon  the  Gentile 
converts  towards  them  in  that  matter. 

Those,  on  the  other  hand,  who  among  the 
Galatians  "  observed  days,  and  months,  and 
times,"  were  converted  Gentiles,  as  is  mani- 
fest from  the  context,  which  describes  them 
as  having,  in  their  unconverted  state,  done 
"  service  to  them  which  by  nature  were  no 
gods."— -Ver.  8.  These,  being  perverted  by 
certain  judaizing  teachers,  were,  contrary  to 
the  apostolical  decision  (Acts  xv.,)  circum- 
cised, and  subjected  themselves  to  the  yoke 
of  Jewish  ceremonies.  Nor  was  this  all : 
they  were  brought  to  consider  these  things 


168 


APPARENT    CONTRADICTIONS. 


as  necessary  to  justification  and  salvation, 
which  was  subversive  of  the  doctrine  of 
justification  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. — Acts 
xv.  1 ;  Gal.  v.  4. 

Considering  these  differences,  the  differ- 
ent language  of  the  apostle  is  perfectly  in 
character.  Circumcision,  and  conformity 
to  the  laws  of  Moses,  in  Jewish  converts, 
was  held  to  be  lawful.  Even  the  apostle  of 
the  Gentiles  himself  to  the  Jews  became  a 
Jew,  frequently,  if  not  constantly,  conform- 
ing to  the  Jewish  laws ;  and  writing  to 
others  he  expresses  himself  on  this  wise : 
"  Is  any  man  called,  being  circumcised  ? 
Let  him  not  become  uncircumcised.  Is  any 
called  in  uncircumcision  ?  Let  him  not  be- 
come circumcised.  Circumcision  is  nothing, 
and  uncircumcision  is  nothing  ;  but  keeping 
of  the  commandments  of  God."  But  for 
Gentiles,  who  had  no  such  things  to  be  al- 
leged in  their  favor,  to  go  off  from  the  lib- 
erty granted  to  them  (Acts  xv.,)  and  entan- 
gle themselves  under  a  yoke  of  bondage — 
and  not  only  so,  but  to  make  it  a  term  of 
justification — was  sufficient  to  excite  a  fear 
lest  the  labor  which  he  had  bestowed  upon 
them  was  in  vain. 


"  And  the  men  which  journeyed  with  him  stood 
speechless,  hearing  a  voice,  but  seeing  no  man." 
— Acts  ix.  7. 

"  And  they  that  were  with  me  saw  indeed  the 
light,  and  were  afraid ;  but  they  heard  not  the 
voice  of  him  that  spake  to  me." — Acts  xxii.  9. 

The  statement  in  these  two  passages 
contains  a  variety,  but  no  contrariety,  the 
former  observing  that  the  men  "  heard  a 
voice  ; "  the  latter,  that  "  they  heard  not  the 
voice  of  him  that  spoke "  to  Saul.  They 
heard  a  sound  which  terrified  them  ;  but  did 
not  understand  the  meaning,  which  Saul 
did.  The  one  says  that  they  "saw  the 
light ;  "  the  other  that-  they  "  saw  no  man." 
In  all  this  there  is  no  inconsistency. 

The  reason  why  they  are  said  to  have 
"  seen  no  man  "  is  not  to  distinguish  them 
from  Saul ;  for  neither  did  he  see  the  per- 
sonage who  spoke  to  him ;  but  to  account 
for  their  terror,  or  their  being  struck  speech- 
less. It  must  have  been  overwhelming  to 
their  minds  to  have  heard  a  voice,  and  yet 
to  see  no  person  near  from  whom  it  should 
proceed. 

The  difference  upon  the  whole,  however, 
between  the  case  of  these  men  and  Saul 
was  great,  and  strongly  marks  the  difference 
between  mere  convictions  and  true  conver- 
sion. The  voice  of  the  Lord  was  heard  by 
both  :  but  to  the  one  it  was  a  mere  general 
and  indistinct  sound  ;  to  the  other  it  was  a 
word  that  entered  into  his  soul.  They  "  saw 
the  light,  and  were  afraid;"  but  that  was 
all :  he  saw,  and  heard,  and  understood,  and 
felt,  and  inquired  "  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ? — 
Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  Ma- 
ny hear  the  word  in  a  general  way,  and  see 


enough  to  make  them  tremble  ;  but  then  it 
is  truly  effectual  when  it  is  addressed  to  us 
as  the  voice  of  one  that  speaks  to  us  from 
heaven ;  when  it  disarms  us  of  our  enmity 
to  Christ,  excites  in  us  the  desire  of  know- 
ing him,  and  makes  us  willing,  without 
hesitation  or  delay,  to  obey  his  command- 
ments. 

"  God  who  is  faithful,  will  not  suffer  you  to  be 
tempted  above  that  ye  are  able."— 1  Cor.  x.  13. 

"  We  were  pressed  out  of  measure,  above  strength, 
insomuch  that  we  despaired  even  of  life." — 2  Cor. 
i.  8. 

The  ability  in  the  former  of  these  passa- 
ges, and  the  strength  in  the  latter,  are  far 
from  being  the  same.  The  one  is  expres- 
sive of  that  divine  support  which  the  Lord 
has  promised  to  give  to  his  servants  under 
all  their  trials:  the  other  of  the  power 
which  we  possess  naturally  as  creatures. 
We  may  be  tried  beyond  this,  as  all  the 
martyrs  have  been,  and  yet  not  beyond  the 
other.  The  outward  man  may  perish,  while 
the  inward  man  is  renewed  day  by  day. 


"  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  fulfil  the 
law  of  Christ." — Gal   vi.  2. 

"  Every  man  shall  bear  his  own  burden." — Gal. 
vi.  5. 

The  former  is  an  exhortation  to  Christian 
sympathy  under  present  afflictions :  the  lat- 
ter is  a  declaration  of  the  rule  of  future 
judgment,  according  to  character.  We  may 
alleviate  each  other's  sorrows  in  this  life, 
but  cannot  stand  in  each  other's  place  at  the 
last  day. 

"  The  Lord  is  at  hand."— Phil.  iv.  5. 

"  Be  not  soon  shaken  in  mind,  nor  troubled,  neither 
by  spirit,  nor  by  word,  nor  by  letter,  as  from  us,  as 
that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at  hand."2— Thes.  ii.  2. 

Evert  thing  with  respect  to  degrees  is 
what  it  is  by  comparison.  Taking  into  con- 
sideration the  whole  of  time,  the  coming  of 
Christ  was  "  at  hand."  There*  is  reason  to 
believe  from  this,  and  many  other  passages 
of  the  New  Testament,  that  the  sacred 
writers  considered  themselves  as  having 
passed  the  meridian  of  time,  and  entered 
into  the  afternoon  of  the  world,  as  Ave  may 
say.  Such  appears  to  be  the  import  of  the 
following,  among  other  passages :  "  God 
hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  to  us  by  his 
Son." — "  Once  in  the  end  of  the  toorld  hath 
he  appeared  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice 
of  himself." — "Upon  whom  the  ends  of  the 
ivorld  are  come." — "The  coming  of  the 
Lord  draweth  nigh." — "  Surely  I  come 
quickly." 

But,  taking  into  consideration  only  a  sin- 
gle generation,  the  day  of  Christ  ivas  not  at 
hand.  The  Thessalonians,  though  a  very 
amiable  people,  were  by  some  means  mista- 
ken on  this  subject,  so  as  to  expect  that  the 
end  of  the  world  would  take  place  in  their 


1  john  i.  8;  iii.  9;  2  tim.  iii.  13;  prov.  xvi.  7;  &c. 


169 


life-time,  or  within  a  very  few  years.  To 
correct  this  error,  which  might  have  been 
productive  of  very  serious  evils,  was  a  prin- 
cipal design  of  the  Second  Epistle  to  that 
people. 

"  If  we  say  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves, 
and  (lie  truth  is  not  in  us." — 1  John  i.  8. 

"'Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit  sin, 
for  his  seed  remaineth  in  him  ;  and  he  cannot  sin,  be- 
cause he  is  boru  of  God." — 1  John  iii.  9. 

It  appears  that  the  word  sin,  in  these 
passages,  is  of  different  significations.  In 
the  former  it  is  to  be  taken  properly,  for  any 
transgression  of  the  law  of  God.  If  any 
man  say,  in  this  sense,  he  has  no  sin,  he 
only  proves  himself  to  be  deceived,  and  that 
he  has  yet  to  learn  what  is  true  religion. 

But,  in  the  latter,  it  seems,  from  the  con- 
text, that  the  term  is  intended  to  denote  the 
sin  of  apostacy.  If  we  were  to  substitute 
the  term  apostacy  for  sin,  from  the  sixth  to 
the  tenth  verse,  the  meaning  would  be  clear. 
Whoso  abideth  in  him  apostatizeth  not : 
whosoever  apostatizeth  hath  not  seen  him, 
neither  known  him. — He  that  is  guilty  of 
apostacy  is  of  the  devil ;  for  the  devil  hath 
been  an  apostate  from  the  beginning. — 
Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  apos- 
tatize ;  for  his  seed  remaineth  in  him  :  and 
he  cannot  apostatize,  because  he  is  born 
of  God. 

This  sense  of  the  latter  passage  perfectly 
agrees  with  what  is  said  of  the  "  sin  unto 
death." — v.  16 — 18.  "  There  is  a  sin  unto 
death We  know  that  whoso- 
ever is  born  of  God  sinneth  not ;  but  he  that 
is  begotten  of  God  keepeth  himself,  and  that 
wicked  one  toucheth  him  not."  It  also 
agrees  with  ch.  ii.  19 :  "  They  went  out  from 
us,  but  they  were  not  of  us ;  for,  if  they 
had  been  of  us,  they  would,  no  doubt,  have 
continued  with  us.  But  they  went  out,  that 
they  might  be  made  manifest  that  they  were 
not  all  of  us."  Altogether,  it  affords  what 
we  might  presume  to  call  an  incontestible 
proof  of  the  certain  perseverance  of  true 
believers. 

"All  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  shall 
suffer  persecution." — 2  Tim.  iii.  12. 

"  When  a  man's  ways  please  the  Lord,  he  ma- 
keth  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peaco  with  him." — 
Prov.  xvi.  7. 

Some  consideration  is  required  for  the  dif- 
ference of  times.  It  was  the  genius  of  the 
Old  Testament,  more  than  of  the  New,  to 
connect  obedience  to  God  with  temporal 
prosperity ;  and  therefore  that  might  be  said 
under  the  one  which  would  be  less  applica- 
ble under  the  other. 

It  is  allowed,  however,  that  this  is  not  suffi- 
cient to  solve  the  difficulty.  There  has  al- 
ways been  the  same  radical  enmity  in  gener- 
al between  the  seed  of  the  serpent  and  the 
seed  of  the  woman.  He  that  was  born  after 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  22. 


the  flesh,  then,  persecuted  him  that  was 
born  after  the  Spirit :  and  so  it  is  noiv.  And, 
by  how  much  more  spiritual  the  church  at 
any  time  has  been,  by  so  much  higher  has 
the  enmity  arisen  against  them.  It  is  also 
true  under  the  gospel,  as  well  as  under  the 
law,  that  where  a  man  perseveres  in  right- 
eousness and  godliness,  though  he  may  have 
many  enemies,  yet  their  enmity  shall  fre- 
quently be  prevented  from  hurting  him,  and 
even  turned  away  from  him  into  other  chan- 
nels. The  truth  seems  to  be,  that  neither 
of  the  above  passages  is  to  be  taken  univer- 
sally. The  peace  possessed  by  those  who 
please  God  does  not  extend  so  far  as  to  ex- 
empt them  from  having  enemies ;  and, 
though  all  godly  men  must  in  some  form  or 
other  be  persecuted,  yet  none  are  persecuted 
at  all  limes.  God  has  always  given  his  peo- 
ple some  seasons  of  rest.  The  former  of 
these  passages  may,  therefore,  refer  to  the 
native  enmity  which  true  godliness  is  certain 
to  excite,  and  the  latter  to  the  divine  control 
over  it.  The  rod  of  the  wicked  must  be  ex- 
pected to  fall,  but  not  to  rest  upon  the  lot  of 
the  righteous.  Man's  wrath  shall  be  let  loose 
in  a  degree  ;  but  farther  than  what  is  neces- 
sary for  the  praise  of  God  it  shall  not  go.  It 
shall  be  suffered  to  shoot  forth  in  measure  ; 
but  God  will  debate  with  it.  "He  stayeth 
his  rough  wind  in  the  day  of  his  east  wind." 


"  But  meat  commendeth  us  not  to  God,"  &c. — 
1  Cor.  viii.  8 — 13. 

"  The  things  which  the  gentiles  sacrifice  they  sa- 
crifice to  devils  and  not  to  God,  and  I  would  not 
that  ye  should  have  fellowship  with  devils.  Ye 
cannot  drink  the  cup  of  the  Lord  and  the  cup  of 
devils  :  ye  cannot  be  partakers  of  the  Lord's  table 
and  of  the  table  of  devils." — 1  Cor.  x.  20,21. 

In  the  former  of  these  passages  the  apos- 
tle presses  the  discontinuance  of  eating 
meats  offered  to  idols  as  merely  inexpedient ; 
in  the  latter  as  absolutely  unlawful.  To  ac- 
count for  this  it  may  be  proper  to  observe 
that  eating  part  of  the  sacrifices  of  the  city, 
which  might  be  provided  at  the  public  ex- 
pense, had  been  the  custom  in  all  former 
times ;  and  it  was  probably  thought  a  hard- 
ship to  be  forbidden  it.  Some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  at  Corinth  proceeded  so 
far  as  to  resume  their  old  stations  at  these 
public  feasts  ;  and  justified  themselves  on 
the  ground  that  they  were  not  so  ignorant  aa 
not  to  be  able  to  distinguish  between  idola- 
try and  good  eating  and  drinking ;  they  did 
not  mean  by  it  to  do  any  honor  to  the  idol, 
but  merely  to  partake  of  the  repast.  Yet  by 
their  example  many  weaker  brethren,  who 
still  retained  the  prejudices  of  their  heathen 
education,  were  actually  drawn  into  a  super-> 
stitious  veneration  of  the  idol. — The  thing 
also  was  in  itself  wrong,  as  it  was  having 
fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works  of  dark- 


170 


APPARENT    CONTRADICTIONS. 


To  remedy  this  evil,  the  apostle  first  rea- 
sons with  them  on  their  own  principles.  Be 
it  so,  as  if  he  had  said,  that  there  is  no  evil 
in  it,  and  that  you  by  your  superior  knowl- 
edge (thus  satirising  their  vain  pretences) 
can  walk  over  these  coals  without  being 
burnt ;  yet  that  is  more  than  your  weaker 
brethren  can  do.  You  make  them  sin, 
though  you  be  sinless  yourselves. — In  this 
view  he  allows  their  conduct,  for  argument 
sake,  to  be  lawful,  but  denies  it  to  be  expe- 
dient. But  having  thus  proved  the  impro- 
priety of   their  conduct,  even  upon  their 


own  principles,  he  then  proceeds  to  evince 
its  utter  unlawfulness  ;  calling  it  "  idolatry," 
chap.  x.  14,  and  proving  it  to  be  so  on  this 
general  principle — that  he  who  voluntarily 
associates  with  others  in  any  act  is  a  parta- 
ker of  that  act.  On  this  ground,  says  he,  it 
is  that  in  the  Lord's  supper  we  hold  professed 
communion  with  Christ ;  that  those  who 
among  the  Jews  ate  of  the  sacrifices  partook 
of  the  altar ;  and,  upon  this  ground,  you 
cannot  eat  and  drink  things  offered  to  idols, 
without  having  fellowship  with  daemons. 


SERMONS 


SKETCHES   OF    SERMONS 


SERMON  I. 

[Preached  at  Nottingham  before  the  Northampton- 
shire Association,  June  2,  1784.] 

THE    NATURE    AND    IMPORTANCE    OF     WALK- 
ING  BY    FAITH. 

«  We  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight."— 2  Cor.  v.  7. 

Much  is  said  concerning  faith  in  the  holy 
Scriptures,  especially  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  and  great  stress  is  laid  upon  it, 
especially  by  the  author  of  the  epistle  to  the 
Hebrews.  This,  I  apprehend,  is  not  very 
difficult  to  be  accounted  for.  Ever  since 
the  fall  of  man,  we  shave  been  entirely  de- 
pendent on  the  mercy  of  God,  through  a 
Mediator.  We  all  lie  at  his  discretion,  and 
are  beholden  to  his  mere  sovereign  grace 
for  all  the  happiness  we  enjoy.  We  have 
nothing  on  which  we  can  rely  for  the  pos- 
session or  continuance  of  any  good,  but  the 
word  and  will  of  God.  The  only  life,  there- 
fore, proper  for  a  fallen  creature  in  our 
world,  is  a  life  of  faith — to  be  constantly 
sensible  of  our  dependence  upon  God,  con- 
tinually going  to  him,  and  receiving  all  from 
him,  for  the  life  that  now  is  and  that  which 
is  to  come. 

Believers,  and  they  only,  are  brought  to 
be  of  a  spirit  suitable  to  such  a  kind  of  life. 
The  hearts  of  all  others  are  too  full  of  pride 
and  self-sufficiency  ;  but  these  are  content- 
ed, to  be  pensioners  on  the  bounty  of  another, 
can  willingly  commit  their  all  into  Christ's 
hands,  and  venture  their  present  and  ever- 
lasting concerns  upon  his  word.  "  The  just 
shall  live  by  faith." 

Self-renunciation,  and  confidence  in  another, 
are  ideas  which  seem  ever  to  accompany 
that  of  faith.  The  apostle  speaks  of  being 
justified  by  faith;  that  is,  not  by  our  own 
righteousness,  but  by  the   righteousness  of 


another: — of  living  by  faith ;  that  is,  not  by 
our  own  earnings,  so  to  speak,  but  by  the 
generosity  of  another : — of  standing  by  faith ; 
that  is,  not  upon  our  own  legs,  as  we  should 
say,  but  upon  those  of  another  :  and  here, — 
of  ivalking  by  faith  ;  which  is  as  much  as  if 
he  had  said, — We  walk,  not  trusting  our  own 
eyes,  but  the  eyes  of  another :  we  are  blind, 
and  cannot  guide  ourselves  ;  we  must  there- 
fore rely  upon  God  for  direction  and  in- 
struction. This,  my  brethren,  is  the  life 
we  must  live,  while  in  this  world,  and  this 
the  manner  in  which  we  must  walk  in  our 
progress  toward  the  heavenly  state.  Great 
is  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  in  so  or- 
dering it ;  great  glory  hereby  redounds  to 
him,  and  great  good  accrues  to  us. 

All  I  shall  attempt  will  be  to  explain  the 
nature,  and  shoiv  the  importance,  of  the 
Christianas  ivalk  by  faith.  Both  are  neces- 
sary :  the  one  that  we  may  form  just  ideas 
of  what  we  have  to  do  ;  and  the  other  that 
we  may  feel  our  hearts  excited  to  do  it.  O  . 
may  the  same  Spirit  who  indited  the  Sacred 
passage  breathe  upon  us,  that  these  ends 
may  be  accomplished  ! 

1.  Let  us  inquire  what  is  intended  by 
the  sacred  writer,  when  he  says,  "  We  walk 
by  faith,  not  by  sight."  Faith  and  sight,  it 
is  easy  to  see,  here  stand  opposed :  as,  in- 
deed, they  do  in  many  other  parts  of  Scrip- 
ture ;  especially  in  that  remarkable  defini- 
tion of  faith  wherein  the  apostle  to  the  He- 
brews calls  it  "the  evidence  of  things  not 
seen."  But  what  kind  of  sight  it  is  opposed 
to  may  deserve  our  attentive  inquiry. 

And  here,  before  I  proceed  any  farther, 
in  order  to  make  the  way  clear,  I  will  ad- 
vert to  a  notion  which  has  been  too  general- 
ly received,  but  which  appears  to  me  un- 
scriptural  and  pernicious  :  what  I  refer  to  is, 
that  faith  is  to  be  considered  as  opposed  to 
spiritual  sight,  or  spiritual  discernment.     It 


172 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


is  true  I  never  heard  of  any  person,  either 
in  preaching,  writing-,  or  conversation,  who 
said  so  in  express  words ;  but  expressions 
are  often  used  whicli  convey  the  same  idea. 
When  the  terms  faith  and  sense  are  used, 
it  is  common  with  many  to  understand,  by 
the  latter,  sensible  communion  with  God.  So 
it  is  common  to  hear  a  life  of  faith  opposed 
to  a  life  of 'frames  and  feelings.  Those  times 
in  which  we  have  the  most  spiritual  discern- 
ment of  God's  glory,  sensible  communion 
with  him,  and  feel  our  love  most  ardently 
drawn  out  to  him,  are  thought  to  have  the 
least  of  the  exercise  of  faith.  It  is  common 
to  say, — There  is  no  need  for  faith  then ;  at 
those  times  we  live  by  sense  :  but  that  when 
all  our  graces  seem  dead,  and  we  can  see 
no  evidence  from  which  to  draw  the  favora- 
ble conclusion,  then  is  the  time  to  walk  by 
faith.  The  meaning  is,  then  is  the  time  to 
believe  all  is  well,  and  so  rest  easy,  whether 
we  have  evidence  that  it  is  so  or  not. 

Thus  we  have  often  heard  several  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  applied,  or  rather  mise- 
rably misapplied ;  for  instance,  that  in  the 
last  chapter  of  Habakkuk:  "Although  the 
fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit 
be  in  the  vines,  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall 
fail,  and  the  field  shall  yield  no  meat,  the 
flock  shall  be  cut  off  from  the  fold,  and  no 
herd  in  the  stalls  ;  yet  will  I  rejoice  in  the 
Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation." 
As  if  by  the  fig-tree  not  blossoming,  &c, 
were  meant  the  Christian  graces  not  being 
in  exercise  ;  and  that  then  was  the  time  to 
walk  by  faith,  to  rejoice  in  the  God  of  our 
salvation !  That  passage  also  concerning 
Abraham,  "  who,  against  hope,  believed  in 
hope,"  has  been  understood  as  if  to  be  strong 
in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God,  like  Abraham, 
was  to  maintain  an  unshaken  persuasion  of 
the  goodness  of  our  state,  whether  we  have 
evidence  or  no  evidence. 

So  also  that  passage  in  the  fiftieth  of  Isaiah 
has  been  frequently  brought  for  this  pur- 
pose :  "  Who  is  among  you  that  feareth  the 
Lord,  ftiat  obeyeth  the  voice  of  his  servant, 
that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath  no  light  ? 
let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
stay  upon  his  God."  As  though  a  state  of 
darkness  there  meant  a  state  of  mind  where- 
in a  person  could  discern  no  evidence  what- 
ever of  his  being  a  good  man  ;  and  as  though 
such  were  there  encouraged  to  make  them- 
selves easy,  and  leave  the  matter  with  God, 
not  doubting  the  goodness  of  their  state. 
Our  Lord's  rebuke  to  Thomas  has  been  un- 
derstood in  the  same  manner:  "Because 
thou  hast  seen  me  thou  hast  believed:  bless- 
ed are  they  that  have  not  seen  and  yet  have 
believed."  As  if  a  blessing  should  rest  up- 
on those  who,  destitute  of  all  discernible 
evidence  of  their  Christianity,  nevertheless 
believe  it  with  an  unshaken  confidence.  If 
this  is  to  walk  by  faith,  then  faith  must  stand 
opposed  to  spiritual  sight  or  spiritual  dis- 
cernment. 


I  doubt  not  but  there  is  such  a  thing  as  to 
live  wponframes  ;  whicli  ought  to  be  guard- 
ed against.  If  I  imagine,  for  instance,  that 
God  changes  as  I  change — that  he  admires 
me  at  one  time,  and  not  another — or  that  his 
great  love,  whence  all  my  hope  of  salvation 
springs,  rises  and  falls  according  to  the  state 
of  my  mind ;  this  is,  doubtless,  to  dishonor 
God,  as  it  strikes  at  the  immutability  of  his 
love.  So,  if  I  derive  my  chief  consolation 
from  reflecting  upon  what  J  am,  instead  of 
reflecting  upon  what  Christ  is,  this  is  to  dis- 
honor Christ,  and  may  very  properly  stand 
opposed  to  living  by  faith.  But  this  is  not 
the  common  idea  of  living  upon  frames.  It 
has  been  usual  with  many  to  account  that 
man  to  live  upon  frames  who,  when  li£  is 
stupid  and  dark  and  carnal,  cannot  be  con- 
fident about  the  safety  of  his  state  ;  and  him 
to  live  by  faith  who  can  maintain  his  confi- 
dence in  the  worst  of  frames.  Allow  me, 
brethren,  to  offer  three  or  four  plain  reasons 
against  this  notion  of  the  subject. 

1.  Faith  is  the  only  means  of  spiritual  dis- 
cernment and  communion  with  God  ;  and 
therefore  cannot  be  opposed  to  them.  Our 
best  frames  are  those  in  which  faith  is  most 
in  exercise ;  and  our  worst  when  it  is  the 
least.  Faith  is  the  eye  of  the  mind.  It  is 
that  by  which  we  realize  invisible  and  spirit- 
ual objects,  and  so  have  fellowship  with 
God.  Yes,  it  is  by  this  grace  that  we  "be- 
hold the  glory  of  the  Lord,"  and  are  changed 
into  the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory,  by 
the  "Spirit  of  the  Lord." 

2.  If  faith  is  opposed  to  spiritual  discern- 
ment and  communion  with  God,  then  it 
must  work  alone;  it  must  never  act  in  con- 
junction with  any  of  those  graces  wherein 
we  feel  our  hearts  go  out  to  God;  for  this 
would  be  to  confound  faith  and  sense  to- 
gether. But  this  is  contrary  to  fact.  When 
we  have  most  faith  in  exercise,  we  have 
most  love,  most  hope,  most  joy ;  and  so  of 
all  the  graces  ;  all  sweetly  act  in  harmony. 
Thus  the  Scriptures  represent  it  as  ever  ac- 
companied by  other  graces ;  especially  by 
love,  purity,  and  lowliness  of  heart.  It  is 
expressly  said  to  "work  by  love;"  and,  it 
should  seem,  never  works  without  it.  It  is 
also  said  to  "  purify  the  heart."  The  exer- 
cise of  faith,  therefore,  and  the  exercise  of 
holiness,  can  never  be  separated.  Equally 
true  is  it  that  it  is  ever  attended  with  "  low- 
liness of  heart."  There  are  two  instances 
of  faith  recorded  which  our  Lord  particular- 
ly commended,  saying,  he  had  not  seen  such 
great  faith,  no  not  in  Israel :  the  one  was 
the  case  of  the  woman  of  Canaan,  and  the 
other  that  of  the  Roman  centurion  ;  and 
both  these  were  attended  with  great  hu- 
mility. The  one  was  contented  to  be  treat- 
ed as  a  dog,  and  the  other  thought  himself 
unworthy  that  Christ  should  come  under  his 
roof.  A  confidence  unaccompanied  with 
these,  if  it  may  be  called  faith  at  all,  seems 
nearly  to  resemble  what  the  apostle  James 


WALKING    BY    FAITH. 


us 


called    "faith   without   works;"   which   he 
pronounced  to  be  "  dead,  being  alone.'1'' 

3.  If  faith  is  to  be  understood  in  this  sense, 
then  it  not  only  works  without  other  graces, 
but  contrary  to  them.  The  Scriptures  en- 
courage a  spirit  of  self-examination  and  god- 
ly jealousy.  These  are  modest  and  upright 
graces,  and  constitute  much  of  the  beauty 
of  Christianity.  "  Examine  yourselves, 
whether  ye  be  in  the  faith,"  say  the  inspired 
writers  ;  "  try  your  ownselves ! " — "  Let  us 
fear,  lest  a  promise  being  left  us  of  entering 
into  his  rest,  any  of  us  should  seem  to  come 
short  of  it." — "  Let  us  pass  the  time  of  our 
sojourning  here  in  fear."  But  always  to  be 
confident  of  the  safety  of  our  state,  let  the 
work  of  sanctification  go  on  as  it  may,  is  not 
only  unfriendly  to  such  a  spirit,  but  subver- 
sive of  it.  Hence  it  is  common,  with  some, 
to  call  every  degree  of  godly  jealousy  by 
the  name  of  unbelief ,  and  to  impute  it  to  the 
enemy  ;  yea,  to  shun  it,  and  cry  out  against 
it,  as  if  it  were  itself  a  devil !  This  is  not 
the  most  favorable  symptom  of  an  honest 
heart.  Surely  a  heart  truly  upright  would 
not  wish  to  receive  comfort  itself,  but  upon 
solid  evidence :  and  where  it  was  taught  to 
call  such  a  fear  by  the  name  of  unbelief  I 
know  not ;  I  think  I  may  say,  it  never  came 
from  the  word  of  God.  If  the  veracity  of 
God  were  called  in  question,  no  doubt  it 
would  be  unbelief;  but  the  question,  at 
those  times,  with  a  sincere  mind,  is  not 
whether  God  will  prove  faithful  in  saving 
those  that  trust  in  him,  but  whether  he  be 
indeed  the  subject  of  that  trust.  His  doubts 
do  not  respect  God,  but  himself.  Love  and 
fear  are  the  two  great  springs  and  guardians 
of  right  action.  When  love  is  in  exercise, 
we  do  not  stand  in  need  of  fear  to  stimulate 
or  guide  us  ;  but,  when  we  are  not  con- 
strained by  the  former,  it  is  well  to  be  re- 
strained by  the  latter. 

4.  Faith,  in  that  case,  must  be  unsupported 
by  evidence.  God's  word  affords  us  no  war- 
rant to  conclude  ourselves  interested  in  his 
promises,  and  so  in  a  state  of  safety,  unless 
we  bear  the  characters  to  which  the  promises 
are  made.  We  have  no  right,  for  instance, 
to  apply  to  ourselves  that  promise — "  Fear 
thou  not,  for  I  am  with  thee  :  be  not  dismay- 
ed, for  I  am  thy  God :  I  will  strengthen  thee, 
yea  I  will  help  thee,  yea  I  wdl  uphold  thee 
with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness," — 
unless  we  bear  the  character  of  the  party 
there  addressed.  This  is  expressed  in  the 
foregoing  verse,  "  But  thou,  Israel,  art  my 
servant"  &c.  If,  from  the  real  desire  of  our 
hearts,  we  yield  not  ourselves  servants  to 
God,  no  impression  of  this  passage  upon  our 
minds  can  warrant  us  to  conclude  that  God 
is  indeed  our  God,  or  that  we  shall  be 
strengthened,  helped,  or  upholden  by  him. 
So  also  no  man  has  any  right  to  conclude 
himself  interested  in  that  promise,  "  I  have 
loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love,  there- 


fore with  loving  kindness  have  I  drawn  thee," 
unless  he  be  so  drawn  from  the  love  of  sin, 
self,  and  the  world,  as  to  love  God  better  than 
any  of  them.  But,  if  we  are  to  hold  fast  the 
confidence  of  our  safety,  whatever  be  the 
condition  of  our  mind  or  the  evils  in  our  con- 
duct, then  we  are,  in  that  instance,  to  believe 
without  evidence.  If  the  work  of  sanctifi- 
cation be  the  only  scriptural  evidence  of  our 
interest  in  Christ,  then,  in  proportion  to  that 
work  increasing  or  declining,  our  evidence 
must  be  strong  or  weak.  When  we  de- 
generate into  carnality  and  indifference,  it 
must,  of  course,  diminish.  To  say,  then, 
that  those  are  the  times  in  which  we  ex- 
ercise most  faith,  is  the  same  thing  as  to 
say  we  exercise  most  faith  when  we  have 
least  evidence  ;  and,  consequently,  it  must 
be  a  kind  of  faith,  if  it  be  faith  at  all,  that  is 
unsupported  by  evidence.* 

*  All  true  faith  must  have  truth  for  its  founda- 
tion. That  faith  to  which  the  Scriptures  promise 
salvation  is  founded  upon  evidence  ;  and  that  evi- 
dence is  the  testimony  of  God.  Hence  it  is,  with 
great  propriety,  by  the  apostle,  defined  the  belief  of 
the  truth.  This  definition  includes  more  than  many 
seem  to  apprehend.  To  believe  the  truth  in  reality 
is  cordially  to  credit  the  account  which  God  has  given 
of  himself,  of  us,  of  sin,  of  Christ,  of  earth,  of  heaven, 
&c.  Whoever  thus  realizes  divine  truth  must,  of 
necessity,  feel  its  influence.  The  same  apostle  tells 
us  that  those  who  receive  the  word  as  it  is  find  it  ef- 
fectually to  work  in  them.  Hence  we  are  said  to  be 
sanctified  through  the  truth,  to  know  the  truth,  and  to 
be  made  free  by  it.  I  cannot  believe  God  to  be 
that  amiable  and  gracious  being  which  his  word  re- 
presents him  to  be,  without  loving  him.  I  cannot 
believe  mj-self  to  be  that  vile  and  worthless  being 
that  God  represents  me  to  be,  without  abhorring  my- 
self in  dust  and  ashes.  If  I  really  credit  what  God 
hath  said  of  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin,  it  is  im- 
possible but  that  I  should  bate  it,  and  perceive  its 
dreadful  demerit,  and  plainly  sec  myself  righteously 
condemned  for  being  a  subject  of  it.  If  I  really  be- 
lieve the  record  that  God  has  given  of  his  Son,  that 
is  the  same  thing  as  to  think  of  his  excellences,  in 
measure,  as  Gocf  thinks  of  them  ;  and,  in  that  case,  I 
cannot  but  embrace  him  with  all  my  heart,  and  ven- 
ture my  everlasting  all  upon  his  atonement.  If,  from 
my  heart,  I  believe  what  God  hath  said  of  the  vanity 
of  this  world,  and  the  substantial  bliss  of  that  to  come  ; 
if  I  realize  the  emptiness  of  all  the  enjoyments  of  the 
former,  and  the  eternal  weight  of  glory  pertaining  to 
the  latter ;  I  shall  necessarily  labor,  not  for  the  meat 
that  perisheth,  but  for  that  which  endureth  unto  ev- 
erlasting life. 

If  this  be  a  just  notion  of  faith,  then  it  will  follow, 
1.  Tliat  all  unconverted  men  are  truly,  and  in  the 
most  literal  and  proper  sense  of  the  ivord,  unbe- 
lievers. Whatever  they  may  pretend,  they  do  not 
realize  what  God  has  revealed  of  his  character  or 
their  own,  of  the  nature  of  sin  and  its  dreadful  de- 
merit, of  the  excellence  of  Christ,  of  the  vanity  of 
this  world,  and  the  solid  bliss  of  the  next.  Nor  can 
this  their  unbelief  be  removed  but  by  their  becoming 
entirely  new  creatures,  by  a  work  of  the  almighty 
Spirit  of  God.  2.  That  a  mere  cold  asseyit  to  things, 
commonly  called  believing  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel, 
unaccompanied  with  love  to  them,  or  a  dependence  on 
Christ  for  salvation,  is  very  far  from  being  true  sa- 
ving faith.  Let  but  the  doctrines  of  the  "gospel  be 
really  and  heartily  believed,  as  God  has  revealed 
them,  and,  as  before  said,  it  will  be  impossible  but 
that  we  should  feel  a  determination  to  venture  upon 


174 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


There  are  but  two  cases,  that  I  recollect,   he  loves  his  children  :  indeed  he  gives  proof 

in  the  whole  system  of  true  Christian  expe-    of  it,  by  cheerfully  enduring  the  toils  of  la- 

rience,  which  so  much  as  seem  to  resemble    bor,  and  willingly  denying  himself  of  many 

this  notion ;  and  these  are,  in  fact,  essential-    a  comfort,  that  they  might  share  their  part ; 

ly  different  from  it.     One  is  that  of  the  most    and,  were  he  to  hear  of"  their  being  injured 

eminent  Christians  having  a  general  and  well-   or  afflicted,  he   would   quickly  feel  the  re- 

grounded    persuasion    of  their    interest  in   turns  of  glowing  affection,  in  as  strong,  and 

Christ,  even  at  those  times  wherein  they  may   perhaps  stronger,  emotions  than  ever. 

not  experience  such  evident  and  sensible  exer-       Thus  the  believer  may  have  real  love  to 

cises  of  grace  as  they  do  at  other  times.     But   God  in  exercise,  exciting  him  to  a  cheerful 

then,  it  is  to  be  observed,  grace  has  more   and  habitual  discharge  of  duty,  and  a  careful 

ways  than  one  of  being  in  exercise :   the   watch    against  evil,  and  yet  feel  little,   or 

grace  of  love,  for  instance  ;  sometimes  it  is   none,  of  that  desirable  tenderness  of  heart 

exercised  in  the  most  tender  and  affectionate    which,  at  other  times,  he  experiences.     He 

feelings  of  the  heart  towards  Christ,  longing   has  grace  in  exercise,  only  it  does  not  work 

to  be  with  him,  and  to  enjoy  him,  in  the    in  the  same  way  as  it  does   at  some   other 

world  to  come ;  at  other  times,  it  works  more    times ;  and  he  in  general  enjoys  a  conscious 

in  a  way  of  serving  him,  and  promoting  his    satisfaction  that  the  more  he  knows  of  God, 

interest  in  the  present  world.     This  latter   his  holy  law,  and  glorious  gospel,  the  more 

may  not  so  sensibly  strike  the  person  himself  he  loves  them.     During  this,  he  may  have 

as  being  an  exercise  of  love ;  but  perhaps    an  abiding  satisfaction  that  things  are  right 

other  people  may  consider  it  superior  evi-    with  him.     But  this  is  a  very  different  thing 

dence.  from  a  person,  at  all  events,  maintaining  the 

The   industrious  peasant,  sitting    in  his    safety  of  his  state  ;  yea,  and  reckoning  him- 

evening  chair,  sees  his  children  gathering    self,  in  so  doing,  to  be  strong  in  faith,  giving 

round  him,  and  courting  his  affections  by  a    glory  to  God,  while  carnality   governs    his 

hundred  little  winning  ways.     He  looks,  and    spirit,  and  folly  debases  his  conversation. 

smiles,  and  loves.     The  next  day  he  returns        The  other  case  is  when,  on  a  failure  of 

to  his  labor,  and  cheerfully  bears  the  burden    evidence  from  a  reflection  on  past  experien- 

of  the  day,  in  order  to  provide  for  these  his    ces,  the  believer  has  recourse  to  an  immediate 

little  ones,  and  promote  their  interest.     Du-    application  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  casting 

ring  his  day's  labor,  he  may  not  feel  his  love    himself  directly  on  his  mercy,  and  relying 

operate  in  such  sensible  emotions  as  he  did    on  his  word ;  seeing  he  has  said  "  Him  that 


cometh  to  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 
This  case  no  doubt  often  occurs.  The  be- 
liever, through  the  prevalence  of  carnality, 
with  some  other  causes,  too  often  finds  his 
Christ  alone  for  salvation,  with  all  the  proper  effects  evidences  for  glory  so  obscured  that  past 
But  persons  may  profess  to  believe    experiences  will  afford  but  small  consolation. 


the  evening  before.  Nay,  he  may  be  so  at- 
tentive to  other  things. jas  not  immediately 
to  have  them  in  his  thoughts.     What  then  ? 


of  living  faith 

those  doctrines  when  they  do  not,  or  may  believe 
them  partially,  but  not  as  God  has  revealed  them. 
Yea,  a  person  may  think  these  his  professions  to  be 
true,  and  these  his  notions  to  be  just,  and  yet  be  an 
infidel  at  heart.  The  Jews  professed  to  believe 
Moses,  and  no  doubt  verily  thought  they  did  ;  but 
our  Lord  told  them,  "  Had  ye  believed  Moses,  ye 
would  have  believed  me,  for  he  wrote  of  me."  We 
are  under  a  necessity,  therefore,  of  concluding  that, 


At  such  a  time,  his  mind  is  either  easy  and 
carnally  disposed  (in  that  case,  a  few  painful 
fears  will  do  him  no  harm,)  or  else  his  heart 
is  depressed  with  perplexity  and  gloom,  in 
which  case  nothing  is  better  than  immediate- 
ly to  go  to  Christ  as  a  poor  sinner  for  salva- 
tion.    This  is  the  shortest,  and  it  is  com- 


where   these  effects'  are  not  produced,  the  faith  of    monly  the  surest  way.     It  is  not  best  in  such 
such  persons  is,  in  a  great  degree,  pretended,  and  not    a  state  of  mind  to  stand  disputing   whether 


real  :  and,  in  that  degree  in  which  it  is  real,  it  is  very 
superficial ;  it  reaches  only  to  the  shell  of  truth,  at 
farthest.  The  essence  and  glory  of  the  gospel  is  by 
them  neither  discerned  nor  believed.  3.  That  all 
that  confidence  vrfiich  is  unsupported  by  evidence,  held 
fast  by  so  many,  is  not  faith,  but  presumption  or  de- 
lusion. If  faith  is  the  belief  of  the  truth,  then 
whatever  I  believe  ought  to  be  a  truth,  and  a  truth 
supported  by  evidence,  prior  to,  and  independently 
of,  my  believing  it.  This  is  certainly  the  case  re- 
specting the  excellence  and  all-sufficiency  of  Christ. 
He  is  what  he  is,  whether  1  believe  it  or  not.  How- 
ever I  may  disallow  him,  he  is  chosen  of  God,  and 
Whatever  real  excellence  I  at  any  time 


we  have  believed  or  not :  be  that  as  it  may, 
the  door  of  mercy  is  still  open,  and  the  Re- 
deemer still  says,  "  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I 
will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  It  is  best,  there- 
fore, to  make  a  fresh  venture  of  our  souls 
upon  him ;  that,  if  we  have  never  before 
trusted  in  him,  we  may  now. 

This  is  no  more  than  he  has  a  warrant  at 
any  time  to  do,  let  things  be  as  they  may 
with  him  ;  for,  though  internal  qualifications 
are  necessary  to  our  concluding-   ourselves 


precious.      vv  imiuver  ru<ii  excellence   i   ai  any    nine  .    .  ...     >-,,  .    •.    •     _    ,    -     •      „_„„„„4 

discern  or  believe  to  be  in  him,  I  only  believe  the  interested  m  Christ,  yet  it  is  not  so  in  respect 
truth,  and  what  would  have  been  the  truth  if  I  had  of  application  to  him.  1  he  perplexed  soul 
never  believed  it.  Faith,  therefore,  draws  aside  the  need  not  stay,  before  he  ventures,  to  inquire 
veil,  and  discovers  things  in  some  measure  as  they  whether  he  be  fit  to  come  to  Christ.  It  is 
are.  So  if  that  persuasion  wh.ch  I  may  have  of  my  required  that  he  should  prove  his  saint- 
interest  in  ( linst  have  any  right  to  the  name  ol  faith,  .  .  ,  i  ,  i-  r  ii  u  -i  ■ 
it  must  be  a  truth,  and  a  truth  capable  of  being  ship  before  he  applies  for  mercy,  though  it  is 
proved  by  Scripture  evidence  at  the  time.  before  he  claims  an  interest  in  gospel  bless- 


WALKING    BY    FAITH. 


175 


ings.  All  that  is  necessary  here  is  that  he 
be  sensible  of  his  being  a  vile  and  lost  sin- 
ner ;  and  that  is  not  to  be  considered  as  a 
qualification,  giving  him  a  right  to  come,  but 
as  a  state  of  mind  essential  to  the  act  itself  of 
coming. 

Many  a  Christian  has  found  sweet  rest  to 
his  soul  by  such  a  direct  application  to 
Christ;  and  surely  it  would  be  much  better  for 
Christians  who  go  almost  all  their  life  in  pain- 
ful perplexity,  lest  they  should  be  mistaken 
at  last,  if,  instead  of  perpetually  poring  on 
past  experiences,  they  were  to  practise  more 
in  this  way.  This  would  furnish  them  with 
present  evidence,  which  is  much  the  best, 
and  what  God  best  approves ;  for  he  loves  to 
have  us  continue  to  exercise  our  graces,  and 
not  barely  to  remember  that  we  have  exer- 
cised them  some  time  or  other  heretofore. 
This  in  some  sort  may  be  called  walking  by 
faith  and  not  by  sight ;  and,  in  this  case, 
faith  may  in  some  sense  be  opposed  to  spirit- 
ual sight.  It  is  opposed  to  that  discernment 
which  we  sometimes  have  of  being  true 
Christians,  from  a  review  of  past  experiences. 
But  then  this  is  ever  attended  with  present 
spiritual  discernment  of  Christ's  excellence, 
and  a  longing  desire  after  interest  in  him; 
and  herein  essentially  differs  from  what  we 
have  been  opposing.  Confidence  in  the  one 
case  is  nothing  else  but  carnal  security,  tend- 
ing to  make  men  easy  without  God :  con- 
fidence in  the  other  is  an  actual  venture  of 
the  soul  afresh  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  encou- 
raged by  his  gracious  testimony.  The  sub- 
ject of  the  one  considers  himself  as  an  es- 
tablished saint ;  the  other  as  a  poor  lost 
sinner,  and  deals  with  Christ  for  salvation, 
just  as  he  did  when  he  first  applied  to  him. 
To  the  one  we  say,  "  Be  not  high-minded, 
but  fear : "  to  the  other,  "  Fear  not,  thou  shalt 
not  be  ashamed ;  none  ever  trusted  in  him, 
and  was  confounded." 

In  what  sense  then  do  we  walk  by  faith,  and 
not  by  sight?  I  answer  in  general,  Walk- 
ing by  faith   is  a   going  forward  in  the 

WAYS  OF  GODLINESS  AS  INFLUENCED,  NOT 
BY    SENSIBLE,    BUT    BY     INVISIBLE    OBJECTS 

OBJECTS      OF     THE     REALITY     OF      WHICH 

WE  HAVE  NO  EVIDENCE  BUT  THE  TESTI- 
MONY of  God.  But  perhaps  faith  may  be 
considered  as  opposed  to  sight  more  particu- 
larly in  three  senses  ;  namely,  to  corporal 
sight,  to  the  discoveries  of  mere  reason,  and 
to  ultimate  vision. 

1.  To  walk  by  faith  is  opposed  to  walking 
by  corporal  sight.  In  this  sense  we  shall 
find  it  plentifully  used  in  the  eleventh  chap- 
ter to  the  Hebrews,  concerning  Abel,  Enoch, 
Noah,  Abraham,  and  others.  Thus  Abel, 
by  faith,  offered  a  more  excellent  offering 
than  Cain.  God  had  said  in  effect,  once  for 
all,  that  he  would  never  speak  nor  be  spoken 
to  in  a  way  of  friendship  by  any  of  the  hu- 
man race,  but  through  a  mediator.  This 
was  intimated  partly  by  man's  being  debar- 


red from  all  access  to  the  tree  of  life,  partly 
by  the  promise  of  the  Avoman's  seed,  and 
partly  by  the  institution  of  sacrifices.  Cain 
overlooked  all  these,  and  approached  God 
without  an  expiatoi-y  sacrifice  ;  as  if  there 
had  been  no  breach  between  them,  and  so 
no  need  of  an  atonement.  This  was  an  in- 
stance of  daring  unbelief  Abel,  on  the 
contrary,  took  God  at  his  word,  perceived 
the  evil  of  sin  and  the  awful  breach  made 
by  it,  dared  not  to  bring  an  offering  without 
a  victim  for  atonement,  had  respect  to  the 
promised  Messiah,  and  thus,  by  faith  in  the 
tmseen  Lamb,  offered  a  more  excellent  offer- 
ing than  Cain. 

Thus  also  it  is  said  of  Noah,  "  By  faith 
he,  being  warned  of  God  of  things  not  seen  as 
yet,  moved  with  fear,  prepared  an  ark  to  the 
saving  of  his  house  ;  by  the  which  he  con- 
demned the  Avorld,"  &c.  No  doubt  the 
world  were  ready  to  despise  Noah,  while 
building  his  ark,  as  an  enthusiast  whose 
faculties  were  probably  deranged,  who  put 
himself  to  a  deal  of  trouble,  and  wanted  to 
put  other  people  to  as  much,  merely  through 
a  notion  that  ran  in  his  head  that  the  world 
should  be  drowned.  Why,  was  there  any 
thing  in  the  world  that  looked  like  it,  or 
seemed  to  portend  such  an  event  ?  Noth- 
ing at  all :  all  things  seemed  to  continue  as 
they  were  from  the  creation.  What  then 
could  induce  Noah  to  do  as  he  did  ?  Noth- 
ing but  the  testimony  of  God  which  he 
credited,  and  acted  accordingly. 

So  also  it  is  said  of  Abraham,  when  call- 
ed to  go  into  another  country,  "  by  faith  he 
obeyed,  and  went  out,  not  knowing  whither 
he  ivent."  A  pretty  errand  it  would  seem  to 
his  friends  and  neighbors !  It  is  possible 
that  some  of  these,  observing  him  preparing 
for  a  journey,  might  inquire  whither  he  was 
going. — Going  ?  I  am  going  to  a  land 
which  the  Lord  is  to  shoiv  me. — And  have 
you  ever  seen  this  land  ? — No :  I  neither 
know  the  country  nor  a  step  of  the  way  to 
it. — A  fine  tale,  indeed  !  but,  seriously,  what 
in  the  world  can  move  you  to  such  an  un- 
dertaking ? — I  rely  upon  the  testimony  of 
God.  He  hath  said,  "  Get  thee  out  of  thy 
country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  unto  a  land 
that  I  will  show  thee  :  "  I  take  him  at  his 
word,  and  act  accordingly. 

These  were  cases  in  point  for  the  apostle 
to  quote.  The  Hebrews  seemed  hardly 
contented  with  an  unseen  High-priest,  an 
invisible  religion.  They  had  been  used  to 
priests  and  sacrifices  that  they  could  hear, 
and  see,  and  handle,  with  their  bodily  sen- 
ses. Like  their  fathers  by  Moses,  therefore, 
they  were  ready  to  say  of  Jesus, — We  know 
not  where  he  is  gone  ;  come,  let  us  make  us 
a  captain,  and  return  to  Judaism. — Judaism! 
says  the  apostle — methinks  true  Judaism 
would  condemn  you.  All  your  forefathers 
acted  upon  a  principle  which  you  seem 
about  to   abandon.     They  walked  by  faith, 


176 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


not  by  sight.  They  lived,  they  died,  in  the 
faith,  even  in  the  faith  of  that  very  Mes- 
siah of  whom  you  make  so  light. 

In  this  sense,  it  is  easy  to  see,  faith  and 
sight  are  to  be  taken  in  our  Lord's  rebuke 
to  Thomas,  when  he  says,  "Blessed  are 
they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believ- 
ed." It  is  as  if  he  had  said, — You  think  you 
have  acted  very  prudently  ;  but  what  must 
the  Christian  world  do  in  after  ages,  if  they 
act  upon  your  principle  ?  Christianity  in 
the  whole  of  it  will  depend  upon  testimony  ; 
whoever  receives  it  after  your  death,  yea,  in 
your  life-time,  besides  yourselves,  must  re- 
ceive it  upon  your  testimony.  Blessed  are 
they  that  shall  cordially  so  receive  it ;  and 
blessed  had  you  been,  Thomas,  to  have  set 
them  the  example,  by  believing  the  testimo- 
ny of  your  brethren. 

2.  Faith  may  be  considered  as  opposed  to 
the  discoveries  of  mere  reason  unassisted  by 
revelation.  In  this  sense  it  seems  to  be  used 
in  reference  to  Sarah.  "  Through  faith  she 
received  strength  to  conceive  seed,  and  was 
delivered  of  a  child  when  she  was  past  age, 
because  she  judged  him  faithful  who  had 
promised."  How  Sarah  should  have  a  son 
was  not  only  indiscernible  by  the  corporal 
eye,  but  by  an  eye  of  reason ;  since  it  must 
be,  if  at  all,  entirely  beside  the  common 
course  of  nature.  She  had  nothing  to  rely 
upon  in  this  case  but  the  promise  of  God. 

We  do  not  suppose  faith  and  right  reason 
to  be  opposites :  that  be  far  from  us.  On 
the  contrary,  nothing  is  more  evident  than 
that  Christianity  is  entirely  a  rational  sys- 
tem ;  and  it  is  its  glory  that  it  is  so.  We 
should  never  have  been  required  to  give  a 
reason  for  the  hope  that  is  in  us,  if  there  had 
been  no  reason  to  be  given.  But,  though 
nothing  in  revelation  be  contrary  to  right 
reason,  yet  there  are  many  things  which  our 
reason  could  never  have  found  out,  had  they 
not  been  made  known  by  the  Supreme  Intel- 
ligence. The  plan  of  redemption  by  Jesus 
Christ,  in  particular,  contains  a  set  of  truths 
which  the  eye  had  never  seen,  nor  the  ear 
heard,  nor  had  they  entered  the  heart  of 
man  to  conceive,  had  not  God  revealed  them 
to  us  by  his  Spirit.  For  all  the  pleasure 
that  we  enjoy,  brethren,  in  contemplating 
these  glorious  truths,  we  are  wholly  indebt- 
ed to  the  testimony  ofjGod.  Indeed,  so  far 
are  they  from  being  discoverable  by  mere 
reason,  that  every  blessing  contains  in  it 
abundantly  more  than  men  or  angels  could 
have  asked  or  thought!  It  staggers  our 
reason  to  receive  it,  even  now  it  is  told  us. 
At  every  pause  we  must  stand  and  wonder, 
saying,  "  Is  this  the  manner  of  man,  O 
Lord ! " 

Not  only  was  our  reason  incapable  of 
finding  out  many  truths  before  they  were 
revealed ;  but,  even  now  they  are  revealed, 
they  contain  things  above  our  comprehen- 
sion.    It    ia  one  thing  to    say  that  Scrip- 


ture is  contrary  to  right  reason,  and  another 
thing  to  say  it  may  exhibit  truths  too  great 
for  our  reason  to  grasp.*  God  must  have 
told  us  nothing  about  his  own  existence 
and  infinite  perfections,  if  he  had  told  us 
nothing  but  what  we  could  fully  compre- 
hend. In  this  case,  it  becomes  us  to  know 
our  littleness,  and  to  bow  our  understand- 
ings to  the  Supreme  intelligence.  It  is 
the  most  rational  thing  in  the  world  so  to  do. 
If  God  has  said  any  thing,  we  ought  to  rest 
assured  that  so  it  is.  In  these  cases,  we 
ought  to  trust  his  eyes,  so  to  speak,  rather 
than  our  own,  and  be  content  to  walk  by 
faith,  not  by  sight. 

-3.  Faith  may  be  considered  as  opposed  to 
ultimate  vision.  The  saints  in  glory  are 
described  as  "  seeing  Christ  as  he  is,"  as 
"knowing  even  as  they  are  known,"  and  as 
being  citizens  of  a  city  where  there  shall  be 
"  no  night,"  and  where  they  shall  need  "no 
candle,  neither  light  of  the  sun,  nor  light  of 
the  moon,  for  the  Lord  God  shall  be  the  light 

*  May  not  the  great  disputes  which  have  taken 
place  concerning-  faith  and  reason,  as  if  the  one  were 
opposite  to  the  other,  have  arisen,  in  a  great  de- 
gree, from  using  the  term  reason  without  defining  it  ? 
The  word  reason,  like  the  word  understanding,  has 
two  senses.  1.  It  signifies  the  ftness  of  things.  So 
the  apostles  used  it,  when  they  said,  "  It  is  not 
reason  that  we  should  leave  the  word  of  God,  and 
serve  tables  :  "  that  is,  it  is  not  fit  or  proper.  2.  It 
signifies  our  poiver  or  capacity  of  reasoning.  So  it 
is  said  of  Nebuchadnezzar  that  his  reason  returned 
to  him  :  that  is,  his  power  or  capacity  of  reasoning. 
Now,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  these  are  two  essentially 
different  ideas  :  the  one  is  perfect  and  immutable,  re- 
maining always  the  same  ;  the  other  is  shattered  and 
broken  by  sin,  and  liable  to  a  thousand  variations 
through  blindness  and  prejudice.  No  divine  truth 
can  disagree  with  the  former ;  but  it  may  be  both 
above  and  contrary  to  the  latter. 

If  people  were  to  talk,  in  matters  of  science  and 
philosophy,  as  some  have  affected  to  talk  in  religion, 
the}'  would  be  treated  as  fools,  and  deemed  un- 
worthy of  attention.  A  philosopher,  for  instance, 
tells  an  unlettered  countryman  that  it  is  generally 
thought  that  the  earth  turns  round,  every  day,  upon 
its  own  axis,  and  not  the  sun  round  the  earth.  The 
countryman  replies,  "  I  don't  believe  it."  "  Very 
likely,"  says  the  philosopher,  "but  why  not  ?  "  "  It 
is  contrary  to  my  reason."  "  Contrary  to  your 
reason  !  that  may  be  ;  but  I  hope  you  do  not  think 
that  every  thing  contrary  to  your  reason  is  contrary 
to  right  reason  !  "  Were  men  of  the  greatest  un- 
derstanding but  to  consider  that  there  is  a  far  greater 
disproportion  between  some  truths  respecting  the  ex- 
istence of  a  God  and  their  capacities  than  between 
any  truths  of  human  science  and  the  capacity  of  the 
most  ignorant  rustic,  they  would  be  ashamed  to  dis- 
believe a  truth  because  it  is  not  according  to  their 
reason. 

It  is  right,  and  stands  commended  in  Scripture, 
to  apply  our  hearts  to  understanding;  but  it  is 
wrong,  and  stands  condemned  in  Scripture,  by  the 
same  pen,  and  in  the  same  page,  to  lean  to  our  own 
understanding.  So,  I  apprehend,  it  is  right  to  ad- 
here to  right  reason,  and  to  use  all  means  to  find 
out  what  Tt  is ;  but  it  is  wrong  and  presumptuous 
to  set  up  our  reason  as  a  standard  competent  to 
decide  what  is  truth,  and  what  is  error  ;  for  that  is 
the  same  thing  as  supposing  that  our  ideas  of  fitness 
and  unfitness  always  accord  with  the  real  fitness  of 
things. 


WALKING    BY    FAITH. 


177 


thereof.'1''  Our  knowledge  of  things  there 
will  be  immediate  and  intuitive,  and  not,  as 
it  is  here,  through  the  medium  of  the  word 
and  ordinances.  The  sacred  Scriptures  are 
to  us  (with  reverence  be  it  spoken)  like  a 
letter  from  a  distant  friend ;  but,  when  we 
come  face  to  face,  ink  and  paper  shall  be 
needed  no  more.  However,  for  the  present, 
it  is  otherwise.  We  are  yet  in  the  body  ; 
and  while  such,  as  the  apostle  observes  in 
the  verse  preceding  the  text,  "  we  are  ab- 
sent from  the  Lord,"  and  must  be  glad  of 
these  helps.  Let  us  make  much  of  this 
letter,  and  be  thankful  that  we  can  walk  by 
it  through  this  world,  as  by  a. "  light  in  a  dark 
place,"  till  we  come  to  a  better,  where  we 
shall  no  more  walk  by  faith,  but  by  sight. 

Thus  far  I  have  dwelt  chiefly  upon  the 
terms  ;  but,  that  we  may  obtain  a  more  com- 
prehensive view  of  the  thing  itself  (namely, 
of  a  Christian's  walking  by  faith,)  let  us  take 
a  view  of  a  few  of  those  circumstances 
and  situations  through  which  he  has  to  pass 
during  the  present  life.  It  is  in  these  that 
faith,  as  well  as  every  other  grace,  is  exer- 
cised. Allow  me,  then,  to  request  your  at- 
tention, brethren,  to  four  or  five  observations 
on  the  subject. 

1.  There  are  many  dark  seasons  in  God's 
providential  dealings  with  us,  in  which  we 
can  see  no  way  of  escape,  nor  find  any 
source  of  comfort,  but  the  testimony  of  God. 
God's  friends  are  not  distinguished  in  this 
world  by  an  exemption  from  trying  provi- 
dences ;  he  views  that,  methinks,  as  too 
trifling  a  badge  of  distinction.  They  shall 
be  known  by  what  is  far  more  noble  and 
advantageous ;  namely,  by  patience,  obedi- 
ence, submission,  and  divine  support  under 
them.  Moreover,  as  we  profess  to  be  friends 
of  God,  and  to  trust  the  salvation  of  our 
souls,  with  all  our  concerns,  in  his  hands,  he 
sees  it  proper  to  prove  the  sincerity  of  our 
professions  and  the  stability  of  our  hearts. 
He  brings  us  into  such  circumstances,  there- 
fore, as  shall  try  us,  whether  we  will  confide 
in  him  or  not. 

Christ  has  told  his  followers,  once  for  all, 
that  "  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth  is  in 
his  hands  ; "  that  he  is  "  head  ever  all  things 
to  the  church;"  that  he  "will  surely  do 
them  good ;  "that,  however  things  may  seem, 
"  all  things  shall  work  together  for  good  to 
them  that  love  God,  to  them  who  are  the 
called  according  to  his  purpose  ; "  that,  as  to 
temporal  tilings,  let  them  but  "  trust  in  the 
Lord,  and  do  good,  and  they  shall  dwell  in 
the  land,  and  verily  they  shall  be  fed  ; "  and, 
as  to  eternal  things,  if  they  have  a  few  light 
afflictions,  they  shall  last  but  for  "  a  moment," 
and  shall  "  work  for  them  a  far  more  exceed- 
ing and  eternal  weight  of  glory."  These 
promises  seem  easy  to  be  believed,  when 
things  are  smooth  and  pleasing ;  and  it  is 
very  natural  for  us,  in  a  day  of  prosperity,  to 
talk  of  these  things,  and  try  and  comfort 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  23. 


those  with  them  who  are  laboring  in  adver- 
sity. But  the  greatest  trial  is  when  it  comes 
home  to  ourselves.  Then  it  is  well  if  we 
fall  not  under  the  reproof  of  Eliphaz,  "  Thy 
words  have  upholden  him  that  was  falling, 
and  thou  hast  strengthened  the  feeble  knees : 
but  now  it  is  come  upon  thee,  and  thou 
faintest ;  it  toucheth  thee,  and  thou  art 
troubled."  Then,  if  ever,  is  the  time  for  us 
to  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight. 

We  create  to  ourselves  darlings,  and 
place  much  of  our  happiness  in  their  enjoy- 
ment. God  not  unfrequently  takes  these 
first  away,  as  being  most  his  rivals.  If  one 
child  is  more  beloved  than  all  the  rest,  if  he 
must  be  clothed  with  a  coat  of  many  colors, 
the  coat  must  quickly  be  returned  without 
the  owner ;  yes,  the  period  must  soon  ar- 
rive when  it  shall  be  said,  Joseph  is  not! 
These,  with  a  few  more  strokes  of  the  kind, 
will  try  Jacob's  faith  to  the  uttermost ;  and 
he  will  find  it  hard  work  to  reconcile  pro- 
mises with  providences.  "  Thou  saidst  I  will 
surely  do  thee  good:  "  but  "  all  these  things 
are  against  me."  Ah,  he  fails!  He  fails, 
like  Asaph  in  a  similar  condition,  who  could 
not  see  how  God  could  be  "  good  to  Israel," 
when  "  waters  of  a  full  cup  were  wrung 
out  to  them."  The  Shunamitish  woman  will 
set  us  a  better  example  than  either  the  pa- 
triarch or  the  prophet.  "  Is  it  well  ?  "  said 
Elisha's  servant,  when  her  child  lay  dead  in 
her  house.  She  replied,  "  It  is  ivell."  This 
was,  in  effect,  saying, — Whether  I  can  see 
it,  or  not,  I  know  he  doth  all  things  well. — 
This  is  believing  when  we  cannot  see,  tak- 
ing God  at  his  word,  against  all  the  rebellion 
of  sense  and  feeling.  This  is  what  Jacob 
should  have  done ;  but  O  that  Jacob  had 
failed  alone  !  If  to  resemble  him,  in  this 
instance,  would  constitute  us  Israelites,  we 
should  most  of  us  be  Israelites  indeed! 

We  are  often  very  thrifty  in  devising 
plans  for  futurity,  and  apt  to  promise  our- 
selves great  degrees  of  happiness,  when  they 
are  accomplished.  Here  it  is  common  for 
God  to  throw  confusion  upon  our  schemes, 
and  cause  things  to  run  in  a  different  chan- 
nel from  what  we  expected.  Job,  while  in 
prosperity,  sat,  like  a  bird  in  her  well-feath- 
ered nest,  and  thought  within  himself, — -I 
shall  live  to  enjoy  numerous  years  of  unin- 
terrupted prosperity,  to  see  children's  child- 
ren, and  then  go  down  to  the  grave  in 
peace  ;  or,  as  he  himself  afterwards,  in  the 
bitter  hour  of  reflection,  expressed  it,  "  I 
said,  I  shall  die  in  my  nest,  I  shall  multiply 
my  days  as  the  sand ! "  Well,  so  he  did  at 
last ;  but  there  was  a  melancholy  chasm  in 
his  life,  which  he  never  expected.  Such 
there  are,  more  or  less,  in  all  our  lives  ;  and, 
in  such  situations,  it  is  well  if  we  do  not 
think  hard  of  our  best  friend.  Some  have 
been  ready  to  ask,  Is  this  love  ?  Is  this  his 
doing  who  has  said,  I  will  surely  do  thee 
?     Yes,  and  you  shall  see  it  in  the  end, 


178 


SEKMONS    AND     SKETCHES. 


as  Asaph  did  ;  who,  after  he  had  been  to 
God's  sanctuary,  and  saw  things  as  they 
were,  went  home,  it  seems,  and  penned  the 
seventy-third  Psalm,  beginning  it  all  in  ec- 
stacy,  saying,  "  Truly  God,  is  good  to  Isra- 
el ! "  Christians,  how  criminal,  how  cruel, 
that  he  that  never  failed  us  at  any  time 
should  be  so  mistrusted  as  he  is !  It  should 
seem  to  suggest  as  if  he  were  such  a  God 
that  we  cannot  trust  him  out  of  sight! 

How  amiable  is  that  spirit,  how  happy  is 
that  heart,  that,  in  every  situation,  places 
unbounded  confidence  in  Jehovah's  word! 
Such  may  be  hedged  up  on  every  side,  and 
encompassed,  like  Israel  at  the  Red  Sea, 
with  seemingly  insurmountable  difficulties  ; 
yet,  even  here,  they  will  follow  Israel's  ex- 
ample, they  will  cry  unto  God,  and  rely 
upon  his  mercy.  If  means  can  be  used, 
they  will  use  them ;  if  not,  they  will  "  stand 
still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord." 
"  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,"  said  the 
Lord,  "  that  they  go  forward."  Go  forward ! 
they  might  have  replied,  what,  leap  at  once 
into  the  jaws  of  destruction  !  But  nothing 
of  this.  At  first,  indeed,  their  faith  seemed 
to  fail  them,  but  they  soon  recovered  them- 
selves. "  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel," 
said  the  Lord,  "  that  they  go  forward " — 
they  went — a  way  was  made  in  the  sea,  and 
a  path  in  the  mighty  waters.  Well  may  it 
be  said,  By  faith  Israel  passed  through  the 
Red  Sea.  Minds  thus  disposed  might  defy 
the  united  sources  of  worldly  sorrow  to  ren- 
der them  unhappy.  Let  poverty  stare  them 
in  the  face,  let  pinching  want  stretch  over 
them  her  miserable  sceptre,  they  have  been 
known,  even  here,  by  faith,  to  break  forth 
into  songs  of  praise.  Thus  sang  good  Ha- 
bakkuk  (and  this  evidently  appears  to  be  his 
situation,  and  not  a  state  of  spiritual  declen- 
sion,) "  Although  the  fig-tree  shall  not  blos- 
som, neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines,  the 
labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the  fields 
shall  yield  no  meat,  the  flock  shall  be  cut 
off  from  the  fold,  and  no  herd  in  the  stalls ; 
yet  will  I  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  wdl  joy  in 
the  God  of  my  salvation."  Thus  also  sang 
the  church,  even  in  her  captivity,  when  her 
country  was  laid  waste,  Jerusalem  rased  to 
the  ground,  and  the  temple  burnt  to  ashes  : 
"The  Lord  is  my  portion,  saith  my  soul, 
therefore  will  I  hope  in  him ! " 

2.  In  all  our  approaches  to,  and  fellowship 
with  Christ,  it  is  by  faith  in  the  account  that 
God  has  given  of  him  in  his  word.  Christ's 
excellence,  undertaking,  and  benefits,  are 
the  joy,  and  even  the  life  of  our  souls,  if  we 
are  true  Christians.  But  what  evidence  have 
we  of  all  or  any  of  these  ?  Yea,  what  evi- 
dence have  we  that  there  is,  or  ever  was, 
such  a  person  as  Jesus  Christ  ?  or,  if  there 
was,  that  he  was  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of 
God  ?  We  neither  saw  him  alive,  nor  die, 
rise  again,  nor  ascend  to  heaven.  We  never 
saw  the  miracles  he  wrought,  nor  heard  the 


voice  from  the  excellent  glory,  saying,  "This 
is  my  beloved  Son,  hear  ye  him."  We  speak 
of  his  personal  excellences,  divine  and  hu- 
man ;  of  his  love,  zeal,  righteousness,  meek- 
ness, patience,  &c. ;  but  what  know  we  of 
them  ?  We  rejoice  in  his  being  constituted 
our  surety,  to  obey  the  law,  and  endure  the 
curse  in  our  stead  ;  but  how  know  we  that 
so  indeed  it  is  ?  We  glory  in  the  imputation 
of  his  righteousness,  and  exult  in  the  hope 
of  being  found  in  him,  and  being  forever 
with  him,  faultless  before  his  throne,  to  serve 
him  day  and  night  in  his  temple  ;  but  on 
what  do  we  rely  for  all  this  ?  If  our  expec- 
tations are  but  just,  truly  they  are  noble  ; 
but,  if  groundless,  extravagant.  Are  they, 
then,  well  founded  ?  Yes,  the  testimony  of 
God  is  the  rock  whereon  they  rest.  He  has 
told  us  by  the  mouth  of  his  servants,  the  in- 
spired writers,  all  that  is  necessary  for  us  to 
know,  of  the  character,  conduct,  and  errand 
of  his  Son;  of  every  office  he  sustained,  and 
every  end  for  which  he  came  into  the  world. 
To  all  this  he  has  added  that  "  whosoever 
believeth  on  him  shall  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life."  So  they  have  preached, 
and  so  we  have  believed.  We  have,  through 
grace,  ventured  our  everlasting  all  in  his 
hands ;  nor  is  it  in  the  hands  of  we  know 
not  whom :  "  we  know  whom  we  have  trust- 
ed, and  are  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep 
that  which  we  have  committed  to  him  against 
that  day."  For,  though  none  of  these  things 
are  invisible  to  our  mortal  eye,  yet,  having 
evidence  that  God  has  said  them,  we  are  sat- 
isfied. We  would  as  soon  trust  God's  word 
as  our  own  eyes.  Thus  we  walk,  like  Moses, 
"as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible  ;  "  and  thus 
answer  to  that  description,  "  Whom  having 
not  seen  ye  love,  in  whom,  though  now  ye 
see  him  not,-  yet,  believing,  ye  rejoice  with 
joy  unspeakable,  and  full  of  glory." 

In  all  our  applications  to  Christ,  we  have 
to  rely  merely  upon  the  testimony  of  God. 
Here  is  a  poor,  self-condemned  sinner,  who 
comes  pressing  through  the  crowd  of  dis- 
couraging apprehensions,  that  he  may,  so  to 
speak,  touch  the  hem  of  the  Redeemer's 
garment  and  be  made  whole.  As  he  ap- 
proaches, one  set  of  thoughts  suggests,  How 
can  such  a  monster  hope  for  mercy  ?  Is  it 
not  doubtful  whether  there  be  efficacy 
enough  in  the  blood  of  Christ  itself  to  par- 
don such  heinous  crimes  ? — I  know  my 
crimes  are  heinous  beyond  expression,  re- 
plies the  burdened  soul,  and  I  should  doubt- 
less give  up  my  case  as  desperate,  but  that 
I  have  heard  of  him  that  "he  is  able  to  save 
to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  God  by 
him."  I  will  go,  therefore  ;  who  can  tell  ? 
— As  he  goes,  other  objections  assail  him, 
questioning  whether  Christ  can  find  in  his 
heart  to  accept  of  such  a  one  ? — I  should 
think  not,  indeed,  rejoins  the  poor  man  ;  but 
he  has  said,  "  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will 
in  nowise  cast  out."     I  know,  were  I  to  con- 


WALKING    BY    FAITH. 


179 


suit  nothing  but  my  feelings  and  only  to  fix 
my  eyes  on  the  enormity  of  my  sin,  I  should 
utterly  despair;  but,  encouraged  by  his 
word,  I  will  go  forward ;  I  will  walk  by 
faith,  not  by  sight :  O,  I  hear  him  say,  "  Come 
unto  me  all  ye  that  labor,  and  are  heavy 
laden — and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your 
souls  !  "  This,  this  is  what  I  want !  Depart 
from  me,  all  ye  that  vex  my  soul ;  I  will  go  in 
the  strength  of  the  Lord  God ! 

3.  We  have  to  give  up  many  present  en- 
joyments, for  Christ's  sake,  wherein  we  have 
no  visible  prospect  of  recompense,  none  of 
any  kind,  but  what  arises  from  the  pro- 
mise of  God.  Self-denial  is  one  of  the  ini- 
tial laws  of  Christ's  kingdom.  Far  from 
enticing  people  into  his  service  by  promises 
of  wealth,  ease,  and  honor,  he  set  out 
with  this  public  declaration,  "Whosoever 
will  be  my  disciple  must  deny  himself,  take 
up  his  cross,  and  follow  me."  But  who 
would  enter  upon  these  terms  ?  Who  would 
give  up  houses,  lands,  friends,  and  reputa- 
tion, and  expose  himself  to  hardships,  perse- 
cution, and  death,  for  nothing  ?  Yet  many 
followed  him,  and  that  to  the  day  of  their 
death  ;  yea,  and  upon  these  very  terms  too : 
"they  left  all  and  followed  him."  Wlmt 
then  induced  them  ?  Did  not  they  act  irra- 
tionally ?  Prophets,  apostles,  and  martyrs  ! 
what  mean  ye  ?  Have  ye  no  regard  for 
yourselves?  What!  are  you  destitute  of 
the  feelings  of  men  ? — No  such  thing :  we 
"  have  respect  unto  the  recompense  of  re- 
ward."— Reward!  what  can  that  be?  noth- 
ing surely  below  the  sun,  unless  it  were 
every  thing  the  reverse  of  what  is  agreea- 
ble to  human  nature  ! — True  ;  but  our  Lord 
has  declared,  "  Whosoever  shall  forsake 
houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or 
mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my 
name's  sake,  shall  receive  a  hundred-fold, 
and  inherit  everlasting  life."  We  rely  upon 
this,  and  this  supports  us. 

God's  friends,  in  all  ages,  have  forsaken 
sensible  for  invisible  enjoyments.  Encourag- 
ed by  considerations  like  these,  Ruth  for- 
sook her  father  and  her  mother,  and  the  land 
of  her  nativity,  and  came  to  a  people  whom 
she  knew  not.  It  was  this  that  determined 
her  to  go  forward,  when,  as  Naomi  told  her, 
there  were  no  earthly  prospects  before  her. 
It  was  this  that  made  her  resolve  not  to  go 
back  with  Orpah,  but  to  cast  in  her  lot  with 
the  friends  of  the  God  of  Israel.  "The 
Lord  recompense  thy  work,"  said  Boaz  to 
her  afterwards,  "  and  a  full  reward  be  given 
thee  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  under  whose 
wings  thou  art  come  to  trust!  " 

The  same  things  influenced  Moses,  it 
seems,  to  refuse  a  crown.  It  has  been 
thought  that,  in  virtue  of  his  adoption,  he 
might  have  been  king  of  Egypt ;  but  that 
throne  not  only,  like  other  thrones,  exposed 
him  that  sat  thereon  to  numberless  snares, 
but  probably  was  inaccessible  to  any   but 


those  who  would  continue  the  system  of 
idolatry  and  oppression.  In  that  case  Moses, 
in  order  to  become  king  of  Egypt,  must  have 
sacrificed  a  good  conscience,  despised  a 
crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away,  and 
united  in  persecuting  his  own  and  the  Lord's 
people.  Moses  seems  fully  to  have  weighed 
this  matter.  The  result  was,  he  "  refused 
to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter, 
choosing  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the 
people  of  God  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of 
sin  for  a  season  ;  esteeming  even  the  re- 
proach of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treas- 
ures in  Egypt."  He,  therefore,  freely  leaves 
the  life  of  a  courtier ;  avows  himself  the 
friend  of  the  poor  despised  captives ;  and 
dares  to  retire  into  Midian,  to  lead  the  life  of 
an  obscure  shepherd.  I  say,  he  dared  to 
retire  ;  for  it  required  a  greater  degree  of 
courage  thus  to  deny  himself,  than  to  stand 
in  the  forefront  of  a  battle,  or  to  face  the 
mouth  of  a  cannon !  But  "  by  faith  he  for- 
sook Egypt,  and  went  and  lived  a  stranger 
in  a  strange  land ;  for  he  endured  as  seeing 
him  who  is  invisible  ; "  yes,  "  he  had  respect 
unto  the  recompense  of  reward." 

In  short,  through  this,  the  holy  tribes  of 
martyrs,  in  all  ages,  loved  not  their  lives  un- 
to the  death.  By  faith  in  invisible  realities, 
as  the  apostle  to  the  Hebrews  largely  proves, 
they  bore  all  manner  of  cruelties,  not  accept- 
ing deliverance  itself  upon  dishonorable  con- 
ditions ;  suffered  all  kinds  of  deaths  with  un- 
remitting fortitude,  and,  in  some  sort,  like 
their  glorious  Leader,  triumphed  over  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,  when  they  fell. 

Indeed,  every  man  in  the  world  may  be 
said  to  walk  either  by  faith  or  by  sight. 
There  is  not  only  a  giving  up  sensible  for 
invisible  enjoyments,  by  actually  parting 
with  them,  but  by  not  sitting  our  hearts  upon 
them,  as  our  chief  good.  This  may  be  done 
where  there  is  no  call  actually  to  give  them 
up,  and  is  done  by  all  real  Christians  in  the 
world.  Men  whose  chief  good  consists  in 
the  profits,  pleasures,  or  honors  of  this  life, 
live  by  sight ;  they  derive  their  life  from  ob- 
jects before  their  eyes,  having  neither  pa- 
tience nor  inclination  to  wait  for  a  portion 
in  the  world  to  come.  But  good  men,  as 
well  the  rich  as  the  poor,  derive  their  lir'e 
from  above,  and  so  live  by  faith :  their  "  life 
is  hid  with  Christ  in  God." 

Perhaps  here,  as  much  as  any  where,  is 
required  the  peculiar  exercise  of  faith.  For 
one  actually  divested  of  earthly  good  to  look 
upward,  and  set  his  heart  on  things  above,  is 
faith ;  but  for  one  still  possessed  of  this — 
one  on  whom  Providence  smiles,  prospering 
him  in  all  he  sets  his  hand  to,  blessing  him 
with  wife  and  children,  houses  and  lands,  in 
abundance — for  him  to  exercise  such  a  de- 
gree of  indifference  to  all  these  as  to  derive 
his  chief  happiness  from  invisible  realities, 
this  is  faith  indeed!  This  seems  to  have 
been  exemplified  in  Abraham,  and  other 


180 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


patriarchs.  Of  him  it  is  said,  "  By  faith  he 
sojourned  in  the  land  of  promise,  as  in  a 
strange  country."  How  is  this?  We  do 
not  wonder,  that  when  he  and  Sarah  went 
into  Egypt,  on  account  of  a  famine,  he 
should  consider  himself  a  sojourner  there  ; 
but  how  is  it  that  he  should  do  so  in  Canaan, 
the  land  of  promise,  his  own  estate,  as  it 
were  ?  The  next  verse  informs  us :  "  for  he 
looked  for  a  city  which  hath  foundations, 
whose  builder  and  'maker  is  God."  So  Ja- 
cob, when  before  Pharaoh,  called  his  whole 
life  a  pilgrimage,  though  the  far  greater  part 
of  it  was  spent  in  the  land  of  promise  ;  and 
"  they  that  say  such  tilings,"  adds  the  apostle, 
"  declare  plainly  that  they  seek  a  country." 
Though  God  had  given  them  the  good  land, 
they  would  not  make  it  their  chief  good. 
They  could  not  be  contented  with  this  Ca- 
naan, but  longed  for  another.  Noble  souls  ! 
bid  them  lift  up  their  eyes  eastward,  and 
westward,  and  northward,  and  southward, 
and  tell  them  all  they  can  see  is  their  own  ; 
still  they  will  not  live  by  sight,  but  by  faith  : 
"  they  will  desire  a  better  country,  that  is  a 
heavenly." 

4.  There  are  many  low  and  distressing 
seasons  to  which  the  church  of  God  is  sub- 
ject, in  which  there  is  little  or  no  visible 
ground  of  encouragement,  scarcely  any  but 
what  arises  from  the  promise  of  God.  The 
whole  church  of  God,  as  individuals,  has,  in 
all  ages,  had  its  day  of  adversity  set  over 
against  the  day  of  prosperity.  Israel,  after 
their  deliverance  from  Egypt  and  settlement 
in  Canaan,  enjoyed  pretty  much  prosperity, 
especially  in  the  days  of  David  and  Solomon. 
But  afterwards,  by  a  series  of  provocations, 
they  procured  to  themselves  the  Babylonish 
captivity.  At  that  melancholy  period,  those 
amongst  them  that  feared  the  Lord  must  be 
supposed  to  be  all  in  darkness.  Jerusalem 
laid  waste  ;  the  temple  burnt  with  fire  ;  Ju- 
dah  carried  captive  :  ah,  what  becomes  of 
God's  interest  in  the  world  !  The  "  founda- 
tions "  of  his  visible  kingdom  seemed  to  be 
"  laid  in  the  holy  mountains  "  round  about 
Jerusalem  ;  if  these  are  destroyed,  what  can 
the  righteous  do  ?  They  had  long  sighed  and 
cried  for  the  idolatrous  abominations  of  their 
countrymen,  and  prayed,  and  hoped,  that 
mercy  might  be  lengthened  out:  but  now 
all  seems  over.  For  their  idolatry,  they 
must  go,  and  have  enough  of  idolaters:  they 
that  feared  the  Lord  must  also  go  with  them. 
By  the  rivers  of  Babylon  they  must  go  and 
sit  down.  Those  that  had  been  used  to 
sound  the  high  praises  of  God  in  Zion  must 
now  hang  their  harps  upon  the  willows,  as 
having  no  use  for  them !  Nor  is  this  the 
worst ;  they  must  be  taunted,  and  their  God 
derided,  by  their  insulting  lords :  "  Come," 
said  they, "  sing  us  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion : " 
as  if  they  had  said,  Now  see  what  your  reli- 
gion has  availed  you  !  This  was  your  favor- 
ite employ,  and  these  were  the  songs  where- 


with you  addressed  your  Deity,  in  whom  you 
confided  to  deliver  you  out  of  our  hands : 
what  think  you  now  ?  Poor  Zion  !  "  She 
spreadeth  forth  her  hands,  but  there  is  none 
to  comfort  her.  The  Lord  hath  commanded 
that  her  adversaries  should  be  round  about 
her :  "  her  captive  sons  can  only  remember 
Jerusalem  and  weep  !  Alas,  "  how  can  they 
sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land  !  " 

But  is  there  no  help  from  above  ?  Is  there 
no  physician  there?  Yes,  the  God  whom 
Babel  derides,  but  Judah  adores,  looks  down, 
and  sees  their  affliction.  To  his  disheartened 
friends,  in  this  situation,  he  addresses  him- 
self, saying,  "Who  is  among  you  that  fear- 
eth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the  voice  of  his 
servant,  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath 
no  light  ?  let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  and  stay  upon  his  God."  As  if  he 
should  say,  For  a  season  you  must  walk  by 
faith,  and  not  by  sight ;  but,  trust  me,  that 
season  shall  soon  be  over.  Seventy  years, 
and  Babylon  shall  fall,  and  Judah  return  ! 
By  these  declarations  the  church  was  encour- 
aged in  her  captivity,  and  furnished  with  an 
answer  to  her  insulting  foes  :  yea,  and,  what 
is  wonderful,  breaks  forth  into  one  of  the 
Lord's  songs  in  a  strange  land  !     (Hearken, 

0  Babel,  to  "  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion !  ") 
"  Rejoice  not  against  me,  O  mine  enemy  : 
when  I  fall,  I  shall  arise  ;  when  I  sit  in  dark- 
ness, the  Lord  shall  be  a  light  unto  me.  I 
will  bear  the  indignation  of  the  Lord,  because 

1  have  sinned  against  him,  until  he  plead 
my  cause,  and  execute  judgment  for  me  :  he 
will  bring  me  forth  to  the  lig-ht,  and  I  shall 
behold  his  righteousness.  Then  she  that  is 
mine  enemy  shall  see  it,  and  shame  shall 
cover  her  which  said  unto  me,  Where  is  the 
Lord  thy  God?" 

This  is  encouraging  to  us  as  churches,  and 
as  ministers.  We  have,  in  many  cases,  to 
walk  in  darkness,  and  have  no  light,  and  to 
go  on  in  our  ministrations,  in  a  great  degree, 
like  the  prophet  Isaiah,  lamenting  that  there 
are  so  few  who  have  believed  our  re- 
port, so  few  to  whom  the  arm  of  the  Lord 
has  been  revealed.  When  death  removes 
worthy  characters,  we  must  sometimes  live, 
and  lament  to  see  their  places  unoccupied 
by  others  of  the  like  character :  and,  what  is 
worse,  instead  of  increase  by  Christ's  con- 
quests, we  must  sometimes  live  to  see  a  de- 
crease by  the  conquests  of  the  evil  one  ! 
Many  a  faithful  minister  has  had  to  preach, 
year  after  year,  till,  either  by  public  scandals 
or  private  disgusts,  many  of  his  people  have 
gone  off,  and  walked  no  more  with  him. 
But  let  him  then  remember  the  testimony  of 
God  :  "  Him  thathonoreth  me  I  will  honor." 
Let  him  go  on,  and  faithfully  discharge  his 
duty,  whether  they  will  hear  or  whether  they 
will  forbear :  let  him,  and  those  that  are  with 
him,  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight.  It  oft- 
en proves  that,  after  such  a  night  of  weep- 
ing, comes  a  morning  of  rejoicing.     Let  us 


WALKING    BY    FAITH. 


181 


not  be  discouraged;  better  breath  than  ours 
has  been  spent  apparently  in  vain.  Our 
Lord  himself  seemed  to  labor  in  vain,  and  to 
spend  his  strength  for  nought ;  but  he  com- 
forted himself  in  this  (herein  leaving  us  an  ex- 
ample,) "  Though  Israel  be  not  gathered,  yet 
shall  I  be  glorious  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord, 
and  my  God  shall  be  my  strength." 

This  may  encourage  and  direct  us  in 
larger  concerns ;  concerns  which  respect 
the  whole  interest  of  Christ  in  the  world.  If 
we  compare  the  present  state  of  things,  or 
even  the  past,  with  the  glorious  prophecies 
of  the  word  of  God,  we  cannot  think,  surely, 
that  all  is  yet  accomplished.  By  these 
prophecies  the  Christian  church  is  encour- 
aged to  look  for  great  things  at  some  pe- 
riod or  other  of  her  existence.  She  is  taught 
to  look  for  a  time  when  "  the  earth  shall  be 
full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  wa- 
ters cover  the  sea;"  when  "a  nation  shall 
be  born  at  once  ;"  when  "the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  shall  become  the  kingdoms  of 
our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ ;  and  he  "  shall 
reign  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto 
the  ends  of  the  earth."  But  surely,  for  the 
present,  though  great  things,  upon  the  whole, 
have  been  done  in  the  world,  yet  nothing 
like  this  has  ever  come  to  pass.  Instead  of 
the  world  being  conquered,  what  a  great  part 
yet  continues  to  stand  out  against  him. 
Heathenism,  Mahomedism,  popery,  and  infi- 
delity, how  extensive  still  their  influence  ! 
In  all  probability  not  a  single  country,  city, 
town,  village,  or  congregation,  has  ever  yet 
been  brought  wholly  to  submit  to  Christ! 
Nay,  is  it  not  very  rare  to  find,  in  any  one 
of  these,  so  many  real  friends  as  to  make 
even  a  majority  in  his  favor  ?  May  not  the 
Christian  church  then,  for  the  present,  adopt 
that  language,  "  We  have  been  with  child, 
we  have  as  it  were  brought  forth  wind,  we 
have  not  wrought  any  deliverance  in  the 
earth,  neither  have  the  inhabitants  of  the 
world  fallen  ? "  What  then,  shall  we  de- 
spair? God  forbid!  "The  vision  is  yet  for 
an  appointed  time,  but  at  the  end  it  shall 
speak,  and  not  lie  :  though  it  tarry,  Avait  for 
it,  because  it  will  surely  come,  it  will  not 
tarry  ;"  and,  meanwhile,  "the  just  shall  live 
by  faith." 

Let  us  take  encouragement,  in  the  present 
day  of  small  things,  by  looking  forward,  and 
hoping  for  better  days.  Let  this  be  attend- 
ed with  earnest  and  united  prayer  to  him  by 
whom  Jacob  must  arise.  A  life  of  faith  will 
ever  be  a  life  of  prayer.  O,  brethren,  let  us 
pray  much  for  an  outpouring  of  God's  Spirit 
,  upon  our  ministers  and  churches,  and  not 
upon  those  only  of  our  own  connection  and 
denomination,  but  upon  "all  that  in  every 
place  call  upon  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord,  both  theirs  and  ours !  " 

Our  hope  of  a  better  state,  ivhen  this  is  over, 
is  built  on  faith  in  God's  testimony.  We 
have  no  sort  of  evidence,  but  this,  that  any 


such  state  exists.  We  cannot  see  anything 
of  the  kind,  or  aught  from  which  we  can  in- 
fer it.  We  cannot  learn  it  from  any  of  our 
senses.  Reason  itself  could  never  have 
found  it  out.  Reason  might  have  taught  us 
the  idea  of  a  future  state,  but  not  of  a  future 
state  of  bliss.  Though  much  might  be  ar- 
gued from  the  fitness  of  things,  to  prove  that 
man  is  not  made  barely  for  the  present  life, 
yet  nothing  could  thence  be  drawn  to  prove 
that  rebels  against  the  Supreme'  Being 
should  live  in  a  state  of  eternal  felicity ;  no, 
for  this  we  are  wholly  indebted  to  the  word 
of  promise.  Hence  faith  is  said  to  be  "  the 
substance,  ground,  or  foundation  of  things 
hoped  for."  Supported  by  that,  we  sustain 
our  heaviest  losses  ;  and,  attracted  by  these, 
we  come  up  out  of  great  tribulations,  follow- 
ing the  Lamb  whithersoever  he  goeth,  till 
we  shall  overcome,  and  "  sit  down  with  him 
in  his  throne,  as  he  also  hath  overcome,  and 
is  set  down  with  his  Father  in  his  throne." 

II.  We  will  now  add  a  few  words  on  the 
importance  of  such  a  life.  If,  all  things 
considered,  it  would  have  been  best  for  us  to 
have  always  seen  our  way  before  us, — to 
have  been  guided,  so  to  speak,  with  our  own 
eyes,  and  not  to  have  implicitly  followed  the 
directions  of  God, — no  doubt  so  it  would 
have  been  ordered.  But  he  who  perfectly, 
and  at  once,  saw  the  beginning  and  end  of 
all  things,  judged  otherwise.  With  the  high- 
est wisdom,  no  doubt,  he  formed  the  resolu- 
tion, "  the  just  shall  live  by  faith."  It  may  be 
impossible  for  us,  in  the  present  state,  to  find 
out  all  the  reasons  for  this  resolution  ;  but 
two  or  three  seem  to  present  themselves  to 
our  view. 

1.  Such  a  life  brings  great  glory  to  God. 
Confidence  is  universally  a  medium  of  hon- 
or. To  confide  in  a  fellow-creature  puts 
honor  upon  him  in  the  account  of  others,  and 
affords  a  pleasure  to  himself;  especially  if 
he  be  a  wise  and  upright  character,  as  it 
gives  him  an  opportunity  of  proving  his  wis- 
dom and  fidelity.  Though  the  great  God 
cannot  be  made  more  honorable  than  he  is, 
by  anything  we  can  do,  yet  his  honor  may, 
by  this,  be  made  more  apparent.  We  hon- 
or him,  so  far  as  we  form  just  conceptions  of 
him  in  our  own  minds,  and  act  so  as  to 
give  just  representations  of  him  to  others. 
God  is  graciously  pleased  to  declare  that 
"he  takes  pleasure  in  those  that  hope  in  his 
mercy ; "  and  why  ?  surely,  among  other 
things,  because  it  gives  him  occasion  to  dis- 
play the  glory  of  his  grace.  And,  as  he 
takes  pleasure  in  those  that  hope  in  his  mer- 
cy and  rely  upon  it,  so  he  takes  pleasure  in 
ordering  things  so  that  we  may  be  put  to  the 
trial,  whether  we  will  rely  on  him  or  not. 
It  was  this  which  induced  him  to  lead  Israel 
through  the  wilderness,  rather  than  by  the 
ready>oad  to  Canaan.  He  knew  they  would 
be,  in  fact,  dependent  upon  him,  let  them  be 
where  they  would ;  but  they  would  not  be 


182 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


sensible  of  that  dependence,  nor  have  so 
much  opportunity  of  entirely  trusting  him, 
in  any  way  as  in  this  ;  and  so  it  would  not 
be  so  much  for  the  glory  of  his  great  name. 
He  therefore  would  lead  a  nation,  with  all 
their  little  ones,  into  an  inhospitable  desert, 
where  was  scarcely  a  morsel  of  meat  to  eat, 
and,  in  many  places,  not  a  drop  of  water  to 
drink ;  "  a  land  of  deserts  and  of  pits,  of 
scorpions  and  fiery  flying  serpents : "  here, 
if  any  where,  they  must  be  sensibly  depend- 
ent on  God.  They  must  be  fed  and  pre- 
served immediately  from  heaven  itself,  and 
that  by  miracle,  or  all  perish  in  a  few  days  ! 
Here  God  must  appear  to  be  what  he  was — 
here  mercy  and  truth  must  appear  to  go  with 
them  indeed ! 

What  an  opportunity  was  afforded  them 
to  have  walked  these  forty  years  by  faith ! 
what  grounds  for  an  entire  confidence  !  but, 
alas,  their  faithless  hearts  perverted  their 
way,  and,  in  the  end,  proved  their  ruin !  Ten 
times  they  tempted  God  in  the  desert,  till 
at  length  he  swore,  concerning  that  genera- 
tion, that,  for  their  unbelief,  they  should  die 
in  the  wilderness,  and  never  enter  his  rest. 
Few,  if  any,  besides  Joshua  and  Caleb,  would 
dare  to  trust  him,  notwithstanding  all  his 
wonders  and  all  his  mercies !  They,  how- 
ever, for  their  part,  took  hold  of  his  strength, 
and  thought  themselves  able,  having  God  on 
their  side,  to  encounter  any  thing !  Their 
spirit  was  to  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight ; 
and  herein  it  is  easy  to  see  how  they  glorifi- 
ed God. 

O,  brethren,  let  the  glory  of  God  lie  near 
our  hearts  !  Let  it  be  dearer  to  us  than  our 
dearest  delights  !  Herein  consists  the  cri- 
terion of  true  love  to  him.  Let  us,  after  the 
noble  example  of  Joshua  and  Caleb,  "follow 
the  Lord  fully."  Let  us  approve  of  every 
thing  that  tends  to  glorify  him.  Let  us  be 
reconciled  to  his  conduct,  who  "  suffers  us  to 
hunger,  that  we  may  know  that  man  lives 
not  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that 
proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God."  If  he 
should  bring  us  into  hard  and  difficult  situa- 
tions, situations  to  an  eye  of  sense  impossible 
to  be  endured,  let  us  remember  that  it  is  that 
he  may  give  us  an  opportunity  of  glorifying 
him,  by  trusting  him  in  the  dark.  The  more 
difficult  the  trial,  the  more  glory  to  him  that 
bears  us  through,  and  the  greater  opportunity 
is  afforded  us  for  proving  that  we  can  indeed 
trust  him  with  all  our  concerns — that  we  can 
trust  him  when  we  cannot  see  the  end  of  his 
present  dispensations. 

Those  very  much  dishonor  God  who  pro- 
fess to  trust  him  for  another  world,  but  in 
the  common  difficulties  of  this  are  perpetu- 
ally murmuring,  peevish,  and  distrustful. 
How  different  was  it  with  Abraham,  in  offer- 
ing up  his  son  Isaac.  What,  offer  up  Isaac  ! 
my  son,  my  only  son  of  promise !  Why,  is 
not  the  Messiah  to  spring  out  of  his  loins  ? 
What  are  to  become  of  all  the  nations  of  the 


earth,  who  are  to  be  blessed  in  him  ?  How 
natural  and  excusable  might  such  questions 
have  seemed !  much  more  so  than  most  of 
our  objections  to  the  divine  conduct.  Sense, 
in  this  case,  had  it  been  consulted,  must  have 
entered  a  thousand  protests.  But  the  father 
of  the  faithful  consulted  not  with  flesh  and 
blood,  not  doubting  but  God  knew  what  he 
was  about,  if  he  himself  did  not.  (O  that 
Ave  may  prove  ourselves  the  children  of  faith- 
ful Abraham  !)  Against  hope,  in  appearance, 
he  believed  in  hope  of  divine  all-sufficiency  ; 
fully  persuaded  that  what  God  had  promised 
he  was  able  to  perform,  he  stretched  forth  his 
obedient  arm ;  nor  had  he  recalled  it,  had 
not  heaven  interposed  :  he  was  "  strong  in 
faith,  giving  glory  to  God." 

2.  It  is  productive  of  great  good  to  us. 
The  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  those  that 
love  him  (thanks  be  to  his  name  !)  always 
go  together.  It  is  equally  to  their  benefit 
as  to  his  honor,  for  instance,  to  lie  low  be- 
fore him,  and  feel  their  entire  dependence 
upon  him.  It  is  essential  to  the  real  happi- 
ness of  an  intelligent  creature  to  be  in  its 
proper  place,  and  take  a  complacency  in  be- 
ing so.  But  nothing  tends  more  to  cultivate 
these  dispositions  than  God's  determining 
that,  at  present,  we  should  walk  by  faith,  and 
not  by  sight.  Faith,  in  the  whole  of  it, 
tends  more  than  a  little  to  abase  the  fallen 
creature  ;  and  to  walk  by  faith  (which  is  as 
much  as  to  acknowledge  that  we  are  blind, 
and  must  see  with  the  eyes  of  another)  is 
very  humbling.  The  objects  of  our  desire 
being  frequently  for  a  time  withheld,  and  our 
being  at  such  times  reduced  to  situations 
wherein  we  can  see  no  help  and  thus  obliged 
to  repose  our  trust  in  God,  contribute  more 
than  a  little  to  make  us  feel  our  dependence 
upon  him.  Agur  saw  that  a  constant  ful- 
ness of  this  world  was  unfriendly  to  a  spirit 
of  entire  dependence  upon  God  ;  therefore  he 
prayed,  "  Give  me  not  riches  ;  lest  I  be  full 
and  deny  thee."  Whatever  tends  to  humble 
and  try  us  tends  to  "  do  us  good  in  the  latter 
end." 

Great  and  wonderful  is  the  consolation 
that  such  a  life  affords.  In  all  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  life  and  horrors  of  death,  nothing 
can  cheer  and  fortify  the  mind  like  this.  By 
faith  in  an  unseen  world  we  can  endure  in- 
juries without  revenge,  afflictions  without 
fainting,  and  losses  without  despair.  Let  the 
nations  of  the  earth  dash,  like  potsherds,  one 
against  another;  yea,  let  nature  herself  ap- 
proach towards  her  final  dissolution;  let  her 
groan  as  being  ready  to  expire,  and  sink  into 
her  primitive  nothing ;  still  the  believer 
lives !  His  all  is  not  on  board  that  vessel ! 
His  chief  inheritance  lies  in  another  soil ! 

"  His  hand  the  good  man  (listens  on  the  skies, 
And  bids  earth  roll,  nor  feels  her  idle  whirl  !  " 

3.  It  will  make  vision  the  sweeter.  It  af- 
fords a  great  pleasure,  when  we  make  a  ven- 


CHARACTER    AND    SUCCESS    OF    A    FAITHFUL    MINISTER. 


183 


ture  of  any  kind,  to  find  ourselves  at  last  not 
disappointed.  If  a  considerate  man  embark 
his  all  on  board  a  vessel,  and  himself  with  it, 
he  may  have  a  thousand  fears,  before  he 
reaches  the  end  of  his  voyage ;  yet  should 
he,  after  numberless  dangers,  safely  arrive, 
and  find  it  not  only  answer,  but  far  exceed 
his  expectations,  his  joy  will  then  be  greater 
than  if  he  had  run  no  hazard  at  all.  What 
he  has  gained  will  seem  much  sweeter  than 
if  it  had  fallen  to  him  in  a  way  that  had  cost 
him  nothing.  Thus  believers  venture  their 
all  in  the  hands  of  Christ,  persuaded  that  he 
is  able  to  keep  that  which  they  have  com- 
mitted to  him  against  that  day.  To  find  at 
last  that  they  have  not  confided  in  him  in 
vain — yea,  that  their  expectations  are  not 
only  answered,  but  infinitely  outdone — will 
surely  enhance  the  bliss  of  heaven.  The 
remembrance  of  our  dangers,  fears,  and  sor- 
rows, will  enable  us  to  enjoy  the  heavenly 
state  with  a  degree  of  happiness  impossible 
to  have  been  felt,  if  those  dangers,  fears,  and 
sorrows  had  never  existed. 

My  hearers !  We  all  of  us  live  either  by 
faith  or  by  sight ;  either  upon  things  heaven- 
ly or  things  earthly.  If  on  the  former,  let  us 
go  on,  upon  the  word  of  God ;  everlasting 
glory  is  before  us  !  But,  if  on  the  latter, 
alas,  our  store  will  be  soon  exhausted !  All 
these  dear  delights  are  but  the  brood  of  time, 
a  brood  that  will  soon  take  to  themselves 
wings,  and,  with  her  that  cherished  them, 
fly  away.  Oh,  my  hearers  !  is  it  not  common 
for  many  of  you  to  suppose  that  those  who 
live  by  faith  in  the  enjoyments  of  a  world  to 
come  live  upon  mere  imaginations  ?  But 
are  ye  not  mistaken  ?  It  is  your  enjoyments 
and  not  theirs  that  are  imaginary.  Pleas- 
ures, profits,  honors,  what  are  they  ?  The 
whole  form  only  a  kind  of  ideal  world,  a 
sort  of  splendid  show,  like  that  in  a  dream, 
which,  when  you  wake,  all  is  gone !  At 
most  it  is  a,  fashion,  and  a  fashion  that  pass- 
eth  away.  To  grasp  it  is  to  grasp  a  shadow  ; 
and  to  feed  upon  it  is  to  feed  upon  the  wind. 
O  that  you  may  turn  away  your  eyes  from 
beholding  these  vanities,  and  look  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  substantial  re- 
alities beyond  the  grave,  for  your  never-fail- 
ing portion ! 

But  if  not,  if  you  still  prefer  this  world, 
with  its  enjoyments,  to  those  which  are 
heavenly,  how  just  will  it  be  for  the  Lord 
Jesus  to  say  to  you,  at  the  last  great  day, 
Depart!  Depart,  you  have  had  your  re- 
ward !  you  have  had  your  choice  ;  what 
would  you  have  ?  You  never  chose  me  for 
your  portion:  you,  in  effect,  said,  of  me  and 
my  interest,  "  We  will  have  no  part  in  David, 
nor  inheritance  in  the  son  of  Jesse  :  see  to 
thyself,  David."  Ah,  now,  see  to  thyself, 
sinner ! 

Christians,  ministers,  brethren,  all  of  us  ! 
let  us  realise  the  subject.  Let  us  pray,  and 
preach,  and  hear,  and  do  every  thing  we  do 


with  eternity  in  view  !  Let  us  deal  much  with 
Christ  and  invisible  realities.  Let  us,  when- 
ever called,  freely  deny  ourselves  for  his 
sake,  and  trust  him  to  make  up  the  loss. 
Let  us  not  faint  under  present  difficulties, 
but  consider  them  as  opportunities  afforded 
us  to  glorify  God.  Let  us  be  ashamed  that 
we  derive  our  happiness  so  much  from  things 
below,  and  so  little  from  things  above.  In 
one  word,  let  us  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith, 
and  lay  hold  on  eternal  life  ! 


SERMON   II. 

[To  the  Rev.  Robert  Fawkner,  at  his  ordination, 
at  Thorn,  Bedfordshire,  Oct.  31,  17S7  ] 

THE  QUALIFICATIONS  AND  ENCOURAGE- 
MENT OF  A  FAITHFUL  MINISTER  ILLUS- 
TRATED BY  THE  CHARACTER  AND  SUCCESS 
OF    BARNABAS. 

"  He  was  a  good  man,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  of  faith;  and  much  people  was  added  to  the 
Lord." — Acts  xi.  24. 

My  dear  Brother, 

It  is  a  very  important  work  to  which  you 
are  this  day  set  apart.  I  feel  the  difficulty 
of  your  situation.  You  need  both  counsel 
and  encouragement;  I  wish  I  were  better 
able  to  administer  both.  In  what  I  may  of- 
fer, I  am  persuaded  you  will  allow  me  to  be 
free ;  and  understand  me,  not  as  assuming 
any  authority  or  superiority  over  you,  but 
only  as  saying  that  to  you  which  I  wish  to 
consider  as  equally  addressed  to  myself. 

Out  of  a  variety  of  topics  that  might  afford 
a  lesson  for  a  Christian  minister,  my  thoughts 
have  turned,  on  this  occasion,  upon  that  of 
example.  Example  has  a  great  influence 
upon  the  human  mind  :  examples  from  Scrip- 
ture especially,  wherein  characters  the  most 
illustrious  in  their  day,  for  gifts,  grace,  and 
usefulness,  are  drawn  with  the  pencil  of  in- 
spiration, have  an  assimilating  tendency. 
Viewing  these,  under  a  divine  blessing,  we 
form  some  just  conceptions  of  the  nature 
and  importance  of  our  work,  are  led  to  re- 
flect upon  our  own  defects,  and  feel  the  fire 
of  holy  emulation  kindling  in  our  bosoms. 

The  particular  example,  my  brother,  which 
I  wish  to  recommend  to  your  attention  is 
that  of  Barnabas,  that  excellent  servant  of 
Christ  and  companion  of  the  apostle  Paul. 
You  will  find  his  character  particularly  given 
in  the  Avords  I  have  just  read. 

Were  we  to  examine  the  life  of  this  great 
and  good  man,  as  related  in  other  parts  of 
Scripture,  we  should  find  the  character  here 
given  him  abundantly  confirmed.  He  seems 
to  have  been  one  of  that  great  company  who, 
through  the  preaching  of  Peter  and  the  other 
apostles,  submitted  to  Christ  soon  after  his 
ascension :  and  he  gave  early  proof  of  his 
love  to  him,  by  selling  his  possessions,  and 


184 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


laying  the  price  at  the  feet  of  the  apostles 
for  the  support  of  his  infant  cause.  As  he 
loved  Christ,  so  he  loved  his  people.  He 
appears  to  have  possessed  much  of  the  ten- 
der and  affectionate,  on  account  of  which  he 
was  called  "Barnabas — a  son  of  consola- 
tion." Assiduous  in  discovering  and  en- 
couraging the  first  dawnings  of  God's  work, 
he  was  the  first  person  that  introduced  Saul 
into  the  company  of  the  disciples.  The 
next  news  that  Ave  hear  of  him  is  in  the  pas- 
sage which  I  have  selected.  Tidings  came 
to  the  ears  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem  of  the 
word  of  the  Lord  being  prosperous  at  Anti- 
och,  in  Syria.  The  church  at  Jerusalem 
was  the  mother  church,  and  felt  a  concern 
for  others,  like  that  of  a  tender  mother  to- 
wards her  infant  offspring.  The  young  con- 
verts at  Antioch  wanted  a  nursing  father ; 
and  who  so  proper  to  be  sent  as  Barnabas  ? 
He  goes  ;  and,  far  from  envying  the  success 
of  others,  who  had  labored  before  him,  he 
"was  glad  to  see  the  grace  of  God"  so 
evidently  appear ;  "  and  exhorted  them  all 
that  with  purpose  of  heart  they  would  cleave 
unto  the  Lord."  As  a  preacher,  he  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  equal  to  the  apostle 
Paul ;  yet  so  far  was  he  from  caring  about 
being  eclipsed  by  Paul's  superior  abilities 
that  he  went  in  search  of  him,  and  brought 
him  to  Antioch,  to  assist  him  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord.  It  may  well  be  said  of  such  a 
character  that  he  Avas  a  "  good  man,  and  full 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  of  faith."  O  that  we 
had  more  such  ministers  in  the  church  at  this 
day !  O  that  we  ourselves  were  like  him ! 
Might  we  not  hope,  if  that  were  the  case, 
that,  according  to  God's  usual  manner  of 
working,  more  people  ivould  he  added  to  the 
Lord  ? 

There  are  three  things,  we  see,  which  are 
said  of  Barnabas  in  a  way  of  commendation  : 
he  was  "  a  good  man,  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  of  faith."  Thus  far  he  is  held  up  for 
our  example :  a  fourth  is  added,  concerning 
the  effects  which  followed:  "and  much  peo- 
ple was  added  unto  the  Lord."  This  seems 
to  be  held  up  for  our  encouragement.  Per- 
mit me,  my  dear  brother,  to  request  your 
candid  attention,  while  I  attempt  to  review 
these  great  qualities  in  Barnabas,  and  by 
every  motive  to  enforce  them  upon  you. 

1.  He  was  a  good  man.  It  were  easy 
to  prove  the  necessity  of  a  person  being  a 
good  man,  in  order  to  his  properly  engaging 
in  the  work  of  the  ministry :  Christ  would 
not  commit  his  sheep  but  to  one  that  loved 
him.  But  on  this  remark  I  shall  not  en- 
large. I  have  no  reason  to  doubt,  my  broth- 
er, but  that  God  has  given  you  an  under- 
standing to  know  him  that  is  true,  and  a 
heart  to  love  him  in  sincerity ;  I  trust,  there- 
fore, such  an  attempt,  on  this  occasion,  is 
needless.  Nor  does  it  appear  to  me  to  be 
the  meaning  of  the  evangelist.  It  is  not 
barely  meant  of  Barnabas  that  he  was  a  re- 


generate man,  though  that  is  implied  ;  but  it 
denotes  that  he  was  eminently  good.  We 
use  the  word  so  in  common  conversation. 
If  we  would  describe  one  that  more  than  or- 
dinarily shines  in  piety,  meekness,  and  kind- 
ness, we  know  not  how  to  speak  of  him  bet- 
ter than  to  say,  with  a  degree  of  emphasis, 
He  is  a  good  man.  After  this  eminence  in 
goodness,  brother,  may  it  be  your  concern, 
and  mine,  daily  to  aspire  ! 

Perhaps,  indeed,  Ave  may  have  sometimes 
heard  this  epithet  used  Avith  a  sneer.  Per- 
sons who  take  pleasure  in  treating  others 
with  contempt  will  frequently,  with  a  kind 
of  proud  pity,  speak  in  this  manner :  Aye, 
such  a  one  is  a  good  man ;  leaving  it  im- 
plied that  goodness  is  but  an  indifferent 
qualification,  unless  it  be  accompanied  with 
greatness.  But  these  things  ought  not  to 
be.  The  apostle  Paul  did  not  value  himself 
upon  those  things  Avherein  he  differed  from 
other  Christians  ;  but  upon  that  which  he 
possessed  in  common  with  them — charity, 
or  christian  love.  "  Though  I  speak  with 
the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels,  and  have 
not  charity,  I  am  become  as  sounding  brass, 
or  a  tinkling  cymbal.  And  though  I  have 
the  gift  of  prophecy,  and  understand  all  mys- 
teries, and  all  knoAvledge ;  and  though  I 
have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  moun- 
tains, and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing." 

My  dear  brother,  value  the  character  of  a 
good  man  in  all  the  parts  of  your  employ- 
ment;  and,  above  all,  in  those  tJmigs  ivhich 
the  icorld  counts  great  and  estimable.  More 
particularly, 

1.  Value  it  at  home  in  your  family.  If 
you  walk  not  closely  Avith  God  there,  you 
will  be  ill  able  to  work  for  hifn  elsewhere. 
You  have  lately  become  the  head  of  a  family. 
Whatever  charge  it  shall  please  God,  in  the 
course  of  your  life,  to  place  under  your  care, 
I  trust  it  will  be  your  concern  to  recommend 
Christ  and  the  gospel  to  them,  walk  circum- 
spectly before  them,  constantly  Avorship  God 
with  them,  offer  up  secret  prayer  for  them, 
and  exercise  a  proper  authority  over  them. 
There  is  a  sort  of  religious  gossiping  Avhich 
some  ministers  have  indulged  to  their  hurt ; 
loitering  about  perpetually  at  the  houses  of 
their  friends,  and  taking  no  delight  in  their 
OAvn.  Such  conduct,  in  a  minister  and  mas- 
ter of  a  family,  must,  of  necessity,  root  out 
all  family-order,  and,  to  a  great  degree, 
family-Avorship ;  and,  instead  of  endearing 
him  to  his  friends,  it  only  exposes  him  to 
their  just  censure.  Perhaps  they  know  not 
how  to  be  so  plain  as  to  tell  him  of  it  at  their 
OAvn  houses  ;  but  they  Avill  think  the  more, 
and  speak  of  it,  it  is  likely,  to  each  other, 
Avhen  he  is  gone.  I  trust,  my  brother,  that 
none  of  your  domestic  connections  will  have 
to  say  when  you  are  gone,  He  was  loose 
and  careless  in  his  conduct,  or  sour  and  chur- 
lish in  his  temper;  but  rather,  He  was  a 
good  man. 


CHARACTER   AND    SUCCESS    OF    A    FAITHFUL   MINISTER. 


185 


2.  Value  this  character  in  your  private  re- 
tirements. Give  yourself  up  to  "  the  word 
of  God,  and  to  prayer."  The  apostle  charged 
Timothy,  saying-,  "  Meditate  on  these  things, 
give  thyself  wholly  to  them  ;  "  or,  "  be  thou 
in  them."  But  this  will  never  be,  without  a 
considerable  share  of  the  good  man.  Your 
heart  can  never  be  in  those  things  which 
are  foreign  to  its  prevailing  temper ;  and,  if 
your  heart  is  not  in  your  work,  it  wdl  be  a 
poor  lifeless  business  indeed.  We  need  not 
fear  exhausting  the  Bible,  or  dread  a  scarci- 
ty of  divine  subjects.  If  our  hearts  are  but 
kept  in  unison  with  the  spirit  in  which  the 
Bible  was  written,  everything  we  meet  with 
there  will  be  interesting.  The  more  we 
read,  the  more  interesting  it  will  appear  ; 
and  the  more  we  know,  the  more  we  shall 
perceive  there  is  to  be  known.  Beware  al- 
so, brother,  of  neglecting  secret  prayer. 
The  fire  of  devotion  will  go  out  if  it  be  not 
kept  alive  by  an  habitual  dealing  with  Christ. 
Conversing  with  men  and  things  may  bright- 
en our  gifts  and  parts ;  but  it  is  conversing 
with  God  that  must  brighten  our  graces. 
Whatever  ardor  we  may  feel  in  our  public 
work,  if  this  is  wanting,  things  cannot  be 
right,  nor  can  they  in  such  a  train  come  to  a 
good  issue. 

3.  Value  it  in  your  public  exercises.  It  is 
hard  going  on  in  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
without  a  good  degree  of  spirituality ;  and 
yet,  considering  the  present  state  of  human 
nature,  we  are  in  the  greatest  danger  of  the 
contrary.  Allow  me,  brother,  to  mention 
two  things  in  particular,  each  of  which  is  di- 
rectly opposite  to  that  spirit  which  I  am  at- 
tempting to  recommend.  One  is,  an  as- 
sumed earnestness,  or  forced  zeal,  in  the  pul- 
pit, which  many  weak  hearers  may  mistake 
for  the  enjoyment  of  God.  But,  though  we 
may  put  on  violent  emotions — may  smite 
with  the  hand,  and  stamp  with  the  foot — if 
we  are  destitute  of  a  genuine  feeling  sense 
of  what  we  deliver,  it  will  be  discerned  by 
judicious  hearers,  as  well  as  by  the  Search- 
er of  hearts,  and  will  not  fail  to  create  dis- 
gust. If,  on  the  contrary,  we  feel  and  realize 
the  sentiments  we  deliver,  emotions  and 
actions  will  be  the  natural  expressions  of  the 
heart ;  and  this  will  give  weight  to  the  doc- 
trines, exhortations,  or  reproofs  which  we 
inculcate ;  what  we  say  will  come  with  a 
kind  of  divine  authority  to  the  consciences, 
if  not  to  the  hearts  of  the  hearers.  The 
other  is,  being  under  the  influence  of  low 
and  selfish  motives  in  the  exercise  of  our 
work.  This  is  a  temptation  against  which 
we  have  especial  reason  to  watch  and  pray. 
It  is  right,  my  brother,  for  you  to  be  diligent 
in  your  public  work ;  to  be  instant  in  season 
and  out  of  season ;  to  preach  the  gospel  not 
only  at  Thorn,  but  in  the  surrounding  vil- 
lages, wherever  a  door  is  opened  for  you : 
but,  while  you  are  thus  engaged,  let  it  not 


be  from  motives  of  policy,  merely  to  increase 
your  auditory,  but  from  love  to  Christ  and 
the  souls  of  your  fellow-sinners.  It  is  this 
only  that  will  endure  reflection  in  a  dying 
hour.  The  apostle  Paul  was  charged  by 
some  of  the  Corinthian  teachers  with  being 
crafty  and  with  having  caught  the  Corinthi- 
ans with  guile :  but  he  could  say,  in  reply  to 
all  such  insinuations,  in  behalf  of  himself 
and  his  fellow-laborers,  "  Our  rejoicing  is 
this,  the  testimony  of  our  conscience,  that 
in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity,  not  with 
fleshly  wisdom,  but  by  the  grace  of  God, 
we  have  had  our  conversation  in  the  world." 

4.  Value  it  in  the  general  tenor  of  your  be- 
haviour. Cultivate  a  meek,  modest,  peaceful, 
and  friendly  temper.  Be  generous  and  hu- 
mane. Prove  by  your  spirit  and  conduct 
that  you  are  a  lover  of  all  mankind.  To 
men  in  general,  but  especially  to  the  poor 
and  the  afflicted,  he  pitiful,  be  courteous. 
It  is  this,  my  brother,  that  will  recommend 
the  gospel  you  proclaim.  Without  this, 
could  you  preach  with  the  eloquence  of  an 
angel,  you  may  expect  that  no  good  end  will 
be  answered. 

5.  Prize  the  character  of  the  good  man 
above  worldly  greatness.  It  is  not  sinful  for 
a  minister,  any  more  than  another  man,  to 
possess  property  ;  but  to  aspire  after  it  is  un- 
worthy of  his  sacred  character.  Greatness, 
unaccompanied  with  goodness,  is  valued  as 
nothing  by  the  great  God.  Kings  and  em- 
perors, where  that  is  wanting,  are  but  great 
"  beasts,  horned  beasts,"  pushing  one  at  an- 
other. When  Sennacherib  vaunted  against 
the  church  of  God,  that  he  would  "  enter 
the  forest  of  her  Carmel,  and  cut  down  her 
tall  cedars,"  the  daughter  of  Zion  is  com- 
manded to  despise  him.  God  speaks  of  him 
as  we  should  speak  of  a  buffalo,  or  even  of 
an  ass :  "  I  will  put  my  hook  in  thy  nose, 
and  my  bridle  in  thy  lips,  and  I  will  turn 
thee  back  by  the  way  by  which  thou  earnest." 
Outward  greatness,  when  accompanied  with 
goodness,  may  be  a  great  blessing ;  yet, 
even  then,  it  is  the  latter  and  not  the  for- 
mer that  denominates  thejtrue  worth  of  a 
character.     Once  more  : — 

6.  Value  it  above  mental  greatness,  or 
greatness  in  gifts  and  parts.  It  is  not  wrong 
to  cultivate  gifts  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  our 
duty  so  to  do.  But,  desirable  as  these  are, 
they  are  not  to  be  compared  with  goodness. 
"  Covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts,"  says  the 
apostle,  "  and  yet  show  I  unto  you  a  more  ex- 
cellent ivay  : "  viz.  charity,  or  love.  If  we 
improve  in  gifts  and  not  in  grace,  to  say  the 
least,  it  will  be  useless  and  perhaps  danger- 
ous both  to  ourselves  and  others.  To  im- 
prove in  gifts,  that  we  may  be  the  better 
able  to  discharge  our  work,  is  laudable; 
but,  if  it  be  for  the  sake  of  popular  applause, 
we  may  expect  a  blast.  Hundreds  of  min- 
isters have  been  ruined  by  indulging  a  thirst 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  24. 


186 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


for  the  character  of  the  great  man,  while 
they  have  neglected  the  far  superior  charac- 
ter of  the  good'  man. 

Another  part  of  the  character  of  Barnabas 
was  that 

II.  He  was  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  Holy  Spirit  sometimes  denotes  his  ex- 
traordinary gifts,  as  in  Acts  xix.,  where  the 
apostle  Paul  put  the  question  to  some  be- 
lievers in  Cbrist  whether  they  had  receiv- 
ed the  Holy  Spirit ;  but  here  it  signifies  his 
indwelling  and  ordinary  operations,  or  what 
is  elsewhere  called  "  an  unction  from  the 
Holy  One."  This,  though  more  common 
than  the  other,  is  far  more  excellent.  Its 
fruits,  though  less  brilliant,  are  abundantly 
the  most  valuable.  To  be  able  to  surmount 
a  difficulty  by  Christian  patience  is  a  great- 
er thing  in  the  sight  of  God  than  to  remove 
a  mountain.  Every  work  of  God  bears  some 
mark  of  godhead,  even  a  thistle,  or  a  nettle  ; 
but  there  are  some  of  his  works  which  bear 
a  peculiar  likeness  to  his  holy  moral  char- 
acter :  such  were  the  minds  of  men  and  an- 
gels in  their  original  state.  This  will  serve 
to  illustrate  the  subject  in  hand.  The  extra- 
ordinary gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  a  com- 
munication of  his  power ;  but  in  his  dwelling 
in  the  saints,  and  the  ordinary  operations  of 
his  grace,  he  communicates  his  ownholy  na- 
ture ;  and  this  it  was  of  which  Barnabas  was 
full.  To  be  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  be 
full  of  the  dove,  as  I  may  say  ;  or  full  of 
those  fruits  of  the  Spirit  mentioned  by  the 
apostle  to  the  Galatians;  namely,  "love, 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness." 

To  be  sure,  the  term  full  is  not  here  to  be 
understood  in  an  unlimited  sense  ;  not  in  so 
ample  a  sense  as  when  it  is  applied  to  Christ. 
He  was  filled  with  the  Spirit  without  mea- 
sure, but  we  in  measure.  The  word  is 
doubtless  to  be  understood  in  a  comparative 
sense,  and  denotes  as  much  as  that  he  was 
habitually  under  his  holy  influence.  A  per- 
son that  is  greatly  under  the  influence  of 
the  love  of  this  world  is  said  to  be  drunken 
with  its  cares  or  pleasures.  In  allusion  to 
something  like  this,  the  apostle  exhorts  that 
we  "  be  not  drunken  with  wine,  wherein  is 
excess ;  but  filled  with  the  Spirit."  The 
word  "filled,"  here,  is  very  expressive;  it 
denotes,  I  apprehend,  being  overcome,  as  it 
were,  with  the  holy  influences  and  fruits  of 
the  blessed  Spirit.  How  necessary  is  all 
this,  my  brother,  in  your  work !  O  how  ne- 
cessary is  "  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One  ! " 
1.  It  is  this  that  will  enable  you  to  enter 
into  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  and  preserve  you 
from  destructive  errors  concerning  it.  Those 
who  have  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One  are 
said  to  "  know  all  things  ;  and  the  anointing 
which  they  have  received  abideth  in  them, 
and  they  need  not  that  any  man  teach  them, 
but  as  the  same  anointing  teachcth  them  all 
things,  and  is  truth,  and  is  no  lie."    We 


shall  naturally  fall  in  with  the  dictates  of 
that  spirit  of  which  we  are  full.  It  is  for 
want  of  this,  in  a  great  measure,  that  the 
Scriptures  appear  strange,  and  foreign,  and 
difficult  to  be  understood.  He  that  is  full 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  the  contents  of  the 
Bible  written,  as  I  may  say,  upon  his  heart ; 
and  thus  its  sacred  pages  are  easy  to  be  un- 
derstood, as  "  wisdom  is  easy  to  him  that  un- 
derstandeth." 

It  is  no  breach  of  charity  to  say  that,  if 
the  professors  of  Christianity  had  more  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  in  their  hearts,  there 
would  be  a  greater  harmony  among  them 
respecting  the  great  truths  which  he  has  re- 
vealed. The  rejection  of  such  doctrines  as 
the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin,  the  total 
depravity  of  mankind,  the  proper  deity  and 
atonement  of  Christ,  justification  by  faith  in 
his  name,  the  freeness  and  sovereignty  of 
grace,  and  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
may  easily  be  accounted  for  upon  this  prin- 
ciple. If  we  are  destitute  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  we  are  blind  to  the  loveliness  of  the 
divine  character,  and  destitute  of  any  true 
love  to  God  in  our  hearts  ;  and,  if  destitute 
of  this,  we  shall  not  be  able  to  see  the  rea- 
sonableness of  that  law  which  requires  love 
to  him  with  all  the  heart ;  and  then,  of  course, 
we  shall  think  lightly  of  the  nature  of  those 
offences  committed  against  him ;  we  shall 
be  naturally  disposed  to  palliate  and  excuse 
our  want  of  love  to  him,  yea,  and  even  our 
positive  violations  of  his  law  ;  it  will  seem 
hard,  very  hard  indeed,  for  such  little  things 
as  these  to  be  punished  with  everlasting  de- 
struction. And  now,  all  this  admitted,  we 
shall  naturally  be  blind  to  the  necessity 
and  glory  of  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ.  If 
sin  is  so  trifling  an  affair,  it  will  seem  a 
strange  and  incredible  thing  that  God  should 
become  incarnate  to  atone  for  it :  and  hence 
we  shall  be  very  easily  persuaded  to  consid- 
er Christ  as  only  a  good  man  who  came  into 
the  world  to  set  us  a  good  example ;  or,  at 
least,  that  he  is  not  equal  with  the  Father. 
The  freeness  and  sovereignty  of  grace  also, 
together  with  justification  by  imputed  right- 
eousness, will  be  a  very  strange  sound  in  our 
ears.  Like  the  Jews,  we  shall  "  go  about  to 
establish  our  own  righteousness,  and  shall 
not  submit  to  the  righteousness  of  God." 
It  will  seem  equally  strange  and  incredible 
to  be  told  that  we  are  by  nature  utterly  un- 
fit for  the  kingdom  of  God ;  that,  therefore, 
we  must  be  born  again ;  that  we  are  so  bad 
that  we  cannot  even  come  to  Christ  for  life, 
except  the  Father  draw  us ;  yea,  and  that 
our  best  doings,  after  all,  are  unworthy  of 
God's  notice.  It  will  be  no  wonder  if,  in- 
stead of  receiving  these  unwelcome  and  hu- 
miliating doctrines,  we  should  coincide  with 
those  writers  and  preachers  who  think  more 
favorably  of  our  condition,  and  the  condition 
of  the  world  at  large  ;  who  either  deny  eter- 
nal punishment  to  exist,  or  represent  men 


CHARACTER    AND    SUCCESS    OF    A    FAITHFUL    MINISTER. 


187 


in  general  as  being  in  little  or  no  danger  of 
it.  And,  having  avowed  these  sentiments, 
it  will  then  become  necessary  to  compliment 
their  abettors  (including  ourselves  in  the 
number)  as  persons  of  a  more  rational  and 
liberal  way  of  thinking  than  other  people. 

My  dear  brother,  of  all  things,  be  this 
your  prayer,  "  Take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit 
from  me ! "  If  once  we  sink  into  such  a 
way  of  performing  our  public  work  as  not  to 
depend  on  his  enlightening  and  enlivening 
influences,  we  may  go  on,  and  probably 
shall  go  on,  from  one  degree  of  evil  to  ano- 
ther. Knowing  how  to  account  for  the 
operations  of  our  own  minds,  without  impu- 
ting them  to  a  divine  agency,  we  shall  be 
inclined,  in  this  manner,  to  account  for  the 
operations  in  the  minds  of  others ;  and  so, 
with  numbers  in  the  present  age,  may  soon 
call  in  question  even  "  whether  there  be  any 
Holy  Spirit" 

2.  Being  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  will  give 
a  holy  tincture  to  your  meditation  and  preach- 
ing. There  is  such  a  thing  as  the  mind 
being  habitually  under  the  influence  of  di- 
vine things,  and  retaining  so  much  of  a  sa- 
vor of  Christ  as  that  divine  truths  shall  be 
viewed  and  expressed,  as  I  may  say,  in  their 
own  language.  Spiritual  things  will  be 
spiritually  discerned,  and,  if  spiritually  dis- 
cerned, will  be  spiritually  communicated. 
There  is  more  in  our  manner  of  thinking 
and  speaking  upon  divine  truth  than  perhaps, 
at  first  sight,  Ave  are  aware  of.  A  great 
part  of  the  phraseology  of  Scripture  is  by 
some  accounted  unfit  to  be  addressed  to  a 
modern  ear ;  and  is,  on  this  account,  to  a 
great  degree  laid  aside,  even  by  those  who 
profess  to  be  satisfied  with  the  sentiments. 
Whatever  may  be  said  in  defence  of  this 
practice,  in  a  very  few  instances,  such  as 
those  where  words  in  a  translation  are  be- 
come obsolete,  or  convey  a  different  idea 
from  what  they  did  at  the  time  of  being 
translated,  I  am  satisfied  the  practice  in  gen- 
eral is  very  pernicious.  There  are  many 
sermons,  that  cannot  fairly  be  charged  with 
untruth,  which  yet  have  a  tendency  to  lead 
off  the  mind  from  the  simplicity  of  the  gos- 
pel. If  such  scripture  terms,  for  instance, 
as  "holiness,  godliness,  grace,  believers, 
saints,  communion  with  God,  &c,  should  be 
thrown  aside  as  savoring  too  much  of  cant 
and  enthusiasm,  and  such  terms  as  morality, 
virtue,  religion,  good  nmi,  happiness  of  mind, 
&c,  substituted  in  their  room,  it  will  have 
an  amazing  effect  upon  the  hearers.  If 
such  preaching  is  the  gospel,  it  is  the  gospel 
heathenized,  and  will  tend  to  heathenize  the 
minds  of  those  who  deal  in  it.  I  do  not 
mean  to  object  to  the  use  of  these  latter 
terms,  in  their  place ;  they  are  some  of 
them  scriptural  terms  :  what  I  object  to  is 
putting  them  in  the  place  of  others,  when 
discoursing  upon  evangelical  subjects.  To 
be  sure,  there  is  a  way  of  handling  divine 


subjects  after  this  sort  that  is  very  clever 
and  very  ingenious  ;  and  a  minister  of  such 
a  stamp  may  commend  himself,  by  his  inge- 
nuity, to  many  hearers :  but,  after  all,  God's 
truths  are  never  so  acceptable  and  savory 
to  a  gracious  heart  as  when  clothed  in  their 
own  native  phraseology.  The  more  you 
are  filled,  my  brother,  with  an  unction  from 
the  Holy  One,  the  greater  relish  you  will 
possess  for  that  savory  manner  of  convey- 
ing truth  which  is  so  plentifully  exemplified 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures.     Farther, 

3.  It  is  this  that  will  make  the  doctrines 
you  preach,  and  the  duties  you  inculcate, 
seem  fitted  in  your  lips.  I  allude  to  a  say- 
ing of  the  wise  man :  "  The  words  of  the 
wise  are  pleasant,  if  thou  keep  them  within 
thee  ;  they  shall  withal  be  fitted  in  thy  lips." 
It  is  expected  that  there  should  be  an  agree- 
ment between  the  character  of  the  speaker 
and  the  things  which  are  spoken.  "  Excel- 
lent speech  becometh  not  a  fool."  Exhorta- 
tions to  holiness  come  with  an  ill  grace  from 
the  lips  of  one  who  indulges  himself  in  in- 
iquity. The  opposite  of  this  is  what  I 
mean  by  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  religion 
being  fitted  in  your  lips.  It  is  this  that  will 
make  your  face  shine,  when  you  come  forth 
in  your  public  labors,  like  the  face  of  Moses 
when  he  had  been  conversing  with  God  in 
the  holy  mount. 

4.  It  is  this  that  will  give  a  spiritual  savor 
to  your  conversation  in  your  visits  to  your 
friends.     Though    religious   visits   may   be 

abused  ;  yet  you  know,  brother,  the  neces- 
sity there  is  for  them,  if  you  would  ascer- 
tain the  spiritual  condition  of  those  to  whom 
you  preach.  There  are  many  faults  also 
that  you  may  discover  in  individuals  which 
it  would  be  unhandsome,  as  well  as  unfriend- 
ly, to  expose  in  a  pointed  manner  in  the 
pulpit,  which  nevertheless  ought  not  to  be 
passed  by  unnoticed.  Here  is  Avork  for 
your  private  visits  ;  and,  in  proportion  as  you 
are  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  you  will 
possess  a  spirit  of  love  and  faithfulness, 
which  is  absolutely  necessary  to  successful 
reproof.  It  is  in  our  private  visits  also 
that  Ave  can  be  free  Avith  our  people,  and 
they  with  us.  Questions  may'be  asked 
and  answered,  difficulties  solved,  and  the 
concerns  of  the  soul  discussed.  Paul 
taught  the  Ephesians,  not  only  publicly,  but 
"  from  house  to  house."  Now  it  is  being 
full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  will  give  a  spir- 
itual savor  to  all  this  conversation.  It  Avill 
be  as  the  holy  anointing  oil  on  Aaron's 
garments,  which  diffused  a  savor  on  all 
around  him. 

5.  ThisAvill  also  teach  you  how  you  ought 
to  behave  yourself  in  every  department  you 
are  called  to  occupy.  It  will  serve  instead  of 
ten  thousand  rules  ;  and  all  rules  without  it 
will  be  of  no  account.  This  it  is  that  will 
teach  you  to  be  of  a  meek,  mild,  peaceful, 
humble  spirit.     It  will  make  such  a  spirit  be 


188 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


natural  to  you.  "  As  touching  brotherly 
love,"  said  the  apostle  to  the  Thessalonians, 
"  ye  need  not  that  I  write  unto  you,  for  ye 
yourselves  are  taught  of  God  to  love  one 
another." 

6.  In  short,  it  is  this  that  will  denominate 
you  the  man  of  God.  Such  was  Barnabas, 
and  such,  my  brother,  was  your  predecessor, 
whose  memory  is  dear  to  many  of  us;*  and 
such,  according  to  all  that  I  have  heard,  was 
his  predecessor,  whose  memory  is  equally 
dear  to  many  here  present.f  Each,  in  his 
day,  was  a  burning  and  shining  light ;  but 
they  shine  here  no  more.  May  you,  my 
brother,  and  each  of  us,  be  followers  of 
them,  as  they  also  were  of  Christ! 

Another  part  of  the  character  of  Barna- 
bas is, 

III.  He  was  full  of  faith.  It  may 
be  difficult  to  ascertain  with  precision  the 
real  meaning  and  extent  of  this  term  ;  but, 
I  should  think,  in  this  connection  it  includes, 
at  least,  the  three  following  ideas : — having 
the  mind  occupied  with  divine  sentiment ; 
being  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  truth  of 
the  gospel,  and  daily  living  upon  it.  The 
first  of  these  ideas  distinguished  him  from 
those  characters  whose  minds  are  void  of 
principle  ;  the  next,  from  such  as  are  always 
hovering  upon  the  borders  of  scepticism ; 
and  the  last,  from  those  who,  though  they 
have  no  manner  of  doubts  about  the  truth  of 
the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  yet  scarcely 
ever,  if  at  all,  feel  their  vital  influence  upon 
their  hearts  and  lives.  Let  us  review  each 
of  these  a  little  more  particularly. 

1.  His  mind  was  well  occupied,  or  stored, 
ivith  divine  sentiment.  How  necessary  is 
this  to  a  gospel  minister  !  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  many  young  men  have  rushed  into  the 
work  of  the  Lord  without  any  decided  prin- 
ciples of  their  own ;  yea,  and  have  not  only 
begun  in  such  a  state  of  mind,  but  have 
continued  so  all  through  their  lives.  Alas  ! 
what  can  the  churches  expect  from  such 
characters  ?  What  can  such  a  void  pro- 
duce ?  How  can  we  feed  others  with 
knowledge  and  understanding  if  we  our- 
selves are  destitute  of  them  ?  To  say  the 
least,  such  ministers  will  be  but  "unprofita- 
ble servants."  But  this  is  not  all ;  a  min- 
ister that  is  not  inured  to  think  for  him- 
self is  constantly  exposed  to  every  false 
sentiment,  or  system,  that  happens  to  be 
presented  to  him.  We  sometimes  hear  of  a 
person  changing  his  sentiments ;  and,  doubt- 
less, in  many  cases  it  is  just  and  right  he 
should  change  them  :  but  there  are  cases  in 
which  that  mode  of  speaking  is  very  im- 
proper ;  for,  in  reality,  some  persons  have 
no  sentiments  of  their  own  to  change  ;  they 
have  only  changed  the  sentiments  of  some 
one  great  man  for  those  of  another. 

*  The  Rev.  David  Evans. 
t  The  Rev.  William  Butfield. 


2.  He  had  a  firm  persuasion  of  the  truth 
of  that  gospel  ivhich  he  preached  to  others. 
He  was  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  gospel. 
The  great  controversy  of  that  day  was 
whether  the  gospel  was  true  ;  whether  Je- 
sus was  the  Messiah  ;  whether  he,  who  so 
lately  expired  on  the  cross,  was  the  Son  of 
God  ;  and  whether  his  death  was  the  way  to 
obtain  eternal  life.  There  were  great  temp- 
tations for  a  person  who  should  view  things 
through  a  medium  of  sense  to  think  other- 
wise. The  popular  opinion  went  against  it. 
To  the  Jews  it  was  a  stumbling-block,  and 
to  the  Greeks  foolishness.  Those  who  ad- 
hered to  the  gospel,  thereby  exposed  them- 
selves to  cruel  persecutions.  But  Barnabas 
"was  full  of  faith ; "  he  was  decidedly  on 
the  Lord's  side  ;  he  "  believed  on  the  Son  of 
God,"  and  had  the  "witness"  of  the  truth 
of  his  gospel  "  within  himself." 

Preaching  the  gospel  is  bearing  a  testimo- 
ny for  God  ;  but  we  shall  never  be  able  to  do 
this  to  any  good  purpose,  if*  we  be  always 
hesitating  and  indulging  a  sceptical  disposi- 
tion. There  is  no  need  of  a  dogmatical 
over-bearing  temper :  but  there  is  need  of 
being  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  truths  of 
God.  "  Be  not  carried  about,"  said  the 
apostle  to  the  Hebrews,  "with  strange  doc- 
trines :  it  is  a  good  thing  that  the  heart  be 
established  with  grace."  But  he  elsewhere 
condemns  the  character  of  those  who  are 
"  ever  learning,  and  never  able  to  come  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth." 

3.  That  gospel  which  he  preached  to 
others  he  himself  lived  upon.  "The  word 
preached,"  we  are  told,  "  did  not  profit  some, 
because  it  was  not  mixed  with  faith  in  them 
that  heard  it."  This  will  equally  hold  good 
in  the  case  of  the  preacher  as  of  the  hearer. 
If  we  mix  not  faith  with  the  doctrine  we 
deliver,  it  will  not  profit  us.  Whatever 
abilities  we  may  possess,  and  of  whatever 
use  we  may  be  made  to  others,  unless  we 
can  say,  in  some  sort,  with  the  apostle  John, 
"  That  which  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes, 
and  looked  upon,  and  our  hands  have  han- 
dled of  the  word  of  life — that  declare  we 
unto  you,"  our  own  souls  may,  notwith- 
standing, everlastingly  perish!  This  is  a 
very  serious  matter,  and  well  deserves  our 
attention  as  ministers.  Professors  in  the 
age  of  Barnabas  might  be  under  greater 
temptations  than  we  are  to  question  whether 
Jesus  was  the  true  Messiah ;  but  we  are 
under  greater  temptations  than  they  were  of 
resting  in  a  mere  implicit  assent  to  the 
Christian  religion,  without  realizing  and 
living  upon  its  important  truths. 

The  studying  of  divine  truth  as  preachers 
rather  than  as  Christians,  or,  in  other  words, 
studying  it  for  the  sake  of  finding  out  some- 
thing to  say  to  others,  without  so  much  as 
thinking  of  profiting  our  own  souls,  is  a 
temptation  to  which  we  are  more  than  ordi- 
narily exposed.    If  we  studied  divine  truths 


CHARACTER    AND    SUCCESS    OF    A    FAITHFUL    MINISTER. 


189 


as  Christians,  our  being  constantly  engaged 
in  the  service  of  God  would  be  friendly  to 
our  growth  in  grace.  We  should  be  "like 
trees  planted  by  the  rivers  of  waters,  that 
bring  forth  fruit  in  their  season,"  and  all 
that  we  did  would  be  likely  to  "  prosper." 
But,  if  we  study  it  only  as  preachers,  it  will 
be  the  reverse.  Our  being  conversant  with 
the  Bible  will  be  like  surgeons  and  soldiers 
being  conversant  with  the  shedding  of  hu- 
man blood,  till  they  lose  all  sensibility  con- 
cerning it.  I  believe  it  is  a  fact  that,  where 
a  preacher  is  wicked,  he  is  generally  the 
most  hardened  against  conviction  of  any 
character  whatever.  Happy  will  it  be  for 
us  if,  like  Barnabas,  we  are  "  full  of  faith  " 
in  that  Saviour  whom  we  recommend — in 
that  gospel  which  it  is  our  employment  to 
proclaim. 

IV.  We  now  come  to  the  last  part  of  the 
subject,  which  is  held  up  by  way  of  encour- 
agement :  And  much  people  was  added 
unto  the  Lord.  When  our  ministry  is 
blessed  to  the  conversion  of  sinners,  to  the 
bringing  them  off  from  their  connection  with 
sin  and  self,  to  a  vital  union  with  Christ ; 
when  our  congregations  are  filled,  not  mere- 
ly with  professors  of  religion,  but  with 
sound  believers  ;  when  such  believers  come 
forward  and  offer  themselves  willingly  for 
communion,  saying,  "We  will  go  with  you, 
for  we  have  heard  that  God  is  with  you  ; 
then  it  may  be  said  that  "  much  people  is 
added  unto  the  Lord."  The  connection 
between  such  additions,  and  eminency  in 
grace  and  holiness  in  a  minister,  deserves 
our  serious  attention. 

I  think  it  may  be  laid  down  as  a  rule, 
which  both  Scripture  and  experience  will 
confirm,  that  eminent  spirituality  in  a  minis- 
ter is  usually  attended  ivith  eminent  useful- 
ness. I  do  not  mean  to  say  our  useful- 
ness depends  upon  our  spirituality  as 
an  effect  depends  upon  its  cause  ;  nor  yet 
that  it  is  always  in  proportion  to  it.  God  is 
a  sovereign  ;  and  frequently  sees  proper  to 
convince  us  of  it,  in  variously  bestowing  his 
blessing  on  the  means  of  grace.  But  yet 
he  is  not  wanting  in  giving  encouragement 
to  what  he  approves,  wherever  it  is  found. 
Our  want  of  usefulness  is  often  to  be  as- 
cribed to  our  want  of  spirituality,  much 
oftener  than  to  our  want  of  talents.  God 
has  frequently  been  known  to  succeed  men 
of  inferior  abilities,  when  they  have  been 
eminent  for  holiness,  while  he  has  blasted 
others  of  much  superior  talents,  when  that 
quality  has  been  wanting.  Hundreds  of 
ministers,  who,  on  account  of  their  gifts, 
have  promised  to  be  shining  characters,  have 
proved  the  reverse  ;  and  all  owing  to  such 
things  as  pride,  unwatchfulness,  carnality, 
and  levity. 

Eminency  in  grace,  my  brother,  will  con- 
tribute to  your  success  in  three  ways  : — 


1.  It  will  fire  your  soul  with  holy  love  to 
Christ  and  the  souls  of  men  ;  and  such  a  spir- 
it is  usually  attended  with  success.  I  be- 
lieve you  will  find  that,  in  almost  all  the 
great  works  which  God  has  wrought,  in  any 
period  of  time,  he  has  honored  men  of  this 
character,  by  making  them  his  instruments. 
In  the  midst  of  a  sore  calamity  upon  the 
murmuring  Israelites,  when  God  was  inclined 
to  show  mercy,  it  was  by  the  means  of  his 
servant  Aaron  running  with  a  censer  of  fire 
in  his  hand,  and  standing  between  the  living 
and  the  dead!  The  great  reformation  that 
was  brought  about  in  the  days  of  Hezekiah 
was  by  the  instrumentality  of  a  man  "  who 
wrought  that  which  was  good  and  right  and 
truth  before  the  Lord  his  God  ; "  and  then  it 
follows,  "  and  in  every  work  that  he  began 
in  the  service  of  the  house  of  God,  and  in  the 
law,  and  in  the  commandments,  to  seek  his 
God,  he  did  it  with  all  his  heart  and  pros- 
pered." 

There  was  another  great  reformation  in 
the  Jewish  church,  about  the  time  of  their 
return  from  Babylon.  One  of  the  chief  in- 
struments in  this  work  was  Ezra,  "  a  ready 
scribe  in  the  law  of  his  God" — a  man  who 
had  "  prepared  his  heart  to  seek  the  law  of 
the  Lord,  and  to  do  it,  and  to  teach  in  Israel 
statutes  and  judgments" — a  man  who  "fast- 
ed and  prayed  at  the  river  Ahava,"  previous- 
ly to  his  great  undertaking — a  man  who  was 
afterwards  "  sorely  astonished,  and  in  heavi- 
ness, and  would  eat  no  meat,  nor  drink  water, 
but  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  spread  out  his 
hands  unto  the  Lord  his  God,  on  account  of 
the  transgressions  of  the  people."  Another 
great  instrument  in  this  work  was  Nehemi- 
ah,  a  man  that  devoted  himself  wholly  to  the 
service  of  God  and  his  people,  laboring  night 
and  day,  and  was  not  to  be  seduced  by  the 
intrigues  of  God's  adversaries,  nor  yet  in- 
timidated by  their  threatenings  ;  but  perse- 
vered in  his  work  till  it  was  finished,  closing 
his  labors  with  this  solemn  prayer  and  ap- 
peal, "  Think  upon  me,  O  my  God,  for  good, 
according  to  all  that  I  have  done  for  this 
people." 

Time  would  fail  me  to  speak  of  all  the 
great  souls,  both  inspired  and  uninspired, 
whom  the  King  of  kings  has  delighted  to 
honor:  of  Paul,  and  Peter,  and  their  com- 
panions ;  of  Wickliff,  and  Luther,  and  Cal- 
vin, and  many  others  at  the  reformation  ;  of 
Elliot,  and  Edwards,  and  Brainerd,  and 
Whitefield,  and  hundreds  more  whose  names 
are  held  in  deserved  esteem  in  the  church  of 
God.  These  were  men  of  God  ;  men  who 
had  great  grace,  as  well  as  gifts  ;  whose 
hearts  burned  in  love  to  Christ  and  the  souls 
of  men.  They  looked  upon  their  hearers  as 
their  Lord  had  done  upon  Jerusalem,  and 
wept  over  them.  In  this  manner  they  de- 
livered their  messages  ;  "  and  much  people 
were  added  unto  the  Lord." 


190 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


2.  Eminency  in  grace  will  direct  your 
ends  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  welfare  of 
men's  soids ;  and,  where  this  is  the  case,  it  is 
usually  attended  with  a  blessing.  These 
are  ends  which  God  himself  pursues  ;  and,  if 
Ave  pursue  the  same,  we  are  "laborers  to- 
gether with  God,"  and  may  hope  for  his 
blessing  to  attend  our  labors  ;  but,  if  we  pur- 
sue separate  and  selfish  ends,  we  walk  con- 
trary to  God,  and  may  expect  God  to  walk 
contrary  to  us.  Whatever  apparent  suc- 
cess may  attend  the  labors  of  a  man  whose 
ends  are  evil,  all  is  to  be  suspected:  either 
the  success  is  not  genuine,  or,  if  it  be,  it  is 
not  in  a  way  of  blessing  upon  him,  nor  shall 
it  turn  out,  at  last,  to  his  account.  It  must 
be  an  inexpressible  satisfaction,  brother,  to 
be  able  to  say  as  the  primitive  ministers  and 
apostles  did  :  "  James,  a  servant  of  God — 
Paul,  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ— We  seek 
not  yours,  but  you." 

3.  Eminency  in  grace  will  enable  you  to 
bear  prosperity  in  your  ministry  tvithoid  be- 
ing lifted  up  with  it ;  and  so  contribute  to- 
wards it.  It  is  written  of  Christ,  in  prophecy, 
"  He  shall  build  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  and 
shall  bear  the  glory."  He  does  bear  it  in- 
deed ;  but  to  bear  glory  without  being  ela- 
ted is  no  easy  thing  for  us.  I  am  often 
afraid  lest  this  should  be  one  considerable 
reason  why  most  of  us  have  no  more  real 
success  in  our  work  than  we  have  ;  perhaps 
it  is  not  safe  for  us  to  be  much  owned  of 
God  ;  perhaps  we  have  not  grace  enough  to 
bear  prosperity. 

My  dear  brother,  permit  me  to  conclude 
with  a  word  or  two  of  serious  advice.  First, 
"  Watch  over  your  own  soul,  as  well  as  the 
souls  of  your  people.  Do  not  forget  that 
ministers  are  peculiarly  liable,  while  they 
keep  the  vineyard  of  others,  to  neglect  their 
own.  Farther,  "  Know  your  own  weakness, 
and  depend  upon  Christ's  all-sufficiency." 
Your  work  is  great,  your  trials  may  be  many ; 
but  let  not  your  heart  be  discouraged.  Re- 
member what  was  said  to  the  apostle  Paul, 
"  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee,  my  strength 
is  made  perfect  in  weakness  ;"  and  the  re- 
flection which  he  makes  upon  it,  "  When  I 
am  weak,  then  am  I  strong."  Finally,  Be 
often  looking  to  the  end  of  your  course,  and 
viewing  yourself  as  giving  an  account  of 
your  stewardship.  We  must  all  appear  be- 
fore the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  and  give 
account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body.  Per- 
haps there  is  no  thought  more  solemn  than 
this,  more  suitable  to  be  kept  in  view  in  all 
our  undertakings,  more  awakening  in  a 
thoughtless  hour,  or  more  cheering  to  an 
upright  heart. 

I  have  only  to  request,  my  dear  brother, 
that  you  will  excuse  the  freedom  of  this 
plain  address.  I  have  not  spoken  so  much 
to  instruct  you  in  things  which  you  know 
not,  as  to  remind  and  impress  you  with 
things  which  you  already  know.    The  Lord 


bless  you,  and  grant  that  the  solemnities  of 
this  day  may  ever  be  remembered  with  sat- 
isfaction, both  by  you  and  your  people ! 


SERMON  III. 

[Preached  at  a  Ministers'  Meeting,  held  at  Clip- 
stone,  April  27,  1791.] 

THE  INSTANCES,  THE  EVIL  NATURE,  AND 
THE  DANGEROUS  TENDENCY  OF  DELAY, 
IN  THE  CONCERNS  OF  RELIGION. 

"  Thus  speaketh  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  saying,  This 
people  say,  The  time  is  not  come,  the  time  that 
the  Lord's  house  should  be  built." — Hag.  i.  2. 

When  the  children  of  Judah  were  deliv- 
ered from  their  captivity,  and  allowed,  by  the 
proclamation  of  Cyrus,  to  return  to  their  own 
land,  one  of  the  principal  things  which  at- 
tracted their  attention  was  the  rebuilding  of 
the  house  of  God,  which  had  been  destroyed 
by  the  Babylonians.  This  was  a  work  which 
Cyrus  himself  enjoined,  and  upon  which  the 
hearts  of  the  people  were  fixed.  It  was  not, 
however,  to  be  accomplished  at  once  ;  and, 
as  the  worship  of  God  was  a  matter  of  im- 
mediate and  indispensable  concern,  they  set 
up  an  altar,  on  which  to  offer  sacrifices  and 
offerings,  till  such  time  as  the  temple  should 
be  built. 

In  the  second  year  after  their  return,  the 
foundation  of  the  Lord's  house  was  laid :  but 
opposition  being  made  to  it,  by  the  adver- 
saries of  Judah  and  Benjamin,  the  work 
ceased  all  the  days  of  Cyrus,  until  the  reign 
of  Darius,  commonly  distinguished  by  the 
name  of  Darius-Hystaspis.  During  this  pe- 
riod, which  seems  to  have  been  about  four- 
teen years,  the  people  sunk  into  a  spirit  of 
indifference.  At  first  they  desisted  from 
necessity  ;  but  afterwards,  their  attention 
being  turned  to  the  building  and  ornament- 
ing of  houses  for  themselves,  they  seemed 
very  well  contented  that  the  house  of  the 
Lord  should  lie  waste.  For  this  their  tem- 
per and  conduct  the  land  was  smitten  with 
barrenness ;  so  that  both  the  vintage  and  the 
harvest  failed  them.  God  also  raised  up 
Haggai  and  Zechariah  to  go  and  remonstrate 
against  their  supineness  ;  and  the  efforts  of 
these  two  prophets  were  the  means  of  stir- 
ring up  the  people  to  resume  the  work. 

The  argument  which  the  people  used 
against  building  the  house  of  God  was  that 
the  time  ivas  not  come.  It  is  possible  they 
waited  for  a  counter  order  from  the  Persian 
court ;  if  so,  they  might  have  waited  long 
enough.  A  work  of  that  nature  ought  to 
have  been  prosecuted  of  their  own  accord ; 
at  least  they  should  have  tried.  It  did  not 
follow,  because  they  were  hindered  once, 
that  therefore  they  should  never  succeed. 
Or  perhaps  they  meant  to  plead  their  present 
weakness  and  poverty.    Something  like  this 


ON    DELAY    IN    RELIGIOUS    CONCERNS. 


191 


seems  to  be  implied  in  the  4th  verse,  where 
they  are  reminded  that  they  had  strength 
enough  to  build  and  ornament  houses  for 
themselves.  It  looks  as  if  they  wished  to 
build,  and  lay  by  fortunes  for  themselves  and 
their  families,  and  then,  at  some  future  time, 
they  might  contribute  for  the  building  of  the 
house  of  God. 

There  is  something  of  this  procrastinating 
spirit  that  runs  through  a  great  part  of  our 
life,  and  is  of  great  detriment  to  us  in  the 
work  of  God.  We  know  of  many  things 
that  should  be  done,  and  cannot  in  con- 
science directly  oppose  them ;  but  still  we 
find  excuses  for  our  inactivity.  While  we 
admit  that  many  things  should  be  done 
which  are  not  done,  we  are  apt  to  quiet  our- 
selves with  the  thought  that  they  need  not 
be  done  just  noiv :  "  The  time  is  not  come, 
the  time  that  the  Lord's  house  should  be 
built." 

In  discoursing  to  you  upon  the  subject, 
brethren,  I  shall  take  notice  of  a  few  of  the 
most  remarkable  cases  in  which  this  spirit  is 
discovered  ;  and  then  endeavor  to  show  its 
evil  nature  and  dangerous  tendency. 

I.  In  respect  to  the  cases,  or  in- 
stances, IN  WHICH    IT    IS   DISCOVERED.      A 

small  degree  of  observation  on  mankind,  and 
of  reflection  upon  the  workings  of  our  own 
hearts,  will  furnish  us  with  many  of  these  ; 
and  convince  us  of  its  great  influence  on 
every  description  of  men,  in  almost  all  their 
religious  concerns. 

1.  It  is  by  this  plea  that  a  great  part  of 
mankind  are  constantly  deceiving  themselves 
in  respect  to  a  serious  attention  to  the  concerns 
of  their  souls.  These  are,  doubtless,  of  the 
last  importance ;  and  there  are  times  in 
which  most  men  not  only  acknowledge  this 
truth,  but,  in  some  sort,  feel  the  force  of  it. 
This  is  the  case,  especially,  with  those  who 
have  had  a  religious  education,  and  have 
been  used  to  attend  upon  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel.  They  hear  from  the  pulpit  that 
men  must  be  born  again,  must  be  converted, 
and  become  as  little  children,  or  never  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Or  the  same 
things  are  impressed  upon  them  by  some 
threatening  affliction  or  alarming  providence. 
They  feel  themselves  at  those  times  very 
unhappy  ;  and  it  is  not  unusual  for  them  to 
resolve  upon  a  sacrifice  of  their  former 
sins,  and  a  serious  and  close  attention  in  fu- 
ture to  the  affairs  of  their  souls.  They  think, 
while  under  these  impressions,  they  ivill 
consider  their  ways,  they  ivill  enter  their 
closets  and  shut  to  the  door,  and  pray  to  the 
Lord  that  he  would  have  mercy  upon  them  ; 
but,  alas  !  no  sooner  do  they  retire  from  the 
house  of  God,  or  recover  from  their  affliction, 
than  the  impression  begins  to  subside,  and 
then  matters  of  this  sort  become  less  wel- 
come to  the  mind.  They  must  not  be  utter- 
ly rejected ;  but  are  let  alone  for  the  present. 
As  conscience  becomes  less  alarmed,  and 


danger  is  viewed  at  a  greater  distance,  the 
sinner,  by  degrees,  recovers  himself  from 
his  fright,  and  dismisses  his  religious  con- 
cern, in  some  such  manner  as  Felix  did  his 
reprover,  "  Go  thy  way  for  this  time,  when  I 
have  a  convenient  season  I  will  call  for 
thee." 

It  is  thus  with  the  ardent  youth ;  in  the 
hour  of  serious  reflection,  he  feels  that  reli- 
gion is  of  importance  ;  but  his  heart,  still 
averse  from  what  his  conscience  recom- 
mends, rises  against  the  thought  of  sacrifi- 
cing the  prime  of  life  to  the  gloomy  duties 
of  prayer  and  self-denial.  He  does  not  re- 
solve never  to  attend  to  these  things  ;  but 
the  time  does  not  seem  to  be  come.  He  hopes 
that  the  Almighty  will  excuse  him  a  few 
years,  at  least,  and  impute  his  excesses  to 
youthful  folly  and  imbecility.  It  is  thus  with 
the  man  of  business :  there  are  times  in 
which  he  is  obliged  to  retire  from  the  hurry 
of  life ;  and,  at  those  times,  thoughts  of 
another  life  may  arrest  his  attention.  Con- 
science at  those  intervals  may  smite  him  for 
his  living  without  prayer,  without  reflection, 
without  God  in  all  his  thoughts ;  and  what 
is  his  remedy  ?  Does  he  lament  his  sin,  and 
implore  mercy  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  No,  nor  so  much  as  promise  to  for- 
sake it  immediately:  but  this  he  promises, 
that  when  this  busy  time  is  over,  and  that 
favorite  point  is  gained,  and  those  intricate 
affairs  are  terminated,  then  it  shall  be  other- 
wise. It  is  thus  with  persons  in  single  life : 
they  will  be  better  when  they  get  settled  in 
the  world.  It  is  thus  with  the  encumbered 
parent :  she  looks  forward  to  the  time  when 
her  family  shall  get  off  her  hands.  It  is 
thus  with  the  drunkard  and  the  debauchee  .- 
wearied  in  their  own  way,  they  intend  to 
lead  a  new  life  as  soon  as  they  can  but  shake 
off  their  old  connections.  In  short,,  it  is 
thus  with  great  numbers  in  all  our  towns, 
and  villages,  and  congregations :  they  put 
off  the  great  concern  to  another  time,  and 
think  they  may  venture  at  least  a  little  longer, 
till  all  is  over  with  them,  and  a  dying  hour 
just  awakens  them,  like  the  virgins  in  the 
parable,  to  bitter  reflection  on  their  own  fa- 
tal folly. 

2.  This  plea  not  only  affects  the  uncon- 
verted, but  prevents  us  all  from  undertaking 
any  great  or  good  work  for  the  cause  of 
Christ,  or  the  good  of  mankind.  We  see 
many  things  that  should  be  done;  but  there 
are  difficulties  in  the  way,  and  we  wait  for 
the  removal  of  these  difficulties.  We  are 
very  apt  to  indulge  a  kind  of  prudent  cau- 
tion (as  we  call  it,)  which  foresees  and  mag- 
nifies difficulties  beyond  what  they  really 
are.  It  is  granted  there  may  be  such  things 
in  the  way  of  an  undertaking  as  may  render 
it  impracticable  ;  and,  in  that  case,  it  is  our 
duty  for  the  present  to  stand  still :  but  it  be- 
comes us  to  beware  lest  we  account  that 
impracticable  which  only  requires  such  a 


192 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


degree  of  exertion  as  we  are  not  inclined  to 
give  it.  Perhaps  the  work  requires  expense ; 
and  Covetousness  says,  Wait  a  little  longer, 
till  I  have  gained  so  and  so  in  trade,  till  I 
have  rendered  my  circumstances  respecta- 
ble, and  settled  my  children  comfortably  in 
the  world.  But  is  not  this  like  ceiling  our 
own  houses,  while  the  house  of  God  lies 
waste  ?  Perhaps  it  requires  concurrence ; 
and  we  wait  for  every  body  to  be  of  a  mind, 
which  is  never  to  be  expected.  He  who 
through  a  dread  of  opposition  and  reproach 
desists  from  known  duty  is  in  danger  of  be- 
ing found  among  the  "  fearful,  the  unbe- 
lieving, and  the  abominable." 

Had  Luther  and  his  contemporaries  acted 
upon  this  principle,  they  had  never  gone 
about  the  glorious  work  of  the  Reformation. 
When  he  saw  the  abominations  of  popery, 
he  might  have  said,  These  things  ought  not 
to  be ;  but  what  can  /  do  ?  If  the  chief 
priests  and  rulers  in  different  nations  would 
but  unite,  something  might  be  effected  ;  but 
what  can  J  do,  an  individual,  and  a  poor 
man  ?  I  may  render  myself  an  object  of  per- 
secution, or,  which  is  worse,  of  universal 
contempt;  and  what  good  end  will  be  an- 
swered by  it?  Had  Luther  reasoned  thus — 
had  he  fancied  that,  because  princes  and 
prelates  were  not  the  first  to  engage  in  the 
good  work,  therefore  the  time  was  not  come 
to  build  the  house  of  the  Lord — the  house  of 
the  Lord,  for  any  thing  he  had  done,  might 
have  lain  waste  to  this  day. 

Instead  of  waiting  for  the  removal  of  diffi- 
culties, we  ought,  in  many  cases,  to  consider 
them  as  purposely  laid  in  our  way,  in  order 
to  try  the  sincerity  of  our  religion.  He  who 
had  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth  could  not 
only  have  sent  forth  his  apostles  into  all  the 
world,  but  have  so  ordered  it  that  all  the 
world  should  treat  them  with  kindness,  and 
aid  them  in  their  mission ;  but,  instead  of 
that,  he  told  them  to  lay  their  accounts  with 
persecution  and  the  loss  of  all  things.  This 
was  no  doubt  to  try  their  sincerity  ;  and  the 
difficulties  laid  in  our  way  are  equally  de- 
signed to  try  ours. 

Let  it  be  considered  whether  it  is  not 
owing  to  this  principle  that  so  few  and  so 
feeble  efforts  have  been  made  for  the  propa- 
gation of  the  gospel  in  the  world.  When 
the  Lord  Jesus  commissioned  his  apostles, 
he  commanded  them  to  go  and  teach  "  all 
nations,"  to  preach  the  gospel  to  "  every 
creature ; "  and  that  notwithstanding  the 
difficulties  and  oppositions  that  would  lie  in 
the  way.  The  apostles  executed  their  com- 
mission with  assiduity  and  fidelity;  but, 
since  their  days,  we  seem  to  sit  down  half 
contented  that  the  greater  part  of  the  world 
should  still  remain  in  ignorance  and  idolatry. 
Some  noble  efforts  have  indeed  been  made  ; 
but  they  are  small  in  number,  when  com- 
pared with  the  magnitude  of  the  object. 
And  why  is  it  so  ?     Are  the  souls  of  men 


of  less  value  than  heretofore  ?  No.  Is 
Christianity  less  true  or  less  important  than 
in  former  ages  ?  This  will  not  be  pretend- 
ed. Are  there  no  opportunities  for  socie- 
ties, or  individuals,  in  Christian  nations,  to 
convey  the  gospel  to  the  heathens  ?  This 
cannot  be  pleaded  so  long  as  opportunities 
are  found  to  trade  with  them,  yea,  and  (what 
is  a  disgrace  to  the  name  of  Christians,)  to 
buy  them,  and  sell  them,,  and  treat  them 
with  worse  than  savage  barbarity !  We 
have  opportunities  in  abundance :  the  im- 
provement of  navigation,  and  the  maritime 
and  commercial  turn  of  this  country,  furnish 
us  with  these  ;  and  it  deserves  to  be  consid- 
ered whether  this  is  not  a  circumstance  that 
renders  it  a  duty  peculiarly  binding  on  us. 

The  truth  is,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  we 
wait  for  we  know  not  what ;  we  seem  to 
think  "  the  time  is  not  come,  the  time  for 
the  Spirit  to  be  poured  down  from  on 
high."  We  pray  for  the  conversion  and  sal- 
vation of  the  world,  and  yet  neglect  the  ordi- 
nary means  by  which  those  ends  have  been 
used  to  be  accomplished.  It  pleased  God, 
heretofore,  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching, 
to  save  them  that  believed ;  and  there  is 
reason  to  think  it  will  still  please  God  to 
work  by  that  distinguished  means.  Ought 
we  not  then  at  least  to  try  by  some  means 
to  convey  more  of  the  good  news  of  salva- 
tion to  the  world  around  us  than  has  hither- 
to been  conveyed?  The  encouragement 
to  the  heathen  is  still  in  force,  "  Whosoever 
shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
saved;  but  how  shall  they  call  on  him  in 
whom  they  have  not  believed  ?  and  how 
shall  they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have 
not  heard  ?  and  how  shall  they  hear  without 
a  preacher  ?  and  how  shall  they  preach  ex- 
cept they  be  sent  ?  " 

Let  it  be  farther  considered  whether  it  is 
not  owing  to  this  principle  that  so  few  and 
so  feeble  efforts  are  made  for  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  gospel  in  places  within  our  reach. 
There  are  many  dark  places  in  our  own 
land — places  where  priests  and  people,  it  is 
to  be  feared,  are  alike  destitute  of  true  re- 
ligion, "  all  looking  to  their  own  way,  every 
one  for  his  gain  from  his  quarter."  Were 
every  friend  of  Jesus  Christ  to  avail  himself 
of  that  liberty  which  the  laws  of  his  country 
allow  him,  and  embrace  every  opportunity 
for  the  dissemination  of  evangelical  princi- 
ples, what  effects  might  we  hope  to  see  ? 
Were  every  true  minister  of  the  gospel  to 
make  a  point  of  preaching  as  often  as  pos- 
sible in  the  villages  within  his  reach;  and 
did  those  private  Christians  who  are  situated 
in  such  villages  open  their  doors  for  preach- 
ing, and  recommend  the  gospel  by  a  holy 
and  affectionate  behavior,  might  we  not 
hope  to  see  the  wilderness  become  as  a  fruit- 
ful field  ?  Surely,  in  these  matters,  we  are 
too  negligent.  And,  when  we  do  preach 
to  the  unconverted,  we  do  not  feel  as  if  we 


ON    DELAY    IN    RELIGIOUS    CONCERNS. 


193 


were  to  do  any  good.  We  are  as  if  we  knew 
not  how  to  get  at  the  hearts  and  con- 
sciences of  people.  We  cast  the  net,  with- 
out so  much  as  expecting  a  draught.  We 
are  as  those  who  cannot  find  their  hands 
in  the  day  of  battle,  who  go  forth  not  like 
men  accustomed  to  conquest,  but  rather  like 
those  inured  to  defeat.  Whence  arises  all 
this  ?  Is  it  not  owing,  at  least  a  consider- 
able degree  of  it,  to  a  notion  we  have  that 
tiic  time  is  not  come  for  any  thing  considera- 
ble to  be  effected  ? 

3.  It  is  this  plea  that  keeps  many  from  a 
public  profession  of  religion  by  a  practical  ac- 
knowledgment of  Christ.  Christ  requires  of 
his  followers  that  they  confess  his  name  be- 
fore men  ;  that  they  be  baptized,  and  com- 
memorate his  dying  love  in  the  ordinance  of 
the  supper.  Yet  there  are  many  who  con- 
sider themselves  as  Christians,  and  are  con- 
sidered so  by  others,  who  still  live  in  the 
neglect  of  these  ordinances.  I  speak  not 
now  of  those  who  consider  themselves  as 
having  been  baptized  in  their  infancy,  but 
of  such  as  admit  the  immersion  of  believers 
to  be  the  only  true  baptism,  and  yet  do  not 
practise  it,  nor  hold  communion  with  any 
particular  church  of  Christ.  It  is  painful  to 
think  there  should  he  a  description  of  pro- 
fessed Christians  who  live  in  the  neglect  of 
Christ's  commands.  What  can  be  the  mo- 
tives of  such  neglect?  Probably  they  are 
"various :  there  is  one,  however,  that  must 
have  fallen  under  your  observation  ;  that  is, 
the  want  of  some  powerful  impression  upon 
the  mind,  impelling  them,  as  it  were,  to  a  com- 
pliance. Many  persons  wait  for  something 
of  this  sort;  and,  because  they  go  from  year 
to  year  without  it,  conclude  that  the  time  is 
not  come ;  or  that  it  is  not  the  mind  of  God 
that  they  should  comply  with  those  ordi- 
nances ;  at  least,  that  they  should  comply 
with  them  at  present.  Impressions,  it  is  al- 
lowed, are  desirable,  provided  it  be  truth  or 
duty  that  is  impressed  ;  otherwise  they  de- 
serve no  regard  :  but,  be  they  as  desirable 
as  they  may,  the  want  of  them  can  never 
justify  our  living  in  the  neglect  of  known 
duty.  Nor  are  they  at  all  adapted  to  show 
us  ivhat  is  duty,  bnt  merely  to  excite  to  the 
performance  of  that  which  may  be  proved 
to  be  duty  without  them.  We  might  as 
well  wait  for  impressions,  and  conclude, 
from  the  want  of  them,  that  the  time  is  not 
come  for  the  performance  of  other  duties  as 
those  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper. 

Some  are  kept  from  a  public  profession  of 
Christ's  name  by  mere  mercenary  motives. 
They  have  relations  and  friends  that  would 
be  offended.  The  fear  of  being  disinherit- 
ed, or  injured,  in  some  sort,  as  to  worldly 
circumstances,  has  made  many  a  person 
keep  his  principles  to  himself,  till  such  time 
as  the  party  whose  displeasure  he  fears  shall 
be  removed  out  of  the  way.  This  is  wick- 
ed ;  as  it  amounts  to  a  denial  of  Christ  be- 
Voh.  2.— Sig.  25. 


fore  men,  and  will,  no  doubt,  expose  the 
party,  if  he  die  without  repentance  for  it,  to 
be  denied  by  Christ  before  his  Father  at  the 
last  day.  "  Lord,"  said  one,  "  I  will  follow 
thee,  but  let  me  first  go  and  bury  my  father" 
— "  Let  me  first  go  and  bid  them  farewell 
who  are  at  home,"  says  another:  "Jesus 
answered,  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead,  fol- 
low thou  me." — "No  man  having  put  his 
hand  to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit 
for  the  kingdom  of  God." 

4.  It  is  this  plea  that  keeps  us  from  a 
thorough  self-examination  and  self-denial. 
The  importance  of  being  right  in  the  sight 
of  God,  and  our  liability  to  err,  even  in  the 
greatest  of  all  concerns,  render  a  close  and 
frequent  inquiry  into  our  spiritual  state  ab- 
solutely necessary.  It  is  a  dangerous,  as 
well  as  an  uncomfortable  life,  to  be  always 
in  suspense  ;  not  knowing  what  nor  where  we 
are,  nor  whither  we  are  going.  There  are 
seasons,  too,  in  which  we  feel  the  importance 
of  such  an  inquiry,  and  think  we  will  go 
about  it,  we  tvill  search  and  try  our  ways, 
and  turn  from  our  sins,  and  walk  more  closely 
with  God.  Such  thoughts  will  occur  when 
we  hear  matters  urged  home  upon  us  from 
the  pulpit,  or  when  some  affecting  event 
draws  off  our  attention  from  the  present 
world,  and  causes  us  to  reflect  upon  our- 
selves for  our  inordinate  anxiety  after  it. 
We  think  of  living  otherwise  than  we  have 
done  ;  but,  when  we  come  to  put  our  thoughts 
into  execution,  we  find  a  number  of  difficul- 
ties in  the  way,  which  too  often  deter  us,  at 
least/or  Me  present. — -Here  is  an  undertaking 
that  must  first  be  accomplished,  before  I  can 
have  time ;  here  is  also  a  troublesome  affair 
that  I  must  get  through,  before  I  can  be  com- 
posed ;  and  then  here  are  such  temptations 
that  I  know  not  how  to  get  over  just  now : 
if  I  wait  a  little  longer,  perhaps  they  may 
be  removed. — Alas !  alas  !  thus  we  befool 
ourselves  ;  thus  we  defer  it  to  another  time, 
till  the  impressions  on  our  minds  are  effaced, 
and  then  we  are  less  able  to  attend  to  those 
things  than  we  were  at  first  As  one  who 
puts  off  the  examination  of  his  accounts,  and 
the  retrenchment  of  his  expenses,  till,  all  on 
a  sudden,  he  is  involved  in  a  bankruptcy ; 
so  do  multitudes,  in  the  religious  Avorld,  neg- 
lect a  close  inspection  into  the  concerns  of 
their  souls,  till,  at  length,  either  a  departure 
from  some  of  the  great  principles  of  the  gos- 
pel, or  some  foul  and  open  fall,  is  the  con- 
sequence. 

5.  It  is  this  principle  that  keeps  us  from 
preparedness  for  death,  and  thus  being  ready 
ivhen  our  Lord  shall  come.  There  is  nothing 
that  Christ  has  more  forcibly  enjoined  than 
this  duty :  "  Be  ye  also  ready,  for  at  such 
an  hour  as  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man 
cometh."—"  What  I  say  unto  you  I  say  unto 
all,  watch."  Why  do  we  not  immediately 
feel  the  force  of  these  charges,  and  betake 
ourselves    to    habitual    watchfulness    and 


194 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


prayer,  and  self-denial,  and  walking  with 
God?  Why  are  we  not  as  men  who  wait 
for  the  coming  of  their  Lord  ?  Is  it  not  from 
a  secret  thought  that  the  time  is  not  come  ? 
We  know  we  must  die,  but  we  consider  it  as 
something  at  a  distance  ;  and  thus,  imagin- 
ing that  our  Lord  delayeth  his  coming,  we 
delay  to  prepare  to  meet  him,  so  that  when 
he  cometh,  he  findeth  us  in  confusion.  In- 
stead of  our  loins  being  girt,  and  our  lights 
burning,  we  are  engaged  in  a  number  of 
plans  and  pursuits,  to  the  neglect  of  those 
things  which,  notwithstanding  the  necessa- 
ry avocations  of  life,  ought  always  to  en- 
gross our  supreme  attention. 
Let  us  next  proceed  to  consider 
II.  The   evil   nature  and   dangerous 

TENDENCY   OF  THIS  PROCRASTINATING    TEM- 
PER. 

I  need  not  say  much  to  prove  to  you  that 
it  is  a  sin.  The  conscience  of  every  one  of 
you  will  assist  me  in  that  part  of  the  work. 
It  is  proper,  however,  in  order  that  you  may 
feel  it  the  more  forcibly,  that  you  should 
consider  wherein  its  evil  nature  consists. 

1.  It  is  contrary  to  the  tenor  of  all  God's 
commandments.  All  through  the  Scriptures 
we  are  required  to  attend  to  divine  things 
immediately,  and  without  delay.  "Work 
while  it  is  called  to-day  ;  the  night  cometh 
when  no  man  can  work." — "  To-day,  if  ye 
will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts." 
— "  While  ye  have  light,  believe  in  the 
light,  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  light." 
— "  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do 
it  with  thy  might  ;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor 
device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the 
grave,  whither  thou  goest." 

God  not  only  requires  us,  in  general,  to  do 
what  we  do  quickly,  but  calls  us  to  serve 
him  particularly  wider  those  temptations  or 
afflictions  which  we  find  placed  in  our  way. 
The  terms  of  discipleship  are,  "  Deny  thy- 
self, take  up  thy  cross,  and  follow  me."  He 
does  not  call  upon  us  to  follow  him  barely 
when  there  are  no  troubles  nor  difficulties 
to  encounter,  nor  allow  us,  when  those  diffi- 
culties occur,  to  wait  a  fairer  opportunity ; 
but  to  take  our  cross,  as  it  were,  upon  our 
shoulders,  and  so  follow  him.  It  would  be 
of  use  for  us  to  consider  every  situation  as  a 
post  in  which  God  has  placed  us,  and  in 
ivhich  he  calls  upon  us  to  serve  and  glorify 
him.  If  we  are  poor,  we  are  required  to 
glorify  God  by  contentment ;  if  afflicted,  by 
patience ;  if  bereaved,  by  submission ;  if 
persecuted,  by  firmness;  if  injured,  by  for- 
giveness ;  or,  if  tempted,  by  denying  our- 
selves for  his  sake.  Nor  can  these  duties 
be  performed  at  other  times  ;  to  put  them 
off,  therefore,  to  another  opportunity,  is  the 
same  thing,  in  effect,  as  refusing  to  comply 
with  them  at  all. 

2-  To  put  off  things  to  another  time  im- 
plies a  lurking  dislike  to  the  things  the?nselves. 
We  do  not  ordinarily  do  so,  except  in  things 


wherein  we  have  no  delight.  Whatever  our 
hearts  are  set  upon,  we  are  for  losing  no 
time  till  it  is  accomplished.  If  the  people  of 
Judah  had  "  had  a  mind  to  work,"  as  is  said 
of  them  on  another  occasion,  they  would  not 
have  pleaded  that  the  time  was  not  come. 
Sinful  delay,  therefore,  arises  from  alienation 
of  heart  from  God;  than  which  nothing  can 
be  more  offensive  in  his  sight. 

But,  farther,  it  is  not  only  a  sin,  but  a  sin 
of  dangerous  tendency.  This  is  manifest  by 
the  effects  it  produces.  Precious  time  is 
thereby  murdered,  and  valuable  opportuni- 
ties lost,  and  lost  beyond  recal ! 

That  there  are  opportunities  possessed, 
both  by  saints  and  sinners,  is  plain  from  the 
Scriptures.  The  former  might  do  abundant- 
ly more  for  God  than  they  do,  and  might  en- 
joy much  more  of  God  and  heaven  than  they 
actually  enjoy  ;  and  no  doubt  it  would  be  so, 
were  it  not  for  that  idle,  delaying  temper,  of 
which  we  have  spoken.  Like  the  Israelites, 
we  are  slothful  to  go  up  to  possess  the  good 
land.  Many  are  the  opportunities,  both  of 
doing  and  enjoying  good,  that  have  already 
passed  by.  O !  what  Christians  might  we 
have  been  before  now,  had  we  but  availed 
ourselves  of  all  those  advantages  which  the 
gospel  dispensation  and  the  free  exercise  of 
our  religion  afford  us ! 

Sinners  also,  as  long  as  life  lasts,  have  op- 
portunity of  escaping  from  the  wrath  to 
come.  Hence,  they  are  exhorted  to  "  seek  the 
Lord  while  he  may  found,"  and  to  "  call  upon 
him  while  he  is  near."  Hence,  also,  there 
is  a  "  door"  represented  as  being,  at  present, 
"  open  ;  "  which  "  the  master  of  the  house 
will,"  one  day,  "  rise  up  and  shut."  The 
"  fountain"  is  described  as  being,  at  present, 
"open  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness  ;"  but 
there  is  a  period  approaching  when  it  shall 
be  said,  "He  that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy 
still!"  It  seems  scarcely  in  the  power  of 
language  to  express  the  danger  of  delay  in 
terms  more  forcible  and  impressive  than 
those  which  are  used  in  the  above  passages. 
Nor  is  there  anything  in  the  idea  that  clashes 
with  the  scripture  doctrine  of  decrees.  All 
allow  that  men  have  opportunity,  in  natural 
things,  to  do  what  they  do  not,  and  to  obtain 
what  they  obtain  not;  and  if  this  can  be 
made  to  consist  with  a  universal  providence, 
which  "performeth  the  things  that  are  ap- 
pointed for  us,"  why  should  not  the  other  be 
allowed  to  consist  with  the  purposes  of  him 
who  does  nothing  without  a  plan,  but  "  work- 
eth  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own 
will  ?  "  A  price  is  in  the  hands  of  those  who 
have  no  heart  to  get  wisdom. 

O  thoughtless  sinner !  trifle  no  longer 
with  the  murder  of  time ;  time,  so  short  and 
uncertain  in  its  duration ;  the  morning  of 
your  existence  ;  the  mould  in  which  you  re- 
ceive an  impression  for  eternity  ;  the  only 
period  in  which  the  Son  of  man  has  power 
to  forgive  sins !     Should  the  remaining  part 


BLESSEDNESS    OF    THE    DEAD    WHO    DIE    IN    THE    LORD. 


195 


of  your  life  pass  away  in  the  same  careless 
manner  as  that  has  which  has  already  elaps- 
ed, what  bitter  reflection  must  needs  fol- 
low !  How  cutting  it  must  be  to  look  back 
on  all  the  means  of  salvation  as  gone  for- 
ever ;  the  harvest  past,  the  summer  ended, 
and  you  not  saved ! 

Suppose  a  company,  at  the  time  of  low 
water,  should  take  an  excursion  upon  the 
sands  near  the  sea-shore  :  suppose  yourself 
of  the  company  :  suppose  that,  on  a  presump- 
tion of  the  tide's  not  returning  at  present, 
you  should  all  fall  asleep  :  suppose  all  the 
company,  except  yourself,  to  awake  out  of 
their  sleep,  and,  finding  their  danger,  en- 
deavor to  awake  you,  and  to  persuade  you  to 
flee  with  them  for  your  life :  but  you,  like 
the  sluggard,  are  for  "a  little  more  sleep,  and 
a  little  more  slumber:"  the  consequence  is, 
your  companions  escape,  but  you  are  left 
behind  to  perish  in  the  waters,  which,  re- 
gardless of  all  your  cries,  rise  and  overwhelm 
you !  What  a  situation  would  this  be  ! 
How  would  you  curse  that  love  of  sleep  that 
made  you  refuse  to  be  awaked — that  delay- 
ing temper  that  wanted  to  indulge  a  little 
longer!  But  what  is  this  situation  compar- 
ed with  that  of  a  lost  soul  ?  There  will 
come  a  period  when  the  bottom  of  the  ocean 
would  be  deemed  a  refuge ;  when,  to  be 
crushed  under  falling  rocks  and  mountains, 
instead  of  being  viewed  with  terror  as  here- 
tofore, will  be  earnestly  desired !  Yes,  de- 
sired, but  desired  in  vain  !  The  sinner  who 
has  "  neglected  the  great  salvation  "  will  not 
be  able  to  "  escape,"  nor  hide  himself  "  from 
the  face  of  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne," 
nor  from  "  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb  !  " 

My  dear  hearers  !  Consider  your  condi- 
tion without  delay.  God  says  to  you,  To- 
day, if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your 
hearts.  To-day  may  be  the  only  day  you 
have  to  live.  Go  home,  enter  the  closet, 
and  shut  to  the  door ;  confess  your  sins  ;  im- 
plore mercy  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
"  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye 
perish  from  the  way,  when  his  wrath  is 
kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed  are  all  they 
that  put  their  trust  in  him  ! " 


SERMON  IV. 

[Preached    at    Kettering,  at   the    funeral  of  Mr. 
Beeby  Wallis,  April,  J792.] 

THE    BLESSEDNESS    OF    THE    DEAD  WHO    DIE 
IN    THE    LORD. 

"And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  un- 
to me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the 
Lord,  from  henceforth  :  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that 
they  may  rest  from  their  labors  ;  and  their  works 
do  follow  them." — Rev.  xiv.  13. 

It  is  usual  with  us,  on  the  death  of  our 
friends,  to  improve  the  mournful  event  by  a 


sermon  on  the  occasion.  I  feel  a  difficulty, 
in  the  present  instance,  on  account  of  my 
near  and  intimate  connection  with  the 
deceased.  However,  as  well  as  I  can,  I  will 
endeavor  to  comply  with  the  general  expec- 
tation. 

Our  dear  deceased  friend  made  no  mention 
of  any  particular  part  of  Scripture  which  he 
would  wish  to  have  improved  ;  I  have,  there- 
fore, selected  the  above,  as  being  the  most 
suitable  to  the  present  occasion  of  any  that 
has  occurred  to  my  thoughts.  The  original 
design  of  the  passage  seems  to  have  been  to 
support  the  afflicted  followers  of  Christ  in 
times  of  persecution.  Nothing  could  be 
better  adapted  to  arm  the  holy  martyrs 
against  the  terrors  of  death  than  the  senti- 
ment here  exhibited.  It  does  not  seem, 
however,  to  be  applicable  to  martyrs  only  ; 
but  is  rather  to  be  considered  as  a  general 
truth,  which,  though  applied  to  a  particular 
case,  is  not  to  be  confined  to  that  case,  but 
extended  to  every  other  particular  compre- 
hended within  the  general  design.  A  few 
introductory  observations  may  throw  some 
light  upon  the  text,  and  lead  us  on  to  the 
principal  subjects  on  which  I  mean  to  dis- 
course. 

First :  Let  us  observe  the  character  de- 
scribed— those  "who  die  in  the  Lord." 
The  Scriptures  make  frequent  mention  of 
believers,  as  being  united  to  Christ,  or  one 
with  him.  If  we  be  true  believers  in  Christ, 
we  shall  feel  a  union  of  heart  with  him  ;  our 
principles,  affections,  and  pursuits,  will,  in 
a  measure,  be  the  same  as  his :  his  cause 
will  be  our  cause,  his  people  our  people,  his 
service  our  delight,  and  the  gospel  of  salva- 
tion through  his  death  our  daily  bread.  The 
union  between  Christ  and  his  people  is  fre- 
quently compared  to  the  marriage  union  :  as 
they  who  were  twain  become  "  one  flesh,  so 
they  who  are  joined  to  the  Lord  are  one 
spirit ;"  and  as  in  that  case  there  is  not  only 
a  mental  but  a  legal  union,  each  becoming 
interested  in  the  persons  and  possessions  of 
the  other,  so  in  this  we,  with  all  we  have, 
are  Christ's,  and  Christ,  with  all  he  has,  is 
ours.  Hence  the  language  of  the  apostle  : 
"Of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God 
is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  and  righteousness, 
and  sanctification,  and  redemption."  Hence, 
also,  arises  the  desirableness  of  being 
"  found  in  him,  not  having  our  own  right- 
eousness, which  is  of  the  law ;  but  that 
which  is  through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the 
righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith."  A 
union  like  this  will  render  us  blessed  even 
in  death ;  death  itself  shall  not  be  able  to 
dissolve  it,  but  shall  rather  introduce  us  to 
the  full  enjoyment  of  him  whom  our  soul 
loveth. 

It  is  farther  supposed,  of  those  who  die  in 
the  Lord,  that  they  have  abounded  in  good 
xoorks  ;  for  it  could  not  otherwise  have  been 
said  that  they  should  folloic  them.     Those 


196 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


whose  only  hope  and  reliance  for  acceptance 
with  God  have  been  upon  Jesus  Christ,  and 
who  have,  therefore,  disclaimed  all  depend- 
ence upon  their  own  works,  have  often  been 
charged  with  being-  enemies  to  morality  ; 
or,  at  least,  it  has  been  said  that  their  prin- 
ciples, if  pursued  to  their  just  consequences, 
would  render  them  so :  but  I  trust  the  prac- 
tice of  these  persons,  in  all  ages,  has  not 
been  such  as  to  justify  the  charge.  Per- 
haps, on  the  contrary,  if  we  could  survey 
the  spirit  and  manners  of  mankind  with  an 
impartial  eye,  we  might  find  that  they  who 
thus  believed  in  Jesus  were  the  most  careful 
to  maintain  good  works.  Yea,  and  if  we 
would  search  the  Scriptures  Avith  an  unpre- 
judiced mind,  we  should  find  that,  without  a 
union  Avith  Christ,  it  were  a  vain  thing  to 
expect  good  Avorks  (truly  so  called) — as  vain 
as  to  expect  fruit  from  a  branch  that  should 
be  separate  from  the  vine. 

Secondly  :  The  blessedness  of  the  dead 
who  die  in  the  Lord  Avas  declared  by  a  voice 
from  heaven.  If  the  apostle  had  hearkened 
to  the  general  voice  of  mankind,  he  Avould 
have  heard  a  very  different  sound.  The 
world  reckons  him  blessed  that  liveth — that 
liveth  in  prosperity.  So  natural  is  this  to 
man,  that  Ave  all  feel  a  kind  of  pity  for  our 
departed  friends  ;  but  surely  pity  is  never 
more  unnecessary  :  the  voice  from  heaven, 
whatever  be  the  voice  from  earth,  pronoun- 
ces, "Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the 
Lord." 

Thirdly :  The  apostle  Avas  commanded  to 
ivrite  it.  A  mere  voice  passeth  away,  but  a 
Avriting  endureth.  In  this  we  see  God's 
tender  regard  for  his  faithful  servants,  not 
merely  in  that  age,  but  for  ages  to  come. 

Fourthly :  Their  blessedness  is  declared 
to  be  from  henceforth.  I  do  not  see  Iioav  this 
can  be  understood  as  referring  to  the  time 
of  the  Spirit's  speaking  ;  for  that  Avould  imply 
that,  before  that  time,  those  avIio  died  in  the 
Lord  Avere  not  blessed.  It  seems,  I  think, 
plainly  to  refer  to  the  time  of  their  departure 
from  the  body,  and  is  one  of  the  many  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  in  which  Ave  are  taught 
the  doctrine  of  a  separate  state. 

Lastly :  The  blessedness  Avhich  aAvaits 
those  Avho  die  in  the  Lord  consists  partly  in 
a  rest  from  their  labors,  and  partly  in  a  glo- 
rious reward,  expressed  by  their  works  follow- 
in  g  them. 

It  is  on  this  last  observation  I  shall  prin- 
cipally enlarge,  in  this  discourse,  as  the 
most  important  ideas  of  the  text  seem  to  be 
here  included.  Let  us  first  take  a  vieAV  of  the 
heavenly  state  under  the  ideas  here  given, 
and  then  consider  the  uses  that  such  a  pros- 
pect is  adapted  to  promote. 

I.  Let  us  view  the  heavenly  state 

UNDER    THE    IDEAS    OF  A  REST  FROM    LABOR 

and  A  reavard  for  it.  The  term  labor 
does  not  convey  the  idea  of  simple  exer- 
cise :  for  Ave  shall  never  cease  from  that, 


but  rather  increase  it.  The  inhabitants  of 
heaven  are  more  active  than  ever  they  Avere 
upon  earth.  They  are  represented  as 
"  serving  God  day  and  night  in  his  tem- 
ple ; "  yea,  and  as  though  all  our  services  in 
this  Avorld  were  umvorthy  of  the  name,  it  is 
said,  "  There  his  servants  shall  serve  him." 
Nor  is  the  rest  here  spoken  of  to  be  under- 
stood of  a  mere  cessation  from  exercise  in 
the  grave  ;  for  that  Avould  afford  no  blessed- 
ness. The  term  labor  conveys  the  idea  of 
painful  exercise,  weariiiess,  or  fcdigue.  The 
same  word  is  used  in  2  Cor.  xi.  27,  where 
the  apostle  speaks  of  being  in  weariness  and 
painfulness. 

A  great  part  of  the  Christian  life  consists 
in  an  opposition.  He  that  would  gain  the 
heavenly  prize  must  oppose  "  the  course  of 
this  world," — must  strive  against  the  stream 
of  false  principles  and  wicked  practices, 
against  the  evil  customs  and  manners  of  the 
age  and  place  in  which  he  lives.  It  has 
been  observed  that  mankind  go  through  the 
world  in  a  body  ;  that  they  draAV  one  another 
on,  in  their  principles  and  manners ;  that,, 
like  the  drops  of  Avater  which  compose  a, 
tide,  they  acquire  strength  and  influence  by 
their  number;  and  that  Avhatever  general 
direction  they  take,  that  is,  for  the  time  be- 
ing, "  the  course  of  this  world."  Like  the 
tide,  it  is  ever  rolling,  though  not  in  the 
same  direction.  In  former  ages,  it  was  a 
course  of  pagan  idolatry ;  in  later  ages,  of 
popish  superstition  and  cruelty ;  and,  in 
the  present  age,  it  is  a  course  of  infidelity 
and  profaneness.  To  oppose  this  current  is 
labor. 

It  Avas  no  small  matter  for  the  glorious 
tribes  of  martyrs,  in  every  age,  to  hold  fast 
the  faith  of  the  gospel.  They  had  not  only 
to  encounter  their  adversaries,  but  their  OAvn 
natural  feelings.  They  were  men,  and  men 
of  like  passions  Avith  ourselves.  They  had 
Avives,  and  children,  and  friends,  and  the  va- 
rious endearing  ties  of  human  nature  ;  each 
of  which  would  cry  in  their  ears,  Spare  thy- 
self! Think,  brethren,  what  labor  it  must 
have  been  for  them  to  encounter  the  hard- 
ships and  cruelties  to  which  a  faithful  ad- 
herence to  God  exposed  them !  Nor  is  it 
any  small  matter  to  set  ourselves  against 
the  temptations  of  the  world.  There  is  a 
fashion  in  every  thing,  even  in  religion  ;  and 
it  requires  fortitude  of  mind  to  Avithstand  its 
influence,  and  to  adhere  to  the  dictates  of 
Scripture,  let  them  be  stigmatized  as  they 
may.  Nor  does  it  require  less  fortitude  to 
withstand  the  current  of  evil  customs,  by 
which  Ave  may  be  certain,  in  many  cases,  to 
expose  ourselves  to  scorn  and  contempt. 
These  things,  I  say,  are  labor ;  labor  from 
which  those  Avho  die  in  the  Lord  are  at  rest. 
The  course  of  this  Avorld  has  no  longer  any 
influence  on  them  ;  they  are  arrived  in  the 
desired  haven,  where  neither  tide  nor  tem- 
pest can  affect  them. 


BLESSEDNESS    OF    THE    DEAD    WHO    DIE    IN    THE    LORD. 


197 


Again  :  Our  services  for  God,  in  the  pres- 
ent state,  may  very  properly  be  called  labor, 
on  account  of  the  natural  infirmities  and  af- 
flictions which  here  attend  us,  especially  in 
the  last  stages  of  life.  The  most  active 
Christian,  whose  delight  in  his  Lord's  work 
has  been  such  as  to  render  it  its  own  reward, 
will  soon  find  the  years  draw  nigh  in  which 
he  shall  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them.  It 
is  then  that  the  strength  is  labor  and  sorrow. 
It  is  then  that  the  spirit  is  often  willing  when 
the  flesh  is  weak.  Our  dear  deceased  friend 
experienced  much  of  this,  during  the  last 
few  years  of  his  life.  Reading  and  prayer, 
and  every  other  religious  duty,  was  a  labor ; 
but  the  tabernacle  in  which  he  groaned  is 
now  dissolved — he  is  now  at  rest  from  his 
labors. 

Once  more  :  The  greatest  and  most  griev- 
ous struggle  of  all  is  owing  to  our  own  na- 
tive depravity.  It  is  this  that  forms  the  most 
dangerous  stream  against  which  we  have  to 
strive.  We  may  withdraw  ourselves  from 
the  world,  but  not  from  this ;  this  will  ac- 
company us  in  all  our  retirements,  and  in  all 
our  efforts.  He  that  is  contented  to  serve 
the  Lord  with  mere  bodily  exercise  may  feel 
no  manner  of  difficulty  from  this  quarter; 
but  he  that  would  worship  God  in  spirit  and 
in  truth,  that  would  meditate,  pray,  prais^, 
preach,  or  hear,  as  he  ought,  will  find  it  the 
great  burden  of  his  life.  A  mind  prone  to 
forget  God,  and  wander  in  forbidden  paths  ; 
a  heart  unaffected  with  the  great  things  of 
God,  flying  off  from  him,  and  fixing  upon 
things  that  do  not  profit ;  these  are  matters 
which  made  an  apostle  exclaim,  "  O  wretch- 
ed man  that  I  am  !  "  It  is  these  which  ren- 
der our  life  a  labor.  To  be  at  rest  from 
these  is  heaven  indeed  ! 

But  another  idea  afforded  us  of  the  hea- 
venly state  is  that  of  a  reward.  Those  who 
die  in  the  Lord,  not  only  rest  from  their  la- 
bors, but  "their  works  do  follow  them."  It 
has  been  a  common  observation  on  this  pas- 
sage, and  for  aught  I  know  a  just  one,  that 
their  works  are  not  said  to  go  before  them  as 
a  ground  of  justification,  but  to  follow  them 
as  witnesses  in  their  favor.  I  apprehend, 
however,  they  will  not  only  follow  them  as 
witnesses,  but  will  have  place  among  the 
intermediate  causes  of  their  felicity.  It  is 
true,  they  Avill  constitute  no  part  of  our  title 
to  eternal  life  ;  that  is  the  "free  gift  of  God, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ; "  but,  a  title 
to  admission  being  thus  conferred,  they  will 
contribute  to  augment  our  bliss.  The  Scrip- 
tures every  where  teach  us  that  the  ser- 
vices and  sufferings  of  the  faithful  shall  meet 
with  a  divine  reward;  which,  though  not  of 
debt,  but  of  grace,  is  nevertheless  a  reward  ; 
which  it  could  not  be  if  what  was  enjoyed 
in  the  life  to  come  had  no  relation  to  what 
was  done  in  the  present  life. 

God  will  reward  his  servants,  at  the  last 
day,  with  his  public  approbation  before  an 


assembled  world.  "  The  king  shall  say  unto 
them  on  his  right  hand,  Come  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared 
for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 
For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me 
meat :  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink  ; 
I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in  :  naked, 
and  ye  clothed  me :  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visit- 
ed me :  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto 
me."  Nor  shall  their  works  stop  here,  but 
shall  follow  them  into  the  heavenly  state  it- 
self, and  furnish  matter  of  joyful  recollec- 
tion forever,  affording  a  kind  of  measure  ac- 
cording to  which  their  reward  in  heaven  will 
be  conferred.  The  whole  current  of  Scrip- 
ture appears,  to  me,  to  teach  us  that  there 
will  be  degrees  of  happiness,  as  well  as  of 
misery,  in  the  future  state ;  and  that  those 
who  have  served  the  Lord  with  the  great- 
est fidelity  and  zeal  in  this  world  will  enjoy 
the  greatest  portion  of  mental  bliss  in  the 
world  to  come.  If  the  labors  which  we 
here  endure  have  a  tendency  to  meeten  us 
for  the  heavenly  rest — if  present  bitters  will 
render  future  sweet  the  sweeter — and  if  it  is 
thus  that  our  "  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for 
a  moment,  workethfor  us  a  far  more  exceed- 
ing and  eternal  weight  of  glory  " — it  must 
then  follow  that  there  will  be  some  propor- 
tion between  our  present  labors  and  our  fu- 
ture enjoyments.  I  mean,  it  cannot  be  sup- 
posed that  those  who  have  labored  but  little 
for  God  will  enjoy  an  equal  portion  of  feli- 
city with  those  avIio  have  labored  much. 

Upon  no  other  principle,  that  I  can  see, 
can  we  understand  those  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture which  exhort  us  to  "  lay  up  treasure  in 
heaven ;"  to  "lay  up  in  store  for  ourselves  a 
good  foundation  against  the  time  to  come  ;  " 
which  encourage  us  under  reproaches  and 
persecutions  for  the  name  of  Christ,  saying, 
"  Great  is  your  reward  in  heaven ; "  and 
which  warn  us,  saying,  "  Be  not  deceived, 
God  is  not  mocked :  for  whatsoever  a  man 
soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.  For  he 
that  soweth  to  his  flesh  shall  of  the  flesh 
reap  corruption :  but  he  that  soweth  to  the 
Spirit  shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlast- 
ing.2 — "He  that  soweth  sparingly  shall  reap 
sparingly ;  but  he  that  soweth  bountifully 
shall  reap  bountifully.  For  we  must  all  ap- 
pear before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ, 
that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done 
in  his  body,  according  to  that  he  hath  done, 
whether  it  be  good  or  bad."  We  see,  here, 
that  laying  out  ourselves  for  God  is  laying 
up  treasure  in  heaven,  and  that  everlasting 
life  is  a  harvest  that  will  grow  out  of  the  seed 
sown  to  the  Spirit. 

Some  serious  people  have  demurred  upon 
this  subject,  lest  it  should  affect  the  doctrine 
of  salvation  by  grace,  and  encourage  boast- 
ing. Indeed,  if  those  works  which  follow 
us  into  the  heavenly  state  were  to  be  ascrib- 
ed to  us  as  their  first  cause,  and  were  con- 
sidered as  the  proper  meritorious  ground  of 


198 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


our  reward,  there  would  be  weight  in  the 
objection ;  but  if  it  be  the  Lord  who  has 
wrought  all  our  ivorks  in  us,  and  if  the  re- 
ward with  which  he  is  pleased  to  crown  them 
be  a  matter  of  grace  and  not  of  debt,  where 
then  is  boasting  ?  It  is  only  God's  gracious- 
ly rewarding  his  own  Avork.  If  ten  thousand 
crowns  were  placed  upon  the  Christian's 
head,  he  would  cast  them  immediately  at  his 
Redeemer's  feet,  saying,  "  Not  unto  us,  not 
unto  us,  but  to  thy  name  give  glory  !  " 

It  is  through  the  "intimate  union  between 
Christ  and  believers  that  they  are  not  only 
accepted  in  him,  but  what  they  do  for  Christ 
is  accepted  also,  and  rewarded  for  his  sake. 
"The  Lord  had  respect  unto  Abel  and  to 
his  offering.''''  We  are  not  only  "  accepted 
in  the  beloved,"  but  our  "  sacrifices "  be- 
come "acceptable  to  God  through  Jesus 
Christ."  As  there  is  no  sin  so  great  but 
God,  for  Christ's  sake,  can  forgive  it ;  no 
blessing  so  great  but  he  can  bestow  it;  so 
there  is  no  service  so  small,  if  done  from 
love  to  him,  but  he  will  reward  it.  "A  cup 
of  cold  water,  given  to  a  disciple,"  because 
he  belongs  to  him,  will  insure  "  a  disciple's 
reward." 

God's  graciously  connecting  blessings 
with  the  obedience  of  his  people  serves  to 
show,  not  only  his  love  to  his  Son,  and  to 
them,  but  also  his  love  to  holiness  and  right- 
eousness. A  father  may  design  to  give  an 
inheritance  to  his  child,  and  various  other 
accommodations ;  he  may  design  also  to  fit 
him,  as  much  as  may  be,  for  the  enjoyment 
of  what  he  has  to  bestow  upon  him.  On 
this  principle,  he  will  connect  almost  every 
gift  or  favor  that  he  confers  with  some  act 
of  filial  duty.  It  is  easy  to  see,  in  this  case, 
that  the  father  does  not  consider  these  things 
as  the  child's  due  upon  the  footing  of  merit; 
for  all  that  he  did  was  simply  his  duty : 
but  love  to  his  child  induced  him  to  give  ; 
and  love  to  diligence,  obedience,  and  good 
order,  induced  him  to  give  it  in  such  a  man- 
ner. It  is  thus  that  God  gives  grace  and 
glory.  It  is  thus  that,  in  this  life, Jindi7ig  is 
connected  with  seeking, forgiveness  with  con- 
fession, and  salvation  with  believing;  and, 
in  the  life  to  come,  eternal  glory  with  suf- 
fering, warring,  and  overcoming.  It  is  thus 
that  God  displays,  at  the  same  time,  the  free- 
ness  of  his  grace  and  his  love  of  righteous- 
ness and  good  orc|er.  Grace  reigns  in  a 
way  of  righteousness  through  the  whole  sys- 
tem of  salvation.  Those  that  are  saved  shall 
be  sufficiently  convinced  it  is  all  of  grace  ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  all  shall  see  the 
equity  and  fitness  of  the  divine  proceed- 
ings, in  judging  every  man  according  to  his 
works. 

But  I  proceed  to  consider 

II.  The  uses  that  this  two-foib  idea 

OF  THE  HEAVENLY  STATE  IS  ADAPTED  TO 

promote.  All  divine  truth  has  a  tendency 
to  do  us  good,  and  the  sentiments  taught  us 


in  this  passage  are  adapted  to  our  present 
situation. 

1.  A  rest  for  those  who  die  in  the  Lord 
may  reconcile  us  to  the  loss  of  our  dearest 
Christian  friends,  seeing  they  are  gone  to  the 
possession  of  it,  and  are  henceforth  blessed. 
When  our  Lord  Jesus  was  about  to  leave 
the  world,  and  his  disciples  were  overmuch 
dejected  at  the  thought  of  his  going,  he  told 
them,  "  If  ye  loved  me,  ye  would  rejoice 
because  I  said  I  go  to  the  Father,  for  my 
Father  is  greater  than  I ;  "  which  is  as  if  he 
had  said,  The  glory  and  happiness  which 
my  Father  possesses,  and  which  I  go  to  pos- 
sess with  him,  is  greater  than  any  thing  I 
can  here  enjoy ;  if,  therefore,  ye  loved  me 
in  a  proper  manner,  instead  of  weeping  at 
my  departure,  surely  ye  would  rejoice  at  it. 
If  the  love  that  we  bear  to  our  Christian 
friends  were  but  properly  directed,  if  our 
minds  were  but  capacious  enough  to  take 
all  things  into  consideration,  we  should  min- 
gle joy  with  all  our  mourning  on  their  ac- 
count. 

2.  A  rest  before  us  may  reconcile  us  who 
are  left  behind  to  all  the  labors  and  pains  and 
iveariness  of  life.  We  need  not  tire,  or  want 
to  sit  down  here  ;  there  will  be  time  enough 
to  rest  us  by  and  by.  Nor  need  we  be  dis- 
couraged with  all  the  trials  of  the  present 
state.  What  though  it  were  "  in  weariness 
and  painfullness,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  cold 
and  nakedness,"  that  we  had  to  pass  the 
remainder  of  our  days  ?  What  though  bonds 
and  afflictions  should  abide  us  ?  The  suf- 
ferings of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  the  glory  that  shall  be 
revealed  in  us.  The  rest  that  remains  will 
make  us  like,  Joseph,  "  forget  all  our  toil, 
and  all  our  father's  house ; "  so  forget  it,  at 
least,  as  never  to  think  of  it  any"  more  but 
with  joy  and  thankfulness. 

3.  The  glorious  reward  before  us  may 
stimulate  us  to  work  for  God  xvith  all  our 
might  ivhile  life  continues.  It  is  affecting  to 
consider  what  we  are  doing  in  this  life  as 
the  seed  of  an  eternal  harvest.  Let  us  keep 
this  thought  habitually  in  view.  There  is  a 
way  of  turning  the  ills  of  life  into  good, 
yea,  an  everlasting  good.  Every  tempta- 
tion to  evil  that  accosts  us  is  a  price  put  in- 
to our  hands ;  it  affords  us  an  opportunity 
of  proving  our  love  to  God,  by  denying  our- 
selves in  that  instance  for  his  sake.  The 
same  jjiay  be  said  of  afflictions  ;  they  afford 
us  an  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  pa- 
tience and  acquiescence  in  the  will  of  God ; 
and  what  a  harvest  of  joy  such  things  may 
issue  in,  it  is  beyond  our  capacity  to  con- 
ceive. Perhaps,  it  was  under  some  such 
views  as  these  that  the  primitive  Christians 
were  used  to  "  rejoice  in  tribulation,"  and 
were  exhorted  to  "count  it  all  joy,  when 
they  fell  into  divers  temptations." 

4.  If  our  works  will  follow  us,  we  have 
reason  to  tremble  as  tvell  as  rejoice.    The 


BLESSEDNESS    OF    THE    DEAD    WHO    DIE    IN    THE    LORD. 


199 


works  of  those  who  die  out  of  Christ,  as 
well  as  the  others,  will  follow  them.  Their 
life  is  a  seed-time,  and  they  also  will  receive 
a  harvest.  All  men  have  their  opportuni- 
ties, their  temptations  and  their  alllictions ; 
and  they  will  work  in  some  way,  either  as  a 
savor  of  life  unto  life,  or  of  death  unto  death  ; 
either  as  an  eternal  weight  of  glory,  or  of  in- 
famy and  misery. 

But  what  shall  I  say  in  immediate  refer- 
ence to  the  present  melancholy  occasion  ? 
I  wish  I  could  say  something  that  might 
have  a  tendency  to  comfort  those  that  mourn. 
We  have  all  sustained  a  heavy  loss.  The 
town  has  lost  one  that  sought  its  welfare  ; 
the  poor  have  lost  a  benefactor  ;  the  church 
of  which  he  was  a  member  and  an  officer 
has  lost  one  the  study  of  whose  life  it  was 
to  promote  its  prosperity ;  those  who  had 
the  pleasure  of  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  him  have  lost  a  steady,  faithful,  and  ju- 
dicious friend  ;  and  you,  my  friend,  the  part- 
ner of  his  life,  you  have  sustained  a  heavier 
loss  than  any  of  us.  But  let  us  try  and  con- 
sider that  the  loss  is  not  so  great  but  it 
might  have  been  greater.  We  have  not  to 
sorrow  as  those  that  have  no  hope.  Our 
grief  is  confined  to  ourselves.  We  have  no 
cause  to  weep  on  his  account.  This  is  a 
thought  which,  though  frequently  mentioned 
on  such  occasions  as  these,  yet  can  never 
be  sufficiently  realized.  To  bury  a  Chris- 
tian friend  is  nothing  in  comparison  of  bury- 
ing those  relations  of  whose  piety  toe  have 
no  well-grounded  satisfaction.  Add  to  this, 
the  mercy  of  God  in  not  taking  him  away 
in  the  prime  of  life,  and  health,  and  useful- 
ness. Had  he  been  removed  ten  or  twelve, 
or  even  five  or  six  years  ago,  the  stroke  had 
been  much  more  felt  by  all  his  connections 
than  it  is  now. 

I  have  often  admired  the  wisdom  and 
mercy  of  God  in  these  things.  We  see  the 
threatening  hand  of  God  laid  upon  one  of 
our  dearest  friends  and  relatives  ;  at  first  we 
think  we  can  never  endure  the  loss ;  but 
the  affliction  continues ;  meanwhile,  the 
weight  which  he  sustained  in  society  is  grad- 
ually removed,  and  falls  by  degrees  upon 
his  friends  about  him;  life  becomes  a  bur- 
den to  himself;  at  length,  the  very  same 
principle  that  made  it  appear  impossible  for 
us  to  endure  a  separation  renders  us  incapa- 
ble of  praying  or  even  wishing  for  his  con- 
tinuance ;  and  thus  the  burden,  that  we  could 
scarcely  have  known  how  to  bear,  becomes 
tolerable,  by  being  gradually  let  down  as  it 
were  upon  our  shoulders. 

Our  dear  friend  has  left  many  relations 
behind  him ;  most  of  whom  I  suppose  may 
at  this  time  be  present.  My  dear  friends,  I 
have  often  heard  him  express  his  anxiety  for 
several  of  you,  both  as  to  your  temporal  and 
spiritual  welfare.  Some  of  you  may  have 
been  apt  to  consider  him  as  an  enviable 
character  on  account  of  his  wealth  ;  but,  be 


assured,  he  was  much  more  enviable  on  ac- 
count of  his  piety  :  you  need  not  wish  so 
much  to  live  like  him  as  a  gentleman  as  to 
live  and  die  like  him  as  a  Christian. 

But,  I  suppose,  it  will  be  expected  that  I 
should  say  something  more  particularly  of 
the  deceased  himself.  I  have  commonly  de- 
clined saying  much  on  this  head;  and  I  still 
think  that,  generally  speaking,  it  is  right  to 
do  so,  because  the  generality  of  characters, 
even  of  good  men,  have  nothing  in  them 
very  remarkable  or  worthy  of  being  held  up 
for  our  imitation.  But,  for  this  very  reason,  I 
think  in  some  cases  it  would  be  wrong  to 
omit  it.  Perhaps  no  human  writings  have  had 
a  better  effect  than  the  lives  of  eminently 
holy  men.  When,  therefore,  any  such  char- 
acters appear  among  us,  I  think  it  is  right  to 
collect  as  much  information  respecting  them 
as  we  can,  that  the  remembrance  of  them 
may  be  of  general  use. 

So  far  as  education  and  parental  example 
could  influence,  our  deceased  friend  might 
be  said  to  have  known  the  holy  Scriptures 
from  a  child.  His  family,  for  generations 
past,  have  walked  in  the  ways  of  piety.  His 
great-grandfather,  Mr.  William  Wallis,  was 
the  founder  and  first  minister  of  the  church 
of  which  you  and  I  are  members.  He  found- 
ed it  in  1696.  His  grandfather,  Mr.  Thomas 
Wallis,  succeeded  in  the  same  office.  It 
was  in  his  time  that  the  late  Dr.  Gill,  and 
the  late  Mr.  Brine,  were  both  called  to  the 
ministry.  He  died  in  1726,  and  his  funeral 
sermon  is  said,  as  in  the  present  instance,  to 
have  been  preached  in  this  place,*  on  ac- 
count of  the  number  of  people  who  attended 
it.  His  father,  Mr.  William  Wallis,  though 
not  a  minister  as  his  predecessors  had  been, 
was  a  very  respectable  member  of  the  same 
community.  When  he  died,  which  was  in 
1/57,  his  son,  our  deceased  friend,  was  but 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  From  his  earliest 
years  he  was  under  strong  convictions  of 
the  truth  and  importance  of  religion  ;  but 
the  most  remarkable  impression  of  this  sort 
was  made  at  the  death  of  his  father.  It  was 
then,  as  he  said,  that  he  went  and  prayed  to 
God,  and  thought  within  himself — O  that  I 
had  but  an  interest  in  Christ ;  and  felt  all  the 
world,  and  all  its  enjoyments,  to  be  mere 
vanity  without  it ! 

At  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  he  had  a 
brother,  Mr.  Joseph  Wallis,  about  twelve 
years  of  age.  The  amiable  piety  of  that 
young  man  is  said  to  have  appeared  at  an 
early  period  ;  but,  to  the  great  grief  of  his 
friends,  especially  of  his  brother,  he  was  re- 
moved by  the  small-pox,  in  the  nineteenth 
year  of  his  age. 

In  the  year  1763,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight,  Mr.  Wallis  became  a  member  of  the 
same  Christian  community  in  which  his  pre- 

*  The  independent  meeting-house,  kindly  granted 
on  this  occasion. — Ed. 


200 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


decessors  had  lived  and  died.  About  five 
years  after,  he  was  chosen  to  the  office  of  a 
deacon ;  an  office  which  he  has  filled  with 
honor  and  satisfaction  for  twenty-four  years. 
It  was  a  great  blessing  to  the  church,  espe- 
cially when  for  the  space  of  five  years  they 
were  destitute  of  a  minister,  that  he  was  in- 
vested with  this  office,  and  was  then  in  the 
prime  of  life  and  usefulness.  It  will  long  be 
remembered  with  what  meekness  of  wisdom 
he  presided  in  the  church,  during  that  un- 
comfortable interval ;  and  how,  notwithstand- 
ing all  the  disadvantages  of  such  a  situation, 
they  were  not  only  preserved  in  peace,  but 
gradually  increased  till  a  minister  was  set- 
tled among  them. 

God  endued  him  with  a  sound  understand- 
ing and  a  solid  judgment.  His  knowledge 
was  extensive,  and  liis  observations  on  men 
and  things,  ripened  by  long  experience, 
were  just  and  accurate.  He  had  a  quick 
sense  of  right  and  wrong,  of  propriety  and 
impropriety,  which  rendered  his  counsel  of 
great  esteem  in  cases  of  difficulty. 

To  this  was  added  a  spirit  of  activity. 
Though,  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
he  was  out  of  trade,  yet  his  head  and  hands 
were  always  full  with  the  concerns  of  others, 
either  those  of  private  individuals,  with  which 
he  was  entrusted,  or  matters  of  public  utility. 
He  would  rise  by  five  in  the  morning,  in 
summer,  and  be  as  diligent  all  the  day  as  if 
he  had  to  obtain  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of 
the  brow. 

But,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
features  of  his  character  was  sincerity,  or  in- 
tegrity of  heart.  This  was  a  temper  of  mind 
that  ran  through  all  his  concerns.  In  a 
cause  of  righteousness,  he  possessed  a  se- 
verity which  rendered  it  almost  impossible 
for  treachery  to  stand  before  him.  He  was 
prudent,  but  his  prudence  never  degenerated 
into  low  policy,  or  any  thing  that  deserved 
the  name  of  subtilty.  If  motives  of  mere  pru- 
dence were  proposed  to  him,  he  would  hesi- 
tate, nor  would  he  accede  till  he  had  thought 
whether  the  measure  was  right.  If  he  could 
but  satisfy  himself  on  that  head,  he  would  be 
regardless  of  consequences,  or  of  popular 
opinion.  Even  in  his  contributions,  one  might 
perceive  his  love  of  righteousness.  Though 
an  economist  from  principle,  he  had  nothing 
of  the  niggard :  only  convince  him  that  a 
cause  was  right  (and  that  was  easily  done,  if  it 
was  so,)  and  he  would  engage  in  it  with  all 
his  heart,  nor  think  much  of  any  expense. 
"  I  wish  to  do  what  is  right"  he  would  say, 
"  and  leave  consequences."  He  was  a 
standing  example  of  the  falsehood  of  that 
system  which  teaches  that  "  flattery  is  essen- 
tial to  politeness."  If  to  behave  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  gain  the  esteem  of  all  descrip- 
tions of  men  be  politeness,  he  was  polite  ; 
yet  he  hated  flattery.  He  would  neither 
flatter  nor  be  flattered  by  others.  The  true 
secret  by  which  he  obtained  esteem  was  an 


unaffected  modesty,  mingled  with  kindness 
and  goodness. 

He  possessed  a  peculiar  decision  of  char- 
acter. His  judgment  was  generally  formed 
with  slow  deliberation;  but,  having  once 
made  up  his  mind,  it  was  not  easily  altered. 
He  was  decisive  in  the  principles  he  em- 
braced. He  held  nothing  with  a  loose  hand. 
He  observed  to  me,  a  few  weeks  before  he 
died,  when  mentioning  what  he  eonceived  to 
have  been  his  great  defect  in  religion,  that 
it  was  not  a  wavering  disposition.  "  I  have 
not,"  said  he,  "been  tossed  about  with  every 
wind  of  doctrine."  He  has  sometimes  in- 
genuously confessed  that  he  thought  him- 
self more  in  danger  of  erring  by  a  prejudiced 
attachment  to  received  principles  than  by 
the  contrary.  He  was  equally  decisive  in 
matters  of  practice.  He  scarcely  ever  en- 
gaged in  any  thing  with  indifference.  What 
his  hand  found  him  to  do,  he  did  it  with  his 
might.  Having  formed  his  judgment  that 
such  a  matter  was  right,  he  would  pursue 
it  with  indefatigable  industry,  patience,  and 
perseverance ;  he  would  wade  through  dif- 
ficulties that  would  have  discouraged  most 
men ;  nor  was  he  ever  satisfied  till  he  had 
accomplished  his  end. 

There  are  few  men  that  have  possessed  a 
greater  degree  of  genuine  humility.  It  is 
often  seen,  where  persons  of  affluence  unite 
with  a  Christian  community,  they  consider 
themselves  as  doing  great  honor  to  it,  and 
expect  great  homage  in  return.  But  this 
every  one  that  knew  him  can  bear  witness 
was  not  his  spirit.  It  was  not  natural  to  him 
to  assume  the  airs  of  a  Diotrephes,  or  to 
avail  himself  of  the  influence  which  his  cir- 
cumstances and  situation  afforded  him  to 
lord  it  over  God's  heritage.  He  was  some- 
times warm  and  sanguine  ;  but  that  was  not 
frequent,  and  never  but  when  he  considered 
himself  as  engaged  in  the  cause  of  truth  and 
righteousness. 

To  this  may  be  added,  there  was  a  vein 
of  serious  godliness  that  ran  through  his  life. 
It  is  true,  he  was  often  dejected  in  his  own 
mind,  lest  he  should  be  found  wanting  at 
last ;  so  much  so  as  to  give  considerable  pain 
to  his  friends.  "There  is  something  in  re- 
ligion," he  would  say,  "  with  which  I  fear  I 
have  been  all  my  life  unacquainted."  This 
dejection  I  attribute,  in  a  great  degree,  to 
constitution.  There  are  few  characters  that 
have  discovered  a  greater  fear  of  God,  a 
greater  acquiescence  in  the  way  of  salvation 
through  a  crucified  Saviour,  or  a  greater  con- 
cern to  spend  his  life  in  doing  good.  That 
which  would  have  hurt  the  pride  of  many  a 
rich  man,  namely,  to  unite  with  the  poor  and 
illiterate  as  his  brethren,  was  no  mortification 
to  him ;  on  the  contrary,  he  lately  said,  "  I 
reckon  it  the  greatest  honor  of  my  life  to  have 
been  employed  in  promoting  the  interest  of 
Christ." 

There  is  one  circumstance  more  which  I 


ON    A    DEEP    AND    INTIMATE    KNOWLEDGE    OF    DIVINE    TRUTH. 


201 


cannot  omit.  About  a  week  before  he  died, 
he  requested  that  a  few  of  his  Christian 
friends  might  come  and  see  him,  and  pray 
with  him.  Five  of  us  went.  When  there, 
he  told  us  he  did  not  wish  us  to  pray  for  his 
life  ;  he  considered  it  as  the  will  of  God  that 
he  should  die ;  and  he  added,  "  His  will  be 
done  !  But  pray,"  said  he,  "  that  if  there 
are  any  sins  of  which  I  have  been  guilty, 
and  have  not  yet  repented,  any  sins  for 
which  God  has  any  controversy  with  me, 
that  he  would  give  me  a  proper  sense  of  them 
before  I  die.  Or,  if  not,  that  I  might  enjoy 
the  light  of  his  countenance  in  death."  We 
were  all  exceedingly  affected.  After  pray- 
ing with  him  about  an  hour,  he  gathered  up 
what  little  strength  he  had,  and  addressed 
himself  to  us  with  a  kind  of  solemn  farewell. 
He  reminded  us  of  the  difficulties  we  had 
been  brought  through  as  a  church,  express- 
ed his  satisfaction  in  leaving  us  in  so  com- 
fortable a  situation,  recommended  us  to  love 
one  another,  and  solemnly  commended  us  to 
the  blessing  of  God!  Surely  I  shall  never 
forget  this  tender  parting !  But  I  have  done. 
He  would  have  invited  others  of  his  friends, 
whom  he  equally  loved,  but  his  strength  be-, 
gan  to  fail  him;  and  in  a  few  days,  after  a 
long  series  of  afflictions,  which  he  bore  with 
great  patience,  calmness,  and  resignation  to 
God,  he  fell  asleep. 


SERMON  V. 

[Preached   before   the    Baptist  Association  at  St. 
Albans,  June  1,  1796.] 

THE  NATURE    AND    IMPORTANCE    OF    A    DEEP 
AND     INTIMATE     KNOWLEDGE     OF     DIVINE 


"  For  when  for  the  time  ye  ought  to  be  teachers, 
ye  have  need  that  one  teach  you  again  which  be 
the  first,  principles  of  the  oracles  of  God  ;  and  are 
become  such  as  have  need  of  milk,  and  not  of 
strong  meat.  For  every  one  that  useth  milk  is  un- 
skilful in  the  word  of  righteousness  ;  for  he  is  a 
babe.  But  strong  meat  belongeth  to  them  that  are 
of  full  age,  even  those  who  by  reason  of  use  have 
their  senses  exercised  to  discern  both  good  and 
evil."— Heb.  v.  12—14. 

There  is  nothing  in  which  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  and  the  kingdom  of  Satan  are  more 
opposed  than  that  the  one  is  characterized 
by  light  and  the  other  by  darkness.  The 
cause  of  falsehood  is  itself  a  dark  cause,  and 
requires  darkness  to  cover  it:  but  truth  is 
light,  and  cometh  to  the  light,  that  it  may  be 
made  manifest.  Knowledge  is  every  where 
encouraged  in  the  Bible  ;  our  best  interests 
are  interwoven  with  it ;  and  the  spirituality 
of  our  minds,  and  the  real  enjoyment  of  our 
lives,  depend  upon  its  increase.  "Grace 
and  peace  are  multiplied  through  the  knowl- 
edge of  God  and  of  Jesus  our  Lord."  Nor 
is  it  necessary  for  our  own  sakes  only,  but 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  26. 


for  the  sake  of  others.  It  is  a  great  encour- 
agement to  Christian  ministers  when  those 
whom  they  teach  possess  a  good  understand- 
ing in  the  things  of  God.  Indeed,  none 
but  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  work  of 
teaching  can  tell  how  much  the  ardor  of  the 
mind  is  damped  by  the  contrary.  The  truth  of 
this  remark  is  exemplified  in  the  writer  of 
this  epistle.  In  the  verses  immediately  pre- 
ceding the  text,  you  perceive  him  highly  in- 
terested in  his  subject,  and  proceeding  in  a 
glorious  career  of  reasoning;  when,  all  on  a 
sudden,  he  is  stopped.  He  had  many  things 
to  say  of  his  Lord  and  master ;  but  which 
were  "  hard  to  be  understood,"  seeing  those 
to  whom  he  wrote  were  "  dull  of  hearing." 
It  is  on  this  occasion  that  he  introduces  the 
passage  now  before  us,  in  which  his  object 
is  to  shame  and  provoke  them,  by  comparing 
them  with  those  who  as  to  years  were  men, 
but  as  to  knowledge  children  ;  and  who,  in- 
stead of  having  made  advances  in  science, 
needed  to  be  taught  the  alphabet  over 
again.  There  are  some  things  supposed  and 
included  in  the  passage  which  require  a  little 
previous  attention. 

First :  It  is  here  supposed  that  all  divine 
knowledge  is  to  be  derived  from  the  oracles 
of  God.  It  is  a  proper  term  by  which  the 
sacred  Scriptures  are  here  denominated, 
strongly  expressive  of  their  divine  inspira- 
tion and  infallibility :  in  them  God  speaks  ; 
and  to  them  it  becomes  us  to  hearken.  We 
may  learn  other  things  from  other  quarters  ; 
and  things,  too,  that  may  subserve  the 
knowledge  of  God ;  but  the  knowledge  of 
God  itself  must  here  be  sought,  for  here  only 
it  can  be  found. 

Much  has  been  said  on  faith  and  reason, 
and  the  question  has  often  been  agitated 
whether  the  one,  in  any  instance,  can  be 
contrary  to  the  other.  In  the  solution  of 
this  question,  it  is  necessary,  in  the  first 
place,  to  determine  what  is  meant  by  reason. 
There  is  a  great  difference  between  reason 
and  reasoning.  Nothing  which  God  reveals 
can  contradict  the  former ;  but  this  is  more 
than  can  be  said  of  the  latter.  It  is  impos- 
sible for  God  to  reveal  any  thing  repugnant 
to  what  is  fit  and  right;  but  that  which  is  fit 
and  right  in  one  man's  estimation  is  prepos- 
terous and  absurd  in  the  esteem  of  another, 
which  clearly  proves  that  reason,  as  it  exists 
in  depraved  creatures,  is  not  a  proper  stand- 
ard of  truth ;  and  hence  arises  the  necessity 
of  another  and  a  better  standard,  "  the  ora- 
cles of  God."  By  studying  these,  a  good 
man  will  gain  more  understanding  than  his 
teachers,  if  they  live  in  the  neglect  of 
them. 

Secondly  :  It  is  supposed  that  the  oracles 
of  God  include  a  system  of  divine  truth.— 
They  contain  the  frst  principles,  or  rudi- 
ments, of  religion— the  simple  truths  of  the 
gospel,  which  require  little  or  no  investiga- 
tion  in   order   to   their  being   understood; 


202 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


these  are  called  "  milk."  They  also  contain 
the  "  deep  things  of  God,"  things  beyond 
the  reach  of  a  slight  and  cursory  observa- 
tion, and  which  require,  if  we  would  properly 
enter  into  them,  close  and  repeated  atten- 
tion: this  is  "strong  meat."  Those  doc- 
trines which  the  apostle  enumerates  in  the 
following  chapter,  as  things  which  he  should 
"  leave,  and  go  on  unto  perfection,"  have 
been  thought  to  refer  to  the  leading  princi- 
ples of  Judaism :  and  it  may  be  so  ;  for  Ju- 
daism itself  contained  the  first  principles  of 
Christianity  :  it  was  introductory  to  it ;  or, 
as  it  is  elsewhere  expressed,  it  was  "  our 
schoolmaster  to  bring  us  to  Christ." 

Thirdly :  It  is  intimated  that  Christians 
should  not  rest  satisfied  in  having  attained  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  first  principles  of  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ,  hut  should  go  on  unto  perfec- 
tion ;  not  only  so  as  to  obtain  satisfaction  for 
themselves,  but  that  they  may  be  able  to 
teach  others.  It  is  true  all  are  not  to  be 
teachers  by  office  ;  but,  in  one  form  or  other, 
all  should  aspire  to  communicate  the  knowl- 
edge of  Christ.  Every  Christian  is  required 
to  be  ready  to  give  a  reason  of  the  hope 
that  is  in  him,  with  meekness  and  fear :  and 
if  all  the  members  of  our  churches  did  but 
possess  this  readiness,  besides  the  advan- 
tages that  would  accrue  to  themselves  and 
others,  there  would  be  less  scarcity  than 
there  is  of  able  and  evangelical  ministers. 

The  leading  sentiment  which  runs  through 
the  passage,  and  comprises   the   whole,  is 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  A  DEEP  AND  INTI- 
MATE   KNOWLEDGE  OF    DIVINE    TRUTH.       To 

this  subject,  brethren,  permit  me  to  call  your 
attention.     In   discoursing   upon   it,  I  shall 
first  inquire   wherein  it   consists,  and  then 
endeavor  to  show  the  importance  of  it. 
1.  Let  us   inquire    what    a    deep   and 

INTIMATE    KNOWLEDGE    OF     DIVINE      TRUTH 

includes.  That  the  oracles  of  God  con- 
tain deep  things  requires  but  little  proof. 
The  character  of  God,  our  own  depravity, 
and  that  great  mystery  of  godliness,  God 
manifest  in  the  flesh,  &c,  are  deep  and 
interesting  subjects.  The  prophets  had  to 
search  into  the  meaning  of  their  own  proph- 
ecies. The  riches  of  Christ,  with  which 
the  apostles  were  entrusted,  were  denomi- 
nated "unsearchable  ;"  and  even  the  high- 
est orders  of  created  intelligences  are  de- 
scribed as  "  looking "  into  these  things  for 
their  farther  improvement. 

It  may  seem  presuming  for  any  person, 
in  the  present  imperfect  state,  to  determine 
on  subjects  of  such  magnitude  ;  or  to  talk 
of  a  deep  and  intimate  knowledge  of  things 
which  surpass  the  comprehension  of  the 
most  exalted  creatures.  And  if  these  terms 
were  used  either  absolutely,  to  express  the 
real  conformity  of  our  ideas  of  divine  things 
to  the  full  extent  of  the  things  them- 
selves, or  even  comparatively,  if  the  com- 
parison   respected    saints    on    earth    and 


saints  in  heaven,  it  would  be  presumption. 
But  it  is  only  in  reference  to  one  another  in 
the  present  state  that  these  terms  are  intend- 
ed to  apply.  Compared  with  heavenly 
inhabitants,  all  of  us  are  babes :  even  an 
inspired  apostle  was  no  more.  "When  I 
was  a  child,"  said  he,  "  I  spake  as  a  child,  I 
understood  as  a  child,  I  thought  as  a  child  : 
but,  when  I  became  a  man,  I  put  away 
childish  things.  For  now  we  see  through 
a  glass  darkly  ;  but  then  face  to  face  ;  now 
I  know  in  part,  but  then  shall  I  know  even 
as  also  I  am  known."  There  are  such 
degrees,  however,  among  good  men  in  this 
life  as  that,  compared  with  each  other,  some 
may  be  said  to  possess  only  a  superficial 
knowledge  of  divine  truth,  and  others  a 
more  deep  and  intimate  acquaintance  with 
it. 

It  is  the  importance  of  the  latter  of  these 
that  I  wish  to  have  impressed  upon  your 
minds.  To  attain  it,  the  following,  among 
other  tilings,  require  our  attention : — 

1.  Though  we  must  not  stop  at  first  princi- 
ples, yet  we  must  be  well  grounded  in  them. 
No  person  can  drink  deeply  into  any  science 
without  being  well  acquainted  with  its  rudi- 
ments ;  these  are  the  foundation  on  which 
the  whole  structure  rests.  The  first  princi- 
ples of  the  oracles  of  God,  as  specified  by 
our  apostle,  are  "  repentance  from  dead 
works,  faith  toward  God,  the  doctrine  of 
baptisms,  the  laying  on  of  hands,  the  resur- 
rection of  the  dead,  and  eternal  judgment." 
Whatever  may  be  meant  by  some  of  these 
terms,  whether  they  refer  to  things  peculiar 
to  Judaism,  or  to  the  early  times  of  Christi- 
anity, it  is  clear,  from  Scripture  and  the  na- 
ture of  things,  that  others  of  them  are  ex- 
pressive of  principles  which,  in  every  age, 
are  of  the  first  importance.  Though  the 
apostle  speaks  of  leaving  them,  yet  he  does 
not  mean  that  we  should  give  them  up,  or 
treat  them  with  indifference,  but  go  on  unto 
perfection ;  as  a  builder  leaves  his  founda- 
tion when  he  raises  his  walls,  and  advances 
toward  the  completion  of  his  building. 

Repentance  was  the  first  lesson  inculcated 
by  John  the  Baptist,  and  Christ,  and  the 
apostles ;  and  that  not  merely  on  profligate 
sinners,  but  on  scribes  and  pharisees.  All 
that  they  had  hitherto  learned  required,  as 
it  were,  to  be  unlearned  ;  and  all  that  they 
had  done  to  be  undone,  and  utterly  relin- 
quished. 

The  knowledge  which  carnal  men  acquire 
of  divine  things  puffs  them  up  ;  and,  while 
they  think  they  understand  great  things,  they 
know  nothing  as  they  ought  to  know  it.  All 
the  works,  too,  which  have  been  wrought 
during  a  state  of  unregeneracy,  are  "  dead 
works ; "  and  instead  of  being,  in  any  de- 
gree, pleasing  to  God,  require  to  be  lament- 
ed with  shame  and  self-abhorrence.  Re- 
pentance is  a  kind  of  self-emptying  work  ; 
it  includes  a  renunciation,  not  only  of  those 


ON    A    DEEP    AND    INTIMATE    KNOWLEDGE    OF    DIVINE    TRUTH. 


203 


things  for  which  our  own  consciences  at  the 
time  condemned  us,  but  of  what  we  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  reckoning  wisdom  and 
righteousness.  Hence  the  propriety  of  the 
order  in  which  the  Scriptures  place  it  with 
regard  to  faith — "  Repent  and  believe  the 
gospel."  Renounce  your  own  ways,  and 
embrace  his.  "  He  that  will  be  wise  must 
first  become  a  fool,  that  he  may  be  wise." 

"  Faith  toward  God,"  or  a  believing  view 
of  the  being  and  glory  of  the  divine  charac- 
ter, is  reckoned  almost  among  the  first  prin- 
ciples of  the  doctrines  of  Christ.  If  we 
have  just  ideas  of  this  very  important  sub- 
ject, we  have  the  key  to  the  whole  system 
of  gospel  truth.  He  who  beholds  the  glory 
of  the  divine  holiness  will,  in  that  glass, 
perceive  his  own  polluted  and  perishing 
condition ;  and,  when  properly  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  these  things,  he  will  natur- 
ally embrace  the  doctrine  of  a  Saviour,  yea, 
and  of  a  great  one.  Salvation  by  mere 
grace,  through  the  atonement  of  Jesus,  will 
appear  the  very  object  of  his  soul's  desire. 
And,  with  these  principles  in  his  heart,  other 
Scripture  doctrines  will  appear  true,  inter- 
esting, and  harmonious.  There  are  but  few 
erroneous  sentiments  in  the  Christian  world 
which  may  not  be  traced  to  a  spirit  of  self- 
admiration  (which  is  the  opposite  of  re- 
pentance,) or  to  false  conceptions  of  the 
divine  character. 

To  these  the  apostle  adds,  "  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,  and  eternal  judgment ; "  or 
the  doctrine  of  a  future  state  of  rewards 
and  punishments  of  endless  duration. 
These  are  principles  which,  indeed,  occupy 
almost  an  ultimate  place  in  the  sacred  sys- 
tem; yet,  as  every  other  important  truth 
respecting  man  proceeds  upon  the  supposi- 
tion of  their  reality,  they  may  properly 
enough  be  reckoned  among  the  first  princi- 
ples of  the  oracles  of  God.  If  these  prin- 
ciples were  given  up  to  the  infidel,  the 
spirit  of  whose  creed  amounts  to  this,  "  Let 
us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die  ; "  or 
if  the  latter  of  them  were  given  up  to  the 
universalist,  who,  though  he  admits  of  a 
judgment  to  come,  yet  not  of  an  eternal  one, 
we  should  soon  find  the  whole  fabric  of  truth 
falling  to  the  ground. 

2.  We  must  not  content  ourselves  with 
knowing  ivhat  is  truth,  hut  must  he  acquaint- 
ed ivith  the  evidence  on  which  it  rests.  Chris- 
tians are  required  to  be  always  ready  to  give 
a  reason  for  the  hope  that  is  in  them,  with 
meekness  and  fear  :  and  this  supposes,  not 
only  that  every  part  of  religion  admits  of  a 
rational  defence,  but  that  it  is  necessary  for 
Christians  to  study,  that  they  may  be  able 
to  defend  it ;  or,  at  least,  to  feel  the  ground 
on  which  they  rest  their  hope. 

The  truths  contained  in  the  oracles  of  God 
may  be  distinguished  into  two  kinds  :  those 
which  approve  themselves  to  our  ideas  of 
wisdom  or  fitness  ;  and  those  which  utterly 


surpass  our  understanding,  but  which  require 
to  be  believed  as  matters  of  pure  revelation. 
The  former  chiefly  respect  the  counsels  and 
works  of  God,  which  are  exhibited  to  our  un- 
derstanding, that  God  in  them  may  be  made 
manifest :  the  latter  more  commonly  respect 
the  being  and  inconceivable  glories  of  the 
Godhead,  the  reality  of  which  we  are  con- 
cerned to  know,  but  on  their  mode  or  man- 
ner are  forbidden  to  gaze. 

It  is  exceedingly  desirable  to  trace  the 
wisdom  and  harmony  of  evangelical  truth: 
it  is  a  source  of  enjoyment,  superior  perhaps 
to  any  thing  with  which  we  are  acquainted. 
All  the  "works  of  God  are  honorable  and 
glorious,  and  sought  out  by  all  them  that 
have  pleasure  therein;"  but  redemption  is 
his  great  work,  wherein  appears  "glory  to 
himself  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth,  peace, 
and  good  will  to  men:  here,  therefore, 
must  needs  be  the  highest  enjoyment. 
Prior  to  the  revelation  of  redemption,  the 
holy  angels  shouted  for  joy  over  the 
works  of  nature ;  but,  having  witnessed 
the  incarnation,  life,  death,  resurrection,  and 
ascension  of  Jesus,  they  "desired  to  look  in- 
to (other)  things."  Nothing  tends  more  to 
establish  the  mind  and  to  interest  the  heart 
in  any  truth  than  a  perception  that  it  is 
adapted  at  once  to  express  the  glory  of  the 
divine  character  and  to  meet  the  necessities 
of  guilty  creatures.  The  more  Ave  think  of 
truth,  therefore,  in  this  way,  the  more  we 
shall  be  "rooted  and  grounded"  in  it. 

But  what  reason  have  we  to  give  for  em- 
bracing those  doctrines  which  we  consider 
as  above  reason,  of  the  fitness  of  which  we 
consequently  pretend  to  have  no  ideas  ? 
We  answer,  they  are  contained  in  the  ora- 
cles of  God.  Nothing  is  more  reasonable 
than  to  give  implicit  credit  to  Him  who  can- 
not lie.  On  this  ground,  we  believe  that 
"there  are  three  who  bear  record  in  heaven, 
the  Father,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
and  that  these  three  are  one."  If  God  had  re- 
vealed nothing  but  what  would  have  come 
within  the  limits  of  our  understanding,  he 
must  have  told  us  little  or  nothing  at  all  of 
his  self-existence,  eternity,  and  infinity ;  for 
we  have  no  positive  ideas  of  any  of  these 
things.  Yet  the  revelation  of  such  truths 
may  be  as  necessary  as  those  which  ap- 
proach nearer  to  our  comprehension.  The 
latter  afford  food  for  knoioledge ;  the  former 
teach  us  humility,  and  furnish  matter  for 
faith. 

3.  We  must  learn  truth  immediately  from 
the  oracles  of  God.  Many  religious  people 
appear  to  be  contented  with  seeing  truth  in 
the  light  in  which  some  great  and  good  man 
has  placed  it:  but,  if  ever  we  enter  into  the 
gospel  to  purpose,  it  must  be  by  reading  the 
word  of  God  for  ourselves,  and  by  praying 
and  meditating  upon  its  sacred  contents. 
It  is  "in  God's  light  that  we  must  see  light." 
By  conversing  with  the  sacred  writers,  we 


204 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


shall  gradually  imbibe  their  sentiments,  and 
be  insensibly  assimilated  into  the  same 
spirit. 

The  writings  of  great  and  good  men  are 
not  to  be  despised,  any  more  than  their 
preaching ;  only  let  them  not  be  treated  as 
oracular.  The  best  of  men,  in  this  imper- 
fect state,  view  things  partially  ;  and  there- 
fore are  in  danger  of  laying  an  improper 
stress  upon  some  parts  of  Scripture,  to  the 
neglect  of  other  parts  of  equal,  and  some- 
times of  superior  importance.  Now,  where 
this  is  the  case,  imitation  becomes  danger- 
ous. It  is  rarely  known  but  that  an  original 
suffers  in  the  hands  of  a  copyist :  if,  there- 
fore, the  former  be  imperfect,  what  may  be 
expected  of  the  latter?  We  all  come  far 
short  of  truth  and  righteousness,  let  our 
model  be  ever  so  perfect ;  but,  if  this  be  im- 
perfect, we  shall  possess  not  only  our  own 
faults,  but  those  of  another. 

If,  as  ministers,  we  go  about  to  depict 
either  the  character  of  a  bad  man,  or  of  a 
good  man,  a  state  of  unregeneracy  or  a  work 
of  grace  ;  and,  instead  of  drawing  from  real 
life,  only  copy  from  some  accounts  which  we 
have  read  or  heard  of  these  matters,  we  shall 
neither  convince  the  sinner  nor  meet  the 
case  of  the  believer ;  all,  to  say  the  least, 
will  be  foreign  and  uninteresting. 

If  we  adopt  the  principles  of  fallible  men, 
without  searching  the  Scriptures  for  our- 
selves, and  inquiring  whether  or  not  these 
things  be  so,  they  Avill  not,  even  allowing 
them  to  be  on  the  side  of  truth,  avail  us,  as 
if  we  had  learned  them  from  a  higher  au- 
thority. Our  faith,  in  this  case,  will  stand 
in  the  wisdom  of  man,  and  not  in  the  power 
of  God.  There  is  a  savor  in  truth,  when 
drawn  from  the  words  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  teaches,  which  is  lost,  or  at  least  di- 
minished, if  it  pass  under  the  conceptions 
and  expressions  of  men.  Nor  will  it  avail 
us  when  most  needed  ;  for  he  who  receives 
his  creed  from  men  may  deliver  it  up  to  men 
again.  Truth  learned  only  at  second-hand 
will  be  to  us  what  Saul's  armor  was  to  Da- 
vid ;  Ave  shall  be  at  a  loss  how  to  use  it  in 
the  day  of  trial. 

4.  If  we  would  possess  a  deep  and  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  divine  truth,  toe  must 
view  it  in  Us  various  connections  in  the  great 
system  of  redemption.  Systematic  divinity, 
or  the  studying  of  truth  in  a  systematic  form, 
has  been  of  late  years  much  decried.  It 
has  become  almost  general  to  consider  it  as 
the  mark  of  a  contracted  mind,  and  the  grand 
obstruction  to  free  inquiry.  If  we  imbibe  a 
false  system,  indeed,  there  is  no  doubt  but  it 
will  prove  injurious ;  if  it  be  true  in  part, 
but  very  defective,  it  may  impede  our  pro- 
gress in  divine  knowledge  ;  or  if,  in  order  to 
retain  a  system,  we  torture  the  Scriptures 
to  make  them  accord  with  it,  we  shall  per- 
vert the  truth  instead  of  preserving  it.  These 
are  things  which  make  against  false,  defec- 


tive, and  anti-scriptural  systems  of  faith ; 
but  not  in  the  least  against  system  itself. 
The  best  criterion  of  a  good  system  is  its 
agreement  with  the  holy  Scriptures.  That 
view  of  things,  whether  Ave  have  any  of  us 
fully  attained  it  or  not,  which  admits  the 
most  natural  meaning  to  be  put  upon  every 
part  of  God's  Avord,  is  the  right  system  of 
religious  truth.  And  he  Avhose  belief  con- 
sists of  a  number  of  positions  arranged  in 
such  a  connection  as  to  constitute  a  consist- 
ent Avhole,  but  Avho  from  a  sense  of  his  im- 
perfections, and  a  remembrance  of  past  er- 
rors, holds  himself  ready  to  add  or  retrench, 
as  evidence  shall  require,  is  in  a  far  more 
advantageous  track  for  the  attainment  of 
truth,  and  a  real  enlargement  of  mind,  than 
he  Avho  thinks  Avithout  a  system. 

To  be  without  system  is  nearly  the  same 
thing  as  to  be  Avithout  principle.  Whatever 
principles  Ave  may  have,  while  they  continue 
in  this  disorganized  state,  they  will  ansAver 
but  little  purpose  in  the  religious  life.  Like 
a  tumultuous  assembly  in  the  day  of  battle, 
they  may  exist;  but  it  will  be  Avithout  order, 
energy,  or  end. 

No  man  could  decry  systematic  know- 
ledge, in  any  thing  but  religion,  without  sub- 
jecting himself  to  the  ridicule  of  thinking 
men.  A  philosopher,  for  instance,  Avould 
expose  himself  to  contempt,  Avho  instead  of 
improving  facts  which  had  fallen  under  his 
observation,  that  he  might  discover  the  gen- 
eral laAvs  by  which  they  are  governed — and 
instead  of  tracing  things  to  their  first  princi- 
ples, and  pursuing  them  to  their  just  conse- 
quences— should  inveigh  against  all  general 
laws,  all  system,  all  connection  and  depend- 
ence, and  all  uniform  design  in  the  variety 
of  creation.  What  should  Ave  say  of  a  hus- 
bandman Avho  refused  to  arrange  his  obser- 
vations under  the  respective  branches  of 
business  to  which  they  naturally  belonged ; 
Avho  had  no  general  scheme  or  plan  of  pro- 
ceeding, but  left  the  work  of  every  day  to 
the  day  itself,  Avithout  forethought,  contri- 
vance, or  design  ?  Or  what  opinion  should 
Ave  form  of  a  merchant  or  a  tradesman  who 
should  exclude  systematic  knoAvledge  from 
his  affairs  ?  He  is  constantly  employed  in 
buying  and  selling;  but  he  must  have  no 
general  system  whereby  to  conduct  either 
the  one  or  the  other;  none  for  the  regu- 
lation of  his  books  ;  none  for  the  assort- 
ment of  his  articles :  all  must  be  free,  lest 
he  sink  into  formality,  and,  by  being  in  the 
habit  of  doing  tilings  in  order,  should  con*- 
tract  a  narrowness  of  mind ! 

But  is  the  Bible  Avritten  upon  systematic 
principles  ;  does  it  contain  a  system,  or  does 
it  encourage  us  to  form  one  ?  By  the  Bible 
being  written  on  systematic  principles,  I 
suppose,  is  meant  a  systematic  arrangement 
of  its  contents  ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  but 
the  contrary  of  this  is  true.  But  then  the 
same  might  be  said  of  the  book  of  nature. 


ON    A    DEEP    AND    INTIMATE    KNOWLEDGE    OF    DIVINE    TRUTH. 


205 


Though  the  different  species  of  animals, 
vegetables,  minerals,  &c,  are  capable  of  be- 
ing arranged  under  their  respective  genera, 
and  so  reduced  to  a  system ;  yet,  in  their 
actual  position  in  creation,  they  assume  no 
such  appearance.  It  is  wisely  contrived, 
both  in  nature  and  Scripture,  that  the  objects 
of  each  should  be  scattered  in  lovely  variety  ; 
but,  amidst  all  this  variety,  an  observant  eye 
will  perceive  unity,  order,  arrangement,  and 
fulness  of  design. 

God,  in  all  his  works,  has  proceeded  on 
system :  there  is  a  beautiful  connection 
and  harmony  in  every  thing  which  he  has 
wrought.  We  sometimes  speak  of  a  system 
of  nature,  a  system  of  providence,  and  a  sys- 
tem of  redemption  ;  and,  as  smaller  systems 
are  often  included  in  greater,  the  language 
is  not  improper:  in  reality,  however,  they 
are  all  but  one  system ;  one  grand  piece  of 
machinery,  each  part  of  which  has  a  depend- 
ence on  the  other,  and  all  together  form  one 
glorious  whole.  Now,  if  God  proceeds  on 
system,  it  may  be  expected  that  the  Scrip- 
tures, being  a  transcript  of  his  mind,  should 
contain  a  system  ;  and,  if  we  would  study 
them  to  purpose,  it  must  be  so  as  to  discov- 
er what  that  system  is. 

I  never  recollect  to  have  heard  any  ob- 
jection to  systematic  divinity  with  regard  to 
practice.  Let  a  Christian,  utterly  unac- 
quainted with  human  writings,  take  his  Bi- 
ble, with  a  view  to  learn  the  mind  of  God 
upon  any  given  subject,  suppose  it-to  be  the 
duty  of  parents :  he  will  naturally  collect  all 
the  passages  in  the  sacred  writings  which 
relate  to  that  subject,  arrange  them  in  order, 
and  from  the  whole,  thus  taken  together, 
regulate  his  conduct.  For  this  no  one  will 
think  of  blaming  him  :  yet  this  would  be  act- 
ing systematically. 

Let  him  do  the  same  with  respect  to  every 
other  duty,  and  he  will  be  in  possession  of  a 
body,  or  system,  of  practical  divinity.  And 
why  should  he  stop  here  ?  why  not  collect 
the  mind  of  God,  from  the  whole  of  Scrip- 
ture taken  together,  upon  things  to  be  be- 
lieved, as  well  as  things  to  be  performed  ? 

If  the  apostles  had  not  considered  divine 
truth  in  a  systematic  form,  how  came  the 
writer  of  this  epistle  to  speak  of  the  "first 
principles  "  of  the  oracles  of  God  ?  This 
language  supposes,  as  before  observed,  a 
scheme  or  system  of  faith;  and,  if -such  a 
foim  of  considering  truth  were  disadvanta- 
geous to  Christians,  how  came  he  to  censure 
the  Hebrews  for  their  want  of  progress  in 
it  ?  In  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  also,  we 
read  of  the  proportion,  or  analogy,  of  faitJi ; 
which  certainly  supposes  that  the  gospel  is 
one  proportionate  or  consistent  whole. 

Could  a  system  of  divinity  be  written,  in 
which  every  sacred  truth  or  duty  should 
have  a  place  assigned  it,  and  such  a  place, 
both  as  to  order  and  importance,  as  properly 
belonged  to  it,  not  invading  the  province  of 


other  truths  or  duties,  but  on  the  contrary 
subserving  them,  and  itself  appearing  to  the 
greatest  advantage  among  them, — such  a, 
performance  would  answer  to  what  the 
apostle  means  by  "  the  proportion  of  faith." 
But  can  we  expect  a  work  answering  to 
this  description  from  an  uninspired  pen  ? 
Perhaps  not.  The  materials  for  such  a 
model  exist,  however,  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  and,  though  we  cannot  collect  and 
arrange  them  to  perfection,  let  us,  as  in  all 
other  things,  "  press  towards  the  mark." 

Let  that  system  of  religion  which  we  em- 
brace be  but  in  the  main  the  right  one,  and, 
so  far  from  contracting  the  mind,  it  is  easy 
to  perceive  that  it  will  abundantly  en- 
large it. 

For  example :  let  the  fact  of  Joseph's 
being  sold  into  Egypt  be  viewed  without  its 
connection  with  God's  designs,  and  it  will 
appear  a  melancholy  instance  of  human  de- 
pravity :  we  shall  see  nothing  very  re- 
markable in  it ;  and  it  will  seem  calculated 
only  to  afford  a  disgusting  picture  of  family 
jealousies  and  intrigues,  enough  to  break 
the  heart  of  an  aged  parent.  But  let  the 
same  fact  be  viewed  systematically,  as  a 
link  in  a  chain,  or  as  a  part  of  a  whole,  and 
it  will  assume  a  very  different  appearance. 
Thus  viewed,  it  is  an  event  pregnant  with 
glory.  He  must  needs  go  down  into  Egypt, 
that  much  people  might  be  preserved  alive  ; 
that  Jacob's  family  might  follow  him ;  that 
they  might  there  be  preserved  for  a  season, 
till,  in  due  time,  having  become  a  great  na- 
tion, they  should  be  led  forth  with  a  high 
hand  ;  that  they  might  be  placed  in  Canaan, 
and  might  set  up  the  worship  of  the  true 
God  ;  that  the  Messiah  might  be  born  among 
them ;  and  that  his  kingdom  might  be  ex- 
tended over  the  whole  earth.  Without  a 
system,  the  patriarch  reflected,  "  All  these 
things  are  against  me  :"  but  with  a  system, 
or  rather  with  only  the  discovery  of  a  very 
small  part  of  it,  he  exclaimed,  "  It  is  enough : 
Joseph  my  son  is  yet  alive :  I  will  go  down, 
and  see  him  before  I  die." 

In  addition  to  this  event  in  providence, 
let  us  offer  a  few  examples  in  matters  of 
doctrine. 

Would  you  contemplate  the  great  evil  of 
sin,  you  must  view  it  in  its  connections,  ten- 
dencies, and  consequences.  For  a  poor  fi- 
nite creature,  whose  life  is  but  a  vapor,  to 
gratify  a  vicious  inclination  may  appear  a 
trifle :  but  when  its  tendencies  and  mischie- 
vous consequences  are  taken  into  the  ac- 
count, it  wears  a  different  aspect.  Jerobo- 
am "  said  in  his  heart,  if  this  people  go  up 
to  sacrifice  at  Jerusalem,  then  shall  the  king- 
dom return  unto  David."  Hence  he  set  up 
idolatry ;  and  hence  the  nation  was  corrupt- 
ed more  and  more,  till  at  length  it  was  given 
up  to  utter  destruction.  Considering  our- 
selves as  links  in  the  great  chain  of  moral 
government,  every  transgression  is  of  vast 


206 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


importance,  because  it  affects  the  whole 
system.  If  the  government  of  God  be  once 
violated,  an  example  is  set,  which,  if  follow- 
ed, would  ruin  the  universe. 

Farther :  If  we  contemplate  the  death  of 
Christ  without  any  relation  to  system,  we 
shall  only  see  a  suffering  person  at  Jerusa- 
lem, and  feel  that  pity  and  disgust  which  is 
ordinarily  excited  by  injustice  and  cruelty. 
But  let  us  view  it  as  connected  with  the 
moral  government  of  God — as  a  glorious 
expedient  to  secure  its  honors — "  a  propitia- 
tion" wherein  "  God  declared  his  righteous- 
ness for  the  remission  of  sins " — and  we 
shall  have  a  new  set  of  feelings.  While 
the  apostles  continued  to  view  this  event 
unconnectedly,  their  minds  were  contracted, 
and  sorrow  tilled  their  hearts ;  but,  when 
their  eyes  were  opened  to  see  it  in  its  con- 
nections and  consequences,  their  sorrow  was 
turned  into  joy.  Those  very  persons  who, 
but  a  few  weeks  before,  could  not  bear  to 
think  of  their  Lord's  departure  ;  after  they 
had  witnessed  his  ascension  to  glory,  "re- 
turned to  Jerusalem  with  great  joy,  and  con- 
tinued daily  in  the  temple,  praising  and  bles- 
sing God." 

Once  more :  If  we  view  the  doctrine  of 
election  as  unconnected  with  other  things, 
it  may  appear  to  us  to  be  a  kind  of  fondness 
without  reason  or  wisdom.  A  charge  of  ca- 
price would,  hereby,  be  brought  against  the 
Almighty ;  and  professors,  like  the  carnal 
Jews,  on  account  of  the  distinguishing  favors 
conferred  on  their  nation,  would  be  fostered 
in  self-conceit.  But,  if  it  be  considered  in 
connection  with  the  great  system  of  relig- 
ious truth,  it  will  appear  in  a  very  different 
light.  It  will  represent  the  Divine  Being 
in  his  true  character  ;  not  as  acting  without 
design,  and  subjecting  himself  to  endless 
disappointments ;  but  as  accomplishing  all 
his  works  in  pursuance  of  an  eternal  pur- 
pose. And  as  salvation,  from  first  to  last, 
is  of  mere  grace,  and  every  son  and  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  is  absolutely  at  the  divine  dis- 
cretion, it  tends  powerfully  to  impress  this 
idea  both  upon  saints  and  sinners.  While 
it  leads  the  former  to  acknowledge  that  by 
the  grace  of  God  they  are  what  they  are, 
it  teaches  the  latter  to  relinquish  their  vain 
hopes,  and  to  fall  into  the  arms  of  sovereign 
mercy. 

As  the  righteousness  of  God's  elect  is 
not  the  ground  of  their  election,  so  neither 
is  their  felicity  its  ultimate  end.  God  right- 
eously hides  the  things  of  the  gospel  from 
the  wise  and  prudent,  and  reveals  them  un- 
to babes,  because  "so  it  seemeth  good  in 
his  sight : "  it  tends  most  to  display  the  glo- 
ry of  his  character,  and  to  promote  the  gen- 
eral good  of  creation.  These  things,  if  pro- 
perly considered,  are  of  a  humbling  ten- 
dency. 

If  the  Jews  had  considered  that  they  were 
not  chosen,  or  put  in  possession  of  the  good 


land,  "  for  their  righteousness,  or  for  the  up- 
rightness of  their  hearts  :  "  and  that,  though 
it  was  an  instance  of  great  love  to  them, 
yet  it  was  not  ultimately  for  their  sake,  or 
to  accomplish  their  happiness,  but  that  God 
"  might  fulfil  his  covenant  with  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,"  in  whom,  and  in  whose 
seed,  "  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  were  to 
be  blessed ;  and  if  they  had  considered  the 
salvation  of  the  world  as  the  end  of  their 
national  existence,  and  themselves  as  God's 
ivitnesses  till  the  times  of  reformation,  in- 
stead of  valuing  themselves  and  despising 
others,  they  would  have  reckoned  them- 
selves "  their  servants  for  (Jehovah's)  sake." 

In  short,  by  considering  principles  in  their 
various  connections,  far  greater  advances 
•will  be  made  in  divine  knoivledge  than  by  any 
other  means.  The  discovery  of  one  impor- 
tant truth  will  lead  on  to  a  hundred  more. 
Let  a  Christian  but  realize,  for  example,  the 
glory  of  the  divine  character  as  the  moral 
governor  of  the  world ;  and  he  will  at  once 
perceive  the  equity  and  goodness  of  the 
moral  law,  which  requires  us  to  love  him 
with  all  the  heart.  In  this  glass  he  will  see 
his  own  depravity ;  and,  possessed  of  these 
views,  the  grace  of  the  gospel  will  appear 
to  him  to  be  grace  indeed.  Every  blessing 
it  contains  will  be  endearing,  and  the  me- 
dium through  which  all  is  conveyed  super- 
latively precious.  A  train  of  thought  like 
this  has  frequently  proved  more  interesting 
than  the  labors  of  those  who,  having  discov- 
ered a  vein  of  silver  or  gold,  dig  deeply 
into  the  bowels  of  the  enriching  mine. 

Having  considered  a  few  of  the  means 
necessary  for  the  attainment  of  a  deep  and 
intimate  knowledge  of  truth,  I  shall 

II.  Attempt  to  establish  the  impor- 
tance   OF    SUCH    A   KNOWLEDGE. 

As  the  powers  of  created  beings  are  limit- 
ed, and  no  one  can  expect  to  understand 
every  thing,  it  is  the  province  of  wisdom  to 
select  those  kinds  of  knowledge,  as  the  ob- 
jects of  our  pursuit,  which  are  most  valuable 
and  of  the  greatest  utility.  There  are  some 
depths,  of  which  it  is  our  honor  and  felicity 
to  be  ignorant ;  and,  even  in  things  which  are 
lawful,  we  may,  in  numberless  instances, 
very  well  be  excused,  if  not  in  wholly  neg- 
lecting, yet  in  possessing  only  ageneral  ac- 
quaintance with  them.  But  divine  truth  re- 
quires not  only  to  be  known,  but  well 
known :  it  is  not  only  necessary  that  we 
have  sentiments,  and  right  sentiments,  but 
that  we  enter  deeply  into  them.  Every  thing 
pertaining  to  God  is  great,  and  requires  all 
our  powers.  In  whatever  we  indulge  indif- 
ference, there  is  no  room  for  it  here  ;  God 
requires  not  only  all  our  "  heart,"  but  all  our 
"mind  and  strength." 

The  importance  of  a  deep  and  intimate 
acquaintance  with  divine  truth  will  more 
particularly  appear  from  the  following  con- 
siderations : — 


ON    A    DEEP    AND    INTIMATE    KNOWLEDGE    OF    DIVINE    TRUTH. 


207 


1.  A  neglect  of  God's  word  is  represented 
as  a  heinous  sin.  But  we  shall  not  be  able 
to  escape  this  sin,  if  we  content  ourselves 
with  a  superficial  acquaintance  with  truth. 
Revelation,  in  every  stage,  demands  our 
serious  attention  ;  but  the  revelation  of  eter- 
nal life  through  Jesus  Christ  requires  atten- 
tion in  the  highest  degree.  This  is  that 
great  salvation  which  we  are  charged  not  to 
neglect.  The  dignity  of  its  author,  its  sub- 
lime and  interesting  nature,  with  the  accu- 
mulated evidence  which  God  has  conde- 
scended to  afford  us  of  its  divine  original, 
combine  to  require  of  us  the  most  careful  and 
cordial  examination  into  its  contents.  A 
neglect  of  this  is  either  total  or  partial :  the 
former  would  denominate  us  unbelievers, 
and  expose  us  to  utter  destruction  ;  the  lat- 
ter, though  it  may  exist  in  sincere  Chris- 
tians, is  nevertheless  a  sin,  and  a  sin  more 
than  a  little  offensive  to  the  God  of  all  truth. 

To  be  contented  with  a  superficial  ac- 
quaintance with  divine  things  implies  disre- 
spect to  Him  ivho  has  revealed  them.  A  letter 
from  a  distant  friend,  to  whom  we  are  cor- 
dially attached,  is  viewed  and  reviewed,  and 
every  sentence  of  it  carefully  inspected,  and 
on  many  occasions  committed  to  memory. 
Why  should  not  the  word  of  God  be  produc- 
tive of  the  same  effects?  Indeed  it  is  ;  for, 
in  proportion  as  we  love  God,  his  word  will 
dwell  richly  in  us.  It  will  be  our  bosom 
companion,  to  which  we  shall  have  recourse 
on  every  occasion ;  especially  in  seasons  of 
leisure,  when  the  mind,  like  a  spring  from 
which  a  pressure  is  removed,  rises  to  its 
natural  position.  Hence  the  following  lan- 
guage :  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thine  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  might:  and  these 
words  which  I  command  thee  this  day  shall 
be  in  thine  heart,  and  thou  shalt  teach  them 
diligently  to  thy  children,  and  shalt  talk  of 
them  when  thou  sittest  in  thine  house,  and 
when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when 
thou  liest  down,  and  when  thou  risest  up." 

To  be  contented  with  a  superficial  ac- 
quaintance with  divine  things  implies  also  a 
ivant  of  affection  to  the  things  themselves.  A 
will,  or  testament,  in  which  we  were  deeply 
interested,  would  be  procured  with  eager- 
ness, and  read  with  avidity ;  and,  if  any  diffi- 
culty remained  as  to  the  meaning  of  a  par- 
ticular passage,  we  should  have  no  rest  till, 
by  some  means  or  other,  we  had  obtained  a 
solution  of  it.  I  need  not  apply  this  remark. 
Nothing  is  more  evident  than  that  whatever 
is  uppermost  in  our  affections  will  form  the 
grand  current  of  our  thoughts.  And,  where 
our  thoughts  are  directed  to  a  subject  with 
intenseness  and  perseverance,  it  will  be- 
come familiar  to  us  ;  "and,  unless  it  be  owing 
to  the  want  of  natural  capacity  or  any  other 
necessary  means,  we  shall  of  course  enter 
deeply  into  it. 

I  have  been  much  struck  with  the  ardent 


affection  which  David  discovered  to  the  holy 
Scriptures,  and  every  part  of  their  sacred 
contents.  The  whole  119th  Psalm  is  a  con- 
tinued encomium  upon  them.  There  we  have 
such  language  as  the  following :  "  O  how 
I  love  thy  law !  My  soul  breaketh  for  the 
longing  that  it  hath  unto  thy  judgments  at 
all  times.  Thy  statutes  have  been  my  song 
in  the  house  of  my  pilgrimage.  The  law  of 
thy  mouth  is  better  to  me  than  thousands  of 
gold  and  silver."  Now,  all  the  Scriptures 
which  were  then  extant  amounted  to  little 
more  than  the  writings  of  Moses.  What 
additions  have  we  since  enjoyed!  Besides 
the  Book  of  Psalms,  and  prophecies  which 
followed,  we  have  the  whole  New  Testa- 
ment, "  full  of  grace  and  truth,"  wherein  the 
invisible  God  has,  as  it  were,  rendered  him- 
self visible.  "  Him  whom  no  man  had  seen 
at  any  time,  the  only  begotten  Son,  who 
dwelt  in  his  bosom,  hath  declared."  How 
is  it  that  such  a  price  should  be  in  our  hands 
to  get  wisdom,  and  yet  that  we  should  have 
so  little  heart  for  it  ? 

2.  The  word  of  God  is  represented  as  a 
means  of  sanctif  cation.  But  no  effect  of  this 
kind  can  be  produced  beyond  the  degree  in 
which  we  imbibe  it.  One  great  object  of 
our  Lord's  intercession  with  the  Father,  on 
our  behalf,  was,  "  that  we  might  be  sanctifi- 
ed through  the  truth,  even  by  his  word  which 
is  truth."  The  gospel  is  continually  held 
up,  not  only  as  a  "  doctrine  according  to 
godliness,"  but  as  having  a  powerful  influ- 
ence in  producing  it.  "  It  teacheth  us  that, 
denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we 
should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly, 
in  this  present  world."  It "  worketh  effectu- 
ally in  those  who  believe."  It  was  by  the 
doctrine  of  the  cross  that  the  world  became 
crucified  to  the  apostle,  and  he  unto  the 
world.  So  universal  and  so  manifest  were 
the  effects  of  divine  truth  upon  the  practice 
of  the  primitive  Christians,  that  the  sacred 
writers  could  appeal  to  fact,  on  their  behalf, 
that  they,  and  they  only,  were  successful 
combatants  against  the  world's  temptations  : 
"  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world,  but 
he  that  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God  ?  " 

Now,  in  order  that  the  gospel  may  be  pro- 
ductive of  these  effects,  it  is  necessary  that 
it  be  understood.  Without  this,  how  should 
it  interest  or  affect  the  heart?  We  must 
believe  the  truth  ere  it  will  work  effectually  : 
we  must  knoiu  it,  or  it  will  not  make  us  free. 
That  we  may  serve  God  acceptably,  and 
with  godly  fear  we  must  have  grace ;  and 
grace  is  multiplied  "  through  the  knowledge 
of  God,  and  of  Jesus  our  Lord." 

Knowledge  and  affection  have  a  mutual 
influence  on  each  other.  That  the  love  of 
truth  will  prompt  us  to  labor  after  a  more 
perfect  acquaintance  with  its  contents  has 
been  already  observed  :  and  that  such  an  ac- 
quaintance will  promote  an  increasing  love 


208 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


of  truth,  in  return,  is  equally  evident.  We 
cannot  love  an  unknown  gospel,  any  more 
than  an  unknown  God.  Affection  is  fed  by 
knowledge,  being  thereby  furnished  with 
grounds,  or  reasons,  for  its  operations.  By 
the  expansion  of  the  mind  the  heart  is  sup- 
plied with  objects  which  fill  it  with  delight. 
It  is  thus  that  it  becomes  enlarged,  and  that 
we  feel  ourselves  sweetly  induced  to  "  run 
in  the  way  of  the  divine  commandments." 

How  was  it  that  the  apostle  became  dead 
to  the  world,  by  the  cross  of  Christ  ?  I  sup- 
pose, on  much  the  same  principle  that  the 
light  of  the  stars  is  eclipsed  by  that  of  the 
sun ;  or  that  a  man,  having  drunk  old  wine, 
ceases  to  desire  new,  for  he  saitli  the  old  is 
better.  It  is  by  drinking  deeply  into  religion 
that  we  become  disaffected  to  carnal  objects. 

3.  The  word  of  God  is  represented  as  the 
great  source  of  Christian  enjoyment.  But  no 
effect  of  this  kind  can  be  produced,  any 
farther  than  we  imbibe  the  truth.  The  same 
way  in  which  divine  truth  operates  as  a 
medium  of  sanctification,  it  becomes  a  source 
of  enjoyment;  namely,  by  interesting  and 
affecting  the  heart.  That  which,  by  its  su- 
perior lustre,  eclipses  the  pleasures  of  sense, 
and  crucifies  us  to  the  world,  at  the  same 
time  kindles  a  joy  in  the  heart  which  is  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory.  The  habitual 
joy  which  was  possessed  by  the  apostles  and 
primitive  Christians  chiefly  arose  from  a 
knowledge  and  belief  of  the  gospel.  It  was 
"  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
Jesus  his  Lord  "  that  induced  the  apostle  to 
"  count  all  things  but  loss."  Those  in  whom 
*'  the  word  of  Christ  dwelt  richly,  in  all  wis- 
dom," were  supposed  to  be  so  enlivened  by 
it  that  it  became  natural  to  them  to  "  teach 
and  admonish  one  another  in  psalms  and 
hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  singing  with  grace 
in  their  hearts  to  the  Lord."  The  object 
for  which  the  apostle  "  bowed  his  knees  to 
the  Father  of  glory,"  in  behalf  of  the  Ephe- 
sians,  was,  that,  by  means  of  a  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  the  "breadth  and  length  and 
depth  and  height  of  the  "  redeeming  "  love 
of  Christ,  they  might  be  filled  with  all  the 
fulness  of  God."  The  wells  of  salvation  are 
deep ;  and  he  that  lacketh  knowledge  is  as 
one  that  has  nothing  to  draw  with. 

The  prejudice  of  many  Christians  against 
doctrinal  preaching,  as  being,  in  their  es- 
teem, dry  and  uninteresting — and  the  prefer- 
ence given  that  which  is  more  descriptive 
of  their  feelings,  and  therefore  termed  ex- 
perimental,— is  worthy  of  attention.  If  the 
doctrine  which  we  preach  be  not  the  una- 
dulterated gospel  of  Christ,  it  will  indeed  be 
dry  ;  or  if,  instead  of  entering  into  the  spirit 
of  truth,  we  are  employed  in  a  fruitless  dis- 
cussion of  terms,  or  things  on  which  the 
Scriptures  forbear  to  decide,  it  must  needs 
be  uninteresting  and  even  disgusting  to  a 
holy  mind.  But  if  the  pure  gospel  of  Jesus, 
well  understood  by  the   preacher,  and  com- 


municated from  the  fulness  of  his  heart,  do 
not  interest  us,  there  must  be  some  lament- 
able disorder  in  the  state  of  our  minds.  If 
the  manna  that  comes  down  from  heaven  be 
loathed,  it  is  a  sign  that  things  are  not  with 
us  as  they  ought  to  be.  The  doctrine  of 
Moses,  and  surely  much  more  that  of  Jesus, 
dropped  as  the  rain,  and  distilled  as  the  dew 
upon  the  tender  herb." 

Christian  experience  (or  what  is  generally 
understood  by  that  term,  the  painful  and 
pleasurable  feelings  of  good  men)  will  be 
found,  if  genuine,  to  arise  from  the  influence 
of  truth  upon  the  mind.  If  we  be  strangers 
to  the  glory  of  God's  moral  character,  and 
the  great  evil  of  sin,  we  shall  be  strangers 
to  all  the  feelings  of  godly  sorrow  on  ac- 
count of  it.  And  what  ground  is  there  for 
joy  and  peace,  but  in  believing  ?  Take  away 
the  deity  and  atonement  of  Christ,  and  they 
are  annihilated.  To  this  may  be  added, 
Give  up  the  doctrines  of  the  resurrection 
and  a  future  life,  and  what  becomes  of  hope  ? 
From  these  instances,  out  of  many  others, 
you  will  easily  perceive  that  doctrinal  and 
experimental  preaching  are  not  so  remote 
from  each  other  as  some  persons  have  im- 
agined ;  and  that  to  extol  the  latter,  at  the 
expense  of  the  former,  is  to  act  like  him  who 
-wishes  the  fountain  to  be  destroyed,  because 
he  prefers  the  stream. 

4.  It  is  a  great  object  in  the  Christian  life, 
according  to  our  capacities  and  opportunities, 
to  diffuse  the  light  of  the  gospel  around  us. 
But  we  cannot  communicate  any  thing  be- 
yond the  degree  in  which  we  possess  it. 
The  communication  of  gospel  truth  is  not 
confined  to  ministers.  Every  Christian 
moves  in  a  sphere  of  some  extent ;  and  is 
expected  so  to  occupy  it  as  to  embrace  every 
occasion  which  may  offer  to  make  known 
the  way  of  eternal  life  to  those  about  him. 
The  primitive  churches  were  schools  of 
heavenly  instruction,  as  the  words  of  the 
text,  to  go  no  farther,  plainly  intimate  ;  and 
the  apostle  reproves  some  of  their  members 
for  having  made  no  greater  proficiency. 
Though  it  would  be  in  vain  for  every  one  to 
aspire  at  being  a  public  teacher  of  Chris- 
tianity, yet,  as  has  been  already  observed, 
every  one  should  be  concerned  that  he  may 
be  able  to  "  give  a  reason  for  the  hope  that 
is  in  him,"  and  to  teach  the  good  and  the 
right  way  to  those  with  whom  he  is  immedi- 
ately connected.  The  duties  of  a  parent 
and  a  master  include  in  them  the  instruction 
of  those  who  are  committed  to  their  care. 
Many  opportunities  arise  in  which  Christians 
might  communicate  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
to  their  neighbors  ;  those  in  a  state  of  servi- 
tude, to  their  fellow-servants  ;  and  provided 
it  were  done  on  proper  occasions,  and  ac- 
cording to  the  apostolic  rule,  "  in  meekness 
and  fear,"  persons  in  inferior  stations  might 
suggest  a  useful  hint  even  to  their  superiors. 
When  the  family  of  Elimelech  went  to 


ON    A    DEEP    AND    INTIMATE    KNOWLEDGE    OF    DIVINE    TRUTH. 


209 


sojourn  in  Moab,  they  carried  their  religion 
with  them;  so  recommending  the  God  of 
Israel  to  those  with  whom  they  formed  con- 
nections that  one  of  them  was  induced  to 
leave  her  country,  her  kindred,  and  her  gods, 
and  to  put  her  trust  under  the  shadow  of  his 
wings.  And  even  a  "  little  maid "  of  the 
land  of  Israel,  who  had  been  carried  captive 
into  Syria,  by  speaking  to  her  mistress,  on  a 
favorable  opportunity,  was  instrumental  in 
her  master's  being  healed  of  his  leprosy,  and 
his  being  brought  to  acknowledge  and  adore 
the  true  God.  Such  cases  are  recorded  to 
encourage  us  to  communicate  the  good 
knowledge  of  God  on  all  proper  occasions  : 
but,  in  order  to  do  this,  we  must  first  pos- 
sess it,  and  that  in  a  greater  degree  than  is 
sufficient  barely  to  denominate  us  Christ- 
ians. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  favorable  oppor- 
tunities for  Christians  to  suggest  important 
truth  to  their  neighbors  and  connections  is 
when  any  of  them  are  under  a  threatening 
affliction.  To  visit  them  at  such  a  time 
would  be  kindly  taken :  even  the  worst  of 
characters  are  commonly  accessible  when 
they  apprehend  eternity  to  be  drawing  nigh. 
You  may  then  freely  convei-se  and  pray  with 
them  ;  and,  if  your  circumstances  will  admit 
and  theirs  require  it,  a  communication  of 
your  worldly  substance  would  convince  them 
of  your  good-will,  give  weight  to  your  in- 
structions, and  correspond  with  the  conduct 
of  him  who  went  about  doing  good  to  the 
bodies  and  souls  of  men.  But  such  a  prac- 
tice requires  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
divine  truth.  It  is  an  important  matter  to 
converse  with  men  who  are  just  on  the  bor- 
ders of  an  eternal  world :  it  requires  not  only 
tenderness,  faithfulness,  and  prudence  ;  but 
an  ability  to  expose  those  false  refuges,  and 
detect  those  delusive  hopes,  to  which,  at  such 
seasons,  they  are  generally  disposed  to  fly  ; 
and  to  direct  them  to  the  "  only  name  under 
heaven,  given  among  men,  whereby  they 
must  be  saved." 

5.  In  times  of  apostacy  from  the  truth, 
Christians  are  exhorted  to  be  steadfast.  But 
a  steadfast  adherence  to  truth  requires  that 
we  be  rooted  and  grounded  in  it.  The  wis- 
dom of  God  sees  meet,  in  order  to  prove 
mankind,  and  especially  his  professing  peo- 
ple, to  suffer  other  gospels,  besides  the  true 
one,  to  obtain  footing  among  us.  I  am 
aware  that  it  is  become  customary,  in  these 
times,  to  make  a  jest  of  heresy,  and  to  de- 
ride, as  illiberal,  narrow-minded  bigots,  all 
those  who  consider  any  religious  sentiments 
as  endangering  the  salvation  of  men.  But  I 
hope  we  shall  not,  on  this  account,  be  deter- 
red from  such  an  attachment  to  truth  as  the 
Scriptures  encourage.  It  is  granted  that  the 
term  heresy  has  been  wretchedly  abused, 
and  that  it  becomes  Christians  to  beware  of 
applying  it  to  every  departure  from  even 
truth  itself:  yet  there  is  such  a  thing  in  be- 
Vol.  2.— Sis.  27. 


ing.  There  were  heresies  in  the  apostles' 
times;  and  it  was  predicted  that  there 
should,  in  after  times,  be  persons  who  would 
bring  in  even  "  damnable  heresies."  Let  no 
one  be  startled  at  the  use  of  these  terms :  I 
did  not  coin  them,  and  am  not  accountable 
for  them ;  but,  seeing  they  occupy  a  place 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  I  think  myself  con- 
cerned to  understand  them.  Whatever  dif- 
ficulty there  may  be  in  ascertaining  their 
precise  object,  they,  undoubtedly,  teach  us 
that  men's  souls  may  be  destroyed  by  men- 
tal, as  well  as  by  sensual  lusts,  even  the 
souls  of  professing  Christians  ;  for  the  words 
are  not  intended  to  describe  open  infidels,  but 
such  as  should  bear  the  Christian  name,  yea, 
and  who  should  be  teachers  of  Christianity. 

The  circulation  of  doctrines  pleasing  to 
corrupt  nature  will  prove  men  to  be  what 
they  are.  They  are  the  fan  in  Christ's  hand, 
by  which  he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor. 
That  light-minded  professors  of  religion 
should  be  carried  away  with  them  is  no  more 
a  matter  of  surprise  than  that  chaff  should  be 
carried  away  with  the  wind :  but  how  is  it 
that  those  of  whom  we  would  hope  better 
things  are  often  shaken  ? 

If  a  minister,  in  almost  any  congregation, 
should  relinquish  truth,  and  fall  imto  the 
grossest  errors,  unless  he  had  so  conducted 
himself  as  to  have  gained  little  or  no  esteem 
among  the  people,  he  is  seldom  known  to  go 
off  alone  :  sometimes  half  a  congregation,  and 
sometimes  more,  have  been  known  to  follow 
him,  or,  at  least,  to  be  greatly  unhinged  for 
a  considerable  time.  If  a  writer  startup,  in 
almost  any  connection,  let  his  performance 
be  ever  so  weak  or  extravagant,  yet,  if  he 
possess  but  a  sufficient  quantity  of  over- 
bearing assurance,  he  will  have  his  admirers .; 
and  some  serious  people,  too,  will  be  in  dan- 
ger of  being  turned  aside.  How  are  these 
things  to  be  accounted  for  ?  I  conceive  the 
principal  reason  is  that  Christians  content 
themselves  with  a  superficial  knowledge  of 
divine  things.  Great  numbers,  from  a  dis- 
like to  controversy,  will  never  take  pains  to 
understand  the  difference  between  one  set 
of  religious  principles  and  another.  They 
have  no  desire  to  enable  themselves  to  dis- 
tinguish between  true  and  false  reasonings. 
They  are  too  apt  to  take  it  for  granted  that 
what  they  have  imbibed  is  truth,  and  that 
nothing  can  be  advanced,  with  the  least  col- 
or of  reason,  for  the  contrary  :  when,  there- 
fore, an  argument  appears  with  a  little  plau- 
sibility on  its  face,  it  has  only  to  obtain  a 
reading,  or  a  hearing,  and  their  assent  is 
gained.  Brethren,  let  shame,  if  nothing  else, 
provoke  us,  that  we  "  henceforth  be  no  more 
children,  tossed  to  and  fro  by  every  wind  of 
doctrine."  Let  us  be  concerned,  not  obsti- 
nately to  adhere  to  our  present  sentiments, 
be  they  what  they  may,  but  to  know  the 
mind  of  God  in  his  word;  and,  knowing  it, 
let  us  steadfastly  adhere  to  it. 


210 


SERMONS    ANT)    SKETCHES. 


The  present  age  seems  to  be  an  age  of 
trial.  Not  only  is  the  gospel  corrupted  by 
those  who  bear  the  Christian  name,  but, 
of  late,  you  well  know,  it  has  been  openly 
assailed.  The  most  direct  and  daring  oppo- 
sition has  been  made  to  the  very  name  of 
Christianity.  I  am  not  going  to  alarm  you 
with  any  idea  that  the  church  is  in  dan- 
ger: no,  my  brethren ;  the  church  of  which 
we,  I  trust,  are  members,  and  of  which 
Christ,  and  Christ  alone,  is  the  head,  is  not 
in  danger :  it  is  built  upon  a  rock,  and  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
Neither  are  my  apprehensions  excited  con- 
cerning those  who  are  true  members  of  the 
church :  these  trying  blasts,  though  they 
may  affect  them  for  a  season,  will  ultimately 
cause  them  to  take  deeper  root.  Neverthe- 
less, it  becomes  us  to  feel  for  the  souls  of 
men,  especially  for  the  rising  generation ; 
and  to  warn  even  good  men  that  they  be  not 
unarmed  in  the  evil  day. 

The  human  heart  has  ever  been  averse 
from  the  gospel  of  Christ,  but  the  turn  or 
temper  of  the  present  age  is  peculiarly  in  fa- 
vor of  infidelity.  In  much  the  same  manner 
as  in  former  ages  men  were  violently  at- 
tached to  a  persecuting  superstition,  they 
are  now  verging  to  the  opposite  extreme, 
and  are  in  danger  of  throwing  off  all  reli- 
gion. Our  temptations,  and  those  Avhich  will 
attend  our  posterity  after  us,  are  likely, 
therefore,  to  be  widely  different  from  what 
they  have  hitherto  been.  Hitherto  nom- 
inal Christianity  has  been  no  reproach ; 
but  reproach  has  attached  itself  to  the 
other  side.  The  case,  in  this  respect, 
may  soon  be  altered.  Men  grow  bold  in 
avowing  their  contempt  of  Christianity  ;  and 
many  among  the  dissipated  part  of  the 
youth  are  following  their  example.  Now,  if 
characters  of  this  description  should  spring 
up  in  sufficient  numbers,  not  only  to  keep 
each  other  in  countenance,  but  to  turn  the 
tide  of  reproach  against  Christians,  as  a  com- 
pany of  wrong-headed  enthusiasts,  we  shall 
soon  see  which  side  the  mass  of  mankind 
will  take.  Their  characters  being  loose  and 
profligate,  they  have  long  felt  themselves 
condemned  by  the  gospel ;  and  this  is  a  mat- 
ter that  does  not  sit  very  easy  upon  them. 
Nothing  has  kept  them  from  rejecting  it 
before,  but  the  disgrace  that  would  follow 
upon  their  becoming  open  infidels  :  whenev- 
er, therefore,  this  disgrace  shall  be  removed, 
we  may  expect  them  to  go  off  in  great  com- 
panies. The  slightest  observation  of  human 
nature  must  convince  us  that  the  greater 
part  of  mankind,  even  in  religious  matters, 
are  governed  by  fashion  :  they  go  with  "  the 
course  of  this  world."  So  great  an  influ- 
ence has  the  tide  of  public  opinion  upon  them, 
that,  even  where  it  is  not  altogether  agreea- 
ble to  their  own  views  and  inclinations,  they 
are,  nevertheless,  frequently  carried  away 
by  it;  if  it  be   thus  where  public   opinion 


and  private  inclination  are  at  variance,  it 
must,  of  course,  be  much  more  so  in  those 
cases  wherein  they  are  agreed.  This  will 
be  like  a  union  of  the  wind  and  tide  :  and 
the  vessel  which  is  carried  along  by  such  a 
joint  influence  can  scarcely  have  any  thing 
left  to  impede  its  progress. 

The  great  influence  which  a  certain  popu- 
lar pamphlet  has  had  upon  men's  minds  is 
not  so  much  owing  to  the  work  itself  (though 
it  possesses  all  the  agreeableness  to  a  de- 
praved heart  which  wit  and  malignity  can 
give  it)  as  to  the  bias  of  the  present  genera- 
tion in  favor  of  the  principles  which  it  con- 
tains. Of  this  the  author  himself  seems  to 
have  been  sufficiently  aware,  by  the  title 
which  he  has  thought  to  give  his  perform- 
ance,— The  Age  of  Reason. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  almost  all  our  reli- 
gious controversies  will  soon  be  reduced  to 
one,  upon  which  the  great  body  of  men  will 
divide.  Is  Christianity  true  or  false  ?  Is 
there  a  God  ?  Is  there  a  heaven  and  a  hell  ? 
or  is  it  all  a  fiction  ?  Agitated  by  these  im- 
portant questions,  the  greater  part  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Europe,  and  perhaps  of  America, 
including  our  own  posterity,  may  rank  ei- 
ther as  real  Christians  or  as  open  infidels. 

What  shall  we  say  to  these  things  ?  Ought 
they  to  depress  us  ?  We  ought,  undoubted- 
ly, to  feel  for  the  welfare  of  men's  souls,  and 
cannot  but  feel  for  those  who  are  more  inti- 
mately connected  with  us;  but  upon  any 
other  principle  I  know  not  that  they  ought 
to  have  any  such  effect  upon  us.  God  is  up- 
on his  throne :  his  church  is  upon  a  rock : 
whatever  "  hour  of  temptation  may  be  com- 
ing upon  the  world,  to  try  them  that  dwell 
upon  the  earth,  those  who  hold  fast  the 
word  of  his  patience  will  be  kept  through 
it." — "  All  things  work  together  for  good  to 
them  that  love  God."  With  these  views 
Christians  may  rejoice,  and  rejoice  always. 

While  we  rejoice,  however,  we  must  re- 
joice with  trembling :  and,  while  we  confide 
in  God,  must  be  diffident  of  ourselves.  Let 
us  not  presume  on  our  own  firmness,  but 
"put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  we 
may  withstand  in  the  evil  day."  The  first 
thing  required  in  this  divine  accoutrement 
is,  that  "  our  loins  be  girt  about  with  truth : " 
but  truth  will  not  prove  as  a  girdle  to  our 
loins  in  the  day  of  battle,  except  we  be  deep- 
ly and  intimately  acquainted  with  it. 

O  ye  sons  and  daughters  of  carelessness, 
who  are  called  Christians,  but  have  no  root 
in  yourselves,  what  aspect  do  these  things 
wear  towards  you  ?  The  time  seems  draw- 
ing nigh  that  will  prove  you  to  be  what  you 
are !  Hitherto  there  has  been  "  an  outer- 
court  "  for  you,  and  you  have  worshipped  in 
it.  You  have  long  had  a  form  of  godliness, 
but  have  been  without  the  power.  You 
have  ranked  with  the  friends  of  truth,  but 
have  never  received  it  in  love,  that  you  might 
be  saved.     You  have  kept  up  the  profession 


THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    REWARDS. 


211 


of  something  that  has  been  called  Christian- 
ity, without  feeling  yourselves  under  any 
necessity  to  proceed  farther :  but  now  your 
outer-court  will,  probably,  be  taken  away, 
and  you  will  feel  yourselves  impelled,  as  it 
were,  either  to  come  in,  and  be  Christians  in 
reality,  or  to  go  out,  and  take  your  portion 
with  the  unbelieving  and  the  abominable. 


SERMON  VI. 

[Preached    at    the   Circus,   Edinburgh,   Oct.   13, 
1799.] 

THE   CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  REWARDS. 

"  Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked  ;  for  what- 
soever a  man  soweth  that  shall  he  also  reap.  For 
he  that  soweth  to  his  flesh,  shall  of  the  flesh  reap 
corruption  :  but  he  that  soweth  to  the  Spirit,  shall 
of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting." — Gal.  vi.  7,  8. 

Common  subjects,  my  brethren,  are  the 
most  important,  and  need  to  be  most  incul- 
cated. We  are  apt  to  think  we  have  heard 
enough  of  them,  and  can  expect  but  little,  if 
any,  farther  improvement  from  them.  But 
such  imaginations  are  founded  in  mistake. 
Though,  generally  speaking,  we  assent  to 
the  important  truth  which  is  here  suggested, 
yet  there  are  but  few  of  us  who  feel  its 
force,  or  properly  act  under  its  influence. 

The  solemn  warning  here  given  is  not  un- 
necessary. Perhaps  there  is  nothing  to 
which  depraved  creatures  are  more  addicted, 
though  nothing  be  more  dangerous,  than 
self-deception.  It  is  from  this  predilection  in 
favor  of  something  that  shall  prophecy  good 
concerning  them  that  the  truth  is  disrelish- 
ed, and  those  doctrines  and  systems  of  reli- 
gion which  flatter  their  pride  and  cherish 
their  security  are  so  eagerly  imbibed.  The 
human  heart  loves  to  be  soothed.  The 
pleasing  sounds  peace,  peace,  though  there 
be  no  peace,  will  be  gratefully  received. 
But  let  us  not  be  our  own  enemies.  To  im- 
pose upon  ourselves  is  all  that  we  can  do : 
"  God  is  not  mocked."  When  all  is  said 
and  done,  "  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 
shall  he  also  reap." 

Some  men  venture  to  hope  that  there  is 
no  hereafter,  no  harvest  to  follow :  or  that, 
though  they  persist  in  sowing  to  the  flesh, 
yet  they  shall  not  of  the  flesh  reap  corrup- 
tion :  but  this  is  a  most  forlorn  hope.  Un- 
happy men  !  Every  thing  around  you  proves 
that  there  is  a  God ;  and  something  within 
you,  in  spite  of  all  your  efforts  to  stifle  its 
remonstrances,  tells  you  that  you  are  ac- 
countable to  him,  and  must  give  an  account 
before  him.  To  you  the  words  that  I  have 
read  are  particularly  addressed :  "  Be  not 
deceived ;  God  is  not  mocked :  whatsoever 
a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap." 

Others,  who  admit  a  future  state,  yet  hope 
to  escape  the  just  reward  of  their  evil  deeds, 


from  an  idea  which  they  entertain  of  the 
general  mercy  of  God.  It  is  true,  God  is 
merciful ;  but  his  mercy  is  not  connivance. 
He  is  merciful;  but  it  is  only  through  a  me- 
diator :  while,  therefore,  you  neglect  his  sal- 
vation, there  is  no  mercy  for  you.  You  con- 
fess not  your  iniquity  upon  the  head  of  the 
substitute ;  therefore  it  will  be  found  upon 
your  own  head.  Your  religion  is  no  better 
than  that  of  Cain,  who  brought  an  offering 
without  a  sacrifice  :  the  Lord  will  not  accept 
it.  He  is  merciful ;  but  it  is  to  men  of  a 
broken  and  a  contrite  spirit.  Of  others,  he 
says,  "He  that  made  them  will  not  have 
mercy  upon  them  ;  and  he  that  formed  them 
will  show  them  no  favor."  O  ye  formal- 
ists !  ye  heathens  under  a  Christian  name ! 
the  passage  that  I  have  read  looks  hard  at 
you :  "  Be  not  deceived ;  God  is  not  mock- 
ed :  for  Avhatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall 
he  also  reap." 

Others  have  derived  a  hope  from  the  per- 
formance of  certain  superstitious  rites,  or 
from  the  hestowment  of  a  portion  of  their 
wealth  on  some  religious  object.  Much  of 
this  kind  of  delusion  has  been  practised  in 
Popish  countries.  Men  who  have  lived  a 
life  of  injustice,  or  debauchery,  or  both,  have 
hoped  to  balance  accounts  with  the  Almighty 
by  performing  a  journey  to  the  tomb  of  some 
departed  saint,  by  building  a  church,  or  by 
endowing  an  "hospital".  It  were  well  if  this 
kind  of  self-deception  were  confined  to 
Popish  countries  :  but,  alas  !  it  is  natural  to 
unrenewed  minds,  of  all  nations  and  reli- 
gions, to  substitute  ceremony  in  the  place 
of  judgment,  mercy,  and  the  love  of  God  ; 
and  to  hope  to  escape  the  divine  displeasure 
by  the  works  of  their  own  hands.  Are  there 
any  of  this  description  here?  We  shall 
have  a  collection,  this  evening,  for  the  print-  | 
ing  of  the  New  Testament  in  the  Bengalee 
language.  If  I  only  wished  for  your  money, 
I  might  say,  Give,  whatever  be  your  motive! 
No  ;  I  am  not  so  concerned  for  the  salvation 
of  the  heathen  as  to  be  regardless  of  that  of 
my  own  countrymen  !  I  ask  not  a  penny  from 
such  a  motive :  and,  moreover,  I  solemnly 
warn  you  that,  if  you  give  all  your  substance 
in  this  way,  it  will  avail  you  nothing.  "  Be 
not  deceived  ;  God  is  not  mocked :  for  what- 
soever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reap." 

Finally:  Others  flatter  themselves  that 
their  iniquity  will  not  find  them  out,  seeing 
"  Christ  has  died."  And  true  it  is  with  re- 
gard to  all  who  believe  in  him,  and  who 
"  sow  to  the  spirit,"  that  they  will  not  be 
dealt  with  according  to  their  deserts,  but  ac- 
cording to  the  merits  of  him  in  whom  they 
have  believed.  Of  this  we  shall  have  occa- 
sion to  speak  more  particularly  hereafter. 
At  present,  let  it  suffice  to  observe  that  un- 
believers, Avho  continue  to  "sow  to  the 
flesh,"  have  no  interest  in  his  mercy.  There 
might  as  well  have  been  no  Saviour,  nay, 


212 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


better,  so  far  &s  their  future  happiness  is 
concerned,  than  a  Saviour  not  believed  in, 
loved,  nor  obeyed.  Iniquity,  unlamented, 
will  inevitably  be  our  ruin.  It  is  as  true  as 
though  Christ  had  never  died  that  "  whatso- 
ever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap." 
It  is  a  very  serious  and  impressive  truth 
which  is  here  held  up,  that  all  which  is 

DONE  IN  THIS  LIFE  IS  PREPARATORY  TO  AN- 
OTHER ;  OR  THAT  THE  SORROWS  AND  JOYS 
OF  A  FUTURE  WORLD  BEAR  A  RELATION  TO 
WHAT  IS  WROUGHT  IN  THIS,  SIMILAR  TO 
THAT   WHICH  THE   HARVEST  BEARS     TO     THE 

seed  sown.  This  is  the  subject  to  which  I 
wish  to  call  your  serious  attention,  and  sure- 
ly I  may  presume  that  such  an  attention  will 
not  be  withheld. 

1.  Let  us  begin  on  the  subject  of  sowing 
to  the  flesh,  and  observe  the  relation 
which  the  future  punishment  of  the  wicked 
will  bear  to  it. 

The  fruit  which  arises  from  sowing  to  the 
flesh  is  termed  "  corruption."  It  does  not 
consist  in  the  destruction  of  being,  but  of 
well-being  ;  in  the  blasting  of  peace,  joy, 
and  hope  ;  and  consequently  in  the  enduring 
of  tribulation,  anguish,  and  everlasting  de- 
spair. 

This  dreadful  harvest  will  all  originate  in 
the  sin  which  has  been  committed  in  the 
present  life.  Even  here  we  see  enough  to 
convince  us  of  its  destructive  tendency. 
We  see  intemperance  followed  with  disease, 
idleness  with  rags,  pride  with  scorn,  and  in- 
difference to  evangelical  truth  Avith  the  be- 
lief of  a  lie.  We  see  nations  desolated  by 
wars,  neighborhoods  and  families  rendered 
miserable  by  contentions,  and  the  minds  of 
individuals  sinking  under  the  various  loads 
of  cuilt,  remorse,  and  despair.  Great  is  the 
misery  of  man  upon  him.  Yet  this  is  but 
the  "blade"  proceeding  from  this  deadly 
seed ;  or  at  most  the  "  ear : "  the  "  full  corn 
in  the  ear  "  is  reserved  for  another  state. 

The  scriptural  representations  of  the 
wrath  to  come  convey  the  idea,  not  of  tor- 
ture inflicted  by  mere  power,  nor  of  punish- 
ment without  respect  to  desert,  but  of  bit- 
ter "  weepings  and  wailings,"  in  reflecting 
on  the  deeds  done  in  the  body.  The  pun- 
ishment of  the  adulterer  is  described  as  a 
"  bed," — a  bed  of  devouring  fire  ;  the  de- 
ceiver will  find  himself  deceived ;  he  that 
loved  cursing,  it  shall  come  upon  him,  as  oil 
into  his  bones ;  and  they  who  continued  to 
say  unto  God,  "  Depart  from  us,  we  desire 
not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways,"  God  will 
say  unto  them, "  Depart  from  me,  ye  workers 
of  iniquity :  I  never  knew  you." 

Future  misery  will  greatly  consist  in  re- 
flection. Abraham  said  to  the  rich  man, 
"  Son,  remember ! "  If  the  memory  could  be 
obliterated,  there  is  reason  to  think  hell 
would  be  extinguished:  but  it  must  re- 
main. 

There  are  four  things  in  particular  per- 


taining to  sin  which  will  continue  to  be  the 
objects  of  reflection,  and  which  therefore 
must  prove  the  seeds  of  future  misery. 

1.  The  character  of  the  Being  against  ivhom 
it  has  been  committed.  If  God  had  been 
wanting  in  justice  or  goodness ;  if  his  law 
had  been,  what  some  have  profanely  said  of 
it, — a  taskmaster,  requiring  brick  without 
straw  ;  if  compliance  with  his  will  had  been 
inconsistent  with  real  happiness ;  if  his  in- 
vitations had  been  insincere  ;  or  if  his  pro- 
mises had  in  any  instances  been  broken ;  if 
his  threatenings  had  borne  no  proportion  to 
the  evil  of  the  offence  ;  or  if  in  condemning 
the  sinner  he  had  availed  himself  of  being 
stronger  than  he ;  his  wrath  might  possibly 
have  been  endured.  We  can  bear  an  un- 
just punishment  better  than  a  just  one.  The 
displeasure  of  a  malignant  being,  however 
it  may  injure  us,  does  not  bereave  us  of  in- 
ward peace  :  it  is  the  frown  of  goodness  that 
is  intolerable.  To  have  incurred  the  'dis- 
pleasure of  a  God  whose  nature  is  love, 
must  furnish  reflections  which  cannot  be 
endured. 

2.  The  folly  of  it.  There  are  few  things 
in  the  present  state  which  sting  the  mind 
with  keener  sensations  than  the  recollection 
that  we  have  ruined  ourselves  by  our  own 
foolishness. 

If  we  see  a  man  eager  in  pursuing  trifles, 
while  he  neglects  things  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance ;  anxious  to  shun  imaginary  evils, 
and  heedlessly  plunging  himself  into  real 
ones ;  all  attention  to  present  indulgences, 
but  regardless  of  his  future  interests  ;  averse 
from  what  is  his  duty,  and  busying  himself 
in  things  for  which  he  is  utterly  incompe- 
tent, and  which,  therefore,  he  should  commit 
to  another,  in  fine,  studying  to  displease  his 
best  friend,  and  to  gratify  his  worst  enemy  ; 
we  should  without  hesitation  pronounce  him 
a  foolish  man,  and  foretel  his  ruin.  Yet  all 
this  is  the  constant  practice  of  every  uncon- 
verted sinner ;  and,  if  he  persist  in  his  folly, 
the  recollection  of  it  in  a  future  state  must 
overwhelm  him  with  "  shame  and  everlasting 
contempt." 

3.  The  aggravating  circumstances  ivhich 
attend,  it.  The  same  actions  committed  in 
different  circumstances  possess  very  differ- 
ent degrees  of  guilt.  The  heathens  in  pur- 
suing their  immoralities  are  without  excuse  ; 
but  those  who  are  guilty  of  the  same  things 
amidst  the  blaze  of  gospel  light  are  much 
more  so.  The  profligate  conduct  of  those 
young  people  whose  parents  have  set  them 
the  example  is  heinous :  but  what  is  it  in 
comparison  of  that  which  is  against  exam- 
ple, and  in  spite  of  all  the  tears,  prayers,  and 
remonstrances  of  their  godly  relations  ?  And 
what  is  that  rejection  of  the  gospel  in  the 
most  ignorant  part  of  the  community  in 
comparison  of  that  which  is  accompanied 
with  much  hearing,  reading,  and  reflection  ? 

O  my  hearers!     A  large  proportion  of 


THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    REWARDS. 


213 


the  sin  committed  among  us  is  of  this  de- 
scription: it  is  against  light,  and  against 
love.  Wisdom  crieth  in  our  streets,  and  un- 
derstanding putteth  forth  her  voice.  The 
melting  invitations  and  solemn  warnings  of 
God  are  frequently  sounded  in  our  ears.  If 
we  should  perish,  therefore,  ours  will  not  be 
the  lot  of  common  sinners  ;  our  reflections 
will  be  similar  to  those  of  Chorazin  and 
Bethsaida,  whose  inhabitants  are. represent- 
ed as  more  guilty  than  those  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah.  To  reject  the  gospel,  whether 
it  be  by  a  preference  of  gross  indulgences, 
a  fondness  for  refined  speculations,  or  an  at- 
tachment to  our  own  righteousness,  is  to  in- 
cur "  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb,"  which  is 
held  up  to  us  as  the  most  dreadful  of  all 
wrath — as  that  from  which  unbelievers  would 
be  glad  to  be  hid,  though  it  were  by  being 
crushed  beneath  falling  rocks,  or  buried  in 
oblivion  at  the  bottom  of  the  mountains. 

4.  That  in  sin  which  will  furnish  matter 
for  still  further  reflection  will  be  its  effects 
on  others  connected  ivith  us.  It  is  a  very  af- 
fecting consideration  that  we  are  so  linked 
together  in  society  that  we  almost  necessa- 
rily communicate  our  dispositions  one  to  an- 
other. We  draw,  and  are  drawn,  in  both 
good  and  evil.  If  we  go  to  heaven,  we  are 
commonly  instrumental  in  drawing  some 
others  along  with  us ;  and  it  is  the  same  if 
we  go  to  hell.  If  a  sinner,  when  he  has 
destroyed  his  own  soul,  could  say,  I  have  in- 
jured myself  only,  his  reflections  would 
be  very  different  from  what  they  will  be. 

The  influence  of  an  evil  word  or  action, 
in  a  way  of  example,  may  surpass  all  calcu- 
lation. It  may  occupy  the  attention  of  the 
sinner  only  for  the  moment ;  but,  being  com- 
municated to  another,  it  may  take  root  in  him 
and  bring  forth  fruit  a  hundred-fold.  He  also 
may  communicate  it  to  his  connections,  and 
they  to  theirs  ;  and  thus  it  may  go  on  to  in- 
crease from  generation  to  generation.  In 
this  world  no  competent  idea  can  be  formed 
of  these  effects ;  but  they  Avill  be  manifest 
in  the  next,  and  must  needs  prove  a  source 
of  bitter  reflection. 

What  sensations  must  arise  in  the  minds 
of  those  whose  lives  have  been  spent  in 
practising  the  abominable  arts  of  seduction  ; 
whose  words,  looks,  and  gestures,  like  a  pes- 
tilence that  walketh  in  darkness,  conveyed 
the  poison  of  their  hearts,  and  spread  wide- 
wasting  ruin  among  the  unguarded  youth. 
There  they  will  be  "cast  into  a  bed,  and 
those  who  have  committed  adultery  with 
them  ?  " 

See  there  too  the  ungodly  parent,  com- 
passed about  and  loaded  with  execrations 
by  his  ungodly  offspring,  whom  he  has  led 
on  by  his  foul  example,  till  both  have  fallen 
into  perdition ! 

Nor  is  this  all :  there  also  will  be  seen  the 
"  blind  leader  of  the  blind,  both  fallen  into 
the  ditch ; "  the   deluded  preacher  with  his 


deluded  hearers  ;  each  of  whom  during  life, 
were  employed  in  deceiving  the  other.  The 
mask  is  now  stripped  off.  Now  it  appears 
to  what  issue  all  his  soothing  flatteries  led  ; 
and  what  was  his  real  character  at  the  time, 
notwithstanding  the  decency  of  his  outward 
demeanor.  Now  it  is  manifest  that  he  who 
led  not  the  sheep  of  Christ  into  the  true  pas- 
ture "  entered  not  in  by  the  door  himself." 
Ah !  now  the  blood  of  souls  crieth  for  ven- 
geance !  Methinks  I  see  the  profligate  part 
of  his  auditory,  who  died  before  him,  sur- 
prised at  his  approach.  That  we,  say  they, 
who  have  lived  in  pleasure,  and  in  wanton- 
ness, should  come  to  this  place,  is  no  won- 
der ;  but . ..."  art  thou  also  become  like  one 
of  us  ?  " 

I  proceed 

II.  To  offer  some  remarks  on  sowing  to 
the  Spirit  ;  or  to  point  out  the  relation 
that  subsists  between  what  is  done  for 
Christ  in  this  life  and  the  joys  of  the  life  to 
come. 

Before  I  attempt  to  establish  this  part  of 
the  subject,  it  will  be  proper  to  form  a  clear 
and  scriptural  idea  of  it. 

The  relation  between  sowing  to  the  Spirit 
and  everlasting  life  is  as  real  as  that  be- 
tween sowing  to  the  flesh  and  everlasting 
death :  it  does  not  follow,  however,  that  it  is 
in  all  respects  the  same.  The  one  is  a  re- 
lation of  due  desert ;  but  the  other  is  not  so. 
The  Scriptures,  while  they  represent  death 
as  the  proper  "wages  "  of  sin,  have  decided 
that  eternal  life  is  "the  gift  of  God,  "  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 

The  leading  principles  necessary  to  a 
clear  understanding  of  this  subject  maybe 
stated   under  the  following  particulars  : — 

1.  Nothing  performed  by  a  creature,  how- 
ever pure,  can  properly  merit  everlasting  life. 
To  merit  at  the  hand  of  God  would  be  to 
lay  him  under  an  obligation  ;  and  this  would 
be  the  same  thing  as  becoming  profitable 
to  him  :  but  we  are  taught,  when  we  have 
done  all,  to  acknowledge  that  we  are  "  un- 
profitable servants,  having  done  no  more 
than  was  our  duty  to  do." 

2.  God  may  freely  lay  himself  under  an 
obligation  to  reward  the  obedience  of  a  holy 
creature  ivith.  everlasting  life  ;  and  his  so  do- 
ing may  be  ft  and  worthy  of  him.  This  fit- 
ness, however,  arises  not  from  the  propor- 
tion between  the  service  and  the  reward, 
but  from  such  a  conduct  being  adapted  to 
express  to  creation  in  general  the  love  which 
the  Creator  bears  to  righteousness,  and  to 
give  encouragement  to  the  performance  of 
it.  Such  was  the  promise  made  to  our  first 
parents ;  which,  had  they  continued  obe- 
dient, would  have  entitled  them  to  the  re- 
ward. 

3.  Man  having  sinned,  the  promised  good 
is  forfeited;  and  death  becomes  the  only  re- 
ward of  ivhich  he  is  ivorthy.  "  All  have  sin- 
ned, and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God." 


214 


SEKMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


The  law  is  become  "weak  through  the 
flesh,"  like  a  just  judge,  who  is  incapable  of 
acquitting  a  criminal,  or  of  awarding  life  to 
a  character  who  deserves  to  die. 

4.  God  having  designs  of  mercy,  notwith- 
standing, towards  rebellious  creatures,  sent 
forth  his  Son  to  obey  and  suffer  in  their  place ; 

resolving  to  bestow  eternal  life  on  all  that  be- 
lieve in  him,  as  the  reward  of  his  undertak- 
ing. So  well  pleased  was  the  Father  with 
the  obedience  and  sacrifice  of  Christ,  that  he 
not  only  set  him  at  his  own  right  hand  in  the 
heavenly  places,  and  made  him  head  over 
all  principalities  and  powers,  and  every  name 
that  is  named ;  but  gave  him  the  full  desire 
of  his  heart,  the  salvation  of  his  people. 
Hence  all  spiritual  blessings  are  said  to  be 
given  us  "  in  him,"  "  through  him,"  or  "  for 
his  sake."  "  By  means  of  his  death  "  we 
receive  the  promise  of  "  eternal  inherit- 
ance;" and  our  salvation  is  considered  as 
"  the  travail  of  his  soul,"  which  it  was  pro- 
mised him  he  should  "  see,  and  be  satisfied." 
Mercy  shown  to  a  sinner  in  this  way  is,  in 
effect,  saying,  Not  for  your  sakes  do  I  this, 
be  it  known  unto  you  !  (be  ashamed  and  con- 
founded, O  apostate  creature!)  but  to  do 
honor  to  the  interposition  of  my  Son.  Him 
will  I  hear ! 

5.  God  not  only  accepts  of  all  who  believe 
in  his  Son,  for  his  sake,  but  their  services  also 
become  acceptable  and  reward-able,  through 
the  same  medium.  If  our  works,  while  un- 
believers, had  any  thing  truly  good  in  them, 
which  they  have  not,  still  it  were  impossible 
that  they  should  be  acceptable  to  God.  "  It 
does  not  consist  with  the  honor  of  the  ma- 
jesty of  the  King  of  heaven  and  earth,"  as 
a  great  writer  expresses  it,  "  to  accept  of 
any  thing  from  a  condemned  malefactor, 
condemned  by  the  justice  of  his  own  holy 
law,  till  that  condemnation  be  removed."* 
But,  being  "  accepted  in  the  beloved,"  our 
works  are  accepted  likewise.  "  The  Lord 
had  respect  unto  Abel,  and  to  his  offering." 
— "  He  worketh  in  us  that  which  is  well  plea- 
sing in  his  sight,  through  Jesus  Christ." — 
"  Ye  are  a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up  spirit- 
ual sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus 
Christ." 

Being  "accepted  in  the  beloved,"  our 
services  become  impregnated,  as  it  were, 
with  his  worthiness  ;  our  petitions  are  offer- 
ed with  the  "much  incense"  of  his  inter- 
cession ;  and  both  are  treated,  in  a  sort,  as 
though  they  were  his.  God  in  blessing  and 
rewarding  Abraham's  posterity,  is  represent- 
ed as  blessing  and  rewarding  him.  "  By 
myself  have  I  sworn,  saith  the  Lord,  for  be- 
cause thou  hast  done  this  thing,  and  hast  not 
withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son,  that  in  bles- 
sing I  will  bless  thee — and  thy  seed  shall  pos- 
sess the  gate  of  his  enemies." — Accord- 
ingly, though  it  be  said  of  Caleb,  "  because 

*  President  Edwards's  M  Sermons  on  Justification." 


he  followed  the  Lord  fully,  him  will  I  bring 
into  the  land  whereinto  he  went,  and  his 
seed  shall  possess  it ;  yet  it  was  no  less  a 
fulfilment  of  the  promise  to  Abraham  than 
of  that  to  him.  In  like  manner,  in  approv- 
ing the  services  of  believers,  God  approves 
of  the  obedience  and  sacrifice  of  his  Son, 
of  which  they  are  the  fruits  ;  and,  in  reward- 
ing them,  continues  to  reward  him,  or  to  ex- 
press his  well-pleasedness  in  his  mediation. 

This,  brethren,  I  take  to  be,  for  substance, 
the  Christian  doctrine  of  reivards.  I  am 
persuaded  it  excludes  boasting,  and  at  the 
same  time  affords  the  greatest  possible  en- 
couragement to  be  "  constant,  unmoveable, 
and  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord." 

On  this  ground  I  proceed  to  establish  the 
position  with  which  I  set  out,  That  the  joys 
of  futurity  ivill  bear  a  relation  to  what  is  done 
for  Christ  in  the  present  life  similar  to  that 
between  the  seed  and  the  harvest. 

The  same  peace  and  joy  in  God  which 
primarily  arises  from  the  mediation  of  Christ 
may  arise,  in  a  secondary  sense,  from  the 
fruits  of  it  in  our  own  souls.  We  know  by 
experience,  as  well  as  by  Scripture  testimo- 
ny, that  it  is  thus  in  the  present  world : 
hence  that  "  great  peace"  which  they  enjoy 
who  love  the  divine  law  ;  and  that  "  satisfac- 
tion "  which  a  good  man  is  said  to  possess 
"  from  himself: "  and  what  good  reason  can 
be  given  why  that  which  has  been  a  source 
of  peace  and  satisfaction  here  should  not  be 
the  same  hereafter  ?  If  future  rewards  in- 
terfered with  the  grace  of  God,  or  the  mer- 
it of  Christ,  present  ones  must  do  the  same  : 
for  a  difference  in  place  or  condition  makes 
no  difference  as  to  the  nature  of  things. 
Besides  this,  the  Scriptures  expressly  teach 
us  that  the  heavenly  inheritance  is  "  treasure 
laid  up  on  earth,"  the  "  crown  "  of  the 
faithful,  and  the  "  reward "  of  those  who 
have  been  hated,  persecuted,  and  falsely  ac- 
cused for  their  Redeemer's  sake.  The  same 
apostle  who  teaches  that  salvation  is  of 
"  grace,"  and  "  not  of  works,"  and  that  we 
are  "  accepted  in  the  beloved,"  assures  us 
that  he  "  labored, — that  he  might  be  accept- 
ed of  the  Lord : "  for,  he  adds,  "  We  must 
all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of 
Christ,  that  every  one  may  receive  the 
things  done  in  his  body,  according  to  that  he 
hath  done,  whether  good  or  bad."  The  ad- 
dresses to  the  seven  Asiatic  churches 
abound  with  the  same  sentiments.  Eternal 
life,  under  various  forms  of  expression,  is 
there  promised  as  the  reward  of  those  who 
should  overcome. 

This  doctrine  will  receive  farther  confir- 
mation if  we  consider  wherein  the  nature  of 
heavenly  felicity  consists.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  but  that  an  essential  part  of  it  will 
consist  in  the  divine  approbation ;  and  this, 
not  merely  on  account  of  what  we  shall 
then  be,  but  of  what   we  have  been  and 


THE    CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE    OF    REWARDS. 


215 


done  in  the  present  world.  So  far  as  we 
have  sown  to  the  Spirit,  so  far  we  shall  reap 
the  approbation  of  God ;  and  this  will  be  a 
harvest  that  will  infinitely  exceed  all  our 
toils.  We  are  assured  that  for  those  who 
fear  the  Lord,  and  are  concerned  for  his 
name  in  times  of  general  declension,  "  a 
book  of  remembrance  is  written  ; "  and,  from 
the  account  given  us  by  our  Lord,  it  appears, 
that  its  contents  will  be  published  in  the 
presence  of  an  assembled  world.  "The 
King  will  say  unto  those  at  his  right  hand, 
Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father." — "  I  was 
an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat :  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink :  I  was  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in :  naked,  and  ye 
clothed  me  :  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me : 
I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me." 

Another  essential  part  of  the  heavenly 
felicity  will  consist  in  "ascribing  glory  to 
God  and  the  Lamb."  It  will  be  a  source  of 
joy  unspeakable  to  perceive  the  abundance 
of  glory  which  will  redound  to  the  best  of 
beings  from  all  the  works  of  his  hands.  But, 
if  we  rejoice  that  God  is  glorified,  we  can- 
not but  rejoice  in  the  recollection  that  we 
have  been  instrumental  in  glorifying  him. 
It  belongs  to  the  nature  of  love  to  rejoice 
in  an  opportunity  of  expressing  itself;  and, 
when  those  opportunities  have  occurred,  to 
rejoice  in  the  recollection  of  them.  We 
are  told  that  when  David  was  anointed 
king  in  Hebron  "  there  was  joy  in  Israel." 
Undoubtedly  it  must  have  afforded  pleas- 
ure to  all  who  had  believed  that  God 
had  appointed  him  to  that  office,  and  had 
felt  interested  for  him  during  his  affliction, 
to  see  him  crowned  by  the  unanimous  con- 
sent of  the  tribes,  whoever  were  the  instru- 
ments of  raising  him  to  the  throne :  but  it 
must  give  peculiar  joy  to  those  worthies  who, 
at  an  early  period,  had  cast  in  their  lot  with 
him,  and  fought  by  his  side  through  all  his 
difficulties.  And,  as  they  would  feel  a  spe- 
cial interest  in  his  exaltation,  so  special  hon- 
ors were  conferred  on  them  under  his  gov- 
ernment. It  is,  I  apprehend,  in  allusion  to 
this  piece  of  sacred  story,  that  our  Lord 
speaks  in  the  manner  he  does  to  his  apos- 
tles :  "  Ye  are  they  which  have  continued 
with  me  in  my  temptations,  and  I  appoint 
unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath  ap- 
pointed unto  me :  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink 
at  my  table  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on 
thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel." 

The  satisfaction  of  the  apostle  Paul,  in 
having  "  fought  the  good  fight,  finished  his 
course,  and  kept  the  faith,"  did  not  consist 
in  a  pharisaical  self  complacency  ;  but  in  a 
consciousness  of  having,  in  some  good  mea- 
sure, lived  to  his  glory  who  died  for  him,  and 
rose  again ;  and  the  same  consciousness 
that  rendered  him  happy,  while  in  the  pros- 
pect of  his  crown,  must  render  him  still 
more  so  in  the  possession  of  it. 

It  has  been  noticed  that  one  ffreat  source 


of  future  misery  to  the  sinner  will  be  the 
effects  which  his  sin  has  produced  upon  oth- 
ers ;  and  much  the  same  may  be  observed 
concerning  the  righteous.  We  already 
perceive  the  tendency  which  a  holy,  upright, 
and  benevolent  conduct  has  to  work  convic- 
tion in  the  minds  of  men :  but  in  the  world 
to  come  the  seed  will  have  actually  pro- 
duced its  fruits  ;  and,  God  being  thereby 
glorified,  the  hearts  of  those  who  have  con- 
tributed towards  it  must  be  filled  with 
grateful  satisfaction. 

We  can  form  no  competent  ideas,  at  pre- 
sent, of  the  effects  of  good,  any  more  than 
of  evd.  What  we  do  of  either  is  merely 
the  kindling  of  a  fire  ;  how  far  it  may  burn 
we  cannot  tell,  and,  generally  speaking,  our 
minds  are  but  little  occupied  about  it.  Who 
can  calculate  the  effects  of  a  modest  testi- 
mony borne  to  truth ;  of  an  importunate 
prayer  for  its  success ;  of  a  disinterested 
act  of  self-denial ;  of  a  willing  contribution  ; 
of  a  seasonable  reproof;  of  a  wholesome 
council  ;  of  even  a  sigh  of  pity,  or  a  tear  of 
sympathy  ?  Each  or  any  of  these  exercises 
may  be  the  means,  in  the  Lord's  hand,  of 
producing  that  in  the  bosoms  of  individuals 
which  may  be  communicated  to  their  con- 
nections, and  from  them  to  theirs,"  to  the  end 
of  time. 

The  gospel  dispensation  also  is  accom- 
panied with  peculiar  encouragements  for 
such  exercises  :  it  is  that  period  in  which 
the  Messiah  receives  of  "  the  travail  of  his 
sou]  ;"  and,  consequently,  that  in  which  his 
servants  may  warrantably  hope  for  the 
greatest  success.  Under  his  reign,  we  have 
the  promise  of  the  Spirit  being "  poured 
upon  us  from  on  high,"  and  of  various  other 
blessings  resulting  from  it :  particularly,  that 
"the  wilderness  shall  become  a  fruitful 
field  ;"  that  it  shall  be  so  fertile  that  what 
has  been  before  reckoned  a  "fruitful  field" 
shall,  in  comparison  with  it,  "  be  counted  for 
a  forest ; "  that  "  the  work  of  righteousness 
shall  be  peace,  and  the  effect  of  righteous- 
ness quietness,  and  assurance  forever;" 
and,  finally,  that  the  labors  of  the  Lord's 
servants,  during  these  happy  times,  shall  be 
like  that  of  the  husbandman  who  "  sows 
beside  all  waters,"  or  who  cultivates  a  rich 
and  well- watered  soil.  It  is  also  during  the 
Messiah's  reign  that  we  are  warranted  to 
expect  great  things  to  arise  from  small 
beginnings.  "  There  shall  be  a  handful  of 
corn  in  the  earth,  upon  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tains, the  fruit  whereof  shall  shake  like 
Lebanon." 

The  influence  of  these  effects  on  our  pre- 
sent and  future  happiness  is  clearly  intimated 
by  our  Lord,  where  he  represents  the  proph- 
ets as  "  sowing  "  and  the  apostles  as  "  reap- 
ing," or  "  entering  into  their  labors." — "  He 
that  reapeth  receiveth  wages,  and  gathereth 
fruit  unto  life  eternal:  that  both  he  that 
soweth  and  he  that  reapeth  may    rejoice 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


together."  The  reapers  in  Christ's  harvest 
receive  wages  in  the  enjoyments  which  ac- 
company their  toils  in  the  present  life  :  they 
"  gather  fruit  unto  life  eternal "  in  the  ef- 
fects of  them  contributing  to  enhance  the 
blessedness  of  heaven:  and  this  blessedness 
is  not  confined  to  those  who  have  been  the 
most  successful  in  their  day,  but  extends  to 
others,  who  have  prepared  the  way  before 
them.  According  to  this  representation, 
Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  who  sowed  in  tears, 
will  reap  in  joy  ;  "  rejoicing  together  "  with 
Peter  and  Paul  and  John,  and  all  the  New 
Testament  ministers  ;  viewing,  in  their  suc- 
cesses, the  happy  fruits  of  their  own  disre- 
garded labors. 

In  this  view,  the  labors  of  Paul  and  his 
companions  must  be  considered  as  extending, 
In  their  effects,  to  the  very  end  of  time.  All 
the  true  religion  that  has  blessed  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  earth,  within  the  last  seven- 
teen hundred  years,  has  arisen  from  their  la- 
bors ;  and  all  the  souls  which  have  ascended 
to  glory,  or  shall  yet  ascend,  out  of  every 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation, 
shall  bless  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  for  send- 
ing them.  When  we  see  these  heroic  wor- 
thies sowing  the  seed  of  life,  reproached  in 
one  city,  imprisoned  in  another,  and  stoned 
in  another,  we  think  it  discouraging  work. 
All  that  they  could  accomplish  was  but  lit- 
tle, in  comparison  of  the  multitudes  of  men 
who  inhabited  the  earth  :  and  that  little  must 
be  at  great  expense.  It  was  a  handful  of 
corn  cast  upon  the  top  of  a  mountain — a 
most  unpromising  soil.  They,  indeed,  saw 
that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with  them ; 
but,  probably,  they  had  no  conception  of  the 
-extent  to  which  the  effects  of  their  labors 
would  reach.  If  Paul  and  Silas  rejoiced  and 
sang  praises  in  the  prison  of  Philippi,  what 
■would  have  been  their  joy  could  they  have 
foreseen  that  myriads  of  myriads  in  this 
European  quarter  of  the  world  would  receive 
the  testimony  which  they  should  leave  be- 
liind  them,  and  follow  them  to  glory  ? 

But  all  these  effects  are  manifest  to  them 
in  the  heavenly  world.  There  they  see  the 
harvest  which  had  arisen  from  the  handful 
of  corn,  waving  before  the  wind,  like  the 
trees  of  the  vast  and  conspicuous  forest  of 
Mount  Libanus.  Every  hour,  if  I  may  so 
speak,  souls  are  arriving  at  those  happy  re- 
gions, who  hail  them  as  their  spiritual  fa- 
thers, and  who  shall  be  their  crown  of  re- 
joicing in  the  day  of  the  Lord. 

The  joy  of  the  apostles  will  not  prevent 
later  laborers  from  possessing  the  immedi- 
ate fruit  of  their  toils,  any  more  than  that  of 
the  prophets  will  prevent  them  from  posses- 
sing theirs  :  "  both  they  that  sow  and  they 
that  reap  will  rejoice  together." 

Nor  is  this  encouraging  truth  to  be  con- 
fined to  the  apostles,  or  to  men  of  eminence. 
He  who  received  but  two  talents  had  the  ap- 
probation of  his  Lord,  equally  with  him  who 


had  received  five.  The  reward,  as  promised 
in  the  gospel,  will  not  be  so  much  according 
to  the  talents  we  possess  as  the  use  we  make 
of  them  ;  nor  so  much  in  respect  of  our  suc- 
cess as  of  our  fidelity.  Many  a  servant  of 
Christ  lias  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
with  but  little  apparent  success.  His  charge, 
it  may  be,  was  small  at  the  beginning,  and  he 
has  not  been  able  to  enlarge  it.  He  has  wit- 
nessed but  few  appearances  of  a  divine 
change  in  his  congregation  ;  and  some  of 
those  who,  for  a  time,  afforded  him  hope, 
have  turned  back.  Under  such  circumstan- 
ces, his  heart  has  often  sunk  within  him  ;  oft- 
en has  lie  sighed  in  secret,  and  thought 
within  himself,  I  am  a  vessel  in  which  the 
Lord  taketh  no  pleasure  !  But  if,  under  all 
this,  he  be  faithful  to  his  trust,  and  preserve 
a  single  eye  to  the  glory  of  God,  his  labors 
will  not  be  lost.  The  seed  which  he  has 
sown  may  spring  up  after  his  decease  ;  or 
he  may  have  prepared  the  way  for  another 
more  successful ;  and,  when  all  shall  meet 
in  a  future  state,  he  that  soweth  and  he  that 
reapeth  shall  rejoice  together. 

Neither  is  this  subject  to  be  confined  to 
ministers.  As  in  Christ's  harvest  there  is 
employment  for  every  description  of  laborers, 
so  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  every  thing 
done  for  him  is  productive  of  some  good  ef- 
fect ;  and  will,  in  some  way,  glorify  his  name, 
which  cannot  but  yield  a  joyful  satisfaction 
to  those  who  love  him.  How  grateful  are 
the  recollections  of  a  godly  parent,  when, 
upon  his  dying  bed,  he  is  able  to  say  to  his 
children, — I  have  taught  you  the  good  and 
the  right  way ;  the  things  which  you  have 
heard  and  seen  in  me  do ;  and  the  God  of 
peace  shall  be  with  you. — And,  though  he 
may  not  in  this  world  witness  those  effects 
which  would  have  rejoiced  his  heart,  yet  his 
labor  will  not  be  lost.  He  may,  at  the  last, 
be  able  to  present  them,  saying,  "Here  am  I, 
and  the  children  which  the  Lord  hath  given 
me."  Or,  if  some  should  not  be  gathered, 
yet  his  judgment  is  with  the  Lord,  and  his 
work  with  his  God. 

What  a  satisfaction  must  be  enjoyed  by 
those  who  have  willingly  contributed,  in  any 
form,  to  so  glorious  a  cause  as  that  of  Christ — 
a  cause  which  he  founded  by  the  shedding  of 
his  blood — a  cause  to  which  all  the  tribes  of 
martyrs  cheerfully  sacrificed  their  lives — a 
cause,  in  fine,  by  the  prevalence  of  which 
the  name  of  God  is  glorified,  and  the  salva- 
tion of  our  fellow-sinners  accomplished  ! 
I  close  with  a  few  reflections. 
1.  We  learn,  from  this  subject,  hoio  to  es- 
timate the  importance  of  our  present  conduct. 
We  are  fearfully  made,  but  still  more  fear- 
fully situated.  Every  thing  we  do  is  a  seed 
of  futurity,  and  is  daily  ripening  into  heaven 
or  hell.  It  is  here  we  receive  the  stamp  or 
impression  for  the  whole  of  our  existence. 
Is  it  possible  that,  with  a  proper  sense  of 
this  truth,  we  should  trifle  with  time,  or 


god's  approbation  necessary  to  success. 


217 


lavish  its  precious  moments  in  idleness  or 
folly? 

2.  By  this  also  we  may  estimate  the  folly 
of  hypocrisy.  All  the  labor  of  a  man  to  ap- 
pear what  he  is  not  is  making  preparation 
for  his  own  confusion.  What  should  we 
think  of  a  husbandman  who  sows  cockle  in- 
stead of  barley ;  and  who  having,  by  early 
rising  and  performing  his  labor  in  the  dark, 
deceived  his  neighbors,  should  congratulate 
himself  on  his  ingenuity  ?  Foolish  man  ! 
we  should  say,  of  what  account  is  it  to  his 
neighbor,  in  comparison  of  what  it  is  to  him- 
self? It  will  soon  appear  what  he  has  been 
doing ! 

3.  Let  us  never  forget  that,  whatever  en- 
couragements are  afforded  ns,  they  are  alto- 
gether of  grace,  and  through  a  Mediator. 
There  is  no  room  for  pharisaical  pride  ;  and, 
if  such  a  spirit  be  at  the  root  of  our  labors, 
it  will  prove  "  as  rottenness,  and  the  blossom 
shall  go  up  as  dust." 

Do  any  inquire,  what  they  must  do,  that 
they  may  work  the  works  of  God  ?  The 
answer  is,  "  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye 
believe  in  him  whom  he  hath  sent."  This 
is  the  first  and  chief  concern,  without  which 
all  others  will  be  of  no  account.  While  you 
either  openly  reject  Christianity,  or  imbibe 
another  gospel,  which  is  not  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  the  curse  of  the  Almighty  is  upon 
your  head,  and  all  your  works  are  no  other 
than  "  sowing  to  the  flesh."  Come  off  with- 
out farther  delay ;  come  off  from  that  fatal 
ground.  Renounce  thy  self-dependences, 
and  submit  to  the  righteousness  of  God  ; 
then  every  thing  will  be  in  its  proper  place. 
The  curse  shall  no  longer  be  upon  thee,  nor 
upon  anything  which  thou  doest.  The  Lord 
will  rejoice  over  thee  to  do  thee  good. 
Thou  mayest  "  eat  thy  bread  with  joy,  and 
drink  thy  wine  with  a  merry  heart ;  for  God 
now  accepteth  thy  works." 


SERMON  VII. 

[Preached  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Bedford 
Union,  May  6,  1801.] 

god's  approbation  of  our  labors  neces- 
sary TO  THE  HOPE  OF  SUCCESS. 

"  If  the  Lord  delight  in  us,  then  he  will  bring  us 
into  this  land,  and  give  it  us." — Numb.  xiv.  8. 

You  recollect,  my  brethren,  that  when  the 
children  of  Israel  were  going  up  to  possess 
the  land  which  the  Lord  their  God  had 
promised  them,  they  were  directed  to  send 
spies  before  them,  who  should  search  out  the 
land,  and  report  whether  it  was  good  or  bad, 
and  whether  the  inhabitants  were  strong  or 
weak,  few  or  many.  The  greater  part  of 
these  spies  proved  unfaithful.  They  brought 
an  evil  report  of  the  good  land  ;  depreciat- 
ing its  value,  magnifying  the  difficulties  of 
obtaining  it,  and  thus  spreading  despondency 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  28. 


over  the  hearts  of  the  people.  The  effect 
was  that,  instead  of  persevering  in  the  un- 
dertaking, they  were  for  returning  to  Egypt. 

There  were  two  out  of  the  number,  how- 
ever, who  were  of  another  spirit,  and  whose 
report  was  different  from  that  of  their  com- 
panions. "  The  land,"  said  they,  which  we 
passed  through  to  search  it,  is  an  exceeding- 
ly good  land,  which  floweth  with  milk  and 
honey.  Only  rebel  not  ye  against  the  Lord, 
neither  fear  ye  the  people  of  the  land ;  for 
they  are  bread  for  us :  their  defence  is  de- 
parted from  them  ;  fear  them  not."  These 
worthies  stood  alone  in  their  testimony,  and 
the  people  had  well  nigh  stoned  them  for  it ; 
but  the  Lord  honored  them  :  for,  of  all  the 
generations  which  came  out  of  Egypt,  they 
only  inherited  the  promise. 

Considering  the  object  of  the  present 
meeting,  you  will  probably  suppose  that  my 
thoughts  have  been  employed  in  drawing  a 
parallel  between  the  undertaking  of  Israel 
to  subdue  the  Canaanites  and  take  possession 
of  their  land  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  and 
our  undertakings  to  subdue  to  the  obedience 
of  Christ  the  hearts  of  his  enemies,  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  and  in  this  manner  take 
possession  of  the  world  for  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  true  they  have : 
and,  in  discoursing  upon  the  subject,  I  shall 
first  attempt  to  justify  the  application  by 
tracing  the  analogy  between  the  two  cases, 
and  then  consider  the  proviso  on  which  we 
are  given  to  expect  success. 

I.  I  shall  attempt  to  justify  the  application 
of  the  subject,  by  tracing  the  analogy  be- 
tween THE  UNDERTAKING  OF  ISRAEL  AND 
THE  EFFORTS  OF  CHRISTIANS  TO  DISSEM- 
INATE the  Gospel. 

It  is  allowed  that  the  imagination,  unac- 
companied with  judgment,  will  often  find  re- 
semblances which  the  sacred  writers  would 
have  disavowed,  as  beneath  them  ;  and  far 
be  it  from  me  to  imitate  so  puerile  and  un- 
warrantable a  method  of  treating  the  oracles 
of  God  :  but  it  appears  to  me  that  the  gift  of 
the  holy  land  to  Abraham  and  his  posterity 
was  really  designed  to  prefigure  the  gift  of 
all  nations  to  the  Messiah  for  his  inherit- 
ance, and  that  thus  it  is  represented  in  the 
Scriptures.  It  is  said,  in  the  se\enty-sec- 
ond  Psalm,  "  He  shall  have  dominion  from 
sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth."  This  promise,  I  suppose,  had 
immediate  reference  to  the  kingdom  of  Solo- 
mon, and  signified  that,  during  his  reign,  the 
whole  extent  of  country  included  in  the  ori- 
ginal promise  to  Abraham  should  be  actually 
possessed :  but,  in  a  more  remote  sense,  it 
refers  to  a  greater  son  of  David  than  Solo- 
mon. This  is  manifest  from  several  pas- 
sages in  the  psalm,  which  are  inapplicable 
to  any  one  but  the  Messiah.  It  is  his  king- 
dom only  which  shall  "  continue  as  long  as 
the  sun  and  the  moon  endure,  throughout 
all  generations:"     Him  shall  "all  nations 


218 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


serve,"  and  to  him  shall  "  all  kings  bow- 
down  ;  men  shall  be  blessed  in  him  ;  all  na- 
tions shall  call  him  blessed."  Now,  consi- 
dering the  promise  before-mentioned  in  this 
light,  it  signifies  that,  like  as  Israel,  during 
the  reign  of  Solomon,  inherited  the  utmost 
extent  of  country  promised  to  them,  so  the 
church,  during  the  reign  of  the  Messiah, 
should  possess  the  utmost  extent  of  country 
promised  to  him,  which  is  the  whole  world, 
or  "  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth."  In  the 
joyful  prospect  of  these  times,  the  Psalm 
concludes:  "Blessed  be  the  Lord  God, 
the  God  of  Israel,  who  only  doeth  wondrous 
things:  and  blessed  be  his  glorious  name 
forever,  and  let   the   whole  earth   be 

FILLED     WITH      HIS     GLORY.  AMEN,     AND 

AMEN ! " 

The  taking  possession  of  Canaan,  and  the 
setting  up  of  the  true  worship  of  God  in  it, 
not  only  prefigured  the  kingdom  of  the  Mes- 
siah, but  were  preparatory  to  it — the  founda- 
tion of  the  gospel  structure.  The  carnal 
Jews,  at  the  coming  of  our  Saviour,  it  is  true, 
did  not  enter  into  these  views ;  and  even 
his  own  disciples  were  much  in  the  dark  ; 
but  the  ancient  Israelites  understood  and 
felt  them.  "  God  be  merciful  unto  us," 
said  they,  "  and  bless  us,  and  cause  his  face 
to  shine  upon  us  " — Wherefore  ?  That  they 
might  be  a  holy  and  happy  people  ?  Doubt- 
less this  was  a  part  of  their  desire  ;  but  not 
the  whole.  They  prayed  to  be  blessed,  that 
they  might  be  blessings  to  the  world  ;  that 
"  God's  way  might  be  known,"  through  them, 
"upon  earth,  and  his  saving  health  among 
all  nations ;  that  "  the  people  might  praise 
him,"  yea,  that  "  all  the  people  might  praise 
him,  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  fear  be- 
fore him."  Canaan  was  a  country  situated 
in  the  centre  of  the  world,  and  therefore 
adapted  to  be  the  spot  on  which  Jehovah 
should  set  up  his  standard  for  the  subjugation 
of  the  world  to  himself.  Hence  the  little 
leaven  should  diffuse  its  influence  through 
the  earth,  till  the  whole  were  leavened. 
Such  appears  to  have  been  the  design  of 
God  in  bestowing  it  upon  the  posterity  of 
Abraham,  and  such  are  the  effects  which 
have  been  actually,  though  gradually,  pro- 
duced. "  Out  of  Zion  "  has  gone  forth  "  the 
law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jeru- 
salem." 

There  are  several  points  of  dissimilarity, 
I  allow,  between  the  undertaking  of  the  Is- 
raelites and  that  of  Christians  to  disseminate 
the  gospel  ;  but,  whatever  differences  there 
are,  they  are  altogether  in  our  favor.  They 
went  forth  armed  with  the  temporal  sword  ; 
we  with  the  sword  of  the  Spirit :  their  com- 
mission was  to  destroy  men's  lives ;  ours  to 
save  their  souls :  cities,  and  fields,  and  vine- 
yards, and  olive-yards,  were  their  reward ; 
our  hope  and  joy,  and  crown,  are  sinners 
rescued  from  destruction,  standing  in  the 
presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his 


coming.  Finally  :  The  people  whom  they 
encountered  were  appointed  by  the  Lord  of 
the  universe  to  utter  destruction,  as  the  just 
demerit  of  their  crimes ;  and,  though  some 
submitted  and  were  spared,  yet  the  invaders 
were  not  given  to  hope,  or  directed  to  wait, 
for  a  change  of  this  kind  in  the  body  of  the 
people  ;  but  were  commanded  to  drive  them 
out,  and  take  their  place.  It  is  not  so  with 
us  :  we  live  under  a  dispensation  of  mercy  : 
go  where  we  will,  we  have  glad  tidings  of 
great  joy  to  communicate.  They,  having  no 
hopes  of  the  people,  might  have  said,  We 
seek  not  you,  but  yours  :  but  our  hopes  ter- 
minate on  the  people  ;  Ave  therefore  can  say, 
"  We  seek  not  yours,  but  you." 

There  are  several  important  points,  how- 
ever, in  which  the  undertakings  are  similar. 
The  following  have  occurred  to  me  as  the 
most  remarkable : 

1.  The  ultimate  object  of  the  one  was  to 
overturn  the  kingdom  of  Satan,  and  to  es- 
tablish the  knowledge  and  worship  of  the 
true  God :  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  other. 
The  world,  at  that  time,  not  a  nation  exempt- 
ed, Avas  under  the  dominion  of  Satan,  envel- 
oped in  idolatry,  and  the  abominations  which 
always  accompany  it ;  so  that,  if  God  had 
not  selected  a  people  for  himself,  and,  after 
having  taught  them  to  fear  and  obey  him, 
giving  them  a  possession  among  the  nations, 
he  had  had  no  people,  nor  name,  nor  wor- 
ship, upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  And  what 
is  the  state  of  mankind  at  present  ?  Not 
altogether  so  deplorable  :  but,  whatever  dif- 
ference there  may  be,  it  is  owing  to  that 
divine  revelation  which  God  communicated 
to  Israel,  and,  by  them,  to  the  gentile  nations. 
In  heathen  countries  the  god  of  this  world 
reigns  uncontrolled.  The  children  of  men, 
from  generation  to  generation,  are  led  cap- 
tive by  him  at  his  will.  Much  the  same 
may  be  said  of  those  countries  which  are 
overspread  by  Mahomedism.  Nor  is  it  ma- 
terially otherwise  where  the  corruptions  of 
popery  maintain  their  sway.  And  even  in 
our  own  country,  where  the  Scriptures  are 
read  in  the  native  language,  there  are  but 
few  who  pay  any  serious  attention  to  them. 
Is  it  not  evident,  to  an  impartial  spectator, 
that  the  great  body  of  the  people  are  practi- 
cal atheists,  living  without  hope,  and  without 
God  in  the  world  ?  The  number  of  worship- 
pers, including  even  the  laxest  and  most  in- 
attentive, in  all  our  cities,  and  I  fear  in  most 
of  our  towns  and  villages,  is  few,  when  com- 
pared with  those  who  attend  upon  no  worship 
at  all.  In  the  earlier  times  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, whatever  defects  might  exist  with  re- 
spect to  church-government  and  discipline, 
the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  the  cross  of 
Christ  was  much  more  generally  preached 
i  and  believed  than  at  present.  Since  the 
great  principles  of  evangelical  truth  (alike 
clearly  stated  in  the  Articles  of  the  Estab- 
lished Church  and  in  the  catechisms  and  con- 


god's  approbation  necessary  to  success. 


219 


fessions  of  Dissenters)  have  been  relinquish- 
ed, and  a  species  of  heathen  morality  sub- 
stituted in  their  place,  the  nation  has  been 
almost  heathenized.  If  the  Lord  had  not 
left  us  a  seed  of  faithful  men,  some  in  the 
establishment  and  some  out  of  it,  whose  ob- 
ject it  has  been  to  propagate  the  common 
salvation,  and  to  inculcate  the  holy  practice 
which  becomes  it,  surely  we  had,  ere  now, 
been  as  Sodom.  Or  if,  like  a  certain  great 
nation  near  home,  we  had  revoked  the  laws 
in  favor  of  religious  liberty,  and  massacred, 
silenced,  or  banished  the  faithful  witnesses 
of  Christ,  surely,  like  them,  we  had  been 
lost  in  the  gulf  of  infidelity. 

2.  In  invading  the  country  of  the  Canaan- 
ites,  Israel  went  forth  by  divine  authority ; 
and  the  same  authority  attends  our  invasion 
of  the  empire  of  sin  and  Satan.  Nothing 
short  of  an  express  commandment  could 
have  justified  a  people  in  destroying  or  sub- 
jugating another  people,  whatever  might  be 
their  moral  character :  but  the  Creator  of 
the  world  had  an  indisputable  right  to  dis- 
pose of  any  part  of  it,  and  to  punish  trans- 
gressors in  what  manner  he  pleased.  And, 
though  the  gospel  is  far  from  being  injurious 
to  the  temporal  interests  of  mankind,  yet  the 
opposition  to  it  has  been  as  fierce  and  as  de- 
cided as  if  it  had  been  aimed  to  rob  them  of 
every  thing  necessary  to  their  happiness. 
The  servants  of  Christ  have  been  taught  to 
expect  opposition,  and  all  the  evils  which  a 
world  lying  in  wickedness,  and  hating  to 
have  their  repose  disturbed,  can  inflict  upon 
them.  And  though,  by  the  kind  hand  of 
God,  whose  influence  governs  all  human 
counsels,  they  have  had  their  seasons  of 
peace  and  rest,  yet  the  enmity  has  been 
much  the  same.  The  truly  zealous  and 
faithful  laborers  in  Christ's  harvest  have  gen- 
erally, even  in  the  most  favorable  periods, 
had  to  encounter  a  large  portion  of  reproach 
and  misrepresentation.  And  what  but  the 
authority  of  heaven  should  induce  us  to  expose 
ourselves  to  such  inconveniences  ?  We  have 
our  feelings  as  well  as  other  men ;  and  it 
would  doubtless  be  agreeable  to  us  to  pos- 
sess the  good  opinion  of  all  about  us.  We 
have  no  ill  will  to  those  who  preach  even 
what  we  account  "  another  gospel  and  not 
the  gospel  of  Christ,"  whether  in  or  out  of 
the  establishment;  and,  if  we  had,  we  have 
so  much  good  will  to  ourselves,  that,  if  con- 
sistently with  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  souls 
of  men  we  could  hold  our  peace,  we  should 
probably  be  inclined  to  do  so,  and  employ 
ourselves  in  something  less  offensive,  and 
more  adapted  to  promote  our  temporal  in- 
terests. But  the  command  of  Christ  is  not 
to  be  trifled  with.  He  to  whom  we  must 
shortly  give  account  of  the  use  we  have 
made  of  every  talent  committed  to  us  has 
said,  "Go,  teach   all   nations — preach 

THE  GOSPEL  TO  EVERY  CREATURE  !  "       If  We 

have  any  authority  from  Christ  to  preach  at 


all  (which  I  shall  not  here  inquire,)  we  are, 
doubtless,  warranted  and  obliged,  by  this 
commission,  to  embrace  any  opening,  in  any 
part  of  the  earth,  within  our  reach,  for  the 
imparting  of  the  word  of  life  to  them  that  are 
without  it.  The  primitive  ministers  went 
every  where  preaching  the  gospel,  and  gave 
no  less  offence  to  its  enemies,  even  among 
the  established  teachers  of  religion,  than  we 
give  ;  and  were  by  them  reproached  as  ig- 
norant men  no  less  than  we  are.  Yet  they 
persevered  in  their  work,  and  endured  the 
consequences.  If  we  be  ministers  of  Jesus 
Christ,  we  ought  to  follow  their  example. 
It  is  true,  there  are  some  things  of  an  extra- 
ordinary kind  in  which  we  cannot  follow 
them  ;  but  the  work  of  spreading  the  gospel 
is  ordinary,  and  not  confined  to  a  single  age. 
Had  not  Christ's  commission  been  binding  to 
the  latest  posterity,  it  would  not  have  been 
added,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world  !  " 

The  Israelites  went  forth,  not  only  by  di- 
vine authority,  but  under  a  divine  promise ; 
and  the  same  is  true  of  Christian  ministers. 
God  spoke  unto  Abraham,  saying,  "  I  will 
give  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee, 
the  land  wherein  thou  art  a  stranger,  all  the 
land  of  Canaan,  for  an  everlasting  posses- 
sion ;  and  I  will  be  their  God."  This,  in 
substance,  was  often  repeated  to  the  pa- 
triarchs ;  so  often  that  the  country  was 
thence  denominated  the  land  of  promise. 
This  it  was  that  supported  the  faith  of  Caleb 
and  Joshua.  It  was  not  in  a  dependence 
on  their  numbers,  or  their  prowess,  that 
they  said,  "  We  are  well  able  ;  "  but  on  the 
arm  of  Him  who  had  spoken  in  his  holiness. 
Nor  do  those  who  labor  in  the  Lord's  ser- 
vice, in  the  present  times,  whether  at  home 
or  abroad  (for  I  consider  the  Avork  as  one,) 
go  forth  with  less  encouragement.  The 
Father  has  promised  his  Son  that  "  he  shall 
see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  sat- 
isfied ; "  that  he  will  "  divide  him  a  portion 
with  the  great,"  and  that  "  he  shall  divide 
the  spoil  with  the  strong."  Travail,  in  a 
figurative  sense,  commonly  signifies  griev- 
ous affliction  issuing  in  a  great  and  impor- 
tant good.  Such  was  the  suffering  of  our 
Lord,  and  such  must  be  the  effect  arising  out 
of  it.  A  portion  with  the  great  may  refer  to 
the  territories  of  the  great  ones  of  this  world  ; 
such  as  the  Alexanders  and  the  Cssars, 
who,  in  their  day,  grasped  a  large  extent  of 
empire  :  but  the  kingdom  of  Christ  shall  be 
greater  than  the  greatest  of  them.  The 
division  of  the  spoil  implies  a  victory,  and  de- 
notes, in  this  place,  that  Christ  shall  triumph 
over  all  the  false  religion  and  irreligion  in 
the  world.  And,  as  the  Father's  word  is 
given  to  his  Son,  so  the  word  of  the  Son  is 
given  unto  us.  He  that  said,  "  Go,  teach  all 
nations,"  added,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  These  de- 
clarations afford  equal  ground  for  confidence 


220 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


with  those  which  supported  a  Caleb  and  a  persevering  struggles  ;  and  such  must  be  the 
Joshua.  *     efforts  of*  the  church  of  Christ,  ere  she  will 

4.  The  promise  to  Israel  was  gradually    gain  the  victory  over  the  spiritual  wicked 


fulfilled ;  and  the  same  is  observable  of  that 
which  is  made  to  Christ  and  his  people.  It 
was  almost  five  hundred  years,  from  the 
time  that  God  entered  into  covenant  with 
Abraham,  before  his  posterity  were  permit- 


ness  with  which  she  has  to  contend.  The 
Canaanites  would  not  give  up  any  thing  but 
at  the  point  of  the  sword.  Hence  the  faint- 
hearted, the  indolent,  and  the  weak  in  faith, 
were  for  compromising  matters  with  them. 


ted  to  set  foot  upon  the  land,  as  possessors  of  The  same  spirit  which  magnified  difficulties 
it ;  and  nearly  five  hundred  years  more  at  a  distance,  which  spoke  of  cities  as  "  great, 
elapsed  before  their  possession  was  com-  and  walled  up  to  heaven,"  and  of "  the  sons 
pleted.  And,  in  establishing  the  kingdom  of  Anak  being  there,"  was  for  stopping  short 
of  his  Son,  God  has  proceeded  in  a  similar  when  they  had  gained  footing  in  the  land, 
manner.  The  accession  of  the  Gentiles  was  and  for  "  making  leagues  "  with  the  residue 
promised  to  Noah,  under  the  form  of  Japheth  of  the  people.  Thus  it  has  long  been  in  the 
being  persuaded  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Christian  church:  the  gospel  having  obtained 
Shem :  but  more  than  two  thousand  years  roll  a  footing  in  the  western  nations,  we  have 
on  before  any  thing  very  considerable  is  ac-  acted  as  though  we  were  willing  that  Satan 
complished.  At  length,  the  Messiah  comes  ;  should  enjoy  the  other  parts  without  moles- 
and,  like  Joshua  by  Canaan,  takes  possession  tation.  Every  heathen  and  Mahomedan 
of  the  heathen  world.  At  first,  it  seems  to  country  has  seemed  to  be  a  city  walled  up 
have  bowed  before  his  word  ;  and,  as  we  to  heaven,  and  the  inhabitants  terrible  to  us 
should  have  thought,  promised  fair  to  be  sub-  as  the  sons  of  Anak.  And,  even  in  our  na- 
dued  in  a  little  time.  But  every  new  genera-  tive  country,  an  evangelical  ministry  having 
tion  that  was  born,  being  corrupt  from  their  obtained  a  kind  of  establishment  in  some 
birth,  furnished  a  body  of  new  recruits  to  Sa-  places,  we  have  long  acted  as  if  we  thought 
tan's  army :  and  as  the  Canaanites,  after  the  the  rest  were  to  be  given  up  by  consent, 
first  onset  in  the  times  of  Joshua,  gathered  and  left  to  perish  without  any  means  being 
strength,  and  struggled  successfully  against  used  for  their  salvation !  If  God  means  to 
that  generation  of  Israelites  which  succeeded  save  any  of  them,  it  seems,  he  must  bring 
him  and  forsook  the  God  of  their  fathers  ;  them  under  the  gospel,  or  the  gospel,  in 
so,  as  the  church  degenerated,  the  world  de-  some  miraculous  manner,  to  them :  whereas 
spised  it.  Its  doctrine,  worship,  and  spirit,  the  command  of  the  Saviour  is  that  we  go, 
being  corrupted,  from  being  a  formidable  and  preach  it  to  every  creature.  All  that 
enemy,  the  greater  part  of  it  becomes  a  con-  Israel  gained  was  by  dint  of  sword.  It  was 
venient  ally,  and  is  employed  in  subduing  at  the  expense  of  many  lives,  yea,  many 
the  other  part,  who  hold  fast  the  word  of  thousands  of  lives,  that  they  at  last  came  to 
God  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus.  Thus  the  the  full  possession  of  the  land,  and  that  the 
war  is  lengthened  out :  and  now,  after  a  promises  of  God  were  fulfilled  towards  them, 
lapse  of  eighteen  hundred  years,  we  see  not  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  establishment 
all  things  yet  put  under  him.  On  the  con-  of  Christ's  kingdom.  It  was  by  ardent  and 
trary,  when  reviewing  our  labors,  it  often  persevering  struggles  that  the  gospel  was 
seems  to  us  that "  we  have  wrought  no  deliv-  introduced  into  the  various  nations,  cities, 
erance  in  the  earth,  neither  have  the  inhab-  and  towns  where  it  now  is ;  and,  in  many 
itantsofthe  world  fallen."  Butletusnotde-  instances,  at  the  expense  of  life.  Thousands 
spair :  ?t>e  see  Jesus  upon  his  throne ;  and  as  of  lives  were  sacrificed  to  this  great  object 
the  Canaanites  were  ultimately  driven  out,  in  the  times  of  the  apostles,  and,  were  I  to 
and  the  kingdom  of  Israel  extended  from  say  millions  in  succeeding  ages,  I  should 
sea  to  sea,  so  assuredly  it  shall  be  with  the  probably  be  within  the  compass  of  truth, 
kingdom  of  Christ.  But  we  have  been  so  long  inured  to  act  un- 

The  great  disposer  of  events  has,  for  wise  der  the  shadow  of  civil  protection,  and  with- 
ends,  so  ordered  it  that  the  progress  of  out  any  serious  inconvenience  to  our  tem- 
things  shall  be  gradual.  He  designs  by  this,  poral  interests,  that  we  are  startled  at  diffi- 
among  other  things,  to  try  the  faith  and  pa-  culties  which  the  ancient  Christians  would 
tience  of  sincere  people,  and  to  manifest  the  have  met  with  fortitude.  They  put  their 
hypocrisy  of  others.  Hereby  scope  is  af-  lives  in  their  hands,  "standing  in  jeopardy 
forded  both  for  faith  and  unbelief.  If,  like  every  hour  : "  and  though  we  cannot  be  suf- 
Caleb  and  Joshua,  we  be  for  going  forward,  ficiently  thankful,  both  to  God  and  the  legis- 
we  shall  want  encouragement :  but  if,  like  lature  of  our  country,  for  the  protection  we 
the  others,  we  be  weary  of  waiting  and  our  enjoy,  yet  we  must  not  make  this  the  condi- 
hearts  turn  back  again,  we  shall  not  want  a  tion  of  our  activity  for  Christ.  "He  that  ob- 
handle,  or  plea,  by  which  to  excuse  our-  serveth  the  wind  shall  not  sow  ;  and  he  that 
selves.  God  loves  that  both  persons  and  regardeth  the  clouds  shall  not  reap."  If  ever 
things  should  appear  to  be  what  they  are.  God  prosper  us,  in  any  great  degree,  it  will 
5.  The  promise  was  not  accomplished  be  in  the  exercise  of  that  spirit  by  which  the 
at  last,  but  by  means  of  ardent,  deadly,  and    martyrs  obtained  a  good  report 


GOD  S  APPROBATION  NECESSARY  TO  SUCCESS. 


221 


The  above  particulars  may  suffice  to  show 
the  analogy  between  the  two  cases  :  the  ob- 
ject aimed  at,  the  authority  acted  upon,  the 
promise  confided  in,  its  gradual  accomplish- 
ment, and  the  means  by  which  this  accom- 
plishment is  effected,  are  the  same  in  both : 
I  hope,  therefore,  the  application  of  the  one 
to  the  other  may  be  considered  as  justified. 

II.    Let  us   consider   the    proviso    on 

WHICH  WE    ARE  WARRANTED    TO  HOPE    FOR 

success.  "  If  the  Lord  delight  in  its,  then 
he  will  bring  us  into  the  land,  and  give  it  us. 

The  term  delight  does  not  express  that  di- 
vine love  to  our  souls  which  is  the  source  of 
our  salvation,  but  acomplacency  in  our  char- 
acter and  labors.  Thus  it  is  to  be  under- 
stood, in  the  speech  of  David,  when  fleeing 
frcm  the  conspiracy  of  Absalom  :  "  If  he 
say,  I  have  no  delight  in  thee,  here  I  am  : 
let  him  do  with  me  as  seemeth  him  good  ! " 
He  could  not  mean  by  this,  If  God  have  no 
love  to  my  soul,  I  submit  to  be  forever  sep- 
arated from  him  ;  for  such  submission  is  not 
required  of  any  who  live  under  a  dispensa- 
tion of  mercy  :  but,  if  he  approve  not  of  me 
as  the  head  of  his  people,  here  I  am  ;  let  him 
take  my  life  away  as  it  pleaseth  him.  The 
amount  is  that,  if  we  would  hope  to  succeed 
in  God's  work,  our  character  and  undertak- 
ings must  be  such  as  he  approves. 

1.  The  object  which  we  pursue  must  be 
simply  the  cause  of  God,  unmixed  with 
worldly  policy,  or  party  interest.  It  has 
been  insinuated  that,  under  the  color  of  dis- 
seminating evangelical  doctrine,  we  seek  to 
gain  over  the  common  people,  and  so  to  ob- 
tain, it  should  seem,  an  ascendency  in  gov- 
ernment.*    If  it  be  so,  we  may  be  assured 

*To  this  effect  were  the  insinuations  of  Professor 
Robison,  concerning  the  efforts  of  JMr.  Robert  Hal- 
dane  and  his  friends,  in  a  proposed  mission  to  Hin- 
doostan.  The  modest  and  dignified  manner  in  which 
that  gentleman  repelled  the  accusation,  and  even 
forced  his  accuser  to  retract  it,  may  be  seen  in  his 
late  excellent  pamphlet  on  that  subject.  The  bishop 
ol  Rochester,  in  a  late  address  to  his  clergy,  after 
representing  the  Socinians  as  aiming  at  this"  object, 
adds  as  follows  :  "  Still  the  operations  of  the  enemy 
are  going  on— still  going  on  by  stratagem — the  strat- 
agem still  a  pretence  of  reformation ;  but  the  reform- 
ation the  very  reverse  of  what  was  before  attempted. 
Instead  of  divesting  religion  of  its  mysteries,  and 
reducing  it  to  a  mere  philosophy  in  speculation  and 
to  a  mere  morality  in  practicej  the  plan  is  now  to 
affect  great  zeal  for  orthodoxy  ;  to  make  great  pre- 
tensions to  an  extraordinary  measure  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  influence  ;  to  alienate  the  minds  of  the  people 
from  the  established  clergy,  by  representing  them  as 
sordid  worldlings,  without  any  concern  about  the 
souls  of  men,  indifferent  to  the  religion  which  they 
ought  to  teach  and  to  which  the  laity  are  attached, 
and  destitute  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  In  many  parts  of 
the  kingdom  new  conventicles  have  been  opened,  in 
great  number;  and  congregations  formed  of  one 
knows  not  what  denomination." 

If  the  religion  of  Jesus  must  be  reproached,  it  is 
best  that  it  should  be  done  in  some  such  manner  as 
this.  Had  the  bishop  of  Rochester  preserved  any 
regard  to  candor  or  moderation,  he  might  have  been 
believed  ;  as  it  is,  it  may  be  presumed  there  can  be 
but  little  danger  of  it.     None,  except  those  who  are 


the  Lord  will  take  no  delight  in  us.  The 
work,  in  this  case,  must  be  altogether  of 
man,  and  will  come  to  nothing ;  yea,  and  to 
nothing  let  it  come.  The  desire  and  prayer 
of  my  heart  is  that  all  such  undertakings,  if 
such  there  be,  may  perish !  The  kingdom  of 
Christ  will  never  prosper  in  those  hands 
which  make  it  only  the  secondary  object  of 
their  pursuit,  even  though  the  first  were  law- 
ful ;  and  much  less  when  it  is  made  to  sub- 
serve that  which  is  itself  sinful.  But,  if  the 
divine  glory  be  the  object  of  our  labors,  the 
work  is  of  God  ;  God  himself  will  delight  in 
us,  and  every  attempt  to  oppose  it  will  be 
found  to  be  fighting  against  God. 

There  is  another  way  in  which,  I  apprehend, 
we  are  in  much  more  danger  of  erring :  I 
mean,  by  an  improper  attachment  to  party 

as  deeply  prejudiced  as  himself,  can,  for  a  moment, 
imagine  that  the  late  attempts  for  disseminating  evan- 
gelical doctrine  are  the  operations  of  a  political 
scheme,  carried  on  by  infidels  in  disguise.  A  very 
small  acquaintance  with  men  and  things  must  con- 
vince any  one  that  the  persons  concerned  in  this  work 
are  not  the  same  as  those  who  affected  to  reform  the 
church  by  reducing  the  mysteries  of  the  gospel  to 
"  a  mere  philosophy  in  speculation  and  to  a  mere 
morality  in  practice."  31en  of  that  description  were 
never  possessed  of  zeal  enough  for  such  kind  of 
work.  We  might  as  soon  expect  to  see  bishop 
Horsley  himself  turn  village-preacher  as  them. 

In  repelling  such  language  as  the  above,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  keep  clear  of  the  acrimo^7  by  which  it  is 
dictated.  Suffice  it  to  say,  I  am  conscious  that  no 
such  plan  or  design  ever  occupied  my  mind  for  a 
moment :  nor  am  I  acquainted  with  any  person  of 
whom  I  have  ground  to  suspect  any  such  thing.  I 
know  persons  who  are,  as  I  believe,  sinfully  preju- 
diced against  government,  and  of  whose  spirit  and 
conversation  I  seldom  fail  to  express  my  dislike  :  but 
I  know  not  an  individual  whom  I  have  any  reason  to 
think  engages  in  village-preaching  with  so  mean  and! 
base  an  end  as  that  which  is  suggested  by  this 
prelate. 

The  picture  which  is  drawn  of  the  clergy  is,  doubt- 
less, unpleasant;  and,  if  applied  to  the  serious  part 
of  them,  far  from  just :  whence  it  was  taken  is  best 
known  to  die  writer.  I  am  inclined  to  think,  how- 
ever, that  though  he  has  represented  it  as  the  lan- 
guage of  village-preachers  he  would  be  unable  to 
prove  such  charges  against  them.  There  may  be 
violent  individuals  engaged  in  village-preaching,  who 
may  take  pleasure  in  exposing  the  immoralities  of 
the  clergy:  and,  if  they  have  half  the  bitterness  on 
the  one  side  which  this  writer  discovers  on  the  other, 
they  are  unworthy  of  being  so  employed.  Whatever 
grounds  there  may  be  for  such  charges  against  num- 
bers of  the  clergy,  the  body  of  those  who  have  been 
employed  in  preaching  or  reading  printed  sermons  in 
the  villages  have  never  thought  of  preferring  them, 
but  have  confined  their  attention  to  the  preaching  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

I  have  no  scruple,  however,  in  saying,  if  reducing 
religion  to  "  a  mere  philosophy  in  speculation,  and  a 
mere  morality  in  practice,"  be  subverting  it,  it  is 
subverted  by  great  numbers  in  the  church  of  England, 
as  well  as  out  of  it.  And,  where  this  is  the  case,  it 
is  the  bounden  duty  of  the  friends  of  evangelical  truth 
to  labor  to  introduce  it,  regardless  of  the  wrath  of  its 
adversaries. 

The  suppression  of  "conventicles,"  I  doubt  not, 
would  be  very  agreeable  to  some  men:  but  I  have 
too  much  confidence  in  the  good  sense  of  the  legisla- 
ture to  suppose  that  it  will  suffer  its  counsels  to  be 
swayed  by  a  few  violent  churchmen. 


222 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


interest*  I  am  far  from  thinking  it  a  sin  to 
be  of  a  party.  Every  good  man  ought  to  rank 
•with  that  denomination  which,  in  his  judg- 
ment, approaches  nearest  to  the  mind  of 
Christ :  but  this  is  very  different  from  hav- 
ing our  labors  directed  to  the  promotion  of  a 
party,  as  such.  If  so,  we  shall  see  little  or 
no  excellence  in  whatever  is  done  by  others, 
and  feel  little  or  no  pleasure  in  the  success 
which  God  is  pleased  to  give  them :  but, 
while  this  is  our  spirit,  whatever  be  our  zeal, 
we  are  serving  ourselves  rather  than  Christ, 
and  may  be  certain  the  Lord  will  not  de- 
light in  us  to  do  us  good.  The  only  spirit 
in  which  the  Lord  takes  pleasure  is  that 
which  induces  us  to  labor  to  promote  his 
cause,  and  to  rejoice  in  the  prosperity  of  all 
denominations  so  far  so  they  promote  it. 

2.  The  doctrine  we  teach  must  be  that  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified.  The  person 
and  work  of  Christ  have  ever  been  the 
corner-stone  of  the  christian  fabric :  take 
away  his  divinity  and  atonement,  and  all 
will  go  to  ruins.  This  is  the  doctrine  taught 
by  the  apostles,  and  which  God,  in  all  ages, 
has  delighted  to  honor.  It  would  be  found, 
I  believe,  on  inquiry,  that  in  those  times 
wherein  this  doctrine  has  been  most  cordial- 
ly embraced  the  church  has  been  most  pros- 
perous, and  that  almost  every  declension 
has  been  accompanied  by  a  neglect  of  it. 
This  was  the  doctrine  by  which  the  Reforma- 
tion was  effected ;  and  to  wmat  is  the  Re- 
formation come  in  those  communities  where 
it  is  rejected  ?  This  was  the  leading  theme 
of  the  Puritans  and  Nonconformists  ;  and 
what  are  their  descendants  become  who  have 
renounced  it?  Many  of  them  rank  with 
infidels,  and  many  who  retain  the  form  of 
Christianity  deny  the  power  thereof. 

If  it  be  alleged  that  the  church  of  Rome 
retains  this  doctrine  amidst  its  great  aposta- 
cy,  and  some  Protestant  churches  do  the 
same,  which,  notwithstanding,  have  exceed- 
ingly degenerated  ;  I  answer,  it  is  one  thing 
for  a  community  to  retain  doctrines  in  its 
decrees  and  articles,  and  another  for  minis- 
ters to  preach  them  with  faith  and  love  in 
their  ordinary  labors.  Divine  truth  requires 
to  be  written,  not  merely  with  ink  and  paper, 
but  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  upon  the  fleshly 
tables  of  the  heart.  If  the  church  of  Rome 
had  retained  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  divini- 
ty to  any  purpose,  its  members  would  have 
worshipped  him,  and  not  have  turned  aside 
to  the  adoration  of  saints  and  relics ;  and, 
if  his  atoning  blood  and  only  mediation 
between  God  and  man  had  been  properly 
regarded,  we  had  never  heard  of  mediators, 
pardons,  and  penances  of  another  kind. 

Christ  crucified  is  the  central  point,  in 
which  all  the  lines  of  evangelical  truth  meet 
and  are  united.  There  is  not  a  doctrine  in 
the  Scriptures  but  what  bears  an  important 
relation  to  it.  Would  we  understand  the 
glory  of  the  divine   character  and  govern- 


ment ?  It  is  seen  in  perfection  in  the  face 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Would  we  learn  the  evil 
of  sin,  and  our  perishing  condition  as  sin- 
ners ?  Each  is  manifested  in  his  sufferings. 
All  the  blessings  of  grace  and  glory  are 
given  us  in  him,  and  for  his  sake.  Practical 
religion  finds  its  most  powerful  motives  in 
his  dying  love.  That  doctrine  of  which 
Christ  is  not  the  sum  and  substance  is  not 
the  gospel ;  and  that  morality  which  has  no 
relation  to  him,  and  which  is  not  enforced 
on  evangelical  principles,  is  not  Christian, 
but  heathen. 

I  do  not  mean  to  be  the  apologist  for  that 
fastidious  disposition  apparent  in  some 
hearers,  who  require  that  every  sermon 
shall  have  Christ  for  its  immediate  theme, 
and  denominate  every  thing  else  legal 
preaching.  His  sacred  name  ought  not  to 
be  unnaturally  forced  into  our  discourses, 
nor  the  Holy  Scriptures  turned  into  allegory 
for  the  sake  of  introducing  it :  but,  in  order 
to  preach  Christ,  there  is  no  need  of  this. 
If  all  scripture  doctrines  and  duties  bear  a 
relation  to  him,  we  have  only  to  keep  that 
relation  in  view,  and  to  urge  practical  reli- 
gion upon  those  principles.  If  I  leave  out 
Christ  in  a  sermon,  and  allege  that  the  sub- 
ject did  .not  admit  of  his  being  introduced, 
I  fear  it  will  only  prove  that  my  thoughts 
have  not  been  cast  in  an  evangelical  mould, 
I  might  as  well  say  there  is  a  village  which 
has  no  road  to  the  metropolis,  as  that  there 
is  a  scripture  doctrine  or  duty  which  has  no 
relation  to  the  person  and  work  of  Christ. 
Neither  can  I  justly  allege  that  such  a  way 
of  preaching  would  cramp  the  powers  of  my 
soul,  and  confine  me  to  four  or  five  points 
in  divinity :  we  may  give  the  utmost  scope 
to  our  minds,  and  yet,  like  the  apostle,  deter- 
mine to  know  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ  and 
him  crucified.  There  is  breadth,  and  length, 
and  depth,  and  height  sufficient  in  his  love 
to  occupy  our  powers,  even  though  they 
were  ten  thousand  times  larger  than  they 
are. 

In  all  our  labors,  brethren,  in  the  church 
or  in  the  world,  in  our  native  country  or 
among  the  heathen,  be  this  our  principal 
theme.  In  this  case,  and  not  otherwise,  the 
Lord  will  delight  in  us,  will  bring  us  into  the 
land,  and  give  it  us  for  a  possession. 

3.  The  motive  of  our  undertakings  must 
be  pure.  God  cannot  possibly  take  pleasure 
in  the  labors  of  the  sordid  or  the  vain.  In- 
deed, I  do  not  perceive  how,  in  the  greater 
part  of  our  labors,  we  can  suspect  ourselves, 
or  be  suspected,  of  acting  from  a  regard  to 
our  worldly  advantage.  In  attempting  to 
carry  the  gospel  among  the  heathen  we  cer- 
tainly can  have  no  such  motive,  as  every 
part  of  the  work  requires  the  sacrifice  of 
interest,  and  that  without  the  most  distant 
prospect  of  its  being  restored.  And,  even  in 
carrying  what  we  believe  to  be  evangelical 
doctrine  into  the  villages  of  our  native  coun- 


god's  approbation  necessary  to  success. 


223 


try,  it  is  commonly  at  the  expense  of  both 
ease  and  interest.  In  those  labors,  however, 
that  are  within  the  vicinity  of  our  respective 
congregations,  in  which  success  may  contri- 
bute to  our  temporal  advantage,  it  becomes 
us  to  watch  over  our  own  hearts.  If  such  a 
motive  should  lie  concealed  among  the 
springs  of  action,  it  may  procure  a  blast  up- 
on our  undertakings.  The  Lord  will  have 
no  delight  in  such  preaching ;  and  without 
him  we  can  do  nothing.  Or,  if  avarice  have 
no  place  in  us,  yet,  should  we  be  stimulated 
by  the  desire  of  applause,  it  will  be  equally 
offensive  to  a  holy  God.  The  idea  of  being 
a  missionary,  abroad  or  at  home,  may  feed 
the  vanity  of  some  minds  ;  and,  indeed, 
there  is  no  man  that  is  proof  against  such 
temptations.  We  have  all  reason  to  watch 
and  pray.  There  is  a  "  woe  "  hanging  over 
the  "  idol  shepherd ;  the  sword  will  be  upon 
his  arm,  and  upon  his  right  eye  !  "  I  have 
no  suspicion  of  any  one,  but  merely  wish 
every  one  to  suspect  himself.  If  we  secret- 
ly wish  to  appear  great  among  our  brethren, 
to  magnify  ourselves  or  our  party,  or  to  fig- 
ure away  in  the  religious  world,  as  persons 
of  extraordinary  zeal,  all  is  naked  to  the 
eyes  of  him  with  whom  we  have  to  do,  and, 
depend  upon  it,  he  will  have  no  delight  in 
us.  But,  if  our  eye  be  single,  our  whole 
body  shall  be  full  of  light.  Those  that  hon- 
or God  shall  be  honored  of  him  ;  and,  how- 
ever he  may  prove  them  for  a  time,  they 
shall  find,  in  the  end,  that  their  labor  has  not 
been  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

4.  We  must  go  forth  in  all  our  labors  as 
little  children,  sensible  of  our  own  insufficien- 
cy, and  depending  only  upon  God.  The  first 
city  which  Israel  besieged,  on  their  passing 
over  Jordan,  was  won  without  striking  a 
single  blow,  but  merely  walking  round  it, 
and  sounding  their  trumpets,  according  to 
the  command  of  the  Lord.  This  was  doubt- 
less meant  to  teach  them  a  lesson,  at  the 
outset  of  the  war,  not  to  lean  upon  their 
strength,  or  numbers,  or  valor;  but  upon 
the  arm  of  Jehovah.  This  lesson  was  ordi- 
narily repeated  throughout  their  genera- 
tions, whenever  led  to  battle  by  godly  men  : 
instead  of  filling  them  with  ideas  of  their 
own  sufficiency  (which  is  the  universal  prac- 
tice of  worldly  men  who  have  had  the  com- 
mand of  armies,)  they  taught  them  to  dis- 
trust themselves  and  to  rely  upon  their  God. 
This  is  the  spirit  by  which  true  religion  is 
distinguished ;  and  in  this  spirit  we  must  go 
forth  to  subdue  the  hearts  of  sinners,  or  the 
Lord  will  have  no  delight  in  us,  but  leave  us 
to  fight  our  battles  alone.  Thus  that  emi- 
nent man  of  God,  from  whose  pulpit  I  now 
address  you,  represents  the  four  captains, 
and.  their  ten  thousands,  after  besieging 
Mansoul  without  effect,  as  presenting'  their 
petition  to  Shaddai  for  assistance.  The 
more  self-annihilation  we  possess  the  more 
likely  we  are  to  be   useful  to  the  souls  of 


men.     God  has    "  respect  unto  the   lowly ; 
but  the  proud  he  knoweth  afar  off." 

5.  We  must  persevere  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord  to  the  end.  When  Israel  came  out  of 
Egypt,  I  suppose,  they  all  intended  to  go  for- 
ward, and  to  possess  the  land :  but,  when 
difficulties  arose,  the  great  body  of  them 
fainted,  and  were  for  going  back.  When 
an  undertaking  is  new  and  plausible,  many 
come  forward  to  engage  in  it :  but  a  time 
comes  when  the  first  flush  of  spirits  sub- 
sides, when  great  and  seemingly  insur- 
mountable difficulties  present  themselves, 
and  when  success  appears  to  be  much  fur- 
ther off  than  at  the  beginning  :  this  is  the 
time  for  the  trial  of  faith.  A  few  such  sea- 
sons will  commonly  thin  the  ranks  of  Christ- 
ian professors;  but  blessed  are  they  that 
endure  temptation.  Those  who  "followed 
the  Lord  fully  "  were  brought  into  the  land. 
It  is  possible  that  our  motives  may  be  pure 
at  the  onset,  and  yet,  through  the  strength 
of  temptation,  we  maybe  turned  aside.  The 
Lord  speaks  well  of  the  church  of  Ephesus, 
as  having,  for  a  time,  "  borne,  and  had  pa- 
tience, and  for  his  name's  sake  had  labored, 
and  not  fainted : "  yet  it  follows,  "  Never- 
theless, I  have  somewhat  against  thee,  be- 
cause thou  hast  left  thy  first  love."  This  is 
an  example  for  us  to  shun.  Another  follows, 
namely,  the  church  at  Thyatira,  for  our  im- 
itation :  "  I  know  thy  works,  and  thy  charity, 
and  service,  and  faith,  and  thy  patience,  and 
thy  works,   and  the  last  to  he  more  than  the 

first:' 

6.  We  must  exercise  a  lively  faith  in  the 
power  and  promise  of  God.  I  reserve  this 
remark  to  the  last,  because  it  contains  the 
spirit  of  the  passage,  and  is  a  matter  of  the 
highest  importance.  It  was  owing  to  unbe- 
lief that  the  body  of  the  people  drew  back, 
and  to  faith  that  Joshua  and  Caleb  were  for 
pressing  forward.  Nor  is  there  any  thing 
of  greater  importance  to  the  Christian  min- 
istry, especially  to  those  engaged  in  extra- 
ordinary labors.  He  that  endeavors  to  ex- 
tend the  limits  of  Christ's  kingdom  resem- 
bles a  navigator  who  engages  in  a  voyage 
of  discovery  :  he  is  exposed  to  ills  and  dan- 
gers which  cannot  be  foreseen  nor  provided 
against.  Carrying  a  doctrine  to  which  all 
his  hearers  have  a  natural  and  deep-rooted 
aversion,  the  difficulties  he  has  to  encounter 
are  as  islands  of  ice  near  the  poles,  or  as 
rocks  in  unknown  seas  ;  but  faith  in  the 
power  and  promise  of  God  is  sufficient  for  all 
his  wants. 

Confidence  is  agreeable  to  a  generous 
character,  while  suspicion  thrusts  a  sword 
into  his  heart.  The  former  is  honorable  to 
him,  affording-  him  opportunity  of  carrying 
his  kind  intentions  into  execution :  the  lat- 
ter dishonors  him,  and  lays  him  under  a  sort 
of  incapacity  of  doing  good  to  the  party.  A 
generous  character  will  feel  impelled  by  a 
principle  of  honor  to  keep  pace  with  the  ex- 


224 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


pectations  of  those  who  confide  in  his  good- 
ness and  veracity.  Nor  is  this  confined  to 
the  concerns  of  men.  There  is  something 
greatly  resembling  it  in  the  dealings  of  God 
with  us.  The  Lord  has  magnified  his 
word  more  than  all  his  name  ;  and,  as  faith 
corresponds  with  the  word,  he  has  bestowed 
greater  honor  upon  this  grace  than  upon  any 
other.  Hence  we  find  such  language  as 
the  following : — "  O  how  great  is  thy  good- 
ness which  thou  hast  wrought  for  them  that 
trust  in  thee  before  the  sons  of  men. — Be- 
lieve in  the  Lord  your  God,  so  shall  ye  be 
established:  believe  his  prophets,  so  shall 
ye  prosper. — The  Lord  taketh  pleasure  in 
them  that  hope  in  his  mercy."  Under  the 
New  Testament  still  more  is  said  of  this  im- 
portant principle.  In  almost  all  the  miracles 
of  our  Saviour,  he  made  a  point  of  answer- 
ing to  the  faith  of  the  parties,  or  of  those 
that  brought  them ;  and,  where  this  was 
wanting,  he  is  represented  as  under  a  kind 
of  incapacity  to  help  them.  "  If  thou  canst 
believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth. — According  to  your  faith  be  it 
unto  you. — Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  ;  go 
in  peace. — He  could  there  do  no  mighty 
works — because  of  their  unbelief."  Nor 
was  this  principle  honored  merely  in  mira- 
culous cases  :  our  Saviour  taught  his  disci- 
ples to  cherish  high  expectations  from  the 
divine  mercy  and  faithfulness  in  their  ordi- 
nary approaches  to  a  throne  of  grace. 
"  Whatsoever  things  ye  desire  when  ye  pray, 
believe  that  ye  shall  receive  them,  and  ye 
shall  have  them." 

In  recommending  a  strong  and  lively  faith, 
I  do  not  mean  to  encourage  that  species  of 
confidence  which  has  no  foundation  in  the 
divine  promise.  This  is  not  faith  but  fancy, 
or  the  mere  workings  of  the  imagination. 
Those  who,  many  ages  since,  engaged  in 
what  were  called  the  holy  ivars,  desirous  of 
driving  out  the  Turks  from  Jerusalem,  were 
not  wanting  in  confidence  ;  but  the  promise 
of  God  was  not  the  ground  on  which  it  rest- 
ed. It  was  not  faith,  therefore,  but  pre- 
sumption. It  was  not  thus  with  Israel  in 
going  up  against  the  Canaanites  ;  nor  is  it 
thus  with  those  who  labor  to  extend  the 
spiritual  kingdom  of  Christ.  The  promise 
of  God  is  here  fully  engaged.  "He  hath 
sworn  by  himself,  the  word  is  gone  out  of 
his  moutli  in  righteousness,  and  shall  not  re- 
turn." Many  passages  might  be  produced 
in  proof  that,  before  the  end  of  time,  the 
kingdom  of  the  Messiah  shall  be  universal. 
I  shall  select  a  few : — "  The  stone  that  smote 
the  image  became  a  great  mountain,  and 
filled  the  whole  earth. — I  saw  in  the  night 
visions,  and,  behold,  one  like  the  Son  of 
Man  came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and 
came  to  the  ancient  of  days,  and  they  brought 
him  near  before  him.  And  there  was  given 
him  dominion  and  glory,  and  a  kingdom,  that 
all  people,  nations,  and  languages,  should 


serve  him — And  the  kingdom  and  dominion, 
and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the 
whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  people 
of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  whose  king- 
dom is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  all  do- 
minions shall  serve  and  obey  him. — Where- 
unto  shall  I  liken  the  kingdom  of  God?  It 
is  like  a  little  leaven  which  a  woman  took 
and  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal  till  the 
ivhole  was  leavened. — The  seventh  angel 
sounded,  and  there  were  great  voices  in 
heaven,  saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this  world 
are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and 
of  his  Christ,  and  he  shall  reign  forever 
and  ever."  These  are  the  true  sayings  of 
God.  Surely  they  afford  ground  for  a  strong 
and  lively  faith  in  every  effort  to  disseminate 
the  gospel. 

God  has  not  only  dealt  largely  in  prom- 
ises, but  has  given  us  abundance  of  exam- 
ples of  their  fulfilment.  A  large  part  of 
Scripture  prophecy  has  already  been  con- 
verted into  history.  "  Unto  us  a  child  is  ac- 
tually born ;  unto  us  a  son  is  given ;  the 
government  is  upon  his  shoulder  ;  his  name 
is  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  Mighty 
God,  the  Everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of 
Peace."  But  the  same  authority  which  fore- 
told this  has  added,  "  Of  the  increase  of  his 
government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no 
end."  There  is  also  a  peculiar  pledge  given 
for  its  fulfilment :  "  The  zeal  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,"  it  is  declared,  "  shall  perform  this  !  " 
Zeal  is  a  fervid  affection  of  the  mind,  that 
prompts  us  to  pursue  an  object  with  earnest- 
ness and  perseverance,  and  to  encounter 
every  difficulty  that  may  stand  in  the  way 
of  its  accomplishment.  From  such  a  spirit, 
even  in  men,  much  is  to  be  expected.  Yet 
what  is  the  zeal  of  creatures  ?  Always  fee- 
ble, often  misguided,  disproportionate,  or  de- 
clining. But  conceive  of  it  as  possessing 
the  heart  of  the  omnipotent  God.  What  an 
overwhelming  thought !  The  establishment 
of  Christ's  kingdom  deeply  interests  him : 
his  thoughts  are  upon  it;  all  his  plans  in- 
clude it ;  and  all  that  is  going  on  in  the 
world,  from  generation  to  generation,  is  made 
to  subserve  it.  We  draw  some  encourage- 
ment from  the  zeal  of  creatures  in  God's 
cause.  When  his  servants  take  pleasure 
in  the  stones  of  Zion,  and  favor  the  dust 
thereof,  we  consider  it  a  hopeful  symptom 
that  the  Lord  is  about  to  arise  and  have  mer- 
cy upon  it.  The  importunity  and  liberality 
of  Christians,  the  diligence  of  ministers, 
and  the  cries  of  the  souls  from  under  the 
altar  for  the  fall  of  Babylon,  may,  severally, 
have  their  influence :  but  the  zeal  of  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  surpasses  all.  Here  is  solid 
rock  for  faith  to  rest  upon. 

Unbelievers  may  deride  every  attempt  to 
turn  sinners  from  the  errors  of  their  way  ; 
and  even  believers,  while  viewing  things 
through  sensible  mediums,  may  discover  in- 
surmountable difficulties.— The  people  will 


GOD  S  APPROBATION  NECESSARY  TO  SUCCESS. 


225 


not  believe  us  nor  hearken  to  our  voice-: 
the  prejudices  of  men  are  almost  insupera- 
ble in  our  native  country :  and  if  we  go 
abroad  they  are  worse :  these  casts,  this  vo- 
luptuousness, this  savage  ferocity,  this  treach- 
ery of  character  ....  How  can  we  hope  to 
overcome  such  obstacles  as  these  ? — But  all 
this  is  only  a  repetition  of  the  objections  of 
the  unbelieving- Israelites  :  "The  people  be 
strong  that  dwell  in  the  land,  and  the  cities 
are  great,  and  Availed  up  to  heaven:  and 
moreover  we  saw  the  children  of  Anak 
there  !  "  If  we  can  believe  .  ..."  all  things 
are  possible  to  him  that  believeth." 

Past  instances  of  mercy  furnished  the 
church  with  matter  of  prayer:  "Awake, 
awake,  put  on  strength,  O  arm  of  the  Lord  ! 
Awake  as  in  the  ancient  days,  in  the  gene- 
rations of  old !  Art  thou  not  it  that  hath 
cut  Rahab,  and  wounded  the  dragon?"  And 
why  should  we  not  apply  the  past  operations 
of  grace  to  a  similar  purpose  ?  That  arm 
is  not  grown  weary  which  subdued  Jewish 
malignity  in  the  days  of  Pentecost,  and 
overturned  Heathen  idolatry  by  the  doctrine 
of  the  cross. 

I  think  I  may  add,  there  is  reason  to  hope 
that  the  time  when  these  things  shall  be  ac- 
complished cannot  be  far  off.  I  have  no  de- 
sire to  deal  in  uncertain  conjectures.  The 
prophecies  were  not  designed  to  make  us 
prophets,  nor  to  gratify  an  idle  curiosity. 
They  contain  enough,  however,  to  strength- 
en our  faith,  and  invigorate  our  zeal.  If  we 
carefully  examine  the  Scriptures,  though 
we  may  not  be  able  to  fix  times  with  any 
certainty,  yet  we  may  obtain  satisfaction  that 
the  day  is  not  very  distant  when  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  shall  be  universal.  The  New- 
testament  writers,  in  their  times,  made  use 
of  language  which  strongly  indicates  that 
time  itself  was  far  advanced.  The  coming 
of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh. — Behold  the  judge 
standeth  at  the  door. — The  end  of  all  things 
is  at  hand. — He  which  testifieth  these  things 
saitli,  Surely  I  come  quickly  !  "  These,  and 
such  like  passages,  I  should  think,  cannot 
mean  less  than  that  in  those  days  they  had 
passed  the  meridian  of  time,  and  entered, 
as  it  were,  into  the  afternoon  of  the  world. 
And  now,  after  a  lapse  of  eighteen  hundred 
years,  what  else  can  be  expected  but  that 
things  are  fast  approaching  to  their  final  is- 
sue ?  But  it  is  not  merely  on  general  grounds 
that  the  conclusion  rests.  The  prophet  Dan- 
iel, in  his  seventh  chapter,  describes  the  suc- 
cessive establishment  and  overthrow  of  four 
great  governments,  which  should  each  in  its 
day,  rule  the  greater  part  of  the  world.  He 
also  speaks  of  the  last  of  these  governments 
as  issuing  in  ten  branches,  and  describes 
another,  which  he  calls  "  a  little  horn,"  as 
rising  from  among  them.  The  dominion  of 
this  last  government  was  to  continue  "  until 
a  time,  times,  and  the  dividing  of  time." 
After  this  "the  judgment  should  set,  and 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  29. 


they  should  take  away  its  dominion,  to  con- 
sume and  to  destroy  it  unto  the  end."  And 
then  it  immediately  follows,  "  And  the  king- 
dom and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be 
given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High."  There  are  many  things  in  the  pro- 
phecies which  are  hard  to  be  understood : 
but  this  seems  to  be  very  clear.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  of  the  four  great  governments 
being  the  Babylonian,  the  Persian,  the  Gre- 
cian, and  the  Roman.  Now  these  have  suc- 
cessively appeared  upon  the  stage,  and  are 
gone  into  perdition.  The  division  of  the 
Roman  empire  into  a  number  of  smaller. gov- 
ernments, such  as  continue  in  Europe  to  this 
day,  and,  among  them,  exercise  a  dominion 
over  the  rest  of  the  world  equal  to  what  was 
formerly  exercised  by  the  Romans,  is  doubt- 
less signified  by  the  "  ten  horns "  of  the 
fourth  beast.  Nor  can  we  be  at  a  loss  to 
know  what  that  government  is  which  is  sig- 
nified by  a  "  little  horn,"  which  rose  up  from 
among  the  ten  horns,  which  speaketh  "  great 
words  against  the  Most  High,  and  weareth 
out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High."  We  have 
seen  its  rise,  felt  its  reign,  and  in  part  re- 
joiced in  its  overthrow.  The  period  alluded 
to,  as  the  term  of  its  existence,  is  manifestly 
the  same  as  that  which  John,  in  the  Revela- 
tion, calls  "forty  and  two  months,  or  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty  days,"  du- 
ring which  "the  holy  city  should  be  trodden 
under  foot,  the  witnesses  prophecy  in  sack- 
cloth," and  the  true  church  have  her  abode 
"  in  the  wilderness,"  in  a  manner  resembling 
the  state  of  things  in  Jerusalem,  in  the  times 
of  Antiochus.  More  than  a  thousand  of 
these  prophetic  days  or  years,  must  have 
already  elapsed.  The  period  itself  must  be 
drawing  towards  a  close :  and,  when  this  is 
closed,  there  is  an  end  to  every  species  of 
Satanic  government.  That  which  follows  is 
given  to  the  Son  of  Man,  and  to  the  people 
of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High.  The  amount 
is,  We  are  under  the  last  form  of  the  reign 
of  darkness,  and  that  form  is  fast  dissolving. 
Surely,  the  day  of  the  church's  redemption 
draweth  nigh! 

And,  while  these  views  afford  a  joyful 
prospect  to  the  church  of  Christ,  there  is 
nothing  in  them  which  can  furnish  any  just 
ground  of  alarm  to  civil  government.  There 
is  no  reason  to  imagine  that  the  church  of 
Christ  will  ever  become  a  political  commu- 
nity, exercising  dominion  over  others ;  but 
that  Christian  principles  will  pervade  and 
rule  the  governments  of  the  earth.  How- 
ever God  may  overrule  the  tumultuous  revo- 
lutions of  these  times,  to  the  making  way 
for  his  kinnfdom,  his  kingdom  itself  will  be 
entirely  different :  the  wind,  the  earthquake, 
and  the  fire  may  go  before  it,  but  the  thing 
itself  will  be  as  a  still  small  voice.  It  will 
not  come  with  observation,  or  outward  show. 
The  banners  that  will  be  displayed  will  not 


226 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


be  those  of  sedition  and  tumult,  but  of  truth 
and  peace.  It  will  be  a  renovation  in  the 
hearts  of  men  ;  a  revolution  in  both  rulers 
and  subjects,  from  the  slavery  of  sin  to  the 
love  of  both  God  and  man  :  and  this,  as  it 
must  produce  the  establishment  of  peace 
and  good  order,  cannot  be  an  object  of 
dread  to  any  who  are  well  disposed.  It  is 
not  impossible  that  we  may  live  to  see  things 
of  which  at  present  we  have  scarcely  any 
conception :  but,  whether  we  do  or  not,  Je- 
sus lives  and  his  kingdom  must  increase. 
And  what  if,  while  we  are  scaling  the  walls 
of  the  enemy,  we  should  a  few  of  us  lose 
our  lives  ?  We  must  die  in  some  way ;  and 
can  we  desire  to  die  in  a  better  cause  ? 
Probably  many  of  the  Israelites  who  went 
up  to  possess  the  land  with  Joshua  perished 
in  the  attempt;  yet  this  was  no  objection  to 
a  perseverance  in  the  cause.  In  carrying 
the  glad  tidings  of  eternal  life  to  Jews  and 
Gentiles,  Stephen  and  James,  with  many 
others,  fell  sacrifices  at  an  early  period : 
yet  no  one  was  discouraged  on  this  account, 
but  rather  stimulated  to  follow  their  ex- 
ample. 

I  close  with  a  few  words  by  way  of  reflec- 
tion. It  becomes  us  to  inquire,  each  one 
seriously  for  himself,  whether  the  little  suc- 
cess which  we  have  already  experienced 
may  not  be  owing  to  this  cause — There 
may  be  something  about  us  on  account  of 
which  God  does  not  delight  in  us.  I  mean 
no  reflection  upon  any  ;  but  let  each  one  ex- 
amine himself. — What  is  the  secret  spring 
of  my  zeal?  Is  the  doctrine  I  preach  truly 
evangelical  ?  Let  me  not  take  this  matter 
for  granted  ;  but  examine  whether  it  quad- 
rates with  the  Scriptures.  If  half  my  time 
be  taken  up  in  beating  off  the  rough  edges 
of  certain  passages,  to  make  them  square 
with  my  principles,  I  am  not  in  the  gospel 
scheme.  If  one  part  of  Scripture  requires 
to  be  passed  over,  lest  I  should  appear  incon- 
sistent, I  am  not  sound  in  the  faith,  in  God's 
account,  but  have  imbibed  some  false  sys- 
tem instead  of  the  gospel ;  and,  while  this 
is  the  case,  I  have  no  reason  to  expect  that 
he  will  delight  in  me,  so  as  to  make  me  a 
blessing. 

Finally :  Whether  we  possess  the  land  or 
not,  it  ivill  be  possessed.  Though  some  of 
the  Israelites  perished  in  the  wilderness, 
that  did  not  overturn  the  counsels  of  God  : 
the  next  generation  entered  into  his  rest. 
And  though  there  should  be  so  much  selfish- 
ness, false  doctrine,  unbelief,  or  inactivity, 
about  us,  as  that  God  should  take  no  delight 
in  us,  and  refuse  to  give  us  the  land,  yet 
our  children  may  possess  it.  God's  word 
will  be  accomplished.  Deliverance  will 
arise  to  the  church  of  God,  whether  we  do 
ourselves  the  honor  of  serving  it  or  not. 
But  why  do  I  thus  speak  ?  Surely  it  is  the 
desire  of  many  in  this  country,  and  of  many 
in  this  assembly,  to  be  active,  and  so  to  act 
as  to  be  approved  of  God. 


SERMON  VIII. 

[To  the  Baptist  Church  at  Cannon  Street,  Bir- 
mingham, at  the  ordination  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Morgan  to  the  Pastoral  Office.     June  23, 1802.] 

THE  OBEDIENCE  OF  CHURCHES  TO  THEIR 
PASTORS  EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 

"  Obey  them  that  have  the  rule  over  you,  and 
submit  yourselves  :  for  they  watch  for  your  souls 
as  they  that  must  give  an  account  :  that  they  may 
do  it  with  joy,  and  not  with  grief;  for  that  is  un- 
profitable for  you." — Heh.  xiii.  17. 

It  is  not  usual,  I  believe,  for  ministers  in 
their  ordinary  labors  to  dwell  upon  the  obli- 
gations of  the  people  of  their  charge  towards 
them.  They  feel,  probably,  that  on  such  a 
subject  they  might  be  suspected  of  partiality  „ 
to  themselves  ;  and  if  such  a  suspicion  were 
indulged,  however  just  and  proper  their  ad- 
monitions might  be,  they  would  be  but  of 
little  use,  and  might  operate  to  their  disad- 
vantage. Nor  is  it  a  subject  that  a  humble 
and  holy  man  would  ordinarily  choose,  even 
though  there  were  no  danger  of  miscon- 
struction: he  had  rather  inspire  in  his  peo- 
ple the  love  of  Christ  and  of  one  another, 
hoping  that,  if  this  prevailed,  it  would  con- 
strain them  to  whatever  was  proper  towards 
himself.  It  does  not  follow,  however,  that 
this  species  of  Christian  duty  ought  never  to 
be  insisted  on:  the  glory  of  God,  the  success 
of  the  church,  and  the  spiritual  advantage  of 
individuals  will  be  found  to  be  involved  in  it. 
No  man  could  more  strenuously  renounce 
an  undue  assumption  of  power  than  the 
apostle  Paul :  in  many  instances,  he  forbore 
to  insist  upon  the  authority  that  Christ  had 
given  him  ;  yet,  when  addressing  the  church- 
es in  the  behalf  of  others,  he  uniformly  in- 
sists upon  the  treatment  which  private  mem- 
bers owe  to  their  pastors,  as  well  as  upon 
other  relative  duties.  To  this  I  may  add,  if 
there  be  any  one  time  in  which  an  exhorta- 
tion on  this  subject  is  peculiarly  seasonable, 
it  is  when  the  relation  between  pastor  and 
people  is  publicly  solemnized.  I  shall,  there- 
fore, proceed  to  explain  and  enforce  the  ex- 
hortation which  I  have  read  to  you. 

I.  Let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  where- 
in CONSISTS  THAT  OBEDIENCE  AND  SUBMIS- 
SION WHICH  IS  REQUIRED  OF  A  PEOPLE  TO- 
WARDS their  pastor.  The  very  terms 
rule,  obey,  and  submit,  may  be  grating  in  the 
ears  of  some  ;  and  true  it  is  that  there  have 
been  great  abuses  of  these  things  :  a  great 
deal  of  priestly  domination  has  been  exer- 
cised in  the  name  of  Christ.  Yet  there 
must  be  rule  in  the  church  of  Christ  as  well 
as  in  other  societies.  Without  this,  it  would 
not  be  a  body,  growing  up  unto  him  in  all 
things  which  is  the  head,  even  Christ ;  but 
a  number  of  scattered  bones.  Or,  if  all 
aspired  to  rule  and  guidance,  the  question 
of  the  apostle  would  here  be  applicable — 
"If  the  whole  were  an  eye,  where  were  the 


OBEDIENCE    OF    CHURCHES    TO    THEIR    PASTORS. 


227 


hearing  ?  But  now  hath  God  set  the  mem- 
bers, every  one  of  them  in  the  body,  as  it 
hath  pleased  him."  Christian  ministers  are 
called  overseers,  as  having  the  oversight  of 
the  flock,  and  the  principal  direction  of  its 
concerns. 

The  church  of  Christ,  however,  is  not  sub- 
ject to  a  despotic  government.  Ministers 
are  forbidden  to  "  lord  it  over  God's  heri- 
tage." The  power  that  was  given  them, 
and  all  other  officers,  ordinary  or  extraordi- 
nary, was  for  edification,  and  not  for  destruc- 
tion. There  are  three  things  which  are 
necessary  in  order  that  the  authority  of  a 
pastor  be  legitimate  and  unobjectionable : 
namely,  that  he  be  freely  chosen  by  the 
church ;  that  the  standard  by  which  lie  rules 
be  not  his  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Christ; 
and  that  the  things  which  he  urges  on  others 
be  equally  binding  on  himself. 

First:  It  is  necessary  that  your  pastor  be 
freely  chosen  by  you  to  his  sacred  office.  If 
he  had  imposed  upon  you  by  any  human 
authority,  against  or  without  your  own  con- 
sent, I  should  not  be  able  to  prove,  from  the 
Scriptures,  that  you  were  bound  to  obey,  or 
submit  to  him.  Should  it  be  alleged  that 
pastors  are  represented  as  the  "gifts  of 
God,"  and  such  as  the  "Holy  Spirit  hath 
made  overseers ; "  I  should  answer,  True  ; 
but  the  Holy  Spirit  performs  this  Avork,  not 
immediately,  but  mediately,  by  inclining  the 
hearts  of  his  people  to  choose  them.  No 
one,  indeed,  pretends  that  it  is  done  imme- 
diately. Human  choice  is,  m  all  cases,  con- 
cerned ;  and  the  only  question  is,  whether  it 
be  by  that  of  the  people,  or  of  some  one,  or 
more,  that  shall  choose  on  their  behalf. 
The  primitive  churches  elected  their  own 
officers.  The  apostles  ordained  them  ;  but 
it  was  by  the  suffrage  of  the  people.  The 
power  of  election  was  with  them ;  and  with 
them  it  continued  during  the  purest  ages  of 
the  church.  If  the  primitive  pastors  had 
been  chosen  by  the  apostles,  it  had  also  been 
their  province  to  have  rejected  or  silenced 
them,  as  occasion  should  require  ;  but,  when 
false  teachers  arose  among  the  Corinthians 
and  the  Galatians,  we  do  not  find  these 
churches,  not  even  the  purest  part  of  them, 
applying  to  the  apostle,  but  the  apostle  to 
them,  for  their  removal.  The  false  teachers 
of  the  primitive  times  ingratiated  themselves 
with  the  people,  and  despised  the  apostles  : 
an  incontestable  proof  this,  to  every  one  ac- 
quainted with  human  nature,  where  the 
powers  of  election  and  rejection  lay.  If 
your  pastor,  I  say  again,  had  been  imposed 
upon  you  by  any  human  authority,  against 
or  without  your  own  consent,  I  should  not 
be  able  to  prove,  from  the  Scriptures,  that 
you  were  bound  to  obey,  or  submit  to  him. 
But  it  is  not  so.  You  have  heard  him  and 
known  him ;  and  from  an  observation  of  his 
spirit  and  conduct,  and  an  experience  of  the 
advantages  of  his  ministry,  you  have  chosen 
him  to  watch  over  you  in  the  Lord. 


Secondly  :  The  rule  to  which  you  are  re- 
quired to  yield  obedience  and  subjection  is 
not  his  will,  but  the  will  of  Christ.  Pastors 
are  that  to  a  church  which  the  executive 
powers,  or  magistrates,  of  a  free  country  are 
to  the  state — the  organs  of  the  law.  Sub- 
mission to  them  is  submission  to  the  law.  If 
your  pastor  teach  any  other  doctrine,  or  in- 
culcate any  other  duties,  than  what  Christ 
has  left  on  record,  obey  him  not ;  but,  while 
urging  these,  it  is  at  your  peril  to  resist  him ; 
for,  resisting  him,  you  resist  him  that  sent 
him.  It  is  in  this  view,  as  teaching  divine 
truth  and  enforcing  divine  commands,  that 
the  servants  of  God,  in  all  ages,  have  been 
invested  with  divine  authority.  Of  the  sons 
of  Levi,  it  was  said,  they  shall  teach  Jacob 
"  thy  judgments,"  and  Israel "  thy  law  ;  "  and, 
upon  this  ground,  it  was  added,  "Bless, 
Lord,  his  substance,  and  accept  the  work  of 
his  hand :  smite  through  the  loins  of  them 
that  rise  against  him,  and  of  them  that  hate 
him,  that  they  rise  not  again."  Here  lay 
the  sin  of  Korah  and  his  company,  of  Ely- 
mas  the  sorcerer,  and  of  Alexander  the  cop- 
persmith :  they  each,  by  resisting  the  servants 
of  God  in  the  proper  execution  of  their 
work,  resisted  God,  and  brought  upon  them- 
selvfis  the  sorest  of  judgments. 

Thirdly  :  The  things  which  he  urges  upon 
you  are  equally  binding  upon  himself.  When 
he  exhibits  to  you  the  only  name  given  un- 
der heaven,  among  men,  by  which  you  can 
be  saved,  and  charges  you,  on  pain  of  eter- 
nal damnation,  not  to  neglect  it,  remember 
his  own  soul  also  is  at  stake.  And,  when 
he  exhorts  and  warns  you,  if  he  himself 
should  privately  pursue  a  contrary  course, 
he  seals  his  own  destruction. 

There  are,  it  is  true,  those  who  lade  men 
with  heavy  burdens,  grievous  to  be  borne,  to 
which  they  themselves  will  not  put  one  of 
their  fingers ;  these,  however,  are  not  the 
commands  of  Christ.  Instead  of  being  the 
commands  of  Christ,  which  are  not  grievous, 
except  to  unholy  men,  these  are  merely  hu- 
man traditions  :  but,  though  they  were  al- 
lowed to  be  otherwise,  the  inconsistent  con- 
duct of  ministers  would  not  exempt  either 
them  or  you  from  obligation.  Should  we 
enforce  the  will  of  Christ  upon  you,  while 
living  in  the  neglect  of  it  ourselves,  woe 
be  unto  us !  Yet  this  will  fall  upon  our 
own  heads.  If  we  be  wicked,  depose  us 
from  our  office  ;  but,  while  we  are  in  it,  let 
not  the  word  of  the  Lord  be  disregarded  on 
our  account. 

Let  me  point  out  a  few  particulars,  breth- 
ren, in  which  it  is  your  duty  and  interest 
to  obey  him  whom  you  have  chosen  to  have 
the  rule  over  you,  and  to  submit  yourselves. 

1.  With  respect  to  his  public  ministry. 
Do  not  fly  in  the  face  of  plain  dealing  from 
the  pulpit.  Good  sense,  as  well  as  the  fear 
of  God,  will,  I  trust,  preserve  your  pastor 
from  dealing  in  personal  reflections,  or  any 
thing  designed  to  offend ;  but  do  not  be  un- 


228 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCIIE3. 


willing  that  he  should  come  close  to  cases  toral  admonition ;  such  as  spiritual  declen- 
and  consciences.  You  may  as  well  have  no  sions,  hesitating  on  important  truths,  neglect 
minister,  as  one  that  never  makes  you  feel,  of  religious  duties,  worldly  anxiety,  and  the 
I  hope  the  house  of  God  will  continue  to  be  early  approaches  to  any  evil  course.  A 
to  you  what  it  has  been — a  rest  in  times  of  faithful  pastor,  with  an  eye  of  watchful  ten- 
trouble,  a  house  of  consolation  ;  but  do  not  derness,  will  perceive  the  first  symptoms  of 
go  with  a  desire  merely  to  be  comforted,  spiritual  disorder,  and,  by  a  timely  hint,  will 
Go,  as  well,  to  learn  your  failings  and  de-  counteract  its  operations  ;  whereas,  if  no- 
fects,  and  in  hope  of  having  them  correct-  thing  be  said  or  done  till  the  case  requires 
ed.  It  is  not  the  mere  hearer,  but  the  doer  the  censure  of  the  church,  the  party  may  be 
of  the  word,  that  is  blessed  in  his  work.  I  excluded,  but  is  seldom  recovered.  You 
hope  you  will  always  exercise  your  judg-  may  easily  suppose  this  to  be  a  self-denying 
ments  as  to  what  you  hear,  and  compare  it  work  for  your  pastor ;  he  had  much  rather  vis- 
with  the  oracles  of  God  ;  but,  if  you  attend  it  you  with  a  smile  of  affectionate  congratu- 
preaching  merely  as  judges  of  its  orthodoxy,  lation  :  yet  it  may  be  of  the  first  importance  to 
you  will  derive  no  advantage  to  yourselves,  you  and  to  the  church.  Do  not  render  this 
and  may  do  much  harm  to  others.  It  is  the  disagreeable  part  of  his  work  more  disa- 
humble  Christian,  who  hears  that  he  may  be  greeable  by  an  irritable  and  resentful  dis- 
instructed,  corrected,  and  quickened  in  the  position  ;  but  receive  reproofs  with  candor, 
ways  of  God,  who  will  obtain  that  consola-  "  Correction  may  be  grievous  to  him  that 
tion  which  the  gospel  affords.  forsaketh  the  way ;  but  he  that  hateth  re- 

2.  With  respect  to  his  private  visits.    You    proof  shall  die." 

do  not  expect  him  to  visit  you  in  the  charac-  II.  Let  us  observe  the  important  con- 
ter  of  a  saunterer,  but  of  a  pastor ;  and,  if  siderations  by  which  this  obedience 
so,  it  becomes  you  to  be  open  to  a  free  ex-  and  submission  are  enforced.  These 
change  of  sentiments  on  your  best  interests,  you  will  perceive  are  partly  taken  from  the 
No  minister  is  always  alike  prepared  for  regard  you  bear  to  yourselves — "they  watch 
profitable  conversation,  and  some  much  less  for  your  souls  ;"  partly  from  your  sympathy 
so  than  others  ;  but,  if  he  perceive  in  you  a  with  them — "  that  they  may  do  it  with  joy, 
desire  after  it,  it  will  be  much  more  easily  and  not  with  grief;"  and  even  that  part 
introduced.  Be  free  to  communicate  your  which  seems  to  respect  their  comfort,  ulti- 
cases  to  him.  It  will  assist  him  in  his  preach-  mately  concerns  your  own ;  for,  if  they  dis- 
ing  more  than  a  library  of  expositors  ;  and  charge  their  work  with  grief,  "  that  will  be 
if,  while  you  are  conversing  with  him,  he  unprofitable  for  you."  Give  us  your  serious 
should  be  directed  to  impart  to  you  the  mind  and  candid  attention,  brethren,  while  we  re- 
of  Christ,  as  suited  to  your  particular  case,  do  view  these  important  motives, 
not  treat  it  lightly,  but  submit  yourselves  to  it.        1.  Your  pastor  "  watches  for  your  souls." 

3.  In  presiding  in  your  occasional  assem-  Your  salvation,  let  me  presume,  will  be  his 
Mies.  When  you  meet  together  as  a  Christ-  great  concern  ;  and,  while  pursuing  this,  you 
ian  church,  for  the  adjustment  of  your  con-  may  well  be  expected  to  concur  with  him, 
cerns,  he  is  entitled  to  your  respect.  Every  and  submit  yourselves  to  him  in  the  Lord, 
society  places  so  much  authority  in  its  pres-  You  would  submit  to  a  surgeon  who  was  per- 
ident  as  shall  be  necessary  to  check  elisor-  forming  an  operation  to  save  your  life  ;  or  to 
derly  individuals,  and  to  preserve  a  proper  a  counsellor  who  should  offer  you  his  advice 
decorum.  It  will  doubtless  become  him,  es-  for  the  security  of  your  property  ;  or  to  a 
pecially  while  he  is  a  young  man,  to  be  gen-  commander  who  should  lead  you  forth  to 
tie  and  temperate  in  the  exercise  of  author-  save  your  country  :  but  these  are  inferior 
ity  :  and  it  will  no  less  become  you  to  sub-  objects,  when  compared  with  your  soul, 
mit  to  it.     When  churches  enter  into  dis-    Observe  the  force  of  every  term. 

putes  with  heat  and  bitterness — when  all  They  "  watch."  The  word  literally  sig- 
are  speakers,  and  respect  is  paid  to  no  one  nifies  to  keep  awake.  Here  it  denotes  vigi- 
more  than  to  another — they  debase  them-  lance.  Ministers  are  as  watchmen  on  the 
selves  below  the  character  even  of  civilized  walls  or  in  the  streets  of  a  city,  by  whose 
societies.  care  and  fidelity  the  inhabitants  enjoy  secu- 

4.  In  the  private  reproofs  which  he  may  rity.  Their  work  is  to  rise  early,  to  sit  up 
have  occasion  to  administer.  You  do  not  late,  and  to  eat  the  bread  of  care  ;  for  so  it 
wish  that  your  pastor  should  deal  in  person-  is  that  God  giveth  his  beloved  sleep.  Aware 
al  reflections  from  the  pulpit ;  yet  there  are  of  your  temptations  and  dangers,  he  must  be 
cases  in  which  reproof  requires  to  be  person-  continually  on  the  watch  that  he  may  be 
al ;  he  must,  therefore,  if  he  discharge  his  ready  to  give  the  alarm.  He  may  be  think- 
duty,  be  free  and  faithful  in  telling  you  of  ing,  and  caring,  and  praying  for  you,  when 
what  he  sees  amiss  in  you.  It  has  long  ap-  you  think  but  little  of  him,  and  perhaps,  in 
peared  to  me  that  there  are  some  species  of  some  instances,  when  you  think  but  little  of 
faults  in  individual  members  which  are  not  yourselves.  Do  not  hinder  him,  but  help 
proper  objects  of  church  censure,  but  of  pas-    him  in  his  work. 


OBEDIENCE    OF    CHURCHES    TO    THEIR    PASTORS. 


229 


They  watch/or  you.  Recollect  that  you 
are  watched  on  all  sides,  but  not  in  this  man- 
ner. Satan  watches  you  ;  but  it  is  that  he 
may  seize  his  opportunity  to  destroy  you. 
He  watches  you  as  a  wolf  does  a  sheep-fold  ; 
but  your  pastor,  as  a  faithful  shepherd,  to  pro- 
tect and  save  you.  The  world  also  will 
watch  you,  and  that  with  the  eye  of  an  en- 
emy, waiting  for  your  halting  ;  but  he  with 
the  tender  solicitude  of  a  father,  to  do  you 
good.  Do  not  oppose  him  in  this  his  impor- 
tant work. 

They  watch  for  your  souls.  If  your  pas- 
tor were  stationed  to  watch  over  your  health, 
property,  or  life,  and  should  discharge  his 
trust  with  skill  and  fidelity,  you  would  think 
him  worthy  of  your  esteem  ;  but  it  is  not 
for  these  things  that  he  is  principally  con- 
cerned. He  would  doubtless  be  happy  to 
do  you  good  in  any  way  ;  but  neither  of  these 
employments  is  his  peculiar  province.  You 
employ  other  persons  to  watch  for  you  in 
such  matters.  Nothing  less  than  your  im- 
mortal interests  must  engage  his  attention. 
He  watches  for  that  compared  with  which 
kingdoms  and  empires  are  but  trifles  ;  for 
that  which,  if  gained,  all  is  gained  ;  and  which 
if  lost,  all  is  lost,  and  lost  forever.  Do  not 
resist  him  in  his  work  but  concur  with  him. 

They  watch  as  those  that  must  give  ac- 
count. How  important  a  station  !  There  is 
an  account  for  every  one  to  give  of  himself; 
but  a  pastor  has  not  only  to  do  this  in  com- 
mon with  his  people,  but  must  also  give  ac- 
count of  them.  At  his  hands  the  chief  Shep- 
herd will  require  it.  And  what  will  be  the 
account  of  your  pastor  ?  Will  he  be  able  to 
say,  concerning  you,  "  Here  I  am,  and  the 
children  whom  the  Lord  hath  given  me  ?  " 
O  that  he  might !  But  it  is  much  to  be 
feared  that  some  of  you  who  are  this  day 
committed  to  his  charge  will  in  that  day 
be  missing  !  And  what  account  will  he  then 
have  to  give  ?  Will  he  not  have  to  say, 
Lord,  some  of  them  have  neglected  thy  word  ; 
some  have  resisted  it ;  some  have  reproached 
me  for  preaching  it;  some  have  deserted  it 
and  turned  aside  after  lying  vanities  ;  some, 
who  have  continued,  have  not  received  the 
love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be  saved  : 
hearing,  they  have  heard,  and  not  under- 
stood ;  seeing,  they  have  seen,  and  not  per- 
ceived ;  their  heart  is  waxed  gross,  and  their 
ears  are  dull  of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  have 
they  closed  ?  And  wbat  if,  when  interroga- 
ted, he  should  not  be  able  to  acquit  himself  ? 
What  if  it  should  prove  that  he  did  not  warn 
you,  nor  seek  after  you,  nor  care  for  you  ? 
Ah,  then  you  will  perish,  and  your  blood 
will  be  required  at  his  hand  !  Who,  alas ! 
who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?  At  all 
events,  for  your  own  sake,  and  for  his  sake, 
do  not  hinder  him  in  his  work.  Woe  unto 
him  if  he  preach  not  the  gospel;  and  woe 
unto  you  if  you  oppose  him  in  it !  Do  not  ob- 
ject to  his  dealing  faithfully,  both  in  and  out 


of  the  pulpit,  so  that  it  be  aimed  for  your 
good.  Do  not  hinder  him  in  the  work  of  re- 
proof, by  siding  with  transgressors.  In 
short,  if  you  have  any  regard  to  your  own 
souls,  or  the  souls  of  others,  obey  the  coun- 
sels of  heaven,  which  are  communicated  to 
you  through  his  ministry,  and  submit  your- 
selves. 

2.  The  discharge  of  this  his  work  will  be 
either  joy  or  grief,  according  to  the  spirit  of 
the  people  among  whom  he  labors.  You  do 
not  wish,  I  dare  say,  to  grieve  and  distress 
a  servant  of  Christ.  Better  would  it  be 
never  to  have  chosen  him,  than  to  break  his 
heart ;  yet  such  things  are  ! 

If,  in  his  public  preaching,  he  have  a  zeal- 
ous, modest,  attentive,  wise,  and  affectionate 
people,  constant  and  early  in  attending, 
candid  and  tender-hearted  in  hearing,  and 
desirous  of  obtaining  some  spiritual  advan- 
tage from  all  they  hear,  you  cannot  conceive 
what  joy  it  will  afford  him.  He  will  pray  for 
you,  and  preach  to  you  with  abundantly  the 
more  interest.  And,  this  being  the  case, 
it  may  contribute  not  a  little  to  the  success 
of  his  labors  ;  for  God  works  not  only  by  the 
word  preached,  but  by  the  effects  of  it  in 
the  spirit  of  believers.  The  apostle  sup- 
poses that  some,  on  whom  the  word  itself 
had  no  influence,  might  yet  be  won  by  the 
chaste  conversation  of  the  godly  females. 
But  if  he  have  a  slothful,  selfish,  cold-heart- 
ed, cavilling,  conceited,  and  contentious  au- 
dience, what  a  source  of  grief  must  it  be  to 
him !  The  meekest  of  men  was  overcome 
by  such  a  people,  and  tempted  to  wish  that 
God  would  kill  him  out  of  hand,  rather  than 
continue  to  cause  him  thus  to  see  his  ivretch- 
edness. 

If,  in  adjusting  the  concerns  of  the  church, 
every  individual  consider  that  others  have 
understanding  as  well  as  himself,  and  have 
the  same  right  to  be  heard  and  regarded ; 
if  all  strive  to  act  in  concert,  and  never  op- 
pose a  measure  from  humor,  but  merely  from 
conscience,  or  a  persuasion  that  it  is  wrong ; 
such  things  to  a  pastor  must  needs  be  a 
source  of  joy.  But,  if  pride  and  self-Avill 
prevail,  they  will  produce  confusion  and 
every  evil  work ;  and  this,  if  he  have  any 
regard  to  religion  or  to  you,  will  be  the  grief 
of  his  soul. 

If  the  deacons  whom  you  have  chosen  to 
be  helpers  in  the  truth  be  wise,  faithful,  ac- 
tive, and  tender-hearted,  ready  to  stand  by 
their  pastor  in  every  right  cause,  willing  to 
impart  the  counsel  of  maturer  years,  and 
careful  to  preserve  the  purity  and  peace  of 
the  church,  his  duties  will  be  discharged 
with  joy.  But,  if  they  mind  earthly  things, 
and  leave  all  to  him,  or,  though  they  should 
be  active,  yet  if  it  be  with  the  spirit  of  a  Di- 
otrephes,  instead  of  diminishing  his  load, 
they  will  increase  it,  and  render  his  work  a 
daily  grief. 

If,  in  the  exercise  of  discipline,  there  be  a 


230 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


unity  of  heart,  a  willingness  to  follow  God's 
word,  whoever  may  be  affected  by  it — if, 
like  the  tribe  of  Levi,  you  in  such  matters 
"know  not  your  father,  nor  your  mother, 
nor  acknowledge  your  brethren,  nor  know 
your  own  children ;  but  observe  God's  word, 
and  keep  his  covenant " — this,  to  an  upright 
man,  will  be  a  source  of  joy  and  solid  satis- 
faction. But  if,  whenever  a  censure  requires 
to  be  inflicted,  no  unanimity  can  be  obtained 
— if  regard  be  had  to  friends  and  family  con- 
nections, to  the  setting  aside  of  Christ's  re- 
vealed wUl — nothing  will  be  done  with  effect. 
The  zeal  of  a  few  will  be  attributed  to  pre- 
judice ;  and  the  person  concerned,  instead  of 
being  convinced  and  humbled,  will  be  hard- 
ened in  his  sin.  Thus  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry will  be  a  burden  of  grief '. 

Finally :  If  you  be  a  spiritual,  affectionate, 
and  peaceable  people,  your  pastor  will  per- 
form his  work  with  joy:  but  if  you  be  carnal 
and  contentious — if  there  be  whisperings, 
swellings,  tumults,  party  attachments,  jea- 
lousies, antipathies,  scandals — alas !  he  may 
sow,  but  it  will  be  among  thorns ;  he  may 
preach,  but  it  will  be  with  a  heavy  heart. 

3.  You  cannot  cause  the  work  of  your 
pastor  to  be  grievous  but  at  your  own  ex- 
pense :  it  will  be  "  unprofitable  for  you."  It 
is  to  no  purpose  that  you  have  a  pastor  or- 
dained over  you  in  the  Lord,  unless  his  min- 
istry be  profitable  to  you.  Everything,  there- 
fore, which  promotes  this  end  should  be 
carefully  cherished ;  and  everything  that 
hinders  it,  as  carefully  avoided.  But  profit 
under  a  ministry  greatly  depends,  under 
God,  upon  mutual  attachment.  I  do  not 
mean  to  commend  that  fondness  and  partial- 
ity that  would  render  you  the  devotees  of  a 
man,  or  incapacitate  you  for  hearing  any 
other  preaching  than  his.  They  that  cannot 
edify  save  under  one  minister  give  sufficient 
proof  that  they  do  not  truly  edify  under  him. 
But  there  is  an  attachment  between  a  pastor 
and  a  people  that  is  highly  necessary ;  as, 
without  it,  attendance  on  public  worship 
would,  in  a  great  measure,  cease  to  be  an 
enjoyment.  This  attachment,  my  bretliren, 
should  begin  with  you,  and  be  cherished  by 
a  course  of  kind  and  faithful  treatment ;  del- 
icately meeting  his  wants,  gradually  inspiring 
his  confidence,  tenderly  participating  in  his 
afflictions,  and  I  may  add,  if  occasion  require 
it,  affectionately  suggesting  to  him  his  faults 
and  defects.  By  these  means,  he  will  in- 
sensibly be  attached  to  you,  in  return  ;  and 
will  prefer  preaching  at  home  to  all  his  oc- 
casional labors  in  other  places.  By  an  ac- 
quaintance with  your  cases,  his  preaching 
will  be  seasonable  and  savory,  proceeding 
from  the  fulness  of  his  heart.  Of  such 
words  it  may  well  be  said,  How  good  they  are! 
But  I  need  not  enlarge  upon  these  things 
to  you.  Never,  perhaps,  were  they  more 
fully  exemplified,  than  in  the  person  of  your 
late  affectionate  and  beloved  pastor.     You 


loved  him  for  the  truth's  sake  that  dwelt  in 
him ;  and  he,  on  the  other  hand,  was  not 
only  willing  to  impart  unto  you  the  gospel 
of  God,  but  his  own  soul  also,  because  ye 
were  dear  unto  him.  May  the  same  spirit 
be  cherished  between  you  and  your  present 
pastor ! 

Love  is  the  grand  secret  to  make  you  all 
happy.  Love,  however,  is  a  tender  plant ;  a 
slight  blast  of  unkindness  will  greatly  injure 
it.  If  you  grieve  him  through  inadvertency, 
come  to  an  early  explanation.  If  unkindness 
be  repeated,  his  attachment  to  you  will  be 
weakened,  and  then  yours  to  him  will  be  the 
same.  This  will  be  followed  by  various 
misunderstandings,  slights,  distances,  and 
offences,  the  issue  of  which  may  be  a  rooted 
antipathy ;  and,  when  this  enters,  all  profit 
under  a  ministry  is  at  an  end.  If  he  could 
preach  like  an  angel,  all  were  in  vain,  so  far 
as  relates  to  your  advantage. 

From  these  remarks,  you  see  and  feel,  my 
bretliren,  that,  if  your  pastor  performs  his 
work  witli  grief,  it  will  be  at  your  expense  ; 
or  that  every  kind  of  treatment  that  wounds 
his  spirit  undermines  your  own  welfare. 
Study,  therefore,  by  all  means,  to  render  it 
his  joy,  which  will  turn  to  your  account : 
study,  by  a  constant  discharge  of  kind  offi- 
ces, to  endear  yourselves  and  your  families 
to  him ;  by  an  inviting  intimacy  in  spiritual 
things,  to  know  and  be  known  by  him ;  and  by 
a  holy,  humble,  and  uniform  conduct  in  the 
world  and  in  the  church,  to  enable  him  to 
look  the  enemies  of  religion  in  the  face, 
while  he  proclaims  its  holy  efficacy. 

The  reward  of  a  true  pastor  is  in  the  peo- 
ple of  his  charge,  in  their  sanctification  and 
salvation.  What  else  is  his  hope,  or  joy,  or 
crown  of  rejoicing  ?  Do  not  withhold  from 
the  laborer  his  hire !  You  may  be  his  hope, 
without  being  his  joy :  and  his  hope  and  joy 
for  a  season,  without  being  his  crown  of  re- 
joicing in  the  appearance  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  at  his  coming:  but  need  I  say  that 
this  will  be  unprofitable  for  you  ?  If  he 
have  a  full  reward  of  his  labor,  you  must  be 
his  hope,  and  joy,  and  crown.  Brethren, 
consider  what  I  have  said,  and  the  Lord  give 
you  understanding  in  all  things. 


SERMON  IX. 

[Delivered    at    Kettering,  in  1803,  at  a  time  of 
threatened  invasion.] 

CHRISTIAN    PATRIOTISM  ;    OR    THE    DUTY    OF 
RELIGIOUS  PEOPLE  TO  WARDS  THEIR  COUN- 


"  And  seek  the  peace  of  the  city  whither  I  have 
caused  you  to  be  carried  away  captives,  and  pray 
unto  the  Lord  for  it;  for  in  the  peace  thereof  shall 
ye  have  peace." — Jer.  xxix.  7. 

In  the  course  of  human  events,  cases  may 
be  expected  to  occur  in  which  a  serious  mind 


CHRISTIAN    PATRIOTISM. 


231 


may  be  at  a  loss  with  respect  to  the  path  of 
duty.  Presuming,  my  brethren,  that  such 
may  be  the  situation  of  some  of  you,  at  this 
momentous  crisis — a  crisis  in  Avhich  your 
country,  menaced  by  an  unprincipled, 
powerful,  and  malignant  foe,  calls  upon  you 
to  arm  in  its  defence — I  take  the  liberty  of 
freely  imparting  to  you  my  sentiments  on 
the  subject. 

When  a  part  of  the  Jewish  people  were 
carried  captives  to  Babylon,  ten  years,  or 
thereabouts,  before  the  entire  ruin  of  the  city 
and  temple,  they  must  have  felt  much  at  a 
loss  in  determining  upon  what  was  duty. 
Though  Jeconiah,  their  king,  was  earned 
captive  with  them,  yet  the  government  was 
still  continued  under  Zedekiah ;  and  there 
were  not  wanting  prophets,  such  as  they 
were,  who  encouraged  in  them  the  hopes  of 
a  speedy  return.  To  settle  their  minds  on 
this  subject,  Jeremiah,  the  prophet,  address- 
ed the  following  letter  to  them,  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord : — "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
the  God  of  Israel,  unto  all  that  are  carried 
away  captives,  whom  I  have  caused  to  be 
carried  away  from  Jerusalem  unto  Babylon, 
Build  ye  houses,  and  dwell  in  them  ;  and 
plant  gardens,  and  eat  the  fruit  of  them  ; 
take  ye  wives,  and  beget  sons  and  daugh- 
ters ;  and  take  wives  for  your  sons,  and  give 
your  daughters  to  husbands,  that  they  may 
bear  sons  and  daughters ;  that  ye  may  be 
increased  there,  and  not  diminished:  and 
seek  the  peace  of  the  city  whither  I  have 
caused  you  to  be  carried  away  captives,  and 
pray  unto  the  Lord  for  it;  for  in  the  peace 
thereof  shall  ye  have  peace." 

I  do  not  suppose  that  the  case  of  these 
people  corresponds  exactly  with  ours ;  but 
the  difference  is  of  such  a  nature  as  to  height- 
en our  obligations.  They  were  in  a  foreign 
land  ;  a  land  where  there  was  nothing  to  ex- 
cite their  attachment,  but  everything  to  pro- 
voke their  dislike.  They  had  enjoyed  all 
the  advantages  of  freedom  and  indepen- 
dence, but  were  now  reduced  to  a  state  of 
slavery.  Nor  were  they  enslaved  only  :  to 
injury  was  added  insult.  They  that  led 
them  captive  required  of  them  mirth,  saying, 
"Sing  us  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion!"  Re- 
venge, in  such  circumstances,  must  have 
seemed  natural ;  and  if  a  foreign  invader, 
like  Cyrus  had  placed  an  army  before  then- 
walls,  it  had  been  excusable,  one  would  have 
thought,  not  only  to  have  wished  him  success, 
but,  if  an  opportunity  had  offered,  to  have 
joined  an  insurrection  in  aid  of  him :  yet 
nothing  like  this  is  allowed.  When  Cyrus 
actually  took  this  great  city,  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  the  Jews  did  anything  to  assist 
him.  Their  duty  was  to  seek  the  welfare  of 
the  city,  and  to  pray  to  the  Lord  for  it,  leav- 
ing it  to  the  great  disposer  of  all  events  to 
deliver  them  in  his  own  time  ;  and  this  not 
merely  as  being  right,  but  wise :  "  In  their 
peace  ye  shall  have  peace." 


Now,  if  such  was  the  duty  of  men  in  their 
circumstances,  can  there  be  any  doubt  with 
respect  to  ours  ?  Ought  we  not  to  seek  the 
good  of  our  native  land ;  the  land  of  our 
fathers'  sepulchres ;  a  land  where  we  are 
protected  by  mild  and  wholesome  laws,  ad- 
ministered under  a  paternal  prince  ;  a  land 
where  civil  and  religious  freedom  are  enjoy- 
ed in  a  higher  degree  than  in  any  other 
country  in  Europe  ;  a  land,  where  God  has 
been  known  for  many  centuries  as  a  refuge  ; 
a  land,  in  fine,  Avhere  there  are  greater  op- 
portunities for  propagating  the  gospel,  both 
at  home  and  abroad,  than  in  any  other  nation 
under  heaven  ?  Need  I  add  to  this  that  the 
invader  was  to  them  a  deliverer ;  but  to  us, 
beyond  all  doubt,  would  be  a  destroyer  ? 

Our  object,  this  evening,  will  be  partly  to 
inquire  into  the  duty  of  religious  peoplo 
towards  their  country,  and  partly  to  consider 
the  motive  by  which  it  is  enforced. 

I.  Inquire  into  the  duty  of  religious 

PEOPLE         TOWARDS        THEIR        COUNTRY. 

Though,  as  Christians,  we  are  not  of  the 
world,  and  ought  not  to  be  conformed  to  it ; 
yet,  being  in  it,  we  are  under  various  obliga- 
tions to  those  about  us.  As  husbands, 
wives,  parents,  children,  masters,  servants, 
&c,  we  cannot  be  insensible  that  others 
have  a  claim  upon  us,  as  well  as  we  upon 
them  ;  and  it  is  the  same  as  members  of  a 
community  united  under  one  civil  govern- 
ment. If  we  were  rulers,  our  country 
would  have  a  serious  claim  upon  us  as  rulers ; 
and,  as  we  are  subjects,  it  has  a  serious 
claim  upon  us  as  subjects.  The  manner  in 
which  we  discharge  these  relative  duties 
contributes  not  a  little  to  the  formation  of 
our  character,  both  in  the  sight  of  God 
and  man. 

The  directions  given  to  the  Jewish  cap- 
tives were  comprised  in  two  things  ;  "  seek- 
ing the  peace  of  the  city,"  and  "  praying  to 
the  Lord  for  it."  These  directions  are  very 
comprehensive  ;  and  apply  to  us,  as  Ave  have 
seen,  much  more  forcibly  than  they  did  to 
the  people  to  whom  they  were  immediately 
addressed.  Let  us  inquire,  more  particular- 
ly, what  is  included  in  them. 

Seek  the  peace  of  the  city.  The  term  here 
rendered  peace  {ahu)  signifies  not  merely 
an  exemption  from  Avars  and  insurrections, 
but  prosperity  in  general.  It  amounts, 
therefore,  to  saying,  Seek  the  good,  or  icel- 
fare,  of  the  city.  Such,  brethren,  is  the 
conduct  required  of  us,  as  men  and  as 
Christians.  We  ought  to  be  patriots,  or 
lovers  of  our  country. 

To  prevent  mistakes,  however,  it  is  proper 
to  observe  that  the  patriotism  required  of  us 
is  not  that  love  of  our  country  which  clashes 
Avith  universal  benevolence,  or  which  seeks 
its  prosperity  at  the  expense  of  the  general 
happiness  of  mankind.  Such  Avas  the  patri- 
otism of  Greece  and  Rome ;  and  such  is  that 
of  all  others  where  Christian  principle  is  not 


232 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


allowed  to  direct  it.  Such,  I  am  ashamed  to 
say,  is  that  with  which  some  have  advocated 
the  cause  of  negro  slavery.  It  is  necessary, 
forsooth,  to  the  wealth  of  this  country !  No : 
if  my  country  cannot  prosper  but  at  the 
expense  of  justice,  humanity,  and  the  happi- 
ness of  mankind,  let  it  be  unprosperous ! 
But  this  is  not  the  case.  Righteousness 
will  be  found  to  exalt  a  nation,  and  so  to  be 
true  wisdom.  The  prosperity  which  we  are 
directed  to  seek  in  behalf  of  our  country 
involves  no  ill  to  any  one,  except  to  those 
who  shall  attempt  its  overthrow.  Let  those 
who  fear  not  God,  nor  regard  man,  engage 
in  schemes  of  aggrandisement,  and  let  sor- 
did parasites  pray  for  their  success.  Our 
concern  is  to  cultivate  that  patrotism  which 
harmonizes  with  good  will  to  men.  Oh  my 
country,  I  will  lament  thy  faults  !  Yet,  with 
all  thy  faults,  I  will  seek  thy  good ;  not  only 
as  a  Briton,  but  as  a  Christian:  "for  my 
brethren  and  companions'  sakes,  I  will  say, 
Peace  be  within  thee  ;  because  of  the  house 
of  the  Lord  my  God,  I  will  seek  thy  good !  " 

If  we  seek  the  good  of  our  country,  we 
shall  certainly  do  nothing,  and  join  in  noth- 
ing, that  tends  to  disturb  its  peace,  or  hinder 
its  welfare.  Whoever  engages  in  plots  and 
conspiracies  to  overturn  its  constitution,  we 
shall  not.  Whoever  deals  in  inflammatory 
speeches,  or  in  any  manner  sows  the 
seeds  of  discontent  and  disaffection,  we 
shall  not.  Whoever  labors  to  depreciate  its 
governors,  supreme  or  subordinate,  in  a  man- 
ner tending  to  bring  government  itself  into 
contempt,  we  shall  not.  Even  in  cases  where- 
in we  may  be  compelled  to  disapprove  of 
measures,  we  shall  either  be  silent  or  ex- 
press our  disapprobation  with  respect  and 
with  regret.  A  dutiful  son  may  see  a  fault 
in  a  father  ;  but  he  will  not  take  pleasure  in 
exposing  him.  He  that  can  employ  his  wit 
in  degrading  magistrates  is  not  their  friend, 
but  their  enemy ;  and  he  that  is  an  enemy 
to  magistrates  is  not  far  from  being  an  ene- 
my to  magistracy,  and,  of  course,  to  his 
country.  A  good  man  may  be  aggrieved ; 
and,  being  so,  may  complain.  Paul  did  so 
at  Philippi.  But  the  character  of  a  com- 
plainer  belongs  only  to  those  who  walk  after 
their  own  lusts. 

If  we  seek  the  good  of  our  country,  we 
shall  do  even/  thing  in  our  power  to  promote 
its  welfare.  We  shall  not  think  it  sufficient 
that  we  do  it  no  harm,  or  that  we  stand  still 
as  neutrals,  in  its  difficulties.  If,  indeed, 
our  spirits  be  tainted  with  disaffection,  we 
shall  be  apt  to  think  we  do  great  things  by 
standing  aloof  from  conspiracies,  and  refrain- 
ing from  inflammatory  speeches  ;  but  this 
is  no  more  than  may  be  accomplished  by  the 
greatest  traitor  in  the  land,  merely  as  a 
matter  of  prudence.  It  becomes  Christians 
to  bear  positive  good  will  to  their  country, 
and  to  its  government,  considered  as  govern- 
ment, irrespective   of     the   political    party 


which  may  have  the  ascendency.  We  may 
have  our  preferences,  and  that  without 
blame :  but  they  ought  never  to  prevent  a 
cheerful  obedience  to  the  laws,  a  respectful 
demeanor  towards  those  who  frame,  and 
those  who  execute  them,  or  a  ready  co- 
operation in  every  measure  which  the  being 
or  well-being  of  the  nation  may  require. 
The  civil  power,  whatever  political  party  is 
uppermost,  while  it  maintains  the  great  ends 
of  government,  ought,  at  all  times,  to  be 
able  to  reckon  upon  religious  people  as  its 
cordial  friends :  and,  if  such  we  be,  we 
shall  be  willing,  in  times  of  difficulty,  to 
sacrifice  private  interest  to  public  good  ; 
shall  contribute  of  our  substance  without 
murmuring ;  and,  in  cases  of  imminent  dan- 
ger, shall  be  willing  to  expose  even  our  lives 
in  its  defence. 

As  the  last  of  these  particulars  is  a  subject 
which  deeply  interests  us  at  the  present 
juncture,  I  shall  be  excused  if  I  endeavor  to 
establish  the  grounds  on  which  I  conceive 
its  obligation  to  rest. 

We  know  that  the  father  of  the  faithful, 
who  Avas  only  a  sojourner  in  the  land  of 
Canaan  when  his  kinsman  Lot  with  his  fam- 
ily were  taken  captives  by  a  body  of  plun- 
derers, armed  his  trained  servants,  pursued 
the  victors,  and  bravely  recovered  the  spoil. 
It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Melchizedek 
blessed  him,  saying,  "  Blessed  be  Abraham 
of  the  most  high  God,  possessor  of  heaven 
and  earth :  and  blessed  be  the  most  high 
God,  who  hath  delivered  thine  enemies  into 
thine  hand !  " 

Perhaps  it  will  be  said,  This  was  antece- 
dent to  the  times  of  the  New  Testament : 
Jesus  taught  his  disciples  not  to  resist  evil ; 
and,  when  Peter  drew  his  sword,  he  ordered 
him  to  put  it  up  again  ;  saying,  "  All  they 
that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the 
sword." 

You  know,  my  brethren,  I  have  always  de- 
precated war,  as  one  of  the  greatest  calam- 
ities :  but  it  does  not  follow,  hence,  that  I 
must  consider  it  in  all  cases,  unlawful. 

Christianity,  I  allow,  is  a  religion  of 
peace  ;  and  whenever  it  universally  prevails, 
in  the  spirit  and  power  of  it,  wars  will  be 
unknown.  But  so  will  every  other  species 
of  injustice :  yet,  while  the  world  is  as  it  is, 
some  kind  of  resistance  to  injustice  is  ne- 
cessary, though  it  may  at  some  future  time 
become  unnecessary.  If  our  Saviour's  com- 
mand that  we  resist  not  evil  be  taken  liter- 
ally and  universally,  it  must  have  been 
wrong  for  Paul  to  have  remonstrated  against 
the  magistrates  at  Philippi ;  and  he  himself 
would  not  have  reproved  the  person  who 
smote  him  at  the  judgment-seat. 

I  allow  that  the  sword  is  the  last  weapon 
to  which  we  should  have  recourse.  As 
individuals,  it  may  be  lawful,  by  this  instru- 
ment, to  defend  ourselves  or  our  families 
against  the   attacks  of   an    assassin:    but, 


CHRISTIAN    PATRIOTISM. 


233 


perhaps,  this  is  the  only  case  in  which  it  is 
so ;  and  even  there,  if  it  were  possible  to 
disarm  and  confine  the  party,  it  were  much 
rather  to  be  chosen  than  in  that  manner  to 
take  away  his  life.  Christianity  does  not 
allow  us,  in  any  case,  to  retaliate  from  a 
principle  of  revenge.  In  ordinary  injuries 
it  teaches  patience  and  forbearance.  If  an 
adversary  "  smite  us  on  the  one  cheek,"  we 
had  better  "turn  to  him  the  other  also,"  than 
go  about  to  revenge  our  own  wrongs.  The 
laws  of  honor,  as  acted  upon  in  high  life, 
are  certainly  in  direct  opposition  to  the  laws 
of  Christ ;  and  various  retaliating  maxims, 
ordinarily  practised  among  men,  will  no 
doubt  be  found  among  the  works  of  the 
flesh. 

And  if,  as  nations,  we  were  to  act  on 
Christian  principles,  we  should  never  engage 
in  war  but  for  our  own  defence ;  nor  for 
that,  till  every  method  of  avoiding  it  had 
been  tried  in  vain. 

Once  more  :  It  is  allowed  that  Christians, 
as  such,  are  not  permitted  to  have  recourse 
to  the  sword,  for  the  purpose  of  defending 
themselves  against  persecution  for  the  gos- 
pel's sake.  No  weapon  is  admissible  in 
this  warfare,  but  truth,  whatever  be  the  con- 
sequence. We  may  remonstrate,  as  Paul 
did  at  Philippi,  and  our  Lord  himself,  when 
unjustly  smitten  ;  but  it  appears  to  me  that 
this  is  all.  When  Peter  drew  his  sword,  it 
was  with  a  desire  to  rescue  his  master  from 
the  persecuting  hands  of  his  enemies,  in 
the  same  spirit  as  when  he  opposed  his  going 
up  to  Jerusalem  ;  in  both  which  instances 
he  was  in  the  wrong :  and  the  saying  of  our 
Saviour,  that  "  all  they  that  take  the  sword 
shall  perish  with  the  sword,  "  has  commonly 
been  verified,  in  this  sense  of  it. 

I  believe  it  will  be  found  that,  when 
Christians  have  resorted  to  the  sword  in  or- 
der to  resist  persecution  for  the  gospel's 
sake,  as  did  the  Albigenses,  the  Bohemians, 
the  French  Protestants,  and  some  others, 
within  the  last  six  hundred  years,  the  issue 
has  commonly  been,  that  they  have  perished 
by  it ;  that  is,  they  have  been  overcome  by 
their  enemies,  and  exterminated :  whereas,  in 
cases  where  their  only  weapons  have  been 
"  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  the  word  of 
their  testimony,  loving  not  their  lives  unto 
death,"  they  have  overcome.  Like  Israel 
in  Egypt,  the  more  they  have  been  afflicted, 
the  more  they  have  increased. 

But  none  of  these  things  prove  it  unlaw- 
ful to  take  up  arms  as  members  of  civil  socie- 
ty, when  called  upon  to  do  so  for  the  defence 
of  our  country.  The  ground  on  which  our 
Saviour  refused  to  let  his  servants  fight  for 
him,  that  he  should  not  be  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  the  Jews,  was,  that  his  was  a  king- 
dom "  not  of  this  world  ; "  plainly  intimating 
that,  if  his  kingdom  had  been  of  this  world, 
a  contrary  line  of  conduct  had  been  proper. 
Now,  this  is  what  every  other  kingdom  is  : 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  30. 


it  is  right,  therefore,  according  to  our  Lord's 
reasoning,  that  the  subjects  of  all  civil  states 
should,  as  such,  when  required,  fight  in  de- 
fence of  them. 

Has  not  Christianity,  I  ask,  in  the  most 
decided  manner  recognized  civil  govern- 
ment, by  requiring  Christians  to  be  subject 
to  it  ?  Has  it  not  expressly  authorized  the 
legal  use  of  the  sword  ?  Christians  are 
warned  that  the  magistrate  "beareth  not 
the  sword  in  vain ; "  and  that  he  is  "  the 
minister  of  God,  a  revenger,  to  execute 
wrath  upon  him  that  doeth  evil."  But  if  it 
be  right  for  the  magistrate  to  bear  the  sword, 
and  to  use  it  upon  evil-doers  within  the 
realm,  it  cannot  be  wrong  to  use  it  in  re- 
pelling invaders  from  without :  and,  if  it  be 
right  on  the  part  of  the  magistrate,  it  is  right 
that  the  subject  should  assist  him  in  it;  for, 
otherwise,  his  power  would  be  merely  nomi- 
nal, and  he  would  indeed  "  bear  the  sword 
in  vain." 

We  have  not  been  used,  in  things  of  a 
civil  and  moral  nature,  to  consider  one  law 
as  made  for  the  religious  part  of  a  nation  and 
another  for  the  irreligious.  Whatever  is 
the  duty  of  one,  allowing  for  different  talents 
and  situations  in  life,  is  the  duty  of  all.  If, 
therefore,  it  be  not  binding  upon  the  former 
to  unite  in  every  necessary  measure  for  the 
support  of  civil  government,  neither  is  it 
upon  the  latter :  and,  if  it  be  binding  upon 
neither,  it  must  follow  that  civil  government 
itself  ought  not  to  be  supported,  and  that 
the  whole  world  should  be  left  to  become  a 
prey  to  anarchy  or  despotism. 

Farther :  If  the  use  of  arms  were,  of  itself, 
and  in  all  cases,  inconsistent  with  Christ- 
ianity, it  were  a  siri  to  be  a  soldier:  but 
nothing  like  this  is  held  out  to  us  in  the 
New  Testament.  On  the  contrary,  we 
there  read  of  two  believing  centurions ;  and 
neither  of  them  was  reproved  on  account  of 
his  office,  or  required  to  relinquish  it.  We 
also  read  of  publicans  and  soldiers  who  came 
to  John  to  be  baptized,  each  asking,  "  What 
shall  we  do  ? "  The  answer  to  both  pro- 
ceeds on  the  same  principle :  they  are  warn- 
ed against  the  abuses  of  their  respective 
employments ;  but  the  employments  them- 
selves are  tacitly  allowed  to  be  lawful.  To 
the  one  he  said,  "Exact  no  more  than  that 
which  is  appointed  you : "  to  the  other,  "  Do 
violence  to  no  man,  neither  accuse  any 
falsely,  and  be  content  with  your  wages." 
If  either  of  these  occupations  had  been  in 
itself  sinful,  or  inconsistent  with  that  king- 
dom which  it  was  John's  grand  object  to  an- 
nounce, and  into  the  faith  of  which  his  dis- 
ciples were  baptized,  he  ought,  on  this  oc- 
casion, to  have  said  so,  or,  at  least,  not  to 
have  said  that  which  implies  the  contrary. 

If  it  be  objected  that  the  sinfulness  of  war 
would  not  lie  so  much  at  the  door  of  the 
centurions  and  soldiers  as  of  the  government 
by  whose  authority  it  was  proclaimed  and 


234 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


executed,  I  allow  there  is  considerable  force 
in  this :  but  yet,  if  the  thing  itself  were 
necessarily,  and  in  all  cases,  sinful,  every 
party  voluntarily  concerned  in  it  must  have 
been  a  partaker  of  the  guilt,  though  it  were 
in  different  degrees. 

But  granting,  it  may  be  said,  that  war  is 
not,  in  itself,  necessarily  sinful ;  yet  it  be- 
comes so  by  the  injustice  with  which  it  is 
commonly  undertaken  and  conducted.  It  is 
no  part  of  my  design  to  become  the  apologist 
of  injustice,  on  whatever  scale  it  may  be 
practised.  But,  if  wars  be  allowed  to  be 
generally  undertaken  and  conducted  with- 
out a  regard  to  justice,  it  does  not  follow 
that  they  are  always  so ;  and  still  less  that 
war  itself  is  sinful.  In  ascertaining  the 
justice  or  injustice  of  war,  we  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  motives  of  those  who  engage 
in  it.  The  question  is,  Whether  it  be  in  it- 
self unjust  ?  If  it  appeared  so  to  me,  I 
should  think  it  my  duty  to  stand  aloof  from 
it  as  far  as  possible. 

There  is  one  thing,  however,  that  re- 
quires to  be  noticed.  Before  we  condemn 
any  measure  as  unjust,  we  ought  to  be  in 
possession  of  the  means  of  forming  a  just 
judgment  concerning  it. 

If  a  difference  arise  only  between  two 
families,  or  two  individuals,  though  every 
person  in  the  neighborhood  may  be  talking 
and  giving  his  opinion  upon  it;  yet  it  is 
easy  to  perceive  that  no  one  of  them  is  com- 
petent to  pronounce  upon  the  justice  or  in- 
justice of  either  side,  till  he  has  acquainted 
himself  with  all  the  circumstances  of  the 
case,  by  patiently  hearing  it  on  both  sides. 
How  much  less,  then,  are  we  able  to  judge 
of  the  differences  of  nations,  which  are  gen- 
erally not  a  little  complex,  both  in  their 
origin  and  bearings  ;  and  of  which  we  know 
but  little,  but  through  the  channel  of  news- 
papers and  vague  reports !  It  is  disgusting 
to  hear  people,  whom  no  one  would  think  of 
employing  to  decide  upon  a  common  differ- 
ence between  two  neighbors,  take  upon 
them  to  pronounce,  with  the  utmost  freedom, 
upon  the  justice  or  injustice  of  national  dif- 
ferences. Where  those  who  are  constitu- 
tionally appointed  to  judge  in  such  matters 
have  decided  in  favor  of  war,  however  pain- 
ful it  may  be  to  my  feelings,  as  a  friend  of 
mankind,  I  consider  it  my  duty  to  submit, 
and  to  think  well  of  their  decision,  till,  by  a 
careful  and  impartial  examination  of  the 
grounds  of  the  contest,  I  am  compelled  to 
think  otherwise. 

After  all,  there  may  be  cases  in  which  in- 
•*  justice  may  wear  so  prominent  a  feature  that 
every  thinking  and  impartial  mind  shall  be 
capable  of  perceiving  it ;  and,  where  it  does 
so,  the  public  sense  of  it  will  and  ought  to 
be  expressed.  In  the  present  instance,  how- 
ever, there  seems  to  be  no  ground  of  hesi- 
tation. In  arming  to  resist  a  threatened  in- 
vasion, we  merely  act  on  the  defensive  ;  and 


not  to  resist  an  enemy,  whose  ambition,  un- 
der the  pretence  of  liberating  mankind,  has 
carried  desolation  wherever  he  has  gone, 
were  to  prove  ourselves  unworthy  of  the 
blessings  we  enjoy.  Without  taking  upon 
me  to  decide  on  the  original  grounds  of  the 
difference,  the  question  at  issue  with  us  is, 
Is  it  right  that  any  one  nation  should  seek  ab- 
solutely to  ruin  another,  and  that  other  not  be 
warranted,  and  even  obliged,  to  resist  if? 
That  such  is  the  object  of  the  enemy,  at 
this  time,  cannot  be  reasonably  doubted.  If 
my  country  were  engaged  in  an  attempt  to 
ruin  France,  as  a  nation,  it  would  be  a  wick- 
ed undertaking;  and,  if  I  were  fully  con- 
vinced of  it,  I  should  both  hope  and  pray 
that  they  might  be  disappointed.  Surely, 
then,  I  may  be  equally  interested  in  behalf 
of  my  native  land ! 

But  there  is  another  duty  which  we  owe  to 
our  country  ;  which  is,  That  we  pray  to  the 
Lord  for  it.  It  is  supposed  that  religious 
people  are  a  praying  people.  The  godly 
Israelites,  when  carried  into  Babylon,  were 
banished  from  temple-worship ;  but  they 
still  had  access  to  their  God.  The  devotion- 
al practice  of  Daniel  was  well  known  among 
the  great  men  of  that  city,  and  proved  the 
occasion  of  a  conspiracy  against  his  life. 
King  Darius  knew  so  much  of  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Jews  as  to  request  an  interest  in 
their  prayers,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  his 
sons.  My  brethren,  your  country  claims  an 
interest  in  yours  ;  and  I  trust  that,  if  no  such 
claim  were  preferred,  you  would,  of  your  own 
accord,  remember  it. 

You  are  aware  that  all  our  dependence,  as 
a  nation,  is  upon  God ;  and,  therefore,  should 
importune  his  assistance.  After  all  the 
struggles  for  power,  you  know  that  in  his 
sight  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  are  re- 
puted as  nothing :  he  doth  according  to  his 
will  in  the  army  of  heaven,  and  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  ;  and  none  can  stay 
his  hand,  or  say  unto  him,  What  doest  thou  ? 
Indeed  this  has  been  acknowledged,  and  at 
times  sensibly  felt,  by  irreligious  characters  ; 
but,  in  general,  the  great  body  of  a  nation,  it 
is  to  be  feared,  think  but  little  about  it. 
Their  dependence  is  upon  an  arm  of  flesh. 
It  may  be  said,  without  uncharitableness, 
of  many  of  our  commanders,  both  by  sea  and 
land,  as  was  said  of  Cyrus,  God  hath  girded 
them,  though  they  have  not  known  him.  But 
by  how  much  you  perceive  a  want  of  prayer 
and  dependence  on  God  in  your  country- 
men, by  so  much  more  should  you  be  con- 
cerned, as  much  as  in  you  lies,  to  supply  the 
defect.  "  The  prayer  of  a  righteous  man 
availeth  much." 

You  are  also  aware,  in  some  measure,  of 
the  load  of  guilt  that  lies  upon  your  country ; 
and  should  therefore  supplicate  mercy  on 
its  behalf.  I  acknowledge  myself  to  have 
much  greater  fear  from  this  quarter  than 
from  the  boasting  menaces  of  a  vain  man. 


JESUS    THE    TRUE    MESSIAH. 


235 


If  our  iniquities  provoke  not  the  Lord  to  de- 
liver us  into  his  hand,  his  schemes  and  de- 
vices will  come  to  nothing-.  When  I  think, 
among  other  things,  of  the  detestable  traffic 
before  alluded  to,  in  which  we  have  taken 
so  conspicuous  a  part,  and  have  shed  so 
much  innocent  blood,  I  tremble  !  When  we 
have  fasted  and  prayed,  I  have  seemed  to 
hear  the  voice  of  God,  saying  unto  us, 
"  Loose  the  bands  of  wickedness,  undo  the 
heavy  burdens,  let  the  oppressed  go  free, 
and  break  every  yoke ! "  Yet,  peradven- 
ture,  for  his  own  name's  sake,  or  from  a  re- 
gard to  his  own  cause,  which  is  here  singu- 
larly protected,  the  Lord  may  hearken  to 
our  prayers,  and  save  us  from  deserved  ruin. 
We  know  that  Sodom  itself  would  have 
been  spared  if  ten  righteous  men  could  have 
been  found  in  her.     I  proceed  to  consider 

II.  The  motive  by  which  these  duties 
are  enforced:  "In  the  peace  thereof  shall 
ye  have  peace." 

The  Lord  hath  so  wisely  and  mercifully 
interwoven  the  interests  of  mankind  as  to  " 
furnish  motives  to  innumerable  acts  of  justice 
and  kindness.  We  cannot  injure  others, 
nor  even  refrain  from  doing  them  good,  with- 
out injuring  ourselves. 

The  interests  of  individuals  and  families 
are  closely  connected  with  those  of  a  coun- 
try. If  the  latter  prosper,  generally  speak- 
ing, so  do  the  former ;  and,  if  the  one  be 
ruined,  so  must  the  other.  It  is  impossible 
to  describe,  or  to  conceive  beforehand,  with 
any  degree  of  accuracy,  the  miseries  which 
the  success  of  a  foreign  enemy,  such  as  we 
have  to  deal  with,  must  occasion  to  private 
families.  To  say  nothing  of  the  loss  of  pro- 
perty among  the  higher  and  middle  classes 
of  people  (which  must  be  severely  felt,  as 
plunder  will,  undoubtedly,  be  the  grand 
stimulus  of  an  invading  army,)  who  can  cal- 
culate the  loss  of  lives?  Who  can  contem- 
plate, without  horror,  the  indecent  excesses 
of  a  victorious,  unprincipled,  and  brutal 
soldiery  ?  Let  not  the  poorest  man  say,  I 
have  nothing  to  lose.  Yes,  if  men  of  opu- 
lence lose  their  property,  you  will  lose  your 
employment.  You  have  also  a  cottage,  and 
perhaps  a  wife  and  family,  with  whom, 
amidst  all  your  hardships,  you  live  in  love : 
and  would  it  be  nothing  to  you  to  see  your 
wife  and  daughters  abused,  and  you  your- 
self unable  to  protect  them,  or  even  to  re- 
monstrate, but  at  the  hazard  of  being  thrust 
through  with  the  bayonet  ?  If  no  other  con- 
siderations will  induce  us  to  protect  our 
country,  and  pray  to  the  Lord  for  it,  our  own 
individual  and  domestic  comfort  might  suf- 
fice. 

To  this  may  be  added,  our  interests  as 
Christians,  no  less  than  as  men  and  as  fami- 
lies, are  interwoven  Avith  the  well-being  of 
our  country.  If  Christians,  while  they  are 
in  the  world,  are,  as  has  been  already  no- 
ticed, under  various  relative  obligations,  it  is 


not  without  their  receiving,  in  return,  vari- 
ous relative  advantages.  What  those  ad- 
vantages are  we  should  know  to  our  grief, 
were  we  once  to  lose  them.  So  long  have 
we  enjoyed  religious  liberty,  in  this  country, 
that  I  fear  we  are  become  too  insensible  of 
its  value.  At  present  we  worship  God  with- 
out interruption.  What  we  might  be  per- 
mitted to  do  under  a  government  which 
manifestly  hates  Christianity,  and  tolerates 
it  even  at  home  only  as  a  matter  of  policy, 
we  know  not.  This,  however,  is  well  known, 
that  a  large  proportion  of  those  unprincipled 
men,  in  our  own  country,  who  have  been  la- 
boring to  overturn  its  constitution,  have  a 
deep-rooted  enmity  to  the  religion  of  Jesus. 
May  the  Lord  preserve  us,  and  every  part 
of  the  united  kingdom,  from  their  machina- 
tions ! 

Some  among  us,  to  whatever  extremities 
we  may  be  reduced,  will  be  incapable  of 
bearing  arms ;  but  they  may  assist  by  their 
property,  and  in  various  other  ways :  even 
the  hands  of  the  aged  poor,  like  those  of 
Moses,  may  be  lifted  up  in  prayer ;  while 
their  countrymen,  and  it  may  be  their  own 
children,  are  occupying  the  post  of  danger. 
I  know  it  is  the  intention  of  several  whom  I 
now  address  freely  to  offer  their  services  at 
this  important  period.  Should  you,  dear 
young  people,  be  called  forth  in  the  arduous 
contest,  you  will  expect  an  interest  in  our 
prayers.  Yes,  and  you  will  have  it.  Every 
one  of  us,  every  parent,  wife,  or  Christian 
friend,  if  they  can  pray  for  any  thing,  will 
importune  the  Lord  of  Hosts  to  cover  your 
heads  in  the  day  of  battle  ! 

Finally :  It  affords  satisfaction  to  my 
mind  to  be  persuaded  that  you  will  avail 
yourselves  of  the  liberty  granted  to  you  of 
declining  to  learn  your  exercise  on  the  Lord's 
day.  Were  you  called  to  resist  the  landing 
of  the  enemy  on  that  day,  or  any  other  work 
of  necessity,  you  would  not  object  to  it ;  but, 
in  other  cases,  I  trust,  you  will.  "  Render 
to  Ccesar  the  things  that  are  Ccesar's,  and  un- 
to God  the  things  that  are   God's," 


SERMON  X. 

[Delivered  in  the  Jews'  Chapel,  Church  Street, 
Spitalfields,  Nov.  19,  1809.] 

JESUS  THE  TRUE  MESSIAH. 

"  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  didst  not  desire  : 
mine  ears  hast  thou  opened  :  burnt-offering  and 
sin-offering  hast  thou  not  required.  Then  said  I, 
Lo,  1  come  :  in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  writ- 
ten of  me:  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God: 
yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart. — Psa.  xl.  6 — 8. 

Though  I  have  preached  the  gospel  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty  years,  yet  I  do  not 
recollect  to  have  ever  entered  a  pulpit  with 
such  feelings  as  at  present.  In  respect  of 
the  subject,  I  feel  it  an  honor  to  plead  the 


236 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


cause  of  my  Lord  and  Saviour ;  but  I  am 
not  without  apprehensions  lest  it  should  suf- 
fer through  my  manner  of  pleading  it.  I 
must  therefore  entreat  that,  if  any  thing 
which  may  be  delivered  should  be  found  to 
be  improper,  you  would  impute  it,  not  to  the 
cause,  but  the  imperfection  of  the  advocate. 
I  have  also  some  peculiar  feelings  on  ac- 
count of  the  audience,  part  of  which,  I  am 
given  to  understand,  are  of  the  house  of  Is- 
rael. I  cannot  help  recalling  to  mind  the 
debt  we  owe  to  that  distinguished  people. 
They  have  been  treated  with  both  cruelty 
and  contempt  by  men  professing  Christiani- 
ty ;  but  surely  not  by  Christians !  To  them, 
under  God,  we  are  indebted  for  a  Bible,  for 
a  Saviour,  and  for  all  that  we  know  of  the 
one  living  and  true  God.  Who,  then,  will 
not  join  me  in  the  language  of  the  apostle — 
"  Brethren,  my  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to 
God  for  Israel  is,  that  they  may  be  saved  ?  " 

The  passage  on  which  I  shall  found  what 
I  have  to  offer  is  in  the  40th  Psalm,  the  6th, 
7th,  and  8th  verses : — 

"  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  didst  not  de- 
sire :  mine  ears  hast  thou  opened :  burnt- 
offering  and  sin-offering  hast  thou  not  re- 
quired. Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come :  in  the 
volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me :  I 
delight  to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God  :  yea,  thy 
law  is  within  my  heart." 

No  Christian  can  doubt  whether  the  pas- 
sage relates  to  the  Messiah,  seeing  it  is  ex- 
pressly applied  to  him  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  and,  if  a  Jew  should  raise  an  objection, 
he  will  find  it  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to 
give  a  fair  exposition  of  it  on  any  other  prin- 
ciple. Who  else,  with  propriety,  could  use 
the  language  here  used  ?  Certainly  David 
could  not.  W  hether  the  Messiah,  therefore, 
be  already  come,  as  we  believe,  or  be  yet  to 
come,  as  the  body  of  the  Jewish  nation  be- 
lieves, it  must  be  of  his  coming  that  the  pro- 
phet speaks.  The  question  at  issue  between 
them  and  us  is,  not  whether  the  Scriptures 
predict  and  characterize  the  Messiah,  but 
whether  these  predictions  and  characters  be 
fulfilled  in  Jesus. 

That  we  may  be  able  to  judge  of  this 
question,  let  it  be  observed,  that  there  are 
three  characters  held  up  in  the  passage  I 
have  read,  as  distinguishing  the  Messiah's 
coming :  viz.  That  the  sacrifices  and  cere- 
monies of  the  Mosaic  law  would  thence  be 
superseded ;  that  the  great  body  of  Scrip- 
ture prophecy  would  be  accomplished  ;  and 
that  the  will  of  God  would  be  perfectly  ful- 
filled. 

Let  us  calmly  and  candidly  try  the  ques- 
tion at  issue  by  these  characters. 

I.  It  is  intimated  that,  whenever  the  Mes- 
siah should  come,    the    sacrifices    and 

CEREMONIES    OF     THE    MOSAIC     LAW     WERE 

to  be  superseded  by  him.  "Sacrifice 
and  offering  thou  didst  not  desire : — then 
said  I,  Lo,  I  come."    I  am  aware  that  modern 


Jewish  writers  contend  for  the  perpetuity 
of  the  ceremonial  as  well  as  of  the  moral 
law ;  but  in  this  they  are  opposed  both  by 
Scripture  and  by  fact. 

As  to  Scripture,  it  is  not  confined  to  the 
passage  I  have  read,  nor  to  a  few  others :  it 
is  common  for  the  sacred  writers  of  the  Old 
Testament  to  speak  of  sacrifices  and  cere- 
monies in  a  depreciating  strain,  such  as 
would  not,  I  presume,  have  been  used  had 
they  been  regarded  for  their  own  sake,  or 
designed  to  continue  always.  Such  is  the 
language  of  the  following  passages :  "  Hath 
the  Lord  as  great  delight  in  burnt-offerings 
and  sacrifices  as  in  obeying  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  ?  Behold,  to  obey  is  better  than  sacri- 
fice, and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams. — 
Hear,  O  my  people,  and  I  will  speak ;  O  Is- 
rael, and  I  will  testify  against  thee :  I  am 
God,  even  thy  God.  I  will  not  reprove  thee 
for  thy  sacrifices  or  thy  burnt-offerings : 
they  have  been  continually  before  me.  I 
will  take  no  bullock  out  of  thy  house,  nor  he- 
goats  out  of  thy  folds ;  for  every  beast  of  the 
field  is  mine,  and  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand 
hills.  I  know  all  the  fowls  of  the  mountains  ; 
and  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  are  mine,  if 
I  were  hungry,  I  would  not  tell  thee ;  for 
the  world  is  mine,  and  the  fulness  thereof. 
Will  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls,  and  drink  the 
blood  of  goats  ?  Offer  unto  God  thanks- 
giving, and  pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most 
High :  and  call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trou- 
ble ;  I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt  glori- 
fy me. — Thou  desirest  not  sacrifice,  else 
would  I  give  it :  thou  delightest  not  in  burnt- 
offering.  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  brok- 
en spirit ;  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O 
God,  thou  wilt  not  despise. — To  Avhat  pur- 
pose is  the  multitude  of  your  sacrifices  unto 
me  ?  saith  the  Lord :  I  am  full  of  the  burnt- 
offerings  of  rams,  and  the  fat  of  fed  beasts  ; 
and  I  delight  not  in  the  blood  of  bullocks, 
or  of  lambs,  or  of  he-goats.  When  ye  come 
to  appear  before  me,  who  hath  required  this 
at  your  hand,  to  tread  my  courts  ? — Thus 
saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel, 
ye  heap  up  your  burnt-offerings  with  your 
sacrifices,  and  eat  the  flesh.  But,  when  I 
brought  your  fathers  out  of  Egypt,  I  spake 
not  unto  them  of  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifi- 
ces ;  but  this  I  commanded  them,  saying, 
Obey  my  voice,  and  I  will  be  your  God,  and 
ye  shall  be  my  people. — And  in  the  midst  of 
the  week  he  shall  cause  the  sacrifice  and 
the  oblation  to  cease." 

Such,  O !  ye  children  of  Israel,  is  the 
language  of  your  own  Scriptures.  The 
covenant  that  was  made  with  your  fathers  at 
Mount  Sinai  was  never  designed  to  be  per- 
petual, but  to  be  abolished  at  the  coming  of 
Messiah,  as  is  manifest  from  the  words  of 
the  prophet :  "  Behold,  the  days  come,  saith 
the  Lord,  that  I  will  make  a  new  covenant 
with  the  house  of  Israel,  and  with  the  house 
of  Judah :  not  according  to  the  covenant  that 


JESUS    THE    TRUE    MESSIAH. 


237 


I  made  wiih  their  fathers  in  the  day  that  I 
took  them  by  the  hand  to  bring  them  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt  (which  my  covenant  they 
brake,  although  I  was  a  husband  unto  them, 
saith  the  Lord ;)  but  this  shall  be  the  cove- 
nant that  I  will  make  with  the  house  of  Is- 
rael, After  those  days,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will 
put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts,  and  write 
it  in  their  hearts,  and  will  be  their  God,  and 
they  shall  be  my  people.  And  they  shall 
teach  no  more  every  man  his  neighbor,  and 
every  man  his  brother,  saying,  Know  the 
Lord  ;  for  they  shall  all  know  me,  from  the 
least  of  them  unto  the  greatest  of  them, 
saith  the  Lord:  for  I  will  forgive  their  ini- 
quities, and  will  remember  their  sins  no 
more." 

From  this  passage,  a  New-testament  wri- 
ter argues  (and  do  you  answer  it  if  you  can,) 
"  In  that  he  saith  a  new  covenant,  he  hath 
made  the  first  old.  Now  that  which  decay - 
eth  and  Avaxeth  old  is  ready  to  vanish  aAvay." 
And,  respecting  their  sins  and  iniquities  be- 
ing "  remembered  no  more,"  Where  remis- 
sion of  these  is,  "  there  is  no  more  offering  for 
sin." 

Is  it  not  then  in  perfect  harmony  with  the 
tenor  of  your  Scriptures  that  Messiah,  when 
described  as  coming  into  the  world,  should 
say,  "  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  didst  not 
desire :  mine  ears  hast  thou  opened :  burnt- 
offering  and  sin-offering  hast  thou  not  requir- 
ed :  then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come  :  "  plainly  inti- 
mating that  he  would  come  to  accomplish 
that  which  could  not  be  accomplished  by  sac- 
rifice and  offerings  ;  and  that  as  these  were 
but  the  scaffolding  of  his  temple,  when  that 
should  be  reared,  these  should  of  course  be 
taken  down. 

But  I  have  asserted  that,  in  maintaining 
the  perpetuity  of  the  sacrifices  and  ceremo- 
nies of  the  Mosaic  law,  your  writers  are  not 
only  opposed  by  Scripture,  but  by  fact. 
Whether  Messiah  the  prince  be  come  or  not, 
sacrifice  and  oblation  have  ceased.  We  be- 
lieve they  virtually  ceased  when  Jesus  of- 
fered himself  a  sacrifice,  and  in  a  few  years 
after  they  actually  ceased.  Those  of  your 
nation  who  believed  in  Jesus,  voluntarily, 
though  gradually,  ceased  to  offer  them;  and 
those  who  did  not  believe  in  him  were  com- 
pelled to  desist,  by  the  destruction  of  their 
city  and  temple.  You  may  adhere  to  a  few 
of  your  ancient  ceremonies  ;  but  it  can  only 
be  like  gathering  round  the  ashes  of  the  sys- 
tem :  the  substance  of  it  is  consumed.  "  The 
sacrifices  of  the  holy  temple,"  as  one  of 
your  writers  acknowledges,  "  have  ceased." 

The  amount  is,  Whether  Jesus  be  the 
Messiah,  or  not,  his  appearance  in  the  world 
had  this  character  pertaining  to  it,  that  it 
was  the  period  in  which  the  sacrifice  and 
the  oblation  actually  ceased.  And  it  is  wor- 
thy of  your  serious  inquiry  whether  these 
things  can  be  accomplished  in  any  other 
than  Jesus.      Should  Messiah  the  prince 


come  at  some  future  period,  as  your  nation 
expects,  how  are  the  sacrifice  and  the  obla- 
tion to  cease  on  his  appearance,  when  they 
have  already  ceased  nearly  eighteen  hun- 
dred years  ?  If  therefore  he  be  not  come, 
he  can  never  come  so  as  to  answer  this  part 
of  the  Scripture  account  of  him. 

II.  It  is  suggested  that,  whenever  Mes- 
siah   should  come,   the   great   body    of 

SCRIPTURE  PROPHECY  SHOULD  BE  ACCOM- 
PLISHED in  him  :  "  In  the  volume  of  the  book 
it  is  written  of  me."  That  the  prophetic 
writings  abound  in  the  predictions  of  the 
Messiah,  no  Jew  will  deny :  the  only  ques- 
tion is,  Are  they  fulfilled  in  Jesus  ?  You 
know  (I  speak  to  them  who  read  the  Bible) 
that  "  the  seed  of  the  woman  was  to  bruise 
the  head  of  the  serpent."  You  know  that 
God  promised  Abraham,  saying,  In  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed. 
You  know  that  Jacob,  when  blessing  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  predicted  the  coming  of 
Shiloh,  unto  whom  the  gathering  of  the  peo- 
ple should  be.  You  know  that  Moses  spoke 
of  a  prophet  whom  the  Lord  your  God  should 
raise  up  from  the  midst  of  you,  like  unto 
him,  to  whom  you  were  to  hearken,  on  pain 
of  incurring  the  divine  displeasure.  You 
knoAv  that  the  Messiah  is  prophetically  de- 
scribed in  the  Psalms,  and  the  prophets,  un- 
der a  great  variety  of  forms ;  particularly  as 
the  anointed  of  the  Lord — the  King — the 
Lord  of  David,  to  whom  Jehovah  spoke — the 
"  child  born,"  whose  name  should  be  called 
"the  mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father, 
the  Prince  of  Peace  " — the  "  rod  out  of  the 
stem  of  Jesse  " — "  God's  servant,  whom  he 
upholds  ;  his  elect,  in  whom  his  soul  delight- 
eth  " — "  him  whom  man  despiseth,  and  whom 
the  nation  abhorreth  " — "  a  man  of  sorrows, 
and  acquainted  with  grief" — "  the  Lord  our 
righteousness" — "Messiah  the  prince" — 
"  the  branch  " — "  the  messenger  of  the  cove- 
nant," &c.  Thus  it  was  that  in  the  volume 
of  the  book  it  was  written  of  him.  Whoever 
proves  to  be  the  Messiah,  your  fathers  rejoic- 
ed in  the  faith  of  him. 

In  trying  the  question,  whether  the  pro- 
phecies be  fulfilled  in  Jesus,  it  will  be  ne- 
cessary, for  the  sake  of  perspicuity,  to  class 
them  under  different  heads,  such  as  time, 
place,  family,  &c. 

1.  The  time  when  Messiah  should  come 
is  clearly  marked  out  in  prophecy.  It  was 
said  by  Jacob,  when  blessing  the  tribes, 
"  The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah, 
nor  a  law-giver  from  between  his  feet,  until 
Shiloh  come ;  and  unto  him  shall  the  gather- 
ing of  the  people  be."  All  this  was  true  in 
respect  of  Jesus.  Till  he  came,  though  the 
ten  tribes  were  scattered,  Judah  continued  a 
people,  and  retained  the  government ;  but, 
soon  after  his  death,  they  were  dispersed 
among  the  nations,  and  have  been  so  ever 
since.  "Kings  and  princes,"  says  one  of 
your  own  writers,  "  we   have  none."     If 


238 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


therefore,  Shiloh  be- not  come,  he  can  never 
come  within  the  limits  of  time  marked  out 
by  this  prophecy. 

Again  :  It  is  clearly  intimated,  in  the  pro- 
phecy of  Haggai,  for  the  encouragement  of 
the  builders  of  the  second  temple,  that  the 
Messiah  should  come  during  the  standing  of 
that  temple,  and  that  the  honor  that  should 
be  done  it  by  his  presence  would  more  than 
balance  its  inferiority,  in  other  respects,  to 
the  first.  "  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
Yet  once,  it  is  a  little  while,  and  I  will  shake 
the  heavens,  and  the  earth,  and  the  sea,  and 
the  dry  land :  and  I  will  shake  all  nations  ; 
and  the  desire  of  all  nations  shall  come  ;  and 
I  will  fill  this  house  with  glory,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  The  silver  is  mine,  and  the 
gold  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  The 
glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be  greater 
than  of  the  former,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 
All  this  was  literally  fulfilled  in  Jesus.  But 
soon  after  his  deatli  the  second  temple  was 
reduced  to  ashes :  if,  therefore,  Jesus  was 
not  the  Messiah,  it  is  impossible  that  this 
prophecy  should  ever  be  accomplished. 

Again :  The  prophet  Daniel  was  informed 
by  the  angel  Gabriel  as  follows :  "  Seventy 
weeks  are  determined  upon  thy  people,  and 
upon  thy  holy  city,  to  finish  the  transgres- 
sion, and  to  make  an  end  of  sins,  and  to 
make  reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and  to  bring 
in  everlasting  righteousness,  and  to  seal  up 
the  vision  and  prophecy,  and  to  anoint  the 
Most  Holy.  Know,  therefore,  and  under- 
stand, that  from  the  going  fortli  of  the  com- 
mandment to  restore  and  to  build  Jerusalem, 
unto  the  Messiah  the  prince,  shall  be  seven 
weeks  :  and  threescore  and  two  weeks,  the 
6treet  shall  be  built  again,  and  the  wall  even 
in  troublous  times.  And  after  threescore 
and  two  weeks  shall  Messiah  be  cut  off,  but 
not  for  himself:  and  the  people  of  the  prince 
that  shall  come  shall  destroy  the  city  and  the 
sanctuary  ;  and  the  end  thereof  shall  be 
with  a  flood,  and  unto  the  end  of  the  war 
desolations  are  determined.  And  he  shall 
confirm  the  covenant  with  many  for  one 
week  :  and  in  the  midst  (or  half  part)  of  the 
week,  he  shall  cause  the  sacrifice  and  the 
oblation  to  cease  ;  and  for  the  overspreading 
of  abominations  he  shall  make  it  desolate, 
even  until  the  consummation,  and  that  de- 
termined shall  be  poured  upon  the  desolate." 

That  there  should  be  some  difficulty  in 
fixing  the  dates  and  other  minute  particulars, 
in  this  prophecy,  is  no  more  than  may  be 
said  of  many  others,  which  yet,  upon  the 
whole,  are  clear  and  decisive.  The  predic- 
tion of  the  seventy  years'  captivity  was  not 
understood  by  Daniel  till  he  had  studied  the 
subject  with  attention  :  and,  though  he  made 
out  the  number  of  years,  and  concluded 
that  they  were  about  fulfilled,  yet  he  does 
not  appear  to  have  discovered  the  exact  time 
of  their  being  so.  Nevertheless,  the  pro- 
phecy of  seventy  years  was  undoubtedly 


fulfilled  in  the  Babylonish  captivity ;  and 
this  of  seventy  weeks  of  years  is  as  certain- 
ly fulfilled  in  the  appearance  and  death  of 
Jesus.  Whether  or  not  Christian  writers 
agree  as  to  the  exact  time  when  these  sev- 
enty sabbatical  weeks,  or  four  hundred  and 
ninety  years,  began,  thus  much  is  certain, 
that  they  must  have  been  fulfilled  about  the 
time  that  Jesus  appeared  and  suffered,  or 
they  never  can  be  fulfilled.  Such  was  the 
effect  of  this  and  other  prophecies  upon  the 
minds  of  the  Jewish  nation  that  about  that 
time  there  was  a  general  expectation  of  the 
Messiah's  appearance.  Hence,  though  your 
fathers  rejected  Jesus,  yet  they  soon  after 
believed  in  Barchocab,  and  crowned  him  as 
their  Messiah  ;  which  involved  them  in  a 
war  with  the  Romans,  wherein  they  are  said 
to  have  had  a  thousand  cities  and  fortresses 
destroyed,  and  to  have  lost  more  than  Jive 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand  men  !  The  pre- 
dicted events  which  were  to  be  accomplished 
at  the  close  of  these  Aveeks,  namely,  "  finish- 
ing transgression,  making  an  end  of  sins, 
making  reconciliation  for  iniquity,  bringing 
in  everlasting  righteousness,  sealing  up  the 
vision  and  prophecy,  and  anointing  the 
Most  Holy,"  are  in  perfect  harmony  with 
the  New-testament  history  of  Jesus ;  and, 
though  unbelief  may  blind  the  minds  of 
your  nation  to  some  of  them,  yet  the  sealing 
up  of  the  vision  and  prophecy  is  a  matter  so 
notorious  that  one  would  think  it  were  im- 
possible to  deny  it.  Jesus  foretold  the  de- 
struction of  your  city  and  temple  by  the  Ro- 
mans ;  and  his  apostles  foretold  things  rela- 
ting to  the  Christian  church ;  but  from  that 
time  your  nation  has  been,  not  only  "  with- 
out a  king,  without  a  prince,  and  without  a 
sacrifice,"  but  ivithout  a  prophet. 

Moreover,  it  is  predicted  by  Daniel  that, 
shortly  after  the  Messiah  should  be  cut  off, 
the  people  of  the  prince  that  should  come 
would  destroy  the  city  and  the  sanctuary, 
and  that  the  end  thereof  should  be  desola- 
tion. And  is  it  not  fact,  that,  about  forty 
years  after  the  death  of  Jesus,  both  your 
city  and  sanctuary  were  destroyed  by  the 
Romans ;  and  that  such  a  flood  of  desola- 
tion and  misery  attended  it  as  was  unexam- 
pled in  your  history,  or  that  of  any  other 
nation  ? 

Taking  the  whole  together,  it  behoves  you 
to  consider  whether,  if  this  prophecy  be  not 
fulfilled  in  Jesus,  it  can  ever  be  fulfilled  ; 
and  whether  it  be  possible  to  ascertain  the 
fulfilment  of  any  prophecy. 

2.  The  place  where  Messiah  should  be 
born,  and  where  he  should  principally  impart 
his  doctrine,  is  determined.  "  But  thou,  Beth- 
lehem Ephratah,  though  thou  be  little  among 
the  thousands  of  Judah,  yet  out  of  thee  shall 
he  come  forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be  ruler  in 
Israel ;  whose  goings  forth  have  been  from 
of  old,  from  everlasting."  Speaking  of  Gali- 
lee of  the  nations,  in  connection  with  the 


JESUS    THE    TRUE    MESSIAH. 


239 


birth  of  the  child  whose  name  should  be 
called  "  the  mighty  God,"  it  is  said,  "  The 
people  that  walked  in  darkness  have  seen  a 
great  light:  they  that  dwell  in  the  land  of 
the  shadow  of  death,  upon  them  hath  the 
light  shined."  These  prophecies  were  la- 
terally and  manifestly  fulfilled  in  Jesus  ;  and 
it  is  scarcely  credible  that  they  can  be  fulfil- 
led in  any  other. 

3.  The  house  or  family,  from  whom  Mes- 
siah should  descend,  is  clearly  ascertained. 
So  much  is  said  of  his  descending  from  Da- 
vid that  I  need  not  refer  to  particular  proofs  ; 
and  the  rather  as  no  Jew  will  deny  it.  The 
genealogies  of  Matthew  and  Luke,  whatever 
varieties  there  are  between  them,  agree  in 
tracing  his  pedigree  to  David.  And  though 
in  both  it  is  traced  in  the  name  of  Joseph, 
yet  this  appears  to  be  only  in  conformity  to 
the  Jewish  custom  of  tracing  no  pedigree  in 
the  name  of  a  female.  The  father  of  Jo- 
seph, as  mentioned  by  Luke,  seems  to  have 
been  his  father  by  marriage  only  ;  so  that  it 
was,  in  reality,  Mary's  pedigree  that  is  trac- 
ed by  Luke,  though  under  her  husband's 
name  ;  and  this  being  the  natural  line  of 
descent,  and  that  of  Matthew  the  legal  one, 
by  which  as  a  king  he  would  have  inherited 
the  crown,  there  is  no  inconsistency  between 
them. 

But,  whatever  supposed  difficulties  may 
at  this  distance  of  time  attend  the  genealo- 
gies, it  is  remarkable  that  no  objection  ap- 
pears to  have  been  made  to  them  in  the 
early  ages  of  Christianity  ;  when  had  they 
been  incorrect,  they  might  easily  have  been 
disproved  by  the  public  registries  which 
were  then  in  being.  Could  the  Jews  in  the 
time  of  Jesus  have  disproved  his  being  of 
the  seed  of  David,  his  Messiaship  would  at 
once  have  fallen  to  the  ground  ;  and  for  this 
they  could  not  be  wanting  in  inclination. 
Had  there,  moreover,  been  any  doubt  on  the 
subject,  the  emperor  Domitian,  in  searching 
after  those  who  were  of  the  seed  of  David, 
would  not  have  ordered  the  relations  of  Je- 
sus before  him,  who,  when  interrogated,  did 
not  deny  but  that  they  were  descended  from 
him.* 

Finally:  If  the  genealogy  of  Jesus  be 
called  in  question  by  the  modern  Jews,  how 
are  they  to  prove  the  Messiah,  whenever  he 
shall  come,  to  have  descended  from  David  ; 
since,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  they  have  now  no 
certain  genealogies  left  among  them  ? 

4.  The  kind  of  miracles  that  Messiah 
should  perform  is  specified.  Isaiah,  speak- 
ing of  the  coming  of  God  to  save  his  people, 
says,  "Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be 
opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  un- 
stopped. Then  shall  the  lame  leap  as  a 
hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  shall  sing; 
for  in  the  wilderness  shall  waters  break  out, 
and  streams  in  the  desert."     That  such  mira- 

*Euseb.  Hist.  b.  3.  ch.  20. 


cles  were  performed  by  Jesus,  his  enemies 
themselves  bore  witness,  in  that  they  as- 
cribed them  to  his  connection  with  Beelze- 
bub. When  his  Messiahship  was  ques- 
tioned, he  could  say  in  the  presence  of  many 
witnesses,  "The  blind  receive  their  sight, 
and  the  lame  walk  ;  the  lepers  are  cleansed, 
and  the  deaf  hear ;  the  dead  are  raised  up, 
and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  unto 
them."  The  miracles  of  Jesus  were  distin- 
guished by  their  benevolence.  They  were 
all  works  of  mercy,  as  well  as  of  power;  and 
this  accorded  with  the  character  given  of  the 
Messiah  in  the  seventy-second  Psalm,  that 
he  "should  deliver  the  needy  when  he  cried  ; 
the  poor  also,  and  him  that  had  no  helper." 
Hence,  the  blind  cried  out,  "Son  of  David, 
have  mercy  on  us." 

5.  It  was  predicted  of  the  Messiah  that  he 
should,  as  a  king,  be  distinguished  by  his 
lowliness,  entering  into  Jerusalem,  not  in 
a  chariot  of  state,  but  upon  an  ass,  and  a  colt, 
the  foal  of  an  ass.  "Rejoice  greatly,  O 
daughter  of  Zion;  shout,  O  daughter  of  Je- 
rusalem ;  behold,  thy  king  cometh  unto  thee  : 
he  is  just,  and  having  salvation ;  lowly,  and 
riding  upon  an  ass,  and  upon  a  colt,  the 
foal  of  an  ass."  To  fulfil  this  prophecy, 
it  was  necessary  that  the  Messiah  should  de- 
scend from  parents  in  low  circumstances,  and 
that  the  leading  people  of  the  land  should 
not  accompany  him.  Had  they  believed  in 
him,  and  introduced  him  as  a  king,  it  must 
have  been  in  another  fashion.  But  it  was 
reserved  for  the  common  people  and  the 
children  to  fulfil  the  prophet's  words,  by 
shouting,  "  Hosanna,  to  the  Son  of  David  ; 
blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  ! " 

6.  It  is  predicted  of  the  Messiah  that  he 
should  suffer  and  die  by  the  hands  of  wicked 
men.  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  Redeemer 
of  Israel,  and  his  Holy  One,  to  him  whom 
man  despiseth,  to  him  whom  the  nation  ab- 
horreth. — As  many  were  astonished  at  thee 
(hisyhce  ivas  so  marred  more  than  any  man, 
and  his  form  more  than  the  sons  of  men,)  so 
shall  he  sprinkle  many  nations. — He  is  de- 
spised and  rejected  of  men ;  a  man  of  sor- 
rows, and  acquainted  with  grief;  and  ive 
hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  him  ;  he  was 
despised,  and  ive  esteemed  him  not.  Surely 
he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  carried  our  sor- 
rows ;  yet  we  did  esteem  him  stricken, 
smitten  of  God,  and  afflicted.  But  he  was 
wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities  :  the  chastisement 
of  our  peace  was  upon  him,  and  by  his  stripes 
we  are  healed. — The  Lord  hath  laid  on  him 
the  iniquities  of  us  all.  He  was  oppressed, 
and  he  was  afflicted,  yet  he  opened  not  his 
mouth :  he  is  brought  as  a  Lamb  to  the 
slaughter ;  and,  as  a  sheep  before  her  shear- 
ers is  dumb,  so  he  openeth  not  his  mouth. 
He  was  taken  from  prison,  and  from  judg- 
ment, and  who  shall  declare  his  generation  ? 


240 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


for  he  was  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the  living ; 
for  the  transgression  of  my  people  was  he 
stricken.  It  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him  : 
he  hath  put  him  to  grief:  when  thou  shalt 
make  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin,  he  shall  see 
his  seed,  he  shall  prolong  his  days,  and  the 
pleasure  of  the  Lord  shall  prosper  in  his 
hand.  He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul, 
and  shall  be  satisfied. — The  Messiah  shall 
be  cut  off;  but  not  for  himself." 

The  attempts  that  have  been  made  to  ex- 
plain away  these  prophecies,  especially  the 
fifty-third  of  Isaiah,  and  to  make  it  apply  to 
Israel  as  a  nation,  are  marks  of  a  desperate 
cause.* 

Is  it  not  marvellous  that  the  enemies  of 
Jesus  should  so  exactly  fulfil  the  Scriptures 
in  reproaching  and  crucifying  him ;  using  the 
very  speeches,  and  inflicting  the  very  cruel- 
ties, which  it  was  foretold  they  would  ?  "  He 
trusted  in  the  Lord  that  he  would  deliver 
him  :  let  him  deliver  him,  seeing  he  delight- 
ed in  him. — They  parted  my  garments,  and 
for  my  vesture  they  did  cast  lots — They 
gave  me  gall  to  eat,  and  in  my  thirst  they 
gave  me  vinegar  to  drink — They  pierced  my 
hands  and  my  feet."  These  things  were 
not  true  of  the  writers  :  but  they  were  true  of 
Jesus  :  in  him,  therefore,  they  were  fulfilled. 

7.  It  was  foretold  that  the  Messiah,  after 
heing  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the  living 
and  laid  in  the  grave,  should  rise  from  the 
dead.  Nothing  less  can  be  implied  by  all 
the  promises  made  to  him  as  the  reward  of 
his  sufferings:  for,  if  he  had  continued  un- 
der the  power  of  death,  how  should  he  have 
seen  his  seed,  or  prolonged  his  days  ?  If  his 
kingdom  had  been  that  of  a  mortal  man, 
how  could  it  continue  as  long  as  the  sun  and 
moon  ?  How  was  he  to  see  of  the  travail  of 
his  soul  and  be  satisfied,  unless  he  survived 
that  travail  ?  But,  more  than  this,  it  is  fore- 
told that  he  should  rise  from  the  dead  at  so 
early  a  period  as  not  to  "see  corruption." 
The  argument  of  Peter  from  this  passage 
has  never  been  answered.  David  said, 
"  Thou  wilt  not  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see 
corruption:"  but  David  did  see  corruption; 
he  refers  to  him,  therefore,  of  whom  it  is  wit- 
nessed that  he  saw  no  corruption. 

Lastly  :  It  was  foretold  that  the  great  body 
of  the  Jewish  nation  would  not  believe  in  him ; 
and  that  he  would  set  up  his  kingdom  among 
the  Gentiles.  Such  is  evidently  the  meaning 
of  the  prophets  complaint,  "Who  hath  be- 
lieved our  report  ? "  and  of  the  Messiah's 
words,  in  another  part  of  the  same  prophe- 

*  If,  as  Mr.  D.  Levi  would  have  it,  the  sufferer  be 
Israel  personified,  and  this  nation,  on  account  of 
its  injuries,  may  be  said  lo  have  borne  the  iniqui- 
ties of  the  whole  world,  how  comes  it  to  be  said — 
"  for  the  transgressions  of  my  people  was  he 
stricken  1 "  Does  the  character  of  my  people  be- 
long to  the  world,  as  distinguished  from  Israel  1  or 
is  the  sufferer  and  the  people  for  whom  he  suffered 
the  same  1 


cies — "  Then  I  said,  I  have  labored  in  vain ; 
I  have  spent  my  strength  for  nought,  and  in 
vain ;  yet  surely  my  judgment  is  with  the 
Lord,  and  my  work  with  my  God.  And 
now,  saith  the  Lord  that  formed  me  from  the 
womb  to  be  his  servant,  to  bring  Jacob  again 
to  him,  Though  Israel  be  not  gathered,  yet 
shall  I  be  glorious  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord, 
and  my  God  shall  be  my  strength.  And  he 
said,  It  is  a  light  thing  that  thou  shouldest 
be  my  servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Ja- 
cob, and  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel : 
I  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  unto 
the  ends  of  the  earth." 

Your  writers  complain  of  ours  for  inter- 
preting the  promises  to  Israel  spiritually, 
and  the  threatenings  literally;  and  tell  us 
that  they  are  not  greatly  obliged  to  us  for  it. 
But  this  is  misrepresentation.  Our  writers 
neither  interpret  all  the  promises  to  Israel 
spiritually,  nor  all  the  threatenings  literally. 
They  expect  your  return,  and  that  at  no 
very  distant  period,  to  your  own  land ;  for, 
besides  many  Old-testament  prophecies  to 
this  effect,  he  that  said  concerning  the  in- 
habitants of  Judea  and  Jerusalem,  "They 
shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  shall 
be  led  away  captive  into  all  nations,  and  Je- 
rusalem shall  he  trodden  down  of  the  Gen- 
tiles " — added,  "  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles 
be  fulfilled.'1''  And,  in  regard  of  the  threat- 
enings, the  heaviest  of  them  all  is  that  which 
is  expressed  by  Isaiah  (ch.  vi.  9 — 12,)  "  Go, 
tell  this  people,  hear  ye,  indeed,  but  under- 
stand not ;  and  see  ye,  indeed,  but  perceive 
not.  Make  the  heart  of  this  people  fat,  and 
make  their  ears  heavy  and  shut  their  eyes ; 
lest  they  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with 
their  ears,  and  understand  with  their  heart, 
and  convert,  and  be  healed.  Then,  said  I, 
Lord,  how  long?  And  he  answered,  Until  the 
cities  be  wasted  without  inhabitant,  and  the 
houses  without  man,  and  the  land  be  ut- 
terly desolate." 

This  awful  judgment  was  indeed  to  issue 
in  temporal  calamities  ;  but  the  judgment  it- 
self is  spiritual ;  a  judgment,  the  nature  of 
which  prevents  your  feeling  it,  but  which 
is  a  greater  evil  than  all  your  other  punish- 
ments put  together. 

Such  are  some  of  the  evidences  from 
which  we  conclude  that  Jesus  is  the  true 
Messiah.  Time,  place,  family,  miracles, 
character,  sufferings,  resurrection,  and  re- 
jection by  his  own  countrymen — all  are  ful- 
filled in  him.  Never  was  such  a  body  of 
prophecy  given  and  accomplished  in  any 
other  case.  If  you  still  shut  your  eyes  upon 
the  light,  you  must  abide  the  consequence  : 
for  our  parts,  we  feel  the  ground  upon  Avhich 
we  stand,  when  we  say,  "  We  know  that  the 
Son  of  God  is  come." 

HI.  It  is  declared  that,  when  the  Messiah 
should  come,  the  will  or  God  would  be 

PERFECTLY   FULFILLED  BY  HIM — "  I  delight 


JESUS    THE    TRUE    MESSIAH. 


241 


to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God :  yea,  thy  law  is 
within  my  heart."  Agreeably  to  this,  the 
Messiah  is  denominated  God's  servant,  whom 
he  ivould  uphold — in  whom  he  would  he  glori- 
fied— and  who  should  bring  Jacob  again  to 
him. 

The  will  of  God  sometimes  denotes  what 
he  approves  and  sometimes  what  he  ap- 
points. The  former  is  the  rule  of  our  con- 
duct, the  latter  of  his  own ;  and  both  we  af- 
firm to  have  been  fulfilled  by  Jesus. 

In  respect  of  the  divine  precepts,  his  whole 
life  was  in  perfect  conformity  to  them.  All 
his  actions  were  governed  by  love.  Your 
fathers  were  challenged  to  convince  him  of 
sin  ;  and  you  are  challenged  to  do  the  same. 
Yet  your  nation  reckons  him  an  impostor ! 
Was  there  ever  such  an  impostor?  Nay, 
was  there  ever  such  a  character  seen  among 
men  ?  Should  the  account  given  of  him 
by  the  evangelists  be  objected  to,  we  might 
answer  from  Rousseau, — "The  Jewish  au- 
thors were  incapable  of  the  diction,  and 
strangers  to  the  morality,  contained  in  the 
Gospels,  the  marks  of  whose  truth  are  so 
striking  and  invincible  that  the  inventor 
would  be  a  more  astonishing  character  than 
the  hero."  * 

When  a  sinful  creature  is  said  to  have 
the  law  of  God  in  his  heart,  it  is  said  to  be 
written  there,  or  pid  in  him  by  the  Spirit  of 
God  ;  but  of  the  Messiah  it  is  said  to  be 
within  him.  His  heart  never  existed  with- 
out the  impression,  and  therefore  needed 
not  to  have  it  put  in  him.  Such  was  Jesus, 
and  such  the  spirit  that  he  manifested 
throughout  his  life.  Let  the  character,  be- 
sides him,  be  named,  who  dares  to  rest  the 
truth  of  his  pretensions  on  his  being  found 
to  be  "  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate 
from  sinners." 

But  it  was  not  merely  to  fulfil  the  divine 
precepts  that  the  Messiah  was  to  come,  but 
to  execute  his  purpose  in  saving  lost  sin- 
ners. Even  his  obedience  to  the  law  was 
subservient  to  this,  or  he  could  not  have 
been  "The  Lord  our  righteousness."  He 
was  God's  servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of 
Jacob,  to  give  light  to  the  Gentiles,  and  to 
be  his  salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
In  accomplishing  this,  it  behoved  him  to  en- 
dure the  penalty,  as  well  as  obey  the  pre- 
cepts, of  the  law.  His  soul  must  be  "  made 
an  offering  for  sin  ;  "  he  must  be  "  cut  off 
out  of  the  land  of  the  living — cut  off,  but  not 
for  himself;"  and  this  that  he  might  make 
reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and  bring  in  ever- 
lasting righteousness. 

Such  was  the  doctrine  of  the  ancient  Isra- 
elites, and  such  is  that  of  the  New  Testament. 
If  it  be  true,  let  me  entreat  you  to  consider 
the  consequences.  While  you  hold  fast  the 
traditions  of  later  ages,  you  have  renounced 
the  religion  and  the  God  of  your  ancient  fa- 

*  Works,  Vol.  V.  pp.  215-21S. 
Vol.  2.— Sio.  31. 


thers ;  and,  in  doing  this,  have  rejected  the 
only  way  of  salvation.  If  the  things  which 
I  have  attempted  to  establish  be  true,  your 
fathers  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory  ;  and  you, 
by  approving  the  deed,  make  it  your  own. 
Moreover,  if  they  be  true,  Jesus  Christ  will 
one  day  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and 
every  eye  shall  see  him  ;  and  they  also  who 
pierced  him  shall  wail  because  of  him ! 
Consider  of  it,  take  advice,  and  speak  your 
minds. 

We  doubt  not  but  the  time  will  come 
when  your  nation  shall  look  on  him  whom 
their  fathers  pierced,  and  shall  mourn  as  one 
that  mourneth  for  an  only  son ;  but,  if  it  be 
not  so  with  you,  it  is  the  more  affecting. 
To  see  at  the  last  judgment,  not  only  Abra- 
ham, and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  but  millions  of 
your  own  unborn  posterity,  sitting  down  in 
the  kingdom  of  God,  and  ye  yourselves  cast 
out,  is  inexpressibly  affecting  ! 

I  have  lately  looked  into  some  of  the  mo- 
dern Jewish  writings.  It  would  be  going 
beyond  my  limits  to  attempt  an  answer  to 
many  of  their  objections  to  the  gospel ;  but 
I  will  touch  upon  a  few,  which  struck  me  in 
the  course  of  reading. 

They  find  many  things  spoken  in  prophecy 
of  the  reign  of  the  Messiah,  which  are  not 
as  yet  fulfilled  in  Jesus ;  such  as  the  cessa- 
tion of  wars,  the  restoration  of  the  Jewish 
nation,  &c.  &c,  and  argue  hence  that  Je- 
sus is  not  the  Messiah.  But  it  is  not  said 
that  these  effects  should  immediately  follow 
on  his  appearing.  On  the  contrary,  there 
was  to  be  an  increase  of  his  government ; 
yea,  a  continued  increase.  Jesus  may  be  the 
Messiah,  and  his  reign  may  be  begun  ;  while 
yet,  seeing  it  is  not  ended,  there  may  be 
many  things  at  present  unfulfilled.  The 
kingdom  of  the  Messiah  was  to  continue  as 
long  as  the  sun  and  moon.  It  was  to  be  set 
up  during  the  reign  of  the  fourth  monarchy  ; 
but  was  itself  to  survive  it,  and  to  stand  for- 
ever. 

But  they  object  that  the  doctrine  taught 
by  Jesus  was  not  of  a  pacific  tendency — that, 
on  the  contrary,  it  was,  by  his  own  confes- 
sion, adapted  to  produce  divisron  and  discord 
— "  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace 
on  earth,  but  a  sword  :  for  I  am  come  to  set 
a  man  at  variance  with  his  father,  and  the 
daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the  daugh- 
ter-in-law against  her  mother-in-law  ;  and  a 
man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  house- 
hold." These  words,  however  (as  a  child  in 
just  reasoning  would  perceive,)  do  not  ex- 
press what  the  gospel  is  in  its  own  nature  ; 
but  what  it  would  occasion,  through  the  ha- 
tred of  its  enemies.  They  describe  not  the 
bitterness  of  believers  against  unbelievers, 
but  of  unbelievers  against  believers,  for  the 
gospel's  sake.  The  good  works  of  Abel  ex- 
cited the  hatred  of  Cain ;  but  ought  Abel  to 
be  reproached  on  this  account?  The  mes- 
sage of  peace  sent  by  Hczekiah  to  the  rem- 


242 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


nant  of  the  ten  tribes,  inviting  them  to  come 
up  to  the  passover  at  Jerusalem,  occasioned 
the  same  bitter  contempt  among  the  idola- 
ters as  the  gospel  does  among  the  unbe- 
lievers of  your  nation  :  yet  surely  it  was  a 
pacific  message  notwithstanding,  and  ought 
to  have  been  differently  received.  We 
might  as  well  reproach  the  God  of  Israel  for 
his  messages  to  Pharaoh  having  hardened 
his  heart ;  yea,  for  his  laws  given  at  Sinai 
having  been  the  occasion  of  all  the  wicked- 
ness of  your  fathers  ;  for,  if  he  had  given 
them  no  laws,  they  had  not  been  guilty  of 
transgressing  them ! 

They  farther  object,  with  their  fathers, 
that  Jesus  pretended  to  be  the  Son  of  God, 
and  so  was  guilty  of  blasphemy.  But,  if  he 
were  the  Messiah,  he  was  the  Son  of  God. 
Did  not  God,  in  the  second  Psalm,  address 
him  as  his  Son  ?  are  not  the  kings  and  judges 
of  the  eartli  admonished  to  submit  to  him  un- 
der that  character  ? 

Much  has  been  said  of  your  believing  in 
one  God :  and  who  requires  you  to  believe 
in  more  than  one  ?  If  you  infer  hence  that 
there  can  be  no  plurality  of  persons  in  the 
Godhead,  you  contradict  your  own  Scrip- 
tures as  well  as  ours.  Who  made  the  hea- 
vens and  the  earth  ?  Did  not  Elohim  ?  And 
did  he  not  say,  "  Let  us  make  man,"  &c.  ? 
Who  wrestled  with  Jacob  ?  And  who  ap- 
peared to  Moses  in  the  bush  ?  Was  it  not 
Jehovah?  Yet  he  is  represented  in  both 
cases  as  the  Angel  or  "Messenger  of  Jeho- 
vah." 

Some  of  the  precepts  of  Jesus  are  objected 
to  as  being  impracticable,  and  Christians  ac- 
cused of  hypocrisy  for  pretending  to  respect 
them,  while  none  of  them  act  up  to  them  ; 
that  is,  "  when  they  are  smitten  on  one 
cheek,  they  do  not  offer  the  other."  *  But 
this  is  perverseness.  Jesus  did  not  mean  it 
literally;  nor  did  he  so  exemplify  it  when 
smitten  before  Pilate.  Nor  do  the  Jews  so 
understand  their  own  commandments.  If 
they  do,  however,  it  will  follow  that  they 
break  the  sixth  commandment  in  every  mal- 
efactor whose  execution  they  promote,  and 
even  in  the  killing  of  animals  for  food.  The 
manifest  design  of  the  precept  is  to  prohibit 
all  private  retaliation  and  revenge  ;  and  to 
teach  us  that  we  ought  rather  to  suffer  in- 
sult than  to  render  evil  for  evil.  This  may 
be  a  hard  lesson  for  a  proud  spirit ;  but  it  is 
a  true  exposition  of  that  law  which  requires 
us  to  love  our  neighbor  as  ourselves  ;  which 
is  inconsistent  with  every  feeling  of  malice, 
Whatever  provocations  may  have  been  re- 
ceived. 

But  this  is  not  all ;  the  very  agony  of  Je- 
sus in  the  garden  provokes  the  malignity  of 
these  writers.  The  anguish  of  his  soul  on 
that  occasion  is  ascribed  to  pusillanimity  ! 

*R.  Tobias  Goodman's  Address  to  the  Com- 
mittees of  the  London  Society,  p.  25. 


Have  they  a  right  then,  when  judging  of  his 
conduct,  to  take  it  for  granted  that  he  was 
not  the  Messiah,  and  that  his  death  was  like 
that  of  another  man  ?  Certainly  they  have 
not.  The  objection,  if  it  has  any  force,  is 
this — His  want  of  fortitude  is  inconsistent 
with  his  being  the  Messiah.  To  this  we 
answer,  supposing  him  to  be  the  Messiah, 
there  was  nothing  inconsistent  in  any  of 
those  fears  and  sorrows  Avhich  he  expressed. 
For,  if  he  were  the  Messiah,  he  must,  ac- 
cording to  prophecy,  have  suffered  immedi- 
ately from  the  hand  of  God,  as  well  as  from 
man.  "  The  chastisement  of  our  peace  was 
upon  him — It  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him : 
he  hath  put  him  to  grief."  But,  if  the  ago- 
ny in  the  garden  was  of  this  description, 
there  was  no  want  of  fortitude  in  it.  So  far  as 
the  wrath  of  man  was  concerned,  Jesus 
feared  it  not.  He  endured  the  cross,  and 
even  despised  the  shame :  but,  under  the 
hand  of  God,  he  both  feared  and  felt ;  and  I 
never  understood  before  that  it  was  pusil- 
lanimous to  fear  or  feel,  under  the  hand  of 
the  Almighty  !  But  Ave  need  not  marvel ; 
for  he  who,  in  the  language  of  prophecy, 
complained  of  having  gall  given  him  for  meat, 
and  vinegar  for  drink,  added,  "  They  perse- 
cute him  ivhom  thou  hast  smitten  ! " 

All  these  objections  prove  the  truth  of 
what  was  said  to  Nicodemus,  "  Except  a 
man  be  born  again  (or,  to  speak  in  Jewish 
language,  except  he  be  circumcised  in  heart,) 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  The 
gospel  is  a  system  that  cannot  be  received 
by  a  mind  blinded  by  prejudice,  or  a  heart 
hardened  in  sin.  He  that  receives  it  must 
repent,  as  well  as  believe.  It  is  in  hope 
that  God,  peradventure,  may  give  some  of 
you  repentance  to  the  acknowledging  of  the 
truth,  that  these  addresses  are  made  to  you. 
And  though  some  may  make  light  of  them, 
and  even  mock,  as  the  idolaters  did  at  Heze- 
kiah's  messengers,  yet  we  will  deliver  our 
messages,  that,  if  you  perish,  your  blood  may 
not  be  required  at  our  hands. 

O !  ye  children  of  Israel,  our  hearts'  de- 
sire, and  prayer  to  God  for  you,  is  that  you 
may  be  saved !  Consider,  we  intreat  you, 
whether  you  have  not  forsaken  the  religion 
of  your  forefathers ;  whether  the  psalms  of 
David  express  the  feelings  of  your  hearts  ; 
whether,  if  you  really  loved  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob,  you  would  not  be- 
lieve in  Jesus;  whether,  if  you  had  just 
views  of  your  own  law,  you  would  not  de- 
spair of  being  accepted  of  God  by  the  works 
of  it ;  whether  your  rejection  of  Jesus  be 
not  owing  to  your  insensibility  as  to  your 
need  of  a  Saviour ;  whether,  if  you  really 
believed  the  Old  Testament,  you  would  not 
believe  the  New  ;  finally,  Avhether  the  bitter 
malignity,  which  is  so  frequently  discovered 
against  Jesus  and  his  folloAvers,  be  consistent 
Avith  true  religion. 

But  I  shall  conclude  with  a  few  Avords  to 


SOLITARY    REFLECTION. 


243 


professing  Christians.  I  can  perceive,  by 
what  I  have  seen  of  the  Jewish  writings,  how 
much  they  avail  themselves  of  our  disorders 
and  divisions,  to  justify  their  unbelief.  Let 
those  who  name  the  name  of  Christ  depart 
from  iniquity.  Let  us  beware  of  valuing 
ourselves  on  the  name,  while  we  are  desti- 
tute of  the  thing.  We  may  yield  a  sort  of 
assent  to  the  doctrine  just  delivered,  while 
yet  it  brings  forth  no  good  fruit  in  us.  These 
are  the  things  that  rivet  Jews  in  their  unbe- 
lief. They  have  no  right,  indeed,  to  intrench 
themselves  in  prejudice  against  the  Lord 
Jesus  on  account  of  our  disorders:  he  is  not 
more  accountable  for  them  than  the  God  of 
Israel  was  for  the  disorders  of  their  forefa- 
thers. But,  though  it  be  wrong  in  them,  it 
is  more  so  in  those  who  furnish  them  with 
occasion  of  offence.  There  is  a  woe  upon 
the  world  because  of  offences,  seeing  they 
stumble  and  fall  over  them :  but  there  is  a 
heavier  woe  on  them  through  whom  they 
come. 

"  He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise."  I  hope 
all  the  measures  that  are  taken  for  the  con- 
version of  the  Jews  will  be  of  a  winning  na- 
ture. If  they  be  malignant  and  abusive, 
they  must  not  be  opposed  by  the  same  wea- 
pons. "  The  servants  of  the  Lord  must  not 
strive,  as  for  mastery ;  but  be  gentle  unto 
all  men,  apt  to  teach,  patient,  in  meekness 
instructing  those  that  oppose  themselves,  if 
God,  peradventure,  will  give  them  repent- 
ance to  the  acknowledging  of  the  truth." 
Whatever  is  done,  for  children  or  adults,  I 
trust  it  will  be  in  an  open,  candid  way,  like 
that  of  our  Saviour,  who  did  good  to  the 
bodies  of  men,  as  a  means  of  attracting  their 
attention,  and  conciliating  their  affection  to 
the  word  of  everlasting  life. 


SERMON  XL 

[Delivered  on  a  Lord's-day  Evening,  in  a  Country 
Village.] 

SOLITARY  REFLECTION  ;  OR  THE  SINNER 
DIRECTED  TO  LOOK  INTO  HIMSELF  FOR 
CONVICTION. 

"  Commune  with  your  own  heart  upon  your  bed, 
and  be  still." — Psa.  iv.  4. 

You  are  assembled  together,  my  dear 
hearers,  that  you  may  learn  something  con- 
cerning your  everlasting  welfare.  I  am  glad 
to  meet  you  ;  and  shall  be  happy  to  commu- 
nicate any  thing  that  I  understand  on  this 
important  subject.  I  pray  God  to  bless  it 
for  your  good !  You  have  heard  many 
sermons  preached,  and  yet,  perhaps,  have 
been  but  little  profited  ;  and  you  may  hear 
many  more  to  as  little  purpose.  Religion 
consists  not  merely  in  hearing  sermons ; 
nor  in  going  away,  and  talking  how  you  like 


or  dislike  the  preacher.  Religion  is  not 
found  among  noise,  and  clamor,  and  dispute. 
It  does  not  consist  in  either  applauding  or 
censuring  men.  If  ever  you  hear  to  any 
purpose,  it  will  make  you  forget  the  preach- 
er, and  think  only  of  yourselves.  You  will 
be  like  a  smitten  deer,  which,  unable  to  keep 
pace  with  the  herd,  retires  to  the  thicket  and 
bleeds  alone.  This  is  the  effect  that  I  long 
to  see  produced  in  you.  It  is  for  the  pur- 
pose of  impressing  this  upon  your  minds 
that  I  have  read  the  above  passage,  and  wish 
to  discourse  to  you  upon  it.  In  doing  this, 
all  I  shall  attempt  will  be  to  explain  and 
enforce  the  admonition.     Let  us  attempt 

1.      To     EXPLAIN     THE      MEANING     OF      IT. 

The  persons  admonished  in  this  psalm  were 
men  who  set  themselves  against  David,  and 
persecuted  him  without  a  cause ;  accusing 
him,  perhaps,  to  king  Saul :  and,  what  great- 
ly aggravates  their  guilt,  they  are  said  to 
have  turned  his  glory  into  shame;  that  is, 
they  reproached  him  on  account  of  his 
religion,  which  was  his  highest  honor. 
There  are  such  scoffers  in  the  world  now: 
and,  as  these  wicked  men  opposed  David,  so 
they  oppose  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son 
of  David  according  to  the  flesh.  And  by 
how  much  Christ  is  superior  to  David,  by  so 
much  greater  is  the  wickedness  of  those 
who  mock  at  his  gospel  and  people  than  the 
other.  They  were,  many  of  them,  men  of 
property  ;  their  corn  and  their  ivine,  it  seems, 
increased ;  and  it  is  likely  that  some  of  them 
were  people  in  high  life,  who  had  access 
even  to  the  king.  But  all  this  would  not 
screen  them  from  the  displeasure  of  God. 
Even  kings  and  judges  themselves  must 
submit  to  the  Son,  or  perish  from  the  way. 

And,  if  riches  will  not  profit  in  the  day  of 
wrath,  neither  will  poverty.  It  is  true,  the 
Scriptures  wear  a  favorable  aspect  towards 
the  poor.  Jesus  preached  the  gospel  to 
them ;  and  God  is  often  represented  as 
threatening  and  punishing  those  that  oppress 
them:  but,  if  a  man  be  wicked  as  well  as 
poor  (as  it  is  well  known  great  numbers 
are,)  his  poverty  will  excite  no  pity ;  he 
must  bear  his  iniquity. 

Presumptuous  and  thoughtless  sinners  are 
admonished  to  "stand  in  awe,  and  sin  not ; 
to  commune  with  their  own  hearts  upon 
their  bed,  and  be  still."  Bold  as  any  of  you 
may  be  in  sin,  there  is  one  above  you,  who 
will  call  you  to  an  account :  pause,  there- 
fore, and  think  what  you  are  about.  To 
commune  with  our  hearts  means  much  the 
same  as  to  ponder  the  matter  over  with 
ourselves.  It  is  said  of  the  adulteress  that, 
"  lest  thou  shouldest  ponder  the  path  of  life, 
her  ways  are  moveable,  that  thou  canst  not 
know  them."  She  leads  on  her  thoughtless 
admirers,  from  one  degree  of  sin  to  another, 
in  quick  succession  ;  just  as  a  person  who 
should  wish  to  lose  you  in  a  wood,  and  there 
murder  you,  would  lead  you  on,  under  some 


244 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


fair  pretence,  from  path  to  path,  through 
one  winding  direction  after  another,  never 
suffering  you  to  stand  still  and  pause,  lest 
you  should  turn  back  and  effect  your  escape. 
Thus  it  is  with  sinners  :  they  are  hurried  on, 
by  delusion,  from  sin  to  sin,  from  company 
to  company,  and  from  one  course  of  evil  to 
another,  while  the  enemy  of  their  souls  is 
doing  every  thing  in  his  power  to  secure  his 
dominion  over  them. 

That  which  the  adulteress  most  dreaded 
was  thought,  close  and  serious  thought:  and 
this  it  is  which  the  enemy  of  your 
souls  most  dreads.  It  is  by  pondering  the 
path  of  life,  if  at  all,  that  you  must  escape 
the  snare.  If  sinners  are  saved,  it  is  from 
their-  sins.  Their  souls  must  be  converted 
to  the  love  of  Christ ;  and  the  ordinary  way 
that  God  takes  to  convert  them  is,  by  con- 
vincing them  of  sin,  which  is  never  effect- 
ed but  by  their  being  brought  to  close  and 
serious  thought.  It  was  by  "  thinking  of 
his  ways "  that  David  "  turned  his  feet  to 
God's  testimonies." 

The  place  and  time  particularly  recom- 
mended for  this  exercise  is,  upon  your  bed, 
at  night.  If  there  be  any  time  more  favora- 
ble to  reflection  than  others,  it  must  be  that 
in  which  you  are  free  from  all  intruding 
company,  and  interruptions  from  without. 
Then,  when  you  have  retired  from  the 
world,  and  the  world  from  you ;  when  the 
hurry  of  business  is  withdrawn  ;  when  the 
tumult  of  the  soul  subsides,  and  is  succeed- 
ed by  a  solemn  stillness  ;  when  the  darkness 
which  surrounds  you  prevents  the  interfer- 
ence of  sensible  objects,  and  invites  the 
mental  eye  to  look  inward  ;  then  commune 
with  your  own  heart ;  take  a  reckoning  with 
your  soul ;  inquire  what  course  you  are  in, 
and  whither  it  will  lead  you  ! 

It  might  be  well  to  examine  the  actions  of 
your  life  :  but,  as  the  heart  is  the  spring-head 
of  action,  the  state  of  your  heart  must  be  the 
chief  object  of  your  inquiry.  As  to  actions, 
they  are  neither  good  nor  evil,  but  as  they 
are  the  expressions  of  the  heart.  Were  you 
to  kill  a  fellow-creature,  you  know,  there 
would  be  no  evil  in  it  provided  it  was  by 
mere  accident  and  not  from  any  malicious 
desio-n,  criminal  passion,  or  careless  neglect : 
and  if  you  did  ever  so  much  good  to  your 
neighbor,  yet,  if  it  were  by  accident  and  not 
from  design,  there  would  be  no  goodness  in 
it.  It  is  the  disposition  of  our  hearts  that 
denominates  our  characters  in  the  sight  of 
God.  In  all  your  communings,  therefore, 
commune  with  your  hearts. 

Perhaps  you  will  say,  I  find  great  difficul- 
ty in  collecting  my  thoughts,  and  fixing 
them  upon  those  things  which  are  of  the 
greatest  importance :  when  I  would  think,  I 
scarcely  know  what  to  think  about.  Well ; 
give  me  leave,  then,  to  suggest  a  few  plain 
questions,  which  I  would  earnestly  recom- 
mend you  to  put  home  to  your  own  soul. 


First :  Does  my  heart  choose  and  follow  af- 
ter those  things  ivfrich  my  conscience  tells  me 
arc  right  ?  I  can  assure  you  that  with  many 
this  is  not  the  case.  Their  consciences  tell 
them  that  they  ought  to  fear  God,  to  keep 
holy  the  Sabbath-day,  to  read  and  hear  the 
word  of  God,  and  to  perform  various  other 
duties ;  but  their  hearts  are  at  variance  with 
all  these  things.  Their  consciences  tell 
them  that  they  ought  not  to  swear,  lie,  steal, 
get  intoxicated,  cheat  their  creditors,  and 
ruin  their  families ;  but  their  hearts,  never- 
theless, are  set  upon  these  and  many  other 
such  wicked  courses  ;  and  they  will  pursue 
them,  at  all  events.  Is  this  the  case  with 
any  of  you?  It  is  a  miserable  life  to  have 
the  heart  and  conscience  at  variance.  You 
are  sensible  it  is  so  ;  and  therefore,  if  any 
of  you  are  of  this  description,  you  labor,  I 
dare  say,  to  lull  conscience  asleep,  that  you 
may  enjoy  the  desires  of  your  heart  without 
interruption  from  its  remonstrances.  But 
this  is  a  desperate  way  of  going  on.  Con- 
science will  not  always  sleep  ;  and  when  it 
does  awake,  which  perhaps  may  be  upon  a 
death-bed,  its  voice  will  be  more  terrible 
than  thunder,  and  its  accusations  more  pain- 
ful than  the  sting  of  a  scorpion.  Did  you 
never  see  a  wicked  man  upon  a  dying  bed  ? 
Perhaps  not:  possibly  you  cannot  bear  such 
sights,  and  therefore  shun  them.  There  are 
persons,  however,  who  have ;  and,  witness- 
ing his  agony,  have  longed  to  alleviate  it. 
The  guilt,  the  fear,  and  the  horror,  which 
have  appeared  in  his  eyes  ;  the  bitter  regret 
that  has  preyed  upon  his  dying  heart ;  and 
the  forebodings  of  everlasting  misery  that 
seemed  to  have  seized  his  soul,  have  wrung 
their  hearts  with  anguish :  but  all  they 
could  do  was  to  drop  an  unavailing  tear. 
Given  up  to  the  hardness  of  his  heart,  even 
the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  has  had  no  effect  upon  him,  and  he 
has  died  in  all  the  misery  of  despair.  O 
that  this  may  not  be  your  end  !  Yet,  if  such 
be  your  life,  and  you  persist  in  it,  there  is 
no  reason  to  expect  but  that  it  will. 

But  it  is  possible  that  you  may  not  sustain 
this  character.  Your  heart  and  conscience 
may  not  be  at  such  variance  as  to  give  you 
any  considerable  pain.  If  so,  let  me  recom- 
mend a  second  question :  Is  my  conscience 
instructed  and  formed  by  the  tuord  of  God? 
Though  you  may  be  certain  that  you  are  in 
a  wrong  course  if  you  live  in  the  violation  of 
conscience,  yet  you  cannot  ahvays  conclude 
that  you  are  in  a  right  one  when  you  do 
not  violate  it,  because  conscience  itself  may 
err.  Saul  was  conscientious  in  persecuting 
the  followers  of  Christ ;  yet  he  was  one  of 
the  chief  of  sinners  for  so  doing.  You  may 
ask,  What  can  a  man  do  but  follow  that 
which  he  thinks  to  be  right  ?  True  ;  but  it 
becomes  him  to  compare  his  thoughts  with 
the  word  of  God  :  for  we  are  easily  per- 
suaded to   think  favorably  of  that  conduct 


SOLITARY    REFLECTION. 


245 


which  suits  our  inclination ;  and,  where  this 
is  the  case,  the  error  of  the  conscience,  in- 
stead of  excusing  the  evil  conduct,  becomes 
itself  an  evil. 

The  consciences  of  many  people  tell  them 
that,  if  they  take  care  of  their  families,  pay 
every  man  his  due,  and  attend  public  wor- 
ship once  or  twice  a  week,  this  is  all  that 
can  reasonably  be  expected  at  their  hands. 
And  I  have  heard  this  Scripture  passage 
brought  in  proof  of  it,  "  What  doth  the  Lord 
thy  God  require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justly,  to 
love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy 
God  ?  "  But  (to  say  nothing  of  the  love  of 
mercy  towards  our  fellow-creatures)  to 
walk  humbly  with  God  is  a  very  different 
thing  from  the  above  exercises. 

A  man's  conscience  may  be  easy,  and  he 
may  persuade  himself  that  he  is  in  the  way 
to  life,  while,  in  fact,  he  is  as  far  from  it  as 
the  old  Pharisees,  against  whom  the  heavi- 
est woes  of  damnation  were  denounced. 
The  case  of  such  people  seems  to  be  worse, 
on  some  accounts,  than  that  of  the  openly 
profane  :  these,  acting  in  opposition  to  their 
own  consciences,  as  well  as  to  God,  a  faith- 
ful warning  sometimes  takes  hold  of  their 
fears  ;  but  those,  deluded  by  vain  hope,  con- 
sider all  such  warnings  as  inapplicable  to 
them.  Both  are  steering  the  same  course  ; 
but  the  one  is  impeded  by  wind  and  tide, 
while  the  other  is  aided  by  the  current  of  a 
perverted  conscience.  Do  not  forget  to 
inquire,  Is  my  conscience  instructed  and 
formed  by  the  word  of  God  ?  Perhaps  you 
have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  reading  that 
sacred  book,  or  of  having  it  read  to  you. 
The  neglect  of  it  may  occasion  your  eternal 
overthrow. 

But  let  me  recommend  a  third  question : 
Have  any,  or  all  my  pursuits,  tohetker  after 
natural  or  sinful  enjoyments,  ever  yet  afforded 
me  satisfaction  ?  The  answer  to  this  ques- 
tion is  of  importance ;  because,  if  they 
never  have,  there  is  no  reason  to  conclude 
they  ever  will :  and,  if  so,  Avhat  have  you 
been  pursuing  all  this  time  ?  You  have  spent 
thirty,  forty,  fifty,  or  more  years  in  the  world, 
and,  by  a  thousand  different  methods,  have 
been  seeking  satisfaction  ;  yet  you  have  not 
found  it.  You  thought,  when  you  were 
young,  to  have  found  it  in  forbidden  plea- 
sures, and  perhaps  you  gave  a  loose  to  ap- 
petite and  desire  ;  but  you  were  disappoint- 
ed. Guilt,  infamy,  and  misery,  were  the 
fruits  of  those  excesses.  Your  own  heart 
will  tell  you  this,  if  you  ask  it.  Since  that 
time,  having  felt  the  effects  of  your  former 
folly,  it  may  be,  you  have  turned  your  atten- 
tion to  other  things  :  you  have  settled  ;  and 
now  your  object  has  been  to  raise  yourself 
in  the  world.  Saving  money  has  seemed 
the  one  thing  needful  to  render  you  happy. 
Perhaps  you  have  saved  a  little  of  this  arti- 
cle ;  and  are  you  happy  ?  Ask  your  own 
heart,  and  it  will  tell  you.     No,  you  want  to 


save  a  little  more.  Poor  man !  you  are  un- 
happy ;  and  unhappy  in  this  course  you  will 
be.  Can  you  tell  the  reason  ?  You  have 
been  trying  to  satisfy  yourself  with  that 
which  is  not  bread.  Do  you  not  know  that 
God  has  created  you  with  desires  which  it 
is  not  in  the  power  of  the  whole  creation  to 
satisfy  ?  Alexander  and  Csesar,  those 
mighty  monarchs,  who  each  in  his  day  con- 
quered the  world,  were  as  far  off  from  hap- 
piness as  you  are.  The  one  is  said  to  have 
wept  because  there  was  not  another  world 
to  conquer  ;  and  the  other  to  have  exclaim- 
ed, when  in  the  full  possession  of  empire, 
"Is  this  all?" 

If  you  inquire  wherefore  has  God  planted 
desires  in  your  natures  that  it  is  not  in  the 
power  of  creation  to  satisfy.  I  answer,  that 
you  might  be  led  to  seek  satisfaction  where 
it  is  to  be  found.  There  is  much  meaning, 
and  merciful  meaning  too,  in  those  divine 
expostulations  :  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirst- 
eth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that 
hath  no  money  ;  come  ye,  buy  and  eat ;  yea, 
come,  buy  wine  and  milk  Avithout  money, 
and  without  price.  Wherefore  do  ye  spend 
money  for  that  Avhich  is  not  bread,  and  your 
labor  for  that  which  satisfieth  not  ?  Heark- 
en diligently  unto  me,  and  eat  ye  that  Avhich 
is  good,  and  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in 
fatness.  Incline  your  ear,  and  come  unto 
me  :  hear,  and  your  soul  shall  live,  and  I  will 
make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  you,  even 
the  sure  mercies  of  David."  Again :  "  In 
the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast, 
Jesus  stood  and  cried,  saying,  If  any  man 
thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink  ! " 
And  again  :  "  Thou  sayest  I  am  rich,  and 
increased  Avith  goods,  and  have  need  of 
nothing ;  and  knowest  not  that  thou  art 
Avretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and 
blind,  and  naked.  I  counsel  thee  to  buy  of 
me  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou  mayest  be 
rich ;  and  white  raiment,  that  thou  mayest 
be  clothed,  and  that  the  shame  of  thy  naked- 
ness do  not  appear ;  and  anoint  thine  eyes 
with  eye-salve,  that  thou  mayest  see." 

A  fourth  question  I  Avould  recommend  is 
this:  Will  the  course  I  am  in  do  to  die  with? 
If  it  will,  pursue  it  Avith  all  your  might:  but 
first  be  Avell  satisfied  that  it  will.  There  is 
no  way  of  ansAvering  this  question  but  by 
comparing  your  character  Avith  the  Avord  of 
God.  There  you  Avill  find  our  Lord  declar- 
ing to  his  disciples,  "  Except  ye  repent,  ye 
shall  all  likeAvise  perish. — Except  ye  be  con- 
verted, and  become  as  little  children,  ye 
shall  in  no  Avise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  And  again,  "  Except  a  man  be 
born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God."  Do  you  understand  these  things  by 
experience  ?  Did  you  ever  seriously  think 
about  them  ?  They  are  subjects  of  no  little 
importance.  Some  men,  and  even  some 
preachers,  may  tell  you  that  all  this  signifies 
nothing  more  than  your  being  baptized,  or  at 


246 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


most,  living  a  sober  regular  life :  but  it  is  at 
your  peril  to  believe  them  against  the  solemn 
declarations  of  Christ.  Nicodemus,  a  mas- 
ter in  Israel,  was  ignorant  of  these  things. 
Other  teachers  now  may  be  the  same  ;  and, 
if  blind  themselves,  no  wonder  that  they 
lead  others  equally  blind  till  both  fall  into 
the  ditch.  But,  as  you  value  your  souls, 
remember  who  it  is  that  has  said,  "  Ye  must 
be  born  again." 

If  you  have  never  experienced  this 
change,  you  are  at  present  strangers  to 
yourselves,  to  God,  to  Christ,  and  to  the 
way  of  life  ;  exposed  to  the  curse  of  al- 
mighty God ;  and,  dying  in  your  present 
state,  must  perish  forever. 

One  question  more  let  me  recommend, 
and  I  will  conclude  this  part  of  the  subject: 
If  I  should  die  in  an  unconverted  state,  and 
perish  forever,  can  I  endure  the  turath  of  an 
offended  God?  If  you  can,  why  then  let 
every  man  help  his  neighbor,  and  every  one 
say  to  his  brother,  Be  of  good  courage, 
laugh  at  death,  set  judgment  at  defiance,  and 

make  a  jest  of  an  hereafter but,  if 

not,  pause  and  think 

Who  can  forbear  remarking  the  coward- 
ice of  wicked  men  ?  how,  even  in  this  world, 
these  bold  spirits  are  cut  down  with  a  little 
affliction !  Those  who  trifle  most  with  hell, 
and  whose  lips  are  so  full  of  damnation  that 
it  becomes  in  their  mouths  a  mere  matter 
of  bravado,  how  do  they  sink  under  the  first 
touch  of  God's  indignation !  Gaal  and  his 
company  could  eat  and  drink  and  curse 
Abimelech,  at  a  distance  ;  but,  when  Abime- 
lech  draws  near,  lo !  they  are  covered  with 
dismay. 

Oh  profane  character !  -  Can  thine  hands 
be  strong,  and  thine  heart  endure  in  the  day 
that  he  shall  deal  with  thee  ?  If  you  can- 
not tell  how  to  endure  the  sufferings  of  life, 
what  Avill  you  do  in  the  hour  of  death  ? 
How,  especially,  will  you  grapple  with  the 
bitter  pains  of  eternal  death  ?  "  If  thou  hast 
run  with  the  footmen,  and  they  have  wearied 
thee,  how  wilt  thou  contend  with  horses  ? 
and,  if  in  the  land  of  peace  wherein  thou 
trustedst  they  wearied  thee,  how  wilt  thou 
do  in  the  swellings  of  Jordan  ?  "  Such,  or 
nearly  such,  my  hearers,  will  be  your  own 
reflections,  if  upon  your  bed  you  commune 
with  your  own  hearts  to  any  good  purpose. 

But  I  proceed 

II.  To  ENFORCE  THE  SUBJECT  BY  CON- 
SIDERING   THE    GREAT    IMPORTANCE     OF      A 

serious  compliance  with  it.  There  is 
nothing  more  dreaded  by  unconverted  sin- 
ners than  solitary  reflection,  and,  therefore, 
nothing  more  necessary.  They  are  like  a 
person  whose  affairs  are  going  to  ruin,  and 
who  feels  a  strong  reluctance  to  enter  into  a 
thorough  examination  of  his  accounts.  And 
wherefore  ?  Because  such  an  examination 
would  destroy  his  present  peace,  and  he 
would  be  under  the  necessity  of  making  a 


full  stop.  To  avoid  this,  he  puts  far  from 
him  the  evil  day,  and  cherishes  a  vain  hope 
that  things  are  not  so  bad  as  they  appear. 
But,  as  in  this  case  the  longer  a  thorough 
examination  is  deferred  the  deeper  he  sinks, 
so  it  is  in  the  other.  Let  me  request  your 
attention  to  a  few  observations  on  this  part 
of  the  subject. 

1.  There  are  things  that  you  have  doubt- 
ed, or  acted  as  if  you  doubted,  which,  if  you 
would  but  retire  and  converse  with  your  own 
heart,  you  would  find  to  be  true.  You  have 
acted  but  in  too  many  instances  as  though 
you  doubted  whether  you  were  accountable 
and  immortal  creatures,  and  as  though  an 
agreeable  subsistence  in  the  present  world 
were  the  only  thing  that  should  concern 
you.  But,  if  you  be  not  accountable  to 
him  that  made  you,  how  is  it  that  sin,  which 
is  unknoAvn  to  every  creature  but  yourself, 
should  nevertheless  be  accompanied  with 
remorse  ?  Is  there  not  a  tribunal  erected 
within  your  own  bosom,  that  forebodes  a 
judgment  to  come  ?  If  there  were  no  here- 
after, why  that  dread  of  death,  and  fearful 
looking-for  of  judgment,  in  the  hour  of 
threatening  affliction  ?  Oh  sinner !  you 
shall  not  be  able  to  plead  ignorance  at  the 
bar  of  heaven :  your  own  heart,  depraved 
as  it  is,  will  bear  witness  against  you. 

2.  There  are  things  to  which  you  are  apt 
to  object  in  God's  dealings  with  you,  which, 
were  you  to  commune  with  your  own  hearts, 
would  be  found  to  be  unobjectionable.  If 
you  are  told  of  the  strictness  of  God's  holy 
law,  and  that  nothing  short  of  "  truth  in  the 
inward  parts "  can  answer  to  its  require- 
ments, you  think  it  hard,  and  feel  disposed 
to  complain  of  the  grievousness  of  his 
yoke  :  but  ask  your  own  hearts,  would  you 
be  contented  with  any  thing  less  from  a  fel- 
low-creature ? 

Perhaps  you  are  a  parent  or  a  master ; 
and  what  if  your  children  or  servants  were, 
through  fear,  ever  so  assiduous,  if  you  knew 
they  had  no  love  for  you,  would  you  be  satis- 
fied ?  Or  perhaps  you  are  a  husband.  If 
the  partner  of  your  life  were  alienated  from 
you  and  attached  to  another,  though  through 
fear  of  your  displeasure  she  were  studious  to 
the  utmost  to  oblige  you  in  her  outward  de- 
portment, would  this  satisfy  you  ?  Would  you 
not  disdain  to  accept  of  her  services  unless 
you  could  have  her  heart  with  them  ?  You 
must  know  that  this  is  the  truth.  Out  of 
your  own  mouth,  therefore,  will  the  Lord 
judge  you. 

Again :  If  you  are  told  of  God's  awful 
threatenings  against  sin,  your  spirit  rises 
against  him,  and  you  are  ready  to  accuse 
him  of  cruelty  :  but  ask  your  own  heart  if 
you  would  spare  one  that  had  treated  you 
as  you  have  treated  him.  If  you  had  a  son, 
and,  with  all  the  tenderness  of  a  father, 
nursed  him,  fed  him,  clothed  him,  and  in- 
structed him;  and  if,  when    he  arrived  at 


SOLITARY    REFLECTION. 


247 


years  of  maturity,  instead  of  behaving 
towards  you  with  filial  obedience  and  grati- 
tude, he  should  prove  undutiful,  malignant, 
false,  and  do  all  he  could  to  ruin  you  and 
your  family,  would  you  not  give  him  up  to 
his  evil  course,  and  let  him  take  the  conse- 
quences of  his  behavior?  Or  should  you 
from  paternal  pity  be  disposed  to  pass  over 
his  transgressions  ;  and  should  a  common 
friend,  with  your  approbation,  intercede  on 
his  behalf,  entreating  him  to  beg  your  par- 
don, assuring  him  of  your  readiness  to  for- 
give the  past;  if,  in  addition  to  his  former 
crimes,  he  continued  to  despise  the  over- 
tures of  mercy,  what  would  you  do  with 
him?  Or  should  he,  when  overwhelmed 
with  troubles  of  his  own  procuring,  affect  to 
be  sorry  for  what  he  had  done,  and  write  to 
you  in  the  strain  of  humble  confession,  pray- 
ing you  to  deliver  him  this  once,  and  vow- 
ing how  different  his  conduct  should  be 
towards  you  in  future  ;  if,  as  soon  as  his 
troubles  had  subsided,  he  were  to  return 
again  to  his  former  courses  ;  what  would 
you  do  with  him  ?  Alas,  all  this,  and  a  thou- 
sand times  more,  have  you  done  against  the 
best  of  fathers,  the  God  "  in  whose  hands 
your  breath  is,  and  whose  are  all  your 
ways ! "  "  Yet  ye  say,  The  way  of  the  Lord 
is  not  equal.  Hear  now,  O  house  of  Israel, 
Is  not  my  way  equal  ?  are  not  your  ways 
unequal  ?  " 

3.  One  reason  of  your  knoivingso  little  of 
your  heaH-sins  is  your  communing  so  little 
with  your  hearts.  You  go  on  in  a  hurry  of 
business,  and  the  state  and  temper  of  your 
heart  is  overlooked ;  and,  being  naturally 
disposed  to  flatter  yourself,  you  imagine  it 
to  be  much  better  than  it  is.  You  may  be 
governed  by  the  love  of  this  world,  yea,  and 
be  very  covetous  ;  so  much  so,  that  all  who 
know  you  may  perceive  it ;  and  yet  you  do 
not  perceive  it  yourself,  but  are  ready  to  be 
offended  with  any  person  who  tells  you  of 
it.  You  think  yourself  as  good  as  your 
neighbors,  and  flatter  yourself  that  your  sin 
is  not  so  very  great.  It  is  true,  say  you,  I 
have  my  failings,  as  all  men  have,  but,  thank 
God,  I  never  was  guilty  of  such  things  as 
many  are.  So  said  the  Pharisee  in  the 
parable,  "  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not 
as  other  men ; "  and  so  said  the  wicked 
priests,  in  the  days  of  Malachi,  "  What 
have  we  spoken  so  much  against  thee  ?  "  O ! 
my  hearers,  commune  with  your  hearts,  and 
you  will  find  them  to  be  very  different  from 
your  present  thoughts  of  them. 

There  is  one  thing  in  particular  which 
perhaps  never  struck  your  attention — your 
total  ivant  of  love  to  God.  This  is  the  sin  of 
your  nature,  and  the  fruitful  parent  of  all 
other  sins.  God  requires  the  whole  heart ; 
as  indeed  he  justly  may,  for  he  is  worthy  of 
it ;  but  you  have  no  heart  to  give  him.  It  is 
pre-occupied,  and  that  with  such  things  as 
are  contrary  to  God.     All  your  actual  sins 


are  but  little,  compared  with  this.  They 
have  been  committed  only  at  different  times ; 
but  this  is  a  tide,  deep  and  large,  that  flows 
without  cessation  or  interruption.  Those 
are  the  fruits ;  but  this  is  the  poisonous  root 
from  which  they  spring.  If  you  loved  God, 
you  could  not  love  the  world,  and  the  things 
of  the  world,  as  you  do.  You  could  not  blas- 
pheme his  name,  neglect  his  worship,  or 
trample  on  his  laws ;  and  all  with  uncon- 
cern. Neither  could  you  feel  towards  your 
neighbor  as  you  do  in  many  instances.  All 
bitterness,  and  wrath,  and  malice,  and  evil 
speaking;  all  envy  towards  them  that  are 
above  you,  and  pride,  oppression,  and  un- 
feeling treatment,  towards  them  that  are  be- 
neath you  ;  all  arise  from  a  want  of  the  love 
of  God :  for  he  that  loveth  God  will  love 
his  brother  also. 

All  unconverted  sinners,  I  believe,  retain 
a  good  opinion  of  their  hearts,  however  they 
may  differ  in  expressing  it,  which  is  evident- 
ly owing  to  their  ignorance  of  its  deceitful- 
ness  and  desperate  wickedness.  Some  make 
no  secret  of  it.  It  is  true,  say  they,  I  now 
and  then  swear,  when  in  a  passion,  and  get 
too  much  liquor  once  in  a  while  ;  but  I  mean 
no  evil :  my  heart  is  good.  Others,  who 
have  been  brought  up  under  evangelical 
preaching,  are  ashamed  of  this  language, 
and  would  despise  the  ignorance  of  the  per- 
son who  should  use  it.  They  will  not  deny 
in  words  that  their  hearts  are  bad  ;  howbeit 
they  mean  not  so.  By  heart  they  understand 
they  know  not  what,  something  distinct  from 
intention,  disposition,  or  desire.  Therefore 
they  are  sometimes  heard  to  say,  It  is  true, 
I  am  not  converted ;  but  I  desire  to  be  so. 
I  cannot  say  I  love  Christ ;  but  I  ivish  I  did. 
This  is  the  same  thing  as  saying,  My  heart 
is  good.  If  I  be  not  a  converted  man,  it  is 
not  my  fault.  I  am  willing  at  any  time,  if 
God  would  but  convert  me. — But  all  this  is 
false  and  delusive.  If  you  were  willing  to 
return  to  God,  by  Jesus  Christ,  there  is 
nothing  in  heaven  or  earth  that  stands  in 
your  way.  The  truth  is,  you  love  your  sins 
too  well  to  part  with  them  for  Christ  or 
heaven ;  and  have  no  desires  after  conver- 
sion for  its  own  sake,  but  merely  as  a  some- 
thing which,  at  times,  you  think  you  could 
submit  to,  rather  than  suffer  eternal  damna- 
tion. Whoever  neglects  to  commune  with 
his  own  heart,  it  is  necessary  for  you,  that 
you  may  know  your  true  character;  of 
which,  with  all  your  advantages,  you  are 
hitherto  totally  ignorant. 

Even  in  the  concerns  of  men  with  men, 
there  is  much  blindness  to  their  own  mo- 
tives, and  deception  in  forming  a  judgment 
of  their  own  conduct,  which  is  owing  to  a 
want  of  looking  into  themselves.  A  thousand 
things  are  defended  by  persons  in  company, 
which,  were  they  to  retire  alone  and  com- 
mune with  their  own  hearts,  they  would  be 
obliged  to  condemn.    In  how  many  instances 


248 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


have  contentions  been  cherished,  and  half  a 
neighborhood  either  brought  in  as  witnesses, 
or  in  some  way  implicated  in  the  contest, 
■which  might  all  have  been  decided  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  if  the  party  had  only  re- 
tired alone,  and  asked  himself  this  question: 
Have  I  done  to  my  neighbor  what  I  should 
have  wished  him,  in  like  circumstances,  to 
have  done  to  me  ? 

4.  There  are  things  on  account  of  which 
you  may  value  yourselves,  and  of  which  you 
may  make  a  righteousness,  that,  if  you  were 
to  retire  alone^  would  be  found  of  a  very  op- 
posite nature.  It  is  possible,  you  may  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  reading  a  chapter  in  the 
Bible  once  a  week,  or  oftener,  in  your  fami- 
ly ;  of  frequenting  public  worship ;  of  giv- 
ing away  something  to  people  who  are  poor- 
er than  yourself;  and  of  shunning  public 
houses  and  riotous  assemblies.  It  is  possi- 
ble, likewise,  that  you  may  consider  this  as 
the  way  to  heaven,  and  hence  lay  your  ac- 
count with  being  happy  in  the  world  to 
come.  But,  if  you  look  into  your  heart,  you 
may  find  that  the  motives  which  have  influ- 
enced you  have  been  such  as  God  can  never 
approve ;  and,  if  so,  instead  of  justifying, 
they  will  serve  only  to  condemn  you.  If 
you  have  read  the  Scriptures,  or  gone  to  a 
place  of  worship,  merely  from  custom,  and 
not  from  any  love  you  had  to  these  things  ; 
if  you  have  relieved  the  poor  out  of  pride, 
rather  than  pure  compassion;  and  if  that 
which  has  preserved  you  from  the  grossest 
vices  has  been  rather  a  regard  to  your  in- 
terest, health,  or  character,  than  any  con- 
cern for  the  honor  of  God;  can  such  things 
be  acceptable  in  his  sight  ? 

But  if  your  motives  were  ever  so  pure, 
and  your  good  deeds  ever  so  many,  yet 
having  broken  the  holy,  just,  and  good  laws 
of  God,  you  cannot  be  justified  by  any 
thing  which  you  can  do.  If  you  commune 
with  your  heart  to  any  good  purpose,  you 
will  never  think  of  being  saved  by  the  works 
of  your  own  hands ;  but  feel  the  necessity 
of  a  Saviour,  and  of  a  great  one.  The  doc- 
trine of  salvation  by  the  death  of  Jesus  will 
be  glad  tidings  to  your  soul.  Finally :  you 
will,  as  you  are  exhorted  in  the  verse  follow- 
ing the  text,  "  offer  the  sacrifices  of  righte- 
ousness, and  put  your  trust  in  the  Lord."  In 
other  words,  with  a  broken  and  a  contrite 
spirit,  you  will  approach  the  God  against 
whom  you  have  sinned  ;  mourn  over  your 
unprovoked  offences,  as  one  mourneth  for 
an  only  son  ;  and  be  in  bitterness  as  one 
that  is  in  bitterness  for  his  first-born :  and 
this  without  thinking  of  either  your  prayers 
or  tears  as  being  any  thing,  or  of  any  ac- 
count; but  placing  all  your  hope  and  help  in 
him  who,  "  when  we  were  without  strength, 
in  due  time  died  for  the  ungodly."  To  him 
be  glory  for  ever !     Amen. 


SERMON  XII. 

ADVICE  TO  THE  DEJECTED  ;  OR  THE  SOUL 
DIRECTED  TO  LOOK  OUT  OF  ITSELF  FOR 
CONSOLATION. 

"  How  long  shall  1  take  counsel  in  my  soul,  hav- 
ing sorrow  in  my  heart  daily  1  " — Psa.  xiii.  2. 

We  have,  in  a  former  discourse,  consider- 
ed the  importance  of  looking  into  our  own 
hearts ;  but  that  counsel  is  not  applicable  in 
all  cases.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  to  pore 
on  our  guilt  and  wretchedness,  to  the  over- 
looking of  our  highest  mercies.  Though  it 
be  proper  to  know  our  own  hearts,  for  the 
purpose  of  conviction,  yet,  if  we  expect  con- 
solation from  this  quarter,  we  shall  find  our- 
selves sadly  disappointed. 

Such,  for  a  time,  appears  to  have  been  the 
case  of  David.  He  seems  to  have  been  in 
great  distress ;  and,  as  is  common  in  such 
cases,  his  thoughts  turned  inward,  casting  in 
his  mind  what  lie  should  do,  and  what  would 
be  the  end  of  things.  While  thus  exercised, 
he  had  "  sorrow  in  his  heart  daily : "  but, 
betaking  himself  to  God  for  relief,  he  suc- 
ceeded ;  trusting  in  his  mercy,  his  heart  re- 
joiced in  his  salvation." 

There  are  many  persons  who,  when  in 
trouble,  imitate  David  in  the  former  part  of 
this  experience :  I  wish  we  may  imitate 
him  in  the  latter.  In  discoursing  on  the 
subject,  I  shall  first  notice  the  disconsolate 
situation  of  the  psalmist,  with  the  remedy  to 
which  he  repaired  under  it ;  and  then  in- 
quire to  what  cases  it  is  applicable  among 
us,  and  whether  the  same  remedy  be  not 
equally  adapted  to  our  relief  as  to  his. 

I.  Let  us  notice  the  disconsolate  sit- 
uation OF  the  psalmist,  with  the  reme- 
dy to  which  he  repaired  under  it.  The 
psalm  is  probably  one  of  those  mournful 
songs  which  he  composed  during  his  perse- 
cution by  Saul ;  but,  like  most  others,  though 
it  begins  in  complaint,  it  ends  in  triumph. 
We  may  be  certain  he  was  pressed  with 
great  difficulties ;  for  we  do  not  take  coun- 
sel with  ourselves  or  others,  but  in  such 
cases.  The  particulars  of  his  situation 
may  be  collected  from  the  different  parts  of 
the  psalm. 

1.  He  teas  sorely  persecuted.  This  was  a 
mysterious  providence.  God  had  anointed 
him  to  the  throne,  and  brought  him  into 
public  life  ;  it  might  have  been  expected, 
therefore,  that  he  would  have  made  his  way 
plain  before  him:  yet,  in  following  what 
must  to  him  manifestly  appear  the  leading 
of  the  divine  guide,  he  brings  upon  himself 
a  flood  of  evils.  Though  nothing  was  fur- 
ther from  his  intention  than  to  use  any 
means  to  dethrone  his  sovereign ;  yet  Saul 
is  jealous,  and  his  dependants  are  stirred  up, 
by  envy  and  malice,  to  compass  the  ruin  of 


ADVICE    TO    THE    DEJECTED. 


349 


the  innocent.  Let  not  those  who  are  can- 
didates for  an  immortal  crown  be  surprised, 
if  their  path  to  glory  be  covered  with  snares 
and  pits  :  it  is  through  much  tribulation  we 
must  enter  the  kingdom. 

2.  The  Lord  seemed  to  prosper  his  perse- 
cutors, and  not  him  :  his  enemy  was  exalted 
over  him.  This  seems  more  mysterious 
still.  Is  the  God  of  Israel  then  a  man,  that 
he  should  lie  ;  or  the  son  of  man,  that  he 
should  repent  ?  Does  he  use  lightness  ? 
Or  the  tilings  which  he  purposes,  does  he 
purpose  according  to  the  flesh ;  that  with 
him  there  should  be  yea,  yea,  and  nay,  nay  ? 
Far  be  it  from  him.  Yet,  if  we  were  to 
judge  by  appearances,  we  might,  at  times, 
be  tempted  to  draw  such  conclusions. 

3.  His  most  intimate  acquaintance  seem  to 
have  forsaken  him.  In  cases  of  difficulty, 
we  usually  advise  with  our  friends,  if  we 
have  any.  If  we  are  driven  to  take  counsel 
with  ourselves,  therefore,  it  may  be  pre- 
sumed that  we  are  bereft  of  that  consolation. 
A  sympathizing,  wise,  and  faithful  friend,  in 
a  time  of  difficulty,  is  a  great  blessing.  In 
times  of  prosperity,  many  will  profess  a  re- 
gard to  us ;  but,  if  persecution  for  Christ's 
sake  should  overtake  us,  we  may  expect 
some  to  stand  aloof,  who  now  court  our  ac- 
quaintance. This  has  been  the  lot  of  men 
of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy ;  and  it 
was  no  small  part  of  their  affliction  that  they 
had  to  suffer  by  themselves.  Let  us  not  com- 
plain of  such  things,  however.  Our  Lord 
himself  was  forsaken  by  lover  and  friend. 
He  took  three  of  his  most  beloved  disciples 
to  accompany  him  in  the  hour  of  his  suffer- 
ings ;  but  they  fell  asleep,  and  left  him  to 
agonize  alone. 

4.  To  these  temporal  distresses  ivere  added 
others  of  a  spiritual  nature  :  the  Lord  hid  his 

face  from  him :  and,  to  him,  it  appeared  as 
though  he  had  forgotten  him.  If  under  his 
outward  troubles  he  could  have  enjoyed  in- 
ward peace  ;  if  he  could  have  poured  out  his 
heart  with  freedom  in  secret ;  if,  though  ban- 
ished from  the  sanctuary,  yet  looking  towards 
that  house,  and  calling  upon  the  Lord,  he 
had  heard  him  from  heaven  his  dwelling- 
place,  his  load  had  been  supportable :  but  to 
have  to  say  with  Job,  "  Behold  I  go  forward, 
but  he  is  not  there  ;  and  backward,  but  I 
cannot  perceive  him:  on  the  left  hand  where 
he  doth  work,  but  I  cannot  behold  him :  he 
hideth  himself  on  the  right  hand,  that  I  can- 
not see  him ! "  This  gives  a  double  weight 
to  the  affliction.  But,  here  also,  we  have  no 
reason  to  complain.  David  has  been  before 
us ;  and,  what  is  more,  David's  Lord.  Je- 
sus was  persecuted  ;  his  enemies  were  exalt- 
ed over  him  ;  his  friends  were  scattered  from 
him  ;  and,  to  fill  up  the  bitter  cup,  his  God 
forsook  him.  This  was  the  sorrow  of  sor- 
rows. He  speaks  as  one  that  could  have 
borne  any  thing  else:  "My  God,  my 
God,  ....  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  " 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  32. 


5.  All  this  was  not  for  a  few  days  only  ; 
but  for  a  long  time.  "  How  long  wilt  thou 
forget  me  ?  How  long  wilt  thou  hide  thy  face 
from  me  ?  How  long  shall  I  take  counsel  in 
my  soul  ?  "  The  intenseness  of  the  affliction 
renders  it  trying  to  our  fortitude  ;  but  it  is 
by  the  continuance  of  it  that  patience  is  put 
to  the  test.  It  is  not  under  the  sharpest,  but 
the  longest  trials,  that  we  are  most  in  danger 
of  fainting.  In  the  former  case,  the  soul 
collects  all  its  strength,  and  feels  in  earnest 
to  call  in  help  from  above  ;  but,  in  the  latter, 
the  mind  relaxes  and  sinks  into  desponden- 
cy. When  Job  was  accosted  with  evil  ti- 
dings, in  quick  succession,  he  bore  it  with 
becoming  fortitude  :  but,  when  he  could  see 
no  end  to  his  troubles,  he  sunk  under  them. 

These  were  some  of  the  particulars  which 
made  up  the  load  of  David ;  and  under 
which  he  is  said  to  have  taken  counsel  in  his 
soid.  The  phrase  seems  to  be  expressive  of 
great  restlessness  of  spirit,  a  poring  over  his 
misery,  a  casting  in  his  mind  what  he  should 
do,  and  what  would  be  the  end  of  these 
things.  Perhaps,  if  we  had  been  secreted 
near  him,  we  should  have  seen  him  walking 
by  himself,  now  looking  upwards,  then  down- 
wards, weeping  as  he  went,  or  sighing  under 
a  load  that  would  not  suffer  him  to  weep  ; 
sometimes  sinking  into  torpid  silence,  and 
sometimes  interrogating  himself  on  his  fu- 
ture conduct: — What  shall  I  do?  Which 
way  shall  I  take  ?  Shall  I  go  backward,  or 
forward  ;  or  shall  I  stand  still  ?  Shall  I  try 
any  other  means  ;  or  shall  I  despair  ? 

From  this  tumult  of  the  mind,  we  are  cer- 
tain he  obtained  relief;  for,  towards  the  close 
of  the  psalm,  he  deals  in  the  language  of 
triumph :  "  I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  be- 
cause he  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  me." 
Nor  are  we  left  to  guess  in  what  manner 
his  soul  was  delivered  from  this  state  of  de- 
jection :  "  I  have  trusted,"  says  he,  "  in  thy 
mercy ;  my  heart  shall  rejoice  in  thy  salva- 
tion." Hence  we  may  gather  that  the  way 
in  which  he  obtained  relief  was  by  ceasing  to 
take  counsel  in  his  sold,  and  by  looking  out  of 
himself,  and  trusting  in  the  mercy  of  God. 

This  remedy  was  competent  to  the  remov- 
al of  all  his  complaints.  What  is  it  that 
mercy,  divine  mercy,  mercy  through  a  Me- 
diator, mercy  connected  with  omnipotence 
and  veracity,  cannot  effect  ?  Was  he  perse- 
cuted1? By  trusting  in  this,  he  would  cease 
to  fear  what  man  could  do  unto  him.  Was 
the  hand  of  Providence  apparently  against 
him  ?  That  might  be,  and  yet  all  in  the  end 
work  together  for  good.  Did  his  friends  for- 
sake him  ?  The  compassion  of  his  best 
friend  would  more  than  make  up  this  loss. 
But  did  he  also  hide  his  face  from  him? 
Still  he  could  do  no  better  than  apply  to 
the  mercy-seat,  and  supplicate  his  return. 
Finally,  was  all  this  complicated  load  of  tri- 
als of  long  continuance  ?  After  waiting  pa- 
tiently for  the  Lord,  he  would  hear   him, 


250 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


would  bring  him  out  of  the  horrible  pit,  set    elements  ;   but  it  is  not  thus  that  we  shall 
his  feet  upon  a  rock,  establish  his  goings,    either  glorify  God   or  gain  relief.     Jesus 

hath  said,  "Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  ; 
ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me." 
From  troubles  of  some  kind  there  is  no  ex- 
emption in  the  present  state  ;  but  it  does  not 
become  the  followers  of  Christ  to  indulge  in 
/teari-troubles  for  little  things  ;  and  such  are 
all  our  worldly  sorrows,  "light  afflictions 
which  are  but  for  a  moment."  The  true 
Christian  life  is,  to  be  inordinately  "  careful 
for  nothing ;  but  in  every  thing,  by  prayer 
and  supplication  with  thanksgiving,  let  our 


and  put  a  new  song  into  his  mouth.     Sucb, 
indeed,  was  the  issue  of  his  present  trials, 
which  is  recorded  for  the  encouragement  of 
others,  who  shall  be  in  like  circumstances. 
II.  Let  us  inquire  to  what  cases  the 

SUBJECT  IS  APPLICABLE  AMONG  US,  AND 
WHETHER  THE  SAME  REMEDY  BE  NOT  EQUAL- 
LY ADAPTED  TO  OUR  RELIEF  AS  TO  THAT  OF 

David.  The  Holy  Spirit  has  drawn  the 
likeness  of  man  in  all  situations,  that  we 
might  find  our  case,  and  learn  instruction. 


If  we  barely  read  the  Scriptures   as  a  de-  requests  be  made  known  unto  God."     It  is 

scription  of  the   concerns   of  persons  who  thus  that  "  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth 

lived  a  long  time  ago,  and  make  no  applica-  all  understanding,  shall  keep  our  hearts  and 

tion  of  them  to  ourselves,  we  shall  miss  the  minds  through  Christ  Jesus."     It  is  by  ceas- 

great  end  for  which   they  were   given  us.  ing  to  take  counsel  in  our  souls,  and  trust- 

The  case  of  the  psalmist  appears  to  me  to  ing  in  God's  mercy,  that  our  sorrow,  like  that 

correspond  with  that  of  three  descriptions  of  of  David,  will  be  turned  into  joy  and  tri- 

people.  umph.     Our  way  may  be  covered  with  dark- 

1.  Persons  ivho  sink  into  despondency  un-  ness,  so  much  so  that  we  cannot  see  where 

der  the  adverse  providences  of  God.     God  has  the  next  step  will  place  us  ;  but  we  have  a 

poured  a  portion  of  sorrow  into  the  cup  of  Leader  who  sees  through  all,  and  who  has 

human  life.     Property,  connections,  friends,  promised  to  guide  us  with  his  eye.     Things 

children,  and  every  other  avenue  of  natural  may  so  work  as  to  confound   our  calcula- 

enjoyment,  become,  atone  time  or  other,  in-  tions  ;  but,  if  all   work  together  for  good, 


lets  to  grief;  and  if,  in  these  seasons  of  ad- 
versity, the  attention  be  turned  inward,  rath- 
er than  directed  to  the  Father  of  mercies,  we 
shall  be  in  danger  of  sinking  under  them. 
We  have  seen  men  who,  under  the  smiles 


this  is  sufficient.  What  are  our  afflictions, 
too,  in  comparison  of  the  glory  that  awaits 
us  ?  Paul  had  his  afflictions,  as  well  as  we, 
far  greater  indeed  than  ours  have  been ;  and 
he  also  took  counsel   under   them ;  but  not 


of  providence,  have  been  cheerful  and  amia-  with  himself:  he  took  into  his  account  the 

ble,  when  disappointments  and  losses  have  hope  that  was  set  before  him :   "  I  reckon," 

overtaken  them,  sink  into  sullen  dejection,  says  he,  "  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present 

and  never  more  lift  up  their  heads.     In  some  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the 

instances,  it  has  issued  in  suicide.     It  is  a  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us."     It  is 

dangerous  thing  to  take  counsel  in  our  souls,  while  we  thus  "  look  not  at  the  things  which 

to  the  neglect  of  the  counsel  of  God.     We  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not 

have  seen  others  wretched  beyond  expres-  seen,"  that  our  "  afflictions  "  appear  "  light  " 

sion,  owing  to  unhappy  connections.     In  the  and  "  momentary,"   and  "  work  for  us  a  far 

formation  of  them,  religion  has  been  over-  more    exceeding    and    eternal    weight    of 

looked,  and  even  genuine  affection,  for  the  glory." 

sake  of  advantages  of  a  worldly  nature.  The  2.  The  case  of  the  psalmist  corresponds 
consequence  has  been,  on  the  one  side,  neg-  with  that  of  persons  ivho,  at  the  oidset  of  their 
lect,  dislike,  strife,  cruelty,  and  infidelity  ;  religious  concern,  are  encompassed  with  dark- 
en the  other,  disappointment,  jealousy,  una-  ness  and  long-continued  dejection.  There 
vailing  reflection,  a  broken  spirit,  a  fixed  are  some  who  are  no  sooner  brought  to  en- 
melancholy,  and  every  thing  but  absolute  tertain  a  just  sense  of  the  nature  and  demer- 
despair.  Oh,  with  what  desire  could  I  draw  its  of  sin  than  they  are  led  to  embrace  the 
off  the  attention  of  such  broken  hearts  from  gospel-way  of  salvation,  and  find  rest  to  their 
things  below  to  things  above ;  from  taking  souls  :  but  it  is  not  so  with  all.  Some  are 
counsel  in  their  souls,  to  trusting  in  the  mer-  known  to  continue,  for  a  long  time,  in  a 
cy  of  God,  in  Christ  Jesus !  Many  a  wound-  state  of  dark  suspense.  They  have  too  deep 
ed  spirit  has,  by  this  means,  been  healed,  and  a  sense  of  sin  to  be  able  to  enjoy  the  pleas- 
rendered  happy  for  life  ;  besides  being  pre-  ures  of  this  world  ;  and  are  too  much  in  the 
vented  from  plunging,  in  the  agony  of  des-  dark  concerning  its  forgiveness  to  be  able  to 
peration,  into  the  gulf  of  eternal  ruin.  imbibe  the  joys  of  another.  Hence  their 
We  have  seen  even  religious  characters  days  are  spent  in  solitude  and  dejection : 
inordinately  depressed  with  troubles.  The  they  search  for  peace,  but  it  is  far  from  them : 
loss  of  some  darling  object,  the  confounding  they  take  counsel  in  their  sold,  and  have  sor- 
of  some  favorite  scheme,  or  the  rising  of  row  in  their  hearts  daily. 
some  apparently  insurmountable  difficulty,  Various  things  contribute  to  promote  this 
has  overwhelmed  the  heart.  In  such  circum-  state  of  mind.  In  some  it  may  be  owing  to 
stances  the  mind  is  apt  to  nurse  its  melan-  circumstances  ivithout  them.  Perhaps,  like 
choly,  trying  to  live,  as  it  were,  on  dying  David,  they  had  no  friend  to  whom  they 


ADVICE    TO    THE    DEJECTED. 


251 


could  open  their  minds  ;  or,  if  they  had,  it 
might  have  been  to  persons  who  were  either 
total  strangers  to  these  things,  or  who  were 
unskilful  in  the  word  of  righteousness.  Such 
also  may  have  been  the  kind  of  preaching 
they  have  heard  that  nothing  suitable  to  their 
case  has  been  ordinarily,  if  ever,  delivered. 
If  the  preacher  be  of  such  a  description  as  to 
content  himself  with  moral  harangues  ;  if, 
instead  of  exhibiting  the  Saviour  of  sinners, 
he  have  nothing  to  say  to  a  wounded  spirit, 
unless  it  be  to  advise  him  to  forsake  his  vices, 
and  be  better  ;  or  if  his  object  be  rather  to 
improve  the  manners  of  men,  and  render 
them  decent  members  of  society,  than  to  re- 
new their  hearts  ;  the  tendency  of  his  preach- 
ing will  be  either  to  establish  the  hearer  in 
Pharisaical  presumption  or  sink  him  into 
despondency. 

Or,  should  the  preacher  be  of  another  de- 
scription— should  he  hold  forth  a  kind  of  Ma- 
hometan predestination,  be  averse  from  the 
free  invitations  of  the  gospel  to  sinners  as 
sinners,  and  employ  himself  in  persuading 
his  hearers  that  no  one  has  any  warrant  to 
come  to  Jesus  for  eternal  life  but  the  regen- 
erate— the  effects  will  be  much  the  same. 
The  awakened  sinner  will  either  take  up  with 
some  enthusiastic  impression,  imagine  him- 
self a  favorite  of  heaven,  trusting  that  he  is 
righteous,  and  despising  others ;  or,  having 
no  consciousness  that  he  is  regenerate,  be 
deterred  from  approaching  the  Saviour,  and 
so  sink  into  despondency. 

Could  I  gain  access  to  such  a  character,  I 
would  proclaim  in  his  ear  the  mercy  of  God 
to  sinners,  the  all-sufficiency  and  willingness 
of  Jesus  to  save  all  who  are  willing  to  be 
saved  by  him  and  the  free  invitations  of  the 
gospel,  as  a  sufficient  warrant  for  him,  or 
any  other  sinner,  to  trust  his  immortal  in- 
terests in  his  hands.  O  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden,  come  to  Jesus,  "  and  ye 
shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls !  "  Do  not 
dream  of  first  ascertaining  your  election,  or 
regeneration,  and  of  approaching  the  Sa- 
viour as  a  favorite  of  heaven  ;  it  is  only  by 
believing  in  him,  as  a  perishing  sinner,  that 
you  can  obtain  an  evidence  of  these  things. 
It  is  by  the  gospel  coming  to  us,  not  in 
■word  only,  but  in  power,  that  our  election  of 
God  is  known,  and  our  regeneration  ascer- 
tained. 

In  others,  such  dejection  may  be  owing 
to  something  ivithin  them.  It  may  arise 
from  a  kind  of  propensity  to  think  on  things 
which  are  against  them,  rather  than  on  those 
which  are  in  their  favor ;  viewing  only  the 
dark  side  of  the  cloud  ;  dwelling  on  the 
magnitude  of  their  guilt,  their  unworthiness 
of  mercy,  and  the  little  success  they  have 
had  in  praying  and  striving  to  enter  in. 
This  propensity  is  often  fed  by  an  idea  that 
it  would  be  presumption,  in  such  sinners  as 
they  are,  to  admit  the  consolation  of  the 
gospel ;  and  that  it  is  abundantly  more  be- 


coming them  to  stand  aloof  in  darkness  and 
misery.  But  this  is  not  Christian  humility. 
It  is  a  spurious  kind  of  modesty,  the  princi- 
ple of  which  is  nearly  akin  to  that  voluntary 
humility  and  self-denial  that  induces  men  to 
abstain  from  that  which  God  hath  created  to 
be  received  with  thanksgiving.  Notwith- 
standing the  modest  and  humble  appearance 
which  these  objections  assume,  they  will  be 
found  to  be  no  better  than  a  species  of  self- 
righteous  pride,  opposedrito  the  humiliating 
gospel  of  Christ.  When  you  object,  for  in- 
stance, that  you  are  unworthy  of  such  great 
and  unspeakable  blessings  as  the  gospel  re- 
veals, and,  therefore,  that  it  would  be  pre- 
sumption in  you  to  accept  of  them  ;  what  is 
this  but  saying  that,  before  you  can  have  any 
warrant  to  receive  these  blessings,  you  must 
be  worthy  of  them,  at  least  somewhat  more 
so  than  you  are  at  present?  And,  probably, 
you  hope  in  time  to  become  so.  But  this  is 
the  very  essence  of  self-righteousness,  and 
directly  opposite  to  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
Christ  came  into  the  world  to  seek  and  save 
them  that  are  lost.  He  came  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners,  even  the  chief  of  sinners. 
He  has  no  mercy  to  bestow  on  sinners,  but 
as  undeserving.  If  any  man  think  himself 
deserving  of  his  grace,  his  answer  is,  "  I 
came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners 
to  repentance."  The  very  meaning  of  the 
word  grace,  of  which  the  Scriptures  speak 
so  largely,  is  free  favor  to  the  unwor- 
thy: unworthiness,  therefore,  can  be  no 
ground  of  objection.  If  there  be  any  bar  in 
your  way,  it  is  your  conceit  of  some  kind  of 
worthiness  being  necessary  to  recommend 
you  to  the  grace  of  the  Saviour :  and  take 
heed  lest  you  perish  under  this  delusion, 
after  the  example  of  apostate  Israel,  "  who 
followed  after  the  law  of  righteousness,  but 
never  attained  it :  and  wherefore  ?  Because 
they  sought  it  not  by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by 
the  works  of  the  law  :  for  they  stumble  at  that 
stumbling-stone." 

If  such  should  not  be  the  end  of  things 
with  you,  yet,  to  say  the  least,  so  long  as 
this  self-righteous  spirit  possesses  you,  you 
will  be  a  miserable  creature,  and  never  be 
able  to  find  rest  unto  your  soul :  and  it  cer- 
tainly behoves  you  to  take  heed  lest  this 
should  not  be  the  worst.  The  question  is 
not  whether  the  blessings  of  pardon,  justifi- 
cation, and  eternal  life,  be  too  great  for  our 
deserts.  Are  they  beyond  our  wants  ?  Can 
we  do  with  less  ?  If  they  are  not  too  great 
for  our  necessities,  nor  too  great  for  the 
ever-blessed  God,  through  the  mediation  of 
his  Son,  to  bestow,  who  are  we  that  we 
should  hesitate  to  accept  of  them  ?  If  he 
present  to  us  the  cup  of  salvation,  shall  we 
not  drink  it?  True  humility,  instead  of 
making  objections,  would  answer,  "Be  it 
unto  thy  servant  according  to  thy  word." 

We  are  assured,  by  him  that  cannot  lie, 
that  if  we  "  inquire  for  the  good  old  way," 


252 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


the  way  in  which  all  the  faithful  have  gone 
from  age  to  age,  "  and  walk  in  it,  we  shall 
find  rest  unto  our  souls."  We  know,  also, 
who  it  was  that  applied  the  walking  in  this 
good  old  ivay  to  faith  in  his  name,  obedience 
to  his  authority,  and  conformity  to  his  ex- 
ample ;  saying,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  wdl  give 
you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and 
learn  of  me  ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart,  and  you  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 
For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light." 
Hence  we  may  certainly  conclude  that,  if  we 
do  not  find  rest  unto  our  souls,  it  must  be 
owing  to  our  not  coming  to  him  as  a  Saviour, 
or  not  yielding  to  his  authority  as  a  king,  or 
not  learning  to  copy  after  his  example  :  and, 
if  we  comply  not  with  the  first,  in  vain  do 
we  flatter  ourselves  with  conformity  to  the 
last.  We  shall  never  "  work  the  works  of 
God,"  till  we  "  believe  in  him  whom  he  hath 
sent." 

An  unwillingness  to  he  saved,  ruled,  and 
modelled  according  to  the  mind  of  Christ,  is 
generally  the  last  thing  of  which  sinners 
are  apt  to  suspect  themselves.  They  think 
they  are  willing  and  even  desirous  to  be 
saved  in  his  way,  and  to  become  his  people  ; 
and  that  the  only  question  is,  whether  Christ 
be  willing  to  save  them :  whereas  all  such 
thoughts  are  founded  in  error.  "We  are 
not  straitened  in  him,  but  in  our  own  bowels." 
If  we  can  so  believe  in  him  as  to  relinquish 
every  false  system  of  religion,  and  every 
false  ground  of  hope,  falling  into  the  arms  of 
free  mercy,  as  the  chief  of  sinners  ;  and  if  we 
can  so  yield  ourselves  up  to  him  as  to  be 
willing  to  have  our  ear  bored  as  it  were  to 
the  door-posts  of  his  house,  and  to  serve  him 
forever,  there  is  no  obstruction  in  heaven  or 
in  earth  to  our  salvation. 

O  disconsolate  and  desponding  sinner! 
Thou  hast  been  reading,  thinking,  hearing, 
praying,  striving,  and  yet  thou  art  never  the 
nearer;  no  peace,  no  rest  to  thy  soul,  nor 
ascendancy  over  thy  sins.  Like  the  beast 
in  the  mire,  all  thy  striving  serves  but  to 
sink  thee  deeper.  Let  me  ask  thee  a  few 
questions :  Understandest  thou  what  thou 
readest?  The  disciples  were  as  dark  and 
as  sorrowful  as  thou  art  till  they  understood 
the  Scriptures.  Do  thy  thoughts  accord  with 
God's  thoughts  as  they  are  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures  ?  God's  thoughts  are  as  much 
above  those  of  man  as  the  heavens  are  high- 
er than  the  earth.  Let  me  entreat  thee  par- 
ticularly to  consider  whether  thy  prayers 
have  been  offered  up  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  or 
with  an  eye  to  his  mediation?  Perhaps 
hitherto  thou  hast  "  asked  nothing  in  his 
name  ;  ask,  and  thou  shalt  receive,  that  thy 
joy  may  be  full."  Remember  this,  too,  it  is 
he  himself  who  invites  thee  to  do  so.  "  The 
captive  exile  hasteneth  that  he  may  be  loosed, 
and  that  he  should  not  die  in  the  pit : " 
follow  his  example.    Here,  in  the  gospel  of 


free  grace,  in  exchange  for  thy  horrible 
situation,  is  a  rock  for  thy  feet,  and  a  neiv 
song  for  thy  mouth.  It  is  in  vain  for  thee 
to  think  of  overcoming  thy  sins,  any  more 
than  of  obtaining  forgiveness  in  any  other 
way.  "  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the 
world,  but  he  that  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the 
Son  of  God  ?  "  Cease  then  from  taking 
counsel  in  thy  soul,  trust  in  the  mercy  of 
God  through  a  Mediator,  and  thy  heart  shall 
rejoice  in  his  salvation. 

3.  The  case  of  the  psalmist  is  applicable 
to  persons  who  during  the  greater  part  of  their 
religious  profession  live  under  habitual  fear 
lest  they  should  not  at  last  prove  real  Chris- 
tians. This  description  of  professing  Chris- 
tians, of  which  there  is  a  considerable  num- 
ber among  us,  seems  to  have  been  scarcely 
known  in  the  primitive  ages.  In  those  times 
they  appear  to  have  been  generally  conscious 
of  being  what  they  professed  to  be — believ- 
ers in  the  Son  of  God ;  and,  knowing  that 
such  had  the  promise  of  eternal  life,  they  did 
not  ordinarily  doubt  upon  the  subject.  It 
was  possible,  hoAvever,  at  that  time  as  well 
as  this,  for  the  mind  to  be  in  doubt  of  its  own 
sincerity.  They  had  hypocrites  and  self-de- 
ceivers as  well  as  we  ;  hence,  in  describing 
the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  the  sacred  writer 
speaks  of  "faith  unfeigned,"  and  of  "love 
without  dissimulation."  And,  as  the  de- 
nouncing of  a  hypocrite  among  the  apostles 
caused  each  one  to  inquire,  "  Lord,  is  it  I  ?  " 
so,  doubtless,  the  most  upright  character 
would  be  subject  to  occasional  fears,  lest  he 
should  be  found  deceiving  his  own  soul. 
This  seems  to  be  the  kind  of  fear  which  the 
apostle  describes  as  cast  out  by  perfect  love : 
and,  as  the  love  of  the  primitive  Christiana 
greatly  abounded,  their  fears  and  doubts  with 
regard  to  their  own  sincerity  were  conse- 
quently but  few. 

One  great  cause,  I  apprehend,  of  the  pre- 
valence of  such  fears  in  sincere  people  of 
the  present  age  is  the  great  degree  in  which 
the  attention  is  turned  inward,  and  the  small 
degree  in  which  it  is  directed  to  the  things 
of  God  as  revealed  in  the  Scriptures  ;  or,  to 
use  the  language  of  the  text,  the  taking 
counsel  in  their  souls.  , 

I  do  not  mean  to  discourage  all  remem- 
brance of  past  experiences.  The  members 
of  the  church  at  Sardis  are  admonished  to 
remember  "  how  they  had  received  and 
heard  ;"  and  David,  under  great  dejection  of 
mind,  resolved  to  "  remember  the  Lord  from 
the  land  of  Jordan,  and  of  the  Hermonites 
from  the  hill  Mizar."  Much  less  do  I  mean 
to  countenance  the  notions  of  such  writers 
and  preachers  as  cry  down  all  evidences  of 
grace,  all  marks  and  signs  of  internal  Chris- 
tianity taken  from  the  work  of  sanctification 
in  the  soul.  Far  be  this  from  me.  I  am 
persuaded  that,  for  any  man  to  reject  evi- 
dences of  personal  religion  drawn  from  this 
quarter,  he  must  fall  very  little  short  of  re- 


ADVICE    TO    THE    DEJECTED. 


253 


jecting  his  Bible.*  But,  though  sanctifica- 
tion  is  the  evidence  of  an  interest  in  spirit- 
ual blessings,  yet  it  is  not  so  much  by  re- 
membering our  past  religious  experience 
that  we  shall  obtain  satisfaction  as  by  renew- 
ed exercises  of  grace.  The  apostle  in  the 
forecited  passages,  when  describing  the 
means  by  which  we  are  to  come  at  the  know- 
ledge of  our  personal  religion,  makes  no 
mention  of  things  past,  but  of  things  present, 
of  which  the  mind  is  supposed  to  be  con- 
scious at  the  time.  "Hereby,"  saith  he, 
"  we  do  know  that  we  know  him,  if  we  keep 
his  commandments." — "Whoso  keepeth  his 
word,  in  him  verily  is  the  love  of  God  per- 
fected :  hereby  know  we  that  we  are  in 
him." — "  We  know  that  we  have  passed 
from  death  unto  life,"  not  because  we  have 
loved,  but  "  because  we  love  the  brethren." 
And,  if  satisfaction  be  attainable  only 
by  the  renewed  exercises  of  grace,  our 
object  is  to  ascertain  the  method  best  adapt- 
ed to  promote  such  exercises,  which  I  am 
persuaded  will  be  found  to  be  a  looking  out 
of  ourselves  to  the  truths  and  consolations 
revealed  in  the  Scriptures. 

To  attempt  to  ascertain  the  reality  of  our 
religion  by  a  remembrance  of  past  experi- 
ences of  grace  is  attempting  what  in  most 
cases  must  needs  be,  to  say  the  least,  ex- 
tremely difficult,  and,  if  accomplished,  would 
be  of  no  use.  The  mind  is  not  formed  for 
such  a  remembrance  of  its  own  ideas  and 
sensations  as  this  would  require.  It  is  true 
those  impressions  which  are  singularly  strik- 
ing will  often  be  remembered  at  a  distant 
period,  but  not  in  that  clear  and  lively  man- 
ner in  which  they  are  felt  at  the  time.  It  is 
only  a  general  recollection  of  things  that  is 
ordinarily  retained:  to  be  employed,  there- 
fore, in  raking  over  our  past  feelings,  in  or- 
der to  discover  whether  we  be  real  Chris- 
tians, is  almost  a  hopeless  undertaking.  If 
it  were  otherwise,  and  we  could  clearly  gain 
the  object  of  our  research,  still  it  has  no  ten- 
dency to  glorify  God.  The  way  to  glorify 
him  is  to  "  bring  forth  much  fruit,"  and  not 
merely  to  remember  that  we  did  bring  forth 
fruit  some  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago. 
Those  examples  which  the  Scriptures  afford 
of  persons  recurring  to  past  experiences 
were  not  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
their  own  sincerity,  but  for  the  regaining  of 
those  sensations  which  at  former  periods 
they  had  possessed.  The  reason  why  the 
churches  of  Ephesus  and  Sardis  were  ad- 
monished to  remember  their  first  love  was 
that  they  might  recover  it;  and  the  object 
of  David,  in  his  recollection  of  past  times, 
was  not  so  much  that  he  might  determine 
what  was  the  nature  of  his  experiences  at 
those  times  as  that  he  might  regain  his  con- 
fidence in  God.     "  I  will  remember  thee," 

*  See  especially  1  John  ii.  3,  5:  iii.  14,  18— 
21,  24. 


saith  he,  "  from  the  land  of  Jordan,  and  of 
the  Hermonites  from  the  hill  Mizar."  God 
was  the  object  he  sought ;  and  the  remem- 
brance of  what  he  had  formerly  experienced 
of  his  goodness  and  faithfulness  was  the 
means  he  used  to  find  him.  Allowing, 
therefore,  that  the  remembrance  of  past  sen- 
sations may  afford  us  satisfaction  as  to  the 
reality  of  our  personal  religion,  yet  it  is  no 
otherwise  than  as  reviving  those  sensations, 
by  which  they  become  renewed  exercises  of 
grace.  If  we  can  recollect  those  things 
which  at  a  former  period  endeared  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  religion  to  us,  and  so 
recover  our  affection  towards  them,  such  a 
recollection  will  be  profitable,  and  serve  to 
strengthen  our  evidences  of  interest  in  them. 
But  if  we  think  of  gaining  satisfaction  on 
this  subject  by  a  mere  remembrance  of  past 
affections,  without  any  consciousness  of 
present  ones,  we  shall  be  disappointed,  or, 
which  is  worse,  if  we  imagine  that  we  have 
gained  our  object,  it  will  prove  in  the  end 
that  "a  deceived  heart  hath  turned  us 
aside." 

If  we  would  wish  to  discover  Avhether  there 
were  any  particles  of  steel  in  a  large  quanti- 
ty of  rubbish,  it  would  not  be  the  wisest  way 
to  search  for  them,  and,  especially  in  the 
dark,  but  to  hold  a  large  and  efficacious  mag- 
net over  it.  And  this,  if  it  be  there,  is  the 
way  to  discover  true  religion  in  our  souls. 
The  truths  and  promises  of  God  are  to  a 
principle  of  religion  in  the  mind  that  which 
the  magnet  is  to  the  steel ;  if  there  be  any 
in  us,  the  proper  exhibition  of  the  gospel  will 
ordinarily  draw  it  forth. 

If  it  be  a  matter  of  doubt  with  you  wheth- 
er you  be  truly  converted,  far  be  it  from  me 
to  endeavor  to  persuade  you  that  you  are  so. 
Your  doubts  may  be  well-founded,  for  aught 
I  can  tell :  and,  supposing  they  should  be 
so,  the  door  of  mercy  is  still  open.  If  you 
have  obtained  mercy,  the  same  way  is  open 
for  your  obtaining  it  again  :  and,  if  not,  there 
is  no  reason  why  you  should  not  obtain  it 
now.  The  consolations  I  have  to  recom- 
mend are  addressed  to  you,  not  as  convert- 
ed, nor  as  unconverted  ;  not  as  elect,  nor  as 
non-elect,  but  as  sinners :  and  this  charac- 
ter, I  suppose,  you  have  no  doubt  of  sustain- 
ing. All  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  are 
freely  presented  for  acceptance  to  sinners. 
Sinners,  whatever  may  have  been  their  char- 
acter, have  a  complete  warrant  to  receive 
them ;  yea,  it  is  their  duty  to  do  so,  and 
their  great  sin  if  they  do  not.  Nothing  but 
ignorance,  unbelief,  self-righteous  pride,  or 
some  such  evil  state  of  mind,  prevents  it. 
The  gospel-supper  is  provided ;  all  things 
are  ready  ;  and  the  king's  servants  are  com- 
missioned to  persuade,  and,  as  it  were,  com- 
pel them  to  come  in.  If  you  accept  this  in- 
vitation, all  are  yours.  I  ask  not  whether 
you  be  willing  to  be  saved  in  God's  way, 
in  order  to  determine  your  right  to  accept 


254 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


spiritual  blessings — the  message  sent  you 
in  the  gospel  determines  this — but  in  order 
to  ascertain  your  interest  in  them.  If  you 
cordially  believe  the  gospel,  you  have  the 
promise  of  eternal  life.  If  its  blessings  suit 
your  desires,  they  are  all  your  own.  If,  for 
example,  it  does  not  offend  you,  but  accords 
with  your  very  heart,  to  sue  for  mercy  as 
the  chief  of  sinners  ;  if  you  be  willing  to 
occupy  that  place  which  the  gospel  assigns 
you,  which  is  the  dust ;  and  to  ascribe  to  Je- 
sus that  which  God  has  assigned  to  him, 
"power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing  ; "  if  you 
can  unreluctantly  give  up  all  claim  to  life 
on  the  footing  of  your  own  worthiness,  and 
desire  nothing  so  much  as  to  be  found  in 
Christ,  not  having  your  own  righteousness  ; 
if  the  salvation  you  seek  be  a  deliverance 
from  the  dominion  of  sin,  as  well  as  from 
its  damning  power  ;  finally,  if  the  heaven 
you  desire  be  that  which  the  Scriptures  re- 
veal, a  state  of  pure  and  holy  enjoyment, 
there  can  be  no  just  cause  to  doubt  of  your 
interest  in  these  things.  To  imagine  that 
you  believe  all  that  God  has  revealed  con- 
cerning his  Son,  and  that  "  with  all  your 
heart,  receiving  the  love  of  the  truth  that 
you  may  be  saved,"  and  yet  that  some- 
thing else  is  wanting  to  denominate  you  be- 
lievers, is  to  imagine  that  believing  is  not 
believing. 

Read  the  holy  Scriptures,  pray  to  the 
Fountain  of  light  for  understanding,  attend 
the  preaching  of  the  word  ;  and  all  this  not 
with  the  hnmediate  view  of  determining 
what  you  are,  but  what  Christ  is :  and,  if  you 
find  in  him  that  in  which  your  whole  soul 
acquiesces,  this,  without  your  searching  af- 
ter it,  will  determine  the  question  as  to  your 
personal  interest  in  him. 

SERMON  XIII. 

THE  PRAYER  OF   FAITH,  EXEMPLIFIED  IN 

THE  WOMAN  OF  CANAAN. 

"  Then  Jesus  went  thence,  and  departed  into 
the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  And  behold  a 
woman  of  Canaan  came  out  of  the  same  coasts, 
and  cried  unto  him,  saying,  Have  mercy  on  me, 
O  Lord,  thou  Son  of  David;  my  daughter  is  griev- 
ously vexed  with  a  devil.  But  he  answered  her 
not  a  word.  And  his  disciples  came  and  besought 
him,  saying,  Send  her  away  ;  for  she  crieth  after 
us.  But  he  answered  and  said,  I  am  not  sent  but 
unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  Then 
came  she  and  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord,  help 
me  !  But  he  answered  and  said,  It  is  not  meet  to 
take  the  children's  bread,  and  to  cast  it  to  dogs. 
And  she  said,  Truth,  Lord  ;  yet  the  dogs  eat  of 
the  crumbs  which  fall  from  their  master's  table. 
Then  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  O  wo- 
man !  great  is  thy  faith  ;  be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt.  And  her  daughter  was  made  whole 
from  that  very  hour." — Matt.  xv.  21 — 28. 

When  John  the  Baptist  sent  a  message 
to  Jesus,  saying,  "  Art  thou  he  that  should 


come,  or  do  we  look  for  another,"  Jesus 
gave  an  indirect  answer,  an  answer  contain- 
ing a  reproof.  Whether  John  himself,  re- 
taining like  the  apostles  the  notion  of  a  tem- 
poral kingdom,  and  therefore  expecting  on 
his  being  put  in  prison  that  a  great  revolu- 
tion would  follow  in  favor  of  the  Messiah, 
and  hearing  of  nothing  but  companies  of  poor 
people  repairing  to  him  to  be  healed  of  their 
infirmities,  began  to  hesitate  whether  he 
might  not  have  been  mistaken  ;  or  whether 
he  only  personated  some  of  his  disciples ; 
somebody  appears  to  have  been  stumbled  at 
the  simplicity  of  Christ's  appearance.  Hence 
the  indirect  answer-  of  Jesus  :  "  Go  and 
show  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do 
hear  and  see  :  the  blind  receive  their  sight, 
and  the  lame  walk  ;  the  lepers  are  cleans- 
ed, and  the  deaf  hear  ;  the  dead  are  raised 
up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to 
them. — And  blessed  is  he  whosoever  shall 
not  be  offended  in  me."  To  be  encompass- 
ed by  crowds  of  afflicted  people  supplicat- 
ing for  mercy,  and  employed  in  relieving 
them,  was  sustaining  a  character,  though  far 
from  what  the  world  calls  splendid,  yet 
truly  great,  and  worthy  of  the  Messiah. 
The  short  account  of  this  poor  woman  is 
more  profitable  to  be  read  than  a  long  and 
minute  history  of  military  exploits. 

In  endeavoring  to  improve  this  brief  story, 
we  will  notice  who  the  petitioner  was — 
what  was  her  errand — and  the  repeated  ap- 
plications which  were  made,  with  the  repeat- 
ed repulses,  but  ultimate  success,  that  she 
met  with. 

I.  Let  us  observe  who  the  petitioner 
was.  She  is  said  to  be  "a  woman  of 
Canaan."  Mark  says  she  was  "  a  Greek;" 
but  the  term,  in  this  and  some  other  con- 
nections, seems  to  denote  only  that  she  was 
a  Gentile,  and  not  that  she  came  from  the 
country  called  Greece ;  for,  in  the  same 
passage,  she  is  said  to  have  been  "  a  Syro- 
phenician  by  nation." 

She  was  a  Gentile  ;  one  of  the  first-fruits 
of  that  harvest  of  Gentiles  that  was  shortly 
to  be  gathered  in.  Our  Lord,  though  he 
was  sent,  as  he  said,  "  to  the  lost  sheep  of 
the  house  of  Israel,"  yet  extended  his  mercy 
to  individuals  of  other  nations:  and  it  is 
worthy  of  notice  that  those  few  who  were 
gathered  at  this  early  period  are  highly 
commended  for  the  eminence  of  their  faith. 
Like  the  first-fruits  of  the  earth,  they  were 
the  best.  It  might  still  be  said,  on  a  review 
of  tilings  among  us,  that  such  faith  as  that 
of  the  woman  of  Canaan  and  the  Roman 
centurion  is  rarely  to  be  found  in  Israel. 

Farther :  She  was  not  only  a  Gentile,  but 
one  of  those  Gentiles  who  were  under  a 
peculiar  curse.  She  appears  to  have  been 
one  of  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Ca- 
naanites  ;  many  of  whom,  when  driven  from 
their  own  country,  settled  on  the  coasts  of 
Tyre  and  Sidon.    We  know   the  curse  to 


THE    PRAYER    OF    FAITH. 


257 


which  that  people  were  devoted,  even  from 
the  days  of  their  ancestor  Canaan,  the  son 
of  Ham.  We  know  also  that  Joshua  was 
commanded  not  to  spare  them,  and  that 
Israel  was  forbidden  to  make  leagues  with 
them.  This  curse,  however,  'came  upon 
them  for  their  being  an  exceedingly  wicked 
people.  The  abominations  of  which  they 
were  guilty,  and  which  were  nursed  by  their 
idolatry  as  by  a  parent  sin,  are  given  as  the 
reason  why  the  land  vomited  out  its  inhab- 
itants, and  why  Israel  must  form  no  alliances 
with  them,  lest  they  should  learn  their  ways. 
There  was  no  time  in  which  the  God  of 
Israel  refused  even  a  Canaanite  who  repent- 
ed and  embraced  his  word.  Of  this,  Rahab 
the  harlot,  Uriah  the  Hittite,  Oman  the 
Jebusite,  and  others,  were  examples.  The 
door  of  mercy  has  ever  been  open  to  faith : 
and  though  it  seemed,  in  this  instance,  to  be 
shut,  it  was  only  to  prove  the  party,  and  to 
induce  her  to  plead  with  greater  importu- 
nity. 

II.  Let  us  notice  her  errand.  It  was 
not  her  own  case,  but  a  case  which  she  had 
made  her  own  ;  that  of  her  young  daughter. 
She  pleaded  it,  however,  as  if  it  were  her 
own — "  Have  mercy  on  me  .'  Lord  help  me ! 
From  this  part  of  the  subject  we  may  learn 

1.  That,  in  our  approaches  to  Christ,  it 
becomes  us  to  go  not  for  ourselves  only,  but 

for  others  around  us,  and  to  make  their  cases 
ours.  He  to  whom  the  application  was 
made  could  not  but  approve  of  this  princi- 
ple ;  for  it  was  that  on  which  he  himself  was 
acting  at  the  time.  He  took  the  cause  of 
perishing  sinners,  and  made  it  his  own. 
"He  bore  our  griefs,  and  carried  our  sor- 
rows." A  spirit  of  sympathy  is  the  very 
spirit  of  Christ,  which  they  that  are  joined 
to  him  must  needs  possess. 

2.  That  it  behoves  us,  more  especially,  to 
carry  the  cases  of  our  children  to  the  Lord, 
and  to  make  them  our  own.  It  may  be,  they 
are  too  young  to  understand  or  feel  their 
own  malady,  or  to  know  where  help  is  to  be 
had ;  in  this  case,  surely,  it  is  our  proper 
business  to  personate  them  before  the  Lord  : 
or,  it  may  be,  their  minds  are  blinded,  and 
their  hearts  hardened  by  the  deceitfulness 
of  sin,  so  as  to  have  no  desire  to  pray  for 
themselves ;  and  then  we  can  do  no  less 
than  carry  their  case  to  him  who  alone  is 
able  to  help.  What  less,  and  in  many 
instances  what  more,  can  an  afflicted  parent 
do  for  an  ungodly  child  ?  It  is  true  we  have 
no  ground  to  expect  the  salvation  of  our 
children,  while  they  continue  hardened  ;  but 
Jesus  is  "  exalted  to  give  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  ; "  and,  while  we  present 
our  supplication  in  a  way  of  submission  to 
his  will,  he  will  not  be  offended  with  us.  It 
was  the  practice  of  holy  Job  to  offer  sacrifi- 
ces for  his  children  ;  and  it  seems  to  be  a 
part  of  God's  plan  frequently  to  bless  the 
children  at  the  intercession  of  the  parent, 


■ir  a  stran- 
«*g  ?nd,  as 

^o       £  &  *    • 


and  thus  to  expr 
thing  which  thej 
Lord  give   mere} 
phorus,"  said  Pain 
and  was  not  ashan 
III.  Let  us  renin, 

CATIONS,    THE      RE1 

THE    ULTIMATE    SUt  a 

the    whole.     Her^  -„»ver  than 

four  applications  ;  thr  „i  which  were  made 
by  the  woman  herself,  and  one  by  the  disci- 
ples, on  her  behalf.  Three  out  of  the  four 
failed ;  but  the  fourth  succeeded.  Let  us 
examine  them,  and  the  success  they  met 
with,  distinctly. 

The  first  was  made  by  the  woman,  and  is 
described  as  follows: — "She  cried  unto  him, 
saying,  Have  mercy  on  me,  O  Lord,  thou 
son  of  David ;  my  daughter  is  griev- 
ously vexed  with  a  devil."  We  might  re- 
mark the  brevity,  the  fulness,  and  the  ear- 
nestness of  this  petition  ;  but  there  is  one 
thing  which  our  Lord  himself  afterwards 
noticed,  and  which  therefore  is  particularly 
deserving  of  our  attention :  it  was  the  pray- 
er of  faith.  She  believed,  and  confessed  him 
to  be  the  Messiah.  Her  addressing  him 
under  the  character  of  "  Lord,"  and  as  "  the 
son  of  David,"  amounted  to  this.  It  was  a 
principle  universally  acknowledged  among 
the  Jews  that  the  Lord,  or  king  Messiah, 
should  be  of  the  seed  of  David.  To 
address  him,  therefore,  under  this  character, 
was  confessing  him  to  be  the  Christ.  This 
was  the  appellation  under  which  he  was 
more  than  once  invoked  by  certain  blind 
men  ;  and,  in  every  instance,  the  same  idea 
was  meant  to  be  conveyed.  These  poor 
people  did  not  address  our  Saviour  in  a  way 
of  unmeaning  complaisance :  they  under- 
stood that  the  Messiah,  "  the  son  of  David," 
was  to  be  distinguished  by  the  exercise  of 
mercy :  hence  they  continually  associated 
these  ideas.  "  Have  mercy  on  me,  O  Lord, 
thou  son  of  David!'1'' — Jesus,  thou  son  of 
David,  have  mercy  on  us !  "  And  this  is  the 
very  character  given  to  the  Messiah  in  the 
Old  Testament,  especially  in  the  seventy- 
second  Psalm.  "  He  shall  deliver  the  needy 
when  he  crieth  ;  the  poor  also,  and  him  that 
hath  no  helper."  Thus  they  had  heard,  thus 
they  believed,  and  thus  their  faith  wrought 
in  a  way  of  effectual  prayer. 

But  whence  had  this  woman,  an  alien  from 
the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  a  stranger  to 
the  covenants  of  promise,  this  wisdom  ? 
Providence  had  placed  her  on  the  borders  of 
the  Holy  Land,  and  she  appears  to  have 
profited  by  it.  The  true  religion,  contained 
in  the  oracles  of  God,  had  its  influence  not 
only  on  Israel,  but  on  many  individuals  in 
the  neighboring  nations.  It  was  foretold 
that  they  who  dwelt  under  his  shadoiv  should 
return  ;  and  here  we  see  it  accomplished. 
Probably  this  poor  Canaanite  had  often  gone 
into  the  Jewish  synagogue  to  hear  the  read- 


254 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


spiritualae  law  and  the  prophets ;  and,  while 
in  the  of  those  who  read  them  gained  only  a 
to.perficial  acquaintance  with  them,  she  un- 
derstood them  to  purpose.  One  would  al- 
most think  she  must  lately  have  heard  the 
seventy-second  Psalm  read  at  one  of  these 
assemblies,  and  have  made  up  her  petition 
out  of  the  passage  forecited.  "  He  shall  de- 
liver the  needy  when  he  crieth ;  the  poor 
also,  and  him  that  hath  no  helper ; " — then 
why  not  me  ?  I  will  go,  and  turn  this 
prophecy  into  a  prayer ;  "  Have  mercy  upon 
me,  O  Lord,  thou  son  of  David ! "  It  is 
good  to  have  our  residence  near  to  the  means 
of  grace,  and  to  have  a  heart  to  make  use  of 
them.  It  is  good  to  grow  upon  the  banks  of 
this  river  of  the  water  of  life.  It  is  pleasant, 
also,  to  think  of  the  good  effects  of  the  true 
religion  among  the  posterity  of  Abraham. 
It  is  thus  Ave  see  the  fulfilment  of  the  prom- 
ise to  that  faithful  man,  "  I  will  bless  thee, 
and  thou  shalt  be  a  blessing." 

But,  while  these  things  afford  pleasure  to 
us,  they  must,  methinks,  have  been  very  pro- 
voking to  the  Jews  ;  and  happy  had  it  been 
for  them  if  they  had  been  provoked  to  a 
godly  jealousy.  Many  among  them  were 
far  behind  these  strangers  in  knowledge 
and  in  faith,  though  they  enjoyed  very  supe- 
rior advantages.  The  Saviour  was  contin- 
ually among  them,  crying,  and  calling  at 
their  gates,  and  at  the  entering  in  of  their 
cities  ;  yet  they  generally  disregarded  him  : 
whereas,  in  this  case,  he  only  took  an  occa- 
sional journey,  and  that  in  secret  (for,  when 
he  entered  into  a  house,  "  he  would  have  no 
man  know  it;")  yet  here  this  poor  woman 
found  him  out,  and  presented  her  supplica- 
tion. How  true  is  that  saying  of  our  Lord, 
"  The  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last !  " 
and  how  often  do  we  still  see  persons  of  in- 
ferior advantages  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God  before  others  who  have  possessed  the 
greatest  abundance  of  means! 

But  what  treatment  did  she  receive  from 
our  Saviour  on  this  her  first  application? 
u  He  answered  her  not  a  word."  Who  would 
have  expected  this  ?  Does  it  accord  with 
his  usual  conduct  ?  In  what  instance  had 
he  been  known  to  refuse  such  an  applica- 
tion ?  It  was  very  mysterious,  and  very  dis- 
couraging. Is  his  ear  heavy,  then,  that  it 
cannot  hear?  or  his  arm  shortened,  that  it 
cannot  save  ? — "  Answered  her  not  a  word  !  " 
Who  could  understand  this  as  any  other 
than  a  repulse  ?  If  the  faith  of  the  petition- 
er had  been  weak,  she  might  have  concluded 
that  he  would  not  answer  her  because  he 
could  not  help  her.  If  her  heart  had  been 
cold,  she  might  have  gone  away,  as  many 
do  after  having  said  their  prayers,  content- 
ed without  the  blessing.  If  her  spirit  had 
been  haughty,  she  must  and  would  have  re- 
sented it,  and  have  asked  no  more.  In  short, 
had  she  been  any  thing  but  Avhat  she  was — 
great  in  faith,  in  love,  and  humility — she 


would  have  turned  away.  And  here  we 
may  see  the  wisdom  of  our  Saviour's  con- 
duct: had  he  immediately  granted  her  re- 
quest, we  had  seen  little  or  nothing  of  the 
exercise  of  these  graces.  But  let  us  pro- 
ceed. 

Here  is  a  second  application  made  on  her 
behalf;  and  this  is  by  the  disciples:  they 
"  came  and  besought  him  to  send  her  away." 
I  hope  they  meant  that  he  would  grant  her 
petition.  One  might  have  expected  some- 
thing considerable  from  the  intercession  of 
the  twelve  apostles.  He  had  consented  to 
go  and  heal  the  centurion's  servant  at  the 
request  of  the  Jewish  elders :  and  surely 
his  own  disciples  must  have  an  interest  with 
him  equal  to  theirs.  If  the  poor  woman  knew 
of  their  becoming  her  advocates,  it  is  natural 
to  suppose  her  expectations  must  have  been 
raised :  and  this  it  is  likely  she  did  ;  for, 
while  they  were  speaking,  she  seems  to  have 
held  her  peace.  Neither  need  they  have 
been  at  a  lo«ss  for  a  precedent ;  for,  though 
she  was  a  heathen,  yet  they  had  lately  wit- 
nessed his  kind  attention  to  a  Roman  centu- 
rion :  and,  had  they  pleaded  this,  he  might 
have  shown  mercy  at  their  request.  But  to 
what  does  their  intercession  amount  ?  Alas, 
it  is  mean  and  pitiful :  it  does  not  appear  to 
have  a  spice  of  benevolence  in  it,  but  to 
have  been  merely  the  effect  of  self-love : 
"  Send  her  away,"  said  they,  "  for  she  crieth 
after  us."  O  disciples !  And  does  the  voice 
of  prayer  trouble  you  ?  How  little  at  present 
do  you  resemble  your  Master !  We  never 
read  of  his  being  troubled  with  the  cry  of 
the  poor  and  needy.  And  this  is  all  you 
have  to  urge,  is  it  ?  Your  charity  amounts 
to  just  so  much  as  that  of  some  wealthy  per- 
sons, who  give  a  poor  man  a  penny,  not  out 
of  compassion,  but  in  order  to  get  rid  of  him ! 

What  is  the  answer  to  this  miserable  pe- 
tition ?  Our  Lord  takes  no  notice  of  the 
mercenary  nature  of  the  plea;  and  this  was 
like  himself:  amidst  the  numerous  faults  of 
his  disciples,  he  often  exercised  a  dignified 
forbearance  towards  them.  But  what  an- 
swer did  he  make  ?  "  I  am  not  sent  but  un- 
to the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."  It 
was  true  that  his  commission  was  especially 
directed  to  Israel ;  and,  previously  to  his 
resurrection,  he  even  forbade  his  disciples 
to  go  "  in  the  way  of  the  Gentiles  :  "  nor  is 
it  any  wonder  that  he  should  avail  himself 
of  this  general  truth  still  to  withhold  his  fa- 
vor, rather  than  grant  it  at  such  a  request 
as  this.  The  motive  which  they  had  urged 
was  not  likely  to  work  upon  him. 

But  think  how  it  must  affect  the  poor  pe- 
titioner. Silence  was  discouraging ;  bu£ 
this  must  have  been  more  so.  That  might 
be  imputed  to  other  causes :  she'might  sup- 
pose he  was  considering  of  her  request ; 
and,  though  he  had  said  nothing  in  her  favor, 
yet  he  had  said  nothing  against  her:  this, 
however,  is  not  only  giving  her  a  denial, 


THE    PRAYER    OF    FAITH. 


but  giving  the  reason  of  it ;  which  would 
seem  to  render  it  irrevocable.  To  an  eye 
of  sense,  it  would  now  seem  to  be  a  lost 
case.  It  is  not  so,  however,  to  an  eye  of 
faith. 

Let  us  proceed  to  the  third  application. 
The  disciples  had  been  poor  advocates. 
Make  way  for  her,  and  let  her  plead  her  own 
cause :  she  can  do  it  best.  It  is  not  one, 
nor  two  repulses,  that  will  silence  the  prayer 
of  faith ;  nor  will  aught  else,  so  long  as  Je- 
sus lives,  and  the  invitations  and  promises 
of  his  word  continue  unrevoked.  It  was 
written,  "  He  shall  deliver  the  needy  when 
he  crieth  ;  the  poor  also,  and  him  that  hath 
no  helper : "  and  the  efficacy  of  this  decla- 
ration must  be  tried  again.  "  Then  came 
she  and  worshipped  him,  saying,  Lord,  help 
me!" 

Observe,  she  prefaces  her  petition  with 
an  act  of  worship.  She  had  before  acknow- 
ledged him  as  David's  son ;  now  "she  ap- 
proaches him  as  his  Lord.  Prostrate  at  his 
feet,  she  adores  him,  and  renews  her  sup- 
plication. It  is  short,  yet  very  full.  It  has 
only  three  words,  but  more  than  three  ideas, 
and  these  full  of  importance.  She  here, 
in  effect,  tells  him  that  her  case  is  urgent ; 
that  she  is  truly  helpless  ;  that  no  help  is  to 
be  expected  from  any  other  quarter ;  that 
she  is  persuaded  of  his  being  able  to  save  to 
the  uttermost;  and  that  it  belongs  to  his 
character,  as  Messiah,  to  help  those  that 
have  no  helper.  Though  a  Canaanite,  as- 
suredly she  possesses  the  spirit  of  an  Isra- 
elite :  "  I  will  not  let  thee  go,  except  thou 
bless  me." 

If  there  be  such  a  thing  as  holy  violence, 
or  taking  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  as  it  were, 
by  force,  surely  this  is  it ;  and,  knowing  the 
character  of  Christ,  we  should  have  conclud- 
ed that  this  petition  must  be  successful. 
But  "Jesus  answered  and  said,  It  is  not 
meet  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  cast 
it  to  dogs."  What  imperfect  judges  are  we 
of  times  and  seasons !  Just  now  we  should 
have  supposed  her  cause  was  gained,  and 
yet  it  was  not  so  ;  and  now  we  should  have 
been  ready  enough  to  conclude  it  was  lost, 
and  yet  it  is  not  so.  Let  us  learn  to  wait 
patiently  for  the  Lord,  and  neither  conclude, 
when  we  enjoy  great  fervor  and  freedom  in 
our  approaches  to  him,  that  our  prayers  must 
be  answered  immediately  or  not  at  all ;  nor, 
when  thrown  back  into  darkness  and  dis- 
couragement, that  now  there  is  no  hope. 
Had  this  poor  woman  rested  her  expectation, 
on  her  own  feelings,  or  on  any  thing  short 
of  the  Lord's  own  word,  she  had  fainted  in 
this  trying  moment.  What  a  crowd  of 
thoughts  might  she  at  this  time  have  cher- 
ished ;  hard  thoughts,  proud  thoughts,  and 
despairing  thoughts  ! — And  is  this  the  Mes- 
siah, of  whom  such  glorious  things  are  spo- 
ken ?  Is  this  the  compassion  that  he  is  to 
exercise  "  to  the  poor,  and  to  them  that  have 
Vol.  2.— Sio.  .S3. 


no  helper  ?  "  No  mercy,  no  help  for  a  stran- 
ger, even  though  prostrate  at  his  feet ;  and,  as 
if  it  were  not  enough  to  refuse  his  assistance, 
he  must  call  me  a  dog !  I  will  ask  no  more  : 
whatever  be  my  lot,  I  will  bear  it ! — Such 
might  have  been  her  reflections,  and  such 
her  conduct;  but  she  was  a  believer,  and 
faith  operates  in  a  different  way. 

Yet  what  could  our  Saviour  mean  by  such 
language  ?  Did  he  really  intend  to  counte- 
nance that  contemptuous  spirit  with  which 
the  carnal  Jews  treated  the  Gentiles  ?  Sure- 
ly not.  Did  he  feel  towards  this  poor  stran- 
ger as  his  words  would  seem  to  indicate  ? 
No :  his  roughness,  like  that  of  Joseph  to- 
wards his  brethren,  was  assumed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  trying  her ;  and  she  endures  the 
trial  with  singular  perseverance.  She  neither 
resents  being  called  a  dog,  nor  despairs  on 
account  of  it ;  but  is  resolved  still  to  follow 
up  her  suit.  Yet  what  new  plea  can  she 
find  to  offer  ? 

Let  us  hear  the  fourth  and  last  applica- 
tion :  "  Truth,  Lord,  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the 
crumbs  that  fall  from  their  master's  table." 
Most  admirable  !  Such  an  instance  of  spi- 
ritual ingenuity,  of  holy  and  humble  acu- 
men, was  perhaps  never  known  before,  nor 
since.  Now  the  conflict  is  at  an  end ;  the 
victory  is  gained  ;  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  taken  by  the  prayer  of  faith.  Jesus,  like 
Joseph,  can  restrain  himself  no  longer,  but 
appears  in  his  true  character :  "  O  woman, 
great  is  thy  faith :  be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt !  "  Let  us  review  this  charming 
crisis,  and  mark  the  ground  from  which  this 
last  and  successful  plea  proceeded.  It  was 
the  ground  on  ivhich  the  Lord  had  placed  her. 
He  intimated  that  she  was  a  dog,  unworthy 
of  the  children's  bread ;  she  readily  admit- 
ted it,  and  as  a  dog  presented  her  petition. 
Here,  then,  is  the  grand  secret  how  to  suc- 
ceed in  our  approaches  for  mercy.  We 
must  stand  upon  that  ground  where  the 
Scripture  places  us,  and  thence  present  our 
petition.  Does  the  Lord  tell  us  in  his  word 
that  we  are  guilty,  unworthy,  ungodly,  de- 
serving of  eternal  death  ?  On  this  ground  we 
must  take  our  stand,  and  plead  for  that  mer- 
cy which  is  provided  for  characters  of  this 
description.  All  applications  for  mercy,  on 
any  other  ground,  will  be  unsuccessful. 

The  last  answer  of  Jesus,  as  well  as  the 
last  prayer  of  the  woman,  is  worthy  of  spe- 
cial notice.  There  are  three  things  remark- 
able in  it ;  the  recommendation  of  her  faith, 
the  granting  of  her  desire,  and  the  affection- 
ate manner  in  which  both  were  addressed 
to  her. 

"Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  O 
woman,  great  is  thy  faith  !  "  This  accords 
with  his  general  practice.  The  blessings  of 
healing,  as  well  as  those  of  a  more  spiritual 
nature,  were  ordinarily  suspended  on  believ- 
ing, and,  when  obtained,  were  ascribed  to  it. 
Hence   such  language   as  this:   "If   thou 


258 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


canst  believe,  all  things  are  possible  to  him 
that  believeth. — Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee. 
— Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole."  Did 
our  Lord,  by  this  language,  mean  to  give 
away  the  honor  of  salvation  from  himself? 
No :  it  is  not  used  for  the  purpose  of  trans- 
ferring honor  to  us,  but  for  giving  encour- 
agement to  faith.  Neither  is  there  any  op- 
position of  interests  between  Christ  and 
faith :  those  who  are  saved  by  faith  are  saved 
by  Christ ;  for  it  is  of  the  nature  of  faith  to 
go  out  of  itself,  and  draw  all  from  him. 
Christ's  power  and  grace  operate  as  the 
cause  of  our  salvation  :  faith  as  the  means 
of  it ;  yet,  being  a  means  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  the  bringing  of  Christ  and  the  soul 
together,  as  well  as  for  the  promotion  of  all 
other  graces,  it  is  constantly  held  up  as  the 
one  thing  needful. 

Perhaps,  if  we  had  commended  the  Ca- 
naanitish  woman,  we  should  have  admired 
her  great  importunity  and  great  humility  ; 
but  our  Lord  passes  over  these,  taking  no- 
tice only  of  her  faith :  and  wherefore  ?  Be- 
casue  faith  was  the  root,  or  principle,  from 
which  the  others  sprang,  and  by  which  they 
were  kept  alive. 

Our  Lord  often  commended  the  faith  of 
believers  ;  but  I  recollect  only  two  instances 
in  ivhich  he  speaks  of  it  as  being  great ;  and 
they  are  both  of  them  Gentiles  :  one  is  the 
Roman  centurion ;  and  the  other  the  woman 
of  whom  we  are  discoursing.  There  doubt- 
less was  an  eminency,  or  peculiar  strength, 
in  the  faith  of  each  of  them  ;  but  that  which 
more  than  any  thing  rendered  it  great  in  our 
Lord's  account  was  its  being  exercised  un- 
der such  great  disadvantages.  To  Israel 
pertained  the  promises.  If  Gentiles  par- 
took of  the  root  and  fatness  of  the  olive- 
tree,  it  was  by  being  grafted  into  it,  contrary 
to  nature.  Yet,  amidst  these  disadvantages, 
they  abounded  in  faith,  which,  for  the  de- 
cree of  it,  Avas  not  to  be  found  in  Israel. 
Thus  we  are  often  provoked  to  jealousy. 
Persons  whose  religious  advantages  have 
been  small,  compared  with  ours,  are  never- 
theless before  us  in  faith,  and  love,  and  hea- 
venly-mindedness.  Thus  it  is  that  the  pride 
of  man  is  stained,  and  no  flesh  suffered  to 
glory  in  the  divine  presence. 

Having  commended  her  faith,  our  Saviour 
proceeds  to  grant  her  desire:  "Be  it  unto 
thee  even  as  thou  wilt."  The  Lord  does 
not  excite  a  willing  mind,  with  a  view  final- 
ly to  cross  it ;  or  an  earnestness  of  desire, 
in  order  to  disappoint  it :  such  willingness 
and  such  desire,  therefore,  are  indicative  of 
his  designs.  Christ  only  can  satisfy  the  de- 
sires of  the  mind  ;  and  Christians  are  the 
only  men  in  the  world  whose  desires  are 
satisfied.  Caesar,  in  the  full  possession  of 
empire,  is  said  to  have  exclaimed,  "Is  this 
all?"  And  such  is  the  disappointment  that 
every  sinner  will  meet  with  who  sets  his 
heart  on  any  thing  but  Christ.    It  is  not  in 


the  power  of  the  whole  creation  to  say  to 
an  immortal,  guilty  creature,  "  Be  it  unto 
thee  even  as  thou  wilt :"  but  Jesus  hath  the 
words  of  eternal  life. 

The  tender  and  affectionate  manner  in 
which  our  Saviour  commended  the  faith,  and 
fulfilled  the  desire,  of  the  poor  petitioner,  is 
deserving  also  of  remark.  It  is  introduced 
with  an  interjection,  O  woman!  In  the  lips 
of  a  speaker  abounding  in  affectation,  such 
words  signify  but  little  :  but  Jesus  never  af- 
fected to  feel  when  he  did  not.  Whenever, 
therefore,  an  interjection  is  seen  in  his 
speeches,  we  may  be  certain  he  felt.  He 
felt  compassion  towards  her,  on  account  of 
her  affliction;  but  chiefly  admiration  and  de- 
light, on  witnessing  the  peculiar  energy  of 
her  faith.  Thus  he  marvelled  at  the  Roman 
centurion.  The  genuine  and  especially  the 
eminent  exercises  of  grace  are,  more  than 
any  thing,  the  delight  of  Christ's  heart.  In 
looking  at  the  poor  and  contrite  spirit,  he 
overlooks  heaven  and  earth. 

It  may  be  rather  surprising  to  us  that  our 
Saviour  should  hold  this  poor  woman  so  long 
in  suspense :  but,  if  he  had  not,  her  graces 
would  not  have  been  so  apparent,  and  the 
exercise  of  them  so  grateful  to  him.  And 
thus  we  may  account  for  many  of  the  afflic- 
tions through  which  the  Lord  brings  his 
servants.  If  tribulation  work  patience,  and 
patience  experience,  and  experience  hope  ; 
and  if,  in  his  esteem,  the  exercise  of 
these  graces  be  of  greater  account  than  our 
present  ease,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he 
should  prefer  the  former  to  the  latter :  and 
this  consideration  should  reconcile  us  to 
those  providences  which,  for  a  time,  hold  us 
in  painful  suspense. 

From  the  whole  we  may  remark  that  gen- 
uine, yea,  great  grace,  may  be  exercised  in 
respect  of  temporal  mercies.  It  was  not  for 
the  salvation  of  her  soul,  or  the  soul  of  her 
daughter,  that  this  poor  woman  was  so  im- 
portunate ;  but  for  the  removal  of  an  afflic- 
tion. Yet,  such  was  the  grace  which  was 
exercised  in  it,  that  there  is  no  doubt  of  her 
being  eternally  saved.  The  exercise  of  spi- 
rituality is  not  confined  to  the  seeking  of 
spiritual  blessings.  We  may  serve  the  Lord 
in  our  daily  avocations :  and  it  is  essential 
to  true  religion  that  we  do  so.  Such  prayer 
may  be  offered,  and  such  faith  exercised,  in 
respect  of  our  daily  bread,  as  have  the  pro- 
mise of  everlasting  life. 

Finally :  If  our  Saviour  suffered  himself 
to  be  overcome  by  one  who  sought  for  a 
temporal  blessing,  much  more  will  he  accept 
of  those  ivho  come  to  him  for  such  as  are  spir- 
itual and  eternal.  His  promises  are  much 
stronger  in  the  one  case  than  in  the  other. 
Though  there  were  several  general  intima- 
tions that  the  Messiah  would  exercise  com- 
passion towards  the  bodies  as  Avell  as  the 
souls  of  men ;  and  the  numerous  miracles 
which  he  wrought  afforded  full  proof  of  his 


CHRIST'S    LOVE    TO    THE    CHURCH. 


259 


readiness  to  do  good  in  every  way  ;  yet  he 
nowhere  bound  himself,  that  I  recollect,  to 
heal  all  that  came  to  him.  I  believe  he  ne- 
ver sent  away  an  individual  without  a  cure  : 
but  still  he  seems  to  have  reserved  to  him- 
self a  kind  of  discretionary  power  to  do  so. 
But,  in  matters  of  everlasting  moment,  the 
word  is  gone  out  of  his  lips,  "Him  that 
cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 
Here,  every  one  that  seeketh  findeth,  and  to 
him  that  knocketh,  we  are  assured  by  the 
keeper  of  the  gate,  it  shall  be  opened.  If 
any  man,  therefore,  be  hereafter  shut  out  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  it  will  appear,  in  the 
end,  that  he  sought  not  after  it  in  the  pre- 
sent life  ;  or,  at  least,  that  he  sought  it  not 
by  faith. 

We  shall  all  be  importunate,  sooner  or 
later:  but  importunity  will  one  day  be  un- 
availing !  Many  will  then  seek  to  enter  in, 
and  shall  not  be  able.  Yea,  they  will  cry 
earnestly,  saying,  "  Lord,  Lord,  open  unto 
us. — We  have  eaten  and  drunk  in  thy  pre- 
sence, and  thou  hast  taught  in  our  streets. 
But  he  shall  say, — Depart  from  me,  all  ye 
workers  of  iniquity."  O  my  hearers !  let 
us  agonize  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate.  All 
the  zeal  and  earnestness  which  we  may  feel 
in  other  things  is  spending  our  money  for 
that  which  is  not  bread,  and  our  labor  for 
that  which  satisfieth  not.  Incline  your  ear, 
and  come  unto  Him ;  hear,  and  your  souls 
shall  live  ;  and  he  will  make  an  everlasting 
covenant  with  you,  even  the  sure  mercies  of 
David. 


SERMON  XIV. 

THE  FUTURE  PERFECTION  OF  THE  CHURCH 
CONTRASTED  WITH  ITS  PRESENT  IMPER- 
FECTIONS. 

"  Christ — loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself 
for  it :  th;it  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  word  ;  that  he  might  pre- 
sent it  to  himself  a  glorious  church,  not  having  spot 
or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing;  but  that  it  should 
be  holy,  and  without   blemish." — Eph.  v.  25 — 27. 

It  is  a  distinguishing  feature  in  the  apos- 
tolic writings  that  motives  to  the  most  ordi- 
nary duties  are  derived  from  the  doctrine  of 
the  cross.  Who  but  an  apostle  would  have 
thought  of  enforcing  affection  in  a  husband 
to  a  wife  from  the  love  of  Christ  to  his 
church  ?  We  are,  undoubtedly,  hereby 
taught  to  act,  in  the  common  affairs  of  life, 
from  Christian  principle  :  and  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  our  personal  Christianity  is 
more  manifested  in  this  way  than  in  any  oth- 
er. It  is  not  by  a  holiness  put  on  on  reli- 
gious occasions,  as  we  put  on  our  Lord's-day 
dress,  that  we  shall  prove  ourselves  to  be 
Christians  ;  but  by  that  which  is  habitual, 
and  which,  without  our  so  much  as  designing 
it,  will  spontaneously  appear  in  our  language 
and  behavior.     If    the  apostle's   heart  had 


not  been  full  of  Christ,  he  would  have  thought 
of  other  motives  than  this :  but  this,  being 
uppermost,  presented  itself  on  all  occasions. 
We  may  be  thankful  that  it  was  so  on  this,  es- 
pecially ;  for  we  are  hereby  furnished  with  a 
most  interesting  and  affecting  view  of  the 
salvation  of  sinners — a  salvation  originating 
in  the  love  of  Christ,  and  terminating  in  their 
being  presented  to  him  without  spot,  and 
blameless. 

Three  things  require  our  attention  :  name- 
ly, the  character  of  the  church,  when  the  de- 
signs of  mercy  shall  be  fulfilled  upon  her — 
the  causes  to  which  it  is  ascribed — and  the 
honor  for  which  it  is  intended  to  prepare  her. 

I.  THE  CHARACTER  OF  THE  CHURCH, 
WHEN  THE  DESIGNS  OF  MERCY  SHALL  BE 
FULFILLED  UPON  HER  ; "  A  glorioUS  cllUrcll, 

not  having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such 
thing;  but  holy,  and  without  blemish."  We 
are  at  no  loss  to  perceive  the  meaning  of  the 
term  church,  in  this  connection.  It  mani- 
festly expresses  the  whole  assembly  of  the 
saved,  elsewhere  called  "the  church  of  the 
first-born,  whose  names  are  written  in  heav- 
en." It  is  denominated  glorious,  through 
the  glory  which  Christ  shall  have  put  upon 
it;  and  which,  it  is  intimated,  will  consist  in 
a  freedom  from  every  imperfection,  and  the 
consummation  of  purity,  or  holy  beauty. 

In  the  description  here  given  the  apostle 
has,  no  doubt,  an  eye  to  the  church  in  its  dif 
ferent  states,  as  fallen,  as  rentived,  and  as 
perfected.  In  the  first  it  is  supposed  to  have 
been  defiled,  so  as  to  need  sanctifying  and 
cleansing :  and,  even  in  the  second,  to  have 
many  things  which  diminish  its  beauty  ;  such 
as  spots  and  ivrinkles :  but,  in  the  last,  it 
shall  be  a  "  glorious  church,  not  having  spot 
or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing  ; "  or,  speaking 
more  literally,  "  holy,  and  without  blemish." 

Our  ideas  of  a  state  of  perfection  are  very 
defective.  An  apostle  acknowledged,  "  We 
know  not  what  we  shall  be."  Indeed  it  is, 
at  present,  but  very  partially  revealed  ;  and, 
if  it  were  otherwise,  our  minds,  naturally 
weak  and  greatly  enfeebled  by  the  remains 
of  indwelling  sin,  would  be  unable  to  sus- 
tain a  direct  view  of  it.  We  can  better  con- 
ceive what  it  is  not  than  what  it  is.  The 
apostle  himself  writes  as  if  he  could  not  fully 
conceive  of  the  immaculate  state  of  the 
church :  but  he  could  say  what  it  would  not 
be,  or  that  it  would  be  ivithout  those  spots 
and  wrinkles  which  at  present  attended  it, 
and  greatly  impaired  its  beauty!  As  this, 
then,  was  the  apostle's  manner  of  contem- 
plating the  future  glory  of  the  church,  let  it 
be  ours. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  compare  the  church 
perfected  with  what  it  was  antecedently  to 
its  being  sanctified  and  cleansed,  in  virtue  of 
Christ's  having  given  himself  for  it  (for,  in 
that  view,  it  admits  of  no  comparison  ;)  but 
with  what  it  is  at  present,  notwithstanding  ; 
that  is,  the  subject  of  many  imperfections. . 


260 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


Spots  suppose  a  loveliness  of  character  up- 
on the  whole,  though  in  themselves  they  are 
unlovely.  They  could  not,  with  propriety, 
have  been  attributed  to  the  church,  while  she 
remained  unsanctified  ;  for  then  she  was  al- 
together polluted.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  imperfections.  It  is  improper  to  attribute 
them  to  unconverted  sinners.  Such  charac- 
ters will  often  acknowledge  themselves  to 
have  their  imperfections  ;  but,  in  truth,  they 
thereby  pay  themselves  a  compliment  which 
does  not  belong  to  them.  Imperfection  sup- 
poses the  mind  to  be  engaged  in  the  pursuit 
of  perfection,  though  it  has  not,  as  yet,  at- 
tained it.  Spots  and  imperfections,  then,  are 
properly  attributed  to  the  church  in  its  pres- 
ent state  ;  indicating  a  general  loveliness  of 
character,  though  they  are  in  themselves  un- 
lovely. Whatever  has  tended  to  deface  it, 
or  to  detract  from  its  holy  beauty,  that  is  to 
be  reckoned  among  its  spots. 

How  much,  then,  in  the  first  place,  has  the 
beauty  of  Christ's  church  been  defaced  by 
false  doctrines,  and  by  the  strifes  and  divi- 
sions which  have  followed  upon  them. 
While  we  are  of  the  apostle's  mind,  deter- 
mined to  know  nothing  but  Christ  and  him 
crucified,  we  shall  not  be  in  danger  of  devia- 
ting very  wildely  from  the  truth,  in  any  of  its 
branches :  but,  if  we  lose  sight  of  this  pole- 
star,  we  shall  soon  fall  upon  the  rocks  of  er- 
ror. Paul  and  his  fellow-apostles,  inspired 
as  they  were,  could  not  maintain  the  purity 
of  all  the  churches.  The  number  of  worldly 
men  who  obtrude  themselves  upon  the 
church,  some  in  the  character  of  members 
and  others  in  that  of  ministers,  together  with 
the  tendency  to  err  which  is  found  even  in 
believers  themselves,  too  easily  accounts  for 
the  same  things  in  that  and  every  succeed- 
ing age.  When  the  gospel  was  addressed 
to  the  Jews,  many  of  them  believed  ;  but, 
among  their  leaders,  there  were  men  whose 
minds  were  not  subdued  to  the  obedience  of 
Christ.  Christianity,  said  they,  is  very  good, 
so  far  as  it  goes  ;  but  it  is  defective.  It  grates 
with  our  feelings,  who  have  been  used  to  so 
much  religious  pomp.  Circumcision,  and  a 
few  of  our  decent  ceremonies,  would  com- 
plete it.  So  also,  when  the  gospel  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  learned  Greeks,  some  of  them 
believed  ;  but  among  them  were  men  who 
wanted  to  supply  some  of  its  supposed  de- 
fects. Christianity,  said  they,  is  good,  so 
far  as  it  goes  ;  but  it  wants  a  little  philoso- 
phy to  be  added  to  it,  and  the  whole  to  be 
cast  into  a  philosophical  mould  ;  and  then  it 
wijl  be  respectable,  and  worthy  of  being  the 
religion  of  the  whole  human  race. 

But  what  said  the  apostle  to  the  churches 
in  respect  of  these  proposals  ?  Hear  him : 
"  As  ye  have  received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord, 
bo  walk  ye  in  him  ;  rooted  and  built  up  in 
him,  and  stablished  in  the  faith,  as  ye  have 
been  taught,  abounding  therein  with  thanks- 
giving.    Beware  lest  any  man  spoil  you 


through  philosophy  and  vain  deceit,  after  the 
tradition  of  men,  after  the  rudiments  of  the 
world,  and  not  after  Christ :  for  in  him  dwell- 
eth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily. 
And  ye  are  complete  in  him,  which  is  the 
head  of  all  principality  and  power;  in  whom 
also  ye  are  circumcised  with  the  circumcision 
made  without  hands,  in  putting  off  the  body 
of  the  sins  of  the  flesh  by  the  circumcision 
of  Christ ;  buried  with  him  in  baptism,  where- 
in also  ye  are  risen  with  him  through  tl;e 
faith  of  the  operation  of  God,  who  hath  raised 
him  from  the  dead.  And  you,  being  dead  in 
your  sins  and  the  uncircumcision  of  your 
flesh,  hath  he  quickened  together  with  him, 
having  forgiven  you  all  trespasses  ;  blotting 
out  the  hand-writing  of  ordinances  that  was 
against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us,  and 
took  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  his  cross  ; 
and,  having  spoiled  principalities  and  powers, 
he  made  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing 
over  them  in  it.  Let  no  man  therefore  judge 
you  in  meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  a 
holy-day,  or  of  the  new  moon,  or  of  the  sab- 
bath days :  which  are  a  shadow  of  things  to 
come :  but  the  body  is  of  Christ.  Let  no 
man  beguile  you  of  your  reward,  in  a  volun- 
tary humility  and  worshipping  of  angels,  in- 
truding into  those  things  which  he  hath  not 
seen,  vainly  puffed  up  by  his  fleshly  mind  ; 
and  not  holding  the  Head,  from  which  all 
the  body  by  joints  and  bands  having  nourish- 
ment ministered,  and  knit  together,  in- 
creaseth  with  the  increase  of  God." 

Had  the  church  of  Christ  adhered  to  this 
counsel,  it  had  been  free  from  many  spots 
which  have  since  defaced  it :  but  it  has  not. 
In  every  age  there  have  been  men  of  corrupt 
minds,  who  have  followed  the  example  of 
these  Judaizing  and  philosophizing  teachers, 
in  their  attempts  to  render  the  doctrine  of 
Christ  more  complete,  that  is,  more  congenial 
to  the  wishes  of  their  own  hearts :  and  the 
church  has,  in  too  many  instances,  been  car- 
ried away  by  them.  Some  have  degraded 
the  dignity  of  Christ,  and  thereby  under- 
minded  his  sacrifice  ;  others  have  disowned 
the  freeness  of  his  grace  ;  and  others  have 
turned  it  into  licentiousness.  Behold,  how, 
at  this  day,  the  beauty  of  the  church  is  marred 
by  these  antichristian  principles,  and  the 
strifes  which  ensue  upon  them  !  One  denom- 
ination, or  society,  sees  the  spots  upon  the 
face  of  another,  and  is  employed  in  exposing 
them,  instead  of  removing  those  upon  its 
own  ;  while  the  impartial  eye  must  perceive 
that  deviations  from  the  simplicity  of  the 
gospel  are,  in  different  degrees,  to  be  found 
in  all. 

Blessed  be  God,  who  hath  given  us  to  ex- 
pect a  day  when  the  church  shall  be  freed 
from  all  this  deformity  ;  when  the  watchmen 
shall  see  eye  to  eye ;  when  the  people  of 
God,  now  divided  into  parties,  shall  be  of 
one  heart  and  of  one  soul;  when  neither  dis- 
cordance nor  defect  shall  attend  their  re- 


CHRIST  S    LOVE    TO    THE    CHURCH. 


261 


searches ;  and  when  we  shall  all  come,  in 
the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto 
the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of 
Christ ! 

How  much  also  has  the  beauty  of  Christ's 
church  been  defaced  by  superstitions  and 
unscriptural  icorship.  The  method  of  com- 
pleting Christianity,  by  the  addition  of  a 
number  of  decentceremonies,  first  practised 
by  the  Judaizing  teachers,  has  been  acted 
over  and  over  again.  The  introduction  of 
such  things  in  the  first  three  centuries  made 
way  for  the  grand  papal  apostacy  ;  and  spots 
of  this  kind  remain  upon  the  faces  of  many 
Protestant  communities  to  this  day.  The 
nearer  we  approach  to  the  simplicity  of  prim- 
itive worship  the  better.  The  meretricious 
ornaments  of  man's  invention  may  adorn  the 
mother  of  harlots,  but  they  are  blemishes  to 
the  bride  of  Christ.  They  are  the  wood,  hay, 
and  stubble  of  the  building,  which  later 
builders  have  laid  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
apostles  and  prophets,  and  which,  when  the 
day  shall  come  that  shall  declare  every  man's 
work,  of  what  sort  it  is,  will  be  burnt  up. 

Finally:  The  beauty  of  Christ's  church 
has  been  greatly  defaced  by  the  impure  lives 
of  great  numbers  of  its  members.  I  do  not 
now  refer  to  the  immoral  practices  of  all  that 
have  been  called  Christians  ;  as  a  large  pro- 
portion of  them  cannot  be  said  to  have  de- 
served the  name.  I  refer  to  those  only  who 
have  either  been  Christians  indeed,  or,  at 
least,  received  and  treated  as  such  by  those 
who  were  so.  The  evils  which  have  pre- 
vailed among  them  have  been  great,  and  still 
furnish  matter  of  shame  and  grief  in  all  the 
churches.  The  primitive  churches  them- 
selves, some  more  especially,  had  many 
spots  of  this  description.  And  it  is  worthy  of 
notice  that  those  who  most  departed  from 
the  doctrine  of  Christ,  such  as  the  Corinthi- 
ans, the  Galatians,  and  the  Hebrews,  were 
most  faultly  in  matters  of  practice.  The 
evil  communications  of  some  of  their  teach- 
ers tended  to  corrupt  good  manners.  The 
same  causes  continue  also  to  produce  the 
same  effects.  Those  congregations  where 
the  pure  doctrine  of  the  cross  is  relinquished, 
whether  it  be  in  favor  of  what  is  called  mo- 
rality on  the  one  hand  or  high  notions  of  or- 
thodoxy on  the  other,  are  commonly  distin- 
guished by  the  laxity  of  their  conduct. 
Many  of  the  former,  by  a  conformity  to  the 
genteel  vices  of  the  world,  have  nearly  lost 
all  pretensions  to  Christianity  ;  and  many  of 
the  latter,  by  their  opposition  to  practical 
preaching,  and  neglect  of  Christian  disci- 
pline, have  been  offensive  to  common  de- 
cency. Nor  is  this  all :  even  the  purest 
communities  have  their  spots.  Individuals 
are  chargeable  with  things  for  which  the 
good  ways  of  God  are  evil  spoken  of;  and 
they  that  have  been  enabled  to  maintain  a 
fair  character  in  the   eyes  of  men,  have, 


nevertheless,  much  alienation  of  heart,  and 
many  faults  to  acknowledge  and  bewail  be- 
fore God. 

We  are  given,  however,  to  believe  that  it 
will  not  be  thus  always.  The  church  will 
not  only  see  better  days,  before  the  end  of 
time,  but,  ere  she  is  presented  to  her  Lord, 
shall  be  entirely  purified :  "  The  Son  of  man 
shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they  shall 
gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  which 
offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity :  then 
shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in 
the  kingdom  of  their  Father.'''' 

Another  term  by  which  the  present  imper- 
fections of  the  church  are  expressed  is  that 
of  wrinkles.  These,  as  well  as  spots,  are 
inconsistent  with  perfect  beauty.  They  are 
signs  of  the  decay  of  life,  and  health,  and 
vigor :  hence  they  are  the  ordinary  symp- 
toms of  old  age,  or  of  an  enfeebled  consti- 
tution. Surely  a  more  appropriate  term 
could  not  have  been  chosen  for  expressing 
those  spiritual  declensions  to  tvhich  the 
church, inits  present  state,  is  continually  sub- 
ject. The  church  at  Ephesus,  during  her 
frst  love,  resembled  a  virgin  in  the  bloom  of 
youthful  beauty  ;  but  when  she  left  it,  and, 
with  it,  her  frst  ivorks,  she  became  as  a 
woman  bowed  down  by  age,  and  covered 
with  wrinkles.  In  this  church  we  see  what 
the  church  in  general  is,  compared  with  what 
it  was  in  the  primitive  ages  ;  what  Protes- 
tants are,  compared  with  what  they  were  at 
the  Reformation ;  what  Protestant  Dissen- 
ters are,  compared  with  the  Puritans  and 
Nonconformists  ;  and  what  many  congrega- 
tional churches  are,  compared  with  what 
they  have  been  at  certain  periods.  I  need 
not  enlarge  on  these  particulars  :  your  own 
reflections  are  sufficient  to  convince  you 
that  great  numbers  of  each  description  are 
in  a  wrinkled  or  decayed  state.  There  is 
indeed,  in  us,  a  strong  and  perpetual  tenden- 
cy to  declension.  Things  which  have  for- 
merly been  interesting  and  impressive  will, 
if  we  do  not  habitually  walk  with  God,  lose 
their  influence.  We  shall  read  of  the  zeal 
of  the  apostles,  of  the  martyrs,  and  of  other 
Christian  worthies  ;  but  we  shall  not  feel  it. 
On  the  contrary,  we  shall  seem  to  be  reading 
of  men  whom  we  cannot  but  admire,  but 
whom  we  know  not  how  to  imitate. 

How  cheering  is  the  thought  that  the  time 
is  coming  when  these  spots  and  wrinkles 
will  be  no  more ;  but  the  church,  and  every 
individual  member  of  it,  shall  be  "  holy,  and 
without  blemish !  " 

Holy  beauty,  in  every  stage  and  degree  of 
it,  is  lovely.  The  character  given  to  that 
generation  of  the  Israelites  which  grew  up 
in  the  wilderness,  and  which,  warned  by  the 
crimes  and  punishments  of  its  predecessors, 
clave  in  great  numbers  to  the  Lord,  is  charm- 
ing :  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  I  remember 
thee,  the  kindness  of  thy  youth,  the  love  of 
thine  espousals,  when  thou  wentest  after 


262 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


me  in  the  wilderness,  in  a  land  that  was  not 
sown.  Israel  was  holiness  unto  the  Lord, 
and  the  first-fruits  of  his  increase :  all  that 
devour  him  shall  offend ;  evil  shall  come 
upon  them,  said  the  Lord."  It  was  then 
that  Balaam  endeavored  in  vain  to  curse 
them  ;  and  that,  instead  of  cursing,  he  was 
constrained  to  bless  them.  Like  an  old 
debauchee,  awed  by  the  dignity  of  virtue, 
he  was  compelled  to  desist,  and  even  to  ad- 
mire the  object  which  he  could  not  imitate : 
"  How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  O  Jacob,  and 
thy  tabernacles,  O  Israel. — Let  me  die  the 
death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  last  end 
be  like  his !  "  Such,  I  may  say,  was  the 
youthful  beauty  of  the  Jewish  church  ;  and 
that  of  the  Christian  church  was  still  great- 
er. To  read  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and 
to  see  the  faith,  the  love,  the  zeal,  the  disin- 
terestedness, the  diligence,  and  the  patience 
of  the  first  disciples,  is  very  affecting.  It 
was  then  that  they  continued  stedfastly  in 
the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in 
breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers ;  that 
great  grace  was  upon  them  all  ;  and  that, 
having  believed  in  Jesus,  they  rejoiced  in 
being  thought  worthy  to  suffer  for  his  name. 
But,  lovely  as  both  the  Jewish  and  Christian 
churches  were,  neither  of  them  could  vie 
with  the  church  made  perfect.  The  dispar- 
ity between  the  highest  degrees  of  holiness 
and  a  state  of  sinless  perfection  is  incon- 
ceivable. The  deliverance  of  the  captives 
from  mere  temporal  thraldom,  and  which 
was  only  the  effect  of  sin,  was  so  overcom- 
ing, that  they  were  like  those  that  dream, 
scarcely  believing  themselves  to  be  what 
and  where  they  were  :  but  for  the  church  of 
God,  in  full  remembrance  of  its  foul  revolts, 
to  feel  itself  holy,  and  without  blemish,  is  an 
idea  too  great  for  sinful  creatures  to  compre- 
hend. 

If  any  imagine  that  this  language  is  too 
strong,  and  that  sinless  perfection,  or  what 
is  near  to  it,  has  been  attained  by  many  in 
the  present  life,  I  would  recommend  them 
to  consider  that  to  be  holy,  and  luithout  blem- 
ish, is  different  according  to  the  different 
kinds  and  degrees  of  light  in  which  it  is 
viewed.  A  vessel  may  be  clean  if  viewed 
in  a  dim  light,  and  very  foul  if  viewed  in  a 
clear  one.  Thus  a  character  may  be  holy, 
and  ivithoirf  blemish,  if  viewed  only  in  the 
light  of  selfish  partiality,  or  even  by  the 
partiality  of  friendship  ;  nay,  if  he  be  a  re- 
cluse, the  prejudice  of  an  enemy  may  not 
be  able  to  detect  his  faults  :  but  place  him 
before  the  tribunal  of  God,  set  his  secret 
sins  in  the  light  of  his  countenance,  and  the 
decision  will  be  different.  To  be  presented 
holy  and  without  blemish,  is  to  be  so  in  his 
sight.  Such  is  the  idea  conveyed  by  the 
words  of  Jude  :  "  Now  unto  him  that  is  able 
to  keep  you  from  falling,  and  to  present  you 
faultless  before  the  presence  of  his  glory,  with 
exceeding  joy."    To  be  faultleaa    in    the 


presence  of  an  earthly  judge,  especially  of 
one  distinguished  by  his  penetration  and  im- 
partiality, is  no  small  matter :  but  to  be  so  in 
the  presence  of  him  to  whom  all  things  are 
known,  implies  a  change  far  surpassing 
every  thing  experienced  among  mortals. 

The  low  ideas  which  some  persons  enter- 
tain of  sinless  perfection  may  be  owing,  in 
part,  to  their  considering  it  chiefly  in  a  nega- 
tive point  of  view.  Feeling,  it  may  be,  very 
little  positive  desire  after  their  evil  courses, 
they  begin  to  think  they  have  not  sinned  for 
such  a  length  of  time,  and  consequently  are 
now  nearly,  if  not  altogether,  perfect.  But 
perfection  does  not  consist  merely  in  a  ces- 
sation from  evil  (which  is  no  more  than  may 
be  ascribed  to  animals,)  but  in  the  love  of 
God  with  all  the  heart,  and  soul,  and  mind, 
and  strength,  and  of  our  neighbors  as  our- 
selves. The  state  to  which  the  church  shall 
be  brought,  before  she  is  presented  to  her 
Lord,  is  that  of  being  not  only  "without 
blemish,"  but  "  holy  and  without  blemish." 

In  that  perfect  state,  we  shall  be  unre- 
servedly devoted  to  the  Lord.  No  more 
shall  the  mind  be  betrayed,  by  the  illusive 
reasonings  of  men,  to  listen  to  God-dishonor- 
ing principles  :  no  more  shall  it  lose  sight  of 
Christ,  in  the  maze  of  its  own  researches. 
The  blandishments  of  the  world  shall  no 
more  seduce  the  heart ;  nor  hope,  nor  fear, 
nor  shame,  divert  the  feet  from  the  path  of 
rectitude.  No  more  shall  slothfulness,  or 
any  kind  of  sinful  indulgence,  unnerve  the 
soul  in  its  labors  for  God.  No  more  shall 
the  flesh  lust  against  the  spirit,  nor  the 
spirit  have  to  struggle  with  the  flesh.  No 
more  shall  our  half-hearted  services  render 
it  doubtful,  to  ourselves  or  others,  on  whose 
side  we  are.  In  a  word, — there  the  Lord's 
"  servants  shall  sei-ve  him." 

The  multitude,  in  that  perfect  state,  will 
also,  in  respect  of  each  other,  be  of  one 
heart  and  of  one  soul.  No  discordant  sen- 
timents divide  them  ;  no  unkindnesses  grieve 
them ;  no  bitter  strifes  interrupt  their  har- 
mony ;  no  slights,  misunderstandings,  mis- 
constructions, hard  thoughts,  or  cutting 
words,  have  place  among  them  ;  no  giving  or 
taking  offence  ;  no  opposition  of  interests  ; 
no  selfishness ;  no  envies,  jealousies,  back- 
bitings,  whisperings,  swellings,  tumults  :  all 
is  sweet  peace  and  love.  Bitterness,  and 
wrath,  and  anger,  and  clamor,  and  evil- 
speaking,  with  all  malice,  are  forever  put 
away  from  among  them.  In  him  that  loved 
and  gave  himself  for  them,  all  hearts  are 
one. 

This  leads  us  to  consider 

II.  The  causes  to  which  all  this 
is  ascribed:  Christ  "loved  the  church, 
and  gave  himself  for  it,  that  he  might  sanc- 
tify and  cleanse  it  with  the  washing  of  wa- 
ter by  the  word."  I  think  it  not  improbable 
that  the  apostle  may  allude  to  the  parable 
concerning  the  Jewish   church,  in  the  six- 


CHRIST'S    LOVE    TO    THE    CHURCH. 


265 

©I 


teenth  chapter  of  Ezekiel.     The  substance  great  expression  of  divine 

of  it   is   this : — A   female  infant,  the   fruit,  sinners,  whether  they  beli 

perhaps,    of   an   illicit  connection    (whose  or  not.     But  the  love  which) 

wretched  parent,  in  order  to  hide  her  shame,  have  borne  to  the  church  wa\ 

had  left  it  in  the  fields,)  was  discovered  by  a  and  effectual  to  its  salvation.  \  ...icn  is 

humane  prince,  who  happened  to  be  passing  supposed  to  have  been  given  mm  of  the  Fa 

that  way  at  the  time.     He   looked    at   the  ther,  to  be  unto  him  as  a  bride  to  a  husband, 


perishing  babe,  and  pitied  it.  I  will  save 
thy  life,  said  he  ;  and,  as  thou  art  fatherless 
and  motherless,  I  will  be  both  father  and 
mother  to  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  mine. — He 
then  washed  and  clothed  her;  and,  taking 
her  to  his  palace,  gave  her  an  education 
suited  to  his  intentions,  which  in  fact  were, 
at  a  proper  time,  to  marry  her.  On  her  ar- 
riving at  years  of  maturity,  he  carried  his 
design  into  execution  ;  she  became  his  wife, 


and,  ultimately,  the  reward  of  his  undertak- 
ing. The  love  of  Christ,  therefore,  in  this 
connection,  can  be  no  other  than  electing 
love  ;  and  the  passage  may  be  considered  as 
parallel  with  that  at  the  beginning  of  the 
epistle,  "He  hath  chosen  us  in  him,  be- 
fore the  foundation  of  the  world,  that  we 
should  be  holy,  and  without  blame  before  him 
in  love." 

2.  For  the  accomplishment  of  the  church's 


and  the   crown  royal  was   placed  upon   her  redemption,   it  was   necessary   that   Christ 

head.  should  give  himself  a  sacrifice.     In  this  way 

Look  at  this  representation,  and  at  his  his  love  must  operate,  or  be  ineffectual, 
conduct  who  "  loved  the  church,  and  gave  We  are  now,  my  brethren,  upon  the  most 
himself  for  it,  that  he  might  sanctify  and  interesting  part  of  the  most  interesting  sub- 
cleanse  it  with  the  washing  of  water  by  the  ject  that  was  ever  presented  to  men  or  an- 
word,  that  he  might  present  it  to  himself  a  gels.  It  was  this  on  which  Paul  wrote  so 
glorious  church,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle,  feelingly :  "  The  life  which  I  now  live  in  the 
or  any  such  thing ;  but  that  it  should  be  flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God, 
holy,  and  without  blemish."  Look,  I  say,  at  who  loved  me,  and  gave  himself 'for  me ."  It 
both  these  representations,  and  judge  if  the  was  this  that  furnished  John  with  his  affect- 
one  has  not  some  reference  to  the  other.  ing  doxology :  "  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and 

There  are  three  things  to  which  the  salva-  ivashed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood, 

tion  of  the  church  is  here  ascribed  ;   namely,  — to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever  and 

the  love  of  Christ— the  sacrifice  of  Christ —  ever.     Amen."     It  is  this  that  furnishes  the 


and  the  ivord  of  Christ. 


church  in   heaven   with   its   "  new   song : 


1.  For  the  accomplishment  of  so  great  a  "  Thou  art  worthy— /or  thou  wast  slain,  and 

deliverance,   it   was   necessary  that  Christ  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood  out  of 

should  love  the   church.     The   thought  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and 

this   is   overwhelming.       His    wisdom   and  nation." 

power  and  majesty  may  induce  us  to  admire        But  wherefore  must  our  Redeemer  give 

and  adore  him;  but  to  think  of  his  loving  himself  for  us?     Would  nothing  short  of  life 

sinful  men  excites  amazement.  suffice  ?     Nothing.     We,  as  transgressors, 

There  are  several  properties  pertaining  to  being  justly  exposed  to  eternal  death,  must 
the  love  of  Christ  which  require  to  be  taken  have  borne  our  iniquity,  had  he  not  offered 
into  the  account,  if  we  would  form  anything  himself  as  a  substitute  in  our  place,  life  for 
like  a  just  view  of  it.  Love  may  be  founded  life.  Some  who  profess  to  believe  in  the 
upon  character.  Christ  himself  speaks  of  atonement  have  hesitated,  from  I  know  not 
loving  his  disciples  on  this  account:  "  If  ye  what  kind  of  modesty,  to  maintain  the  7ieces- 
keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  sity  of  it  in  order  to  forgiveness ;  alleging 
my  love  ;  even  as  I  have  kept  my  Father's  that  it  does  not  become  us  to  say  what  God 
commandments,  and  abide  in  his  love."  But  could  or  could  not  have  done.  But  does  it 
that  of  which  we  are  discoursing  could  not  become  us,  when  he  has,  in  effect,  declared 
be  founded  upon  anything  of  this  kind  ;  for  anything  to  be  inconsistent  with  his  perfec- 
ts object  is  supposed  to  be  altogether  pol-  tions,  to  question  whether  it  might  not, 
luted.  He  loved  his  church,  and  gave  him-  nevertheless,  be  admissible  ?  Why  did  not 
self  for  it,  not  because  it  was  sanctified  and  the  cup  pass  from  him,  when,  with  strong 
cleansed,  or  in  view  of  its  being  so;  but  "that  crying  and  tears  to  God,  he  besought  that 
he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it."  Again,  if  it  were  possible,  it  might  do  so?  It  is 
love  towards  an  unworthy  object  is,  com-  true,  "  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him;" 
monly,  no  other  than  general  benevolence,  but,  surely,  not  without  a  necessity  for  it! 
Such  was  that  compassion  which  our  Sa-  If  mercy  could  have  been  manifested  con- 
viour  felt  when  he  wept  over  Jerusalem  ;  and  sistently  with  justice,  without  his  suffering, 
such  that  good  will  towards  men  of  which  surely  the  cup  would  have  passed  from  him ! 
his  being  born  into  the  world  was  an  ex-  Whoever  had  been  given  up  to  be  made  a 
pression.  God's  giving  his  only-begotten  curse,  Gnd  would  have  spared  his  own  Son! 
Son  to  be  made  a  sacrifice,  and  declaring  But  "  it  became  him  for  whom  are  all  things, 
that  "  whosoever  believeth  in  him  shall  not  in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make 
perish,  but  have   everlasting  life,"   was  a  the  captain  of  their  salvation  perfect  through 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


26  <* 

sufferings."  To  give  up  the  necessity  of 
atonement  is  half  giving  up  the  thing  itself: 
and  the  half  which  remains  will  have  but 
little  effect  on  our  hearts,  or  on  the  tenor  of 
our  labors. 

The  connection  in  which  the  death  of 
Christ  is  here  introduced,  namely,  as  being 
for  his  church,  or,  which  is  the  same  thing, 
for  his  elect  people,  teaches  us  that  all 
which  lie  did  and  suffered  was  with  a  view 
to  their  salvation.  The  invitations  of  the 
gospel,  it  is  true,  are  addressed  to  sinners, 
as  sinners  ;  and  I  believe  it  to  be  equally  true 
that  such  invitations  are  founded  on  the 
sufficiency  of  Christ's  atonement  for  the  par- 
don.of  all  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  were 
they  to  believe  in  him ;  but  if  we  Avill  allow 
the  Scriptures  to  speak  out  on  all  occasions, 
and  form  our  principles  by  them,  taken  as  a 
whole,  we  must  conclude  that  it  was  his  in- 
tention, design,  or  purpose,  to  save  those, 
and  only  those,  by  it,  who  were  given  to  him 
of  the  Father.  In  other  words,  it  never  was 
his  intention  to  impart  faith,  and  other  suc- 
ceeding benefits,  to  any  other  than  his 
elect:  "Whom  he  did  predestinate  them  he 
also  called."  We  are  saved  and  called, 
"  not  according  to  our  works,  but  according 
to  his  own  purpose  and  grace,  which  was 
given  us  in  Christ  Jesus,  before  the  world 
began." 

I  am  aware  that  many  objections  might 
here  be  raised ;  but  I  am  also  aware  that 
they  all  rest  upon  the  principle  that  di- 
vine predestination  and  human  agency  can- 
not be  consistent,  unless  they  appear  to  us  to 
be  so.  This  I  do  not  believe.  It  did  not 
belong  to  Moses  to  explain  hoiv  the  mes- 
sage of  peace  to  Pharaoh  and  Sihon  were 
consistent  with  the  purpose  of  God  to  de- 
stroy them:  but  I  suppose  he  believed  they 
were  so,  because  the  same  Being  (who 
could  not  do  wrong)  ordered  the  former  and 
declared  the  latter.  Neither  does  it  belong 
to  me  to  show  how,  with  respect  to  the  per- 
sons who  shall  be  ultimately  benefited  by 
the  death  of  Christ,  a  limitation  of  design  is 
consistent  with  universal  invitations  :  but  I 
believe  it  to  be  so,  because  he  that  has  or- 
dered the  one  has,  in  effect,  declared  the 
other.  Vain  men  may  ask,  "  Why  then  doth 
he  yet  find  fault ;  for  who  hath  resisted  his 
will  ?  "  But  if,  instead  of  "  replying  against 
God,"  they  were  to  throw  themselves  at  the 
feet  of  sovereign  mercy,  and  seek  forgive- 
ness in  the  name  of  Jesus,  it  would  turn  to 
a  better  account. 

3.  For  the  accomplishment  of  the  church's 
salvation  it  requires  that  it  should  be  sancti- 
fied and  cleansed  by  faith  in  the  word  of 
God.  The  latter  of  these  terms  frequently 
denotes  the  removal  of  sin,  as  to  its  condemn- 
ing as  well  as  its  defiling  influence.  The 
blood  of  Christ  operates  in  both  ways  ;  and 
the  faith  of  him,  in  different  respects,  both 
justifies  and  sanctifies.      As  the   process, 


however,  seems  principally  to  refer  to  the 
meetening  of  the  church,  by  a  gradual  in- 
crease of  holy  beauty,  the  terms  sanctify  and 
cleanse  may,  in  this  place,  convey  much  the 
same  idea.  It  never  was  the  Lord's  design  to 
save  his  people  in  their  sins,  but  from  them. 
Sanctification,  therefore,  is  an  essential 
branch  of  salvation.  The  word,  especially 
the  word  of  the  gospel,  truly  believed,  is  the 
laver  in  which  the  sinner  is  washed  from  his 
uncleanness.  He  may  have,  heretofore, 
yielded  a  traditional  assent  to  it,  and  re- 
mained a  slave  to  his  lusts  notwithstanding : 
but  when,  being  convinced  of  sin  by  a  view 
of  the  divine  law,  he  receives  it  not  as  the 
word  of  men,  but  (as  it  is  in  truth)  the  word 
of  God,  it  worketti*  effectually  in  him.  He 
may  have  made  many  attempts  at  cleansing 
himself  while  under  the  power  of  unbelief; 
but  everything  of  this  kind  was  ineffectual, 
and  left  him  fouler  in  the  sight  of  God  than 
it  found  him.  And  well  it  might ;  for  it  was 
going,  as  it  were,  to  Abana  and  Pharpar,  in 
contempt  of  the  waters  of  Jordan.  Till, 
therefore,  the  sinner,  reneAved  in  the  spirit 
of  his  mind,  is  brought  to  relinquish  all  con- 
fidence, except  in  Christ,  his  attempts  at 
holiness  are  but  wearying  himself  with  very 
vanity. 

There  is,  it  is  observable,  a  marked  con- 
nection in  this  as  well  as  in  many  other  pas- 
sages between  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  and 
the  sanctification  of  his  people.  He  "gave 
himself  for  the  church,  that  he  might  sanctify 
and  cleanse  it."  Had  not  Christ  laid  down 
his  life,  there  had  been  no  holiness  among 
the  fallen  sons  of  Adam,  no  gospel-laver  in 
which  to  wash,  nor  any  such  thing  as  sanc- 
tification of  the  Spirit ;  all  had  continued  in 
their  uncleanness.  It  had  been  as  inconsist- 
ent with  the  perfections  of  God  to  have 
given  his  Holy  Spirit  to  a  sinner  as  to  have 
pardoned  his  sins,  or  bestowed  upon  him  any 
other  spiritual  blessing.  But  having  sacri- 
ficed his  life,  and  that  under  a  promise,  the 
effectual  grace  of  God  not  only  may  be  im- 
parted consistently  with  justice,  but  the 
communication  of  it  is  rendered  certain,  in- 
asmuch as  it  is  a  part  of  the  promised  re- 
ward. Hence,  it  is  represented  as  the  fruit, 
or  effect,  of  his  death.  Believers  are  the  seed 
which  he  was  to  see  ;  the  travail  of  his  soul, 
which  should  yield  him  a  satisfaction,  like 
that  of  a  mother  who  "  remembereth  no  more 
the  anguish,  for  joy  that  a  man  is  born  into 
the  world ! " 

It  is  on  this  principle  that  our  Lord,  in 
view  of  the  unbelief  of  the  Jewish  nation, 
thus  speaks  in  prophecy :  "  I  said,  I  have 
labored  in  vain,  I  have  spent  my  strength 
for  nought  and  in  vain;  yet  surely  my  judg- 
ment is  with  Jehovah,  and  my  ivork  loith  my 
God."  As  if  he  should  say,  Whether  Israel 
be  gathered  or  not,  I  shall  be  rewarded.  My 
work  is  before  God,  the  judge  of  all,  who 
will  not  suffer  it  to  fall  to  the  ground.    If 


CHRIST'S    LOVE    TO    THE    CHURCH. 


265 


Israel  be  lost,  their  loss  will  be  to  them- 
selves ;  it  shall  be  more  than  made  up  to  me, 
from  among  the  Gentiles. 

To  render  manifest  this  connection,  it  was 
ordered,  in  the  divine  counsels,  that  an  extra- 
ordinary measure  of  the  Holy  Spirit  should 
be  poured  out  immediately  after  the  sacri- 
fice was  offered:  and,  lest  the  cause  of  it 
should  be  overlooked,  our  Saviour  expressly 
declared  that,  if  he  went  not  away,  the  Com- 
forter would  not  come  :  but  that,  if  he  went, 
he  would  send  him:  and  that  he  should  con- 
vince the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and 
of  judgment.  This  was  the  appointed  time 
for  great  numbers  of  the  Jews  to  be  con- 
vinced of  their  unbelief,  as  well  as  for  the 
Gentiles  to  be  converted,  and  given  to 
Christ,  as  the  reward  of  his  death.  Things 
were  thus  connected  in  order  of  time,  that 
they  might  appear  to  be  connected  in  order 
of  nature ;  or  that  one  might  appear  to  be, 
what  it  actually  was,  the  effect  of  the  other. 

Add  to  this,  The  death  of  Christ  is  not 
only  a  procuring  cause  of  sanctification,  but, 
as  a  doctrine,  it  operates  to  the  producing  of 
it.  Hence,  the  same  effects  are  ascribed  to 
the  washing  of  water  by  the  word,  and  to 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  The  atonement  of- 
fered was  that  in  virtue  of  which  we  are 
sanctified ;  and  the  atonement  preached 
and  believed  is  the  means  of  its  accomplish- 
ment: "We  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is 
in  him." 

I  proceed  to  notice 

III.  The  honor  for  which  this  grace 

TOWARDS     THE     CHURCH     IS     INTENDED      TO 

prepare  it:  "That  he  might  present  it  to 
himself."  There  is  no  doubt  but  the  term 
here  alludes  to  the  presenting  of  an  espoused 
virgin  to  her  husband.  Under  this  imagery, 
the  Scriptures  are  wont  to  represent  the  dif- 
ferent joyful  advances  of  the  church  towards 
perfection.  As  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  the  overthrow  of  the  heathen  em- 
pire of  Rome,  are  described  in  language  ap- 
plicable to  the  last  judgment,  intimating 
that  they  would  be,  to  the  parties  concerned, 
days  of  judgment  in  miniature;  so  the  dif- 
ferent advances  of  the  church  towards  per- 
fection are  described  in  language  applicable 
to  a  state  of  perfection  itself.  Thus  the 
conversion  of  sinners  is  represented  as  an 
espousal  of  them  to  one  husband,  that  they 
might  be  presented  as  a  chaste  virgin  to 
Christ.  The  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  to 
Christ  is  also  thus  described:  "Hearken,  O 
daughter,  and  consider,  and  incline  thine 
ear ;  forget  also  thine  own  people  and  thy 
father's  house.  So  shall  the  king  greatly 
desire  thy  beauty :  for  he  is  thy  Lord,  and 
worship  thou  him. — The  king's  daughter  is 
all  glorious  within ;  her  clothing  is  of  wrought 
gold.  She  shall  be  brought  unto  the  king 
in  raiment  of  needle-work :  the  virgins  her 
companions  that  follow  her  shall  be  brought 
unto  thee.  With  gladness  and  rejoicing 
Vol.  2.— Sio.  34. 


shall  they  be  brought :  they  shall  enter  into 
the  king's  palace."  Under  the  same  im- 
agery seem  to  be  represented  the  great  con- 
versions to  Christ  in  the  latter  day.  Imme- 
diately after  the  fall  of  Babylon,  the  voice 
of  a  great  multitude  is  heard  in  heaven,  say- 
ing, "  Alleluia :  for  the  Lord  God  omnipo- 
tent reigneth.  Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice, 
and  give  honor  to  him  :  for  the  marriage  of 
the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath  made 
herself  ready.  And  to  her  was  granted  that 
she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean 
and  white :  for  the  fine  linen  is  the  righte- 
ousness of  saints.  And  he  saith  unto  me, 
Write,  Blessed  are  they  which  are  called 
unto  the  marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb. — 
These  are  the  true  sayings  of  God." 

On  each  of  these  occasions  there  is  a  par- 
tial presentation  of  the  church  to  Christ; 
and  all  are  preparatory  to  that  universal  and 
perfect  one  which  shall  take  place  at  the  end 
of  time. 

But  there  seems  to  be  something  singular 
in  the  idea  of  Christ's  presenting  the  church 
to  himself.  The  office  of  presenting  the 
bride,  we  should  suppose,  properly  belongs 
to  her  parent.  But  how  if  she  had  no  pa- 
rent, and,  like  the  orphan  before  described, 
was  cast  out,  without  an  eye  to  pity  or  a 
hand  to  help  her  ?  In  this  case  the  bride- 
groom must  himself  be  her  father  and  per- 
form the  office  of  a  father  throughout,  even 
to  the  presenting  of  her  to  himself.  If  such 
be  the  allusion,  it  represents  in  an  affecting 
light  our  forlorn  condition  as  under  the  fall ; 
and  teaches  us  that  in  every  stage  of  our 
salvation  we  must  remember  it,  in  order  to 
heighten  our  love  to  Christ. 

The  perfection  of  bliss  that  will  succeed 
to  this  presentation  is  beyond  all  our  pres- 
ent conceptions.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
Christ  will  be  the  sum  and  substance  of  it. 
We  have  already  noticed  the  glory  of  the 
church  as  being  freed  from  her  spots  and 
blemishes  ;  but  this,  though  a  great  blessing, 
is  chiefly  negative.  Besides  this,  there  is 
a  positive  source  of  enjoyment  in  an  unin- 
terrupted and  endless  communion  with  her 
Lord  and  Saviour.  To  be  able  to  compre- 
hend the  breadth,  and  length,  and  height  of 
the  love  of  Christ,  and  so  to  be  filled  with 
all  the  fulness  of  God,  is  the  mark  on  which 
saints  on  earth  are  directed  to  keep  their 
eye  ;  but  to  attain  it  is  reserved  for  saints  in 
heaven.  Nor  shall  they  so  comprehend  it 
as  to  leave  no  room  for  continued  researches : 
for  how  shall  they  perfectly  know  that  which 
"passeth  knowledge?" 

Finally:  It  is  observable  that  under  the 
figure  of  being  admitted  to  a  marriage-feast, 
or  excluded  from  it,  we  see  what  will  short- 
ly be  the  test  of  us  all :  "  At  midnight  there 
was  a  cry  made,  Behold  the  bridegroom 
cometh,  go  ye  out  to  meet  him.— And  they 
that  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to  the 
marriage,  and  the  door  was  shut."    If  there 


266 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


be  any  thing  of  importance  in  this  world,  it 
is  to  be  ready  when  the  Lord  cometh ;  not 
by  such  preparations  as  those  to  which  sin- 
ners are  apt  to  flee  when  their  fears  are 
alarmed,  but  by  believing  in  the  Son  of  God, 
and  keeping  his  commandments.  "  Christ 
Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners." 
Look  off"  from  every  other  dependence,  and 
put  your  trust  in  him.  "He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life :  and  he  that 
believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life ; 
but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him.— Let 
your  loins  be  girded  about,  and  your  lights 
burning ;  and  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men 
that  Avait  fo*r  their  Lord.— Blessed  are  those 
servants  whom  the  Lord,  when  he  cometh, 
shall  find  watching !  " 


SERMON  XV. 

THE  GOSPEL  THE  ONLY  EFFECTUAL  MEANS 
OF  PRODUCING  UNIVERSAL  PEACE  AMONG 
MANKIND. 

"Rehold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah  the  prophet, 
before  the  coming  of  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of 
the  Lord.  And  he  shall  turn  the  heart  of  the 
fathers  to  the  children,  and  the  heart  of  the  chil- 
dren to  their  fathers,  lest  I  come  and  smite  the 
earth  with  a  curse.— Mai.  iv.  5,  6. 

Malachi,  the  last  of  the  Old-testament 
prophets,  lived  in  an  age  of  great  degenera- 
cy, and  much  of  his  prophecy  is  taken  up 
in  bearing  testimony  against  it.  The  last 
two  chapters,  however,  inform  us  of  a  rem- 
nant who  feared  the  Lord  and  thought  up- 
on his  name.  Partly  for  their  encourage- 
ment, and  partly  for  the  awakening  of  the 
careless,  he  introduces  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah,  and  intimates  that  the  very  next 
prophet  who  should  be  sent  would  be  his 
harbinger. 

That  we  may  understand  the  passage  first 
read,  I  shall  offer  a  few  observations  up- 
on it. 

1.  John  the  Baptist  is  here  called  "  Eli- 
jah the  prophet"  because  he  would  be  as  it 
were  another  Elijah ;  resembling  him  not 
only  in  his  austerity  and  general  appear- 
ance, but  in  the  spirit  and  power  with  which 
he  preached:  "  And  many  of  the  children  of 
Israel  shall  he  turn  to  the  Lord  their  God. 
And  he  shall  go  before  him  in  the  spirit  and 
power  of  Elias,  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fa- 
thers to  the  children,  and  the  disobedient  to 
the  wisdom  of  the  just,  to  make  ready  a  peo- 
ple prepared  for  the  Lord." 

2.  The  coming  of  Christ  is  called  "that 
great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord."  This 
may  seem  to  disagree  with  the  general  cur- 
rent of  prophecy.  It  is  common  for  the 
prophets  to  represent  this  great  event  as  a 
source  of  unusual  joy,  and  to  call  not  men 
only,  but  the  very  inanimate  creation,  to 
join  in  it.     The  truth  is,  the  same  event 


which  afforded  joy  to  those  who  received 
him  brought  desolation  and  destruction  to 
those  who  received  him  not.  It  is  in  this 
light  that  the  prophet  represents  it  in  chap, 
iii.  2.  "Who  may  abide  the  day  of  his 
coming  ?  and  who  shall  stand  when  he  ap- 
peareth?"  And  the  fact  was  that  for  the 
rejection  of  him  such  tribulations  came  up- 
on the  Jewish  nation  as  were  not  since  the 
beginning  of  the  world  to  that  time,  and 
would  never  be  again.  This  was  the  "  day  " 
referred  to  in  ver.  1,  which  should  "burn  as 
an  oven;"  when  all  the  proud,  and  all  that 
should  do  wickedly,  would  be  stubble ;  the 
day  that  should  burn  them  up,  and  leave 
them  neither  root  nor  branch. 

3.  It  is  intimated  that  previously  to  the 
ministry  of  John  there  would  be  great  dis- 
sensions and  bitter  animosities  among  the 
Jewish  people ;  parents  at  variance  with 
their  children,  and  children  with  their  pa- 
rents :  altogether  producing  such  a  state  of 
society  that,  if  there  had  been  no  change 
for  the  better,  the  land  might  have  been 
smitten  with  a  curse  sooner  than  it  was. 
Subjugated  by  the  Romans,  one  part  of  the 
nation,  for  the  sake  of  private  interest,  sided 
with  them  and  accepted  places  under  them, 
by  which  they  became  odious  in  the  eyes  of 
the  other.  Some  became  soldiers  under  the 
Roman  standard,  and  treated  their  brethren 
with  violence  ;  others  became  publicans,  or 
fanners  of  the  public  taxes,  entering  deep- 
ly into  a  system  of  oppression.  A  spirit  of 
selfishness  pervaded  all  ranks  and  orders  of 
men,  prompting  those  on  one  side  to  deeds 
of  oppression  and  those  on  the  other  to  dis- 
content and  bitter  antipathies.  Besides  this, 
they  were  divided  into  a  number  ofreligious 
sects,  which  bore  the  most  inveterate  hatred 
to  each  other,  and  were  all  far  off  from 
truth  and  godliness. 

4.  It  is  predicted  that  John's  ministry 
should  have  a  conciliating  influence,  turning 
men's  hearts  one  to  another,  and  so  tending 
to  avert  the  curse  which  hung  over  them. 
Such  Avere  actually  the  effects  of  it.  Nor 
were  they  accomplished  by  a  mere  inter- 
ference between  the  parties,  or  by  laboring 
to  produce  a  mere  outward  reformation  ;  but 
by  first  turning  them  to  God,  through  Jesus 
Christ.  Hence  Luke,  in  quoting  the  words 
of  Malachi,  connects  the  turning  of  the 
hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children  with 
the  turning  of  the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom 
of  the  just,  and  the  making  ready  a  people 
prepared  for  the  Lord.  John's  errand  was 
to  call  sinners  to  repentance,  adding,  withal, 
that  they  should  believe  in  him  that  should 
come  after  him.  And,  wherever  this  effect 
was  produced,  a  new  bond  of  union  existed, 
and  former  antipathies  were  forgotten.  The 
exhortations  also  which  he  gave  to  those 
who  repented  and  applied  for  baptism  were 
such  as  struck  at  every  species  of  selfish- 
ness, and  tended    to  promote   peace  and 


PEACEFUL    TENDENCY    OF    THE    GOSPEL. 


267 


unanimity  among  men.  He  called  for  "fruits 
meet  for  repentance." — "  The  people  asked 
him,  saying,  What  shall  we  do  then  ?  He 
answereth  and  saith  unto  them,  He  that 
hath  two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that 
hath  none  ;  and  he  that  hath  meat  let  him 
do  likewise.  Then  came  also  publicans  to 
be  baptized,  and  said  unto  him,  Master, 
what  shall  we  do  ?  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Exact  no  more  than  that  which  is  appointed 
you.  And  the  soldiers  likewise  demanded 
of  him,  saying,  And  what  shall  we  do  ?  And 
he  said  unto  them,  Do  violence  to  no  man, 
neither  accuse  any  falsely,  and  be  content 
with  your  wages."  Such  repentance,  and 
such  fruits,  so  far  as  they  prevailed,  must 
produce  the  most  happy  effect  upon  the 
country,  and  tend  to  avert  the  curse.  Those 
who  believed  through  the  ministry  of  John, 
of  Christ,  or  of  the  apostles,  were  as  the  salt 
of  the  land  ;  and  it  might  be  for  their  sakes 
that  its  punishment  was  deferred  till  forty 
years  after  they  had  crucified"  the  Lord  of 
glory.  When  God  had  gathered  a  people 
from  among  them,  the  remnant  grew  worse 
and  worse,  till,  in  the  end,  the  curse  over- 
took them.  Previously  to  that  "  great  and 
terrible  day  of  the  Lord,"  it  was  predicted 
that  to  all  their  other  crimes  they  would  add 
that  of  the  most  bitter  persecution  of  Christ's 
servants.  "  The  brother,"  said  our  Lord, 
"  shall  deliver  up  the  brother  to  death,  and 
the  father  the  child;  and  the  children  shall 
rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  cause  them 
to  be  put  to  death."  Such  was  the  fact. 
Having  "killed  the  Lord  Jesus  and  their 
own  prophets,"  they  persecuted  his  followers, 
and  that  with  a  rage  which  not  only  dis- 
pleased God,  but  rendered  them  odious  to 
men.  In  short,  we  see  that  so  far  as  the 
gospel  was  received  it  tended  to  heal  the 
country  and  to  retard  the  day  of  evil. 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  the  same  causes, 
if  applied  to  the  world  in  general,  would  be 
productive  of  the  same  effects  ;  or  that  the 
gospel  is  the  only  effectual  means  of  heal- 
ing the  divisions  among  mankind,  and  so  of 
turning  the  curse  which  hangs  over  us  into 
a  blessing. 

That  we  may  see  the  evidence  and  impor- 
tance of  this  truth,  it  will  be  proper  to  take 
a  view  of  the  divisions  which  have  obtained 
among  men,  with  their  causes  and  tendency  ; 
of  the  inefficacy  of  all  human  means  for  re- 
moving them  ;  and  of  the  efficacy  of  the  gos- 
pel for  this  great  purpose. 

I.  Let  us  take  a  view  of  the  dissen- 
sions WHICH  HAVE  OBTAINED  AMONG  MEN, 
WITH    THEIR    CAUSES    AND  TENDENCY.     The 

state  of  the  Jewish  people  in  the  times  of 
John  was  but  an  epitome  of  human  nature, 
as  sunk  into  a  gulf  of  depravity.  From  the 
fall  of  man  to  this  day  the  earth  has  been  a 
scene  of  discord.  Jealousies  and  antipa- 
thies rendered  the  first-born  child  of  Adam 
a  murderer;  and,  prior  to  the  flood,   "the 


earth  was  corrupt  before  God,  and — filled 
with  violence."  Whether  war  was  then  re- 
duced to  a  system,  as  it  has  been  since,  we 
are  not  told  ;  but,  if  not,  it  might  be  owing 
to  the  world  not  being  yet  divided  into  na- 
tions. The  springs  of  domestic  and  social 
life  were  poisoned ;  the  tender  ties  of  blood 
and  affinity  violated  ;  and  quarrels,  intrigues, 
oppressions,  robberies,  and  murders,  pervad- 
ed the  abodes  of  man. 

When  that  generation  was  swept  away, 
and  a  new  world  arose  from  the  family  of 
Noah,  it  might  have  been  expected  that  the 
example  which  had  been  so  recently  exhib- 
ited would  have  had  some  effect ;  but  in  a 
little  time  the  same  things  were  acted  over 
again.  The  story  of  Nimrod,  though  brief, 
affords  a  specimen  of  what  has  been  going 
on  in  the  world  ever  since.  What  is  the 
history  of  nations,  but  an  account  of  a  suc- 
cession of  mighty  hunters  and  their  adhe- 
rents, each  of  whom,  in  his  day,  caused  ter- 
ror in  the  land  of  the  living  ?  The  earth 
has  been  a  kind  of  theatre,  in  which  one 
part  of  mankind,  being  trained  and  furnish- 
ed with  weapons,  have  been  employed  to 
destroy  another ;  and  this,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, for  the  gratification  of  the  spectators  ! 

Nor  is  this  spirit  of  discord  confined  to 
nations.  It  pervades,  in  different  degrees, 
every  department  of  society,  civil  or  religi- 
ous. If  the  heavenly  plant  decay  in  any 
connection,  or  among  any  people,  this  weed 
wrill  presently  spring  up  in  its  place.  No 
sooner  did  the  church  at  Corinth  become  de- 
generate in  their  principles  and  conduct, 
than  there  were  divisions  among  them.  And, 
when  the  Galatians  had  corrupted  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ,  they  required  to  be  warned 
against  "  hatred,  variance,  emulations,  wrath, 
strife,"  &c,  and  to  be  told  that  "they  which 
do  such  things  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom 
of  God." 

Whence  is  it  that  this  evil  spirit  proceeds  ? 
Doomed  as  men  are  to  innumerable  evils 
during  their  short  residence  upon  earth,  and 
to  death  as  the  issue,  one  would  think  it 
might  excite  a  sympathy  towards  each  other 
as  fellow-sufferers,  and  a  concern  to  miti- 
gate, rather  than  to  increase,  the  miseries  of 
their  situation.  And  when  such  things  are 
viewed  generally  and  abstractedly  there  are 
few  men  who  would  not  admit  so  much  as  this, 
and  wonder,  indeed,  that  the  world  cannot 
live  in  peace.  But  when  particular  cases 
occur,  and  the  general  good  is  thought  to 
clash  with  private  interest,  all  these  reason- 
ings evaporate  like  smoke,  and  the  lusts 
which  war  in  the  members  bear  down  every 
tiling  before  them.  The  root  of  the  evil 
lies  in  our  having  forsaken  God,  and  become 
alienated  from  him.  It  was  the  law  of  our 
creation,  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thy  heart,  and  soul,  and  mind,  and 
strength,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself:  "  and 
there  is  a  closer  connection  between  these 


268 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


different  branches  of  the  law  than  we  are  apt 
to  suppose.  If  we  love  God,  we  shall  love 
our  brother  also.  For  a  man  to  fear  God 
was  sufficient  to  ensure  a  just,  kind,  and  hu- 
mane treatment  of  his  fellow  men.  But,  if 
we  cease  to  love  Jam,  we  shall  not  be  able  to 
love  one  another,  unless  it  be  for  our  own 
sake.  It  is  the  love  of  ourselves  only  that, 
in  this  case,  governs  us :  and  this  is  a  princi- 
ple which,  not  being  subordinate  to  the  love 
of  God,  is  of  the  essence  of  sin,  and  tends, 
in  its  own  nature,  to  fill  the  world  with  dis- 
cord. Men  form  connections,  some  on  a 
small,  and  some  on  a  larger  scale ;  but, 
where  self-love  is  the  motive,  every  thing  is 
expected  to  be  done  for  their  own  honor,  in- 
terest, or  happiness ;  and,  the  same  thing 
being  expected  on  the  other  side,  there  is  no 
place  for  concord. 

If  two  persons  bear  an  affectionate  good 
will  to  each  other  as  children  of  the  same 
family,  and  each  seek  the  good  of  the  other 
from  the  pleasure  of  doing  him  good,  and 
without  so  much  as  thinking  that  it  is  to  is- 
sue in  his  own  advantage,  it  will  issue  in  his 
own  advantage  ;  and  that  to  a  far  greater 
degree  than  if  he  had  directly  sought  it:  for 
God  has  so  constituted  things  that  in  seek- 
ing another's  good  we  shall  find  our  own. 
If  parents  and  children,  husbands  and  wives, 
feel  only  for  themselves,  they  will  resemble 
men  in  a  famine,  in  winch  "  no  man  spareth 
his  brother : "  one  snatches  on  the  right  hand, 
and  is  hungry  :  another  eats  on  the  left  hand, 
and  is  not  satisfied.  But  if  they  feel  one 
for  another — if,  like  the  widow  of  Zarephath 
by  Elijah,  each  one  be  willing  to  divide 
his  morsel,  that  morsel  becomes  seven  times 
more  sweet,  and  God  often  blesses  and  in- 
creases it  till  the  return  of  plenty. 

These  remarks  are  equally  applicable  to 
nations  as  to  individuals  and  families.  It  is 
owing  to  self-love  having  taken  place  of  the 
love  of  God,  that  treaties  of  alliance  and  com- 
merce are  so  frequently  broken.  While 
each  party  seeks  nothing  but  its  own  inter- 
est, and  requires  that  of  the  other  to  give 
place  to  it,  it  is  impossible  that  concord 
should  be  of  any  continuance.  If  such 
leagues  be  not  at  once  dissolved,  it  is  merely 
in  consideration  of  the  one  party  hoping  to 
gain,  notwithstanding  the  selfishness  of  the 
other,  or  fearing  that  greater  evils  will  re- 
sult from  the  breach  than  from  the  fulfilment 
of  the  treaty.  But  unions  on  so  frigid  a  prin- 
ciple are  unworthy  of  the  name. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  what  must 
be  the  tendency  of  such  a  state  of  tilings. 
Nothing  can  better  express  it  than  the  words 
of  the  Lord  by  the  prophet,  "Lest  I  come 
and  smite  the  earth  with  a  curse."  Where 
the  love  of  God  has  no  place,  and  self-love 
is  the  ruling  principle  in  every  department 
of  society,  every  thing  is  ripening  for  de- 
struction. If  the  whole  earth  were  in  this 
state,  it  would  be  as  the  barren  fig-tree,  and 


Heaven  would  say,  "  Cut  it  clown,  why  cum- 
bereth  it  the  ground  ?  "  It  were  better  that 
there  should  be  no  world  than  such  a  world 
as  this. 

II.  Consider  the  inefficacy  of  all  hu- 
man  MEANS    FOR   THE   REMOVAL    OF    THESE 

evils.  The  miseries  produced  in  the  earth 
by  discord  are  so  serious  that  it  is  become 
the  necessary  study  of  the  thinking  part  of 
mankind  to  counteract  them.  Had  the  love 
of  God  ruled  in  the  heart,  this  had  been  the 
cement  of  the  world.  Had  men  been  ten 
thousand  times  more  numerous  than  they 
are,  this  would  have  bound  them  all  togeth- 
er :  but,  this  principle  being  extinct,  others 
of  a  very  inferior  nature  must  be  substituted 
in  its  place.  It  is  partly  by  softening  the 
asperities  of  human  nature,  and  partly  by 
cultivating  its  most  pacific  principles,  that 
any  thing  is  effected:  but,  though  these 
means  may  diminish  the  evil,  yet  they  can- 
not produce  any  thing  like  a  radical  cure. 
Let  us  instance  in  a  few  particulars : — 

First,  Great  things  have  been  done  by 
education.  By  a  course  of  discipline  in  ear- 
ly life  mankind  are  taught  to  avoid  all  rude 
and  provoking  language,  and  to  carry  it 
courteously  and  respectfully  to  all  about 
them.  Even  harsh  things,  if  expressed  in 
soft  and  gentle  terms,  will,  in  a  good  degree, 
lose  their  harshness,  and  tend  to  disarm  the 
party  of  resentment.  "  A  soft  answer  turn- 
eth  away  wrath,  while  grievous  words  stir 
up  anger."  Herein  consists  the  difference 
between  barbarous  and  civilized  society ;  a 
difference  for  which  there  is  great  cause  for 
thankfulness.  But,  after  all,  the  change 
which  is  hereby  effected  is  nearly  confined 
to  the  surface  of  things  :  the  real  temper  of 
the  heart  is  much  the  same.  The  grand 
study  in  this  science  is  appearance.  The 
most  bitter  and  malignant  speeches  are  ut- 
tered without  shame  by  those  who  reckon 
themselves  gentlemen  ;  and  murder  itself  is 
patronized  by  the  laws  of  honor.  It  were  a 
difficult  question  to  determine  which  would 
be  the  least  friendly  to  human  happiness, 
for  the  whole  world  to  be  sunk  into  the  low* 
est  state  of  barbarism  or  raised  to  these 
haughty  and  atheistical  notions  of  honor. 
Assuredly,  this  is  not  the  way  in  which  uni- 
versal peace  will  be  produced  on  earth. 

Another  principle  to  which  great  things 
also  are  ascribed  is  a  union  of  interests.  It 
is  an  undoubted  fact  that  God,  in  his  provi- 
dence, has  so  interwoven  the  interests  of 
mankind  that  they  cannot  subsist  without 
each  other.  We  talk  proudly  of  independ- 
ence ;  but  we  are  all  dependent,  both  upon 
God  and  one  another.  What  would  any  in- 
dividual be,  if  left  alone  ?  What  would  a 
family  be,  if  separated  from  all  other  fami- 
lies? What  would  cities  be  without  the 
country,  or  the  country  without  cities  ?  Nay, 
what  would  nations  be,  if  shut  out  from  all 
intercourse  with  other  nations  ?    These  con- 


PEACEFUL    TENDENCY    OF    THE    GOSPEL. 


269 


siderations  ought,  no  doubt,  to  induce  man- 
kind, of  all  ranks,  degrees,  and  situations, 
to  study  the  things  which  make  for  peace  ; 
and  to  say  that  they  actually  have  no  influ- 
ence in  promoting  concord  would  be  saying 
what  is  manifestly  untrue.  To  this  prin- 
ciple we  are  indebted  for  the  stifling  of 
thousands  of  quarrels,  which  would  other- 
wise burst  forth,  and  render  society  intol- 
erable. To  this  also  we  are  indebted  for 
the  suppression  of  a  very  large  portion  of 
religious  hatred.  Considering  the  enmity 
of  wicked  men  against  serious  Christians, 
instead  of  being  surprised  at  its  breaking 
out  so  much  as  it  does,  we  have  more  rea- 
son to  be  surprised  that  it  breaks  out  no 
more.  Had  not  God  so  bound  mankind  to- 
gether that  they  cannot  obtain  their  own 
ends  without  being  civil  and  kind  to  others, 
where  there  is  one  instance  of  bitter  perse- 
cution, we  might  expect  a  hundred ;  and  the 
same  may  be  said  of  every  other  species  of 
malevolence. 

But,  though  such  a  constitution  of  things 
furnishes  matter  for  thankfulness,  yet  it  is 
utterly  inadequate  to  the  producing  of  peace 
on  earth,  and  good  will  to  men.  Stifled  ani- 
mosity is  very  different  from  love :  the  good 
understanding  which  arises  from  it  is  not 
peace,  but  the  mere  suspension  of  hostili- 
ties for  the  sake  of  convenience.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  only  thing  necessary  to 
produce  universal  peace  is  that  mankind  be 
enlightened  to  know  their  true  interests. 
Certain  it  is  that,  if  our  true  interests  were 
known  and  pursued,  we  should  seek  the 
good  of  mankind  in  all  that  we  have  to  do 
with  them  :  but  sin,  operating  in  a  way  of 
selfishness,  blinds  the  mind,  and  prompts 
men  to  seek  their  own  interest,  in  opposition 
to  that  of  others.  Such  also  is  the  strength 
of  corrupt  propensity  in  men  that  in  many 
cases,  which  must  appear  to  be  injurious  to 
themselves  as  well  as  others,  they  will  fre- 
quently give  way  to  it,  whatever  be  the  con- 
sequence, and  even  ruin  themselves  for  the 
sake  of  ruining  their  neighbors.  It  is  not, 
therefore,  on  this  ground  that  Ave  can  ra- 
tionally build  our  hope  of  any  essential  ame- 
lioration of  the  state  of  mankind. 

Let  us  examine  a  third  principle  ;  namely, 
government.  This  is,  doubtless,  an  impor- 
tant blessing  to  mankind.  It  is  among  the 
means  by  which  God,  in  his  providence, 
preserves  the  world  in  some  degree  of  or- 
der. The  peace  of  the  governed,  so  far  as 
it  respects  one  another,  is  hereby  in  a  mea- 
sure secured.  If  a  nation  were,  for  one 
week,  or  half  that  time,  without  law,  they 
would  learn,  by  woful  experience,  the  value 
of  living  under  it.  The  most  oppressive 
governments  are  preferable  to  a  state  of 
anarchy.  It  may  be  on  this  account  that 
even  that  of  Nero  afforded  no  exception  to 
the  general  doctrine  of  government  being 
ordained  of  God  for  good.     But,  though  or- 


der may  be  produced  by  human  laws  and 
regulations,  yet  it  is  chiefly  confined  to  the 
exterior  of  human  action.  And,  with  re- 
spect to  that,  it  extends  only  to  a  single  ter- 
ritory :  between  one  country  and  another 
there  is  no  paramount  authority  to  settle 
their  differences.  What  are  termed  the 
laws  of  nations  have  but  little  influence 
when  one  nation  possesses  the  means  of 
setting  them  at  defiance.  It  is  in  vain  to 
deny  that  the  most  effective  law  in  the  world 
is  power  ;  and,  as  power  is  constantly  vary- 
ing, the  world  in  one  part  or  other  is  con- 
stantly in  a  state  of  warfare.  Great  con- 
querors call  themselves  "benefactors"  and 
require  to  be  called  so,  even  by  the  con- 
quered ;  and,  what  is  worse,  are  admired 
and  praised  for  their  exploits  in  the  page  of 
history. 

But  the  hopes  which  have  been  entertain- 
ed of  peace  pervading  the  earth  by  means 
of  government  have  arisen,  not  from  the 
thing  itself,  but  from  certain  forms  of  it. 
There  is,  no  doubt,  a  difference  as  to  these. 
That  form  of  government,  be  it  what  it  may, 
which  contributes  most  to  the  administra- 
tion of  substantial  justice  in  a  country,  and 
cuts  off"  the  motives  to  war  in  respect  of 
other  countries,  is  the  best :  but  while  men 
are  corrupt,  selfish,  and  ambitious,  and  pos- 
sess the  means  of  extending  their  power, 
they  will  never  be  in  want  of  a  plea  for  dis- 
turbing the  repose  of  mankind.  To  expect 
them,  under  such  circumstances,  to  be  re- 
strained by  forms  of  their  own  creating,  is 
expecting  too  much,  and  indicates  but  a 
slender  acquaintance  with  human  nature. 
A  form  that  should  leave  no  scope  for  the 
propensities  of  a  people  would  be  borne 
away  before  them  in  a  little  time.  To  ban- 
ish wars  from  the  earth,  therefore,  it  is 
necessary  to  banish  selfishness,  ambition, 
and  other  corrupt  affections,  which  produce 
them.  Even  allowing  a  nation  and  its  gov- 
ernment to  be,  upon  the  whole,  justly  and 
peaceably  disposed;  yet  as  cases  will  be 
always  occurring  in  which  its  interests  will 
clash  with  those  of  other  nations,  and  in 
which  amicable  discussion,  through  the  par- 
tiality which  each  side  feels  for  its  own 
cause,  fails  to  produce  mutual  satisfaction, 
the  consequence  will  often  be  a  recourse  to 
arms.  The  principles  on  which  wars  are 
undertaken  are,  in  many  instances,  the  same 
as  those  by  which  two  individuals  are  prompt- 
ed to  fight  a  duel.  They  may  have  no  de- 
sire to  fight,  nor  to  kill  each  other ;  but  the 
laws  of  honor  require  them  to  act  as  they 
do !  So  long,  therefore,  as  these  laws,  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  laws  of  God,  continue 
to  rule  the  higher  orders  of  mankind,  it  is 
impossible  but  that  wars  and  fightings  will 
come. 

But  if  education,  interest,  and  government, 
fail  to  produce  the  desired  effect;  yet  is 
there  no  other  principle,  whose   influence 


270 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


shall  extend  more  to  the  heart,  by  which  it 
may  be  accomplished  ?  If  there  be,  it  must 
be  kindred,  or  relationship.  This,  I  acknow- 
ledge, has  done  great  things.  By  the  ten- 
der and  endearing  ties  of  blood  and  affinity 
the  asperities  of  human  nature  are  greatly 
softened,  and  God  has,  in  a  manner,  bound 
us  together.  Hence,  perhaps,  arise  the 
practicability  of  mankind  dwelling  together 
in  families  ?  By  alliances  of  this  sort,  a 
good  understanding  is  frequently  kept  up 
in  neighborhoods,  and  sometimes  between 
great  nations.  Though  a  natural  affection, 
is  in  itself  mere  animal  attachment,  and  has 
nothing  morally  good  in  it,  yet  to  be  with- 
out it  argues  the  perfection  of  depravity. 
Nothing  short  of  an  habitually  wicked  heart 
can  extinguish  it.  If  this  principle  be  over- 
come, there  seems  to  be  nothing  left  in  hu- 
man nature  that  can  withstand  the  tide  of 
corruption.  It  is,  therefore,  with  peculiar 
force  and  propriety  that  God,  by  the  prophet, 
represents  the  depravity  of  the  Jewish  na- 
tion as  having  set  the  hearts  of  the  fathers 
against  their  children,  and  the  hearts  of  the 
children  against  their  fathers ;  and,  having 
reached  this  height,  as  being  incurable  by 
any  thing  short  of  a  divine  interposition. 

Strong  as  are  the  ties  of  blood  and  affini- 
ty, yet  there  are  two  reasons  why  universal 
peace  can  never  be  expected  to  proceed 
from  them.  One  is,  their  influence  extends 
only  to  a  small  part  of  mankind.  It  is  true, 
we  are  all  akin  as  creatures,  and  as  having 
sprung  from  one  common  ancestor:  this, 
however,  is  a  consideration  that  has  but  lit- 
tle weight  among  the  bulk  of  mankind.  It 
is  only  towards  near  relations  that  the  at- 
tachment in  question  is  felt.  The  other  is, 
that,  even  with  respect  to  that  part  of  man- 
kind who  are  nearly  related  to  each  other, 
there  is  in  general  no  such  attachment  as  to 
overbalance  the  selfish  affections. 

The  sum  is,  there  is  not  a  principle  in  hu- 
man nature  from  which  any  rational  expec- 
tation can  be  formed  of  the  world  ever  be- 
coming materially  different  from  what  it 
is.  It  may  be  more  enlightened  ;  but  this 
will  present  no  sufficient  barrier  against  the 
tide  of  corrupt  passions,  which  bears  along 
its  stream  the  educated  part  of  mankind,  no 
less  than  the  uneducated.  Man  may  shift 
and  change  into  a  thousand  forms,  and  may 
promise  himself  peace  in  each  of  them;  but 
he  will  not  find  it.  He  may  attribute  his 
misery  to  circumstances,  and  flatter  himself 
that,  if  they  were  different,  all  would  be 
well :  the  cause,  however,  is  in  himself,  and 
is,  therefore,  sure  to  accompany  him  in  every 
situation  and  condition.  He  may  "change 
the  place,  but  will  keep  the  pain."  If  there 
were  no  hope  from  a  higher  quarter,  the 
world  would  be  shut  up  under  sin,  and  have 
nothing  to  expect,  but  to  be  smitten  with 
the  curse. 


III.  Consider  the  efficacy  of  the  gos- 
pel    FOR     THE     DIFFUSION     OF      UNIVERSAL 

peace.  That  which  was  wrought  among 
the  Jews  by  the  preaching  of  John  furnished 
a  specimen  of  what  should  be  wrought  in 
the  world  at  large  by  the  same  means. 
They  who  had  been  disobedient  were  turn- 
ed to  the  wisdom  of  the  just.  Repenting  of 
their  sins,  they  believed  in  the  Messiah  as  at 
hand;  and,  being  thus  reconciled  to  God, 
they  became  reconciled  to  one  another ; 
loving  and  being  loved,  forgiving  and  being 
forgiven. 

In  ascribing  these  effects  to  the  gospel, 
we  only  ascribe  to  it  that  which,  in  its  own 
nature,  it  is  evidently  adapted  to  produce — 
that  which  it  actually  has  produced,  so  far 
as  it  has  been  cordially  received — and  that 
which  the  tenor  of  scripture  prophecy  gives 
us  to  expect. 

1.  The  gospel  is,  in  its  oivn  nature,  evi- 
dently adapted  to  produce  peace  on  earth,  and 
good  ivill  to  men.  It  may,  indeed,  be  the  oc- 
casion of  contention  and  bitterness,  in  un- 
believers ;  but  this  is  not  its  proper  effect : 
it  is  accidental  to  it,  and  reflects  no  more 
dishonor  upon  it  than  the  good  works  of  its 
Author,  which  occasioned  his  being  stoned 
by  the  Jews,  reflected  upon  him. 

We  have  seen  already  that  the  root  of  all 
the  discord  in  the  world  is  found  in  mankind 
havingyb/\sa/ce?i  God:  that,  therefore,  which 
is  the  means  of  bringing  them  back  to  God, 
and  that  only,  will  restore  concord.  It  is 
thus  that  the  root  of  bitterness  is  plucked 
up,  and  love,  the  plant  of  paradise,  substi- 
tuted in  its  place.  We  have  seen  that 
"  wars  and  fightings "  proceed  from  the 
"lusts"  which  war  in  our  members:  that, 
therefore,  which  teaches  us  to  mortify  these 
lusts,  removes  the  causes,  and,  by  so  doing, 
removes  the  effects.  Pride,  self-will,  and 
the  love  of  money,  are  the  great  sources  of 
those  calamities  which,  in  all  ages,  have 
deluged  the  world  with  misery :  but,  if  we 
believe  the  gospel,  they  will  be  in  a  good 
measure  dried  up,  and  then  the  current 
which  has  been  fed  by  them  cease  to  flow. 
"The  work  of  righteousness  shall  be  peace, 
and  the  effect  of  righteousness  quietness  and 
assurance  forever." 

The  gospel  is  a  system  in  direct  opposition 
to  selfishness.  It  not  only  enforces  a  benevo- 
lent disposition,  but  is  fraught  with  princi- 
ples adapted  to  promote  it.  It  furnishes  the 
mind  with  a  new  set  of  views  and  feelings, 
both  toward  God  and  toward  man.  It  tells 
us  of  one  who,  when  all  other  means  failed, 
said,  "  Lo,  I  come — to  do  thy  will,  O  my 
God  ;  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart ;  "  of 
one  who  laid  down  his  life  for  us,  even  when 
we  were  yet  enemies.  Now,  to  imbibe  this 
doctrine  is  to  become,  in  a  measure,  of  the 
same  mind.  He  that  is  born  of  God  posses- 
ses the  spirit  of  a  little  child.     "  Old  things 


PEACEFUL    TENDENCY    OF    THE    GOSPEL. 


271 


are  passed  away,  and  all  things  are  become 
new."  Laying  aside  all  malice,  and  all 
guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and  envies,  and  all 
evil-speakings,  as  a  new-born  babe  he  desi- 
reth  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  that  he 
may  grow  thereby. 

The  gospel  also  furnishes  us  with  a  centre, 
or  bond  of  union.  Devoid  of  this,  men  are 
like  grains  of  sand,  without  any  principle  of 
adhesion,  and  must  therefore,  of  necessity, 
be  divided  and  scattered.  The  physical 
strength  of  a  nation  is  of  small  account  in  a 
time  of  danger,  if  they  have  no  standard  to 
repair  to,  and  no  leader  and  commander  in 
whom  they  can  place  confidence.  But  a 
wise  and  patriotic  prince  will  hold  a  people 
together,  and  induce  them  to  love  their 
country  and  one  another  the  better  for  his 
sake.  Such  is  our  Redeemer,  and  such  the 
love  of  one  another  which  love  to  him  in- 
spires. Yea,  more,  it  teaches  us  to  love  all 
mankind,  from  a  hope  that  they  may  become 
his  friends. 

Now,  if  such  sentiments  and  feelings 
were  universal,  or  if  only  the  greater  part  of 
mankind  possessed  them,  the  world,  from 
being  a  wilderness,  would  become  a  para- 
dise. "  Instead  of  the  thorn,"  would  come 
up  "  the  fir-tree  ;  and  instead  of  the  brier 
the  myrtle-tree :  and  it  would  be  to  the 
Lord  for  a  name,  for  an  everlasting  sign  that 
should  not  be  cut  off." 

2.  The  gospel,  so  far  as  it  has  been  cordial- 
ly received,  has  actually  produced  these  effects. 
I  say,  cordially  received  ;  for  it  has  met  with 
a  kind  of  reception  that  is  not  cordial,  and 
to  call  which  believing  we  must  understand 
the  term  in  a  very  restricted  and  partial 
sense.  We  have  been  asked,  by  unbeliev- 
ers, "  How  is  it,  if  Christianity  be  that  pa- 
cific system  which  it  professes  to  be,  that 
Christian  nations  do  not  live  in  peace  ? " 
We  answer,  1.  Because  a  very  large  propor- 
tion of  the  people  who  inhabit  those  nations 
are  Christians  only  in  name.  When  any 
question  arises  between  serious  Christians 
and  avowed  unbelievers,  persons  of  this 
description  commonly  prove  themselves  to 
be  one  in  heart  with  the  latter,  and  ought 
therefore  to  be  classed  with  them.  2.  Be- 
cause those  who  believe  the  doctrine  which 
they  profess,  and  are  real  Christians,  yet  do 
not  always  act  consistently  with  their  profes- 
sion. These  things  certainly  furnish  occa- 
sion for  the  unbelieving  part  of  the  world, 
who  seek  occasion  to  stumble  at  the  gospel : 
hence  a  woe  is  pronounced  on  the  world 
because  of  offences,  or  stumbling-blocks, 
and  a  still  heavier  one  on  those  by  whom  the 
offence  cometh.  Yet,  notwithstanding  these 
deductions,  Christianity  has  wrought  enough 
to  establish  its  pacific  character.  We  could 
tell  of  myriads  who  from  being  persecutors 
and  injurious,  like  Saul  of  Tarsus,  no  sooner 
embraced  the  gospel  than  they  became  oth- 
er men;  seeking  the   good  of  all   around 


them,  even  of  their  worst  enemies.  We 
could  appeal  to  the  pacific  spirit  and  conduct 
of  thousands  in  our  own  times,  Avho,  influ- 
enced by  the  same  principles,  seek,  by  every 
means  in  their  power,  to  heal  the  divisions 
and  alleviate  the  miseries  of  mankind. 

If  the  Christians  scattered  over  bleeding 
Europe  could  have  healed  her,  she  would 
have  been  healed  before  now.  They,  as 
well  as  other  men,  may  have  been  engaged 
in  the  wars  ;  and,  when  called  for  in  defence 
of  their  country,  it  may  have  been  their  duty 
so  to  do :  but  they  have  surely  hailed  the 
return  of  peace  ;  and  that  not  for  their  own 
sakes  only,  but  from  good  will  to  men. 

Why  should  unbelievers  load  Christianity 
with  the  persecutions,  intrigues,  and  unjust 
Avars,  which  have  been  carried  on  in  Chris- 
tendom ;  when,  if  they  were  disposed  to 
judge  righteously,  they  must  allow,  not  only 
that  the  same  things  existed,  and  were  ac- 
companied with  much  more  ferocity,  under 
the  heathen  governments  ;  but  that  what 
has  existed  since  is  not  to  be  ascribed  to 
Christianity,  but  to  the  want  of  it?  It  was 
not  till  the  gospel  was  corrupted,  and  in  a 
manner  lost,  among  those  who  called  them- 
selves the  church  that  such  things  occurred. 
Instead,  therefore,  of  their  proving  any  thing 
against  the  pure  and  peaceful  nature  of 
genuine  Christianity,  they  furnish  an  argu- 
ment in  its  favor.  The  immoralities  in  the 
churches  at  Corinth  and  in  Galatia,  when 
they  had  corrupted  the  gospel,  were  a  proof 
of  its  moral,  rather  than  of  its  immoral, 
tendency.  Is  it  to  Christ  or  to  Antichrist 
that  the  blood  which  has  been  shed  for  the 
last  twelve  hundred  years^  on  account  of 
religion,  ought  to  be  imputed  ?  Have  the 
atrocities  committed  by  Europeans  on  the 
shores  of  Africa,  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  been  owing  to  Christianity,  or  to  the 
want  of  it  ?  Let  truth  and  conscience  give 
the  answer. 

3.  The  tenor  of  scripture  prophecy  gives 
us  to  expect  far  greater  effects  than  those 
u'hich  have  yet  been  produced.  The  world, 
like  an  abandoned  sinner,  may  go  on  till  it 
is  "wearied  in  the  greatness  of  its  way;" 
but,  if  we  believe  in  God  and  his  prophets, 
we  must  conclude  that  it  will  not  be  so  al- 
ways. It  was  one  great  end  of  Christ's 
coming  into  the  world,  to  "  set  judgment  in 
the  earth ; "  and  though  he  have  to  encoun- 
ter great  opposition,  yet  shall  he  "  not  fail 
nor  be  discouraged,"  till  it  be  accomplished. 
The  present  disorders  of  the  world  will  as- 
suredly issue  in  a  peaceful  and  happy  state 
of  things.  Of  this  the  following,  among 
many  other  passages,  it  is  presumed,  afford 
ample  proof: — 

"  And  there  shall  come  forth  a  rod  out  of 
the  stem  of  Jesse,  and  a  branch  shall  grow 
out  of  his  roots. — And  righteousness  shall 
be  the  girdle  of  his  loins,  and  faithfulness 
the  girdle  of  his  reins.     The  wolf  also  shall 


272 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall 
lie  down  with  the  kid ;  and  the  calf,  and  the 
young  lion,  and  the  fatling  together ;  and  a 
little  child  shall  lead  them.  And  the  cow 
and  the  bear  shall  feed ;  their  young  ones 
shall  lie  down  together :  and  the  lion  shall 
eat  straw  like  the  ox.  And  the  sucking 
child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and 
the  weaned  child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the 
cockatrice'  den.  They  shall  not  hurt  nor 
destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain :  for  the 
earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.  And  in 
that  day  there  shall  be  a  root  of  Jesse, 
which  shall  stand  for  an  ensign  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  to  it  shall  the  Gentiles  seek,  and  his 
rest  shall  be  glorious. — The  jealousy  also  of 
Ephraim  shall  depart,  and  the  enmity  of 
Judah  shall  be  no  more  :  Ephraim  shall  not 
envy  Judah,  and  Judah  shall  not  vex  Eph- 
raim.— The  greaves  of  the  armed  warrior  in 
conflict,  and  the  garment  rolled  in  much 
blood,  shall  be  for  a  burning,  even  fuel  for 
the  fire.* — For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto 
us  a  son  is  given,  and  the  government  shall 
be  upon  his  shoulder  :  and  his  name  shall  be 

called The    Prince  of  Peace.     Of  the 

increase  of  his  government  and  peace  there 
shall  be  no  end,  upon  the  throne  of  David 
and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to 
establish  it  with  judgment  and  with  justice 
from  henceforth  even  forever :  the  zeal  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts  will  perform  this. — In  his 
days  shall  the  righteous  flourish ;  and  abun- 
dance of  peace  so  long  as  the  moon  endur- 
eth. — God  be  merciful  unto  us,  and  bless 
ns :  and  cause  his  face  to  shine  upon  us. 
That  thy  way  may  be  known  upon  earth,  thy 
saving  health  among  all  nations.  Let  the 
people  praise  thee,  O  God,  let  all  the 
people  praise  thee.  O  let  the  nations  be 
glad  and  sing  for  joy  :  for  thou  shalt  judge 
the  people  righteously,  and  govern  the  na- 
tions upon  earth. — And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
in  the  last  days  that  the  mountain  of  the 
Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in  the  top 
of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above 
the  hills  ;  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it. 
And  many  people  shall  go  and  say,  Come  ye, 
and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the 
Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob,  and 
he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways  and  we  will 
walk  in  his  paths  ;  for  out  of  Zion  shall  go 
forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from 
Jerusalem.  And  he  shall  judge  among  the 
nations,  and  shall  rebuke  many  people  :  and 
they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plough- 
shares, and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks : 
nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more.— As 
the  rain  cometh  down,  and  the  snow  from 
heaven,  and  returneth  not  thither,  but  water- 
eth  the  earth,  and  maketh  it  bring  forth  and 
bud,  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower  and 

*  Lowth's  Isaiah. 


bread  to  the  eater ;  so  shall  my  word  be  that 
goeth  forth  out  of  my  mouth :  it  shall  not 
return  unto  me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish 
that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in 
the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it.  For  ye  shall  go 
out  with  joy,  and  shall  be  led  forth  with 
peace :  the  mountains  and  the  hills  shall 
break  forth  before  you  into  singing,  and  all 
the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap  their  hands. 
Instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up  the  fir- 
tree,  and  instead  of  the  brier  shall  come  up 
the  myrtle-tree  :  and  it  shall  be  to  the  Lord 
for  a  name,  for  an  everlasting  sign,  that 
shall  not  be  cut  off." 

There  are  some  who,  by  refining  on  the 
spirituality  of  Christ's  kingdom,  have  con- 
cluded that  things  will  always  continue  much 
the  same  as  they  are  now  ;  and  that  to  un- 
derstand these  prophecies  as  denoting  a 
general  spread  of  the  gospel  over  the  vari- 
ous nations  of  the  earth  would  be  holding 
with  national  establishments  of  religion,  and 
symbolizing  with  the  Jews  in  their  expecta- 
tion of  a  worldly  kingdom  !  If  these  per- 
sons be  capable  of  deriving  happiness  from 
such  opinions,  we  need  not  envy  them,  nor 
can  we  be  surprised  at  their  feeling  no  more 
interest  in  the  conversion  of  sinners  and 
taking  no  more  pains  to  accomplish  it  than 
they  have  hitherto  done.  If  there  be  any 
symbolizing  with  the  carnal  Jews  on  either 
side,  it  would  seem  to  consist  in  that  selfish 
spirit  which  Avould  confine  the  gospel  to 
those  who  already  possess  it,  "  forbidding 
us,"  in  a  manner,  "to  speak  to  the  Gentiles, 
that  they  may  be  saved."  I  have  no  wish  to 
decide  how  far  the  mind  of  a  Christian  may 
be  perverted  by  the  infatuating  influence  of 
hypothesis,  nor  how  far  he  may  be  suffered 
to  pervert  the  word  of  God  in  supporting  it ; 
but  of  this  I  am  satisfied  that  such  notions 
are  in  their  very  essence  antichristian. 

Taking  the  foregoing  passages  in  their 
simple  and  obvious  meaning,  they  manifest- 
ly predict  things  which  hitherto  have  had  no 
accomplishment,  or  at  most  only  a  partial 
one.  The  earth  has  not  yet  been  "  full  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea."  God's  "  saving  health  "  has 
not  yet  been  so  "  known  among  all  nations  " 
as  for  all  the  people  to  form  a  kind  of  chorus 
in  his  praise.  It  is  not  as  yet  that  Christ, 
at  the  head  of  a  spiritual  kingdom,  "judges  " 
and  "  governs  the  nations  upon  earth."  The 
time  is  not  yet  arrived  for  "swords  to  be 
beaten  into  plough-shares,  and  spears  into 
pruning-hooks."  "The  garment  rolled  in 
blood  ""has  not  yet  become  "  a  burning,  even 
fuel  for  the  fire."  Christ's  reign  seems  not 
as  yet  to  have  assumed  the  character  of  a 
glorious  rest :  hitherto,  it  has  borne  a  great- 
er resemblance  to  that  of  David,  who  was 
engaged  in  continual  wars,  than  to  that  of 
Solomon,  to  whom  the  Lord  gave  rest  on 
every  side,  and  who  was  therefore  employed 
in  building  a  temple  for  his  name.     It  is  said 


PEACEFUL    TENDENCY    OF    THE    GOSPEL. 


273 


of  the  promises  made  to  Abraham  and  his 
posterity,  that  "  The  Lord  gave  unto  Israel 
all  the  land  which  he  sware  to  give  unto 
their  fathers :  and  they  possessed  it,  and 
dwelt  therein  :  and  that  "  the  Lord  gave 
them  rest  round  about,  according  unto  all 
that  he  sware  unto  their  fathers." — "  There 
failed  not  aught  of  any  good  thing  which 
the  Lord  had  spoken  unto  the  house  of  Isra- 
el :  all  came  to  pass."  But,  if  things  con- 
tinue much  the  same  as  they  now  are  to  the 
end  of  time,  I  do  not  perceive  how  this 
language  could  apply  to  the  promises  made 
to  Christ  and  the  church.  In  this  case,  the 
prophets  must  have  dealt  largely  in  hyper- 
bole, and  their  words,  when  reduced  to 
meaning,  amount  to  little  in  comparison  of 
what  they  would  seem  to  convey. 

It  is  farther  observable  from  the  foregoing 
prophecies  that  whatever  evils  may  precede 
the  triumph  of  the  gospel,  yet  the  thing  it- 
self will  take  place  without  bloodshed,  treach- 
ery, intrigue,  tumult,  or  parade.  The  over- 
turning of  those  governments  which  set 
themselves  against  the  preaching  of  it  may  be 
necessary  to  prepare  the  way  ;  and  this  may 
be  accomplished  by  wicked  men  and  wicked 
means :  but  this  will  be  only  as  the  wind, 
the  earthquake,  and  the  fire,  to  the  still  small 
voice.  The  noise  of  hammers  and  axes, 
though  necessary  in  preparing  for  the  tem- 
ple, was  not  to  be  heard  in  the  building  of  it. 
The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  commonly 
founded  either  in  violence  or  in  deceit,  and 
often  in  both  ;  but  that  of  "  the  Prince  of 
Peace  "  will  correspond  with  his  character : 
justice  and  judgment  will  be  the  basis  of 
his  throne.  He  himself  hath  "  done  no  vio- 
lence" neither  was  "  any  deceit  in  his  mouth  ;" 
and,  however  he  may  turn  such  measures 
in  his  enemies  to  the  advantage  of  his  cause, 
he  will  never  allow  his  servants  to  have  re- 
course to  them.  The  peace  produced  by 
other  conquerors  is  merely  the  effect  of  fear. 
It  is  the  stillness  of  the  oppressed,  who  dare 
not  complain,  lest  their  oppression  should  be 
increased  :  but  the  peace  promised  under  the 
reign  of  Christ  is  ascribed  to  the  earth  being 
"  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as 
the  waters  cover  the  sea."  His  conquests 
are  those  of  the  heart.  His  subjects  will  be 
such  from  conviction  and  choice. 

The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  introduced 
and  supported  by  parade  :  but  it  will  not  be 
so  with  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  This,  as  he 
told  the  Pharisees,  came  "  not  by  observa- 
tion," or  outward  show  ;  neither  should  they 
say,  "  Lo,  here,  or  lo,  there  ; "  for  it  was  al- 
ready among  them.  And  thus  we  may  con- 
clude it  will  come,  when  it  shall  fill  the 
whole  earth.  Men  shall  not  be  able  to  point 
to  this  place  or  that  and  say,  Lo,  it  is  here, 
or  lo,  it  is  there  ;  for  before  they  are  aware 
it  shall  be  among  them.  Worldly  men  may 
at  the  time  be  pursuing  their  schemes  with 
such  earnestness  as  to  think  no  more  of  it 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  35. 


than  Festus  did  "  of  one  Jesus,  who  was 
dead,  and  whom  Paul  affirmed  to  be  alive  :" 
but,  while  they  are  pursuing  their  schemes, 
God  will  have  so  pursued  him  as  that  they 
shall  find  themselves  surrounded  by  it  in 
every  direction,  and  as  unable  to  stop  its  pro- 
gress as  the  Jewish  rulers  were,  Avhen  they 
complained  of  the  apostles  for  having  "filled 
Jerusalem  with  their  doctrine."  In  this  si- 
lent and  imperceptible  way  the  gospel  con- 
tinued to  operate  in  the  early  ages,  when  it 
was  left  to  its  own  evidence  and  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  recommend  it.  In  the 
days  of  Tertullian,  that  is,  in  less  than  two 
hundred  years  after  the  death  of  Christ,  that 
apologist  could  tell  the  Roman  senate  that  it 
had  overspread  their  empire.  "  Your  cities, 
islands,  forts,  towns,  and  assemblies  ;  your 
very  camps,  wards,  companies,  palace,  sen- 
ate, forum,  all,"  said  he,  "  swarm  with  Chris- 
tians." Yet  all  appears  to  have  been  con- 
ducted without  violence  or  tumult,  save  that 
which  was  found  among  unbelievers. 

We  read  of  the  stone  cut  out  of  the  moun- 
tain breaking  in  pieces  the  great  monarchies 
of  the  earth ;  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
becoming  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of 
his  Christ ;  of  his  judging  the  people  right- 
eously, and  governing  the  nations  upon 
earth  ;  and  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole 
heaven  being  given  to  the  people  of  the 
saints  of  the  Most  High.  But  it  does  not 
follow  that  governments  will  be  destroyed 
as  governments,  but  merely  as  idolatrous  or 
antichristian  governments.  We  have  no 
reason  to  think  that  Christ  will  abolish  civil 
authorities  and  set  up  a  government  of  his 
own  in  their  stead.  His  kingdom  never  was 
and  never  will  be  of  this  world.  If  the  gov- 
ernment of  nations,  as  well  as  that  of  lesser 
societies,  be  conducted  on  christian 
principles,  then  will  Christ  reign;  then 
will  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  become  the 
kingdoms  of  the  Lord  and  of  his  Christ,  and 
then  may  the  nations  be  glad  and  sing  for 
joy.  These  principles  existing  in  the  hearts 
of  governors  and  governed  would  shortly 
burst  the  bands  of  oppression,  still  the  tu- 
mults of  the  people,  and  cause  wars  to  cease 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The  demon  of 
discord  might  then  be  addressed  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  psalmist :  "  O  thou  enemy  !  de- 
structions are  come  to  a  perpetual  end  ;  and 
thou  hast  destroyed  cities  ;  their  memorial  is 
perished  with  them.  But  the  Lord  shall  en- 
dure forever ;  he  hath  prepared  his  throne 
for  judgment." 

And  now,  things  being  reduced  to  this 
peaceful  state,  instead  of  the  earth  being 
smitten  tvith  a  curse,  we  are  given  to  expect 
that  it  will  be  loaded  with  blessings  :  "  Then 
shall  the  earth  yield  her  increase,  and  God, 
even  our  own  God,  shall  bless  us." — "And 
all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  fear  him." 
Nor  do  I  see  any  objection  to  the  "  increase" 
here  predicted  being  literally  understood. 


274 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


It  is  a  fact  that,  from  the  day  that  man  de- 
parted from  God,  the  earth  was  cursed  with 
barrenness,  in  comparison  of  what  it  was  be- 
fore ;  and  it  is  not  unnatural  to  suppose  that, 
when  the  greater  part  of  men  shall  have 
returned  to  him,  this  curse  may  be  in  a  man- 
ner removed.  At  present  the  system  of  de- 
pravity which  prevails  among'  men  renders  it 
unnectssai-y.  Sin  counteracts  the  tendency 
to  "  increase  and  multiply  "  with  which  we 
were  created.  The  world  is  in  a  manner  de- 
populated by  selfishness,  intemperance,  and 
war ;  a  great  part  of  it  inhabited  by  wild 
beasts  and  other  noxious  creatures.  But, 
when  men  shall  know  the  Lord,  and  these 
wide-wasting  evils  shall  subside,  population 
will  increase  ;  and  lie  that  sends  men  will 
amply  provide  for  them :  "  In  that  day  will  I 
make  a  covenant  for  them  with  the  beasts  of 
the  field,  and  with  the  fowls  of  heaven,  and 
with  the  creeping  things  of  the  ground  ;  and 
I  will  break  the  bow,  and  the  sword,  and  the 
battle,  out  of  the  earth,  and  will  make  them 
to  lie  down  safely.  And  I  will  betroth  thee 
unto  me  forever;  yea,  I  will  betroth  thee 
unto  me  in  righteouness,  and  in  judgment, 
and  in  loving  kindness,  and  in  mercies  :  I 
will  even  betroth  thee  unto  me  in  faithful- 
ness, and  thou  shalt  know  the  Lord. — And 
it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  I  will  hear, 
saith  the  Lord,  I  will  hear  the  heavens,  and 
they  shall  hear  the  earth,  and  the  earth  shall 
hear  the  corn,  and  the  wine,  and  the  oil ;  and 
they  shall  hear  Jezreel." 

Moreover,  at  present,  the  system  of  de- 
pravity which  prevails  among  men  would 
render  any  considerable  increase  of  earthly 
fulness  exceedingly  dangerous.  There  ap- 
pears to  be  as  much  wisdom  and  goodness 
as  there  is  justice  in  the  sentence  passed  on 
men,  to  eat  bread  by  the  sweat  of  their 
faces.  Were  there  no  necessity  for  hard  la- 
bor, every  day  might  be  taken  up  in  riot  and 
debauchery.  The  deeds  of  the  people  of 
Sodom  and  of  the  Canaanites  might  be  re- 
acted. The  bacchanalian  revels  which  are 
seen  at  some  of  our  contested  elections 
(where  men  can  indulge  free  of  expense) 
afford  a  specimen  of  what  might  be  expect- 
ed, if  God,  while  men  are  what  they  are, 
were  to  cause  the  earth  to  yield  her  increase. 
It  would  be  nothing  less  than  furnishing  them 
with  the  means  of  being  seven  times  more 
wicked.  But,  when  men  shall  know  the 
Lord,  the  danger  will  have  subsided  ;  and 
then  he  will  take  pleasure  in  pouring  forth 
his  blessings  upon  them  ;  and  then,  instead 
of  those  blessings  being  abused,  as  hereto- 
fore, they  shall  tend  to  recommend  the  gos- 
pel: "God,  even  our  own  God  shall  bless 
us.  God  shall  bless  us,  and  all  the  ends  of 
the  earth  shall  fear  him." 

Once  more:  As  peace  among  men  will  be 
followed  with  a  blessing  on  the  earth,  so 
peace  among  Christians  will  be  followed  with 
a  blessing  on  the  means  of  grace.     The  de- 


pravity which  has  hitherto  prevailed  in  the 
world  has,  in  too  great  a  measure,  extended 
to  the  church,  and  wrought  much  in  a  way 
of  destroying  its  fruitlulness.  Corruptions 
have  produced  divisions,  envies,  jealousies, 
and  almost  every  evil  work.  Hence  the 
blessing  of  God  has  been,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, withheld.  We  read  of  great  things 
among  the  apostles  and  primitive  Christians, 
and  now  and  then  hear  of  a  minister  and  a 
people,  who,  approaching  somewhat  near 
to  their  doctrine  and  spirit,  are  honored  with 
a  portion  of  their  success :  but,  in  general, 
we  are  as  "when  they  have  gathered  the 
summer  fruits,  as  the  grape-gleanings  of  the 
vintage :  there  is  no  cluster  to  eat,"  though 
our  souls  desire  the  first-ripe  fruit.  Now, 
as  the  carnal  notions,  envies,  and  petty  dis- 
cords of  the  apostles  ceased  from  the  time 
of  their  Lord's  resurrection,  and  as  "  the 
multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one 
heart  and  of  one  soul,"  so  will  it  be  with  the 
whole  church  of  Christ  when  the  Spirit  shall 
be  poured  out  from  on  high.  And  then  "  the 
earth  shall  yield  her  increase,"  in  a  still 
higher  sense.  Not  only  every  nation  and 
city,  but  every  town,  if  not  every  village, 
will  furnish  a  church  of  Christ,  "  walking  in 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  comfort  of 
the  Holy  Spirit."  Then  will  God,  even  their 
own  God,  bless  them,  and  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  shall  fear  him.  The  people  of  God 
will  be  of  good  comfort,  will  be  of  one  mind, 
will  live  in  peace,  and  the  God  of  love  and 
peace  shall  be  with  them  ! 

From  the  whole,  we  may  conclude, 

1.  It  becomes  Christians  to  set  their  hearts 
much  on  the  spread  of  the  gospel ;  to  pray 
for  it ;  labor  for  it ;  contribute  of  their  sub- 
stance for  it  ;  and  to  rest  all  their  hopes  of 
the  amelioration  of  the  state  of  mankind  upon 
it.  Political  men  may  place  their  hopes  on 
political  changes ;  but  Christians  should  al- 
ways remember  that  "  peace  on  earth  and 
goodwill  to  men"  connect  with  "glory  to 
God  in  the  highest ;  "  and  that  they  are  re- 
served to  grace  the  triumphs  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace. 

2.  It  is  of  infinite  importance  for  us  to  re- 
pent and  believe  the  gospel.  So  long  as 
any  of  us  are  unbelievers,  we  are  under  the 
curse  ;  and  the  whole  career  of  our  life  tends 
to  draw  down  the  curse  of  Heaven  upon  us, 
and  upon  the  earth  on  which  we  dwell.  We 
have  heard  much  of  the  conversion  of  the 
Jews  and  heathens  ;  but  of  what  account 
will  either  be  to  us,  if  we  ourselves  be  not 
converted  ?  All  the  great  and  good  tilings 
which  the  Lord  has  promised,  either  in  this 
world  or  that  which  is  to  come,  will,  if  we 
be  unbelievers,  only  aggravate  our  misery. 

3.  Sinners,  even  the  greatest  of  sinners, 
have  every  encouragement  to  repent  and 
believe  in  Jesus.  The  invitation  of  Moses 
to  Hobab  is  the  same,  for  substance,  as 
Christ's  servants  are  now  warranted  to  ad- 


RECEPTION    OF    CHRIST    THE    TURNING    POINT    OF    SALVATION. 


275 


dress  to  every  one  they  meet:  "We  are 
journeying  to  the  place  of  which  the  Lord 
said,  I  will  give  it  you :  come  thou  with  us, 
and  we  will  do  thee  good :  for  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  good  concerning  Israel." 


SERMON  XVI. 

THE    RECEPTION    OF    CHRIST    THE    TURNING 
POINT  OF   SALVATION. 

"  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was 
made  by  him,  and  the  world  knew  him  not.  He 
came  unto  his  own,  and  his  own  received  him  not. 
But  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them 
that  believe  on  his  name." — John  i.  10 — 12. 

Among  the  numerous  self-deceiving  no- 
tions which  are  cherished  in  the  minds  of  men 
is  that  of  their  being  willing  to  return  to  God 
at  any  time,  provided  they  had  opportunity 
and  the  means  of  doing  so.  In  accounting 
for  their  own  impenitence  and  perseverance 
in  sin,  they  will  impute  it  to  their  situation, 
their  temptations,  their  callings,  their  con- 
nections, or  to  anything  but  their  evil  hearts. 
Some  have  even  learned  to  speak  evil  of  their 
hearts,  while  it  is  manifest  that  they  mean 
to  include,  under  that  term,  nothing  per- 
taining to  intention,  desire,  or  design,  but 
something  that  exists  and  operates  in  them 
against  their  inclination.  Hence,  you  will 
often  hear  them  acknowledge  themselves  to 
be  unconverted,  and  at  the  same  time  ex- 
press how  willing  and  desirous  they  are  of 
being  converted,  if  it  would  but  please  God 
to  put  forth  his  power  in  their  favor.  The 
word  of  God,  however,  speaks  a  different 
language  ;  while  it  ascribes  all  that  is  good 
to  grace  only,  it  lays  the  evil  at  the  sinner's 
own  door. 

A  great  number  of  instances  might  be  al- 
leged from  the  Scriptures  in  proof  of  this 
truth  ;  but  the  greatest  proof  of  all  is  the 
manner  in  which  Christ  himself  was  treated, 
when  he  appeared  upon  earth.  The  evan- 
gelist, having  introduced  him  to  his  reader 
in  all  the  glory  of  divinity,  describes  in 
plaintive  language  the  neglect  and  contempt 
he  met  with,  both  from  the  world  in  general, 
and  from  his  own  nation  in  particular.  Let 
us  examine  these  complaints. 

"  He  was  in  the  ivorld."  It  has  often  been 
objected,  If  the  religion  of  Christ  has  a 
claim  on  the  world,  why  has  not  the  world 
had  more  of  an  opportunity  to  hear  it  ?  It 
might  be  the  design  of  the  evangelist  to  ob- 
viate this  objection.  His  being  "in  the 
world "  does  not  seem  to  refer  so  much  to 
his  personal  presence  among  men,  in  the 
days  of  his  flesh,  as  to  those  manifestations 
of  him  which,  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world,  had  furnished  them  with  the  means 
of  knowing  him,  and  which,  therefore,  ren- 
dered their  ignorance  inexcusable.  He  had 
been  revealed,  at  the  outset  of  the  world,  as 


the  Woman's  Seed,  who  should  bruise  the 
head  of  the  serpent.  Sacrifices  were  ap- 
pointed to  prefigure  his  atonement ;  which, 
though  perverted,  were  never  discontinued, 
even  among  the  heathen.  The  selection  of 
the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  their  miraculous 
settlement  in  Canaan,  must  have  attracted 
universal  attention ;  and,  as  the  Messiah 
was  a  prominent  feature  of  their  religion, 
he  was,  in  a  manner,  proclaimed  through 
every  nation.  The  effect  produced  on  the 
mariners,  when  Jonah  told  them  that  he  was 
a  Hebrew,  and  feared  Jehovah,  the  God  of 
heaven,  who  made  the  sea  and  the  dry  land, 
shows  very  plainly  that  the  displays  of  om- 
nipotence, in  behalf  of  Israel,  were  not  un- 
known to  the  surrounding  nations.  That, 
also,  which  was  soon  after  produced  on  the 
Ninevites,  when  they  learned  that  he  was  a 
Hebrew  prophet,  sent  of  God,  evinces  the 
same  thing.  And,  if  they  were  not  ignorant  of 
God's  judgments,  they  were  not  destitute  of 
the  means  of  inquiring  after  the  true  reli- 
gion. Nay,  more,  the  expectation  of  the 
promised  Messiah  was,  for  a  long  time  be- 
fore he  appeared,  very  general  among  the 
nations.  Had  they,  therefore,  possessed 
any  portion  of  a  right  spirit,  or  any  desire 
after  the  true  God,  they  would  have  been  as 
inquisitive  as  were  the  wise  men  of  the  east, 
and  as  desirous  as  they  were  of  paying  him 
homage. 

Not  only  was  he  in  the  world,  so  as  to 
render  their  ignorance  of  him  inexcusable, 
but  "  the  world"  itself  "  ivas  made  by  him.n 
Though,  as  to  the  state  of  their  minds,  they 
were  far  from  him,  yet  he  was  not  far  from 
every  one  of  them  ;  for  in  him  they  lived  and 
moved  and  had  their  being.  When  he  be- 
came incarnate,  it  was  nothing  less  than 
their  Creator  in  very  deed  dwelling  with 
them  upon  the  earth.  Such  an  event  ought 
to  have  excited  universal  inquiry,  and  to 
have  induced  all  men  every  where  to  repent. 

But,  though  he  was  in  the  world,  and  the 
world  was  made  by  him,  yet "  the  ivorld  knew 
him  not!"  Full  of  their  own  schemes  and 
pursuits,  they  thought  nothing  of  him.  The 
Roman  governors,  in  hearing  the  accusations 
of  the  Jews  against  Paul,  and  his  defences, 
had  great  opportunities  of  knowing  the  truth ; 
but  the  ignorance  and  contempt  expressed 
by  Festus,  in  his  report  of  the  matter  to 
Agrippa,  show  the  inerficacy  of  all  means, 
unless  accompanied  with  the  mighty  power 
of  God.  The  Jews  "  brought  none  accusa- 
tion of  such  things  as  he  supposed ;  but  had 
certain  questions  against  him  of  their  own 
superstition,  and  of  one  Jesus,  which  was 
dead,  whom  Paul  affirmed  to  be  alive  !  " 

But  this  is  not  the  heaviest  complaint: 
"  He  came  unto  his  own  and  his  own  received 
him  not."  How  appropriate  are  the  terms 
here  used !  He  ivas  in  the  world,  and  there- 
fore within  the  reach  of  inquiry.  But  to  the 
seed  of  Abraham  he  came,  knocking,  as  it 


276 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


were,  at  their  door  for  admission  ;  but  "they 
received  him  7iot."  The  world  are  accused 
of  ignorance ;  but  they  of  unbelief:  for  re- 
ceiving him  not,  though  a  merely  negative 
form  of  speech,  yet  is  expressive  of  a  posi- 
tive refusal  of  him.  Instead  of  welcoming 
the  heavenly  visitant,  they  drove  him  from 
their  door,  and  even  banished  him  from  the 
earth.  Who  would  have  supposed  that  a 
people  whose  believing  ancestors  had  been 
earnestly  expecting  the  Messiah  for  a  suc- 
cession of  ages  would  have  rejected  him 
when  he  came  among  them?  Yet  so  it 
was :  and  if  Jews  or  Deists  of  the  present 
day  ask,  "  How  could  these  things  be  ?  "  we 
answer,  It  was  foretold  by  their  own  proph- 
ets that  he  should  possess  neither  form  nor 
comeliness  in  their  eyes,  and  that  when  they 
should  see  him  there  would  be  no  beauty 
that  they  should  desire  him. 

The  consideration  of  their  being  his  oivn 
people,  the  children  of  Abraham  his  friend, 
added  to  their  sin,  and  to  his  affliction.  It 
was  this  which  he  so  pathetically  lamented, 
when  he  "  beheld  the  city,  and  wept  over  it, 
saying,  If  thou  hadst  known,  even  thou,  at 
least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which  be- 
long unto  thy  peace !  But  now  they  are  hid 
from  thine  eyes." 

Grievous,  however,  as  this  treatment  was 
to  our  blessed  Lord,  he  was  not  utterly  dis- 
regarded. Though  the  world  in  general 
knew  him  not,  and  though  the  great  body  of 
his  own  nation  rejected  him :  yet  there  was 
"  a  remnant  according  to  the  election  of 
grace,"  partly  Jews  and  partly  Gentiles,  who 
received  him :  and  whether  they  had  been 
previously  distinguished  by  their  sobriety, 
or  by  their  profligacy  ;  whether  they  came 
in  companies,  as  under  Peter's  sermon,  or  as** 
individuals,  like  her  who  wept  and  washed 
his  feet  or  him  who  sought  mercy  when  ex- 
piring by  his  side  on  the  cross ;  all  were  re- 
ceived by  him,  and  raised  to  the  highest  dig- 
nity :  "  To  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them 
gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God, 
even  to  them  that  believed  on  his  name." 
And  thus,  though  Israel  was  not  gathered, 
yet  Christ  was  glorious  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord,  and  had  a  people  given  him  from 
among  the  heathen. 

I  need  not  say  that  the  treatment  which  our 
Saviour  received  is  the  same,  for  substance, 
in  all  ages.  There  is  a  world  that  still  knows 
him  not,  and  many  who  though  possessed  of 
the  means  of  grace  yet  receive  him  not: 
and,  blessed  be  God  !  there  are  also  many, 
both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  who  still  receive 
him,  and  are  still  blessed  with  the  privilege 
of  being  adopted  into  his  heavenly  family. 

That  we  may  understand  and  feel  the  im- 
portance of  the  subject,  I  shall  first  inquire, 
what  is  supposed  and  included  in  receiving 
Christ?  Secondly,  consider  the  great  privi- 
lege annexed  to  it ;  and,  lastly,  observe  the 
wisdom  of  God  in  rendering  the  reception 


of  Christ  the  great  turning  point  of  salva- 
tion. 

1.  Let  us  inquire  What   is    supposed 

AND  INCLUDED  IN  RECEIVING  CHRIST  ?    The 

phrase  is  supposed  to  be  equivalent  with  "  be- 
lieving on  his  name."  To  receive  Christ  is 
to  believe  in  him  ;  and  to  believe  in  Christ 
is  to  receive  him.  There  are  some  slight 
shades  of  difference  between  these  and 
some  other  terms  which  are  used  to  express 
faith  in  Christ ;  such  as  believing,  trusting, 
receiving,  &c,  but  they  must  be  the  same 
in  substance,  or  they  would  not  be  used  in 
the  New  Testament  as  convertible  terms. 
Believing  seems  to  respect  Christ  as  exhib- 
ited in  the  gospel-testimony  ;  trusting  as  re- 
vealed Avith  promise  ;  and  receiving  sup- 
poses him  to  be  God's  free  gift,  presented 
to  us  for  acceptance  in  the  invitations  of  the 
gospel ;  but,  as  I  said,  all  come  to  the  same 
issue.  He  that  believeth  the  testimony, 
trusteth  the  promise,  and  receiveth  the  gift ; 
and  the  whole  is  necessary  to  an  interest  in 
his  benefits,  whether  pardon,  justification, 
adoption,  or  any  other  spiritual  blessing. 

If  we  were  inquiring  into  the  nature  of 
believing,  it  might  be  necessary  to  examine 
the  testimony  ;  if  of  trusting,  we  must  as- 
certain wherein  consists  the  promise ;  and 
so,  if  we  would  form  just  conceptions  of  re- 
ceiving Christ,  we  must  observe  what  is 
said  of  the  gift  of  him ;  for  each  is  the 
standard  of  the  other,  and  will  be  found  to 
correspond  with  it : "  So  we  preached,  and  so 
ye  believed." 

Considering  Christ,  then,  as  the  gift  of 
God,  it  is  necessary  to  observe  that  he  is 
the  Jlrst  and  chief  of  all  his  gifts,  and  that 
for  his  sake  all  others  are  bestowed ;  "  He 
that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered 
him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  ivith  him 
freely  give  us  all  things  ? "  Other  gifts 
may  be  so  great  that  nothing  in  this  world 
can  be  compared  with  them  :  this,  however, 
is  the  greatest.  It  is  great  for  God  to  for- 
bear with  us ;  greater  to  forgive  us ;  and 
greater  still  to  accept  and  crown  us  with 
eternal  life  :  but  all  this  is  supposed  to  be 
small,  in  comparison  of  the  gift  of  his  own 
Son  ;  and  therefore  it  is  argued  that,  having 
bestowed  the  greater,  we  may  trust  him  for 
the  less.  But  if  God  first  give  Christ,  and 
with  him  all  things  freely,  we  must  first  re- 
ceive Christ,  and  with  him  all  things  freely. 
The  first  exercise  of  faith,  therefore,  does 
not  consist  in  receiving  the  benefits  result- 
ing from  his  death,  or  in  a  persuasion  of  our 
sins  being  forgiven,  but  in  receiving  Christ ; 
and  having  received  him,  we  with  him  re- 
ceive an  interest  in  those  benefits.  Hence 
the  propriety  of  such  language  as  this  :  "He 
that  hath  the  Son  hath  life  ;  and  he  that  hath 
not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life." 

It  is  on  this  principle  that  union  with 
Christ  is  represented  as  the  foundation  of 
an  interest  in  his  benefits,  as  it  is  in  the  fol- 


RECEPTION    OF    CHRIST    THE    TURNING    POINT    OF    SALVATION. 


277 


lowing  passages:  "Of  him  are  ye  in  Christ 
Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom, 
and  righteousness,  and  sanctifcation,  and  re- 
demption.— There  is  therefore  now  710  con- 
demnation to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus. 
— That  I  may  be  found  in  him,  not  having 
mine  own  righteousness,  which  is  of  the 
law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith  of 
Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God 
by  faith."  It  is  thus  in  the  marriage-union, 
to  which  that  of  believers  with  Christ  is  com- 
pared. As  she  that  is  joined  to  a  husband 
becomes  interested  in  all  that  he  possesses, 
so  they  that  are  joined  to  Christ  are,  by  the 
gracious  constitution  of  the  gospel,  interest- 
ed in  all  that  he  possesses.  He  is  heir  of 
all  things,  and  they  are  joint-heirs  with  him. 
The  sum  is,  that  receiving  Christ  is  the 
great  turning-  point  of  salvation,  or  that  by 
which  we  obtain  a  revealed  interest  in  all  the 
blessings  of  the  gospel. 

But,  more  particularly,  to  receive  Christ 
presupposes  a  sense  of  sin,  and  of  our  ex- 
posedness  to  the  just  displeasure  of  God.  It 
is  a  great  error  to  hold  up  a  sense  of  sin  as 
a  qualification  which  gives  us  a  warrant  to 
receive  the  Saviour,  and  so  to  consider  the 
invitations  of  the  gospel  as  addressed  to 
sensible  sinners  only,  as  this  must  necessari- 
ly teach  men  to  reckon  themselves  the  favo- 
rites of  God  while  yet  they  are  in  a  state  of 
unbelief.  But  it  is  no  less  an  error  to  sup- 
pose that  any  sinner  will  receive  the  Sa- 
viour without  perceiving  and  feeling  his 
need  of  him.  It  is  one  thing  to  require  a 
sense  of  sin  as  a  qualification  that  gives  a 
warrant  to  receive  the  Saviour,  and  another 
to  plead  for  it  as  necessary,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  to  a  compliance  with  that  warrant. 
What  is  the  reason  that  Christ  is  rejected 
and  the  gospel  made  light  of,  by  the  great 
body  of  mankind  ?  Is  it  not,  as  the  Scrip- 
tures represent  it,  because  they  are  whole 
in  their  own  eyes,  and  therefore  think  they 
need  no  physician  ?  While  men  are  right- 
eous in  their  own  esteem,  the  gospel  must  ap- 
pear to  be  a  strange  doctrine,  and  the  dwel- 
ling so  much  upon  Christ,  in  the  ministry  of 
the  word,  a  strange  conduct.  How  is  it  that 
the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace,  through 
the  atonement  of  the  Son  of  God,  should  be 
so  generally  opposed,  even  by  nominal 
Christians  ?  The  reason  is  the  same.  Sin 
is  considered  as  a  light  thing,  a  mere  frailty, 
or  imperfection,  unfortunately  attached  to 
human  nature  :  and'while  this  is  the  case, 
there  appears  to  be  no  need  of  a  mediator, 
or  at  least  not  of  one  that  is  divine,  and  who, 
to  atone  for  sin,  should  be  required  to  as- 
sume humanity  and  render  his  life  a  sacri- 
fice. Hence  it  is  necessary  to  be  convinced 
of  sin  in  order  to  receive  the  Saviour. 

Much  of  this  conviction  may  respect  only 
our  guilt  and  danger,  and  so  have  nothing 
spiritually  good  in  it :  but  in  those  who,  in 
the  end,  receive  the  Saviour,  it  is  not  wholly 


so.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  spiritual  con- 
viction, or  conviction  which  involves  in  it  an 
abhorrence  of  sin  and  of  ourselves  on  ac- 
count of  it.  Such  is  that  sense  of  its  intrin- 
sically evil  nature,  or,  as  the  Scriptures 
speak,  of  its  exceeding  sinfulness,  which  is 
produced  by  a  just  view  of  the  spirituality 
and  equity  of  the  divine  law.  And  such  is 
that  repentance  towards  God  which  is  re- 
presented as  necessary  to  faith  in  Christ, 
and  as  included  in  it.  We  may  be  convinced 
of  our  guilt  and  danger  by  an  enlighten- 
ed conscience  only,  and  may  be  very  sorry 
for  our  sin,  in  reference  to  its  consequen- 
ces :  but  this,  though  it  may  be  used  to  pre- 
pare the  way  of  the  Lord,  yet  will  neither 
divest  the  sinner  of  his  self-righteous  spirit, 
nor  render  him  willing  to  come  to  Christ, 
that  he  may  have  life  :  and,  instead  of  issu- 
ing in  his  receiving  him,  may  end  in  his  de- 
struction. A  sense  of  the  exceeding  sinful- 
ness of  sin,  on  the  other  hand,  tends,  in  its 
own  nature,  to  kill  a  self-righteous  spirit, 
and  to  induce  the  sinner  to  embrace  the  gos- 
pel. It  is  impossible  to  have  a  just  sense  of 
the  evil  of  sin,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  ob- 
ject to  the  way  of  salvation  by  grace,  through 
a  mediator. 

Again,  to  receive  Christ  implies  the  re- 
nunciation of  every  thing  which  stands  in 
opposition  to  him,  or  comes  in  competition 
with  him.  Viewing  Christ  as  a  guest,  he 
stands  at  the  door,  and  knocks  ;  and  why  is 
it  kept  barred  against  him  ?  Because  the 
sinner  has  a  variety  of  other  guests  already 
in  his  house,  and  is  aware  that,  if  he  enter, 
they  must  be  dismissed ;  and,  being  reluc- 
tant to  part  with  them,  he  cannot  find  in  his 
heart,  at  least  for  the  present,  to  welcome 
the  heavenly  visitant.  These  guests  are 
not  only  darling  sins,  but  corrupt  principles, 
flesh-pleasing  schemes,  and  a  spirit  of  self- 
righteous  pride.  With  these  Christ  cannot 
associate.  If  we  receive  him,  we  must  re- 
ject them  ;  and  that  not  as  being  forced  to  it 
for  the  sake  of  escaping  the  wrath  of  God, 
but  with  all  our  hearts.  Many,  considering 
the  necessity  of  the  thing,  would  willingly  re- 
ceive Christ,  so  that  they  might  retain  what 
is  most  dear  to  them  ;  but,  this  being  inad- 
missible, they,  like  him  who  was  nearest  of 
kin  to  Ruth,  decline  it,  lest  they  should  mar 
their  own  inheritance. 

It  was  not  so  with  Moses.  He  had  to 
refuse  as  well  as  choose ;  and,  for  the  sake  of 
Christ,  yea,  for  the  reproach  of  Christ,  he 
did  refuse  even  the  prospect  of  a  crown. 
Paul  had  great  advantages  by  birth,  and  had 
acquired  many  more  by  application ;  but, 
when  they  came  in  competition  with  Christ, 
all  this  gain  was  counted  loss.  Nor  did  he 
ever  repent  the  sacrifice,  but,  towards  the 
close  of  life,  declared,  saying,  "  Yea,  doubt- 
less, and  I  count  all  things  but  loss,  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Je- 
sus my  Lord  :  for  whom  I  have  suffered  the 


278 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count  them  hut 
dung,  that  I  may  win  Christ,  and  be  found  in 
him." 

Moreover,  to  receive  Christ  is  expressive 
of  the  exercise,  not  of  one  faculty  only,  but 
of  all  the  powers  of  the  soul.  If  it  were 
merely  an  exercise  of  the  understanding,  as 
distinguished  from  the  will  and  affections,  it 
would  not  be  properly  opposed  to  a  rejection 
of  him,  which  is  manifestly  the  idea  suggest- 
ed by  the  term  "  received  him  not."  As  un- 
belief includes  more  than  an  error  in  judg- 
ment, even  an  aversion  of  the  heart  from 
Christ  and  the  way  of  salvation  by  his  death  ; 
so  faith  includes  more  than  an  accurate  no- 
tion of  things,  even  a  cordial  acceptance  of 
him  and  the  way  of  salvation  by  him.  Noth- 
ing short  of  this  can,  with  any  propriety,  be 
considered  as  receiving  him,  or  as  having  the 
promise  of  eternal  life. 

Finally :  To  receive  Christ  requires  not 
only  to  be  by  all  in  us,  but  to  have  respect  to 
all  in  him.  If  we  receive  Christ  as  the  gift 
of  God,  we  must  receive  him  for  all  the  pur- 
poses for  which  he  is  given.  These  pur- 
poses may  be  distinguished,  and  one  may 
come  in  order  after  another  ;  but  they  must 
not  be  separated.  Were  it  possible  to  re- 
ceive him  as  an  atoning  sacrifice  without 
yielding  ourselves  up  to  his  authority,  or  to 
yield  ourselves  up  to  his  authority  without 
relying  on  his  sacrifice,  each  would  be  vain  ; 
and,  could  both  of  them  be  united  without 
sitting  at  his  feet  as  little  children,  to  be  in- 
structed in  his  will,  it  were  still  in  vain.  The 
invitation  of  our  Lord,  in  the  eleventh  chap- 
ter of  Matthew,  shows  both  the  order  and 
connection  of  these  things  :  "  Come  unto  me, 
all  ye  that  labor,  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon 
you,  and  learn  of  me  ;  for  I  am  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto 
your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my 
burden  is  light."  The  first  concern  of  a  sin- 
ner is  to  come  to  Christ  as  the  Saviour  of  the 
lost:  but,  at  what  time  he  does  this,  he  must 
also  take  his  yoke  upon  him  as  his  Lord  and 
Lawgiver.  Nor  is  this  all :  he  must  take 
him  for  his  example ;  learning  his  spirit,  and 
following  his  steps. 

II.  Consider  the  privilege  annexed  to 
receiving  Christ:  "To  as  many  as  re- 
ceived him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  be- 
come the  sons  of  God."  The  relation  of 
sons  seems  to  be  ascribed  to  believers,  in 
the  text  and  context,  on  two  accounts  ;  viz. 
their  regeneration  and  their  adoption.  The 
one  is  expressed  in  verse  13 :  "  Who  were 
born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh, 
nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God."  This 
consists  in  a  re-impression  of  the  divine  im- 
age, and  is  introduced  to  account  for  some 
having  received  Christ,  while  others  received 
him  not.  The  other  is  denominated  a  "  pow- 
er," or  privilege,  and  belongs  to  our  restora- 
tion to  the  divine  favor. 


It  was  a  high  honor,  conferred  on  our  spe- 
cies from  the  beginning,  for  God  to  call  him- 
self their  father ;  an  honor  extended,  as  it 
would  seem,  to  no  other  part  of  the  lower 
creation.  "His  tender  mercies,"  indeed, 
"  are  over  all  his  works  ; "  but  man  was  cre- 
ated in  his  image:  "In  the  image  of  God 
created  he  him."  Men,  therefore,  are  ranked 
among  the  children  of  the  Most  High.  Nor 
was  it  a  mere  name  :  the  love  of  the  Creator 
was  truly  that  of  a  father.  We  see  this  ex- 
pressed in  the  strongest  manner  even  in  the 
punishment  of  the  wicked  ;  as  though  it  were 
against  the  grain  of  his  native  goodness,  and 
as  though  nothing  but  a  conduct  exceedingly 
offensive  could  have  induced  him  to  do  what 
he  did.  Such  are  the  ideas  in  the  following 
passages :  "  And  the  Lord  said,  I  will  de- 
troy  man,  whom  I  have  created,  from  the  face 
of  the  earth." — "He  that  made  them  will  not 
have  mercy  on  them,  and  he  that  formed  them 
will  show  them  no  favor."  And  though  it 
sometimes  appears  as  if  sin  had,  in  a  manner, 
extinguished  his  paternal  goodness,  yet,  in 
exercising  mercy  through  his  Son,  he  still 
calls  to  remembrance  the  original  relation  : 
"I  will  not  contend  forever,  neither  will  I  be 
always  wroth :  for  the  spirit  should  fail  be- 
fore me,  and  the  souls  ivhich  I  have  made." 
What  an  evil  and  bitter  thing,  then,  must 
sin  be,  to  have  induced  so  good  a  God  to 
disown  us  as  aliens,  and  to  require  that,  if  we 
be  again  admitted  into  his  family,  it  shall  be 
by  adoption — a  proceeding  to  which  men 
have  recourse  when  they  wish  to  favor  chil- 
dren that  are  not  their  own ! 

The  kindness  of  God  toward  Israel  is  de- 
scribed as  an  adoption.  Their  deplorable 
condition  in  Egypt  is  represented  by  that  of 
a  helpless  infant,  left  to  perish  in  the  open 
field  in  the  day  that  it  was  born,  and  the  fa- 
vor conferred  upon  them  by  the  kindness  of 
a  benevolent  stranger,  who,  passing  at  the 
time,  had  compassion  on  it,  and  adopted  it 
as  his  own.  This,  however,  though  an  act 
of  grace,  and  through  a  mediator,  yet  was 
only  a  shadow  of  that  blessing  which  is  be- 
stowed on  them  who  believe  in  Jesus  Christ. 
It  separated  them  from  other  nations,  and 
conferred  on  them  distinguished  privileges, 
but  it  ascertained  no  inheritance  beyond  the 
grave.  This,  on  the  contrary,  not  only  puts 
us  among  the  children,  but  gives  us  "  an  in- 
heritance incorruptible,  and  undefiled,  and 
that  fadeth  not  away."  The  depth  of  alien- 
ation and  disgrace  from  which  it  takes  us, 
with  the  height  of  glory  to  which  it  raises  us, 
accounts  for  that  strong  language  which  is 
more  than  once  used  in  describing  it :  "  But 
I  said,  How  shall  I  put  thee  among  the  chil- 
dren ? — Behold,  what  manner  of  love  the  Fa- 
ther hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should 
be  called  the  sons  of  God  !  " 

The  adoption  of  children  is  reckoned 
among  those  spiritual  blessings  wherewith 
the  God  and  Father  of  Our  Lord  Jesus 


RECEPTION    OF    CHRIST    THE    TURNING    POINT    OF    SALVATION. 


279 


Christ  hath  blessed  them  that  believe  in  him, 
having  predestinated  them  to  it  by  Jesus 
Christ  unto  himself,  according  to  the  good 
pleasure  of  his  wjjl.  With  all  other  spiritual 
blessings,  its  bestowment  is  in  consequence 
of  our  having  been  predestinated  to  it ;  but  the 
thing  itself,  like  justification,  is  a  blessing  of 
time,  and  follows  on  believing.  It  were  ab- 
surd to  speak  of  our  being  predestinated  to 
that  which  was,  in  itself,  eternal.  The  privi- 
lege itself  is  held  up  as  an  inducement  to  for- 
sake the  family  of  Satan,  and  be  separated 
from  them :  "  Come  out  from  among  them, 
and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the  Lord,  and  touch 
not  the  unclean  thing ;  and  I  Avill  receive 
you, — and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and  daughters, 
saith  the  Lord  Almighty." 

But  the  connection  between  receiving 
Christ  and  having  power  to  become  the  sons 
of  God  is  designed  to  mark  not  only  the  or- 
der of  time,  but  that  of  nature  ;  or  to  show 
the  influence  of  the  one  upon  the  other :  we 
"  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus."  This  is  exactly  the  same 
language  as  is  used  of  our  justification  :  and 
the  blessing  is  obtained  in  the  same  way ; 
not  in  reward  of  the  act  of  believing,  but  out 
of  respect  to  him  in  whom  we  believe.  He 
that  believeth  on  the  Son  is  joined  or  united 
to  him,  and,  as  such,  by  the  constitution  of 
the  covenant  of  grace,  becomes  interested 
in  all  its  benefits.  It  is  thus  that  we  are 
justified  by  faith,  and  it  is  thus  that  we  are 
adopted.  Christ,  in  reward  of  his  obedience 
unto  death,  is  appointed  "heir  of  all  things  ;" 
and  we,  receiving  him,  are  received  into 
God's  family  for  his  sake,  and  become  "joint- 
heirs  "  with  him.  Such  is  the  delightful 
harmony  of  the  gospel,  and  such  the  way  in 
which  "  the  adoption  of  children  "  is  "  by 
Jesus  Christ  to  himself," — "  to  the  praise  of 
the  glory  of  his  grace." 

Regeneration  gives  us  a  new  nature  ;  and 
adoption  adds  to  it  a  new  name,  even  that  of 
sons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty. 
Nor  is  it  a  mere  name  ;  for  the  richest 
blessings  both  in  this  world  and  that  which 
is  to  come  are  attached  to  it.  Of  these  Ave 
may  reckon  the  following  as  the  principal : — 

1.  Access  to  God  as  our  oivn  God  and 
Father.  During  our  unbelief,  whatever 
were  our  necessities  or  troubles,  we  had  no 
access  to  God.  Though  under  the  pangs  of 
woe  we  might  cry  for  mercy,  yet  it  was  un- 
availing. How  should  it  be  otherwise,  when 
we  set  at  nought  the  only  name  by  which  a 
sinner  can  be  introduced,  and  his  cause  ob- 
tain a  hearing  ?  But,  believing  in  Jesus,  we 
draw  near  to  God,  and  God  to  us.  The 
term  7rpo<rst.yuy>,,  rendered  access,  in  Ephes. 
iii.  1*2,  signifies  as  much  as  introduction  man- 
uduction,  or  a  being  taken  by  the  hand,  as  one 
who  is  introduced  to  the  king  by  a  third  per- 
son ;  teaching  us  that  we  cannot  be  admitted 
to  the  divine  presence  by  ourselves.  While 
obedient  we  had  free  access  to  our  Creator; 


but,  having  sinned,  the  door  is  shut  upon  us, 
and  not  a  child  of  Adam  can  see  his  face, 
but  as  introduced  by  the  Mediator.  As  Job's 
friends,  whose  folly  had  offended  the  Divine 
Majesty,  were  required  to  bring  their  offer- 
ings to  Job,  that  he  as  a  mediator  might 
present  them  and  pray  for  the  offenders,  so 
it  is  with  us  in  drawing  near  to  God.  All 
our  offerings  must  be  presented  by  the  great 
and  gracious  Intercessor.  Him  will  God 
accept.  Coming  in  his  name,  we  have  bold- 
ness and  access  with  confidence  by  the  faith 
of  him.  The  spirit  which  is  congenial  with 
the  gospel  dispensation  is  not  that  of  bond- 
age, that  we  should  be  held  in  slavish  fear, 
but  that  of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry  Abba, 
Father ;  and,  if  we  do  not  actually  possess 
it,  it  is  because  we  are  wanting  to  ourselves. 
A  promise  is  left  us  of  entering  into  rest,  of 
which  if  we  seem  to  come  short,  it  is  owing 
to  unbelief.  Did  we  but  act  up  to  our  privi- 
leges, guilt  would  not  lie  rankling  on  our 
consciences,  in  the  manner  it  often  does,  nor 
would  care  corrode  our  peace,  nor  morbid 
melancholy  eat  up  our  enjoyments.  Having 
God  for  our  father,  we  should  confess  our 
sins  to  him,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
his  Son  would  cleanse  us  from  all  sin ;  we 
should  cast  all  our  care  on  him  who  careth 
for  us  ;  we  should  be  inordinately  "  careful 
for  nothing,  but  in  everything,  by  prayer  and 
supplication  with  thanksgiving,  let  our  re- 
quests be  made  known  unto  God  ;  "  and  the 
effect  would  be,  that  "the  peace  of  God, 
which  passeth  all  understanding,  would 
keep  our  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ 
Jesus." 

2.  Access  to  all  the  ordinances  of  God's 
house,  and  to  the  fclloivship  of  his  people. 
From  being  "  strangers  and  foreigners,"  we 
become  "fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and 
of  the  household  of  God."  The  church  of 
God  is  here  described  as  a  city  and  as  a 
household.  As  a  city,  God  is  a  Avail  of 
fire  round  about  her,  and  the  glory  in  the 
midst  of  her,  blessing  her  provision,  and 
satisfying  her  poor  with  bread.  To  be 
made  free  of  this  city  is  no  small  favor.  As 
a  household,  God  is  the  father  of  it ;  and  as 
many  as  receive  Christ  receive  poAver  to 
become  its  members,  and  to  share  in  all  the 
privileges  of  the  family.  There  are  believ- 
ers no  doubt  whose  situation  does  not  admit 
of  these  social  advantages,  and  others  who 
are  prevented  by  something  amiss  in  the 
state  of  their  own  minds  from  embracing 
them ;  but  such  do  not  excel  in  spirituality 
or  in  usefulness.  It  is  as  being  planted  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  that  Ave  may  hope  to  flour- 
ish in  the  courts  of  our  God. 

3.  A  part  in  the  first  resurrection.  The 
resurrection  of  the  saints  is  called  "the 
manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God ; "  "  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God;" 
"  the  adoption  ;  "  "  the  redemption  of  our 
body."     It  is  the  grand  jubilee  of  the  church, 


280 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


and  even  of  the  creation.  Till  then  the 
former  as  well  as  the  latter  will  be  held  un- 
der a  degree  of  bondage,  as  being  yet  sub- 
ject to  the  effects  of  sin :  but  then  Christ's 
promise  shall  be  fulfilled,  "I  will  raise  them 
up  at  the  last  day  ; "  and  the  deliverance  of 
the  saints  will  be  the  signal  for  that  of  the 
creation,  which  during  the  apostacy  has  been 
unwillingly  compelled  to  subserve  its  Crea- 
tor's enemies,  and  winch  is  therefore  repre- 
sented as  waiting  for  and  earnestly  expect- 
ing the  moment  of  deliverance.  The  last 
enemy  being  then  destroyed,  the  war  will 
be  ended :  death  will  be  swallowed  up  in 
victory. 

4.  An  interest  in  the  eternal  inheritance. 
The  natural  inference  from  this  divine  rela- 
tion is  this:  "  If  children,  then  heirs  ;  heirs 
of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ;  if  so  be 
that  we  suffer  Avith  him,  that  we  may  be  also 
glorified  together."  With  such  thoughts 
our  minds  are  overwhelmed,  and  no  wonder ; 
for  an  inspired  apostle  had  no  adequate  con- 
ception of  it :  "  Beloved,"  says  he,  "  now  are 
we  the  sons  of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  ap- 
pear xvhat  we  shall  be:  but  we  know  that 
when  he  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like  him  ; 
for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is." 

Such  are  the  leading  privileges  included 
in  the  power  of  becoming  the  sons  of  God. 
which  are  sufficient  to  show  that  though 
many  reject  the  Saviour,  yet  it  is  not  for 
want  of  kindness  on  his  part  towards  those 
who  accept  of  him. 

III.  Let  us  observe  the  wisdom  of 
God  in  rendering  the  reception  of 
Christ  the  turning  point  of  salva- 
tion. When  a  person  who  neither  under- 
stands nor  believes  the  gospel  way  of  salva- 
tion thinks  on  the  subject  it  must  appear  to 
him  a  strange  thing  that  so  much  should  be 
made  of  Christ  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
of  faith  in  him.  He  has  no  conception  of 
it,  or  of  the  reason  why  it  should  be  so.  It 
was  thus  that  the  gospel  was  "  unto  the  Jews 
a  stumbling-block  and  unto  the  Greeks  fool- 
ishness ;  to  them  that  believed,  however,  it 
was  "  the  power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of 
God."  There  are  three  things  in  particular 
in  which  the  wisdom  of  God  appears  in  this 
adjustment  of  things. 

1.  It  accords  with  the  leading;  design  of  God 
in  the  gospel ;  namely,  to  glorify  his  charac- 
ter and  government  in  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners. Receiving  Christ,  as  we  have  seen 
already,  is  the  corresponding  idea  to  his 
being  given,  and  that  which  answers  to  it,  as 
the  loops  and  taches  of  the  tabernacle  an- 
swered to  each  other.  If  the  gift  of  Christ, 
on  God's  part,  was  necessary  to  secure  the 
honor  of  his  character  and  government  in 
showing  mercy,  the  receiving  of  him,  on 
our  part,  must  also  be  necessary,  as  belong- 
ing to  the  same  proceeding.  Without  this, 
the  gift  would  not  answer  its  end.  Hence, 
though  God,  through  the  propitiation  of  his 


Son,  is  just  and  a  justifier ;  yet  it  is  of  him 
only  that  believcth  in  Jesus. 

If,  instead  of  receiving  Christ  as  God's 
free  gift,  and  eternal  life  with  him,  we  had 
received  favor  irrespective  of  him,  God,  so 
far  as  we  can  conceive,  must  have  compro- 
mised his  honor.  To  show  favor  to  a  sinner 
in  the  way  he  wishes,  that  is,  in  reward  of 
what  he  calls  his  good  works,  would  be  con- 
senting to  vacate  his  throne  at  the  desire  of 
a  rebel.  It  would  be  agreeing  not  only  to 
pass  over  his  past  disobedience,  and  so  to 
render  null  and  void  his  own  precepts, 
warnings,  and  threatenings,  but  to  accept, 
in  future,  of  just  such  obedience,  and  such 
a  degree  of  it,  as  it  suited  his  inclination  to 
yield :  "  Offer  it  now  unto  thy  governor,  will 
he  be  pleased  with  thee,  or  accept  thy  per- 
son ?   saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

But,  in  receiving-  Christ,  Ave  acquiesce  in 
the  whole  system  of  salvation  by  his  death, 
as  glorifying  the  character  and  government 
of  God :  we  subscribe  to  the  great  evil  of 
sin,  and  to  the  justice  of  our  condemnation 
on  account  of  it ;  we  become  of  the  same 
mind  Avith  Christ,  and,  in  our  measure,  stand 
affected  as  he  does  toAvard  God  and  man, 
and  sin  and  righteousness.  That  law  Avhich 
was  within  his  heart  is  written  in  ours. — 
Thus  it  is  that  God  and  his  government  are 
glorified,  not  only  by  the  gift  of  Christ  to  be 
a  sacrifice,  but  in  the  reception  of  him,  as 
such,  by  the  believing  sinner. 

2.  It  secures  the  honors  of  grace.  If,  in- 
stead of  receiving  Christ  as  God's  free  gift, 
and  eternal  life  through  him,  Ave  had  receiv- 
ed favor  irrespective  of  him,  we  should  have 
considered  ourselves  as  having  whereof  to 
glory.  It  would  have  appeared  to  us,  as  it 
does  and  must  appear  to  every  one  that 
hopes  to  be  saved  without  an  atonement, 
that  the  Almighty  has  no  right  to  expect 
perfect  obedience  from  imperfect  creatures  ; 
that  there  is  no  such  great  evil  in  sin  as  that 
it  should  deserve  everlasting  punishment ; 
that  if  God  Avere  to  be  strict  to  mark  iniqui- 
ty, according  to  the  threatenings  of  the 
Bible,  he  Avould  be  unjust ;  and,  therefore, 
that  in  shoAving  mercy  he  only  makes  just 
alloAvance  for  the  frailties  of  his  creatures, 
and  acts  as  a  good  being  must  needs  act. 
Thus  it  is  that  the  very  idea  of  grace  is  ex- 
cluded, and  the  sinner  feels  himself  on 
terms  with  his  Creator.  But  in  receiving 
Christ,  and  salvation  through  his  death, 
these  imaginations  are  cast  down,  and  all 
such  high  thoughts  subdued  to  the  obedience 
of  Christ.  He  that  has  been  disputing  with 
his  Maker  for  a  number  of  years  at  once 
finds  the  ground  sink  under  him,  all  his 
arguments  answered,  and  himself  reduced  to 
the  character  of  a  supplicant  at  the  feet  of 
his  offended  Sovereign. 

It  is  as  hard  a  thing  for  a  proud  and  car- 
nal heart  to  receive  Christ,  and  salvation  by 
grace  through  him,  as  it  is  to  keep  the  whole 


ON    JUSTIFICATION. 


281 


law.  If,  therefore,  we  expect  the  good  news 
of  the  gospel  to  consist  in  something  more 
suited  to  the  inclinations,  and  not  merely  to 
the  condition  of  sinners,  we  shall  be  disap- 
pointed. It  is  said  of  a  certain  character, 
who  some  years  since  was  banished  from 
this  country  or  attempting  to  revolution- 
ize it  after  the  example  of  France,  that  he 
was  offered  a  free  pardon  if  he  would  only 
acknowledge  his  fault  and  petition  the 
throne  ;  but  he  could  not  do  it  !  Such  is  the 
inability  of  men  to  receive  the  Saviour  ;  and 
herein  consists  the  damning  sin  of  unbelief. 

If  our  spirit  were  brought  down  to  our 
situation,  as  sinners,  the  most  humiliating 
truths  of  the  gospel,  instead  of  offending  us, 
would  appear  to  be  right,  and  wise,  and  glo- 
rious. We  should  feel  that  the  dust  was 
our  proper  place  ;  or  rather,  if  we  had  our 
deserts,  the  pit  of  perdition.  We  should 
consider  ourselves  as  lying  at  the  absolute 
discretion  of  God :  instead  of  being  stum- 
bled at  such  an  assertion  of  the  divine  sov- 
ereignty as  that  addressed  to  Moses,  "  I 
will  have  mercy  on  whom  I  will  have  mercy, 
and  I  will  have  compassion  on  whom  I  will 
have  compassion,"  we  should  cordially  sub- 
scribe it,  and  supplicate  mercy  only  on  that 
principle.  And,  when  we  had  obtained  it, 
we  should  never  think  of  having  made  our- 
selves to  differ,  but  freely  acknowledge  that 
it  is  by  the  grace  of  God  that  we  are  what 
we  are.  Our  minds  would  be  in  perfect 
unison  with  the  language  of  the  apostle  to 
Timothy :  "  Who  hath  saved  us,  and  called 
us  with  a  holy  calling,  not  according  to  our 
works,  but  according  to  his  own  purpose 
and  grace,  which  was  given  us  in  Christ 
Jesus,  before  the  world  began." 

3.  It  provides  for  the  interests  of  holiness. 
In  receiving  Christ,  and  salvation  through 
him,  we  receive  a  doctrine  that  strikes  at 
the  very  root  of  depravity.  "  The  Son  of 
God  was  manifested  that  he  might  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devil : "  he,  therefore,  that 
receives  him  must  thenceforth  be  at  variance 
with  them.  We  are  not  only  justified,  but 
sanctified,  by  the  faith  that  is  in  him.  The 
doctrine  of  the  cross,  while  it  gives  peace 
to  the  conscience,  purifies  the  heart.  There 
is  not  a  principle  in  it  but  what,  if  felt  and 
acted  upon,  would  cause  the  world  to  be  dead 
to  us  and  us  unto  the  world.  The  objec- 
tions, therefore,  that  are  made  to  this  doc- 
trine, as  being  unfriendly  to  holiness,  have 
no  foundation  in  the  doctrine  itself,  whatever 
may  be  seen  in  the  lives  of  some  that  pro- 
fess it. 

From  the  whole :  The  first  concern  of  a 
sinner  is  to  receive  the  Saviour.  It  ought  to 
be  no  question  whether  he  may  receive  him  ; 
since  the  gospel  is  addressed  to  every  crea- 
ture, and  its  invitations  to  the  "  stout-hearted 
and  far  from  righteousness."  The  only 
question  is  whether  he  be  willing  to  receive 
him*  To  a  spectator,  unacquainted  with  the 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  36, 


depravity  of  human  nature,  it  must  be  be- 
yond measure  surprising  that  this  should  be 
a  question  ;  and,  indeed,  few  men  can  be 
convinced  that  it  is :  yet,  if  it  were  not,  there 
would  be  no  difficulty  in  receiving  him. 
"  Why  do  ye  not  understand  my  speech  ? 
because  ye  cannot  hear  my  word :  "  that  is, 
because  ye  are  averse  from  it.  But  no  man 
will  be  able  to  excuse  this  his  aversion, 
winch  is  itself  sin.  The  Judge  of  all  the 
earth  makes  no  allowance  for  it,  nor  for  its 
not  having  been  removed  by  divine  grace. 
Grace  is  never  represented  in  the  Scrip- 
tures as  necessary  to  our  accountable- 
ness ;  but  as  a  free  gift,  which  God  might 
justly  withhold.  It  is  deemed  sufficient  to 
justify  the  condemnation  of  sinners  that 
they  were  averse  from  the  gospel  and  gov- 
ernment of  Christ:  "Take  these  mine  ene- 
mies, that  ivould  not  that  I  should  reign  over 
them,  and  slay  them  before  me." 

Should  it  be  objected  that  these  principles: 
must  tend  to  drive  a  sinner  to  despair;  I 
answer  by  asking,  What  sinner  ?  Not  him 
whose  desires  are  toward  the  Saviour ;  not 
him  whose  prayer  is,  "  Turn  thou  me,  and  I 
shall  be  turned : "  if  any,  it  must  be  him 
who  has  no  desire  after  God  ;  and,  even  in 
his  case,  the  despair  is  not  absolute,  but 
merely  on  supposition  of  his  continuing  in 
that  state  of  mind.  But  this,  to  him,  is  most 
necessary ;  for,  till  a  sinner  despair  of  ob- 
taining mercy  in  the  way  he  is  in,  he  will 
never  fall  at  the  feet  of  sovereign  grace, 
and  so  will  never  be  saved.  As  he  that 
would  be  wise  must  first  become  a  fool  that 
he  may  be  wise  ;  so  he  that  .layeth  hold  of 
the  hope  set  before  him  in  the  gospel  must 
first  relinquish  his  hopes  from  every  other 
quarter. 


SERMON   XVII. 

ON   JUSTIFICATION. 

"  Being  justified  freely  by  his  grace,  through  the  re- 
demption that  is  in  Christ  Jesus." — Romans  iii.  24» 

The  doctrine  expressed  in  this  passage 
runs  through  the  epistle,  and  constitutes  the 
scope  of  it.  It  is  taught  in  many  other  parts 
of  Scripture,  but  here  it  is  established  by  a 
connected  body  of  evidence.  Both  heathens 
and  Jews  are  proved  to  be  under  sin,  and, 
consequently,  incapable  of  being  justified, 
by  a  righteous  God,  on  the  ground  of  their 
own  obedience.  As  to  the  former,  they 
were  wicked  in  the  extreme.  If  any  thing 
could  have  been  alleged  in  excuse  of  them, 
it-had  been  their  ignorance;  but  even  this 
failed.  They  had  means  of  knowledge  suf- 
ficient to  render  them  "  without  excuse  ; " 
but  having  neglected  them,  and  cast  off  God, 
God  gave  them  up  to  their  own  corrupt  af- 
fections and  propensities  ;  so  that  even  the 
philosophic  Greeks  and  Romans  were  "full 


282 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


of  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness, 
holding,"  or  rather,  witholding,  "  the  truth," 
which  they  understood  above  the  common 
people,  "  in  unrighteousness."  But,  if  hea- 
thens could  not  be  justified,  yet  did  not  they 
who  had  the  oracles  of  God  stand  on  higher 
ground  ?  Not  so ;  for  those  very  oracles 
describe  men  as  "all  gone  out  of  the  way," 
as  having  become  "  unprofitable,"  as  none  of 
them  "  doing  good,  no,  not  one  ; "  and  what 
revelation  says  it  says  of  them  who  were 
under  the  light  of  it.  Israel,  therefore,  was 
a  part  of  the  corrupt  mass.  The  sum  is, 
"Every  mouth  is  stopped,  and  all  the  world 
become  guilty  before  God. — By  the  deeds 
of  the  law  no  flesh  living  can  be  justified  in 
his  sight." 

These  sentiments,  contained  in  the  first 
three  chapters  of  the  epistle,  make  way  for 
the  following  interesting  statement:  "But 
now  the  righteousness  of  God  without  the 
law  is  manifested,  being  witnessed  by  the 
law  and  the  prophets ;  even  the  righteous- 
ness of  God,  which  is  by  faith  of  Jesus 
Christ  unto  all  and  upon  all  them  that  be- 
lieve ;  for  there  is  no  difference  :  for  all  have 
sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God : 
being  justified  freely  by  his  grace,  through 
the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus, 
whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation 
through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare  his 
righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins  that 
are  past,  through  the  forbearance  of  God ; 
to  declare,  I  say,  at  this  time  his  righteous- 
ness :  that  he  might  be  just,  and  the  justifier 
of  him  who  believeth  in  Jesus." 

I  call  this  an  interesting  statement ;  for,  of 
all  the  questions  that  can  occupy  the  human 
mind,  there  is  none  of  greater  importance 
than  that  which  relates  to  the  way  of  ac- 
ceptance with  God.  We  learn  from  our 
own  consciences,  as  well  as  from  the  Scrip- 
tures, that  we  are  accountable  creatures ; 
but  how  we  shall  stand  before  the  holy  Lord 
God  is  a  question  that  overwhelms  us.  If 
there  were  no  hope  from  the  gospel,  we 
must  despair.  We  must  appear  before  the 
judgment-seat,  but  it  would  be  only  to  be 
convicted  and  condemned.  The  doctrine, 
therefore,  that  shows  a  way  in  which  God 
can  be  just,  and  yet  a  justifier,  must  be  in- 
teresting beyond  expression.  This  is,  in 
substance,  the  good  news  to  be  proclaimed 
to  every  creature. 

Justification  by  grace  has  been  thought 
by  some  to  be  inconsistent  with  justification 
through  the  atonement  and  righteousness 
of  Christ.  Yet  it  is  here  expressly  said  to 
be  of  grace  ;  and,  as  though  that  were  not 
enough,  freely  by  grace :  nor  is  the  sacred 
writer  less  express  concerning  its  meritori- 
ous cause  than  concerning  its  source  or  ori- 
gin: it  was  not  only  of  free  grace,  but 
"  through  the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus." 

In  every  kind  of  justification  in  which 


justice  is  regarded  there  is  some  ground,  or 
reason,  for  the  proceeding.  In  ordinary 
cases,  among  men,  this  ground,  or  reason, 
is  found  in  the  character  of  the  prisoner. 
He  is  considered  as  innocent,  and  therefore 
is  acquitted.  In  the  justification  of  a  sinner 
by  the  Judge  of  all,  it  is  "  the  redemption 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  That  which 
innocence  is  to  the  one,  the  redemption  of 
Christ  is  to  the  other :  it  is  his  righteousness, 
or  that  in  consideration  of  which,  being  im- 
puted to  him,  he  is  justified. 

In  discoursing  upon  this  great  subject,  I 
shall  endeavor  to  ascertain  the  meaning  of 
the  term — to  give  proof  of  the  doctrine — 
and  to  show  the  consistency  of  its  being  of 
free  grace,  and  yet  through  the  redemption 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

1.  Let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  the 
meaning  of  the  term  justification. 
Many  errors  on  this  important  subject  may 
be  expected  to  have  arisen  from  the  want 
of  a  clear  view  of  the  thing  itself.  Till  we 
understand  what  justification  is,  we  cannot 
affirm  or  deny  any  thing  concerning  it,  but 
with  great  uncertainty. 

It  is  not  the  making  a  person  righteous  by 
an  inherent  change  from  sin  to  righteous- 
ness, this  is  sanctification ;  which,  though 
no  less  necessary  than  the  other,  yet  is  dis- 
tinguished from  it:  Christ  "is  made  unto  us 
righteousness,  and  sanctification."  The 
term  is  forensic,  referring  to  the  proceedings 
in  a  court  of  judicature,  and  stands  opposed 
to  condemnation.  This  is  evident  from  ma- 
ny passages  of  Scripture,  particularly  the 
following :  "  He  that  justifieth  the  wicked, 
and  he  that  condemneth  the  just,  even  they 
both  are  abomination  to  the  Lord. — The 
judgment  was  by  one  to  condemnation;  but 
the  free  gift  is  of  many  offences  unto  jus- 
tification.— There  is  therefore  now  no  con- 
demnation to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus. 
— It  is  God  that  justifieth :  who  is  he  that 
condemneth  ? — He  that  believeth  on  him  that 
sent  me  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not 
come  into  condemnation ;  but  is  passed  from 
death  unto  life."  If  a  prisoner  who  stands 
charged  with  a  crime  be  convicted  of  it,  he 
is  condemned  :  if  otherwise,  he  is  acquitted, 
or  justified. 

But  though  it  be  true  that  the  term  is  for- 
ensic, and  stands  opposed  to  condemnation, 
yet,  as  in  most  other  instances  in  which  the 
proceedings  of  God  allude  to  those  of  men, 
they  are  not  in  all  respects  alike.  He  that 
is  justified  in  an  earthly  court  (unless  it  be 
for  want  of  evidence,  which  cannot  possibly 
apply  in  this  case)  is  considered  as  being 
really  innocent;  and  his  justification  is  no 
other  than  an  act  of  justice  done  to  him. 
He  is  acquitted,  because  he  appears  to  de- 
serve acquittal.  This,  however,  is  not  the 
justification  of  the  gospel,  which  is  "  of  grace, 
through  the  redemption  of  Jesus  Christ." 
Justification,  in  the  former  case,  in  propor- 


ON    JUSTIFICATION. 


283 


tion  as  it  confers  honor  on  the  justified,  re- 
flects dishonor  on  his  accusers  ;  while,  in 
the  latter  the  justice  of  every  charge  is  ad- 
mitted, and  no  dishonor  reflected  on  any 
party  except  himself.  Justification  among 
men  is  opposed  not  only  to  condemnation 
but  even  to  pardon ;  for,  in  order  to  this,  the 
prisoner  must  be  found  guilty,  whereas,  in 
justification,  he  is  acquitted  as  innocent. 
But  gospel-justification,  though  distinguish- 
able from  pardon,  yet  is  not  opposed  to  it, 
On  the  contrary,  pardon  is  an  essential 
branch  of  it.  Pardon,  it  is  true,  only  re- 
moves the  curse  due  to  sin,  while  justifica- 
tion confers  the  blessing  of  eternal  life ; 
but,  without  the  former,  we  could  not  pos- 
sess the  latter.  He  that  is  justified  requires 
to  be  pardoned,  and  he  that  is  pardoned  is 
also  justified.  Hence  a  blessing  is  pronounc- 
ed on  him  whose  iniquities  are  forgiven ; 
hence  also  the  apostle  argues  from  the  non- 
imputation  of  sin  to  the  imputation  of  right- 
eousness: considering  the  blessedness  of 
him  to  whom  God  imputeth  not  sin  as  a  de- 
scription of  the  blessedness  of  him  to  whom 
he  imputeth  righteousness  without  works. 
Finally  :  justification,  at  a  human  bar,  pre- 
vents condemnation  ;  but  gospel  justification 
finds  the  sinner  under  condemnation,  and 
delivers  him  from  it.  It  is  described  as  a 
"  passing  from  death  to  life." 

From  these  dissimilarities,  and  others 
which  I  doubt  not  might  be  pointed  out,  it 
must  be  evident,  to  every  'thinking  mind, 
that  though  there  are  certain  points  of  like- 
ness, sufficient  to  account  for  the  use  of  the 
term,  yet  we  are  not  to  learn  the  scripture 
doctrine  of  justification  from  what  is  so  call- 
ed in  the  judicial  proceedings  of  human 
courts,  and,  in  various  particulars,  cannot 
safely  reason  from  one  to  the  other.  The 
principal  points  of  likeness  respect  not  the 
grounds  of  the  proceeding,  but  the  effects  of 
it.  Believing  in  Jesus,  we  are  united  to 
him  ;  and,  being  so,  are  treated  by  the  Judge 
of  all  as  one  with  him  ;  his  obedience  unto 
death  is  imputed  to  us,  or  reckoned  as  ours  : 
and  we,  for  his  sake,  are  delivered  from  con- 
demnation as  though  we  had  been  innocent, 
and  entitled  to  eternal  life  as  though  we  had 
been  perfectly  obedient. 

But  let  us  farther  inquire,  What  is  gospel 
justification0}  Alluding  to  justification  in  a 
court  of  judicature,  it  has  been  common  to 
speak  of  it  as  a  sentence.  This  sentence  has 
been  considered,  by  some  divines,  as  pass- 
ing— first,  in  the  mind  of  God  from  eternity  ; 
secondly,  on  Christ  and  the  elect  consider- 
ed in  him  when  he  rose  from  the  dead ; 
thirdly,  in  the  conscience  of  a  sinner  on  his 
believing.  Justification  by  faith,  in  the  view 
of  these  divines,  denotes  either  justification 
by  Christ  the  object  of  faith,or  the  manifesta- 
tion to  the  soul  of  what  previously  -existed 
in  the  mind  of  God. 

Others,  who  have  been  far  from  holding 


with  justification  as  a  decree  in  the  divine 
mind,  have  yet  seemed  to  consider  it  as  a 
manifestation,  impression,  or  persuasion  in 
the  human  mind.  They  have  spoken  of 
themselves  and  others  as  being  justified  un- 
der such  a  sermon,  or  at  such  an  hour :  when 
all  that  they  appear  to  mean  is  that  at  such  a 
time  they  had  a  strong  impression,  or  persua- 
sion, that  they  were  justified. 

In  respect  to  the  first  of  these  statements, 
it  is  true  that  justification,  and  every  other 
spiritual  blessing,  was  included  in  that  pur- 
pose and  grace  which  toas  given  us  in  Christ 
Jesxis  before  the  ivorld  began ;  but,  as  the  ac- 
tual bestotvment  of  other  blessings  supposes 
the  existence  of  the  party,  so  does  justifica- 
tion. Christ  was  "  raised  again  for  our  jus- 
tification, in  the  same  sense  as  he  died  for 
the  pardon  of- our  sins.  Pardon  and  justifi- 
cation were  virtually  obtained  by  his  death 
and  resurrection  ;  and  to  this  may  be  added, 
our  glorification  was  obtained  by  his  ascen- 
sion ;  for  we  were  not  only  "  quickened  to- 
gether with  him,"  and  "  raised  up  together," 
but  made  to  "  sit  together  in  heavenly  places 
in  Christ  Jesus."  But  as  this  does  not  prove 
that  we  were,  thenceforth,  actually  glorified, 
neither  does  the  other  prove  that  we  were 
actually  pardoned  or  justified. 

Whatever  justification  be,  the  Scriptures 
represent  it  as  taking  place  on  our  believing 
in  Christ.  It  is  not  any  thing  that  belongs 
to  predestination,  but  something  that  in- 
tervenes between  that  and  glorification. 
"  Whom  he  did  predestinate,  them  he  also 
called  :  and  whom  he  called,  them  he  also 
justified:  and  whom  he  justified,  them  he 
also  glorified.  That  which  the  Scriptures 
call  justification  is  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ; 
and  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  future,  which 
it  could  not  be  if  it  were  before  our  ac- 
tual existence.  For  example :  "  Seeing 
it  is  one  God  who  shall  justify  the  circum- 
cision by  faith,  and  the  uncircumcision 
through  faith. — Now  it  was  not  written  for 
Abraham's  sake  alone,  that  it  was  imputed 
to  him  ;  but  for  us  also,  to  whom  it  shall  be 
imputed,  if  we  believe  on  him  that  raised  up 
Jesus  our  Lord  from  the  dead. — The  Scrip- 
ture foreseeing  that  God  ivould  justify  the 
heathen  through  faith,"  &c.  If  justification 
were  God's  decree  finally  to  acquit,  con- 
demnation must  be  his  decree  finally  to  con- 
demn. But  every  unbeliever,  whether  elect 
or  non-elect,  is  under  condemnation,  as  the 
Scriptures  abundantly  teach :  condemnation, 
therefore,  cannot  be  God's  decree  finally  to 
condemn.  Saul  of  Tarsus,  while  an  unbe- 
liever, was  under  condemnation,  yet  God 
had  "  not  appointed  him  to  wrath,  but  to  ob- 
tain salvation  by  Jesus  Christ."  The  sum  is, 
that  neither  condemnation  nor  justification 
consists  in  the  secret  purpose  of  God,  but 
in  his  will  as  revealed,  or  declared,  as_  by  a 
sentence  in  open  court. 

And,  as  justification  is  not  a  purpose  in 


284 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


the  divine  mind,  neither  is  it  a  manifestation 
to,  an  impression  on,  or  a  persuasion  of,  the 
human  mind.  That  there  are  manifestations 
to  believers,  is  admitted.  God  manifests 
himself  unto  them  as  he  does  not  unto  ftie 
world.  The  things  of  God,  which  are  hidden 
from  the  wise  and  prudent,  are  revealed  to 
them.  But  these  are  not  things  which  were 
previously  locked  up  in  the  divine  purposes, 
but  things  which  were  already  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures,  and  which  were  previously  hidden 
from  them,  as  they  still  are  from  unbelievers, 
by  their  own  criminal  blindness.  God  does 
not  reveal  his  secret  counsels  to  men,  other- 
wise than  by  fulfilling  them.  To  pretend  to 
a  revelation,  or  manifestation,  of  that  which  is 
not  contained  in  the  Scriptures,  is  pretending 
to  be  inspired  in  the  same  extraordinary 
manner  as  were  the  prophets  and  apostles. 

If  justification  consist  in  a  manifestation, 
impression,  or  persuasion,  that  we  are  justi- 
fied, condemnation  must  be  a  like  impression, 
or  persuasion,  that  we  are  condemned:  but 
this  is  not  true.  The  Jews  who  opposed 
Christ  were  under  condemnation  ;  yet,  so  far 
from  being  impressed,  or  persuaded,  of  any 
such  thing,  they  had  no  doubt  but  God  was 
their  father.  Believers  in  Jesus,  on  the  other 
hand,  may,  at  times,  be  impressed  with  strong 
apprehensions  of  divine  wrath,  while  yet 
they  are  not  exposed  to  it.  Neither  justifi- 
cation, therefore,  nor  condemnation,  consists 
in  a  persuasion  of  the  mind  that  we  are  under 
the  one  or  the  other.  Besides,  to  make  a 
thing  consist  in  a  persuasion  of  the  truth  of 
that  thing  is  a  palpable  absurdity.  There  can 
be  no  well-grounded  persuasion  of  the  truth 
of  any  thing,  unless  it  be  true  and  evident 
antecedently  to  our  being  persuaded  of  it. 

Justification  is  a  relative  change,  not  in,  or 
upon,  but  concerning  us.  It  relates  to  our 
standing  with  respect  to  God,  the  law-giver 
and  judge  of  all.  It  is  "passing  from  death 
to  life,"  in  respect  of  the  law  :  as  when  the 
sentence  against  a  malefactor  is  not  only  re- 
mitted, but  he  is,  withal,  raised  to  honor  and 
dignity.  It  is  our  standing  acquitted  by  the 
revealed  will  of  God  declared  in  the  Gospel. 
As  "  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  heav- 
en "  in  the  curses  of  his  law,  so  "  the  righte- 
ousness of  God  is  revealed  from  faith  to 
faith,"  in  the  declarations  of  the  gospel.  It 
is  in  this  revelation  of  the  mind  of  God  in 
his  word,  I  conceive,  that  the  sentence  both 
of  condemnation  and  justification  consists. 
He  whom  the  Scriptures  bless  is  blessed  ; 
and  he  whom  they  curse  is  cursed. 

As  transgressors  of  the  holy,  just,  and 
good  law  of  God,  we  are  all,  by  nature, 
children  of  wrath.  All  the  threatenings  of 
God  are  in  full  force  against  us,  and,  were 
we  to  die  in  that  condition,  we  must  perish 
everlastingly.  Tins  is  to  be  under  condem- 
nation. But  condemnation,  awful  as  it  is,  is 
not  damnation.  The  sentence  is  not  execu- 
ted, nor  is  it  irrevocable  :  "  God  so  loved  the 


world  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son, 
that  ivhosoever  belicveth  in  him  should  not  per- 
ish, bid  have  everlasting  life."  Hence,  the 
sinner  stands  in  a  new  relation  to  God  as  a 
law-giver.  He  is  no  longer  "  under  the  law, 
with  respect  to  its  condemning  power,  but 
"  under  grace."  As  the  manslayer,  on  hav- 
ing entered  the  city  of  refuge,  was,  by  a 
special  constitution  of  mercy,  secure  from 
the  avenger  of  blood  ;  so  the  sinner,  having 
"  fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold  on  the  hope 
set  before  him,"  is,  by  the  gracious 
constitution  of  the  gospel,  secured  from 
the  curse.  All  those  threatenings  which 
belonged  to  him  heretofore  no  longer  stand 
against  him  ;  but  are  reckoned,  by  the  Judge 
of  all,  as  having  been  executed  on  Jesus  his 
substitute,  who  was  "  made  a  curse  for  us." 
On  the  other  hand,  all  the  blessings  and 
promises  in  the  book  of  God  belong  to  him, 
and,  die  when  he  may,  eternal  life  is  his  por- 
tion. This  is  that  state  into  which  every 
believer  is  translated,  on  his  becoming  a  be- 
liever ;  and  herein,  I  conceive,  consists  the 
blessing  of  justification. 

There  are  a  few  points  pertaining  to  the 
subject  which  yet  require  illustration  ;  name- 
ly, What  it  is  in  the  redemption  of  Christ  to 
which  the  Scriptures  ascribe  its  efficacy — 
What  is  the  concern  of  faith  in  justification, 
and  why  it  is  ascribed  to  this  grace,  rather 
than  to  any  other — Finally,  Whether  justi- 
fication includes  the  pardon  of  our  sins,  past, 
present,  and  to  come. 

1.  Let  us  inquire,  What  it  is,  in  the  re- 
demption of  Christ,  to  which  the  Scriptures 
ascribe  its  kfficacy.  Justification  is  ascrib- 
ed to  his  blood,  and  to  his  obedience.  By  the 
blood  of  Christ  is  meant  the  shedding  of  his 
blood,  or  the  laying  down  of  Ins  life  ;  and, 
by  his  obedience,  all  that  conformity  to  the 
will  of  God  which  led  to  this  great  crisis. 
He  was  "  obedient  unto  death."  By  the 
death  of  Christ  sin  is  said  to  be  "purged," 
or  expiated ;  and  sinners  to  be  "  redeemed," 
"reconciled,"  and  "  cleansed  from  all  sin  ; " 
and  by  his  obedience  many  are  said  to  be 
"  made  righteous."  This  his  obedience 
unto  death  was  more  than  the  means  of  sal- 
vation :  it  was  the  procuring  cause  of  it. 
Salvation  was  the  effect  of  the  "travail  of 
his  soul."  We  may  be  instruments  in  saving 
one  another;  but  Christ  was  "the  author  of 
eternal  salvation."  *  The  principle  of  sub- 
stitution, or  of  one  standing  in  the  place  of 
others,  being  admitted  by  the  Sovereign  of 
the  universe,  he  endured  that  which  in  its 
effect  on  the  divine  government  was  equivalent 

*  The  redemption  of  Christ  may,  indeed,  be 
considered  as  a  means,  or  medium,  in  respect  of 
the  first  cause.  Thus,  in  the  text,  it  stands  dis- 
tinguised  from  grace  :  thai  is  the  source  whence  it 
sprang  ;  this  the  medium  through  which  it  flows. 
The  redemption  of  Christ  is  not  the  cause  of  the 
Father's  grace  ;  but  that  in  consideration  of  which 
it  is  exercised. 


ON    JUSTIFICATION. 


285 


to  the  everlasting  punishment  of  a  world,  and 
did  tli at  which  it  was  worthy  of  God  to  re- 
ivard  with  eternal  glory,  not  only  on  himself 
but  on  all  those  on  whose  behalf  he  should  in- 
tercede. What  is  there,  then,  in  this  his 
obedience  unto  death,  that  should  render  it 
capable  of  producing  such  important  effects  ? 
To  this  question  the  Scriptures  make  an- 
swer, as  follows:  We  are  "redeemed — with 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ. — The  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all 
sin. — Who  being  the  brightness  of  his  glory, 
and  the  express  image  of  his  person,  and  up- 
holding all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power, 
when  he  had  6?/  himself"  expiated  "our  sins, 
sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty 
on  high."  If  there  be  any  meaning  in  lan- 
guage, the  efficacy  of  the  sufferings  and 
work  of  Christ  is  here  ascribed  to  the  dig- 
nity of  his  person ;  and  that  dignity  amounts 
to  nothing  short  of  his  proper  Deity.  The 
Scriptures  often  ascribe  the  miracles  of 
Christ,  the  strength  by  which  he  was  borne 
up  in  his  sufferings,  and  his  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  to  the  power  of  the  Father: 
for,  being  "  in  the  form  of  a  servant,"  it  was 
fit  that  he  should  be  supplied,  and  supported, 
and  vindicated,  by  Him  whose  servant  he 
was  ;  but  when  the  value,  or  virtue,  of  his  in- 
terposition is  spoken  of,  it  is  ascribed  to  the 
intrinsic  glory  of  his  person,  as  the  Son  of 
God.     We  inquire, 

2.  What  is  the  concern  of faith  in  justifica- 
tion, and  why  it  is  ascribed  to  this  grace,  rather 
than  to  any  other.  Were  we  to  conceive  of 
the  gospel  as  a  new  "remedial  law,"  and  of 
faith  as  the  first  principle  of  obedience  con- 
stituting the  condition  of  it,  or  that  which 
God  graciously  consented  to  accept  as  the 
term  of  justification,  instead  of  a  perfect 
conformity  to  the  old  law,  Ave  should  be 
greatly  beside  the  gospel  plan.  The  gospel 
plan  of  justification  excludes  boasting,  and 
that  as  excluding  ivorks :  but  justification, 
on  this  principle,  excludes  not  works,  but 
merely  works  of  a  certain  description. 
There  is,  on  this  principle,  a  law  that  can 
give  life  ;  and  righteousness,  after  all,  is  by 
law.  If  we  are  justified  by  any  doings 
of  our  own,  whatever  they  are,  we  have 
whereof  to  glory.  Whether  we  call  them 
legal  or  evangelical,  if  they  be  the  considera- 
tion on  which  we  are  forgiven  and  accepted, 
we  are  not  justified  freely  by  grace,  and 
boasting  is  not  excluded. 

It  is  said  to  be  "  of  faith  that  it  might  be 
by  grace."  There  must,  therefore,  be  some- 
thing in  the  nature  of  faith  which  peculiarly 
corresponds  with  the  free  grace  of  the  gos- 
pel ;  something  which  looks  out  of  self,  and 
receives  the  free  gifts  of  heaven  as  being 
what  they  are — pure  undeserved  favor.  We 
need  not  reduce  it  to  a  mere  exercise  of  the 
intellectual  faculty,  in  which  there  is  nothing 
holy ;  but,  whatever  holiness  there  is  in  it, 
it  is  not  this,  but  the  obedience   of  Christ, 


that  constitutes  our  justifying  righteousness. 
Whatever  other  properties  the  magnet  may 
possess,  it  is  as  pointing  invariably  to  the 
north  that  it  guides  the  mariner ;  and,  what- 
ever other  properties  faith  may  possess,  it  is 
as  receiving  Christ  and  bringing  us  into 
union  with  him,  that  it  justifies. 

In  order  to  be  interested  in  justification, 
and  other  blessings  arising  from  the  obedi- 
ence and  deatli  of  Christ,  we  must  first  be 
interested  in  Christ  himself:  for  it  is  as  hav- 
ing the  Son  that  we  "  have  everlasting  life." 
The  benefits  of  Christ's  obedience  unto 
death  require  to  be  received  in  the  same 
order  as  that  in  which  they  are  given.  As 
God  first  gives  him,  so  we  must  first  receive 
him,  and  with  him  all  things  freely.  Many 
would  wish  for  the  benefits  of  Christ's  death, 
who  yet  have  no  desire  after  Christ.  Like 
him  that  was  nearest  of  kin  to  the  family  of 
Elimelech,  they  would,  on  various  accounts, 
be  pleased  with  the  inheritance  ;  but  when 
it  is  understood  that,  in  order  to  possess  it, 
they  must  take  him  with  all  that  pertains  to 
him,  and  that  this  would  mar  their  present 
inheritance,  they  give  it  up. 

Thus  it  is  that  justification  is  ascribed  to 
faith,  because  it  is  by  faith  that  we  receive 
Christ ;  and  thus  it  is  by  faith  only,  and  not 
by  any  other  grace.  Faith  is  peculiarly  a 
receiving  grace,  which  none  other  is.  Were 
we  said  to  be  justified  by  repentance,  by 
love,  or  by  any  other  grace,  it  would  convey  to 
us  the  idea  of  something  good  in  us  being 
the  consideration  on  which  the  blessing  was 
bestowed;  but  justification  by  faith  conveys 
no  such  idea.  On  the  contrary,  it  leads  the 
mind  directly  to  Christ,  in  the  same  manner 
as  saying  of  a  person  that  he  lives  by  beg- 
ging leads  to  the  idea  of  his  living  on  ivhat 
he  freely  receives. 

It  is  thus  that  justification  stands  connect- 
ed, in  the  Scriptures,  with  union  with  Christ : 
"  Of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God 
is  made  unto  us — righteousness." — "There 
is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them 
that  are  in  Christ  Jesus." — "  That  I  may  be 
found  in  him,  not  having  mine  own  righte- 
ousness which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which 
is  through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteous- 
ness which  is  of  God  by  faith."  From  these 
and  other  passages,  we  perceive  that  faith 
justifies,  not  in  a  way  of  merit,  not  on  ac- 
count of  any  thing  in  itself,  be  it  what  it 
may,  but  as  uniting  us  to  Christ.  It  is  that 
which  the  act  of  marriage  is  on  the  part  of  a 
female :  by  it  she  becomes  one  with  her 
husband,  and  (whatever  might  be  her  former 
poverty)  legally  interested  in  all  that  he  pos- 
sesses. Having  him,  she  has  all  that  is  his. 
Thus  it  is  that,  Christ  being  "  heir  of  all 
things,"  believers  in  him  become  "heirs  of 
God,"  not  in  their  own  right,  but  as  "joint- 
heirs  with  him."  And  as,  in  the  marriage 
union,  the  wealth  which  an  indigent  female 
might  derive  from  the  opulence  of  her  hus- 


286 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


band  would  not  be  in  reward  of  her  having 
received  him,  so  neither  is  justification  the 
reward  of  faith,  but  of  the  righteousness 
which  is  of  God  by  faith. 

Great  things  are  ascribed  to  faith,  in  a 
way  of  healing.  Many  of  the  miraculous 
cures  performed  by  our  Lord  are  ascribed  to 
the  faith  of  the  parties.  The  virtue,  how- 
ever, proceeded  not  from  faith,  but  from 
him.  It  is  the  same  in  justification.  By 
faith  we  receive  the  benefit;  but  the  benefit 
arises  not  from  faith,  but  from  Christ. 
Hence  the  same  thing  which  is  ascribed 
in  some  places  to  faith  is  in  others  ascribed 
to  the  obedience,  death,  and  resurrection  of 
Christ. 

3.  We  inquire,  Whether  justification  in- 
cludes the  pardon  of  our  sins,  past,  present, 
and  to  come.  That  it  includes  the  pardon  of 
sin  has  been  proved  already  from  Rom.  iv. 
6,  7 ;  and,  seeing  it  is  promised  of  him  that 
believeth  that  he  "  shall  not  come  into  con- 
demnation," it  must,  in  some  way,  secure 
the  pardon  of  all  his  sins,  and  the  possession 
of  eternal  life.  Yet,  to  speak  of  sins  as  be- 
ing pardoned  before  they  are  repented  of,  or 
even  committed,  is  not  only  to  maintain  that 
on  which  the  Scriptures  are  silent,  but  to 
contradict  the  current  language  of  their 
testimony.  If  all  our  sins,  past,  present,  and 
to  come,  were  actually  forgiven,  either  when 
Christ  laid  down  his  life,  or  even  on  our  first 
believing,  why  did  David  speak  of  "con- 
fessing his  transgression,"  and  of  God  "  for- 
giving his  iniquity  ?  "  Why  did  Solomon 
teach  us  that  "He  that  confesseth  and  for- 
saketh  his  sin  shall  find  mercy  ?  "  Why  did 
our  Lord  direct  us,  in  our  daily  prayers,  to 
say,  "  Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive 
our  debtors  ?  "  and  why  add,  "  If  ye  forgive 
not  men  their  trespasses,  neither  will  your 
heavenly  Father  forgive  your  trespasses  ?  " 
Finally,  why  did  the  apostle  John  teach  us 
that  "  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and 
just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us 
from  all  unrighteousness  ?  " 

Nor  is  it  sufficient  to  understand  this  lan- 
guage of  manifestation  of  forgiveness  to  the 
mind.  Forgiveness  is  not  opposed  to  mere- 
ly withholding  the  comforts  of  religion,  but 
to  laying  our  sins  to  our  charge.  The  parable 
of  the  servant  who  took  his  fellow-servant 
by  the  throat,  and  was  delivered  by  his  lord 
to  the  tormentors,  is  thus  applied  by  our 
Lord,  "So  likewise  shall  my  heavenly  Fa- 
ther do  also  unto  you,  if  ye  from  your  hearts 
forgive  not  every  one  his  brother  their  tres- 
passes." This,  undoubtedly,  means  more 
than  withholding  a  sense  of  forgiveness  in 
the  present  life.  Nor  is  there  anything  in 
all  this  inconsistent  with  the  certain  perse- 
verance of  true  believers,  or  with  the  prom- 
ise that  they  "  shall  not  come  into  condem- 
nation." The  truth  taught  us  in  this  prom- 
ise is  not  that  if,  after  believing  in  Christ, 
we  live  in  sin  and  die  without  repentance, 


we  shall,  nevertheless,  escape  condemna- 
tion ;  but  that  provision  is  made,  on  behalf 
of  believers,  that  they  shall  not  live  in  sin  ; 
and,  when  they  sin,  that  they  shall  not  die 
without  repentance,  but  return  to  God,  and  so 
obtain  forgiveness.  The  promise  of  non- 
condemnation  includes  that  of  repentance 
and  perseverance :  "  I  will  put  my  law  in 
their  hearts,  and  they  shall  not  depart  from 
me." 

We  may  think  that,  if  the  Lord  has  ap- 
pointed us  to  obtain  salvation  by  Jesus 
Christ,  whatever  be  our  conduct,  he  will 
never  threaten  us  with  anything  beyond  a 
severe  chastisement:  but  Christ  did  not  act 
in  this  manner  towards  his  disciples.  He 
not  only  gave  the  unforgiving  to  expect  no 
forgiveness  at  the  hand  of  God,  but  enforced 
the  giving  up  of  that  which  "  caused  them 
to  offend,"  though  it  were  as  dear  as  a  right 
hand  or  a  right  eye,  on  pain  of  being  "  cast 
into  hell-fire!"  He  allowed  no  one,  while 
in  an  evil  course,  to  take  it  for  granted  that 
he  was,  nevertheless,  a  good  man ;  but 
pointed  him  to  the  end  whither  that  course, 
if  persisted  in,  would  lead  him.  Warnings 
are  as  necessary,  in  some  circumstances,  as 
encouragements  are  in  others :  and  their 
being  enforced  on  pain  of  eternal  destruc- 
tion may  be  the  appointed  means  of  saving 
us  from  it. 


SERMON  XVIII. 

ON  JUSTIFICATION. 

"  Being  justified  freely  by  his  grace,  through 
the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus."— Romans 
iii.  24. 

Having  shown  what  I  conceive  to  be 
meant  by  justification,  I  proceed  to  the  next 
head  of  discourse  ;  namely, 

II.  To  OFFER  EVIDENCE  IN  SUPPORT  OF 
THE  DOCTRINE  J  OR  TO  PROVE  THAT  WE  ARE 
NOT  JUSTIFIED  BY  ANY  WORKS  OF  OUR  OWN, 
BUT  OF  FREE  GRACE,  THROUGH  THE  RE- 
DEMPTION of  Jesus  Christ.  There  are 
but  two  ways  in  which  creatures  can  be 
justified  before  God:  one  is  by  works,  the 
other  by  grace.  If  we  had  been  obedient 
to  the  holy,  just,  and  good  law  of  our  Crea- 
tor, that  obedience  would  have  been  our 
righteousness,  and  we  should  have  been  justi- 
fied on  the  ground  of  it :  for  "  the  man  that  do- 
eth  these  things  shall  live  by  them."  But, 
having  all  sinned,  we  have  come  short  of 
the  glory  of  God.  Instead  of  gaining  his 
favor,  we  stand  exposed  to  his  righteous 
curse;  "for  thus  it  is  written,  "Cursed  is 
every  one  that  continueth  not  in  all  things 
written  in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them." 

We  need  not,  on  this  subject,  inquire  in- 
to the  degrees  of  evil,  or  whether  we  have 
gone  greater  lengths  in  sin  than  other  men ; 
for,  if  we   had  only  broken  one  of  God's 


ON    JUSTIFICATION. 


287 


righteous  commandments,  that  were  an  ev- 
erlasting bar  to  our  justification.  As  well 
might  a  murderer  plead  in  arrest  of  judg- 
ment that  he  had  killed  only  one  man.  The 
number  of  our  sins  will,  doubtless,  heighten 
the  degrees  of  punishment ;  but  it  is  the 
nature  of  them  that  insures  condemnation. 
Nor  does  this  disprove  the  equity  of  the 
law ;  for  we  cannot  break  a  single  precept 
without  contemning  the  divine  authority, 
which  at  once  destroys  the  principle  of  obe- 
dience to  every  other.  We  may  not  actual- 
ly go  into  all  other  sins :  but  it  is  not  the 
love  of  God  that  restrains  us ;  it  is  interest, 
or  fear,  or  regard  to  our  own  reputation, 
that  holds  us  back.  On  this  principle,  he 
who  offendeth  but  in  one  point  is  said  to  be 
guilty  of  all :  "  For  he  that  said,  Do  not  com- 
mit adultery,  said  also,  Do  not  kill.  Now, 
if  thou  commit  no  adultery,  yet,  if  thou  kill, 
thou  art  become  a  transgressor  of  the  law." 
But,  if  a  single  offence  be  an  everlasting 
bar  to  justification  by  our  own  works,  what 
ground  can  there  be  to  hope  for  it,  when  our 
whole  lives  have  been  one  continued  series 
of  revolt  ? 

We  are  all  transgressors,  and,  as  such, 
under  the  curse.  Here,  too,  we  might  have 
been  left  to  perish.  God  was  not  obliged, 
in  justice  or  in  honor,  to  interpose  in  behalf 
of  a  seed  of  evil  doers.  The  law  by  which 
we  stand  condemned,  being  holy,  just,  and 
good,  might  have  been  executed,  and  no  re- 
proach would  have  attached  to  the  divine 
character.  Having  sided  with  Satan  against 
God,  we  might  justly  have  had  our  portion 
with  him  and  his  angels.  All  who  were  not 
themselves  implicated,  and  disaffected  to  the 
divine  government,  would  have  said,  "  True 
and  righteous  are  thy  judgments,  O  Lord.'''' 
And  we  ourselves,  at  the  last  judgment, 
should  not  have  been  able  to  open  our 
mouths  against  it. 

And  now  that  "God,  who  is  rich  in  mer- 
cy, for  his  great  love  wherewith  he  loved 
us,  even  when  we  were  dead  in  sins,"  has 
interposed  and  revealed  a  way  in  which  he 
can  be  "just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that 
believeth  in  Jesus,"  shall  it  be  objected  to 
by  us  ?  Shall  man,  lying  as  he  does  under 
the  dominion  of  sin,  and  the  righteous  con- 
demnation of  heaven  on  account  of  it — shall 
man  take  state  to  himself,  and  be  ever 
aspiring  to  be  justified  on  the  ground  of  at 
least  his  comparative  righteousness  ?  Such, 
however,  is  the  fact.  When  the  first-born 
son  of  fallen  Adam  brought  his  offering,  he 
came  as  though  he  had  never  sinned  ;  bring- 
ing no  sacrifice,  and  yet  entertaining  high 
expectations  of  success.  Hence,  when  the 
signal  of  acceptance  was  withheld,  his  coun- 
tenance fell.  Thus  it  is  that  millions  are 
bringing  their  offerings  to  this  day,  over- 
looking "  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world."  All  the  false  reli- 
gions that  have  existed,  or  do  now  exist,  in 


the  world  are  so  many  modifications  of  a 
self-righteous  spirit,  so  many  devices  to 
appease  the  conscience  and  propitiate  the 
Deity. 

Nor  is  it  confined  to  heathens,  Mahome- 
dans,  and  Jews  :  there  are  professing  Chris- 
tians who  are  very  explicit  in  avowing  their 
dependence  upon  their  own  works.*  Where 
the  divinity  and  atonement  of  Christ  are  dis- 
avowed, this  is  no  more  than  may  be  expect- 
ed. But  neither  is  it  confined  to  such. 
Many  who  profess  to  believe  these  doc- 
trines, yet  seem  to  consider  the  grand  ob- 
ject of  the  death  of  Christ  to  have  been  that 
he  might  obtain  for  us  that  repentance, 
faith,  and  sincere  obedience  should  be  ac- 
cepted as  the  ground  of  justification,  instead 
of  sinless  perfection.f 

Many,  who  in  consequence  of  being  edu- 
cated under  a  gospel-ministry  disavow  in 
words  all  dependence  on  their  own  works,  are 
nevertheless  manifestly  under  the  influence  of 
a  self-righteous  spirit.  They  do  not  confess 
their  faults  one  to  another,  but  justify  them- 
selves as  far  as  possible,  and,  wherein  they 
fail  in  this,  will  invent  so  many  pleas  and 
excuses  as  shall  extenuate  the  sin  to  little 
or  nothing.  They  are  not  self-diffident  nor 
humble,  but  the  contrary,  trusting  in  them- 
selves that  they  are  righteous,  and  despising 
others,  just  as  the  Pharisee  did  the  publican. 
They  "  thank  God "  for  being  what  they 
are  ;  and  so  did  the  Pharisee :  but,  as  words 
in  the  one  case  signified  nothing,  neither  do 
they  in  the  other. 

To  this  may  be  added,  it  is  not  an  unusual 
thing  for  those  who  have  been  awakened 
to  a  serious  concern  about  salvation  to  over- 
look the  Saviour,  and  to  build  their  hopes 
on  the  consideration  of  the  tears  they  have 
shed,  the  prayers  they  have  offered,  and  the 
pains  they  have  taken  in  religion.     But  if  it 

*  "When  will  Christians  permit  themselves  to 
believe  that  the  same  conduct  which  gains  them 
the  approbation  of  good  men  here  will  secure  the 
favor  of  heaven  hereafter  ?  "       Mrs.  Barbauld. 

"Repentance  and  a  good  life  are  of  themselves 
sufficient  to  recommend  us  to  the  divine  favor." 

Dr.  Priestlet. 

"  The  practice  of  virtue  is  always  represented 
as  the  only  means  of  attaining  happiness,  both 
here  and  hereafter."  Mr.  Belsham. 

f  This  seems  to  be  the  idea  of  Bishop  Butler. 
"  The  doctrine  of  the  gospel,"  he  says,  "  appears 
to  be,  not  only  that  Christ  taught  the  efficacy  of 
repentance,  but  rendered  it  of  the  efficacy  which 
it  is,  by  what  he  did  and  suffered  for  us:  that  he 
obtained  for  us  the  benefit  of  having  our  repentance 
accepted  unto  eternal  life  :  not  only  that  he  reveal- 
ed to  sinners  that  they  were  in  a  capacity  of  salva- 
tion, and  how  they  might  obtain  it  ;  but,  moreover, 
that  he  put  them  into  this  capacity  of  salvation, 
by  what  he  did  and  suffered  for  them  ;  put  us  into 
a  capacity  of  escaping  future  punishment,  and  ob- 
taining future  happiness."  Analogy,  Part  II. 
Chap.  6,  p.  305. — Christ,  it  seems,  was  no  other- 
wise our  Saviour  than  as  enabling  us  to  save  our- 
selves ! 


288 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


should  prove  that  all  confidences  of  this 
sort  are  only  a  refined  species  of  self- right- 
eous hope,  and  that  the  first  substantial  re- 
lief of  a  sinner  arises  from  a  belief  of  the 
gospel-way  of  salvation,  the  consequences 
may  be  no  less  fatal  than  if  they  had  never 
•wept  nor  prayed,  nor  taken  any  pains  in 
religion. 

One  thing  is  certain :  we  must  be  justi- 
fied wholly  of  grace,  or  wholly  of  works  ;  for 
there  is  no  medium :  "  If  by  grace,  then  is 
it  no  more  of  works :  otherwise  grace  is  no 
more  grace.  But  if,"  on  the  other  hand, 
"it  be  of  works,  then  is  it  no  more  of  grace  : 
otherwise  work  is  no  more  work."  Taking 
it  for  granted  that  what  God  has  revealed 
in  his  word  is  the  only  sure  ground  on  which 
to  rest  a  matter  of  such  high  importance,  I 
shall  state  what  appears  to  me  the  scripture 
evidence  for  the  first  of  these  methods  of 
justification  under  the  following  particu- 
lars : — 

1.  The  righteousness  of  God  does  not  ad- 
mit of  a  sinner's  being  justified  on  the  ground 
of  his  own  doings.  It  belongs  to  the  right- 
eousness or  justice  of  God  to  do  justice  to 
his  own  character.  But  to  pardon  and  ac- 
cept of  sinners,  on  account  of  any  thing  done 
by  them,  were  to  fly  in  the  face  of  his  own 
law  and  government ;  and,  if  any  thing  could 
cause  both  them  and  him  to  be  treated  with 
contempt,  this  proceeding  must  do  it.  "  It 
became  him  for  whom  are  all  things,  and  by 
whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing  many  sons 
unto  glory,  to  make  the  captain  of  their  sal- 
vation perfect  through  sufferings. — Whom 
God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation 
through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare  his 
righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins. — 
For  they  being  ignorant  of  God's  righteous- 
ness, and  going  about  to  establish  their  own 
righteousness,  have  not  submitted  them- 
selves unto  the  righteousness  of  God."  If 
these  passages  do.  not  convey  the  idea  of 
its  being  inconsistent  with  the  righteous 
character  of  God  to  pardon  and  accept  of 
sinners  in  consideration  of  their  own  doings, 
I  can  conceive  of  no  determinate  idea  con- 
veyed by  them.  If  it  was  becoming  the  di- 
vine perfections  to  bring  sinners  to  glory 
through  a  suffering  Saviour,  it  would  have 
been  unbecoming  those  perfections  to  have 
brought  them  to  glory  in  virtue  of  their  own 
doings.  If  Christ  were  set  forth  to  be  a 
propitiation  that  God  might  declare  his 
righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins,  his 
righteousness  would  not  have  been  declared 
in  the  remission  of  sins  without  it.  Finally  : 
If  ignorance  of  God's  righteousness  were 
the  reason  of  the  non- submission  of  the 
Jews  to  the  gospel  way  of  justification, 
there  must  have  been  in  that  truth  some- 
thing directly  opposed  to  justification  in  any 
other  way,  and  which,  had  it  been  properly 
understood,  would  have  cut  up  all  hopes 
from  every  other  quarter.     It  Was  in  this 


way  that  Paul,  when  the  righteous  law  of 
God  appeared  to  him  in  its  true  light,  "  died  " 
as  to  all  hopes  of  being  accepted  of  God  by 
the  works  of  it.  It  was  "through  the  law  " 
that  he  became  "  dead  to  the  law,"  that  he 
might  live  unto  God. 

2.  The  Scriptures  in  a  great  variety  of  lan- 
guage exclude  all  works  performed  by  sinful 
creatures  as  the  ground  of  acceptance  ivith 
God.  In  proof  of  this,  the  following  pas- 
sages are  very  express :  "  Moses  describeth 
the  righteousness  which  is  of  the  law,  That 
the  man  that  doeth  those  things  shall  live  by 
them.  But  the  righteousness  which  is  of 
faith  speaketh  on  this  wise, — If  thou  shalt 
confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  hath 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be 
saved. — By  the  deeds  of  the  law  there  shall 
no  flesh  be  justified  in  his  sight. — Where  is 
boasting  then  ?  It  is  excluded.  By  what 
law  ?  of  works  ?  Nay ;  but  by  the  law  of 
faith.  Therefore  we  conclude  that  a  man 
is  justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the 
law. — If  Abraham  were  justified  by  works, 
he  hath  whereof  to  glory. — Now  to  him  that 
worketh  is  the  reward  reckoned  not  of  grace, 
but  of  debt.  But  to  him  that  worketh  not, 
but  believeth  on  him  that  justified]  the  un- 
godly, his  faith  is  counted  for  righteousness. 
Even  as  David  also  describeth  the  blessed- 
ness of  the  man  unto  whom  God  imputeth 
righteousness  without  works. — Israel,  which 
followed  after  the  law  of  righteousness,  hath 
not  attained  to  the  law  of  righteousness. 
Wherefore  ?  Because  they  sought  it  not 
by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by  the  works  of  the 
law  :  for  they  stumbled  at  that  stumbling- 
stone. — Knowing  that  a  man  is  not  justified 
by  the  works  of  the  law,  but  by  the  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ,  even  we  have  believed  in  Je- 
sus Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  the 
faith  of  Christ,  and  not  by  the  works  of  the 
law :  for  by  the  works  of  the  law  shall  no 
flesh  be  justified. — As  many  as  are  of  the 
works  of  the  law  are  under  the  curse ; 
for  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  every  one  that 
continueth  not  in  all  things  which  are  writ- 
ten in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them. — 
But  that  no  man  is  justified  by  the  law  in  the 
sight  of  God  it  is  evident:  for  the  just  shall 
live  by  faith.  And  the  law  is  not  of  faith : 
but  the  man  that  doeth  them  shall  live  in 
them. — Christ  is  become  of  no  effect  unto 
you :  whosoever  of  you  are  justified  by  the 
law,  ye  are  fallen  from  grace. — Not  of  works, 
lest  any  man  should  boast. — Not  by  works 
of  righteousness  which  we  have  done,  but 
according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us, — that, 
being  justified  by  his  grace,  we  should  be 
made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal 
life." 

Distinctions  have  been  made  on  this  sub- 
ject between  the  works  of  the  ceremonial 
and  those  of  the  moral  law ;  also  between 
the  works  of  the  law  and  those  of  the  gospel ; 


ON    JUSTIFICATION. 


289 


as  though  it  were  not  the  design  of  the 
Scriptures  to  exclude  moral  duties  from  be- 
ing grounds  of  justification,  but  merely  those 
which  are  ceremonial ;  or,  if  it  were,  yet  not 
the  evangelical  duties  of  repentance,  faith, 
and  sincere  obedience.  But,  whatever  dif- 
ferences there  may  be  between  these  things, 
they  are  all  works ;  and  all  works  of  man 
are  excluded  from  justification.  If  the  fore- 
going passages  be  considered  in  their  con- 
nections they  will  be  found  to  respect  all 
obedience,  of  every  kind,  which  is  per- 
formed by  men,  be  it  ceremonial  or  moral, 
or  what  it  may.  They  teach  a  justifica- 
tion by  a  righteousness  received,  in  opposi- 
tion to  a  righteousness  done,  or  performed, 
and  which  leaves  no  room  for  boasting. 
If  we  were  justified  by  faith  itself,  consider- 
ed as  a  duty  of  ours,  or  if  the  Law-giver  had 
respect  to  any  conformity  to  God  in  us,  as 
the  cause,  or  reason,  of  the  sentence,  there 
would  be  no  meaning  in  such  language  as 
this :  "  To  him  that  worketh  not,  but  believeth 
on  him  that  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith 
is  counted  for  righteousness." 

The  language  of  the  apostle  to  the  Gala- 
tians  goes  not  only  to  exclude  obedience  to 
the  ceremonial  and  the  moral  law,  but  obe- 
dience to  law  in  general,  as  the  ground  of 
justification.  The  reason  given  why  the 
law  is  not  against  the  promises,  or  why  it 
cannot  furnish  an  objection  to  the  free  grace 
of  the  gospel,  is  this:  "If  there  had  been  a 
law  which  could  have  given  life,  verily 
righteousness  should  have  been  by  the  law." 
This  is  equal  to  saying,  the  patient  was  giv- 
en up  as  incurable  by  law,  before  the  prom- 
ised grace  of  the  gospel  took  him  in  hand: 
whatever,  therefore,  is  done  by  the  latter  can- 
not be  objected  to  by  the  former.  The  terms 
vujuoe  and  e*  vs/uw,  law  and  by  the  law,  in 
Gal.  iii.  21,  as  observed  by  Dr.  Guyse,  show 
it,  according  to  Mr.  Locke's  rule  of  inter- 
pretation, to  relate  to  law  in  general,  or  to 
any  or  every  law.  But,  if  the  works  of 
every  law  be  excluded,  all  distinctions  be- 
tween ceremonial  and  moral,  or  between 
moral  and  evangelical,  are  of  no  account. 

3.  Being  justified  freely  by  grace  is  itself 
directly  opposed  to  being  justified  by  works. 
The  term  grace  denotes  free  favor  to  the  un- 
worthy. If  God  had  been  obliged,  injustice 
or  in  honor,  to  have  done  what  he  has  done 
— if  the  law  by  which  we  were  condemned 
were  too  strict,  or  the  penalty  annexed  to  it 
too  severe — if  Christ,  and  the  offer  of  sal- 
vation through  him,  were  a  compensation 
given  us  on  account  of  the  injury  Ave  receiv- 
ed from  our  connection  with  our  first  parents 
— that  which  is  called  grace  would  not  be 
grace,  but  debt.  There  is  just  so  much  grace 
in  the  gospel  as  there  is  justice  in  the  law, 
and  no  more.  The  opposition  between 
grace  and  works,  in  this  important  concern, 
is  so  clear  in  itself,  and  so  plainly  marked 
by  the  apostle,  that  one  can  scarcely  con- 
Voi.  2.— SiG.  37. 


ceive  how  it  can  be  honestly  mistaken  :  "  If 
it  be  by  grace,  then  it  is  no  more  of  works ; 
otherwise  grace  is  no  morn  grace." 

But,  strong  as  the  term  grace  is,  the  apos- 
tle adds  to  its  force.  As  though  it  were  not 
enough  for  him  to  affirm  that  we  are  justifi- 
ed by  grace,  he  says  we  are  justified/reefy 
by  his  grace.  There  is,  doubtless,  a  redun- 
dancy in  the  expression ;  but  the  design  of 
it  is  to  strengthen  the  thought.  Thus,  when 
he  would  forcibly  express  his  idea  of  future 
glory,  he  uses  a  kind  of  tautology  for  the 
purpose,  calling  it  a  ufar  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  tveight  of  glory."  We  are  not  only 
justified  without  any  desert  on  our  part,  but 
contrary  to  it.  As  high  as  the  heavens  are 
above  the  earth,  so  are  his  thoughts,  in  the 
forgiveness  of  sin,  higher  than  our  thoughts, 
and  his  ways  than  our  ways.  They  who 
are  justified  are  said  to  receive  abundanceof 
grace,  or  grace  abounding  over  all  the 
aboundings  of  sin.  Sin  reigns  over  our 
species,  subjugating  them  all  to  death  ;  but 
grace  conquers  the  conqueror,  reigning 
through  righteousness  to  eternal  life,  by  Je- 
sus Christ  our  Lord. 

4.  The  terms  used  relative  to  gospel  justifi- 
cation render  it  evident  that  it  is  not  our  own 
righteousness  that  is  imputed  to  us,  but  the 
righteousness  of  another.  "Abraham  believ- 
ed God,  and  it  was  counted  unto  him  for 
righteousness." — "  Now  to  him  that  worketh 
is  the  reward  not  reckoned  of  grace,  but  of 
debt.  But  he  that  believeth  on  him  that  jus- 
tifieth the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  counted  for 
righteousness." — "  David  also  describeth  the 
blessedness  of  the  man  unto  whom  God  im- 
puteth  righteousness  without  works,  saying, 
Blessed  are  they  whose  iniquities  are  for- 
given, and  whose  sins  are  covered.  Blessed 
is  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  will  not  im- 
pute sin."  The  terms  imputed  and  counted, 
in  this  connection,  are  manifestly  used  to 
express,  not  that  just  reckoning  of  right- 
eousness to  the  righteous  which  gives  to 
every  man  his  due,  but  the  gracious  reckon- 
ing of  righteousness  to  the  unrighteous,  as 
though  he  were  righteous.  When  the  un- 
circuincised  Gentile  kept  the  law,  his  un- 
circumcision  was  counted  for  circumcision : 
not  that  it  really  was  such,  but  it  Avas  gra- 
ciously reckoned,  in  the  divine  administra- 
tion, as  if  it  were.  When  Paul,  writing  to 
Philemon  concerning  Onesimus,  says,  "If 
he  hath  wronged  thee,  or  owetli  thee  aught, 
put  that  on  mine  account,"  he  did  not  mean 
that  he  should  treat  him  according  to  his  de- 
serts, but  that  he  should  forgive  and  ac- 
cept him,  for  his  sake. 

When  faith  is  said  to  be  counted  for  right- 
eousness, it  is  as  relating  to  Christ.  The 
faith  by  which  Abraham  was  justified  had 
immediate  relation  to  him  as  the  promised 
seed ;  and  it  is  easy  to  perceive,  in  the  New- 
testament  accounts  of  justifying  faith,  a 
marked  attention  to  the  same  thing.     "  Abra- 


290 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


ham  believed  God,  and  it  was  imputed  to 
him  for  righteousness.  Now  it  was  not 
written  for  his  sake  alone  that  it  was  imputed 
to  him  ;  but  for  us  also,  to  whom  it  shall  be 
imputed,  if  we  believe  on  him  that  raised 
up  Jesus  our  Lord  from  the  dead ;  who  was 
delivered  for  our  offences,  and  raised  again 
for  our  justification." — "By  him  all  that  be- 
lieve are  justified  from  all  things." — "  That 
God  might  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him 
that  believeth  in  Jesus."  "It  is  evident," 
says  President  Edwards,*  "that  the  subject 
of  justification  is  looked  upon  as  destitute  of 
any  righteousness  in  himself,  by  that  ex- 
pression, '  It  is  counted,  or  imputed,  to  him 
for  righteousness.'  The  phrase,  as  the 
apostle  uses  it  here  (Rom.  iv.  5)  and  in  the 
context,  manifestly  imports  that  God,  of  his 
sovereign  grace,  is  pleased,  in  his  dealings 
with  the  sinner,  to  take  and  regard  that 
which  indeed  is  not  righteousness,  and  in 
one  that  has  no  righteousness,  so  that  the 
consequence  shall  be  the  same  as  if  he  had 
righteousness  ;  and  which  may  be  from  the 
respect  that  it  bears  to  something  which  is 
^indeed  righteous.  It  is  as  if  he  had  said, 
As  to  him  that  works,  there  is  no  need  of  any 
gracious  reckoning,  or  counting  it  for  right- 
eousness, and  causing  the  reward  to  follow 
as  if  it  were  a  righteousness :  for,  if  he  has 
works,  he  has  that  which  is  a  righteousness 
in  itself,  to  which  the  reward  properly  be- 
longs." 

5.  Tiie  reivards  promised  in  the  Scriptures 
to  good  works  suppose  the  parties  to  be  believ- 
ers in  Christ :  and  so,  being  accepted  in  him, 
their  works  also  are  accepted,  and  rewarded 
for  his  sake.  That  good  works  have  the 
promise  of  salvation  is  beyond  dispute.  No- 
thing that  God  approves  shall  go  unreward- 
ed. The  least  expression  of  faith  and  love, 
even  the  giving  of  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a 
disciple  of  Christ  because  he  belongs  to  him, 
will  insure  everlasting  life.  But  neither 
this  nor  any  other  good  work  can  be  a  ground 
of  justification,  inasmuch  as  it  is  subsequent 
to  it.  For  works  to  have  any  influence  on 
this  blessing,  they  require  to  precede  it:  but 
works  before  faith  are  never  acknowledged 
by  the  Scriptures  to  be  good.  It  was  testi- 
fied of  Enoch  that  he  pleased  God ;  whence 
the  apostle  to  the  Hebrews  infers  that  he 
was  a  believer,  inasmuch  as  "  without  faith 
it  is  impossible  to  please  God."  "  It  does 
not  consist  with  the  honor  of  the  Majesty  of 
the  King  of  heaven  and  earth  to  accept  of 
any  thing  from  a  condemned  malefactor, 
condemned  by  the  justice  of  his  own  holy 
law,  till  that  condemnation  be  removed."  f 
The  Lord  had  respect  "  first  to  Abel,"  and 
"  then  to  his  offering."  Even  those  works 
which  are  the  expressions  of  faith  and  love 


have  so  much  sinful  imperfection  attached 
to  them  that  they  require  to  be  presented 
by  an  intercessor  on  our  behalf.  The  most 
spiritual  sacrifices  are  no  otherwise  accepta- 
ble to  God  than  by  Jesus  Christ. 

Perhaps  I  ought  not  to  conclude  this  part  of 
the  subject  without  noticing  the  apparent 
opposition  between  Paul  and  James ;  the 
one  teaching  that  "we  are  justified  by  faith, 
without  the  deeds  of  the  law;"  the  other 
that  "  by  works  a  man  is  justified,  and  not  by 
faith  only."  The  words  are,  doubtless,  appa- 
rently opposite  ;  and  so  are  those  of  Solo- 
mon, when  he  directs  us,  in  one  proverb,  not 
to  answer,  and,  in  the  next,  to  answer  a  fool 
according  to  his  folly.  In  reconciling  these 
apparently  opposite  counsels,  we  are  led,  by 
the  reasons  given  for  each,  to  understand 
the  terms  as  used  in  different  senses ;  the 
former,  as  directing  us  not  to  answer  a  fool 
in  a  foolish  manner,  for  this  would  make  us 
like  unto  him ;  the  latter,  to  answer  him  in 
a  way  suited  to  expose  his  folly,  lest  he  be  ivise 
in  his  own  conceit.  In  like  manner  the 
terms  faith  and  justification  were  used  by 
Paul  and  James  in  a  different  sense.  By 
faith,  Paul  meant  that  which  worketh  by  love, 
and  is  productive  of  good  fruits  ;  but  James 
speaks  of  a  faith  which  is  dead,  being  alone. 
By  justification,  Paul  means  the  acceptance 
of  a  sinner  before  God;  but  James  refers  to 
his  being  approved  of  God  as  a  true  Christian. 
"  Both  these  apostles  bring  the  case  of  Abra- 
ham in  illustration  of  their  principles ;  but 
then,  it  is  to  be  observed,  they  refer  to  differ- 
ent periods  and  circumstances  in  the  life  of 
that  patriarch.  Paul,  in  the  first  instance, 
says  of  Abraham,  that  he  was  justified  by 
faith,  while  yet  uncircumcised  :  this  was  his 
justification  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  was 
without  any  consideration  of  his  works. 
James  refers  to  a  period  some  years  subse- 
quent to  this,  Avhen,  in  the  offering  up  of  his 
son,  he  was  justified  by  works  also  ;  that  is, 
his  faith  was  shown  to  be  genuine  by  its 
fruits.  Paul  therefore  refers  to  the  accept- 
ance of  a  sinner ;  James  to  the  approbation 
of  a  saint."  f 

Supported  by  this  body  of  Scripture  evi- 
dence, as  well  as  by  the  experience  we  have 
had  of  the  holy  and  happy  influence  of  the 
doctrine,  I  trust  we  shall  continue  unmoved 
in  our  adherence  to  it.  Let  others  boast 
of  the  efficacy  of  their  own  virtues,  we, 
with  the  apostle,  will  "  count  all  things  but 
loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord;"  will  "count  all 
things  but  dung,  that  we  may  win  Christ, 
and  be  found  in  him,  not  having  our  own 
righteousness,  which  is  of  the  kiw,  but  that 
Avhich  is  through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the 
righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith." 


*  Sermon  on  Justification,  p.  9.  }  The  word    "Justification"    is    used    in    this 

t  President  Edwards's  Sermon  on  Justification.    !?ns,e  Matt-  *'"•  37'  1  Cor-  iv-  4-   See  Williams's 

Vindication  against  Belsham,  pp.  145,  146. 


ON    JUSTIFICATION. 


291 


SERMON  XIX. 

ON  JUSTIFICATION. 

"  Being  justified  freely  by  his  grace,  through 
the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus." — Ro- 
mans iii.  24. 

Having  endeavored  to  explain  and  estab- 
lish the  doctrine  of  justification,  it  remains 
for  me, 

III.  To  SHOW  THE  CONSISTENCY  OF  ITS 
BEING  OF  FREE  GRACE,  AND  VET  THROUGH 
THE  REDEMPTION  OF    JESUS    CHRIST.       This 

is  a  subject  of  the  last  importance.     Almost 
every  thing-  pertaining  to  the  way  of  salva- 
tion is  affected  by  it.     The  principal  reason 
alleged  by  those   who  reject  the   doctrine 
of  atonement  is  its  inconsistency  with  grace. 
God   needed  nothing,  they  say,  but  his  own 
goodness,  to  induce  him  to  show  mercy ;  or, 
if  he  did,  it  is  not  of  grace,  seeing  a  price  is 
paid  to  obtain  it.  The  question,  however,  does 
not  respect  the  first  moving  cause  of  mercy, 
but  the  manner  of  showing  it.     The  friends 
of  the  doctrine  of  atonement  allow  that  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ  was  not  the  cause,  but 
the  effect,  of  the  Father's  love.     They  do 
not  scruple  to  admit  that  his  love  was  suf- 
ficient to  have  pardoned  sinners  Avithout  an 
atonement,  provided  it  had  been  consistent 
with  the  righteousness  of  his  character  and 
government.     "It  is  not  the  sentiment,  but 
the   expression  of   love,"   that  requires   an 
atonement.     David  was  not  wanting  in  love 
to  his  son  Absalom ;  for  his  soul  longed  to  go 
forth  to  him  ;  but  he  felt  for  his  honor,  as  the 
head  of  a  family  and  a  nation,  which,  had  he 
admitted  him  immediately  into  his  presence, 
would   have    been    compromised,    and   the 
crime  of  murder  connived   at.     Hence,  for 
a  time,  he  must  be  kept  at  a  distance,  and, 
when  introduced,  it  must  be  by  a  mediator. 
This  statement,   which  has  been  made,  in 
substance,   by  our   writers   repeatedly,  has 
seldom,  if  ever,  been  fairly  met  by  writers 
on  the  other  side.     I   never  recollect,  at 
least,  to  have  seen  or  heard  any  thing  like  a 
fair  answer  to  it. 

It  is  remarkable,  too,  that  those  who  make 
this  objection  never  appear  to  regard  the 
doctrine  of  grace,  but  for  the  purpose  of 
making  void  the  atonement.  On  all  other 
occasions  grace  is  virtually  disowned,  and 
works  are  every  thing ;  but  here  it  is  mag- 
nified, in  much  the  same  manner  as  the 
Father  is  honored,  as  the  object  of  worship, 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  Son. 

Cases  may  be  supposed,  I  acknowledge, 
in  which  the  ideas  of  grace  and  atonement 
would  be  inconsistent.  First :  If  the  atone- 
ment were  made  hy  the  offender  himself  endur- 
ing the  full  penalty  of  the  law,  his  deliver- 
ance would  be  a  matter  of  right,  and  there 
would  be  no  grace  in  it.  But,  as  in  a  case 
of  murder,  it  is  not  in  the  sinner's  power  to 


make  atonement  for  himself,  so  as  to  survive 
his  punishment.  The  punishment  threaten- 
ed against  sin  is  everlasting,  which  admits 
of  no  period  when  the  penalty  shall  have 
been  endured.  No  man,  therefore,  can,  by 
any  length  of  suffering,  redeem  his  own 
soul. 

Secondly:  If  the  sufferings  of  another 
could  avail  for  the  offender,  and  he  himself 
were  to  provide  the  substitute,  his  deliverance 
might  be  a  matter  of  right,  and  there  might 
be  no  grace  in  it.  But  neither  of  these  sup- 
positions can  exist  in  the  case  before  us. 
Strict  distributive  justice  could  not  admit  of 
the  innocent  suffering  for  the  guilty,  even 
though  the  innocent  were  willing.  Its  lan- 
guage is,  Whosoever  hath  sinned  against  me, 
him  will  I  blot  out  of  my  book.  But,  if  it 
could,  the  guilty  party  could  not  find  a  sub- 
stitute either  able  or  willing  to  stand  in  his 
place. 

Thirdly  :  If  God  himself  should  both  con- 
sent to  accept  of  a  substitute,  and  actually  pro- 
vide one,  yet  if  the  acts  and  deeds  of  sinners 
be  considered  as   literally  becoming  his,  and 
his  theirs,  whatever  grace  there  77iight  be  in  the 
acceptance  and  provision   of  the  substitute, 
there  ivould  be  no  place  for  the  forgiveness 
of  the  sinner,  and   justification    ivould    be 
merely  an  act  of  justice.     If  Christ,  in  hav- 
ing our  sins   imputed  to  him,  became  a  sin- 
ner, and,  as  some  have  said,  the  greatest  of 
all  sinners,  then,  in   his   sufferings,  he  was 
only  treated  according  to  his  desert :  and  that 
desert,  belonging  to  him,  could  no  longer  be- 
long to  us  :  so  that  had  we  been  in  existence, 
and  known  of  it,  we  might,  from  that  moment, 
have  claimed  our  deliverance  as  a  matter  of 
right.  And  if  we,  in  having  the  righteousness 
of  Christ  imputed  to  us,  become  that  which 
he  was,  namely,  meritorious,  or  deserving  of 
eternal  life,  then  might  we  disown  the  char- 
acter of  supplicants,  and  approach  the  Judge 
of  all  in  language  suited  to  those  who  had 
always  pleased  him.     But  neither   can  this 
be.     The  acts  and  deeds  of  one  may  affect 
others,  but  can,  in  no  case,  become  actually 
theirs,  or  be  so  transferred  as  to  render  that 
justice  which  would  otherwise  have  been  of 
grace.     The  imputation  of  our  sins  to  Christ, 
and  of  his    righteousness   to  us,  does   not 
consist  in  a  transfer  of  either  the  one  or  the 
other,  except  in  their  effects.     Christ  suffer- 
ed, not  because  he  was,  but  merely  as  if  he 
had  been,  the   sinner:  notwithstanding  the 
imputation  of  sin  to  him,  he  died  "  the  just 
for  the  unjust."     On  the  other  hand,  we  are 
justified,  not  because  we  are,  but  as  though 
we  were  righteous;  for  the  worthiness  be- 
longs to  him,  and  not  to  us. 

Finally :  If  justification  through  the  redemp- 
tion of  Christ  were  considered  as  not  only 

CONSISTENT    WITH     justice,    but      REQUIRED 

by  it,  it  must,  I  think,  be  allowed  that  every 
idea  of  grace  is  excluded.  That  favor  to- 
ward creatures  which  justice  requires  must 


292 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


needs  be  their  due  ;  which  leaves  no  room 
for  grace.  It  is  only  of  God's  essential  jus- 
tice, however,  that  this  is  true,  and  not  of 
his  covenant  righteousness,  which  relates  to 
his  own  free  engagements.  God,  having 
pledged  his  word,  would  be  "  unrighteous  to 
forget  the  work  and  labor  of  love  of  his  be- 
lieving people  ;  and  thus  it  is  that,  "  If  we 
confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to 
forgive  us  our  sins."  The  righteous  fulfil- 
ment of  engagements,  made  in  a  way  of 
grace,  is  not  opposed  to  it ;  but  that  which 
is  required  by  essential  justice  is. 

This  representation  of  things  cannot,  in 
any  wise,  depreciate  the  merit  of  Christ :  for, 
be  this  what  it  may,  it  is  not  ours,  and  can- 
not, therefore,  constitute  any  claim  on  our 
behalf  but  in  virtue  of  God's  free  promises, 
which,  being  made  in  grace,  continue  such 
in  all  their  fulfilments. 

It  is  enough  if  the  justification  of  sinners 
be  consistent  ivith  justice  ;  and  this  renders 
the  whole  in  harmony  with  grace.  Such 
was  the  value  of  Christ's  blood-shedding,  as, 
in  regard  of  its  effects  on  the  divine  govern- 
ment, to  be  equivalent  to  our  being  everlast- 
ingly punished ;  and  such  the  merit  of  his 
obedience  as  to  be  worthy  of  all  that  God 
has  bestowed  on  us  in  reward-of  it :  yet,  as 
there  is  no  transfer  but  of  the  effects,  it  does 
not,  in  the  least,  interfere  with  grace. 

If  the  principles  on  which  the  doctrine  of 
atonement  proceeds  be  carefully  considered, 
they  will  not  only  be  found  consistent  with 
grace,  but  will  rank  among  the  strongest 
evidences  in  favor  of  it. 

In  proof  of  this,  let  the  following  obser- 
vations be  duly  considered : — 

] .  It  is  common  among  men,  in  shoiving 
kindness  to  the  unworthy,  to  do  it  out  of  re- 
gard to  one  that  is  worthy  ;  ivhich  kindness  is 
nevertheless  considered  as  a  matter  of  free 
favor.  You  had  a  friend  whom  you  loved  as 
your  own  soul.  He  died,  and  left  an  only 
son.  The  son  proves  a  dissolute,  worthless 
character,  and  reduces  himself  to  beggary. 
Still  he  is  the  son  of  your  friend,  and  you 
wish  to  show  him  kindness.  If  your  kind- 
ness be  unaccompanied  with  an  explanation 
of  your  motives,  he  may  think  you  have  no 
dislike  to  his  vices. — Young  man,  say  you, 
therefore,  I  am  sorry  it  is  not  in  my  power 
to  be  your  friend  from  a  i-espect  to  your  own 
character:  but  I  knew  and  loved  your  father, 
and  what  I  do  for  you  is  for  his  sake  ! — Here 
is  an  exercise  of  both  justice  and  grace ; 
justice  to  the  memory  of  the  worthy,  and 
grace  in  the  relief  of  the  unworthy.  The 
worthiness  of  the  father  is  imputed  to  the 
son,  inasmuch  as,  in  consequence  of  it,  he  is 
treated  as  though  he  were  himself  worthy  ; 
1  ut  it  makes  no  difference  as  to  his  real 
character  or  deserts,  nor  in  any  wise  ren- 
ders what  is  done  to  him  less  a  matter  of 
grace  than  if  it  had  not  been  done  in  consi- 


deration of  his  father's  worthiness.  If  O- 
nesimus  were  forgiven  by  Philemon,  at  the 
intercession  of  Paul  (as  there  is  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  he  was,)  he  would  not,  on  that 
account,  think  of  its  being  less  an  act  of 
grace. 

2.  God,  in  his  dealings  with  mankind,  has 
frequently  proceeded  upon  the  same  principle, 
bestowing  blessings  on  the  univorthy,  out  of 
respect  to  one  that  ivas  loorthy ;  ivhich  bless- 
ings, nevertheless,  have  been  of  pure  grace. 
God  promised  the  posterity  of  Noah  exemp- 
tion from  a  future  flood  :  but,  knowing  that 
they  would  utterly  corrupt  themselves,  his 
covenant  was  primarily  made  with  him.  It 
was  thus  in  the  blessings  promised  to  the 
posterity  of  Abraham.  The  Lord,  knowing 
that  they  would  be  very  corrupt,  spoke  thus 
to  Abraham  himself:  "  As  for  me,  behold, 
my  covenant  is  ivith  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  a 
father  of  many  nations."  Hence,  in  a  great 
number  of  instances  wherein  mercy  was 
shown  to  the  rebellious  Israelites,  they  were 
reminded  that  it  was  "  not  for  their  sakes," 
but  on  account  of  the  covenant  made  with 
their  father  Abraham,  and  renewed  with 
Isaac  and  Jacob.  Thus,  also,  in  the  cove- 
nant made  with  David,  God  blessed  his  pos- 
terity for  his  sake,  saying,  "My  covenant 
shall  stand  fast  with  him."  And,  when  the 
heart  of  Solomon  was  turned  away  from  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel,  he  was  told,  that,  if  the 
Lord  did  not  rend  the  kingdom  utterly  from 
him,  it  would  not  be  for  his  sake,  but  for 
David  his  servant's  sake  and  for  Jerusalem's 
sake,  which  he  had  chosen.  In  these  instan- 
ces, there  was  a  display  of  both  justice  and 
grace,  and  the  righteousness  of  the  fathers 
was,  as  I  may  say,  imputed  to  the  children, 
inasmuch  as,  in  consequence  of  it,  they  were 
treated  as  if  they  themselves  were  righte- 
ous ;  but  it  makes  no  difference  as  to  their 
deserts,  nor  in  any  wise  renders  what  was 
done  to  them  less  a  matter  of  grace  than  if 
it  had  proceeded  merely  from  the  divine 
goodness,  and  without  any  consideration  of 
the  righteousness  of  their  fathers.  So  far 
from  this,  the  very  language,  "  Not  for  your 
sakes  do  I  this, — be  it  known  unto  you, — but 
for  my  holy  name's  sake, — and  for  the  cove- 
nant that  I  made  with  your  fathers,"  would 
tend,  more  than  any  thing,  to  humble  them, 
and  to  impress  them  with  the  idea  that  what 
they  had  was  altogether  of  grace. 

If  it  be  objected  that  in  these  cases, 
though  the  blessing  was  of  grace  to  the 
party  receiving  it,  yet  it  was  in  reward  of 
the  party  for  whose  sake  it  was  given:  I 
answer,  It  is  in  respect  of  the  party  receiv- 
ing, and  him  only,  that  it  is  called  grace ; 
and  this  is  sufficient  for  its  being  so  denomi- 
nated. It  is  of  what  justification  is  to  us, 
and  not  what  it  is  to  Christ,  that  the  apostle 
speaks.  It  is  enough  if  it  be  of  grace  to  us, 
and  if  God's  bestowing  it  upon  us  out  of 


ON    JUSTIFICATION. 


293 


respect  to  the  worthiness  of  his  Son  do  not 
diminish  that  grace,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
augment  it. 

But  it  may  be  said  that,  in  these  cases, 
there  Avas  no  example  of  the  innocent  suf- 
fering for  the  guilty  ;  no  atonement ;  no  re- 
demption of  the  parties  by  a  sacrifice  offer- 
ed in  their  stead.  We  therefore  proceed  to 
observe, 

3.  God,  in  the  appointment  of  animal  sacri- 
fices (though  they  were  only  shadows  of  good 
things  to  come,)  sanctified  the  principle  of  sin 
being  expiated  by  the  sufferings  of  a  substi- 
tute, and  yet  represented  the  sinner  as  freely 
forgiven.  The  process  of  the  burnt-offer- 
ing is  thus  described:  "If  his  offering  be  a 
burnt-sacrifice  of  the  herd,  let  him  offer  a 
male  without  blemish :  he  shall  offer  it  of 
his  own  voluntary  will "  (or,  as  Ainsworth 
renders  it,  for  acceptance)  "  at  the  door  of 
the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation  before 
the  Lord.  And  he  shall  put  his  hand  upon 
the  head  of  the  burnt-offering  :  and  it  shall 
be  accepted  for  him  to  make  atonement  for 
him,"  &c.  The  current  language  concern- 
ing these  sacrifices  is,  "And  the  priest 
shall  make  an  atonement  for  him  as  concern- 
ing his  sin  that  he  hath  committed,  and  it 
shall  be  forgiven  him.  In  all  these  transac- 
tions there  was  justice  and  grace ;  justice  in 
requiring  a  sacrifice,  and  grace  in  forgiving 
the  transgressor.  There  was  also  imputa- 
tion :  the  sin  of  the  party  was  imputed  to  the 
appointed  victim,  which  was  reckoned  as 
though  it  were  the  sinner,  and  treated  as 
such  in  the  divine  administration.  The 
atonement  made  by  the  sacrifice  was,  on  the 
other  hand,  imputed  to  him  that  oft'ered  it ; 
that  is,  it  was  reckoned  to  his  account,  and 
he  was  treated  accordingly.  This  is  clear 
from  what  is  said  of  one  the  flesh  of  whose 
offering  Avas  neglected  to  be  eaten  before 
the  third  day  according  to  appointment : 
"  It  shall  not  be  accepted,  neither  shall  it  be 
imputed  unto  him  that  offereth  it :  it  shall  be 
an  abomination,  and  the  soul  that  eateth  of 
it  shall  bear  his  iniquity  ;  "  implying  that,  if 
offered  according  to  the  divine  appointment, 
it  was  accepted  for  him,  and  imputed  to  him, 
and  lie  should  not  bear  his  iniquity. 

In  all  these  substitutional  sacrifices,  atone- 
ment did  not  operate  to  the  diminution  of 
grace  ;  they  Avere  not  such  a  payment  of  the 
sinner's  debt  as  that  he  should  be  entitled  to 
deliverance  as  a  matter  of  claim  ;  since  the 
issue  of  all  was,  "And  his  sins  shall  be  for- 
given him."  On  the  contrary,  every  thing 
Avas  calculated  to  magnify  the  grace  of  God, 
and  to  humble  the  sinner  in  the  dust  before 
him.  Of  this  tendency,  particularly,  Avashis 
having  to  lay  his  hand  upon  the  head  of  the 
sacrifice,  confessing  his  sin,  and  acknowl- 
edging, in  effect,  that,  if  he  had  been  treated 
according  to  his  deserts,  he  himself  must 
have  been  the  victim. 

The  doctrine  of  sacrifices  receives  an  in- 


teresting illustration  from  the  case  of  Job  and 
his  three  friends  :  "  And  it  Avas  so,  that,  after 
the  Lord  had  spoken  these  Avords  unto  Job, 
the  Lord  said  to  Eliphaz,  the  Temanite,  My 
wrath  is  kindled  against  thee,  and  against 
thy  two  friends  ;  for  ye  have  not  spoken  of 
me  the  thing  that  is  right,  as  my  servant  Job 
hath.  Therefore  take  unto  you  noAv  seven 
bullocks  and  seven  rams,  and  go  to  my  ser- 
vant Job,  and  offer  up  for  yourselves  a  burnt- 
offering  ;  and  my  servant  Job  shall  pray  for 
you,  for  him  will  I  accept ;  lest  I  deal  with 
you  after  your  folly." 

We  see  here  that  the  three  friends  could  not 
be  justified  on  the  ground  of  their  OAvn  con- 
duct. They  must  either  be  accepted  through 
a  sacrifice  and  intercessor,  or  be  dealt  with 
according  to  their  folly.  And  this  sacrifice 
and  intercession,  instead  of  making  void  the 
grace  of  the  transaction,  goes  to  establish  it. 
It  must  have  been  not  a  little  humiliating  to 
Eliphaz  and  his  companions  to  be  given  to 
understand  that  all  their  zeal  for  God  had 
been  folly,  and  required  an  atonement ;  that 
the  Lord  would  not  receive  a  petition  at 
their  hands ;  that  the  sacrifices  must  be 
brought  to  Job,  and  offered  up  in  his  pres- 
ence ;  and  that,  after  all  their  contumelious 
language  to  him,  they  must  OAve  their  ac- 
ceptance to  his  intercession.  Had  they  been 
forgiven  Avithout  this  process,  their  sin  must 
have  appeared  light,  and  the  grace  of  God 
in  its  forgiveness  have  been  diminished,  in 
their  apprehension,  in  comparison  of  what  it 
was. 

4.  The  New  Testament,  tvhile  it  represents 
the  interposition  of  Christ  as  necessary  for  the 
consistent  exercise  of  mercy ,  ascribes  the  ivhole 
of  our  salvation,  nevertheless,  to  the  free  grace 
of  God.  I  need  not  prove  this  position  by  a 
number  of  references.  The  doctrine  of  the 
New  Testament  on  this  subject  is  summari- 
ly comprehended  in  the  verses  folloAving  the 
text,  Avhich  contain  the  apostle's  explanation 
of  his  OAvn  words.  Having  stated  that  we 
are  "justified  freely  by  grace,  througli  the  re- 
demption that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,""he  adds, 
"Whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitia- 
tion through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare 
his  righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins 
that  are  past,  through  the  forbearance  of 
God ;  to  declare  I  say  at  this  time  his  right- 
eousness, that  he  might  be  just,  and  the  jus- 
tifier  of  him  Avhich  believeth  in  Jesus."_ 
_  "  Whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propi- 
tiation.''' We 'see  here  in  Avhat  "the  re- 
demption of  Christ,"  by  which  Ave  are  justi- 
fied, consisted.  He  himself  was  made  an 
expiatory  sacrifice,  through  which  God  might 
be  propitious  to  sinners,  Avithout  any  dishon- 
or attaching  to  his  character. 

"  Through  faith  in  his  blood."  In  order 
to  an  Israelite  being  benefited  by  the  ap- 
pointed sacrifices,  it  Avas  necessary  for  him, 
or  for  the  priest  on  his  behalf,  to  put  his 
hands  upon  the  head  of  the  animal,  and  there 


294 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


to  make  confession  of  sins.  Hence  the  of- 
ferers of  sacrifices  are  denominated  "the 
comers  thereunto."  And  thus  it  is  necessa- 
ry to  our  deriving'  benefit  from  the  propitia- 
tion of  Christ  that  we  should  believe  in  him. 

"  To  declare  his  righteousness  for  the  remis- 
sion of  mis"  The  first  thing  necessary  in 
our  justification  is  the  remission  of  sin.  The 
grand  impediment  to  this  was,  that  it  would 
reflect  upon  the  "  righteousness  "  of  God  ; 
representing  either  his  precepts  and  threat- 
enings  as  too  rigid  to  be  put  in  execution, 
or  his  mercy  as  being  mere  connivance. 
Hence,  when  a  great  act  of  mercy  was  to  be 
shown,  it  became  necessary  to  preface  it  by 
a  declaration  or  demonstration  of  righteous- 
ness. God,  by  making  his  beloved  Son  a 
sacrifice,  practically  declared  or  demonstra- 
ted, in  the  presence  of  the  universe,  his  de- 
termination to  maintain  the  honor  of  his  gov- 
ernment, and  his  utter  abhorrence  of  sin. 
Having  done  this,  he  can  now  forgive  the 
believing  sinner,  without  any  suspicion  of 
connivance  attaching  to  his  character. 

"  Sins  that  are  past,  through  the  forbearance 
of  God."  The  propitiation  of  Christ  was 
not  only  necessary  in  behalf  of  believers  un- 
der the  times  of  the  gospel,  but  of  those  in 
former  ages.  Those  who  had  offered  sacri- 
fices were  not  forgiven  in  virtue  of  them  but 
of  this.  On  the  ground  of  Christ's  undertak- 
ing to  become  a  propitiation  in  the  fulness 
of  time,  the  "forbearance  of  God"  was  ex- 
ercised towards  them.  And,  now  that  his 
righteousness  is  declared,  he  can  be  "just, 
and  the  justifier  of  him  which  believeth  in 
Jesus." 

Supposing  the  foregoing  comments  to  be 
the  substance  of  the  apostle's  meaning,  what 
is  there  in  any  part  of  it  which  renders  void, 
or  in  any  wise  diminishes,  the  free  grace  of 
God  ?  Does  the  declaration  or  demonstration 
of  his  righteousness  "  for  the  remission  of 
sins"  render  it  no  remission?  Would  it 
have  been  more  of  a  favor  for  God  to  have 
pardoned  sin  without  any  regard  to  right- 
eousness than  with  it  ?  Is  there  any  thing  in 
the  whole  proceeding  that  puts  the  sinner  in 
possession  of  a  claim  on  the  ground  of  essen- 
tial justice,  or  which  warrants  him  to  hope 
for  an  interest  in  its  blessed  results,  without 
coming  to  the  Saviour  as  guilty  and  un- 
worthy ? 

There  is  nothing  in  the  New  Testament 
which  represents  the  death  of  Christ  as  su- 
perseding the  necessity  of  repentance,  con- 
fession, and  humble  supplication,  or  as  invest- 
ing the  believer  with  any  other  claim  of 
spiritual  blessings  than  that  which  arises 
from  the  free  promise  of  God  through  his 
dear  Son.  We  never  read  there  of  "  suing 
out  our  right,"  nor  of  mercy  being  a  matter 
of  demand  since  Christ  has  paid  the  debt. 
All  is  in  the  language  of  supplication  in  the 
name  of  Christ. 

The  intercession  of  Christ  himself  on  our 


behalf  proceeds  upon  the  same  principle. 
It  would  not  otherwise  be  intercession. 
"  Grace,"  as  Dr.  Goodwin  observes,  "  re- 
quires to  be  applied  for  in  a  way  of  entreaty 
and  intercession."* 

Those  who  plead  for  the  intercession  of 
Christ  in  a  way  of  authority,  or  demand, 
ground  it  on  his  sacrifice  and  merits  ;  which, 
being  of  infinite  worth,  must,  they  suppose, 
entitle  him  to  ask  favors  for  his  people  in 
this  manner.  That  God  in  love  to  his  dear 
Son  should  reward  this  voluntary  obedience 
unto  death  Avith  the  bestoAvment  of  eternal 
salvation  on  them  that  believe  in  him,  and 
even  lay  himself  under  obligation  to  do  so,  is 
perfectly  consistent  with  its  being  of  grace  ; 
but  obligation  of  this  kind  furnishes  no 
ground  for  demand,  nor  does  it  appear  from 
the  Scriptures  that  the  Majesty  of  Heaven 
and  earth  was  ever  so  approached.  In  the 
gospel  way  of  salvation,  grace  and  justice 
meet  or  are  combined  in  the  same  thing. 
Grace,  through  the  righteousness  of  Jesus, 
"  reigns "  not  in  one  or  two  stages,  but  in 
every  stage,  "  unto  eternal  life ; "  but,  on  the 
principle  of  salvation  being  an  object  of  de- 
mand, it  must,  in  some  stages  of  it,  become 
a  matter  of  mere  justice  :  it  might  be  grace 
to  provide  the  deliverer,  but  there  would  be 
none  in  the  deliverance  itself. 

However  worthy  Christ  was  to  receive 
power,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor, 
and  glory,  and  blessing,  yet,  when  pleading 
for  sinners,  it  required  to  be  in  the  language 
of  intercession.  His  worthiness  is  that  in- 
deed on  account  of  which  Ave  are  treated  as 
if  we  ivere  Avorthy,  but  it  does  not  render  us 
meritorious.  The  righteousness  of  Christ  is 
imputed  to  us  ;  but  it  is  only  in  its  effects  that 
it  is  transferred,  or,  indeed,  transferrable. 
The  sum  is,  there  is  nothing  in  the  atone- 
ment or  justifying  righteousness  of  Christ 
that  in  any  Avise  supersedes  the  necessity  of 
our  being  freely  forgiven,  or  freely  blessed. 

I  conclude  Avith  a  few  reflections  on  the 
Avhole  subject : — 

First :  If  the  doctrine  here  stated  and  de- 
fended be  true,  there  is  in  the  nature  of  sin 

*  The  words  of  our  Lord  in  John  xvii.  24,  "  Fa- 
ther, I  will,"  fyc,  have  been  thought  to  convey  a 
different  idea : — 

"  Willi  cries  and  tears  he  offered  up 

His  humble  suit  below; 
But  with  authority  he  asks, 

Euthron'd  in  glory  now. 

For  all  that  come  to  God  by  him, 

Salvation  he  demands ; 
Points  to  their  names  upon  his  breast, 

And  spreads  his  wounded  hands." 

TOPLADY. 

This  petition,  however,  was  offered  up  when  our 
Lord  was  upon  earth  ;  and  his  intercession  in 
heaven  is  called  prayer:  "  I  wi\\  pray  the  Father, 
and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter."  "The 
verb  rendered  will,"  says  Dr.  Campbell,  "  is  the 
same  which  in  Matt.  xii.  3S,  and  Mark  x.  35,  is 
rendered  would,  and  ought  to  have  been  so  ren- 
dered here,  as  it  implies  request,  not  command. 


ON    JUSTIFICATION. 


295 


something  much  more  offensive  to  God  than 
is  generally  supposed.  Is  it  conceivable 
that  God,  whose  nature  is  love,  would  have 
ctirsed  the  work  of  his  hands  for  a  matter  of 
small  account  ?  He  does  not  delight  in  curs- 
ing :  he  afflicts  not  willingly,  nor  grieves  the 
children  of  men.  Yet  every  transgressor  of 
his  law  is  declared  to  be  accursed.  All  the 
curses  in  the  book  of  God  stand  against  him  : 
!  in  his  basket,  and  in  his  store  ;  in  the  city, 
and  in  the  field  ;  in  his  going  out,  and  in  his 
coming  in  ;  and  in  all  that  he  setteth  his  hand 
unto.  Nor  is  it  confined  to  the  present  life, 
but  includes  everlasting  punishment.  Is  it 
conceivable  that  God  would  have  made  his 
Son  a  sacrifice,  or  that  the  Lord  of  glory 
would  have  come  into  the  world  for  this  pur- 
pose, if  sin  had  not  been  an  evil  and  a  bitter 
thing  ?  If  it  were  no  more  than  men  in  gen- 
eral conceive  it  to  be,  assuredly  so  much 
would  not  have  been  made  of  it.  It  is  upon 
light  thoughts  of  sin  that  a  disbelief  of  jus- 
tification through  the  blood-shedding  of 
Christ  is  grafted  ;  but,  let  us  think  of  it 
as  lightly  as  we  may,  if  God  thinks  other- 
wise we  shall  be  in  the  wrong;  for  "the 
judgment  of  God  is  according  to  truth." 

Secondly :  If  this  doctrine  be  true,  the 
danger  of  our  being  lost  arises,  not  from  the 
magnitude  of  our  sin,  be  it  what  it  may,  but 
from  a  self-righteous  rejection  of  the  only  way 
of  acceptance  with  God.  Let  the  nature  or 
degrees  of  sin  be  what  they  may,  there  is 
no  reason  on  that  account  to  despair  of  sal- 
vation. On  the  contrary,  there  is  the  utmost 
encouragement  for  the  most  guilty  and  un- 
worthy to  return  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ. 
Every  bar  in  the  way  of  acceptance  which 
respected  the  government  of  God  is  removed. 
God  can  be  just,  and  yet  the  justifier  of  the 
believer  in  Jesus.  More  glory  redounds  to 
him,  even  to  his  justice,  from  salvation  than 
from  damnation.  Nor  is  there  any  cause  to 
doubt  the  willingness  of  God  to  show  mercy. 
He  is,  indeed,  unwilling  to  show  mercy 
to  those  who  seek  it  in  any  other  way  than 
Christ,  or,  rather,  is  determined  they  shall 
not  find  it ;  but  every  one  that  seeketh  in 
his  name  findeth.  There  is  one  great  and 
overwhelming  fact  that  answers  all  objec- 
tions :  "He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but 
delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not 
with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things  ?  "  The 
pardon  of  sin  and  acceptance  with  God  are 
blessings  of  such  magnitude  that  nothing  in 
this  world  is  to  be  compared  with  them  ;  yet 
these  are  less  than  what  has  been  given  al- 
ready ;  for  the  argument  of  the  apostle  is  from 
the  greater  to  the  less.  If  we  be  willing  to 
receive  Christ,  and  with  him  all  things  free- 
ly, there  is  nothing  to  hinder  it.  If  the 
door  of  mercy  be  shut  upon  us,  it  is  a  self- 
righteous  spirit  that  shuts  it.  Look  at  a  self- 
justifying  spirit  in  respect  of  faifTts  commit- 
ted between  man  and  man.  Persons  of  very 
ordinary  capacity  in  other  things  will  here 


be  ingenious  to  admiration  in  framing  ex- 
cuses. They  who  seem  scarcely  able  to 
speak  on  other  subjects  will  be  quite  elo- 
quent in  defending  themselves:  dwelling  on 
circumstances  that  make  in  their  favor,  keep- 
ing out  of  sight  what  makes  against  them, 
alleging  their  good  intentions,  even  in  things 
which  in  themselves  cannot  be  justified ; 
and  shunning,  as  one  would  shun  the  road  to 
death,  a  frank  acknowledgment  of  their  sin, 
and  an  humble  petition  for  mercy.  Of  the 
same  nature  is  a  self-righteous  spirit  in  re- 
spect of  sin  committed  against  God ;  and 
this  it  is  that  shuts  the  door  of  mercy.  If  a 
convict,  under  a  just  sentence  of  death,  be 
assured  from  authority  that,  if  he  confess  his 
guilt  and  petition  for  mercy,  he  will  be  for- 
given, and  if  instead  of  making  such  confes- 
sion and  supplication  he  either  pleads  not 
guilty,  or  at  least  insists  upon  his  compara- 
tive innocence,  or  upon  some  circumstance 
which  may  entitle  him  to  mercy,  should  we 
not  say  of  such  a  man,  He  shuts  the  door  of 
mercy  on  himself  ?  Jle  dies  not  on  account 
of  the  magnitude  of  his  crime,  but  of  his 
pride  and  obstinacy.  His  original  crime  is 
still  indeed  the  formal  cause  of  his  punish- 
ment, but  it  is  owing  to  his  self-justifying 
spirit  that  it  Avas  finally  laid  to  his  charge. 
And  thus  it  is  that  the  Scriptures  ascribe 
the  loss  of  the  soul  to  unbelief:  "  He  that 
believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life,  and 
he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see 
life,  but  the  tvrath  of  God  abideth  on  him. — 
Israel,  which  followed  after  the  law  of  right- 
eousness, hath  not  attained  to  the  law  of 
righteousness.  Wherefore?  Because  they 
sought  it  not  by  faith,  but  as  it  Avere  by  the 
Avorks  of  the  laAv :  for  they  stumbled  at  that 
stumbling-stone." 

It  is  remarkable  that,  in  draAving  a  conclu- 
sion from  the  doctrine  of  absolute  sovereign- 
ty, in  Avhich  the  apostle  had  taught  that 
God  had  "mercy  on  whom  he  Avould  have 
mercy,"  he  ascribes  the  failure  of  the  JeAvs, 
not  to  their  non-election,  but  to  their  unbe- 
lief. 

Finally :  Though  justification  be  of 
"  grace,  through  the  redemption  Avhich  is  in 
Christ  Jesus,"  yet  Avithout  good  Avorks  we 
can  give  no  proof  of  our  being  justified. 
The  whole  argument  of  the  apostle,  in  the 
sixth  chapter  of  this  epistle,  teaches  that  be- 
lievers cannot  live  in  sin,  being  dead  to  it, 
and  alive  to  God.  Those  who  are  in  Christ 
Jesus,  to  Avhom  there  is  noAv  no  condemna- 
tion, are  said  to  "  walk  not  after  the  flesh, 
but  after  the  Spirit."  We  need  not  Avish  for 
stronger  evidence  in  favor  of  the  doctrine  of 
free  justification  than  that  which  is  furnish- 
ed by  the  objections  Avhich  are  answered  by 
the  apostle.  No  other  notion  of  justifica- 
tion than  that  Avhich  is  of  grace,  through 
Christ,  would  admit  of  such  objections  as  he 
encounters :  no  other  doctrine,  therefore,  can 
justly  pretend  to  be  apostolical. 


296 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


It  follows,  however,  that  while  we  con- 
tend for  the  doctrine,  it  concerns  us  so  to 
walk  as  not  to  furnish  its  adversaries  with  a 
handle  for  reproaching  it  as  unfriendly  to  a 
life  of  holiness.  The  law  of  God,  though 
not  the  medium  of  life,  is  nevertheless  the 
rule  of  conduct;  and  though  we  are  justified 
by  faith  alone,  yet  good  works  are  necessary 
to  prove  it  to  be  genuine.  Thus  it  is  that 
faith  is  shown  and  made  perfect  by  works. 
All  who  profess  to  believe  the  doctrine  do 
not  live  under  its  influence  ;  and  they  who 
do  are  exposed  to  other  influences.  What- 
ever peace  of  mind,  therefore,  it  may  be 
adapted  to  produce,  it  furnishes  no  ground 
for  carnal  or  presumptuous  security. 


SERMON  XX. 

THE    BELIEVER'S  REVIEW  OF  HIS    PAST    AND 
PRESENT  STATE. 

"  But  now  in  Christ  Jesus,  ye  who  sometimes 
were  far  off  are  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ." 
— Ephes.  ii.  13. 

It  is  common  to  speak  of  our  country,  in 
respect  of  its  high  state  of  civilization  and 
cultivation,  as  a  garden.  But,  to  knoAv  what 
civilization  and  cultivation  have  done  for  us, 
we  must  know  what  we  were  in  former  ages, 
when  the  island  was  little  better  than  a  wil- 
derness, and  its  inhabitants  a  race  of  barba- 
rians. 

Thus,  if  we  would  understand  what  Chris- 
tianity has  done  for  us,  we  must  acquaint 
ourselves  with  the  condition  in  which  we 
were,  while  subject  to  pagan  darkness  and 
superstition.  It  is  thus  that  the  apostle,  in 
writing  to  the  Ephesians,  teaches  them  the 
value  of  the  blessings  and  privileges  of  the 
gospel,  by  directing  their  attention  to  the 
state  in  which  they  were  before  it  reached 
them. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  chapter,  they  are 
reminded  of  their  state  as  sinners  in  common 
ivith  other  sinners  :  "  And  you  hath  he 
quickened,  who  were  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sins ;  Avherein  in  time  past  ye  walked  ac- 
cording to  the  course  of  this  world,  accord- 
ing to  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  the 
spirit  that  now  worketh  in  the  children  of  dis- 
obedience :  among  whom  also  we  all  (Jews 
as  well  as  Gentiles)  had  our  conversation 
in  times  past,  in  the  lusts  of  our  flesh,  fulfill- 
ing the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind  ; 
and  were  by  nature  the  children  of  wrath 
even  as  others."  But,  in  addition  to  this, 
the  apostle  reminds  them  of  their  peculiar 
condition  as  heathens :  "  Remember  that  ye, 
being  in  time  past  Gentiles  in  the  flesh, — 
that  at  that  time  ye  were  without  Christ,  be- 
ing aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel, 
and  strangers  from  the  covenants  of  promise, 
having  no  hope,  and  without  God  in  the 
world."    This  being,  in  some  respects,  the 


greatest  remove  from  God  at  which  men 
could  place  themselves,  they  are  emphati- 
cally said  to  have  been  'far  off."  Sinners, 
among  the  Jews,  were  subjectively  distant 
from  God ;  but  they  were  so  both  subject- 
ively and  objectively,  as  being  destitute  of 
the  most  important  means  of  knowing  him. 

In  discoursing  upon  the  subject,  we  shall 
first  observe  that  state  of  distance  which  is 
peculiar  to  heathens ;  secondly,  that  which 
is  common  to  heathens  and  all  other  sinners ; 
and,  thirdly,  the  way  in  which  they  are  re- 
covered, and  brought  nigh. 

I.  Let  us  observe  that  state  of  dis- 
tance  WHICH    IS    PECULIAR   TO    HEATHENS. 

This  is  far  from  being  an  uninteresting  sub- 
ject to  us.  At  the  time  this  epistle  was 
written,  our  fathers  were  in  this  very  state  ; 
and,  had  not  the  gospel  been  brought  to  us  by 
those  who  had  heard  and  believed  it,  we  had 
been  in  the  same  state  at  this  day.  Instead  of 
being  met  together,  as  we  now  are,  to  worship 
the  living  God  through  the  mediation  of  his 
Son,  we  had  been  assembled  to  adore  stocks 
and  stones  ;  instead  of  singing  the  high 
praises  of  Jehovah,  nothing  had  been  heard 
in  our  cities,  towns,  and  villages,  but  the 
vociferations  of  idolatry ;  instead  of  the 
gratifying  sights  arising  from  the  institutions 
of  humanity  and  benevolence,  we  should 
have  been  witnesses,  and  perhaps  more  than 
witnesses,  of  the  offering  up  of  human  sac- 
rifices ! 

The  description  given  of  this  state  by  the 
apostle,  in  verses  11,  12,  is  very  affecting : 
"  At  that  time  ye  were  without  Christ" 
The  only  way  in  which  Christ  could  be 
known  was  by  revelation  ;  and  the  only  peo- 
ple to  whom  a  revelation  was  made  was  Is- 
rael. To  them  pertained  the  oracles  of  God, 
and  the  covenants  of  promise.  Being,  there- 
fore, aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel, 
they  must  needs  be  strangers  from  the  cov- 
enants of  promise,  and  so,  of  course,  be 
without  Christ.  And  being  without  Christ, 
they  had  no  hope,  either  of  their  sins  being 
forgiven,  or  of  a  blessing  hereafter.  And 
though  they  daily  partook  of  the  bounties  of 
Providence,  yet,  being  without  Christ,  and 
without  hope,  they  were  without  God  in  the 
world ! 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  heathen  world 
at  the  coming  of  Christ.  The  science  of 
Egypt,  Chaldea,  Greece,  and  Rome,  had 
discovered  much,  as  to  things  pertaining  to 
the  present  life  ;  but,  in  respect  of  an  here- 
after, all  was  enveloped  in  gross  darkness. 
The  far  greater  part  did  not  think  of  it,  and 
they  that  did,  knew  but  just  enough  to  make 
them  miserable.  They  were  aware  that, 
like  all  others,  they  must  die  ;  and  knowing 
that  they  had  not  lived  and  acted,  even  to 
each  other,  as  they  ought,  their  consciences 
foreboded  »  state  in  which  they  would  be 
called  to  account ;  but  what  it  would  be 
they  knew  not. 


A    STATE    OF    NATURE    AND    OF    GRACE. 


297 


The  following  lines  might  be  written  by 
a  pensive  infidel  of  modern  times  ;  but  they 
would  have  fitted  the  lips  of  a  pagan  : 

"  Distrust  and  darkness  of  a  future  state 

Make  poor  mankind  so  fearful  of  his  fate  : 

Death  of  itself  is  nothing;  hut  we  fear 

To  be  we  know  not  what,  we  know  not  where." 

Such,  or  nearly  such,  must  have  been  the 
reflections  of  the  most  serious  among  the 
heathen  ;  and,  as  to  the  rest,  they  were  bu- 
ried in  all  manner  of  wickedness.  It  is  of 
the  nature  of  idolatry  to  efface  and  obliter- 
ate from  the  mind  all  just  thoughts  of  God 
and  true  religion,  and  to  substitute  in  their 
place  vain  imaginations  and  vile  affections. 
Instead  of  a  holy,  just,  and  good  Being  pre- 
siding over  the  universe,  imaginary  deities 
are  set  up,  whose  office  it  k  to  preside  over 
particular  countries  and  concerns ;  and  this 
in  a  manner  suited  to  the  inclinations  of 
their  worshippers,  entering  into  all  their 
prejudices,  and  patronizing  their  most  favo- 
rite vices. 

There  is  a  marked  connection  between 
impiety  and  obscenity,  or  the  casting  off*  of 
the  knowledge  and  worship  of  God  and  be- 
ing given  up  to  the  basest  practices  towards 
one  another.  "  God  is  jealous,  and  the  Lord 
revengeth  !  "  If  they  dishonor  him  by  trans- 
ferring his  glory  to  an  idol,  he  will  give 
them  up  in  turn  to  dishonor  their  own  bodies. 
If  they  change  the  truth  of  God  the  creator, 
who  is  blessed  forever,  into  the  practical 
lie  of  worshipping  that  as  God  which  is  not 
God,  for  this  cause  they  shall  be  given  up 
to  vile  affections.  As  they  did  not  like  to 
retain  God  in  their  knowledge,  God  gave 
them  over  to  a  mind  void  of  judgment,  and 
to  the  practice  of  every  thing  obscene,  un- 
natural, unjust,  malignant,  false,  and  cruel; 
not  only  to  wallow  like  filthy  beasts  in  the 
mire,  but  to  prefer  the  society  of  such  as 
their  friends  and  companions !  If  any  doubt 
whether  this  picture  be  not  overcharged,  let 
faithful  witnesses  be  heard,  and  they  will 
report  the  same  things  of  heathen  countries 
at  this  day. 

We  hear,  from  men  calling  themselves 
Christians,  but  who  in  fact  are  infidels,  flat- 
tering accounts  of  heathen  virtue,  and  la- 
bored attempts  to  prove  the  virtuous  ten- 
dency of  the  system.  Idols,  instead  of  be- 
ing competitors  with  the  true  God,  are 
represented  as  connected  with  him ;  as 
though  it  were  a  matter  of  indifference  to 
whom  the  worship  is  presented,  Jehovah, 
Jove,  or  Baal ;  all  is  received  as  a  tribute 
paid  to  the  common  Father  of  all.  Such 
are  the  sentiments  taught  by  one  of  our 
poets ;  and  such  are  the  principles  of  so 
large  a  part  of  our  countrymen  that,  if 
Britons  do  not  christianize  India,  India  may 
be  expected  soon  to  heathenize  Britain ! 
Shall  we,  in  complaisance  to  infidels,  throw 
away  our  Bibles,  and  listen  to  their  pleas 
for  the  most  sottish  stupidity  that  ever  dis- 
Vol.  2.— Sic.  38. 


graced  human  nature  ?  The  voice  of  rea- 
son, and  (thank  God!)  the  voice  of  Britain, 
answer,  No !  We  ourselves  were  some- 
times darkness;  but,  if  we  have  been  made 
light  in  the  Lord,  let  us  walk  as  children  of 
the  light. 

We  proceed  to  observe, 

II.  That  state  of  distance  which  is 

COMMON  TO  HEATHENS  AND  ALL  OTHER  SIN- 
NERS. We  have  seen  already  that  there  is 
a  state,  described  at  the  beginning  of  the 
chapter,  which  refers  not  to  what  the  Ephe- 
sians  were  by  education,  by  custom,  or  by 
any  other  circumstances  attending  their  for- 
mer life,  but  to  what  they  were  by  nature. 
It  was  in  respect  of  this  that  the  apostle 
reckoned  himself  and  his  countrymen,  not- 
withstanding their  living  under  the  light  of 
revelation,  among  them  ;  and  in  this  respect 
we  also,  notwithstanding  our  living  under 
the  light  of  the  gospel,  must  be  reckoned 
with  them  :  "  Among  whom  also  we  all  had 
our  conversation  in  times  past,  in  the  lusts 
of  our  flesh,  fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh 
and  of  the  mind;  and  were  by  nature  the 
children  of  wrath,  even  as  others." 

The  apostle  does  not  tell  the  Ephesians 
from  whom,  or  from  what,  they  were  "  far 
off,"  the  reason  of  which  might  be  that  there 
was  no  one  word  that  would  convey  the  ful- 
ness of  the  sentiment.  He  might  have  said, 
Ye  were  far  off  from  happiness  ;  this  had 
been  true :  or  far  off  from  peace ;  this  had 
been  true :  or  far  off  from  righteousness ; 
this  had  been  true :  or  far  off  from  hope ; 
this  also  had  been  true :  he  might  mean  to 
comprehend  them  all,  and,  therefore,  made 
use  of  general  terms.  If  any  word,  more 
comprehensive  than  the  rest,  had  been  used, 
it  must  have  been  far  off  from  God.  This  is 
the  last  term,  in  the  preceding  description, 
to  which  the  words  "far  off"  refer:  "with- 
out Christ — having  no  hope  ;  and  ivithout 
God  in  the  world ! " 

There  is  a  natural  distance  from  God 
which  necessarily  belongs  to  us,  and  to  the 
loftiest  archangel,  as  creatures.  But  this 
distance  is  not  removed  by  the  blood  of 
Christ.  The  enjoyments  of  heaven  itself 
will  not  remove  or  diminish  it.  It  is  not  of 
this,  therefore,  that  the  apostle  writes  ;  but 
of  that  moral  distance  from  God  which  be- 
longs to  us  as  sinners.  There  is  nothing 
sinful  in  being  far  off  from  God  in  the  former 
sense  ;  but  to  be  far  off  in  our  thoughts  of 
him,  affections  towards  him,  and  desires  af- 
ter him,  is  of  the  essence  of  sin.  This  is 
alienation  of  heart,  which  stamps  the  char- 
acter :  for  what  a  man's  heart  i-^,  that  is  he. 
If  a  subject  be  so  full  of  disaffection  to  his 
rightful  prince  that  he  has  no  feeling  of 
respect  towards  him,  no  mind  to  please  him, 
nor  to  think,  or  read,  or  hear,  any  thing  in 
his  praise,  this  were  alienation  of  heart: 
and,  if  all  this  were  without  cause,  we  should 
say,  of  such  a  man,  that  he  did  not  deserve 


298 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


to  live  under  a  government  to  which  he  was 
so  wickedly  disaffected.  Yet  this  is  the 
state  of  mind  of  sinners  towards  the  blessed 
God.  They  call  not  upon  his  name ;  but 
rise  in  the  morning,  and  retire  at  evening, 
as  if  there  were  no  God,  and  no  hereafter; 
as  if  they  had  no  soul  to  be  saved  or  lost: 
but,  like  the  animals  that  surround  them, 
were  made  to  eat,  drink,  and  sleep,  for  a 
few  years,  and  then  to  die,  and  be  no  more  ! 
The  things  of  God  do  not  occupy  their 
minds ;  and,  unless  they  conceive  of  his 
character  as  very  different  from  what  the 
Scriptures  represent  it,  they  do  not  like  to 
think  of  him,  nor  to  speak  of  him,  nor  to  hear 
others  speak  of  him,  or  of  any  thing  pertain- 
ing to  him  as  revealed  in  the  Bible.  The 
serious  mention  of  his  name  strikes  a  damp 
upon  their  spirits,  and  often  puts  an  end  to  a 
conversation.  They  have  no  delight  in 
reading  his  word,  and  never  make  it  their 
study  to  do  any  thing  because  he  requires 
it.  What  is  all  this  but  practically  saying 
to  God,  "Depart  from  us;  we  desire  not 
the  knowledge  of  thy  ways  ?  " 

We  have  not  to  go  into  the  heathen  world 
in  search  of  such  characters  as  these  :  they 
are  found  in  all  our  cities,  towns,  villages, 
and  congregations,  and  in  almost  all  our 
families.  We  may  call  ourselves  Christians, 
and  yet  be  without  Christ ;  and  we  may  de- 
claim against  atheism,  and  yet  live  without 
God  in  the  world. 

But,  though  all  sinners  are  far  off  from 
God,  yet  some  are  farther  off  than  others. 
Every  sinner  has  gone  so  far  from  God  that 
he  will  never  return  of  his  own  accord.  The 
ways  of  sin  are  our  oion  ivays ;  we  find  them 
without  any  difficulty,  but  never  return  till 
the  good  Shepherd  finds  us,  and  brings  us 
home.  But  some  are  farther  off  than  others. 
As  sin  obtains  in  different  degrees,  so  does 
the  distance  at  which  it  places  us  from  God. 
The  Scriptures  represent  some  persons  as 
in  a  more  hopeless  state  than  others ;  and 
the  same  person  is  farther  off  at  one  period 
of  life  than  at  another.  Sin  being  progres- 
sive, the  longer  any  one  lives  in  it  without 
repentance,  the  farther  off  he  necessarily  is 
from  God.  Every  sinner  going  on  still  in 
his  trespasses  is  getting  more  and  more 
hardened,  and  farther  from  the  hearing  of 
the  calls  of  conscience  and  of  God. 

Shall  I  mention  a  few  cases  of  persons 
whom  the  Scriptures  represent  as  farthest 
from  God  ?  You  may  expect  me  to  name 
the  profligate,  who  is  at  open  war  with  God  ; 
who  breaks  the  sabbath,  wallows  in  intem- 
perance and  debauchery,  and  laughs  at  all 
serious'religion.  And  true  it  is  that  such 
characters  are  at  an  awful  distance  from 
God  :  yet  many  who  have  been  thus  far  off 
have  been  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ. 
Such  were  some  of  the  Corinthians,  and 
such  have  been  some  of  us. 

There  is  a  case  more  hopeless  than  this, 


namely,  that  of  the  self-righteous.     Of  the 
Pharisees,  who  were  righteous  in  their  own 
eyes,   and  despised  others,  it   is   said,    that 
"  publicans   and   harlots   entered    into    the 
kingdom  of  heaven  before  them."     When 
some  of  them  came  to  John,  he  called  them 
"  a  generation  of  vipers,"   and  asked,  with 
surprise,    "  Who   hath   warned  you  to  flee 
from  the  wrath  to  come  ?"     Our  Lord  ask- 
ed them,  "How  can  ye  escape  the  damna- 
tion of  hell?"  as  though  they  were   so  fast 
bound  by  the  chains  of  spiritual  pride  as  to 
render  their  deliverance  next  to  impossible. 
Reprove  a  drunkard  or  a  debauchee,  and 
you  will  have  his  conscience  on  your  side. 
Converse  with  him  seriously  on  temperance, 
righteousness,  and  judgment  to  come,  and 
he  will  tremble.     But  he  that  is  pure  in  his 
own   eyes,   and  yet  not  cleansed  from  his 
filthiness,  his  very  mind  and  conscience  are 
defied.     Thinking  highly  of  himself,  and  of 
his  doings,  he  will  resent  every  thing  said 
to  him  which  calls  in  question  the  goodness 
of  his  state.     He  flatters  himself  that  he  is 
at  peace  with  God,  and  does  not  choose  to 
be  disturbed  in  his  repose.     Talk  to  him  of 
Christ  Jesus  having  come  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners,  even  the  chief  of  sinners,  and 
it  will  either  appear  to  him  a  strange  doc- 
trine, or,  if  he  comprehend  your  design,  it  is 
likely   he   will  feel  himself  insulted.      He 
says,  in  his  heart,  Am  I,  after  all  the  pains 
that  I  have  taken,  to  be  placed  on  a  footing 
with  the  worst  of  characters  ?     If  so,  where 
is   the  justice  of  God  ? — Thus  the   gospel 
seems  a  hard  saying,  and  he  cannot  hear  it. 
A  sinner,  in  such  a  state  of  mind,  is  farther 
from  God,  and  more  hopeless,  than  the  profli- 
gate whom   he   despises :    "  The   Gentiles, 
which  followed  not  after  righteousness,  have 
attained   to  righteousness,  even  the  right- 
eousness which  is  of  faith.     But  Israel,  which 
followed  after  the  law  of  righteousness,  hath 
not  attained   to   the   law  of  righteousness. 
Wherefore  ?     Because  they  sought  it  not 
by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by  the  works  of  the 
law ;  for  they  stumbled  at  that  stumbling- 
stone."     Yet,  even  from  this  distance,  some 
have  been  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ. 
Of  this  the  apostle  himself  was  an  example, 
as  were  also  the  great  company  of  the  priests, 
who  were  obedient  to  the  faith. 

But  there  is  another  case  which  may  be 
reckoned  still  more  hopeless,  and  the  party 
still  farther  off  from  God.  This  is  where  a 
person  has  sat  under  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  for  a  number  of  years,  but  who, 
living  still  in  his  sins,  at  length  becomes 
past  feeling.  Such  characters,  I  fear,  are 
not  very  uncommon  in  our  congregations. 
Should  there  be  one  such  present  at  this 
time,  let  me  reason  with  him: — Thirty  or 
forty  years  ago,  it  may  be,  you  heard  the 
gospel,  and  felt,  and  wept  under  it.  Some 
of  your  fellow-worshippers,  observing  the 
tears  which  fell  from  your  eyes,  conceived  a 


A  STATE  OF  NATURE  AND  OF  GRACE. 


299 


hope  that  the  heart  of  stone  was  taken  away, 
and  a  heart  of  flesh  imparted.  But  these 
convictions  wore  off;  and,  by  decrees,  the 
most  pungent  things  might  be  delivered  in 
your  hearing  without  leaving  any  impres- 
sion on  your  mind.  The  case  was  this: 
Under  your  convictions,  you  desisted  from 
your  evil  courses :  but,  as  the  former  sub- 
sided, you  returned  to  the  latter.  At  first 
you  indulged  in  lesser  sins  ;  then  in  greater ; 
till,  at  length,  your  whole  study  was,  not 
how  you  should  avoid  sin,  but  how  you 
should  indulge  in  it  and  yet  conceal  it:  and, 
it  may  be,  you  have  succeeded  in  both,  to  a 
great  degree ;  living  in  uncleanness,  or 
drunkenness,  or  in  some  other  sin,  and  yet 
concealing  it  from  the  world,  and  filling  up 
your  place  in  the  house  of  God.  And  now 
you  can  hear  the  most  awful  threatenings, 
and  the  most  melting  expostulations,  un- 
moved. Your  heart  is  become  callous  and 
insensible.  Conscience  itself  is  seared,  as 
with  a  hot  iron.  In  a  word,  you  are  past 
feeling.  Many  have  perished  in  this  state, 
and  many,  doubtless,  will  perish  :  yet,  even 
from  this  state  of  distance,  some  have  been 
made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ:  "If  from 
thence  thou  shalt  seek  the  Lord  thy  God, 
thou  shalt  find  him,  if  thou  seek  him  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul. — For  the 
Lord  thy  God  is  a  merciful  God." 

Thus  far  we  have  considered  the  distance 
of  sinners  from  God  merely  in  respect  of 
their  alienation  of  heart  from  him ;  but  we 
must  not  confine  it  to  this :  as  men  have 
wickedly  departed  from  God,  God  has  right- 
eously withdrawn  from  them  ;  and  thus  the 
distance,  being  mutual,  is  increased.  While 
man  continued  obedient,  his  Creator  admit- 
ted him  to  near  communion  with  him,  as  is 
intimated  by  his  walking  in  the  garden  in 
the  cool  of  the  day  ;  but,  when  he  transgress- 
ed his  commandment,  he  withdrew  his  fa- 
vor, thrust  him  out  of  paradise,  and  placed 
a  guard  about  the  tree  of  life,  rendering  it 
inaccessible. 

Had  there  been  no  provision  of  mercy 
through  the  promised  seed,  there  could 
have  been  no  more  communion  between 
God  and  man,  any  more  than  between  God 
and  the  fallen  angels.  Men  might  have 
dragged  out  a  guilty  and  miserable  exist- 
ence in  the  world,  but  they  must  have  lived 
and  died  under  the  curse.*     Whatever  had 

*  Some  have  thought  that  the  Heath  threatened 
in  Gen.  ii.  17  was  merely  corporal,  and  that,  if  it 
had  been  executed,  man  would  have  been  immedi- 
ately struck  out  of  existence.  But  the  death  there 
threatened,  whatever  it  was,  "  passed  upon  all 
men,"  which  implies  the  existence  of  all  men,  and 
which  would  have  been  prevented  if  Adam  had  at 
that  time  been  reduced  to  a  state  of  non-existence, 
or  had  even  been  banished  fr<  m  the  world.  The 
original  constitution  of  things  must,  therefore, 
have  provided  for  the  existence  of  every  individual 
that  has  since  been  born  into  the  world  ;  and  this 
-whether    man   should   stand    or  fall.     The    death 


been  bestowed  upon  them,  it  would  have 
been  in  wrath,  in  like  manner  as  riches  are 
given  some  men  to  their  hurt.  Whatever 
had  been  their  troubles,  they  would  have  no 
God  to  repair  to  under  them  ;  and,  whatever 
their  prospects,  the  hope  of  a  blessed  here- 
after would  have  made  no  part  of  them. 

This  awful  state  of  distance  from  God  is 
still  the  condition  of  the  unbelieving  and  the 
ungodly.  The  interposition  of  Christ  avails 
not  in  behalf  of  them.  "  He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life  :  and  he  that 
believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life ;  but 
the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him."  Being 
without  Christ,  they  are  without  hope,  and 
without  God  in  the  world.  Every  thing 
they  do  is  evil ;  every  thing  they  possess  is 
cursed  ;  and  every  hour  they  live  in  that 
state  of  mind  adds  to  their  guilt  and  misery. 
As  "all  things  work  together  for  good  to 
them  that  love  God,  so  all  things  work  to- 
gether for  .evil  to  them  that  love  him  not. 
Under  all  their  calamities  and  troubles,  they 
have  no  God  on  whom  to  cast  their  cares, 
and,  in  death,  have  nothing  but  a  fearful 
looking  for  of  judgment.  The  very  mes- 
sengers of  mercy  are  charged,  on  their 
peril,  to  say  to  the  wicked,  "  It  shall  be  ill 
with  him." 

How  tremendously  awful,  then,  is  the  con- 
dition of  the  unbelieving  and  the  ungodly ! 
There  is  one  way  of  escape,  and  but  one  :  and 
is  it  possible  that  this  can  be  disregarded ;  and 
that  men  can  live  easy  and  unconcerned, 
with  the  curse  of  God  over  their  heads  ? 
Surely  this  must  be  owing  to  a  disbelief  of 
the  divine  threatenings,  as  well  as  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  gospel.  But  take  heed  "lest 
there  should  be  among  you  a  root  that  bear- 
eth  gall  and  wormwood ;  and  it  come  to  pass 
when  he  heareth  the  words  of  this  curse, 
that  he  bless  himself  in  his  heart,  saying, 
I  shall  have  peace,  though  I  walk  in  the 
imagination  of  mine  heart,  to  add  drunken- 
ness to  thirst :  the  Lord  will  not  spare  him, 
but  then  the  anger  of  the  Lord  and  his  jea- 
lousy shall  smoke  against  that  man,  and  all 
the  curses  that  are  written  in  this  book  shall 
lie  upon  him,  and  the  Lord  shall  blot  out  his 
name  from  under  heaven !  "  In  this  terrible 
condition  the  gospel  finds  us.     To  this  door 

here  threatened,  doubtless,  included  that  of  the 
body,  and  which  God  might  execute  at  pleasure  : 
the  day  he  should  eat  he  would  be  dead  in  law  ; 
but  it  also  included  the  loss  of  the  divine  favor,  and 
an  exposedness  to  his  wrath.  If  it  were  not  so, 
the  redemption  of  Christ  would  not  bo  properly 
opposed  to  it,  which  it  frequently  is.  Rom.  v.  12 
— 21.  It  must  be  to  this  sentence  that  the  apostle 
refers  in  Heb.  ix.  27.  "  It  is  appointed  unto  men 
once  to  die,  but  after  this  the  judgment;"  or 
Christ's  being  "  once  offered  to  bear  the  fins  of 
many,"  and  his  "  coming  a  second  time  without 
sin  unto  salvation,"  would  not  have  been  introdu. 
ced  as  antidotes  to  the  evils  :  hut,  if  the  sentence 
included  both  death  and  judgment,  it  must  be  more 
than  corporal  death. 


300 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


of  hope  we  shall  now  direct  your  attention, 
by  considering, 

III.  The  way  in   which    sinners   are 

RECOVERED  AND  BROUGHT  NIGH  TO  GOD. 

It  is  "  in  Christ  Jesus,"  and  "  by  the  blood  of 
Christ."  In  Christ  we  possess  all.  It  is  as 
being  "  in  Christ  Jesus  "  that  we  possess  all 
spiritual  blessings  ;  and  by  the  shedding  of 
his  blood  they  were  obtained. 

The  blood  of  Christ  may  be  considered 
in  three  views :  as  shed  upon  the  cross — 
as  proclaimed  by  the  preaching  of  the  gos- 
pel— and  as  believed  in  for  salvation  by  the 
perishing  sinner.  These,  being  united,  bring 
near  those  who  were  once  far  off. 

1.  By  the  blood  of  Christ,  as  shed  upon  the 
cross,  atonement  was  made,  sin  was  expiated, 
and  a  ivay  opened  for  God  to  draw  near  to 
the  sinner,  and  the  sinner  to  God.  In  punish- 
ing transgressors,  displeasure  is  expressed 
against  transgression.  In  substitutionary 
sacrifices,  displeasure  was  expressed  against 
transgression ;  but,  withal,  mercy  to  the 
transgressor :  the  former,  as  signifying  that 
thus  the  offerer  deserved  to  have  been  treat- 
ed ;  the  latter,  as  accepting  a  substitute  in 
his  stead.  In  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  both 
these  sentiments  were  expressed  in  the  high- 
est degree  :  "  God  sent  his  own  Son  in  the 
likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin  (or  by  a 
sacrifice  for  sin)  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh." 
— "  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  de- 
livered him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not 
with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things  ?  "  In 
proportion  as  God's  own  Son  was  dear  to 
him,  and,  as  possessed  of  divine  dignity,  es- 
timable by  him,  such  were  the  hatred  of  sin 
and  the  love  to  sinners  manifested  in  smit- 
ing him. 

If  mercy  had  been  exercised  to'men  with- 
out such  an  expression  of  displeasure  against 
their  sin,  it  must  have  appeared  to  the  crea- 
tion to  be  connivance,  and  the  character  of 
God  must  have  sunk  in  their  estimation. 
He  must  have  appeared  to  be  very  strict  in- 
deed in  his  precepts,  and  severe  in  his 
threatenings  ;  but  as  lax  in  enforcing  them  as 
though  he  had  known  from  the  beginning 
that  they  would  not  bear  to  be  acted  upon. 
The  fallen  angels,  in  particular,  must  have 
felt  that  it  could  not  be  justice  that  consign- 
ed them  to  hopeless  perdition ;  for  justice 
is  impartial.  If  the  Creator  could  connive  at 
sin  in  one  instance,  he  could  in  another. 
Thus  the  bands  of  moral  government  had 
been  broken,  and  the  cords  which  held  crea- 
tion together  cast  away. 

But,  by  the  atonement  of  Christ,  a  way  is 
opened  for  the  consistent  exercise  of  mercy. 
There  was  a  kind  of  atonement  made  by  the 
vengeance  taken  on  the  old  world ;  also  by 
that  on  the  Benjamites,  as  recorded  in  the 
last  chapters  of  Judges.  Each  of  these 
events  served  to  express  the  divine  displea- 
sure against  sin,  and  each  made  way  for  the 
exercise  of  mercy :    the  one  toward  Noah 


and  his  posterity  ;  and  the  other  toward  the 
remnant  that  had  taken  refuge  in  the  rock 
Rimmon.  Thus,  in  the  death  of  Christ, 
though  he  died  "  the  just  for  the  unjust,"  yet 
God  herein  expressed  his  displeasure  against 
sin,  and,  having  done  this,  could  be  "just, 
and  the  justifier  of  him  which  believeth  in 
Jesus."  There  is  now  no  bar,  in  respect 
of  the  government  of  God,  why  any  sinner 
should  not,  on  returning  to  him  in  the  name 
of  his  Son,  find  mercy.  On  this  ground, 
sinners,  without  distinction,  are  actually 
invited  to  come  unto  him  and  be  saved. 
The  only  bar  that  remains  is  a  spirit  of  pride 
and  unbelief.  If  they  can  believe  in  Jesus, 
receiving  salvation  as  God's  free  gift  through 
him,  "  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth." 

When,  on  visiting  a  dying  man,  I  hear  him 
talk  of  having  made  his  peace  with  God,  I 
tremble  for  him.  If  our  peace  be  made  with 
God,  it  is  by  the  blood  of  the  cross.  What 
are  our  confessions,  or  prayers,  or  tears? 
Can  they  heal  the  awful  breach?  If  so, 
God  would  have  spared  his  own  Son,  and 
not  have  delivered  him  up  to  be  made  a  sac- 
rifice. It  had  then  been  possible  for  the 
cup  to  pass  from  him,  and  it  would,  no  doubt, 
have  passed  from  him.  If  without  the  shed- 
ding of  blood  there  be  no  remission,  and  if  it 
were  impossible  for  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of 
goats  to  take  away  sin,  the  consequence  is 
that  either  Christ  must  be  the  sacrifice  or  we 
must  die  in  our  sins  and  perish.  He  hath 
made  peace  by  the  blood  of  his  cross :  it  is 
not  for  us  to  assume  to  be  peace-makers, 
but  to  accept  of  his  mediation. 

2.  The  blood  of  Christ,  as  proclaimed  in 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  is  the  appointed 
means  of  bringing  sinners  near  to  God.  It 
is  the  doctrine  of  salvation  through  the  blood 
of  Christ  that  is,  by  way  of  eminency,  called 
the  gospel.  It  was  this  doctrine  which  Christ 
commissioned  his  disciples  to  preach  to  ev- 
ery creature  :  "  Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus 
it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from 
the  dead  the  third  day :  and  that  repentance 
and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in 
his  name  among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Je- 
rusalem !  "  This  doctrine  is  good  netvs  to 
every  creature ;  and  that  whether  it  be  re- 
ceived or  rejected.  It  is  good  news  that  a 
way  is  opened,  by  the  death  of  Christ,  for 
any  sinner  to  return  to  God  and  be  saved  ; 
and  that,  if  any  sinner  walk  therein,  he  shall 
be  saved.  It  is  the  ministry  of  reconcilia- 
tion, in  which  the  servants  of  Christ,  as 
though  God  did  beseech  by  them,  pray  men 
in  Christ's  stead,  saying,  "Be  ye  reconciled 
to  God."  Its  being  made  light  of  by  the 
greater  part  of  men  does  not  alter  its  nature  ; 
and  this  they  shall  know  another  day.  God 
brings  near  his  righteousness,  even  to  them 
that  are  stout-hearted  and  far  from  righteous- 
ness. "  Into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,"  said 
our  Lord,  "  and  they  receive  you,  eat  such 


ON    LOVE    TO    GOD. 


301 


things  as  are  set  before  you ;  and  heal  the 
sick  that  are  therein,  and  say  unto  them,  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you.  But 
into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  and  they  re- 
ceive you  not,  go  your  ways  out  into  the 
streets  of  the  same,  and  say,  Even  the  very 
dust  of  your  city,  which  cleaveth  on  us,  we  do 
wipe  off  against  you:  notwithstanding,  be  ye 
sure  of  this,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come 
nigh  unto  you.  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  it 
shall  be  more  tolerable  in  that  day  for  Sodom 
than  for  that  city." 

3.  By  the  doctrine  of  salvation  through  the 
blood  of  Christ  ive  are  actually  brought  nigh. 
As  the  prodigal  was  brought  home  to  his  fa- 
ther's house  and  family,  so  we  are  brought 
home  to  God.  It  is  thus  that  we  become  ac- 
tually reconciled  to  God.  "  If  when  we  were 
enemies,"  says  the  apostle,  "  we  were  recon- 
ciled to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son  ;  much 
more,  bein<i  reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved 
by  his  life."  The  term  reconciled  is,  here, 
manifestly  used  in  different  senses.  In  the 
former  instance,  it  re.fers  to  the  making  of 
atonement:  in  the  latter,  to  our  believing 
acquiesence  in  it ;  or,  as  it  is  expressed  in 
the  following  verse,  to  our  "receiving  the 
atonement."  It  is  in  this  way  that  our  sins 
are  forgiven ;  that  we  are  justified,  or  accept- 
ed, in  the  Beloved ;  that  we  are  invested 
with  the  privilege  of  being  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty ;  that  God 
is  our  God,  and  we  his  people,  by  a  new  and 
better  covenant;  that  we  have  access  to  him  as 
our  heavenly  Father,  and  to  all  the  ordinan- 
ces and  privileges  of  his  house  :  finally,  it  is 
as  believing  in  him  that  died  and  rose  again 
that  Ave  live  in  hope  of  eternal  life. 

There  is  a  term  used  by  the  apostle,  in 
Ephes.  iii.  12,  which  conveys  a  very  express- 
ive idea,  not  only  of  the  nearness  to  which 
believers  are  admitted  by  the  faith  of  Christ, 
and  which  is  denoted  by  the  term  "access," 
but  of  their  being  introduced  by  him,  as  by 
one  taking  them  by  the  hand,  and  presenting 
them  to  the  King.*  We  could  not  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  divine  presence  by  ourselves  ; 
but  our  Mediator,  taking  us  as  it  were  by  the 
hand,  presents  us  to  God.  It  is  thus  that  we 
are  "accepted  in  the  Beloved"  on  our  first 
believing,  and,  in  all  our  approaches  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  have  access  to  God. 

To  conclude  :  If  we  have  been  made  nigh, 
it  becomes  us,  not  only  to  be  thankful  for  so 
great  a  favor,  but  to  feel  a  deep  and  anxious 
concern  for  others  who  at  present  are  far 
off.  Whether  we  consider  the  state  of  hea- 
thens, of  Mahomedans,  or  of  our  own  unbe- 
lieving countrymen,  they  have  each  a  claim 
on  our  compassion.  And,  if  Christ  withheld 
not  his  blood  to  bring  us  nigh,  it  surely 
is  not  for  us  to  withhold  any  labor  or  ex- 
pense in  carrying  his  gracious  designs  into 
execution. 

•  TlootrdL-yteyi,,  Introduction,  manuduction,or  being 
led  by  the  hand. 


SERMON  XXI. 

THE  NATURE  AND  IMPORTANCE  OF  LOVE  TO 
GOD. 

"  Take  good  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves, 
that  ye  love  the  Lord  your  God." — Joshua  xxii.. 
11. 

It  is  an  interesting  account  that  we  have 
of  the  last  days  of  Joshua.  He  is  very  anx- 
ious that,  when  he  should  cease  to  be  their 
leader,  Israel  should  cleave  unto  the  Lord. 
To  make  as  deep  an  impression  upon  their 
minds  as  possible,  he  first  called  for  the  el- 
ders and  leading  men  among  them,  and  de- 
livered a  serious  charge  to  them  :  after  this, 
he  gathered  all  the  tribes  together  before 
the  Lord  in  Shechem,  where  he  solemnly 
rehearsed  the  dealings  of  the  Lord  with 
them,  and  bound  them,  by  every  considera- 
tion that  he  could  suggest,  not  to  forsake 
him,  and  go  after  the  idols  of  the  heathen. 
It  is  in  this  connection  that  he  introduces 
the  words  of  the  text,  "  Take  good  heed 
therefore  unto  yourselves  that  ye  love  the 
Lord  your  God ; "  intimating  that  in  order 
to  be  obedient  to  the  Lord,  and  secure 
against  idolatrous  departures  from  him,  it 
was  necessary,  not  merely  to  own  him  as 
their  God,  but  to  be  cordially  attached  to 
his  name  and  government.  The  word  ren- 
dered "  yourselves "  in  the  text  is,  in  the 
margin,  rendered  your  souls  ;  denoting  that 
it  is  not  a  superficial  inspection  of  the  con- 
duct that  is  meant,  but  a  looking  to  our  in- 
most motives,  seeing  to  it  that  we  love  the 
Lord  from  our  very  hearts. 

This  is  a  charge  that  would  well  befit'the 
lips  of  any  servant  of  God  before  he  leaves 
the  world,  and  be  well  suited  to  the  conduct 
of  any  people.  If  our  hearts  be  right  with 
God,  all  is  right ;  if  not,  all  is  wrong. 

In  discoursing  upon  the  subject,  we  shall 
offer  a  few  remarks  on  the  nature  of  love, 
and  of  love  to  God  in  particular — consider 
the  importance  of  it  in  characterizing  the 
whole  of  our  religion — the  danger  of  de- 
clining from  it — and  the  means  to  be  used 
in  promoting  it. 

I.  Let  us  offer  a  few  remarks  on  the  na- 
ture   OF    LOVE,   AND    OF    LOVE    TO    GoD    IN 

particular.  That  we  may  perceive  the 
extent  of  the  precept,  it  is  necessary  that 
we  understand  a  few  of  the  different  ways 
in  which  love  operates. 

1.  Observe,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that 
love  operates  differently  according  to  the  con- 
dition of  its  object.  If  directed  to  one  that 
is  miserable,  it  works  in  a  way  of  pity  and 
sympathy;  if  to  one  that  is  in  necessity,  it 
will  impart  to  his  relief;  but  if  to  one  great- 
ly our  superior,  as  to  a  kind  and  benevolent 
sovereign,  for  instance,  then  it  will  operate 
in  the  way  ofhonor,  complacency,  gratitude, 
and  obedience.     I  need  not  say  that  God  is 


302 


SERMONS    AND     SKETCHES. 


not  subject  to  either  misery  or  want,  and, 
therefore,  that  our  love  to  him  cannot  oper- 
ate in  the  way  of  pity  towards  him,  or  by 
communicating  to  his  necessities.  The  ways 
in  which  love  to  God  operates  are  those  of 
honor,  complacency,  gratitude,  and  obedi- 
ence. 

2.  Love  operates  differently  according  to 
the  condition  of  the  subject  of  it.  If  no 
offence  has  existed  between  the  parties,  it 
is  peace  and  amity;  but,  if  otherwise,  it  will 
operate  in  the  way  of  regret,  repentance, 
and  a  desire  of  reconciliation.  Man,  in  his 
original  state,  was  admitted  to  commune 
with  his  Creator ;  and  love,  during  his  con- 
tinuance in  that  state,  operated  in  a  way  of 
grateful  adoration.  But,  if  a  spark  of  love 
be  kindled  in  the  breast  of  a  fallen  creature, 
it  will  work  in  a  way  of  sorrow  for  sin,  and 
a  desire  to  return  to  God,  as  the  prodigal  did 
to  his  father.  Moreover,  in  an  innocent 
creature,  love  to  God  would  operate  in  a  way 
of  delight  and  praise ;  but  in  a  fallen  crea- 
ture, under  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  it 
will  induce  him  to  embrace  the  way  of  sal- 
vation by  Jesus  Christ.  Hence  the  want  of 
faith  in  Christ  is  alleged  in  proof  of  the 
want  of  love  to  God:  "I  know  you,  that  ye 
have  not  the  love  of  God  in  you  :  I  am  come 
in  my  Father's  name,  and  ye  receive  me  not." 

3.  A  complacency  in  the  divine  character 
still  enters  into  the  essence  of  love.  There 
may  be  affections  where  this  is  not;  but 
there  can  be  no  true  love  to  God.  We  may 
be  greatly  affected  by  an  apprehension  that 
our  sins  are  forgiven  us  ;  and  this  merely 
from  self-love :  but  such  affections  will  not 
abide.  Many  who  joined  in  singing  praise 
to  the  Lord,  on  their  deliverance  at  the 
Red  Sea,  soon  forgot  his  works ;  for  their 
hearts  were  not  right  with  God.  Genuine 
love  to  God  has  respect  not  merely  to  his 
benefits,  but  to  his  name,  nature,  or  charac- 
ter, as  revealed  in  the  Scriptures.  As  he 
that  hateth  not  sin  as  sin  has  no  real  hatred 
to  it;  so  he  that  loveth  not  God  as  God 
has  no  real  love  to  him.  True  love  to  God, 
for  the  gift  of  his  Son  and  salvation  through 
his  death,  does  not  merely  respect  the  bene- 
fits we  receive,  but  the  holy,  just,  and  honor- 
able way  in  which  those  benefits  are  con- 
ferred. He  that  is  affected  only  by  the 
consideration  of  his  own  safety,  regardless 
of  the  way  in  which  it  is  obtained,  cannot  be 
said  to  love  God.  Whether  God  be  just 
or  unjust  is,  to  such  a  person,  a  matter  of 
indifference,  so  that  he  justifies  him.  The 
love  of  God  will  lead  us  to  prize  that  way  of 
salvation  which,  in  making  provision  for  our 
necessities,  secures  the  divine  glory. 

II.  Let  us  observe  the  importance  of 

THIS  PRINCIPLE  AS  CHARACTERIZING  THE 
WHOLE  OF    OUR  RELIGION.       Love  is    not    SO 

much  a  particular  grace  as  a  property  per- 
taining to  all  the  graces.  It  is  to  our  graces 
that  which  the  holiness  of  God  is  to  his  mor- 


al attributes,  pervading  and  characterizing 
the  whole.  Indeed,  it  is  holiness  itself:  if 
the  law  be  the  standard  of  holiness,  that 
which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  which  love 
is  said  to  be,  must  comprehend  the  whole  of 
it.     Observe  particularly — 

1.  It  is  the  love  of  God  which  distinguishes 
true  religion  from  all  counterfeits,  and  from 
the  effects  of  merely  natural  principles.  It  is 
this  that  distinguishes  repentance  from  re- 
pentance, faith  from  faith,  and  fear  from  fear. 
Each  of  these  graces  has  its  counterfeit. 
Wherein  consisted  the  difference  between 
the  repentance  of  Judas  and  that  of  Peter  ? 
The  one  was  mere  remorse  of  conscience  ; 
the  other  proceeded  from  love  to  him  whom 
he  had  denied.  Wherein  consisted  the  dif- 
ference between  the  belief  of  those  rulers 
who,  because  of  the  pharisees,  did  not  con- 
fess the  Saviour,  lest  they  should  be  put  out 
of  the  synagogue,  and  that  which  was  to  the 
saving  of  the  soul?  The  one  was  a  convic- 
tion which  forced  itself  upon  them,  while 
their  hearts  were  averse  from  it;  the  other 
was  "  receiving  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they 
might  be  saved."  And  wherein  consists  the 
difference  between  the  fear  that  has  torment 
and  godly  fear  ?  Is  it  not  that  the  one  is 
void  of  love  and  the  other  is  not  so  ?  Per- 
fect love  casteth  out  the  former,  but  pro- 
moteth  the  latter. 

So  much  as  we  have  of  the  love  of  God, 
so  much  we  have  of  true  religion,  and  no 
more.  The  love  that  we  bear  to  our  fellow- 
Christians,  to  the  law,  to  the  gospel,  and 
even  to  Christ  himself,  is  the  love  of  God. 
We  see  in  our  brethren  the  image  of  God, 
and  love  it;  in  the  law  of  God,  a  glorious 
transcript  of  his  mind,  and  love  it ;  in  the 
gospel,  a  more  glorious  transcript  of  his  mind, 
and  love  it  more ;  and,  in  the  person  and 
work  of  Christ,  the  very  image  of  the  invisi- 
ble God,  and  our  hearts  are  united  to  him. 
In  loving  each  of  these  objects,  we  love  God. 

2.  It  is  the  love  of  God  that  keeps  every  thing 
in  a  state  of  moral  order.  Under  its  influence, 
every  thing  will  be  done  in  subserviency  to 
his  glory,  and  every  thing  taken  well  at  his 
hand.  If  God  be  loved  first,  he  will  be 
sought  first.  We  shall  not  think  of  excusing 
ourselves  in  the  neglect  of  our  duty,  by  al- 
leging that  we  could  not  find  time  for  it :  we 
commonly  find  time  for  things  on  which  our 
hearts  are  fixed.  It  is  by  the  love  of  God 
that  all  our  actions  are  directed  to  his  glory. 
Unbelievers  cannot  understand  how  this  is. 
Whether  they  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever 
they  do,  it  is  merely  for  their  own  gratifica- 
tion, and  they  cannot  conceive  of  any  other 
end  to  be  answered.  Yet  it  is  easy  to  per- 
ceive how  men  can  make  every  thing  sub- 
servient to  that  which  their  hearts  are  set 
upon,  whether  it  be  their  interest,  or  the  grat- 
ification of  their  desires.  Love  to  a  fellow- 
creature  will  render  every  thing  we  do  sub- 
servient to  the  object.     All  the  labors  and 


ON    LOVE    TO    GOD. 


303 


journeys  of  a  loving  head  of  a  family  are  di- 
rected to  their  comfort ;  and  all  the  busy 
cares  of  an  affectionate  wife  to  the  honor  and 
happiness  of  her  husband.  If  then  God  be 
the  supreme  object  of  our  love,  whether  we 
eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  we  do,  we  shall 
do  all  to  his  glory. 

It  is  thus  that  the  common  concerns  of 
life  are  converted  into  religion,  and  that  we 
shall  serve  the  Lord  even  in  our  worldly  avo- 
cations :  "  Not  slothful  in  business  ;  fervent 
in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord."  It  is  in  abusing 
the  world,  by  giving  it  that  place  in  our 
hearts  which  belongs  to  God,  that  it  retards 
us  in  our  progress  to  heaven.  If,  instead  of 
this,  we  could  use  it,  it  would  be  useful  to  us 
even  for  another  life,  furnishing  us  with  mat- 
ter for  daily  prayer  and  praise,  and  thus  as- 
sisting us  in  our  progress. 

If  we  love  God,  we  shall  take  every  thing 
well  at  his  hand,  and  so  be  reconciled  to  all 
his  dispensations  towards  us,  whether  they 
be  good  or  evil.  We  can  bear  almost  any 
thing  from  one  whom  we  love  ;  especially 
when  we  know  that  it  is  accompanied  with 
wisdom,  and  directed  by  goodness.  When, 
in  the  day  of  Israel's  calamity,  their  enemies 
asked,  "  Where  is  now  their  God  ?"  it  was 
sufficient  to  answer,  "  Our  God  is  in  the 
heavens ;  he  hath  done  whatsoever  he  hath 
pleased."  It  was  love  that  dictated  those 
memorable  sayings  of  Job,  during  the  early 
part  of  his  trials  ;  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the 
Lord  hath  taken  away  ;  blessed  be  the  name 
of  the  Lord  ! — Shall  Ave  receive  good  at  the 
hand  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  we  not  receive 
evil?"  It  was  this  that  reconciled  David, 
when  driven  from  his  throne  by  the  rebellion 
of  his  own  son  :  "Here  am  I,  let  him  do  to 
me  as  seemeth  good  unto  him."  And,  when 
cursed  by  an  enemy,  viewing  it  as  the  Lord's 
hand  stretched  out  against  him,  he  submit- 
ted :  "  The  Lord  hath  said  unto  him,  Curse 
David!" 

3.  It  is  the  love  of  God  that  is  the  great 
preservation  from  error.  If,  indeed,  the  truth 
of  God  were  a  matter  of  mere  speculation, 
and  we  might  take  for  granted  the  sincerity 
and  impartiality  of  our  inquiries,  error  would 
then  be  innocent,  and  the  love  of  God  would 
be  no  more  of  a  preservative  from  it  than  it 
is  from  a  mistake  in  reckoning  a  sum  in 
arithmetic.  But  if  divine  truth  be  of  a  prac- 
tical nature,  and  be  so  clearly  revealed  that 
no  unprejudiced  mind  can  materially  mis- 
understand, and  still  less  disbelieve  it,  error 
is  not  innocent,  and  the  great  preservative 
from  falling  into  it  is  the  love  of  God.  Such 
is  manifestly  the  import  of  the  following 
passages :  "  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he 
shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of 
God. — Why  do  ye  not  understand  my 
speech  ?  even  because  ye  cannot  hear  my 
word. — If  I  say  the  truth,  why  do  ye  not 
believe  me  ?     He  that  is  of   God  heareth 


God's  words :  ye  therefore  hear  them  not, 
because  ye  are  not  of  God. — We  are  of 
God:  he  that  knoweth  God  heareth  us;  he 
that  is  not  of  God  heareth  not  us.  Hereby 
know  we  the  spirit  of  truth,  and  the  spirit  of 
error."  If  it  be  objected  that  good  men  err ; 
that  to  ascribe  their  errors  to  prejudice,  and 
the  want  of  love  to  God,  is  uncandid ;  we 
answer,  No  good  man  is  free  from  prejudice, 
nor  does  he  love  God  as  he  ought.  To  as- 
cribe the  errors  of  others  to  the  same  causes 
to  which  we  ascribe  our  own,  supposing  us 
to  be  in  error,  cannot  be  uncandid.  If  we 
loved  God  as  we  ought,  there  would  be  no 
prejudice  hanging  about  our  minds,  and  we 
should  imbibe  the  truth,  as  angels  imbibe  it, 
desiring  above  all  things  to  look  into  it. 
And,  if  we  loved  him  more  than  we  do,  we 
should  be  more  secure  than  we  are  from  the 
seducing  influence  of  error.  Hence  it  is 
that  the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  re- 
presented as  teaching  us  all  things,  and 
causing  us  to  abide  in  the  truth.  Hence, 
also,  those  who  have  apostatized  from  the 
truth  are  described  as  not  having  cordially 
believed  it,  but  as  taking  pleasure  in  unright- 
eousness. 

4.  It  is  the  love  of  God  which  is  the  grand 
spring  of  evangelical  obedience.  Respect  to 
ourselves,  and  regard  to  our  present  inter- 
ests, will  produce  a  correctness  of  conduct 
sufficient  to  excite  the  respect  of  those 
around  us  ;  but  this  is  not  religion.  There 
is  no  true  religion  without  the  love  of  God  ; 
and  if,  as  has  been  already  stated,  the  love  of 
the  law,  of  the  gospel,  of  our  fellow-crea- 
tures and  fellow-christians,  and  even  of 
Christ  himself,  be  only  the  love  of  God  ram- 
ified, it  must  follow  that  without  this  we 
shall  not  be  able  to  exercise  the  others,  but 
be  merely  lovers  of  our  own  selves.  If 
we  take  heed  to  this,  we  shall  have  but  little 
else  to  take  heed  to,  as  every  duty  will  be- 
come our  delight  and  be  cheerfully  discharg- 
ed as  a  matter  of  course.  Hence,  we  see 
the  force  of  the  wise  man's  precept,  "Keep 
thy  heart  with  all  diligence ;  for  out  of  it 
are  the  issues  of  life."  Look  well  to  the 
fountain,  or  the  streams  will  in  vain  be  ex- 
pected to  be  pure.  To  watch  our  words  and 
actions  to  the  neglect  of  our  hearts  will  be 
unavailing. 

III.  Let  us   consider   the    dagger    we 

ARE      IN      OF     DECLINING     FROM     THE     LOVE 

of  God.  The  serious  tone  of  caution  with 
which  the  precept  is  delivered  is  expressive 
of  this  sentiment:  it  is  only  in  cases  of 
great  danger  that  we  are  charged  to  take 
good  heed. 

The  love  of  God  is  a  plant  of  heavenly 
extraction ;  but,  being  planted  in  an  un- 
friendly soil,  it  requires  to  be  well  guarded 
and  watered.  We  are  not  only  surrounded 
with  objects  which  attract  our  affections,  and 
operate  as  rivals  to  the  blessed  God,  but  have 


304 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


a  propensity  to  depart  from  him.  Whether 
we  consider  ourselves  as  individuals  or  as 
societies,  this  will  be  found  to  be  the  case. 

In  the  early  stages  of  the  Christian  life, 
love  is  frequently  ardent.  The  first  believ- 
ing views  of  the  grace  of  the  gospel  furnish 
matter  of  joyful  surprise ;  and  a  flow  of 
grateful  affection  is  the  natural  conse- 
quence :  "  I  love  the  Lord  because  he  hath 
heard  my  voice  and  my  supplications.  Be- 
cause he  hath  inclined  his  ear  unto  me, 
therefore  will  I  call  upon  him  as  long  as  I 
live."  At  this  season  we  can  scarcely  con- 
ceive it  possible  to  forget  him  who  hath  done 
such  great  things  for  us ;  but,  if  twenty 
years  of  cares  and  temptations  pass  over  us 
without  producing  this  effect,  it  will  be  hap- 
py for  us. 

In  declining  from  our  first  love  we  are  sel- 
dom sensible  of  it  till  some  of  its  effects  ap- 
pear, as  neglecting  the  more  spiritual  exer- 
cises of  religion,  or  contenting  ourselves  with 
attending  to  them  as  a  matter  of  form  without 
enjoying  God  in  them,  or  trifling  with  those 
sins  from  which  we  should  heretofore  have 
started  back  with  horror.  Our  friends  often 
perceive  it,  and  feel  concerned  on  account  of 
it,  before  we  are  aware  of  it  ourselves ;  and 
happy  is  it  for  us  if  by  their  timely  admoni- 
tions, or  by  any  other  means,  we  are  awak- 
ened from  our  lethargy  and  saved  from  some 
greater  fall,  to  the  dishonor  of  God  and  the 
wounding  of  our  future  peace. 

I  have  heard  this  departure  from  our  first 
love  spoken  of  as  a  matter  of  course,  or  as 
that  which  must  be  expected.  Nay,  I  have 
heard  it  compared  to  the  time  when  Isaac 
was  ivcaned,  at  which  Abraham  made  a  feast ! 
Some  old  religious  professors,  who  have 
become  sufficiently  cold  and  carnal  them- 
selves, will  thus  endeavor  to  reconcile  young 
Christians  to  the  same  state  of  mind ;  tell-- 
ing  them,  with  a  cunning  sort  of  smile, 
that  they  are  at  present  on  the  mount  of 
enjoyment,  but  must  expect  to  come  down. 
And  true  it  is  that  love,  though  it  may  be- 
come deeper  and  better  grounded,  may  not 
always  operate  with  such  tenderness  of  feel- 
ing as  it  did  at  first.  A  change  in  the  con- 
stitution from  an  advance  in  years  will  ac- 
count for  this.  Many  things  relating  to  the 
present  world  which  in  our  youth  will  pro- 
duce tears  will  not  have  this  effect  as  we 
advance  in  life,  though  they  may  still  lie 
with  weight  upon  our  minds.  But  to  con- 
found this  with  religious  declensions,  cold- 
ness, and  carnality,  and  to  endeavor  to  re- 
concile young  Christians  to  it,  is  erroneous 
and  mischievous.  So  did  not  the  apostles 
in  their  intercourse  with  young  Christians. 
When  Barnabas  visited  the  young  Christians 
at  Antioch,  he  "saw  the  grace  of  God,  and 
was  glad;"  and,  instead  of  leading  them  to 
expect  a  state  of  declension  to  follow  this 
their  first  love,  he  "exhorted  them  all  that 
with  purpose    of  heart    they  would   cleave 


unto  the  Lord."  The  great  Head  of  the 
church  had  somewhat  against  the  Ephesians, 
because  they  had  left  their  first  love. 

There  is  no  necessity  in  the  nature  of 
things  for  the  abatement  of  our  love,  or 
zeal,  or  joy.  The  considerations  which  for- 
merly excited  these  feelings  have  not  lost 
their  force.  It  is  as  true  and  as  important 
as  ever  that  "  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners,"  and  that  lie  is  "able 
to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come 
unto  God  by  him :  "  and,  excepting  what  the 
first  impression  derived  from  its  novelty, 
would,  if  we  had  not  declined  in  love,  be  as 
interesting  to  us.  So  far  from  our  regard 
for  these  and  other  truths  being  diminished, 
there  is  ground  for  its  being  increased.  Our 
first  views  of  Christ  and  his  gospel  were 
very  defective  ;  if  we  follow  on  to  know  the 
Lord,  we  shall  know  him  in  a  much  greater 
degree.  "The  path  of  the  just,"  if  scrip- 
turally  pursued,  will  be  "as  the  shining 
light,  shining  more  and  more  unto  the  per- 
fect day."  This  was  the  course  which  the 
apostles  pursued  toward  the  Christians  of 
their  times :  "And  this  I  pray,  that  your  love 
may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowl- 
edge, and  in  all  judgment. — We  are  bound 
to  thank  God  always  for  you,  brethren,  as  it 
is  meet,  because  your  faith  groweth  exceed- 
ingly, and  the  charity  of  every  one  of  you 
all  toward  each  other  aboundeth. — Beloved 
brethren,  be  ye  steadfast,  immoveable,  al- 
ways abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your  labor  is  not 
in  vain  in  the  Lord."  The  apostle  himself 
did  not  relax  as  he  drew  toward  the  end  of 
his  course,  but  forgetting  the  things  that 
were  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those 
that  were  before,  he  pressed  toward  the 
mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus. 

To  decline  in  our  love  is  practically  say- 
ing that  we  were  once  more  spiritually- 
minded,  more  tender  in  conscience,  and 
more  devoted  to  God,  than  was  necessary  ; 
that  we  have  not  found  the  religion  of  Jesus 
so  interesting  as  Ave  expected,  and,  there- 
fore, have  been  obliged  to  have  recourse  for 
happiness  to  our  former  pursuits  ;  and  that 
what  our  old  companions  told  us  at  the  out- 
set, that  our  zeal  would  soon  abate  and  that 
we  should  return  again  to  them,  Avas  true. 
"  O,  my  people,  what  have  I  done  unto  thee, 
and  Avherein  have  I  wearied  thee  ?  testify 
against  me !  " 

If  we  be  in  danger  of  declining  as  indi- 
viduals, Ave  are  not  less  so  as  societies.  So- 
cieties being  composed  of  individuals,  a 
number  of  backsliding  individuals  will  soon 
diffuse  their  spirit  and  produce  a  backsliding 
people.  It  Avas  to  a  people  that  the  Avords  of 
Joshua  were  addressed.  That  generation 
of  Israelites  who  went  up  with  him  into 
Canaan  Avere  distinguished  by  their  love  to 
God.     They  had  seen  his  judgments  upon 


CONFORMITY    TO    THE    DEATH    OF    CHRIST. 


305 


their  unbelieving  fathers,  whose  carcasses 
fell  in  the  wilderness,  and  had  learned  wis- 
dom. It  was  of  them  that  the  Lord  spoke 
by  Jeremiah,  saying-,  "  I  remember  thee,  the 
kindness  of  thy  youth,  the  love  of  thine  es- 
pousals, when  thou  wentest  after  me  in  the 
wilderness,  in  a  land  that  was  not  sown. 
Israel  was  holiness  unto  the  Lord,  and  the 
first-fruits  of  his  increase."  But  the  very 
next  generation  relapsed  into  idolatry  :  "  Is- 
rael served  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  Joshua, 
and  all  the  days  of  the  elders  that  overlived 
Joshua,  and  which  had  known  all  the  works 
of  the  Lord  that  he  had  done  for  Israel." 
But  when  they  were  gathered  to  their  fa- 
thers "there  arose  another  generation  after 
them  which  knew  not  the  Lord,  nor  yet  the 
works  which  he  had  done  for  Israel."  Even 
before  the  death  of  their  venerable  leader, 
the  young  people  had  begun  to  tamper  with 
idolatry.  It  was  on  this  account  that  he  as- 
sembled the  tribes  in  Shechem,  and  so  sol- 
emnly put  it  to  them  to  choose  on  that  day 
whom  they  would  serve  ;  and  that  when  they 
answered,  "  God  forbid  that  we  should  for- 
sake the  Lord  to  serve  other  gods,"  he  ad- 
ded, "  Ye  cannot  serve  the  Lord  ;  for  he  is 
a  holy  God  :  he  is  a  jealous  God,  he  will  not 
forgive  your  transgressions  nor  your  sins." 
This  was  telling  them  that  they  could  not 
serve  the  Lord  and  Baalim.  Stung  with 
this  suggestion,  they  answered,  "Nay,  but 
we  ivill  serve  the  Lord."  Then  said  Joshua, 
"Put  away  the  strange  gods  which  are 
among  you,  and  incline  your  heart  unto  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel!" 

This  interesting  account  furnishes  a  pic- 
ture of  human  nature.  The  same  things 
have  been  acted  over  again  in  the  world. 
Religion  has  rarely  been  preserved  in  its 
purity  for  many  generations.  Such  is  the 
tendency  to  degenerate,  that  the  greatest 
and  most  important  reformations  have  com- 
monly begun  to  decline,  when  they  Avho  have 
been  principally  engaged  in  them  have  been 
gathered  to  their  fathers. 

Even  the  apostles  themselves,  inspired  as 
they  were,  could  not  preserve  the  churches 
which  they  had  raised  from  degeneracy. 
The  Lord  had  many  things  against  those 
seven  in  Asia  to  which  the  Apocalypse  Avas 
addressed.  We  know  also  that  the  great 
body  of  professing  Christians  in  a  few  cen- 
turies were  carried  away  by  the  antichris- 
tian  apostacy ;  that  the  descendants  of  the 
reformers  have  mostly  renounced  their  prin- 
ciples ;  and  that  the  same  is  true  of  the  de- 
scendants of  the  puritans  and  non-conform- 
ists. Each  of  these  cases  furnishes  a  loud 
call  to  us  to  take  good  heed  unto  ourselves 
that  Ave  love  the  Lord  our  God. 

IV.  Let  us  conclude  Avith  a  few  direc- 
tions   AS     TO    THE     MEANS     OF     PROMOTING 

the  love  of  God.     It  has  been  observed 
already  that  love  is  a  tender  plant,  requiring 
o  be  both  gua  r  ded  and  Avatered.     It  will  not 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  39. 


thrive  among  the  Aveeds  of  worldy  lusts. 
We  cannot  serve  the  Lord  in  this  way  ;  if  we 
Avould  serve  him  Ave  must  put  aAvay  our  idols 
and  incline  our  hearts  unto  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel.  BeAvare  of  the  love  of  the  ivorld.  He 
that  loveth  the  world,  the  love  of  God  is 
not  in  him.  BeAvare  of  living  in  the  indul- 
gence of  any  sin:  any  habitual  sin  is  incon- 
sistent Avith  the  love  of  God.  It  was  on  this 
principle  that  holy  David,  after  declaring  the 
omniscience  and  omnipresence  of  God,  in- 
voked his  scrutiny  :  "  Search  me,  O  God, 
and  know  my  heart ;  try  me,  and  know  my 
thoughts;  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked 
Avay  in  me,  and  lead  me  in  the  Avay  everlast- 
ing." Wicked  actions  have  been  found  in 
good  men,  Avho  have  lamented  them,  and 
been  forgiven  ;  but  a  Avicked  icay  is  incon- 
sistent Avith  a  state  of  grace,  vitiating  the 
very  principle  of  religion,  and  turning  the 
whole  into  hypocrisy.  Transgression  of  this 
nature  must  lead  to  perdition.  It  is  an  af- 
fecting consideration  how  many  professors 
of  religion  have  been  found,  either  before  or 
soon  after  they  have  left  the  Avorld,  to  have 
lived  in  private  drunkenness,  concealed 
lewdness,  or  undetected  fraud ! 

But  it  is  not  merely  by  avoiding  those 
things  which  are  inconsistent  with  the  love 
of  God  that  Ave  shall  promote  it ;  Ave  must 
also  attend  to  those  that  cherish  it.  It  is  by 
being  conversant  with  the  mind  of  God,  as 
revealed  in  his  word ;  by  drawing  near  to 
him  in  private  prayer ;  by  associating  Avith 
the  most  spiritual  of  his  people  ;  by  thinking 
upon  his  name,  especially  as  displayed  in  the 
person  and  Avork  of  Christ,  that  the  love  of 
God  will  be  cherished.  As  our  minds  are 
insensibly  assimilated  by  the  books  Ave  read 
and  the  company  Ave  keep,  so  will  it  be  in 
reading  the  book  of  God  and  associating 
Avith  his  people  ;  and,  as  the  glory  of  God  is 
manifested  in  the  highest  degree  in  the  face 
of  Jesus  Christ,  this  is  the  principal  theme 
for  our  meditation.  It  is  by  our  repairing  to 
the  cross  that  the  love  of  God  will  be  kept 
alive,  and  reneAved  Avhen  ready  to  expire. 

SERMON   XXII. 

CONFORMITY     TO     THE    DEATH     OF     CHRIST. 

"  Being  made  conformable  unto  his  death." — 
Phil.  iii.  10. 

The  death  of  Christ  is  a  subject  of  so 
much  importance  in  Christianity  as  to  be 
essential  to  it.  Without,  this,  the  sacrifices 
and  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  Avould 
be  nearly  void  of  meaning,  and  the  other 
great  facts  recorded  in  the  NeAv  Testament 
divested  of  importance.  It  is  not  so  much  a 
member  of  the  body  of  christian  doctrine  as 
the  life-blood  that  runs  through  the  Avhole  of 
it.  The  doctrine  of  the  cross  is  the  christian 
doctrine.  In  determining  "  not  to  knoAv  any 
thinsr — save  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucified," 


306 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


the  apostle  did  not  mean  to  contract  his  re- 
searches, or  to  confine  his  ministry  to  a  mo- 
notonous repetition  of  a  favorite  point,  to  the 
neglect  of  other  things  :  on  the  contrary,  he 
shunned  not  to  declare  "the  whole  counsel 
of  God."  The  doctrine  of  "Christ,  and 
him  crucified,"  comprehended  this :  it  con- 
tained a  scope  which,  inspired  as  he  was, 
surpassed  his  powers:  and  well  it  might,  for 


brance  of  those  who  are  dear  to  us.  It  was 
not,  however,  on  his  own  account,  but  on 
ours,  that  he  left  this  dying  request.  He 
knew  that  to  remember  him  would  answer 
every  case  that  could  occur.  If  afflicted, 
this  would  be  our  solace  ;  if  persecuted,  the 
consideration  of  him  that  had  endured  such 
contradiction  of  sinners  would  prevent  our 
being   weary    and   faint  in   our   minds ;   if 


angels  could  not  comprehend  it,  but  are  de-  guilty,  this  would  point  out  the  way  of  for- 

scribed  as  merely  desiring  to  look  into  it.  giveness;  or,  if  tempted  to  turn  aside,  this 

There  is  not  an  important  truth,  but  what  is  would  bind  us  to  his  name  and  cause, 

presupposed  by  it,  included  in  it,  or  arises  It  was  by  a  believing  view  of  this  great 

out  of  it;  nor  any  part  of  practical  religion,  subject  that  the  apostle,  at  the  first,  counted 

but  what  hangs  upon  it.  all   his   former   privileges   and  attainments 

It  was  from  this  doctrine  that  the  New  loss ;    and  though,   in   consequence   of  re 


Testament  writers  fetched  their  most  power- 
ful motives.  Do  they  recommend  humility  ? 
It  is  thus :  "  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which 
was  also  in  Christ  Jesus,  who,  being  in  the 
form  of  God,  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be 
equal   with   God ;  but  made   himself  of  no 


nouncing  Judaism,  he  had  exchanged  all 
his  earthly  prospects  for  hunger,  and  thirst, 
and  nakedness,  and  perils,  and  bitter  perse- 
cutions, yet,  after  thirty  years'  experience, 
he  does  not  repent,  but,  in  a  tone  of  heaven- 
ly  triumph,   adds,    "Yea,  doubtless,  and  I 


reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency 

servant,  and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord: 

men:  and,  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  for  whom  I   have   suffered  the  loss  of  all 

he  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  things,  and  do  count  them  but  dung,  that  I 

unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross."  may  win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him,  not 

Do  they  enforce  an  unreserved  devotedness  having  mine  own  righteousness,  which  is  of 

to  God  ?  It  is  thus  :  "  Ye  are  not  your  own ;  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith 


for  ye  are  bought  with  a  price :  therefore 
glorify  God  in  your  body,  and  in  your  spirit, 
which  are  God's."  If  they  would  provoke 
Christians  to  brotherly  love,  it  is  from  the 
same  consideration :  "  Herein  is  love,  not 
that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and 
sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our 
sins.  Beloved,  if  God  so  loved  us,  we 
ought  also  to  love  one  another."  Do  they 
urge  a.  forgiving  spirit  ?     It  is  thus  :  "  Be  ye 


of  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God 
by  faith ! " 

A  mind  thus  imbued  with  the  sacred 
theme,  we  should  think,  must  have  known 
much  of  Christ  already,  and,  compared  with 
us,  he  must;  yet,  after  all  that  he  had 
thought,  and  preached,  and  written,  he 
makes  nothing  of  his  attainments,  but  adopts 
the  language  of  one  that  had,  in  a  manner, 
every  thing  to  learn:  "That  I  may  know 


kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiv-  him,  and  the  power  of  his  resurrection,  and 

ing  one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  being  made 

sake  hath  forgiven  you."     Do  they  recom-  conformable  unto  his  death." 

mend  benevolence  to  the  poor  ?     It  is  from  The  last  of  these  vehement  desires  seems 

this :  "  For  ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  to  be  explanatory  of  some,  if  not  all,  that 

Jesus  Christ,  that,  though  he  was  rich,  yet  precede  it.     That  is,  he  would  know  him, 

for  your   sakes   he   became   poor,  that   ye  and  the  power  of  his  resurrection,  and  the 

through  his  poverty  might  be  rich. — Thanks  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  as  "  being  made 

be  to  "God  for  his  unspeakable  gift!"     Fi-  conformable  unto  his  death." 


nally  :  The  common  duties  of  domestic  life 
are  enforced  from  this  principle :  "  Hus- 
bands love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ  also 
loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself  for  it." 

It  is  in  immediate  relation  to  this  great 
principle  that  both  the  ordinances  of  bap- 
tism and  the  supper  appear  to  have  been  in- 
stituted. As  many  as  were  baptized,  were 
baptized  into  Christ's  death ;  and,  in  eating 
the  bread  and  drinking  the  wine,  they  were 
directed  to  do  it  in  remembrance  of  him. 


The  sentiment  here  conveyed  appears  to 
be,  That  the  death  of  Christ,  is  a  model  to 
which  Christians  must  aspire  to  be  conformed. 
This  sentiment  we  shall  endeavor  to  illus- 
trate and  confirm. 

There  are  other  models  beside  the  death 
of  Christ ;  but  they  are  included  in  this. 
The  law  of  God  is  that  to  Avhich  we  must  be 
conformed.  If  we  be  born  from  above,  it  is 
"  written  in  our  hearts."  But,  as  one  great 
end  of  Christ's  death  was  to  honor  the  divine 


It  was  a  wonderful  instance  of  condescend-  law,  not  only  in  its  precept  but  its  penalty,  a 
ing  love  in  the  Lord  Jesus  to  desire  to  be  conformity  to  the  one  must  include  a  con- 
remembered  by  us.  Had  we  requested,  in  formity  to  the  other.  The  character  of  God 
the  language  of  the  converted  thief,  to  be  also  is  represented  as  a  model  to  which  be- 
remembered  by  him,  there  had  been  nothing  lievers  are  conformed.  The  new  man  is 
surprising  in  it :  but  it  is  of  the  nature  of  created  "  after  God,  in  righteousness  and 
dying  love  to  desire  to  live  in  the  remem-  true  holiness : "  but,  as  in  the  death  of  Christ 


CONFORMITY    TO    THE    DEATH    OF    CHRIST. 


307 


God  was  glorified  in  the  highest,  a  conformi- 
ty to  this  must  be  a  conformity  to  the  divine 
character.  The  lives  of  holy  men  are  also 
held  up  for  our  imitation ;  but,  as  this  is 
only  in  proportion  as  they  are  followers  of 
Christ,  a  conformity  to  him  includes  all 
that  is  required  of  us  respecting  them. 

We  shall  consider  the  death  of  Christ  in 
four  views :  namely,  in  respect  of  the  princi- 
ples on  which  it  proceeded — the  motives  by 
which  it  was  induced — the  spirit  with  which 
it  was  endured — and  the  ends  which  it  ac- 
complished. Under  each  of  these  views  we 
shall  find  things  to  Avhich  we  must  be  con- 
formed.    Observe — 

I.  The  principles  on  which  the  death 
of  Christ  proceeded.  In  them  we  shall 
find  a  standard  by  which  to  form  our  prin- 
ciples, and  shall  be  able  to  judge  Avhether 
they  be  of  God. 

1.  The  death  of  Christ  presupposes  that 
we  deserved  to  die.  A  sense  of  this  truth  is 
at  the  foundation  of  all  true  religion  ;  it  re- 
quires, therefore,  that  we  be  made  conforma- 
ble to  it.  God,  in  the  gift  of  his  Son  to  die, 
judged  us  to  have  been  worthy  of  death ; 
Christ,  in  giving  himself  to  die,  evinced 
himself  to  be  of  the  same  mind;  and  such 
must  be  our  mind,  or  we  can  have  no  inter- 
est in  the  glorious  results.  Until  we  see 
and  feel  that  God  is  in  the  right,  that  we  are 
in  the  wrong,  and  that  if  he  had  cast  us  off 
forever  it  had  been  no  more  than  we  de- 
served, we  shall  be  strangers  to  repentance, 
and  as  incapable  of  believing  in  Christ  for 
salvation  as  he  that  is  whole  is  of  apprecia- 
ting the  value  of  a  physician. 

2.  The  death  of  Christ  presupposes  that 
sin  is  exceedingly  sinful.  If  it  were  a  matter 
of  small  account,  it  may  be  presumed  that 
the  Father  would  not  have  made  so  much  of 
it  as  to  give  his  Son  to  be  made  a  sacrifice 
to  atone  for  it;  and  that  the  Son  of  God 
would  not  have  laid  down  his  life  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  curses  of  the  law,  and  the  judg- 
ments inflicted  at  different  times  on  sinners, 
furnish  strong  proof  of  the  malignant  nature 
of  sin ;  especially  when  the  native  goodness 
of  God  is  taken  into  consideration:  but  the 
blood  of  the  cross  furnishes  much  stronger. 
It  was  a  great  thing  for  the  Creator  to  de- 
stroy the  work  of  his  hands,  and  it  is  so 
represented :  "  The  Lord  said,  I  will  destroy 
man,  ivhom  I  have  created,  from  the  face 
of  the  earth."  But  to  smite  his  beloved  Son 
was  greater.  To  be  made  conformable  to 
this  principle,  we  must  not  conceive  of  sin 
as  the  lueakness,  or  frailty,  of  human  nature, 
a  mere  imperfection  Avhich  a  good  God 
must  needs  overlook.  Neither  must  we  give 
heed  to  those  systems  of  religion  which  are 
founded  upon  these  depreciating  notions, 
which,  however  they  may  flatter  us  for  the 
present,  will,  in  the  end,  assuredly  deceive 
us. 

3.  The  death  of  Christ  presupposes  that 


there  ivas  nothing,  in  all  our  doings  or  suffer- 
ings, that  could  furnish  a  ground  of  salva- 
tion, or  a  single  consideration  for  which  we 
might  be  forgiven.  Had  it  been  otherwise, 
Christ  would  not  have  died.  Men  have  ev- 
er been  busily  employed  in  endeavors  to 
propitiate  the  Deity ;  some  by  ceremonial 
observances,  and  some  by  moral :  but,  in- 
stead of  accomplishing  the  object,  they  have 
only  made  the  case  worse.  Even  those  ser- 
vices which  were  of  divine  appointment  be- 
came, in  their  hands,  offensive ;  God  was 
weary  of  their  offerings.  Christ  is  repre- 
sented as  taking  the  work  out  of  their 
hands :  "  Sacrifice  and  offering  thou  didst 
not  desire ;  mine  ears  hast  thou  opened : 
burnt-offering  and  sin-offering  hast  thou  not 
required.  Then  said  I,  Lo,  I  come ! "  They 
were,  indeed,  required  as  duties  for  the 
time,  but  not  for  the  purpose  of  making 
atonement.  Not  tears,  nor  prayers,  nor 
alms,  nor  any  other  of  our  doings,  will  avail 
as  terms  of  acceptance  with  God.  If  we 
are  conformed  to  the  death  of  Christ  we 
shall  know  and  feel  this  to  be  the  case,  and 
shall  seek  salvation  by  grace  only,  through 
the  Mediator.  If  we  are  not  conformed  to 
the  death  of  Christ  in  this  respect,  we  have 
no  reason  to  expect  any  interest  in  it. 

4.  The  death  of  Christ  presupposes  that, 
for  mercy  to  be  exercised  in  a  ivay  consistent 
ivith  the  honor  of  God,  it  required  to  be  through 
a  sacrifice  of  infinite  value.  When  the  apos- 
tle declares  that  "  it  was  not  possible  that 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  should  take 
away  sins,"  he  plainly  intimates  that  the  in- 
herent value  of  the  sacrifice  was  of  essen- 
tial importance  as  to  its  effect.  If  it  were 
impossible  for  animal  sacrifices  to  atone  for 
sin,  it  must  be  on  account  of  their  insuffi- 
ciency to  demonstrate  either  the  hatred  of 
God  to  sin  or  his  love  to  sinners :  but  the 
same  reason  would  apply  to  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ,  if  he  were  merely  a  creature.  Hence, 
those  who  deny  his  divinity,  with  perfect 
consistency  deny  also  his  atonement.  But, 
on  the  principles  of  his  divinity,  his  suffer- 
ings were  of  infinite  value  ;  and  to  this  the 
Scriptures  ascribe  their  efficacy.  A  careful 
reader  of  the  New  Testament  will  perceive 
that,  in  exhibiting  the  value  and  efficacy  of 
his  death,  it  connects  it  with  the  inherent 
dignity  of  his  person:  "Who  being  the 
brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the  express  im- 
age of  his  person,  and  upholding  all  tilings 
by  the  word  of  his  power,  when  he  had  by 
himself  purged  our  sins,  sat  down  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high." — "Wo 
have  a  great  high  priest  that  is  passed  into 
the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God." — "  The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  So7i,  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin." 

The  result  is  that,  to  be  made  comforma- 
ble  to  the  death  of  Christ,  we  must  think 
highly  of  it,  and  not  reduce  it  to  the  death 
of  a  mere  martyr.     It  is  a  serious  thing  to 


308 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


make  light  of  the  Saviour,  and  of  the  work 
of  salvation  :  "  He  that  despised  Moses'  law 
died  without  mercy  under  two  or  three  wit- 
nesses :  of  how  much  sorer  punishment,  sup- 
pose ye,  shall  he  be  thought  worthy,  who 
hath  trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and 
hath  counted  the  blood  of  the  covenant, 
wherewith  he  was  sanctified,  an  unholy  (or 
common)  thing,  and  hath  done  despite  unto 
the  Spirit  of  grace  ?  For  we  know  him  that 
hath  said,  Vengeance  belongeth  unto  me,  I 
will  recompense,  saith  the  Lord.  And 
again,  The  Lord  shall  judge  his  people.  It 
is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  living  God  ! " 

Let  us  observe 

II.  The  motives  by  which  the  death 
or  Christ  was  induced.  In  these  we 
shall  find  a  blessed  example  to  imitate. 
They  may  all  be  summed  up  in  love ;  love 
to  God  and  men  ;  love,  great,  disinterested, 
and  unparalleled. 

There  never  was  such  an  example  of  the 
"  love  of  God "  as  that  which  is  furnished 
by  the  obedience  and  death  of  Christ.  It 
was  his  meat  and  drink  to  do  the  will  of  his 
Father.  He  did  not  know  his  nearest  re- 
lations, but  as  doing  his  Father's  will. 
When  the  bitter  cup  was  presented  to  him, 
he  said,  "  Now  is  my  soul  troubled ;  and 
what  shall  I  say  ?  Father,  save  me  from 
this  hour  ?  but  for  this  cause  came  I  unto 
this  hour.  Father,  glorify  thy  name."  What 
was  this  but  exposing  his  breast,  as  we 
should  say,  to  the  sword  of  justice  ;  consent- 
ing to  be  made  a  sacrifice,  that  God  might 
be  glorified  in  the  salvation  of  sinners  ?  It 
was  love,  working  in  a  way  of  grief,  that 
caused  that  affecting  exclamation,  "My 
God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  " 
He  could  endure  the  cross,  and  even  despise 
the  shame ;  he  could  bear  to  be  betrayed, 
denied,  and  forsaken  by  his  own  disciples  : 
but  to  be  forsaken  of  God  wounded  him  be- 
yond any  thing.  O  to  be  made  conforma- 
ble to  his  death  in  these  things ;  to  love 
God,  so  as  to  account  it  our  meat  and  drink 
to  do  his  will ;  so  as  to  reckon  his  friends 
our  friends,  and  his  cause  our  cause  ;  to  be 
willing  to  do  any  thing,  or  suffer  any  thing, 
for  his  name's  sake ;  and  to  feel  the  with- 
holding of  his  favor  our  severest  loss  ! 

As  there  never  was  such  love  to  God  as 
that  which  was  manifested  by  Christ,  so 
neither  was  there  ever  such  love  to  men. 
"He  loved  us,  and  gave  himself  for  us — 
loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  hi$ 
own  blood."  The  love  of  creatures  is  ordi- 
narily founded  on  something  lovely  in  the 
object ;  but  Christ  died  for  us  while  we 
were  yet  enemies.  To  be  made  conforma- 
ble to  his  death  in  this  is  to  bear  good  will 
to  men,  to  seek  their  present  and  everlast- 
ing welfare  in  every  way  that  is  within  our 
power:  and  this  notwithstanding  the  un- 
lovelinesa   of  their  character  and  conduct: 


"  Love  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for 
them  that  despitefully  use  you,  and  perse- 
cute you."  Unbelievers,  who  know  no 
principle  superior  to  self-love,  have  repre- 
sented this  precept  of  our  Lord  as  un- 
natural and  extravagant.  Yet  they  them- 
selves are  daily  partaking  of  his  bounty, 
who  causeth  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and 
the  good,  and  his  rain  to  descend  on  the 
just  and  on  the  unjust.  If  they  were  the 
children  of  that  Being  whom  they  acknow- 
ledge, they  would,  in  some  degree,  resem- 
ble him.  Such  was  the  example  of  Jesus, 
and  such  must  be  ours,  if  we  be  made  con- 
formable to  him. 

Let  us  observe 

III.  The  spirit  with  which  the  suf- 
ferings AND  DEATH  OF  CHRIST  WERE  EN- 
DURED. In  this  we  shall  find  a  model  for 
our  spirit.  The  Lord  Jesus  was  possessed 
of  all  the  original  passions  of  human  nature  ; 
as  love,  joy,  sorrow,  grief,  anger,  indignation, 
&c.  When  reproached  and  injured,  he  felt 
it ;  his  "  enduring  the  cross,  and  despising 
the  shame,"  was  not  owing  to  his  being  in- 
sensible to  either,  but  to  "the  joy^  set  be- 
fore him."  The  purity  of  his  nature  did 
not  extinguish  its  passions,  but  rendered 
them  subordinate  to  the  will  of  his  Father. 
With  the  greatest  sensibility  to  reproach 
and  injury,  he  was  meek  and  lowly  of  heart. 
Under  all  the  reproaches  and  false  accusa- 
tions that  were  preferred  against  him  on  his 
trial,  he  preserved  a  dignified  silence  :  not 
a  word  was  uttered  tending  to  save  his  life  : 
but,  When  questioned  on  the  truth  of  his 
Messiahship,  he,  with  equal  dignity  and  firm- 
ness, avowed  it,  though  he  knew  the  avowal 
would  cost  him  his  life.  Nor  did  the  con- 
tradiction and  abuse  which  he  received  from 
his  executioners  extinguish  his  compassion 
toward  them:  while  they  were  nailing  him 
to  the  cross  he  prayed,  saying,  "  Father,  for- 
give them :  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do." 

If  we  observe  the  spirit  of  the  apostles, 
we  shall  find  them  to  have  made  him  their 
pattern:  "Being  reviled,  Ave  bless;  being 
persecuted,  we  suffer  it;  being  defamed,  we 
entreat :  we  are  made  as  the  filth  of  the 
world,  and  the  off-scouring  of  all  things, 
unto  this  day."  There  appears  to  have 
been  a  holy  emulation  in  the  apostle  Paul 
to  be  a  follower  of  his  Lord,  even  unto 
death.  In  all  that  befel  him,  he  kept  his  eye 
on  Christ:  "If  we  suffer,  we  shall  also 
reign  with  Aim." — "  We  are  troubled  on 
every  side,  yet  not  distressed  ;  perplexed, 
but  not  in  despair;  persecuted,  but  not  forj 
saken  ;  cast  down,  but  not  destroyed,  always 
bearing  about  in  the  body  the  dying;  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  that  the  life  also  of  Jesus  might 
be  made  manifest  in  our  body.  For  we 
which  live  are  always  delivered  unto  death 
for  Jesus'  sake,  that  the  life  also  of  Jesus 
might  be  made  manifest  in  our  mortal  flesh." 


THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST    THE    CHURCH'S    SUPPORT. 


309 


Such  was  that  conformity  to  the  death  of 
Christ,  after  which  he  panted  with  the  most 
vehement  desire.  Nothing  was  further 
from  his  thoughts  than  partaking  with  him 
in  the  work  of  redemption  ;  but,  so  far  as 
fellowship  in  his  sufferings  was  admissible, 
it  was  the  object  of  his  most  ardent  desire. 
O  to  be  thus  made  like  him  and  like  his 
faithful  followers! 

We  proceed  to  observe 

IV.  The  ends  which  the  death  of 
Christ  accomplished.  In  them,  though 
there  is  much  which  is  peculiar  to  himself, 
yet  there  is  also  much  in  which  we  are 
made  conformable  to  him. 

Did  he  satisfy  divine  justice,  and  thereby 
open  the  way  of  salvation  ?  Certainly,  it 
is  not  for  us  to  attempt  any  thing  like  this  ; 
but,  by  believing  in  him,  we  acquiesce  in 
what  he  has  done  and  suffered,  and  so  are 
made  conformable  to  it.  Nor  is  this  confined 
to  our  first  believing :  the  more  we  know 
of  Christ,  and  the  power  of  his  resurrection, 
and  the  fellowship,  of  his  sufferings,  the 
more  we  are,  in  this  way,  made  conforma- 
ble to  his  death.  The  death  of  Christ  will 
give  the  impression  to  the  very  enjoyment 
of  heaven.  "The  Lamb  that  was  slain" 
will  be  the  theme  of  the  song  forever. 

Was  he  "manifested  to  destroy  the  works 
of  the  devil  ?  "  If  we  be  made  conformable 
to  his  death,  we  also  shall  wage  Avar  with 
them.  If  we  live  in  sin,  we  are  of  the 
devil,  and  must  needs  be  at  variance  with 
the  death  of  Christ ;  sparing  that  which  he 
was  manifested  in  human  nature  to  destroy. 
The  finished  work  of  Christ  upon  the  cross 
did  not  supersede  the  necessity  of  our  be- 
ing active  in  overcoming  evil.  We  must 
set  our  feet  upon  the  necks  of  these  spirit- 
ual enemies,  taking  a  part  in  their  destruc- 
tion. Neither  did  it  supersede  the  neces- 
sity of  our  active  perseverance  in  the  use  of 
all  means  by  which  we  may  disengage  our 
souls  from  the  entanglements  of  sin,  pray- 
ing and  struggling  from  under  its  dominion, 
perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God.  It 
is  thus  that  we  have  to  "  work  out  our  own 
salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,"  which, 
instead  of  superseding  the  death  of  Christ, 
is  being  made  conformable  to  it.  From  his 
having  died  for  sin,  we  are  exhorted  to  die 
to  it,  and  to  live  unto  God.  We  cannot  en- 
ter into  the  end  of  Christ's  death,  which 
was  to  make  an  end  of  sin,  unless  we  be- 
come dead  to  sin  :  nor  into  his  resurrection, 
without  rising  with  him  into  newness  of 
life. 

In  waging  war  with  sin,  it  is  necessary  to 
begin  with  ourselves,  but  not  to  end  there. 
If  we  be  made  conformable  to  the  death  of 
Christ,  we  shall  be  adverse  to  sin  wherever 
we  find  it;  avoiding  all  participation  in  it 
through  complaisance  or  worldly  interest, 
and  uniting  to  promote  sobriety,  righteous- 
ness, and  godliness  in  its  place. 


Finally:  Christ  died  "to  save  sinners;" 
and,  if  we  be  made  conformable  to  his 
death,  we  also  shall  seek  their  salvation. 
Some  of  the  first  thoughts  which  occur  to  a 
believer's  mind,  on  having  found  rest  for 
his  own  soul,  respect  the  salvation  of  his 
kindred  and  acquaintance  ;  and  the  direc- 
tion given  to  one  who  had  obtained  mercy 
gives  countenance  to  such  thoughts  and  de- 
sires :  "  Go  home  to  thy  friends,  and  tell 
them  how  great  things  the  Lord  hath  done 
for  thee,  and  hath  had  compassion  on  thee." 

It  is  not  for  ministers  only  to  take  an  in- 
terest in  the  salvation  of  men  :  the  army  of 
the  Lamb  is  composed  of  the  whole  body  of 
Christians.  Every  disciple  of  Jesus  should 
consider  himself  as  a  missionary.  All,  in- 
deed, are  not  apostles,  nor  evangelists,  nor 
preachers  ;  but  all  must  be  engaged  in  serv- 
ing the  Lord  :  some  by  preaching,  some  by 
contributing  of  their  substance,  and  all  by 
prayer  and  recommending  the  Saviour  by  a 
holy  conversation. 

The  death  of  Christ  stands  connected,  in 
the  divine  promise,  with  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners. This  is  "the  travail  of  his  soul," 
which  he  was  to  see,  and  be  satisfied  ;  the 
"joy  set  before  him,"  in  view  of  which  he 
endured  the  cross,  and  despised  the  shame. 
To  be  made  conformable  unto  his  death, 
therefore,  we  must  combine  that  which  God 
has  combined  with  it.  It  is  a  high  honor 
conferred  on  us  to  be  instruments  in  thus 
saving  our  fellow-sinners,  and  in  thus  crown- 
ing our  Redeemer :  nor  will  it  be  less  ad- 
vantageous to  us,  since  he  has  said,  "To 
him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with 
me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame, 
and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his 
throne." 


SERMON  XXIII. 

THE    LIFE    OF     CHRIST    THE    SECURITY   AND 
FELICITY    OF    HIS    CHURCH. 

"  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead  ;  and,  behold, 
I  am  alive  forevermore,  Amen  ;  and  have  the 
keys  of  hell  and  of  death." — Rev.  i.  18. 

Some  of  the  most  important  writings  in 
the  church  of  Christ  have  been  occasioned 
by  the  persecutions  of  its  enemies.  The 
Psalms  of  David,  in  which  a  good  man  will 
find  all  the  devout  feelings  of  his  heart 
pourtrayed,  were  mostly  occasioned  by  the 
oppositions  of  the  wicked.  Many  of  Paul's 
epistles  were  written  from  prison  ;  and  this 
book,  which  contains  a  system  of  prophecy 
from  the  ascension  of  Christ  to  the  end  of 
time,  was  communicated  to  the  beloved  dis- 
ciple when  in  a  state  of  banishment.  Thus 
it  is  that  the  wrath  of  man  is  made  to  praise 
God :  so  much  of  it  as  would  not  answer 
this  end  is  restrained. 

Some  of  the   most  distinguished  prophets 


310 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


under  the  Old  Testament  were  introduced 
to  their  work  by  an  extraordinary  and  im- 
pressive vision.  It  was  thus  with  Isaiah, 
Jeremiah,  and  Ezekiel ;  and  thus  it  was  with 
the  writer  of  this  book.  They  beheld  the" 
glory  of  Jehovah  in  a  manner  suitable  to 
the  dispensation  under  which  they  lived:  he, 
being  under  a  new  dispensation,  of  which 
Christ  was  exalted  to  be  the  head,  saw  his 
glory  both  divine  and  human ;  as  the  Alpha 
and  Omega,  the  first  and  last,  and  as  the 
Son  of  Man  walking  in  the  midst  of  the 
seven  golden  candlesticks. 

On  seeing  him,  the  apostle  fell  at  his  feet 
as  dead.  He  on  whose  bosom  he  could  for- 
merly lean  with  all  the  familiarity  of  a  friend 
is  now  possessed  of  a  glory  too  great  to  be 
sustained  by  a  mortal  man.  But  yet  how 
sweetly  is  this  awful  grandeur  tempered 
with  gentleness  and  goodness:  "He  laid 
his  right  hand  upon  me,  saying  unto  me, 
Fear  not,  I  am  the  first  and  the  last;  I  am 
he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead ;  and,  behold,  I 
am  alive  for  evermore,  Amen  ;  and  have  the 
keys  of  hell  and  of  death." 

The  force  and  beauty  of  the  passage 
will  appear  to  advantage,  if  we  observe  the 
circumstances  of  the  church  and  of  the 
apostle  at  the  time.  It  is  supposed  to  be 
about  the  year  95,  under  the  persecution  of 
Domitian.  The  church,  at  that  time,  was 
under  a  dark  cloud.  Great  numbers  of  the 
first  Christians  and  the  first  ministers  would 
now  have  finished  their  course  ;  many  would 
be  cut  off  by  the  persecution ;  all  the  apos- 
tles were  dead,  excepting  John,  and  he  was 
banished.  To  an  eye  of  sense  it  would  ap- 
pear as  if  the  cause  must  be  crushed.  How 
cheering,  in  such  circumstances,  must  it  have 
been  to  be  told,  "  I  am  he  that  liveth !  "  The 
Assyrian  invasion,  in  the  time  of  Hezekiah, 
filled  the  breadth  of  Immanuel's  land  ;  but, 
while  Jerusalem  was  preserved,  the  head 
was  above  water,  and  the  body  politic, 
though  overflowed  even  to  the  neck,  would 
yet  live.  Much  more  would  the  church  in 
the  midst  of  persecution.  While  Christ  her 
head  lived  she  could  not  die. 

It  was  on  the  Lord's  day  that  the  apostle  was 
favored  with  this  extraordinary  vision,  the 
day  in  which  he  had  risen  from  the  dead  ; 
which  circumstance  would  add  force  to  what 
he  said  of  himself  as  having  been  dead,  but 
as  being  now  alive.  It  was  the  day  also  in 
which,  as  far  as  their  persecuted  state  would 
admit,  the  churches  were  assembled  for 
Christian  worship ;  and  while  they,  doubtless, 
remembered  the  venerable  apostle  in  their 
prayers,  the  Lord,  by  him,  remembered  and 
provided  for  them. 

There  is  a  charming  circumlocution  in  the 
passage,  which  surprises  and  overwhelms 
the  mind.  The  Lord  might  have  said,  as  on 
a  former  occasion,  "  Be  not  afraid,  it  is  I ;  " 
but  he  describes  himself  in  language  full  of 
the  richest  consolation :  "  I  am  he  that  liveth, 


and  was  dead ;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for 
evermore,  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and 
of  death ! " 

Let  us  observe  the  characters  which  our 
Lord  assumes — consider  them  as  a  ground 
of  security  to  the  church — and  conclude  with 
a  few  reflections. 

I.  Let  us  observe  the  characters 
which  our  lord  assumes.  The  words 
contain  four  positions :  viz.  that  he  liveth — 
that  he  liveth  who  was  dead — that  he  liveth 
for  evermore — and  that  he  has  the  keys  of 
hell  and  of  death. 

1.  He  saith,  "I  am  he  that  liveth."  It 
is  a  truth  that  Christ  liveth,  and  always  did 
and  will  live  as  "  the  first  and  the  last ;  "  but 
the  life  here  spoken  of,  being  that  which 
succeeded  to  his  death,  was  possessed  in 
the  same  nature  as  that  in  which  he  died. 
It  was  the  life  which  commenced  at  his  res- 
rection  ;  when,  being  raised  from  the  dead, 
he  dieth  no  more  :  death  hath  no  more  do- 
minion over  him."  It  consists  not  merely  in 
existence,  but  in  that  "blessing,  and  honor, 
and  glory,"  which  he  received  as  the  re- 
ward of  his  humiliation.  It  is  the  posses- 
sion of  that  "joy  that  was  set  before  him," 
in  the  prospect  of  which  "  he  endured  the 
cross,  and  despised  the  shame." 

There  appears  to  be  something  more  in 
the  words,  "  I  am  he  that  liveth,"  than  if  it 
had  been  said  /  live ;  for  this  had  been  true 
of  millions  as  well  as  of  Christ,  whereas 
that  which  is  spoken  is  something  peculiar 
to  him.  Paul  says  of  himself,  "  I  live  ; " 
but,  when  he  had  said  it,  he,  in  a  manner, 
recalled  his  words,  adding,  "  yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me."  Christ  is  not  only  pos- 
sessed of  life  himself,  but  communicates  it 
to  others :  his  life  involves  that  of  the  church, 
and  of  every  individual  believer  in  him. 
In  his  life  they  live,  and  will  live  for  ever- 
more. 

In  the  life  of  Christ  we  trace  the  execu- 
tion of  the  great  designs  of  his  death.  It  is 
as  living  that  he  intercedes  "  for  us  at  the 
right  hand  of  God."  "  If,"  says  the  apostle 
Paul,  "  when  we  were  enemies  we  were  re- 
conciled to  God  by  the  death  of  his  son  ; 
much  more,  being  reconciled,  we  shall  be 
saved  by  his  life."  We  see  here  three  dis- 
tinct stages  in  the  work  of  Christ.  First : 
By  his  death  he  made  atonement  for  us: 
this  is  expressed  by  his  having  "reconciled 
us  to  God,"  or  restored  us  to  his  favor  as 
the  lawgiver  and  judge  of  the  world.  Sec- 
ondly :  By  his  word  and  Spirit  we  are  sub- 
dued to  the  obedience  of  faith,  so  as,  of  ene- 
mies, to  become  friends :  this  is  expressed 
by  our  "being  reconciled,"  or  brought  into 
a  state  of  actual  peace  and  friendship  with 
God.  Thirdly:  By  his  "life,"  he  saves  us  : 
this  is  that  branch  of  salvation  which  is  ef- 
fected by  his  intercession,  and  which  is  de- 
nominated saving  us  "to  the  uttermost." 
From  the  first  two,  the  apostle  argues  the 


THE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST    THE    CHURCH'S    SUPPORT. 


311 


last,  as  from  what  Christ  did  for  us  when 
enemies  to  what  he  will  do  for  us  now 
that  we  are  friends,  and  from  his  having 
begun  the  work  to  his  carrying  it  on  to  per- 
fection. 

In  the  life  of  Christ  we  trace  all  the  im- 
portant blessings  of  his  reign.  The  promise 
of  the  "sure  mercies  of  David"  is  alleged 
by  the  apostle  as  a  proof  of  the  resurrection 
of  Christ.  But  how  does  this  appear  ?  By 
"the  sure  mercies  of  David,"  as  promised  in 
the  55th  of  Isaiah,  there  is  doubtless  a  re- 
ference to  the  covenant  made  with  David, 
"  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure,"  and  which 
contained  all  his  salvation,  and  all  his  desire. 
But  this  covenant  was  to  be  fulfilled  in  the 
everlasting  kingdom  of  Christ.  "  The  sure 
mercies  of  David,"  therefore  are  the  bless- 
ings of  Messiah's  kingdom,  the  bestow- 
ment  of  which  implies  his  resurrection  ;  for, 
if  death  had  continued  to  have  dominion 
over  him,  no  such  kingdom  could  have  ex- 
isted. The  sum  is  that,  in  saying  to  his  ser- 
vant John  "  I  am  he  that  liveth,"  he  furnish- 
ed one  of  the  richest  sources  of  consolation 
to  the  church  in  its   state  of  tribulation. 

2.  He  speaks  of  his  life  as  succeeding  to 
his  death  :  "I  am  he  that  liveth  and  was 
dead."  This  part  of  the  description  would 
remove  all  doubts,  if  any  existed,  as  to  who 
he  was.  The  disparity  between  bis  present 
appearance  and  what  he  was  when  the  apos- 
tle saw  and  conversed  with  him  in  the  flesh 
must  be  exceedingly  great,  and  might  tend 
to  stagger  his  belief  in  his  being  the  same 
person  :  but  this  speech,  whatever  doubts  he 
felt,  would  at  once  remove  them.  Yes  ;  it  is 
my  Lord  himself,  and  not  another.  It  is  he 
whom  I  saw  expire  upon  the  cross ! 

The  connection  between  the  death  of 
Christ  on  earth  and  his  succeeding  life  in 
glory  renders  each  of  them  more  interest- 
ing. There  is  great  joy  derived  from  the 
consideration  of  salvation  through  the  death 
of  Christ.  It  is  the  burden  of  the  heavenly 
song.  But  this  would  be  no  joy,  were  it  not 
for  the  consideration  of  his  life.  What  if 
we  could  all  have  obtained  salvation  ;  yet,  if 
it  must  have  been  at  the  expense  of  the 
everlasting  blessedness  of  our  deliverer, 
who  could  have  enjoyed  it  ?  What  would 
the  feast  be,  if  the  Lord  of  the  feast  were 
not  there  ?  Though,  in  enduring  the  death 
of  the  cross,  he  had  "  spoiled  principalities 
and  powers,"  and  "made  a  show  of  them 
openly ; "  yet,  if  he  had  not  lived  to  enjoy 
his  triumphs,  what  would  they  have  been  to 
the  redeemed,  and  even  to  the  angelic 
world  ?  If  the  King's  Son  had  been  lost, 
the  victory  of  that  day  would  have  been 
turned  into  mourning.  If  it  had  been  pos- 
sible for  him  to  be  holden  of  death,  the  loss 
to  the  moral  empire  of  God  must  have  ex- 
ceeded the  gain,  and  the  saved  themselves 
must  have  been  ashamed  to  appear  in  heav- 
en at  the  expense   of  the   general  good ! 


But  we  are  not  called  to  so  painful  a  trial. 
Our  salvation,  expensive  as  it  was,  was  not 
at  this  expense.  He  was  dead,  but  he  liveth ! 
"  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  according  to  his 
abundant  mercy  hath  begotten  us  again  un- 
to a  lively  hope  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ  from  the  dead  !  " 

And  as  the  life  of  Christ  adds  to  the  joy 
arising  from  his  death,  so  the  death  of  Christ 
adds  to  the  joy  arising  from  his  life.  There 
is  great  joy  as  we  have  seen  derived  from 
his  life,  but  it  would  not  be  what  it  is  if  this 
his  life  had  not  succeeded  his  death.  The 
life  of  Isaac  was  dear  to  Abraham  before  he 
attempted  to  offer  him  up  a  sacrifice  ;  but 
it  would  be  much  more  so  when  he  had  re- 
ceived him  as  from  the  dead. — The  life  of 
Joseph  was  dear  to  Jacob  when  he  dwelt 
with  him  in  the  vale  of  Hebron  ;  but  it  would 
be  much  more  so  after  his  having  in  a  man- 
ner buried  him.  If  Christ  had  never  di- 
vested himself  of  the  glory  which  he  had 
with  the  Father  before  the  world  was,  it 
would  not  have  been  to  us  that  which  it  will 
be.  The  very  angels,  though  he  died  not 
for  them,  nor  for  any  of  their  species,  yet 
honor  him  as  "  the  Lamb  that  was  slain." 
And,  as  to  the  redeemed  themselves,  their 
song  is  sweeter  still :  "  Thou  art  worthy," 
say  they,  "  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  re- 
deemed us  to  God  by  thy  blood,  out  of  every 
kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation  ; 
and  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and 
priests ;  and  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth." 

3.  He  describes  himself  not  only  as  "  he 
that  liveth,  and  was  dead,"  but  as  being 
"alive  for  evermore."  He  was  raised,  not 
only  to  life,  but  to  an  immortal  life.  "  He 
dieth  no  more :  death  hath  no  more  domin- 
ion over  him."  This  cheering  truth  arises 
from  the  perfection  of  his  sacrifice.  The 
sacrifices  under  the  law  could  not  take  away 
sin,  but  were  mere  shadows  of  good  things 
to  come,  and  therefore  required  to  be  often 
repeated  ;  but  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  was 
"once  for  all."  The  Scriptures  lay  great 
stress  upon  the  term  once,  as  applied  to  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ:  it  is  used  no  less  than 
six  times  in  this  connection  :  "  Christ  being 
raised  from  the  dead,"  saith  the  apostle, 
"  dieth  no  more  :  death  hath  no  more  domin- 
ion over  him ; "  and  thus  he  accounts  for  it, — 
"  For  in  that  he  died,  he  died  unto  sin  once  ; 
but  in  that  he  liveth,  he  liveth  unto  God." 
A  transient  suffering  in  so  divine  a  person 
was  sufficient  to  expiate  that  which  would 
have  subjected  us  to  everlasting  punishment, 
and  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  permanent 
life  with  God,  both  for  himself  and  for  all 
those  who  believe  in  him.  Such  was  the 
value  of  his  sacrifice,  that  its  influence  will 
continue  forever.  Even  when  the  work  of 
mediation  shall  be  perfected,  and  the  king- 
dom as  mediatorial  be  "  delivered  up  to  the 
Father,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all,"  Christ 


312 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


will  live,  and  be  the  life  of  the  church  'for- 
ever. In  that  state  where  "there  will  be  no 
temple,"  "the  Lord  God  Almighty  and  the 
Lamb  "  are  said  to  be  "  the  temple  there- 
of;" and  the  reason  given  for  there  being 
no  need  of  the  sun,  nor  of  the  moon,  is,  that 
"the  glory  of  God  will  lighten  it,  and  the 
Lamb  will  be  the  light  thereof." 

The  "Amen  "  which  follows  this  part  of 
the  description  seems  to  be  added  by  the 
apostle,  and  designed  to  express  the  satis- 
faction that  he  felt  in  the  life  of  Christ. 
The  words,  "  O  king,  live  forever,"  as  ad- 
dressed to  an  Asiatic  sovereign,  could  only 
express  the  wish  of  the  party  that  his  life 
might  be  continued  ;  and  that  in  most  cases 
was  mere  flattery :  but  here  is  neither  flat- 
tery nor  hyperbole.  The  Lord  declares 
that  he  lives  forever,  and  the  apostle  adds 
to  it  his  cordial  "Amen  !  " 

4.  He  declares  the  authority  with  which 
he  is  invested :  "And  have  the  keys  of  hell 
and  of  death"  By  "  hell  and  death,"  I  un- 
derstand the  powers  of  the  invisible  world, 
which,  in  reward  of  his  humiliation  and 
death,  were  put  under  his  control.  "  God 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at  his 
own  right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far 
above  all  principality  and  power,  and  might, 
and  dominion,  and  every  name  that  is  named, 
not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which 
is  to  come  ;  and  hath  put  all  things  under 
his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  the  head  over  all 
things  to  the  church. — Who  is  gone  into 
heaven,  and  is  on  the  right  hand  of  God  ; 
angels,  and  authorities,  and  powers,  being 
made  subject  unto  him."  Hell,  with  all  its 
machinations,  can  do  no  more  than  he  per- 
mits ;  and  death  with  all  its  terrors  comes 
and  goes  at  his  bidding. 

But  why  are  hell  and  death  only  mention- 
ed as  subjected  to  Christ?  Does  not  his 
empire  extend  to  the  church  as  well  as 
to  the  world,  and  to  the  visible  as  well 
as  to  the  invisible  powers  ?  Certainly  it 
does :  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth  is  given 
to  him  :  but  there  was  a  fitness  in  his  here 
mentioning  that  part  only  of  his  empire 
which  was  hostile  to  the  church,  and  that 
kind  of  hostility  which  at  the  time  threaten- 
ed to  destroy  it.  Persecution  is  the  storm- 
ing work  of  hell  and  of  death  on  the  strong- 
holds of  Zion.  Hell  furnishes  the  plan,  and 
death  carries  it  into  execution.  Men,  in- 
deed, have  a  concern  in  what  is  done  against 
the  church  ;  but  it  is  as  agents  of  the  wick- 
ed one  :  the  visible  world,  therefore,  may  be 
overlooked  as  being  influenced  by  the  in- 
visible. To  control  an  army  it  is  sufficient 
to  control  those  that  influence  its  move- 
ments. 

II.  Let  us  consider  these  interest- 
ing CHARACTERS  AS  A  SOURCE  OF  SECU- 
RITY    AND     FELICITY      TO      THE    CHURCH. 

The  existence  of  the  church  in  this  depra- 


ved world  is  one  of  the  wonders  of  provi- 
dence. It  is  a  vessel  living  in  a  tempestu- 
ous sea ;  a  bush  on  fire,  yet  not  consumed. 
If  we  reflect  on  the  enmity  of  the  wicked 
against  the  righteous,  their  great  superiori- 
ty over  them,  the  attempts  that  have  been 
made  to  exterminate  them,  the  frequent 
diminution  of  their  number  by  defection  and 
death, — their  existence,  and  especially  their 
increase,  must  be  wonderful,  and  can  no 
otherwise  be  accounted  for  but  that  Christ 
liveth. 

When  they  were  few  in  number,  and 
wandered  as  strangers  from  one  nation  to 
another,  he  suffered  no  man  to  hurt  them ; 
"he  reproved  kings  for  their  sakes  ;  saying, 
Touch  not  mine  anointed,  and  do  my  proph- 
ets no  harm."  In  Egypt  he  saw  their  afflic- 
tion, and  came  down  to  deliver  them.  Of 
Jerusalem  the  enemy  said,  "  Raze  it,  raze  it 
to  the  foundation  ;  "  but  the  Lord  remem- 
bered it,  and  destroyed  its  destroyer.  Un- 
der the  Persian  dominion,  the  captives  were 
restored  to  their  own  land;  yet  even  then 
the  enemy  intrigued  against  them ;  so  that 
for  one-and-twenty  years  the  building  of 
the  temple  was  hindered,  and  the  prayers  of 
the  prophet  Daniel  were  unanswered.  Thus 
it  was,  I  conceive,  that  "  the  prince  of  the 
kingdom  of  Persia  withstood  "  the  angel 
for  "  one-and-twenty  days  : "  but  lo,  Michael 
the  chief  prince  stood  with  him  and  helped 
him.* 

Under  the  gospel  dispensation,  as  the 
church  became  more  spiritual,  the  hatred  in 
creased;  and,  as  religion  was  henceforth  more 
of  a  personal  than  a  national  concern,  such 
was  the  opposition  directed  against  it.  But 
still  the  great  Head  of  the  church  lived.  The 
persecution  which  raged  at  the  time  of  this 
prophecy  was  the  second  often  cruel  perse- 
cutions from  the  heathen  emperors ;  and 
though,  after  this,  the  government  became 
professedly  Christian,  yet  such  were  the 
corruptions  which  entered  in  at  this  door, 
that  in  a  little  time  that  which  was  called 
the  christian  church  became  an  antichristian 
harlot,  persecuting   the  servants   of  Jesus 

*  Dan.  x.  13.  21.  Prideaux  reckons,  from  the 
first  interruption  of  the  Jews  in  rebuilding  the  tem- 
ple to  the  last  sentence  of  Darius  in  their  favor, 
only  twenty  years  ;  namely,  from  the  third  year  of 
Cyrus  to  the  eighth  of  Darius  Hystaspis ;  but 
from  Dan.  x.  1 — 4,  it  appears,  that  though  the 
opposition  openly  commenced  in  the  third  year, 
yet  it  had  been  at  work  in  the  second.  It  was 
within  three  days  of  the  beginning  of  the  third 
year  that  the  prophet  began  to  mourn  :  if  one 
cause  of  this  mourning,  therefore,  was  the  obstruc- 
tion to  the  work  of  God  at  Jerusalem,  it  must 
have  begun  in  the  second  year  ;  which  makes  it 
twenty-one  years,  corresponding  with  the  tliree 
full  weeks  of  the  prophet's  mourning,  and  with 
the  one-and-twenty  days  of  the  angel's  detention, 
according  to  the  usual  prophetic  reckoning,  a  day 
for  a  year. 


THE    ANTIDOTE    TO    PRESUMPTION    AND    DESPAIR. 


313 


with  a  cruelty  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that 
of  heathens.  These  floods  filled  the  breadth 
of  Immanuel's  land,  reaching  even  to  the 
neck ;  but,  the  church's  Head  being  above 
water,  she  has  survived  them  all. 

Often  have  we  seen,  in  our  smaller  cir- 
cles, the  cause  of  God  reduced  to  a  low  con- 
dition ;  sometimes  by  the  falling  away  of 
characters  who  seemed  to  be  pillars,  and 
sometimes  by  the  removal  of  great  and  good 
men  by  death.  But  under  all  this  it  is  our 
comfort,  the  Lord  liveth — the  government  is 
on  his  shoulder. 

Finally :  The  life  of  Christ  involves  not 
only  the  security  of  the  church  on  earth,  but 
its  felicity  in  heaven.  The  members  being 
united  with  the  head,  their  life  is  bound  up 
with  his  life.  Even  in  the  present  world,  if 
one  says,  "  I  live,"  he  must  recollect  himself, 
with  the  apostle,  and  add,  "  Yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me  :  "  but,  if  it  be  so  in  re- 
spect of  spiritual  life  in  this  world,  it  will  be 
so  as  to  eternal  life  in  the  world  to  come. 
Every  thing  which  our  Lord  did  and  suffered 
was  for  us  ;  and  every  degree  of  glory  that 
he  possesses  in  reward  of  it  is  for  us :  for  us 
he  became  incarnate,  died,  rose  from  the 
dead,  ascended  into  heaven,  and  liveth  at  the 
right  hand  of  God.  "  Your  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our 
life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  ye  also  appear 
with  him  in  glory." 

From  the  whole  we  see,  First,  that  the 
way  to  everlasting  life,  is  to  believe  in  Je- 
sus. The  way  of  life,  according  to  the  ten- 
or of  the  first  covenant,  was  "The  man 
which  doeth  these  things  shall  live  by  them :" 
but  the  way  of  life  to  a  sinner  is,  "If  thou 
shalt  confess  Avith  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Je- 
sus, and  shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God 
hath  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be 
saved."  It  is  as  believing  in  the  Son  of  God 
that  we  are  interested  in  him,  and,  having 
him,  have  everlasting  life.  We  have,  in  the 
life  of  Christ,  the  greatest  possible  encour- 
agement to  believe  in  him  and  be  saved  ;  for 
it  is  as  ever  living  to  make  intercession  for 
us  that  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all 
those  that  come  unto  God  by  him. 

O  my  hearers !  this  is  the  hinge  on  which 
our  salvation  or  damnation  turns.  To  refuse 
him  in  favor  of  your  own  righteousness,  or 
of  any  other  idol,  is  to  refuse  life  ;  and  to  hate 
him  is  to  love  death.  The  question  put  to  the 
house  of  Israel  is  no  less  applicable  to  you 
than  it  was  to  them,  "  Why  will  ye  die  ?  " 
Those  who  believe  not  in  him  are  as  unwil- 
ling to  come  to  him  that  they  may  have  life 
as  the  house  of  Israel  were  to  cast  away 
their  transgressions.  God  has  no  more 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  him  that  dieth  eter- 
nally than  he  had  in  the  death  of  those  who 
perished  under  some  temporal  calamity  ;  nor 
is  the  one  any  more  at  variance  with  the 
doctrine  of  election  than  the  other  was  with 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  40. 


the  doctrine  of  decrees  in  general,  or  of 
God's  doing  all  things  after  the  counsel  of 
his  own  will.* 

Secondly :  The  same  truth,  like  the  cloud 
in  the  wilderness,  wears  a  bright  side  to  be- 
lievers, and  a  dark  side  to  unbelievers.  The 
life  of  Christ  will  be  the  death  of  his  ene- 
mies. To  behold  him  coming  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven,  invested  with  the  keys  of  hell  and 
of  death,  must  fill  their  hearts  with  dismay. 
The  same  power  that  has  so  often  shut  the 
door  of  destruction  againt  his  servants,  so 
as  to  forbid  their  entrance,  will  shut  it  upon 
his  enemies,  so  as  to  leave  no  hope  of  escape. 


SERMON  XXIV. 

CHRISTIANITY  THE  ANTIDOTE  TO    PRESUMP- 
TION AND  DESPAIR. 

"  My  little  children,  these  things  write  I  unto 
you,  that  ye  sin  not.  And,  if  any  man  sin,  we 
have  an  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
the  righteous." — 1  John  ii.  1. 

When  our  Saviour  ascended  up  on  high, 
his  disciples,  who  were  looking  stedfastly 
toward  heaven  after  him,  were  thus  accosted 
by  the  angels,  "  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why 
stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven  ?  This  same 
Jesus,  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heav- 
en, shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have 
seen  him  go  into  heaven."  It  might  seem, 
by  this  language,  that  whatever  our  Lord 
might  do  for  us  in  the  intermediate  period, 
it  was  not  for  us  to  be  made  acquainted  with 
it.  And  it  has  been  suggested  that  we  are 
ignorant  not  only  of  "  the  place  where  he  re- 
sides, but  of  the  occupations  in  which  he  is 
engaged."  f  There  is,  indeed,  nothing  re- 
vealed on  these  subjects  to  gratify  curiosity ; 
but  much  to  satisfy  faith.  If  we  know  not 
God,  we  may  be  expected  to  think  lightly  of 
sin,  and  meanly  of  the  Saviour ;  and  if,  in 
consequence  of  this,  we  disown  his  atone- 
ment, and  perceive  no  need  of  his  interces- 
sion and  advocateship  with  the  Father,  there 
will  be  nothing  surprising  in  it.  With  such 
a  state  of  mind  we  might  have  lived  at  the 
time  when  "  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
justified  in  the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preach- 
ed unto  the  Gentiles,  believed  on  in  the 
world,  received  up  into  glory,"   and  have 

*  The  doctrine  of  free  will,  as  opposed  to  that 
of  free  grate,  is  not  that,  in  doing  good,  we  act 
according  to  our  choice,  and  require  to  be  exhorted  to 
it,  and  warned  against  the  contrary  ;  this  is  mani- 
festly scriptural  and  proper  :  but  that  it  is  owing  to 
our  free  will  that  we  are  disposed  to  choose  the 
good  and  refuse  the  evil;  if  not  to  the  exclusion  of 
divine  grace,  yet  to  the  rendering  it  effectual  by 
properly  improving  it,  and  so  to  making  ourselves 
to  differ. 

■f  Mr.  Belsham's  Review  of  Mr.  Wilberforce's 
Treatise,  p.  85. 


314 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


been  no  more  interested  by  any  of  tbese 
events  than  were  the  unbelieving  part  of  the 
Jewish  nation.  But,  if  we  entertain  just 
sentiments  of  the  moral  character  and  gov- 
ernment of  God,  we  shall  perceive  the  evil 
of  sin  and  the  need  of  a  divine  Saviour, 
shall  consider  his  atonement  as  the  only 
ground  of  a  sinner's  hope,  and  his  interces- 
sion and  advocateship  with  the  Father  as 
necessary  to  our  being  saved  to  the  utter- 
most. 

To  satisfy  ourselves  that  such  were  the 
sentiments  of  the  apostles,  it  is  sufficient 
candidly  to  read  their  writings.  If  their  au- 
thority be  rejected,  so  it  must  be  ;  but  it  is 
vain  to  attempt  to  disguise  their  meaning. 
And,  before  we  reject  their  authority,  it  will 
be  well  to  consider  the  force  of  their  testimo- 
ny concerning  themselves  and  their  doctrine  : 
"  We  are  of  God :  he  that  knoweth  God, 
heareth  us  ;  he  that  is  not  of  God,  heareth 
not  us.  Hereby  know  we  the  spirit  of  truth, 
and  the  spirit  of  error."  They  were  either 
what  they  professed  to  be,  or  presumptuous 
impostors ;  and  what  they  said  of  hearing 
their  doctrine  as  a  test  of  being  of  God  was 
either  true,  or  they  were  false  witnesses  of 
God  ;  and,  as  all  that  we  know  of  Christ 
is  from  their  writings  and  those  of  the  evan- 
gelists, if  theirs  be  false  witness,  Christian- 
ity itself  has  nothing  to  authenticate  it. 

"My  little  children,"  said  the  venerable 
apostle,  "  these  things  write  I  unto  you,  that 
ye  sin  not."  This  is  the  bearing  of  all  my 
writings,  as  well  as  of  all  my  other  labors. 
Yet,  while  I  warn  you  against  sin,  knowing 
that  there  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth  that 
doeth  good,  and  sinneth  not,  let  me  remind 
you  that  "  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Fa- 
ther, Jesus  Christ  the  righteous."  Such  is 
the  doctrine  of  the  apostle,  an  antidote  both 
to  presumption  and  despair.  He  that  hath  an 
ear  to  hear,  let  him  hear  it. 

Let  us  observe 

I.  The  general  charge  which  Chris- 
tianity gives  to  its  adherents  :  "These 
things  write  I  unto  you  that  ye  sin  not." 
This  is  to  repress  presumption.  This  is  the 
bearing  not  only  of  the  writings  of  John,  but 
of  the  whole  Scriptures :  this  is  the  ob- 
ject at  which  every  doctrine  and  every  pre- 
cept aims. 

It  may  be  thought,  and  has  sometimes 
been  said,  that  "  all  religions  tend  to  make 
men  better,"  and,  therefore,  that  this  pro- 
perty of  the  apostle's  doctrine  has  nothing 
peculiar  in  it.  But  this  is  a  gratuitous  as- 
sumption. All  religions  do  not  tend  to  make 
men  better ;  but,  many  of  them,  much  worse. 
Nay,  so  far  is  this  assumption  from  being 
true,  that  Christianity  is  the  only  religion 
that,  strictly  speaking,  is  opposed  to  sin. 
That  men  of  all  religions  have  paid  some  at- 
tention to  morals  is  true ;  but,  in  doing  so, 
they  have  not  been  influenced  so  much  by 
their  religion  as  by  the  necessity  which  all 


men  feel  of  maintaining  somewhat  of  a  cor- 
rect conduct  towards  one  another.  As  to 
sin  against  God,  there  is  no  religion  but  that 
of  the  Bible  that  pays  any  regard  to  it.  And 
even  Christianity  itself,  in  so  far  as  it  is  cor- 
rupted, loses  this  property.  Every  system 
of  religion  may  be  known  by  this  whether  it 
be  of  God  or  not.     If  it  delio-ht  in  calling 

1  OS 

sin  by  extenuating  names — or  represent  re- 
pentance and  good  works  as  sufficient  to 
atone  for  it — or  prescribe  ceremonial  reme- 
dies for  allaying  the  remorse  which  it  pro- 
duces— it  makes  light  of  sin,  and  is  not  of 
God.  Every  doctrine  and  precept  in  the 
Bible  makes  much  of  sin  ;  and  this  is  as 
much  a  distinguishing  peculiarity  of  the 
true  religion  as  any  principle  that  can  be 
named. 

Some  doctrines  are  directly  of  a  warning 
nature.  Are  we  taught,  for  instance,  the 
omniscience  and  omnipresence  of  God? — 
What  can  be  more  pungent  than  such  sen- 
timents as  these?  "O  Lord,  thou  hast 
searched  me,  and  known  me.  Thou  know- 
est  my  down-sitting  and  mine  up-rising ; 
thou  understandest  my  thought  afar  off". 
Thou  compassest  my  path,  and  my  lying 
down,  and  art  acquainted  with  all  my  ways. 
For  there  is  not  a  word  in  my  tongue,  but, 
lo,  O  Lord,  thou  knowest  it  altogether. 
Thou  hast  beset  me  behind  and  before,  and 
laid  thine  hand  upon  me." — "  Whither  shall 
I  go  from  thy  Spirit  ?  or  whither  shall  I  flee 
from  thy  presence  ?  If  I  ascend  up  into 
heaven,  thou  art  there  ; — if  I  take  the  wings 
of  the  morning,  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  sea,  even  there  shall  thy  hand 
lead  me,  and  thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me." 
Every  sentiment  here  saithto  us,  "Sin  not." 
Are  we  taught  the  holiness  of  God  ? — It  is 
that  we  may  be  holy  :  "  Who  is  like  unto 
thee,  O  Lord,  among  the  gods  ?  who  is  like 
thee,  glorious  in  holiness,  fearful  in  praises, 
doing  wonders?" — "Ye  cannot  serve  the 
Lord :  for  he  is  a  holy  God  ;  he  is  a  jealous 
God  ;  he  will  not  forgive  your  transgressions 
nor  your  sins."  Such  is  the  object  of  all 
the  divine  precepts  and  threatenings.  Let  us 
seriously  read  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of 
Deuteronomy,  and  ask  ourselves,  What 
could  induce  the  kindest  and  best  of  beings 
thus  strictly  to  enjoin  his  will,  and  thus  to 
scatter  his  curses  against  the  breach  of  it  ? 
Finally :  Such  is  the  object  of  all  the  ac- 
counts of  justice  and  judgments  as  executed 
on  transgressors.  The  histories  of  the  flood, 
of  the  burning  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  of 
the  plagues  of  Egypt  and  the  destruction  of 
the  Egyptians  in  the  Red  sea,  of  the  punish- 
ments on  the  rebellious  Israelites  in  the  wil- 
derness, of  the  destruction  of  the  city  and 
temple  of  Jerusalem,  first  by  the  Chaldeans 
and  afterwards  by  the  Romans,  all  speak  one 
language  ;  all  are  written  to  us  that  we  "  sin 
not." 

There  is  another  set  of  scripture  truths 


THE    ANTIDOTE    TO    PRESUMPTION    AND    DESPAIR. 


315 


which  are  of  a  consolatory  nature  ;  yet  they 
are  aimed  at  the  same  thing.  For  what  pur- 
pose was  the  Son  of  God  manifested  in  hu- 
man nature  ?  Was  it  not  that  he  might  "de- 
stroy the  works  of  the  devil  ? "  To  Avhat 
are  we  elected?  That  we  should  "be  holy, 
and  without  blame  before  him  in  love."  To 
what  are  we  predestinated  ?  That  we  might 
"  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son." 
Why  did  he  give  himself  for  us,  but  that 
he  "might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and 
purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zeal- 
ous of  good  works  ?"  Why  are  we  called 
out  of  a  "  state  of  darkness  into  his  marvel- 
lous light,  but  that  we  might  walk  as  child- 
ren of  light?"  Of  what  use  are  the  "exceed- 
ing great  and  precious  promises"  of  the 
Scriptures  ?  Is  it  not  that,  having  them,  we 
should  "  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthiness 
of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting  holiness  in 
the  fear  of  God  ?  "  That  is  not  Christianity 
that  does  not  operate  in  this  way.  He  that 
sinneth  habitually  is  of  the  devil,  and  hath 
not  seen  or  known  God.  Wicked  men  seek 
a  system  of  religion  which  may  consist  with 
their  lusts  ;  and  God,  in  righteous  judgment, 
often  suffers  them  to  find  it ;  but  it  is  not 
the  gospel :  the  language  of  the  gospel  is, 
"  These  things  are  written  to  you,  that  ye 
sin  not ! " 

The  Scriptures  guard  the  doctrine  of 
grace,  not  indeed  by  limiting  its  operations 
to  lesser  sinners,  but  by  insisting  on  its  mor- 
tifying and  sanctifying  effects.  The  apos- 
tle Paul,  notwithstanding  all  that  he  had 
written  on  justification  by  faith,  exempts 
none  from  condemnation,  but  those  that 
were  "  in  Christ  Jesus ; "  and  admits  none 
to  be  "in  Christ  Jesus,"  but  those  who' 
"walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spir- 
it." He  still  declared,  "  If  ye  live  after  the 
flesh,  ye  shall  die."  There  is  a  universality 
pertaining  to  true  holiness  which  distin- 
guishes it  from  all  that  is  spurious.  We 
must  be  "  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversa- 
tion" or  there  is  no  real  holiness  in  us.  A 
single  "wicked  way"  will  lead  to  destruc- 
tion. The  certain  perseverance  of  the  saints 
is  not  that  a  person,  having  once  believed, 
whether  he  depart  from  God  or  not,  shall 
be  finally  saved  :  but  that,  God  having  put 
his  fear  in  his  heart,  he  shall  not  be  suffered 
wholly  to  depart  from  him.  If  any  man, 
therefore,  depart  utterly  from  God,  he  ought 
to  conclude  that  the  fear  of  God  was  not  in 
him.  If  the  blossom  go  up  as  the  dust,  the 
root  was  rottenness.  If,  in  times  of  tempta- 
tion, we  fall  away,  it  is  because  we  have  "  no 
root  in  ourselves."  "  If,"  says  the  apostle 
John,  "they  had  been  of  us,  they  would  no 
doubt  have  continued  with  us  :  but  they 
went  out,  that  they  might  be  made  manifest 
that  they  were  not  all  of  us."  Even  our 
partial  departures  from  God  must  render 
our  state  doubtful.  When  the  Galatians 
doubted  the   gospel,  the   apostle   stood  in 


doubt  of  them ;  declaring  he  was  afraid  of 
them,  lest  he  had  "bestowed  upon  them 
labor  in  vain."  And  had  they  judged  ac- 
cording to  evidence,  as  he  did,  they  must 
have  stood  in  doubt  of  themselves.  To 
represent,  as  some  do,  that  doubts  and  fears 
of  this  kind  are  the  temptations  of  Satan,  or 
the  workings  of  unbelief,  and  require  to  be 
resisted,  as  that  which  is  dishonorable  to 
God,  is  to  promote  the  most  dangerous  de- 
lusion, and  to  bring  the  blood  of  souls  upon 
their  own  heads.  The  things  which  they 
call  the  temptations  of  Satan  may  be  found 
to  be  the  dictates  of  an  awakened  con- 
science, which  they  endeavor  to  lull  asleep. 
Doubts  of  the  goodness  or  veracity  of  God, 
or  of  the  all-sufficiency  or  willingness  of 
the  Saviour  to  receive  those  that  come  to 
him,  are,  indeed,  dishonorable  to  God ;  but 
doubts  of  our  own  sincerity,  founded  upon 
our  departures  in  heart  and  conduct  from 
him,  are  so  far  from  being  sinful  that  they 
are  necessary  to  awaken  us  to  self-exami- 
nation. Thus  the  Corinthians,  who  had 
sunk  into  many  and  great  evils,  were  called 
upon,  not  to  hold  fast  the  persuasion  that, 
notwithstanding  this,  their  state  was  safe  ; 
but  to  "examine  themselves  whether  they 
were  in  the  faith,  and  to  prove  their  own- 
selves;"  and  assured  that,  except  indeed 
they  were  reprobates,  or  disapproved  of  God, 
Jesus  Christ  ivas  in  them — that  is,  by  his 
word  and  Spirit,  bringing  forth  fruit. 
We  proceed  to  observe 
II.  The  specific  provision  for  their 
faults  and  failings  : — "  And,  if  any  man 
sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father, 
Jesus  Christ  the  righteous."  This  is  to  pre- 
vent despair. 

It  is  here  supposed  that,  though  it  is  the 
habitual  aim  of  true  Christians  not  to  sin, 
yet,  in  this  world,  they  are  not  free  from  it. 
Some  have  fallenjnto  grievous  sins,  as  we 
too  well  know,  from  Scripture,  observation, 
and,  in  many  instances,  from  painful  expe- 
rience. Others,  who  have  not  fallen  so  as 
either  to  disgrace  themselves  or  the  name 
of  Christ,  yet  have  much  sin  wherewith  to 
reproach  themselves,  in  deeds,  or  words,  or 
unlawful  desires.  The  petition  in  the  Lord's 
prayer,  "forgive  us  our  trespasses,"  shows 
that  we  sin,  and  need  forgiveness,  as  often 
as  we  need  our  daily  bread.  If  any  man 
imagine  himself  to  have  arrived  to  sinless 
perfection,  he  must  be  wofully  blind  to  the 
spirituality  of  the  divine  law,  and  to  the  ex- 
tent of  his  obligations.  "  If  we  say  that  we 
have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the 
truth  is  not  in  us." 

Farther  :  It  is  here  suggested  that,  what- 
ever be  our  sin,  yet,  if  we  confess  it  with 
a  contrite  heart,  and  believe  in  Jesus  who 
died  for  sinners,  and  rose  from  the  dead, 
and  ascended  to  the  Father,  he  will  be  our 
advocate,  and  our  sins  shall  be  forgiven  for 
his  sake.     It  was  in  this  way   that   David 


316 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


was  forgiven.  It  is  true,  Christ  had  not 
then  died,  nor  risen,  nor  ascended  to  be  the 
advocate  with  the  Father ;  but  his  peniten- 
tial prayer  shows  that  he  believed  in  him 
according  to  the  light  that  lie  possessed, 
which  might  be  much  greater  than  we  im- 
agine. His  prayer  to  be  purged  with  hys- 
sop, doubtless,  alluded  to  the  purgations 
under  the  law,  by  dipping  a  bunch  of  hys- 
sop in  blood,  and  sprinkling  it  upon  the 
unclean :  but,  as  none  of  these  ceremo- 
nial cleansings  were  admissible  in  cases  of 
adultery  or  murder,  he  cannot  be  under- 
stood as  speaking  literally.  He  must,  there- 
fore, have  believed  in  a  purgation  of  which 
this  was  only  a  shadow. 

It  was  in  this  way  that  the  Israelites  were 
forgiven,  when  praying  with  their  hands 
spread  towards  the  temple.  It  was  not  to 
the  building  that  they  directed  their  prayer, 
but  to  Him  who  dwelt  therein,  between  the 
cherubim,  upon  the  mercy-seat.  It  was  to 
the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  as  thus  dwelling 
upon  the  mercy-seat,  that  Jonah,  at  the  last 
extremity,  looked  and  lived :  "  Then  I  said, 
I  am  cast  out  of  thy  sight ;  yet  I  will  look 
again  toward  thy  holy  temple." 

In  this  way,  whatever  sins  we  have  com- 
mitted, we  must  seek  for  mercy  ;  and,  for 
our  encouragement,  we  are  assured  of  an 
"  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the 
righteous." 

But  here  we  must  be  a  little  more  partic- 
ular. Here  are  three  parties  concerned ; 
the  Father,  the  criminal  who  has  sinned 
against  him,  and  the  Advocate  who  under- 
takes his  cause.  The  Father,  in  this  case, 
sustains  the  character  of  a  Judge :  "  God 
the  Judge  of  all."  The  criminal  is  supposed 
to  stand  before  the  judgment-seat;  not, 
however,  in  an  impenitent  state  of  mind,  but 
like  Job  when  he  said,  "  Behold  I  am  vile  ; 
what  shall  I  answer  thee  ?  I  will  lay  mine 
hand  upon  my  mouth.  Once  have  I  spoken, 
but  I  will  not  answer;  yea,  twice,  but  I  will 
proceed  no  further. — I  abhor  myself,  and 
repent  in  dust  and  ashes !  "  Or  like  David 
when  he  said,  "I  acknowledge  my  trans- 
gressions ;  and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me. 
Against  Thee,  Thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and 
done  this  evil  in  thy  sight ;  that  thou  might- 
est  be  justified  when  thou  speakest,  and 
clear  when  thou  judgest !  "  Here  comes  in 
the  .Advocate.  The  sinner  could  not  be 
heard  for  himself,  nor  pardoned  in  his  own 
name:  but,  believing  in  Christ,  he  under- 
takes to  plead  his  cause.  He  had  said  him- 
self, in  effect,  Do  not  condemn  me ! — To 
this  the  Advocate  adds,  Do  not  condemn 
him! 

On  this  part  of  the  subject,  we  must  be 
still  more  particular.  An  advocate,  especial- 
ly one  that  undertakes  the  cause  of  sinners, 
requires  to  have  an  interest  with  the  Judge  ; 
to  be  interested  for  the  sinner  ;  while  plead- 
ing for  hire,  not  to  palliate,  but  condemn  his 


sin  ;  to  be  fully  acquainted  with  his  case  ; 
and  to  have  something  to  plead  that  shall 
effectually  overbalance  his  unworthiness. 
Let  us  inquire,  whether  all  these  qualifica- 
tions be  not  found  in  our  "  Advocate  with 
the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous." 

1.  He  has  the  highest  interest  in  the  favor 
of  the  Judge.  For  why  ?  He  is  his  only- 
begotten  Son,  who  dwelleth  in  his  bosom, 
and  who  never  offended  him  at  any  time, 
but  always  did  that  which  was  pleasing  in 
his  sight.  So  well  pleased  Avas  the  Father 
with  Lis  obedience  unto  death,  that  he  high- 
ly exalted  him,  giving  him  "  a  name  which 
is  above  every  name,  that  at  the  name  of  Je- 
sus every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in 
heaven  and  things  in  earth,  and  that  every 
tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father." — 
"  The  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  giv- 
en all  things  into  his  hand."  Well  might 
he  say,  when  on  earth,  "  I  knew  that  thou 
hearest  me  always :  "  for  he  had,  in  prophe- 
cy, invited  him  to  prefer  his  request:  "Ask 
of"  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for 
thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth  for  thy  possession."  Who  can 
doubt  the  success  of  a  cause  in  the  hands  of 
such  an  advocate  ? 

2.  He  is  deeply  interested  in  favor  of  the 
sinner.  If  we  had  to  be  tried  before  an 
earthly  tribunal,  and  Avished  to  engage  an 
advocate,  we  should  certainly  prefer  one 
that  would  so  identify  himself  with  us  as  to 
be  deeply  interested  in  the  issue.  When, 
at  Horeb,  Moses  pleaded  for  Israel  to  be 
forgiven,  he  requested  to  die  rather  than 
not  succeed:  "Oh,"  said  he,  "this  people 
have  sinned  a  great  sin, — yet  now,  if  thou 
Avilt,  forgive  their  sin  ;  and,  if  not,  blot  me, 
I  pray  thee,  out  of  thy  book  Avhich  thou  hast 
written  !  "  This  was  the  true  spirit  of  an 
advocate  ;  and  he  succeeded.  But  our  Ad- 
vocate has  gone  further  than  requesting  to 
die :  he  actually  died  for  us ;  and  his  death 
"  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,"  on  which 
his  advocateship  is  founded. 

3.  While  pleading  for  sinners,  he  does  not 
palliate,  hut  condemns  their  sin.  If  Moses 
had  attempted  to  apologize  for  Israel's  idola- 
try, his  interposition  must  have  been  reject- 
ed. And,  if  it  had  been  possible  for  Christ 
himself  to  have  been  an  advocate  for  sin,  he 
could  not  have  been  heard.  But  he  Avas  no 
less  averse  from  sin  than  the  Judge  himself. 
If  he  was  made  "  in  the  likeness  "  of  sinful 
flesh,  yet  Avas  there  no  participation  of  it. 
Though  he  descended,  and  lived  among  sin- 
ners, yet,  in  respect  of  character,  he  Avas 
"  holy,  harmless,  undefined,  and  separate " 
from  them.  While  advocating  their  cause, 
it  was  in  his  oAvn  proper  character  of  "  Je- 
sus Christ  the  righteous.'1''  It  Avas  because 
of  his  proceeding  on  these  just  and  honora- 
ble principles  that  the  Father  approved  and 
honored  him:  "Thou  lovest  righteousness 


THE    ANTIDOTE    TO    PRESUMPTION    AND    DESPAIR. 


S17 


and  hatest  iniquity:  therefore  God,  thy  God, 
hath  anointed  thee  with  the  oil  of  gladness 
above  thy  fellows." 

4.  He  is  perfectly  acquainted  ivith  the  case 
of  those  ivhose  cause  he  undertakes.  There 
are  cases  which,  if  the  advocate  had  known 
all,  he  would  not  have  undertaken  ;  and 
which,  for  want  of  his  being  in  possession 
of  the  whole  truth,  fail  in  his  hands.  But 
our  Advocate  knows  the  worst  of  us.  He 
needs  not  that  any  should  testify  of  man ; 
for  he  knows  what  is  in  man.  When  Si- 
mon the  pharisee  saw  a  woman  that  was  a 
sinner  standing-  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  wash- 
ing them  with  her  tears,  wiping  them  with 
the  hairs  of  her  head,  kissing  them,  and 
anointing  them  with  ointment,  and  all  this 
without  receiving  any  repulse  from  him,  he 
suspected  that  he  was  deceived,  and  conclu- 
ded in  his  own  mind  that  he  could  not  be 
that  prophet  that  should  come  into  the  world. 
Had  he  known  her  true  character,  he  sup- 
posed, he  would  not  have  permitted  her  to 
touch  him  !  To  convince  Simon  that  he  was 
not  ignorant  of  her  character,  he,  by  answer- 
ing his  private  thoughts,  proved  himself  to 
be  fully  acquainted  with  his;  and  proceed- 
ed to  plead  the  cause  of  the  penitent  sinner, 
though  her  sins  were  many,  and  to  justify 
himself  in  receiving  and  forgiving  her. 

Our  Advocate  not  only  knows  all  our 
sins,  but  all  our  ivants ;  and  therefore  knows 
how  to  provide  for  them.  If  previous  to  the 
prayer  for  Peter,  it  had  been  referred  to 
him  what  should  be  asked  on  his  behalf,  hav- 
ing no  suspicion  of  any  peculiar  temptation 
being  at  hand,  he  might  not  have  been  able 
to  say  what  it  was  that  he  most  needed. 
But  his  Advocate,  knowing  the  temptation 
that  awaited  him,  framed  his  plea  on  his  be- 
half accordingly  :  "  I  have  prayed  for  thee, 
that  thy  faith  fail  not." 

5.  Though  he  finds  no  ivorthiness  in  the 
sinner,  on  which  to  ground  his  pleas,  but  the 
greatest  univorthiness,  yet  he  has  that  to 
plead  ichich  effectually  overbalances  it.  It 
is  remarkable  that,  in  that  admirable  speech 
of  Judah  on  behalf  of  Benjamin,  he  did  not 
fetch  his  pleas  from  the  innocence  of  the 
young  man,  nor  from  the  possibility  of  the 
cup  being  in  his  sack  without  his  knowledge, 
nor  from  the  smallness  of  his  offence  ;  but 
from  his  father's  love  to  him,  and  his  own 
engagement  to  bring  him  back,  and  set  him 
before  him!  I  need  not  say  that  on  this 
principle  our  Advocate  has  proceeded.  The 
charges  against  Benjamin  were  mysterious 
and  doubtful,  yet,  as  Judah  could  not  prove 
his  innocence,  he  admitted  his  guilt.  But 
our  guilt  is  beyond  doubt ;  in  pleading  our 
cause,  the  Advocate  is  supposed  to  rest  it  on 
the  propitiation  in  consideration  of  which 
our  unworthiness  is  passed  over,  and  our 


sins  are  forgiven.  The  connection  of  things 
is  often  signified  by  the  order  of  time  in 
which  they  occur.  Thus  the  out-pouring  of 
the  Spirit,  that  it  might  appear  to  be  what  it 
was,  a  fruit  of  the  death  of  Christ,  followed 
immediately  after  it:  and  thus,  on  his  hav- 
ing died,  and  risen  from  the  dead,  his  follow- 
ers are  directed  to  pray  in  his  name.  His 
directing  us  to  pray  in  his  name  conveys  the 
same  idea,  as  to  the  meritorious  cause  of  for- 
giveness, as  his  being  our  Advocate  with 
the  Father  on  the  ground  of  his  propitiation. 

From  the  whole :  We  are  directed  to  com- 
mit our  cause  to  Christ.  We  have  a  cause 
pending,  which,  if  lost,  all  is  lost  with  us, 
and  that  forever.  We  shall  not  be  able  to 
plead  it  ourselves  ;  for  every  mouth  will  be 
stopped,  and  all  the  world  become  guilty 
before  God.  Nor  can  any  one  in  heaven  or 
earth,  besides  the  Saviour,  be  heard  on  our 
behalf.  If  we  believe  in  him  we  have  ever- 
lasting life  ;  but,  if  not,  we  shall  not  see  life, 
but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  us. 

We  are  also  directed,  by  this  subject,  how 
to  obtain  relief  under  the  distress  to  tvhich  our 
numerous  sins  subject  us  as  we  pass  through 
life.  We  all  have  recourse  to  some  expedi- 
ent or  other  to  relieve  our  consciences,  when 
oppressed  with  guilt.  Some  endeavor  to 
lose  the  recollection  of  it  among  the  cares, 
company,  or  amusements  of  the  world ; 
others  have  recourse  to  ceremonial  observ- 
ances, and  are  very  strict  in  some  things, 
hoping  thereby  to  obtain  forg-iveness  for 
others ;  on  some  the  death  and  advocateship 
of  Christ  have  the  effect  to  render  them  un- 
concerned, and  even  to  embolden  them  in 
their  sins.  Painful  as  our  burdens  are,  we  had 
better  retain  them  than  get  relief  in  any  of 
these  methods.  The  only  way  is  to  come  unto 
God  in  the  spirit  of  Job,  or  of  David,  before 
referred  to,  seeking  mercy  through  the  pro- 
pitiation. Thus,  while  we  plead,  Do  not 
condemn  me,  our  Advocate  will  take  it  up, 
and  add,  Do  not  condemn  him ! 

Finally:  From  the  all-sufficiency  of  the 
propitiation  there  is  no  room  for  despair. 
When  Jonah  was  cast  into  the  sea,  and 
swallowed  by  the  fish,  still  retaining  his  con- 
sciousness, he  concluded  that  all  was  over 
with  him:  "I  said  I  am  cast  out  of  thy 
sight;  yet,"  even  in  this  condition,  the 
thought  occurred,  "  I  will  look  again  toward 
thy  holy  temple."  His  body  was  confined, 
but  his  mind  could  glance  a  thought  toward 
the  mercy-seat,  whence  he  had  heretofore 
received  relief.  He  looked  and  lived.  Let 
this  be  our  determination,  whatever  be  our 
circumstances  or  condition.  Jesus  is  "  able 
to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that  come  un- 
to God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession  for  them." 


318 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


SERMON  XXV. 

THE       SORROW      ATTENDING      WISDOM      AND 
KNOWLEDGE. 

"  And  I  gave  my  heart  to  know  wisdom,  and  to 
know  madness  and  folly  :  I  perceived  that  this  al- 
so is  vexation  of  spirit.  For  in  much  wisdom  is 
much  grief;  and  he  that  increaseth  knowledge,  in- 
creaseth  sorrow." — Eccles.  i.  17,  18. 

We  have  in  this  book  an  estimate  of  hu- 
man life.  Most  of  the  things  that  are  seen 
under  the  sun  here  pass  under  review  ;  and 
each,  as  it  passes,  is  inscribed  with  vanity. 

It  may  be  thought,  from  the  pensive  strain 
of  the  writer,  to  be  an  effusion  of  melancho- 
ly, rather  than  the  result  of  mature  reflec- 
tion ;  but  it  should  be  considered  that  no 
man  had  greater  capacity  and  opportunity 
for  forming  a  just  judgment;  that  the  book 
was  written  at  the  most  mature  period  of 
life  ;  and,  what  is  more,  that  it  Avas  written 
under  divine  inspiration. 

As  wisdom  and  knowledge,  in  the  writings 
of  Solomon,  commonly  include  true  religion, 
so  madness  and  folly  seem  here  to  be  used 
for  irreligion.  He  studied  the  nature  and 
effects  of  both  good  and  evil. 

In  ascribing  "vanity  and  vexation  of 
spirit "  to  almost  everything  that  passed  be- 
fore him,  he  does  not  mean  that  they  were 
in  themselves  evil,  or  of  little  or  no  value  ; 
but  that  every  good  had  its  alloy,  or  some- 
thing attached  to  it  which  subtracted  from  it. 
Thus  it  was  even  with  ivisdom  and  knoivledge. 
It  is  because  these  were  not  only  good  in 
themselves,  but  ranked  high  in  the  scale  of 
what  is  estimable,  that  they  are  introduced. 
If  the  best  things  pertaining  to  human  life 
have  their  alloy,  the  same  must  be  said  of 
the  rest. 

In  discoursing  on  the  subject,  we  shall 
endeavor  to  show  the  justness  of  the  remark, 
and  to  draw  some  conclusions  from  it. 

I.  Let  us  endeavor  to  show  the  just- 
ness OF  THE  REMARK,    OR    ITS   AGREEMENT 

with  universal  experience.  Knowledge 
may  be  distinguished,  by  its  objects,  into 
three  parts,  or  branches :  the  knowledge  of 
men  and  things  about  us — the  knowledge  of 
ourselves — and  the  knowledge  of  God. 
Each  of  these  is  good,  and  the  practical  use 
of  it  is  wisdom ;  but  each  has  its  alloy,  sub- 
tracting from  the  enjoyment  which  it  would 
otherwise  afford. 

First :  Let  us  try  the  justness  of  the  re- 
mark in  respect  of  the  knoivledge  of  men  and 
things  about  us.  None  can  deny  that  the 
thing  itself  is  good  and  valuable,  and  the 
want  of  it  to  be  regretted  as  an  evil:  "That 
the  soul  be  without  knowledge  it  is  not 
good."  It  is  this  which  distinguishes  men 
from  brutes,and  raises  some  men  much  high- 
er in  the  scale  of  being  than  others.  Minds 
thus  qualified  are  susceptible  of  much  greater 


enjoyments  than  others,  and  are  able  to  do 
much  more  good  in  their  generation  than 
others.  The  greatest  and  best  things  that 
have  been  done  in  the  world  have  been  done, 
in  general,  not  by  the  ignorant,  but  by  men 
of  understanding.  Yet,  with  all  its  advanta- 
ges, there  is  that  attached  to  it  which  in- 
creaseth  sorrow. 

1.  He  that  knows  the  most  of  mankind 
will  see  the  most  of  their  faults  and  defects, 
and  so  be  compelled,  upon  the  whole,  to 
think  the  worst  of  them  ;  and  this,  to  a  good 
man,  must  needs  be  a  source  of  sorrow.  I 
would  by  no  means  wish  to  cherish  a  spirit 
of  misanthropy.  I  remember,  in  a  speech 
delivered  in  a  very  respectable  assembly, 
meeting  with  this  sentiment:  "I  think  well 
of  man,  but  ill  of  men."  On  the  contrary,  I 
should  say,  I  think  ill  of  man,  but  well  of 
men,  till  I  see  cause  to  think  otherwise. 
Scripture,  observation,  and  experience,  con- 
cur to  justify  me  in  thinking  ill  of  human 
nature ;  but  as,  in  our  world,  there  is, 
through  the  grace  and  goodness  of  God,  a 
good  number  of  upright  and  benevolent 
characters,  it  becomes  me  to  hope  the  best 
of  every  man  I  meet,  till  I  am  obliged,  by 
his  conduct  or  conversation,  to  form  a  differ- 
ent judgment;  and  this  I  feel  to  be  a  princi- 
ple at  a  much  greater  remove  from  misan- 
thropy than  the  other. 

There  are  cases  in  which  the  more  we 
know  of  men  the  more  we  shall  see  reason 
to  esteem  them  ;  but  this  is  not  true  of  man- 
kind in  general.  The  longer  we  live,  and 
the  more  we  are  acquainted  with  them,  the 
more  evil  we  shall  see  in  them.  The  char- 
acters of  the  greater  part  of  men  will  not 
bear  scrutinizing.  If  we  look  but  a  little 
below  the  surface,  whether  it  be  in  high  life 
or  low  life,  or  even  in  middle  life,  we  shall 
see  enough  to  sicken  our  hearts.  Many  a 
favorable  opinion,  formed  under  the  philan- 
thropic feelings  of  youth,  has  been  obliged 
to  give  way  to  observation  and  experience ; 
and  many  a  pleasing  dream,  into  which  we 
have  fallen  from  reading  books,  has  disap- 
peared when  we  came  to  read  men. 

2.  He  that  knows  the  most  of  mankind 
will  know  most  of  their  miseries;  and,  if 
he  be  a  man  of  feeling,  this  must  be  another 
source  of  sorrow.  Who  can  make  himself 
acquainted  with  the  privations  and  hardships 
of  the  afflicted  poor  without  participating  of 
their  sorrows  ?  This  may  be  a  reason  why 
some  who  are  in  opulent  circumstances  de- 
cline visiting  them.  They  seem  to  count 
the  cost,  not  merely  what  it  will  require  to 
supply  their  pecuniary  wants,  but  what  they 
shall  lose  by  a  diminution  of  their  pleasure. 

If,  in  addition  to  the  state  of  the  afflicted 
poor  of  our  own  country,  we  knew  the  mise- 
ries of  slavery,  would  it  not  increase  our 
sorrow  ?  Who,  that  has  only  acquainted 
himself  with  the  facts  which  have  been 
established  during  the  late   parliamentary 


THE    SORROW    ATTENDING    WISDOM    AND    KNOWLEDGE. 


319 


discussions  on  the  African  slave  trade,  can 
forbear  weeping  over  the  miseries  which 
the  avarice  of  one  part  of  mankind  brings 
upon  another  ?  And  if,  in  addition  to  this, 
we  knew  the  miseries  of  war,  must  it  not 
still  more  increase  our  sorrow  ?  We  hear 
of  great  battles,  on  which  depend  the  fate  of 
kingdoms,  and  rejoice  or  are  sorrowful  as 
they  affect  the  interests  of  our  country  ;  but, 
did  we  know  all  the  individual  misery  pro- 
duced by  the  most  glorious  victory,  how  dif- 
ferent would  be  our  feelings  !  Did  we  hear 
the  cries  of  the  wounded,  and  the  groans  of 
the  dying;  could  we  know  the  state  of  mind 
in  which  they  died ;  were  we  acquainted 
with  the  near  relations  of  the  dead,  the 
widows  and  orphans  that  they  have  left  be- 
hind them ;  alas,  were  we  in  the  midst  of 
them,  we  might  be  reduced  to  the  necessity 
of  trying  to  get  away,  and  to  forget  them ! 

If,  leaving  these  scenes  of  woe,  we  turn 
our  eyes  to  the  abodes  of  ease  and  opulence, 
we  shall  not  find  things  as  we  might  expect. 
How  often  are  men  envied,  when,  if  we 
knew  all,  we  should  pity  them  !  We  form 
our  estimates  of  human  happiness  more  by 
appearances  than  by  realities.  We  little  think 
how  many  things  are  necessary  to  make  us 
happy,  any  one  of  which,  if  wanting,  will 
render  all  the  rest  of  little  or  no  account. 
What  are  riches,  and  honors,  and  amuse- 
ments, to  one  whose  life  hangs  in  doubt, 
from  some  threatening  disorder  which  he 
feels  to  be  preying  upon  his  vitals ;  or  to  a 
mind  smitten  with  melancholy,  or  corroded 
with  remorse  ;  or  to  one  whose  peace  is  de- 
stroyed by  domestic  feuds,  jealousies,  or  in- 
trigues ? 

3.  He  that  knows  most  of  the  sentiments 
of  mankind  on  everlasting  subjects  will,  if 
he  be  a  believer  in  divine  relation,  know 
most  of  their  devious  and  destructive  tendency ; 
and  this  must  be  a  source  of  sorrow.  There 
is  what  is  called  charity  that  excites  no  sorrow 
on  this  account ;  but  viewing  all  religions 
as  nearly  alike,  all  leading  to  one  happy  end, 
it  renders  the  subjects  of  it  quite  easy  and 
unconcerned.  But  Christian  charity  is 
another  thing.  It  bears  good  will  to  all 
mankind,  but  does  not  think  lightly  of  their 
alienation  from  God.  He  that  should  doubt 
whether  the  sentence  passed  against  a  num- 
ber of  traitors  was  ever  designed  to  be  exe- 
cuted, and  should  persuade  them  into  his 
way  of  thinking,  might  call  himself  a  charit- 
able man ;  might  boast  of  his  own  happiness, 
and  the  happiness  he  produced  in  others ; 
and  insist  upon  it  that,  by  entertaining  such 
views,  he  did  more  honor  to  the  government 
than  they  who  yielded  to  the  gloomy  appre- 
hensions of  an  execution  ;  but  if,  after  all,  his 
opinions  should  prove  false,  and  be  found  to 
have  originated  in  his  own  disloyalty,  would 
not  his  charity  be  considered  as  cruel,  deceit- 
ful, and  destructive  ?  The  only  difference 
between  this  and  the  charity  in  question  is, 


that  the  one  goes  to  destroy  men's  lives,  and 
the  other  their  souls  !  Genuine  charity  would 
have  endeavoured  to  convince  them  of  their 
guilt,  and  to  persuade  them  to  sue  for  mer- 
cy to  their  justly  offended  sovereign.  He 
that  can  view  whole  nations  of  men,  who, 
from  time  immemorial,  have  lived  "  without 
Christ,  having  no  hope,  and  without  God  in 
the  world,"  and  not  feel  a  wish  to  burst  their 
chains,  of  whatever  religion  he  may  profess 
to  be,  must  himself  be  in  the  same  state. 

To  read  the  controversies  of  former  ages, 
and  those  of  the  present  age,  even  in  the 
Christian  world,  must  be  depressing  to  a 
serious  mind.  He  is  either  perplexed,  and 
tempted  to  indulge  in  scepticism,  or,  if  he 
feels  his  own  ground,  still  he  must  perceive 
great  numbers  wandering  in  the  paths  of 
error ;  and  who,  unless  God  give  them  re- 
pentance to  the  acknowledging  of  the  truth, 
will  continue  to  wander,  notwithstanding  all 
that  can  be  said  or  written  to  reclaim  them. 
They  that  have  done  the  most  towards  bend- 
ing the  mind  of  man  to  that  of  Christ,  and 
inculcating  just  sentiments  of  religion,  will 
find,  after  all  their  labor,  much  remaining 
undone  ;  so  much,  both  of  the  devious  and  the 
defective,  that  he  may  retire  with  the  words 
of  the  wise  man,  "  That  which  is  crooked 
cannot  be  made  straight,  and  that  which  is 
wanting  cannot  be  numbered !  " 

4.  He  that  knows  most  of  the  religious 
world  will  see  the  most  of  its  faults  and  im- 
perfections ;  and  this  is  another  source  of  sor- 
row. Among  his  friends,  he  will  find  some 
will  prove  false,  and  others  fickle  ;  and,  what 
is  worse,  many  turning  their  back  on  Christ, 
and  "Avalking  no  more  with  him."  The 
longer  we  live  in  Christian  society,  and  the 
closer  we  are  connected  with  it,  the  more 
jealousies,  envies,  evil  surmisings,  whisper- 
ings, and  backbitings,  we  shall  discover. 
Those  Christians  who  have  to  travel  to  hear 
the  gospel,  and  only  see  their  fellow-chris- 
tians  once  in  a  week,  are  apt  to  consider  them- 
selves as  under  great  disadvantages  ;  and, 
in  some  respects,  they  certainly  are  so  ;  but, 
in  others,  the  advantage  may  be  on  their  side. 
They  do  not  hear  so  many  sermons,  but, 
having  to  travel,  they  may  be  more  likely  to 
profit  by  those  which  they  do  hear.  They 
miss  much  social  intercourse  ;  but  they  also 
stand  aloof  from  the  evils  which  frequent- 
ly attend  it.  On  looking  round  the  place 
on  a  Lord's-day,  they  see  their  Christian 
friends,  as  we  say,  in  their  best  dress  ;  know- 
ing just  enough  to  love  them  and  pray  for 
them,  and  to  part  with  them  with  affection- 
ate regret ;  while  those  who  are  acquainted 
with  their  faults,  as  well  as  their  excellen- 
ces, know  to  the  increase  of  their  sorrow. 

Once  more :  He  that  knows  most  of  the 
things  of  this  ivoiid  will  feel  the  greatest  por- 
tion of  disappointment  from  them ;  and  this 
will  be  a  source  of  sorrow.  Riches,  honors, 
and  pleasures,  promise  much,  and,  while  in- 


320 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


experienced,  we  may  hope  much;  but  a 
thorough  trial  will  convince  us  that  happi- 
ness is  not  in  them.  Even  knowledge  itself, 
the  treasure  of  the  mind,  is  not  only  attained 
with  great  labor,  but  is  attended  with  much 
painful  disappointment.  He  that  makes  the 
greatest  researches,  as  Mr.  Poole  observes, 
often  finds  himself  deceived  with  knowledge 
falsely  so  called  ;  often  mistakes  error  for 
truth,  and  is  perplexed  with  manifold  doubts, 
from  which  ignorant  men  are  free. 

Secondly  :  Let  us  try  the  justness  of  the 
remark  in  respect  of  the  knoivledge  of  our- 
selves. Self-knowledge  is,  doubtless,  good 
and  of  great  importance.  Without  it,  Avhat- 
ever  else  we  know,  it  will  turn  to  but  little 
account :  yet  this  also  is  accompanied  with 
sorrow.  He  that  knows  the  most  of  himself 
sees  most  of  his  own  faults  and  defects.  It 
was  by  comparing  his  own  mind  with  the 
word  of  God  that  David  exclaimed,  "Who 
can  understand  his  errors  ?  cleanse  thou  me 
from  secret  faults.  Keep  back  thy  servant 
also  from  presumptuous  sins."  The  more 
we  know  of  ourselves,  the  worse  we  shall 
think  of  ourselves.  We  know  but  little  of  our- 
selves at  the  outset  of  the  christian  life.  We 
see  evils,  in  others,  and  are  shocked  at  them, 
and  are  ready  to  suppose  ourselves  incapa- 
ble of  any  such  things  ;  but,  as  the  Lord  led 
Israel  through  the  wilderness  to  humble  them, 
and  to  prove  them,  and  to  know  what  was 
in  their  heart,  so  he  deals  with  us.  We  have 
seen  rich  men  high-minded,  and  may  have 
thought,  if  God  should  give  us  wealth,  how 
humble  and  generous  we  would  be  with  it : 
we  have  seen  poor  men  full  of  envy  and  dis- 
content, and  may  have  thought,  were  we 
in  their  situation,  we  would  not  repine  :  we 
have  seen  men  fall  in  the  hour  of  temptation, 
and  may  have  joined  in  heaping  censures 
upon  them.  If  it  please  God  to  try  us  in 
these  ways,  it  may  be  to  humble  us ;  and 
the  knowledge  that  we  gain  may  be  accom- 
panied with  not  a  little  sorrow. 

Thirdly :  Let  us  try  the  justness  of  the  re- 
mark in  respect  of  the  knoivledge  of  God. 
No  one  can  suppose  but  this,  in  itself,  is  good, 
and  a  source  of  the  highest  enjoyment ;  yet 
it  is  no  less  true  that  he  that  increaseth  in  it 
increaseth  in  sorrow. 

The  more  we  know  of  God,  the  more  we 
shall  perceive  our  contrariety  to  him.  If,  like 
Joshua  the  high-priest,  we  were  clothed  with 
filthy  garments,  yet,  while  surrounded  with 
darkness,  and  in  company  with  others  like 
ourselves,  we  should  be,  in  a  manner,  insen- 
sible of  it ;  but  if  brought  to  the  light,  and 
introduced  to  one  who  was  clothed  in  white 
raiment,  we  should  feel  the  disparity.  It  is 
thus  that  not  only  those  who  are  strangers  to 
divine  revelation,  but  those  who  read  it  with- 
out believing  it,  have  no  just  sense  of  sin.  It 
was  thus  that  sin,  "  by  the  commandment," 
became  to  the  apostle  Paul  exceedingly  sin- 
ful ;  and  that  the  prophet  Isaiah,  on  behold- 


ing the  glory  of  God,  exclaimed,  "  Woe  is 
me  !  for  I  am  undone,  because  I  am  a  man 
of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of 
a  people  of  unclean  lips  :  for  mine  eyes  have 
seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts ! " 

Beside  this,  the  knowledge  of  God  draws 
upon  us  the  hatred,  and  frequently  the  perse- 
cutions, of  wicked  men  ;  which,  though  we 
may  be  supported  under  them,  yet,  in  them- 
selves, must  needs  be  sources  of  sorrow :  "  I 
have  given  them  thy  word,"  said  our  Lord, 
in  committing  his  disciples  to  the  Father, 
"  and  the  world  hath  hated  them,  because 
they  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not 
of  the  world." 

I  add,  The  knowledge  of  God  will,  in  some 
cases,  draw  upon  us  the  envy  of  false  breth- 
ren. If  a  good  man  engage  in  the  work  of 
God  from  the  purest  principles,  and,  by  the 
divine  blessing  on  his  diligence  and  .perse- 
verance, make  such  progress  in  useful 
knowledge  as  to  draw  upon  himself  a  portion 
of  public  admiration,  he  may  be  expected 
soon  to  become  an  object  of  envy.  Men 
shall  rise  up  who  will  do  their  utmost  to  de- 
preciate and  eclipse  him.  "  I  considered  all 
travail,  and  every  right  work,  that  for  this 
a  man  is  envied  of  his  neighbor.  This  is 
also  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 

II.  Let  us  draw  some  conclusions 
from  the  subject.  If  things  be  so,  some 
may  think  we  had  better  be  without  knowl- 
edge, and  be  contented  to  live  and  die  in  ig- 
norance. This  is  not  the  consequence, 
however,  which  the  writer  wished  to  have 
drawn  from  what  he  wrote.  He  says,  "  That 
the  soul  be  without  knowledge  it  is  not  good ;" 
and  "  wisdom  excelleth  folly,  as  far  as  light 
excelleth  darkness."  He  must,  therefore, 
have  judged  that,  whatever  disadvanta- 
ges attended  wisdom  and  knowledge,  the 
advantages  arising  from  them  were  far  great- 
er. Much  of  the  sorrow  arising  from  a 
knowledge  of  ourselves  and  of  God  is  to  be 
desired,  rather  than  dreaded  ;  and,  as  to  that 
which  arises  from  a  knowledge  of  the  evils 
of  the  world,  and  even  of  the  church,  it  is 
best  to  know  the  truth,  though  it  may  give 
us  pain.  That  exemption  from  sorrow  which 
arises  from  ignorance  is  seldom  enviable. 
To  know  the  evils  that  are  to  be  found 
among  men  is  necessary,  not  only  to  enable 
us  to  guard  against  them,  but  to  know  how 
to  deal  with  them  in  religious  concerns.  If 
we  be  ignorant  of  their  faults  and  defects, 
we  shall  be  at  a  loss  to  carry  conviction  to 
their  minds,  and  so  to  make  them  feel  the 
need  of  forgiveness  through  Jesus  Christ. 
So,  to  be  ignorant  of  the  faults  and  defects 
of  men  professing  religion,  must  be  injurious 
both  to  them  and  to  ourselves.  Without 
knowing  the  truth  concerning  them,  we  can- 
not reprove  them,  and  so  cannot  reclaim 
them.  If  those  of  the  house  of  Chloe  had 
not  written  to  Paul  on  the  state  of  things  at 
Corinth,  it  would  have  saved  him  much  sor- 


THE    SORROW    ATTENDING    WISDOM    AND    KNOWLEDGE. 


321 


row,  but  then  what  had  been  the  state  of 
the  Corinthians?  To  all  appearance  they 
were  in  the  way  to  ruin ;  and  so  a  tribe,  as  it 
were,  would  soon  have  been  lacking  in  Israel. 
And,  as  to  ourselves,  by  knowing  in  a  certain 
degree  the  evils  that  are  to  be  found,  even  in 
the  church  of  Christ,  we  are  better  prepared 
to  meet  them,  and  less  in  danger  of  be- 
ing stumbled,  or  tempted  to  think  the  worse 
of  religion,  on  account  of  them.  By  knowing 
things,  in  some  good  degree,  as  they  are, 
we  are  enabled  to  make  up  our  minds.  Thus 
it  is  that  the  falls,  and  even  the  falling  away 
of  some,  while  it  causes  pain,  yet  does  not 
shake  our  faith.  We  learn  to  think  well  of 
religion,  let  those  who  profess  it  prove  what 
they  may  :  "  Let  God  be  true  and  every  man 
a  liar !  "  And,  in  knowing  the  faults  and  de- 
fects even  of  sincere  Christians,  we  are  not 
led  to  think  ill  of  them  as  Christians,  or  light- 
ly of  christian  communion.  If  a  true  friend 
of  his  country  could  say, 

"  England,  with  all  thy  faults,  1  love  thee  still  !" 

much  more  will  a  true  friend  of  the  church 
of  Christ  consider  Christians,  with  all  their 
faults,  as  the  excellent  of  the  earth  ;  better 
than  the  best  of  worldly  men  !  And,  if  we 
love  them,  it  will  be  in  our  hearts  to  live  and 
die  Avith  them !  Nor  is  it  unnecessary  that 
we  should  be  acquainted  with  the  miseries  of 
mankind,  whatever  sorrow  they  may  occa- 
sion :  otherwise  we  cannot  sympathize  with 
them,  nor  relieve  them,  nor  pray  for  them, 
nor  feel  so  great  an  anxiety  for  the  coming 
of  that  kingdom  whose  healing  influence 
shall  remove  their  sorrows. 

Three  things,  however,  are  taught  us  by 
this  subject : — 

First :  To  be  moderate  in  our  expectations, 
as  to  things  pertaining  to  this  life.  If  "  vex- 
ation of  spirit "  be  attached  to  wisdom  and 
knowledge,  what  can  be  expected  from  less 
valuable  objects  ?  We  need  but  little,  nor 
that  little  long.  The  trial  made  by  the  wise 
man,  of  mirth  and  pleasure,  of  building  and 
planting,  of  the  gathering  together  of  silver 
and  gold,  &c,  is  doubtless  recorded  to  teach 
us  that  substantial  good  is  not  to  be  found 
in  them.  The  consequence  drawn  by  the 
apostle  from  the  brevity  of  life  is  designed 
to  moderate  both  our  attachments  and  our 
sorrows.  "  The  time  is  short :  it  remaineth 
that  both  they  that  have  wives  be  as  though 
they  had  none ;  and  they  that  weep  as 
though  they  wept  not;  and  they  that  rejoice 
as  though  they  rejoiced  not ;  and  they  that 
buy  as  though  they  possessed  not ;  and  they 
that  use  this  world  as  not  abusing  it;  for 
the  fashion  (or  scenery)  of  this  world  passeth 
away." 

It  may  seem,  to  some,  that  if  we  were  to 
feel  and  act  up  to  this  precept  it  would  de- 
prive us  of  half  our  enjoyments ;  but  this  is 
a  mistake.     To  be  moderate  in  our  expecta- 


tions is  to  increase  our  enjoyment,  while  the 
contrary  diminishes  it.  Expectation,  raised 
beyond  what  truth  will  support,  must  be  dis- 
appointed ;  and  disappointment  will  imbitter 
that  which,  if  enjoyed  in  moderation,  would 
have  been  sweet :  "  Better  is  little  with  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  than  great  treasure,  and 
trouble  therewith." 

Secondly  :  We  are  taught,  hereby,  to  seek 
the  favor  of  God  as  the  crowning  hlessi7ig  to 
all  our  enjoyments.  The  vexation  of  spirit 
which  belongs  to  the  portion  of  a  good  man 
is  not  as  that  which  attends  the  wicked.  The 
one  is  accompanied  with  a  blessing,  the  oth- 
er with  a  curse  :  "God  giveth  to  a  man  that 
is  good  in  his  sight  wisdom  and  knowledge 
and  joy:  but  to  the  sinner  he  giveth  travail, 
to  gather,  and  to  heap  up,  that  he  may  give 
to  him  that  is  good  before  God."  After  all 
the  particulars  enumerated  in  the  blessing 
of  Joseph,  as  the  precious  things  of  heaven, 
the  dew,  and  the  deep  that  coucheth  beneath, 
the  precious  fruits  brought  forth  by  the  sun 
and  the  precious  things  put  forth  by  the 
moon,  the  chief  things  of  the  ancient  moun- 
tains, the  precious  things  of  the  lasting  hills, 
the  precious  things  of  the  earth,  and  the  ful- 
ness thereof,  the  crowning  blessing  follows 
— "  and  the  good  will  of  him  that  dwelt  in 
the  bush !  "  If  this  be  wanting,  all  the  rest 
will  be  unsatisfying.  If  this  be  on  our  heads, 
our  sorrows,  whatever  they  be,  will  be  turn- 
ed into  joy. 

Thirdly :  We  are  taught,  hereby,  to  aspire 
after  a  state  in  which  good  ivill  be  enjoyed 
without  any  mixture  of  evil  as  a  subtraction 
from  it.  If  our  wisdom  be  that  of  which 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning,  and 
the  object  of  our  knowledge  be  the  only  true 
God  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  he  has  sent,  we 
shall  soon  reach  that  state  of  holiness  and 
blessedness  that  is  without  alloy.  "Wis- 
dom, and  knowledge,  and  joy,"  will  then  be 
given  us,  and  all  the  sources  of  sorrow 
which  have  been  enumerated  will  be  dried 
up.  The  more  we  know  of  the  inhabitants 
of  that  world,  the  better  we  shall  think  of 
them,  and  the  more  we  shall  love  them. 
Among  all  the  nations  of  the  saved  we  shall 
not  find  one  whose  character  will  not  bear 
scrutinizing.  If  every  heart  were  as  naked 
to  us  as  ours  now  are  to  the  eyes  of  Him 
with  whom  we  have  to  do,  we  should  find 
nothing  in  them  but  love.  No  hypocrisies 
will  be  there,  nor  envies,  nor  jealousies,  nor 
hard  thoughts,  nor  evil  surmisings,  to  embit- 
ter the  cup  of  joy.  No  surrounding  mise- 
ries shall  damp  our  bliss ;  no  error  shall 
throw  a  mist  over  our  minds,  or  lead  us  aside 
from  God.  And,  what  is  still  more,  no  im- 
perfections shall  mar  our  services,  nor  in- 
dwelling sins  pollute  our  souls.  To  this 
blessed  state  may  we,  by  all  the  sorrows  of 
the  present  life,  he  led  unremittingly  to  bend 
our  course ! 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  41. 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


SERMON  XXVI. 

THE  MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  HEAVENLY  IN- 
HERITANCE. 

"  For  I  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present 
time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory 
which  shall  be  revealed  in  us.  For  the  earnest 
expectation  of  the  creature  waiteth  for  the  mani- 
festation of  the  sons  of  God.  For  the  creature  was 
made  subject  to  vanity,  not  willingly,  but  by  rea- 
son of  him  who  hath  subjected  the  same  in  hope  : 
because  the  creature  itself  also  shall  be  delivered 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption,  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  For  we  know  that 
the  whole  creation  groaneth,and  travaileth  in  pain 
together  until  now  :  and  not  only  they,  but  our- 
selves also,  which  have  the  first-fruits  of  the  Spirit, 
even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves,  waiting 
for  the  adoption,  to  wit,  the  redemption  of  our 
body."— Rom.  viii.  18—23. 

Thrre  is,  in  this  part  of  the  epistle,  a 
richness  of  sentiment  and  a  vast  compass  of 
thought.  The  apostle,  having  established 
the  great  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith, 
dwells  here  on  things  connected  with  it ; 
some  of  which  are  designed  to  guard  it 
against  abuse,  and  others  to  show  its  great 
importance.  "  There  is,  therefore,  now  no 
condemnation,"  says  he,  "  to  them  which  are 
in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh, 
but  after  the  Spirit. — If  ye  live  after  the 
flesh,  ye  shall  die :  but  if  ye  through  the 
Spirit  do  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body,  ye 
shall  live. — As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God."  Hav- 
ing thus  entered  on  the  privileges  of  believ- 
ers, the  sacred  writer  is  borne  away,  as  by  a 
mighty  tide,  with  the  greatness  of  his  theme. 
"  Heirs  of  God !  "  what  an  inheritance !  Such 
is  the  tenor  of  the  covenant  of  grace  :  "  I 
will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  peo- 
ple."— "Joint-heirs  with  Christ!"  what  a 
title !  We  possess  the  inheritance  not  in 
our  own  right,  but  in  that  of  Christ ;  who, 
being  "  heir  of  all  things,"  looketh  down 
on  his  conflicting  servants,  and  saith,  "  To 
him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  down 
with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  over- 
came, and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in 
his  throne."  It  is  true,  we  must  suffer 
awhile ;  but,  if  it  be  "  with  him,"  we  shall 
be  glorified  together. 

By  "  the  glory  to  be  revealed  in  us  "  is 
meant,  not  that  glory  which  we  shall  receive 
at  death,  but  the  consummation  of  it  at  the 
resurrection.  It  is  the  same  as  that  which, 
in  the  following  verses,  is  called  "  the  mani- 
festation of  the  sons  of  God" — "the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God  " — "  the  adop- 
tion, to  wit,  the  redemption  of  our  body."  It  is 
"  that  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious  appear- 
ing of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,"  for  which  Christians  are  taught  to 
look ;  that  grace  in  pursuit  of  which  we  are 
exhorted  to  "gird  up  the  loins  of  our  minds, 
to  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the  end,"  and  which 


is  to  be  "  brought  unto  us  at  the  revelation 
of  Jesus  Christ." 

On  this  great  inheritance,  to  which  the 
sons  of  God  are  heirs,  the  apostle  enlarges 
in  the  words  of  the  text.  It  is  an  object  of 
such  magnitude,  says  he,  that  all  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  present  life  are  not  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  it;  of  such  magnitude  as  to 
interest  the  whole  creation  ;  and,  finally,  of 
such  magnitude  that  our  highest  enjoyments 
do  not  satisfy  us,  but  we  groan  earnestly 
after  the  full  possession  of  it.  To  review 
these  three  great  points  is  all  that  I  shall 
attempt. 

I.     Such  is  the    magnitude    of    the 

GLORY  TO  BE  REVEALED  IN  US  THAT  THE 
SUFFERINGS  OF  THE  PRESENT  TIME  ARE 
NOT    WORTHY    TO    BE     COMPARED    WITH    IT. 

In  speaking  of  these  opposites,  the  apostle, 
as  by  a  kind  of  spiritual  arithmetic,  seems 
to  place  them  in  opposite  columns.  The 
amount  of  the  column  of  sufferings,  if  view- 
ed by  itself,  would  appear  great.  Much 
evil  attends  us,  both  as  men  and  as  good 
men.  The  misery  of  man  is  great  upon 
him  ;  and  great  are  the  afflictions  which  have 
been  endured  by  the  faithful  for  Christ's 
sake.  For  his  sake  they  have  been  "  killed 
all  the  day  long,"  and  "  accounted  as  sheep 
for  the  slaughter."  He  who  entered  on  this 
reckoning  could  not  have  made  light  of  the 
sufferings  of  this  present  time,  for  want  of 
an  experimental  acquaintance  with  them. 
In  answer  to  those  who  depreciated  his  min- 
istry, he  could  say,  "  Are  they  ministers  of 
Christ  ? — I  speak  as  a  fool — I  more ;  in  la- 
bors more  abundant,  in  stripes  above  mea- 
sure, in  prisons  more  frequent,  in  deaths  oft. 
Of  the  Jews  five  times  received  I  forty  stripes 
save  one.  Thrice  was  I  beaten  with  rods, 
once  was  I  stoned,  thrice  I  suffered  ship- 
wreck, a  night  and  a  day  I  have  been  in  the 
deep ;  in  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of 
waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils  by  mine 
own  countrymen,  in  perils  by  the  heathen, 
in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilder- 
ness, in  perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among 
false  brethren ;  in  weariness  and  painful- 
ness,  in  watchings  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst, 
in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and  nakedness. 
Beside  those  things  that  are  without,  that 
which  cometh  upon  me  daily,  the  care  of  all 
the  churches.  Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not 
weak  ?  Who  is  offended,  and  I  burn  not  ?  " 
Yet  the  same  person  assures  us  that  he 
reckons  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time 
not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory 
that  shall  be  revealed  in  us.  They  may  be 
heavy  and  tedious,  when  viewed  by  them- 
selves ;  but,  weighed  against  a  far  more  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory,  they 
are  light  and  momentary. 

It  is  thus  that,  in  the  subject  before  us, 
he  considers  our  sufferings  as  confined  to 
"  this  present  time."  The  short  duration  of 
suffering  ordinarily  renders  it  tolerable,  even 


THE  MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  HEAVENLY  INHERITANCE. 


323 


though,  for  a  time,  it  may  be  acute  ;  and, 
if  succeeded  by  lasting  enjoyment,  we  con- 
sider it  unmanly  to  make  much  of  it ;  and 
if  it  be  in  the  service  of  a  beloved  sovereign, 
and  in  support  of  a  cause  of  great  impor- 
tance, and  which  lies  near  the  heart,  it  is 
usually  treated  as  a  matter  of  still  less 
account.  Thus  it  was  that  the  apostle 
reckoned  his  sufferings  not  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  the  glory  to  be  revealed  in  us. 

To  say  of  two  things  that  one  of  them 
is  not  to  be  compared  with  the  other  is  a 
strong  mode  of  expression.  It  is  in  this 
way  that  the  great  God  expresses  his  infi- 
nite superiority  to  the  most  exalted  crea- 
tures :  "  Who  in  the  heavens  can  be  com- 
pared unto  the  Lord  ?  who  among  the  sons 
of  the  mighty  can  be  likened  unto  Jehovah  ?  " 
So,  when  two  things  of  an  opposite  nature 
come  in  succession,  and  the  latter  so  entirely 
prevails  over  the  former  as  to  obliterate  it, 
or  in  a  manner  to  efface  the  remembrance 
of  it,  it  may  be  said  of  the  one  that  it  is  not 
to  be  compared  with  the  other.  Thus  the 
joy  that  followed  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
was  to  the  sorrow  that  preceded  it:  "Ye 
shall  weep  and  lament,  but  the  world  shall 
rejoice  :  and  ye  shall  be  sorrowful,  but  your 
sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy.  A  woman 
when  she  is  in  travail  hath  sorrow,  because 
her  hour  is  come  :  but  as  soon  as  she  is 
delivered  of  the  child,  she  remembereth  no 
more  the  anguish,  for  joy  that  a  man  is  born 
into  the  world.  And  ye  now  therefore  have 
sorrow :  but  I  will  see  you  again,  and  your 
heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy  no  man 
taketh  from  you."  Such  also  will  be  the  joy 
of  the  heavenly  inheritance  that  it  will  ef- 
face from  our  remembrance  the  few  years 
of  sorrow  which  have  preceded  it ;  so  ef- 
face them,  at  least,  that  we  shall  never  think 
of  them  with  regret,  but  as  a  foil  to  heighten 
our  bliss. 

II.   Such  is    the   magnitude  of    the 

GLORY  TO  BE  REVEALED  IN  US  AT  THE  RES- 
URRECTION THAT  ITS    INFLUENCE    EXTENDS 

to  the  whole  creation.  This  I  take  to 
be  generally  expressed  in  the  19th  verse : 
"  For  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  creature 
waiteth  for  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of 
God."  That  which  follows,  in  verses  20 — 
22,  explains  and  accounts  for  it,  by  showing 
how  the  creatures  were  brought  into  a  state 
of  bondage  by  the  sin  of  man,  and  how 
they  shall  be  liberated  from  it  when  he  is 
liberated:  "For  the  creature  was  made 
subject  to  vanity,  not  willingly,  but  by  rea- 
son of  him  who  hath  subjected  the  same  in 
hope ;  because  the  creature  itself  also 
shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  cor- 
ruption into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  For  we  know  that  the  whole 
creation  groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain 
together  until  now." 

The  "  creature  " — the  "  whole  creation  " 
— and  "  every  creature,"  are  the  same  thing, 


and  denote,  I  apprehend,  not  man,  but  every 
creature  around  him  which  has  been  brought 
under  the  influence  of  his  revolt.  As,  when 
Achan  sinned,  all  that  pertained  to  him  suf- 
fered ;  so,  when  our  first  parents  sinned,  the 
whole  creation,  in  so  far  as  it  was  connected 
with  man,  partook  of  the  effects.  This  ap- 
pears to  be  meant  by  the  creatures  being 
"made  subject  to  vanity,"  and  coming  under 
"the  bondage  of  corruption." 

The  creation  was  brought  into  this  state 
of  bondage,  "  not  willingly,"  as  was  the 
case  with  man,  but  by  the  sovereign  will 
of  the  Creator.  He  could  have  stopped  the 
machinery  of  the  material  world,  and  at 
once  have  put  an  end  to  rebellion  ;  but  he 
thought  fit  to  order  the  laws  of  nature  to 
keep  their  course  ;  and,  as  to  the  abuse  that 
man  would  make  of  them,  he  should  be 
called  to  account  for  that  another  day. 

The  bondage  of  the  creatures,  however, 
was  not  to  be  perpetual :  he  who  subjected 
them  to  it,  subjected  them  "  in  hope,  because 
the  creature  itself  also,"  as  well  as  the  sons 
of  God,  shall  be  delivered  from  its  thraldom, 
and,  as  it  were,  participate  with  them  in 
their  glorious  liberty.  The  redemption  of 
our  bodies  will  be  the  signal  of  its  emanci- 
pation from  under  the  effects  of  sin,  and  the 
birthday,  as  it  were,  of  a  new  creation.  As 
by  man's  apostacy  every  thing  connected 
with  him  became,  in  some  way,  subservient 
to  evil ;  so,  by  the  deliverance  of  the  sons  of 
God  at  the  resurrection,  they  shall  be  deliv- 
ered from  this  servitude,  and  the  whole  cre- 
ation, according  to  the  natural  order  of 
things,  shall  serve  and  praise  the  Lord. 

But  we  must  inquire  more  particularly 
into  this  "  bondage  "  of  the  creatures,  and 
into  their  deliverance  from  it. 

It  is  true  that  the  ground  was  literally 
cursed  for  man's  sake,  so  as  spontaneously 
to  bring  forth  briers  and  thorns,  rather  than 
fruits ;  the  animals  also  have  literally  been 
subjected  to  great  misery  and  cruelty ;  but 
it  is  not  of  a  literal  bondage,  I  conceive, 
that  the  apostle  speaks  ;  nor  of  a  literal  de- 
liverance, as  some  have  imagined,  by  the 
resurrection  of  animals ;  nor  of  a  literal 
groaning  after  it.  The  whole  appears  to  be 
what  rhetoricians  call  a  prosopopoeia,  or  a 
figure  of  speech  in  which  sentiments  and 
language  are  given  to  things  as  though  they 
were  persons.  Thus,  on  the  invasion  of 
Sennacherib,  the  earth  is  said  to  mourn  and 
Lebanon  to  be  ashamed ;  and  thus,  at  the 
coming  of  the  Messiah,  the  heavens  are 
called  upon  to  rejoice,  and  the  earth  to  be 
glad,  the  sea  to  roar,  the  floods  to  clap  their 
hands,  and  the  trees  of  the  wood  to  rejoice. 

When  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  every  thing  was  made  according  to 
i.ts  nature  and  capacity  to  show  forth  his 
glory.  Thus  "the  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God  ;  and  the  firmament  showeth 
his  handy  work.     Day   unto  day   uttereth 


324 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


speech,  and  night  unto  night  showeth  know- 
ledge. There  is  no  speech  nor  language 
where  their  voice  is  not  heard."  Thus  also 
heaven  and  earth  are  called  upon  to  praise 
their  Maker :  "  Praise  ye  him,  sun  and  moon  : 
praise  him,  all  ye  stars  of  light.  Praise  him, 
ye  heaven  of  heavens,  and  ye  waters  that 
be  above  the  heavens. — Praise  the  Lord 
from  the  earth,  ye  dragons  and  all  deeps  :  fire 
and  hail ;  snow  and  vapor ;  stormy  wind 
fulfilling  his  word  ;  mountains,  and  all  hills  ; 
fruitful  trees,  and  all  cedars  ;  beasts,  and  all 
cattle ;  creeping  things,  and  flying  fowl." 
Such  was  the  natural  order  of  things  estab- 
lished by  the  Creator:  every  thing,  con- 
sciously or  unconsciously,  furnished  its  tri- 
bute of  praise  to  Him  who  is  over  all  blessed 
forever  ? 

But,  by  the  entrance  of  sin  into  the  world, 
the  creatures  became  subservient  to  it ;  as, 
when  a  rebellion  breaks  out  in  an  empire, 
the  resources  of  the  country  being  seized 
by  the  rebels  are  turned  to  the  support  of 
their  cause,  and  against  their  rightful  own- 
er ;  so  every  thing  which  God  had  created 
for  the  accommodation  of  man,  or  in  any 
way  rendered  subservient  to  his  comfort, 
was  turned  aside  from  its  original  design, 
perverted  to  the  purposes  of  corruption. 
The  Lord  complains  of  the  corn,  and  wine, 
and  oil,  and  flax,  and  wool,  which  he  had 
given  to  Israel,  being  prostituted  to  Baal ; 
and  threatens  to  recover  them.  Who  can 
count  the  sacrifices  and  offerings  which 
have  been  made  of  God's  creatures  to  Jupi- 
ter, Mars,  Venus,  Bacchus,  and  other  abomi- 
nations of  the  west ;  or  to  Bramah,  Vishnu, 
Seeb,  Dhoorga,  Juggernaut,  and  other 
abominations  of  the  east  ?  And,  though 
gross  idolatry  has  in  many  nations  been 
dispelled  by  the  light  of  the  gospel,  yet 
still  the  bounties  of  providence  furnished  for 
the  accommodation  of  man  are  made  to 
serve  his  lusts.  The  sun  cannot  emit  his 
illuminating  and  fructifying  beams  but  to 
furnish  food  for  the  corrupt  propensities  of 
man.  The  clouds  cannot  pour  down  their 
showers,  but  the  effects  of  them  are  made 
subservient  to  sin.  Rich  soils  and  fruitful 
seasons  become  the  hot-beds  of  vice,  on 
winch,  as  in  Sodom,  men  become  ripe  for 
destruction  at  an  earlier  period  than  ordinary. 

The  creatures  have  not  only  been  subject- 
ed to  the  vanity  of  serving  the  idols  and 
lusts  of  men,  but  have  themselves  been  turn- 
ed into  gods,  and  worshipped  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  Creator,  who  is  blessed  forever ! 
There  is  scarcely  a  creature  in  heaven  or  on 
earth,  but  what  has  been  thus  drawn  into 
the  service  of  corruption.  Not  only  the  sun, 
and  moon,  and  stars ;  but  gold,  and  silver, 
and  brass,  and  wood,  and  stone,  and  birds, 
and  four-footed  beasts,  and  creeping  things  ! 
And  though  the  light  of  the  gospel  has  driv- 
en this  species  of  stupidity  out  of  Europe 
(which  the  science  of  Greece  and  Rome  did 


not  so  much  as  diminish,)  yet  it  is  in  no 
want  of  advocates  among  her  degenerate 
sons.  And  they  that  would  be  ashamed  to 
plead  the  cause  of  gross  idolatry,  yet  in  a 
manner  idolize  the  works  of  God,  by  oppo- 
sing them  to  his  word.  The  sweet  singer 
of  Israel,  after  celebrating  the  former,  held 
up  the  latter  as  greatly  exceeding  them. 
With  him  the  light,  of  nature  and  that  of 
revelation  were  in  harmony  ;  but  unbelievers 
place  them  at  variance.  Nature  with  them 
occupies  the  place  of  God,  and  the  light  im- 
parted by  it  is  admired  at  the  expense  of  his 
word.  They  have  no  objection  to  acknow- 
ledge a  Supreme  Being  as  the  author  of  the 
machinery  of  nature,  provided  he  would  give 
up  his  moral  government  over  them ;  but 
the  Scriptures  are  full  of  hard  sayings  which 
they  cannot  hear !  The  works  of  God  are 
silent  preachers:  in  their  mouth  there  is  no 
reproof  but  what  a  hard  heart  can  miscon- 
strue into  the  approbation  of  the  Creator, 
understanding  his  bounties  as  rewards  con- 
ferred on  his  virtuous  creatures:  this,  there- 
fore, is  the  only  preaching  which  many  will 
hear. 

In  these  and  a  thousand  other  ways  the 
creatures  of  God  have  been  subjected  to 
vanity.  Had  they  been  possessed  of  intel- 
ligence, they  would  from  the  first  have  risen 
up  against  us,  rather  than  have  submitted 
to  such  bondage.  Yes ;  rather  than  have 
been  thus  forced  into  the  service  of  sin  by 
the  rebel  man,  they  would  have  conspired 
together  to  destroy  him  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  The  sun  would  have  scorched  him ; 
the  moon  with  her  sickly  rays  would  have 
smitten  him;  the  stars  in  their  courses 
Avould  have  fought  against  him ;  air,  earth, 
fire,  water,  birds,  beasts,  and  even  the  stones, 
would  have  conspired  to  rid  creation  of  the 
being,  who,  by  rebelling  against  the  Crea- 
tor, had  filled  it  with  disorder  and  misery. 
And  though  the  creatures  are  not  possessed 
of  intelligence,  yet,  from  a  kind  of  instinc- 
tive tendency  to  vindicate  the  cause  of  God 
and  righteousness,  they  are  naturally  at  war 
with  rebellious  man.  Were  it  not  so,  there 
would  be  no  need  of  a  covenant  to  be  made 
on  our  behalf  with  the  beasts  of  the  field, 
the  fowls  of  heaven,  the  creeping  things  of 
the  ground,  and  even  with  the  stones. 

God  in  his  infinite  wisdom  saw  fit  to  sub- 
ject the  creatures  to  this  vanity  for  a  season, 
contrary  as  it  was  to  their  nature  ;  but  it  is 
only  for  a  season,  and  therefore  is  said  to 
be  in  hope  ;  in  the  end  they  that  have  abused 
them  will,  except  they  repent,  be  punished, 
and  they  themselves  be  liberated  from  their 
hateful  yoke.  Thus  for  a  season  he  subject- 
ed the  seed  of  Abraham  his  own  servants  to 
serve  the  Egyptians ;  but  "  that  nation," 
says  he,  "  whom  they  shall  serve,  will  I 
judge  ;  and  afterward  shall  they  come  out 
with  great  substance." 

The  time  fixed  for  the  deliverance  of  the 


THE  MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  HEAVENLY  INHERITANCE. 


325 


creatures  from  the  bondage  of  corruption  is 
that  of  "  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of 
God."  Hence,  they  are  in  a  manner  identi- 
fied with  them:  "The  earnest  expectation 
of  the  creature  waiteth  for  the  manifestation 
of  the  sons  of  God ; "  looking  for  it  as  for 
their  own  deliverance.  The  redemption  of 
our  bodies  from  the  grave  Avill  be  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  last  enemy,  or,  in  respect  of  be- 
lievers, the  termination  of  the  effects  of  sin  ; 
and,  as  the  thraldom  of  the  creatures  com- 
menced with  the  commencement  of  sin,  it  is 
fit  that  it  should  terminate  with  its  termina- 
tion. Thus  our  resurrection  will  be  the  sig- 
nal of  emancipation  to  the  creatures,  and 
their  emancipation  will  magnify  the  glory 
that  shall  be  revealed  in  us.  Heaven,  earth, 
and  seas,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  will  no 
longer  be  worshipped  in  the  place  of  God, 
nor  compelled  to  minister  to  his  enemies  ; 
but,  in  that  renovated  state  "  wherein  dwell- 
eth  righteousness,"  shall  exist  but  to  praise 
and  glorify  their  Creator. 

The  terms  used  to  express  the  tendency 
of  the  creatures  towards  this  great  crisis  are 
very  strong.  Nature  is  personified  and 
represented  as  upon  the  utmost  stretch  of 
expectation ;  as  groaning  and  travailing  in 
pain  to  be  delivered.  Assuredly  that  must 
be  a  most  important  object,  the  accomplish- 
ment of  which  thus  interests  the  whole  crea- 
tion. This  object  is  "the  glory  that  shall 
be  revealed  in  us — the  manifestation  of  the 
sons  of  God — the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God  ; "  and  thus  it  is  that  the 
apostle  establishes  his  .position — That  such 
is  the  magnitude  of  the  inheritance  of  be- 
lievers that  the  sufferings  of  the  present 
time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  it. 

But  we  must  not  dismiss  this  part  of  the 
subject  without  noticing  more  particularly 
these  descriptions  of  the  heavenly  inherit- 
ance— "  the  glory  to  be  revealed  in  us — the 
manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God" — and  "the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God." 
They  all  refer  to  the  perfecting  of  salvation 
through  the  death  of  Christ,  which  is  the 
greatest  display  of  the  glory  of  God  that 
ever  has  or  will  be  made.  This  is  the  last 
of  that  series  of  events  which  have  been  car- 
rying on  from  the  beginning  of  the  world, 
and  to  the  accomplishment  of  which  they 
have  all  been  subordinate. 

"  The  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us." — 
There  will,  doubtless,  be  a  flood  of  light 
and  joy  that  will  then  open  to  our  admiring 
minds  ;  but  the  words  seem  rather  to  denote 
the  manifestation  of  the  divine  glory  in  our 
salvation  than  barely  its  being  revealed  to  us. 
Thus  the  Lord  Jesus  will  "  come  to  be  glo- 
rified in  his  saints,  and  to  be  admired  in  all 
them  that  believe."  The  great  Physician 
will  appear  with  his  recovered  millions,  and, 
in  the  presence  of  an  assembled  universe, 
will  present  them  to  the  Father.  Thus  the 
glory  of  God  will  be  revealed  to  the  universe 


in  our  salvation.  All  his  glorious  perfec- 
tions will  be  manifested  in  such  a  light  as 
they  never  were  by  any  other  of  his  works, 
nor  by  this  till  it  was  completed.  And  that 
which  is  revealed  to  the  universe  in  us  will 
not  be  less,  but  more,  of  an  enjoyment  to  us, 
than  if  it  had  been  revealed  to  us  only. 
The  joy  of  the  returned  captives  was  not 
diminished,  but  increased,  by  the  surround- 
ing nations  saying,  "The  Lord  hath  done 
great  things  for  them  !  " 

"  The  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God.'" — 
The  foregoing  description  of  the  heavenly 
inheritance  had  respect  to  God's  manifesting 
his  glory  ;  this  to  his  manifesting  ours.  We 
have  been  familiar  with  the  terms  "sons 
and  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty  ; "  but 
who  has  been  able  to  comprehend  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  blessing  ?  Even  an  inspired 
apostle  was  overwhelmed  in  thinking  of 
it,  and  confessed  his  ignorance :  "  Behold 
what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestow- 
ed upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the 
sons  of  God  !  therefore  the  world  knoweth 
us  not,  because  it  knew  him  not. — Beloved, 
now  are  we  the  sons  of  God  ;  and  it  doth  not 
yet  appear  what  we  shall  be :  but  we  know 
that,  when  he  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like 
him  ;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is !  "  Then 
the  importance  of  being-  "  heirs  of  God,  and 
joint-heirs  with  Christ,"  will  be  apparent. 

The  sons  of  God  have  here  been  but  little 
known.  Not  being  distinguished  by  any 
thing  pertaining  to  circumstances,  or  out- 
ward condition,  and  that  which  has  distin- 
guished them  being  of  a  still  and  unosten- 
tatious nature,  they  have  generally  passed 
through  the  world  without  attracting  much 
of  its  notice,  unless  it  were  to  despise  and 
persecute  them.  If  they  have  been  acknow- 
ledged as  pious  men,  and  have  escaped  the 
persecutions  and  reproaches  of  the  wicked, 
yet,  being  mostly  poor,  and  undistinguished 
by  brilliancy  of  talent,  they  have  ordinarily 
been  considered  as  beneath  attention.  But, 
at  that  day,  the  Judge  of  heaven  and  earth 
will  distinguish  them  as  the  sheep  that  he 
will  place  at  his  right  hand,  and  as  the  bless- 
ed of  his  Father,  whom  he  will  welcome  to 
the  kingdom  prepared  for  them  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world ;  while  those  who 
have  despised  and  persecuted  them  shall  be 
sentenced  to  everlasting  punishment 

"  The  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of 
God." — The  children  of  God  have  possess- 
ed a  glorious  liberty  from  their  first  believ- 
ing in  Christ.  The  Son  then  made  them 
free,  and  they  were  free  indeed !  And  when 
the  earthly  house  of  their  tabernacle  is  dis- 
solved, and  they  are  received  among  "  the 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,"  this  is  a 
liberty  more  glorious.  But,  while  their 
bodies  are  imprisoned  in  the  grave,  the  de- 
liverance is  not  complete.  They  are,  as 
yet,  under  thraldom.  The  promise  of  Christ 
to  raise  us  up  at  the  last  day  is  yet  unful- 


326 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


filled.  They  have  been  delivered  from  the 
dominion  of  sin,  and  from  the  existence  of  it 
in  their  minds  ;  but  not  from  its  effects.  It 
is  reserved  for  the  second  coming  of  Christ, 
when  he  will  come  "  without  sin  unto  sal- 
vation," to  accomplish  this.  This  is  the 
destruction  of  the  last  enemy ;  this,  there- 
fore, puts  an  end  to  the  war.  In  the  ac- 
count of  Christ's  second  coming,  there  ap- 
pears to  be  an  allusion  to  the  blowing  of  the 
trumpet  of  jubilee,  and  the  liberation  of  the 
captives:  "  The  Lord  himself  shall  descend 
from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of 
the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God : 
and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first ;  then 
we  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall  be 
caught  up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds, 
to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air :  and  so  shall  we 
ever  be  with  the  Lord."  The  resurrection, 
then,  will  be  to  believers  a  jubilee,  a  day  of 
deliverance.  The  account  of  it  by  the  same 
apostle,  in  the  15th  chapter  of  his  First 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  gives  us  the  tri- 
umphant song  which  believers  shall  sing, 
standing  over  the  graves  in  which  they  have 
been  so  long  imprisoned :  "  O  death,  where 
is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victo- 
ry ?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin ;  and  the 
strength  of  sin  is  the  law.  But  thanks  be 
to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ!  "  This  is  the  glori- 
ous liberty  of  the  children  of  God,  in  which 
the  whole  creation  shall  participate. 

III.  Such   is   the  magnitude   of   the 

GLORY  TO  BE  REVEALED  IN  US  AT  THE  RES- 
URRECTION THAT  THOSE  CHRISTIANS  WHO 
HAVE  POSSESSED  THE  HIGHEST  ENJOYMENTS 
IN  THIS  WORLD  WERE  NOT  SATISFIED  WITH 
THEM,  BUT  GROANED  WITHIN  THEMSELVES, 
WAITING  FOR  THE  POSSESSION  OF  IT.      "  And 

not  only  they  (the  creatures)  but  ourselves 
also, — even  we  ourselves  groan  within  our- 
selves, waiting  for  the  adoption,  to  wit,  the 
redemption  of  our  body." 

By  "we  ourselves"  I  understand  the 
apostle  to  mean,  not  believers  in  general, 
but  those  believers  in  his  own  times,  who, 
with  himself,  possessed  so  large  a  measure  of 
grace  and  peace  as  habitually  to  rejoice  in 
the  Lord.  If  we  read  the  first  chapters  of 
the  Acts  of  the  apostles,  we  shall  perceive 
a  mighty  tide  of  joy  in  the  minds  of  these 
Christians  :  "  And  they  continuing  daily  with 
one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking 
bread  from  house  to  house,  did  eat  their 
meat  with  gladness  and  singleness  of  heart, 
praising  God,  and  having  favor  with  all  the 
people."  They  did  not  merely  rejoice  not- 
ivithstanding  the  persecutions  which  they 
met  with,  but  in  them :  "  They  departed  from 
the  presence  of  the  council  (where  they  had 
been  beaten)  rejoicing  that  they  were  count- 
ed worthy  to  suffer  shame  for  his  name." 
These  good  men  seem  to  have  found  heaven 
upon  earth.  They  had  "the  first-fruits  of 
the  Spirit,"  or  those  rich  communications  of 


the  Holy  Spirit  which,  as  the  first-fruits 
under  the  law  were  the  best  of  the  kind, 
showed  what  might  be  expected  under  the 
gospel  dispensation.  The  Holy  Spirit  was 
imparted  to  them,  not  only  in  a  greater  de- 
gree than  usual,  but  under  the  peculiar  char- 
acter of  the  "  Spirit  of  adoption,"  by  which 
they  were  admitted  to  near  communion  with 
God,  as  children  with  a  father.  Nor  was 
this  confined  to  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and 
the  times  immediately  succeeding:  forty 
years  after  this,  Peter  could  say  of  the  stran- 
gers scattered  throughout  Pontus,  Galatia, 
Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia,  "Whom 
having-  not  seen,  ye  love  ;  in  whom,  though 
now  ye  see  him  not,  yet,  believing,  ye  re- 
joice with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory : " 
and  this,  too,  at  a  time  when  the  fiery  trial 
of  persecution  was  coming  or  come  upon 
them. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  spiritual  enjoy- 
ment possessed  by  these  Christians,  they 
looked  forward  with  earnest  desire  for  the 
coming  of  the  day  of  God  ;  not  only  as  those 
who  hasted  towards  it,  but  by  their  hopes 
and  prayers  would  seem  to  hasten  its  ap- 
proach. Such  are  the  accounts  given  of 
them  in  the  New  Testament :  "  Ye  turned 
to  God  from  idols,  to  serve  the  living  and 
true  God ;  and  to  ivaitfor  his  Son  from  hea- 
ven, whom  he  raised  from  the  dead,  even 
Jesus,  which  delivered  us  from  the  wrath  to 
come." — "  He  which  testifieth  these  things 
saith,  Surely  I  come  quickly  ;  Amen.  Even 
so  come,  Lord  Jesus." 

The  enjoyments  of  the  first  Christians, 
instead  of  abating  their  desire  for  the  coming 
of  their  Lord,  appear  to  have  heightened  it. 
The  more  they  possessed  of  the  first-fruits, 
the  more  they  desired  the  lump.  The  fruits  of 
Canaan,  brought  into  the  wilderness,  were 
not  designed  to  satisfy  Israel,  but  rather  to 
excite  them  to  go  up  and  possess  the  land. 

It  is  this  ardent  desire  that  is  expressed 
by  the  terms  "  groaning  within  ourselves." 
The  groaning  of  the  creation  was  in  a  figure, 
but  this  is  real.  These  are  those  "  groanings 
which  cannot  be  uttered"  (verse  26,)  and 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  excited  in  the  way 
of  hope  and  patience  and  prayer. 

The  terms  by  which  the  resurrection  of 
believers  is  expressed,  namely,  "the  adop- 
tion," and "  the  redemption  of  our  body," 
serve  to  heighten  our  ideas  of  the  glorious 
event.  It  is  observable  that  the  apostle, 
throughout  this  description,  makes  use  of 
what  may  be  called  old  terms  in  a  new  sense. 
"The  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of 
God "  was,  as  we  have  seen,  enjoyed  by 
them,  in  one  sense,  from  the  day  that  they 
believed  in  Jesus;  but,  in  describing  this 
event,  a  new  sense  is  put  upon  the  same 
words.  The  idea  of  adoption  also  had  long 
been  familiarized  to  Christians  by  the  apos- 
tolic writings ;  but,  as  used  here,  it  has  a 
new  meaning  attached  to  it.    From  the  day 


THE    MAGNITUDE    OF    THE    HEAVENLY    INHERITANCE. 


327 


they  received  the  Saviour,  they  received 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God  ;  the  Lord 
Almighty,  as  by  a  judicial  act  and  deed,  put 
them  among  his  children  :  but  still,  the  body 
being  doomed  to  die  because  of  sin,  till  this 
dishonor  is  wiped  away  there  is  something 
wanting  to  complete  the  execution  of  the 
deed.  Our  vile  body  must  be  changed,  and 
fashioned  like  unto  Christ's  glorious  body, 
ere  we  can  be  actually  and  fully  introduced 
into  the  heavenly  family.  We  must  put  on 
immortality,  before  we  shall  be  fit  company 
for  immortals.  We  must  be  made  equal  to 
the  angels,  ere  we  can  associate  with  an- 
gels. Finally:  To  be  completely  "the 
children  of  God,"  we  must  be  "the  children 
of  the  resurrection." 

The  disparity  between  Old  and  New- 
testament  believers  was  such  that  the  for- 
mer were  represented  as  children  in  a  state 
of  minority,  kept  under  tutors  and  governors 
till  the  time  appointed  of  the  Father ;  while 
the  latter  are  supposed  to  be  come  to  the 
possession  of  their  inheritance  (Gal.  iv.  1 — 
6:)  how  much  greater,  then,  must  be  the 
disparity  between  believers  in  a  mortal,  and 
in  an  immortal  state  :  both  are  adopted  into 
the  family  of  God ;  but  the  one  in  a  much 
higher  sense  than  the  other. 

Similar  observations  might  be  made  on 
the  term  redemption,  as  here  applied  to  the 
resurrection  of  the  body.  This  term  was 
familiarized  to  Christians  by  the  apostolic 
writings.  They  had  "redemption  through 
his  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins ; "  but 
here  the  word  is  used  in  a  new  sense,  denot- 
ing the  last  act  of  deliverance,  even  that  of 
the  body,  from  under  the  thraldom  of  death 
and  the  imprisonment  of  the  grave.  It  is  in 
reference  to  this  last  act  of  deliverance  that 
Christ  is  said  to  be  "made  unto  us — re- 
demption." The  redemption  of  our  souls 
by  his  blood  preceded  his  being  made  unto 
us  wisdom,  or  righteousness,  or  sanctifica- 
tion;  but  the  redemption  of  our  body,  as  be- 
ing the  last  act  of  deliverance,  succeeds 
them.  The  body  is  a  part  of  Christ's  pur- 
chase as  really  as  the  soul.  It  is  on  this 
principle  that  the  Corinthians  were  dissuad- 
ed from  polluting  it  by  fornication :  "  Ye 
are  not  your  own,  but  bought  with  a  price  : 
therefore  glorify  God  in  your  body,  and  in 
your  spirit,  which  are  God's."  The  resur- 
rection of  the  body,  therefore,  is  the  recovery 
of  the  last  part  of  the  Redeemer's  purchase, 
signified  by  that  expressive  sentence,  so 
often  repeated,  "  I  will  raise  it  up  at  the  last 
day." 

This  is  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in 
us,  with  which  the  sufferings  of  the  present 
time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared ;  this 
is  the  great  crisis  of  creation,  to  which  all 
that  precedes  it  tends,  as  to  its  last  end  ;  and 


the  result  to  which  believers,  who  have  pos- 
sessed the  richest  communications  of  grace 
in  this  life,  look  with  earnest  expectation. 

To  conclude :  We  see  here  what  a  glori- 
ous hope  the  gospel  sets  before  us.  In  point 
of  magnitude,  crowns  and  kingdoms  are  but 
baubles  when  compared  with  it:  yet  it  is 
not  for  crowns  and  kingdoms  that  the  bulk 
of  mankind  set  at  nought  the  heavenly  prize, 
but  for  things  of  still  less  account.  Thirty 
pieces  of  silver  were,  in  one  case,  reckoned 
of  more  account  than  Christ ;  and,  in  another, 
a  mess  of  pottage !  "  If  ye  then  be  risen 
with  Christ,  seek  those  things  which  are 
above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  the  right  hand 
of  God.  Set  your  affections  on  things  above, 
not  on  things  on  the  earth.  For  ye  are 
dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 
When  Christ  who  is  our  life  shall  appear, 
then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  him  in  glory." 
Farther:  We  here  see  ivhat  encourage- 
ment there  is  to  pray  and  labor  for  the  promo- 
tion of  Christ's  spiritual  kingdom  in  the  world. 
The  glory  to  be  revealed  at  the  resurrection 
is  not  to  be  considered  as  a  solitary  event ; 
but  rather  as  the  consummation  of  a  series 
of  events  which  shall  have  preceded  it. 
Christ,  we  are  told,  "  must  reign,  till  he  hath 
put  all  enemies  under  his  feet.  The  last 
enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is  death." 
The  reign  of  Christ,  therefore,  is  now  mak- 
ing progress  towards  this  great  crisis  ;  and, 
as  it  proceeds,  it  produces,  in  a  degree,  the 
same  effects  as  it  will  when  perfected.  As, 
in  proportion  to  the  prevalence  of  the  cause 
of  corruption,  the  creatures  of  God  are  sub- 
jected to  the  vanity  of  supporting  it ;  so,  in 
proportion  as  the  gospel  prevails,  and  men 
are  freed  from  the  dominion  of  sin  by  be- 
lieving in  Christ,  the  creatures  also  are 
emancipated  with  them :  from  that  time  they 
are  used  to  the  glory  of  God  and  not  abused 
to  support  the  cause  of  his  enemies.  Thus, 
in  promoting  the  cause  of  Christ,  we  con- 
tribute to  the  deliverance  of  the  creation. 

Finally :  We  must  not  forget  that  the 
possession  of  all  this  glory  stands  connected 
with  justification  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 
The  whole  is  an  inference  arising  from  this 
doctrine.  Whom  he  thus  "justified,  them  he 
also  glorified."  It  is  a  very  serious  question 
on  what  ground  we  rest  our  acceptance  with 
God.  It  was  at  this  doctrine  that  the  Jew- 
ish nation  stumbled  and  fell.  Let  their  fall 
be  our  warning.  "  The  Gentiles,  which  fol- 
lowed not  after  righteousness,  have  attained 
to  righteousness,  even  the  righteousness 
which  is  of  faith.  But  Israel,  which  follow- 
ed after  the  law  of  righteousness,  hath  not 
attained  to  the  law  of  righteousness.  Where- 
fore ?  Because  they  sought  it  not  by  faith, 
but  as  it  were  by  the  works  of  the  law  :  for 
they  stumbled  at  that  stumbling-stone." 


328 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


SERMON  XXVII. 

[Delivered  at  the  Funeral  of  ihe  Rev.  J.  SutclifF, 
ofOlney,  June  28,  1814.] 

THE  PRINCIPLES  AND  PROSPECTS  OF    A   SER- 
VANT OF  CHRIST. 

"  But  ye,  beloved,  building  up  yourselves  on 
your  most  holy  faith,  praying  in  the  Holy  Ghost, 
keep  yourselves  in  the  love  of  God,  looking  for  the 
mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life." 
— Jude  20,  21. 

I  feel  a  difficulty  in  speaking  on  this  oc- 
casion. A  long  and  intimate  friendship, 
cemented  by  a  similarity  of  views  and  a  co- 
operation in  ministerial  and  missionary  la- 
bors, produces  a  feeling  somewhat  resem- 
bling that  of  a  near  relation,  who,  on  such  an 
occasion,  instead  of  speaking,  must  wish  to 
be  indulged  in  silent  grief.  But  the  request 
of  my  deceased  brother  cannot  be  refused. 

In  selecting  a  passage  for  so  solemn  an 
occasion,  it  was  natural  for  our  dear  friend 
to  fix  on  one  that  should  express  his  last 
sentiments  and  his  future  prospects.  He 
wished,  no  doubt,  to  leave  a  testimony  of  his 
firm  persuasion  of  the  truth  of  those  princi- 
ples which  he  had  believed  and  taught,  and 
to  the  hope  which  they  inspired  in  the  pros- 
pect of  eternity. 

The  occasion  on  which  the  passage  is  in- 
troduced is  deserving  of  our  notice.  Cer- 
tain men,  of  pernicious  principles,  had  crept 
unawares  into  the  churches,  so  as  to  render 
it  necessary  for  the  apostle  to  write  even  on 
"  the  common  salvation,"  and  to  exhort  the 
brethren  earnenstly  to  "  contend  for  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints."  Nor  was  it 
confined  to  principles:  those  who  had  de- 
parted from  the  faith  had  also  gone  far  into 
impure  and  dissolute  conduct ;  "  turning  the 
grace  of  God  into  lasciviousness,  defiling  the 
flesh,  despising  dominion,  and  speaking  evil 
of  dignities."  It  is  no  new  thing  for  devia- 
tions in  Christian  doctrine  to  be  followed  by 
those  in  practice.  As  truth  sanctifies  the 
mind,  so  error  pollutes  it.  It  was  to  turn 
the  apostacy  of  these  ungodly  men  to  the 
advantage  of  the  faithful  that  the  apostle  ad- 
dressed them  as  he  did :  "  But  ye,  beloved, 
building  up  yourselves  on  your  most  holy 
faith,  praying  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  keep  your- 
selves in  the  love  of  God,  looking  for  the 
mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal 
life."  Having  exposed  the  wicked  ways 
into  which  these  men  had  turned  aside,  he 
points  out  the  good  and  the  right  way,  and 
holds  up  the  end  to  which  it  leads. 

In  discoursing  on  the  subject,  we  shall 
notice  the  principles  which  we  have  suggest- 
ed to  us,  and  the  prospects  which  they  fur- 
nish in  respect  of  a  blessed  hereafter. 

1.  Let  us   offer  a  few  remarks  on  the 

PRINCIPLES    WHICH     ARE    HERE    SUGGESTED 


TO    US,    AS    CONSTITUTING    TRUE    RELIGION. 

Whatever  ideas  we  have  entertained  of 
truth  and  true  religion,  it  is  necessary  to 
bring  them  to  the  Scriptures,  as  to  the 
standard. 

1.  True  evangelical  religion  is  here  re- 
presented as  a  building,  the  foundation  of 
tvhich  is  laid  in  the  faith  of  Christ : — "  Build- 
ing up  yourselves  on  your  most  holy  faith." 
Whether  it  relate  to  personal  or  to  social 
religion,  this  must  be  the  foundation  of  the 
fabric,  or  the  whole  will  fall.  Many  persons 
are  awakened  to  some  serious  concern  about 
futurity,  and  excited  to  inquire  what  they 
must  do  to  be  saved ;  and,  in  that  state  of 
mind,  it  is  not  unusual  for  them  to  have  re- 
course to  reading  and  prayer,  as  a  prepara- 
tion for  death.  Many  preachers,  too,  will 
think  it  sufficient  to  direct  them  to  the  use 
of  these  means.  But,  if  the  death  and  me- 
diation of  Christ  be  overlooked,  it  is  not 
reading,  or  prayer,  or  any  other  religious 
exercise,  that  will  avail  us.  Why  did  John 
the  Baptist,  Christ,  and  his  apostles,  lay  the 
foundation  of  the  gospel  kingdom  by  calling 
on  sinners  to  "  repent  and  believe  the  gos- 
pel ?  "  Was  it  not  because  all  other  duties, 
prior  to  these,  were  of  no  account  ?  When 
some,  who  followed  Christ  for  loaves,  in- 
quired what  they  must  do  to  work  the  works 
of  God,  his  answer  was,  "  This  is  the  work 
of  God,  that  ye  believe  on  him  whom  he 
hath  sent ; "  plainly  intimating  that  no  work, 
prior  to  this,  could  be  pleasing  to  God.  The 
Scriptures  direct  men  to  pray,  but  it  is  in 
faith.  To  the  question,  "  What  must  I  do 
to  be  saved  ?  "  there  is  but  one  answer — 
"  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved."  Christ  is  the  door ;  by  him 
if  any  man  enter  in  he  shall  be  saved.  To 
direct  inquirers  to  any  thing  short  of  this  is 
to  direct  them  to  that  which,  if  complied 
with,  will  leave  them  short  of  salvation. 
This  the  Scriptures  never  do  :  there  is  not  a 
direction  in  the  oracles  of  God  but,  if  truly 
followed,  will  lead  to  everlasting  life. 

One  lays  the  foundation  of  his  religion  in 
what  he  calls  reason ;  but  which  in  fact  is 
his  own  reasoning.  The  same  inspired 
writer  who  in  one  sentence  commends  un- 
derstanding, in  the  next  warns  us  against 
leaning  to  our  own  understanding.  To 
strengthen  ourselves  and  one  another  in  this 
way  is  to  build  up  ourselves  on  our  own  con- 
ceits. Another  founds  his  religion  on  his 
good  deeds.  Good  deeds  undoubtedly  form 
a  part  of  the  building,  but  the  foundation  is 
not  the  place  for  them.  They  are  not  the 
cause,  but  the  effects  of  faith.  They  pre- 
pare us  for  heaven,  as  meetening  us  for  it, 
but  not  as  rendering  us  deserving  of  it.  A 
third  builds  his  religion  on  impressions.  It 
is  not  from  the  death  of  Christ  for  sinners  or 
any  other  gospel  truth  that  he  derives  his 
comfort,  but  from  an  impulse  on  his  mind 


PRINCIPLES    AND    PROSPECTS    OF    A    SERVANT    OF    CHRIST. 


329 


that  his  sins  are  forgiven,  and  that  lie  is  a 
favorite  of  God,  which  is  certainly  nowhere 
revealed  in  the  Scriptures.  We  may  build 
ourselves  up  in  this  way,  but  the  building 
will  fall.  A  fourth  founds  his  religion  on 
faith,  but  it  is  not  a  holy  faith,  either  in  re- 
spect of  its  nature  or  its  effects.  It  is  dead, 
being  alone,  or  without  fruit.  The  faith  on 
which  the  first  Christians  built  up  them- 
selves included  repentance  for  sin.  As, 
when  forgiveness  is  promised  to  repentance, 
faith  in  Christ  is  supposed  ;  so,  when  justifi- 
cation is  promised  to  believing,  repentance 
is  supposed.  However  distinct  they  are, 
as  to  their  nature  and  objects,  they  have 
no  separate  existence.  Hence,  in  the  preach- 
ing of  John,  Christ,  and  the  apostles,  they 
are  united ;  and  hence  the  faitli  of  Christ, 
supposing  a  renunciation  of  everything  op- 
posed to  it  and  including  a  cordial  acquies- 
cence in  the  gospel-way  of  salvation  through 
his  death,  is  most  holy. 

These  principles  your  dear  deceased  pas- 
tor has  long  believed  and  taught.  May 
you  long  continue  to  exemplify  their  holy 
influence. 

2.  That  religion  which  has  its  foundation 
in  the  faith  of  Christ  will  increase  by  "pray- 
ing in  the  Holy  Spirit.'"  As  there  is  no  true 
practical  religion  without  faith  in  Christ,  so 
there  is  no  true  prayer  but  "in  the  Holy 
Spirit."  It  is  true  "that  men  ought  always 
to  pray,  and  not  to  faint ; "  but  it  is  no  less 
true  that  we  know  not  what  to  pray  for  as 
ive  ought,  but  as  the  Spirit  helpeth  our  infir- 
mities :  clear  proof  this,  by  the  way,  that 
that  may  be  man's  duty  which  yet  owing  to 
his  depravity  cannot  be  performed  but  by 
divine  grace ;  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
works  that  in  us  which  God  as  the  governor 
of  the  world  requires  of  us;  writing  his  law 
upon  our  hearts,  or  working  in  us  that  which 
is  pleasing  in  his  sight. 

The  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  how- 
ever, is  not  that  of  which  we  are  always  sen- 
sible. We  must  not  live  in  the  neglect  of 
prayer  at  any  time  because  we  are  uncon- 
scious of  being  under  divine  influence,  but 
rather,  as  our  Lord  directs,  pray  for  his 
Holy  Spirit.  It  is  in  prayer  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  ordinarily  assists  us.  Prayers  be- 
gun in  dejection  have  often  ended  in  joy 
and  praise :  of  this  many  of  the  Psalms  of 
David  furnish  us  with  examples. 

One  of  the  sentences  uttered  by  your  de- 
ceased pastor,  when  drawing  near  his  end, 

Was,  "I  WISH  I  HAD    PRAYED    MORE."       This 

was  one  of  those  weighty  sayings  which  are 
not  unfrequently  uttered  in  view  of  the  so- 
lemn realities  of  eternity.  This  wish  has 
often  recurred  to  me  since  his  departure,  as 
equally  applicable  to  myself,  and  with  it  the 
resolution  of  that  holy  man,  President  Ed- 
wards, "  so  to  live  as  he  would  wish  he  had 
when  he  came  to  die."  In  reviewing  my 
own  life,  I  wish  I  had  prayed  more  than  I  have 
Vol.  2.— Sic.  42. 


for  the  success  of  the  gospel.  I  have  seen 
enough  to  furnish  me  with  matter  of  thank- 
fulness, but,  had  I  prayed  more,  I  might  have 
seen  more.  I  wish  I  had  prayed  more  than 
I  have  for  the  salvation  of  those  about  me, 
and  who  are  given  me  in  charge.  When  the 
father  of  the  lunatic  doubted  whether  Jesus 
could  do  any  thing  for  him,  he  was  told  in 
answer  that,  if  he  could  believe,  all  things 
were  possible.  On  hearing  this  he  burst 
into  tears,  saying,  "  Lord,  I  believe ;  help 
thou  mine  unbelief!  "  He  seems  to  have 
understood  our  Lord  as  suggesting  that,  if 
the  child  was  not  healed,  it  would  not  be 
owing  to  any  want  of  power  in  him,  but  to 
his  own  unbelief.  This  might  well  cause 
him  to  weep  and  exclaim  as  he  did.  The 
thought  of  his  unbelief  causing  the  death  of 
his  child  was  distressing.  The  same  thought 
has  occurred  to  me  as  applicable  to  the  neg- 
lect of  the  prayer  of  faith.  Have  I  not  by 
this  guilty  negligence  been  accessary  to  the 
destruction  of  some  that  are  dear  to  me  ? 
And,  were  I  equally  concerned  for  the  souls 
of  my  connections  as  he  was  for  the  life  of 
his  child,  should  I  not  weep  with  him  ?  I 
wish  I  had  prayed  more  than  I  have  for  my 
oivn  soul :  I  might  then  have  enjoyed  much 
more  communion  with  God.  The  gospel  af- 
fords the  same  ground  for  spiritual  enjoyment 
as  it  did  to  the  first  Christians.  I  wish  I  had 
prayed  more  than  I  have  in  ail  my  undertak- 
ings :  I  might  then  have  had  my  steps  more 
directed  by  God,  and  attended  with  fewer 
deviations  from  his  will.  There  is  no  inter- 
course with  God  without  prayer.  It  is  thus 
that  we  walk  with  God,  and  have  our  con- 
versation in  heaven. 

3.  We  are  given  to  understand  that  by 
means  of  building  on  our  most  holy  faith, 
and  praying  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  "  keep 
ourselves  in  the  love  of  God."  The  love  of 
God  here  is  to  be  understood  not  of  his  love 
to  us,  but  ours  to  him  ;  as  when  our  Lord 
told  the  unbelieving  Jews  that  they  had  not 
"  the  love  of  God  "  in  them.  To  keep  alive 
this  sacred  flame  amidst  the  temptations  of 
the  world  is  in  a  manner  the  sum  of  the 
christian  life.  If  this  be  preserved,  every 
other  grace  will  thrive,  and  we  shall  prosper 
in  all  that  we  set  our  hands  to  in  the  service 
of  God.  Not  only  must  natural  affection  to 
our  dearest  friends  and  relations  give  place 
to  the  love  of  God,  but  even  the  love  of  our 
christian  brethren  must  be  on  account  of 
their  obedience  to  him :  "  Who  is  my  mother  ? 
and  who  are  my  brethren  ? — Whosoever  shall 
do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven, 
the  same  is  my  brother,  and  sister,  and  mo- 
ther." 

This  is  a  subject  into  which  your  dear 
pastor  entered  with  deep  interest,  consider- 
ing it  as  essential  to  true  religion.  He 
dwelt  much  in  his  preaching  on  the  glory  of 
the  divine  character  and  government,  as  dis- 
played in  the  law  and  the  gospel,  and  scru- 


330 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


pled  not  to  declare  his  firm  persuasion  that 
all  religious  affections  which  disregarded 
this  were  spurious,  and  would  prove  of  no 
account  at  the  great  day.  He  was  persuad- 
ed that  as  sin  must  be  hated  as  sin,  or  it  is 
not  hated  at  all ;  so  God  must  be  loved  as 
God,  or  he  is  not  loved  at  all.  But  to  love 
God  as  God  is  to  love  him  for  what  he  is,  as 
well  as  for  what  he  has  done  for  us.  He 
had,  indeed,  no  such  notion  of  loving  God 
for  his  own  excellency  as  should  render  us 
indifferent  to  our  own  salvation.  On  the 
contrary,  he  considered  it  as  essential  to  the 
love  of  God  to  desire  his  favor  as  our  chief 
good.  But  we  can  no  more  desire  this,  ir- 
respective of  what  he  is,  than  we  can  desire 
any  other  object  without  considering  it  as 
in  itself  desirable.  Unless  we  love  God  in 
respect  of  his  character,  his  favor  would  be 
no  enjoyment  to  us. 

In  these  views  I  am  persuaded  that  our 
brother  was  in  the  right,  and  that,  instead  of 
their  being  mere  metaphysical  subtilties, 
they  enter  into  the  essence  of  true  religion. 
The  glory  of  the  gospel  consists  in  an  ex- 
hibition of  the  glory  of  the  divine  charac- 
ter. Had  it  been  possible  for  sin  to  have 
been  forgiven,  and  sinners  accepted,  in  a 
*ray  inconsistent  with  righteousness,  how- 
ever agreeable  it  might  have  been,  as  furnish- 
ing us  with  the  means  of  escape  from  wrath, 
there  had  been  no  glory  in  it,  and,  had  we 
truly  loved  God,  no  satisfaction  to  our  minds. 
In  judging  of  Avhat  is  true  or  false,  right 
or  wrong,  the  love  of  God  is  that  to  the 
mind  which  an  ear  for  music  is  to  harmony, 
or  which  a  delicate  sense  of  fitness  is  to  our 
speaking  and  acting  with  propriety.  It  is 
thus  that  the  apostle  represents  it  in  his 
epistle  to  the  Philippians  :  "  And  this  I  pray, 
that  your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and 
more,  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judgment ; 
that  ye  may  approve  things  that  are  excel- 
lent ; "  or — in  all  sense  ;  that  ye  may  try 
things  that  differ.  In  short,  there  is  no  cal- 
culating the  bearings  of  this  principle  :  it  is 
/he  life-blood  that  flows  through  all  the  veins 
of  true  religion.  Hence  the  prayer  of  the 
apostle :  "  The  Lord  direct  your  hearts  into 
the  love  of  God." 

It  is  by  building  up  ourselves  on  our  most 
holy  faith,  and  praying  in  the  Holy  Spirit, 
that  we  are  supposed  to  keep  alive  this 
heavenly  flame.  These  are  the  means 
adapted  to  that  important  end :  they  are  to 
the  love  of  God  that  which  oil  is  to  the  fire, 
tending  to  feed  and  to  enliven  it.  It  is  by  a 
growing  acquaintance  with  the  word  of  God, 
accompanied  with  habitual  prayer,  that  the 
love  of  God  increases  and  abounds  more  and 
more.  There  are  things  which  are  incon- 
sistent with  the  love  of  God,  such  as  the 
love  of  the  world  and  the  indulgence  of  its 
lusts :  "  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love 
of  the  Father  is  not  in  him."  But  a  life  of 
faith  and  prayer  will  subdue  these  weeds, 


no  less  than  they,  when  indulged,  are  known 
to  choke  the  word  of  God,  and  to  render  it 
unfruitful.  Let  the  field  be  but  well  occu- 
pied with  good  seed,  and  there  will  be  no 
room  for  the  weeds  :  "  Walk  in  the  spirit, 
and  ye  shall  not  fulfil  the  lusts  of  the  flesh." 

4.  We  are  taught  that,  when  Ave  have  • 
done  all,  in  looking  for  eternal  life,  we  must 
keep  our  eye  singly  and  solely  on  the  mercy  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  this  part  of 
the  subject  that  our  dear  brother  particularly 
repeated,  as  expressive,  I  doubt  not,  of  both 
the  ground  and  object  of  his  hope.  Every 
one  who  knew  him  can  bear  testimony  that 
he  was  a  just  and  holy  man,  and  that  it  was 
his  great  concern,  in  every  station  he  filled, 
to  maintain  good  works  ;  but  his  dependence 
for  acceptance  with  God  was  not  on  them. 
He  looked  for  eternal  life  through  "the 
mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  best 
characters  have  always  been  the  most  sen- 
sible of  their  own  unworthiness,  and  the 
farthest  from  self-righteous  boasting.  Af- 
ter all  their  labors  in  the  cause  of  God,  they 
feel  to  have  been  unprofitable  servants,  as 
having  done  only  what  was  their  duty  to 
do,  and  that  with  so  much  imperfection  as  to 
furnish  matter  of  humiliation  and  self-abase- 
ment. It  is  true  that  a  servant  of  God  may 
enjoy  a  portion  of  solid  satisfaction  in  re- 
viewing those  things  which,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  he  has  been  enabled  to  accomplish, 
and  this  without  any  mixture  of  self-right- 
eous boasting.  This  was  the  case  with  the 
apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  He  could  say,  on 
the  approach  of  death,  "  I  am  now  ready  to 
be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is 
at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith : 
henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown 
of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord  the  right- 
eous Judge  shall  give  me  at  that  day;  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that 
love  his  appearing."  But,  if  Paul  himself 
had  been  speaking  of  the  consideration  on 
which  he  hoped  to  be  accepted  and  saved, 
he  would,  like  Jude,  have  resolved  it  into 
"  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

You  know,  brethren,  that  this  is  the  doc- 
trine which  your  pastor  has  preached  among 
you  for  nearly  forty  years.  It  is  true  he  did 
not  so  represent  the  grace  of  God  as  to 
cherish  a  spirit  of  slothfulness  or  wantonness, 
but,  in  all  his  labors,  it  was  his  uniform  de- 
sign to  direct  his  hearers,  whether  they 
would  hear  or  whether  they  would  forbear, 
to  the  only  way  of  salvation  marked  out  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures :  "  By  grace  are  ye 
saved  through  faith  ;  and  that  not  of  your- 
selves ;  it  is  the  gift  of  God."  He  preach- 
ed the  doctrine  of  sovereign  grace  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  warn  every  man  against  trust- 
ing to  his  own  righteousness,  and  teach  every 
man  in  what  way  he  must  be  saved,  if  saved 
at  all,  as  well  as  to  lead  those  who  had  be- 
lieved in  Jesus  to  ascribe  it  to  the  grace  of 


PRINCIPLES    AND    PROSPECTS    OF    A    SERVANT    OP    CHRIST. 


331 


God  that  they  were  what  they  were.  And 
now,  having,  as  I  said,  for  nearly  forty  years, 
pointed  you  to  the  good  and  the  right  way, 
he  has  himself  walked  in  it ;  leaving  you 
and  all  the  world  with  this  sentiment  upon 
his  lips — "  Looking  for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life  !  " 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  the  latter  part  of 
the  subject;  namely, 

II.  The  prospects  which  these  prin- 
ciples FURNISH  AS  TO  A  BLESSED  HEREAF- 
TER: "Looking  for  the  mercy  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  unto  eternal  life." 

By  "the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ" 
I  understand  that  which  is  communicated 
through  his  death,  and  with  the  dispensa- 
tion of  which  he  is  invested,  both  now  and 
at  the  day  of  judgment:  "Of  his  fulness 
have  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace. — 
The  Lord  grant  unto  him  that  he  may  find 
mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that  day." 

We  have  already  received  much  of  the 
mercy  of  Christ.  It  was  mercy  that  induced 
him  to  assume  our  nature,  and  undertake 
our  salvation ;  to  give  himself  an  offering 
and  a  sacrifice  to  God  for  us ;  to  send  his 
Holy  Spirit  to  renew  us,  when  we  were 
dead  in  sin ;  to  intercede  for  us  at  the  right 
hand  of  God ;  and  to  be  with  us  in  all  our 
labors  and  sufferings  for  his  name's  sake : 
but,  in  respect  of  actual  enjoyment,  there  is 
much  more  yet  to  be  expected.  The  mercy 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  communicated 
in  greater  and  greater  degrees,  till,  like  riv- 
ers terminating  in  the  ocean,  it  issues  in 
eternal  life. 

The  first  exercise  of  mercy  which  the 
Scriptures  direct  us  to  look  for,  on  our  leav- 
ing the  body,  is  an  immediate  reception  into 
the  presence  of  Christ,  and  the  society  of  the 
spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect.  "  The  beg- 
gar died,  and  was  carried  by  the  angels  into 
Abraham's  bosom. — -Lord,  remember  me 
when  thou  comest  into  thy  kingdom.  And 
Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee, 
to-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise. — 
Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit. — We  are  con- 
fident and  willing  rather  to  be  absent  from 
the  body,  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord. — 
I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire 
to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far 
better. — And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven, 
saying  unto  me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead 
which  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth  :  yea, 
saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from 
their  labors ;  and  their  works  do  follow 
them."  What  this  overwhelming  tide  of 
mercy  will  prove  we  have  yet  to  learn. 
When  the  Lord  turned  again  the  captivity 
of  Judah  they  were  like  those  that  dream : 
the  deliverance  seemed  too  great  to  be  real. 
And  thus  it  may  be  with  believers  on  their 
departing  from  the  body,  and  entering  into 
the  joy  of  their  Lord.  But  of  this  our  dear 
brother  knows  more,  since  his  taking  leave 
of  us,  than  we  should  he  able  to  discover  in 


a  series  of  years  on  earth,  even  though  we 
should  make  it  our  constant  study.  If  an 
inspired  apostle  could  say,  "We  know  not 
what  we  shall  be,"  it  is  vain  for  us  to  think 
of  forming  an  adequate  conception  of  it. 

I  do  not  know  whether  I  ought  not  to 
reckon  under  this  particular  the  glorious 
progress  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  this  ivorld. 
Why  should  we  suspect  whether  our  breth- 
ren who  rest  from  their  labors  be  from  hence 
interested  in  this  object  ?  If  there  be  joy 
in  heaven  among  the  angels  over  one  sinner 
that  repenteth,  why  not  among  the  glorified 
saints  ?  And,  if  over  one  sinner,  much  more 
over  the  multitudes  that  shall  be  gathered 
in  the  latter  days  from  every  kindred,  and 
tongue,  and  people,  and  nation.*  There  is 
a  sense  in  which  the  dead  know  not  any 
thing;  "their  love,  and  their  hatred,  and 
their  envy,  is  now  perished,  neither  have 
they  any  more  a  portion  forever  in  anything 
that  is  done  under  the  sun."  All  this  is 
true,  as  to  the  things  of  this  world ;  but  it 
does  not  follow  that  those  who  die  in  the 
Lord  have  no  more  a  portion  in  his  spiritual 
kingdom.  As  well  might  we  infer  that  their 
love  of  him  and  hatred  of  evil  shall  perish. 
But  I  ask  leave,  on  this  subject,  to  refer  to 
A  Meditation  on  the  nature  and  progressive- 
ness  of  the  heavenly  glory,  contained  in  a 
small  volume  of  "Dialogues,  Letters,  and 
Essays,"  published  in  1806. 

Another  stream  of  mercy  for  which  we 
are  directed  to  look  will  attend  the  second 
coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  con- 
sist in  the  dead  being  raised,  and  the  living 
changed.  "  The  Lord  himself  shall  descend 
from  heaven, — with  the  voice  of  the  archan- 
gel, and  with  the  trump  of  God :  and  the 
dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first :  then  we  which 
are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  to- 
gether with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the 
Lord  in  the  air :  and  so  shall  we  ever  be 
with  the  Lord."  It  has  been  usual  for  na- 
tions to  reserve  the  most  notable  acts  of 
grace  to  the  appearance  or  coronation  of 
their  kings,  as  tending  to  honor  their  en- 
trance on  the  government.  And  thus  both 
the  first  and  second  appearing  of  Christ 
are  periods  which  God  has  distinguished  by 
the  most  glorious  displays  of  mercy.  The 
former  was  a  jubilee  to  the  Gentile  world; 
and  the  latter  will  be  the  same  to  the  whole 
creation.  As,  on  the  sounding  of  the  jubi- 
lee trumpet,  the  captives  were  liberated  ;  so, 
when  the  trump  of  God  shall  sound,  the 
righteous  dead  shall  be  raised,  and  their 
resurrection  will  be  to  the  creatures  of  God 
the  signal  of  emancipation  from  under  the 
effects  of  sin. 

View  the  grave  as  a  long,  dark,  and 
comfortless   abode,   and   it  is   sufficient  to 

*  Such,  we  know,  were  the  ideas  of  our  dear 
departed  brother ;  which,  as  some  may  remember, 
he  enlarged  upon  at  the  Thursday-morning  meet- 
ing  of  the  Association,  held  at  Kettering,  in  1813, 


332 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


appal  the  stoutest  spirit:  but  take  into 
consideration  that  here  the  Lord  lay — 
that  he  was  raised  from  the  dead,  that 
he  might  be  the  first  fruits  of  them  that 
slept — and  that  of  all  that  the  Father  gave 
him  he  will  lose  nothing,  but  will  raise  it  up 
at  the  last  day — and  it  will  wear  a  different 
aspect.  Job,  when  contemplating  the  grave 
as  a  long  and  dreary  habitation,  describes  it 
in  the  most  plaintive  language  :  "  Man  lieth 
down,  and  riseth  not  till  the  heavens  be  no 
more  ! "  But,  when  his  views  are  fixed  on 
the  deliverance  which  he  should  obtain  at 
that  great  and  glorious  day,  his  complaints 
are  exchanged  for  triumphs.  It  is  delight- 
ful to  observe  the  erection  of  soul  which  a 
believing  prospect  of  the  resurrection  gave 
him,  after  all  his  depression  :  "  Oh  that  my 
words  were  now  written !  oh  that  they  were 
printed  in  a  book  !  That  they  were  graven 
with  an  iron  pen  and  lead  in  the  rock  forev- 
er! For  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth, 
and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  up- 
on the  earth:  and  though,  after  my  skin, 
worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh 
shall  I  see  God  :  whom  I  shall  see  for  my- 
self, and  mine  eyes  shall  behold,  and  not 
another ;  though  my  reins  be  consumed 
within  me."  In  a  strain  very  similar  to  this, 
the  apostle  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, describes  the  victory  over  death  and 
the  grave,  representing  believers  as  actual- 
ly raised  from  the  dead,  and  as  standing  up- 
on their  graves,  looking  the  conquered  ene- 
my in  the  face,  and  exclaiming,  "  O  death, 
where  is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave,  where  is  thy 
victory  ?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin ;  and  the 
strength  of  sin  is  the  law.  But  thanks  be  to 
God,  which  givetii  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  By  looking  for 
this  part  of  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  we  shall  be  reconciled  to  death,  even 
before  we  meet  it. 

But  there  is  another  stream  of  mercy  be- 
yond this,  to  which  we  are  directed  to  look, 
and  which  pertains  to  the  last  judgment.  We 
have  an  impressive  idea  given  us  of  this  in 
Paul's  prayer  for  Onesiphorus :  "  The  Lord 
give  mercy  unto  the  house  of  Onesiphorus  ; 
for  he  oft  refreshed  me,  and  was  not  ashamed 
of  my  chain :  but,  when  he  was  in  Rome, 
he  souo-ht  me  out  very  diligently,  and  found 
me.  The  Lord  grant  unto  him  that  he  may 
find  mercy  of  the  Lord,  in  that  day.'''' 

We  have  needed  mercy  on  many  days, 
and  have  found  it ;  but  that  is  a  day  in  which 
we  shall  need  it  more  than  ever.  It  is  a 
fond  notion,  entertained  by  some,  that  the 
sins  of  believers  will  not  be  brought  into 
judgment.  We  are  assured,  however,  that 
we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat 
of  Christ ;  that  every  one  of  us  shall  give 
an  account  of  himself  to  God ;  and  that  of 
every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak  they 
shall  give  an  account  thereof  at  the  day  of 
judgment.    The  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that 


day  will  not  consist  in  connivance  ;  but,  as 
in  all  other  instances,  be  exercised  consist- 
ently with  righteousness.  In  our  present 
state  of  mind,  we  may  wish  to  have  it  other- 
wise. David  might  wish  that  the  evil  he 
had  wrought  in  secret  should  be  kept  secret ; 
but  the  Lord  determined  to  expose  it  before 
the  sun.  It  does  not  comport  with  the  char- 
acter of  God  to  conceal  the  truth,  but  to 
make  it  manifest.  If  the  sins  of  believers 
were  not  brought  into  judgment,  there  would 
be  no  occasion  for  the  exercise  of  forgiving 
mercy.  It  is  from  the  strictness  of  the  trial, 
and  the  awfulness  of  the  sentence  to  which, 
if  dealt  with  according  to  their  deserts,  they 
would  be  exposed  in  that  day,  that  mercy 
will  be  needed.  The  world  shall  know  their 
guilt,  and  their  repentance,  and  the  way  in 
which  they  are  forgiven ;  so  as  to  glorify 
God,  though  it  be  unwillingly,  and  to  feel 
the  justice  of  their  own  condemnation.  In 
this  view  of  the  last  judgment,  the  manifesta- 
tion of  guilt,  and  wrath,  and  mercy,  will  each 
surpass  all  our  present  conceptions. 

It  is  commonly  represented,  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, that  every  man  will  be  judged  "ac- 
cording to  his  works  : "  and  true  it  is  that  all 
our  actions  and  words,  and  even  thoughts, 
will  undergo  an  impartial  scrutiny,  and  be 
considered  as  the  test  of  character.  They,  , 
for  example,  who  have  ministered  to  Christ's 
members  in  their  necessities,  will  be  treated 
as  having  ministered  unto  him  ;  and  they 
that  have  disregarded  them  as  having  disre- 
garded him :  but  if,  by  being  judged  accord- 
ing to  our  works,  were  meant  that  God  will 
proceed  with  us  on  the  principles  of  mere 
justice,  giving  to  every  one  his  due,  we 
should  all  be  condemned :  "  If  thou,  Lord, 
shouldest  mark  iniquities,  O  Lord,  who  shall 
stand  ?  But  there  is  forgiveness  with  thee, 
that  thou  mayest  be  feared." 

Nor  will  the  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  in  that  day,  be  confined  to  the  for- 
giveness of  sin  :  even  the  reivards  of  that 
day,  though  expressive  of  righteousness  and 
faithfulness,  yet  have  their  origin  in  mercy. 
The  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the 
Lord  the  righteous  Judge  shall  give  in  that 
day  to  all  who  love  his  appearing,  will  not 
be  a  reward  of  debt,  but  of  grace.  But  for 
grace,  we  should  have  had  no  goofl  deeds 
to  be  rewarded  ;  or,  if  we  had,  they  could  no 
more  be  named  in  that  day  than  the  good  be- 
haviour of  a  murderer  will  bear  to  be  alleged 
as  a  balance  against  his  crimes.  But,  being 
accepted  in  Christ,  what  is  done  for  him  is 
rewarded  for  his  sake.  Hence  the  crown 
of  glory  that  shall  be  bestowed  on  his  ap- 
pearing is  denominated  "  the  grace  that  is  to 
be  brought  unto  you  at  the  revelation  of  Je- 
sus Christ." 

After  this,  nothing  remains  but  that  eter- 
nal life  into  which,  as  into  an  ocean,  all  these 
streams  of  mercy  flow:  "Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared 


PRINCIPLES    AND    PROSPECTS    OF    A    SERVANT    OF    CHRIST. 


833 


for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
Such  was  the  object  of  your  dear  pastor's 
hope.  May  such  be  yours  and  mine  :  let  our 
last  end  be  like  his  ! 

The  separation  of  a  pastor  and  his  people 
is  a  serious  event.  He  is  gone  to  give  ac- 
count of  his  ministry,  and  his  aecount  will 
include  many  things  pertaining  to  the  peo- 
ple of  his  charge.  Some  of  them,  I  trust, 
will  be  found  to  have  received  the  love  of 
the  truth,  and  will  be  his  joy  and  crown  of 
rejoicing.  Could  he  have  uttered  his  heart 
to  you,  his  children,  it  would  have  been  to 
press  upon  you  a  perseverance  in  the  thing 
that  you  have  received  and  learned.  Nay, 
he  did  so  far  utter  his  heart  as  to  say,  to 
those  about  him,  "If  anything  be  said  as 
from  me,  let  the  last  word  be,  '  As  I  have 
loved  you,  see  that  ye  love  one  another.' "  I 
doubt  not  but  it  has  been  his  endeavor  that, 
after  his  decease,  you  might  have  these 
things  always  in  your  remembrance  ;  and 
that  he  was  less  anxious  that  you  should  re- 
member him  than  them  :  but  I  trust  you  will 
remember  both.  Others,  I  fear,  will  be 
found  to  have  sat  under  his  ministry  in  vain. 
The  word  preached  has  not  profited  them, 
not  being  mixed  with  faith.  It  is  an  affect- 
ing case  to  perish  from  under  a  faithful  min- 
istry: for,  if  he  be  pure  from  your  blood,  on 
whose  head  must  it  be  found,  but  on  your 
own  ?  Let  us  hope  that,  if  the  warning 
voice  of  your  minister  has  not  been  heard 
before,  it  may  be  heard  now.  His  last  end 
furnishes  a  lesson  of  instruction,  by  which 
he  being  dead  yet  speaketh.  You  see  here 
that,  if  a  man  keep  Christ's  saying,  he  will 
never  see  death.  Death  to  him  is  not  death, 
but  the  introduction  to  everlasting  life.  But 
know  also  that  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son 
will  never  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God 
abideth  on  him. 

I  shall  conclude  with  a  brief  account  of 
our  deceased  brother ;  which  I  give  partly 
from  my  own  knowledge,  and  partly  from 
the  communications  of  others. 

I  am  aware  that  some  great  and  good  men 
have  imposed  silence  on  these  occasions. 
Without  impeaching  their  motives,  I  take 
the  liberty  to  differ  from  them.  It  is  true 
that  for  sinful  creatures,  as  we  all  are,  to 
heap  encomiums  on  one  another,  is  vain  and 
sinful :  yet  we  may  err,  on  the  other  hand, 
by  concealing  what  the  grace  of  God  has 
done  for  us.  In  this  view  one  may,  on  oc- 
casion, speak  of  himself,  as  did  the  apostle 
Paul ;  and,  if  so,  why  not  of  another  ?  Da- 
vid did  not  withhold  a  tribute  of  affection  to 
the  memory  of  his  brother  Jonathan.  Nor 
did  Luke  conceal  the  fruits  of  faith  and  love 
which  appeared  in  Dorcas.  She  might  have 
left  an  injunction  that  at  her  decease  nothing 
should  be  said  of  her:  but  the  widows  must 
weep  and  show  the  garments  which  she  had 
made  for  the  poor  in  her  lifetime.  It  is  not 
for  us  to  suppress  the  feelings  of  nature,  and 
still  less  those  of  grace. 


Our  deceased  brother  was  born  near  Hali- 
fax, in  Yorkshire,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1752, 
O.  S.  His  parents  were  both  of  them  pious 
characters,  and  remarkable  for  their  strict 
attention  to  the  instruction  and  government 
of  their  children.  Of  course  he  would  be 
taught  the  good  and  the  right  way  from  his 
childhood.  It  does  not  appear,  however, 
that  he  was  made  wise  unto  salvation, 
through  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  till  about  the 
sixteenth  or  seventeenth  year  of  his  age. 
This  was  under  the  ministry  of  his  reverend 
friend  and  father  Mr.  John  Fawcett,  pastor 
of  the  church  meeting  at  Hepden  Bridge. 
Of  this  church  he  became  a  member,  on  May 
28, 1769.  Being  of  a  serious  and  studious  turn 
of  mind,  he  appeared  to  his  friends  to  possess 
gifts  suited  to  the  ministry,  which  was  pro- 
posed to  his  consideration.  The  proposal 
met  with  his  own  wishes,  and,  being  desi- 
rous of  obtaining  all  the  instruction  he  could, 
he  went,  in  January,  1772,  to  the  Bristol 
Academy,  then  under  the  care  of  Messrs. 
Hugh  and  Caleb  Evans.  Of  his  conduct  in  this 
situation,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  it  procur- 
ed him  the  esteem  of  his  tutors  to  the  end  of 
their  lives. 

In  1774  he  left  the  academy,  and,  after 
stopping  a  short  time  at  different  places,  in 
July,  1775,  he  came  to  Olney.  It  was  in  the 
spring  of  the  following  year,  when  the  As- 
sociation was  held  at  Olney,  that  my  ac- 
quaintance with  him  commenced  ;  and,  from 
that  day  to  this,  all  that  I  have  known  of  him 
has  tended  to  endear  him  to  me. 

I  cannot  say  when  it  was  that  he  first  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  writings  of  Presi- 
dent Edwards,  and  other  New  England  di- 
vines ;  but,  having  read  them,  he  drank 
deeply  into  them :  particularly  into  the  har- 
mony between  the  law  and  the  gospel — be- 
tween the  obligations  of  men  to  love  God 
with  all  their  hearts  and  their  actual  enmity 
against  him — and  between  the  duty  of  min- 
isters to  call  on  sinners  to  repent  and  be- 
lieve in  Christ  for  salvation  and  the  necessi- 
ty of  omnipotent  grace  to  render  the  call 
effectual.  The  consequence  was  that  while 
he  increased  in  his  attachment  to  the  Cal- 
vinistic  doctrines  of  human  depravity,  and 
of  salvation  by  sovereign  and  efficacious 
grace,  he  rejected,  as  unscriptural,  the  high, 
or  rather  hyper,  Calvinistic  notions  of  the 
gospel  which  went  to  set  aside  the  obligations 
of  sinners  to  everything  spiritually  good,  and 
the  invitations  of  the  gospel  as  being 
addressed  to  them.*  Hence  it  was  that 
his  preaching  was  disapproved  by  a  part 
of  his  hearers,  and  that,  in  the  early  part  of 
his  ministry  at  Olney,  he  had  to  encounter  a 
considerable  portion  of  individual  opposition. 

*  His  views  of  the  gospel  may  be  seen  by  a 
small  piece,  first  published  in  17S3,  entitled  The 
First  Principles  of  the  Oracles  of  God,  repre- 
sented in  a  Plain  and  Familiar  Catechism  for 
the  Use  of  Children.  It  has  gone  through  seve- 
ral editions. 


334 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


"  By  patience,  calmness,  and  prudent  perse- 
verance, however,"  says  one  of  his  friends, 
"he  lived  to  subdue  prejudice;  and,  though 
his  beginning  was  very  unpropitious,  from  a 
small  and  not  united  interest,  he  raised  it  to 
a  large  body  of  people,  and  a  congregation 
most  affectionately  attached  to  him." 

He  had  a  largeness  of  heart  that  led  him 
to  expect  much  from  the  promises  of  God  to 
the  church  in  the  latter  days.  It  was  on 
his  motion,  I  believe,  that  the  Association  at 
Nottingham,  in  the  spring  of  1784,  agreed 
to  set  apart  an  hour  on  the  evening  of  the 
first  Monday  in  every  month  for  social  prayer 
for  the  success  of  the  gospel,  and  to  invite 
Christians  of  other  denominations  to  unite 
with  them  in  it. 

It  must  have  been  about  this  time  that  he 
became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Carey,  who 
then  resided  atHackleton.  Mr.  C.  had  been 
baptized  by  Mr.  (now  Dr.)  Ryland,  at  North- 
ampton, on  the  5th  of  October,  1783,  and, 
after  a  while,  joined  the  church  at  Olney,  by 
whom  he  was  sent  into  the  ministry.  With- 
out reading  any  thing  material  on  Christian 
doctrine,  besides  the  Scripture,  he  had  form- 
ed his  own  system  ;  and,  on  comparison,  he 
found  it  to  be  so  near  to  that  of  several  of 
the  ministers  in  his  neighborhood  as  to  lay 
the  foundation  of  a  close  and  lasting  friend- 
ship between  them.  But  to  return  to  our 
deceased  brother — 

In  all  the  conversations  between  the  years 
1787  and  1792,  which  led  on  to  the  formation 
of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  and  in  all 
the  meetings  for  fasting  and  prayer,  both 
before  and  after  it  was  formed,  he  bore  a 
part.  In  1789  he  republished  President 
Edwards's  "Humble  Attempt  to  promote  Ex- 
plicit Agreement  and  Visible  Union  of  God's 
People  in  Extraordinary  Prayer  for  the  Re- 
vival of  Religion."  How  much  this  publi- 
cation contributed  to  that  tone  of  feeling 
which,  in  the  end,  determined  five  or  six  in- 
dividuals to  venture,  though  with  many  fears 
and  misgivings,  on  an  undertaking  of  such 
magnitude,  I  cannot  say ;  but  it  doubtless 
had  a  very  considerable  influence  on  it. 

In  April,  1791,  there  was  a  double  lecture  at 
Clipstone,  and  both  the  sermons,  one  of  which 
was  delivered  by  brother  Sutcliff,  bore  upon 
the  meditated  mission  to  the  heathen.  His 
subject  was  Jealousy  for  God,  from  1  Kings 
xix.  10.  After  public  worship,  Mr.  Carey, 
perceiving  the  impression  that  the  sermons 
had  made,  entreated  that  something  might 
be  resolved  on  before  we  parted.  Nothing, 
however,  was  done  but  to  request  brother 
Carey  to  revise  and  print  his  "  Enquiry  into 
the  Obligations  of  Christians  to  use  Means 
for  the  Conversion  of  the  Heathen."  The 
sermons  also  were  printed  at  the  request  of 
those  who  heard  them.* 

From  the  formation  of  the  Society,  in  the 

*Ifhe  published  any  other  sermons,  or  anything 
else,  besides  hjs  Catechism,  and  the  Introductory 


autumn  of  1792,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  our 
brother's  heart  and  hands  have  been  in  the 
work.  On  all  occasions,  and  in  every  way, 
he  was  ready  to  assist  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power. 

In  1796  he  married  Miss  Jane  Johnstone, 
who  was  previously  a  member  of  his  church. 
This  connection  appears  to  have  added  much 
to  his  comfort.  For  eighteen  years  they 
lived  together,  as  fellow-helpers  to  each 
other  in  the  ways  of  God ;  and  their  separa- 
tion has  been  but  short.  The  tomb  that  re- 
ceived his  remains  has  since  been  opened  to 
receive  hers.  He  died  on  the  22d  of  June, 
and  she  on  the  3d  of  September  following, 
possessing  the  same  good  hope,  through 
grace,  which  supported  him.  A  sermon  was 
preached  at  her  interment,  by  Mr.  Geard,  of 
Hitchen,  from  Rom.  v.  2 :  "  By  whom  also 
we  have  access  by  faith  into  this  grace 
wherein  we  stand,  and  rejoice  in  hope  of  the 
glory  of  God." 

Mr.  Sutcliff  had  been  in  a  declining  state 
of  health  for  several  years  past.  On  the 
3d  of  March,  1814,  being-  on  a  visit  at  Lon- 
don, he  was  seized,  about  the  middle  of  the 
night,  with  a  violent  pain  across  his  breast 
and  arms,  attended  Avith  great  difficulty  of 
breathing.  This  was  succeeded  by  a  dropsy, 
which,  in  about  three  months,  issued  in  his 
death. 

Two  or  three  times,  during  his  affliction, 
I  rode  over  to  see  him.  The  first  time  he 
had  thoughts  of  recovering ;  but,  whatever 
were  his  thoughts  as  to  this,  it  seemed  to 
make  no  difference  as  to  his  peace  of  mind. 
The  last  time  I  visited  him  was  on  my  way 
to  the  annual  meeting  in  London,  on  the 
19th  of  June.  Expecting  to  see  his  face  no 
more,  I  said,  on  taking  leave,  "I  wish  you, 
my  dear  brother,  an  abundant  entrance  into 
the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ! "  At  this  he  hesitated ;  not  as 
doubting  his  entrance  into  the  kingdom,  but 
as  questioning  whether  the  term  abundant 
were  applicable  to  him.  "  That,"  said  he, 
"  is  more  than  I  expect.  I  think  I  under- 
stand the  connection  and  import  of  those 
words — '  Add  to  your  faith  virtue — give  dili- 
gence to  make  your  calling  and  election 
sure — for  so  an  entrance  shall  be  ministered 
unto  you  abundantly.''  I  think  the  idea  is 
that  of  a  ship  coming  into  harbor  with  a  fair 
gale  and  a  full  tide.     If  I  may  but  reach  the 

Discourse  at  the  Ordination  of  Mr.  Morgan  of 
Birmingham,  it  has  escaped  my  recollection.  He, 
however,  wrote  several  of  the  Circular  Letters  of 
the  Northamptonshire  Association;  namely,  that  of 
1799,  On  Providence;  of  1786,  On  the  Authority 
and  Sanctification  of  the  Lord's-Day;  of  1797, 
On  the  Divinity  of  the  Christian  Religion;  of 
1S00,  0»i  the  Qualification  for  Church  Fellow- 
ship; of  1803,  On  the  Lord's  Supper;  of  1805, 
On  the  Manner  of  attending  to  Divine  Or  dirt  an. 
ces;  of  180S,  On  Obedience  to  Positive  Institu- 
tions; and  of  1813,  On  Reading  the  Word  of 
God, 


PRINCIPLES    AND    PROSPECTS    OF    A    SERVANT    OF    CHRIST. 


335 


heavenly  shore,  though  it  be  on  a  board  or    I  think  I  shall   often  be  with  you.     Read 
broken  piece  of  the  ship,  I  shall  be  satisfied."    frequently  the  book  of  Psalms,  and  be  much 

The  following  letter  received  from  his  in  prayer.  I  am  sorry  I  have  not  spent  more 
brother,  Mr.  Daniel  Sutciiff,  who  was  with  time  in  prayer.'  At  another  time  he  said,  'I 
him  the  last  month,  will  furnish  a  more  par-  wish  I  had  conversed  more  with  the  divine 
ticular  account  of  the  state  of  his  mind  than 
I  am  able  to  give  from  my  own  knowledge. 

"From  the  commencement  of  his  illness  I 
found,  by  his  letters,*  that  his  mind  was  in 
general  calm  and  peaceful.  '  All,'  said  he, 
'  is  in  the  hands  of  a  wise  and  gracious  God. 
We  are  the  Lord's  servants,  and  he  has  a 


promises :  I  believe  I  should  have  found 
the  advantage  of  it  now.'  Others  of  his 
expressions  Avere,  'Flesh  and  heart  fail. — 
All  the  powers  of  body  and  mind  are  going 
to  pieces. — Shortly  this  prison  of  my  clay 
must  be  dissolved  and  fall. — Why  is  his 
chariot  so  lonsr  a  coming?     I  go  to  Jesus: 


right  to  dispose  of  us  as  he  pleases,  and  to    let  me  go— depart  in  peace— I  have  seen  thy 
lay  us  aside  at  any  time.'     Nearly  a  month    salvation.'  __ 

before  his  end  I  went  to  see  him— to  see  the        "  A  day  or  two  before  he  died,  he  said, 
chamber  where  the  good  man  dies.  '  If  any  thing  be   said  of  me,   let  the   last 

"  His  mind  was  generally  calm  and  happy  ;    word  be,  As  I  have  loved  you,  see  that  ye  love 
though,  as  to  strong  consolation,  he  said  he    one  another. 

had  it  not.  When  something  was  mention-  "  On  the  22d  of  June,  about  five  in  the  af- 
ed  of  what  he  had  done,  in  promoting  the  ternoon,  an  alteration  took  place  :  he  began 
cause  of  Christ,  he  replied,  with  emotion, '  I  to  throw  up  blood.  On  perceiving  this,  he 
look  upon  it  all  as  nothing:  I  must  enter  said,  'It  is  all  over;  this  cannot  be  borne 
heaven  on  the  same  footing  as  the  converted  long.'  Mr.  Welsh  of  Newbury  being  pre- 
sent, said,  'You  are  prepared  for  the  issue. 
He  replied,  '  I  think  I  am  :  go  and  pray  for 
me.'  About  half  an  hour  before  his  depar- 
ture, he  said,  '  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit. 


thief,  and  shall  be  glad  to  take  a  seat  by  his 
side.' 

"  His  evidences  for  heaven,  he  said,  were 
a  consciousness  that  he  had  come  to  Jesus ; 
and  that  he  felt  a  union  of  heart  with  him,    —It  is  come— perhaps  a  few  minutes  more— 


his  people,  and  his  cause ;  and  Jesus  had 
said,  '  Where  I  am,  there  shall  my  friends 
be.'  The  heaven  that  he  hoped  for,  and 
which  he  had  in  no  small  degree  anticipated, 
was  union  and  communion  with  Christ  and 
his  people.  He  said,  '  The  idea  of  being  for- 
ever separated  from  him  appears  to  me  more 


heart  and  flesh  fail — but  God — That  God  is 
the  strength  of  his  people  is  a  truth  that  I 
now  see  as  I  never  saw  it  in  my  life." 
These  were  the  last  words  he  could  be 
heard  to  speak. 

'"  Life,  take  thy  chance  ;  but  0  for  such  an  end.'  " 

Mr.   Daniel    SutclifT  adds   the  following 


dreadful  than  being  plunged  into  non-exist-    lines,  as  having  been  frequently  repeated  in 
ence,  or  than  the  greatest  possible  torture.'      his  illness  : 

"  He  often  intimated  that  his  views  of 
divine  things  were  far  more  vivid  and  im- 
pressive than  they  had  ever  been  before. 
He  had  a  greater  sense  of  the  depravity  of 
the  human  heart,  and  of  the  exceeding  sin- 
fulness of  sin,  as  consisting  in  disaffection 
to  the  character  and  government  of  God, 
than  at  any  former  period  of  his  life.  He 
had,  he  said,  an  inexpressibly  greater  sense  of 
the  importance  of  ministers  having  correct 
views  of  the  import  of  the  gospel-message, 
and  of  their  stating  and  urging  the  same  on 
their  hearers,  than  he  had  ever  had  before. 
He  was  ready  to  think,  if  he  could  communi- 
cate his  present  views  and  feelings,  they 
must  produce  a  much  greater  effect  than  his 
preaching  had  ordinarily  done.  '  If  I  were 
able  to  preach  again,'  said  he,  'I  should  say 
things  which  I  never  said  before  :  but  God 
has  no  need  of  me  ;  he  can  raise  up  men  to 
say  them  better  than  I  could  say  them.'  He 
would  sometimes  say,  '  Ministers  will  never 
do  much  good  till  they  begin  to  pull  sinners 


"  We  walk  a  narrow  path,  and  rough, 

And  we  are  tired  and  weak ; 
But  soon  we  shall  have  rest  enough 

In  those  blest  courts  we  seek. 

Soon  in  the  chariot  of  a  cloud, 

By  flaming  angels  borne, 
I  shall  mount  up  the  milky  way, 

And  back  to  God  return. 

I  once  have  tasted  Canaan's  grapes, 

And  now  I  long  (o  go 
To  where  my  Lord  his  vineyard  keeps, 

And  where  the  clusters  grow  ! " 

In  saying  a  few  things  relative  to  his 
character,  talents,  temper,  &c,  I  would  not 
knowingly  deviate  in  the  smallest  degree 
from  truth.  He  possessed  the  three  car- 
dinal virtues,  integrity,  benevolence,  and 
prudence,  in  no  ordinary  degree.  To  state 
this  is  proof  sufficient,  to  every  one  who 
knew  him.  He  was  economical,  for  the  sake 
of  enabling  himself  to  give  to  them  that 
needed.  The  cause  of  God  lay  near  his 
heart :  he  denied  himself  of  many  things 
that  he  might  contribute  toward  promoting 
it.     It  was  from  a  willingness  to  instruct  his 


°Ui^  th^rei\  v(P  v,„   a~iA    iv„i-.i  younger  brethren  whoseminds  were  toward 

"To  Mrs.  Sutchft  he   said,  'My  love,  1  {,       &.    .        .          ,  a„  „.„,,„.  nf  thPa. 

T  t         i_.  *             -iu  the  mission,  that,  at  the  request  oi  tne  oo- 

commit  you  to  Jesus.  I  can  trust  you  with  .   .      ,         '  ,      '     „    ,    nf  ii,„m   1imiPr  hi- 

,•         rf               .-          •„       .  .     i  „ „„  i  ciety,  he  took   several   oi   tliem  unuer  nih 

him.     Our  separation  will  not  be  long:  and  ^3*  ^  ^  ^  ^  he  has  done  for  them 

*They  had  been  used  to  correspond  in  short-hand,  and  others,  I   am  persuaded  he  saved  noth- 


336 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


ing ;  but  gave  his  time  and  talents  for  the 
public  good. 

I  have  heard  him  sigh  under  troubles  ; 
but  never  remember  to  have  seen  him  weep 
but  from  joy,  or  from  sympathy.  On  his 
reading  or  hearing  the  communications  from 
the  East,  containing  accounts  of  the  success 
of  the  gospel,  the  tears  would  How  freely 
from  his  eyes. 

His  talents  were  less  splendid  than  use- 
ful. He  had  not  much  brilliancy  of  imagi- 
nation, but  considerable  strength  of  mind, 
with  a  judgment  greatly  improved  by  appli- 
cation. It  was  once  remarked  of  him,  in 
my  hearing,  by  a  person  who  had  known 
him  from  his  youth,  to  this  effect — That  man 
is  an  example  of  what  may  be  accomplished 
by  diligence  and  perseverance.  When 
young  lie  was  no  more  than  the  rest  of  us  ; 
but  by  reading  and  thinking  he  has  accumu- 
lated a  stock  of  mental  riches  which  few  of 
us  possess. — He  Avould  not  very  frequently 
surprise  us  with  new  or  original  thoughts ; 
but  neither  would  he  shock  us  with  any 
thing  devious  from  truth  or  good  sense. 
Good  Mr.  Hall  of  Arnsby,  having  heard  him 
soon  after  his  coming  to  Olney,  said  familiar- 
ly to  me,  "  Brother  Sutcliff  is  a  safe  man  : 
you  never  need  fear  that  he  will  say  or  do 
an  improper  thing." 

He  particularly  excelled  in  practical 
judgment.  When  a  question  of  this  nature 
came  before  him,  he  would  take  a  compre- 
hensive view  of  its  bearings,  and  form  his 
opinion  with  so  much  precision  as  seldom  to 
have  occasion  to  change  it.  His  thoughts 
on  these  occasions  were  prompt,  but  he  was 
slow  in  uttering  them.  He  generally  took 
time  to  turn  the  subject  over,  and  to  digest 
his  answer.  If  he  saw  others  too  hasty  for 
coming  to  a  decision,  he  would  pleasantly 
say,  "  Let  us  consult  the  town-clerk  of 
Ephesus,  and  do  nothing  rashly."  I  have 
thought  for  many  years  that,  among  our 
ministers,  Abraham  Booth  was  the  first  coun- 
sellor, and  John  Sutcliff  the  second.  His 
advice  in  conducting  the  mission  was  of 
great  importance,  and  the  loss  of  it  must  be 
seriously  felt. 

It  has  been  said  that  his  temper  was  nat- 
urally irritable,  and  that  he  with  difficulty 
bore  opposition  ;  yet  that  such  was  the  over- 
bearing influence  of  religion  in  his  heart 
that  few  were  aware  of  it.  If  it  were  so,  he 
must  have  furnished  a  rare  example  of  the 
truth  of  the  wise  man's  remark,  "Better  is 
he  that  ruleth  his  spirit  than  he  that  taketh  a 
city."  Whatever  might  have  been  his  nat- 
ural temper,  it  is  certain  that  mildness  and 
patience  and  gentleness  were  prominent 
features  in  his  character.  One  of  the  stu- 
dents who  was  with  him  said  he  never  saw 
him  lose  his  temper  but  once,  and  then  he 
immediately  retired  into  his  study.  It  was 
observed  by  one  of  his  brethren  in  the  min- 
istry, at  an  Association,  that  the  promise  of 


Christ,  that  they  who  learned  of  him  was 
"meek  and  lowly  in  heart  should  find  rest 
unto  their  souls,"  was  more  extensively  ful- 
filled in  Mr.  Sutcliff  than  in  most  Christians. 
He  was  "  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak,  slow 
to  wrath."  Thus  it  was  that  he  exemplified 
the  exhortation  of  the  apostle,  "  Giving  no 
offence,  that  the  ministry  be  not  blamed." 

There  was  a  gentleness  in  his  reproofs 
that  distinguished  them.  He  would  rather 
put  the  question  for  consideration  than  make 
a  direct  attack  upon  a  principle  or  practice. 
I  have  heard  him  repeat  Mr.  Henry's  note, 
on  Prov.  xxv.  15,  with  approbation  :  "  We 
say,  Hard  words  break  no  bones ;  but  it 
seems  that  soft  ones  do."  A  flint  may  be 
broken  on  a  cushion,  when  no  impression 
could  be  made  on  it  upon  an  unyielding  sub- 
stance. A  young  man,  who  came  to  be  un- 
der his  care,  discovering  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  self-sufficiency,  he  'gave  him  a  book 
to  read  on  self-knowledge. 

He  is  said  never  to  have  hastily  formed 
his  friendships  and  acquaintances,  and, 
therefore,  rarely  had  reason  to  repent  of  his 
connections  ;  while  every  year's  continued 
intimacy  drew  them  nearer  to  him ;  so  that 
he  seldom  lost  his  friends  :  but  his  friends 
have  lost  him ! 

He  had  a  great  thirst  for  reading,  which 
not  only  led  him  to  accumulate  one  of  the 
best  libraries  in  this  part  of  the  country,* 
but  to  endeavor  to  draw  his  people  into  a 
habit  of  reading. 

Allowing  for  a  partiality  common  to  men, 
his  judgment  of  characters  was  generally 
correct.  Nor  was  it  less  candid  than  cor- 
rect :  he  appreciated  the  good,  and,  if  re- 
quired to  speak  of  the  evil,  it  was  with 
reluctance.  His  eye  was  a  faithful  index  to 
his  mind  ;  penetrating,  but  benignant.  His 
character  had  much  of  the  decisive,  without 
any  thing  conceited  or  overbearing. 

In  his  person  he  was  above  the  ordinary 
stature,  being  nearly  six  feet  high.  In  the 
earlier  stages  of  life  he  was  thin  ;  but  dur- 
ing the  last  twenty  years  he  gathered  flesh, 
though  never  so  much  as  to  feel  it  any  in- 
convenience to  him.  His  countenance  was 
grave  but  cheerful ;  and  his  company  always 
interesting. 

I  shall  conclude  with  a  few  extracts  of 
letters  concerning  him,  which  I  have  receiv- 
ed since  his  decease'  from  those  who  knew 
him  intimately. 

"  His  zeal  for  the  cause  of  Christ,"  says 
one  of  his  congregation,  "  Avas  uniform 
and  increasingly  ardent  to  the  end  of  his 
life.  One  of  "the  last  conversations  that  lie 
had  with  me,  he  concluded  in  these  words  : 
— '  Farewell !  Do  your  utmost  for  the  cause 
of  Christ.     I  have   done   a  little,  and  am 

*  This  library  is  left,  by  his  will,  to  the  Brad- 
ford Baptist  Academy,  only  on  condition  of  the 
trustees  paying  300/  to  his  relations ;  a  sum  far 
short  of  its  value. 


Paul's  prater  for  the  philippians. 


337 


ashamed  that  I  have  done  no  more.  I  have 
such  views  of  its  importance  that,  had  I 
ability,  I  would  spread  the  gospel  through 
the  world.'  His  knowledge  of  books  was 
very  extensive :  he  appeared  to  have  a  facil- 
ity in  extracting  the  substance  of  them  in  a 
short  time,  as  a  bee  extracts  the  honey  from 
the  expanded  flower.  He  possessed  an 
equal  facility  in  knowing  men,  more  espe- 
cially ministers,  and  that  not  confined  to  his 
own  denomination  :  so  that  in  a  few  minutes 
he  could  give  you  an  account  who  they  were, 
what  places  they  had  occupied,  and  what 
was  their  general  reputation.  From  this 
he  was  many  times  able  to  give  seasonable 
advice." 

"I  believe,"  says  a  minister  who  had  been 
one  of  his  pupils,  "I  was  the  first  young 
man  placed  under  the  care  of  our  dear  de- 
ceased father  Sutcliff*.  From  my  first  ac- 
quaintance with  divine  things,  on  seeing 
and  hearing  him  occasionally  in  my  native 
village,  I  formed  a  very  high  opinion  of  the 
general  excellence  of  his  character ;  and 
the  intimate  knowledge  I  had  of  him,  from 
residing  in  his  family,  so  far  from  diminish- 
ing my  esteem  and  veneration  for  him,  great- 
ly increased  them.  His  piety  was  not  merely 
official  and  public,  but  personal  and  habitual. 
The  spirit  of  devotion  rested  on  him.  He 
was  the  man  of  God  in  all  his  intercourse. 
He  conducted  the  worship  of  his  family  with 
singular  seriousness,  ardor,  and  constancy, 
never  allowing  any  thing  to  interfere  with 
it,  except  great  indisposition.  He  manifest- 
ed a  parental  tenderness  and  solicitude  for 
the  welfare  of  his  pupils,  and  took  a  lively 
interest  in  their  joys  or  sorrows.  I  have 
seen  him  shed  the  sympathizing  tear  over 
them  in  the  hour  of  affliction.  Such  was 
the  kindness  and  gentleness  of  his  deport- 
ment that  they  could  freely  impart  their 
minds  to  him;  but,  while  his  affectionate 
spirit  invited  their  confidence,  the  gravity  of 
his  manner  and  the  commanding  influence 
of  his  general  character  effectually  prevent- 
ed any  improper  freedoms  being  taken  with 
him.  Such,  too,  were  the  sentiments  with 
which  he  was  regarded  among  his  people  : 
they  loved  and  venerated  him.  He  heard 
the  sermons  of  his  younger  brethren  with 
great  candor,  and,  if  he  saw  them  timid  and 
embarrassed  on  public  occasions,  would  take 
an  opportunity  of  speaking  a  kind  and  en- 
couraging- word  to  them,  and  aim  to  inspire 
them  with  a  proper  degree  of  confidence. 
He  was  singularly  regular  and  punctual  in 
fulfilling  his  engagements,  whether  in 
preaching  or  visiting,  not  only  in  attending, 
but  in  being  there  at  the  time  ;  and  earnest- 
ly inculcated  it  on  his  pupils,  if  they  wished 
to  command  respect.  He  endeavored  to 
preserve  and  promote  the  order  and  regular- 
ity of  Christian  families  where  he  visited. 
I  never  saw  him  out  of  temper  but  once, 
and  that  was  produced  by  want  of  punctu- 
ality in  another  person.  I  often  regret  that 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  43. 


I  did  not  profit  more  by  his  instructions  and 
example.  He  has  many  times,  by  his  judi- 
cious council,  been  '  the  guide  of  my  youth.' 
His  name  and  his  memory  will  ever  be  dear 
to  me.     '  My  father  !  my  father  ! '  " 

"  I  have  just  heard, "  says  another  who  had 
some  years  since  been  his  pupil,  "  of  the 
death  of  Mr.  Sutcliff.  It  has  returned  upon 
me,  whether  alone,  or  in  company.  Such 
an  event  may  well  do  so.  In  him  I  saw 
bright  lines  of  resemblance  to  our  Lord  and 
Master,  such  as  are  seldom,  very  seldom,  to 
be  met  with  in  poor  mortals.  Such  amiable- 
ness  of  manners,  so  much  of  the  meekness 
and  gentleness  of  Christ,  of  sound  judgment 
and  of  warm  affection,  we  seldom  see  united. 
While  memory  holds  her  place,  his  name 
and  manner  will  be  cherished  by  me  with 
pleasing  melancholy,  not  without  anticipa- 
tions of  meeting  him  in  another  and  better 
world." 

"The  memory  of  Mr.  Sutcliff,"  says  ano- 
ther, who  had  been  his  pupil,  and  who  was 
present  at  his  death,  "will  live  in  my  warm- 
est affections  while  I  possess  the  powers  of 
recollection.  It  seems  impossible  that  I 
should  ever  forget  such  a  friend,  or  speak  of 
him  without  blessing  God  that  I  ever  knew 
him.  I  am  grieved  that  he  is  gone,  yet 
grateful  that  he  was  continued  with  us  long 
enough  for  me  to  receive  his  instructions, 
and  to  witness  his  example.  You  have  heard 
some  of  his  dying  sentiments.  As  his  ad- 
dress to  me  may  be  considered  as  his  dying 
advice  to  the  young  men  who  were  under 
his  tuition,  I  communicate  it,  leaving  it  to 
your  discretion  Avhat  use  to  make  of  it. 
About  three  in  the  morning  of  the  day  on 
which  he  died,  like  Israel  he  strengthened 
himself,  and  sat  up  on  his  bed.  Calling  me 
to  him,  he,  in  the  most  affectionate  manner, 
took  hold  of  my  hand,  and  expressed  him- 
self as  follows : — Preach  as  you  will  wish 
you  had  when  you  come  to  die.  It  is  one 
thing  to  preach,  and  another  to  do  it  as  a 
dying  man.  I  am  glad  you  are  settled 
where  you  are.  I  think  you  may  say,  I 
dwell  among  my  own  people.  I  am  glad  we 
ever  knew  one  another.  Spiritual  unions 
are  sweet.  I  have  fled  to  Jesus :  to  his 
cross  I  am  united.  The  Lord  bless  you,  and 
make  you  a  blessing!'" 


XXVIII. PAUL'S     PRAYER    FOR    THE     PHr- 

I.IPPIAN8. 

(Sketch  of  a  Sermon  preached  at  3Tuze  Pond, 
June  29th,  1800.) 

"And  this  I  pray  that  your  love  may  abound 
yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judg- 
ment, that  ye  may  approve  things  that  are  excel- 
lent, that  ye  may  be  sincere  and  without  offence 
till  the  day  of  Christ,  being  filled  with  the  fruits 
of  righteousness  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ  unto  the. 
glory  and  praise  of  God." — Philip,  i.  9—11, 

It  is  pleasant  to  review  the  history  of  the 
first  plantation  of  this  church,  and  compare 


338 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


it  with  its  state  at  the  time  this  epistle  was 
written.  You  recollect  Paul's  journey  to 
Philippi  in  company  with  Silas.  You  recol- 
lect how  he  first  preached  the  gospel  by  the 
river  side,  and  how  the  Lord  opened  the 
heart  of  Lydia,  and  she  attended  unto  the 
things  which  Paul  spoke.  You  recollect 
what  an  uproar  was  raised  in  the  city,  and 
how  all  were  stirred  up  to  persecute  them. 
The  mob  did  their  part,  the  magistrates  did 
their  part,  and  God  did  his  part.  The  apos- 
tles being  thrown  into  prison,  in  the  midst 
of  pain  and  affliction,  burst  forth  into  a  song 
of  praise  at  midnight.  You  recollect  the 
sequel  of  the  story :  how  the  jailor  and  his 
household  were  by  these  means  effectually 
converted,  brought  to  embrace  the  gospel  of 
Jesus,  and  were  baptized  in  his  name.  We 
hear  no  more  of  them  in  the  history  of  the 
New  Testament ;  but  by  this  epistle  we  see 
this  small  family  of  the  jailor — (for  as  to 
Lydia,  probably  she,  and  her  household  like- 
wise, being  natives  of  Thyatira,  had  left 
the  city ;)  but  this  single  family  of  Chris- 
tians had  by  this  time  so  increased  that  a 
Christian  church  was  planted,  properly  or- 
ganized with  her  bishops  and  deacons ;  and 
such  was  their  progress  in  Christianity  that 
the  apostle  tells  us  that  always  in  every 
prayer  of  his  he  made  request  for  them  with 
joy,  which  shows  that  true  religion  so  ope- 
rated at  Philippi  as  to  give  joy  to  the  apos- 
tle's heart,  and  we  know  how  that  must  be. 

The  apostles  rejoiced,  as  John  says,  when 
their  children  walked  in  the  truth,  and  we 
may  thence  infer  that  the  Christians  at  Phi- 
lippi were  eminent  for  their  walk  in  the 
truth.  Eminent,  however,  as  they  were — 
(and  there  is  not,  that  I  recollect,  a  single 
reflection  on  them  in  all  this  epistle,  which 
is  very  singular,  and  very  different  from 
those  at  Corinth  and  Galatia  and  several 
other  places) — eminent,  however,  as  they 
were,  Paul  did  not  consider  them  as  having 
reached  the  mark.  "  This  I  pray  that  your 
love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more."  The 
best  and  most  amiable  societies  of  individ- 
uals in  this  world  are  holy  but  in  part:  they 
need  stirring  up,  and  provoking  yet  more 
and  more. 

I  think  I  need  say  nothing  to  prove  that 
the  prayer  of  the  apostle  on  behalf  of  the 
believers  at  Philippi  is  applicable  to  other 
churches,  and  other  congregations.  You  all 
know  that  what  was  written  to  them  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  church  in  all  succeeding  ages. 
I  shall,  therefore,  drop  the  character  of  the 
Philippians,  and  let  me  suppose  that  this  pray- 
er is  applicable  to  the  church  meeting  in  this 
place — to  all  the  believers  in  Jesus  Christ 
who  assemble  here.  "  And  this  I  pray  that 
your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more, 
in  knowledge  and  in  all  judgment,  that  ye 
may  approve  things  that  are  excellent,"  or, 
as  the  margin  renders  it,  that  ye  may  try 
tilings  that  differ,  "  that  ye  may  be  sincere 


and  without  offence  till  the  day  of  Christ, 
being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness 
which  are  by  Jesus  Christ  unto  the  praise 
and  glory  of  God."  Brethren,  I  am  sure  that 
there  is  no  prayer  that  I  or  any  other  could 
offer  up  on  your  behalf  that  would  be  better 
and  more  desirable. 

In  attempting  to  illustrate  the  subject,  we 
shall  notice  particularly  three  tilings : — The 
objects  for  which  the  apostle  prays — the  me- 
dium through  which  all  these  excellences 
are  to  be  communicated,  namely,  by  Jesus 
Christ — and  the  end  to  which  they  were  di- 
rected ;  "to  the  praise  and  glory  of  God." 

Let  us  notice,  in  the  first  place,  the  objects 
for  which  the  apostle  prays  for  these  primi- 
tive Christians  :  "  And  this  I  pray  that  your 
love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more,  in  knowl- 
edge and  in  all  judgment,"  and  so  on.  In 
general  it  may  be  proper  to  remark  that  some 
of  these  things  for  which  the  apostle  prays 
are  the  root,  and  others  the  branches.  He 
prays  that  your  love  may  abound,  that  it  may 
abound  in  knowledge,  that  it  may  abound  in 
all  judgment,  that  ye  may  approve  things  that 
are  excellent.  I  apprehend  the  abounding, 
and  that  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judgment, 
is  the  root ;  and  that  the  approving  of  things 
that  are  excellent,  and  the  being  sincere  and 
without  offence  till  the  day  of  Christ,  and 
filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  are  all 
the  branches. 

But,  more  particularly,  the  first  thing  that 
the  apostle  holds  up  as  an  object  of  desire  is 
the  abounding  of  love.  Love  is  one  of  the 
first  principles  of  all  religion ;  shall  I  say  it 
is  the  essence  of  all  true  religion.  It  is  the 
cement  of  the  moral  world.  It  is  that  by  which 
God  proposes  to  govern  all  holy  intelligen- 
ces. It  is,  as  our  expositor,  Mr.  Henry,  re- 
marks, "the  law  of  Christ's  kingdom,  the 
lesson  of  his  school,  and  the  livery  of  his 
family."  It  is  the  law  of  Christ's  kingdom  ; 
for  "  this  command  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye 
love  one  another."  It  is  the  lesson  of  his 
school ;  for  "  ye  are  taught  of  God  to  love  one 
another."  It  is  the  livery  of  his  family  ;  for 
"  by  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my 
disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another." 
Love,  however,  as  here  spoken  of,  is  not  to 
be  taken  for  every  thing-  that  may  bear  that 
name.  Natural  affection  may  be  denomina- 
ted love ;  but  this  is  not  it.  Party  attach- 
ment may  be  called  love  ;  but  this  is  not  it. 
Christian  love,  how  shall  I  distinguish  it? 
By  what  medium  shall  I  distinguish  Chris- 
tian love  from  every  thing  else  that  bears 
the  name  ?  I  know  of  no  better  criterion 
than  this  :  The  object  of  it  is  holy;  for  it  is 
the  love  of  that  in  the  divine  character,  or  in 
the  human  character,  or  in  things,  which  is 
holy.  It  is  the  love  of  the  holy  God — it  is 
the  love  of  holy  ways — it  is  the  love  of  holy 
men — it  is  the  love  of  a  holy  gospel — it  is 
the  love  of  a  holy  religion — it  is  that  distin- 
guishing quality  in  all  objects,  persons,  or 


Paul's  prayer  for  the  philippians. 


339 


things,  which  attracts  ;  and  it  is  this  which 
distinguishes  Christian  love  from  all  other  ; 
and  it  is  this  which  the  apostle  prays  the 
Philippians  might  abound  in  yet  more  and 
more.  He  takes  it  for  granted  that  they 
possessed  love,  and  he  only  prays  that  they 
might  abound  in  it.  And  may  I  take  it  for 
granted  on  behalf  of  you  my  hearers,  this 
morning,  that  you  love  the  Lord,  that  you 
love  the  Saviour,  that  you  love  the  gospel, 
and  that  you  love  your  fellow  Christians  ? 
If  I  take  it  for  granted,  I  do  not  wish  or  re- 
commend that  you  should.  It  may  be  prop- 
er for  you  to  examine  yourselves  on  this 
head ;  but,  however,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  love  exists  in  your  hearts  towards  these 
objects,  still  there  is  reason  to  pray  that  this 
love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more.  There 
are  none  of  us  so  abounding  in  love,  but  that 
there  is  great  reason  for  increase.  Your  af- 
fection towards  God,  towards  Christians,  and 
towards  all  men  is  faint  in  comparison  of 
what  it  is  fit  and  proper  it  should  be. 

But  notice,  secondly,  he  prays  not  only 
that  love  might  abound,  but  that  it  might 
abound  in  knowledge.     Knowledge  is  a  ne- 
cessary accompaniment  of  love,  and  that  for 
two  reasons ;  to  feed  it  and  to  regulate  it. 
It  is  by  the  knowledge  of  God,  it  is  by  the 
knowledge  of  divine  truth,  it  is  by  drinking 
deeply  into  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  that 
love  is  fed.     The  knowledge  of  divine  truth 
is  that  to  the  mind  which  food  is  to  the  body  ; 
it  nourishes  it  and  keeps  it  alive.     We  can- 
not love  an  unknown  being  ;  we  cannot  love 
an  unknown  gospel ;   we  cannot  so  much  as 
love  one  another  to  any  effect,  but  in  propor- 
tion as  we  know  one  another.    It  is'necessary, 
therefore,  that  we  read  and  pray,  and  hear 
and  labor,  to  cultivate  the  knowledge  of  God. 
Grace  and  peace  are  multiplied  by  the  knowl- 
edge of  God,  and  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
If  we  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  any  de- 
gree, the  more  we  know  him  the  better  we 
shall  love   him,  and  consequently  our  love 
will  be  perfected  in  glory,  because  there  we 
shall  see  him  as  he  is,  and  then  we  shall  be 
like  him.     The  more  our  minds  are  expand- 
ed, and  we   drink   deeply  into   evangelical 
truth,  the  more  our  hearts  will  burn  with 
holy  affections  towards  him.     "  I  pray,  there- 
fore," says  the  apostle,  "  that  your  love  may 
abound  yet  more  and  more,  in   knowledge 
and  in  all  judgment."     Christian  love  is  not 
a  blind  attachment ;  it  is  not  that  commotion 
of  the  affections  which  tumultuates  towards 
some  object,  we  know  not  why  or  wherefore  : 
but  solid  Christian  love  is  accompanied  with 
knowledge ;  it  has  reason  for  its  governor ; 
it  is  J  truly  rational  in  all  its  operations.     The 
Christian,  therefore,  is   enabled  to  give   a 
reason  of  the  love  that  is  in  him,  as  well  as 
the  hope  that  is  in  him,  with  meekness  and 
fear.     But  this   is   not  all:  knowledge  is  a 
necessary  companion  of  love,  to  regulate  it, 
as  well  as  to  feed  and  inspire  it.    Love  with- 


out knowledge  is  not  good  ;  it  is  in  danger 
of  running  into  innumerable  improprieties 
and  irregularities ;  it  was  this  kind  of  love 
which  made  Peter  declare  that  his  master 
should  never  die.  There  was  love ;  but  it 
was  without  knowledge,  and  the  Lord  Jesus 
rebuked  him  for  it.  It  was  this  species  of 
love,  without  knowledge,  that  made  the  dis- 
ciples so  extremely  unwilling  for  him  to  go 
without  them.  Says  our  Saviour,  "  If  ye 
loved  me,"  he  means  if  ye  loved  me  with  a 
wise  love,  "ye  would  rejoice  that  I  go  to  my 
Father,  for  my  Father  is  greater  than  I ;"  that 
is,  the  glory  that  I  shall  possess  with  my  Fa- 
ther is  greater  than  the  glory  I  possess  in 
this  present  state  of  humiliation ;  so  that  it 
was  like  one  Christian  saying  to  another — • 
like  a  dying  Christian  saying  to  a  surviving 
friend — "  VVhy  weep  ye  at  my  departure  ? 
if  ye  loved  me  properly,  ye  would  rejoice 
that  I  go  to  my  Father ;  for  the  glory  that  I 
am  going  to  possess  is  far  greater  than  the 
glory  I  at  present  share. — The  love  of  the 
disciples,  therefore,  was  a  sort  of  interpreted 
hatred  (not  intentionally  certainly,)  and  our 
Lord  would  not  own  it  for  love.  Let  your 
love,  therefore,  abound  with  knowledge. 

We  might  apply  it  to  many  more  things  ; 
to  the  love  which  you  bear  one  towards 
another  in  church  fellowship,  or  to  the  love 
you  bear  one  toAvards  another  in  your  fami- 
lies. If  your  love  be  without  knowledge,  it 
will  operate  in  a  way  of  screening  one 
another  from  faithful  discipline,  in  a  way  of 
blinding  you  to  each  other's  faults ;  but  if 
your  love  be  accompanied  with  knowledge, 
it  will  operate  aright :  it  will  seek  the  good 
of  the  person,  while  it  abhors  his  evil  con- 
duct. The  love  of  a  parent  that  is  unaccom- 
panied with  knowledge  degenerates  into 
foolish  fondness,  and  is  in  danger  of  ruining 
the  object  of  it.  "  This,  therefore,  I  pray, 
that  your  love,"  whether  it  be  to  God  or  to 
one  another,  or  to  those  with  whom  you  are 
connected,  "  may  abound  in  knowledge." 

But,  to  go  on  a  step  further,  the  apostle 
prays  not  only  that  it  may  abound  in  knowl- 
edge, but  "  in  all  judgment."  This  is  still 
more.  There  is  a  difference  between  knowl- 
edge and  judgment :  knowledge  is  more  of 
the  speculative,  judgment  more  of  the  prac- 
tical. Judgment  is  knowledge  ripened  into 
maturity  ;  knowledge,  as  I  may  say,  collects 
the  evidences,  and  judgment  sums  them  up 
and  passes  a  decision.  A  man  may  possess 
much  knowledge,  but  little  judgment.  We 
have  known  characters  who  have  been 
very  learned,  have  read  many  books,  have 
seen  many  things,  have  had  large  acquaint- 
ance, and  yet  had  no  talents  at  associating 
the  particulars,  so  as  to  form  a  solid  and 
practical  judgment  of  things.  This  I  speak 
even  of  temporal  and  natural  things.  That 
which  the  apostle  here  calls  judgment  is  in 
the  margin  called  sense  :  that  ye  may  abound 
in  all  sense,  and  wherefore  ?     Because  the 


340 


SERMONS    AND    SkETCHES. 


judgment  of  which  he  speaks  is  that  which 
arises  very  much  from  a  holy  sense  of  right 
and  wrong:  it  is  a  compound  of  the  feelings 
of  the  heart.  That  which  is  here  called 
judgment,  or  sense,  is  that  to  a  Christian 
which  a  delicate  sense  of  propriety  is  to  a 
well  educated  mind.  You  know  what  this 
is  ;  it  is  something  different  from  mere  learn- 
ing ;  it  is  different  from  mere  knowledge  ;  it 
is  that  quick  sensibility  which  promptly,  and, 
as  I  may  say,  instinctively  determines  the 
rig-lit  from  the  wrong,  the  good  from  the  evil : 
it  dictates  the  path  of  propriety  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye.  This  is  what  we  call  a  deli- 
cate sense  of  propriety  in  common  life  ;  and 
that  which  this  is  to  a  natural  man,  such  is  a 
holy  tenderness  of  heart,  such  is  a  holy  ten- 
derness of  conscience,  to  a  good  man.  This 
is  what  he  means  in  the  next  phrase,  "  That 
ye  may  approve  things  that  are  excellent," 
or,  as  the  margin  renders  it,  that  ye  may  try 
things  that  differ.  As  a  delicate  sense  of 
propriety  enables  a  man  in  the  common  con- 
cerns of  life  to  try  things  that  differ  ;  that  is, 
he  judges  of  propriety  and  impropriety  by 
an  immediate  instinct,  as  I  may  say  ;  so  he 
that  possesses  a  holy  tenderness  of  heart, 
and  a  holy  tenderness  of  conscience,  tries  in- 
stinctively those  things  which  differ ;  chooses 
the  good  and  rejects  the  evil.  Perhaps  you 
may  ask  what  things  are  they  that  differ,  to 
which  the  apostle  may  here  refer,  and  which 
such  a  holy  judgment  tends  to  distinguish  ? 
I  answer,  things  earthly,  and  things  heaven- 
ly ;  things  true,  and  things  false  ;  things 
good,  and  things  evil.  Now  all  these  things 
are  continually  passing  before  us,  perpetual- 
ly presenting  themselves  to  our  choice,  to 
our  practical  judgment,  as  I  may  say,  and 
we  must  decide  upon  them  every  day  and 
every  hour.  Every  hour  you  must  decide 
either  in  favor  of  things  heavenly  or  things 
earthly.  Oh  that  your  love  may  abound  yet 
more  and  more,  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judg- 
ment, that  you  may  try  things  that  differ,  and 
prefer  the  excellent!  Choose  heavenly 
things  in  preference  to  earthly,  as  your  por- 
tion ;  things  true  and  things  false  are  continu- 
ally presenting  themselves  before  your  eyes 
or  your  ears  :  false  doctrine  as  well  as  true 
doctrine  is  continually  soliciting  your  atten- 
tion. In  books,  in  sermons,  in  company, 
and  in  conversation,  you  are  continually 
hearing  of  false  doctrine :  atheistical,  or 
some  corruption  of  the  pure  doctrine  of  the 
text.  Here  is  the  beauty  of  things — to  have 
such  a  holy  sense  maintained  in  our  souls  as 
in  a  moment  to  see  which  is  false  that  you 
may  reject  it,  and  the  truth  that  you  may  im- 
bibe it.  Things  good  and  things  evil  are  also 
continually  passing  before  your  eyes :  the 
temptations  and  snares  of  the  world  are  con- 
tinually soliciting  you  ;  gold  sparkles  in  your 
eyes,  sensual  pleasures  is  continually  pre- 
senting itself,  and  soliciting  your  affection, 
and   God  himself  deigns  to  stoop  and  ask 


your  heart,  and  he  says,  u  Set  your  affections 
on  things  whch  are  above,  and  not  on  things 
below."  How  happy  you  and  I,  if  we  pos» 
sess  that  spiritual  judgment,  that  divine 
sense,  to  abhor  the  one,  and  embrace  the 
other.  This  is  that  holy  judgment  Avhich 
the  apostle  prays  for  on  behalf  of  the  primi- 
tive Christians,  and  which  is  accompanied 
with  nearness  of  communion  with  God. 

I  must  pass  on :  I  see  here  are  several 
other  things  which  the  apostle  supposes  will 
be  the  fruit  of  this,  and  which  he  also  speci- 
fies and  prays  for — "  that  ye  may  be  sincere 
and  without  offence  till  the  day  of  Christ." 
Sincerity  is  one  of  the  prominent  features 
of  genuine  Christianity.  That  holy  love, 
that  heavenly  knowledge,  that  spiritual  judg- 
ment, of  which  we  have  been  speaking,  will 
give  you  a  single  eye,  and  you  will  be  a  sin- 
cere Christian.  You  will  have  one  object 
in  view  through  life.  You  will  leave  others 
to  deal  in  dark  intrigue,  duplicity,  and  un- 
derhand practices,  and  you  will  have  one 
object  through  life,  to  glorify  him  in  body 
and  in  spirit  whose  you  are.  Sincerity  par- 
ticularly respects  our  approaches  to  God, 
our  professions  before  men,  and  our  deal- 
ings with  the  world.  Oh,  that  we  may  be 
all  sincere  in  these !  In  your  approaches 
before  God,  dread  the  thought  of  disguis- 
ing or  appearing  under  a  mask  in  his  house. 
Study  to  approach  God  with  your  hearts  ; 
for  nothing  but  truth  will  stand  before  him. 
Let  us  be  equally  so  in  our  professions 
when  we  converse  with  one  another.  Do 
not  let  us  be  anxious  to  be  thought  highly 
of  by  one  another.  Beware  of  that  spirit 
which  aspires  only  to  retain  a  character 
among  men — a  name  in  the  church  of  God  ; 
but  rather  be  concerned  to  be  sincere,  "  an 
Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile."  If 
you  look  round  the  world,  you  will  see  that 
the  great  concern  of  mankind  is  to  appear 
to  be ;  but  make  it  your  concern  to  be. 
There  is  a  great  difference  between  a  good 
man  and  a  mere  professor.  The  one  is  con- 
cerned to  be  what  he  professes,  the  other 
only  to  appear  to  be.  What  an  awful  differ- 
ence !  And,  I  may  add,  let  sincerity  distin- 
guish us  in  all  our  worldly  dealings.  Reli- 
gion is  not  a  matter  to  be  cooped  up  in  a 
closet,  nor  yet  in  a  place  of  worship.  It 
must  be  carried  out  into  the  world — into  our 
dealings.  The  object  of  the  apostle's  prayer 
is  that  we  may  be  men  of  honor,  and  that 
we  may  be  sincere  in  all  our  dealings.  Oh 
what  a  blessed  world  would  it  be  if  every 
man  acted  on  this  principle  in  all  his  deal- 
ings with  men!  "And  without  offence," 
says  he,  "  until  the  day  of  Christ."  I  think 
this  means  that  we  should  cultivate  an  inof- 
fensive spirit,  that  is,  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Jesus  Christ,  we  all  know,  was  not 
of  a  turbulent  discontented  spirit:  he  did 
not  deal  in  such  sort  of  censures  as  were 
only  adapted  to  provoke.    He  dealt  in  cen- 


THE    PEACE    OF    GOD. 


341 


Sures,  but  they  were  aimed  at  the  good  of 
the  party,  whatever  his  condition.  The 
apostles  and  the  primitive  Christians  studied 
an  inoffensive  conduct.  They  endeavored 
to  live  peaceably  with  all  men,  and  they  sub- 
mitted to  many  injuries  rather  than  give  of- 
fence, rather  than  throw  a  stumbling-block 
in  the  way  of  unbelievers.  Christians,  be  it 
your  care  to  study  an  inoffensive  life.  There 
is  a  great  deal  of  what  is  called  faithfulness 
by  many  people  that  is  very  far  from  deserv- 
ing that  name,  and  is  the  mere  exercise  of 
corrupt  passion.  Under  what  passes  by  the 
name  of  an  honest  bluntness,  some  persons 
will  be  always  giving  offence — unnecessary 
offence,  and  thereby  cause  the  name  of  Je- 
sus Christ  to  be  evil  spoken  of.  Give  no 
offence  to  Jew  or  Gentile,  nor  to  the  church 
of  the  living  God. 

Finally,  he  prays  that  this  may  not  merely 
be  the  exercise  of  a  day,  a  week,  a  month,  a 
year,  but  "  till  the  day  of  Christ."  A  thought 
has  occurred  to  me  that  has  pained  me  upon 
this  clause.  We  have  seen  characters  who 
have  promised  fair,  who  have  been  affection- 
ate, who  have  been  shining  characters,  and 
yet  have  not  continued  without  offence  "till 
the  day  of  Christ."  Towards  the  latter  period 
of  life,  if  they  have  not  turned  back  and  walk- 
ed no  more  with  him,  still  they  have  given 
offence  ;  their  misconduct  has  undone  all  the 
little  good  that  they  have  done  in  the  for- 
mer part  of  their  lives.  These  things  ought 
to  make  us  fear  and  tremble,  and  pray  not 
only  that  we  may  be  without  offence,  but 
that  we  may  be  without  offence  "till  the  day 
of  Christ,"  till  the  Lord  and  bridegroom  shall 
call  us  to  himself. 

But  I  proposed  just  to  notice,  and  it  must 
be  briefly,  the  medium  through  which  all 
these  excellences  are  communicated,  and 
this  is  by  Jesus  Christ.  Methinks  all  holi- 
ness is  communicated  through  Jesus  Christ 
in  two  ways.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  medium 
through  which  the  Holy  Spirit  is  given :  for 
God  would  never  have  sent  his  Holy  Spirit, 
any  more  than  he  would  have  given  us  any 
other  spiritual  blessings,  but  out  of  regard 
to  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  medium  through 
whom  all  are  communicated.  But  this  is 
not  all — Jesus  Christ  is  the  medium  of  all 
holiness  as  revealed  in  the  gospel.  It  is  by 
a  knowledge  of  and  faith  in  him  that  Ave 
come  to  the  excellences  here  described. 
It  is  by  preaching  Jesus  Christ  that  these 
fruits  are  cultivated,  and  it  is  by  being  ac- 
quainted with  Jesus  Christ — it  is  by  our 
learning  and  drinking  into  the  doctrine  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  revealed  in  the  Scriptures 
— that  all  these  fruits  will  abound  in  you. 
Read,  therefore,  learn,  and  be  concerned  to 
drink  deeply  into  the  system  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  into  the  doctrine  of  the 
text.  It  is  not  only  proper  that  ministers 
should  resolve  to  "know  nothing  but  Jesus 
Christ  and  him  crucified ; "  but  private  Chris- 


tians also  make  this  the  grand  central  point 
of  all  your  conduct  and  all  your  pursuit ; 
that  "  you  may  know  him,  and  the  power  of 
his  resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  his 
sufferings,  being  made  conformable  unto 
his  death."  This  is  the  only  stock  upon 
which  this  sort  of  fruit  will  grow.  You 
cannot  graft  holiness  upon  any  other  stock 
than  that  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  All  the 
labor  and  all  the  toil  that  may  be  bestowed 
by  education,  example,  or  any  other  means 
you  can  use,  will  amount  to  nothing  as  to 
the  production  of  these  fruits,  unless  it  be 
by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  him. 

Lastly,  notice  the  end  to  which  all  is  to  be 
directed:  "To  the  glory  and  praise  of  God." 
This  is  carrying  up  the  subject  where  it  should 
be  carried — to  the  throne  of  God  himself. 
This  is  the  great  end  to  which  all  things  are 
directed  by  God  himself,  and  should  be  di- 
rected by  us,  "to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God." 
The  glory  of  God,  let  me  notice,  is  either  es- 
sential or  manifestative.  The  essential  glory 
of  God  respects  what  God  is  in  himself,  and 
which  he  is  irrespective  of  what  we  think  of 
him,  or  what  we  do.  All  that  you  or  I  can 
do,  all  that  angels  in  heaven  can  do,  all  that 
the  church  in  glory  in  connection  with  them 
can  do  to  all  eternity,  cannot  add  one  gleam 
of  glory  to  his  essential  character ;  and  all  the 
iniquity  of  man  upon  earth,  and  all  the  feroci- 
ty, enmity,  and  duplicity  of  man,  cannot  di- 
minish it  in  the  least  degree.  It  is  irrespec- 
tive and  independent  of  what  any  creature 
can  think  or  can  do.  But  it  is  not  thus  with 
respect  to  the  glory  of  God  manifestatively. 
No :  in  that  respect  we  may  dishonor  God, 
or  we  may  honor  God,  that  is,  in  other  words, 
we  may  raise  him  in  the  esteem  of  others. 
God  should  be  raised  in  the  esteem  of  those 
around  us,  or  in  our  own  esteem  ;  and  this  is 
the  way  in  which  creatures  are  said  to  hon- 
or God,  by  raising  him  or  giving  him  the 
just  glory  due  to  his  name  in  all  our  own 
thoughts,  and  communicating  such  senti- 
ments of  him  to  those  around  us.  Keep 
this  end  in  view.  Glorify  him  to  whom 
glory  is  due.  Glorify  Him  to  whom  be 
glory  for  evermore.     Amen. 

XXIX. THE    PEACE    OF    GOD. 

(Sketch  of  a  Sermon  preached  at  the  Baptist 
Meeting,  Devonshire  Square,  London,  June 
26,  1796.) 

"And  the  peace  of  God,  which  passcth  all  un- 
derstanding, shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds 
through  Jesus  Christ." — Philip,  iv.  7. 

Read  this  passage  in  connection  with  the 
three  foregoing  verses ;  "  Rejoice  in  the 
Lord  always :  and  again  I  say,  rejoice.  Let 
your  moderation  be  known  unto  all  men. 
The  Lord  is  at  hand.  Be  careful  for  noth- 
ing :  but  in  every  thing  by  prayer  and  sup- 


342 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


plication,  with  thanksgiving,  let  your  re- 
quests be  made  known  unto  God.  And  the 
peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing, shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through 
Christ  Jesus." 

Peace,  it  will  be  allowed,  is  an  inestimable 
jewel.  No  man  that  has  been  at  all  acquainted 
with  the  calamities  of  war,  the  distresses  of 
domestic  confusion,  or  the  horrors  of  a  guilty 
conscience,  can  dissent  from  this  proposi- 
tion. Under  such  circumstances,  how  often 
has  the  heart  yielded  a  sigh  on  the  desirable- 
ness of  the  blessings  of  peace!  But  if  peace, 
in  the  general,  be  so  desirable,  what  must 
be  said  of  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth 
all  understanding  !  Peace  among  men  is  very 
desirable  :  it  is  healing  to  the  human  heart 
— it  is  transporting  to  the  human  breast — 
to  see  the  bloody  sword  sheathed  in  its  scab- 
bard. It  is  pleasing  to  see  amity  and  con- 
cord prevail,  and  old  friends  meet  that  have 
been  separated,  perhaps  by  jealousy  and 
misunderstanding ;  but  all  this  is  only  be- 
tween man  and  man.  The  peace  of  God 
exceeds  every  thing  of  this  sort  as  much  as 
God's  ways  are  above  our  ways,  and  his 
thoughts  above  our  thoughts.  As  much  as 
the  heavens  are  above  the  earth,  so  much  is 
peace  with  him  greater  than  peace  with 
each  other.  It  is  on  this  subject  that  we 
shall  now  discourse. 

Could  the  apostle  have  pointed  to  a  bless- 
ing of  greater  value  than  this:  "The  peace 
of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding, 
shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through 
Jesus  Christ  ?  " 

In  discoursing  on  this  subject,  we  shall, 
First,  ask  in  what  this  peace  consists — Se- 
condly, endeavor  to  justify  the  apostle's  en- 
comium on  it — Thirdly,  consider  its  great 
use  in  the  Christian  life — Latsly,  inquire  by 
what  means  it  is  to  be  attained. 

I.  Let  us  try  to  ascertain  what  it 
is — What  is  this  invaluable  jewel?  What 
is  this  peace  of  God  ?  Depend  upon  it,  it 
is  something  valuable,  or  rather  invaluable, 
or  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  would  not  have 
singled  it  out  as  his  last  bequest,  at  the  time 
he  was  about  to  leave  his  disconsolate  dis- 
ciples, and  when  his  heart  was  overflowing 
with  tenderness  for  them.  He  left  them 
one  great  blessing.  What  was  it?  Not 
crowns — not  kingdoms — No.  It  was  some- 
thing far  superior  to  these :  "  My  peace  I 
give  unto  you,  not  as  the  world  giveth  give 
I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  hearts  be  trou- 
bled." 

The  word  which  is  here  rendered  "  the 
peace  of  God  "  signifies  oneness — union — 
being  gathered  into  one — reconciliation.  It 
is  the  blessedness  of  being  in  a  state  of  re- 
conciliation with  God.  I  should  suppose  it 
may  include  the  following  ideas  : — 

1.  That  sweet  tranquillity  of  soul  ivhich 
arises  from  a  well-grounded  persuasion  of 
being  accepted  by  God.    This   is  what  the 


apostle  means  when  he  says,  "  Being  justi- 
fied by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God." — 
Being  accepted  through  the  righteousness 
of  the  Redeemer,  we  have  peace  with  God. 
I  need  not  inform  you  that,  in  our  native 
state,  we  are  all  at  war  with  God,  and  God 
with  us.  Sin  is  the  great  enemy.  It  has  sepa- 
rated great  friends.  God  and  man,  you  know, 
were  once  great  friends ;  but  sin  separated 
those  chief  friends,  and  drew  a  veil  of  sep- 
aration between  them.  Man  became  an  en- 
emy to  God,  and  God  to  man.  God  in  the 
character  of  a  righteous  governor  was  requir- 
ed— his  own  rectitude  required  him — to  be 
an  enemy  to  man.  For  he  hateth  all  the 
workers  of  iniquity :  but,  through  the  medi- 
ation of  the  Son  of"  God,  atonement  is  made 
— the  blood  of  the  cross  heals  the  breach, 
and  opens  the  way  of  communion.  God 
declares  himself  well  pleased  with  his  dear 
Son ;  and  every  poor  sinner  who  sues  for 
mercy  in  his  name  finds  relief.  The  past  is 
forgiven — is  forgotten ;  the  soul  is  justified 
through  the  redemption  of  Jesus  Christ. — 
The  effect  of  all  this  is  sweet  peace. 

Who  can  estimate  the  sweetness  of  that 
enjoyment  which  arises  from  a  well-ground- 
ed persuasion  that  God  is  my  Father?  To 
be  permitted  to  say,  I  am  an  heir  of  bless- 
ing :  I  am  no  longer  under  the  law,  but  un- 
der grace :  I  am  no  longer  an  alien,  but  a 
son  or  daughter :  the  blessings  of  the  gos- 
pel are  to  be  made  my  own. — Where  such 
are  the  persuasions,  there  is  the  peace  of 
God. 

2.  The  peace  of  God,  I  should  think,  in- 
cludes that  sioeet  satisfaction  ivhich  possesses 
the  mind  from  a  view  of  God  sitting  at  the 
helm  of  the  universe,  and  having  the  manage- 
ment of  all  our  concerns.  We  are  like  peo- 
ple who  are  sailing  on  the  ocean  in  a  storm. 
This  troubled  ocean  casts  up  mire  and  dirt, 
and  we  are  continually  subject  to  tempests : 
and  were  it  not  for  the  consideration  that  we 
have  a  pilot  at  the  helm — a  God  who  has  the 
turbulent  ocean  under  his  control — were  it 
not  for  the  consideration  that  the  cares  of 
the  world  were  under  his  direction,  what 
peace  could  we  enjoy  ?  Let  me  ask  you, 
thinking  Christians,  when  you  consider  the 
temper  of  the  world — when  you  see  man 
hating  his  fellow-man,  and  see  them  com- 
bining against  one  another  by  thousands — 
When  you  see  the  enmity  of  the  heart  to 
be  such  that  there  is  hardly  any  rational 
hope  of  peace  under  the  sun,  what  would 
quiet  your  heart  but  the  consideration  that 
God  reigns,  and  "  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  are  but  as  grasshoppers" — that  he 
"  maketh  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him, 
and  the  remainder  thereof  he  doth  restrain  ?" 
The  thought  that  Jesus  Christ  is  head  over 
all  things  to  his  church,  and  that  all  shall 
contribute  to  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  be- 
gets that  peace  in  the  mind  that  enabled  the 
Psalmist  to  sing,  in  the  midst  of  tumult  and 


THE    PEACE    OF    GOD. 


843 


confusion,  "  Though  the  mountains  be  cast 
into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  there  is  a  river 
the  streams  whereof  shall  make  glad  the 
city  of  God."  There  is  a  source  of  conso- 
lation to  the  children  of  God  to  which 
others  are  strangers.  God  will  help  his 
people,  and  that  right  early. 

3.  It  is  necessary  that  ive  should  feel  some 
degree  of  peace  in  our  oivn  consciences.  We 
cannot  experience  the  peace  of  God,  and 
joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  unless  we  have  the 
testimony  of  our  own  consciences  that  in 
simplicity  and  godly  sincerity  we  have  had 
our  conversation  in  the  world.  Enoch  had 
the  peace  of  God,  when  he  had  this  testi- 
mony— that  he  pleased  God.  By  the  history 
which  we  have  of  him,  which  is  very  short, 
it  appears  that  he  pleased  very  few  people. 
He  was  a  thundering  preacher  in  his  day — 
the  object  of  the  ill-will  of  his  hearers ;  but 
he  had  the  testimony  that  he  had  pleased 
his  God. 

That  Christian,  or  that  minister,  who 
enjoys  a  solid,  well-grounded,  persuasion 
that  he  possesses  the  favor  of  Jesus  Christ, 
whose  confidence  is  in  him  who  sits  at  the 
helm  of  the  universe,  who  walks  with  God 
and  has  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience, 
possesses  the  peace  of  God. 

II.  We  proceed  to  justify  the  apos- 
tle's encomium.  He  tells  us  that  "  it 
passeth  knowledge."  It  is  a  very  strong 
expression;  but  I  apprehend  it  is  literally 
true — it  is  no  hyperbole.  Some  have  inter- 
preted it,  that  it  passeth  the  understanding 
of  carnal  men.  That  is  very  true  ;  but  that 
is  not  a  thousandth  part  of  the  truth.  It  is 
of  such  value  that  the  understandings  of 
neither  men  nor  angels  are  capable  of  ap- 
preciating its  worth;  the  peace  of  God  none 
can  fully  estimate.  None  but  God  himself 
can  know  its  real  worth.  We  estimate 
most  things  by  contrast:  so  the  worth  of 
national  peace  is  best  known  by  those  who 
see  the  effects  of  war ;  so  the  worth  of  do- 
mestic peace  is  best  known  by  those  who 
suffer  by  domestic  feuds ;  so  the  value  of 
peace  with  God  cannot  be  known  in  any 
tolerable  degree  but  by  those  who  experi- 
ence the  horrors  of  a  guilty  conscience.  Go, 
then,  if  you  would  know  the  value  of  the 
peace  of  God,  look  at  the  case  of  a  man 
who  is  borne  down  by  worldly  sorrow,  and 
who  is  a  stranger  to  God.  Go,  visit  a  poor 
man,  on  whom  the  Lord  hath  poured  out 
much  trouble  and  distress,  under  which  he 
almost  sinks,  and  yet  he  is  a  stranger  to  God. 
He  has  no  refuge  to  which  he  can  flee  in 
the  hour  of  distress.  From  this  you  will 
judge,  in  some  degree,  what  a  blessed  thing 
it  is  to  have  the  peace  of  God.  This  it  was 
which  made  our  Lord  say,  "  I  send  you  forth 
like  sheep  among  wolves ;"  but  I  give  you 
that  which  shall  be  a  balance  to  every  load : 
"  into  whatsoever  house  ye  enter,  say,  Peace 
be  to  this  house."    Would  you  know  some- 


thing of  the  value  of  this  blessing  ? — go  to 
the  room  of  a  poor  sinner  whose  eyes  are 
opened,  whose  conscience  is  awake,  but  who 
is  without  God,  in  a  dying  hour.  Did  you 
never  visit  a  dying  sinner,  and  take  notice 
of  him  when  he  did  not  expect  that  he  had 
an  hour  to  live  ?  Did  you  never  see  with 
what  a  frighted  countenance  he  views  you  ? 
O !  that  pale  face !  that  frighted  counte- 
nance ! — that  mind  that  looks  upon  the  past, 
with  bitter  regret,  as  gone  forever,  that  looks 
on  that  which  is  to  come  with  horror  and 
dismay  !  Did  you  never  know  such  a  case  ? 
You  might  know  many  such  cases — they 
are  not  rare.  There  you  might  learn  some- 
thing of  the  value  of  the  peace  of  God ; 
there  a  man  would  give  a  thousand  worlds, 
if  they  were  all  his  own,  for  a  well-ground- 
ed hope  that  his  sins  were  forgiven  ;  there 
he  that  once  despised  religion,  the  man  that 
has  joked  and  derided  serious  people,  is 
alarmed,  and  wishes  that  those  very  people 
whom  he  once  derided  would  come  and  pray 
with  him.  Who  can  estimate  the  value  of 
the  peace  of  God  ?  If  you  can  tell  the 
worth  of  the  salvation  of  a  soul — if  you 
can  estimate  the  pains  of  the  damned  in 
hell — if  you  can  reckon  the  loss  of  an  im- 
mortal creature — then  can  you  tell  the  value 
of  the  peace  of  God.  If  you  can  calculate 
the  worth  of  celestial  enjoyments — all  the 
pleasures  resulting  from  God's  favor — then 
you  may  calculate  the  value  of  the  peace  of 
God. 

That  which  endears  this  blessing  to  us  is 
not  only  the  importance  of  it,  but  the  medium 
through  which  it  comes.  The  text  says — 
"  through  Christ  Jesus."  Do  not  you  think, 
for  example,  that  the  parcel  of  ground  which 
Jacob  gave  to  Joseph  his  son  was  endeared 
to  Joseph  because  it  was  the  dying  bequest 
of  his  beloved  father  ?  No  doubt  it  was  ; 
that  was  the  singular  portion  he  gave  to  his 
son  Joseph:  and  what  made  it  still  more 
valuable  was  that  his  father  had  wrested  it 
from  the  Amorites :  "  which  I  took  out  of 
the  hand  of  the  Amorites  with  my  sword  and 
with  my  bow." — And  the  peace  of  God  must 
be  endeared,  because  it  was  obtained  by  the 
shedding  of  Christ's  blood.  How  it  will  en- 
hance its  value  to  the  people  of  God  that  it 
was  the  price  of  blood — the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  !  Heaven  itself  would  not  be  a  thou- 
sandth part  so  pleasant  to  us  if  it  had  not 
been  obtained  in  this  way.  It  was  obtained 
by  the  shedding  of  Christ's  blood!  But  we 
pass  on  to  consider 

III.  The  great  use  of  peace  in  the 
christian  conflict;  "the  peace  of  God 
which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall  keep 
your  hearts  and  minds." — The  word  here 
translated  "keep"  is  very  expressive :  it  is 
a  military  term,  and  alludes  to  soldiers  that 
are  in  a  besieged  town ;  or  rather  to  sol- 
diers that  come  in  aid  of  others  that  are  be- 
sieged.   So  the  peace  of  God  is  that  to  a 


344 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


believer's  heart  and  mind  which  a  relieving 
army  is  to  those  who  are  besieged.  The 
heart  and  mind  are  supposed  to  be  besieg- 
ed by  the  temptations  of  the  present  world, 
and  in  danger  of  being  taken  ;  and  the  peace 
of  God,  like  a  reinforcement  thrown  in,  af- 
fords relief,  and  prevents  their  being  obliged 
to  give  up  the  contest.  This  word  might 
perhaps  be  expressed  by  the  term  fortified,-— 
"the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing, shall  fortify  your  hearts  and  minds." 
The  terms  heart  and  mind  comprehend  the 
whole  soul;  the  one  is  put  for  the  affec- 
tions; the  other  for  the  judgment — the 
peace  of  God  serves  as  a  relief,  a  fortifica- 
tion, for  both.  Let  us  here  be  a  little  more 
particular. 

There  is  one  set  of  temptations  which  as- 
sail the  heart,  another  the  mind ;  and  the 
peace  of  God  serves  to  fortify  our  souls 
against  them  both. 

1.  Let  us  inquire  what  are  those  tempta- 
tions ivhich  assail  the  heart1)  In  times  of 
persecution,  the  wrath,  enmity,  and  outrage 
of  a  wicked  world,  were  such  as  assailed  the 
heart.  It  must  have  been  trying  to  the  feel- 
ings of  the  primitive  Christians,  and  all 
others  who  have  lived  in  times  of  persecu- 
tion. As  for  our  parts,  we  have  so  long 
enjoyed  religious  peace  that  we  can  scarce- 
ly realize  the  scene.  But  only  consider 
that  those  who  were  persecuted  were  men 
like  you  and  me,  and  their  property  was, 
perhaps,  obtained  by  the  sweat  of  their 
brow — and  it  was  hard  to  have  that  wrested 
from  them  by  fines  and  imprisonment.  They 
had  families.  It  was  hard  to  be  torn  flesh 
from  flesh — bone  from  bone.  Perhaps  the 
tears  of  the  wives  and  children  might  say, 
"  Spare  him  for  our  sakes !  "  It  was  cruel 
— it  must  needs  come  close  to  the  heart — 
they  had  the  feelings  of  men.  Nothing  but 
the  peace  of  God  could  fortify  them.  "  Be- 
hold I  send  you  forth  as  lambs  among  wolves." 
If  they  throw  you  into  dungeons — if  they 
deprive  you  of  the  honest  fruits  of  your  in- 
dustry— of  your  friends — your  liberty !  If 
they  deprive  you  of  all  these,  they  shall  not 
deprive  you  of  one  thing — the  peace  of  God  ! 
This  you  shall  be  able  to  carry  with  you  in- 
to the  darkest  dungeons,  and  it  shall  cause 
you  to  sing  praises  to  God  at  midnight. 

There  is  another  set  of  temptations  which 
assail  the  heart — these  are  the  allurements 
of  the  world.  The  former  were  in  the  days 
of  yore  principally — these  in  our  times. 
The  world  seems  to  be  friendly  to  us ;  its 
pleasures  melt  resistance.  It  sometimes 
captivates  the  heart ;  and  I  know  not  but 
enemies  of  this  description  are  more  danger- 
ous to  Christians  than  the  others.  Many 
have  stood  in  the  hour  of  persecution — they 
could  fight  like  Samson  against  thousands 
when  the  Philistines  set  on  them  ;  but,  when 
the  smiles  of  a  Delilah  come  upon  them, 
they,  like  him,  would  fall.     There  is  nothing 


so  good  an  antidote  to  this  as  the  peace  of 
God  in  the  heart.  But  peace  in  the  heart 
does  not  include  carnal  ease.  I  grant  that 
this  is  no  friend,  but  an  enemy.  Peace  and 
union  with  God  are  the  best  fortification  of 
the  heart  against  the  allurements  of  sense. 
Not  all  the  terrors  of  Sinai,  nor  the  curses 
of  the  law,  are  so  good  a  preservative  as  the 
peace  of  God  in  the  heart — and  why  so  ? 
It  affords  superior  pleasure  to  that  of  the 
world.  It  rises  infinitely  above  it.  You 
know  very  well  that  when  a  superior  light 
shines  forth  it  eclipses  an  inferior  one  ;  so, 
when  the  sun  shines  forth,  the  smaller  lights, 
the  moon  and  stars,  hide  their  heads — they 
are  lost.  The  peace  of  God  affords  a  so 
much  superior  pleasure  in  the  soul  as  to 
overcome  flesh  and  sense.  Thus  it  is  that 
faith  overcomes.  You  have  often  read  that 
expressive  passage — "  Who  is  he  that  over- 
cometh  the  world,  but  he  that  believeth 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God."  Faith 
penetrates  futurity ;  it  rends  the  veil  and 
pierces  into  an  unknown  world ;  it  fixes  its 
eye  on  eternity,  and  these  little  Avorlds  dis- 
appear— the  heart  becomes  dead  to  the 
pleasures  of  sense.  It  was  thus  that  Moses, 
"seeing  him  that  was  invisible,"  became 
dead  to  the  pleasures  of  the  Egyptian  court. 
It  is  not,  then,  very  difficult  to  perceive  how 
the  peace  of  God — a  solid,  well-grounded 
peace,  communion  with  God  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ — tends  to  make  a  man 
dead  to  the  world  through  the  cross  of 
Christ. 

Again,  there  is  a  third  temptation  with 
which  the  heart  is  assailed,  and  this  is,  The 
sorrows  of  the  world.  The  losses,  the  be- 
reaving losses,  trials,  and  disappointments, 
which  befal  the  children  of  God,  which  on 
some  occasions  are  so  complicated,  so 
heavy,  and  so  lasting,  that  the  heart  is  in 
danger  of  yielding  to  despondency.  "  O 
that  my  grief  were  thoroughly  weighed,  and 
my  calamity  laid  in  the  balances  together! 
For  now  it  would  be  heavier  than  the  sand 
of  the  sea ;  therefore  my  words  are  swallow- 
ed up,"  that  is,  I  want  words  to  express  my 
grief — to  express  that  intolerable  grief  that 
rankles  in  my  bosom. — My  heart  is  in  dan- 
ger of  yielding  to  despondency.  Nothing 
but  the  peace  of  God  can  now  preserve  it. 
The  thought  that  God  rules  and  overrules  all 
— that  whatever  befals  us  is  under  his  ap- 
pointment— that  every  evil  is  overruled  by 
him  for  our  good.  Such  thoughts  as  these, 
which  constitute  the  peace  of  God,  bear  up 
the  soul,  and  keep  it  from  sinking  under 
all  the  loads  of  distress  by  which  it  is  bur- 
dened. 

Once  more : — There  is  another  tempta- 
tion; and  that  is  despair  under  a  load  of 
guilt.  I  do  not  know  but  this  may  be  the 
heaviest  of  all.  When  guilt  is  fixed  on  the 
conscience,  and  fixed  with  such  strong 
chains  that  it  hecomes  impossible  for  us  to 


THE    PEACE    OF    GOD. 


345 


break  them,  the  temptation  to  sink  into  des- 
pair becomes  very  great.  O !  how  many 
wretched  souls,  under  a  consciousness  of 
guilt,  are  swallowed  up  in  desperation  !  It 
was  thus  that  Cain  was  swallowed  up — "My 
punishment  is  greater  than  I  can  bear."  It 
was  thus  that  Judas  was  swallowed  up — "  I 
have  sinned  in  that  I  have  betrayed  innocent 
blood  ; "  and,  in  his  despair,  he  went  and 
hanged  himself.  Such  a  load  of  guilt  as 
this  is  greater  than  a  poor  sinner  can  bear. 
But  there  is  that  which  will  bear  us  up — the 
peace  of  God  will  keep,  will  sustain,  will 
fortify  the  heart,  even  under  this  load. 

Here  is  the  difference  between  a  good 
man,  when  he  falls  into  sin,  and  a  bad  man. 
When  Saul  rebelled  against  God,  and  God 
expressed  his  displeasure  against  him,  he 
sunk  into  despair!  When  David  sinned 
against  God,  and  God  by  Nathan  had  re- 
proved him  for  his  sin,  he  flew  into  the  arms 
of  divine  Mercy. — "Have  mercy  upon  me, 
O  God,  according  to  thy  loving-kindness, 
according  to  the  multitude  of  thy  tender 
mercies  blot  out  my  transgressions.  Wash 
me  thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity,  and 
cleanse  me  from  my  sin."  A  view  of  the 
divine  goodness  bore  him  up.  Though  at  a 
great  distance  from  God,  yet  some  faint 
gleam  of  the  mercy  of  God  preserved  him 
from  despair.  It  is  true  the  waves  of  sin 
rolled  over  him  -,  but  the  mercy  of  God  was 
like  a  rope  held  out  to  him,  by  the  laying 
hold  on  which  he  was  saved.  "  Out  of  the 
depth  shave  I  cried  unto  thee,  O  Lord ;  Lord, 
hear  my  voice.  Let  thine  ears  be  attentive 
to  the  voice  of  my  supplications.  If  thou, 
Lord,  shouldst  mark  iniquities,  O  Lord,  who 
shall  stand?  But  there  is  forgiveness  with 
thee  that  thou  mayest  be  feared." 

What  phrase,  what  terms,  could  the  apos- 
tle have  used  that  could  be  more  expres- 
sive ? — "  The  peace  of  God,  which  passeth 
all  understanding,  shall  keep  your  hearts 
and  minds  " — shall  support  you  under  afflic- 
tions, and  afford  relief  under  the  impres- 
sions of  a  guilty  conscience.  But  we  pass 
on — 

2.  The  mind  also  is  assailed  by  various 
temptations  and  difficulties.  The  peace  of 
God  is  a  fortification  to  the  mind  as  well 
as  the  heart.  The  mind  is  expressive  of 
the  intellectual  part  of  man.  The  tempta- 
tions to  which  the  mind  is  exposed  are, 
chiefly,  pernicious  principles  and  distract- 
ing cares. 

The  pernicious  principles  that  are  circula- 
ted in  the  world  are  like  so  many  poisoned 
arrows  aimed  at  the  heart,  and  we  need  to  be 
as  much  fortified  against  these  as  against  any 
others  which  I  have  mentioned.  God  has 
thought  fit  to  try  his  people  by  suffering  them 
to  go  forth.  It  must  needs  be  that  there 
must  be  scoffers  walking  after  their  own  un- 
godly lusts. — There  must  be  infidels  who 
should  ridicule  the  Bible  and  those  that  pro- 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  44, 


fess  its  doctrines.  These  are  so  many  fans 
by  which  God  thoroughly  purges  his  floor, 
which  is  composed,  methinks,  of  grain  and 
chaff.  There  are  many  professors  who  are 
merely  chaff;  and  these  pernicious  princi- 
ples— these  scoffs — these  jeers,  that  are  ut- 
tered against  the  gospel,  are  like  so  many 
blasts  of  wind  by  which  the  chaff  is  blown 
away,  while  the  grain  shall  stand  and  with- 
stand. 

God  permits  pernicious  principles,  under 
the  name  of  Christianity,  to  go  forth.  There 
must  needs  be  heresies  among  you — these 
are  poisoned  arrows  that  are  aimed  at  the 
mind,  the  judgment,  and,  if  they  stick,  the 
poison  of  them  very  soon  infects  the  whole 
frame  ;  for  that  which  once  fixes  on  the 
judgment  presently  affects  the  whole  soul — 
the  whole  man.  Here  we  need,  therefore, 
to  be  particularly  fortified — we  need  the  arm 
of  God  to  keep  us.  One  of  the  seven  church- 
es is  commended  because  it  had  kept  the 
faith  ;  and  therefore  God  says,  "  I  also  will 
keep  you  in  the  hour  of  temptation."  Keep 
right  with  God — keep  close  to  God — keep 
conversant  with  the  gospel  of  peace — walk 
close  to  the  God  of  peace,  and  these  arrows 
shall  not  touch  you.  You  shall  be  secure 
from  every  fiery  dart. 

To  these  I  would  add  distracting  cares. 
For,  as  the  mind  is  in  danger  of  being  pierced 
and  tainted  with  pernicious  principles,  it  is 
equally  liable  to  be  hurt  and  interrupted  by 
distracting  cares.  The  mind,  or  the  judg- 
ment, is  in  man  like  one  who  sits  at  the  helm 
of  a  ship — it  is  that  superior  thing  which  gov- 
erns and  controls  all  other  things.  The 
mind  has  the  reins  of  the  soul  in  its  hand, 
and  the  apostle  says,  "  In  patience  possess 
ye  your  souls."  But,  when  distracting  cares 
come  upon  us,  the  mind  is  in  danger  of  be- 
ing swept  away  from  the  helm — the  mind, 
if  once  confounded,  is  in  great  danger.  But 
I  may  say,  as  I  said  before,  the  peace  of  God 
— that  sweet  peace  which  arises  from  com- 
munion with  God — is  the  best  preservative. 
Let  that  once  get  possession,  and  you  will 
ride  out  the  storm,  and  enjoy  serenity  amidst 
all  the  tumultuous  scenes  which  are  passing 
before  your  eyes. 

III.  The  means  by  which  this  inesti- 
mable BLESSING  IS  TO  BE  OBTAINED.       YoU 

have  only  to  look  at  the  preceding  context. 
You  may  observe  there  are  three  things 
pointed  out  by  which  it  is  to  be  obtained. 
One  is,  that  we  should  feel  an  habitual  joy 
in  God:  "Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always;  and 
again  I  say,  Rejoice."  O  what  a  blessed 
art  is  this  to  be  able  to  rejoice  in  God,  come 
what  will !  The  primitive  Christians  had 
learned  this  heavenly  art  of  not  being  moved 
by  any  of  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune  :  "They 
rejoiced  always."  If  persecutions  broke  out 
against  them,  they  rejoiced  that  they  were 
thought  worthy  to  suffer — so,  come  what 
will,  they  would  rejoice.     They  were  like 


346 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


the  industrious  bee,  who  extracts  honey 
from  every  opening  flower.  Be  it  to  others 
sweet  or  bitter,  it  is  all  alike  to  him.  Such 
is  Christianity  ;  and,  if  we  entered  into  it,  it 
would  teach  us  to  rejoice  in  God,  whatever 
befalls  us ;  though  there  should  be  no  fruit 
on  our  vine,  or  no  flock  in  our  folds,  yet  we 
should  rejoice  in  God.  Cultivate  this  spirit, 
and  then  the  peace  of  God  shall  keep  your 
hearts  and  minds.  You  will  be  armed  with 
this  armor  of  God,  and  will  be  able  success- 
fully to  defend  yourself  against  any  enemy. 
_  The  thing  next  recommended  is  "  modera- 
tion." Do  not  be  concerned  at  either  the 
smiles  or  the  frowns  of  this  world.  If  prov- 
idence smile  upon  you,  do  not  be  elated :  be 
moderate  in  your  attachments.  Or,  if  she 
frown  upon  you,  do  not  be  immoderately 
cast  down.  It  is  not  the  smiles  of  providence 
that  can  make  you,  nor  her  frowns  that  can 
unmake  you.  Your  possessions  are  in  anoth- 
er state.  You  have  not  hazarded  all  your 
substance  in  one  vessel,  I  hope.  The  man 
of  the  world  may  be  greatly  interested,  be- 
cause, if  one  vessel  sink,  all  his  treasures 
are  lost;  but  your  chief  treasures  are  em- 
barked on  board  another  vessel — one  that 
cannot  sink.  You  may  cultivate  a  noble  de- 
pendence. "The  Lord  is  at  hand."  Time  is 
passing  away,  and  then  all  those  little  things 
which  now  distract  men's  minds  will  distract 
them  no  longer.  The  Lord  is  about  to  de- 
scend from  heaven,  and  all  these  little  things 
will  disappear.  Let  your  moderation  be 
seen  by  all  about  you.  If  this  spirit  be 
cultivated  by  you,  you  will  be  fortified 
against  every  evil.  You  will  have  a  better 
armor  than  Ahab  had  in  the  day  of  battle — 
nothing  can  pierce  it. — But, 

Lastly  :  We  are  here  recommended  to  cul- 
tivate a  noble  indifference  respecting  things 
in  this  state,  and  to  commit  them  to  God. 
"  Be  careful  for  nothing."  The  apostle  does 
not  here  mean  that  we  are  to  care  for  noth- 
ing— that  we  are  not  to  be  contriving 
schemes,  but  that  we  are  to  divest  ourselves 
of  that  kind  of  distracting  care  which  unfits 
us  for  religion.  Be  careful  in  this  way  for 
nothing,  but  in  every  thing  by  prayer  and 
supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  let  your  re- 
quests be  made  known  unto  God,  with  re- 
signation to  his  will,  and  the  peace  of  God 
will  most  assuredly  keep  your  hearts  and 
minds  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus. 
Amen. 

XXX. SOUL-PROSPERITY. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  delivered  at  the  Old  Jewry 
Chapel,  London,  Dec.  27,  1797.] 

"  Beloved,  I  wish  above  all  things  that  thou 
mayest  prosper  and  be  in  health,  events  thy  soul 
prospereth." — 3  John  2. 

There  are  two  or  three  characters  men- 
tioned in  the  New  Testament  of  the  name 


of  Gaius.  I  shall  not  now  inquire  to  which 
of  them  this  epistle  was  directed,  but  it  is 
sufficiently  evident  that,  whoever  it  might 
be,  he  was  an  eminently  pious  and  godly 
man.  Gaius  seems,  by  this  epistle,  to  have 
been  a  man  of  an  afflicted  body,  and,  per- 
haps, in  embarrassed  circumstances ;  but, 
however  this  was,  his  soul  prospered,  and  it 
was  the  desire  and  prayer  of  the  apostle 
John  that  he  might  be  as  prosperous  in  his 
outward  as  he  was  in  his  inner  man. 

The  prayer  in  the  text  is  something  that 
strikes  conviction,  at  least  to  my  mind. 
Here  is  a  prayer  for  a  man  that  God  would 
prosper  him  in  his  outward  affairs  in  propor- 
tion as  his  soul  prospered.  Now,  if  this 
were  made  the  rule  of  all  our  prayers  for 
temporal  blessings,  if  we  never  were  to  pray 
for  prosperity  to  attend  ourselves  beyond  the 
degree  of  soul-prosperity  which  we  possess- 
ed, I  am  afraid  that  very  few  of  us  would 
pray  for  much  more  than  we  have,  if  any ; 
and  if  we  made  this  the  rule  of  our  prayers  for 
one  another  (and  why  should  we  not?)  I 
am  afraid  that  we  could  pray  for  the  outward 
prosperity  of  but  very  few.  If  our  soul- 
prosperity  were  made  the  rule  by  which  to 
pray  or  wish  for  worldly  prosperity,  which  is 
the  case  here  with  Gaius,  we  should  very 
few  of  us  be  found  qualified  so  much  as  to 
desire  it. 

In  discoursing  on  this  subject  we  will 
first  consider  a  few  of  the  leading  qualities 
of  soul-prosperity  as  exemplified  in  the  be- 
loved Gaius — and  then  consider  this  soul- 
prosperity  as  the  standard  by  which  it  is 
safe  to  pray  for  prosperity  of  other  kinds. 

A  thriving  soul !  This  is  a  matter  of  se- 
rious import,  my  brethren.  A  plant  is  said 
to  thrive  and  prosper  when  it  brings  forth 
fruit — a  field  when  it  abounds  with  grain — a 
human  body  when  it  is  healthy,  vigorous, 
and  active.  It  is  to  the  last  of  these  that 
the  apostle  makes  an  allusion.  When  he 
speaks  of  Gaius's  soul  as  prospering  he  op- 
poses it  to  his  body.  You,  my  friend,  as  if 
he  had  said,  you  have  a  weak  and  sickly 
body,  but  you  have  a  prosperous  soul,  and  I 
pray  that  your  bodily  health  and  your  cir- 
cumstances may  be  as  thriving  and  as  pros- 
perous as  your  soul  is.  This  was  not  the 
language  of  compliment ;  neither  need  I  say 
that  it  was  not  the  practice  of  the  apostle  to 
deal  in  unmeaning  compliments.  The  tree 
was  known  by  its  fruits,  and  Gaius  was 
known  by  his  conduct  to  have  a  prosperous 
soul. 

I.  What  then  are  those  marks  or  a 

PROSPEROUS     SOUL    WHICH    IT    BEHOVES  US 

to  aspire  after  ?  I  would  mention  four 
or  five,  each  of  which  will  be  found  to  be 
exemplified  in  the  beloved  Gaius. 

1.  A  prosperous  soul  is  one  in  whom  the 
truth  dwells,  and  dwells  richly.  You  must 
have  remarked,  in  reading  the  first  eight 
verses,  how  much  the  apostle  Paul  makes  of 


SOUL-PROSPERITY. 


847 


truth.  He  describes  Gaius  as  having  the 
truth  dwelling  in  him,  as  walking  in  the 
truth,  as  beloved  for  the  truth's  sake,  and  as 
being  a  fellow-helper  of  the  truth.  All 
these  expressions  are  found  in  those  verses. 
It  seems  then  to  enter  into  the  very  essence 
of  a  prosperous  soul  that  the  truth  dwelt  in 
him,  and  that  it  dwelt  richly  in  him.  Truly, 
my  brethren,  gospel  truth  is  that  to  the  soul 
which  wholesome  food  is  to  the  body, 
and  wholesome  words  and  sound  doctrine 
have  an  effect  on  the  soul  similar  to  that 
which  wholesome  food  has  on  the  body ; 
they  render  it  strong,  vigorous,  and  active. 
Thus  the  great  principles  of  evangelical  truth 
being  imbibed  by  Gaius  afforded  a  constant 
spring  of  activity.  He  was  a  lively,  active, 
generous  man.  It  is  of  great  importance 
what  principles  we  acquire.  Principles  will 
be  active — will  be  influential.  Indeed  this 
is  the  very  reason  why  divine  truths  are  call- 
ed principles.  We  read  of  the  first  princi- 
ples of  the  doctrines  of  Christ,  and  principles 
you  know  signify  the  first  moving  causes 
which  lie  at  the  foundation  and  source  of 
action.  Merely  speculative  notions  or  spec- 
ulative ideas,  that  have  no  influence  on  a 
man's  heart,  are  not  principles ;  they  may 
be  called  more  properly  opinions :  but,  if 
the  truths  of  God  are  imbibed  as  a  thirsty 
man  would  drink  in  water  from  a  fountain, 
they  become  in  him  a  well  of  living  water 
springing  up  in  the  disposition  to  do  good,  and 
terminating  in  everlasting  glory.  Principles, 
whether  good  or  evil,  will  be  influential  if 
they  are  thoroughly  imbibed.  Hence  we 
read  of  false  doctrines  having  a  fatal  influ- 
ence. The  Scripture  speaks  of  God  giving 
men  up  to  strong  delusion,  or  to  the  energy 
or  efficacy  of  deception  or  error. 

All  principles,  if  they  deserve  the  name 
of  principles,  lie  at  the  bottom  and  source 
of  affections  and  actions.  If  they  be  gen- 
uine, evangelical,  and  true,  they  are  the 
spring  of  a  holy  life  and  lie  at  the  bottom  of 
evangelical  obedience  ;  but  if  they  be  false 
principles  they  lie  at  the  bottom  of  a  course 
of  alienation  and  apostacy  from  God.  In- 
deed, as  right  principles  stimulate  to  right 
actions,  so  where  a  person  imbibes  wrong 
principles,  or  is  indifferent  to  right,  it  ener- 
vates right  actions:  even  good  men,  who 
have  swerved  in  a  greater  or  less  degree 
from  the  truth,  have  sunk  into  a  spirit  of  in- 
difference with  regard  to  evangelical  princi- 
ples— it  has  had  the  effect  of  stagnating 
their  souls  in  divine  actions. 

2.  The  prosperous  soul  is  a  soul  where  the 
doctrinal  and  the  practical  parts  of  religion 
bear  lovely  proportion  and  are  united.  We 
may  often  observe  with  regard  to  the  health- 
iness or  unhealthiness  of  the  body  two  op- 
posite extremes.  We  see  some  who  are 
epicures,  and  they  are  of  no  use  in  society. 
They  live  to  themselves  and  glut  them- 
selves in  sordid  and  sensual  enjoyments. 


We  see  others  pining  away  who  are  mere 
slaves.  There  is  a  great  resemblance  in 
these  two  characters  to  different  species  of 
professors.  There  is  a  kind  of  religious 
epicures — men,  I  mean,  who  are  all  clamor- 
ous for  doctrinal  truth,  but  have  no  regard 
to  the  practical  part  of  godliness,  whose 
whole  object  is  to  enjoy  the  comforts  of  re- 
ligion, to  be  soothed  with  its  promises,  to  be 
flattered  with  its  privileges,  to  be  comforted 
in  the  prospect  of  something  great  and  glo- 
rious hereafter.  Their  whole  attention, 
their  whole  object,  is  to  grasp  as  much  of 
this  as  possible,  and  they  are  regardless  of 
every  thing  of  a  practical  nature.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  are  some  who,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  truth,  are  constantly  crying  up  mo- 
rality and  practical  religion.  My  brethren, 
these  things  ought  not  to  be  divided ;  doc- 
trinal and  practical  religion  should  be  united. 
To  attempt  to  cultivate  the  former  at  the 
expense  of  the  latter  is  to  constitute  an  epi- 
curism— to  reverse  it  is  to  have  a  body  of 
slaves  whipped  to  duty,  without  a  motive. 
It  is  the  great  concern  of  the  Scriptures  to 
furnish  men  with  the  most  constraining  and 
evangelical  principles,  that  should  render 
practical  godliness  pleasurable.  The  true 
Christian  is  like  the  husbandman  who  labors 
that  he  may  enjoy  his  food  with  an  appetite, 
that  he  maybe  strengthened  to  future  labor, 
and  thus,  with  a  happy  mixture  of  enjoy- 
ments and  labor,  becomes  a  happy  man  in 
himself  and  a  blessing  to  those  about  him. 

3.  The  prosperous  soul  is  a  sold  in  which 
is  united  a  happy  mixture  of  the  retired  and 
the  active — a  happy  attention  to  the  duties 
of  retirement  mingled  with  an  equal  atten- 
tion to  the  duties  of  active  life.  Great  have 
been  the  extremes  of  men  in  these  cases : 
some  have  pleaded  for  a  religion  that  should 
make  men  hermits,  and  shut  them  up  in  a  cell 
secluded  from  the  society  of  man.  As  to  oth- 
ers again,  their  religion  is  always  in  public ; 
they  scarcely  ever  retire  to  converse  with 
their  own  souls.  No  man  can  enjoy  plea- 
sure in  his  soul  without  uniting  these.  It  is 
not  to  be  always  plunged  in  an  active  course 
of  life,  nor  to  be  shut  up  always  in  the  closet. 
Christians  must  be  the  salt  of"  the  earth,  and 
in  order  to  this  they  must  be  spread  in 
every  circle  of  society.  They  must  mingle 
amongst  mankind.  It  is  not  improper  to 
mingle  in  every  kind  of  society  where  duty 
calls.  But  they  must  retire  alone  frequent- 
ly, or  they  will  not  carry  a  savor  of  God  and 
religion  with  them.  They  must  be  spread 
like  salt,  but  it  will  be  salt  without  the  savor, 
if  they  do  not  retire.  It  is  by  retiring  to 
our  closets,  reading  the  word  of  God  in  pri- 
vate, thinking  and  praying  over  it;  by  con- 
versing with  our  own  souls  in  secret,  by 
dwelling  on  divine  fhings,  by  giving  such  a 
tone  to  the  soul  that  it  falls  naturally  and 
easily  into  divine  things  ;  it  is  in  these  holy 
exercises  that  we  may  expect  to  meet  a  di- 


348 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


vine  blessing,  and  to  acquire  such  a  savor  of 
spirit  that  when  we  go  out  into  the  world 
we  shall  carry  the  savor  of  Christ  with  us. 
This  is  a  prosperous  and  thriving  state  of 
soul. 

4.  The  prosperous  soul  may  be  known  by 
this  that  it  is  accompanied  by  a  good  degree 
of  public  spirit,  and  largeness  of  heart.  A 
man  that  is  concerned  principally  about  him- 
self can  never  have  a  prosperous  soul.  Such 
was  not  Gaius — he  was  a  fellow-laborer  and 
helper  of  the  truth.  He  was  habitually  con- 
cerned in  promoting  the  cause  of  God  and 
religion  in  the  world  by  every  means  in  his 
power.  A  man  that  takes  up  six  days  out 
of  seven  and  thinks  himself  warranted  to 
pursue  nothing  else  but  the  acquiring  of  a 
fortune,  and  thinks  it  quite  sufficient  if  he 
serves  God  one  day  out  of  the  week,  cannot 
be  a  Christian  at  all.  He  has  not  the  first 
principles  of  religion  in  him.  I  grant  that 
one  day  in  seven  ought  to  be  devoted  es- 
pecially to  the  service  of  God,  but  the  true 
Christian's  aim  is  to  serve  God  in  the  whole 
course  of  his  life,:  whatever  he  may  do, — 
whether  he  eat  or  drink,  buy  or  sell, — to  do 
all  to  the  glory  of  God.  What  a  contrast 
to  him  is  the  man  whose  sole  or  main  object 
it  is  to  get  a  fortune,  to  accumulate  a  few 
thousand  pounds,  and  who  says  to  himself, 
after  a  few  more  prosperous  years  in  trade, 
I  hope  to  take  a  country  seat  and  enjoy  my- 
self; to  attain  this  object  I  must  save  all  I 
can,  now  and  then  giving  a  guinea  to  some 
pious  object !  Such  a  man  may  pass  through 
life  as  a  respectable  member  of  society,  but 
a  Christian  he  cannot  be.  He  whose  main 
object  is  to  amass  a  fortune — he  whose  main 
object  is  to  live  to  himself — lives  not  to 
Christ.  Christianity  cultivates  a  public  spirit, 
a  largeness  of  heart — not  that  narrowness 
of  mind  by  which  we  consecrate  all  that  we 
have  and  are  to  ourselves. 

I  may  mention,  besides  this,  a  sort  of  re- 
ligious narrowness  of  mind  in  that  person 
whose  chief  concern  it  is  to  get  comfort  to 
his  own  mind— whose  chief  and  almost  sole 
concern  it  is  that  he  may  obtain  a  good 
ground  to  hope  for  everlasting  life  in  the 
world  to  come — who  cares  little  or  nothing 
about  the  interest  of  Christ  on  the  earth,  the 
cause  of  God,  the  cause  of  righteousness, 
truth,  and  humanity— rwlio  does  not  grasp 
within  the  circle  of  hie  prayers  his  fellow- 
men,  his  fellow-Christians — he  whose  reli- 
gion centres  principally  in  himself.  Alas! 
it  is  doubtful  whether  that  man  can  be  a 
Christian:  at  any  rate  he  cannot  have  a 
prosperous  soul ;  and  I  have  generally  re- 
marked that  those  religious  people  who  are 
continually  poring  over  their  own  case,  who 
are  only  anxious  to  discover  evidences  of 
their  Christianity,  who  are  perpetually  por- 
ing over  past  experiences  to  spell  out 
whether  they  were  truly  converted  or  not, 
who  hear  sermons  and  read  the  Scriptures 


only  to  find  out  whether  they  can  come  in 
for  any  thing  to  comfort  them — I  say  I  have 
found  that  those  who  spend  their  whole  time 
in  this  are,  generally,  disappointed.  You 
selfish  soul,  that  care  little  for  the  souls  of 
others,  take  a  course  directly  opposed  to 
your  own  interest.  Seek  to  bring  peace  to 
the  souls  of  others  ;  that  will  be  the  way  to 
find  comfort  for  yourself.  Seek  the  good  of 
the  poor  and  the  afflicted,  and  in  seeking  that 
you  will  find  your  own.  By  seeking  the 
public  good  we  should  find  a  private  good. 
I  never  knew  a  man  of  a  large  heart — whose 
soul  grasped  the  well-being  of  others,  who 
laid  out  his  time  and  property  for  the  good 
of  others — greatly  troubled  about  his  own 
interest  in  Christ.  It  is  in  seeking  the  good 
of  God's  cause  in  the  world,  and  promoting 
the  good  of  our  fellow-creatures,  that  God 
will  give  us  the  earnest  of  eternal  life.  A 
public  spirit  is  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  and 
largeness  of  heart  is  the  mark  of  a  prosperous 
soul. 

5.  One  remark  more,  and  I  have  done  on 
this  part  of  the  subject:  The  prosperous  soul 
is  dispossessed  of  an  ambitious  spirit — it  is 
meek  and  lowly.  If  a  man  were  ever  so 
public-spirited  and  active,  but  withal  ambi- 
tious, vain-glorious,  and  noisy,  I  should  say 
of  that  man  whether  he  be  a  Christian  at  all 
is  at  least  doubtful,  but  he  cannot  be  a 
thriving  one,  he  cannot  be  possessed  of  a 
healthful  soul.  A  haughty,  self-sufficient, 
self-important,  clamorous,  ostentatious  pro- 
fessor, is  a  very  doubtful  character.  High 
minds,  like  high  hills,  are  blasted  and  barren. 
It  is  the  lowly  mind  which,  like  a  well  wa- 
tered valley,  is  productive :  God's  promises 
are  made  to  such.  It  is  asserted  that  the 
Lord  is  nigh  to  them  that  are  of  a  lowly 
spirit  and  a  contrite  heart ;  and  we  are  told 
elsewhere  that  God  "  giveth  grace  to  the 
humble,  but  the  proud  he  knoweth  afar  off." 
In  proportion,  therefore,  as  we  entertain 
such  a  spirit,  we  shall  be  far  from  God  and 
God  from  us,  and  we  shall  be  possessed  of  a 
soul  far  from  prosperous. 

II.  Having  enumerated  a  few  marks  of  soul- 
prosperity,  I  proceed  to  observe  the  stand- 
ard WHICH  PROSPERITY  OF  SOUL  AFFORDS 
TO    OUR    SAFETY    IN    PROSPERITY  OF  OTHER 

kinds.  John  prays  for  prosperity  for  Gaius  ; 
and  wherefore  ?  because  his  soul  prospers. 
Prosperity  of  soul  is  that  which  renders  pros- 
perity of  body  an  object  of  desire,  for  two 
reasons : — One  is  that  prosperity  of  sold  makes 
prosperity  of  other  kinds  safe — we  can  bear 
it,  which  we  cannot  without.  There  are 
few  men  capable  of  bearing  outward  pros- 
perity, but  almost  every  man  is  vain  enough 
to  think  that  he  could.  There  are  very  few 
of  us  that  are  not  so  blinded  as  to  think  that 
we  could  bear  a  little  more  than  we  have. 
We  flatter  ourselves  that  if  God  would  but 
give  us  plenty  we  should  do  good  with  it. 
One  says,  if  I  had  but  such  a  one's  riches, 


SOUL-PROSPERITY. 


349 


what  good  should  I  do  !  Alas !  this  evinces 
an  ignorance  of  your  own  hearts.  Is  your 
soul  so  well  that  you  are  in  no  danger  of  be- 
ing selfish  ?  You  cannot  but  have  remarked 
that  prosperity  in  worldly  circumstances 
elates  men.  You  may  have  seen  some  per- 
sons who  were  very  sober,  modest,  useful, 
generous  people,  to  all  appearance,  when  in 
a  mediocrity  of  circumstances  ;  but  when 
providence  has  smiled  upon  them,  and  im- 
proved the|r  circumstances,  their  hearts  have 
been  lifted  up  in  proportion.  You  must  have 
observed  that  worldly  pleasure  and  worldly 
prosperity  have  had  a  similar  effect  on  a  man  : 
each  has  detached  the  heart  from  God.  It 
is  an  old  saying  that  an  additional  weight 
put  into  a  bag  draws  the  strings  the  closer  ; 
but  you  think  there  is  no  danger  of  your 
being  so  affected,  and  therefore  you  wish, 
above  all  things,  that  your  circumstances 
may  improve.  And  is  your  soul  so  prosper- 
ous that  there  is  no  danger  of  your  becom- 
ing' forgetful  of  the  poor  and  needy  ?  Alas  ! 
there  is  nothing  but  prosperity  of  soul  will 
enable  us  to  bear  worldly  prosperity.  Bless- 
ed be  God,  we  have  seen  a  few  to  whom  it 
has  presented  no  temptation.  I  have  heard 
of  a  good  man  whose  soul  prospered  alike 
in  temporal  prosperity  and  adversity.  He 
had  an  intimate  friend  who  used  to  make 
free  with  him,  and,  observing  his  prosperity, 
he  one  day  thus  addressed  him :  "  Do  not 
you  find  the  smiles  of  this  world,  my  friend, 
to  be  a  snare  unto  you  ?  "  He  paused,  and 
said,  "  I  am  not  conscious  that  I  do  ;  for 
though  I  enjoy  much  of  this  world,  yet  I 
think  I  enjoy  God  in  all  things."  By  and 
by  providence  turned  another  way  ;  he  lost 
all  his  property  ;  he  sunk  into  indigence  ;  he 
had  scarcely  a  competency  to  support  him. 
His  old  friend  thus  addressed  him,  "  Well, 
my  friend,  how  is  it  with  you  now  ?  do  not 
you  find  your  heart  dejected  in  these  circum- 
stances ?  "  "  I  am  not  conscious,"  said  he, 
"that  I  do;  as  before  I  enjoyed  God  in  all 
things,  now  I  enjoy  all  things  in  God.  I  find 
God  to  supply  all  my  wants,  and  a  little, 
with  his  blessing,  is  enough."  This,  my 
friends,  was  a  prosperous  soul.  A  soul  of 
this  description  might  well  bear  prosperity, 
and  his  friend  might  well  follow  the  example 
of  John  with  respect  to  Gaius,  and  say,  "  Be- 
loved, I  wish  above  all  things  that  thou 
mayest  prosper  and  be  in  health,  even  as  thy 
soul  prospereth." 

But  the  second  reason  which  renders 
prosperity  of  soul  a  proper  standard  for  that 
of  our  bodies  and  circumstances  is  that  thus 
the  general  good  is  promoted.  If  we  retain 
prosperity  of  soul  under  temporal  prosperity, 
then  for  God  to  bless  us  is  to  bless  all  around 
us.  A  man  with  a  truly  prosperous  soul 
will  not  eat  his  morsel  alone — will  not  keep 
it  to  himself;  the  poor,  the  fatherless,  the 
widow,  will  participate  the  kindness  of  God 
to  him  :  so  that  for  providence  to  bless  him 
is  to  bless  the  neighborhood,  and  to  bestow 


a  public  blessing.  Wherever  you  see  a  man 
of  that  character  the  whole  neighborhood 
will  concur  with  the  apostle,  and  say,  "  May 
the  Lord  prosper  thee,"  or  with  Boaz's  reap- 
ers, "  The  Lord  bless  thee,"  and  I  dare  say 
Boaz  himself  was  such  a  character,  or  they 
would  not  have  said,  "  the  Lord  bless  thee." 
— "  The  Lord  be  with  you,"  said  the  master. 
— "  The  Lord  bless  thee,"  said  the  servants, 
for  we  know  that  in  this  blessing  we  all  shall 
be  blessed ;  the  town  will  be  blessed,  the 
whole  neighborhood  will  be  blessed,  the  fa- 
therless will  be  blessed,  the  widow  will  be 
blessed ;  every  one  shall  share,  and  there- 
fore we  wish  that  thou  mayest  prosper,  for 
thy  soul  prospereth. 

These  few  remarks  I  submit  to  your  seri- 
ous attention.  I  leave  them  with  you,  my 
brethren;  they  may  lead  you  to  consider 
whether  there  be  not  many  who  have  pros- 
perous circumstances  but  not  prosperous 
souls  ;  on  whom  the  world  smiles  and  loads 
them  with  its  benefits,  but  from  whom 
scarcely  any  one  receives  good ;  whether 
there  be  not  many  such  in  all  places,  even 
in  this  city,  this  opulent  city !  I  grant  that 
I  think  there  is  a  greater  proportion  of  gener- 
ous characters  in  this  city  than  perhaps  in 
any  other  in  the  world :  this  I  am  inclined, 
without  flattery,  to  say.  But  I  am  sure  that 
there  are  great  numbers  who  live  wholly  to 
themselves,  and  there  are  some  who  profess 
a  regard  to  religion,  and  lay  their  account  for 
eternal  life,  but  who  never  live  to  others. 
Let  such  consider  whether  their  Christianity 
be  not  exceedingly  doubtful ;  or,  if  it  must  be 
admitted  that  they  have  the  root  of  the  mat- 
ter in  them,  still  is  it  not  clear  that  they  have 
unprosperous  souls  ?  I  bless  God,  however, 
that  there  are  many  who  have  prosperous 
souls,  and  that  over  and  above  their  circum- 
stances. Generosity  is  not  confined  to  the 
rich,  my  brethren :  a  poor  man  may  feel  as 
much  as  another ;  and  he  who  does  but  little 
by  his  substance  may  do  it  in  other  ways. 
If  we  are  poor  in  circumstances,  yet,  if  our 
hearts  be  tender,  we  may  relieve  the  poor 
by  our  visits,  our  conversations,  and  our 
prayers.  I  grant  that  this  would  not  be  suffi  - 
cient  without  money.  He  who  has  money, 
and  who  would  wish  to  save  his  money  and 
give  his  prayers,  will  not  be  received — his 
very  prayers  will  be  an  offence  ;  but  for  the 
man  who  has  no  money,  but  who  has  this 
compassionate  and  kind  disposition,  who  will 
not  unite  with  the  apostle  in  interceding  "I 
pray  above  all  things  that  thou  mayest 
prosper  and  be  in  health,  as  thy  soul  pros- 
pereth ?  " 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  my  wish  and  prayer 
for  you;  such  is  my  wish  particularly  for 
those  institutions  in  this  city  which  are  now, 
I  bless  God,  pretty  numerous,  for  the  visiting 
and  relieving  the  afflicted  poor.*      I  hare 

*  This  sermon  it  appears  was  preached  on  be- 
half of  "  a  society  to  relieve  the  sick  and  dis- 
tressed." 


J50 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


said,  and  still  say,  that,  of  all  the  benevolent 
institutions  which  adorn  this  metropolis,  I 
know  of  none  which  excel  in  their  principle 
and  their  effects  institutions  of  this  kind, 
especially  in  such  times  as  these,  when  the 
poor  are  suffering  privations  and  afflictions 
perhaps  unknown  but  to  those  who  visit  them 
and  search  out  afflicted  cases.  True  chari- 
ty does  not  consist  in  merely  giving  a  penny 
to  a  beggar  to  get  rid  of  his  solicitations,  or 
in  giving  a  guinea  to  a  public  charity. 
Many  of  these  things  may  be  done  by  per- 
sons who  have  very  little  genuine  benevo- 
lence about  them ;  but  that  is  genuine  chari- 
ty which  leads  us  to  search  out  the  abodes 
of  the  wretched,  and  to  make  ourselves  ac- 
quainted with  their  wretchedness  in  order  to 
relieve  them.  I  do  not  say  that  every  one 
can  give  his  time  to  these  engagements,  but 
he  may  assist  those  whose  professed  object 
it  is  to  do  so.  To  this  I  may  add  that  the 
relieving  of  men's  bodies  to  get  access  to 
their  minds  is  a  primitive  and  an  excellent 
practice.  The  Son  of  God  himself — and 
who  can  doubt  that  he  had  access  wherever 
he  pleased  ? — has  set  us  the  example  ;  he 
went  among  the  poor,  the  blind,  the  lame, 
the  diseased.  He  mingled  himself  with 
them,  and  healed  their  bodies,  that  he  might 
find  access  to  their  souls.  The  Almighty 
God,  in  human  nature,  would  not  overturn 
the  laws  of  humanity :  his  desire  was  to  es- 
tablish and  sanctify  them.  Let  us  operate 
by  a  system  he  himself  has  established,  and 
do  good  to  the  bodies  of  men  with  a  view  to 
obtain  access  to  their  minds,  thus  relieving 
the  temporal  wants  of  the  afflicted  poor,  and 
administering  the  balm  of  consolation  unto 
the  wounded  spirit. 

XXXI. THE  COMMON  SALVATION. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  delivered  at  the  Associa- 
tion of  Baptist  Ministers  and  Churches  at 
Oakham,  June  3,  1801.] 

"  Beloved,  when  I  gave  all  diligence  to  write 
unto  you  of  the  common  salvation,  it  was  neediul 
for  inc  to  write  unto  you,  and  exhort  you,  that  ye 
should  earnestly  contend  for  the  faith  which  was 
once  delivered  unto  the  saints." — Jude  3. 

The  writer  of  this  epistle  is,  in  the  Gos- 
pel of  John,  called  "Judas  not  Iscariot." 
The  epistle  itself  is  called  "general"  not 
being  addressed  to  any  particular  person  or 
people ;  and  may,  therefore,  be  of  more  com- 
mon concern.  In  the  passage  which  I  have 
now  read  we  may  notice,  First,  The  occasion 
there  was  for  writing:  "it  was  needful." 
The  apostle  did  not  write  for  writing's  sake  ; 
but  to  guard  them  against  "  certain  men " 
who  had  crept  into  the  churches  "  unawares  " 
-—"turning  the  grace  of  God  into  lascivious- 
ness,  and  denying  the  only  Lord  God,  and 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." — Ver.  4.  Secondly  : 
The  earnestness  with  which  he  engaged  in 
it :  he  "  gave  all  diligence."   The  word  signi- 


fies haste,  forwardness,  diligent  care  ;  some- 
what like  that  which  a  person  would  feel  in 
pulling  a  child  out  of  the  fire. — Ver.  23. 
Thirdly :  The  subject  on  which  he  wrote : 
"the  common  salvation."  This  furnishes  a 
reason  for  his  being  so  much  in  earnest! — 
The  very  vitals  of  Christianity  were  struck 
at.  Had  not  this  been  the  case,  it  may  be, 
they  would  not  have  heard  from  him.  VVhen 
Hainan  had  conspired  against  the  Jews,  you 
may  recollect  the  petition  of  Esther,  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  addressed  to  the 
king.  After  having  invited  him  to  her  ban- 
quet, and  postponed  the  matter  until  she 
had  whetted  his  desire  to  the  uttermost,  she 
at  length  uttered  her  request.  "If  I  have 
found  favor  in  thy  sight,  O  king,  and  if  it 
please  the  king,  let  my  life  be  given  me  at 
my  petition,  and  my  people  at  my  request ! 
For  we  are  sold,  I  and  my  people,  to  be  de- 
stroyed, to  be  slain,  and  to  perish :  but,  if 
we  had  been  sold  for  bondmen  and  bondwo- 
men, I  had  held  my  peace,  although  the 
enemy  could  not  countervail  the  king's  dam- 
age ! "  Something  like  this  seems  to  be 
the  spirit  of  this  passage.  It  is  as  if  the 
writer  had  said,  If  the  enemy  had  levelled 
his  weapon  against  any  thing  but  the  very 
heart  of  the  gospel,  I  might  have  held  my 
peace.  The  amount  is:  The  common  doc- 
trines OF  THE  GOSPEL  ARE  OF  THE  FIRST 
IMPORTANCE  TO  BE  TAUGHT  BY  US  AS  MIN- 
ISTERS AND  RETAINED  BT  US  AS  CHRISTIANS. 

In  discoursing  on  this  subject,  I  shall  en- 
deavor to  ascertain  wherein  the  common 
salvation  consists — inquire  why  it  is  so  call- 
ed— and  show  the  importance  of  its  being 
made  the  grand  theme  of  our  ministrations, 
and  the  first  object  of  our  attachment. 

I.  Let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  wherein 

THE    COMMON    SALVATION     CONSISTS. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  I  think,  that  by 
this  phrase  is  meant  the  gospel  salvation. 
It  is  the  same  thing  as  "  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  saints  :"  the  "common  faith," 
after  which  Titus  is  said  to  have  been  be- 
gotten. In  a  word,  it  is  that  which  in  the 
New  Testament  is  peculiarly  denominated 
"  the  gospel." 

But  the  question  returns :  What  is  the 
gospel  ?  Great  diversity  of  opinion  prevails 
on  this  subject.  One  denomination  of  pro- 
fessing Christians  tell  you  it  is  one  thing, 
and  another,  another ;  and  how  shall  we 
judge  amidst  such  discordant  accounts?  If 
I  were  to  tell  you  that  such  and  such  doc- 
trines constitute  the  gospel,  you  might  an- 
swer, This  is  only  your  opinion,  which  is 
subject  to  error,  equally  with  that  of  other 
people.  For  this  reason  I  shall  not  attempt 
to  specify  particulars,  but  mention  certain 
scriptural  mediums  by  which  you  yourselves 
may  judge  of  it. 

1.  We  may  form  a  judgment  wherein  the 
gospel  consists  by  the  brief  descriptions  which 
are  given    of  it. — The    New    Testament 


THE    COMMON    SALVATION. 


351 


abounds  with  these  descriptions  ;  it  delights 
in  epitome.  For  example  :  "  God  so  loved 
the  world  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  This 
is  the  common  salvation  ;  and  surely  I  need 
not  ask  whether  the  doctrine  which  denies 
the  perishing  condition  of  sinners  by  nature, 
and  supposes  the  unspeakable  gift  of  heaven 
to  be  a  mere  fellow-creature,  sent,  only  to 
instruct  us,  and  to  set  us  a  good  exam- 
ple, can  comport  with  this  representation. 
Again  :  "  The  Jews  require  a  sign,"  or  mira- 
cle, "and  the  Greeks  seek  after  wisdom: 
but  we  preach  Christ  crucified,  unto  the 
Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  to  the  Greeks 
foolishness;  but  unto  them  that  are  called, 
both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of 
God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God."  This  is  the 
common  salvation.  We  hear  of  preachers 
knowing  their  auditors,  and  preaching  ac- 
cordingly :  but  Paul  went  straight  forward, 
regardless  of  the  desires  of  men.  Again : 
"  I  determined  not  to  know  any  thing  among 
you  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified."  In 
each  of  these  passages  the  gospel  is  suppos- 
ed to  be  summarily  comprehended  in  what 
relates  to  the  person  and  work  of  Christ. 
This  is  the  foundation  which  God  has  laid 
in  Zion :  this  is  the  common  salvation. 
Again :  "  I  declare  unto  you  the  gospel 
which  I  preached  unto  you,  which  also  ye 
have  received,  and  wherein  ye  stand ;  by 
which  also  ye  are  saved,  if  ye  keep  in  me- 
mory," or  hold  fast,  "  what  I  preached  unto 
you,  unless  ye  have  believed  in  vain.  For 
I  delivered  unto  you,  first  of  all,  that  which 
I  also  received,  how  that  Christ  died  for  our 
sins  according  to  the  Scriptures  ;  and  that  he 
was  buried,  and  that  he  rose  again  the  third 
day,  according  to  the  Scriptures."  Here 
also  we  see  what  is  the  gospel,  and  what  that 
is  on  which  the  present  standing  a.nd  fnal 
salvation  of  Christians  depends :  and  I  ap- 
peal to  every  thing  that  is  candid  and  impar- 
tial in  my  hearers,  whether  such  importance 
can  be  attached  to  the  death,  burial,  and  re- 
surrection of  Christ  upon  any  other  principle 
than  that  of  his  dying  in  our  stead,  and  rising 
again  as  our  forerunner  ?  Finally  :  "  This  is 
a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  accepta- 
tion, that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners ;  of  whom  I  am  chief." 
This  language  supposes  that,  in  coming  into 
the  world,  our  Lord  was  voluntary,  or  that 
it  was  with  design,  which  supposes  his  pre- 
existence  ;  and  that  this  design  was  to  save 
sinners,  the  chief  of  sinners.  In  calling  it  a 
faithful  or  true  "  saying,"  it  is  intimated  that 
it  was  so  much  the  theme  of  the  apostle's 
ministry,  and  so  well  known  amongst  Chris- 
tians, as  to  become  proverbial.  A  saying 
grown  into  credit  by  experience  of  its  truth 
is  the  definition  which  has  been  given  of  a 
proverb ;  and  such  was  the  true  saying  of 
Paul.  This,  therefore,  must  be  the  gospel 
— "  the  common  salvation." 


2.  We  may  judge  wherein  the  "  common 
salvation  "  consists  by  the  brief  descriptions 
which  are  given  of  the  faith  of  primitive 
Christians. — This,  as  well  as  the  gospel,  is 
frequently  epitomized  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  and  it  may  be  expected  tnat  the  one 
will  agree  with  the  other.  "  So  we  preach, 
and  so  ye  believed."  The  creed  of  the  first 
believers,  it  has  often  been  remarked,  was 
very  simple.  "I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  Son  of  God." — "  Whosoever  believeth 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  born  of  God." — 
"  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world,  but 
he  that  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God?"  Believing  is  called  "receiving  the 
witness,"  or  record,  "  of  God.  And  this  is 
the  record  that  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal 
life,  and  that  this  life  is  in  his  Son."  There 
are  many  other  important  truths,  no  doubt, 
the  belief  of  which  is  necessary  to  salva- 
tion ;  such  as  the  being  and  perfections  of 
God,  the  evil  of  sin,  &c. ;  but  they  are  all 
involved  in  the  doctrine  of  "Christ  and  him 
crucified."  This  all-important  principle  is 
a  golden  link  which,  if  laid  hold  of,  draws 
with  it  the  whole  chain  of  evangelical  truth. 
Let  a  man  cordially  embrace  this,  and  you 
may  trust  him  for  the  rest. 

There  are,  I  conceive,  four  things  which 
essentially  belong  to  the  "common  salva- 
tion ; "  its  necessity,  its  vicarious  medium,  its 
freeness  to  the  chief  of  sinners,  and  its  holy 
efficacy.  If  we  doubt  whether  we  stand  in 
need  of  salvation,  or  overlook  the  atone- 
ment, or  hope  for  an  interest  in  it  any  other- 
wise than  as  unworthy,  or  rest  in  a  mere 
speculative  opinion,  which  has  no  effectual 
influence  on  our  spirit  and  conduct,  we  are 
at  present  unbelievers,  and  have  every  thing 
to  learn. 

II.    Let   us   inquire    wherefore    it    is; 

CALLED     THE    COMMON     SALVATION.       Three 

reasons  may,  perhaps,  be  assigned  for  this. 

1.  It  is  that  in  which  all  the  sacred  urritersy 
notwithstanding  their  diversity  of  ages  and 
gifts,  are  agreed  in  teaching. — The  Old  Tes- 
tament writers  understood  it  much  less  than 
the  New :  but  they  all  died  in  the  faith  ofiL 
They  "testified  of  the  sufferings  of  Christy 
and  of  the  glory  that  should  follow." — "To 
him  gave  all  the  prophets  witness."  The 
New  Testament  writers  differed  widely  as 
to  talents.  Paul  reasoned  ;  but  Christ  and 
him  crucified  was  his  theme.  John  had 
more  of  the  affectionate  :  he  was  baptized, 
as  it  were,  in  love  ;  but  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain  was  the  great  object  of  it.  "There  is 
no  other  name,"  said  Peter,  "given  under 
heaven,  or  among  men,  whereby  we  must 
be  saved;"  and  John  stood  by  his  side  and 
assented.  If  any  of  the  New  Testament 
writers  could  be  supposed  to  dissent,  it 
would  be  James,  who  wrote  fully  upon  the 
necessity  of  good  works ;  but  he  was  of  the 
same  faith,  and  only  pleaded  for  showing  it 
by  his  works. 

2.  It  is  that  which  is  addressed  to  sinners 


352 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


in  common,  without  distinction  of  character 
or  nation.  The  messages  of  grace  under 
the  Old  Testament  were  principally  ad- 
dressed to  a  single  nation ;  but  under  the 
gospel  they  are  addressed  to  all  nations,  to 
every  creature.  The  promises  of  the  gos- 
pel are  indeed  made  only  to  believers ;  but 
its  invitations  are  addressed  to  sinners.  The 
gospel  feast  is  spread,  and  all  are  pressed 
to  partake  of  it,  whatever  has  been  their 
previous  character. 

3.  It  is  that  in  which  all  believers,  not- 
withstanding their  different  attainments  and 
advantages,  are  in  substance  agreed. — It  is 
fitly  compared  to  milk,  which  is  the  natural 
food  of  children.  There  may  be  great  dark- 
ness, imperfection,  and  error;  and  many 
prejudices  for  and  against  distinctive  names  : 
but  let  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  be  stated 
simply,  and  it  must  approve  itself  to  a  re- 
newed heart.  A  real  Christian  cannot  ob- 
ject to  any  of  those  four  things  which  were 
considered  as  belonging  to  the  common  sal- 
vation : — to  the  necessity  of  it,  the  vicarious 
medium  of  it,  the  freeness  of  it,  or  its  holy 
efficacy. 

III.  Let  us  show  the  importance  of  its 

BEING  THE  GRAND  THEME  OF  OUR  MINISTRA- 
TIONS, AND  THE  FIRST  OBJECT  OF  OUR  AT- 
TACHMENT. 

It  is  that  which  God  has  ever  blessed  to 
the  salvation  of  sinners,  and  the  edification 
of  believers.  The  primitive  Christians  lived 
upon  it.  Times  of  great  revival  in  the 
church  have  always  been  distinguished  by  a 
warm  adherence  to  it.  In  the  dark  ages  of 
popery,  the  schoolmen,  as  they  are  called, 
employed  themselves  in  deciding  curious 
points ;  but,  at  the  time  of  the  reformation, 
the  common  salvation  Avas  the  leading 
theme.  Those  ministers  whose  labors  have 
been  more  abundantly  owned  for  the  promo- 
tion of  true  religion  have  been  distinguished 
by  their  attachment  to  the  common  truth ; 
and  those  churches  which  have  abounded 
the  most  in  vital  and  practical  godliness  are 
such  as  have  not  descended  to  curious  re- 
searches, nor  confined  their  approbation  to 
elegant  preaching  ;  but  have  loved  and  lived 
upon  the  truth,  from  whomsoever  it  has  pro- 
ceeded. There  are  three  things,  in  particu- 
lar, from  which  we  are  in  danger  of  neglect- 
ing the  common  salvation,  both  as  preachers 
and  as  hearers : — 

1.  A  pretended  regard  to  moral  and  practi- 
cal preaching,  to  the  disregard  of  evangelical 
principle.  All  preaching,  no  doubt,  ought 
to  Be  practical;  and  there  are  no  greater 
enemies  to  the  cross  of  Christ  than  men  who 
can  bear  nothing  but  what  soothes  and  com- 
forts them ;  but  this  is  not  the  only  extreme. 
Almost  all  the  adversaries  of  evangelical 
truth  endeavor  to  cover  their  dislike  to  it  un- 
der an  apparent  zeal  for  "morality,  the 
christian  temper,  and  christian  practice."  If 
we  neglect  the  common  salvation  in  our  or- 
dinary labors,  morality  will  freeze  upon  our 


lips,  and  neither  the  preacher  nor  the  hearer 
will  be  much  inclined  to  practise  it.  To 
lose  a  relish  for  the  common  salvation  is 
the  first-step  towards  giving  it  up ;  and  the 
effects  of  this  we  are  warned  against  from 
the  example  of  "the  angels  who  kept  not 
their  first  estate." 

2.  The  love  of  novelty.  Both  preachers 
and  hearers  are  in  danger  of  making  light  of 
common  truths,  and  of  indulcrmg  in  a  spirit 
of  curious  speculation.  This  will  render 
preaching  rather  an  entertainment  than  a 
benefit  to  the  soul.     We  are  commanded  to 

feed  the  church  of  God — not  their  fancies  or 
imaginations  ;  nor  merely  their  understand- 
ings ;  but  their  renewed  minds.  It  indicates 
a  vicious  taste,  and  affords  a  manifest  proof 
of  degeneracy,  where  the  common  salvation 
is  slighted,  and  matters  of  refinement  eager- 
ly pursued.  The  doctrine  of  Christ  cruci- 
fied is  full  of  the  wisdom  of  God,  and  will 
furnish  materials  for  the  strongest  powers ; 
and  here  we  may  dig  deep  in  our  researches. 
But,  if  this  subject  has  no  charms  for  us, 
what  are  we  to  do  in  heaven,  where  it  is  the 
darling  theme  ? 

3.  A  partial  attachment  lo  one  or  two  par- 
ticular truths,  to  the  neglect  of  the  great  body 
of  truth.  It  has  frequently  been  the  case 
that  some  one  particular  topic  has  formed 
the  character  of  an  age  or  generation  of 
men ;  and  this  topic  has  been  hackneyed  in 
almost  every  place,  till  the  public  mind  has 
become  weary  of  it ;  while  other  things  of 
equal  importance  have  been  overlooked. 
Beauty  consists  of  lovely  proportion ;  and 
herein  consists  the  holy  beauty  of  religion. 
When  every  part  of  truth  has  its  due  regard, 
and  every  part  of  holiness  its  share  in  our 
affections,  then  will  the  "  beauty  of  Jehovah, 
our  God,  be  upon  us,"  and  then  will  he  "  es- 
tablish the  work  of  our  hands." 

Finally  :  The  common  salvation,  though 
it  affords  grounds  for  a  universal  application 
for  mercy,  yet  will  be  of  no  essential  bene- 
fit to  us,  unless  it  be  especially  embraced. 
Notwithstanding  the  indefiniteness  of  gos- 
pel invitations,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that 
"  he  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 
saved,  and  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned." 


XXXII. THE  GOOD  MAN'S  DESIRE  FOR  THE 

SUCCESS    OF    GOD'S  CAUSE. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  delivered  at  the  opening 
of  a  new  Baptist  Meeting-house,  at  Buston, 
Lincolnshire,  June  25,  1801.] 

"  Let  thv  work  appear  unto  thy  servants,  and' 
thy  "lory  unto  their  children.  And  let  the  beauty 
of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us  :  and  establish 
thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us  ;  yea,  the  work 
of  our  hands  establish  thou  it." — Psa.  xc.   16,  17. 

In  every  undertaking  we  have  an  end  or 
ends  to  answer,  to  which  all  our  labors  are 
directed.    It  is  no  less  so  in  religious  under- 


THE    GOOD    MAN'S    DESIRE    FOR    THE    SUCCESS    OF    GOD's    CAUSE.        353 


takings  than  in  others  ;  and,  as  these  are  pure 
and  worthy  of  pursuit,  such  is  the  good  or 
evil  of  our  exertions.  What  are,  or  at  least 
should  be,  the  great  ends  of  a  christian  con- 
gregation in  rearing  a  place  for  divine  wor- 
ship ?  What  are  the  main  desires  of  serious 
people  among  you  now  it  is  reared  ?  If  I 
mistake  not  they  are  depicted  in  the  passage 
I  have  read : — That  God's  work  may  appear 
among  you  in  your  own  time — that  it  may 
be  continued  to  posterity — that  God  would 
beautify  you  with  salvation — and  prosper 
the  work  of  your  hands  ? 

The  psalm  was  written  by  Moses,  proba- 
bly on  occasion  of  the  sentence  of  mortality 
passed  upon  the  generation  of  Israelites 
which  came  out  of  Egypt,  on  account  of 
their  unbelief,  as  recorded  in  the  fourteenth 
chapter  of  Numbers.  It  was  a  heavy  sen- 
tence, and  very  affectingly  lamented  by  the 
holy  man ;  but  he  discovers  a  greater  con- 
cern for  the  cause  of  God  than  for  the  loss 
of  temporal  comfort.  He  prays  that  they 
may  be  taught  to  make  such  a  use  of  this 
awful  providence  as  to  apply  their  hearts  un- 
to wisdom  ;  and  that  however  God  might  af- 
flict them,  during  forty  years'  wandering  in 
the  wilderness,  he  would  bless  them  with 
spiritual  prosperity. 

This  prayer  was  answered.  That  genera- 
tion which  was  trained  in  the  wilderness 
was,  perhaps,  the  best  that  Israel  exhibited 
during  their  existence  as  a  nation.  It  was 
of  them  that  the  Lord  himself  spoke,  saying, 
"  I  remember  thee,  the  kindness  of  thy  youth, 
the  love  of  thine  espousals,  when  thou  went- 
est  after  me  in  the  wilderness,  in  a  land 
that  was  not  sown.  Israel  then  was  holiness 
to  the  Lord."  May  our  prayer  for  the  pros- 
perity of  God's  cause  among  us  be  thus  an- 
swered ! 

All  I  shall  attempt  will  be  to  review  the 
objects  desired,  and  show  the  desirableness  of 
them. 

The  objects  desired,  though  expressed  by 
the  Jewish  lawgiver,  have  nothing  in  them 
peculiar  to  that  dispensation  ;  but  are  equal- 
ly suited  to  our  times  as  to  others.  They 
prove  that  the  cause  of  God  is  one,  through 
every  dispensation,  and  is  directed  to  one 
great  end — the  establishment  of  truth  and 
righteousness  in  the  earth. 

The  Jirst  branch  of  this  comprehensive 
petition  is  that  God's  ivork  might  appear 
unto  his  servants.  All  God's  works  are 
great.  Creation  is  full  of  his  glory  :  provi- 
dence is  no  less  so :  and  each  is  sought  out 
by  them  that  have  pleasure  therein.  But  it 
is  evident  that  by  the  work  of  God,  in  this 
connection,  is  meant  the  operation  of  his 
grace.  When  the  Almighty  took  Israel  to 
be  his  people,  he  bestowed  blessings  upon 
them  of  two  kinds — temporal  and  spiritual. 
He  gave  them  the  promise  of  a  good  land,  and 
of  great  prosperity,  in  case  of  their  obedience 
to  his  will.  But  this  was  not  all:  hfe  set  up 
Vol.  2.— Sio.  45. 


his  cause  among  them.  They  were  his 
visible  people,  by  whom  true  religion  was 
practised,  and  its  interests  promoted.  It  is 
the  carrying  on  of  this  cause  that  is  here  in- 
tended. It  was  begun  from  the  •  time  when 
God  made  promise  to  Abraham  their  grand 
progenitor,  and  was  carried  on  during  the 
lives  of  the  patriarchs.  When  they  were 
brought  out  of  Egypt  with  a  high  hand,  and 
formed  into  a  people  for  himself,  it  became 
more  apparent,  and  wore  a  more  promising 
aspect :  but,  when  they  were  doomed  to  die 
in  the  wilderness,  it  seemed  as  if  it  must 
sink.  Hence  Moses,  who  was  tenderly  af- 
fected with  what  concerned  the  honor  of 
God,  pleads  as  he  does.  Thus  he  pleaded 
his  great  name  on  a  former  occasion :  and 
thus  the  prophet  Habakkuk  pleaded  when 
Judah  was  going  into  captivity,  and  the 
cause  of  God  was  likely  to  be  ruined:  "O 
Lord,  revive  thy  work  in  the  midst  of  the 
years ;  in  the  midst  of  the  years  make 
known:  in  wrrath  remember  mercy." 

The  work  of  God  may  be  said  to  appear 
among  us  when  sinners  are  converted  to 
himself.  Conversion  is  not  confined  to  Jews 
and  heathens  ;  but  extends  to  sinners  of  all 
ages  and  nations.  It  is  not  enough  that  we 
are  born  and  educated  under  the  light  of 
revelation,  nor  that  we  yield  a  traditional 
assent  to  it.  Nicodemus  could  boast  of  all 
this,  and  more :  yet  he  was  told  by  the 
faithful  and  true  Witness  that,  "  except  a 
man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  king- 
dom of  heaven."  Conversion  work  is  pecu- 
liarly the  work  of  God.  Ministers  and  pa- 
rents may  be  the  instruments ;  but  God  is 
the  proper  cause  of  it.  None  but  he  who 
made  the  heart  of  man  can  turn  it  from  its 
rooted  aversion  to  the  love  of  himself.  Min- 
isters and  parents  know  this  by  painful 
experience  ;  and  therefore  can  each  adopt 
the  prayer  here  presented  as  their  own. 
Wherever  this  work  is,  it  will  appear  by  its 
holy  and  happy  effects.  The  drunkard  will 
become  sober,  the  churl  liberal,  the  unclean 
chaste,  and  the  malignant  persecutor  of 
Christ's  people  a  humble  sufferer  for  his 
name's  sake. 

The  work  of  God  will  also  appear  among 
us  if  Christians  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  The  power  of  divine  grace  is  no 
less  apparent  in  the  carrying  on  of  God's 
work,  than  in  the  beginning  of  it.  Nothing 
short  of  an  almighty  arm  can  preserve  crea- 
tures, so  prone  to  fall  away,  from  falling, 
and  present  those  who  are  so  faulty  "  fault- 
less before  the  presence  of  his  glory."  And, 
Avhere  this  part  of  the  work  is,  it  will  appear 
also  by  its  holy  and  happy  effects.  Such 
Christians  bear  the  most  impressive  testi- 
mony to  the  world  of  the  reality  and  impor- 
tance of  religion. 

A  second  branch  of  the  petition  is  that 
God's  work  might  so  appear  as  that  there 


354 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


might  be  an  illustrious  display  of  his  glory. 
All  God's  works  display  his  glory;  but  the 
work  of  grace  in  the  salvation  of  sinners 
most  of  all.  Other  tilings  manifest  his  wis- 
dom and  power;  but  this  his  holy  nature. 
The  carrying  on  of  his  cause  in  the  world, 
by  the  conversion  and  sanctification  of  sin- 
ners, gives  a  kind  of  visibility  to  the  divine 
character.  It  is  seen,  and  even  felt  by  the 
most  abandoned  of  men.  God  is  said  to 
have  appeared  in  his  glory  in  building  up 
Zion,  after  it  had  been  broken  down  by  the 
Chaldeans.  Even  the  heathen,  when  they 
saw  what  he  had  wrought,  could  not  forbear 
to  acknowledge  "the  Lord  hath  done  great 
things  for  them  ! "  But  the  building  up  of 
the  gospel  church,  by  turning  the  captivity 
of  those  who  were  the  slaves  of  Satan,  is  still 
more  glorious.  The  Lord  could  accomplish 
the  former  merely  by  his  providence ;  but 
the  latter  is  the  effect  of  the  travail  of  his 
soul. 

It  is  requested,  thirdly,  that  God  would 
impart  to  them  his  beauty :  "  Let  the  beau- 
ty of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us  !  " — All 
God's  works  are  beautiful ;  but  saints,  who 
are  his  workmanship,  are  the  subjects  of  a 
holy  beauty,  or  of  the  beauty  of  holiness. 
They  are  comely  through  the  comeliness 
which  he  puts  upon  them.  Conceive  of  the 
camp  of  Israel  after  they  had  been  humbled, 
and  taught  to  fear  the  Lord  their  God. 
Two  or  three  hundred  thousand  godly  young 
people,  following  him  implicitly  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  trembling  at  the  idea  of  repeat- 
ing the  iniquities  of  their  fathers !  This  was 
a  sight  at  which  even  a  wicked  prophet  was 
struck  with  awe,  and  could  not  forbear  ex- 
claiming, "  How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  O  Ja-% 
cob,  and  thy  tabernacles,  O  Israel !  "  Pow- 
erful are  the  charms  of  genuine  piety. 
There  is  something  in  it  that  disarms  ma- 
lignity itself,  and  extorts  admiration  even 
from  those  who  hate  it.  Milton  represents 
the  devil  himself,  on  his  approaching  para- 
dise, as  awed  by  innocence,  as  staggered,  as 
half  inclined  to  desist  from  his  purpose,  and 
feeling  a  kind  of  perturbation  within  him, 
composed  of  malignity  and  pity.  Something 
like  this  existed,  methinks,  in  Balaam.  He 
wanders  from  hill  to  mountain,  seeking  for 
curses,  but  scattering  blessings  :  sometimes 
half  inclined  to  unite  with  God,  and  con- 
cluding with  a  vain  desire  to  die  the  death 
of  the  righteous.  Powerful,  I  repeat  it,  are 
the  charms  of  genuine  piety.  Conceive  of 
a  society  of  Christians  drinking  into  the 
spirit  of  C-irist,  and  walking  according  to 
his  commandments !  What  an  amiable 
sight !  "  Beautiful  as  Tirzah,  comely  as  Je- 
rusalem, and  terrible  as  an  army  with  ban- 
ners ! "  So  much  as  we  possess  of  the  spir- 
it of  true  religion,  so  near  as  we  approach 
its  original  simplicity,  so  far  as  our  doctrine 
is  incorrupt,  our  discipline  pure  and  impar- 
tial, and  our  conversation  as  becometh  the 


gospel,  so  much  of  "the  beauty  of  the  Lord 
our  God  "  is  upon  us. 

A  fourth  branch  of  the  petition  is,  that  God 
would  set  his  seal  to  their  undertakings,  and 
establish  the  work  of  their  hands.  "  Estab- 
lish thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us ; 
yea,  the  work  of  our  hands  establish  thou 
it."  It  was  the  work  of  Moses  and  Joshua, 
and  the  rest  of  God's  servants,  to  mould  and 
form  the  people,  especially  the  rising  gen- 
eration ;  to  instruct  them  in  the  words  of 
the  Lord,  and  impress  their  hearts  with  the 
vast  importance  of  obeying  them.  And 
this  has  been  the  work  of  God's  servants  in 
every  age.  This  is  our  object  in  our  stated 
and  occasional  labors,  in  village-preaching, 
and  in  foreign  missions  ;  this  is  the  object 
in  the  present  undertaking:  but  all  is  noth- 
ing, unless  God  establish  the  work  of  our 
hands.  "  Except  the  Lord  build  the  house, 
the  builders  labor  in  vain."  As  we  must 
never  confide  in  God  to  the  neglect  of 
means  ;  so  we  must  never  engage  in  the  use 
of  means  without  a  sense  of  our  depen- 
dence on  God. 

It  is  requested,  Jinally,  that  these  bles- 
sings might  both  appear  in  their  own  times, 
and  be  continued  to  their  posterity  :  "  Let 
thy  work  appear  unto  thy  servants  "  who  are 
now  alive,  "and  thy  glory  unto  their  chil- 
dren," when  they  are  no  more.  It  is  desira- 
ble that  true  religion  should  be  promoted  in 
our  time.  This,  indeed,  should  be  our  first 
and  chief  concern.  Worldly  men  may  care 
nothing  about  this.  If  they  gain  but  the 
corn,  the  wine,  and  the  oil,  it  is  enough  for 
them :  but  God's  servants  cannot  be  happy 
with  mere  temporal  prosperity,  if  the  inter- 
est of  Christ  do  not  prosper.  Nehemiah 
might  have  lived  in  affluence  at  the  court  of 
Persia  ;  but  he  could  not  enjoy  it  while  the 
city  of  his  God  was  going  to  ruins.  The 
true  laborers  in  God's  husbandry  long  to  see 
it  abound  in  fruits  :  the  builders  of  his  tem- 
ple desire  to  see  it  rise. — And,  though  our 
times  lie  nearest  us,  yet  our  prayers  and 
efforts  must  not  be  confined  to  them,  but  ex- 
tend to  posterity.  The  succeeding  genera- 
tion should  lie  near  our  hearts.  In  them  we 
hope  for  materials  for  God's  building.  The 
prayer  of  David  would  fit  the  lips  of  every 
godly  man,  and  especially  of  every  godly 
parent;  "that  our  sons  may  be  as  olive- 
plants,  grown  up  in  their  youth ;  and  our 
daughters  as  corner-stones,  polished  after 
the  similitude  of  a  palace ! " 

Such  were  the  particular  objects  desired : 
I  shall  only  add  a  few  words  on  their  desira- 
bleness. 

We  have  seen  already  that  the  manifesta- 
tion of  the  glory  of  God  depends  on  the 
progress  of  his  work  :  by  how  much,  there- 
fore, we  are  concerned  for  the  one,  by  so 
much  shall  we  be  importunate  for  the  other. 
It  is  for  the  glory  of  God  that  Satan's  king- 
dom should  be  overturned,  and  the  kin  gdom 


PRATER    OF    DAVID    IN    THE    DECLINE    OF    LIFE. 


855 


of  his  Son  established  on  its  ruins.  This 
work  is  the  harvest  of  all  God's  other  works 
of  glory.  It  was  glorious  in  him  to  promise 
to  give  his  Son  the  heathen  for  his  inherit- 
ance, and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
for  his  possession  :  but  the  glory  of  this  also 
depends  upon  its  being  performed.  It  was 
glorious  for  Christ  to  die,  that  he  might 
purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zeal- 
ous of  good  works :  but  it  is  by  the  actual 
accomplishment  of  this  object  that  his  glory 
is  perfected.  It  was  glorious  for  God  in  his 
providence  to  drive  out  paganism  and  Popery 
from  this  kingdom  ;  but, If  it  stop  here,  what 
are  we  the  better?  The  cutting  down  of 
weeds  will  be  of  but  little  use,  if  the  pure 
seed  be  not  sown,  and  spring  up,  and  bring 
forth  fruit  in  their  place. 

The  progress  of  God's  work  in  heathen 
countries  has  a  close  connection  also  with 
our  spiritual  prosperity  at  home.  There  is 
much  beauty  and  propriety  in  the  petitions 
offered  up  in  the  sixty-seventh  psalm.  "  God 
be  merciful  unto  us  ....  that  thy  way  may 
be  known  upon  earth,  thy  saving  health 
among  all  nations  !  "  God  blesses  the  world 
by  blessing  the  church,  and  making  it  a 
blessing.  A  statesman  would  wish  for  an 
increase  in  population,  that  the  army  and 
navy,  and  every  other  department  of  society, 
might  be  filled  ;  and  shall  not  we  pray  for 
the  prosperity  of  the  church  of  God,  that 
faithful  ministers,  missionaries,  and  every 
other  description  of  Christians,  may  not  be 
wanting  ? 

Finally :  The  regard  we  bear  to  the  souls 
of  men,  especially  to  the  rising  generation, 
must  render  these  blessings  desirable.  It  is 
not  yours,  but  you,  that  we  seek.  Our 
hearts'  desire,  and  prayer  to  God  for  you,  is 
that  you  may  be  saved.  If  we  recommend 
you  to  attend  the  gospel  and  embrace  it,  is 
it  because  we  want  to  enlist  you  under  the 
banner  of  a  party?  God  knoweth!  Yet 
we  shall  say  to  you,  and  especially  to  the 
rising  generation,  as  Moses  said  to  Hobab, 
"  Come  with  us,  and  we  will  do  you  good  ; 
for  the  Lord, "  we  trust,  "  hath  spoken  good 
concerning"  us  .  .  .  "And  it  shall  come  to 
pass  that  whatsoever  good  thing  the  Lord 
shall  do  unto  us,  that  will  we  do  unto  you." 


XXXIII. PRATER    OF     DAVID     IN    THE    DE- 
CLINE    OF    LIFE. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  to  the  Aged.] 

"  Cast  me  not  off  in  the  time  of  old  age,  forsake 
me  not  when  my  strength  faileth." — Psa.  lxxi.  9. 

This  psalm  is  supposed  to  have  been 
written  about  the  time  of  Absalom's  con- 
spiracy. God  had  cast  off  his  predecessor 
Saul,  and  things  looked  as  if  he  now  meant 
to  cast  him  off.    His  people   also  seemed 


disposed,  by  their  joining  with  Absalom,  to 
cast  him  off:  hence  the  force  of  the  peti- 
tion. 

Old  men  do  not  always  put  up  this  peti- 
tion. If  the  desires  of  many  of  them  were 
put  into  words,  their  request  would  be  that 
they  might  save  money,  retain  power,  and 
many  other  things.  Covetousness  is  par- 
ticularly the  sin  of  old  age.  The  reason 
may  be  that  in  early  life  corruption  has  a 
number  of  channels  in  which  it  flows;  but 
in  old  age  these  are  stopped  up,  or  nearly 
so,  by  the  decay  of  natural  powers  and  pas- 
sions ;  and  hence  the  whole  flows  in  one  or 
two  channels.  But  these  things  will  soon 
forsake  us,  or  we  must  forsake  them.  The 
favor  and  presence  of  God  should  be  the  ob- 
ject, the  supreme  object,  of  our  desire. 

I.  There  are  some  peculiar  circum- 
stances OF'  OLD  AGE  WHICH  RENDER  THIS 
BLESSING    NECESSARY. 

1.  Old  age  is  a  time  of  but  little  natural 
enjoyment,  as  Barzillai  acknowledged.  2. 
Sam.  xix.  35.  There  is  the  more  need, 
therefore,  for  other  enjoyments.  It  is  a  soil 
on  which  that  kind  of  pleasure  will  not 
grow  ; — but  the  joys  of  religion  will,  and 
there  may  be  fruit  in  old  age.  Be  this, 
therefore,  our  object.  Psa.  xcii.  14.  Isai. 
xl.  30,  31. 

2.  It  is  a  time  in  which  the  troubles  of 
life  are  often  known  to  increase.  Many  are 
poor  and  can  struggle  no  longer,  and  so  sink 
under  their  hardships.  Others  have  families, 
and  live  to  see  their  children's  miseries : 
or  what,  if  we  fear  God,  will  grieve  us  more, 
their  evil  courses.  How  fit  then  is  the 
prayer  of  David  to  the  lips  of  those  whose 
grey  hairs  are  going  down  with  sorrow  to 
the  grave  ! — Others  lose  their  friends  by 
death.  Youth  is  the  time  for  forming  con- 
nections, which  is  a  source  of  pleasure  ;  and 
age,  of  those  connections  being  dissolved, 
which  is  a  source  of  pain.  How  many  poor 
widows  may  hear  this  address,  who  are  left 
in  a  world  of  care  and  sorrow,  to  serve 
alone  !  Does  not  this  prayer  fit  your  lips  ? — 
At  this  period  we  often  have  to  reap  the 
bitter  fruits  of  the  sins  of  earlier  years. 
Disobedience  to  parents  is  often  followed 
by  disobedience  in  children ;  neglect  of 
family  government  by  family  ruin,  as  in  the 
case  of  Eli ;  and  criminal  indulgences  in 
youth  by  similar  practices  among  our  chil- 
dren. David  had  his  troubles  in  his  younger 
days,  but  they  were  light  compared  with 
those  which  respected  Amnon,  Tamar,  and 
Absalom.  Here  impurity  and  blood  re-ap- 
peared, and  wounded  his  heart. 

3.  Old  age  is  a  time  in  which  the  troubles 
of  life  not  only  increase,  but  become  less 
tolerable.  Young  people  will  weather  the 
storm,  but  it  is  not  so  with  the  aged.  Pains 
of  mind  resemble  pains  of  body  ;  young  peo- 
ple will  work  them  off,  but  in  old  people 
they  remain,  and  are  carried  to  the  grave. 


356 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


Jacob  had  hardships  at  Padanaram,  the  heat 
by  day,  and  the  frost  by  night ;  but  he  for- 
got them  in  a  little  time  ;  not  so  after  hav- 
ing- lost  his  beloved  Rachel.  A  garment 
was  brought  to  him  covered  with  blood!  Is 
this,  or  any  thing  like  it,  your  condition  ? 
So  much  the  more  necessary   the  petition. 

4.  Old  age  is  a  time  that  ought  to  com- 
mand respect,  and  does  so  among  dutiful 
children,  and  all  serious  Christians ;  but  it 
is  often  known  to  be  attended  with  neglect. 
This  is  the  case  especially  where  they  are 
poor  and  dependent.  It  has  been  the  case 
where  public  characters  have  lost  their 
youthful  vivacity,  and  the  brilliancy  of  their 
talents.  In  these  cases,  also,  how  fit  is  the 
petition:  "  Cast  me  not  off  in  the  time  of 
old  ao-e,  forsake  me  not  when  my  strength 
faileth !  " 

5.  It  is  a  period  bordering  on  death  and 
eternity.  The  enjoyments  of  life  are  more 
than  half  gone,  and  the  remainder  hangs  up- 
on a  thread  more  than  half  broken. 

But  it  may  be  worth  while  to  inquire 
II.  In  what  cases  there  are  grounds 
TO  hope  the  blessing  will  be  granted. 
Not  all  old  men  enjoy  God's  favor  and 
presence.  There  are  some  tottering  on  the 
grave,  who  are  yet  wicked  ;  yea,  ripe  in 
wickedness — mercenary,  deceitful,  crafty, 
and  oppressive.  Even  those  sins  which 
they  can  no  longer  act,  through  a  failure  in 
their  natural  powers,  they  will  recal  in  their 
defiled  imaginations,  and  repeat  in  conver- 
sation, to  the  corrupting  of  youth.  Ah, 
wicked  old  man !  God  will  cast  you  off. 
Age  itself  entitles  you  to  no  respect  from 
man,  nor  will  you  find  mercy  from  God. 
Think  particularly  of  two  passages.  "The 
sinner,  a  hundred  years  old,  shall  be  ac- 
cursed— God  shall  wound  the  hairy  scalp  of 
him  who  goeth  on  still  in  his  trespasses." 
Isai.  lxv.  20.  Psa.  lxviii.  21.  Who  then 
shall  be  found  sharers  in  this  blessing  ? 

1.  It  is  certain  that,  if  we  have  been  God's 
servants  from  our  youth,  he  will  not  cast  us 
off  in  old  age.  David  pleaded  this,  in  the 
fifth  and  seventeenth  verses  of  this  psalm. 
"Oh  God,  thou  hast  taught  me  from  my 
youth ;  and  hitherto  have  I  declared  thy 
wondrous  works."  How  was  this  truth  also 
verified  in  the  old  age  and  death  of  Jacob, 
Moses,  Daniel,  Paul,  and  others! 

2.  Though  we  should  not  have  been  his 
servants  in  our  youth,  yet  in  old  age,  even 
from  thence,  if  we  seek  him  with  all  our 
hearts,  he  will  be  found  of  us.  He  will  not 
reject  us  even  at  the  eleventh  hour. 

3.  Though  you  should  never  have  been 
his  servant  to  this  day,  but  have  grown  grey 
under  Satan's  yoke,  and  now  a  poor  misera- 
ble creature,  just  ready  to  fall  into  hell ;  yet 
if  from  hence  thou  shalt  seek  the  Lord  thy 
God,  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul, 
he  will  be  found  of  thee  ;  for  the  Lord  our 
God  is  a  merciful   God ;  and  through  the 


death  of  Christ  he  can  save  thee  to  the  utter- 
most. If  with  all  your  heart  you  only  put 
up  this  prayer,  "Cast  me  not  off  in  the  time 
of  old  age,  forsake  me  not  when  my  strength 
faileth  ;  "  he  will  not  cast  you  off,  but  stand 
your  friend  when  forsaken  by  the  Mrhole 
world.     Deut.  iv.  29—31.     Heb.  vii.  25. 


XXXIV. ADVANTAGES   OF  EARLY  PIETT. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  to  Yovng  People.'] 

"  O  satisfy  us  early  with  thy  mercy,  that  we 
may  rejoice  and  be  glad  all  our  days." — Psa.  xc. 
14. 

The  season  is  returned,  my  dear  young 
people,  in  which  you  expect  I  should  address 
you  on  your  eternal  interests.  I  hope  what  I 
have  heretofore  said  to  you,  not  only  on  these 
occasions,  but  in  the  ordinary  course  of  my 
labors,  has  not  been  altogether  in  vain. 
Some  of  you,  I  hope,  have  already  set  your 
faces  Sion-ward.  Happy  should  I  be  to  see 
many  more  follow  their  example  ! 

The  words  which  I  have  read  to  you  ex- 
press the  desire  of  Moses,  the  man  of  God, 
in  behalf  of  Israel,  and  especially  of  the 
rising  generation.  That  generation  of  men 
which  came  out  of  Egypt  with  Moses  were 
most  of  them  very  wicked.  Though  God 
divided  the  sea  to  save  them,  and  caused 
manna  to  fall  from  heaven  to  feed  them, 
with  many  other  wonderful  works  ;  yet  they 
did  little  else  than  provoke  him  by  their  re- 
peated transgressions.  Ten  times  they 
tempted  him  in  the  wilderness  ;  and,  to  com- 
plete their  crimes,  they  despised  the  good 
land,  and  disbelieved  His  promises  who  had 
engaged  to  put  them  in  possession  of  it. 
The  consequence  was,  Jehovah  swore  in  his 
wrath,  "  They  shall  not  enter  into  my  rest." 
So  they  were  all,  except  Joshua  and  Caleb, 
doomed  to  die  in  the  wilderness.  On  occa- 
sion of  this  melancholy  sentence  (the  account 
of  which  you  will  find  in  the  fourteenth 
chapter  of  Numbers,)  it  is  supposed  that 
Moses,  the  man  of  God,  wrote  this  plaintive 
psalm  ;  in  which  he  laments  over  the  mortal- 
ity of  man,  and  supplicates  divine  mercy  to 
migitate  the  doom;  and  the  doom  as  it  respect- 
ed Israel  was  mitigated,  or  at  least  mingled 
with  much  mercy.  Though  the  fathers  were 
sentenced  to  perish  in  the  wilderness,  yet 
the  promise  was  accomplished  in  the  rising 
generation.  "  Your  little  ones,"  said  the 
Lord,  "  which  ye  said  should  be  a  prey,  them 
will  I  bring-  in,  and  they  shall  know  the  land 
which  ye  have  despised."  This  younger 
generation,  from  that  time,  became  the  grand 
object  of  hope  to  Moses  and  his  companions. 
Their  great  business  in  the  wilderness,  for 
thirty-eight  years,  was  to  teach  them  the 
good  knowledge  of  God,  and  to  form  their 
spirit  and  manners  for  his  service.  How 
earnestly  did  Moses  pray   for  the   Lord's 


ADVANTAGES    OF    EARLY    PIETY. 


251 


blessing  upon  these  their  labors,  towards 
the  close  of  this  psalm :  "  Let  thy  work  ap- 
pear unto  thy  servants,  and  thy  glory  unto 
their  children ;  and  let  the  beauty  of  Jeho- 
vah our  God  be  upon  us  :  and  establish  thou 
the  work  of  our  hands  upon  us ;  yea,  the 
work  of  our  hands  establish  thou  it."  To 
the  same  purpose  is  the  petition  which  I  first 
read.  "  O  satisfy  us  early  with  thy  mercy, 
that  we  may  rejoice  and  be  glad  all  our  days." 
These  petitions,  too,  were  graciously  an- 
swered. God's  work  did  appear  to  Moses 
and  his  associates,  and  his  glory  to  their 
children,  and  that  at  an  early  period.  His 
spirit  was  richly  poured  fortli  upon  the  Isra- 
elitish  youth.  The  beauty  of  the  Lord  their 
God  was  upon  them,  and  the  work  of  their 
hands  was  established.  It  was  this  amiable 
generation  that  extorted  the  admiration  of 
Balaam  himself:  "  How  goodly  are  thy  tents, 
O  Jacob,  and  thy  tabernacles,  O  Israel ! " 
It  was  of  them  that  the  Lord  declared,  that 
"  Israel  then  was  holiness  to  the  Lord,  and 
the  first  fruits  of  his  increase." 

I  hope  I  need  not  say  that  this  prayer  of 
Moses,  on  behalf  of  the  Israelitish  youth,  is 
expressive  of  the  desires  of  your  minister 
and  of  your  parents :  you  know  it  is  so.  O 
that  it  may  also  express  your  own  ! 

There  are  two  things  pertaining  to  this 
subject  which  require  particular  notice  ; 
namely,  the  object  desired,  which  is  an  early 
participation  of  divine  mercy  ;  and  the  influ- 
ence of  such  a  participation  of  mercy  on  the 
happiness  of  future  life. 

I.  Let  us  notice  the  object  desired. — 
This  is  mercy,  a  beinof  satisfied  with  mercy, 
and  a  being  early  satisfied  with  mercy.  Pay 
attention,  young  people,  to  each  of  these 
particulars. 

1.  The  grand  object  that  you  need  is  mer- 
cy, the  mercy  of  God  against  whom  you 
have  sinned. — Holy  angels  worship  God  ; 
but  this  prayer  would  not  fit  their  lips.  They 
are  guilty  and  undone  sinners  to  whom  the 
voice  of  mercy  is  addressed ;  and  such  are 
you,  and  therefore  it  becomes  you  to  sue  for 
this  all-important  good.  Mercy  is  of  two 
kinds,  common  and  special.  Every  good  we 
enjoy  is  mercy  ;  but  they  are  not  common 
mercies  only,  nor  chiefly,  that  are  here  de- 
sired. They  would  not  have  satisfied  Mo- 
ses, nor  will  they  satisfy  us.  That  which 
he  sought  on  behalf  of  the  Israelitish  youth, 
and  which  we  seek  on  behalf  of  you,  is  sa- 
ving mercy,  renewing  mercy,  forgiving  mer- 
cy ;  that  which  Saul  the  persecutor  obtained, 
having  sinned  in  ignorance  and  unbelief. 

2.  The  blessing  here  sought  is  not  only 
mercy,  but  a  being  satisfied  with  mercy. — If 
the  rising  generation  among  the  Israelites 
obtained  mercy,  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  all 
their  godly  associates,  would  feel  satisfied 
on  a  review  of  their  labors  ;  and  if  you,  young 
people,  obtain  a  similar  blessing,  we  shall 
feel  the  same.    Nor  shall  we  be  satisfied  with 


any  thing  short  of  it.  We  are  glad  to  see  you 
sober,  intelligent,  ingenious,  and  industri- 
ous ;  we  rejoice  in  your  temporal  prosperity  ; 
but  this  will  not  satisfy  us.  How  should  it? 
To  care  for  the  less  and  not  for  the  greater 
were  cruel  beyond  expression.  Nor  will 
any  thing  short  of  saving  mercy  satisfy  you. 
You  may  think  that  pleasure  will,  but  it  will 
not ;  nor  fame,  nor  riches,  nor  aught  else 
under  the  sun.  Immortal  minds  can  be 
satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  an  immortal 
good.  Read,  and  carefully  consider,  the 
first  three  verses  of  the  fifty-fifth  chapter  of 
Isaiah.  But,  in  order  to  be  satisfied  with 
mercy,  you  must  possess  a  thirst  after  it. 
Nothing  satisfies  but  that  which  corresponds 
with  our  desires.  Have  you  such  desire  ? 
Do  you  call  upon  the  Lord  for  mercy  ?  and 
that  with  your  whole  heart?  How  many 
heathens  are  there  in  a  Christian  country 
who  live  without  prayer !  and  how  many 
who  pray  in  form,  without  any  earnest  or 
sincere  desire  after  those  things  for  which 
they  pray !  Such  will  never  be  satisfied. 
But,  if  mercy  be  the  one  thing  desired,  you 
need  not  doubt  being  satisfied  with  it;  for 
there  is  enough  in  God,  enough  in  Christ,  to 
assuage  all  your  thirst.  "  With  the  Lord 
there  is  mercy,  and  with  him  is  plenteous 
redemption." — "  Open  your  mouth  wide,  and 
he  will  fill  it."—"  The  Spirit,"  in  the  invi- 
tations of  the  word,  "  says,  Come ;  the  bride," 
or  church  of  Christ,  "says,  Come  ;  and  who- 
soever will,  let  him  come,  and  take  of  the 
water  of  life  freely." 

3.  The  blessing  to  be  sought  is,  not  only 
a  being  satisfied,  but  satisfied  early  with  di- 
vine mercy. — Moses  desired  that  his  prayer 
might  be  speedily  answered  ;  and,  if  genuine 
piety  appeared  in  the  young  people  at  an 
early  period  of  life,  this  his  desire  would  be 
accomplished.  Piety  is  a  beautiful  flower 
at  any  age,  but  most  so  in  early  life.  How 
amiable  did  it  appear  in  these  young  people  ! 
It  is  called  "the  love  of  their  espousals," 
which  the  Lord  afterwards  remembered  for 
the  sake  of  their  posterity.  How  amiable 
did  it  appear  in  Isaac,  in  Joseph,  in  Samuel, 
in  David,  in  Abijah,  in  Josiah,  and  in  many 
others  !     But  let  us  proceed  to  observe — 

II.  The  influence  which  a  participa- 
tion of  divine  mercy,  and  especially  an 
early  one,  will  have  on  the  happiness- 
of  your  future  life.  This  good  obtain- 
ed, you  will  rejoice  andbe  glad  all  your  days. 
— It  is  a  notion  imbibed  by  many  who  are 
strangers  to  true  religion  that  it  makes  peo- 
ple melancholy  and  miserable.  But  this  is 
false.  The  contrary  is  the  truth.  Every 
one  that  has  known  it  has  spoken  well  of  it. 
The  reproaches  of  those  who  know  it  not  are 
unworthy  of  notice.  To  render  this  evi- 
dent, let  me  request  your  attention  to  a  few 
remarks. 

1.  To  have  participated  of  mercy  is  to  have 
all  your  sins  forgiven ;  and  is  not  this  a 


358 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


source  of  joy  and  gladness  ?  You  may  think 
but  little  of  these  tilings  in  the  hour  of  health 
and  thoughtless  dissipation  ;  but  whenever 
you  reflect,  whether  it  be  under  a  sermon,  or 
on  a  bed  of  affliction,  or  on  any  other  occa- 
sion, you  will  feel  the  force  of  such  truths  as 
these:  "Blessed  is  the  man  whose  trans- 
gressions are  forgiven,  and  whose  sin  is 
covered !  " — "  Son,  be  of  good  cheer,  thy 
sins  be  forgiven  thee  !  "  I  cannot  perceive 
what  grounds  there  can  be  for  joy  or  glad- 
ness while  your  sins  are  anforgiven.  To 
rise  every  morning,  and  to  retire  every 
evening,  with  the  curse  of  the  Almighty  on 
your  heads,  must  needs  be  a  dreadful  thing ; 
and,  if  you  be  not  shockingly  hardened  in 
unbelief  and  stupidity,  it  must  render  your 
life  far  from  happy.  You  may  rejoice  and 
be  glad  in  many  things,  but  it  is  only  while 
you  forget  your  true  condition.  One  thought 
on  this  subject  dissolves  the  charm,  and  sinks 
you  in  melancholy.  O,  my  dear  young  peo- 
ple, drink  but  at  this  fountain,  and  it  will 
prove  the  water  of  life  !  It  will  banish  sus- 
pense and  dread  ;  and  will  take  away  all  that 
is  terrible  from  the  most  terrible  of  all  words 
— Death,  Judgment,  and  Eternity. 

2.  The  partaking  of  divine  mercy  will 
furnish  you  with  great  sources  of  enjoyynent 
in  the  study  of  truth. — While  blinded  by 
your  own  carnality,  the  things  of  God  will 
appear  uninteresting,  if  not  foolishness  ;  but, 
having  known  the  gift  of  God,  you  will  ask, 
and  he  will  give  you  more  and  more  of  this 
living  water.  Knowledge  of  any  kind  is 
food  to  an  ingenious  mind  ;  but  mere  science 
has  not  that  rich  and  interesting  quality 
which  attends  evangelical  truth.  Astrono- 
my may  amuse  you,  and  even  delight  you, 
by  showing  you  the  wonderful  works  of  God ; 
but  the  gospel  gives  you  an  interest  in  all. 
If  you  are  Christians,  whether  Paul,  or  Apol- 
los,  or  Cephas,  or  the  world,  or  life,  or  death, 
or  things  present,  or  things  to  come,  all  are 
yours.  The  study  of  nature  is  a  source  of 
pleasure ;  but  the  gospel,  of  joy.  It  has 
with  great  propriety  been  called  "the  wis- 
dom that  speaks  to  the  heart."  Such  was 
the  decision  of  the  earl  of  Rochester  in  his 
wisest  days.  Joy,  and  especially  the  joy  of 
the  gospel,  possesses  much  of  that  charming 
perturbation  of  spirit  which  is  not  excited 
but  by  great,  interesting,  and  transporting 
objects.  Happiness  may  cause  a  smile,  but 
joy  will  add  to  that  smile  a  tear,  and  perhaps 
a  flood  of  tears.  What  a  delicious  enjoy- 
ment !  Thus  may  you  rejoice  and  be  glad 
all  your  days ! 

3.  By  a  participation  of  divine  mercy,  all 
your  duties  ivill  he  converted  into  pleasure. — 
Without  this,  every  duty  will  be  a  task: 
Praying,  reading  and  hearing,  sabbaths  and 
all  other  religious  opportunities,  will  either 
be  disregarded,  or,  if  through  custom  you 
attend  to  them,  yet  your  heart  will  not  be  in 
them.     They  will  appear  as  lost  time  ;  and 


such,  indeed,  they  will  prove.  Time  so 
spent  will  to  you  be  lost,  and  worse  than 
lost.  But  true  religion  will  inspire  your 
hearts  with  love  ;  and  this  will  render  every 
religious  duty  a  delight. 

4.  A  participation  of  the  mercy  or  grace 
of  God  will  shed  a  lustre  on  all  your  natural  en- 
joyments.— To  have  only  natural  enjoyments 
is  to  have  a  slender,  short-lived,  and  uncertain 
portion.  To  have  to  reflect,  in  the  midst  of 
your  pleasures,  Noav  I  am  receiving  my  good 
things,  and  these,  for  aught  that  appears, 
are  to  be  my  all,  is  sufficient  to  spread  a 
damp  over  every  thing  :  but  to  have  earthly 
good  with  a  blessing,  with  the  good-will  of 
Him  that  dwelt  in  the  bush,  must  give  it  a 
tenfold  sweetness.  Art  thou  but  a  Christian, 
"  Eat  thy  bread  with  gladness,  and  drink  thy 
wine  with  a  cheerful  heart,  for  God  now  ac- 
cepteth  thy  labor." 

5.  A  participation  of  divine  mercy  will  sup- 
port your  hearts  under  the  heaviest  afflictions, 
and  enable  you  to  rejoice  and  be  glad,  ichile 
others  are  sinking  under  those  burdens. — You 
are  young,  but  you  must  lay  your  accounts 
with  those  ills  which  are  common  to  men. 
Some  of  you  who  may  be  engaged  in  trade 
may  sustain  heavy  losses  ;  but  this  will  bear 
you  up.  If  you  have  Christ,  you  will  never 
have  lost  your  all.  When  poor  Moab  was 
wasted,  she  had  nothing  left.  Well,  there- 
fore, might  Jeremiah  bewail  her  condition. — 
Chap,  xlviii.  36.  But,  when  Judah  was  gone 
into  captivity,  she  could  yet  say,  "  The  Lord 
is  my  portion,  saith  my  soul,  therefore  will 
I  hope  in  him."  Others  of  you  may  pass 
through  life  in  poverty.  Hardly  bestead  and 
hungry,  you  have  little  to  lose  ;  and,  if  desti- 
tute of  religion,  may  be  tempted  to  "  curse 
your  king  and  your  God,  and  look  upward." 
But  the  hope  of  the  gospel  will  cause  you  to 
rejoice,  even  in  this  situation.  Though  no 
fruit  appear  on  your  vine,  nor  flock  in  your 
fold,  nor  herd  in  your  stall ;  yet  you  will  re- 
joice in  the  Lord,  and  be  glad  in  the  God  of 
your  salvation. 

6.  A  participation  of  God's  special  mercy 
affords  an  assurance  that  all  the  blessings  be- 
fore mentioned  are  but  the  beginnings  of  joy, 

the  earnest  of  everlasting  bliss. — Here  we  are 
at  a  loss.  "  Now  are  we  the  sons  of  God, 
but  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be  ; 
but  this  we  know  that  we  shall  be  like  him, 
for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."  O  happy  peo- 
ple !  Well  are  they  exhorted  to  "  rejoice 
always,  and  again  to  rejoice " — "  to  sing 
aloud  upon  their  beds  " — "  to  count  it  all  joy, 
even  when  they  fall  into  divers  trials,  know- 
ing that  these  light  afflictions,  which  are  but 
for  a  moment,  work  for  them  a  far  more  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 

To  all  this  may  be  added,  the  earlier  you 
obtain  these  blessings  the  greater  will  be  your 
enjoyments. —  Early  piety  will  save  you  from 
much  wickedness.  The  conversion  of  a 
soul,  especially  at  this  period,  hides  a  multi- 


THE    CHOICE    OF    MOSES. 


359 


tude  of  sins  ;  and  renders  life  much  more 
happy  as  well  as  useful.  Evil  habits  are 
broken  with  difficulty.  Those  who  return 
to  God  in  old  age  seldom  do  much  for  him, 
or  enjoy  much  from  him.  Manasseh,  though 
he  obtained  mercy,  yet  did  but  little  towards 
undoing-  the  mischief  which  he  had  wrought 
in  Israel.  He  could  lead  his  people  and  his 
family  into  wickedness  while  he  was  wicked  ; 
but  he  could  not  lead  them  back  again  when 
he  returned.  Anion,  his  successor,  imitated 
Manasseh  the  idolater,  not  Manasseh  the 
penitent.  And  as  to  himself,  though  he  cast 
the  idols  out  of  the  temple,  and  out  of  the 
city,  yet  the  far  greater  part  of  the  work  of 
reformation  was  left  for  his  grandson  Josiah. 
That  amiable  young  prince  began,  in  the 
sixteenth  year  of  his  age,  to  seek  after  the 
Lord  God  of  his  fathers;  and  in  the  twenti- 
eth he  set  about  a  thorough  work  of  reforma- 
tion ;  "and  God  was  with  him,  and  blessed 
him,  and  he,"  like  his  ancestor  Abraham, 
"  became  a  blessing." 

O  young  people,  a  thousand  arguments 
and  examples  might  be  adduced  to  show  the 
force  and  propriety  of  the  petition!  If  you 
have  a  spark  of  ingenuousness  towards  God 
in  your  hearts,  you  would  not  desire  to  put 
him  off  with  the  refuse  of  a  life  spent  in  the 
service  of  sin.  You  would  offer  him  the 
first  fruits  of  your  days ;  the  best  of  your 
time,  strength,  talents,  and  influence.  And 
this  is  not  all.  Time  flies,  years  roll  over 
in  quick  succession.  Death  sweeps  away 
the  young  as  well  as  the  aged.  Of  the  bu- 
rials that  we  have  had  this  year  in  our  con- 
gregation five  out  of  six  have  been  young 
people  ;  some  of  them  under  twenty  years 
of  age,  and  others  of  them  but  little  past 
that  period.  None  of  them  seem  to  have 
thought  much  of  dying,  yet  they  are 
gone  from  the  land  of  the  living  !  Hark  ! 
from  their  tombs  I  hear  the  language  of 
warning  and  solemn  counsel!  "Whatso- 
ever thy  hand  findeth  thee  to  do,  do  it  with 
thy  might ;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor  device, 
nor  knowledge  in  the  grave,  whither  thou 
goest."  Join  with  your  pastor,  join  with 
your  parents,  join  with  all  that  seek  your 
welfare,  in  praying,  "  O  satisfy  us  early  with 
thy  mercy,  that  we  may  rejoice  and  be  glad 
all  our  days." 

What  shall  I  say  more  ?  Will  you,  my 
dear  young  people,  will  you  drink  and  be 
satisfied  at  the  fountain  of  mercy ;  a  foun- 
tain that  is  wide  open,  and  flows  freely 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ?  You  can- 
not plead  the  want  of  sufficient  inducements. 
Ministers,  parents,  Christians,  angels,  the 
faultering  voice  of  death,  the  solemn  assur- 
ance of  a  judgment  to  come,  and,  above  all, 
the  sounding  of  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ, 
all  say,  Come.  But  if,  like  those  who  re- 
fused the  waters  of  Siloah,  you  prefer  the 
follies  and  pursuits  of  the  present  life  to  the 
joys  of  immortality,  our  souls  shall  weep  in 


secret  places  for  you.  Tribulation  and  an- 
guish will  overtake  you  even  in  this  life  ; 
and  under  it,  instead  of  the  consolations  and 
hopes  of  the  gospel,  you  will  have  to  reflect, 
This  I  have  brought  upon  myself;  and  these 
are  but  the  beginnings  of  sorrows  ! 


XXXV. THE   CHOICE    OF    MOSES. 

"  By  faith  Moses,  when  he  was  come  to  years, 
refused  to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter  ; 
choosing  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the  people 
of  God  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  sea- 
son ;  esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater 
riches  than  the  treasures  in  Egypt  ;  for  he  had  re- 
spect unto  the  recompense  of  reward." — Heb.  xi. 
24—26. 

Common  history  generally  overlooks  the 
servants  of  God  as  unworthy  of  its  notice. 
The  world  has  thought  it  worth  while  to  hate 
and  persecute  them  in  all  ages,  but  not  to 
record  either  their  lives  or  deaths.  States- 
men, warriors,  philosophers,  poets,  and  the 
like,  are  held  up  to  view,  while  they  and  their 
memorial  are  consigned  to  oblivion.  It  is 
not  so  however.in  God's  history.  The  world 
loves  its  own,  and  God  loves  his  own. 
God's  history  takes  as  little  notice  of  the 
sons  of  the  mighty  as  man's  history  does  of 
the  sons  of  the  holy,  exhibiting  them  as  a 
succession  of  wild  beasts,  who  have  rendered 
themselves  conspicuous  only  by  their  rapa- 
city ;  while  it  holds  up  the  characters  whom 
they  have  traduced  as  men  "  of  whom  the 
world  was  not  worthy."  What  a  catalogue 
is  given  us  in  this  chapter !  To  have  a  name 
in  such  a  record  is  true  honor. 

Among  these  worthies  stands  the  name  of 
Moses.  From  his  early  childhood  he  was  an 
object  of  the  special  care  of  heaven  ;  and 
when  arrived  to  years  of  maturity  he  was  a 
believer,  and  an  eminent  servant  of  God. 

It  is  pleasing  to  observe  how  the  apostle 
finds  an  evangelical  spirit  in  Old  Testament 
saints.  Moses  was  distinguished  as  the 
lawgiver  of  Israel,  and  he  venerated  the 
law  which  he  had  the  honor  to  dispense. 
He  did  not,  however,  trust  in  his  obedience 
to  it  for  acceptance  with  God,  but  in  Christ, 
in  whom  he  believed.  Yes,  the  religion  of 
Moses  was  an  attachment  to  Christ,  though 
at  that  time  he  was  known  only  by  promise. 
Moses  had  also  an  expectation  of  the  earthly 
Canaan,  of  that  goodly  mountain  and  Leba- 
non, though  for  his  sin  in  a  single  instance 
he  was  deprived  of  it:  but  his  principle  "re- 
spect" did  not  terminate  here,  but  on  a 
"  recompense  of  reward  "  beyond  the  grave, 
even  in  that  better  country  in  the  faith  of 
which  the  patriarchs  lived  and  died. 

To  illustrate  and  vindicate  the  choice  of 
Moses,  which  is  here  celebrated,  is  all  I  shall 
attempt.  There  are  three  remarks  which 
offer  concerning  it. 

1.  The   choice  of  Moses  is  ascribed  to 


360 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


faith. — He  believed  in  the  Messiah  who  was 
promised  covertly  to  Adam,  and  to  Noah, 
and  more  explicitly  to  Abraham,  as  the 
Seed  in  whom  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
should  be  blessed.  He  also  believed  in  the 
invisible  realities  of  a  future  state.  And 
thus  his  faith  determined  him  to  embrace 
even  the  reproach  of  Christ,  and  to  relin- 
quish every  thing  which  stood  in  the  way 
of  the  heavenly  prize.  The  choice  of  Mo- 
ses was  free ;  yet  it  was  not  the  effect  of 
free  will,  but  of  faith  in  Christ,  and  which 
was  the  gift  of  God.  And,  if  we  make  the 
same  choice,  it  will  be  owing  to  the  same 
cause. 

2.  It  was  made  under  the  strongest  temp- 
tations.— The  refusing  to  be  called  the  son 
of  Pharaoh's  daughter  was  in  effect  refusing 
a  crown ;  for  she  is  supposed  to  have  been 
the  only  daughter  of  the  king  of  Egypt,  and 
to  have  had  no  children  of  her  own.  Moses 
therefore  appears  to  have  been  designed 
for  a  successor  to  the  throne.  For  this  also 
he  seems  to  have  received  a  suitable  educa- 
tion, being  "learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of 
the  Egyptians."  All  things  conspired  to 
tempt  him.  Fortune,  with  her  flattering 
smiles,  invited  him  to  her  banqueting  house, 
and  to  think  no  more  of  his  abject  relations. 
Forget  also  thine  own  people,  and  thy  fa- 
ther's house,  was  her  language.  Apis  must 
be  thy  God,  and  worship  thou  him. 

We  who  are  stationed  in  the  common 
ranks  of  life  may  think  but  little  of  such  a 
temptation.  A  crown  never  having  been 
within  the  reach  of  our  expectations,  it  may 
possess  but  few  charms  for  us.  We  cannot 
be  ignorant,  however,  that  for  such  stations 
menin  high  life  have  frequently  sacrificed 
every  thing.  Poor  Henry  IV.,  king  of 
France,  about  two  hundred  years  ago,  though 
a  protestant  in  principle,  and  a  truly  great 
man,  yet  rather  than  relinquish  a  crown,  ab- 
jured his  religion.  It  is  true  our  James  II. 
lost  his  throne  through  his  attachment  to 
popery  ;  but  he  meant  not  so,  and  even  his 
friends  ridiculed  him  for  it.  "There  is  a 
certain  good  man,"  said  they,  "lately  come 
to  Rome,  who  has  resigned  three  crowns 
for  a  crucifix !  " 

There  is  no  principle  that  is  equal  to  the 
choice  which  Moses  made,  but  faith.  No- 
thing else  can  find  an  object  that  will  out- 
weigh it.  "  Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the 
world,  but  he  who  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the 
'Son  of  God?" 

3.  In  making  such  a  choice,  the  best  of 
this  world  was  weighed  against  the  worst  of 
religion,  "  the  reproaches  of  Christ ; "  and 
yet  the  latter  was  preferred. — If  the  best  on 
Christ's  side  had  been  weighed  against  the 
worst  on  the  side  of  the  world,  or  even  the 
best  on  both  sides  against  each  other,  the 
triumph  had  been  less  glorious.  But  here 
we  see  in  one  scale  the  pleasures  of  sin,  and 
the  treasures  of  a  mighty  empire  ;  objects  for 


which  men  are  continually  sacrificing  their 
health,  peace,  conscience,  character,  lives, 
and  souls  ;  in  the  other,  Christ  and  religion, 
with  the  greatest  outward  disadvantages ; 
yet  the  latter  preponderates.  An  attach- 
ment to  the  cause  of  the  Messiah  would  at 
any  time  excite  the  reproaches  of  proud 
men  ;  but  at  this  time  more  especially,  when 
Ins  kingdom  seemed  so  unlikely  to  prevail 
that  his  subjects  were  actually  in  a  state  of 
slavery.  "The  people  of  God"  are  at  all 
times,  more  or  less,  in  an  afflicted  state  ;  but 
now  waters  of  a  full  cup  were  wrung  out  to 
them :  yet,  with  all  these  disadvantages, 
faith  obtains  the  victory.  Many  are  daily 
choosing  the  world,  with  not  a  thousandth 
part  of  this  to  choose  ;  and  setting  light  by 
Christ  and  his  people,  with  not  a  thousandth 
part  of  this  to  refuse. 

To  a  mind  blinded  by  carnality,  the  choice 
of  Moses  will  appear  fanatical  and  foolish  : 
but  it  was  not  so.  Faith  and  right  reason 
are  not  at  variance.  His  decision  was  as 
wise  as  it  was  just.  He  did  not  choose  af- 
flictions and  reproaches  for  their  own  sake  ; 
for  he  had  all  the  feelings  of  a  man  as  well 
as  we.  His  choice  terminated  on  "the  re- 
compense of  reward,"  which,  like  the  joy 
that  was  set  before  the  great  Object  of  his 
faith,  enabled  him  to  endure  the  cross,  and 
despise  the  shame. — More  particularly, 

1.  The  things  which  he  refused  would 
last  only  for  a  season:  but  the  things  which 
he  chose  were  of  everlasting  duration.  We 
measure  periods  in  all  other  estimations  ; 
and  why  should  we  not  in  this  ?  Who 
would  give  so  much  for  a  short  lease,  or  ra- 
ther an  uncertain  tenure,  as  for  a  full  pur- 
chase, and  a  lasting  possession  ? 

2.  The  society  of  the  people  of  God, 
though  afflicted,  reproached,  and  persecuted, 
exceeds  all  the  pleasures  of  sin  while  they  do 
last.  It  is  delightful  to  cast  in  our  lot  with 
them ;  for  the  bond  of  their  union  is  holy 
love,  which  is  the  sweetest  of  all  sweets  to 
a  holy  mind.  If  we  have  once  tasted  of  this, 
every  thing  else  will  become  comparatively 
insipid.  How  sweet  a  bond  of  union  is  the 
love  of  Christ  ! — how  sweet  is  the  fellow- 
ship of  saints  !  Even  when  borne  down  with 
reproaches  and  afflictions,  how  sweet  are 
the  tears  of  sympathy  !  What  are  the 
country  and  the  godsofMoab  to  Ruth,  after 
having  lived  in  a  religious  family,  and  be- 
come acquainted  with  the  true  and  living 
God  ?  And  what  are  the  discouragements 
which  Naomi  presented,  on  the  ground  of 
future  poverty  and  neglect  ?  "  Entreat  me 
not  to  leave  thee,  or  to  return  from  follow- 
ing after  thee,"  was  her  answer :  "  for  whith- 
er thou  goest  I  will  go,  and  where  thou 
lodjjest  I  will  lodge  ;  thy  people  shall  be  my 
people,  and  thy  God  my  God.  Where  thou 
diest  will  I  die,  and  there  will  I  be  buried. 
Jehovah  do  so  to  me,  and  more  also,  if  aught 
but  death  part  thee  and  me ! " — The  Lord, 


Paul's  prayer  for  the  ephesians. 


361 


moreover,  hath  spoken  good  concerning  his 
people,  and  he  delights  to  do  them  good. 
This  motive  was  held  up  by  Moses  to  Ho- 
bab,  to  induce  him  to  cast  in  his  lot  with 
them;  and,  In  persuading  his  friend,  he 
doubtless  made  use  of  the  same  considera- 
tions which  had  prevailed  on  himself. 

2.  The  very  reproaches  of  Christ  contain 
greater  riches  than  all  the  treasures  of  this 
world.  They  carry  with  them,  not  only  the 
testimony  of  a  good  conscience,  but  the  ap- 
probation of  God  ;  and  these  are  substantial 
riches.  They  are  accompanied  with  the 
fellowship  of  Christ;  for,  in  suffering  for 
him,  we  suffer  "  with  him  ; "  and  these  also 
are  substantial  riches.  Nor  is  it  a  small 
thing  to  be  counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  his 
name  sake.  It  becomes  the  servants  of 
Christ  to  consider  the  reproach  of  his  ene- 
mies as  their  honor,  and  to  bind  it  to  them  as 
a  crown. 

Let  us  then  inquire  what  is  our  choice. 
We  may  not  have  the  offer  of  a  crown  ;  or, 
if  we  had,  it  might  have  but  little  influence 
upon  us.  The  desires  of  man  are  mostly 
confined  to  things  a  little  above  his  present 
situation,  or  which  are  next  within  his  reach. 
A  good  estate,  or  a  well  watered  plain,  might 
weigh  more  with  many  of  us  than  a  king- 
dom. Nor  may  the  people  of  God  in  our 
day  lie  under  such  reproaches  and  afflictions 
as  in  the  time  of  Moses.  But  this  only 
proves  that  our  temptations  are  not  so  strong 
as  his  ;  and,  consequently,  that  if  the  world 
conquer  us,  we  shall  be  the  less  excusable. 
But  the  world  and  Christ  are  in  competition 
for  our  choice,  and  we  are  required  to  give 
a  decisive  and  immediate  answer.  Choose 
ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve.  There  are 
many  who  can  and  do  say  as  Joshua  did, 
"As  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the 
Lord."  His  people  shall  be  our  people,  and 
his  cause  our  cause.  If  any  refuse,  and 
prefer  the  present  world  before  him,  be  it 
known  to  them  that,  as  is  their  choice  in  this 
world,  such  will  be  their  portion  in  that  which 
is  to  come. 


XXXVI. — Paul's  prater  for  the  ephe- 
sians. 

"  For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Fa- 
ther of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  whom  the  whole 
family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named,  that  he  would 
grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory,  to 
be  strengthened  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  in- 
ner man." — Eph.  iii.  14 — 16. 

The  writing  and  preaching  of  the  apos- 
tles had  two  distinct  objects  in  view.  They 
preached  to  make  men  Christians  ;  to  turn 
them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the 
power  of  Satan  unto  God.  They  wrote  to 
make  them  eminent  Christians ;  to  quick- 
en believers  in  their  heavenly  race,  to  pro- 
mote in  them  a  growth  in  grace,  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  46. 


Christ.  Such  was  the  zeal  of  Paul,  in  en- 
deavoring to  accomplish  the  former,  that  he 
counted  not  his  life  dear  to  him,  but  was 
willing  to  die  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus. Nor  was  he  less  desirous  of  the  lat- 
ter, making  it  the  leading  object  in  all  his 
epistles,  and  the  matter  of  his  prayer  day 
and  night. 

In  the  apostle's  words  there  aro  three 
things  which  require  our  notice — the  object 
desired — its  importance — and  the  encour- 
agement we  have  to  seek  it. 

I.  The  object  in  which  the  apostle 

WAS  SO  MUCH  INTERESTED  ON  BEHALF  OF 

the  ephesians:  "That  he  would  grant 
you  to  be  strengthened  with  might  by  his 
Spirit  in  the  inner  man."  Nothing  good  is 
found  in  fallen  man;  nothing  grows  spon- 
taneously in  that  soil  but  what  is  evil.  Ir 
any  thing  holy  be  found  there,  it  must  be 
produced  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  who  worketh 
in  us  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure. 
Nor  is  divine  influence  less  necessary  in 
carrying  on  the  good  work  after  it  is  begun. 
Such  is  our  proneness  to  relax,  to  grow 
weary  and  faint  in  our  course,  that  we  need 
to  be  continually  "  strengthened  with  might 
by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner  man." 

The  object  prayed  for  is  not  bodily 
strength.  That  is  of  but  little  account  in 
the  sight  of  God,  though  in  many  cases  it  be- 
comes the  matter  of  human  boasting.  Sam- 
son was  possessed  of  might  in  the  outward 
man  to  a  high  degree,  and  a  poor  use  he 
made  of  it.  Perhaps  a  more  feeble  charac- 
ter is  not  to  be  met  with  among  those  whom 
the  Scriptures  mention  as  good  men  :  with 
all  his  wonderful  exploits,  he  weakly  yield- 
ed to  the  tempter,  and  became  an  easy  prey 
to  his  enemies. 

Nor  is  it  mere  mental  ability  that  is  here 
intended  ;  that  was  the  strength  of  Solo- 
mon. Paul  did  not  pray  that  we  might  be 
made  great  men,  but  good  men ;  not  that 
we  might  be  poets  or  philosophers,  but 
Christians ;  not  that  we  might  excel  in 
genius  or  learning,  but  in  grace  and  good- 
ness ;  that  our  souls  may  prosper  and  be  in 
health,  and  that  we  may  be  strengthened  with 
might  in  the  inner  man. 

This  part  of  the  subject  will  be  better  un- 
derstood by  considering  some  of  the  symp- 
toms of  spiritual  might : — 

1.  The  manner  in  which  we  perform  reli- 
gious duties  may  serve  as  a  criterion  by 
which  to  judge  of  our  strength  and  Aveak- 
ness. — If  we  be  Christians,  we  shall  wor- 
ship God  in  our  families,  and  in  secret;  we 
shall  search  the  Scriptures,  frequent  the 
house  of  God,  and  aim  to  discharge  the  va- 
rious duties  which  pertain  to  our  stations  in 
life.  These  things  we  shall  feel  it  incum- 
bent upon  us  habitually  to  regard  :  but  the 
question  is  how,  and  in  what  manner,  do  we 
perform  these  exercises  ?  If  our  souls  be 
in  a  languishing  state,  they  will  become  a 


362 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


task,  and  not  a  pleasure  to  us;  we  shall  be 
weary  of  the  Lord's  service,  feel  his  yoke 
to  be  grievous,  and,  while  Ave  keep  up  a 
round  of  duty,  our  devotions  will  be  cold, 
feeble,  and  unprofitable.  But  if  we  be 
"strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  his 
might,"  we  shall  count  of  the  return  of  sa- 
cred opportunities,  and  find  that  wisdom's 
ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  that  all 
her  paths  are  peace.  When  David  longed  for 
water  of  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  three  mighty 
men  broke  through  the  hosts  of  the  Philis- 
tines to  obtain  it,  hazarding  their  lives  for 
his  sake ;  while  men  of  weaker  attachment 
would  have  murmured  at  the  severity  of 
such  an  enterprise.  If  we  possess  a  warm 
heart  for  Christ,  we  shall  not  think  much  of 
the  time,  the  talents,  the  property,  or  the 
influence,  which  we  may  devote  to  his  ser- 
vice ;  nor  count  our  lives  dear  to  us,  if  we 
may  but  promote  his  kingdom  and  glory  in 
the  world.  "  This  is  the  love  of  God,  that 
we  keep  his  commandments :  and  his  com- 
mandments are  not  grievous."  Nor  will 
this  pleasure  be  confined  to  the  public  exer- 
cises of  religion,  but  will  extend  to  those  of 
a  more  personal  and  private  nature.  It  is 
possible  we  may  feel  much  animation,  and 
possess  much  enjoyment,  in  the  outward 
means,  while  we  are  cold  and  lifeless  in  the 
duties  of  retirement ;  and  this  will  be  the 
case  where  the  religion  of  the  heart  is  not 
cultivated,  nor  close  walking  with  God  care- 
fully maintained.  But,  if  we  be  strength- 
ened with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner 
man,  communion  with  God  will  be  earnestly 
sought  after ;  private  duties  will  be  vigor- 
ously attended  to,  and  the  closet  will  yield 
us  pleasure,  as  well  as  the  tabernacles  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts.  There  are  but  few  of 
whom  it  may  be  said,  as  of  Caleb  and  Joshua, 
that  they  "  follow  the  Lord  fully."  Multi- 
tudes of  professors  appear  to  be  but  half- 
hearted in  religion ;  they  neither  wholly  relin- 
quish it,  nor  take  it  up  in  earnest ;  but  are 
desirous  of  following  the  Lord  so  far  as  is 
consistent  with  their  carnal  ease,  their  world- 
ly interest,  or  their  sinful  passions,  and  no 
farther.  But,  if  the  object  of  the  apostle's 
prayer  be  accomplished  in  us,  we  shall  be 
decided  for  God,  and  prompt  in  our  manner 
of  serving  him :  not  consulting  with  flesh 
and  blood,  not  attempting  to  accommodate 
our  principles  and  practice  to  those  of  the 
generality,  nor  wishing  to  do  as  little  as  pos- 
sible for  God,  consistently  with  our  own 
safety  ;  but,  delighting  to  do  his  will,  we 
shall  run  in  the  way  of  his  commandments. 

2.  The  degree  of  our  spiritual  strength 
may  be  determined  by  the  manner  in  which 
we  resist  temptations. — All  men  are  tempted, 
but  all  do  not  resist  temptation :  this  is  pe- 
culiar to  the  Christian  character.  Mere 
worldly  men  go  with  the  stream ;  they  walk 
according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  and 
are  hurried  along  with  the  impetuous  torrent. 


But,  if  we  be  Christians,  we  are  not  of  the 
world,  and  are  in  the  habit  of  resisting 
temptations.  Yet  if  our  resistance  be  fee- 
ble and  indeterminate — if  we  hesitate  where 
we  ought  to  be  decided — if  we  look  back  on 
Sodom,  like  Lot's  Avife,  Avith  a  lingering  de- 
sire after  those  sinful  pleasures  widen  Ave 
profess  to  have  given  up,  and  regret  the  loss 
of  sensual  gratifications — are  Ave  not  carnal, 
and  .  walk  as  men  ?  He  Avho  is  strength- 
ened with  might  in  the  inner  man  will  not 
pause  Avhen  temptations  meet  him,  nor  par- 
ley Avith  the  tempter  ;  but  will  readily  an- 
swer, "  Thus  it  is  Avritten."  It  Avill  be  suf- 
ficient for  him  to  knoAv  that  God  has  forbid- 
den this  or  that.  Like  a  dutiful  child,  the 
will  of  his  father  is  the  guide  of  his  conduct, 
and  that  alone  will  furnish  sufficient  motives 
for  obedience.     "  Thus  it  is  written." 

3.  The  spirit  in  ivhich  we  endure  affliction 
will  tend  to  discover  the  degree  of  religion 
we  possess. — Affliction  is  the  lot  of  man, 
as  Avell  as  temptation  ;  and  we  must  all  get 
through  our  difficulties  in  some  way  or 
other;  but  the  manner  in  Avhich  we  get 
through  them  will  shoAv  whether  we  be 
strengthened  Avith  might  in  the  inner  man 
or  not.  If  we  faint  in  the  day  of  adversity, 
our  strength  is  small.  If  Ave  be  fretful,  and 
murmur  at  the  hand  of  God — if  Ave  sink  un- 
der the  burden  and  Avish  in  ourselves  to  die 
— Ave  either  have  no  religion  at  all,  or  pos- 
sess it  only  in  a  small  degree.  Great  grace 
would  enable  us  to  bear  affliction  Ayith  sub- 
mission, and  even  to  rejoice  in  tribulation. 
Primitive  Christians  were  destitute,  afflict- 
ed, tormented ;  and  yet  Iioav  happy  Avere 
they  with  their  lot !  They  took  joyfully  the 
spoiling  of  their  goods,  rejoiced  that  they 
Avere  counted  Avorthy  to  surfer  for  Christ's 
sake,  and  counted  it  all  joy  when  they  fell 
into  divers  temptations.  Out  of  weakness 
they  were  made  strong,  and  waxed  valiant 
in  fight :  thus  they  Avere  more  than  conquer- 
ors through  him  that  loved  them. 

4.  The  sense  ive  entertain  of  our  owniveak- 
ness  is  also  a  criterion  of  our  being  strength- 
ened in  the  inner  man. — An  apostle  could 
say,  "  When  I  am  Aveak,  then  am  I  strong." 
To  a  worldly  mind  this  may  appear  highly 
paradoxical,  but  a  babe  in  Christ  can  under- 
stand it.  When  Ave  have  the  greatest  sense 
of  our  oAvn  insufficiency  for  what  is  good,  and 
feel  that  we  are  nothing-,  and  without  Christ 
can  do  nothing ;  then  are  Ave  "  strong  in  the 
Lord,  and  in  the  poAver  of  his  might."  But 
if  Ave  feel  self-sufficient,  confident,  and  dis- 
posed to  lean  to  our  own  understanding, 
then  are  Ave  weak  indeed,  and  become  an 
easy  prey  to  the  enemy.  Peter  was  never 
so  Aveak  as  Avhen  he  thought  there  Avas  no 
danger  of  falling,  and  boldly  said,  "Though 
all  men  should  forsake  thee,  yet  will  not  I." 
Paul  Avas  never  so  strong  as  when  he  felt 
himself  to  be  "  nothing."  When  most  sen- 
sible of  our  OAvn  insufficiency,  Ave  shall  pray 


INDIVIDUAL    AND    SOCIAL    RELIGION. 


363 


most  for  strength  from  heaven,  and  watch 
most  against  temptation  ;  and  by  this  means 
we  shall  be  strengthened  with  strength  in 
our  souls. 

II.  The  importance  and  desirable- 
ness OF  THE  BLESSING  PRATED    FOR.       Paul 

would  not  have  been  so  importunate  in  his 
request  if  it  had  not  been  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance that  we  should  not  only  be  Chris- 
tians indeed,  but  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  But  there  are  other  reasons  which 
might  be  offered. 

1.  The  Scriptures  lay  much  stress  on  this 
as  tending  to  glorify  God. — "  Herein  is  my 
Father  glorified,"  says  our  Lord,  "that  ye 
bear  much  fruit:  so  shall  ye  be  my  disci- 
ples." Every  field  will  bear  some  fruit  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  things  ;  but  it  is  to 
the  more  abundant  honor  of  the  husbandman 
when  his  field  brings  forth  thirty,  sixty,  or  a 
hundred  fold.  So  it  is  not  merely  by  our 
being  Christians  that  God  is  glorified,  but 
by  our  being  eminent  Christians.  Nor  is 
this  all :  if  we  are  desirous  only  of  so  much 
grace  as  may  carry  us  safely  to  heaven,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  we  shall  ever  arrive  there 
at  last.  Abounding  in  the  fruits  of  right- 
eousness is  considered  by  our  Lord  as  es- 
sential to  the  very  existence  of  true  reli- 
gion ;  for,  says  he,  "  so  shall  ye  be  my  dis- 
ciples." Christ  himself  brought  forth  much 
fruit,  and  it  is  necessary  that  we  resemble 
him. 

2.  Our  usefulness  depends  much  on  our  be- 
ing strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of 
his  might. — If  our  souls  be  in  a  languishing 
state,  what  good  can  we  do  in  the  world  ? 
"Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth :  but,  if  the  salt 
have  lost  its  savor,  wherewith  shall  it  be 
salted  ?  It  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing." 
What  good  can  we  do  in  society,  amongst 
our  immediate  connections,  or  in  our  fami- 
lies, but  as  we  diffuse  a  savor  of  Christ  ? 
And  how  can  this  be  done,  if  we  ourselves 
have  lost  that  savor,  and  are  become  lifeless 
and  unfruitful  in  the  ways  of  God?  At  the 
close  of  every  day  it  becomes  us  to  inquire, 
Has  any  one  been  improved  by  our  conver- 
sation ?  Will  any  one  think  the  better  of 
Christ  from  what  they  have  heard  or  seen  in 
us  ?  Or  have  we  been  amongst  men  merely 
as  men  of  the  world  ;  and  might  they  not  say 
of  us,  What  do  you  more  than  others  ?  He 
who  possesses  much  religion  will  impart 
more  or  less  of  it  to  those  about  him  :  he  will 
not  make  a  show  of  it,  yet  it  must  be  seen. 
There  is  that  in  the  outward  mien,  the  in- 
ward temper,  and  daily  conversation  of  a 
man  of  genuine  piety,  which  indicates  that 
he  has  been  with  Jesus.  The  modesty  of 
his  countenance,  the  meekness  and  cheerful- 
ness of  his  disposition,  the  sweet  familiarity 
and  seriousness  of  his  intercourse  with  men, 
enliven  the  circle  in  which  he  moves,  and 
recommend  the  religion  which  he  professes. 


III.  The  encouragement  we  have  to 

PRAY  THAT  WE  MAY  BE  STRENGTHENED 
WITH  MIGHT  BY  HIS  SPIRIT  IN  THE  IN- 
NER man  is  intimated  by  the  phrase  that  the 
Lord  would  grant  it  "  according  to  the  riches 
of  his  glory."  When  men  are  both  rich  and 
generous,  and  willing  to  give  to  the  neces- 
sitous according  to  their  ability,  it  suggests 
a  very  powerful  motive  to  solicit  their  as- 
sistance. But  who  can  estimate  the  riches 
of  God's  goodness  and  the  boundless  extent 
of  his  grace  ?  And,  if  he  gives  "  according 
to  the  riches  of  his  glory,"  what  encourage- 
ment is  here  for  prayer  !  "  Open  thy  mouth 
wide,  and  I  will  fill  it,  saith  the  Lord." — 
"Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy 
may  be  full."  Let  us  ask  much,  and  we 
shall  have  much  :  "  the  Lord  taketh  pleasure 
in  them  that  fear  him,  in  them  that  hope  in 
his  mercy."  He  who  had  but  one  talent, 
and  went  and  hid  it  in  the  earth,  lost  it :  but 
he  who  had  five  talents,  and  went  and  traded 
with  the  same,  gained  five  other  talents. 
Men  who  live  to  God,  and  whose  whole  con- 
cern it  is  to  promote  his  glory,  shall  find 
their  sphere  of  usefulness  enlarging  with 
their  activity,  and  that  God  is  girding  them 
with  strengtli  proportionate  to  their  labors. 
Like  their  divine  Master,  their  reward  is 
with  them,  and  their  work  before  them. 
"  To  him  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and  he 
shall  have  more  abundantly ;  but  from  him 
that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that 
which  he  hath." 


XXXVII. — INDIVIDUAL     AND     SOCIAL      RE- 
LIGION. 

[Sketch  of  an  Address  delivered  on  laying  the 
Foundation  of  a  New  Chapel] 

"  To  whom  coming,  as  unto  a  living  stone,  dis- 
allowed indeed  of  men,  but  chosen  of  God  and 
precious,  ye  also,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a 
spiritual  house,  a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up 
spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus 
Christ." — 1  Pet.  ii.  4,  5. 

Having  been  requested  to  say  a  few 
words  on  this  occasion,  I  wish,  my  friends, 
to  direct  your  attention,  not  so  much  to  the 
place  about  to  be  erected  as  to  the  use  to 
which,  I  trust,  it  will  be  appropriated.  Un- 
der the  gospel  it  is  not  place,  but  the  wor- 
shipping of  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  that 
is  of  account. 

Much  of  the  religion  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment consisted  in  the  building  and  worship 
of  the  temple;  when  therefore  the  New 
Testament  was  introduced  it  was  usual  to 
speak  of  its  religion  under  this  imagery. 
Thus  the  passage  which  I  have  read  al- 
ludes partly  to  the  building  and  partly  to  the 
worship  of  the  temple.  As  the  stones  were 
laid  on  their  foundation,  so,  believing  in  Je- 
sus, we  "come  to  him  aa  unto    a  living 


364 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


stone,"  and  are  "built  up  a  spiritual  house  ;" 
and,  as  the  priests  offered  up  their  sacrifices, 
so  believers  are  "  a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer 
up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by 
Jesus  Christ."  Yet  there  are  great  dispar- 
ities between  the  Jewish  and  Christian  tem- 
ple. The  stones  of  the  former,  being  mere 
unconscious  matter,  were  brought ;  here,  be- 
ing conscious  and  voluntary  agents,  they 
"  come : "  the  foundation  there  also  was 
mere  matter,  but  here  it  is  "  a  living  stone  : " 
that  was  literally  a  house  ;  this  is  "  a  spirit- 
ual house  : "  priesthood  was  there  distin- 
guished by  descent;  here  by  character: 
their  sacrifices  were  taken  from  the  herd  or 
the  flock ;  ours  from  the  heart — the  offer- 
ing of  prayer  and  praise,  presented  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ. 

But,  laying  aside  the  imagery,  we  may 
consider  the  whole  as  furnishing  a  descrip- 
tion of  individual  and  social  religion.  So- 
cial religion  begins  with  individual,  and  in- 
dividual religion  with  "coming"  to  Christ. 

I.  With  respect  to  personal  religion, 
the  Scriptures  make  much  of  our  coming  to 
Christ.  However  correct  we  may  be  in  our 
deportment,  and  devout  at  the  stated  sea- 
sons of  worship,  if  Christ  be  "  disallowed," 
all  is  nothing.  Election  itself  no  otherwise 
secures  our  salvation  than  as  it  secures  our 
coming  to  Christ  for  it:  "  All  that  the  Fa- 
ther giveth  me  shall  come  to  me."  The 
atonement  of  Christ  does  not  avail  us  but 
as  coming  to  him.  It  was  thus  in  the 
atonements  under  the  law :  in  some  cases 
sins  were  confessed  by  the  party  laying 
their  hands  on  the  head  of  the  victim,  and  in 
others  by  the  priest  on  their  behalf:  but  in 
no  case  could  they  derive  benefit  but  as 
"comers  thereunto." 

The  first  operations  of  true  religion  in  the 
mind  are  in  this  way.  Christ  may  not  be 
the  first  object  to  which  a  sinner's  thoughts 
are  turned ;  this  may  be  his  sin  and  ex- 
posedness  to  the  wrath  of  God  ;  but  let  our 
thoughts  of  sin  and  misery  be  as  pungent 
as  they  may,  if  they  lead  us  not  to  Christ 
for  salvation,  there  is  no  true  religion  in 
them.  He  is  "  the  way  "  to  God  :  "  no  man 
cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  him."  We 
may  be  burdened  under  guilt  and  fear;  but, 
till  we  come  to  him  with  our  burden,  there 
will  be  no  gospel  rest  for  our  souls.  The 
promise  is  not  made  to  us  as  burdened,  but 
as  -comino-  to  Christ  with  our  burdens. — 
Matt.  xi.  28. 

Nor  is  it  confined  to  the  time  of  our  first 
believing;  the  Christian  life  consists  in  com- 
ing habitually  to  Jesus.  "I  live  ;  yet  not  I, 
but  Christ  liveth  in  me  ;  and  the  life  that  I 
now  live  in  the  flesh  is  by  the  faith  of  the 
Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  him- 
self for  me."  That  which  food  is  to  the 
body  the  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified  is  to 
the  mind.  "  Except  we  eat  his  flesh,  and 
drink  his  blood,  we  have  no  life  in  us." 


Our  estimation  of  other  objects  is  often 
governed  by  public  opinion,  but  we  must 
appreciate  Christ  not  by  what  men  think  of 
him,  but  by  what  he  is  in  the  account  of 
God.  He  may  be  "  disallowed  indeed  of 
men,  but  chosen  of  God  and  precious;" 
and,  if  we  are  of  God,  we  shall  be  of  God's 
mind ;  he  that  is  precious  to  God  will  be 
so  to  us.  May  there  be  many  characters 
of  this  description,  my  friends,  among  you  ! 
You  will  then  have  materials  for  building 
up  the  spiritual  temple,  and  for  the  offer- 
ing up  of  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to 
God  by  Jesus  Christ. 

II.  Add  a  few  remarks  on  social  re- 
ligion, under  the  same  idea  of  a  temple  ; 
particularly  on  the  materials  with  which 
it  must  be  built — the  important  character 
it  sustains — the  employment  of  its  priest- 
hood— and  the  medium  through  which  all 
their  sacrifices  must  be  accepted. 

1.  The  proper  materials  for  the  Chris- 
tian temple  are  "lively  stones;"  else  they 
will  not  fit  a  living  foundation,  nor  unite 
with  other  living  stones  in  the  building. 
Beware  that  the  desire  of  being  a  large 
and  opulent  people  may  never  induce  you 
to  overlook  this.  If  it  ever  come  to  this, 
that  your  members  are  admitted  on  any 
principle  short  of  faith  in  a  living  Re- 
deemer, Ichabod  will  be  written  upon  your 
doors. 

2.  The  important  character  you  sustain 
is  that  of  a  temple  for  God  to  dwell  in. 
If  the  word  of  truth  be  preached  among- 
you,  the  worship  of  God  preserved  in  its 
purity,  and  the  ordinances  of  Christ  ob- 
served according  to  their  primitive  simpli- 
city, God  will  dwell  in  you,  and  walk  in  you, 
and  ye  shall  be  his  people,  and  he  will  be 
your  God.  He  makes  great  account  of 
Christian  churches,  as  being  the  appointed 
means  of  establishing  his  kingdom  among 
men.  With  what  complacency  did  he 
speak  of  ancient  Zion  !  "  This  is  my  rest 
forever,  here  will  I  dwell,  for  I  have  desired 
it." — "The  Lord  loveth  the  gates  of  Zion, 
more  than  all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob." 
What  a  high  degree  of  interest  is  Christ 
described  as  taking  in  the  concerns  of  the 
seven  churches  in  Asia  !  The  same  idea  is 
conveyed  by  the  judgments  denounced 
against  those  who  have  persecuted  or  cor- 
rupted them.  "  If  any  man  defile  the  tem- 
ple of  God,  him  shall  God  destroy."  It  was 
this  that  opened  the  gates  and  broke  down 
the  walls  of  old  Babylon  ;  and  it  is  on  ac- 
count of  this  that  another  Babylon,  the  an- 
tichristian  church,  shall  come  down  even  to 
the  ground.  "  They  have  shed  the  blood  of 
saints  and  prophets,  and  thou  hast  given 
them  blood  to  drink,  for  they  are  worthy." 

3.  As  to  your  employment  as  a  holy  priest- 
hood, this  is  to  offer  up  "  spiritual  sacrifices." 
We  have  heard  much  of  the  Christian  priest- 
hood, as  applied  to  ministers  ;  but  Christian- 


VANITY    OF    THE    HUMAN    MIND. 


865 


ity  knows  of  no  priesthood,  except  what  is 
common  to  all  believers.  It  knows  of  pas- 
tors, bishops,  and  elders ;  but  it  is  a  mis- 
nomer to  call  them  priests.  It  is  for  you 
all  as  Christians  to  offer  up  prayer  and 
praise,  both  for  yourselves  and  others ;  and 
may  you  continue  on  this  spot  to  offer 
them  ! 

4.  Be  not  forgetful  of  the  medium  through 
which  all  your  offerings  become  acceptable 
— "  Jesus  Christ."  We  must  not  carry  our 
offerings  in  our  hand,  like  Cain,  presum- 
ing to  be  accepted  on  account  of  them. 
The  order  of  the  divine  proceedings  is  the 
reverse  of  this.  The  Lord  had  respect,  not 
to  the  offering  of  Abel  and  so  to  him,  but 
to  Abel  and  so  to  his  offering.  The  good 
works  of  sinful  creatures,  even  those  which 
are  most  "  spiritual,"  are  no  otherwise  ac- 
ceptable to  God  than  by  "  Jesus  Christ." 
The  case  of  Job  and  his  three  friends  serves 
to  illustrate  this  principle.  The  Lord  was 
so  displeased  with  them  that  he  refused  to 
accept  even  a  petition  at  their  hands.  "  My 
wrath,"  saith  he,  "is  kindled  against  you. 
Take  your  offerings,  and  go  to  my  servant 
Job  :  he  shall  pray  for  you,  and  him  will  I 
accept,  lest  I  deal  with  you  after  your  folly." 
Such  is  our  case,  and  such  the  intercession 
of  our  Redeemer.  Him  God  accepts,  and 
through  him  our  prayers  and  praises  become 
acceptable  to  God. 


XXXVIII. ON    THE    VANITY    OF    THE     HU- 
MAN MIND. 

*'  The  Lord  knoweth  the  thoughts  of  man,  that 
they  are  vanity." — Psa.  xciv.  11. 

Sorely  it  is  the  design  of  God  in  all  his 
dispensations,  and  by  all  the  discoveries  of 
his  word,  to  stain  the  pride  of  all  flesh.  The 
dust  is  the  proper  place  for  a  creature,  and 
that  place  we  must  occupy.  What  a  hum- 
bling thought  is  here  suggested  to  us !  Let 
us  examine  it. 

1.  If  vanity  had  been  ascribed  to  the 
meaner  parts  of  the  creation — if  all  inanimate 
and  irrational  beings,  whose  days  are  as  a 
shadow,  and  who  know  not  whence  they 
came  nor  whither  they  go,  had  thus  been 
characterized — it  had  little  more  than  ac- 
corded with  our  own  ideas.  But  the  humili- 
ating truth  belongs  to  man,  the  lord  of  the 
creation — to  man,  that  distinguished  link  in 
the  chain  of  being  which  unites  in  his  person 
mortality  and  immortality,  heaven  and  earth. 
The  "Lord  knoweth  the  thoughts  of  man, 
that  they  are  vanity." 

2.  Had  vanity  been  ascribed  only  to  the 
exercises  of  our  sensual  or  mortal  part,  or  of 
that  which  we  possess  in  common  with  other 
animals,  it  had  been  less  humiliating.  But 
the  charge  is  pointed  at  that  which  is  the 
peculiar  glory  of  man,  the  intellectual  part, 
his  thoughts.    It  is  here,  if  any  where,  that 


we  excel  the  creatures  which  are  placed 
around  us.  We  can  contemplate  our  own 
existence,  dive  into  the  past  and  the  future, 
and  understand  whence  we  came  and  whith- 
er we  go.  Yet  in  this  tender  part  are  we 
touched.  Even  the  thoughts  of  man  are 
vanity. 

3.  If  vanity  had  been  ascribed  merely  to 
those  loose  and  trifling  excursions  of  the  im- 
agination which  fall  not  under  the  influence 
of  choice,  a  kind  of  comers  and  goers,  which 
are  ever  floating  in  the  mind,  like  insects  in 
the  air  on  a  summer's  evening,  it  had  been 
less  affecting.  The  soul  of  man  seems  to 
be  necessarily  active.  Everything  we  see, 
hear,  taste,  feel,  or  perceive,  has  some  in- 
fluence upon  thought,  which  is  moved  by  it 
as  the  leaves  on  the  trees  are  moved  by 
every  breeze  of  wind.  But  "thoughts" 
here  include  those  exercises  of  the  mind  in 
which  it  is  voluntarily  or  intensely  engaged, 
and  in  which  we  are  in  earnest ;  even  all 
our  schemes,  contrivances,  and  purposes. 
One  would  think,  if  there  were  anything  in 
man  to  be  accounted  of,  it  should  be  those 
exercises  in  which  his  intellectual  faculty  is 
seriously  and  intensely  employed.  Yet  the 
Lord  knoweth  that  even  these  are  vanity. 

4.  If,  during  our  state  of  childhood  and 
youth  only,  vanity  had  been  ascribed  to  our 
thoughts,  it  would  have  been  less  surprising. 
This  is  a  truth  of  which  numberless  parents 
have  painful  proof;  yea,  and  of  which  chil- 
dren themselves,  as  they  grow  up  to  maturi- 
ty are  generally  conscious.  Vanity  at  this 
period  however  admits  of  some  apology. 
The  obstinacy  and  folly  of  some  young  peo- 
ple, while  they  provoke  disgust,  often  excite 
a  tear  of  pity.  But  the  charge  is  exhibited 
against  man.  "  Man  at  his  best  estate  is  al- 
together vanity." 

5.  The  decision  proceeds  from  a  quarter 
from  which  there  can  be  no  appeal :  "  "  The 
Lord  knoweth  "  it.  Opinions  dishonorable 
to  our  species  may  sometimes  arise  from  ig- 
norance, sometimes  from  spleen  and  disap- 
pointment, and  sometimes  from  a  gloomy 
turn  of  mind,  which  views  mankind  through 
a  distorted  medium.  But  the  judgment 
given  in  this  passage  is  the  decision  of  Him 
who  cannot  err;  a  decision  therefore  to 
which,  if  we  had  no  other  proof,  it  becomes 
us  to  accede. 

But  that  which  is  here  declared  as  the 
result  of  divine  omniscience,  is  abundantly 
confirmed  by  observation  and  experience. 
Let  us  take  a  brief  view  of  the  thoughts  of 
man  as  exercised  on  two  general  topics — 
the  world  that  now  is,  and  that  which  is  to 
come. 

I.     With    respect    to   the    present 

WORLD,  CONSIDER  WHAT  MULTITUDES  OF 
THOUGHTS  ARE  EMPLOYED  IN  VAIN. 

1 .  In  seekitlg  satisfaction  ivhere  it  is  not  to 
be  found. — Most  of  the  schemes  and  devices 
of  depraved  man  go  to  the  indulging  of  his 


366 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


appetite,  his  avarice,  his  pride,  his  revenge, 
or  in  some  form  or  other  to  the  gratifying 
of  himself.  Look  at  the  thoughts  of  such  a 
man  as  Nahal :  "  Shall  I  then  take  my 
bread  and  my  water,  and  my  flesh,  that  I  have 
killed  for  my  shearers,  and  give  to  I  know- 
not  whom  ?  "  Or  of  such  a  man  as  Haman  : 
now  aspiring  to  be  the  man  whom  the  king 
delighteth  to  honor;  now  contriving  the 
death  of  a  whole  people,  in  revenge  of  the 
supposed  crime  of  an  individual. — Esther  iii. 
Such,  alas !  is  a  great  part  of  the  world  to 
this  day.  What  desolations  have  come  up- 
on the  earth  through  the  resentment  of  a 
few  individuals !  And  those  whose  situation 
has  afforded  them  the  greatest  scope  for 
self-gratification  in  all  its  forms  are  general- 
ly the  farthest  off"  from  satisfaction. 

2.  In  poring  on  events  which  cannot  be  re- 
called.— Grief,  under  the  bereaving  strokes 
of  providence,  to  a  certain  degree,  is  natural, 
it  is  true,  and  allowable :  'but  when  carried 
to  excess,  and  accompanied  with  desponden- 
cy, and  unthankfulness  for  continued  mer- 
cies, it  is  a  great  evil.  I  knew  a  parent 
who  lost  an  only  child  and  who  never  after 
appeared  to  enjoy  life.  It  seemed  to  me 
that,  if  his  spirit  had  been  expressed  in 
Avords,  they  would  have  been  to  this  effect: 
Lord,  I  cannot  be  reconciled  to  thee  for 
having  taken  away  the  darling  of  my  heart, 
which  thou  gavest  me  ! — All  such  thoughts 
are  as  vain  as  they  are  sinful,  seeing  none 
can  make  straight  what  God  has  made 
crooked. 

3.  In  anticipating  evils  which  never  befal  us. 
— Such  is  our  folly  that,  as  though  the  evils 
which  necessarily  attend  the  present  state 
were  not  enough  for  us  to  carry,  we  must 
let  loose  our  imaginations  and  send  them 
into  the  wilderness  of  futurity  in  search  of 
ideal  burdens  to  make  up  the  load.  This 
also  is  vanity. 

4.  To  these  may  be  added  the  valuing  of 
ourselves  on  things  of  little  or  no  account. — 
If  providence  has  given  one  a  little  more 
wealth  than  another — if  he  lives  in  a  better 
house,  eats  better  food,  and  wears  better  ap- 
parel— what  a  multitude  of  self-important 
thoughts  do  such  trifles  breed  in  the  mind! 
But  all  is  vanity,  and  rejoicing  in  a  thing  of 
nought. 

5.  In  laying  plans  which  must  be  disconcert- 
ed.— The  infinitely  wise  God  has  laid  one 
great  plan,  which  comprehends  all  things. 
If  ours  accord  with  his,  they  succeed:  if  not 
they  are  overturned,  and  it  is  fit  they  should. 
Men,  in  their  schemes,  commonly  consult 
their  own  private  interest;  and,  as  others 
are  carrying  on  similar  designs  for  them- 
selves, they  meet,  and  clash,  and  overturn 
one  other.  Thus  men,  partly  by  their  plans 
being  at  variance  with  that  of  God,  and 
partly  with  those  of  their  fellow  creatures, 
are  ever  exposed  to  disappointment  and  cha- 
grin.    Their  lives   are  wholly  occupied  in 


building  Babels,  having  them  thrown  down, 
and  fretting  against  God  and  their  neighbors 
on  account  of  their  disappointments. 

In  looking  at  the  struggles  of  different 
parties  for  power,  whether  in  a  monarchy, 
an  aristocracy,  one  sees  a  dangerous  rock, 
which  multitudes  are  climbing  at  the  utmost 
hazard,  and  from  which  great  numbers  fall 
and  perish :  and  the  same  spirit  operates 
through  all  degrees  of  men,  according  to 
the  opportunities  which  they  enjoy. 

II.    Let     us     see     what     are     man's 

THOUGHTS  WITH  REGARD  TO  RELIGION,  AND 
THE     CONCERNS     OF     A     FUTURE      LIFE.         It 

might  be  expected  that,  if  in  anything  they 
be  other  than  vanity,  it  is  in  this.  The 
thoughts  of  a  rational  and  immortal  creature 
upon  its  eternal  interests,  one  would  think, 
must  be  serious  and  solemn.  When  the 
objects  of  thought  are — God — our  accounta- 
bleness  to  him — our  sin  against  him — our 
salvation  from  it,  or  condemnation  for  it — ■ 
surely  we  shall  not  trifle  and  deceive  our- 
selves !  Yet,  alas !  so  far  is  man  from  ex- 
celling in  this  solemn  department,  that  there 
is  nothing  on  which  he  thinks  to  so  little 
purpose.  The  truth  of  this  remark  will  ap- 
pear from  the  following  questions : — 

1.  What  are  the  thoughts  of  the  heathen 
world  about  religion  ? — In  them  we  see  what 
the  thoughts  of  man,  left  to  himself,  amount 
to.  To  call  them  vanity  is  to  call  them  by 
a  tender  name.  I  speak  not  merely  of  the 
common  people,  who  are  enveloped  in  igno- 
rance and  superstition,  but  of  their  wisest 
philosophers.  To  what  do  all  their  inquiries 
about  God,  the  chief  good,  amount?  To 
nothing  at  all.  All  is  vanity !  A  babe  in 
the  Christian  religion,  with  a  page  of  God's 
word  in  his  hand,  knows  more  than  they 
have  been  able  to  discover  in  the  space  of 
three  thousand  years. 

2.  What  are  all  the  thoughts  of  the  Chris- 
tian ivorld,  where  God's  thoughts  are  neglect- 
ed ? — Men  who  have  the  Bible  in  their  hands, 
but  who,  instead  of  learning  the  mind  of  God 
in  it  and  there  resting  contented,  are  ever 
bent  on  curious  speculations,  prying  into 
things  beyond  their  reach,  vainly  puffed  up 
with  a  fleshly  mind  ;  to  what  do  their 
thoughts  amount  ?  Nothing !  They  may 
presently  lose  themselves,  and  perplex  oth- 
ers ;  they  may  obtain  the  flattery  of  unbe- 
lievers, and  compliment  one  another  with 
the  epithets  of  candid  and  liberal ;  they  may 
comfort  themselves  in  the  idea  of  being 
moderate  men,  and  not  like  those  bigots  who 
refuse  to  yield  or  make  any  concessions  to 
the  objections  of  unbelievers  :  but  all  that 
they  gain  is  the  friendship  of  the  world, 
which  is  enmity  to  God.  Were  a  monu- 
ment erected  to  the  memory  of  all  those  who 
have  perished  by  falling  from  the  precipice 
of  unscriptural  speculation,  it  could  not  have 
a  more  appropriate  motto  than  this :  "  Vain 
man  would  be  wise." 


SENTENCE    OF    THOSE    WHO    LOVE    NOT    CHRIST. 


367 


3.  What  is  all  that  practical  atheism  which 
inducts  multitudes  to  act  as  if  there  were  no 
God? — Great  numbers  of  people  in  every  part 
of  tiie  world,  whatever  they  may  call  them- 
selves, are  practical  atheists.  They  "  work 
iniquity  in  the  dark,  and  say  in  their  hearts, 
The  Lord  seeth  us  not :  the  Lord  has  for- 
saken the  earth."  The  Lord,  they  think, 
takes  no  cognizance  of  the  world  now,  what- 
ever he  may  have  done  formerly  ;  but  leaves 
us  to  shift  for  ourselves,  and  do  as  well  as 
we  can. — Such  characters  there  were  in  the 
times  of  David  ;  and  their  presumptuous  fol- 
ly seems  to  have  given  occasion  for  the 
words  on  which  these  reflections  are  founded. 
They  are  denominated  "  proud  ;"  described 
as  "  triumphing  and  boasting  "  in  their  wick- 
edness, as  "  uttering  hard  things,"  as  "break- 
ing in  pieces  God's  people  and  afflicting  his 
heritage,"  as  "slaying  the  widow  and  the 
stranger  and  murdering  the  fatherless  ;"  yet 
as  saying,  "  The  Lord  shall  not  see,  neither 
shall  the  God  of  Jacob  regard."  Well  did 
the  Psalmist  admonish  them,  saying,  "Un- 
derstand, ye  brutish  among  the  people:  and 
ye  fools,  when  will  ye  be  wise  ?  He  that 
planted  the  ear,  shall  he  not  hear?  He  that 
formed  the  eye,  shall  he  not  see  ?  He  that 
chastiseth  the  heathen  "  (who  are  without 
the  light  of  revelation)  "  shall  not  he  cor- 
rect "  those  who  possess  and  despise  it  ? 
"  The  Lord  knoweth  the  thoughts  of  man, 
that  they  are  vanity." 

4.  What  are  all  the  unbelieving  self-fatter- 
ing  imaginations  of  loicked  men,  as  though 
God  were  not  in  earnest  in  his  declarations 
and  threatenings  ? — Nothing  is  more  solemn- 
ly declared  than  that  "  except  we  be  convert- 
ed, and  become  as  little  children,  we  cannot 
enter  the  kingdom  of  God  " — that  "  whatso- 
ever a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap  " 
— that  "  neither  fornicators,  nor  idolaters, 
nor  adulterers,  nor  effeminate,  nor  abusers 
of  themselves  with  mankind,  nor  thieves,  nor 
covetous,  nor  drunkards,  nor  revilers,  nor  ex- 
tortioners, shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God." 
— and  that  "  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to 
please  God."  Yet  the  bulk  of  mankind  do 
not  seem  to  believe  these  things,  but  flatter 
themselves  that  they  shall  have  peace,  though 
they  add  drunkenness  to  thirst ;  that  to 
talk  of  a  man,  born  in  a  Christian  land,  re- 
quiring to  be  born  again,  is  enthusiastical ; 
that  God  is  merciful,  and  will  not  be  strict 
to  mark  iniquity  ;  and  that  if  we  do  as  well 
as  we  can — that  is,  as  well  as  we  can  find  in 
our  hearts  to  do — the  Almighty  will  desire 
no  more.  The  vanity  of  these  thoughts, 
prevalent  as  they  are  in  the  world,  will  ap- 
pear, if  not  before,  when  God  shall  judge 
the  world  in  righteousness  by  Jesus  Christ. 

5.  What  are  the  conceits  of  the  self-righteous, 
by  which  they  buoy  up  their  minds  with 
vain  hopes,  and  refuse  to  submit  to  the  right- 
eousness of  God  ? — Of  the  two  first-born  sons 
who  presented  their  offerings  to  God,  one 


came  without  a  sacrifice ;  and  the  greater 
part  of  professed  worshippers  in  all  ages,  it 
is  to  be  feared,  have  followed  his  example. 
It  is  deeply  rooted  in  every  human  heart  that 
if  the  displeasure  of  God  bs  appeased  to- 
wards us,  or  if  he  show  us  any  favor,  it  must 
be  on  account  of  some  worthiness  tfound  in 
us.  To  go  to  God  as  utterly  unworthy, 
pleading  the  worthiness  of  a  Mediator,  and 
building  all  our  hope  of  acceptance  on  his 
obedience  and  sacrifice,  is  a  hard  lesson  for 
a  proud  spirit.  Yet,  till  we  learn  this,  we  in 
effect  learn  nothing ;  nor  will  God  accept 
our  offering,  any  more  than  he  accepted  the 
offering  of  Cain. 

Such  is  the  vanity  of  man's  thoughts,  in 
things  of  everlasting  moment.  But,  it  may 
be  asked,  are  all  the  thoughts  of  men  of  this 
description  ?  No :  the  charge  is  direct- 
ed against  men  as  depraved,  and  not  as  re- 
newed ;  for  though  there  be  much  vanity  in 
the  thoughts  of  the  best  of  men,  yet  they 
are  not  mainly  so.  There  are  thoughts 
which,  though  we  are  not  sufficient  of  our- 
selves to  obtain  them,  yet  being  imparted  to 
us  by  Him  in  whom  is  all  our  sufficiency,  are 
not  vanity.  If  we  think  of  God  with  appro- 
bation, of  sin  with  contrition,  of  ourselves  as 
nothing,  of  Christ  as  all,  of  earth  as  the  house 
of  our  pilgrimage,  and  heaven  as  our  home  : 
this  is  thinking  justly,  as  we  ought  to  think, 
Such  thoughts  also  are  an  earnest  of  that 
state  where  themes  of  unutterable  glory 
shall  forever  present  themselves  ;  and  where 
all  our  powers,  being  corrected  and  sancti- 
fied, shall  ever  be  employed  in  exploring  the 
wonders  of  fjrace. 


XXXIX. — EQUITY  OF  THE  SENTENCE  RE- 
CORDED AGAINST  THOSE  WHO  LOVE  NOT 
THE  LORD  JESUS   CHRIST. 

"  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let 
him  be  anathema  maran-atha. " — 1  Cor.  xvi.  22. 

A  sense  of  the  excellence  of  Christ,  or  of 
his  worthiness  of  being  loved,  is  of  great 
importance  in  religionr  Without  this  we 
can  never  truly  love  him,  nor  prize  any  thino- 
which  pertains  to  him.  Destitute  of  this, 
we  shall  see  his  name  degraded  without  in- 
dignation, and  hear  it  exalted  without  de- 
light. Without  this,  we  shall  esteem  his 
salvation  itself  no  otherwise  than  a  happy 
expedient  to  escape  eternal  misery.  In 
short,  without  this,  we  shall  be  mere  statues 
in  Christianity,  bring  no  glory  to  its  Author, 
and  enjoy  none  of  its  refined  pleasures. 

A  spirit  very  different  from  this  possessed 
the  great  apostle,  when  he  uttered  the  above 
passage.  Twenty  years  ago,  if  a  soldier, 
who  had  fought  under  the  late  Marquis  of 
Granby,  had  heard  the  language  of  detrac- 
tion against  his  noble  commander,  deeply 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  the  hero's  worth, 
he  would  have  been  ready  to  exclaim,  If  any 


368 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


man  love  not  the  Marquis  of  Granby,  let  him 
be  banished  the  British  dominions !  Proba- 
bly, some  such  feelings  might  possess  the 
heart  of  Paul,  who  had  long  served  under  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  was  deeply  im- 
pressed with  an  idea  of  his  innate  worth. 

Indeed  the  sentence  is  awful.  "Let  him 
be  accursed  when  the  Lord  cometh  !  "  It 
probably  alludes  to  the  Jewish  excommuni- 
cations, which  they  tell  us  were  of  three 
sorts,  or  degrees.  In  the  first,  the  offender 
was  put  out  of  the  synagogue,  or  merely  ex- 
communicated ;  in  the  second,  he  was  not 
only  excommunicated,  but  anathematized,  or 
cursed ;  in  the  third  (which  was  only  for  the 
worst,  and  most  incorrigible,)  he  was  not 
only  anathematized,  but  consigned  over  to  the 
judgment  of  the  great  day!  The  meaning 
of  the  word  here  seems  to  be,  Let  him  be 
excommunicated  from  the  presence  of  God 
and  all  holy  beings  :  and,  as  he  did  not  love 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  a  Saviour,  let  him 
fall  before  him  as  a  Judge  !  This  sentence, 
however  awful,  is  strictly  equitable.  The 
truth  of  this  will  appear  by  the  joint  consid- 
eration of  three  things. 

I.  He  that  loves  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
must  be  an  enemy  to  god,  to  virtue,  and 

TO  ALL  MORAL  EXCELLENCE. Such  a  One- 

ness  is  there  between  God  as  a  Lawgiver 
and  Christ  as  a  Saviour  that  what  is  done  to 
the  one  is  done  to  the  other.  The  Jews, 
in  our  Saviour's  time,  wished  to  be  thought 
friends  to  God,  while  they  were  enemies  to 
Christ:  but  "If  God  were  your  father," 
saith  he,  "  ye  would  love  me."  And  again, 
"  I  know  you,  that  ye  have  not  the  love  of 
God  in  you.  I  am  come  in  my  Father's  name, 
and  ye  receive  me  not."  The  same  thing  is 
observable  now,  among  the  Deists,  who 
would  be  thought  friends  to  the  one  Supreme 
Being,  but  enemies  to  Christianity.  And 
indeed  this  deistical  spirit  seems  greatly  to 
prevail  in  multitudes  that  are  not  professed 
Deists,  especially  among  some  in  the  higher 
ranks,  who,  though  they  can  now  and  then 
assume  so  much  fortitude  as  to  speak  re- 
spectfully of  the  Supreme  Being,  yet  would 
be  ashamed  that  a  word  should  be  heard 
from  their  lips  in  defence  of  Christ  or  Chris- 
tianity. It  were  to  be  wished,  too,  that  none 
of  those  who  sustain  the  character  of  Chris- 
tian ministers  had  ever  discovered  the  same 
spirit.  This  is  very  awful !  But  whatever 
we  may  think  here,  and  whatever  character 
we  may  sustain,  it  will  be  found  at  last  that 
"  whosoever  denieth  the  Son,  the  same  hath 
not  the  Father !  " 

1.  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  he  can  have  no  regard  to  the  authority 
of  God  as  a  Lawgiver,  seeing  it  was  this 
that  he  came  into  the  world  to  maintain. 
When  devils  had  cast  off  God's  yoke  as 
grievous,  and  practically  declared  him  a 
tyrant ;  and  men  had  followed  their  example  ; 
judging  it  too  mean  a  thing,  it  seems,  for- 


ever to  be  so  kept  under  rule  ;  then  the  Son 
of  God  came  down,  and,  in  the  presence  of 
these  revolters,  was  subject  to  the  very  law 
which  they  had  discarded.  Though  he  was 
under  no  natural  obligation  to  come  under 
the  law,  yet,  that  he  might  show  how  worthy 
he  thought  it  of  being  obeyed,  and  thus  wipe 
off*  the  foul  reproach,  "  he  learned  obedi- 
ence." Yea,  that  it  might  be  seen  how 
"  easy  "  a  yoke  it  was,  and  thence  the  un- 
reasonableness and  wickedness  of  their  re- 
volt, he  declared,  whatever  others  might 
think,  it  was  his  "  meat  to  do  the  will  of  his 
Father !  "  If  any  man,  therefore,  love  not 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  cannot  love  the 
law  of  God,  but  must  be  of  Satan's  mind, 
accounting  it  a  severe  law,  and  obedience  to 
it  slavery ;  and  thus  he  must  be  an  enemy 
to  God. 

2.  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  he  can  have  no  regard  to  the  honor 
of  God's  justice  being  secured.  If  we  had 
a  proper  regard  to  the  justice  of  God,  we 
could  not  bear  the  thought  of  salvation  it- 
self being  erected  upon  its  ruins.  To  desire 
such  a  thing  would  be  nothing  less  than 
desiring  to  depose  the  King  of  the  universe  ; 

for  justice  and  judgment  are  the  basis  of  his 
throne.  If  a  fallen  creature  loved  God,  and 
could  see  no  way  for  his  own  salvation  but 
what  must  be  at  the  expense  of  truth  and 
equity,  his  soul  must  be  filled  with  inexpres- 
sible distress.  If  the  way  of  salvation  by 
Jesus  Christ  were  then  to  be  preached  to 
him — a  way  wherein,  through  his  glorious 
sacrifice,  God  could  be  just  and  the  justifier 
of  him  that  believed  in  Jesus — how  would 
his  spirit  revive  within  him!  With  what 
joy  of  heart  would  he  acquiesce  in  a  plan 
wherein  mercy  and  truth  could  meet  togeth- 
er !  The  more  he  loved  God,  the  more  he 
would  love  Him  who  out  of  love  to  equity 
invited  the  sword  of  vengeance  to  plune-e 
itself  in  his  heart,  saying,  "  Father,  glorify 
thy  name  ! "  But  if  Christ  and  his  way  of 
salvation  have  no  charm  in  our  eyes — if  we 
would  barely  like  to  be  justified  (that  is, 
freed  from  condemnation,)  but  care  not  how  ; 
and  think,  as  to  God  being  just  therein,  he 
must  see  to  that — is  it  not  evident  that  we 
have  no  love  to  God,  truth,  or  righteousness  ? 

3.  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  he  gives  proof  that  God's  grand 
enemy  being  defeated,  and  all  his  counsels 
turned  into  foolishness,  affords  him  no  plea- 
sure ;  and  consequently  he  can  be  no  friend 
of  God,  but  an  enemy.  If  we  love  our 
prince,  we  shall  rejoice  at  his  enemies  being 
overthrown,  and  admire  that  noble  com- 
mander who,  by  hazarding  his  life  in  the 
high  places  of  the  field,  should  put  them  to 
confusion.  If  any  monster  had  been  so  un- 
feeling, in  the  day  when  David  slew  Goliath 
and  saved  Israel,  as  to  have  had  no  love  to- 
the  young  hero,  would  he  not  have  been 
deemed  an  enemy  to  his  king  and  country, 


SENTENCE    OF    THOSE  WHO    LOVE    NOT    CHKIST. 


369 


and  suspected  of  being  on  the  side  of  the 
Philistines?  Now,  as  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  entered  the  field,  and  with  his  own 
arm  spoiled  principalities  and  powers,  broke 
the  serpent's  head,  routed  his  forces,  and 
ruined  his  scheme ;  if  we  love  not  him, 
whatever  we  may  pretend,  we  must  be 
enemies  to  God,  and  on  the  side  of  Satan. 

4.  In  short,  if  any  man  love  not  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  he  must  be  an  enemy  to  all 
moral  excellence  ;  for  of  this  he  was  a  per- 
fect model,  both  living  and  dying.  God 
himself  hath  borne  witness  of  him  that  "  he 
loved  righteousness,  and  hated  iniquity." 
He  lived  to  set  forth  the  amiableness  of  the 
one,  and  died  that  God  in  him  might  show 
his  abhorrence  of  the  other.  He  lived  and 
died  that  God's  character  in  saving  sinners 
might  be  untainted  with  moral  turpitude. 
It  may  well  therefore  be  said  of  him — "  The 
upright  love  thee  !  "  Christ  is  the  sum  and 
centre  of  all  excellence.  Perhaps  we  cannot 
form  a  better  idea  of  him  than  as  an  assem- 
blage of  all  goodness,  a  being  in  whom  all 
excellences  meet.  To  have  no  love  to  him, 
then,  is  to  have  no  love  to  moral  excellence, 
and  so  to  be  an  enemy  to  all  good.  Such  a 
character  surely  deserves  to  be  anathematiz- 
ed from  God  and  all  holy  beings  ! 

II.  He  that  loves  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  must  be  an  enemy  to  mankind. 
Perhaps  it  might  be  asked,  Cannot  people 
be  possessed  of  humanity  without  being  the 
subjects  of  Christianity  ?  It  is  answered, 
No,  not  in  the  full  extent  of  that  term.  It 
is  not  denied  but  that  people  may  wish  well 
to  one  another's  temporal  interests — may 
wish  to  promote  their  health,  and  wealth, 
and  reputation — may  live  in  friendship  with 
mankind,  and  be  of  a  compassionate  spirit  to 
the  poor — and  may  have  no  design  in  what 
they  do  to  destroy  their  souls.  But  all  this 
is  no  more  than  an  over  indulgent  parent 
may  feel,  who  yet  interpretatively,  by  sparing 
the  rod,  is  said  to  hate  his  son  ;  and  it  is 
common  to  say,  in  such  cases,  the  parent 
was  the  child's  enemy.  Yea,  it  is  very  little, 
if  any  thing,  more  than  thieves  and  robbers  , 
may  exercise  towards  their  comrades.  Here 
is  one  of  that  character,  for  instance,  draws 
a  young  man  into  his  practices :  he  has  no 
intention  to  bring  him  to  the  gallows,  or 
himself  either ;  and  he  may  wish  his  health 
and  prosperity,  and  pity  and  relieve  him  in 
distress.  All  this  is  good ;  but  could  it  ap- 
pear from  this  that  he  was  not  his  enemy  in 
setting  him  against  his  own  interests,  and 
seducing  him  away  from  his  best  friends  ? 
Is  he  not  his  enemy'}  But  to  come  nearer 
to  the  point — 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  best  friend 
to  mankind  that  ever  existed :  if  therefore 
any  man  bear  true  love  to  the  souls  of  men, 
and  seek  their  real  welfare,  it  is  impossible 
but  that  he  should  love  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  We  should  deem  him  an  enemy  to 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  47. 


mankind,  who,  if  a  skilful  and  generous 
physician  came  into  our  parts  and  healed  all 
gratis  who  applied  to  him,  should  endeavor 
to  prejudice  the  minds  of  people  against 
him.  An  enemy  to  Joseph,  who  was  the 
saviour  of  Egypt  and  the  adjacent  countries, 
would  have  been  deemed  an  enemy  to  man- 
kind. But  what  were  these?  Christ  has 
healed  the  tremendous  breach  between  God 
and  man,  has  rescued  millions  and  millions 
from  eternal  ruin,  and  is  still  "able  and  wil- 
ling to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  them  that 
come  unto  God  by  him."  If  any  man  there- 
fore love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  surely 
he  deserves,  as  an  enemy  to  the  public  good, 
to  be  excommunicated  from  the  society  of 
the  blessed. 

But  may  there  not  be  a.  neutrality  exercis- 
ed in  this  affair  ?  If  some  do  not  love 
Christ,  does  it  follow  that  such  are  his  ene- 
mies? Yes,  it  does.  This  is  a  cause 
wherein  the  idea  of  neutrality  is  inadmissi- 
ble and  impossible.  They  that  are  not  ivith 
him  are  declared  to  be  against  him. 

III.  He  that  loves  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  must  be  an  enemy  to  himself. — To 
be  an  enemy  to  Christ  is  to  be  guilty  of  the 
most  awful  kind  of  suicide.  "  All  they  that 
hate  him  "  are  said  to  "  love  death."  Christ 
is  the  only  door  of  hope  for  any  lost  sinner : 
to  hate  him,  therefore,  is  to  hate  ourselves. 
Had  JYaaman  continued  to  despise  the  wa- 
ters of  Jordan,  people  would  have  thought 
that  he  had  no  love  for  himself.  If  a  com- 
pany of  wretches  who  had  escaped  a  ship- 
wreck were  in  an  open  boat  at  sea,  and  if, 
on  the  appearance  of  a  friendly  vessel  bear- 
ing down  upon  them,  they  were  so  infatua- 
ted that,  instead  of  imploring  assistance,  they 
should  treat  it  with  every  mark  of  indignity 
and  contempt,  we  should  say,  they  love  death 
— they  deserve  to  perish.  If  the  power  of 
Christ's  anger  be  considered,  it  will  amount 
to  the  same  thing.  For  a  man  to  rouse  a 
lion  would  seem  as  if  he  were  weary  of  his 
life  :  much  more  to  provoke  the  Lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah.  Of  him  it  may  well  be  said, 
"  Who  shall  rouse  him  up  ?  " 

If  a  person  then  be  an  enemy  to  God,  to 
mankind,  and  to  himself,  surely  it  is  but 
right  and  fit  he  should  be  excommunicated 
from  the  society  of  God,  and  all  holy  beings, 
as  an  enemy  to  being  in  general.  Surely 
he  that  loves  not  God  ought  to  be  accursed 
from  God  ;  he  that  loves  not  mankind  ought 
to  be  banished,  to  take  his  lot  among  devds, 
as  we  should  banish  a  murderer  from  the 
society  of  men ;  and  he  that  loves  not  him- 
self, but  seeks  his  own  ruin,  ought  to  find  it. 

Upon  the  whole,  if  the  foregoing  thoughts 
be  just,  then  that  distinction  has  been  made 
without  ground,  that  sinners  will  not  be 
punished  for  their  not  loving  tho  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  but  only  for  the  breach  of  God's  law  ; 
as  if  the  want  of  love  to  Christ  were  not  a 
breach  of  the  law.     So  far  from  this,  it  is 


370 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


such  a  breach  of  it  as  perhaps  cannot  be 
equalled  by  any  other  case  whatever.  It  is 
at  once  a  breach  of  the  ivkole  law,  and  that 
in  the  highest  degree.  What  doth  the  law 
require,  but  love  to  God,  love  to  our  neighbor, 
and  love  to  owselves  ?  These  are  the  whole 
of  what  is  included  in  that  summary  given 
of  it  by  our  Lord ;  and  these  we  have  seen 
are  all  broken,  and  that  in  the  highest  degree, 
in  the  want  of  love  to  Christ. 

O  how  is  it  that  Ave  are  not  all  excommu- 
nicated and  accursed  of  God  ?  Are  we 
better  than  others  ?  No,  in  no  wise.  God 
might  justly  have  banished  us  from  the 
abodes  of  the  blessed.  It  is  all  of  grace, 
free,  sovereign,  and  great  grace,  if  Ave  are 
brought  to  love  him,  and  so  escape  the  awful 
curse ;  and  for  this  we  can  never  be  suffi- 
ciently thankful. 


XL. FELLOWSHIP     OF     GOD'S     PEOPLE     IN 

EVIL    TIMES. 

"  Then  they  that  feared  the  Lord  spoke  often 
one  to  another:  and  the  Lord  hearkened,  and 
heard  it,  and  a  book  of  remembrance  was  written 
before  him  for  them  that  feared  the  Lord,  and  that 
thought  upon  his  name.  And  they  shall  be  mine, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  in  that  day  when  I  make 
up  my  jewels  :  and  I  will  spare  them  as  a  man 
spareth  his  own  son  that  serveth  him."— Mai.  iii. 
16,  17. 

We  often  hear  people  complain  of  the 
times,  and  of  the  low  state  of  religion  ;  but 
good  men  will  be  good  men  in  the  Avorst  of 
times,  and  that  which  others  make  an  ex- 
cuse will  to  them  furnish  a  motive  to  speak 
often  one  to  another.  In  the  JeAvish  wor- 
ship, all  Avho  were  of  Abraham's  seed  min- 
gled together;  yet  even  then  the  godly 
found  one  another  out:  "I  am  a  companion 
of  all  those  that  fear  God." 

I.  Notice  the  character  of  these 
times.  The  prophet  Malachi  lived  some 
time  after  Nehemiah,  Avhen  the  Jews  were 
become  very  degenerate.  1.  Great  degene- 
racy among  the  priests — sordid  despisers  of 
religion.  God  speaks  of  what  a  true  priest 
should  be,  but  charges  them  with  the  re- 
verse.— Chap.  ii.  5 — 8.  The  consequence 
was,  as  might  be  expected,  they  were  de- 
spised by  the  people.  2.  Great  degeneracy 
among  the  common  people — profane  to- 
wards God,  and  treacherous  toAvards  one 
another — frequent  divorces  for  trivial  causes, 
yet  full  of  excuses.  3.  Even  the  professed 
worshippers  of  God  had  a  great  deal  of  hy- 
pocrisy. 4.  All  these  things  put  together 
proved  a  stumbling-block  to  people  in  gene- 
ral. Wicked  men  Avere  reckoned  happy 
and  promoted,  and  providence  seemed  to 
favor  them;  hence  infidelity  and  atheism 
abounded  :  yet  even  "  then  they  that  feared 
the  Lord  spoke  often  one  to  another." 

II.  Observe  the  character  and  con- 
duct OF  THE  GODLT  IN  THESE  TIMES.   1. 


They  are  characterized  as  fearing  the  Lord. 
The  phrase  may  be  more  expressive  of  the 
Old  Testament  than  the  Ncav;  but  it  is 
characteristic  of  good  men  under  any  dis- 
pensation. It  denotes  that  filial  reverence 
of  God's  name,  and  fear  of  offending  or  dis- 
honoring him,  which  a  truly  good  man  pos- 
sesses. 2.  They  are  described  as  keeping 
up  a  close  communion  with  one  another. 
The  Avorld  was  alive,  and  they  Avere  alive. 
The  seed  of  the  serpent  leagued,  and  the 
seed  of  the  woman  communed  together. 
You  may  be  sure  their  conversation  was 
edifying,  or  it  Avould  not  have  been  record- 
ed. They  might  have  occasion  to  reprove, 
to  admonish,  to  counsel,  to  exhort,  to  en- 
courage, to  instruct.  Such  a  state  of  things 
is  necessary,  especially  in  evil  times.  The 
more  Avicked  the  Avorld,  the  more  need  of 
Christian  fellowship.  3.  Their  doing  this 
is  called  thinking  upon  God's  name.  Think- 
ing here  is  not  opposed  to  speaking  (for  they 
that  speak  are  the  same  persons  as  those 
who  think,)  but  to  forgetting.  While  others 
cared  not  for  God's  name,  their  thoughts 
were  occupied  about  it.  God's  interest  lay 
near  their  hearts  ;  they  grieved  for  its  dis- 
honor, and  concerted  plans  for  its  promotion. 
If  we  love  his  name  it  will  occupy  our 
thoughts. 

III.  The  favorable  notice  taken  of 
this  conduct.  It  seems  they  were  retired 
from  the  notice  of  the  multitude ;  perhaps 
like  the  disciples,  for  fear  of  the  JeAvs.  They 
might  be  apprehensive  lest  any  should 
hearken  and  hear  them.  One,  however,  did 
so,  and  took  down  their  conversation  too, 
not  literally,  for  God  needs  no  book  but 
his  own  mind.  This  will  be  brought  out  at 
judgment.— Matt.  xxv.  They  that  think  of 
him  here  will  be  remembered  by  him  there, 
and  Avhen  they  have  forgotten  it.  "They 
shall  be  mine  in  that  day."  That  day  shall 
be  a  day  of  general  destruction,  like  that  of 
a  tempest  to  shipping,  and  then  nothing  is 
spared  but  the  most  valuable  things  or  per- 
sons, as  jewels.  Cities,  nations,  sea,  land, 
heaven,  earth,  all  Avill  be  one  general  Avreck  ; 
or,  lest  this  should  not  be  sufficiently  strong, 
he  will  spare  them  as  a  man  spareth  his  son 
— as  his  otvn  son,  Avhose  life  is  bound  up  Avith 
his  own. 

Which  of  these  characters  is  ours  ? 

Will  our  conversation  bear  writing  in  a 
book  ? 

XLI. PUBLIC    WORSHIP. 

"  Bless  ye  God  in  the  congregations,  even  the 
Lord  from  the  fountain  of  Israel  :  There  is  little 
Eenjamin  with  their  ruler,  the  princes  of  Judah 
and  their  council,  the  princes  of  Zebulun,  and  the 
princes  of  Naphtali.  Thy  God  hath  commanded 
thy  strength  :  strengthen,  O  God,  that  which  thou 
hast  wrought  for  us." — Psalm  lxviii.  26—28. 

This  psalm  Avas  sung,  it  is  probable,  on 
the  removal  of  the  ark  into  the  city  of  Da- 


PUBLIC    W0ESH1P. 


371 


vid. — Numb.  x.  It  was  now  that  the  ark  had 
rest,  and  the  tribes  assembled  three  times  a 
year  at  Jerusalem,  the  place  that  God  had 
chosen. 

The  text  is  a  lively  description  of  their 
worship. 

I.  Offer  a  few  remarks  by  way  of 
expounding  the  passage.  1.  Israel  had 
their  lesser  congregations  in  ordinary  every 
sabbath-day,  and  their  national  ones  three 
times  a  year.  Their  business  in  all  was  to 
bless  God.  2.  This  business  was  to  be 
carried  on  by  all  Israel,  beginning  at  the 
fountain-head,  and  proceeding  through  all 
its  streams.  God  had  blessed  Israel ;  let 
Israel  bless  God.  3.  All  the  tribes  are 
supposed  to  be  present ;  four  are  mentioned 
in  the  name  of  the  whole  as  inhabiting  the 
confines  of  the  land.  Their  union  was  a 
source  of  joy :  they  had  been  divided  by 
civil  wars,  but  now  they  are  met  together. 
4.  Those  tribes  which  are  named  had  each 
something  particular  attending  it.  Little 
Benjamin  (see  Judges  xxi.)  had  nearly  been  a 
tribe  lacking  in  Israel,  but  now  appears  with 
its  ruler.  Judah  had  been  at  war  with  Ben- 
jamin :  Saul  was  a  Benjamite  ;  David  was  of 
Judah:  yet  they  happily  lost  their  antipa- 
thies in  the  worship  of  God.  Zebulun  and 
Naphtali  were  distant  tribes,  yet  they  were 
there !  dark  too — yet  there.  5.  The  prin- 
ces and  the  people  were  all  together.  G. 
They  were  supposed  to  be  strong,  but  were 
reminded  that  what  they  had  of  strength 
was  of  God's  commanding.  Their  union  and 
success,  as  well  as  that  degree  of  righteous- 
ness among  them  which  exalted  the  nation, 
was  of  God.  7.  They  are  not  so  strong  but 
that  they  need  strengthening,  and  are  direct- 
ed to  pray  as  well  as  praise.  "  Strengthen, 
O  God,  that  which  thou  hast  wrought  for 
us." 

II.  Apply  the  subject.  Two  things 
are  here  exemplified,  namely,  diligence  and 
brotherly  union ;  and  three  things  recom- 
mended, namely,  united  praise — united  ac- 
knowledgment that,  for  what  they  are,  they 
are  indebted  to  God — and  united  prayer  for 
future  mercies.  Each  of  these  affords  a  rule 
for  us. 

1.  The  worship  of  God  must  be  attended 
with  diligence.  There  are  the  princes  of 
Zebulun  and  Naphtali.  They  had  to  travel 
above  200  miles  three  times  a  year,  thither 
and  back  again,  that  is,  1200  in  a  year, 
twenty-four  miles  a  week.  Those  who  neg- 
lect the  worship  of  God  for  little  difficulties 
show  that  their  heart  is  not  in  it ;  and,  when 
they  do  attend,  cannot  expect  to  profit: 
"they  have  snuffed  at  it."  Those  whose 
hearts  are  in  it  often  reap  great  advantage. 
God  blessed  the  Israelites  in  their  journeys, 
as  well  as  when  there,  Ps.  lxxxiv.  6,  "the 
rain  filleth  the  pools : "  and  so  Christians. 
There  is  a  peculiar  promise  to  those  that 
peek  him  early. 


2.  The  worship  of  God  must  be  attended 
to  with  brotherly  love.  All  the  tribes  must 
go  up  together.  It  is  a  kind  law  that  en- 
joins social  worship  ;  we  need  each  other  to 
stimulate.  "  O  magnify  the  Lord  with  me, 
and  let  us  exalt  his  name  together."  God 
has  made  us  so  that  we  shall  be  greatly  in- 
fluenced by  each  other,  both  to  good  and 
evil.  It  greatly  concerns  us  to  cultivate 
such  a  spirit:  to  this  end  we  must  cherish 
an  affectionate  behavior  in  our  common  in- 
tercourse— bear,  forbear,  and  forgive  ;  and, 
whatever  differences  we  may  have,  not  suf- 
fer them  to  hinder  our  worship.  The  tribes, 
as  we  have  seen,  had  their  differences,  yet 
they  were  there.  When  all  Israel  met  at 
Hebron  to  anoint  David  king,  what  should 
we  have  said  if  some  had  kept  away  because 
others  went? 

3.  Our  business,  when  assembled,  must 
be  to  bless  God  in  our  congregations  ;  and  a 
pleasant  work  this  is.  Israel  had  reasons, 
and  great  reasons — and  Christians  more. 
Thank  him  for  his  unspeakable  gift — bless 
him  for  the  means  of  grace  and  the  hopes 
of  glory.  Bless  him — he  "healeth  all  thy 
diseases,"  &c. — Ps.  ciii.  This  is  an  em- 
ployment that  fits  for  heaven.  The  tears  of 
a  mourner  in  God's  house  were  supposed  to 
defile  his  altar.  We  may  mourn  for  sin; 
but  a  fretful,  discontented,  'and  unthankful 
spirit,  defiles  God's  altar  still. 

4.  Another  part  of  our  business  is  to  unite 
in  acknowledging  that,  whatever  we  are,  Ave 
owe  it  to  God  alone  :  "  Thy  God  hath  com- 
manded thy  strength."  We  possess  a  de- 
gree of  strength  both  individually  and  social- 
ly. Art  thou  strong  in  faith,  in  hope,  in 
zeal  ?  It  is  in  Him  thou  art  strong.  Are 
we  strong  as  a  society  ?  It  is  God  that  in- 
creased us  with  men  like  a  flock ;  it  is 
he  that  keeps  us  in  union,  gives  us  suc- 
cess, &c. 

5.  Another  part  of  our  business  must  be 
to  unite  in  prayer  for  future  mercies.  We 
are  not  so  strong,  either  as  individuals  or 
societies,  but  that  there  is  room  for  increase, 
and  this  is  the  proper  object  of  prayer.  God 
has  wrought  a  great  work  for  us  in  regen- 
eration. God  has  wrought  much  for  us  as  a 
church  in  giving  us  increase,  respect,  and 
room  in  the  earth.  Pray  that  each  may  be 
increased ;  or,  in  the  words  of  the  text, 
"  Strengthen,  O  God,  that  which  thou  hast 
wrought  for  us." 

Are  there  none  who  are  strangers  to  all 
this? 

XLII.— GREAT     SINNERS      ENCOURAGED      TO 
RETURN  TO  GOD. 

"  But  if  from  thence  thou  shalt  seek  the  Lord 
thy  God,  thou  shalt  find  him,  if  thou  seek  him  with 
all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul." — Deut.  iv.  29. 

There  is  a  mixture  of  mercy  and  judg- 
ment in  all  the  sacred  writings.     The  New 


372 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


Testament  contains  some  awful  threaten- 
ings.  "He  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned  " — "  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  anathema,  maran- 
atha."  On  the  other  hand,  the  law  of  Moses 
is  interspersed  with  mercy.  As  the  whole 
passage  has  immediate  respect  to  Israel,  it 
doubtless  refers  to  their  sins,  their  captivity 
and  troubles,  and  to  God's  great  mercy  to 
them  in  remembrance  of  the  covenant  with 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob.  And,  as  men- 
tion is  made  of  "  the  latter  days,"  it  seems 
to  be  not  merely  an  encouragement  to  them 
to  return,  but  a  prophecy  which  has  yet  to 
be  accomplished.  Yes,  when  the  spirit  of 
grace  and  supplication  is  poured  out  upon 
them,  it  shall  be  fulfilled. 

But,  though  it  may  specially  refer  to  Is- 
rael, it  is  no  less  applicable  to  us  Gentiles. 
We  are  sinners,  and  have  brought  innume- 
rable miseries  on  ourselves,  and  there  is 
but  one  refuge  for  us  to  seek  to — and,  if  we 
seek  him  with  all  our  heart  and  soul,  we 
shall  find  mercy ;  for  the  Lord  our  God  is 
a  merciful  God. 

I.  Notice  a  few  cases  to  which  this 
language  applies. — The  description  given 
of  an  impenitent  people  is — "  No  man  spoke 
aright,  saying,  What  have  I  done  ?  "  Were 
we  to  institute  such  an  inquiry,  and  answer 
according  to  truth,  what  would  the  answer 
be? 

1.  One  would  say,  I  have  gone  great 
lengths  in  sin :  I  lived  without  restraint ;  I 
was  a  drunkard,  a  blasphemer,  an  injurious 
person  to  all  I  had  to  do  with ;  and  now  God 
has  brought  me  into  troubles — I  am  hated 
and  despised  by  my  relations  and  neighbors 
— I  cannot  live  long,  and  yet  fear  to  die. 
Yet,  "  if  from  thence  thou  ;'shalt  seek  the 
Lord  thy  God,  thou  shalt  find  him,  if  thou 
seek  him  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy 
soul." 

2.  Another  says,  I  was  born  of  religious 
parents ;  I  was  long  weary  of  religion  and 
wished  to  be  free.  At  length  my  father 
died,  and  I  gave  myself  up  to  evil ;  and,  now 
my  troubles  are  come  upon  me,  no  one 
respects  me,  nor  careth  for  my  soul;  I 
was  undutiful  to  my  parents,  and  now  my 
children  are  so  to  me.  But,  "if  from 
thence,"  &c. 

3.  Another  may  say,  My  conduct  has 
been  correct  and  orderly,  so  as  to  obtain  the 
approbation  of  those  about  me  ;  but  I  have 
valued  myself  upon  it,  have  lived  without 
God,  and  never  sought  mercy  as  a  guilty 
creature  ;  I  have  lived  a  pharisee  ;  and  now 
I  feel  the  want  of  something  in  which 
to  appear  before  God.  Well,  "if  from 
thence,"  &c. 

4.  Another — I  have  made  a  profession  of 
religion  and  thought  well  of  my  state,  and 
talked  to  others,  and  was  thought  well  of  by 
others  ;  but  I  indulged  first  in  little  and  se- 
cret sins,  and  after  this  they  became  greater 


and  more  exposed ;  and  now  I  am  an  out- 
cast— every  one  shuns  me.  Yet,  "  if  from 
thence,"  &c. 

5.  Though  I  have  not  lost  my  character, 
yet  I  have  lost  my  peace  of  mind ;  I  have 
not  walked  with  God,  and  God  seems  to  have 
departed  from  me  ;  I  cannot  pray,  nor  read, 
nor  hear  to  profit ;  I  can  enjoy  no  pleasure 
in  the  world  nor  in  religion ;  I  feel  myself  a 
backslider  in  heart,  and  God  has  filled  me  ' 
with  my  own  ways.  But,  "  if  from  thence 
thou  shalt  seek  the  Lord  thy  God,  thou  shalt 
find  him,  if  thou  seek  him  with  all  thy  heart 
and  with  all  thy  soul." 

II.  Observe    the   grounds    on  which 

THE    ENCOURAGEMENT  RESTS. 

1.  The  merciful  character  of  God.  Isa. 
lv.  7,  "Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way," 
&c.  No  sins  are  so  great  or  numerous  but 
that  he  can  forgive  them :  "  if — with  all  thy 
thy  heart,"  &c. 

2.  The  covenant  which  God  made  with 
the  fathers,  and  much  more  with  his  Son. 
There  is  this  difference  between  uncove- 
nanted  and  covenanted  mercy :  the  one  has 
no  promises  ;  the  other  has  many.  God  has 
pledged  his  perfections  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  him  shall  be  saved.  No  ground 
therefore  to  despair :  whatever  thy  condition, 
how  far  soever  from  God,  return  to  him 
through  his  dear  Son,  and  you  will  obtain 
mercy. 


XLIII. CONSOLATION  to  the  afflicted. 

"  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you  :  and,  if  I  go 
and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again, 
and  receive  you  unto  myself,  that  where  I  am, 
there  ye  may  be  also.  And  whither  I  go  ye  know, 
and  the  way  ye  know." — John  xiv.  2 — 4. 

If  our  Saviour  had  been  going  to  some 
unknown  place,  where  we  must  not  follow 
him,  we  might  well  be  unhappy :  but 
"  whither  I  go  ye  know."  It  is  true  we  know 
nothing  of  an  hereafter  beyond  what  God  in 
his  word  hath  told  us  :  but  those  lively  ora- 
cles are  a  light  in  a  dark  place,  whose  cheer- 
ing beams  pierce  the  otherwise  impervious 
gloom  of  futurity.  When  a  dying  heathen 
was  asked  whither  he  was  going,  he  replied, 
Oh  my  friends,  we  know  nothing  of  an  here- 
after !  Such  also  must  have  been  our  an- 
swer, but  for  the  glorious  gospel  of  the 
blessed  God.  As  it  is,  we  know  whither  our 
Redeemer  is  gone.  He  is  gone  to  his  Father, 
and  to  our  Father ;  to  his  God,  and  to  our 
God.  He  has  gone  to  mount  Sion,  the  city 
of  the  living  God  ;  to  the  innumerable  com- 
pany of  angels,  to  the  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect,  and  to  God  the  judge  of  all. 
Whither  he  is  gone  we  know,  for  we  have 
had  a  foretaste  of  the  bliss.  As  believers 
we  also  are  already  come  to  mount  Sion. 
The  church  below  and  the  church  above  are 
only  different  branches  of  the  same  family, 


CONSOLATION    TO    THE    AFFLICTED. 


373 


so  that  he  who  is  come  to  one  is  come  to 
the  other. 

But  how  are  we  to  follow  him,  unless  we 
"  know  the  way  ?  "  If  he  "  come  and  receive 
us,"  he  will  be  our  guide.  And  this  is  not 
all :  "  the  way  we  know."  Thomas  thought 
he  knew  not  whither  his  Lord  was  going, 
nor  the  way  that  led  to  him :  yet  he  knew 
his  Lord,  and  believed  in  him  as  the  Son  of 
God  and  the  Saviour  of  sinners.  Jesus 
therefore  answered  him,  "  I  am  the  way, 
the  truth,  and  the  life  ; "  knowing  me,  you 
know  the  way  to  the  heavenly  world. 
Yes,  we  not  only  know  whither  our  Saviour 
is  gone,  but  the  way  that  leads  to  him. 
The  doctrine  of  the  cross,  as  dear  Pearce 
observed,  is  the  only  religion  for  a  dying 
sinner. 

If  an  affectionate  father  had  resolved  to 
remove  to  a  distant  country,  he  might  not 
take  his  family  with  him  in  the  first  instance, 
but  might  choose  to  go  by  himself,  to  en- 
counter and  remove  the  chief  difficulties  in 
the  way,  and  make  ready  a  habitation  to  re- 
ceive them.  Such  in  effect  was  the  con- 
duct of  our  Saviour.  "  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you :  and  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place 
for  you,  I  will  come  again  and  receive  you 
unto  myself,  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may 
be  also."  His  passage  through  the  territories 
of  death  was  attended  with  the  most  dread- 
ful of  all  conflicts  ;  but,  having  overcome,  it 
renders  ours  an  easy  one.  Death  to  us  is 
Jesus  "  coming  to  receive  us  to  himself." 

1.  The  presence  of  a  beloved  object  is 
the  grand  preparative  of  any  place,  and  that 
which  gives  it  its  principal  charm.  Such  is 
the  preparation  of  a  place  in  the  future 
world  for  us.  Jesus  is  there,  and  that  is 
quite  enough.  If  any  thing  will  operate  as 
a  magnet  to  attract  us  from  earth  to  heaven, 
it  is  the  consideration  of  being  "  where  Je- 
sus sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God."  Think 
what  an  accession  of  joy  his  triumphant  en- 
trance must  have  occasioned  through  all  the 
heavenly  regions,  and  what  a  source  of  un- 
interrupted bliss  his  presence  affords.  What 
would  some  societies  be  without  certain  in- 
teresting characters,  which  are  in  effect  the 
life  of  them  ?  And  what  would  heaven  be 
without  Christ?  The  zest  of  all  its  bliss 
consists  in  his  being  there,  and  this  is  urged 
as  the  grand  motive  to  "  setting  our  affec- 
tions on  things  above."     Col.  iii.  1,  2. 

2.  There  also  he  will  gather  together  the 
whole  family  of  heaven  and  earth.  His  re- 
demption brings  multitudes  to  glory,  out  of 
every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and 
nation ;  and  every  one  that  enters  adds  to 
the  enjoyment.  In  order  to  connect  us  to- 
gether in  the  closest  bonds  of  affection, 
God  has  so  ordained  that  both  in  this  world 
and  that  which  is  to  come  our  blessedness 
should  be  bound  up  with  that  of  each  other ; 
in  seeing  the  good  of  his  chosen,  rejoicing 
in  the  gladness  of  his  nation,  and  glorying 


with  his  inheritance.  Hence  it  follows  that 
every  accession  to  the  heavenly  world  af- 
fords an  influx  to  the  enjoyment  of  its  in- 
habitants. Every  one  that  goes  before  may 
be  said  to  contribute  to  the  preparing  of 
the  place  for  them  which  follow  after.  The 
pure  river  of  the  water  of  life  has  its  orio-in 
in  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  ;  but 
in  its  progress  it  passes  through  various  me- 
diums, which  swell  its  streams,  and  render 
it  more  and  more  delectable.  From  the  en- 
trance of  righteous  Abel  into  the  new  Je- 
rusalem, to  this  day,  it  has  been  rising  hio-h- 
er  and  higher,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  till 
all  the  nations  of  the  saved  are  gathered  to- 
gether. 

3.  Christ  prepares  a  place  for  us,  in  su- 
perintending the  concerns  of  the  universe, 
and  causing  all  events  to  work  together 
and  produce  the  highest  ultimate  good. 
Glory  awaits  the  righteous  immediately  up- 
on their  departure  from  the  body,  but  a 
much  greater  glory  is  in  reserve.  Innumer- 
able events  in  the  system  of  providence 
must  remain  inexplicable,  till  the  mystery  of 
God  be  finished.  It  is  impossible  for  spec- 
tators to  comprehend  the  use  of  all  the  parts 
of  a  complicate  machine,  till  it  is  construct- 
ed and  put  into  motion.  And  as  our  Fore- 
runner is  now  preparing  the  scenery  of  this 
grand  exhibition,  and  hastening  it  to  its  de- 
sired issue,  it  is  thus  that  he  is  preparing  a 
place  for  us. 

Hence  we  are  encouraged  to  be  looking 
for,  and  hasting  unto,  the  coming  of  the  day 
of  God,  and  directed  to  consider  it  as  the 
period  when  we  shall  be  fully  "  satisfied." 
How  solemn,  and  yet  how  sweet,  is  the  de- 
scription of  it !  "  The  Lord  himself  shall 
descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  the  trump  of 
God;  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise 
first."  A  "shout"  perhaps  denotes  the 
universal  joy  of  heaven,  for  the  arrival  of 
the  day  when  the  war  is  terminated  in  vic- 
tory, and  the  last  enemy  is  destroyed.  The 
blowing  of  a  "  trumpet "  may  probably  al- 
lude to  that  of  the  jubilee,  on  which  the 
prison  doors  were  thrown  open,  and  the  cap- 
tives set  at  liberty.  Such  were  the  consola- 
tions presented  to  the  Thessalonians,  on  the 
death  of  their  Christian  friends. 

Our  Lord  did  not  absolutely  forbid  his 
apostles  to  weep  at  his  departure  :  he  him- 
self wept  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus :  but  he 
dissuaded  them  from  excessive  grief.  "Let 
not  your  heart  be  troubled."  I  think  I 
never  felt  what  may  be  called  heart  trouble, 
or  deep  distress,  for  the  loss  of  any  person, 
however  near  to  me,  whose  death  I  consid- 
ered merely  as  a  removal  to  the  church 
above.  The  words  of  our  Saviour  are  here 
applicable :  "  If  ye  loved  me,  ye  would  re- 
joice, because  I  go  to  the  Father ;  for  my 
Father  is  greater  than  I."  That  is,  the 
glory  I  go  to  possess  with  my  Father  is 


374 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


greater  than  any  thing  I  could  inherit  upon 
earth  ;  and  therefore,  if  ye  loved  me,  and 
your  love  operated  in  a  proper  way,  you 
would  rather  be  glad  for  my  sake  than  sor- 
ry for  your  own. 


XLIV. ON    COVETOUSNESS. 

"  Anil  he  said  unto  them,  Take  heed,  and  be- 
ware of  covetousness  ;  lor  a  man's  life  consisteth 
not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he 
possesseth." — Luke  xii.  15. 

When  our  Lord  was  preaching  on  sub- 
jects of  eternal  importance  a  certain  young 
man  interrupted  him,  requesting  him  to 
speak  to  his  brother  to  divide  the  inherit- 
ance with  him.  It  seems  as  if  his  father 
had  lately  died,  and  that  his  brother  could 
not  be  induced  to  do  him  justice  in  the 
division  of  the  estate.  He  might  possibly 
have  heard  of  some  such  case  as  that  of 
Zaccheus;  in  which  Jesus,  by  a  few  words 
speaking,  had  rendered  a  selfish  man  both 
just  and  generous.  Jesus,  however,  instead 
of  complying  with  his  wishes,  disclaims 
having  anything  to  do  in  such  matters ; 
and  warns  others,  from  his  example,  to 
"  take  heed  and  beware  of  covetousness." 

Allowing  the  propriety  of  our  Lord's  de- 
clining to  be  a  judge  in  such  matters,  as 
not  comporting  with  the  spiritual  nature  of 
his  kingdom,  yet  how  was  it  that,  he  should 
take  occasion  hence  to  warn  his  followers 
against  the  sin  of  covetousness  ?  There  is 
nothing  in  the  story  that  gives  us  to  sup- 
pose that  the  young  man  coveted  what  was 
not  his  own.  Wherein  then  consisted  his 
sin  ?  Let  us  suppose  a  person  under  a  mor- 
tal disease,  who,  seeing  an  eminent  phy- 
sician passing  by  him,  instead  of  telling  him 
his  case,  should  request  him  to  settle  a  dis- 
pute in  his  family  !  What  should  we  say? 
If  any  thing,  it  would  be  to  this  effect : — 
Settle  those  matters  as  you  can  ;  in  applying 
to  the  physician,  treat  him  in  character,  and 
have  regard  to  your  life. — For  a  sinner  to 
come  to  the  Saviour  on  a  mere  secular  busi- 
ness, and  this  while  his  soul  was  in  a  perish- 
ing condition,  must  prove  his  heart  to  be  set 
supremely  on  this  world,  and  his  regard  to 
Christ  to  be  only  a  wish  to  render  him 
subservient  to  his  temporal  interest. 

Here  then  we  perceive  the  species  of 
covetousness  that  our  Lord  meant  to  cen- 
sure. It  is  not  that  which  breaks  out  in 
acts  of  robbery,  theft,  or  oppression — not 
that  which  withholds  the  hire  of  the  la- 
borer, or  studies  the  arts  of  fraud — it  is 
not  any  thing,  in  short,  which  respects  the 
conduct  of  man  to  man ;  but  that  which 
immediately  relates  to  God,  withholding  the 
heart  from  him,  and  giving  it  to  the  world. 

Such  is  the  idea  conveyed  by  the  parable 
of  the  rich  fool,  which  is  here  introduced 
by  our  Lord  in  illustration  of  the  subject. 


He  is  not  accused  of  any  thing  injurious  to 
those  about  him  ;  his  "  grounds  brought  forth 
plentifully;"  and  who  can  blame  him  for 
this  ?  All  that  he  proposed  was,  by  the 
bounty  of  Providence  on  his  labors,  to  ac- 
cumulate a  fortune,  and  then  to  spend  it  on 
himself.  And  what  harm  (most  men  will  ask) 
was  there  in  this  ?  Truly,  it  is  the  general 
opinion  of  mankind  that  this  is  all  fair  and 
right.  If  a  man  regard  not  God,  but  him- 
self only,  so  long  as  he  acts  well  towards 
them  he  will  not  only  be  acquitted,  but  ap- 
plauded at  their  tribunal :  "  Men  will  praise 
thee  when  thou  doestwell  to  thyself."  How- 
beit,  this  is  not  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  In 
his  account,  it  is  not  the  miser  only  that  is 
covetous,  but  he  who  sets  his  heart  upon 
the  world,  rather  than  God,  even  though  he 
lays  out  a  part  of  his  substance  in  building 
and  other  accommodations ;  and  proposes, 
when  he  has  got  things  a  little  in  order,  to 
"  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry "  with  the  sur- 
plus. 

In  the  case  of  the  young  man  who  came  to 
Christ  on  a  secular  errand,  we  see  that 
things  in  themselves  lawful,  by  being  pur- 
sued out  of  place  and  out  of  season,  may 
become  sinful.  It  is  lawful  at  proper  sea- 
sons and  in  subordination  to  higher  objects 
to  follow  our  worldly  affairs ;  but,  if  we  go 
to  the  house  of  God  with  this  end  in  view, 
it  is  profaning  it.  The  same  is  true  if  while 
we  are  there  our  thoughts  are  employed  in 
forming  plans  and  schemes  for  the  week,  by 
which  we  may  promote  our  temporal  interest. 
Such  things  are :  nor  is  it  confined  to  the 
house  of  God.  Even  when  upon  our  knees, 
the  busy  mind  will  wander  after  this  and 
that  pursuit,  till  we  have  in  a  manner  for- 
gotten where  we  are  !  Nor  does  the  evil 
of  such  things  consist  merely  in  a  few  vola- 
tile wandering  thoughts,  but  in  that  of  which 
they  are  an  indication ;  namely,  a  mind 
cleaving  to  the  earth  instead  of  ascending 
to  God.  In  the  case  of  this  young  man,  we 
may  also  see  the  danger  of  regarding  Christ 
and  religion  in  only  a  secondary  or  subordi- 
nate manner,  while  the  world  is  treated  as 
supreme.  Religion  may  have  changed  a 
bad  husband  into  a  o-ood  one,  or  induced  a 
customer  to  leave  off  his  expensive  habits, 
and  to  pay  his  bills  with  punctuality  and 
promptitude,  and  as  such  you  may  respect 
it ;  but  such  respect  will  not  be  approved  of 
Christ.  If  we  have  any  thing  to  do  with 
him  it  must  be  in  his  proper  character  of 
Lord  and  Saviour.  To  attempt  to  render 
his  religion  subservient  to  worldly  interest 
is  to  lean  upon  him  while  you  are  worship- 
ping in  the  temple  of  mammon. 

It  was  not  without  cause  that  our  Saviour 
said,  on  this  occasion,  "Take  heed  and  be- 
ware of  covetousness  !  "  Truly,  this  is  a 
sin  which  presents  itself  under  so  many 
specious  forms  and  names,  which  so  insen- 
sibly insinuates  itself  on   almost  all  occa- 


ON    COVETOUSNES5. 


375 


sions,  and  which  may  be  indulged  with  so 
little  danger  of  losing  our  good  name  among 
men,  that  without  much  prayer  and  watch- 
fulness against  it,  and  much  communion 
with  Christ,  there  is  no  hope  of  overcoming 
it. 

In  observing  my  own  mind,  and  the  be- 
havior of  my  acquaintance,  I  see  matter  for 
both  pleasure  and  pain.  I  see  a  goodly 
number  of  professing  Christians  who  appear 
to  me  to  live  "not  unto  themselves,  but  un- 
to him  that  died  for  them  and  rose  again." 
I  see  some  of  this  description  into  whose 
hands  God  is  pouring  plenty,  and  who, 
though  continually  imparting,  still  increase. 
The  poor  people  of  Glasgow  used  to  say  of 
a  late  great  and  good  man  in  that  city,  "  Da- 
vid Dale  gives  his  money  by  sho'elsful,  and 
God  Almighty  sho'els  it  back  again." 
Characters  like-minded  still  live  ;  and  long 
may  they  live  and  be  blessings  to  the  world  ! 
They  afford  a  striking  contrast  to  those  de- 
scribed by  David  :  "Let  them  be  as  grass 
upon  the  house-top,  which  withereth  be- 
fore it  groweth  up;  wherewith  the  mower 
filleth  not  his  hand,  nor  he  that  bindeth 
sheaves  his  bosom  ;  neither  do  they  that  go 
by  say,  The  blessing  of  the  Lord  be  upon 
you  ! — we  bless  you  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  ! " 

Nor  is  it  in  men  of  opulence  only  that 
this  grace  shines !  I  see  men  who  have 
learned  to  be  economical  in  order  to  be  gen- 
erous ;  men  whose  deep  poverty  abounds  to 
the  riches  of  their  liberality !  This  is  to  "  cast 
our  bread  upon  the  waters  ; "  and  this  may 
be  more  in  the  esteem  of  Christ  than  the 
most  splendid  donations  of  those  who,  in  giv- 
ing, exercise  no  self-denial. 

But  I  see,  on  the  other  hand,  not  only  sor- 
did misers,  but  men  who  profess  godliness, 
and  who  would  be  thought  liberal,  full  of 
anxiety  about  appearance.  They  must  dress, 
visit,  and  show  away  in  their  circle.  The 
consequence" is,  they  have  nothing  to  spare 
in  the  way  of  doing  good  ;  or,  if  they  give  a 
little,  it  is  chiefly  to  save  appearances.  It 
may  be  thought  this  belongs  to  vanity  rather 
than  covetousness  ;  it  is,  however,  living  to 
ourselves  rather  than  God ;  and  this  is  the 
covetousness  against  which  our  Saviour 
warns  us. 

There  are  three  descriptions  of  men,  each  of 
which,  if  I  mistake  not,  has  some  peculiar 
temptations  to  this  sin ;  and  who,  if  destitute 
of  grace,  are  likely  to  be  carried  away  by  it : 
these  are  the  prosperous,  the  aged,  and  the 
professor  of  religion. 

With  respect  to  the  prosperotts,  it  is  a  fact 
which  falls  under  common  observation  that 
men,  who  while  possessing  little  were  com- 
passionate and  willing  to  communicate,  when 
they  come  to  rise  in  the  world  are  hard-heart- 
ed, and  part  with  their  money  with  great  re- 
luctance. This  is  not  difficult  to  be  account- 
ed for.     While  necessity  calls  for  nearly  the 


whole  of  what  is  received,  there  is  no  room 
for  a  plan  of  accumulation  ;  but  when  money 
flows  in,  and  rises  beyond  the  mark  «  imme- 
diate want,  and  the  advantages  of  it  bendn 
to  be  felt,  a  saving  system  is  adopted,  and 
the  mind  is  employed  in  caiculcating  the 
number  of  years  necessary  to  U13  arrival  at 
such  and  such  a  point;  and,  when  this  comes 
to  be  the  case,  every  application  for  benev- 
olence strikes  a  damp  upon  the  spirits,  as 
interfering  with  the  system,  and  lengthening 
the  time  ere  it  will  reach  the  proposed  point. 
Hence  arises  the  force  of  the  caution,  "If 
riches  increase,  set  not  your  heart  upon 
them."  Hence  also  we  perceive  the  folly 
and  self-deception  of  thinking — If  we  had 
such  a  one's  estate,  what  great  things  we 
should  do !  or,  if  we  should  live  to  possess 
so  and  so,  then  how  charitable  we  will  be  ! 
All  such  thoughts  are  framed  to  excuse  the 
neglect  of  present  duty,  and  are  as  if  a  person 
engaged  in  a  race  should  desire,  in  order  to 
make  swifter  progress,  to  have  his  feet  la- 
den with  thick  clay. 

With  respect  to  the  aged,  it  is  a  fact 
which  also  falls  under  common  observation 
that  persons  as  they  get  older  get  more  cov- 
etous. This  observation,  however,  is  not 
universally  true.  There  is  a  goodly  number 
of  men  who  bring  forth  other  "  fruits  in  old 
age  ; "  or  who,  as  they  draw  nearer  to  heav- 
en, become  more  heavenly-minded.  The 
truth  seems  to  be  that,  as  every  principle 
tends  to  maturity,  those  who  have  been  cov- 
etous in  their  younger  years,  provided  there 
be  no  change  of  heart,  will  be  more  covet- 
ous in  old  age.  The  stream  of  depravity  in 
early  life  had  several  channels, — such  as  the 
lust  of  the  flesh  and  the  pride  of  life,  and 
these  would  of  course  diminish  the  strength 
of  avarice  ;  but  in  the  last  stages  of  life  those 
channels  are  in  a  manner  stopped  by  the  de- 
cay of  the  natural  powers,  and  the  whole 
current  flows  in  one  direction.  Hence  we 
perceive  many  an  old  wealthy  churl  living 
to  himself,  and  repelling  every  application 
for  a  divine  or  benevolent  object :  "  Who  is 
David  ?  and  who  is  the  son  of  Jesse  ?  There 
be  many  servants  now-a-days  that  break 
away  every  man  from  his  master.  Shall  I 
then  take  my  bread,  and  my  water,  and  my 
flesh  that  I  have  killed  for  my  shearers,  and 
give  it  unto  men  whom  I  know  not  whence 
they  be?" 

When  I  see  such  a  spirit  in  aged  people, 
recollecting  that  every  principle,  as  was  said, 
tends  to  maturity,  I  cannot  help  considering 
it  as  a  strong  indication  that  they  have  all 
their  lives  been  under  the  dominion  of  his 
vice,  only  that  it  has  been  checked  by  a  re- 
gard to  appearances,  and  it  may  be  by  other 
vices  ;  and  that  they  are  now  fast  ripening 
for  destruction. 

But  in  what  way,  it  will  be  asked,  are  the 
third  class,  namely,  professors  of  religion, 
subject  to.  this  sin,  more  than  other  men  ? 


376 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


As  a  fact  it  has  long  impressed  my  mind, 
and  I  conceive  it  is  not  difficult  to  be  ac- 
counted for.  Supposing  a  person  to  be 
merely  a  professor,  whatever  impedes  his 
evil  propensity  in  all  directions  but  one,  will 
be  certain  to  strengthen  it  in  respect  of  that 
one.  This  is  exactly  the  case  as  to  a  pro- 
fession of  religion.  If  you  would  be  thought 
a  Christian,  you  must  not  be  a  drunkard,  nor 
a  debauchee,  nor  a  gamester,  nor  a  liar,  nor 
a  blasphemer,  nor  an  injurious  person ;  but 
you  may  love  the  world  more  than  God  :  for 
this,  being  confined  to  things  between  God 
and  your  own  conscience,  does  not  fall  under 
human  cognizance  ;  or  though  it  may  affect 
your  liberality  to  men,  yet  as  the  discipline 
of  the  New  Testament  leaves  every  man  to 
judge  of  his  own  ability,  and  to  give  what 
he  gives  not  as  it  ivere  of necessity ,  but  will- 
ingly, you  may  here  live  undetected,  and 
with  a  little  management  unsuspected  by 
your  brethren.  Of  this  the  case  of  Judas 
Iscariot  will  furnish  you  with  a  notable  ex- 
ample ! 

In  this  view,  perhaps,  dissenters  from  the 
established  church  may  be  more  in  danger 
of  indulging  in  covetousness  than  in  most 
other  evils.  They  are  shut  out  from  things 
which  are  principally  adapted  to  feed  other 
dispositions  as  well  as  this  ;  such  as  promo- 
tion in  the  church,  in  the  army,  and  in  the 
navy.  The  chief  openings  for  them  are 
found  in  manufactures,  trade,  and  husbandry  ; 
openings  which  it  is  certainly  very  lawful 
for  them  to  embrace,  but  which,  in  case  of 
success  attending  them,  are  often  great  temp- 
tations to  covetousness. 

I  close  with  two  remarks  : — First,  that  the 
danger  of  falling  into  covetousness  is  not 
confined  to  the  mere  professor  :  a  Christian 
may  be  greatly  impeded  by  it  in  his  way  to 
heaven,  and  like  Lot,  whose  heart  was  se- 
duced by  the  well-watered  plains  of  Sodom, 
may  die  under  a  cloud.  Lastly,  that  the 
most  effectual  preservative  from  this  sin,  as 
well  as  others,  is  believingly  to  converse 
with  the  doctrine  of  the  cross.  By  this  the 
world  was  crucified  to  the  apostle,  and  he 
unto  the  world. 


XLV. — MYSTERIOUS  NATURE  OF  MAN. 

"  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made." — Psal. 
exxxix.  14. 

The  term  "  fearful "  is  sometimes  to  be 
taken  subjectively,  for  our  being  possessed 
of  fear.  In  this  sense  it  signifies  the  same 
as  timid.  Thus  the  prophet  was  directed  to 
say  to  them  that  were  of  a  "  fearful  heart,  be 
strong."  At  other  times  it  is  taken  object- 
ively, for  that  property  in  an  object  the  con- 
templation of  which  excites  fear  in  the  be- 
holder. Thus  it  is  said  of  God  that  he  is 
"  fearful  in  praises,"  and  that  it  is  a  "  fearful 
thing  to  fall  into  the   hands  of  the  living 


God."  In  this  sense  it  is  manifestly  to  be 
understood  in  the  passage  now  under  con- 
sideration. The  human  frame  is  so  admira- 
bly constructed,  so  delicately  combined,  and 
so  much  in  danger  of  being  dissolved  by  in- 
numerable causes,  that  the  more  we  think  of 
it  the  more  we  tremble,  and  wonder  at  our 
own  continued  existence. 

"  How  poor,  how  rich,  how  abject,  how  august, 
How  complicate,  how  wonderful  is  man  ! 
IIow  passing  wonder  He  who  made  him  such, 
Who  mingled  in  our  make  such  strange  extremes 
Of  different  natures,  marvellously  mixed  ! 
Helpless  immortal,  insect  infinite, 
A  worm,  a  god — I  tremble  at  myself!  " 

To  do  justice  to  the  subject,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  be  well  acquainted  with  anato- 
my. I  have  no  doubt  that  a  thorough  ex- 
amination of  that  "  substance  which  God 
hath  curiously  wrought,"  ver.  15,  would  fur- 
nish abundant  evidence  of  the  justness  of 
the  psalmist's  words  ;  and  even  those  things 
which  are  manifest  to  common  observation 
may  be  sufficient  for  this  purpose.  In  gen- 
eral it  is  observable  that  the  human  frame 
abounds  with  avenues  at  which  enter  every 
thing  conducive  to  preservation  and  comfort, 
and  every  thing  that  can  excite  alarm.  Per- 
haps there  is  not  one  of  these  avenues  but 
what  may  become  an  inlet  to  death,  nor  one 
of  the  blessings  of  life  but  what  may  be  the 
means  of  accomplishing  it.  We  live  by  in- 
halation; but  we  also  die  by  it.  Diseases 
and  death,  in  innumerable  forms,  are  con- 
veyed by  the  very  air  we  breathe.  God  hath 
given  us  a  relish  for  divers  aliments,  and 
rendered  them  necessary  to  our  subsistence  : 
yet,  from  the  abuse  of  them,  what  a  train  of 
disorders  and  premature  deaths  are  found 
amongst  men !  And,  where  there  is  no 
abuse,  a  single  delicious  morsel  may,  by  the 
evil  design  of  another,  or  even  by  mere  ac- 
cident, convey  poison  through  all  our  veins, 
and  in  one  hour  reduce  the  most  athletic 
frame  to  a  corpse. 

The  elements  of  fire  and  water,  without 
which  we  could  not  subsist,  contain  proper- 
ties which  in  a  few  moments  would  be  able 
to  destroy  us  ;  nor  can  the  utmost  circum- 
spection at  all  times  preserve  us  from  their 
destructive  power.  A  single  stroke  on  the 
head  may  divest  us  of  reason  or  of  life.  A 
wound  or  a  bruise  of  the  spine  may  instantly 
deprive  the  lower  extremities  of  all  sensa- 
tion. If  the  vital  parts  be  injured,  so  as  to 
suspend  the  performance  of  their  mysterious 
functions,  how  soon  is  the  constitution  brok- 
en up !  By  means  of  the  circulation  of  the 
blood,  how  easily  and  suddenly  are  deadly 
substances  diffused  throughout  the  frame! 
Through  this  fearful  medium,  not  only  the 
taint  of  vice  rankles  in  the  veins  of  the  de- 
bauchee, but  virtue  itself  may  destroy  us. 
The  putridity  of  a  morbid  subject  has  been 
imparted  to  the  very  hand  stretched  out  to 
save  it.  The  poisoned  arrow,  the  envenom- 
ed dart,  the  hydrophobic  saliva,  derive  from 


THE    BROAD    AND    NARROW    WAY. 


377 


hence  their  fearful  efficacy.  Even  the  pores 
of  the  skin,  necessary  as  they  are  to  life, 
may  be  the  means  of  death.  Not  only  are 
poisonous  substances  hereby  admitted,  but, 
when  obstructed  by  surrounding  damps,  the 
noxious  humors  of  the  body,  instead  of  be- 
ing emitted,  are  retained  in  the  system,  and 
become  productive  of  numerous  diseases, 
always  afflictive,  and  often  fatal  to  life. 

From  these  few  instances  we  may  learn 
our  absolute  dependence  upon  divine  pres- 
ervation. So  numerous  are  the  avenues  at 
which  death  may  enter  that  no  human  fore- 
sight can  possibly  render  us  secure  for  a 
single  moment:  and  even  those  dangers 
which  may  in  a  measure  be  avoided  require 
for  this  purpose  the  regular  exercise  of  rea- 
son; but  reason  itself  depends  upon  a  varie- 
ty of  minute  causes,  over  which  we  have  no 
control.  Instead  of  wondering  at  the  num- 
ber of  premature  deaths  that  are  constantly 
witnessed,  there  is  far  greater  reason  to 
wonder  that  there  are  no  more,  and  that  any 
of  us  survive  to  seventy  or  eighty  years  of 
age. 

u  Our  life  contains  a  thousand  springs, 

And  dies  if  une  be  gone: 
Strange  ih^ta  harp  of  thousand  strings 

Should  keep  in  tune  so  long." 

Assuredly,  it  can  be  ascribed  to  nothing 
short  of  the  mighty  power  and  all-pervading 
providence  of  God.  A  proper  sense  of  this 
truth,  while  it  would  prevent  us  from  pre- 
sumptuously exposing  ourselves  to  unneces- 
sary injury,  would  induce  us  to  commit  our- 
selves to  the  divine  protection  in  every  dan- 
ger which  duty  calls  us  to  encounter. 

Nor  is  this  all.  If  we  are  "  fearfully  made  " 
as  to  our  animal  frame,  it  will  be  found  that 
we  are  much  more  so,  considered  as  moral 
and  accountable  beings.  In  what  relates  to 
our  animal  nature,  we  are  in  most  instances 
constructed  like  other  animals  ;  but,  in  what 
relates  to  us  as  moral  agents,  we  stand  dis- 
tinguished from  all  the  lower  creation.  We 
are  made  for  eternity.  The  present  life  is 
only  the  introductory  part  of  our  existence. 
It  is  that  however  which  stamps  a  character 
on  all  that  folltnvs.  How  fearful  is  our  sit- 
uation !  What  innumerable  influences  is 
the  mind  exposed  to  from  the  temptations 
which  surround  us  !  Not  more  dangerous 
to  the  body  is  the  pestilence  that  walketh 
in  darkness  than  these  are  to  the  soul. 
Such  is  the  construction  of  our  nature  that 
the  very  word  of  life,  if  heard  without  re- 
gard, becomes  a  savor  of  death  unto  death. 
What  consequences  hang  upon  the  small 
and  apparently  trifling  beginnings  of  evil ! 
A  wicked  thought  may  issue  in  a  wicked 
purpose,  this  purpose  in  a  wicked  action, 
this  action  in  a  course  of  conduct,  this  course 
may  draw  into  its  vortex  millions  of  our  fel- 
low creatures,  and  terminate  in  perdition, 
both  to  ourselves  and  them.  The  whole  of 
this  process  was  exemplified  in  the  case  of 
Vol.  2.— Sio.  48. 


Jeroboam  the  son  of  Nebat.  When  placed 
over  the  ten  tribes,  he  first  said  in  his  heart, 
"  If  this  people  go  up  to  sacrifice  at  Jerusa- 
lem, their  hearts  will  return  to  Rehoboam ; 
and  thus  shall  the  kingdom  return  to  the 
house  of  David." — 1  Kings  xii.  20 — 30.  On 
this  he  took  counsel,  and  made  the  calves  of 
Dan  and  Bethel.  This  engaged  him  in  a 
course  of  wickedness,  from  which  no  remon- 
strances could  reclaim  him.  Nor  was  it  con- 
fined to  himself:  for  he  "made  all  Israel  to 
sin."  The  issue  was,  not  only  their  destruc- 
tion as  a  nation,  but,  to  all  appearance,  the 
eternal  ruin  of  himself,  and  great  numbers 
of  his  followers.  Such  were  the  fruits  of 
an  evil  thought ! 

Oh,  my  soul,  tremble  at  thyself!  Trem- 
ble at  the  fearfulness  of  thy  situation  ;  and 
commit  thine  immortal  all  into  his  hands 
"  who  is  able  to  keep  thee  from  falling,  and 
to  present  thee  faultless  before  the  presence 
of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy." 


XL VI. LIFE  AND  DEATH,  OB  THE  BROAD 

AND  THE  NARROW  WAT. 

"  Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate;  for  wide  is  the 
gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  to  destruc- 
tion, and  many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat  :  be- 
cause strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way, 
which  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find 
it." — Matt.  vii.  13,  14. 

The  whole  world  are  travellers  :  there  is 
no  rest  for  the  sole  of  man's  foot :  the  ways 
in  which  they  walk  are  extremely  various, 
yet  all  reducible  to  two  : — "  To  heaven  or 
hell  we  daily  bend  our  course."  These  two 
are  here  described  by  their  properties  and 
end.  The  one  is  attended  with  things  which 
are  smooth  and  agreeable  to  the  flesh ;  but 
the  end  is  destruction :  the  other  with  things 
which  are  hard  and  disagreeable ;  but  the 
end  is  everlasting  life. 

I.  If  you  incline  to v the  former  of  these 
ways,  it  has  many  things,  it  must  be  owned, 
to  recommend  it ;  particularly, 

1.  You  have  no  difficulty  in  your  entrance 
upon  it :  it  is  a  wide  gate  :  it  just  suits  your 
depraved  inclinations.  As  soon  as  the  pow- 
ers of  your  souls  begin  to  act,  they  will  in- 
cline that  way :  so  of  every  particular  evil 
course  that  you  may  take — it  is  easy  to  get 
into  it:  the  gate  of  temptation  is  wide,  and  is 
set  wide  open  to  invite  you :  you  are  in, 
ere  you  are  aware.  Evil  habits  are  readi- 
ly contracted  ;  the  transition  from  occasion- 
al to  habitual  indulgence  is  very  short,  and 
that  of  which  you  are  scarcely  sensible  at  the 
time. 

2.  You  have  also  full  scope  for  your  incli- 
nation in  your  progress  :  "  Broad  is  the  way.' 
Though  there  is  but  one  way  to  heaven,  and 
that  a  strait  one  ;  yet  there  are  many  ways 
to  hell,  out  of  which  you  may  take  your 
choice.    The  broad  way  admits  of  many  di- 


378 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


visions,  and  sub-divisions.  You  may  walk 
in  the  path  of  gross  immorality  ;  may  swear 
and  lie,  or  drink  and  commit  lewdness  ;  or, 
if  you  covet  a  degree  of  reputation  which 
does  not  comport  with  such  a  life,  you  may 
pursue  a  much  more  decent  course  in  the 
indulgence  of  avarice  or  pride.  You  may 
be  a  mean  sycophant,  cringing  to  the  great ; 
or  a  haughty  overbearing  oppressor  to  those 
who  are  beneath  you  ;  nay,  you  may  be  both 
these  at  the  same  time.  You  may  revel  with 
the  vulgar,  or  banquet  with  the  genteel,  as 
circumstances  and  inclination  may  lead  you. 
You  may  scoff  at  all  religion  ;  or,  if  that 
does  not  suit,  you  may  be  religious  yourself. 
You  may  be  righteous  in  your  own  eyes  ;  or, 
if  that  does  not  accord  with  your  creed,  you 
may  be  an  advocate  for  grace,  and  turn  it, 
when  you  have  done,  into  lasciviousness. 

3.  Moreover,  you  will  be  in  no  want  of 
company;  .for  many  go  there.  Rich  and 
poor,  rude  and  learned :  it  is  impossible  you 
should  be  at  a  loss  for  agreeable  society. 
You  will  have  the  majority  on  your  side, 
and  that  with  many  is  a  great  matter;  yea, 
the  majority  in  all  the  nations,  cities,  towns, 
and  villages  in  the  world.  You  will  hard- 
ly go  into  any  company  or  place,  but  you 
will  find  fellow-travellers  to  keep  you  in 
countenance  ....  "but  the  end  thereof  is 
destruction ! !  " 

II.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  incline  to 
the  latter  of  these  ways,  I  must  direct  you 
to  count  the  cost:  be  assured  it  will  be  hard 
and  disagreeable  to  the  flesh.  The  difficul- 
ties which  attend  it  are  given  as  the  reason 
why  it  is  so  little  occupied. 

1.  If  you  incline  to  this  way,  there  may 
be  great  difficulties  attending  your  entrance  ; 
for  "strait  is  the  gate."  While  you  are 
under  convictions,  and  your  hearts  are  not 
subdued  to  the  obedience  of  Christ,  these 
difficulties  will  appear  insurmountable.  To 
escape  the  wrath  to  come,  it  will  appear 
absolutely  necessary  that  you  should  enter 
in :  yet  to  forego  all  hope  of  mercy  on  the 
ground  of  your  good  deeds,  or  even  of  your 
prayers  and  penitential  tears,  and  to  sue  for 
pardon  as  one  of  the  chief  of  sinners,  whol- 
ly for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  hard  work 
for  a  proud  heart.  If  you  enter  in,  it  is  also 
necessary  that  you  give  up  all  your  former 
idols  without  a  single  reserve  ;  but  this  also 
is  hard  work  to  a  corrupt  heart :  these  are 
things  which  make  many  people  hesitate 
about  religion  for  a  long  time,  laboring  un- 
der darkness  of  mind,  and  unable  to  find 
rest  for  their  souls.  But,  let  me  add,  these 
difficulties  exist  only  in  your  own  mind: 
"  ye  are  not  straitened  in  God,  but  in  your 
own  bowels."  If  you  can  be  contented  to 
accept  of  mercy  as  one  of  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners, all  will  be  easy.  Come  to  Jesus  as 
such,  and  you  will  find  rest  unto  your  souls  : 
and,  if  his  name  be  precious  unto  you,  his 
yoke  also  will  be  easy,  and  his  burden  light. 


Denying  self,  taking  up  the  cross,  and  follow- 
ing him,  will  then  be  no  hard  service,  but 
your  very  meat  and  drink.  The  way  of 
salvation  through  his  atoning  blood  will  also 
be  a  source  of  joy  unspeakable,  and  of 
peace  which  passeth  all  understanding:  and 
you  will  be  amazed  at  your  former  igno- 
rance and  aversion. 

2.  There  may  be  hard  struggles  attending 
your  progress ;  for  "  narrow  is  the  way." 
You  may  meet  with  contempt  from  the 
world,  persecution  from  your  connections, 
and,  if  you  be  faithful,  with  many  a  hard 
speech,  and  hard  measure,  from  loose  pro- 
fessors ;  you  may  be  annoyed  by  temptations 
from  without,  and  confounded  by  strong 
struggles  from  within ;  old  companions  may 
invite  you  to  turn  back ;  the  allurements  of 
the  world  may  be  placed  on  the  right  hand 
and  on  the  left,  to  induce  you  to  turn  aside ; 
and,  through  the  remaining  corruption  of 
your  nature,  you  may  be  too  apt  at  times  to 
listen  to  their  counsels :  you  may  also  ex- 
pect to  meet  with  things  that  will  make  your 
heart  sink  within  you ;  despondency  may 
lay  fast  hold  of  you  ;  and  the  very  hand  of 
God  be  stretched  out  against  you.  Let  me 
add,  however,  that  this  way  is  infinitely  less 
rugged  than  that  in  which  Jesus  walked  to 
accomplish  your  salvation :  and,  if  your 
heart  be  with  his  heart,  I  need  not  add  more 
to  reconcile  you  to  it. 

3.  In  pursuing  the  narrow  way,  you  may 
have  but  little  company ;  for  "  few  there  be 
that  find  it."  Compared  with  the  ungodly, 
religious  people  are  but  as  the  gleanings  of 
the  vintage  ;  and  your  lot  may  be  cast  in  a 
part  of  the  world  where  few  of  those  few 
are  to  be  found.  You  may  reside  in  a  village 
where  no  one  cares  for  Christ,  or  in  a  family 
that  calls  not  upon  his  name.  In  such  cir- 
cumstances, you  may  be  the  object  of  deri- 
sion, a  man  wondered  at,  and  persecuted ; 
and  even  hated  by  your  nearest  relations ! 
But  be  of  good  cheer :  though  there  be  but 
few  who  will  accompany  you,  yet  those  few 
are  the  excellent  of  the  earth.  You  will 
also  hold  society  with  an  invisible  host  of 
heavenly  spirits  that  watch  over  you  ;  a  host 
so  numerous  that  more  are  they  that  are 
with  you  than  they  that  are  with  your  adver- 
saries ;  and,  what  is  more  than  all,  the  nar- 
row way  "leadeth  unto  life." 

Thus  life  and  death  are  set  before  thee  ; 
which  wilt  thou  choose  ?  Recollect  that  the 
destruction  which  awaits  the  ungodly  is  not 
a  loss  of  being,  but  of  well  being;  it  is  the 
loss  of  all  that  is  desirable,  and  an  exposed- 
ness  to  all  that  is  dreadful ;  the  weeping  of 
desolation,  the  wailing  of  despair,  and  the 
gnashing  of  teeth  which  attends  the  most 
intolerable  anguish.  Consider  also  that  the 
life  which  awaits  the  godly  is  not  mere 
being,  but  well  being  ;  it  is  an  entire  free- 
dom from  evil  and  an  eternal  enjoyment  of 
bliss,  "  which  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 


HOPE    IN    THE    LAST    EXTREMITY 


379 


heard,  and  which  hath  not  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  to  conceive."  It  will  also  be 
heightened  by  the  trials  through  which  we 
pass  to  the  possession  of  it. 

If  you  enter  the  strait  gate,  and  walk 
in  the  narrow  way,  an  abundant  entrance 
will  be  ministered  unto  you,  into  the  ever- 
lasting kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ: 
but,  if  found  pursuing  the  broad  way,  you 
shall  hereafter  strive  to  enter  into  that  king- 
dom, and  shall  not  be  able. 


XLVII. HOPE    IN    THE    LAST    EXTREMITY. 

"  Then  I  said,  I  am  cast  out  of  thy  sight  ;  yet  I 
will  look  again  toward  thy  holy  temple." — Jonah 
ii.  4. 

The  greater  part  of  the  writings  of  the 
prophets  contain  little  history  ;  but  this  book 
is  an  exception.  It  is  a  history  of  a  prophe- 
cy against  a  city  which  at  that  time  was  the 
metropolis  of  the  world.  It  affords  a  singu- 
lar example  of  the  influence  which  the  true 
religion,  as  presented  among  the  Israelites, 
had  upon  the  surrounding  nations.  When 
we  read  of  the  idolatrous  gentiles,  we  are 
apt  to  think  they  were  altogether  sunk  in 
ignorance,  and  without  any  means  of  know- 
ing better,  except  what  were  afforded  by  the 
light  of  nature.  But  in  those  early  times 
God  had  a  people,  as  he  has  now,  who  were 
witnesses  for  him,  and  whose  testimony  left 
a  strong  impression  on  the  minds  of  man- 
kind about  them.  If  Jonah,  when  overtaken 
by  the  tempest,  had  been  a  heathen,  and  had 
committed  a  crime,  the  mariners  might  have 
been  alarmed,  concluding,  from  their  gener- 
al notions  of  an  unseen  providence,  that 
vengeance  had  overtaken  him ;  but  when 
they  were  told  that  he  was  a  Hebrew, — and 
feared  Jehovah,  the  God  of  heaven,  who 
made  the  sea  and  the  dry  land,  but  had  fled 
from  his  presence, — then  they  were  "  ex- 
ceedingly afraid."  They  had  heard,  no 
doubt,  of  this  God  of  gods,  who  was  wor- 
shipped by  the  Hebrews,  and  trembled  at 
his  judgments.  So  when  Jonah  entered  into 
Nineveh,  and  threatened  its  overthrow,  if  he 
had  been  a  heathen  soothsayer,  his  message 
might  have  influenced  a  few  ;  but  govern- 
ment would  doubtless  have  apprehended  him, 
and  either  have  punished  him  as  a  disturber 
of  the  public  peace  or  confined  him  as  a 
madman  ;  but  finding  him  to  be  a  prophet 
sent  by  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  whose 
judgments  upon  Egypt  and  other  nations 
had  rung  through  the  world,  they  were 
struck  with  amazement.  The  king  rises 
from  his  throne,  lays  aside  his  robe,  covers 
himself  with  sackcloth,  sits  in  ashes,  and 
causes  a  fast  to  be  proclaimed,  accompanied 
with  an  admonition  for  every  one  to  turn 
from  his  evil  way,  saying,  "  Who  can  tell  if 
God  will  repent,  and  turn  away  from  his 
fierce  anger,  that  we  perish  not  ?  "     Great  is 


the  force  of  truth  and  true  religion  upon  the 
conscience ! 

But  let  us  observe  more  particularly  the 
history  of  Jonah,  in  which  we  see  an  affect- 
ing example  of  human  depravity,  and  of  the 
mystery  of  Providence.  God  commands  him 
to  go  and  prophesy  against  Nineveh,  a  great 
city,  nortli  of  Judea.  He  dislikes  the  er- 
rand ;  and,  in  downright  rebellion,  takes  a 
ship  for  Tarshish,  a  seaport  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, in  nearly  a  southern  direction.  But 
whither  can  he  flee  from  God's  presence? 
Though  suffered  to  take  his  course  for  a 
while,  he  is  soon  pursued.  A  tempest  over- 
takes him.  One  would  have  thought  his 
restless  mind  must  have  anticipated  it,  and 
been  the  first  to  interpret  it;  but,  instead 
of  this,  all  parties  are  alarmed  before  him ; — 
he  is  asleep  at  the  bottom  of  the  ship.  A 
guilty  mind  cannot  be  always  on  the  rack  of 
reflection  ;  yet  its  repose  is  not  peace,  but  the 
stupidity  of  horror  and  wretchedness.  The 
rebuke  of  the  ship-master  seems  scarcely  to 
have  awakened  him.  At  length,  however,  the 
lot  of  God  falls  upon  his  guilty  head :  and  now 
we  have  to  witness  a  most  humiliating  sight 
— a  prophet  of  the  most  high  God  arraigned 
at  the  bar  of  a  company  of  heathen  sailors  I 
We  should  have  said,  Let  it  not  be  known 
unto  the  heathen ! — He,  if  he  could  have 
prayed  at  all,  would  have  said,  Make  me  not 
a  reproach  to  the  foolish. — But  God  says, 
It  shall  be  known.  He  knows  how  to  vindi- 
cate the  honor  of  his  name,  without  having 
recourse  to  the  little  arts  of  concealment  of 
which  creatures  commonly  avail  themselves. 
The  whole  must  come  out — his  country,  his 
religion,  his  character,  his  sin  !  And  do  the 
heathens  reproach  him  ?  If  they  had,  we 
could  not  have  wondered ;  but  it  operates  in 
a  different  way.  God  knows  how  to  soften 
the  hearts  of  men  by  that  which  we  might 
expect  would  harden  them  ;  and  things  which 
appear  to  us  injurious  to  his  cause  shall  tend 
to  establish  it.  They  inquire  of  him  what 
they  shall  do  ;  and  he  pronounces  his  own 
doom.  Humanity,  notwithstanding,  and  the 
fear  perhaps  of  incurring  the  displeasure  of 
his  God,  struggle  hard  for  his  deliverance  ;  but 
struggle  in  vain.  He  must  be  cast  away,  or 
they  must  all  perish.  No  time  is  to  be  lost ; 
they  must  come  to  a  decision.  Lifting  up 
their  eyes  to  heaven,  they  appeal  to  God  for 
the  painful  necessity  under  which  they  acted ; 
and  then,  taking  up  the  unhappy  man,  they 
cast  him  into  the  sea !  Reader,  had  you  and 
I  been  spectators  of  this  affecting  scene,  and 
in  possession  of  our  present  views,  we 
should  probably  have  not  only  dropped  a 
tear  over  the  watery  tomb  of  the  prophet, 
but  have  exclaimed,  "How  unsearchable  are 
God's  judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding 
out !  "  Viewing  the  effect  of  all  upon  the 
mariners,  we  should  have  seen  men,  who  till 
now  were  strangers  to  Jehovah,  calling  up- 
on his  name  ;  we  should  have  seen,  perhaps, 


380 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


the  joyful  conversion  of  some,  and  rejoiced 
in  the  "  sacrifices  and  vows  "  which  on  this 
mysterious  occasion  were  offered:  but  what 
would  have  been  a  damp  to  our  pleasure  we 
should  have  seen  Jonah  himself  committed 
to  the  deep,  prayerless,  and,  to  all  appear- 
ance, without  a  ray  of  hope  !  But  "  O  the 
depth  of  the  riches  of  the  wisdom  and  knowl- 
edge of  God !  "  When  the  closing  waves 
had  parted  him  from  human  observation, 
divine  providence  still  follows  him.  He  is 
swallowed  by  a  "  great  fish,"  probably  a 
shark.*  In  this  perilous  situation  his  life 
and  consciousness  are  preserved ;  and  here 
he  is  brought  to  his  right  mind.  Hence  he 
who  could  not  offer  one  petition  while  in  the 
presence  of  the  mariners  "prays  unto  Jeho- 
vah his  God."  What  were  his  prayers,  and 
the  workings  of  his  mind,  he  recorded  after 
his  deliverance.  A  part  of  this  record  is 
contained  in  the  sentence  on  which  this  ad- 
dress is  founded :  "Then  I  said,  I  am  cast 
out  of  thy  sight ;  yet  I  will  look  again  to- 
ward thy  holy  temple."  It  describes  the 
crisis  of  his  distress  the  moment  he  was 
sunk  to  the  greatest  despondency,  bordering 
on  utter  despair ;  out  of  which  he  is  recov- 
ered by  the  hope  of  divine  mercy. 

"  I  said,  I  am  cast  out  of  thy  sight."  Did 
he  mean  that  he  was  now  beyond  the  reach 
of  God's  omniscience  ?  No  ;  though  mortal 
eyes  could  follow  him  no  farther,  he  was 
well  aware  of  his  being  naked  to  the  eyes  of 
Him  with  whom  he  had  to  do.  His  meaning 
was,  I  suppose,  that  he  was  cast  out  of  God's 
favor ;  alluding  to  the  practice  of  princes  and 
great  men,  who  admit  their  friends  into 
their  presence,  but  banish  those  who  have 
offended  them  out  of  their  sight.  Thus  the 
divinely  favored  land  of  promise  is  described 
as  that  on  which  "the  eyes  of  the  Lord  were 
set,  from  the  beginning  of  the  year  to  the 
end  of  the  year  ; "  and  thus  the  children  of 
Israel,  when  they  had  for  a  long  time  offend- 
ed God,  are  said  to  be  removed  by  captivity 
out  of  his  sight.  Now  Jonah  had  been  fa- 
vored of  God  in  several  ways  :  As  an  Israel- 
ite, he  had  long  enjoyed  the  means  of  grace, 
of  which  those  of  other  nations  had  been 
destitute  ;  but  now  he  is  deprived  of  them. 
No  more  shall  I  peruse  the  lively  oracles  of 
Jehovah.  No  more  frequent  his  temple,  in 
company  with  his  people  !  No  more  join  in 
the  melody  of  Zion !  Far  from  the  holy 
abodes  of  hope  and  peace,  I  die  alone  !  No 
fellow-servant  of  God  to  attend  me  in  my 
last  hours !  no  eye  to  pity  me,  nor  hand  to 
help  me  !  I  die  an  outcast,  an  outcast  of  the 
heathen! — He  had  also  been  highly  honored 
in  being  made  a  prophet.  The  Lord  had 
employed  him  as  an  ambassador  extraordi- 
nary ;  but,  having  offended  him,  he  appears 
now  to  be  cast  off.  God,  as  if  he  should  say, 
will  employ  me  no  more.     In  this  shameful 

*  See  Parkhurst's  Greek  Lexicon,  on  mtu. 


and  painful  manner  ends  my  stewardship. — 
Finally  :  As  a  religious  man,  he  had  enjoyed 
communion  with  God,  and  cherished  hopes 
of  everlasting  life  ;  but  now  what  can  he 
think  of  himself,  and  of  his  prospects  for 
eternity  ?  If  by  this  language  he  meant  that 
all  was  over  with  him,  for  this  world  and 
that  to  come,  it  is  no  more  than  might 
be  expected.  Sin  must  needs  cloud  our 
evidences  for  heaven,  and  render  our  state 
doubtful.  "  They  that  observe  lying  vani- 
ties, forsake  their  own  mercies." 

There  is  something  in  this  language  pe- 
culiarly awful.  Of  all  the  ills  that  can  befal 
us,  being  cast  out  of  God's  sight  is  the  most 
to  be  dreaded,  because  this  is  the  source  and 
sum  of  evil.  As  God's  presence  is  heaven, 
to  be  cast  out  of  it  is  hell.  Deprived  of  his 
favor,  what  is  life,  even  though  we  were  pos- 
sessed of  every  earthly  comfort,  and  could 
insure  it  for  a  long  series  of  years  ?  What 
then  must  it  be  to  one  in  the  very  article  of 
dissolution  ?  To  live  without  the  divine  fa- 
vor is  dreadful ;  but  to  die  without  it  is  much 
more  so ! 

It  is  also  observable  how  the  punishment 
corresponds  with  the  nature  of  the  offence  ; 
and  this  we  shall  find  to  be  a  general  char- 
acter of  the  divine  administration.  They 
that  receive  not  the  love  of  the  truth  are 
given  up  to  believe  a  lie  ;  deceivers  are  de- 
ceived ;  adulterers- are  cast  into  a  bed,  and 
those  who  have  committed  adultery  with 
them ;  and  they  that  love  cursing,  the  curse 
shall  come  upon  them,  as  oil  into  their  bones. 
Thus  Jonah  fled  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord ;  and  now  his  conscience  forebodes 
the  issue — "  I  am  cast  out  of  thy  sight." 

There  are  two  other  remarks  which  pre- 
sent themselves  from  this  desponding  sen- 
tence, of  a  more  pleasing  complexion.  One 
is  that,  happily  for  him,  it  was  only  he  that 
said  it.  It  was  the  punishment  awarded  by 
conscience  at  the  time  ;  but  the  awards  of 
conscience  are  not  final.  They  respect 
what  ought  to  be,  if  we  had  our  desert ;  but 
not  always  what  shall  be.  Sovereign  mercy 
reserves  to  itself  the  right  of  revising  and 
reversing  these  decisions.  If  the  Lord  had 
said  Amen,  all  had  been  over  with  Jonah  ; 
but  "his  thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts, 
nor  his  ways  as  our  ways :  as  the  heavens 
are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  his  thoughts 
higher  than  our  thoughts,  and  his  ways  than 
our  ways." — "  Zion  said,  the  Lord  hathj§for- 
sakenme;"  but  the  Lord  her  God  did  not 
say  so  too!  The  other  remark  which  offers 
is,  the  piety  or  godliness  which  appears  even 
in  the  despondency  of  this  good  man.  How 
different  is  the  spirit  of  it  from  that  of  Cain! 
Future  punishment  is  sometimes  distinguish- 
ed into  a  punishment  of  loss  and  a  punish- 
ment of  sense.  The  latter  is"  the  dread  of 
the  wicked.  Could  they  but  be  exempted 
from  positive  misery,  they  would  not  be  much 
concerned  for  the  loss  of  God's  favor ;  nor 


HOPE    IN    THE    LAST    EXTREMITY. 


381 


indeed  at  all,  but  as  depriving  them  of  natu- 
ral enjoyment.  But  it  is  not  thus  with  a 
good  man.  The  loss  of  God's  favor  is,  to  him, 
the  heaviest  of  all  punishments.  This  was 
the  distress  of  Jonah.  One  sees  in  him  also, 
in  his  darkest  state,  a  tenderness  of  sinning 
against  God  by  being  any  otherwise  acces- 
sory to  his  own  death,  than  as  owning  what 
was  his  desert.  Some  men,  if  they  had  felt 
half  his  burden,  would  have  plunged  them- 
selves into  the  sea;  but  he,  humiliating  as 
it  must  be,  pronounces  his  own  doom,  and 
submits  to  be  cast  away  by  their  hands ! 

But  we  have  now  arrived  at  the  period  of 
his  dejection.  Lo,  when  he  was  just  giving 
up  all  for  lost ;  nay,  when  he  had  actually 
pronounced  his  doom  ;  when  death  had  laid 
hold  upon  him,  and  he  seemed  already  in  his 
grave  ;  a  thought  glances  across  his  mind  ; 
a  gleam  of  hope  accompanies  it:  yet,  before 
I  die,  "  I  will  look  again  toward  thy  holy 
temple!"  The  thought  proves  a  resurrec- 
tion to  his  soul. 

But  let  us  observe  what  it  was  on  which 
his  hope  at  this  affecting  crisis  caught  hold. 
Was  it  the  temple,  the  material  building,  to 
which  he  looked  for  relief?  Surely  not. 
An  Israelite  in  name  only  might  have  in- 
dulged a  superstitious  confidence  in  the 
place  :  but  Jonah  looked  farther.  It  was  to 
the  temple  with  respect  to  Him  that  dwelt 
therein,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  dwelt 
therein,  namely,  upon  the  mercy-seat,  or  pro- 
pitiatory, that  he  looked.  If  expressed  in 
New-testament  language,  it  would  be  look- 
ing to  God  through  a  Mediator,  who  is  our 
Advocate  with  the  Father,  and  whose  advo- 
cacy is  founded  on  his  having  been  made  a 
propitiation. 

The  encouragement  which  the  prophet 
felt  to  look  toward  the  temple  for  relief  ap- 
pears to  have  arisen  from  two  sources,  name- 
ly, Stripture  and  experience.  The  prayer  of 
Solomon  at  the  dedication  was  recorded  in 
the  Scriptures,  and  must  have  been  familiar 
to  every  godly  Israelite.  After  having  enu- 
merated divers  particular  cases,  he  adds, 
"  What  prayer  and  supplication  soever  be 
made  by  any  man,  or  by  all  thy  people  Isra- 
el, who  shall  know  every  man  the  plague  of 
his  own  heart,  and  shall  spread  forth  his 
hands  toward  this  house,  then  hear  thou  in 
heaven  thy  dwelling-place,  and  forgive,  and 
do,  and  give."  This  was  doubtless  a  direc- 
tory for  Jonah,  when  other  help  failed  ;  and 
the  answer  given  to  Solomon,  "I  have  heard 
thy  prayer,  and  thy  supplication  that  thou 
hast  made  before  me,"  turned  all  his  peti- 
tions into  promises.  Here,  therefore,  was 
rest  for  the  soul  of  every  distressed  Israel- 
ite, throughout  all  their  generations  ;  and 
for  Jonah,  though  in  the  most  deplorable 
state.  "  I  will  look,"  saith  he,  "  toward  thy 
holy  temple  ;  and  hear  thou  in  heaven  thy 
dwelling-place ;  and  forgive,  and  do,  and 
give."     To  scripture   direction  was   added 


former  experience.  The  language  implies 
that  this  was  not  the  first  time  that  Jonah 
had  looked  to  the  temple  for  relief.  He  had 
looked  before,  and  would  now  look  again. 
It  had  long,  no  doubt,  been  his  practice,  un- 
der every  load  of  guilt  or  sorrow  of  any  kind, 
to  repair  to  the  mercy-seat,  where  Jehovah 
had  promised  to  commune  with  his  people. 
This,  to  Old-testament  believers,  was  as 
common  as  coming  "  to  the  throne  of  grace 
that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find  grace  to 
help  us  in  tune  of  need,"  is  to  believers  un- 
der the  New  Testament;  and,  having  for- 
merly found  relief  in  looking,  they  would  be 
encouraged  to  look  again.  It  is  a  good  use 
to  make  of  past  experiences,  to  take  encour- 
agement from  them  to  make  renewed  appli- 
cations for  mercy.  They  are  not  designed 
for  a  pillow  of  repose  under  the  load  of  a 
guilty  conscience  ;  nor  the  source  from 
which  our  comfort  is  to  be  derived  ;  but  a  di- 
rectory to  point  us  to  the  Saviour,  and  an  en- 
couragement that  we  shall  not  apply  to  him 
in  vain. 

From  the  whole,  we  learn  the  following  im- 
portant instructions  : — First :  the  great  evil 
of  departing  from  God,  and  of  flying  in  the 
face  of  his  commands.  The  story  of  Jonah 
leaves  an  impression  behind  it  of  the  justness 
of  his  own  reflection,  "  They  that  observe 
lying  vanities,  forsake  their  own  mercies." 
What  are  all  the  reasonings  of  the  flesh 
against  God's  revealed  will  ?  Vanities,  ly- 
ing vanities;  the  end  of  which,  if  grace  pre- 
vent not,  will  be  death.  Secondly :  Yet  if 
any  one  have  sinned,  let  him  not  despair. 
While  there  is  a  propitiation,  an  Advocate 
with  the  Father,  to  despair  were  to  add  sin 
to  sin.  Thirdly :  If,  through  sin,  we  have 
lost  the  light  of  God's  countenance,  and 
would  recover  it,  it  must  be  sought  in  the 
same  way  as  that  in  which  we  first  obtained 
it.  If  ever  we  regain  rest  to  our  souls,  after 
having  backslidden  and  lost  it,  it  must  be  by 
applying  to  him,  as  guilty,  unworthy,  and 
perishing  sinners,  intreating  to  be  forgiven 
through  the  blood-shedding  of  the  Saviour. 
This  was  the  manner  in  which  we  first 
looked  ;  and  in  this  manner  we  must  look 
again.  Fourthly  :  Draw  no  positive  conclu- 
sions of  the  state  of  the  dead  from  what  we 
see  in  the  last  hours  of  life.  There  may  be 
no  ground  to  conclude  any  thing  in  their 
favor ;  yet  the  case  of  Jonah  is  sufficient  to 
deter  us  from  concluding  that  they  are  lost. 
Had  we  been  present  when  he  was  convicted 
and  cast  away,  and  seen  the  manner  in  which 
he  went  down  to  the  watery  grave,  we  might 
have  drawn  an  unfavorable  conclusion  of  him. 
All  that  took  place  of  a  favorable  kind  was 
after  every  human  eye  had  left  him.  Such 
a  case  proves  the  possibility  of  a  penitent 
and  believing  look  to  the  mercy-seat,  when 
the  party  is  removed  beyond  the  ken  of  hu- 
man observation  ;  and  this  is  sufficient  to 
teach  us  our  own  ignorance,  and  our  incom- 


382 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


petency  to  judge  of  the  future  state  of  any 
individual. 


XLVIII. PAST  TRIALS  A  PLEA  FOR  FUTURE 

MERCIES. 

"  Make  us  glad  according  to  the  days  wherein 
thou  hasi  afflicted  us,  and  the  years  wherein  we 
have  seen  evil. — Psa.  xc.  15. 

This  "prayer  of  Moses  the  man  of  God," 
as  it  is  entitled,  is  thought  to  have  been  oc- 
casioned by  the  sentence  denounced  against 
that  generation  of  Israelites  which  came  out 
of  Egypt,  viz.  that  they  should  perish  in  the 
wilderness.  In  it  we  see  much  of  the  plain- 
tive, and  yet  much  of  the  man  of  God,  cleav- 
ing to  God  under  his  judgments,  and  hoping 
in  his  covenant  mercy  and  truth.  Forbidden 
to  enter  their  promised  dwelling  place,  they 
are  directed  to  make  up  their  loss  in  God. — 
Ver.  1,  2.  Cut  short  as  to  the  number  of 
their  days,  to  apply  their  hearts  to  wisdom. — 
Ver.  12.  And  though  they,  and  himself 
with  them,  were  doomed  to  die,  they  are 
taught  to  pray  that  the  cause  of  God  may 
live. — Ver.  16,  17. 

The  language  of  the  text  implies  that  it  is 
usual  for  God,  in  dealing  with  his  people  in 
this  world,  to  balance  evil  with  good  and 
good  with  evil.  He  neither  exempts  them 
from  chastisement,  nor  contends  with  them 
forever.  If  he  had  dealt  with  us  on  the 
mere  footing  of  justice,  we  had  had  a  cup  of 
wrath  only;  but  throusrh  his  dear  Son  it  is 
mixed  with  mercy.  The  alternate  changes 
of  night  and  day,  winter  and  summer,  are 
not  more  fixed  in  the  course  of  nature,  than 
the  mixture  of  judgment  and  mercy  in  the 
present  state. 

The  children  of  Israel  were  long  afflicted 
in  Egypt,  and,  when  delivered  from  that 
grievous  yoke,  their  numerous  sins  against 
God  brought  on  them  numerous  evils  in  the 
wilderness  ;  till  at  length  it  issued  in  the 
dismal  sentence  which  is  supposed  to  have 
occasioned  this  plaintive  song.  Yet  this 
dark  night  was  preparatory  to  a  morning  of 
hope  and  joy.  The  people  that  were  left  of 
the  sword  found  grace  in  the  wilderness. 
The  judgments  upon  the  first  generation 
proved  a  source  of  wholesome  discipline  to 
the  second,  who  appear  to  have  been  the  best 
of  all  the  generations  of  Israel.  It  was  of 
thenTthat  God  spoke  in  such  high  terms  by 
Jeremiah : — "  I  remember  thee,  the  kindness 
of  thy  youth,  the  love  of  thine  espousals, 
when  thou  wentest  after  me  in  the  wilder- 
ness, in  a  land  not  sown.  Israel  was  holi- 
ness unto  the  Lord,  and  the  first  fruits  of  his 
increase."  All  that  God  had  done  for  them 
till  then  was  but  ploughing  up  the  fallow 
ground :  but  now  he  began  to  reap  the  fruits 
of  his  work.  Now  Balaam,  instead  of  be- 
ing able  to  curse  them,  is  compelled  to  bless 
and  envy  them.     And  now  the  prayer  of 


the  man  of  God  is  answered.  They  are 
made  glad  according  to  the  days  in  which 
they  were  afflicted,  and  the  years  in  which 
they  had  seen  evil.  God's  work  appeared 
to  his  servants,  and  his  glory  unto  their 
children.  His  beauty  was  upon  them,  and 
he  prospered  the  work  of  their  hands. 

We  might  refer  to  numerous  instances  in 
the  Scriptures  in  which  the  same  truth  is  ex- 
emplified. In  the  first  hundred  and  thirty 
years  of  Adam's  life,  he  drank  deeply  of  the 
bitter  effects  of  his  fall.  He  had  a  son  :  but, 
after  high  hopes  had  been  entertained  of  him, 
he  proved  wicked.  He  had  another  son,  but 
him  his  brother  murdered  ;  and,  as  the  mur- 
derer was  spared  and  his  family  increased, 
it  would  seem  as  if  the  world  was  to  be  peo- 
pled by  a  race  of  wicked  men.  But  it  did 
not  end  thus  :  God  gave  Adam  another  seed, 
instead  of  Abel  whom  Cain  slew  ;  and  soon 
after  this  men  began  to  call  upon  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  It  must  have  been  very  afflic- 
tive for  Noah  to  have  been  "  a  preacher  of 
righteousness "  century  after  century,  and 
at  last,  instead  of  seeing  his  hearers  con- 
verted to  God,  to  see  them  all  swept  away 
by  the  deluge.  But,  as  the  waters  were 
assuaged  when  they  had  risen  to  their 
height,  so  the  wrath  of  heaven  issued  in 
mercy.  God  accepted  the  sacrifice  of  his 
servant,  and  made  a  covenant  of  peace  with 
him  and  his  posterity. 

Similar  remarks  might  be  made  from  the 
histories  of  Jacob,  and  Joseph,  and  David, 
and  many  others :  these  were  made  glad 
according  to  the  days  wherein  they  had 
been  afflicted,  and  the  years  wherein  they 
had  seen  evil.  Nor  is  it  confined  to  indi- 
viduals. When  idolatrous  Israel  drew  down 
the  divine  displeasure  in  Hazaefs  wars,  Je- 
hu's revolution,  and  Elisha's  prophecies,  it 
was  very  afflictive.  Yet,  when  Jehoahaz  be- 
sought the  Lord,  the  Lord  hearkened  unto 
him,  and  was  gracious  to  his  people,  in  re- 
spect of  the  covenant  which  he  had  made 
with  their  fathers. — 2  Kings  xiii.  3 — 5,  23. 
Thus  the  wind,  the  earthquake,  and  the  fire, 
were  succeeded  by  the  still  small  voice. — 1 
Kings  xix.  11,  12.  Finally,  the  great  afflic- 
tions of  the  church  during  the  successive 
overturnings  of  the  monarchies  issued,  ac- 
cording to  Ezekiel's  prophecy  (chap.  xxi. 
xxvii.,)  in  Christ's  coming  and  kingdom. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  the  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  God  in  thus  causing  evil  to 
precede  good,  and  good  to  follow  evil.  If 
the  whole  of  our  days  were  covered  with 
darkness,  there  would  be  but  little  of  the 
exercise  of  love,  and  joy,  and  praise  ;  our 
spirits  would  contract  a  habit  of  gloominess 
and  despondency  ;  and  religion  itself  would 
be  reproached,  as  rendering  us  miserable. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  had  uninterrupted 
prosperity,  we  should  not  enjoy  it.  What 
is  rest  to  him  that  is  never  weary,  or  peace 
to  one  that  is  a  stranger  to  trouble  ?  Heaven 


THE    CHANGES    OF    TIME. 


383 


itself  would  not  be  that  to  us  which  it  will 
be,  if  we  came  not  out  of  great  tribulation  to 
the  possession  of  it. 

Evil  and  good  being  thus  connected  to- 
gether, the  one  furnishes  a  plea  for  the  other. 
Moses  pleaded  it,  and  so  may  we.  We 
may  have  seen  days  of  affliction,  and  years 
of  evil,  both  as  individuals  and  families. 
Borne  down,  it  may  be,  with  poverty  and 
disappointment,  our  spirits  are  broken.  Or, 
if  circumstances  have  been  favorable,  yet 
some  deep-rooted  disease  preys  upon  our 
constitution,  and  passes  a  sentence  of  death 
within  us  long  before  it  comes.  Or,  if  nei- 
ther of  these  evils  has  befallen  us,  yet  rela- 
tive troubles  may  eat  up  all  the  enjoyment 
of  life.  A  cruel  and  faithless  husband,  a 
peevish  and  unamiable  wife,  or  a  disobedi- 
ent child,  may  cause  us  to  say  with  Rebec- 
ca, What  good  does  my  life  do  me  ?  Or,  if 
none  of  these  evils  afflict  us,  yet  if  the 
peace  of  God  rule  not  in  our  hearts,  all  the 
blessings  of  life  will  be  bestowed  upon  us 
in  vain.  It  may  be  owing  to  the  want  of 
just  views  of  the  gospel,  or  to  some  iniquity 
regarded  in  our  heart,  that  we  spend  days 
and  years  with  but  little  communion  with 
God. 

Finally :  If,  as  in  some  cases,  a  number 
of  these  evils  should  be  combined,  this  will 
make  the  load  still  heavier.  But  whatever 
be  our  afflictions,  and  however  complicated, 
we  may  carry  them  to  the  Lord,  and  then 
turn  them  into  a  plea  for  mercy.  Though 
the  thorn  should  not  be  immediately  extract- 
ed yet,  if  God  cause  his  grace  to  be  suf- 
ficient for  us,  we  shall  have  reason  to  be 
glad. 

We  have  also  seen  days  of  affliction  and 
years  of  evil  as  a  nation.  It  is  true  we  have 
less  cause  to  apply  this  language  to  our- 
selves than  most  other  nations  at  the  present 
time  :  yet  to  a  feeling  heart  there  is  matter 
for  grief.  What  numbers  of  widows  and 
fatherless  children  have  been  left  even 
among  us,  within  the  last  sixteen  years ! 
Let  the  faithful  of  the  land  turn  it  into  a 
prayer,  not  only  in  behalf  of  our  country, 
but  of  a  bleeding  world. 

Many  of  our  churches,  too,  have  experi- 
enced days  and  years  of  evil.  The  loss  of 
faithful  and  useful  pastors,  disorders,  scan- 
dals, strifes,  divisions,  the  consequent  with- 
drawment  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  are  evils  which 
many  have  to  bewail.  Let  the  faithful  rem- 
nant in  every  place  carry  these  things  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  there  plead  with  the 
God  of  mercy  and  truth,  by  whom  alone 
Jacob  can  arise  ;  and,  though  weeping  may 
continue  for  a  night,  joy  will  come  in  the 
morning. 

The  tohole  church  of  God  has  seen  much 
evil  hitherto.  Its  numbers  have  been  few 
and  despised.  It  has  often  been  under  per- 
secution. Compared  with  what  might  have 
been  expected,  in  almost  six  thousand  years, 


"  we  have  wrought  no  deliverance  in  the 
earth,  neither  have  the  inhabitants  of  the 
world  fallen."  But  all  these  tilings  furnish 
a  plea  for  better  times.  Even  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  wicked  may  enable  us  to  plead 
with  the  psalmist,  "It  is  time  for  thee,  O 
Lord,  to  work,  for  they  have  made  void  thy 
law."  We  may  urge  the  prayer  of  faith  too 
on  this  subject;  since  glorious  things  are 
spoken  of  the  city  of  God.  Both  the  world 
and  the  church  have  their  best  days  to 
come. 

It  is  necessary,  however,  to  recollect  that 
the  happy  issue  of  all  our  troubles  depends 
upon  our  union  with  Christ.  If  unbelievers, 
our  troubles  are  but  the  beginning  of  sor- 
rows. It  is  a  fatal  error  in  many  that  great 
afflictions  in  this  life  indicate  that  we  have 
had  our  evil  things  here.  Few  men  have 
been  more  miserable  than  Saul  was  in  his 
latter  days.  But  if,  renouncing  every  other 
ground  of  hope,  we  believe  in  Jesus  the 
crucified,  whatever  our  sorrows  may  be  in 
this  life,  they  will  be  turned  into  joy. 


XLIX. THE  CHANGES   OF  TIME. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  delivered  at  the  commence- 
ment of  a  New  Year.} 

"  The  acts  of  David,  fir^t  and  last,  behold  they 
are  written  in  the  bonk  of  Samuel  the  seer,  with 
all  his  reisti,  and  his  might,  and  the  limes  that 
went  over  him,  and  over  Israel,  and  over  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  countries." — 1  Chron.  xxix.  29,  SO. 

There  is  something  in  the  manner  of  the 
sacred  writers  peculiar  to  themselves.  A 
common  historian  might  have  glanced  at  the 
reign  of  David,  and  referred  to  other  books 
in  which  it  was  described  ;  but,  viewing  the 
events  of  it  only  with  the  eye  of  a  politician, 
his  diction,  though  elegant  and  instructive, 
would  leave  no  impression  upon  the  heart. 
The  sacred  historians  felt  what  they  wrote. 
Eyeing  the  hand  of  God  in  all  things,  they 
conceive  of  them,  they  represent  them,  in  an 
affecting  light.  There  is  something  in  the 
phraseology  of  this  passage  which  is  singu- 
larly impressive.  It  opens  at  once  to  our 
contemplation  the  constant  vicissitudes  of 
human  affairs.  We  see  and  feel,  as  in  a 
moment,  that  the  same  affecting  scenes 
which  are  passing  over  the  world  in  our 
times  have  passed  over  it  in  former  ages. 
Society  may  assume  different  shapes  and 
forms  ;  but  it  is  essentially  the  same.  "  The 
things  that  are,  are  the  things  that  have 
been ;  and  there  is  no  new  thinff  under  the 
sun. 

We  are  also  led  to  view  the  great  cur- 
rent of  human  affairs  as  moving  on  without 
our  consent,  and  without  being  subject  to 
our  control.  We  bear  a  part  in  them,  but  it  is 
like  the  fishes  playing  in  the  stream  ;  which 
passes  over  them  independent  of  their  will, 


384 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


and  returns  no  more.  What  an  idea  does  it 
give  of  our  insignificance  and  entire  depend- 
ence upon  God  !  But,  though  our  influence 
in  counteracting  the  great  events  of  time  be 
very  small,  yet  their  influence  upon  us  is 
great.  They  bear  a  relation  to  us,  as  they 
formerly  did  to  David  and  Israel,  and  the 
kingdoms  of  the  countries,  and  leave  an  im- 
portant impression  upon  us.  We  are  either 
the  better  or  the  worse  for  the  times  that 
have  gone  over  us,  and  may  be  so  to  eterni- 
ty. The  vicissitudes  that  pass  over  us 
during  a  single  human  life,  and  the  impres- 
sions tvhich  they  leave  behind  them,  are  sub- 
jects which,  if  realized,  would  overwhelm 
the  mind.  There  is  a  current  of  national 
changes  which  is  passing  continually.  What 
times  have  passed  over  the  nations  of  Europe 
within  our  remembrance  !  Some  have  risen, 
some  have  fallen,  some  enlarged,  and  some 
contracted.  What  multitudes  of  lives  have 
been  lost!  How  much  of  human  nature 
has  been  developed  !  What  evidence  has 
been  afforded  of  the  enmity  of  man's  heart 
against  the  gospel,  and  the  insufficiency  of 
all  human  devices  to  give  happiness  to  the 
world  without  it !  What  seeds  have  been 
sown  for  future  change,  the  fruits  of  which 
may  be  seen  to  the  end  of  time ! 

And  while  the  page  of  history  records 
the  acts  of  the  great,  whether  good  or  bad, 
there  are  others  which  it  overlooks,  but 
which  are  no  less  interesting  on  account  of 
the  near  relation  they  bear  to  us.  There  is 
a  current  of  changes  within  the  circle  of  our 
immediate  acquaintance.  What  a  number  of 
deaths,  of  new  faces,  and  of  new  circum- 
stances !  Property,  power,  and  influence, 
have  changed  hands ;  those  whose  fathers 
were  abject  are  raised  on  high ;  while 
others,  who  have  been  delicately  educated, 
are  sunk  into  wretchedness.  Nor  do  these 
changes  extend  merely  to  our  acquaintance, 
but  to  ourselves.  There  are  few  of  us  but 
have  had  our  times  of  sickness  and  of  health, 
of  prosperity  and  of  adversity,  of  joy  and 
sorrow.  Times  when  unions  were  formed, 
and  times  when  they  have  been  dissolved  ; 
times  when  children  have  been  born,  and 
times  when  they  have  died  ;  times  when  we 
have  been  so  happy  that  we  have  thought 
nothing  could  make  us  miserable  ;  and  times 
when  we  have  been  so  miserable  as  to  de- 
spair of  ever  again  being  happy. 

But  these  are  tilings  mostly  of  a  civil  na- 
ture. There  is  also  a  current  of  changes 
continually  passing  over  us  of  a  religious 
kind.  The  cause  and  kingdom  of  Christ 
while  in  this  world  is  subject  to  constant 
vicissitude.  In  some  places  it  prospers,  in 
others  it  declines.  Upon  the  whole,  how- 
ever, it  is  going  on,  and  it  becomes  us  to 
mark  its  progress.  It  was  in  one  life  that 
Israel  forsook  Egypt,  and  was  planted  in 
Canaan ;  in  one  life  they  were  carried  into 
captivity;    and  in  one  life    brought   back 


again :  in  one  life  the  Son  of  God  became 
incarnate,  and  accomplished  our  redemption ; 
in  one  life  the  gospel  was  preached  almost 
over  the  whole  earth  ;  in  one  life  the  refor- 
mation was  effected ;  and  it  may  be  in  one 
life  that  Antichrist  may  come  to  his  end, 
and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 
Our  life  has  been  cast  in  an  eventful  period, 
and  that  of  our  children  may  be  more  so. 

But  if,  as  has  been  remarked,  the  events 
of  time  bear  a  relation  to  us,  and  leave  an 
impression  upon  us,  it  becomes  us  to  inquire 
what  impression  those  times  which  have 
passed  over  us  have  left  upon  our  minds : — 

Great  numbers  of  them  are  disregarded, 
and  they  can  leave  no  good  impression.  All 
that  was  wrought  in  Judea,  in  the  times  of 
Augustus  and  Tiberius,  was  overlooked  by 
the  great  mass  of  mankind.  It  filled  some 
few  with  joy  unspeakable  ;  but  the  world  in 
general  took  but  little  notice  of  it.  The 
Greeks,  Romans,  and  other  nations,  went 
on  just  as  we  do  ;  scheming,  intriguing,  buy- 
ing, selling,  amassing  fortunes,  spending 
them,  waging  wars,  and  struggling  for  the 
highest  posts  of  honor.  Many  never  heard 
of  it,  and  most  that  did  cared  for  none  of 
these  things.  With  what  contempt  did 
Festus  speak  of  a  cause  which  came  before 
him,  relative  to  faith  in  Christ. — "Certain 
questions  of  Jewish  superstition,  and  of  one 
Jesus,  who  was  dead,  and  whom  Paul  affirm- 
ed to  be  alive  !  "  Many  of  those  who  be- 
held the  miracles  of  Christ,  and  heard  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  wondered  and  per- 
ished. Thus  things  of  the  greatest  moment 
may  pass  over  us  disregarded,  and  conse- 
quently can  leave  no  good  impression.  It 
was  the  same  at  the  reformation  from  Popery. 
God  wrought  a  great  work  in  that  day  :  but 
the  mass  of  mankind  saw  it  not.  They 
were  each  pursuing  their  schemes  of  ambi- 
tion, or  covetousness,  or  sensuality  ;  and  so 
did  not  profit  by  it:  and  thus  it  is  at  this 
day.  The  principal  actors  upon  the  theatre 
of  human  affairs  have  their  respective  ob- 
jects in  view  ;  but  they  see  not  God's  hand. 
Nor  is  it  much  otherwise  with  the  specta- 
tors :  some  admire,  others  fear,  and  others 
are  filled  with  abhorrence  :  but  few  regard 
the  works  of  the  Lord,  or  discern  the  opera- 
tion of  his  hands. 

In  others,  the  things  which  have  passed 
over  them  may  have  made  some  degree  of 
impression  upon  them,  and  yet  the  issue  of  it 
may  be  doubtful.  Under  threatening  provi- 
dences or  close  preaching,  they  have  been 
affected  not  a  little — have  heard  the  word 
gladly,  and  done  many  things — have  been 
greatly  moved,  and  reformed  in  their  beha- 
vior; but,  after  all,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
their  hearts  be  divorced  from  their  idols. 

On  some,  however,  the  things  which  have 
passed  over  us  have  had  a  good  effect,  and 
require  to  be  recollected  with  thankfulness. 


TRUE    WISDOM. 


385 


One  can  remember  a  providence  which 
brought  him  under  the  word,  or  into  a  pray- 
ing family  or  religious  connection;  another, 
a  conversation,  a  sermon,  or  a  solitary  walk, 
in  which  he  saw  and  felt  the  light  of  life, 
and  from  which  period  his  feet  were  turned 
from  the  ways  of  death. 

Finally  :  A  recollection  of  the  times  which 
have  passed  over  us,  over  Israel,  and  over 
the  nations,  will  furnish  matter  for  much 
humility  and  trembling,  even  though  we 
should  have  profited  by  them ;  and,  if  we 
have  not,  it  is  a  subject  the  realizing  of 
which  would  overwhelm  us.  What  oppor- 
tunities have  we  had  of  glorifying  God, 
which  have  passed  by  unnoticed  !  what  in- 
structive lessons,  under  which  we  have  been 
dull  of  learning  !  what  rebukes,  without  be- 
ing effectually  corrected !  and  what  narrow 
escapes  from  temptation,  the  falling  into 
which  had  been  worse  than  death  !  Neither 
have  we  sufficiently  regarded  the  operations 
of  God's  hand  upon  the  world  and  the  church, 
so  as  to  be  properly  affected  by  them.  And, 
if  such  reflections  be  furnished  in  regard  of 
good  men,  what  must  be  the  retrospection 
of  the  wicked !  Youth  has  passed  over  them, 
and  left  only  the  impression  of  guilt,  shame, 
and  remorse  ;  or,  what  is  worse,  a  gust  to 
re-act  its  follies,  even  when  they  have  lost 
the  capacity.  Prosperity  has  made  them 
proud,  and  adversity  filled  them  with  hard- 
ness and  rebellion  of  heart.  They  have 
been  afflicted,  and  have  not  called  upon 
God  ;  or,  if  they  have,  no  sooner  has  it  sub- 
sided than  they  have  ceased.  Death  has 
approached  them,  and  in  their  fright  they 
have  entered  into  solemn  vows  ;  but  all  have 
quickly  been  forgotten.  How  many  slight- 
ed opportunities,  solemn  warnings,  tender 
sermons,  and  powerful  convictions  will  come 
into  account  at  the  last  day  ! 


L. — ON  TRUE  WISDOM. 

"  The  wisdom  of  the  prudent  is  to  understand 
his  way  :  but  the  folly  of  fools  is  deceit." — Pruv. 
xiv.  8.     - 

This  proverb  teaches  us  that  true  wisdom 
is  of  a  useful  or  practical  nature.  There  is 
a  great  difference  between  the  wisdom  of 
some  worldly  men  and  that  of  others.  Some 
deal  in  mere  speculation :  their  discoveries 
are  of  no  use  either  to  themselves  or  man- 
kind. Others,  who  are  of  a  more  prudent 
turn,  bend  their  talents  to  useful  purposes. 
The  philosophy  of  a  Lunardi  exhibits  an  air 
balloon — that  of  a  Franklin  is  applied  to  ob- 
jects of  real  utility. 

But  Solomon  seldom,  if  ever,  writes  of 
mere  natural  wisdom.  That  on  which  he 
chiefly  dwells  has  its  origin  in  "the  fear  of 
the  Lord." — Chap.  i.  7.  The  passage  may, 
therefore,  be  considered  as  giving  the  char- 
acter of  holy  wisdom,  as  distinguished  from 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  49. 


the  wisdom  of  this  world  :  it  directs  to  the 
understanding  of  our  way,  in  matters  of  the 
highest  importance.  Aiid  this  is  the  proper 
opposite  of  the  folly  described  in  the  last 
clause,  which  is  said  to  be  deceit.  Wicked 
men  are  the  greatest  fools  in  God's  account; 
and  their  folly  consists  in  self-deception. 
While  the  wisdom  of  the  truly  wise  turns  to 
a  good  account,  the  folly  of  the  wicked  puts 
a  cheat  upon  their  souls. 

The  wisdom  of  some  men  is  to  understand 
things  which  cannot  be  understood. — When 
David  appealed  to  God,  saying,  "  Lord, 
my  heart  is  not  haughty,  nor  mine  eyes  lofty  ; 
neither  do  I  exercise  myself  in  great  matters, 
or  in  things  too  high  for  me  " — "  My  soul  is 
as  a  weaned  child  " — It  implies  that  there 
were  men  who  did,  and  so  there  are  still. 
"j\Ian,"  says  Locke,  "should  know  the 
length  of  his  tether."  What  a  deluge  of  ab- 
stract speculations  has  been  poured  upon  the 
world  in  all  ages,  especially  since  the  inven- 
tion of  printing  !  There  is  no  end  to  ques- 
tions upon  such  subjects.  Instead  of  find- 
ing out  truth,  we  presently  lose  ourselves. 
Ask,  What  is  a  spirit  ?  What  is  eternity  ? 
What  is  immensity  ?  How  came  a  pure 
creature  to  become  sinful  ?  Why  did  God 
create  man,  seeing  what  part  he  would  act  ? 
All  these,  and  a  thousand  more  questions  of 
the  kind,  belong  to  the  wisdom  of  the  impru- 
dent. It  does  not  lead  us  a  step  towards 
heaven,  but  in  a  contrary  direction. 

Again :  The  wisdom  of  others  is  to  pry 
into  things  which,  if  understood,  are  of  little 
or  no  use. — Long  and  elaborate  treatises 
have  been  written  on  the  question,  What  is 
space  ?  But  cui  bono  ?  Even  those  things 
which  are  of  use  (astronomy  for  instance,) 
if  pursued  to  the  neglect  of  our  ivay,  are  fol- 
ly, and  will  deceive  the  expectation.  We 
should  blame  any  man,  and  count  him  a  fool, 
notwithstanding  his  learning,  if  he  employ- 
ed himself  in  studying  the  distances  of  the 
stars  while  his  family  were  pining  for  want, 
and  his  affairs  going  to  ruin:  and  why  not 
if  in  the  same  pursuits  he  neglects  the  salva- 
tion of  his  soul  ? 

Further :  The  wisdom  of  some  is  to  un- 
derstand the  ivay  of  other  men. — We  meet 
with  many  who  are  exceedingly  censorious 
on  public  measures.  For  their  part,  they  are 
wise :  and  happy  would  it  be  for  the  world 
if  it  were  under  their  direction  !  but  whether 
it  be  that  the  affairs  of  religious  and  domes- 
tic duty  are  too  little  for  their  expanded 
minds,  or  whatever  be  the  reason,  so  it  is, 
that  their  own  concerns  are  generally  neg- 
lected. We  meet  with  others  who  under- 
stand all  the  private  concerns  of  a  neighbor- 
hood, and  can  point  out  the  faults  and  de- 
fects of  every  one  about  them,  but  forget 
their  own.  We  have  even  met  with  profes- 
sors of  religion,  who  understand  the  faults, 
defects,  and  errors  of  almost  all  the  religious 
world,  and,  whenever  they  meet  together, 


386 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


these  are  the  topics  of  conversation  by  which 
they  edify  one  another.  Surely  this  is  not 
"  the  -wisdom  of  the  prudent ! " 

But,  it  will  be  asked,  what  is  "the  wisdom 
of  the  prudent  ?  "  Audi  may  answer,  It  is 
that  which  leads  to  the  understanding  of  our 
way  through  life,  and  to  the  heavenly  home. 

Particularly  :  It  'will  lead  us  above  all 
things  to  see  that  our  way  be  right.  There 
are  many  by-ways,  and  many  who  are  walk- 
ing in  them  ;  but  true  wisdom  will  not  rest 
till  it  find  out  the  road  that  leads  to  everlast- 
ing life.  It  will  know  whom  it  trusts,  and 
whether  he  be  able  to  keep  that  which  is 
committed  to  him.  It  will  lead  us  also  to 
attend  diligently  to  the  directions  of  the 
way.  We  shall  read  the  oracles  of  God: 
the  doctrines  for  belief,  and  the  precepts  for 
practice  ;  and  shall  thus  learn  to  cleanse  our 
way  by  taking  heed  thereto,  according  to 
God's  word.  It  will  moreover  induce  us  to 
guard  against  the  dangers  of  the  way.  We 
shall  not  be  ignorant  of  Satan's  devices,  nor 
of  the  numerous  temptations  to  which  our 
age,  times,  circumstances,  and  propensities 
expose  us.  It  will  influence  us  to  keep  our 
eye  upon  the  end  of  the  way.  A  foolish 
man  will  go  that  way  in  which  he  finds  most 
company,  or  can  go  most  at  his  ease  :  but 
wisdom  will  ask,  "What  shall  I  do  in  the 
end  thereof? "  To  understand  the  end  of 
the  wrong  way  will  deter :  but  to  keep  our 
eye  upon  that  of  the  right  will  attract. 
Christ  himself  kept  sight  of  the  joy  that  was 
set  before  him.  Finally :  as  holy  wisdom 
possesses  the  soul  with  a  sense  of  propriety 
at  all  times,  and  upon  all  occasions,  it  is 
therefore  our  highest  interest  to  obtain  this 
wisdom,  and  to  cultivate  it  by  reading,  medi- 
tation, prayer,  and  every  appointed  means. 
"My  son,  if  thou  wilt  receive  my  words,  and 
hide  my  commandments  with  thee,  so  that 
thou  incline  thine  ear  unto  wisdom,  and 
apply  thine  heart  to  understanding ;  yea,  if 
thou  criest  after  knowledge,  and  liftest  up 
thy  voice  for  understanding ;  if  thou  seekest 
her  as  silver,  and  searchest  for  her  as  for  hid 
treasures  ;  then  shalt  thou  understand  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge  of 
God.  For  the  Lord  giveth  wisdom ;  out  of 
his  mouth  cometh  knowledge  and  under- 
standing. He  layeth  up  sound  wisdom 
for  the  righteous  ;  he  is  a  buckler  to  them 
that  walk  uprightly." 


LI. — IRREMEDIABLE    EVILS. 

•'  That  which  is  crooked  cannot  be  made 
straight,  and  that  which  is  wanting  cannot  be  num- 
bered."— Eccles.  i.  15. 

The  wise  man  inquires,  "  What  is  that 
good  for  the  sons  of  men  which  they  should 
do  all  the  days  of  their  life  ? "  At  the 
close  of  his  inquiries  he  answers, "  Fear  God 
and  keep  his  commandments,  for  this  is  the 


whole  of  man."  But  before  he  comes  to 
this  conclusion  of  the  matter,  as  he  calls  it, 
he  takes  a  large  survey  of  human  affairs, 
the  result  of  every  inquiry  concerning  which 
is,  "  All  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 
Every  thing  that  passeth  under  his  review 
was  either  void  of  substantial  good  or  con- 
nected with  some  evil  which  embittered  it. 

Two  of  the  marks  of  vanity  inscribed  on 
earthly  things  are,  that  a  great  number  of 
them  are  inveterately  crooked,  or  devious 
from  the  line  of  what  is  good  for  the  sons 
of  men  ;  and  that  a  still  greater  number  are 
wanting,  or  defective,  so  that  though  there 
were  nothing  in  them  repugnant  to  what  is 
good,  yet  they  are  insufficient  to  satisfy  the 
mind. 

That  devious  and  defective  things  should 
be  found  in  the  world  is  not  surprising  ;  but 
they  are  found  also  in  the  church,  and  our 
endeavors  to  rectify  and  supply  them  are 
often  ineffectual.  It  is  too  much  to  infer 
from  this  that  we  are  to  sit  down  in  de- 
spair and  attempt  nothing ;  but  it  will  be. 
profitable  to  know  the  limited  extent  of  our 
powers,  so  as  not  to  waste  our  time  and  en- 
ergies on  that  which  will  answer  no  good 
end. 

Many  have  been  employed  during  the 
greater  part  of  their  lives  in  striving  to  cor- 
rect the  errors  and  disorders  of  the  church, 
and  to  supply  its  defects.  This  has  certainly 
been  a  good  work.  What  else  were  the 
labors  of  the  Reformers,  of  the  Puritans,  of 
the  Nonconformists,  and  indeed  of  all  the 
servants  of  God  in  every  age,  but  so  many 
attempts  to  bend  the  minds  of  men  to  the 
mind  of  Christ  ?  Nor  have  they  labored 
without  effect.  When  we  compare  the 
present  state  of  things  with  what  we  wish, 
we  seem  indeed  to  have  done  nothing  :  but, 
when  with  the  state  of  things  in  times  past, 
we  may  say,  "What  hath  God  wrought!" 
Paganism  has  been  excluded  from  Europe  ; 
popery  has  been  so  diminished  as  to  have 
lost  its  wonted  energies  ;  and  Christianity, 
cherished  under  the  wing  of  religious  free- 
dom, has  of  late  taken  a  notable  flight, 
alighting  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Pagan 
world.  But  with  all  this  there  are  many 
crooked  things  among  us,  and  things  which 
by  human  hands  cannot  be  made  straight. 
The  spirit  of  infidelity  has  pervaded  the 
minds  of  millions  in  Europe  whose  fathers 
were  once  the  decided  friends  of  the  refor- 
mation. The  systems  of  many  who  would 
be  thought  to  be  Christians  are  so  tinged 
with  it  as  to  become  antichristian.  And, 
among  those  who  profess  to  believe  the  doc- 
trines of  the  reformation,  many  content 
themselves  with  the  name  of  orthodoxy, 
without  the  thing.  There  is  a  tendency  in 
the  human  mind  to  deviate  from  divine  truth. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  illuminating  influ- 
ence of  the  Spirit  of  God,  we  should  never 
have  understood  it ;  not  because  of  its  ab- 


IRREMEDIABLE    EVILS. 


387 


struseness,  but  on  account  of  the  unconge- 
niality  of  our  minds  :  and,  when  we  do  un- 
derstand and  believe  it,  there  is  a  continual 
tendency  in  us  to  get  wrong.  It  might  seem 
that,  when  a  person  has  once  obtained  a 
just  view  of  the  gospel,  there  is  no  danger 
of  his  losing  it:  but  it  is  not  so.  There  is 
a  partiality  in  all  our  views,  and,  while  we 
guard  against  error  in  one  direction,  we  are 
in  equal  danger  from  a  contrary  extreme. 
Many,  in  shunning  the  snare  of  self-right- 
eous pride,  have  fallen  into  the  pit  of  anti- 
nomian  presumption  ;  and  many,  in  guard- 
ing what  they  consider  as  the  interests  of 
practical  religion,  have  ceased  to  teach  and 
preach  those  principles  from  which  alone  it 
can  proceed.  Besides  this,  there  are  many 
ways  by  which  a  minister  may  get  beside 
the  gospel  without  falling  into  any  palpable 
errors.  There  may  be  nothing  crooked,  yet 
much  ivanting.  We  may  deliver  an  inge- 
nious discourse,  containing  nothing  incon- 
sistent with  truth,  and  yet  not  preach  that 
truth  "in  which  believers  stand,  and  by 
which  they  are  saved."  We  may  preach 
about  the  gospel,  and  yet  not  preach  the 
gospel,  so  as  to  "  show  unto  men  the  way  of 
salvation."  And  if  we  get  into  a  vain,  car- 
nal, and  worldly  frame  of  mind,  this  is  al- 
most certain  to  be  the  case.  It  is  no  breach  of 
charity  to  say,  of  hundreds  of  sermons  that 
are  ordinarily  delivered  by  those  who  are 
reputedly  orthodox,  that  they  are  not  the 
gospel  which  Jesus  commissioned  his  ser- 
vants to  preach :  and,  if  it  be  thus  among 
preachers,  it  is  marvellous  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  religious  people  are  not  strictly 
evangelical,  but  imbibe  another  spirit?  And, 
if  the  doctrine  of  Christ  be  neglected  (not 
to  say  corrupted,)  the  effects  will  appear  in 
a  neglect  of  faithful  discipline,  in  a  worldly 
spirit,  and  in  a  gradual  disregard  of  a  watch- 
ful, circumspect,  and  holy  individual  con- 
duct. 

It  is  no  breach  of  charity  to  suppose  that 
many  who  profess  evangelical  principles  are 
Christians  only  in  name,  and  that  these 
principles  are  professed  merely  on  account 
of  their  popularity  in  the  circles  in  which 
they  move.  The  ways  of  such  must  be 
crooked.  Like  Saul,  they  know  not  how  to 
go  about  obedience  to  God,  but  are  al- 
ways stumbling,  or  turning  aside  in  pur- 
suit of  some  carnal  object. 

There  are  few  things  more  spoken  against 
in  the  present  times  than  party  zeal;  but 
there  are  few  things  more  common.  To 
unite  with  those  whom  we  consider  on  ma- 
ture examination  as  being  nearest  the  mind 
of  Christ,  and  having  done  so  to  act  up  to 
our  principles, — is  our  duty  ;  but  few  things 
are  farther  from  the  mind  of  the  partisan 
than  this.  Having  enlisted  in  the  cause  of 
a  party,  he  sees  no  good  but  that  which  is 
within  its  palet  and  will  say  and  do  almost 
any  thing  to  keep  up  its  reputation.     "  Many 


things  have  I  seen  in  the  days  of  my  vani- 
ty ?  "  There  is  a  man  whose  heart  unites 
with  every  one  who  loves  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  sincerity,  and  who  rejoices  in  the 
work  of  God  wherever  he  sees  it ;  but,  not 
being  of  the  right  party,  he  is  of  little  or  no 
account :  and  there  is  a  man  who  gives  no 
other  proof  of  his  liberality  than  that  of 
boasting  of  it ;  yet,  being  of  the  right  par- 
ty, he  is  liberal. 

Genuine  candor  and  liberality  are  not 
to  be  looked  for  in  parties,  but  in  individuals 
of  various  parties.  There  are  men  who, 
while  seeking  the  good  of  their  immediate 
connections,  consider  them  not  so  much 
as  their  party  as  an  integral  part  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ,  and  who  know  how  to  rejoice 
in  the  success  of  truth  and  true  religion 
wherever  it  is  found :  but  is  it  thus  with  the 
bulk  of  any  denomination,  established  or 
unestablished  ?  I  fear  not.  He  that  has 
lived  thirty  or  forty  years  in  religious  so- 
ciety, and  has  not  met  with  things  that  must 
needs  have  shaken  his  confidence  in  pro- 
fessions, must  either  be  a  very  happy  man 
or  very  unobservant  of  what  has  passed  be- 
fore him.  What  shall  we  say  then?  Shall  we 
sigh,  and  say,  "  That  which  is  crooked  can- 
not be  made  straight  ?  "  Be  it  so ;  Let  us 
distinguish  between  Christianity  and  the 
conduct  of  its  professors  ;  so  that,  while  we 
are  grieved  at  the  latter,  we  may  not  think  the 
worse  of  the  former.  "  Let  God  be  true, 
and  every  man  a  liar!"  Let  us  also  ex- 
amine our  own  hearts,  and  pray  that  we 
may  have  grace  at  least  to  correct  the  de- 
viations, and  supply  the  defects,  that  are  to 
be  found  in  ourselves  ;  in  which  case,  what- 
ever may  befal  others,  we  shall  find  rest  for 
our  souls. 

I  shall  conclude  with  a  few  remarks  on 
misrepresentation.  Some  men  in  the  course 
of  their  lives  are  exposed  to  a  large  portion 
of  this,  accompanied,  it  may  be,  with  much 
foul  abuse,  the  correction  of  which  often 
becomes  an  object  of  despair.  "He  that  is 
first  in  his  own  cause,"  says  the  wise  man, 
"seemeth  just,  but  his  neighbor  cometh 
and  searcheth  him."  But  how  if  a  man 
should  be  so  deluged  with  misrepresenta- 
tions, and  his  hands  so  occupied  with  more 
important  concerns,  as  to  have  neither  time 
nor  inclination  to  refute  them  ?  There  are 
two  ways  left  him. 

First :  He  may  safely  treat  the  foulest 
and  most  unworthy  of  his  opponents  with  neg- 
lect. Their  calumnies  will  not  do  him  much 
injury;  and,  if  he  attempt  to  answer  them, 
he  may  be  in  danger  of  imbibing  a  portion 
of  their  spirit.  This  seems  to  be  the  fool 
that  should  not  be  answered  according  to 
his  folly,  lest  we  be  like  unto  him. 

Secondly  :  He  may  give  a  brief  statement 
of  the  truth,  and  leave  the  misrepresenta- 
tion and  abuse  to  fall  of  its  own  accord. 
When  the  Jews,   after    their  return  from 


388 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


Babylon,  began  building  the  temple,  it 
caused  a  great  sensation  among  their  ad- 
versaries. They  first  offered  to  join  them 
in  the  work,  thinking,  no  doubt,  to  come  in 
for  a  share,  and  perhaps  the  chief  share,  of 
the  glory  ;  and,  when  their  offer  was  re- 
fused, they  accused  them  to  the  Persian 
government,  so  that  the  work  for  a  time  was 
stopped.  We  may  wonder  that  the  Jews 
did  not  by  a  counter-statement  correct 
these  vile  misrepresentations,  and  expose 
the  insincerity  of  their  accusers :  yet  they  did 
not ;  but,  as  appears  from  the  history,  held 
their  peace.  When  the  storm  had  blown 
over,  encouraged  by  the  prophets  Haggai 
and  Zechariah,  they  renewed  the  work  ;  and, 
when  interrogated  anew  by  their  adversa- 
ries, contented  themselves  with  a  simple 
statement  of  the  truth.  The  substance  of 
it  was  this :  We  are  the  servants  of  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth.  We  are  engaged 
in  rebuilding  the  house  that  was  built 
many  years  ago  by  a  great  king  of  Israel. 
Our  fathers  sinned  against  God,  and  he 
gave  them  into  the  hand  of  Nebuchadnez- 
zar, who  destroyed  this  house,  and  carried 
the  people  away  into  Babylon.  But  in  the 
first  year  of  Cyrus  there  was  a  decree  to 
rebuild  it,  and  its  furniture  was  at  the  same 
time  restored  to  Sheshbazzar,  whom  he  ap- 
pointed our  governor.  The  same  Shesh- 
bazzar began  this  work,  which  is  not  yet 
finished. — This  simple  statement  of  truth, 
which  leaves  out  all  reflections  on  their  ad- 
versaries, would  bear  to  be  repeated  even 
by  them,  in  their  letter  to  Darius,  and  in 
that  form  was  repeated,  and  ultimately  pre- 
vailed.— Ezra  iv.  v.  vi.  The  crooked  things 
were  let  alone,  and  the  straight  rule  exhibit- 
ed, and  thus  the  end  was  answered. 


LII. IMPORTANCE     OF     UNION     OF      PUBLIC 

AND  PRIVATE  INTERESTS  IN  THE  SERVICE 
OF  GOD. 

[Sketch  of  a  sermon  delivered  at  New  Broad- 
street  chapel,  July  1,  1800.] 

"  From  above  the  horse  gate  repaired  the  priests, 
every  one  over  against  his  house.  After  them  re- 
paired Zadok,  the  son  of  Immer,  over  against  his 
house.  After  him  repaired  also  Shemaiah,  the  son 
of  Shechaniah,  the  keeper  of  the  east  gate.  After 
him  repaired  Hananiah,  the  son  of  Shelemiah,  and 
Hantin  the  sixth  son  of  Zaluph,  another  piece. 
After  him  repaired  Meshullam,  the  son  of  Bere- 
chiah,  over  against  his  chamber." — Nehemiah  iii. 
28—30. 

I  have  no  desire,  my  friends,  to  amuse 
you  with  curious  speculations  on  a  difficult 
passage  ;  but  you  will  readily  admit  that  all 
Scripture  is  profitable  and  is  designed  to 
convey  some  important  instruction  to  us. 
The  zeal  and  diligence  of  these  good  peo- 
'"  in  rearing  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  are 
m  being  uninteresting.    Were  you  to 


read  the  whole  book,  you  would  find  your 
hearts  warmed  with  a  view  of  the  ardor  with 
which  they  undertook  and  finished  it.  Six- 
ty or  seventy  years  before  this,  the  captives 
had  returned  from  Babylon,  and  had  rebuilt 
the  city,  and  after  that  the  temple  ;  but  still 
there  was  a  wall  wanting,  and  the  city  and 
temple  were  exposed  to  the  depredation  of 
enemies.  Nehemiah,  a  godly  Jew,  at  that 
time  resident  at  the  court  of  Persia,  hearing 
how  Jerusalem  was  circumstanced,  was  in 
great  affliction  that  the  gates  thereof  were 
burned,  that  the  walls  thereof  were  broken 
down  and  the  city  under  great  reproach.  He 
wept,  he  fasted,  and  went  in  unto  the  king, 
and  obtained  a  commission  to  go  and  rear 
these  broken  and  desolated  walls.  He  met 
with  great  impediments  :  there  were  deep- 
rooted  enmities  amongst  some  of  the  Sa- 
maritans, especially  Sanballat  the  Horonite, 
and  Tobiah  the  Ammonite ;  and  some  of 
his  companions  did  all  in  their  power  to  hin- 
der the  good  work ;  but  Nehemiah  had  his 
heart  right,  and  was  continually  offering  up 
his  prayer,  "  Think  upon  me,  O  my  God,  for 
good ; "  and,  having  his  heart  in  the  work, 
he  communicated  his  designs  to  his  friends 
and  brethren,  and  they  set  to  work  and 
wrought  mightily  with  a  sword  in  one  hand 
and  a  trowel  in  the  other,  and  they  labored 
from  the  dawn  of  day  till  the  stars  appeared 
— in  short,  the  wall  was  begun,  and  the  wall 
was  finished  ;  for  "  the  people  had  a  mind  to 
work."  I  think,  in  this  ardor,  this  zeal  on 
the  part  both  of  Nehemiah  and  of  the  peo- 
ple, there  was  not  only  an  amiable  patriot- 
ism, but  a  portion  of  real  piety.  It  was  not 
merely  the  city  of  their  fathers — it  was  not 
merely  their  own  city — the  walls  of  which 
they  were  thus  zealous  to  repair :  it  was  the 
city  of  God,  the  city  of  Zion.  It  was  for 
the  protection  of  the  worship  of  God :  and 
here  lay  the  piety  of  this  zeal. 

I  cannot  now  go  over  the  chapter — you 
may  read  it  at  your  leisure.  It  gives  an  ac- 
count of  the  various  persons  and  families 
who  were  engaged  in  this  work  of  building 
the  wall.     I  will  only  offer  a  few  remarks. 

Observe,  in  the  first  place,  how  the  work 
was  divided  amongst  them.  You  will  read 
all  along  that  every  man  and  body  of  men, 
or  family  of  men,  had  all  separate  work  ap- 
pointed them.  All  were  set  at  work  :  one 
built  this  part  and  one  that,  and  thus,  by 
every  one  taking  his  proper  part,  the  whole 
was  reared — by  union  the  whole  was  ac- 
complished. By  a  number  of  individuals 
setting  their  hands  to  the  same  work,  uniting 
in  it  with  all  their  heart,  the  work  will  rise, 
the  work  shall  not  only  be  begun  but  com- 
pleted. 

A  second  remark  that  offers  itself,  from 
this  history,  is  that  though  their  work  was 
separate,  yet  they  had  not  separate  interests. 
The  place  on  which  each  labored  was  sepa- 
rate— each  had  his  own  peculiar  spot  ap- 


UNION    OF    PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    INTERESTS    IN    GOd's    SERVICE. 


389 


pointed  him  to  labor  on  ;  but  the  object  in 
which  all  were  engaged  was  the  same. 
Every  man  by  rearing  a  part  of  the  wall  con- 
tributed to  the  finishing  of  the  whole.  It 
was  one  city,  one  wall,  one  great  object,  and, 
by  every  one  accomplishing  a  part,  the 
whole  was  completed.  This  teaches  us 
that  there  is  in  the  service  of  God  a  union 
of  private  and  public  interest,  and  that, 
while  we  each  separately  attend  to  our  spe- 
cific duty,  we  all  contribute  to  that  great 
object,  the  glory  of  God,  the  good  of  his 
church,  and  the  good  of  mankind. 

Once  more,  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  and  in- 
deed this  is  the  thought  for  which  I  read 
this  passage,  that  things  were  so  contrived 
that  each  man  and  body  of  men  should,  as 
far  as  possible,  build  over  against  his  own 
dwelling.  Nay,  we  are  told  in  the  thirtieth 
verse  of  one  man  who  was  only  a  lodger, 
that  is,  he  inhabited  a  chamber  ;  and  we  are 
informed  "  that  he  built  the  wall  over  against 
his  own  chamber;"  so  that  the  smallest 
apartment  served  as  a  ground  to  excite  all 
to  unite  in  the  general  work  of  rearing  the 
wall.  I  think,  without  any  forced  interpre- 
tation, this  teaches  us  the  importance  of 
union  of  public  and  private  interests  in  the 
service  of  God.  Things  are  so  devised  that, 
by  thus  acting  in  our  own  particular  charge, 
we  contribute  to  the  general  work  ;  by  build- 
ing the  wall,  so  to  speak,  against  our  own 
houses  or  our  own  chambers,  we  help  to 
rear  the  wall  around  the  city  of  God — we 
contribute  to  the  building  of  the  church,  to 
the  building  of  society,  to  the  good  of  man- 
kind, to  the  glory  of  God.  You  see,  by  this 
time,  the  sentiment  on  which  I  mean  to 
enlarge. 

I  need  not  say,  my  brethren,  that  we  are  all 
engaged  in  a  work  analogous  to  that  of  the 
Jews.  It  is  our  business  to  build  God's 
house :  it  is  our  highest  honor  to  build  up 
society,  to  be  blessings  in  our  generation  ; 
and  what  we  are  here  directed  to,  as  a  means, 
is  to  attend  immediately  to  those  things 
which  are  our  especial  charge — to  build,  as 
it  were,  over  against  our  own  houses. 

God  requires  that  we  be  of  a  large  heart. 
We  are  enjoined  to  cherish  largeness  of 
heart,  to  seek  the  good  of  mankind,  to  em- 
brace within  our  affections,  and  good  wishes, 
and  efforts,  and  prayers,  the  well-being  of 
the  whole  human  race.  Undoubtedly  this 
is  the  case ;  yet  the  whole  human  race  do 
not  come  within  our  province.  We  may 
pray  for  them,  we  may  wish  them  well,  we 
may  long  for  their  salvation,  we  may  do 
something  perhaps  towards  it;  but  the  main 
part  of  our  labor  lies  within  our  reach — it  is 
over  against  our  own  apartments. 

I.  Let  us  inquire,  then,  what  are  those 

EXERTIONS   WHICH      MAY  BEAR  AN    ANALOGY 
TO   WHAT    IS  HERE  RECOMMENDED building 

the  wall  over  against  our  own  apartments  ? 
and  I  answer  in  a  few  of  the  following  par- 


ticulars : — By  an  attention,  in  the  first  place, 
to  our  own  souls,  in  the  next  place  to  our 
religious  connections,  and  in  the  last  place 
to  our  neighbors,  to  the  poor,  to  those  who 
are  within  our  reach.  I  apprehend  a  pro- 
per attention  to  these  different  objects  will  be 
found  to  be  analogous  to  building  the  wall 
over  against  our  own  apartments,  and  will 
contribute  to  raise  the  wall  of  Jerusalem,  to 
promote  the  cause  of  God  and  the  good  of 
mankind. 

1.  I  would  observe  that  a  proper  attention 
to  our  oivn  souls  is  of  the  first  importance. — I 
do  not  mean  by  this  to  deny  that  there  is  a 
duty  owing  to  our  bodily  welfare,  to  our 
temporal  interests,  and  that  this  is  a  part  of 
building  the  wall  over  against  our  own 
houses  too.  Doubtless,  if  every  one  of  us 
by  paying  a  proper  attention  to  our  tempo- 
ral concerns,  by  industry,  economy,  and  the 
like,  providing  things  honest  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,  and  in  the  sight  of  all  men,  that 
we  may  have  to  give  to  him  that  needeth — 
if  every  one  were  to  build  in  this  way  against 
his  own  house,  we  should  hear  of  but  few 
failures,  we  sbould  hear  of  but  few  bank- 
ruptcies, of  few  that  would  be  incapable  of 
paying  their  just  debts  ;  undoubtedly  this 
may  be  included  ;  but  I  speak  of  the  chief 
thing — the  soul,  and  its  most  important  in- 
terests. This  is  the  main  thing  to  which 
our  attention  should  be  directed.  My  dear 
hearers,  you  have  heard  much  of  the  gospel. 
You  have  been  in  the  habit,  I  presume,  of 
hearing  the  gospel.  You  have  heard  much 
said  and  have  thought  much  perhaps  about 
spreading  the  gospel.  You  have  heard  ani- 
mating discourses,  and  read  animating  writ- 
ings, about  missionary  labors  and  efforts  to 
spread  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  amongst 
the  heathen.  You  have  heard  many  an  ani- 
mating discourse,  perhaps,  in  favor  of  efforts 
to  spread  the  gospel  in  the  towns  and  villa- 
ges of  your  own  country;  but  do  not  forget 
one  thing :  do  not  let  your  attention  be  so 
taken  up  about  building  the  wall  around  the 
city  as  to  forget  to  ask,  How  goes  on  the 
building  against  my  own  house  ?  How  go 
on  matters  as  to  my  own  soul  ?  Am  I  a 
Christian  ?  Do  I  repent  of  my  sins  ?  Do  I 
believe  in  the  Son  of  God  for  the  salvation  of 
my  soul  ? — Of  what  account  will  it  be  to  me 
that  the  wall  is  built  all  round  Jerusalem,  if  it 
be  down  against  my  door !  Here  is  the  point. 
Undoubtedly  it  behoves  us  to  be  attentive 
to  the  public  cause  of  God  and  the  public 
interests  of  man,  but  not  so  as  to  neglect 
our  own  souls.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  by  at- 
tending first,  and  principally,  to  our  own 
good,  that  we  contribute  to  the  general  good. 
Or  let  me  take  it  for  granted  that  your  soul 
is  in  a  state  of  salvation — let  me  take  it  for 
granted  that  you  are  converted,  that  you  are 
in  the  road  to  heaven  and  to  God — yet  this 
is  not  enough.  Is  your  soul  in  a  thriving, 
prosperous  state,  or  do  its  concerns  lie  in 


390 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


ruins  ?  It  is  possible  you  may  be  thriving  in 
your  business:  it  may  be  your  fortune  may 
be  accumulating :  it  is  possible  you  may 
have  built  yourselves  a  habitation  in  the 
country,  as  well  as  in  the  city :  but  is  the 
wall  repaired  in  a  spiritual  sense  ?  Is  thy 
soul  prosperous,  and  art  thou  in  health  ? 
Perhaps  I  ought  to  ask  myself  this  question. 
I  am  sure  I  need  it  equally  with  you,  and  the 
Lord  knows  that,  while  preaching  to  you  in 
this  manner,  I  do  not  mean  to  overlook  my- 
self. I  often  fear  lest,  while  watching  the 
vineyards  of  others,  my  own  should  be  neg- 
lected ;  and  it  is  one  of  the  snares  and 
temptations  that  is  peculiar  to  ministers  that 
■while  they  are  attentive  to  divine  things, 
and  studying  them  in  reference  to  their 
hearers,  they  should  neglect  to  deal  in  them 
for  their  own  souls.  I  fear  it  is  no  unusual 
thing  for  a  minister  to  be  employed  in  build- 
ing up  the  wall  against  his  hearers'  habita- 
tions, while  it  is  all  in  ruins  against  his  own. 
Let  each  of  us,  especially  those  who  are 
engaged  in  the  sacred  work  of  the  ministry, 
say,  Oh  !  my  soul,  how  is  it  with  thee  ?  It 
was  not  without  cause  that  the  apostle  said 
to  young  Timothy  and  Titus  respectively, 
"  Take  heed  to  thyself  and  to  the  doctrine." 
No,  it  was  not  without  cause  that  he  charg- 
ed each  of  them  saying,  "  keep  thyself  pure." 
And  it  is  by  an  attention,  both  as  ministers 
and  people,  to  our  own  souls'  best  interests 
that  we  rear  the  wall  of  Zion — that  we  pro- 
mote the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  those 
around  us.  Nor  can  we  be  useful  without 
it  to  any  considerable  degree.  No  one  of 
us  can  communicate  what  he  does  not  pos- 
sess. He,  therefore,  who  sinks  into  carnali- 
ty and  earthly-mindedness  in  his  own  soul, 
■will  not  be  able  to  communicate  spirituality 
to  others.  How  can  we  communicate  what 
we  do  not  feel  ?  The  Lord  may  in  some 
instances  make  us  of  use,  and  bless  that 
truth  which  does  not  proceed  from  our 
hearts  ;  but,  ordinarily  speaking,  it  is  the 
spiritually-minded  minister,  and  the  spiritu- 
ally-minded Christian,  whom  the  Lord  bless- 
es in  making  the  means  of  diffusing  the  sa- 
vor of  Christ.  It  is  those  that  have  salt  in 
themselves  that  are  the  savor  of  Christ  to 
those  about  them.  Thus  by  building  the 
wall,  as  I  may  say,  against  our  own  houses, 
we  contribute  to  the  well-being  of  the  city 
of  God. 

2.  Perhaps  the  next  subject  that  demands 
our  attention,  or  the  object  that  calls  for  our 
solicitude  next  to  our  own  souls,  is  the  spi- 
ritual ivelfare  of  our  families.  They  are  our 
charge.  God  has  given  us  them  as  a  solemn 
charge  to  rear  for  him.  Our  children,  our 
servants,  all  our  domestics,  are  in  a  sort  our 
solemn  charge,  and  so  answer  to  the  wall, 
or  that  part  of  the  wall  over  against  our  own 
apartments.  The  godly  parent  has  a  very 
solemn  and  important  charge,  and  he  feels 
it  to  be  such.     It  has  been  remarked  more 


than  once,  where  a  child  has  been  born  and 
added  to  a  family,  "Now  we  have  not  only 
another  body  to  provide  for,  but  another  soul 
to  pray  for."  A  parent  has  seemed  some- 
times like  the  commander  of  a  convoy,  hav- 
ing a  number  of  ships  under  his  charge,  to 
conduct  through  the  boisterous  sea  of  life, 
and  to  see  them  safely  brought  unto  the  de- 
sired harbor.  Alas !  how  painful  must  be 
the  thought,  if  one,  or  two,  or  more  of  those 
thus  committed  to  our  charge,  be  wrecked 
and  lost !  How  interesting  it  must  be  to  a 
serious  mind  to  be  able  to  say,  at  the  last 
day,  "Here  am  I  and  the  children  which 
thou  hast  given  me  ! "  It  is  true  that  the 
parent  is  not  accountable  for  the  conversion 
of  his  children.  He  cannot  change  their 
hearts.  He  only  that  made  the  human 
mind  can  change  it ;  but  the  means  are  his, 
the  blessing  is  the  Lord's.  It  is  of  impor- 
tance that  we  carefully  walk  before  our 
children,  setting  them  a  holy  example,  walk- 
ing before  our  families  and  all  our  domes- 
tics in  such  a  Hay  as  that  we  can  recom- 
mend them  to  follow  us.  Oh  for  the  parent 
to  be  able  to  say,  on  his  dying  bed,  "  Be  ye 
followers  of  me  as  I  also  have  been  of 
Christ !  "  Oh  for  the  parent  to  be  able  to 
say  to  his  family,  when  taking  leave  of  life, 
"the  things  that  you  have  heard  and  seen 
of  me  do ;  and  the  God  of  peace  be  with 
you  !  "  This,  my  brethren,  wherever  it  ex- 
ists, is  building  over  against  our  own  apart- 
ment ;  this  is  building  the  wall  of  Zion  ;  this 
is  glorifying  God.  And  it  is  worthy  of  no- 
tice that  the  church  of  God  is  thereby  rais- 
ed ;  for  what  is  the  church — what  is  any 
Christian  church — but  a  number  of  Christian 
families  associated  together  ?  A  Christian 
family  is  the  first  nursery  for  the  church  of 
God.  It  is  there  that  the  seed  of  truth  is 
ordinarily  sown.  It  is  there  that  the  first 
principles  of  true  religion  are  often  instilled. 
The  prayers,  the  tears,  the  cautions,  and  the 
example  of  a  godly  parent,  who  walks  in  the 
fear  of  God  before  his  family,  will  leave  ef- 
fects on  the  mind.  I  have  seldom  known 
persons  converted  who  were  brought  up  in 
religious  families,  but  they  have  dated  their 
first  impressions  from  something  which  took 
place  in  the  family.  They  have  dated  their 
early  convictions  to  what  has  passed  in  fa- 
mily worship,  perhaps,  or  in  the  counsel  and 
example  of  their  friends.  Thus  is  the 
church  of  God  supplied  from  Christian  fa- 
milies— thus  are  the  lively  stones  furnished, 
by  which  the  spiritual  house  is  reared.  Let 
this  be  an  encouragement  to  us  to  build  over 
against  our  own  apartments. 

3.  Next  to  our  families,  perhaps  I  may  men- 
tion our  religious  connections.  I  may  sup- 
pose that  Christians  are  in  the  habit  of 
forming  themselves  into  Christian  societies, 
according  to  the  Christian  rule;  and,  if  you  are 
a  member  of  a  Christian  church,  undoubtedly 
it  becomes  your  immediate  charge  to  labor 


UNION    OF    PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    INTERESTS    IN    GOD's    SERVICE.  391 


to  build  up  those  particular  societies.  I  do 
not  mean  to  the  exclusion  of  others.  Chris- 
tians should  cherish  a  largeness  of  heart,  as 
I  have  said  before,  and  should  pray  for  all 
who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity. 
Yet  each  has  a  special  duty  towards  those 
peculiar  connections  to  which  he  stands  re- 
lated. I  think,  as  a  Christian,  it  behoves  me 
to  reprove  a  fault  in  any  Christian  man, 
whether  immediately  connected  with  me  or 
not ;  but  I  am  under  special  obligations  to 
watch  over  those  with  whom  I  have  enter- 
ed into  a  solemn  covenant  so  to  do.  Over 
those  we  are  bound  to  watch  with  tender 
solicitude,  with  brotherly  love,  and  to  consi- 
der that  as  a  part  of  our  charge.  With 
them  we  are  bound  more  especially  to  unite 
in  worship ;  and  it  is  our  interest  as  well  as 
our  duty  so  to  do.  It  is  an  idle  notion  which 
I  apprehend  many  people  in  this  city  enter- 
tain— I  say  in  this  city,  owing  to  the  great 
number  of  places  of  worship,  and  the  great 
variety  of  preachers — it  is  an  idle  notion  that 
people  entertain,  that,  being  members  of  a 
church,  it  is  an  abridgment  of  their  liberty 
to  be  obliged  to  attend  there.  In  fact,  your 
soul  will  never  prosper  if  you  are  constantly 
wandering  hither  and  thither.  It  is  he  that 
is  planted  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  he 
only,  that  shall  flourish  in  the  courts  of  our 
God ;  therefore,  while  you  bear  good  will  to 
all  the  churches  of  God,  to  all  who  love  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  every  denomination, 
yet  do  not  forget  building  up  that  part  of  the 
wall  that  stands  over  against  your  own  dwel- 
ling. Fulfil  your  special  obligations  ;  here- 
by it  is  that  the  building  will  rise. 

4.  Next  to  an  attention  to  our  religious 
connections,  follows  an  attention  to  those  ivho 
are  around  about  us — our  neighbors,  particu- 
larly the  poor.  God  has  placed  us,  some  in  one 
situation,  some  in  another ;  but  all  of  us  see 
those  round  about  us  that  stand  in  need  of 
our  help.  "The  poor  ye  have  always  with 
you."  God  has  wisely  ordained  that  we 
should  thus  be  linked  together.  The  rich 
could  not  do  without  the  poor,  any  more  than 
poor  without  the  rich.  Instead  of  cherishing 
animosity  one  against  another — instead  of 
the  poor  envying  the  rich,  and  the  rich  de- 
spising the  poor — be  as  one.  You  might  as 
well  set  at  variance  the  eye  against  the  hand, 
or  the  head  against  the  feet ;  they  are  differ- 
ent members  of  the  same  body — they  all  con- 
tribute to  the  well-being  of  the  whole — and, 
provided  we  cherish  this  spirit,  we  shall  live 
as  brethren,  and  feel  ourselves  to  be  one  fam- 
ily ;  and  it  behoves  those  who  are  possessed, 
not  only  of  opulence,  but  of  a  competency  of 
worldly  good,  to  study  the  well-being  of 
those  about  them.  Self-interest,  or  a 
selfish  spirit,  that  lives  only  to  itself,  and 
cares  for  none  but  itself,  has,  I  was  going  to 
say,  all  its  enjoyments  to  itself;  but  I  can 
scarcely  say  it  has  any  enjoyments.  It  is  in 
doing  good  to  those  around  us  that  we  derive 


good.  It  is  by  mingling  souls,  by  feeling 
for  the  miseries  of  otiiers — it  is  by  visiting  the 
fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  as 
well  as  by  keeping  ourselves  unspotted  from 
the  world — it  is  by  dropping  the  tear  of  sym- 
pathy, with  a  sorrowing  heart — it  is  by  lend- 
ing a  hand  to  the  children  of  the  poor,  to  as- 
sist in  doing  that  which  their  parents  may 
not  be  able  to  do  for  them — it  is  by  helping 
those  around  us,  in  things  essential  to  their 
present  and  future  happiness,  that  we  be- 
come blessings  to  society,  and  enjoy  bless- 
ings ourselves. 

I  apprehend  that,  if  we  kept  the  spiritual 
good  of  mankind  more  in  view,  we  might  be 
much  more  useful,  especially  in  the  way  of 
visiting  the  afflicted  poor.  It  is  in  a  time  of 
affliction,  when  the  hand  of  God  is  heavy  on 
a  man,  when  death  appears  full  in  his  view, 
that  the  mind  is  opened  to  serious  conversa- 
tion. It  is  then  that  a  little  temporal  relief  will 
be  acceptable,  and  that  will  be  the  time  for 
serious  advice  and  expostulation.  If  Chris- 
tians were  more  disposed  to  water  those  who 
are  round  about  them — to  visit  the  poor,  to 
avail  themselves  of  every  opportunity  of  sug- 
gesting to  their  minds  the  principles  of  the 
gospel — who  can  tell  what  good  would  be 
done?  And  this  is  a  way  of  doing  good 
without  any  noise.  It  is  a  still,  silent  mode, 
and  therefore  corresponds  with  the  represen- 
tation of  the  kingdom  of  God,  that  cometh 
without  noise  or  observation.  It  is  thus  that 
we  are  called  upon  to  build  the  wall  over 
against  our  own  apartments.     But 

II.  I  close  the  whole  with  a  reflection 

or  TWO. 

1.  If  that  part  of  the  wall  tvhich  stood  over 
against  any  one's  apartment  was  not  built, 
you  knoiv  the  whole  city  tvas  exposed  to  dan- 
ger: if  but  one  place  remained  unreared, 
the  enemy  might  get  in  there.  Apply  this 
thought — whatever  good  may  be  done  in  the 
world,  whatever  good  may  be  done  in  the 
church,  however  zealous  our  ministers  may 
be,  however  zealous  our  fellow  Christians, 
however  holy  and  circumspect  they  may  all 
be,  yet,  if  one  be  negligent,  if  you  be  loose, 
if  you  be  worldly,  sensual,  and  devilish,  the 
wall  is  down  over  against  your  own  apart- 
ment, the  enemy  will  come  in,  and  the  whole 
city  will  be  exposed,  owing  to  your  miscon- 
duct. Think  then  of  what  consequence  the 
ill  conduct  of  an  individual  may  be.  It  was 
on  this  account  that  David  lamented,  in  the 
fifty -first  Psalm,  after  his  awful  conduct  in 
the  affair  of  Uriah  and  Bathsheba.  He  had, 
if  I  may  so  say,  beaten  down  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem,  and  the  enemy  came  in  ;  and,  in 
this  Psalm,  one  part  of  his  prayer  is,  "  build 
thou  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  : "  as  if  he  had  said 
Lord,  I  have  been  the  means  of  pulling  them 
down — the  enemy  has  hereby  reproached 
thy  name — the  heathen  have  scoffed  at  the 
God  of  Israel — the  walls  of  Zion  lie  desolate 
through  my  misconduct:    Oh!  Lord,  hea] 


392 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


the  breaches  which  my  sins  have  caused. 
Think,  oil !  my  brethren,  of  the  great  evil  to 
the  church  of  God,  and  to  society,  which  the 
wicked  conduct  of  an  individual  may  oc- 
casion. 

2.  While  attentive  to  your  own  soul's 
concerns,  to  your  own  families,  and  to  your 
neigbors,  cherish  a  public  spirit — keep  in  view 
the  whole  interest  of  Christ,  cherish  a  large- 
ness of  heart ;  for,  while  every  man  was  to 
build  the  wall  over  against  his  own  house, 
the  end  of  it  was  the  repairing  of  the  whole 
wall — the  security  of  the  whole  city  was  to 
be  kept  in  view  ;  and  hence  you  will  find 
that  there  was  so  much  public  spirit  that 
some  built  who  had  no  houses  against  which 
to  build.  We  read  in  the  second  verse  that 
some  men  of  Jericho  builded.  Now  as  they 
did  not  live  in  Jerusalem,  the  only  end  they 
could  have  in  view  was  the  public  good — the 
general  good  :  and  so  wre  read  of  several 
others  who  were  not  inhabitants  of  Jerusa- 
lem ;  and,  what  is  worthy  of  notice,  some  of 
those  who  had  a  part  of  the  wall  allotted  to 
them  were  so  laborious  as  to  get  this  part 
finished  first,  and  then  to  help  their  neigh- 
bors. They  did  not  stand  idle  when  they 
had  done  their  share.  You  will  read  in  the 
twenty-fourth  verse,  and  several  parts  of  the 
chapter,  that  they  rebuilt  another  piece. 
This  should  teach  us,  while  we  attend  to  our 
own  personal  interests,  and  the  personal 
interests  of  those  immediately  connected 
with  us,  to  cherish  enlargedness  of  heart. 
Let  no  time  be  lost  in  idleness  ;  that  which 
can  be  spared  from  our  own  concerns,  let  us 
apply  to  the  well-being  of  the  world  at  large. 
Seek  the  good  of  all  mankind.  Labor  all 
that  in  you  lies  to  send  the  gospel  through- 
out the  whole  land — yea,  the  whole  world. 
Let  your  prayers  and  your  efforts  grasp  noth- 
ing less  than  the  world  itself.  It  is  in  this 
way  that  we  shall  glorify  God  and  be  useful 
in  our  generations. 


LIII. 


-CHRIST    OUR  SUBSTITUTE    IN    DEATH 
AND  JUDGMENT. 


[Sketch  of  a  Funeral  Sewnon,   delivered   Feb. 
2Sth,  1790.] 

"  And  as  it  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  but 
after  this  the  judgment :  so  Christ  was  once  offered 
to  bear  the  sins  of  many  ;  and  unto  them  that  look 
for  him  shall  he  appear  the  second  time  without  sin 
unto  salvation." — Heb.  ix.  27,  28. 

The  truths  here  taught  us  are  the  most 
serious  and  interesting.  None  doubt  the 
reality  of  death,  and  few  that  of  judgment ; 
but  many  live  as  if  they  credited  neither. 
The  sum  of  the  text  is,  Christ  is  our  substi- 
tute, both  in  death  and  judgment ;  and  yet  we 
die  and  must  appear  at  judgment.  To  make 
this  plain,  observe  Ave  are  appointed  to  death 
and  judgment  in  two  ways: — First,  by  our 
subjection  to  corruption,  or  corporeal  death, 


and  to  an  appearance  before  God  in  judg- 
ment. In  this  view  the  appointment  takes 
place  upon  mankind  in  general,  good  and 
bad,  and  notwithstanding  the  death  and  me- 
diation of  Christ.  Secondly,  by  the  sen- 
tence of  God  as  a  law-giver.  It  was  the 
sentence  against  man  :  "  In  the  day  thou  eat- 
est,"  &c.  In  this  view  death  inculdes  more 
than  a  subjection  to  corruption ;  it  includes 
its  sting  :  and  judgment  includes  more  than 
appearing ;  it  includes  our  final  condemna- 
tion. This  last  is  the  meaning  of  the  text. 
It  speaks  not  of  what  actually  takes  place, 
but  of  what  must  have  taken  place  had  not  the 
mediation  of  Christ  interposed.  The  text 
speaks  of  the  penal  sentence  of  the  Law -giv- 
er, and  then  of  our  deliverance  from  that 
sentence  through  Christ,  our  substitute  ;  so 
that  though  in  some  sense  it  is  still  appoint- 
ed for  men  to  die,  and  to  appear  before  God 
in  judgment,  yet  not  in  the  sense  of  the  text. 
Believers  will  find  death  divested  of  its  sting, 
and  judgment  of  its  terror. — Ver.  28. 

From  the  text  thus  explained  we  may  make 
a  few  remarks  : — 

1.  That  the  sentence  which  all  mankind 
lie  under,  as  sinners,  is  no  less  than  a  sub- 
jection to  everlasting  ruin.  Some  have  sup- 
posd  that  the  threatening,  "in  the  day  thou 
eatest  thou  shalt  die,"  meant  no  more  than 
corporeal  death,  or  subjection  to  bodily  cor- 
ruption ;  but,  if  so,  the  mediation  of  Christ 
does  not  deliver  us  from  any  part  of  the 
sentence  of  the  law  (for  we  are  still  sub- 
ject to  this,)  which  the  apostle  supposes  here 
it  does. 

2.  That  the  judgment  here  referred  to  is 
the  judgment  at  the  end  of  the  world. 
Some  have  supposed  it  to  refer  to  that 
which  follows  death  immediately  ;  but  the 
whole  text  shows  the  contrary  :  it  speaks  of 
what  we  are  subject  to  in  death  and  judg- 
ment, and  of  Christ  as  our  substitute  in 
both.  Two  things  require  our  considera- 
tion: 

I.  The  doom  that  lies  on  men  as 
breakers  of  God's  law. — The  sentence 
is  awful.  We  may  judge  what  death  and 
judgment  would  have  been  tons  all, by  what 
it  is  to  those  who  die  out  of  Christ.  Think 
what  death  was  to  the  old  world,  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  Horab  and  his  company,  Saul, 
Belshazzar,  the  rich  fool,  Judas,  and  others. 
This  for  substance  was  the  doom  upon  us 
all.  Two  circumstances  in  particular  in 
these  deaths  rendered  them  awful. 

1.  They  were  attended  with  the  loss  of 
all  their  enjoyments.  Their  all  being  in  this 
world, 'tis  gone,  and  gone  forever!  None 
of  this  beyond  the  grave,  nor  the  hope  of  it, 
or  of  any  enjoyment  whatever:  even  wick- 
ed enjoyment  is  gone. 

2.  They  had  a  load  of  guilt  upon  them 
when  they  left  the  ivorld,  which  would  sink 
them  lower  than  the  grave.  This  is  the 
sting  of  death !     "  I  said  therefore  unto  you, 


PASTORS    REQUIRED    TO    FEED    THE    FLOCK    OF    CHRIST. 


393 


that  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins  :  for,  if  ye  be-  sacrifices  bore  the   sins  of  Israel,  and  bore 

lieve   not  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall  die  in  your  them  away,  so   Christ  by   his   death  "hath 

sins."     And  this  is  an  essential  part  of  that  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows." — 

death  to  which  the  sentence  of  the  law  sub-  "  He  was   wounded  for  our  transgressions, 

jected  us.     It  was  usual,  under  the  law,  to  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities  :   the  chas- 

transfer  guilt  by  confessing  it  upon  the  head  tisement  of  our   peace   was  upon  him  ;  and 

of  the   sacrifice,   teaching   us  that,  if   our  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed."     He  bore 

guilt  was  not  transferred  to  Christ  our  sacri-  the  wrath  due  to  our  sin.     The  shaft  of  ven- 

fice,  it  must  lie  upon   our  heads  when  we  geance   spent   itself   in   his  heart!  Hence 

come  to  die  and  appear  before  God.     O  what  death  becomes  a  sleep,  sleeping  in  Jesus — a 

a  thing  it  is  to  go  down  to  the  grave  with  putting  off   this    tabernacle — a    departure, 

our  blood  upon  our  head !     Could  we  leave  Hence    Christians    have   met    death    with 


this  load  behind,  death  would  be  divested  of 
its  chief  terror.  But  this  is  not  all :  the  sen- 
tence exposes  us  to  a  judgment  hereafter. 
Death  is  not  a  going  out  of  existence.  We 
are  accountable  creatures,  and  must  be  ac- 
countable for  all  we  do,  and  must  have 
stood  to  the  issue  but  for  Christ,  and  must, 
after  all,  if  we  die  out  of  Christ.  O,  my 
hearers,  this  is  true!  Do  think  what  judg- 
ment will  be  to  those  that  die  enemies  to 
Christ,  and  thence  learn  what  it  would  have 
been  to  us,  all  but  for  him. 

Three  things  in  particular  here  deserves 
notice  : — (1)  It  is  a  judgment  that  takes  cog- 
nizance of  the  heart. — All  impositions  are  at 


pleasure,  though  in  himself  the  king  of  ter- 
rors. Death  was  originally  under  the  power 
of  Satan ;  but  Christ  by  death  has  destroy- 
ed that  power  of  Satan  over  death,  and 
death  now  becomes  Christ's  servant  and 
theirs  :  "  Death  is  yours." 

2.  As  our  deliverance  from  the  sting  of 
death  is  through  Christ's  death,  so  our  deliv- 
erance from  the  terror  of  judgment  will 
be  owing  to  Christ's  standing  our  friend  in 
that  day.  The  terror  of  judgment  is  con- 
demnation for  sin,  but  Christ  will  be  our 
advocate.  Observe  (1)  He  came  before  to 
bear  sin,  but  now  without  sin.  (2)  He  comes 
to  salvation  :  to  save   our  bodies   from  the 


an  end.  "  How  different  will  characters  then  grave,  and   body  and  soul  from  condemna- 

appear  to  what  they  have  here  !     God  is  not  tion :  to  give   the  final  blow.     "  Who  shall 

mocked!      (2)  The  character  of  the  Judge,  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?" 

— God  is    Judge   himself!      His   eyes  are  (3)  This  is  to  them,  and  them  only,  that  look 

flames  of  fire.     He  cannot  be  deceived.     A  for  him, — that   love    his   appearing.     2  Pet. 


God  of  impartial  justice,  he  cannot  be  pre- 
possessed or  bribed.  A  God  of  Almighty 
power. — Rev.  xviii.  8.  (3)  The  importance 
of  the  decision. — It  is  final  and  decisive ;  no 
appeal  from  it!  This  will  be  the  case  of 
sinners,  on  whom  the  sentence  of  the  laAv 
is  executed,  and  must  have  been  the  case 
of  all  but  for  what  follows.— Ver.  28.  This 
leads  us  to  consider 

II.  The    deliverance    which   beljev- 


iii.  12.  2  Tim.  iv.  8. 

As  to  the  deceased,  we  most  of  us  knew 
little  or  nothing  of  him.  I  only  knew  that 
he  was  not  destitute  of  an  expectation  of 
being  "  forever  with  the  Lord,"  and  I  hope 
that  expectation  was  not  in  vain.  And  you, 
my  friend,  who  are  now  deprived  of  your 
only  remaining  relative,  you  are  left,  it  is 
true,  in  a  world  of  temptation  and  affliction  ; 
yet  you  have,  I  trust,  a  friend  and  a  brother 


ers  obtain  from  that    doom    throcgh    who  yet  liveth,  and  one  who  is  said  to  have 

loved  his  own  that  were  in  the  world,  and  to 
love  them  to  the  end. 

A  word  to  the  congregation. — You  have 
got  to  die,  and  it  is  a  very  serious  matter 
whether  this   sentence  be   executed   upon 


THE    SACRIFICE    AND      SECOND      COMING      OF 

Christ. — Not  from  subjection  to  corruption, 
nor  yet  from  appearing  before  God  in  judg- 
ment. In  this  respect  the  text  is  true  of  all, 
though  that  is  not  the  meaning  of  it.     Good 


and  bad,  young  and  old,  healthy  and  afflicted,    you  in  its  terror  :  it  must — it  will — if  out  of 


wise  and  foolish  :  all  must  die. — We  must 
shortly,  without  distinction,  part  with  all  our 
earthly  enjoyments,  friends,  property,  &c, 
and  all  our  religious  opportunities  will  soon 
be  over.  Our  bodies  will  be  reduced  to 
dust,  and  our  souls  appear  before  God.  All 
this  we  must  pass  through,  whatever  Ave  are, 
and  notwithstanding  the  mediation  of  Christ ; 
but  yet  we  are  delivered  by  him  from  every 
thing  in  death  or  judgment  that  can  render 
it  truly  terrible.  If  we  inquire  hou;  we 
have  an  answer  in  the  text. 

1.  It  is  through  his  having  died  for  us, 
"  To  bear  the  sin  of  many."  Observe,  it  is 
sin  that  is  the  sting  of  death ;  and  Christ, 
by  his  death,  has  removed  this  sting  away  in 
behalf  of  all  that  believe  in  him ;  as  the 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  50. 


Christ.     Death  will  then  have  its  sting,  and 
Christ  will  come  to  your  confusion. 

To  the  church. — We  are  about  to  com- 
memorate his  death.  He  hath  wrought  so 
great  a  deliverance — hath  borne  our  sins. 
Look  for  him.  Be  disengaged.  Have  your 
work  forward.     "The  Lord  is  at  hand." 


LIV. PASTORS     REQUIRED      TO    FEED     THE 

FLOCK    OF    CHRIST. 

"  Feed  my  sheep." — John  xxi.  16. 

The  conversation  which  passed  between 
our  Lord  and  Peter,  of  which  the  text  forms 
a  part,  was  designed  to  administer  reproof, 
and  to  communicate  fo:givene3S.     The  cut- 


304 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


ting  question  was  calculated  to  wound  him 
to  the  quick  ;  the  kind  direction  amounted 
to  a  full  forgiveness.  He  might  expect  he 
had  lost  his  office — but  no — he  shall  be 
restored — "Feed  my  sheep." 

There  are  a  few  things  suggested  by 
these  words  which  have  of  late  made  some 
impression  on  my  mind  ;  particularly,  the 
love  of  Christ  to  his  people — my  own  duty 
as  a  pastor — and  the  character  necessary  for 
you  to  sustain,  if  you  would  thrive  under 
the  word.     Let  me  notice 

I.  The  love  of  Christ  to  his  peo- 
ple, discovered  in  this  charge  to  Peter. — 
You-  are  to  view  him  as  a  shepherd — the 
good  Shepherd  of  the  sheep — the  chief  Shep- 
herd. The  time  also  is  worthy  of  notice  : 
he  had  just  laid  down  his  life  for  the  sheep  ; 
nay  more,  had  taken  it  again  (Heb.  xiii. 
20 ;)  and  being  now  about  to  leave  his  flock 
in  the  world,  as  sheep  among  Avolves,  he 
commits  them  to  his  under-shepherd.  There 
is  a  close  connection  between  his  having 
died  for  them  and  his  desire  to  have  them 
fed ;  which  is  afterward  recognized  by  the 
apostle  Paul,  in  his  farewell  address  to  the 
elders  of  the  church  at  Ephesus :  "  Feed 
the  church  of  God,  which  he  hath  purchas- 
ed with  his  own  blood."  Observe  three 
things  in  particular: — 

1.  The  interest  he.  claims  in  them: — "My 
sheep  " — "  my  lambs."  They  are  his  as  giv- 
en him  by  the  Father. — John  x.  29.  They 
are  his  as  having  purchased  them  with  his 
blood. — Acts  xx.  28.  And  they  are  his  as 
being  the  travail  of  his  soul,  the  reward  of 
his  death,  which  "  satisfied  "  him. 

2.  The  qualification  he  requires  in  their 
shepherd — Love  !  He  would  not  trust  them 
with  one  who  did  not  love  him.  One  who 
did  not  love  him,  a  hireling,  would  starve 
them,  or  poison  them,  and  flee  in  a  time  of 
danger. — John  x.  12.  Give  him  the  fleece, 
the  flock  may  care  for  themselves.  But,  if 
we  love  Christ,  we  shall  love  his  people 
for  his  sake.  We  shall  feel  a  subordinate 
interest  in  thorn.  It  is  by  this  a  good  shep- 
herd is  distinguished  from  a  hireling. — John 
x.  11.  Love  will  inspire  vigilance  and  bold- 
ness in  feeding  the  flock,  and  defending  them 
from  danger.  David  was  a  genuine  shep- 
herd, when  he  risked  his  life  to  save  a  lamb. 

3.  The  provision  he  has  made  for  their 
being  fed. — Under-shepherds  cannot  furnish 
the  pasture  :  the  utmost  we  can  do  is  to  lead 
you  into  it.  But  Christ  does  more.  He 
not  only  provides  shepherds,  but  pasture — 
the  gospel,  of  which  he  is  the  subject. 

II.  The  duty  or  a  minister  to  his 
people. — It  is  to  "  feed  "  them.  The  word 
here  rendered  "  feed "  signifies  the  whole 
duty  of  a  shepherd,  and  not  merely  to  sup- 
ply them  with  food — to  govern  them,  protect 
them,  to  care  for  them;  or  (as  Peter  himself 
expresses  it)  "  to  take  the  oversight  of  them." 
To  discharge  this  duty  as  it  demands  is  a 
great  matter. 


1.  It  requires  that  we  be  divested  of  a 
selfish  spirit. — The  description  of  an  idol- 
shepherd,  by  Zechariah  (xi.  16,  17,)  has  of 
late  been  much  on  my  mind.  Two  evils 
hang  over  him  who  is  his  own  idol,  or  who 
wishes  to  be  idolized  by  his  people — a  blast 
on  his  labors,  and  a  mind  void  of  judgment. 

2.  It  requires  that  we  be  conversant  with 
the  gospel. — How  else  can  we  lead  others 
into  it?  If  we  be  worldly-minded,  we  shall 
feed  your  evil  principles  and  propensities  ; 
but  not  your  graces ;  at  best,  only  your 
mental  faculties.  Many  are  thus  fed  by 
ingenious,  speculative,  preachers.  But  we 
must  feed  your  best  principles — your  faith, 
hope,  and  love.  Lord !  who  is  sufficient  for 
these  things  ? 

III.  The  character  necessary  for 
you  to  sustain  in  order  to  thrive 
under  the  word. — You  must  be  Christ's 
sheep,  or  you  will  not  know  his  voice,  the 
gospel  will  not  be  the  food  you  will  relish. 
If  you  are  his  sheep,  you  will  enter  in  at  the 
door.  Christ  is  the  door.  You  will  know 
his  voice,  and  follow  him.  You  will  enter 
his  fold,  uniting  yourself  to  his  people ;  and 
you  will  go  in  and  out,  and  find  pasture. 
You  will  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  church, 
as  described  by  Solomon  :  "Tell  me,  O  thou 
whom  my  soul  loveth,  where  thou  feedest ; 
where  thou  makest  thy  flock  to  rest  at  noon." 
&c. 

Sustaining  this  character,  you  will  not 
famish  for  want  of  food.  The  gospel  is 
rich  pasture.  Having  led  you  into  it  on 
earth,  may  I  be  able  at  last  to  give  an  ac- 
count, both  of  you  and  myself,  with  joy,  and 
not  with  grief ! 


LV. — SPIRITUAL  KNOWLEDGE  AND  HOLY 
LOVE  NECESSARY  FOR  THE  GOSPEL  MIN- 
ISTRY. 

[Sketch  of  a  charge   delivered   to  a  young  min- 
ister at  his  ordination.*] 

"  He  was  a   burning  and  a  shining  light." — John 
v.  35. 

In  addressing  you,  my  dear  brother,  on 
this  solemn  occasion,  I  shall  not  undertake 
so  much  to  communicate  any  thing  new  as 
to  remind  you  of  what  you  know,  and  have 
felt  already.  You  are  aware  that  there  are 
two  main  objects  to  be  attained  in  the  work 
of  the  'Christian  ministry — enlightening  the. 
minds  and  affecting  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
These  are  the  usual  means  by  which  the 
work  of  God  is  accomplished.  Allow  me 
to  remind  you  that,  in  order  to  the  attain- 
ment of  these  objects,  you  yourself  must  be 
under  their  influence.  If  you  would  en- 
lighten others,  you  must  be  "  a  shining 
light "  yourself.  And,  if  you  would  affect 
others,  you  yourself  must  feel :  your  own 

*  The  ten  which  follow  this  were  also  delivered 
on  similar  occasions. 


KNOWLEDGE    AND    LOVE    ESSENTIAL    TO    THE    MINISTRY. 


395 


heart  must  "  burn  "  with  holy  ardor.  You 
must  be  "  a  burning  and  a  shining  light." 

It  is  not  enough  that  you  should  be  what 
is  called  a  popular  preacher.  A  man  may 
have  gifts,  so  as  to  shine  in  the  eyes  of  the 
multitude,  almost  as  bright  as  he  does  in  his 
own  eyes  ;  and  yet  possess  little  or  nothiflg 
of  spiritual  light — light,  the  tendency  of 
which  is  to  transform  the  heart.  So  also  a 
man  may  burn  with  zeal,  as  Jehu  did,  and 
yet  have  little  or  no  true  love  to  God,  or 
affection  for  the  souls  of  men.  Spiritual 
light  and  holy  love  are  the  qualities  which 
Christ  here  commends. 

You  will  give  your  candid  attention,  my 
dear  brother,  while  I  endeavor  to  remind  you 
of  the  necessity  of  each  of  these,  in  the 
different  parts  of  your  important  work : — in 
the  great  work  of  preaching  the  gospel — in 
presiding  in  the  church — in  visiting  your 
people — and  in  your  whole  demeanor 
through  life. 

I.  In  the  great  work  of  preaching  the 
gospel. — O,  my  brother,  in  this  department 
we  had  need  resemble  the  living  creatures 
mentioned  by  Ezekiel  (chap.  i.  18)  "  full  of 
eyes."  We  had  almost  need,  in  one  view, 
to  be  made  up  of  pure  intellect — to  be  all 
light.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  decide  how 
much  knowledge  is  necessary,  of  men  and 
things,  of  past  and  present  times,  of  the 
church  and  the  world ;  but  shall  confine 
myself  to  two  or  three  particulars,  as  speci- 
mens. 

1.  How  necessary  is  it  to  understand  in 
some  good  degree  the  holy  character  of  God! 
— It  is  this  to  which  you  will  find  that  men 
in  general  are  blind.  They  conceive  of 
God  as  if  he  were  such  an  one  as  them- 
selves ....  And  hence  they  fancy  they  are 
not  enemies  to  him.  You  will  have  to  point 
out  the  true  character  of  God,  that  the  sin- 
ner may  see  his  own  deformity,  and  not 
have  the  enmity  of  his  heart  concealed  from 
his  eyes.  A  just  view  of  the  holy  charac- 
ter of  God  will  also  be  one  of  the  best  pre- 
servatives against  error  in  other  respects. 
Almost  all  the  errors  in  the  world  proceed 
from  ignorance  of  the  true  character  of  God. 
To  what  else  can  be  attributed  the  errors  of 
Socinianism,  Arianism,  and  Antinomianism  ? 
From  degraded  views  of  God's  character 
arise  diminutive  notions  of  the  evil  of  sin — 
of  its  just  demerit — of  our  lost  condition — 
of  our  need  of  a  great  Saviour — and  of  the 
work  of  the  Spirit.  O,  my  brother,  may  you 
shed  abroad  this  light  with  unsullied  lus- 
tre !  And,  in  order  to  this,  commune 
much  with  God  in  private  ;  since  there  is  no 
way  of  knowing  the  true  character  of  an- 
other so  well  as  by  personal,  private  inter- 
course. 

2.  A  knowledge  of  Christ,  as  the  Media- 
tor between  God  and  man,  is  necessary. — 
"This  is  life  eternal,  to  know  thee,  the  only 
true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast 


sent."  Here,  also,  men  are  greatly  ignorant. 
He  is  in  the  world,  and  the  world  knows  him 
not.  It  must  be  our  concern,  as  ministers, 
to  know  him ;  and,  comparatively  speaking, 
"  to  know  nothing  else  "  . .  .  .  and  this  that 
we  may  diffuse  the  knowledge  of  him  to 
others.  The  glory  of  Christ's  character  is 
such  that  if  he  were  but  viewed  in  a  true 
light,  and  not  through  the  false  mediums  of 
prejudice  and  the  love  of  sin,  but  through 
the  mirror  of  the  gospel,  he  must  be  loved. 
John  iv.  29,  39 — 42.  Here,  my  brother,  we 
need  to  be  intimately  acquainted  with  Christ, 
that  we  may  be  able  on  all  occasions  to  give 
him  a  just  character — that  we  may  be  able 
to  tell  of  his  dignity,  his  love,  the  generous 
principles  of  his  undertaking,  and  how  nobly 
he  executed  the  arduous  enterprise. 

3.  A  knowledge  of  human  nature  as  creat- 
ed is  necessary. — We  shall  be  unskilful 
workmen,  unless  we  are  accquainted  with 
the  materials  on  which  we  have  to  work.  It 
is  not  more  necessary  for  a  surgeon  or  a 
physician  to  understand  the  anatomy  of  the 
human  body  than  it  is  for  ministers  to  under- 
stand what  may  be  called  the  anatomy  of 
the  soul.  We  had  need  enter  into  all  the 
springs  of  action.  In  particular,  we  must  be 
very  careful  to  distinguish  between  pri- 
mary and  criminal  passions.  God  habitu- 
ally addresses  the  former,  and  so  should  we, 
but  not  the  latter  ;  the  latter  being  only  the 
abuse  of  the  principles  implanted  in  our  na- 
ture. To  be  more  explicit :  God  has  creat- 
ed us  with  the  love  of  possession,  but  the 
excess  of  this  love  becomes  covetousness 
and  idolatry.  God  has  implanted  within  us 
a  principle  of  emulation ;  but  the  abuse  of 
this  is  pride  and  ambition.  God  has  created 
us  with  the  love  of  pleasure ;  but  this  in- 
dulged to  excess  becomes  sensuality.  Now 
the  gospel  never  addresses  itself  to  our 
corrupt  passions  ;  but  the  word  of  God  is 
full  of  appeals  to  those  principles  of  our  na- 
ture with  which  we  are  created.  For  ex- 
ample :  in  his  word,  God  addresses  himself 
to  our  love  of  possession;  and  points  to  "an 
inheritance,  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and 
that  fadeth  not  away  " — to  the  principle  of 
emulation ;  and  presents  to  our  view  "  a 
crown" — to  our  love  of  pleasure  ;  and  in- 
forms us  that  "  in  his  presence  there  is  ful- 
ness of  joy,  and  at  his  right  hand  are  plea- 
sures for  evermore."  And,  in  short,  in  the 
same  way,  he  addresses  the  principles  of 
zeal,  love,  hatred,  shame,  fear,  revenge,  &c. 
And  so  must  we. 

4.  A  knowledge  of  human  nature  as  de- 
praved is  necessary. — Without  this  know- 
ledge, we  shall  be  unable  to  trace  and  de- 
tect the  workings  of  a  wicked  heart.  Sin  is  a 
deceitful  thing,  and  we  are  apt  to  be  imposed 
upon  by  its  specious  names.  Parsimonious- 
ness  is  called  frugality  ;  prodigality,  gener- 
osity ;  bitterness  of  spirit  in  reproving,  fidel- 
ity ;  and  resentment,  a  becoming  spirit.  We 


396 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


need  therefore  to  know  the  root  of  the  dis- 
ease, and  the  various  ways  in  which  it  ope- 
rates. In  order  to  effect  a  cure,  the  know- 
ledge of  the  disease  is  indispensable  ;  and, 
in  order  to  attain  to  this  knowledge,  we 
must  study  the  various  symptoms  by  which 
the  disorder  may  be  distinguished. 

5.  A  knowledge  of  human  nature  as 
sanctified  by  the  Spirit  is  necessary. — With- 
out this,  we  shall  be  unable  to  trace  the 
work  of  God  in  the  soul ;  and  unable  to 
fan  the  gentle  flame  of  divine  love  in  the 
genuine  Christian,  and  to  detect  and  expose 
the  various  counterfeits. 

You  will  need  also,  my  brother,  a  heart 
warmed  with  divine  things,  or  you  will  never 
be  "a  burning  and  a  shining  light."  When 
we  are  thinking  or  preaching,  we  need  to 
iurn,  as  well  as  shine.  When  we  study,  we 
may  rack  our  brains,  and  form  plans  ;  but, 
unless  "our  hearts  burn  within  us,"  all  will 
be  a  mere  skeleton — our  thoughts  mere 
bones  :  whatever  be  their  number,  they  will 
be  all  dry — very  dry  :  and,  if  we  do  not  feel 
what  we  say,  our  preaching  will  be  poor 
dead  work.  Affected  zeal  will  not  do.  A 
gilded  fire  may  shine  ;  but  it  will  not  warm. 
We  may  smite  with  the  hand,  and  stamp 
with  the  foot,  and  throw  ourselves  into  vio- 
lent agitations  ;  but,  if  we  feel  not,  it  is  not 
likely  the  peoj  le  will — unless,  indeed,  it  be 
a  feeling  of  disgust.  But  suppose  there  be 
no  affectation,  nor  any  deficiency  of  good 
and  sound  doctrine  ;  yet,  if  in  our  work  we 
feel  no  inward  satisfaction,  we  shall  resem- 
ble a  millstone — preparing  food  for  others, 
the  value  of  which  we  are  unable  to  appre- 
ciate ourselves.  Indeed,  without  feeling, 
we  shall  be  incapable  of  preaching  any 
truth  or  of  inculcating  any  duty  aright.  How 
can  we  display  the  evil  of  sin,  the  love  of 
Christ,  or  any  other  important  truth,  unless 
we  feel  it?  How  can  we  preach  against  sin, 
without  feeling  a  holy  indignation  against 
it  ?  It  is  this  that  will  cause  us,  while  we 
denounce  sin,  to  weep  over  the  sinner. 
Otherwise,  we  may  deal  in  flings  and  per- 
sonalities ;  but  these  will  only  irritate  :  they 
will  never  reclaim.  O  !  if  ever  we  do  any 
good  in  our  work,  it  must  be  the  effect  of 
love  to  God  and  love  to  men — love  to  the 
souls  of  men,  while  we  detest,  and  expose, 
and  denounce  their  sins.  How  could  Paul 
have  pursued  his  work  with  the  ardor  and 
intenseness  which  he  manifested,  if  his  heart 
had  not  burned  with  holy  love. 

II.  Spiritual  light  and  holy  love  are 
equally  necessary  in  presiding  in  the 
church  of  God. 

Wisdom  and  love  are  necessary,  calmly 
to  lay  down  rules  of  discipline — to  solve  dif- 
ficult questions — to  prepare  and  digest,  in 
concurrence  with  the  deacons,  such  matters 
as  require  to  be  laid  before  the  church — to 
nip  little  differences  in  the  bud — to  medi- 
ate between   contending  parties,  &c.     My 


brother,  think  of  the  example  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  who,  in  his  intercourse  with  his  disci- 
ples, saluted  them  with  this  benediction — 
"  Peace  be  with  you  !  "  The  great  art  of 
presiding  in  a  church,  so  as  to  promote  its 
welfare,  is  to  be  neutral  between  the  mem- 
bers, always  on  the  side  of  God  and  right- 
eousness, and  to  let  them  see  that,  whatever 
your  opinion  may  be,  you  really  love  them. 

III.  These  qualities  are  necessary  in  the 
more  private  duty  of  visiting  the  people. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  pastoral  office 
consists  in  visiting  the  people,  especially 
the  afflicted.  Paul  could  appeal  to  the  el- 
ders of  the  church  at  Ephesus  that  he  had 
taught  them  publicly  and  "  from  house  to 
house."  It  is  of  great  consequence  that,  in 
your  pastoral  visits,  you  should  preserve  the 
character  of  "  a  burning  and  a  shining  light." 
Pastoral  visits  should  not  degenerate  into 
religious  gossiping — a  practice  in  which 
some  have  indulged  to  the  disgrace  of  reli- 
gion. Unused  to  habits  of  reflection,  they 
feel  no  relish  for  solitude  ;  and  therefore,  to 
employ  the  time  which  hangs  so  heavy  on 
their  hands,  they  saunter  about  to  see  their 
friends,  and  to  ask  them  how  they  are.  Nor 
is  this  the  worst.  Satan  promptly  furnishes 
a  subject  where  there  is  such  a  dearth  ;  and 
hence  gossiping  has  generally  produced 
tales  of  slander,  and  practices  which  have 
proved  a  scandal  to  the  Christian  name  !  I 
trust,  my  brother,  you  know  the  precious- 
ness  of  time  too  well  to  squander  it  away  in 
idle  visits.  And  yet  visiting  is  an  essential 
part  of  your  work,  that  you  may  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  circumstances,  the  spirit- 
ual necessities  of  your  people.  They  will 
be  able  to  impart  their  feelings  freely  and 
unreservedly  ;  and  you  will  be  able  to  ad- 
minister the  appropriate  counsel  to  much 
better  purpose  than  you  possibly  can  from 
the  pulpit,  and  with  greater  particularity 
than  would  be  becoming  in  a  public  address. 
Only  let  us  burn  while  we  shine.  Let  a 
savor  of  Christ  accompany  all  our  instruc- 
tions. A  minister  who  maintains  an  upright, 
affectionate  conduct,  may  say  almost  any 
thing,  in  a  way  of  just  reproof,  without  giv- 
ing offence. 

IV.  Spiritual  light  and  holy  love  are 
necessary  in  your  whole  demeanor 
through  life.  May  you,  my  brother, 
shine  in  holy  wisdom,  and  burn  with  ardent 
love.  You  will  need  them,  wherever  you 
go — in  whatever  you  engage — that  you  may 
walk  as  one  of  the  children  of  light. 

Allow  me  to  point  out  a  few  things  which 
I  have  found  of  use,  to  conduce  to  these 
ends : — 

1.  Read  the  lives  of  good  men — the  lives  of 
such  men  as  God  has  distinguished  for  gifts, 
and  graces,  and  usefulness.  Example  has  a 
great  influence.  The  Scriptures  abound 
with  such  examples.  And,  blessed  be  God, 
we  have  some  now. 


MINISTERIAL    ATTENTION    TO    THE    SCRIPTURES. 


397 


2.  Study  the  ivord  of  God,  above  all  other 
books,  and  pray  over  it. — It  is  this  will  set 
our  hearts  on  fire.  There  are  no  such  mo- 
tives exhibited  any  where  as  there — no  such 
exhibitions  of  wisdom  and  love. 

3.  Read  men,  as  well  as  books,  and  your 
own  heart,  in  order  that  you  may  read  others. 
— Copyists,  you  know,  are  generally  bung- 
lers. There  is  nothing  that  equals  what  is 
taken  immediately  from  the  life.  We  need 
always  be  making  our  observations,  wherev- 
er we  are,  or  wherever  we  go.  If  we  get  a 
system  of  human  nature,  or  experience,  or 
any  thing  else,  from  books,  rather  than  from 
our  own  knowledge,  it  will  be  liable  to  two 
disadvantages.  First :  It  is  not  likely  to  be 
so  near  the  truth ;  for  systems  which  go 
through  several  hands  are  like  successive 
copies  of  a  painting,  every  copy  of  the  pre- 
ceding one  is  more  unlike  the  original — or 
like  the  telling  of  a  tale,  the  circumstances 
of  which  you  do  not  know  of  your  own  per- 
sonal knowledge :  every  time  it  is  repeated 
there  is  some  variation,  and  thus  it  becomes 
farther  removed  from  the  truth.  Thus 
Agrippa  showed  his  wisdom,  when,  instead 
of  depending  on  the  testimony  of  others,  he 
determined  to  hear  Paul  himself.  Second- 
ly :  If  it  be  correct,  still  it  will  not  be  so  ser- 
viceable to  you  as  if  it  were  a  system  of 
of  your  own  working.  Saul's  armor  might 
be  better  than  David's  sling  ;  but  not  to  him, 
seeing  he  had  not  proved  it. 

4.  Live  the  life  of  a  Christian,  as  well  as 
of  a  minister — Read  as  one,  preach  as  one, 
converse  as  one — to  be  profited,  as  well  as  to 
profit  others.  One  of  the  greatest  tempta- 
tions of  a  ministerial  life  is  to  handle  divine 
truth  as  ministers,  rather  than  as  Christians 
— for  others  rather  than  for  ourselves.  But 
the  word  will  not  profit  them  that  preach  it, 
any  more  than  it  will  them  that  hear  it,  un- 
less it  be  "  mixed  with  faith."  If  we  study 
the  Scriptures  as  Christians,  the  more  fa- 
miliar we  are  with  them  the  more  we  shall 
feel  their  importance :  but,  if  our  object  be 
only  to  find  out  something  to  say  to  others, 
our  familiarity  with  them  will  prove  a  snare. 
It  will  resemble  that  of  soldiers,  and  doctors, 
and  undertakers,  with  death :  the  more  fa- 
miliar we  are  with  them,  the  less  we  shall  feel 
their  importance.  See  Prov.  xxii.  17,  18. 
Ps.  i.  2,  3. 

5.  Commune  ivith  God  in  private. — Walk- 
ing with  God  in  the  closet  is  a  grand  means, 
with  his  blessing,  of  illuminating  our  minds 
and  warming  our  hearts.  When  Moses 
came  down  from  the  mount,  his  face  shone 
bright,  and  his  heart  burned  with  zeal  for 
the  honor  of  God  and  the  good  of  his  people. 
Alas!  alas!  for  want  of  this  ....  See  Jer. 
x.  21. 

6.  Hold  forth  the  word  of  life,  not  only 
by  precept,  but  by  a  holy  practice. — "  Let 
your  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they, 
seeing  your  good  works,   may  glorify  your 


Father  who  is  in  heaven."  Without  this,  in 
vain  will  be  all  our  pretensions  to  being 
"  burning  and  shining  lights." 

My  dear  brother,  allow  me  to  conclude 
with  an  earnest  prayer,  that  you  may  long 
continue  a  "burning  and  a  shining  light" 
to  this  church  ;  and  that,  after  having  "turn- 
ed many  to  righteousness,"  you  may  shine 
as  a  distinguished  star  in  the  firmament  for- 
ever and  ever ! 


LVI. ON     AN     INTIMATE     AND     PRACTICAL 

ACQUAINTANCE    WITH     THE    WORD    OF    GOD. 

"  Ezra  had  prepared  his  heart  to  seek  the  law 
of  the  Lord,  and  to  do  it,  and  to  teach  in  Israel 
statutes  and  judgments." — Ezra  vii.  10. 

My  dear  brother,  the  long  and  intimate 
friendship  which  has  subsisted  between  us 
will  I  hope  render  any  apology  unnecessary 
for  my  occupying  this  situation  upon  this 
solemn  occasion.  I  should  certainly  have 
felt  a  pleasure  in  hearing  some  senior  mi- 
nister: but  with  your  desire,  on  the  ground 
of  intimate  friendship,  I  feel  disposed  to 
comply.  I  feel  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  ad- 
dressing you ;  for  I  can  speak  to  you  as  a 
friend — a  brother — an  equal — an  acquaint- 
ance, with  whom  I  have  often  taken  sweet 
counsel,  and  walked  to  the  house  of  God. 
You  will  not,  I  am  sure,  misinterpret  my 
freedom,  or  suppose  that  I  wish  to  assume 
any  superiority  over  you,  or  to  dictate  to 
you.  You  expect  me  to  insist  upon  the  im- 
portance of  the  work  in  which  you  are  en- 
gaged ;  and  for  this  purpose  I  have  direct- 
ed my  attention  to  the  passage  I  have  read, 
and  would  recommend  to  you  the  example 
of  Ezra. 

Example  has  a  strong  tendency  to  excite 
us  to  emulation ;  and  in  Ezra  the  scribe  you 
have  the  character  of  an  eminent  servant  of 
the  most  high  God,  held  up  to  your  admira- 
tion and  imitation.  Ministers  in  the  New 
Testament  are  called  "  scribes,  instructed 
unto  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; "  and  in  Ezra 
you  have  the  character  of  "  a  ready  scribe." 
There  are  four  things  in  his  character  upon 
which  I  shall  discourse,  and  which  I  would 
recommend  to  you. 

I.  Seek  the  law,  or  will,  of  God. —  I 
need  not  inform  you,  my  brother,  that  the 
laiv,  in  the  Old  Testament  especially,  is 
commonly  to  be  understood  as  synonymous 
with  the  Scriptures,  the  ivord,  or  the  revealed 
will  of  God.  The  Scriptures  were  then 
as  commonly  called  "the  laiv  of  the  Lord" 
as  they  are  now  called  "  the  word  of  God." 
So  the  term  is  to  be  understood  here.  To 
"  seek  the  law  of  the  Lord  "  is  the  same  as 
to  ascertain  his  mind  and  will  in  his  sacred 
word. 

You  are  to  "  feed  the  people  with  know- 
ledge and  understanding  ; "  but  you  cannot 
do    this    without    understanding    yourself. 


398 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


Your  lips  are  to  "  keep  knowledge,"  and  the 
people  are  to  "  seek  the  law  at  your  mouth  ; " 
but,  in  order  to  communicate  it  to  them,  you 
must  seek  it  at  the  mouth  of  God. 

1.  Seckit,  my  brother. — It  will  never  be 
found  without.  It  is  a  mine,  in  which  you 
will  have  to  dig.  And  it  is  a  precious  mine, 
which  will  well  repay  all  your  labor. 

2.  Seek  it  at  the  fountain-head. — You  feel, 
I  doubt  not,  a  great  esteem  for  many  of  your 
brethren,  now  living,  and  admire  the  writings 
of  some  who  are  now  no  more  ;  and  you 
will  read  their  productions  with  attention 
and  pleasure.  But,  whatever  excellence 
your  brethren  possess,  it  is  all  borrowed ; 
and  it  is  mingled  with  error.  Learn  your 
religion  from  the  Bible.  Let  that  be  your 
decisive  rule.  Adopt  not  a  body  of  senti- 
ments, or  even  a  single  sentiment,  solely 
on  the  authority  of  any  man — however 
great,  however  respected.  Dare  to  think 
for  yourself.  Human  compositions  are  fal- 
lible. But  the  Scriptures  were  written  by 
men  who  wrote  as  they  were  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Human  writings  on  religion 
resemble  preaching — they  are  useful  only 
so  far  as  they  illustrate  the  Scriptures,  and 
induce  us  to  search  them  for  ourselves. 

3.  Seek  the  will  of  God  in  every  part  of  the 
Bible. — It  is  very  true  that  some  parts  of  the 
Bible  are  more  interesting  than  others.  But 
"  all  Scripture  is  profitable  "  and  necessary. 
Do  not  take  this  part  and  leave  that.  Some 
people  foolishly  talk  of  Arminian  texts,  and 
»Calvinistic  texts,  as  if  Scripture  were  repug- 
nant to  itself!  That  system,  whatever  it  be 
called,  cannot  be  the  right  one,  that  rejects 
any  one  part  of  Scripture  whatever. 

4.  Seek  it  perseveringly. — Do  not  reckon 
yourself  so  to  have  found  it  as  to  be  self- 
.sufficient.  Be  open  to.conviction  from  every 
quarter.  Seek  it  by  reading,  by  meditation, 
by  prayer,  by  conversation — by  all  the  means 
that  offer.  Do  not  reject  information  from 
an  inferior,  or  even  an  enemy.  In  the  study 
of  the  Scriptures  you  will  always  be  a 
learner. 

II.  Prepare  your  heart  to  seek  the 
law  of  the  Lord. — There  is  a  preparation  of 
heart  in  which  we  are  wholly  passive,  which 
is,  in  the  strictest  sense,  the  work  of  God ; 
and,  without  this,  woe  be  to  any  of  us  that 
should  dare  to  set  up  for  teachers  of  his  law 
and  gospel ! — But  there  is  also  a  preparation 
of  heart  in  which  we  are  active  ;  and  this  is 
the  preparedness  intended  in  the  text.  In 
this,  even,  God  is  the  cause :  he  actuates ; 
but  then  we  act.  Of  this  preparation  we 
have  to  speak  ;  and  it  consists  in  prayer,  and 
self-examination,  and  meditation.  Your 
work  is  a  course,  and  for  this  you  must  pre- 
pare by  "  girding  up  the  loins  of  your  mind  " 
— &  fight,  and  you  must  "  put  on  the  whole 
armor  of  God."  The  work  of  God  should 
not  be  entered  upon  rashly.  God  frequently 
brings  his  servants  through  a  train  of  in- 


structions and  trials,  that  they  may  be  fitted 
for  it.  Moses  was  forty  years  at  court,  and 
forty  years  a  shepherd.  These  were  his 
days  of  preparation.  Christ  prepared  his 
disciples  by  his  instructions  during  his  life, 
and  previous  to  their  great  work  they  pre- 
pared themselves. — Acts  i. 

Such  preparation  of  heart  is  not  only  ne- 
cessary for  your  entrance  into  the  pastoral  of- 
fice, but  also  for  your  continuance  in  it.  You 
will  find  that  every  exercise  requires  it.  You 
do  not  need  being  guarded  against  that  er- 
roneous notion  of  so  trusting  to  the  Spirit  as 
to  neglect  personal  preparation  for  your  pub- 
lic labors.  But  this  preparedness  is  not  only 
requisite  for  speaking  the  truth  in  public,  but 
as  well  for  seeking  it  in  private.  Let  all  your 
private  meditations  be  mingled  with  prayer. 
You  will  study  your  Bible  to  wonderful  ad- 
vantage, if  you  go  to  it  spiritually-minded. 
It  is  this  which  causes  us  to  see  the  beauty 
and  to  feel  the  force  of  many  parts  of  Scrip- 
ture, to  which,  in  a  carnal  state  of  mind,  we 
are  blind  and  stupid.  If  we  go  to  the  study  of 
the  Bible  wise  in  our  own  conceits,  and  self- 
sufficient,  we  shall  get  no  good.  When  we 
would  be  taught  from  God's  word,  we  must 
learn  as  little  children.  Again :  If  we  go  to 
the  Bible  merely,  or  chiefly,  to  find  some- 
thing to  say  to  the  people,  without  respect 
to  our  own  souls,  we  shall  make  but  poor 
progress.  My  brother,  study  divine  truth  as 
a  Christian,  and  not  merely  as  a  minister. 
Consider  your  own  soul  as  deeply  interested ; 
and  dread  the  thought  of  cultivating  others, 
while  you  sutler  your  own  heart  to  remain 
uncultivated.  If  you  study  divine  truth  as  a 
Christian,  your  being  constantly  engaged  in 
the  study  will  promote  your  growth  in  grace  : 
you  will  be  like  "  a  tree  planted  by  riv- 
ers of  water  : "  you  will  not  only  bring  forth 
fruit  for  the  people,  but  your  leaf  shall  not 
wither,  and  whatever  you  do  shall  prosper. 
But,  if  merely  as  a  minister,  the  reverse.  I 
believe  it  is  a  fact  that,  where  a  minister  is 
wicked,  he  is  the  most  hardened  against  con- 
viction of  any  character. 

III.  Keep  the  law.— "Do  it."  The 
apostle  Paul,  in  writing  to  Timothy,  is  very 
particular  as  to  personal  religion,  in  a  bishop, 
or  pastor.  "  Take  heed  to  thyself,  and  to 
the  doctrine." — "  Keep  thyself  pure." — "  Be 
thou  an  example  of  the  believers,  in  word, 
in  conversation,  in  charity,  in  spirit,  in 
faith,  in  purity."  Observe,  too,  the  connec- 
tion in  which  this  exhortation  stands — "  Let 
no  man  despise  thy  youth  ;  "  plainly  intima- 
ting that  a  holy  example  will  render  even 
youth  respectable.  Your  Lord  and  Master 
both  did  and  taught  the  will  of  God. 

1.  Dread  nothing  more  than  recommending 
that  to  your  people  to  ivhich  you  do  not  attend 
yourself. — You  may  preach  with  the  fervor 
of  an  angel ;  but  if  your  practice,  your  hab- 
itual deportment,  be  inconsistent,  all  you  do 
will  be  in  vain. 


MINISTERS    MUST    OPPOSE    EVIL    AND    CHERISH    GOOD. 


399 


2.  More  is  expected  from  you  than  from 
others. — A  wicked  preacher  is  of  all  charac- 
ters the  most  contemptible.  Even  the  pro- 
fane despise  him. 

3.  You  will  attend  to  practical  preaching. — 
But  how  can  you  either  exhort  or  reprove,  if 
your  people  should  ever  have  it  in  their  pow- 
er to  say, "  Physician,  heal  thyself?" — "  Thou 
that  teachest  another,  teachest  thou  not  thy- 
self?" 

4.  Attend  not  only  to  such  duties  as  fall 
under  the  eye  of  man,  but  walk  with  God, — 
in  your  family,  and  in  your  closet.  It  will 
require  all  your  wisdom  to  bring  up  your  chil- 
dren "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord  ; "  and,  if  you  rule  not  well  in  your  own 
house,  you  cannot  expect  to  maintain  a  prop- 
er influence  in  the  church  of  God.  Beware 
also  of  omitting  secret  devotions.  Convers- 
ing with  men  and  things  may  brighten  your 
gifts  ;  but  communion  with  God  is  necessa- 
ry to  improve  your  graces. 

IV.  Teach  in  Israel  the  statutes  and  judg- 
ments of  God. — It  is  not  for  me  to  dictate  to 
you  what  doctrines  you  are  to  teach,  or 
what  precepts  you  should  enforce.  But  I 
hope  you  will  evince  your  sincerity  by 
preaching  in  the  main  such  things  as,  in 
your  confession  of  faith,  you  have  just  avow- 
ed ;  not  however  to  the  neglect  of  other 
points,  which  could  scarcely  be  expected  to 
be  introduced  in  such  a  document.  The 
more  you  are  acquainted  with  the  word  of 
God,  the  more  you  will  find  it  abounds  with 
truths,  reviving  truths  too,  which  seldom  or 
never  have  a  place  in  confessions  of  faith. 
But,  passing  this,  allow  me  to  give  you  a  few 
general  hints  on  the  subject  of  teaching. 

1.  Let  Christ  and  his  apostles  be  your  ex- 
amples.— Teach  as  they  taught.  It  would 
be  worth  while  to  read  over  the  Gospels,  and 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  if  it  were  only  to 
discover  their  manner  of  teaching.  Dare  to 
avow  every  truth  which  they  avowed  ;  and 
address  your  audience  in  such  language  as 
they  addressed  to  theirs,  and  that  without 
softening  it  down,  or  explaining  it  away. 

2.  Give  every  part  of  the  truth  Us  due  pro- 
portion.— Preach  every  truth  in  the  propor- 
tion in  which  it  is  introduced  by  God  in  his 
word.  You  will  find  some  people  attached 
to  one  class  of  truths,  and  others  to  another 
class  :  but  be  you  attached  to  all.  If  you 
are  habitually  dwelling  upon  one  truth,  it 
must  be  to  the  neglect  of  others ;  and  it  is 
at  your  peril  to  keep  back  any  part  of  the 
counsel  of  God!  If  you  preach  not  the 
great  doctrines  of  the  gospel ;  such  as  the 
entire  depravity  of  our  nature,  the  atonement 
of  Christ,  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  &c,  the 
people  of  God  will  be  famished.  If  you 
preach  these  doctrines,  to  the  neglect  of 
those  practical  addresses,  they  will  be  in 
danger  of  a  religious  surfeit.  If  you  preach 
doctrinally,  some  may  call  you  an  antinomi- 
an;  if  you  preach  practically,  others  may 
call  you  a  legalist.     But  go  on,  my  brother : 


this  is  a  kind  of  dirt  that  won't  stick.  Preach 
the  law  evangelically,  and  the  gospel  prac- 
tically ;  and  God  will  bless  you,  and  make 
you  a  blessing. 

3.  Dare  to  teach  nmvelcome  truths. — The 
Christian  ministry  must  be  exercised  with 
affection  and  fidelity.  Study  not  to  offend 
any  man ;  yet  keep  not  back  important  truth, 
even  if  it  do  offend.  You  must  not  enter 
the  pulpit  to  indulge  your  own  temper ;  but 
neither  are  you  at  liberty  to  indulge  the 
humor  of  others.  Be  more  concerned  to 
commend  yourself  to  the  consciences  of  your 
people  than  to  their  good  opinion. 

4.  Give  scriptural  proof  of  ivhat  you  teach. 
— Do  not  imagine- that  mere  assertion  will 
do.  Evidence  ought  to  form  the  body  of 
your  discourses.  Such  expressions  as  "  J 
say"  uttered  in  the  most  magisterial  tone, 
will,  after  all,  prove  nothing — except  the  un- 
warrantable confidence  of  the  preacher. 

5.  Consider  yourself  as  standing  engaged 
to  teach  all  that  hear  you. — Rich  and  poor, 
young  and  old,  godly  and  ungodly — "  warn- 
ing the  wicked,  lest  his  blood  be  required  at 
your  hands."  Seek  the  salvation  of  every 
man's  soul.  This  was  the  apostolic  method : 
"  warning  every  man,  and  teaching  every 
man  in  all  wisdom."  Whether  every  indi- 
vidual of  your  congregation  will  accept  your 
message  is  another  question.  Your  concern 
should  be,  not  to  intermeddle  with  what  is 
not  revealed,  but  to  "  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature  ;  "  and  to  pray  for  all,  as  Paul 
did  for  Agrippa  and  his  court,  without  dis- 
tinction :  "  I  would  that — all  that  hear  me  this 
day  were — altogether  such  as  I  am." 

6.  Teach  privately  as  well  as  publicly. — 
Make  your  visits  among  your  people  subser- 
vient to  instruction  and  edification.  Take 
the  example  of  Paul. — Acts  xx.  20.  Let  a 
savor  of  Christ  accompany  you  in  your  in- 
tercourse with  your  flock.  This  will  great- 
ly contribute  to  your  public  usefulness. 

My  brother,  seek  the  law  of  God — seek  it 
with  a  prepared  heart — reduce  it  to  practice 
— and  teach  it  diligently ;  and  you  will  be, 
not  only,  like  Ezra,  a  "  ready  "  scribe  ;  but 
"a  scribe  well-instructed  in  the  kingdom  of 
God." 


LVII. MINISTERS  ARE  APPOINTED  TO  ROOT 

OUT  EVIL  AND  TO  CULTIVATE  THAT  WHICH 
IS  GOOD. 

"  I  have  this  day  set  thee  over  the  nations,  and 
over  the  kingdoms,  to  root  out,  and  to  pull  down, 
and  to  destroy,  and  to  throw  down,  and  to  build, 
and  to  plant." — Jer.  i.  10. 

This  language,  my  brother,  is  not  in 
every  sense  applicable  to  the  present  occa- 
sion. The  prophet's  was  an  extraordinary, 
yours  is  an  ordinary  office.  His  was  to  be 
exercised  over  nations  and  kingdoms,  yours 
over  a  church  and  congregation.  Yet,  even 
in  his  case,  there  was  no  civil  power — he 


400 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


was  no  pope — nor  was  he  invested  with  the 
authority  of  a  modern  bishop.  All  the  power 
he  had  pertained  to  his  office  as  a  prophet: 
he  had  no  secular  authority :  he  pulled  down 
and  built  up  prophetically.  And  though  you 
have  no  such  power  as  this,  by  extraordinary 
inspiration,  yet,  in  a  way  of  declaring  the 
truths  of  God's  word,  "  whosesoever  sins  you 
remit,  they  are  remitted,  and  whosesoever 
sins  you  retain,  they  are  retained." 

Your  labor  is  less  than  the  prophet's  was, 
hut  the  nature  of  your  work  is  much  the 
same  ;  and  the  same  spirit  of  faithfulness  is 
required  over  a  few  things  as  over  many 
things. 

Your  work  is  divided  into  two  parts.  One 
is,  to  discourage  evil :  "  to  root  out,  to  pull 
down,  to  destroy,  and  to  throw  down."  The 
other  is,  to  encourage  good :  "  to  build,  and 
to  plant." 

The  imagery,  you  perceive,  is  of  two 
kinds — that  of  a  house,  and  that  of  a  garden. 

The  church  is  God's  house,  God's  build- 
ing ;  and  you  are  appointed  to  be  a  laborer 
"  together  with  God,"  to  pull  down,  and  de- 
stroy, and  throw  down  the  rubbish,  and  then 
to  build  upon  a  new  and  good  foundation. 

The  church  is  also  God's  garden  ;  and  you 
are  appointed  to  work  in  it,  and  keep  it  in 
order,  to  root  out  the  weeds,  and  to  plant  and 
cultivate  the  goodly  fruit. 

Give  me  your  attention,  my  dear  brother, 
while  I  inquire  what  are  the  evils  you  are  to 
oppose,  and  the  good  you  are  to  encourage, 
and  the  methods  to  be  adopted  in  pursuing 
these  objects.     Let  us 

I.  Inquire  what  are  the  evils  against 

WHICH  YOU  MUST  CONTEND  AND  THE  METH- 
ODS YOU  ARE  TO  ADOPT  IN  THIS  OPPOSITION. 

1.  By  your  public  ministry  root  out  errors 
in  doctrine. — Overturn  them — not  by  empty 
declamation,  but  by  solid  scriptural  evidence 
— not  by  the  wild  fury  of  a  bigot,  but  with 
the  pure  love  of  the  Christian  pastor,  whose 
care  it  should  be  to  preserve  his  charge  from 
things  that  tend  to  the  ruin  of  their  souls. — 
Particularly,  if  you  love  God,  you  Avill  be 
concerned  to  root  up  every  thing  that  op- 
poses the  glory  of  his  character  and  moral 
government.  Vindicate  the  ways  of  God  to 
men  against  all  their  hard  thoughts  and 
speeches.  Vindicate  his  law  both  in  its 
precepts  and  penalty.  You  have  observed, 
I  doubt  not,  that  this  is  the  foundation  for 
the  grace  of  the  gospel. — If  you  love  Christ, 
you  will  root  up  those  principles  which  de- 
grade his  dignity  and  set  aside  his  atone- 
ment.— If  you  love  your  people,  you  will  root 
up  those  principles  which  endanger  the  sal- 
vation of  their  souls  ;  such  as  self-righteous- 
ness and  presumptuous  hope.  There  is 
plenty  of  work  to  remove  the  covering  and 
to  pull  down  the  vain  expectations  of  sinners 
....  You  have  seen,  and  will  see,  many 
whose  habitual  deportment  proves  them  ene- 
mies to  the  cross,  who  yet  entertain  hopes 
of  heaven:  try  and  find  out  the   delusive 


ground  of  their  hope,  and  expose  it;  only  be 
careful  to  avoid  personalities,  which  will  ir- 
ritate rather  than  convince.  , 

2.  By  leading  the  church,  in  the  exercise  of 
faithful   discipline,   root    out    evil    doers. — 

Churches  which  in  former  years  have  been 
respectable  and  prosperous  are  fast  falling 
into  decay  for  want  of  discipline.  Some 
have  pleaded  the  parable  of  the  wheat  and 
tares  as  an  excuse  for  negligence  in  disci- 
pline ;  but  this  is  a  perversion.  The  field  is 
the  world,  not  the  church.  The  application 
of  the  principle  to  the  church  would  render 
all  the  rules  of  the  gospel  superfluous. 

3.  By  rendering  your  occasional  visits  sub- 
servient to  the  purposes  of  conviction  and  cor- 
rection.— You  may  in  this  way  root  up  many 
evils  which  you  cannot  by  either  of  the  other 
means.  There  are  cases  which  you  cannot 
touch  in  the  pulpit,  on  account  of  their  sin- 
gularity and  minuteness,  without  being  per- 
sonal, which,  as  I  just  said,  will  irritate  rather 
than  reclaim.  There  are  also  cases  which 
do  not  fall  under  church  censure,  which  yet 
should  come  within  the  cognizance  of  a 
faithful  pastor.  This,  I  confess,  is  a  difficult 
part  of  your  work  ;  and  some  for  fear  of  giv- 
ing offence,  have  declined  it:  but,  suppose 
offence  were  given,  if  you  are  in  the  path  of 
duty,  what  have  you  to  fear?  Some  will 
say,  "If  such  and  such  persons  are  offended, 
the  cause  will  sink."  Then  let  it  sink.  You 
may  safely  leave  that,  however,  to  Christ:  if 
it  should  therefore  sink,  he  will  not  blame 
you.  But  what  cause  must  that  be  that  is 
upheld  by  such  unworthy  means  ?  After  all, 
however,  there  is  a  way  of  managing  these 
things  by  which  offence  is  seldom  or  ever 
given.  The  great  secret  is  to  mingle  love 
with  your  fidelity.  This  was  Paul's  method 
with  the  Corinthians.  Consider  the  peculiar 
temptations  and  constitutional  or  education- 
al tendencies  of  the  party,  and  mingle  coun- 
sel and  encouragement  with  censure.  We 
proceed  to  inquire 

II.  What  is  that  good  which  you  are 
to  encourage,  or  what  is  the  work  denoted 
by  building  and  planting? — This  is  a  much 
more  agreeable  part  of  the  subject  than  the 
other,  though  not  more  necessary. 

In  general,  encourage  and  impart  just 
sentiments.  The  truth  has  ever  been  God's 
honored  instrument  in  doing  good. — Encour- 
age and  cultivate  holy  tempers  and  disposi- 
tions. Labor  to  build  up  your  people  in 
these  things.  That  is  not  always  the  best 
ministry  that  draws  the  most  followers,  but 
that  which  does  the  most  good.  When  I  see 
a  company  of  modest,  humble,  upright,  love- 
ly, diligent,  holy  people,  I  see  the  best  evi- 
dence of  a  good  minister.  But  let  me  be  a 
little  more  particular. 

First,  AS    A    BUILDER 

1.  Be  sure  that  you  lay  a  right  founda- 
tion.— Christ  is  the  foundation  of  God's  lay- 
ing, the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and 
prophets  ;   and    you  must  lay  him,  as  the 


MINISTERS    SHOULD    BE    CONCERNED    NOT    TO    BE    DESPISED. 


401 


foundation  of  faith  and  holiness.  All  true 
holiness  is  built  upon  faith  in  Christ.  Many- 
preachers  who  profess  to  entertain  a  great 
regard  for  a  holy  life,  and  deal  much  in 
moral  declamations,  omit  this  part  of  their 
work. 

2.  See  that  your  materials  be  fitly  framed 
together. — Ephes.  ii.  21.  Three  things  be- 
long to  this:  (1)  That  the  materials  be  hew- 
ed and  squared. — What  would  a  company  of 
proud,  self-willed,  prejudiced  professors  do 
together  with  the  godly  ?  These  sins  must 
be  cut  off.  They  ought  to  be  like  the  stones 
of  the  temple  before  you  lay  them  in  the 
house  of-  God.  (2)  That  they  be  formed  by 
the  same  rule. — The  stones  must  not  only  be 
cut  even,  but  so  as  to  fit  the  foundation  and 
each  other,  or  they  cannot  be  fitly  framed. 
Whatever  variety  there  may  be  in  some  re- 
spects, there  must  be  uniformity  in  others. 
No  society  can  exist  without  similarity  of 
views.  Our  hearts  must  be  renewed  after 
the  image  of  Christ ;  and,  if  they  fit  and  fall 
in  with  his  gospel  and  government,  they 
will  fit  one  another.  But  all  attempts  to 
build  men  into  religious  society  without  this 
will  be  vain.  "  For  what  fellowship  hath 
righteousness  with  unrighteousness,  and 
what  communion  hath  light  with  dark- 
ness?" &c— See  2  Cor.  vi.  14—18. 
"How  can  two  walk  together  except 
they  be  agreed?"  (3)  That,  in  being 
placed  in  the  building,  every  one  be  put  in 
that  situation  for  ivhich  he  is  formed. — Some 
have  splendid  gifts,  and  are  like  stones  in  the 
front  of  the  building,  for  ornament  and 
strength.  Others  have  more  private  excel- 
lences ;  but,  though  less  conspicuous,  they 
may  not  be  less  useful.  Some  are  like 
Barnabas,  affectionate  ;  and  excel  in  seek- 
ing out  obscure  humble  inquirers. — Acts  ix. 
27.  Others  are  wise  in  counsel  and  grave 
in  deportment.  Every  gift  should  be  so 
disposed  of  as  that  it  shall  be  of  the  greatest 
use  to  the  whole,  otherwise  the  building  will 
not  be  fitly  framed  together.  Where  offices 
are  filled  with  men  because  they  are  men  of 
property,  it  is  often  otherwise. 

3.  So  frame  the  ivhole  as  that  it  may  be  a 
fit  habitation  for    God. — It  must  be   God's 

house,  not  yours.  Beware  that  you  go  not 
about  it  as  Nebuchadnezzar  went  about 
Babylon — "  This  is  the  house  which  /  have 
built " — this  is  my  house  !  I  trust  you  have 
no  greater  desire  than  that  God  would  take 
up  his  abode  with  you.  Well — build  you 
but  upon  his  foundation,  and  by  his  rule,  and 
he  ivill  dwell  with  you.  All  buildings  are 
with  a  view  to  habitation. 

Secondly,  as  a  planter,  prepare  the  soil 
by  searching  and  convincing  doctrine. — Sow 
"  wholly  a  right  seed."  When  you  see  the 
plants  growing  up,  give  attention  to  them. 
Cultivate  them  by  every  means,  and  pray 
that  they  may  be  watered  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Allow  me  a  word  or  two,  my  brother,  par- 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  51. 


ticularly  applicable  to  yourself  individually. 

1.  While  you  root  out  and  pull  down, 
and  build  and  plant,  in  God's  house  and 
vineyard,  do  not  overlook  your  own.  Person- 
al religion  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
a  minister. 

2.  Take  into  consideration  that  you  are 
"  a  laborer  together  with  God." — He  that 
employs  you  will  reward  you.  Look,  my 
brother,  beyond  the  grave  for  your  reward. 
We  have  but  little  here  ;  but,  if  we  had  much, 
it  would  be  an  awful  thing  to  receive  that  for 
our  reward ! 


LVIII. MINISTERS  SHOULD  BE  CONCERNED 

NOT  TO  BE  DESPISED. 

"  Let  no  man  despise  thee." — Titus  ii.  15. 

Mt  brother,  I  feel  a  pleasure  in  the  work 
of  this  day,  partly  from  the  love  I  bear  to 
you,  and  partly  from  the  love  I  feel  towards 
the  church.  I  trust  you  will  receive  a  word 
of  advice  on  this  solemn  occasion  with 
candor  and  attention. 

You  will  observe  the  passage  is  not  an 
address  to  the  people  not  to  despise  their 
minister ;  but  to  the  minister  not  to  be 
despised  by  the  people.  If  you  ask  how 
you  are  to  prevent  this,  I  answer,  Contempt 
is  not  a  voluntary  feeling.  It  is  not  in  the 
power  of  men  to  despise  some  characters. 
They  may  dislike  them  ;  they  may  affect  to 
ridicule  them;  but  they  cannot  in  their 
hearts  despise  them.  If  a  minister  conducts 
himself  in  character,  no  man  will  be  able  to 
despise  him.  This,  then,  is  the  sentiment 
which  I  wish  to  impress  upon  you. 

Your  work  as  a  pastor  may  be  distinguish- 
ed into  three  departments — the  pulpit,  the 
church,  and  the  world — in  each  of  which  I 
hope  you  will  so  conduct  yourself  as  that  no 
man  shall  be  able  to  despise  you.  Let  me 
offer  to  your  consideration  a  few  particulars 
under  each. 

I.  What  concerns  you  in  the  pulpit, 
or  in  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel. 

1.  Avoid  all  affectation  in  your  manner. — 
Do  not  affect  the  man  of  learning  by  useless 
criticisms:  many  do  this,  only  to  display 
their  knowledge. — Nor  yet  the  orator,  by 
high-sounding  words,  or  airs,  or  gestures. 
Useful  learning  and  an  impressive  delivery 
should  by  no  means  be  slighted  ;  but  they 
must  not  be  affected,  or  men  will  be  sure  to 
despise  you.  • 

2.  Avoid  self-seeking  in  your  ends. — 
Preach  not  yourself,  but  Christ  Jesus.  Seek 
not  the  approbation  of  men  for  yourself,  but 
for  your  doctrine.  Study  to  commend  the 
gospel  to  the  consciences  of  your  hearers, 
rather  than  your  own  orthodoxy,  or  ingenui- 
ty, or  zeal,  to  their  admiration.  If,  instead 
of  endeavoring  to  secure  their  reception  of 
the  gospel-message,  you  are  concerned  to 


402 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


recommend  yourself  to  their  applause,  you 
will  be  sure  to  be  despised. 

3.  Avoid  vulgarity  and  loio  wit. — Though 
the  pulpit  is  not  the  place  for  affected  pom- 
posity, neither  is  it  the  place  for  mean  and 
low  language.  Few  men  are  more  con- 
temptible than  those  who  study  to  introduce 
vulgar  nonsense  and  jocose  anecdotes,  to 
make  people  laugh.  Sound  speech,  sound 
sense,  and  the  greatest  seriousness,  adorn 
the  pulpit.  Without  these,  you  will  be 
despised. 

4.  Do  not  advance  sentiments  without  being 
able  to  support  them  by  Scripture  evidence. — 
Many  content  themselves  with  assertions 
without  proof,  and  make  vehemence  supply 
the  place  of  evidence.  But  this  will  cause 
you  to  be  despised  by  men  of  understanding. 

5.  Beivare  that  you  do  not  preach  an  unfelt 
gospel. — If  you  do,  it  will  be  seen,  and  you 
will  be  despised.  It  will  be  seen  that, 
though  you  affect  to  be  in  earnest,  you  do 
not  feel ;  and  that  you  scarcely  believe  your 
own  doctrine.  We  may  get  into  a  habit  of 
talking  for  the  truth,  and  pleading  for  holi- 
ness, and  yet  be  dead  ourselves  ;  and,  if  so, 
we  shall  be  sure  to  be  despised. 

6.  Let  not  the  fear  of  man  deter  you  from 
declaring  the  ivhole  counsel  of  God. — Insist 
on  every  divine  truth  and  duty.  Where  in- 
terest or  friendship  stand  in  the  way,  it  may 
be  trying;  but,  if  you  yield,  the  very  par- 
ties to  whom  you  yield  will  despise  you. 
Speak  but  the  truth  in  love,  and  speak  the 
whole  truth,  and  you  will  commend  your- 
self to  every  man's  conscience,  when  you 
can  do  no  more. 

7.  Never  degrade  the  pulpit  by  indidging 
in  perso?ialities. — These  are  for  private 
admonition.  "  Rebuke  with  all  authority  ;  " 
but  let  your  personal  rebukes  be  in  private. 
To  introduce  them  in  the  pulpit  is  unmanly, 
and  would  render  you  despicable.  Let  us 
apply  the  language 

II.   To  your  behavior  in  the  church, 

and  AMONG  YOUR  FELLOW  CHRISTIANS. 

1.  Do  not  lord  it  over  God's  heritage. — You 
will  have  to  preside  in  the  church,  and  di- 
rect its  measures ;  but  never  assume  the 
lordly  priest.  Expect  your  judgment,  in 
some  cases,  to  be  overruled,  and  learn  to 
yield  with  cheerfulness  when  the  measures 
you  wish  to  introduce  appear  to  be  opposed 
to  the  opinion  and  desires  of  the  majority  of 
your  brethren.  It  is  not  with  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  as  with  a  minister  of  state — that 
he  must  have  a  majority,  or  he  cannot  stand 
his  ground.  If  we  "  look  on  the  things  of 
others,"  we  may,  in  non-essentials,  after 
speaking  our  minds,  yield  and  be  happy. 
But  if  we  are  determined  to  carry  every 
point  which  appears  to  us  desirable,  in  spite 
of  the  opinion  of  our  brethren,  though  we 
may  not  always  succeed,  we  shall  invariably 
be  despised  for  the  attempt, 

2.  Yet  have  a  judgment  of  your  oum. — 
This  will  become  you  on  every  subject ;  and 


where  it  is  of  importance  you  ought  to  be 
firm  and  resolute.  A  minister  must  not  be 
borne  down  by  the  capriciousness  of  a  few. 
He  who  is  easily  turned  aside  from  a  good 
object,  and  will  bear  insult  without  a  proper 
manifestation  of  his  displeasure,  will  be 
despised  as  much  as  a  lordly  high-priest.  If 
a  minister  be  not  firm,  discipline  will,  in 
many  cases,  be  neglected.  People  have 
their  friends,  and  relatives,  and  favorites  ; 
and  very  few,  though  the  operation  be  blood- 
less, have  sufficient  regard  for  rectitude  to 
act  upon  the  principle  of  the  sons  of  Levi. — 
See  Exod.  xxxii.  17 — 29.  But  you  must, 
or  you  will  be  despised. 

3.  Do  not  affect  the  gentleman  in  your 
visits. — Do  not  assume  airs  of  consequence, 
and  take  liberties  in  families,  as  if,  because 
you  are  a  minister,  you  are  therefore  supe- 
rior as  a  man.  I  do  not  say,  do  not  be  a  gen- 
tleman ;  but  do  not  affect  the  great  man. 
Real  gentility,  and  urbanity,  and  politeness, 
are  no  mean  or  despicable  attainments. 
There  was  much  Christian  politeness  in  the 
apostle  Paul.  But  the  affectation  of  the 
fine  gentleman  is  great  folly  ;  and  no  men 
are  more  -despised  than  those  who  strut 
about  with  lordly  dignity,  and  give  them- 
selves consequential  airs.  You  had  much 
better  feel  yourself  a  Christian,  and  consider 
that  you  are  associating  with  your  fellow 
Christians,  or  with  those  who  expect  you  to 
exhibit  a  pattern  for  their  imitation. 

4.  Yet  preserve  a  dignity  of  manner  and 
demeanor. — There  is  no  occasion  for  you,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  affectation  of  gentility  to 
sink  into  low  buffoonery,  vulgarity,  or  drol- 
lery. My  brother,  the  fear  of  God,  and  a 
deep  sense  of  religion,  will  effectually  pre- 
serve you  from  these  extremes,  and  render 
you  respectable,  instead  of  contemptible. 

5.  Beivare  of  being  a  loiterer. — Do  not  ac- 
quire a  habit  of  wandering  about  and  doing 
nothing.  Visit,  and  visit  "  from  house  to 
house."  But  look  well  to  your  visits  r 
"preach  from  house  to  house."  There  is 
work  enough  in  a  congregation  for  a  minis- 
ter to  do ;  but  nothing  renders  him  more 
contemptible  and  despised  than  a  habit  of 
religious  gossipping.     Let  us  apply  the  text 

III.  To  your  general  deportment  in  the 
world. 

1.  Let  your  conduct  coirespond  ivith  your 
preaching. — Men  will  watch  you.  You  may 
put  off  the  preacher  in  mixed  company  ;  but 
you  must  never  put  off  the  man  of  God — the 
Christian.  Whatever  you  may  be  in  the 
pulpit,  if  in  the  world  you  be  frothy,  vain, 
contentious,  captious,  unfeeling,  unjust,  or 
make  engagements  you  cannot  fulfil,  you 
will  be  despised.  On  the  contrary,  consist- 
ency of  character  will  wear,  and  live  down 
opposition. 

2.  Never  be  ashamed  of  religion  in  any 
company. — There  is  no  need  to  introduce  it 
on  all  occasions,  and  in  all  companies.  This 
would  render  you  despised  one  way.     But 


MINISTERS    ARE    FELLOW-LABORERS    AVITH    GOD. 


403 


be  not  the  subject  of  cowardly  timidity. 
That  would  render  you  equally,  if  not  more, 
despicable.  There  is  nothing  in  true  reli- 
gion but  what  admits  of  a  rational  defence. 
There  wants  nothing  to  defend  religion  but 
firmness  of  mind.  But,  if  you  are  ashamed 
of  the  cause  you  have  espoused,  its  oppo- 
nents will  heartily  despise  you. 

To  conclude. — If  the  contempt  of  men 
be  such  a  matter  of  dread,  how  much  more 
the  contempt  of  God!  Then  so  conduct 
yourself  that  you  may  not  be  ashamed,  and 
not  be  despised,  at  his  coming ! 


LIX. 


-MINISTERS     ARE     FELLOW-LABORERS 
WITH  GOD. 


"  We  are  laborers  together  with  God." — 1  Cor. 
iii.  9. 

My  dear  brother,  in  every  address  of  this 
kind  I  wish  to  be  understood  as  assuming  no 
kind  of  authority  whatever ;  but  simply  as 
concurring  in  the  work  of  the  day,  and  as 
presenting  to  the  consideration  of  my 
brother  in  the  ministry  a  few  observations 
suited  to  the  occasion. 

The  words  we  have  selected  afford  us  an 
important  view  of  the  Christian  ministry — 
Co-operators  with  God !  Not,  indeed,  as  co- 
ordinate, but  as  subordinate.  We  labor  un- 
der him.  It  is  not  our  husbandry,  nor  our 
building,  but  God's  ;  and  the  design  of  the 
apostle  was  to  cut  off  the  vainglorying  in 
men  to  which  the  Corinthians  were  so  ad- 
dicted, saying,  I  am  of  Paul,  or  I  am  of 
Apollos,  or  I  am  of  Cephas.  Yet  it  affords 
a  most  honorable  and  animating  view  of 
the  Christian  ministry — fellow-laborers  with 
God !  I  shall  consider  the  passage  in  two 
views  ;  viz.  as  affording  us  a  directory  as  to 
the  nature  of  our  work,  and  an  encourage- 
ment in  our  performance  of  it. 

I.  As  affording  us  a  directory  as  to  the 

NATURE  OF  OUR  WORK. 

Our  work  is  a  labor. — If  any  man  enter 
upon  the  ministry  from  a  desire  to  live  an 
easy,  idle  life,  he  is  under  a  great  mistake. 
He  may  make  such  a  life  of  it,  but  he  will 
not  fulfil  his  work.  And  let  him  take  heed 
lest  he  be  rejected  at  the  last:  "Cast ye  out 
the  unprofitable  servant  into  outer  darkness." 
A  proper  discharge  of  the  Christian  minis- 
try must  be  a  labor.  This  will  appear  if  we 
consider  a  few  of  the  principal  parts  of  which 
it  is  composed. 

1.  A  leading  part  of  this  work  consists  in 
our  becoming  acquainted  with  the  mind  of 
God  in  his  word. — We  must  "  labor  in  word 
and  doctrine."  We  cannot  "  feed  the  peo- 
ple with  knowledge  and  with  understand- 
ing," unless  we  possess  them.  Truth  is  a 
well — full  of  water,  but  deep.  A  mine — rich, 
but  requiring  much  labor  to  dig  up  the 
precious  ore.  Such  a  depth  is  there  in  the 
word  of  God  that  inspiration  itself  does  not 


supercede  the  necessity  of  close  application 
— Psa.  xxvii.  4.  We  must  be  perpetually 
inquiring,  and  searching. — 1  Peter  i.  10 — 12. 
We  must  "  give  ourselves "  to  the  word  of 
God  and  prayer.  The  very  angels  are  per- 
petually gospel  students,  "  desiring  to  look 
into  "  the  things  that  are  revealed.  Unless 
we  labor  in  this  way,  there  can  be  no  proper 
food  or  variety  in  our  preaching.  "  Medi- 
tate on  these  things :  give  thyself  wholly  to 
them."  The  truths  of  God's  word  are  wor- 
thy of  being  our  meat  and  drink  ....  Dig- 
ging in  these  mines  is  very  pleasant  work 
when  we  can  enter  into  them.  But  there 
are  seasons  when  it  is  otherwise ;  and  yet 
we  must  go  on,  though  we  scarcely  know 
how  ;  this  is  labor. 

2.  Another  part  is  communicating  the 
mind  of  God  so  as  to  apply  it  to  the  cases  of 
the  people. — It  belongs  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  to  apply  truth  to  the  circumstances 
and  consciences  of  the  hearers,  as  well  as  to 
teach  it ;  and,  in  order  to  this,  we  must  study 
men  as  well  as  things.  We  must  trace  the 
workings  of  a  depraved  heart,  in  order  to  de- 
tect its  shiftings  and  subterfuges — the  doubts 
and  difficulties  of  a  desponding  heart,  in  or- 
der to  remove  them,  and  to  point  out  the 
way  of  life — and  the  general  operations  of  a 
gracious  heart,  in  order  to  distinguish  be- 
tween genuine  and  spurious  religion,  lest, 
while  we  comfort  the  real  Christian,  we 
should  soothe  the  hypocrite. 

For  these  important  purposes,  it  is  neces- 
sary that  we  should  avail  ourselves  of  two 
grand  sources  of  information — experience 
and  observation.  That  which  is  derived 
from  these  sources  is  taken  from  life,  and  is 
generally  more  profitable  than  that  which  is 
copied  from  even  the  most  judicious  writings 
of  men,  at  second-hand.  But  all  this  re- 
quires labor.  I  may  add,  much  of  the  labor 
that  attends  this  part  of  our  work  arises  from 
the  state  of  those  with  whom  we  have  to 
deal,  and  our  want  of  success. — In  preaching 
to  sinners,  we  have  to  attack  the  strong 
holds  of  Satan — ignorance,  prejudice,  pride, 
self-righteousness,  hardness  of  heart,  unbe- 
lief, and  aversion  from  God.  Our  work  here 
is  like  having  to  dig  through  a  rock  of  flint 
— we  have  much  labor,  and  make  slow  pro- 
gress. Sometimes  we  espy  a  downcast 
look  and  a  falling  tear,  and  this  inspires 
courage ;  but  these  hopeful  appearances 
often  subside.  Many  a  character,  of  whom 
we  have  hoped  well  for  years,  is  still  hang- 
ing between  God  and  the  world,  and  we 
know  not  what  will  be  the  issue.  These 
are  the  things  which  occasion  those  pains  of 
labor  of  which  the  apostle  speaks :  "My  lit- 
tle children,  of  whom  I  travail  in  birth,  until 
Christ  be  formed  in  you." 

3.  Another  part  of  our  ministry  consists 
in  following  up  the  ivork  of  preaching,  by 
close  conversation  in  our  private  visits. — Paul 
taught  at  Ephesus  "  from  house  to  house." 


404 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


It  is  painful  and  laborious  to  a  feeling  mind 
to  tell  persons  of  their  faults,  and  yet  we 
cannot  fulfil  our  duty  without.  To  intro- 
duce personal  reflections  in  public,  where 
no  answer  can  be  made,  and  where  the  ten- 
dency is  to  expose  rather  than  to  reclaim,  is 
mean  and  unmanly  ;  but  it  is  not  so  in  pri- 
vate :  there  we  must  be  faithful,  and,  in  or- 
der to  be  faithful,  we  must  be  personal.  But 
this  is  hard  work.  Ministers,  as  well  as 
other  men,  have  their  feelings.  They  love 
peace,  and  they  wish  to  retain  the  friend- 
ship of  their  people.  But,  if  a  minister  tell 
the  truth,  there  is  great  danger  of  his  being 
counted  an  enemy,  and  treated  as  such. 
Faithful  reproof,  therefore,  must  be  self- 
denying  work.  The  grand  secret,  I  think, 
to  render  this  part  of  our  work  as  easy  as 
possible,  is  to  love  the  souls  of  the  people, 
and  to  do  every  thing  from  pure  good  will, 
and  with  a  view  to  their  advantage — "  speak- 
ing the  truth  in  love."  The  man  that  can 
be  offended  by  such  treatment,  and  leave  his 
place  in  the  house  of  God,  can  be  no  less 
to  a  minister  or  to  a  congregation. 

4.  Another  part  of  our  work  is,  presiding 
in  the  church  in  the  character  of  a  pastor. — 
And  this  is  labor.  Those  who  preside  in  a 
large  community  find  it  very  difficult  to 
manage  amidst  such  a  variety  of  spirits  and 
tempers  ;  and  those  who  preside  in  a  small 
one  may  find  it  still  more  difficult,  where  in- 
dividuals are  of  more  consequence,  and 
therefore,  perhaps,  more  assuming  and  liti- 
gious. A  large  church  is  like  a  large  fami- 
ly, in  which  there  is  a  necessity  for  constant 
labor  and  continual  attention,  to  keep  things 
in  proper  order.  But  a  small  church  may 
be  compared  to  a  little  boat,  floating  on  the 
waters — a  single  wrong  movement  may 
overset  it.  In  either  case  we  had  need  be 
endued  with  righteousness,  godliness,  faith, 
love,  meekness,  patience,  and  forbearance. 
The  less  we  have  of  self-importance  and  of 
tenaciousness  in  carrying  a  point,  and  the 
more  of  respect  and  disinterested  regard  for 
our  brethren,  the  less  labor  will  it  be  to  us. 

Having  considered  the  Christian  ministry 
under  the  idea  of  a  labor,  I  may  observe 
that  we  are  further  directed  as  to  its  nature, 
by  considering  ourselves  as  "laborers  to- 
gether with  God." 

By  this  we  are  taught  to  labor  in  the 
same  cause  and  to  the  same  ends  as  God. 
God,  in  all  his  operations,  keeps  certain  im- 
portant ends  in  view,  and  we  must  join  with 
him :  for  example — to  glorify  his  Son  .... 
to  abase  the  sinner  ....  to  alarm  the  wick- 
ed ...  .  to  comfort  the  believer  ....  and 
we  must  unite  with  God  in  all  this.  We 
must  habitually  exalt  the  Saviour  and  hum- 
ble the  pride  of  man.  Our  constant  mes- 
sage must  be — it  shall  be  well  with  the 
righteous,  but  it  shall  be  ill  with  the  wicked. 
We  must  never  comfort  those  whom  God 
would  alarm.    When  God  brings  a  sinner 


under  concern,  it  is  our  business  to  forward 
the  work.  If  a  man  tell  me  he  is  a  great 
sinner,  it  is  not  for  me  to  soothe  him,  and 
to  persuade  him  that  he  sees  things  in  too 
strong  a  light ;  but  rather  to  convince  him 
that  ho  is  a  much  greater  sinner  than  he 
conceives,  and  that  the  heart  of  man  is 
"  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately 
wicked."  The  only  comfort  I  am  authorized 
to  offer  him  is,  by  pointing  him  to  a  great 
Saviour — one  who  is  able  to  save  to  the  ut- 
termost all  that  come  unto  God  by  him,  and 
who  will  never  cast  out  any  that  apply  to 
him  for  mercy.  It  is  dangerous  as  soon  as 
we  perceive  concern  to  smile  and  tell  the 
party  that  this  is  a  good  sign,  and  all  will 
soon  be  well.  It  is  a  good  symptom,  if  it 
be  genuine  ;  but  if,  before  we  can  ascertain 
the  reality  of  the  repentance,  Ave  begin  to 
soothe  and  console  the  sinner,  we  shall  be 
in  danger  of  causing  him  to  be  satisfied,  in- 
stead of  urging  him  to  an  application  Avhere 
alone  he  ought  to  take  up  his  rest ;  and,  in- 
stead of  being  laborers  together  with  God, 
Ave  shall  be  found  to  be  laboring  against 
him.  God  calls  him  to  mourning  and  Aveep- 
ing  and  lamentation  ;  and  it  is  at  our  peril 
to  comfort  him  by  any  thing  short  of  an  ex- 
hibition of  the  free  grace  of  the  gospel. 
We  proceed 

II.  To  consider  the  passage  as  affording 
us,  not  only  a  directory  as  to  the  nature  of 
our  Avork,  but  an  encouragement  in  the 
discharge  of  it. — And  this  is  derivable 
from  the  latter  clause — "laborers  together 
tvith  God."  If  Ave  be  with  God,  God  is  with 
us  ;  and  that  is  the  greatest  encouragement 
Ave  can  have.  "Lo!  I  am  Avith  you  always, 
to  the  end  of  the  Avorld." 

1.  If  we  be  Avith  God,  God  will  be  Avjth 
us  to  assist  us  in  our  private  labors. — There 
is  much  in  the  prayer  of  the  apostle  Paul  on 
behalf  of  Timothy— "The  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
be  with  thy  spirit."  It  is  this  that  Avill 
sweeten  our  labor.  Solomon  speaks  of  a 
joy  in  labor,  and  certainly,  of  all  labor,  none 
is  so  productive  of  joy  as  digging  in  the 
mines  of  everlasting  truth — especially  Avhen 
the  Lord  Jesus  is  Avith  our  spirit. 

2.  God  Avill  be  with  us  in  blessing  our 
public  labors. — Had  Moses  gone  to  the  rock 
Avithout  God,  he  might  have  spoken,  and 
have  smitten  it,  but  it  would  not  have  cleav- 
ed asunder:  the  rock  Avould  have  broken 
the  rod,  rather  than  the  rod  the  rock.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  our  labors  on  the  hearts 
of  men.  But  Avith  God  Ave  shall  "  do  valiant- 
ly." "The  Aveapons  of  our  Avarfare  are 
mighty  through  God."  God,  we  may  be 
certain,  will  not  labor  in  vain  ;  and,  if  we 
labor  Avith  him,  neither  shall  Ave.  "  Thanks 
be  to  God,  who  ahvays  causeth  us  to  tri- 
umph in  Christ,  and  ahvays  maketh  mani- 
fest the  savor  of  his  knowledge  by  us."  My 
brother,  if  we  be  faithful  laborers,  Ave  shall 
in  no  wise  lose  our  reward. 


MANNER    IN    WHICH    THE    GOSPEL    SHOULD    BE    PREACHED. 


405 


softening-  matters,  either  with  the  uncon- 

LX. the  nature  of    the    gospel,  and    verted  or  the  backslider.     Beware  of  giving 

the  manner  in  which  it  ought  to  up  the  authority  of  God  over  the  heart,  and 
be  preached.  °i  allowing  either  thatthe  heartless  services 

of  the  unconverted  are  pleasing  to  him,  or, 
«  Praying  for  us,  that  God  would  open  unto  us  jf  not>  t]iat  the  fauit  js  not  in  them.  Be- 
door  of  utterance,  to    speak  the  mystery  of   ware  0f  countenancing  their   own  views  of 

themselves,   that    they    are    poor    pitiable 


Christ, — that  I  may  make  it  manifest  as  I  ought 
to  speak."  — Col.  iv.  3,  4 


My  dear  brother,  I  have  chosen  this  pas- 
sage, on  the  present  occasion,  as  expressing 
not  the  whole  of  your  work,  but  an  im- 
portant part  of  it — preaching  the  gospel. 
For  the    discharge  of  this,   an  apostle  be- 


creatures  instead  of  sinners.  The  wound 
must  be  probed,  or  your  patient  will  be  lost ! 
O  !  if  we  preach  the  gospel  as  we  ought  to 
preach  it,  what  fidelity  is  here  required ! 
You  must,  my  brother,  side  with  God  against 
an  ungodly   world.     You   must  follow   the 


sought  the  prayers  of  his  brethren,   and  so    windings  of  their  evil  hearts  ;  you  must  de- 
should  we.  tect  them  in  all  their  refuges  of  lies,  that 
The  words  imply  that,  to  do  justice  to  the    they  may  flee  to  the  only  refuge   set  before 
gospel,   or  to  preach   it  as  it  ought  to   be    them  in  the  gospel.     However  it  may  pain 
preached,  ive  need  a  special  divine  influence,    you,  or  offend  your  hearers,  if  you  would 
and  consequently  the  prayers  pf  our  brethren,    preach  the  gospel  as  you  ought  to  preach  it 
I  wish  at  this  time  to  call  your  attention  to    — you  must  be  faith/id. 
the  work  itself — the  maimer  in  which  the        2.  The    gospel  is  a  message  in  which  we 
gospel  ought  to  be  preached ;  and  then  to    have   truth   and  justice    on    our  side ;    and 
offer  a  few  motives  to  your  consideration.        therefore    we    ought  to   be  firm  and  fearless 
I.  I  shall  call  your  attention  to  the  man-    of  consequences. — Speak  boldly. — Eph.    vi. 
ner  in  which  the  gospel  ought  to  be    19,  20.     If  a  man's  cause  be  bad,  it  must 
preached.  render   him  timid :  but  to  be  timid  in  the 
It  is  not  my  wish  to  dismay  your   spirit,    cause  of  God  and  truth  is  unworthy.     When, 
but  yet  I  desire  to  impress  you  with  a  sense    however,   I  recommend  boldness,  I  do   not 
of  the  importance  of  the  work  of  the  minis-    mean  that  which  is  opposed  to  modesty  and 
try,  that,  like  the  apostle,  you  may  cry  to    respectful  feeling,  nor  yet  that  dogmatical 
Him  who  alone  can  give  you  strength  to    rant  which  deals  in  assertion  without  evi- 
discharge  it.     That  we  may  form  some  idea    dence  ;  but  that  which  is  opposed  to  mer- 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  gospel  ought    cenary  fear  and  cowardice.     You  must  not 
to  be  preached,  it  is   necessary  to  consider    calculate  consequences  as  they  respect  this 
some   of  its  leading  properties.     We   may    life.     If  you  would  preach  the  gospel  as  you 
mention  four  or  five  : —  ought  to  preach  it,  the   approbation  of  God 
1.  The  gospel  is  a  message  which  implies    must  be   your  main  object.     What  if  you 
a  disagreeable  and  heavy  charge  against  those    ivere  to  lose  your  friends  and  diminish  your 
to  ivhom  it  is  addressed,  and  therefore  requires    income  :  nay,  what  if  you  lose  your  liberty, 
great  faithfulness. — It  supposes  that  all  man-    or  even  your  life — what  would  all  this  be, 
kind  are  the  enemies  of  God,  and  exposed    compared   with   the  loss  of   the  favor  and 
to  his  righteous  displeasure.     You  will  have    friendship  of  God  ?     Woe   unto   us,   if  we 
to  do  with  the  wicked  as  well  as  with  the    shun  to  declare  any   part  of  the  counsel  of 
righteous,  and  you  must  not  flatter  them.    God !      He   that  is    afraid   or   ashamed  to 
It  is  at  your  peril  to  say  any  thing  soothing    preach  the  whole  of  the  gospel,   in   all   its 
to  the  wicked.     It  will  be  very  painful  to    implications   and   bearings,    let    him   stand 
keep  them  at  a  distance,   and  to  exhibit  to    aside :  he   is  utterly  unworthy   of  being  a 
them  the  threatenings  of  God's  word  against    soldier  of  Jesus  Christ.     Sometimes,  if  you 
them.      They   will  be  trying    to   shift  the    would  speak  the  whole   truth,  you  may  be 
blame,  and  to  invent  excuses  ;  but  you  must    reproached  as  unsound  and  heterodox.    But 
follow  up  your  charges.     Their  hearts  may    you  must  not  yield  to  popular  clamor.     If 
rise  against  you,  and  they  may  be  displeased    you   have   truth  on  your    side,   stand   firm 
with  your  preaching ;  but  you  must  not  de-    against  all  opposition. 

Sisfei  3.  The  gospel  is  a  message  full   of  im- 

If  we  could  go  with  a  message  of  appro-  portance,  and  therefore  you  must  be  in  ear- 
bation  and  applause— if  we  could  tell  our  nest.— If  your  message  respected  the  health 
auditory  that  they  are  amiable  and  virtuous  of  your  hearers,  or  their  temporal  interest, 
beings,  with  only  a  few  imperfections,  which  or  their  reputation,  it  would  be  thought  im- 
God  will  doubtless  overlook — it  might  be  portant.  But  what  are  these  compared  with 
much  more  pleasing  and  agreeable  to  our-  the  salvation  of  their  souls !  Salvation  by 
selves  as  men.  We  can  feel  no  pleasure  in  Jesus  Christ  is  God's  last  remedy — his  ulti- 
accusing  our  species.  But  woe  unto  us  if  matum  with  a  lost  world. — Mark  xvi.  16 ; 
we  speak  not  the  truth !  The  wicked  will  Acts  iv.  12.  There  remaineth  no  other 
perish,  and  their  blood  will  be  required  at  our  sacrifice  for  sins.  Then  do  not  trifle  on 
hand !— Ezek.  iii.  16—21.    Then  beware  of  such  subjects  as  these,  lest  you  lose  your 


406 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


own  soul.  What  can  be  thought  of  you  if 
you  employ  your  time  in  making  pretty 
speeches,  and  turning  elegant  periods,  in- 
stead of  endeavoring  to  "  save  yourself  and 
them  that  hear  you !  "  What  if,  instead  of 
beseeching  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God, 
you  should  crack  jokes  before  them,  to  ex- 
cite a  laugh !  What  can  be  thought  of  you 
if  you  trifle  with  principles,  and  join  the 
sneer  of  the  poet,  when  he  says 

"  '  Bout  modes  of  failh  let  graceless  zealots  fight : 
He  can't  be  wrong  whose  life  is  in  the  right  !  " 

Your  hearers  will  doubtless  conceive  that 
you  are  insincere,  and  that  you  do  not  be- 
lieve the  message  you  are  appointed  to  de- 
liver. 

4.  The  gospel  is  a  message  that  abounds 
with  deep  wisdom,  and  therefore  we  ought 
to  possess  a  deep  insight  into  it,  and  to 
cultivate  great  plainness  of  speech. — The 
gospel  is  "a  mystery,"  and  a  mystery  that 
requires  to  be  made  manifest.  A  mystery 
is  something  hidden,  or  secret.  Such  are 
the  great  things  of  God.  They  are  "hid 
from  the  wise  and  the  prudent,  and  revealed 
unto  babes." — "Unto  you  it  is  given  to 
know  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of 
God."  Much  of  it,  indeed,  was  hidden  from 
Old  Testament  believers. — Eph.  iii.  5.  Nor 
is  it  known  even  to  New  Testament  be- 
lievers, but  by  the  Spirit. — 1  Cor.  ii.  7. 
Nor  is  it  fully  comprehensible  to  any ;  for  it 
is  called  "  unsearchable  riches."  "Great  is 
the  mystery  of  godliness."  Even  angels 
make  it  their  study.  Then  to  make  these 
things  manifest  must  require  great  insight 
into  them,  and  great  plainness  of  speech. 
Do  not  be  content  with  superficial  views  of 
the  gospel.  Read  and  think  for  yourself  on 
every  subject.  Read  the  Bible,  not  merely 
for  texts,  but  for  scriptural  knowledge. 
Truth  attained  in  this  way  is  like  property — 
/it  will  wear  the  better  for  having  been  ac- 
quired by  dint  of  industry.  To  preach  the 
gospel  as  we  ought  to  preach  it  requires, 
not  the  subtilty  of  the  metaphysician,  but 
the  simplicity  of  the  Christian. 

5.  The  gospel  is  a  message  of  love,  and 
therefore  it  ought  to  be  preached  with  af- 
fection.— Never  were  such  messages  of  love 

announced  to  the  world  before.  "  God  so 
loved  the  world,"  &c.  "Come  ye  out 
from  them,  be  ye  separate,"  &c.  This  is 
fitly  called  "the  glorious  gospel  of  the 
blessed  God."  It  is  an  overflow  of  his 
blessedness.  To  preach  these  things  with 
an  unfeeling  heart  is  not  to  preach  "  as  we 
ought "  to  preach.  Cultivate  the  affection- 
ate. Not  indeed  an  affectation  of  feeling, 
but  genuine  feeling.  Christ  wept  over  sin- 
ners, and  so  must  we.  If  we  trifle  with 
men,  or  be  careless  about  their  salvation,  or 
deal  forth  damnation  with  an  unfeeling  heart, 
we  do  not  preach  "  as  we  ought." 

II.  Let  me  offer  a  few  motives  to  this 


duty  of  preaching  the  gospel  as  it  ought  to 
be  preached. 

1.  Consider  the  examples  held  up  for  your 
imitation. — You  have  Peter  ....  Paul 
....  John  ....  in  each  of  whom  these 
things  are  exemplified.  Nay,  more — 
you  have  Christ.  Nor  have  you  examples 
in  distant  ages  only ;  but  you  have  seen 
some,  even  among  you  ....  Pearce  ! 

2.  Consider  the  examples  exhibited  for 
your  warning. — Some  have  sunk  into  in- 
dolence and  self-indulgence  ;  sauntering 
about  and  gossipping,  instead  of  preaching, 
from  house  to  house  ;  and  there  has  been  an 
end  of  them.  Some  have  risen  into  pride 
and  priestly  insolence,  and  there  has  been 
an  end  of  them.  Some  have  trifled  with 
the  truth,  and  God  has  given  them  up  to  de- 
structive error.  Others  have  plunged  into 
political  speculations,  which  have  eaten  up 
all  their  religion :  aiming  to  govern  the 
world,  they  have  lost  the  government  of 
their  own  souls,  and  of  their  peculiar  charge. 

3.  Consider  the  effects  that  may  follow. — 
If  you  were  deputed  to  negotiate  a  peace 
between  the  contending  powers  of  Europe, 
you  would  tremble  lest  the  curses  of  many 
should  fall  upon  you.  My  brother,  be  faith- 
ful, and  you  shall  receive  a  crown.  If  you 
be  not,  the  eternal  curse  of  God  awaits 
you! 


LXI. — THE    WORK     AND     ENCOURAGEMENTS 
OF  THE  CHRISTIAN   MINISTER. 

"  His  lord  said  unto  him,  Well  done,  thou 
good  and  faithful  servant :  thou  hast  been  faith- 
ful over  a.  few  things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over 
many  things  ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord." 
— Matt.  xxv.  21. 

Such  is  the  solemn  and  important  charge', 
my  brother,  allotted  you,  that,  if  you  were  to 
contemplate  it  merely  as  it  relates  to  its  dif- 
ficulties, you  might  shrink  at  the  thought  of 
it;  but  I  rejoice  to  say  you  enter  upon  your 
pastoral  work  under  favorable  auspices. 
You  have  the  hearts  of  your  people ;  and 
that  point  gained  is  more  than  a  thousand. 
You  could  never  expect  to  do  them  good, 
unless  you  were  interested  in  their  affec- 
tions. 

I  feel  a  pleasure  in  complying  with  your 
desire  that  I  should  address  you  on  the  pre- 
sent interesting  occasion,  and  shall  request 
your  candid  attention  to  a  few  observations 
founded  on  a  part  of  the  parable  of  the 
talents. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that,  as  our  Lord 
approached  the  close  of  his  ministry,  his 
preaching  partook  of  an  increasing  solem- 
nity. This  chapter  concludes  his  ministe- 
rial discourses,  and  is  all  upon  the  subject  of 
the  last  judgment.  The  parable  of  the  vir- 
gins, and  that  of  the  talents,  both  lead  to 
the  same   point.     And  these  are  followed 


WORK    AND    ENCOURAGEMENTS    OF    THE    CHRISTIAN    MINISTER. 


407 


by  a  solemn  representation  of  the  final  judg- 
ment. The  world  is  convened,  and  the  Son 
of  God  distributes  everlasting  salvation  to 
his  people  and  everlasting  destruction  to 
his  enemies. 

Such  was  the  close  of  our  Saviour's  min- 
istry ;  and  from  one  of  these  representations 
I  shall  address  you,  that  you  also  may  be  pre- 
pared for  his  second  coming. 

The  occasion  of  the  parable  of  the  tal- 
ents is  given  by  Luke.  He  tells  us  that, 
when  our  Saviour  came  near  to  Jerusalem, 
many  thought  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
should  immediately  appear.  But  it  was  a 
temporal  kingdom  that  occupied  their  minds  ; 
and,  in  order  to  destroy  their  vain  conceits, 
our  Lord  described  himself  under  the  para- 
bolical form  of  a  certain  nobleman,  who 
went  into  a  distant  country  to  receive  a 
kingdom,  and  delivered  his  goods  to  his  ser- 
vants in  trust,  of  which  trust,  or  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  had  fulfilled  it,  they  were 
each  to  give  an  account.  This,  was  in  effect, 
saying  to  his  disciples,  "  It  is  true,  I  am  go- 
ing to  receive  a  kingdom,  but  not  here  :  and 
you  shall  partake  of  that  kingdom,  but  not 
yet."  Thus  he  led  them  to  expect  that  un- 
til his  second  coming  their  business  was  not 
to  amuse  or  agitate  themselves  about  what 
post  of  honor  they  should  occupy,  but  to 
bend  their  attention  to  a  solemn  and  impor- 
tant trust  committed  to  them. 

We  may  remark  here  (1)  The  talents  do 
not  mean  grace  but  gifts,  or  things  to  be  im- 
proved. Grace  is  that  by  which  we  improve 
them.  One  man  had  a  talent,  and  yet  turn- 
ed out  an  unprofitable  servant.  He  never 
had  the  grace  of  God  in  truth,  but  had  a 
gift  or  trust  imparted  to  him,  for  the  abuse 
of  which  he  was  finally  condemned.  (2) 
These  talents  are  dispensed  in  different  de- 
grees— some  have  five,  some  two,  and  some 
one.  (3)  Every  man  is  called  to  occupy  what 
he  has — and  must  give  an  account  of  it — and 
no  more.  He  that  had  two  talents  received 
the  approbation  of  his  lord,  just  as  he  who 
had  five. 

We  may  collect,  from  the  whole,  the  im- 
portant work  of  the  Christian  ministry,  and 
the  encouraging  motives  to  a  faithful  dis- 
charge of  it. 

I.  We  have  an  interesting  view  of  the 
work  of  a  Christian  minister.  You  are 
here  represented  as  a  servant — you  are  re- 
quired to  be  a  good  and  faithful  servant — 
and  you  must  not  make  light  of  your  charge, 
though  it  extend  only  to  a  few  things. 

1.  You  are  a  servant  of  God. — You  are 
intrusted  with  a  portion  of  his  property,  of 
the  use  or  abuse  of  which,  another  day  you 
will  have  to  render  an  account.  God  has  put 
a  talent  into  your  hands,  and  says,  "Occupy 
till  I  come." 

Many  things  might  be  mentioned  as  in- 
cluded in  the  talents  intrusted  to  you,  as 
time,  property,  knowledge,  influence,  oppor- 


tunity :  for  all  these  you  must  give  an  ac- 
count. But  we  pass  over  these  as  common 
to  you  and  others,  and  shall  confine  our  at- 
tention to  those  which  are  peculiar  to  us  as 
ministers.  There  are  two  in  particular 
which  constitute  our  ministerial  trust — the 
gospel  of  Christ,  and  the  souls  of  the  peo- 
ple. 

The  gospel  of  Christ. — This  is  impressive- 
ly recommended  by  Paul  to  Timothy,  in  the 
close  of  his  First  Epistle  :  "  O  Timothy  ! — ■ 
(and  Paul  never  dealt  in  interjections  with- 
out feeling  his  subject  to  be  one  of  vast  im- 
portance)— O  Timothy  !  keep  that  which  is 
committed  to  thy  trust,  avoiding  profane  and 
vain  babblings,  and  oppositions  of  science 
falsely  so  called."  The  gospel  is  a  most 
sacred  trust,  and  you  must  keep  it.  Not 
keep  it  back,  but  keep  it  safe  ;  hold  it  fast 
in  your  mind  and  your  ministry.  The  best 
way  to  hold  fast  the  truth  as  a  minister  is  to 
live  upon  it  as  a  Christian.  Attempt  to  keep 
it  any  where  but  in  your  heart,  and  it  will  go. 
If  it  be  merely  in  the  memory,  it  is  not  safe. 
He  that  is  reasoned  into  the  truth  may  be 
reasoned  out  of  it.  It  is  living  upon  the 
truth  as  a  Christian  that  will  cause  the  heart 
to  be  established  with  grace. 

The  souls  of  the  people. — These  also  are 
a  part  of  the  property  committed  to  your 
trust,  of  which  you  must  give  an  account. 
You  may  say,  perhaps,  There  's  such  a  one, 
and  such  a  one — they  have  attended  my 
ministry  ;  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  dis- 
cover any  thing  in  them  friendly  to  the 
cause  of  Christ. — But  the  question  which 
may  be  addressed  to  you  is,  Did  you  warn 
them  ?  Did  you  deal  faithfully  with  them  ? 
In  a  word,  Did  you  discharge  your  trust  ? 
— If  you  have,  your  soul  shall  be  delivered, 
and  their  blood  shall  be  on  their  own  heads. 
But,  if  not,  though  they  perish  in  their  iniqui- 
ty, their  blood  will  be  required  at  your  hands. 
My  brother,  you  must  "  watch  for  souls  as 
those  that  give  an  account." — You  may  have 
to  allege  with  regard  to  others,  They  would 
not  receive  the  doctrine  I  taught ;  they  were 
always  opposing  it,  always  cavilling  at  it, 
and  ha^e  often  caused  my  heart  to  ache. — 
But  the  question  for  your  consideration  is, 
Did  you  teach  them  in  love  ?  Did  you  bear 
and  forbear  with  them  ?  If  they  have  gone 
astray  like  lost  sheep,  have  you  searched 
after  them  with  a  desire  to  restore  them  ? 
Did  you  preach  "  publicly,  and  from  house  to 
house  ?  " — My  brother,  let  it  be  your  con- 
cern to  give  your  account  "  with  joy,  and 
not  with  grief." 

2.  You  are  not  only  a  servant  of  Christ, 
intrusted  with  an  important  charge  ;  but  are 
required  to  discharge  that  trust  as  a  "good 
and  faithful  servant."  The  term  "good" 
stands  opposed  to  "  unprofitable."  A  good 
and  faithful  servant  is  a  profitable  servant. 
True,  we  cannot  profit  Christ  absolutely, 
but  we  may  relatively :  he  has  an  interest  in 


408 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


the  world,  and  we  may  profit  that — a  people, 
and  we  may  profit  them :  and  he  will  con- 
sider every  thing  done  to  them  for  his  sake 
as  done  to  him ;  and  thus  you  may  be  a  pro- 
fitable servant.  It  is  not  enough  that  you 
do  no  harm.  It  is  true,  many  are  injurious ; 
but  others,  who  are  not  injurious,  are  "cum- 
berers  of  the  ground,"  and  as  such  are  un- 
profitable, and  as  such  will  be  cast  out.  The 
servant  in  the  parable  is  not  cast  out  for 
what  he  did,  but  for  not  doing  what  he  ought 
to  have  done. — You  are  to  be  a  "  faithful " 
servant.  Faithfulness  is  absolutely  required 
of  a  servant  of  Christ.  You  are  not  required 
to  be  successful :  your  Lord  and  Master  was 
not  very  successful:  but  he  was  faithful, 
and  so  must  you  be.  There  is  great  need 
of  faithfulness.  People  love  that  their  min- 
isters should  "  prophesy  smooth  things." 
They  love  a  flesh-pleasing,  flattering,  doc- 
trine. This  may  not  be  true  of  all,  but  it  is 
of  many.  They  love  preaching  that  soothes, 
and  that  cherishes  hope  and  comfort,  and 
ease  and  peace,  whatever  be  their  character 
and  their  state  :  hence,  multitudes  will  tell 
you  that  they  cannot  profit  under  a  preach- 
er, when  the  whole  secret  is  that  they  can- 
not be  comforted  in  their  sins.  Probably,  if 
the  preacher,  were  to  comfort  them,  it  must 
be  at  the  expense  of  the  gospel :  he  must 
preach  false  doctrine,  and  cry  peace,  when 
there  is  no  ground  for  peace.  So  do  not 
you.  They  may  complain  that  you  do  not 
feed  them :  well,  nor  should  you :  you  are 
not  required  to  feed  men's  lusts,  but  their 
graces.     Be  faithful. 

Still  your  faithfulness  must  be  tempered 
with  love.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  unfeel- 
ing fidelity — and  preaching  at  people  rather 
than  to  them.  Our  Lord  himself,  who  is  a 
perfect  pattern  of  faithfulness,  and  was  par- 
ticularly severe  against  the  hypocritical  pha- 
risees,  yet  wept  over  sinners,  even  while  de- 
nouncing judgments  against  them.  "Speak 
the  truth  in  love." 

3.  You  must  not  think  it  beneath  you,  though 
your  lot  should  be  to  take  the  charge  of "  a  few 
things.'''' — I  have  often  thought  of  this  passage 
in  reference  to  a  small  people,  and  these  per- 
haps chiefly  poor.  I  am  aware  that  it  is  flat- 
tering to  human  vanity  to  have  large  con- 
gregations, and  on  some  accounts  it  is  also 
desirable;  but  should  it  be  otherwise  with  you, 
if  yours  should  be  only  a  small  congregation, 
consisting  of  a  few  people,  and  these  chiefly 
poor,  and  this  for  many  years  to  come, — what 
then?  ....  Just  think  of  the  commendation 
of  your  Lord,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant ;  for  as  much  as  thou  hast  been  faith- 
ful over  a  few  things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler 
over  many  things :  enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  lord."  Is  not  this  enough  ?  And 
ought  we  not,  as  ministers,  to  be  more  con- 
cerned to  execute  well  that  trust  which  we 
have  than  to  be  always  seeking  after  a  larg- 
er ?     I  abhor  the  spirit  that  shall  send  for  an 


orator,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  gathering 
a  respectable  congregation.  A  faithful  dis- 
charge of  the  trust  which  God  gives  us  is 
the  way  to  have  that  trust  increased.  In- 
stead of  being  anxious  for  a  large  charge, 
we  have  reason  to  tremble  lest  we  should 
be  found  unfaithful  in  that  which  we 
have.  There  are  times  in  which  the  spir- 
its of  a  minister  Avill  flag,  on  account  of 
the  fewness  of  his  hearers.  The  sight  of 
empty  pews  must  prey  on  his  peace  and  com- 
fort. But  be  not  discouraged ;  remem- 
ber that  the  thinnest  assembly  is  made  up 
of  immortal  beings,  and  chiefly  perhaps  of 
those  who  are  yet  in  their  sins  ;  and  you  have 
an  object  of  greater  magnitude  within  the 
possibility  of  your  compass  than  was  ever 
presented  to  the  grasp  of  an  Alexander,  a 
Cassar,  or  a  Buonaparte.  The  salvation  of 
one  soul  is  of  more  worth  than  the  temporal 
salvation  of  a  world — a  soul,  purchased  by 
the  Son  of  God  himself.  Think  of  this,  my 
brother,  and  be  not  discouraged,  even  though 
you  should  have  comparatively  few  to  hear, 
unless,  indeed,  the  cause  exist  in  your  own 
deficiency.  Be  "  faithful  over  a  few  things," 
and  you  shall  eventually  be  "  ruler  over 
many  things." 

I  proceed  to  consider 

II.  The  important  motives  which  are 
here  presented  to  us  for  the  discharge  of  our 
trust. 

1.  You  ivill  receive  the  approbation  of  your 
Lord. — Place  yourself  in  idea,  my  brother, 
before  your  Lord  and  Master,  at  the  last  day, 
and  anticipate  the  joy  of  receiving  his  appro- 
bation. This  is  heaven.  We  should  not 
study  to  please  men  so  much  as  to  please 
God.  If  we  please  him,  we  shall  please  all 
who  love  him,  and,  as  to  others,  they  are  not 
on  any  account  worthy  of  being  pleased  at 
the  expense  of  displeasing  God.  It  is  doubt- 
less gratifying  to  receive  the  "well  done  " 
of  a  creature  ;  but  this  in  some  cases  may 
arise  from  ignorance,  in  others  from  private 
friendship  ;  and  in  some  cases  men  may  say 
"  well  done  "  when,  in  the  sight  of  Him  who 
judges  the  heart,  and  recognizes  the  springs 
of  action,  our  work  may  be  ill  done.  And, 
even  if  we  have  done  comparatively  well,  we 
must  not  rest  satisfied  with  the  approbation 
of  our  friends.  Many  have  sat  down  con- 
tented with  the  plaudits  of  their  hearers, 
spoiled  and  ruined.  It  is  the  "  well  done  " 
at  the  last  day  which  we  should  seek,  and  with 
which  only  we  should  be  satisfied.  There 
have  been  young  ministers,  of  very  promis- 
ing talents,  who  have  been  absolutely  nursed 
to  death  with  human  applause,  and  the  hopes 
they  inspired  blighted  and  blasted  by  the 
flattery  of  the  weak  and  inconsiderate.  The 
sound  of  "well  done  "  has  been  reiterated  in 
their  ears  so  often  that  at  last  (poor  little 
minds  !)  they  have  thought,  Surely  it  was 
well  done  ;  they  have  inhaled  the  delicious 
draught,  they  have  sat  down  to  enjoy  it,  they 


ON    PREACHING    CHRIST,    &C. 


409 


have  relaxed  their  efforts,  and,  after  their 
little  hour  of  popular  applause,  they  have 
retired  behind  the  scenes,  and  become  of 
little  or  no  account  in  the  Christian  world ; 
and,  what  is  worse,  their  spirituality  has  de- 
clined, and  they  have  sunk  down  into  a  state 
of  desertion,  dispiritedness,  and  inactivity,  as 
regards  this  world,  and  of  uncertainty,  if*  not 
of  fearful  forebodings,  as  to  another  ....  My 
brother,  you  may  sit  down  when  God  says 
"  Well  done  ! "  for  then  your"  trust  will  be 
discharged  ;  but  it  is  at  your  peril  that  you 
rest  satisfied  with  any  thing  short  of  this. 
Keep  that  reward  in  view,  and  you  will  not, 
I  trust,  be  unfaithful  in  the  service  of  your 
Lord. 

2.  Your  honor  and  happiness  in  the  ivorld 
to  come  shall  he  greatly  enlarged. — If  you 
have  been  "a  good  and  faithful  servant" 
here,  you  shall  "  rule "  there ;  and,  if  here 
you  have  been  faithful  over  "a. few  things," 
there  you  shall  be  a  ruler  over  "  many  things." 
There  will  be  a  glorious  augmentation  of 
honor  and  blessedness.  The  language  is 
figurative.  The  idea  may  be  expressed  by 
an  allusion  to  David's  worthies,  Avho  follow- 
ed him  in  his  trials,  and  whom  he  promoted 
when  he  came  to  the  throne :  those  who,  to 
procure  him  a  little  water,  fought  their  way 
through  the  opposing  army,  were  highly 
rewarded.  And  so  Jesus  assured  his  apos- 
tles, "  Ye  which  have  followed  me  in  the  re- 
generation, when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in 
the  throne  of  his  glory,  ye  also  shall  sit  upon 
twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel." 

Of  course  we  are  not  to  understand  this 
literally  ;  but  the  idea  conveyed  appears  to  be 
this — That  a  faithful  discharge  of  the  trust 
committed  to  us  in  this  world  will  contribute 
to  our  honor  and  blessedness  in  the  world  to 
come.  In  fact,  if  this  idea  is  not  conveyed,  it 
will  be  difficult  to  determine  what  is. 

Nevertheless,  the  best  services  we  can 
render  are  mingled  with  sin,  and  therefore, 
instead  of  deserving  a  reward,  need  forgive- 
ness. The  reward  we  shall  receive  will  be 
a  reward  of  grace,  not  of  debt.  Were  it  not 
for  the  sake  of  Christ,  nothing  we  do  could 
be  accepted,  there  being  so  much  sin  cleav- 
ing even  to  our  best  services.  The  Lord 
accepted  Abel  and  his  offering.  First,  he 
accepts  our  persons  for  the  sake  of  Christ, 
and  then  our  services.  And  our  services, 
being  accepted,  become  also  rewardable  for 
his  sake :  our  future  honors  are  a  part  of 
Christ's  reward.  If  you  are  instrumental  in 
saving  a  soul,  it  will  be  impossible  for  you  to 
meet  that  soul  in  heaven,  and  not  rejoice 
over  it:  it  will,  in  fact,  be  your  crown  of  re- 
joicing. So  your  honor  and  blessedness  will 
form  a  part  of  Christ's  reward. 

It  is  an  unscriptural  and  irrational  notion 
that  all  will  have  an  equal  degree  of  happi- 
ness in  heaven.     All  will  be  perfectly  hap- 
py, but  some  will  not  have  so  large  a  capa- 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  52. 


city  for  happiness  as  others.  Every  vessel 
will  be  full,  but  some  vessels  will  contain 
more  than  others.  "  One  star  differeth  from 
another  star  in  glory."  The  apostle  Paul 
must  enjoy  more  in  heaven  than  a  soul  caught 
up  from  infancy  ;  since  part  of  the  happiness 
of  heaven  will  consist  of  remembrance  of  the 
past  ....  But  the  diversity  most  important 
for  our  consideration  is  that  which  will  arise 
from  the  manner  in  which  we  have  perform- 
ed our  trust.  In  proportion  to  the  degree  of 
fidelity  with  which  we  have  discharged  the 
trust  committed  to  us  in  this  world  will  be 
the  honor  and  happiness  conferred  upon  ua 
in  the  next. 

3.  You  ivill  participate  in  that  joy  ofivhich 
your  Lord  partakes : — "Enter  thou  into  the 
joy  of  thy  Lord."  You  will  "  sit  down  with 
him  on  his  throne."  Whatever  the  joy  is 
that  was  "  set  before  him,"  and  for  which  he 
"  endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame," 
in  that  joy,  if  you  have  "  run  with  patience 
the  race  which  is  set  before  you,  looking  un- 
to him,"  you  shall  partake.  That  which  re- 
joices Christ's  heart  will  rejoice  yours — the 
glory  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  sinners.  He 
will  not  rejoice  alone,  but  admit  to  his  joy 
all  those  who  have  had  any  share  in  the  great 
work  to  accomplish  which  he  humbled  him- 
self unto  death. 

My  brother,  let  this  thought  encourage 
you  amidst  all  your  trials — that  you  are  to 
enter  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord.  "  To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me 
in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and 
am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his  throne." 


LXII. ON  PREACHING  CHRIST,  &C. 

"  We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the 
Lord ;  and  ourselves  your  servants  for  Jesus' 
sake." — 2  Cor.  iv.  5. 

A  remark  which  I  once  heard  from  the 
lips  of  that  great  and  good  man,  the  late  Mr. 
Abraham  Booth,  has  often  recurred  to  my 
recollection.  "  I  fear,"  said  he,  there  will 
be  found  a  larger  proportion  of  wicked  min- 
isters than  of  any  other  order  of  professing 
Christians  !  "  It  did  not  appear  to  me  at  the 
time,  nor  has  it  ever  appeared  since,  that 
this  remark  proceeded  from  a  want  of  charity, 
but  rather  from  a  deep  knowledge  of  the  na- 
ture of  Christianity,  and  an  impartial  obser- 
vation of  men  and  things.  It  behoves  us,  not 
only  as  professing  Christians,  but  as  minis- 
ters, "to  examine  ourselves,  whether  we  be 
in  the  faith."  It  certainly  is  possible,  after  we 
have  preached  to  others,  that  we  ourselves 
should  be  cast  away !  I  believe  it  is  very 
common  for  the  personal  religion  of  a  minis- 
ter to  be  taken  for  granted ;  and  this  may 
prove  a  temptation  to  him  to  take  it  for  grant- 
ed too.  Ministers,  being  wholly  devoted  to 
the  service  of  God,  are  supposed  to  have 
considerable  advantages    for  spiritual   im- 


410 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


provement.  These  they  certainly  have  ;  and, 
if  their  minds  be  spiritual,  they  may  be 
expected  to  make  greater  proficiency  in  the 
divine  life  than  their  brethren.  But  it  should 
be  remembered  that,  if  they  are  not  spiritual, 
those  thing's  which  would  otherwise  be  a 
help  will  prove  a  hindrance.  If  we  study 
divine  subjects  merely  as  ministers,  they  will 
produce  no  salutary  effect.  We  may  con- 
verse with  the  most  impressive  truths,  as 
soldiers  and  surgeons  do  with  blood,  till  they 
cease  to  make  any  impression  upon  us. 
We  must  meditate  on  these  things  as  Chris- 
tians, first  feeding  our  own  souls  upon  them, 
and  then  imparting  that  which  we  have  be- 
lieved and  felt  to  others  ;  or,  whatever  good 
we  may  do  to  them,  we  shall  receive  none 
ourselves.  Unless  we  mix  faith  with  what 
we  preach,  as  well  as  with  what  we  hear, 
the  word  will  not  profit  us.  It  may  be  on 
these  accounts  that  ministers,  while  employ- 
ed in  watching  over  others,  are  so  solemnly 
warned  against  neglecting  themselves : 
"  Take  heed  unto  yourselves  and  to  all  the 
flock,"  &c. — "Take  heed  unto  thyself,  and 
unto  the  doctrine  ;  continue  in  them  :  for  in 
doing  this  thou  shalt  both  save  thyself  and 
them  that  hear  thee." 

Preaching  the  gospel  is  not  the  only  work 
of  a  Christian  minister;  but  it  is  a  very  im- 
portant part  of  his  duty,  and  that  which,  if 
rightly  attended  to,  will  be  followed  by  other 
things.  To  this,  therefore,  I  shall  request 
your  attention. 

You  cannot  have  a  better  model  than  that 
which  is  here  held  up  to  you.  The  example 
of  the  apostles  and  primitive  ministers  is  for 
our  imitation.  Three  things  are  here  pre- 
sented to  our  notice  :  what  they  did  not 
preach — what  they  did  preach — and  what 
they  considered  themselves. 

I.  What  the  apostles  did  not  preach  : 
— "  We  preach  not  ourselves."  It  might  be 
thought  that  this  negative  was  almost  un- 
necessary ;  for,  except  a  few  gross  impos- 
tors, who  would  ever  think  of  holding  up 
themselves  as  Saviours,  instead  of  Christ  ? 
"  Was  Paul  crucified  for  you  ?  or  were  ye 
baptized  into  the  name  of  Paul  ?  "  Very 
true,  in  this  gross  sense,  few  men  in  the 
present  day  will  be  found  to  preach  them- 
selves. But  self  may  be  an  object  of  preach- 
ing without  being  expressly  avowed,  and 
even  while  with  the  tongue  Christ  is  recom- 
mended. And  there  is  little  doubt  that  self 
is  the  great  end  of  numbers  who  engage  in 
the  Christian  ministry  ....  For  example  : — 

1.  If  worldly  advantage  be  our  object,  we 
preach  ourselves. — It  is  true  there  is  but 
little  food  for  this  appetite  in  our  congrega- 
tions. Yet  there  are  cases  where  it  is 
otherwise.  Men  have  made  their  fortunes 
by  preaching.  And,  if  this  have  been  their 
object,  they  have  had  their  reward.  If  this 
had  not  been  a  possible  case,  Paul  would 
not  have  disavowed  it  as  he  does :— "  Not  for 


a  cloke  of  covetousness,  God   is  witness." 

2.  If  we  make  the  ministry  subservient  to 
a  life  of  ease  and  indolence,  we  preach  our- 
selves rather  than  Christ.  We  may  get  but 
little  for  our  labor,  and  yet,  being  fond  of  a 
life  of  sloth  (if  a  life  it  can  be  called,)  it  may 
be  more  agreeable  to  us  than  any  other  pur- 
suit. It  is  from  this  disposition  that  many 
ministers  have  got  into  the  habit  of  spending 
a  large  part  of  every  week  in  gossipping 
from  house  to  house  ;  not  promoting  the 
spiritual  good  of  the  people,  but  merely  in- 
dulging themselves  in  idle  talk.  I  might 
add  it  is  from  this  disposition  and  practice 
that  a  large  proportion  of  the  scandals  among 
ministers  have  arisen.  Had  there  been  no 
danger  from  these  quarters,  we  should  not 
have  met  with  another  of  Paul's  solemn  dis- 
avowals : — "  Our  exhortation  was  not  of  un- 
cleanness."  Such  a  declaration  as  this  was 
not  without  meaning.  It  describes  the  false 
teachers  of  those  times,  and  of  all  times. 

3.  If  the  applause  of  our  hearers  be  the 
governing  principle  of  our  discourses,  we 
preach  ourselves,  and  not  Christ.  To  be 
acceptable  is  necessary  to  being  useful,  and 
an  attention  to  manner  with  this  end  in  view 
is  very  proper ;  but,  if  the  love  of  fame  be 
our  governing  principle,  our  whole  ministry 
will  be  tainted  by  it.  This  subtle  poison  will 
penetrate  and  pervade  our  exercises,  till 
every  one  perceives  it,  and  is  sickened  by 
it,  except  ourselves.  It  will  inflate  our 
composition  in  the  study,  animate  our  de- 
livery in  the  pulpit,  and  condescend  to  fish 
for  applause  when  we  have  retired.  It  will 
even  induce  us  to  deal  in  flattering  doctrine, 
dwelling  on  what  are  known  to  be  favorite 
topics,  and  avoiding  those  which  are  other- 
wise. It  is  a  great  matter  to  be  able  to  join 
with  the  apostle  in  another  of  his  solemn 
disavowals : — "  For  neither  at  any  time  used 
we  flattering  words,  as  ye  know, — nor  of 
men  sought  we  glory." 

4.  If  our  aim  be  to  make  proselytes  to  our- 
selves, or  to  our  party,  rather  than  converts  to 
Christ,  we  shall  be  found  to  have  preached  our 
selves,  and  not  him.  We  certainly  have  seen 
much  of  this  species  of  zeal  in  our  times — 
"  Men  speaking  perverse  things,  to  draw  away 
disciples  after  them."  Nor  do  I  refer  merely 
to  men  who  would  be  thought  singularly 
evangelical,  and  even  inspired  of  God — who 
are  continually  holding  up  themselves  as  the 
favorites  of  heaven  and  the  darlings  of  prov- 
idence, and  denouncing  judgments  on  all 
who  oppose  them ;  and  the  tenor  of  whose 
preaching  is  to  persuade  their  admirers  to 
consider  themselves  as  the  dear  children  of 
God,  and  all  who  disapprove  of  them  as  poor 
blind  creatures,  knowing  nothing  of  the  gos- 
pel. Of  them  and  their  followers  I  can  only 
say,  "If  any  man  be  ignorant,  let  him  be 
ignorant."  But  men  who  have  paid  great 
attention  to  the  Scriptures,  and  who  have 
preached  and  written  many  things  on  the 


ON    PREACHING    CHRIST,    &C. 


411 


side  of  truth,  have  nevertheless  given  but 
too  evident  proof  that  the  tenor  of  their  la- 
bors has  been  to  make  proselytes  to  them- 
selves, or  to  their  party,  rather  than  converts 
to  Christ. 

II.  What  the  apostles  did  preach: — 
We  preach  "  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord."  This 
is  the  grand  theme  of  the  Christian  ministry. 
But  many  have  so  little  of  the  Christian  min- 
ister about  them,  that  their  sermons  have 
scarcely  any  thing  to  do  with  Christ.  They 
are  mere  moral  harangues.  And  these,  for- 
sooth, would  fain  be  thought  exclusively  the 
friends  of  morality  and  good  works  !  But  they 
know  not  what  good  works  are,  nor  do  they 
go  the  way  to  promote  them.  "  This  is  the 
work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  on  him  whom 
he  hath  sent."  ....  Preach  Christ,  or  you 
had  better  be  any  thing  than  a  preacher. 
The  necessity  laid  on  Paul  was  not  barely  to 
preach,  but  to  preach  Christ.  "Wo  unto 
me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel.'1  ....  Some 
are  employed  in  depreciating  Christ.  But  do 
you  honor  him.  Some  who  talk  much  about 
him,  yet  do  not  preach  him,  and  by  their  hab- 
itual deportment  prove  themselves  enemies 

to  his  cross If  you  preach  Christ,  you 

need  not  fear  for  want  of  matter.  His  per- 
son and  work  are  rich  in  fulness.  Every  di- 
vine attribute  is  seen  in  him.  All  the  types 
prefigure  him.  The  prophecies  point  to  him. 
Every  truth  bears  relation  to  him.  The  law 
itself  must  be  so  explained  and  enforced  as 
to  lead  to  him  ....  Particularly, 

1.  Exhibit  his  divinity  and  glorious  charac- 
ter.— The  New  Testament  dwells  much  on 
his  being  the  Son  of  God — equal  with  God. 
It  was  this  that  heightened  the  gift  of  him. — 
John  iii.  16.  Hence  the  efficacy  of  his 
blood. — 1  John  i.  7.  Hence  the  condescen- 
sion of  his  obedience,  and  the  dignity  of  his 
priesthood. — Heb.  iv.  14-16.  Hence  the 
greatness  of  the  sin  of  rejecting  him. — John 
iii.  18.  And  of  apostacy. — Heb.  x.  29. 

2.  Hold  up  his  atonement  and  mediation  as 
the  only  ground  of  a  sinner's  hope. — It  is  the 
work  of  a  Christian  minister  to  beat  off  self- 
righteous  hope,  which  is  natural  to  depraved 
man,  and  to  direct  his  hearers  to  the  only 
hope  set  before  them  in  the  gospel.  Be  not 
concerned  merely  to  form  the  manners  of 
your  congregation,  but  bring  them  to  Christ. 
That  will  best  form  their  manners.  The 
apostles  had  no  directions  short  of  this : 
"  Repent  and  believe  the  gospel."  They 
never  employed  themselves  in  lopping  off 
the  branches  of  sin  :  but  laid  the  axe  to  the 
root.  Your  business  with  the  sins  of  man- 
kind is,  to  make  use  of  them  to  convince 
your  hearers  of  the  corruption  of  their  na- 
ture, and  their  need  of  a  radical  cure. 

3.  Hold  up  the  blessings  of  his  salvation  for 
acceptance,  even  to  the  chief  of  sinners. — "  This 
is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  accep- 


tation, that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief."  The 
gospel  is  a  feast,  and  you  are  to  invite  guests. 
You  may  have  many  excuses  and  refusals. 
But  be  you  concerned  to  do  as  your  Lord 
commands.  And,  when  you  have  done  your 
utmost,  there  will  still  be  room.  Dwell  on 
the  freeness  and  fulness  and  all-sufficiency 
of  his  grace,  and  how  welcome  even  the 
worst  of  sinners  are,  who,  renouncing  all  oth- 
er refuges,  flee  to  him. 

4.  Preach  him  as  "  the  Lord,"  or  Law-giv- 
er, of  his  church,  no  less  than  as  a  Saviour. — 
Christ's  offices  must  not  be  divided.  Tak- 
ing his  yoke,  and  learning  his  spirit,  are  con- 
nected with  coming  to  him.  Believers  are 
"  not  without  law  unto  God,  but  under  the 
law  to  Christ." 

The  preaching  of  Christ  will  answer  every 
end  of  preaching.  This  is  the  doctrine  which 
God  owns  to  conversion,  to  the  leading  of 
awakened  sinners  to  peace,  and  to  the  com- 
fort of  true  Christians.  If  the  doctrine  of 
the  cross  be  no  comfort  to  us,  it  is  a  sign  we 
have  no  right  to  comfort.  This  doctrine  is 
calculated  to  quicken  the  indolent,  to  draw 
forth  every  christian  grace,  and  to  recover 
the  backslider.  This  is  the  universal  reme- 
dy for  all  the  moral  diseases  of  all  mankind 
We  proceed  to  notice 

III.  In  what  light  the  apostles  con- 
sidered themselves  : — "  Your  servants  for 
Jesus'  sake."  Ministers  are  not  the  servants 
of  the  people  in  such  a  sense  as  implies  in- 
feriority, or  their  having  an  authority  over 
them.  On  the  contrary,  what  authority  there 
is,  is  on  the  other  side :  "  Obey  them  that 
have  the  rule  over  you."  Nor  are  ministers 
the  servants  of  the  people  in  such  a  sense 
as  to  be  directed  by  them  what  to  preach. 
In  these  respects  one  is  their  Master,  even 
Christ.  But  ministers  are  the  servants  of 
their  people,  inasmuch  as  their  whole  time 
and  powers  require  to  be  devoted  to  their 
spiritual  advantage — to  know  them,  caution, 
counsel,  reprove,  instruct,  exhort,  admonish, 
encourage,  stimulate,  pray,  and  preach. 
Study  to  promote  their  spiritual  interests  as 
individuals,  and  their  prosperity  as  a 
people. 

Nor  should  ministers  think  it  too  much  to 
lay  themselves  out  in  this  work.  They  do  it 
"  for  Jesus'  sake."  This  was  the  motive  ad- 
dressed to  Peter.  "  Lovest  thou  me  ? — 
Feed  my  sheep.  Feed  my  lambs." — "  Feed 
the  church  of  God,  ivhich  he  hath  purchased 
with  his  own  blood."  ....  Let  Christ  be  not 
only  the  theme  of  my  remaining  ministry, 
but  the  exaltation  of  him  and  the  enlarge- 
ment of  his  kingdom  the  great  end  of  my 
life  !  If  I  forget  thee,  O  my  Saviour,  let  my 
right  hand  forget;  if  I  do  not  remember 
thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of 
mouth ! 


412 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


LXIII. THE     INFLUENCE      OF      THE      PRES- 
ENCE OF    CHRIST    ON    THE    MIND    AND 
WORK    OF    A    MINISTER. 

"  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  thy  spirit." — 2 
Tim.  iv.  22. 

In  addressing  you,  my  brother,  on  this 
interesting  portion  of  Scripture,  I  shall 
simply  offer  a  few  remarks  on  the  blessing 
desired,  and  consider  its  influence  on  the 
discharge  of  the  christian  ministry. 

I.  Let  us  offer  a  few  remarks  on  the 
blessing  desired. — If  we  were  address- 
sing  ourselves  to  persons  who  were  stran- 
gers to  experimental  religion,  we  might 
despair  of  being  understood "  on  this  part  of 
the  subject ;  and  even  among  Christians  it 
is  more  easily  felt  than  accurately  described. 
We  know  nothing  of  divine  influence  but  by 
its  effects.  We  know  we  are  created,  but 
we  know  nothing  of  creative  power.  We 
know  we  are  supported,  but  we  can  only 
feel  ourselves  upheld.  We  know  Christ 
promised  to  be  ivith  his  servants  to  the  end 
of  the  world,  and  I  hope  we  have  felt  the 
effects  of  it.  We  feel  our  wants  hitherto 
supplied,  our  strength  renewed,  and  our 
work  in  some  measure  succeeded  ;  and  we 

are  taught  to  what  to  ascribe  it But 

more  particularly  : — 

1.  The  blessing  here  desired  is  something 
different  from  gifts. — God  has  favored  you 
with  gifts  ;  but  so  he  did  Judas.  Many 
shine  and  figure  away  with  these,  with 
whose  spirits  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  holds  no 
communion.  Gifts  are  the  gold  of  the  tem- 
ple ;  but  communion  with  Christ  is  that 
which  sanctifieth  the  gold.  Without  this, 
gifts  will  be  injurious  both  to  you  and  to 
your  people. 

2.  This  blessing  is  more  than  grace  itself 
considered  as  inherent. — I  need  not  tell  you 
that  our  graces  have  no  separate  subsistence. 
We  are  the  branches  living  on  the  Vine. 
Paul  said,  "  I  live  " — (and  surely  he  had  a 
right  to  say  so,  if  any  man  had  !) — and  yet 
he  checks  himself,  and  adds, — "  yet  not  I, 
but  Christ  liveth  in  me,  and  the  life  which  I 
now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of 
the  Son  of  God." 

3.  It  is  a  blessing  which  you  shall  enjoy  in 
common  ivith  your  Christian  brethren. — It  is 
not  peculiar  to  you  as  a  minister,  but  com- 
mon to  all  Christians.  And  is  it  the  better 
(you  may  ask)  for  this  ?  Yes  it  is.  The 
best  blessings  are  those  common  to  Chris- 
tians.— Psa.  xxvii.  4.  Phil.  iii.  8.  The 
Romish  priests  have  contrived  to  secure  the 
cup  exclusively  to  themselves ;  but  it  was 
not  so  from  the  beginning :  "  Drink  ye  all 
of  it."  And  not  only  the  cup,  but  the  thing 
signified,  is  common  to  all  Christians.  And 
the  blessings  which  are  common  to  Chris- 
tians as  such  are  of  the  greatest  importance 
to  us  as  ministers.     If  we   study,  and  pray, 


and  preach,  merely  as  ministers,  we  shall 
make  poor  work  of  it  ;  but,  if  as  Christians, 
we  shall  prosper  ....  We  proceed 

II.  To  consider  the  influence  of  this 

BLESSING       ON      THE      DISCHARGE      OF      THE 

christian  ministry. — Knowing  that  with- 
out him  we  could  do  nothing,  our  Lord  has 
assured  us,  "Lo  !  I  am  with  you  always,  to 
the  end  of  the  world."  And  now,  by  his 
strengthening  us,  we  can  do  all  things  .... 
Observe 

1.  It  is  this  that  will  render  the  doctrine  of 
Christ  familiar  tons,  and  our  favorite  theme. 
— The  spirit  of  prophecy  is  called  the  spirit 
of  Christ,  because  it  testified  of  his  suffer- 
ings.— 1  Pet.  i.  11. — And  if  Christ  be  with 
our  spirit,  though  only  in  an  ordinary  way, 
it  will  lead  us  to  delight  in  the  doctrine  of 
Christ.—Eph.  iii.  17,  18.  When  Christ 
dwells  in  the  heart,  see  what  follows  !  This 
is  the  unction  by  which  we  know  all  things. 
And  this  is  the  doctrine  which  God  blesses 
to  the  building  of  his  church. 

2.  It  is  that  ivhich  gives  a  divine  energy  to 
our  preaching. — It  imparts  a  much  greater 
energy  than  the  greatest  eloquence,  natural 
or  artificial.  And,  though  it  will  not  in  it- 
self convert  sinners,  yet  God  usually  hon- 
ors such  preaching.  And  it  is  a  means  of 
conversion.  The  apostle  "so  spoke  that  a 
great  multitude  believed."  And,  where 
such  preaching  does  not  convert,  it  yet  com- 
mends itself  to  the  conscience.  "  They 
were  not  able  to  resist  the  Avisdom  and  the 
Spirit  by  which  he  (Stephen)  spoke."  Apol- 
los,  who  was  "fervent  in  Spirit,"  by  his 
preaching  "mightily  convinced  the  Jews." 
The  preaching  of  Paul  was  "not with  entic- 
ing words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  in  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit,  and  of  power." 

3.  It  is  this  that  will  render  our  visits  profit- 
able. It  is  difficult  to  turn  conversation  in- 
to a  savory  and  useful  channel.  But,  if  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  our  spirit,  all  dif- 
ficulty will  vanish.  Without  this  every 
thing  will  be  forced  and  constrained  ;  and 
we  shall  feel  especially  at  a  loss  in  our  di- 
rections to  inquirers. 

4.  It  is  this  that  will  sustain  your  heart  un- 
der trials.  You  are  aware  you  must  expect 
these.  You  will  see  things  in  your  people 
towards  God  that  will  grieve  you.  This 
will  enable  you  to  reprove  them  in  love. 
You  will  see  things  in  them  toward  each 
other  that  are  decidedly  wrong.  This  spirit 
will  cause  you  to  be  a  peacemaker.  You 
will  experience  painful  things  toward  your- 
self: some  will  not  receive  your  doctrine  ; 
some  will  misconstrue  your  conduct,  and 
pervert  your  statements :  but,  if  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  your  spirit,  you  will 
not  sink  under  the  heaviest  trials.  You  may 
have  to  lament  your  want  of  success.  But  go 
on,  and  be  of  good  cheer.  If  the  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ  be  with  your  spirit,  though  Israel 
be  not  gathered,  you  shall  not  go  unrewarded. 


MINISTERIAL    DEVOTEDNESS. 


413 


LXIV. HABITUAL     DEVOTEDNESS     TO    THE 

WORK    OF    THE    MINISTRY. 

"  Meditate  upon  these  things ;  give  thyself 
wholly  to  them,  that  thy  profiting  may  appear  to 
all.  Take  heed  unto  thyself,  and  unto  the  doc- 
trine; continue  in  them,  for  in  doing  this  thou 
shalt  both  save  thyself  and  them  that  hear  thee." 
— 1  Tim.  iv.   15,  16. 

My  dear  brother,  you  will  find  many  things 
in  these  epistles  worthy  of  your  attention. 
With  a  view  of  showing  the  connection  of 
the  text,  let  us  notice  what  is  said  in  the 
preceding  verses. 

Ver.  12.  Timothy  was  a  young  man,  and 
was  charged  to  let  no  man  despise  his  youth. 
But  how  could  he  prevent  that?  By  being 
"  an  example  of  the  believers,  in  word,  in 
conversation,  in  charity,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in 
purity."  Then,  whoever  might  dislike  him, 
no  one  could  despise  him. 

Ver.  13.  It  is  supposed  that  Paul  ex- 
pected shortly  to  see  Timothy,  when  he 
would  have  many  things  to  say.  Meanwhile 
he  directed  him  how  to  spend  his  time  to 
good  purpose.  In  reading. — God  knows  all 
things  ;  but  we  must  receive  ere  we  impart. 
Exhortation. — He  was  not  to  hide,  but  to 
communicate  his  knowledge  of  divine  things, 
as  he  received  it :  the  reading  of  a  minister 
should  be  for  his  people,  that  he  may  be  fur- 
nished with  sentiments  suited  to  their  cases. 
Exhortation  seems  to  be  that  kind  of  teach- 
ing which  is  from  house  to  house,  consist- 
ing of  counsels,  cautions,  &c.  Doctrine. — 
He  was  to  dig  in  this  mine,  that  he  might 
enrich  others. 

Ver.  14.  He  was  supposed  to  have  a  gift, 
an  extraordinary  gift,  foretold  in  prophecy, 
by  some  of  the  New  Testament  prophets, 
and  imparted  by  the  laying  on  of  hands. 
Yet  even  this  was  a  talent  to  be  improved, 
and  not  neglected.  Then,  how  much  more 
ordinary  gifts ! 

Ver.  15.  This  verse  expresses  hoiv  his 
gift  was  to  be  improved.  It  is  a  shameful 
abuse  of  the  doctrine  of  divine  influence  to 
allege  it  as  a  reason  for  neglecting  diligent 
study  for  the  pulpit.  Yet  such  things  are  ; 
and  the  advocates  of  this  perversion  can 
quote  Scripture  for  it ;  as — "  Take  no  thought 
beforehand,  what  ye  shall  speak,  neither  pre- 
meditate :  but  whatsoever  shall  be  given  to 
you  in  that  hour,  that  speak  ye  ;  for  it  is  not 
ye  that  speak,  but  the  Holy  Ghost."  But 
this  has  no  application  to  pulpit  exercises, 
or  ordinary  ministrations.  It  was  very  suit- 
able for  the  persecuted  Christians  ;  for  how 
could  they  know  what  to  answer,  before  they 
were  questioned  by  their  persecutors  :  it  was 
therefore  greatly  calculated  to  encourage 
them,  and  relieve  them  from  all  anxiety. 
But  to  apply  this  direction  to  our  ordinary 
ministrations  is  a  shameful  perversion.  See 
Eccles.  xii.  9 — 11. 


Give  me  your  attention,  my  dear  brother, 
while  I  endeavor  to  illustrate  the  different 
branches  of  the  exhortation  of  the  text,  and 
consider  the  motives  held  up  to  enforce  it. 

I.  Let  us  endeavor  to  illustrate  the 

EXHORTATION. 

The  things  on  which  you  are  called  to 
meditate  are  what  you  "read"  the  things  to 
which  you  "  exhort,"  and  the  "  doctrine"  of 
Christ.  Or  on  the  Scriptures — on  the  pre- 
cepts contained  in  them,  and  on  the  doctrines 
to  be  deduced  from  them. 

"Meditate  on  these  things." — There  is 
a  depth  in  them  that  requires  it.  You  may 
read  the  Scriptures  a  hundred  times  over, 
and  yet  be  only  on  the  surface,  far  from  hav- 
ing fathomed  them.  They  are  able  to  make 
us  wise,  through  faith  ;  but  to  believe  with- 
out searching  argues  great  indifference,  and 
is  building  without  a  foundation.  The  Scrip- 
tures were  always  considered  a  deep  mine. 
Even  when  they  consisted  of  only  the  five 
Books  of  Moses.  David  meditated  in  the 
law  of  the  Lord,  "  day  and  night."  It  was 
to  his  spiritual  growth  as  water  is  to  a  tree. 

Do  not  imagine  you  understand  enough  of 
the  Bible  ;  or,  because  you  have  assented  to 
a  few  truths,  therefore  you  are  in  possession 
of  all. — Paul  desired  to  know  yet  more. 
Angels  desire  to  look  into  the  things  reveal- 
ed there.  David  intimates  that  the  law  con- 
tains "  wondrous  things,"  and  prays  that  his 
mind  might  be  enlightened  to  comprehend 
them.  A  spiritual  state  of  mind  is  the  best 
expositor,  and  more  is  discovered  with  it,  in 
a  few  verses,  than  in  whole  chapters  with- 
out it. 

Do  not  be  content  with  general  truth. — 
Study  the  Scriptures  minutely,  and  for  your- 
self, and  pray  over  your  study.  This  will 
make  it  your  oivn  ;  and  it  will  be  doubly 
interesting  to  yourself  and  your  people, 
than  if  you  adopt  it  at  second  hand. — Read 
and  think,  not  merely  as  a  minister,  but  as  a 
Christian. 

"  Give  yourself  ivholly  to  them." — No  man 
can  excel  in  any  art  or  science,  but  by  giv- 
ing himself  wholly  to  it.  Why  is  it  one  un- 
derstands law  ?  Because  he  gives  himself 
wholly  to  it.  Why  is  it  another  understands 
physic  ?  Because  he  gives  himself  wholly 
to  it.  Why  do  rulers  understand  govern- 
ment? Because  "they  attend  continually 
upon  this  very  thing."  And  though  divine 
knowledge  differs,  in  some  things,  from  that 
which  is  natural  and  worldly,  yet  not  in  this. 
It  is  by  constant  application  and  use  that 
our  senses  discern  truth  from  error,  and  good 
from  evil. — Heb.  v.  14.  And  you  must  not 
only  give  your  whole  time  to  this  study,  but 
your  whole  heart. 

"  Be  thou  in  them." — It  is  a  shocking  thing 
to  be  engaged  in  a  work  which  is  against 
the  heart.  It  is  not  what  we  think  officially, 
but  spontaneously,  that  proves  what  we  are : 
not  what  we  do  at  certain  appointed  seasons  ; 


414 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


but  the  bent  of  our  minds  in  common,  in  our 
leisure  hours,  when  we  sit  in  the  house,  or 
walk  by  the  way.  Engaging  in  the  work 
without  the  heart  is  the  forerunner  and  cause 
of  many  scandals.  Time  hangs  heavy  on 
their  hands — they  saunter  and  gossip  from 
place  to  place— scandalize  and  listen  to  scan- 
dal— and  not  seldom  terminate  their  career 
by  impurity. 

"  Take  heed  to  thyself."— It  were  an  aw- 
ful thing  to  guide  others  to  the  right  way, 
and  not  walk  in  it  ourselves.  See  that  all 
is  right  between  God  and  your  own  soul. 
Public  religion,  without  that  which  is  private 
and  personal,  is  worse  than  no  religion. 
We  had  better  be  any  thing  than  preachers 
of  the  gospel,  unless  we  be  personally  in- 
terested in  it." 

"And  to  thy  doctrine."— There  is  great 
danger  of  going  off  from  the  gospel — per- 
haps in  submissio7i  to  great  ardhorities,  or  to 
please  the  people.  That  minister  who  makes 
the  taste  of  his  hearers  the  standard  of  his 
preaching  may  go  on,  and  succeed  in  pleas- 
ing them  and  himself;  but,  at  the  coming  of 
his  Lord,  it  will  be  said  to  him,  Thou  hast 
had  thy  reward  ! 

There  is  also  danger  of  going  off  from 
the  gospel  by  leaning  to  our  oion  under- 
standing. Consult  your  own  understand- 
ing; but  remember  you  are  liable  to  err; 
therefore  do  not  lean  to  it,  in  opposition  to 
the  Scriptures. 

Finally  :  "  Continue  in  these  tlmigs." — 
That  only  is  true  religion  which  endures  to 
the  end. 

II.    Let    us    consider    the    motives  by 

WHICH    THE    EXHORTATION    IS    ENFORCED. 

1.  Your  growth  in  gifts  and  graces  xoill 
he  hereby  apparent." — "That  thy  profiting 
may  appear  to  all."  The  meaning  is  much 
the  same  as  the  parable  of  the  talents — five, 
by  improvement,  gaining  other  five.  It 
holds  true  in  temporal  things  even. — Prov. 
xxii.  29.  There  is,  however,  this  difference 
between  their  pursuits  and  yours :  they  la- 
bor to  obtain  an  earthly  good  ;  you  a  heaven- 
ly, spiritual,  and  eternal  one.  If  worldly 
profit  or  honor  were  your  object,  you  might 
study  the  embellishments  of  style,  or  the 
arts  of  the  partizan  ;  but,  if  you  would  be 
the  servant  of  God,  your  heart  must  be  in 
your  work.  A  diligent  minister  will  be  a 
useful  one. 

2.  Your  own  salvation  is  involved  in  it: 
— "Thou  shalt  save  thyself."  This  lan- 
guage does  not  denote  that  we  are  the  cause 
of  our  own  salvation  any  more  than  of  the 
salvation  of  others.  But,  as  we  may  be  in- 
strumental in  the  latter,  so  we  may  be  ac- 
tive in  the  former. — Acts  ii.  40.  Take  re- 
fuge in  the  Saviour  you  recommend  to  others. 
The  expression  may  also  have  reference  to 
that  particular  kind  of  salvation  which  con- 
sists in  being  delivered  from  the  blood  of 
souls. 


3.  The  salvatio7i  of  your  people  may  he 
involved  in  it. — A  spiritual,  diligent  minis- 
ter, is  commonly  a  fruitful  one,  and  a  bless- 
ing to  his  people.  Consider  these  exhor- 
tations, and  the  motives  by  which  they  are 
enforced,  and  may  the  Lord  give  you  un- 
derstanding in  all  things.  Thus  thou  shalt 
both  save  thyself  and  them  that  hear  thee. 


LXV. AFFECTIONATE  CONCERN  OF  A  MIN- 
ISTER FOR  THE  SALVATION  OF  HIS 
HEARERS. 

"  We  were  gentle  among  you,  even  as  a  nurse 
cherisheth  her  children  ;  so,  being  affectionately 
desirous  of  you,  we  were  willing  to  have  imparted 
unto  you,  not  the  gospel  of  God  only,  but  also 
our  own  soul-;,  because  ye  were  dear  unto  us." — 
1  Thes.  ii.  7,  S. 

My  dear  brother,  you  have  requested  me 
to  address  you  on  your  appointment  to  the  im- 
portant office  of  pastor  over  this  people  ;  and  I 
know  of  nothing  more  impressive  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Christian  ministry  than  this  whole 
chapter,  both  as  to  what  a  minister  should  not 
be,  and  as  to  what  he  shoidd  be.  Not  of  de- 
ceit, nor  of  uncleanness,  nor  in  guile,  nor 
as  pleasing  men  ;  but  gentle,  affectionate, 
laborious,  disinterested,  holy.  Let  us,  how- 
ever, confine  ourselves  to  the  words  we 
have  selected  as  a  text,  in  which  the  apostle 
compares  his  own  ministrations  and  those  of 
his  colleagues  to  the  gentle  solicitude  of  a 
nurse,  whose  concern  is  to  impart  warmth 
and  strength  to  her  children.  "  So  we,  be- 
ing affectionately  desirous,"  &c.  Three 
things  here  require  your  attention :  the  feel- 
ing of  a  true  minister  of  Christ  towards  the 
people  of  his  charge — the  subject  matter 
of  his  ministry — and  the  manner  in  which 
he  must  dispense  it. 

i.  the  feeling  of  a  true  minister 
of  Christ  towards  the  people  of 
his  charge. — This  is  an  affectionate  con- 
cern after  their  salvation,  one  of  the  most 
important  qualifications  for  the  ministry. 
True  it  is  not  the  only  one.  There  are  gifts, 
both  natural  and  acquired,  which  are  neces- 
sary, since,  without  them,  we  cannot  be  said 
to  be  "  apt  to  teach."  But  this  qualification 
is  that  without  which  the  greatest  gifts, 
natural  and  acquired,  are  nothing  as  to  real 
usefulness.  Genius  may  amuse,  but  "  love 
edifieth."  A  strong  mind  and  a  brilliant 
imagination  may  excite  their  admiration, 
but  this  will  attract  the  hearts  of  the  peo- 
ple. Look  at  the  men  who  have  been  the 
most  honored ;  and  you  will  find  that  they 
are  not  the  brightest  geniuses,  but  the  hum- 
ble and  affectionate. 

Look  at  the  example  of  Paul. — Observe 
how  he  felt  towards  his  poor,  unbelieving 
countrymen,  who  sought  his  life :  "  Brethren, 
my  heart's  desire,  and  prayer  to  God  for  Is- 
rael, is,  that  they  may  be  saved."    Even  his 


MINISTERIAL    SOLICITUDE. 


415 


zeal  for  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  bore 
an  aspect  towards  his  brethren  after  the 
flesh :  "  I  speak  to  you,  Gentiles,  inasmuch  as 
I  am  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  I  magnify 
my  office  ;  if  by  any  means  I  may  provoke 
to  emulation  them  which  are  my  flesh,  and 
might  save  some  of  them."  He  speaks  as 
a  humane  seaman  would  in  a  wreck ;  who, 
when  he  found  he  could  not  save  all,  would 
do  what  he  could,  plunging  into  the  sea  and 
saving  at  least  some  of  them.  Here,  my 
brother,  is  an  example  for  your  imitation, 
towards  the  unbelieving  part  of  your  hearers. 

See  also  how  he  felt  toward  those  Chris- 
tians ivho  had  sinned. — Witness  his  epistles 
to  the  Corinthians.  How  anxious  he  was 
to  reclaim  them  !  how  dissatisfied  with  any 
thing  short  of  their  restoration  !  looking  up- 
on them  as  lost  children. — 2  Cor.  ii. ;  xiii.  2. 

Look  at  the  example  of  John  towards  the 
rising  generation. — "  I  rejoiced  greatly  that 
I  found  of  thy  children  walking  in  the 
truth." — And  look  at  the  example  of  our 
apostle,  in  connection  with  the  text,  towards 
all  to  whom  he  wrote.  He  could  not  be 
satisfied  with  any  reward  short  of  their  eter- 
nal salvation.  All  other  hope,  all  other  joy 
connected  with  them,  he  considered  as  of 
small  account ;  and  he  looked  forward  to 
them  as  constituting  the  brightest  jewels  in 
his  future  crown. 

Most  of  all,  look  at  the  example  of  your 
Lord  and  Saviour. — How  did  the  kindness 
and  love  of  God  our  Saviour  appear  !  What 
did  he  not  forego,  and  do,  and  suffer  !  May 
the  love  of  Christ  constrain  you ! 

II.  Consider  the  subject  matter  of 
his  ministry: — "The  gospel  of  God." 

1.  It  is  a  blessed  errand  to  go  on.  Good 
news  to  a  lost  world.  Angels  were  visited 
with  wrath  ;  but  men  with  the  cup  of  salva- 
tion. There  is  a  pleasure  in  being  an  al- 
moner, even  of  earthly  blessings ;  but  you 
have  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  to 
impart;  you  are  the  herald  of  peace  and 
pardon  and  reconciliation.  How  a  man, 
bearing  such  tidings  from  an  earthly  sove- 
reign, would  be  hailed  by  a  number  of  con- 
victs ! 

2.  But  what  is  the  gospel  ?  It  is  not  mere- 
ly the  privilege  of  believers ;  for  then  it 
would  not  be  for  every  creature.  It  is  a 
declaration  of  what  Christ  has  done  and  suf- 
fered, and  of  the  effects  ;  exhibiting  a  way 
in  which  God  can  be  "just  and  the  justifier 
of  the  ungodly."  It  is  not  merely  to  con- 
vince of  sin,  but  also  to  point  to  the  remedy., 

3.  Make  a  point,  then,  of  distinctly  and 
habitually  preaching  the  gospel.  Do  not  sup- 
pose your  people  are  so  good,  and  so  well 
informed,  as  not  to  need  this.  Visit  the 
sick,  and  you  will  be  astonished  how  little 
they  know,  compared  with  what  it  might 
reasonably  be  expected  they  should  know. 
Many  sermons  are  ingenious  essays  ;  but, 
if  they  bear  not  on  this  great  object,  they 


are  not  the  gospel.  Woe  unto  you  if  you 
preach  not  the  gospel !  Do  not  suppose  I 
have  any  particular  suspicion  that  you  will 
not.  But  I  feel  the  importance  of  the  ex- 
hortation, "  Preach  the  gospel."  Study  the 
gospel — what  it  implies,  what  it  includes, 
and  what  consequences  it  involves.  I  have 
heard  complaints  of  some  of  our  young  min- 
isters that,  though  they  are  not  heterodox, 
yet  they  are  not  evangelical ;  that,  though 
they  do  not  propagate  error,  yet  the  grand, 
essential,  distinguishing  truths  of  the  gos- 
pel do  not  form  the  prevailing  theme  of  their 
discourses. 

I  love  a  sermon  well  laden  Avith  Christian 
doctrine.  I  love  to  find  young  ministers 
well  learned  in  the  Scriptures.  Then  their 
preaching  will  not  be  dry,  but  good  news 
and  glad  tidings.  Complaints  have  been 
made  of  some  preaching  as  too  doctrinal ; 
and  a  preference  has  been  manifested  for 
experimental  and  practical  preaching;  but 
that  doctrinal  preaching  which  I  would 
recommend  should  include  both.  The  doc- 
trines of  the  Scriptures,  scripturally  stated, 
are  calculated  to  interest  the  heart,  and 
to  produce  genuine  evangelical  obedience. 
You  need  not  fear  that  you  shall  be  limit- 
ed. You  may  take  a  wide  range.  There 
is  a  great  variety  of  subjects  which  may  be 
introduced ;  as — the  purity  and  spirituality 
of  the  law,  the  evil  of  sin,  the  wrath  of  God 
against  it,  and  many  others :  but  then  all 
these  naturally  lead  to  an  explicit  declara- 
tion of  "the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed 
God." 

III.  Consider  the  manner  in  which  a 

MINISTER  SHOULD  DISPENSE  THE  GOSPEL  : 

"Willingly;"  and  so  as,  while  imparting 
the  gospel,  to  impart  their  own  souls  with 
it.  Some  have  supposed  that  it  is  the  mat- 
ter, and  not  the  manner  of  preaching,  that 
God  blesses.  But  I  see  no  ground  for  this 
distinction.  I  allow  that  the  matter  is  of  the 
first  importance ;  but  the  manner  is  not  of 
small  account.  For  example  :  the  apostle 
prays  that  he  might  make  the  gospel  mani- 
fest, "as  he  ought  to  speak." — Col.  iv.  4. 
And  this  relates  to  manner,  not  to  matter. 
You  may  preach  even  the  gospel  drily.  It 
must  be  preached  faithfully,  firmly,  earnest- 
ly, affectionately.  The  apostle  so  spoke 
that  many  believed.  Manner  is  a  means  of 
conveying  truth.  A  cold  manner  disgraces 
important  truth.  "  Willingly." — Where  the 
ministration  of  the  word  is  connected  with 
external  honors  and  great  temporal  advan- 
tage, there  is  no  test  of  this  ;  but,  where  it 
is  attended  with  self-denial,  there  is.  .  .  . 
"  Our  own  souls." — This  is  expressive  of 
the  deep  interest  the  apostles  and  their  col- 
leagues took  in  the  gospel,  and  their  ear- 
nest desire  that  their  hearers  should  em- 
brace it.  Hence  we  speak  of  pouring  out 
our  souls  in  prayer.  How  would  you  feel 
in  throwing  out  a  rope  to  a  drowning  man, 


416 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


or  in  lighting  a  fire  in  a  wilderness  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  one  who  was  dear  to 
you,  and  who  was  lost?  Hoav  did  Aaron 
feel  during  the  plague,  when  he  stood  be- 
tween the  dead  and  the  living?  O,  my 
brother,  enter  into  these  feelings.  Realize 
them.  Let  them  inspire  you  with  holy,  af- 
fectionate zeal.  Souls  are  perishing  around 
you  ;  and,  though  you  cannot  "  make  an 
atonement  for  the  people's  sins,"  yet  you 
can  publish  one,  made  by  our  great  High- 
priest  ;  and,  receiving  and  exhibiting  this 
atonement,  you  may  hope  to  save  yourself 
and  them  that  hear  you. 


LXVI. THE      NATURE     AND      ENCOURAGE- 
MENTS OF  THE  MISSIONARY  WORK. 

[Substance  of  the  Charge  delivered  to  the  first 
Missionaries  of  the  Baptist  Society  at  the 
parting  Meeting  at  Leicester,  1793.] 

"  Peace  be  unto  you  ;  as  my  Father  sent  me,  so 
send  I  you  !  " — John  xt.  21. 

My  very  dear  brethren,  every  part  of  the 
solemnities  of  this  day  must  needs  be  affect- 
ing ;  but,  if  there  be  one  part  which  is  more 
so  than  the  rest,  it  is  that  which  is  allotted 
to  me,  delivering  to  you  a  solemn  parting 
address.  Nevertheless,  I  must  acknowledge 
that  the  hope  of  your  undertaking  being 
crowned  with  success  swallows  up  all  my 
sorrow.  I  could  myself  go  without  a  tear, 
so  at  least  I  think,  and  leave  all  my  friends 
and  connections,  in  such  a  glorious  cause. 
Impressed,  therefore,  with  these  sentiments, 
I  can  the  more  readily  and  cheerfully  part 
with  you. 

My  dear  brethren,  let  me  address  you  in 
the  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus  to  his  disciples, 
"Peace  be  unto  you ;  as  my  Father  sent  me, 
so  send  I  you  !  "  The  whole  of  this  language 
was  sweet,  especially  considering  the  trou- 
bles of  their  hearts  to  whom  it  was  primarily 
addressed, — The  preface  is  sweet:  "Peace 
be  unto  you" — as  if  he  had  said,  All  is  well 
as  to  the  past,  and  all  shall  be  well  as  to  the 
future. — The  commission  itself  is  sweet. 
Nothing  could  well  be  more  grateful  to  those 
who  loved  Christ  than  to  be  employed  by 
him  on  such  an  errand,  and  to  have  such  an 
example  to  imitate. 

There  is  to  be  sure  a  great  disparity  be- 
tween your  mission  and  that  of  Christ.  He 
came  to  offer  himself  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  and 
by  his  blood  to  obtain  eternal  salvation  for 
poor  lost  sinners.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this 
disparity,  there  are  various  points  of  like- 
ness between  your  undertaking  and  that  of 
your  Lord  and  Master.  I  shall  single  out 
three  or  four,  which  I  would  wish  to  impress 
upon  your  minds.  These  are — the  objects 
you  must  keep  in  view — the  directions  you 
must  observe — the  difficulties  you  must  en- 
counter— and  the  reward  you  may  expect. 


First:  There  is  an  analogy  between  the 
objects  of  Christ's  mission  and  those  of 
yours.  The  great  objects  of  his  mission 
were  to  glorify  God,  and  to  seek  and  to  save 
lost  souls ;  and  yours  are  the  same.  Men 
and  devils  have  dishonored  God ;  they  had 
virtually  called  him  a  hard  master;  had 
thrown  off  his  yoke,  and  represented  him,  in 
the  punishment  of  sin,  as  a  Being  whose 
ways  were  not  equal.  But  Christ  by  his 
obedience  and  death  rolled  away  these  re- 
proaches. By  the  former,  that  is,  by  mak- 
ing it  his  meat  and  drink  to  do  the  will  of 
his  Father,  he  proved  in  the  face  of  a  rebel- 
lious world  that  his  yoke  was  easy  and  his 
burden  light.  By  the  latter,  that  is,  by  en- 
during the  full  penalty  of  the  divine  law 
without  a  murmuring  thought,  he  manifested 
its  equity,  declaring  in  effect  that  God  was 
in  the  right,  and  that  man  deserved  to  fall  a 
sacrifice  to  his  justice.  You  also,  my  breth- 
ren, have  to  glorify  God,  and  that  both  by 
your  cheerful  obedience  to  his  will  and  by 
patiently  enduring  affliction.  The  heathen 
will  judge  of  the  character  of  your  God,  and 
of  your  religion,  by  what  they  see  of  your  own 
character.  Beware  that  you  do  not  mis- 
represent your  blessed  Lord  and  his  glorious 
gospel.  It  is  a  great  encouragement  to  be 
engaged  in  the  same  cause  with  Christ  him- 
self. Does  he  ride  forth  as  on  a  white  horse, 
in  righteousness  judging  and  making  war  ? 
— Rev.  xix.  You  are  called,  like  the  rest  of 
the  armies  of  heaven,  to  follow  him  on  white 
horses,  pursuing  the  same  glorious  object, 
that  India  may  be  conquered  by  his  truth. 
May  you  be  able  at  the  close  of  your  lives 
to  say,  after  the  example  of  your  Lord,  "I 
have  glorified  thee  on  earth,  I  have  finished 
the  work  which  thou  gavest  me  to  do." 
Christ  was  sent  of  the  Father,  not  only  to 
glorify  his  name,  but  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost ;  and  such,  my  brethren, 
is  your  errand.  Go  then,  after  your  Saviour's 
example,  go  in  pursuit  of  the  lost  sheep ; 
follow  after  them,  search  and  find  them  out, 
that  they  may  be  brought  home  to  his  fold, 
from  the  dark  mountains  whither  they  have 
wandered,  and  gathered  from  the  dreary  de- 
serts whither  they  have  been  scattered  in 
the  dark  and  cloudy  day  ;  that  they  may  be 
delivered  from  the  errors  and  abominations  of 
the  heathen,  and  be  brought  to  the  knowl- 
edge and  enjoyment  of  God. 

Secondly  :  Christ,  in  the  execution  of  his 
mission,  was  under  the  direction  of  him 
that  sent  him,  and  you  must  be  the  same. 
As  mediator,  he  always  acted  as  the  Fa- 
ther's servant.  Though  a  Son,  and  as  such 
equal  with  God,  yet  in  his  official  capacity 
he  learned  obedience.  It  is  emphatically 
said  of  him,  he  both  did  and  taught ;  and  in 
both  he  inflexibly  adhered  to  the  directions 
of  him  that  sent  him.  "  I  came  down  from 
heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the 
will  of  him  who  sent  me." — "  I  have    not 


THE    CHRISTIAN    MINISTRY    A    GREAT    WORK. 


417 


spoken  of  myself,  but  the  Father  who  sent 
me  ;  he  gave  me  commandment  what  I  should 
say,  and  what  I  should  speak." 

Christ  acted  as  the  Father's  servant ;  and 
you  are  the  servants  of  Christ.  There  is  a 
woe  upon  any  minister  if  he  preach  not  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  but  especially  upon  those 
whose  business  it  is  to  preach  the  Gospel 
among  the  heathen.  Among  us,  if  you  do 
not  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ,  others  will ; 
but  there  all,  under  God,  will  depend  upon 
you.  When  the  Lord  first  planted  the  Isra- 
elites in  Canaan,  he  planted  them  wholly  a 
right  seed.  Be  exceedingly  careful  to  follow 
this  example.  See  that  the  doctrines  you 
teach,  and  the  duties  you  inculcate,  be  not 
yours,  but  His  who  sent  you.  A  right  seed 
is  necessary  to  a  profitable  harvest.  You 
must  likewise  do  the  will  of  Christ  as  well 
as  teach  it,  and  that  after  his  example.  He 
pleased  not  himself.  Perhaps  no  men  must 
expect  to  have  their  wills  so  often  crossed, 
or  to  meet  with  so  frequent  calls  for  self- 
denial,  as  those  who  embark  in  such  an  un- 
dertaking as  yours.  This  leads  me  to 
observe, 

Thirdly :  Christ,  in  the  execution  of  his 
mission,  had  great  difficulties  and  tri- 
als to  encounter,  and  you  must  expect  the 
same.  The  trials  of  your  Lord  were  partly 
from  pain,  and  partly  from  contempt.  Great 
were  the  hardships  he  had  to  undergo.  Fox- 
es had  holes,  and  birds  had  nests,  but  he  had 
not  where  to  lay  his  head.  And,  notwith- 
standing all  that  your  brethren  can  do  to 
make  you  comfortable,  you  may  expect  to 
taste  of"  the  same  cup.  Your  Lord  was  also 
exposed  to  contempt.  He  is  mad,  said  they, 
why  hear  ye  him  ?  If  these  things  were 
done  to  the  green  tree,  what  may  be  expect- 
ed of  the  dry  ?  But  Jesus  "  endured  the 
cross,  and  despised  the  shame."  May  you 
be  enabled  to  follow  his  example.  He  met 
with  trials,  not  only  from  open  enemies,  but 
from  pretended  friends.  Those  who  ate  of 
his  bread  lifted  up  the  heel  against  him. 
Betrayed,  denied,  and  forsaken,  he  yet  per- 
severed ;  nor  did  he  desist  till  he  could  de- 
clare "  it  is  finished."  Then,  when  he  could 
appeal  to  him  who  sent  him,  saying,  "  I  have 
finished  the  work  which  thou  gavest  me  to 
do,"  then  he  bowed  his  head  and  gave  up 
the  ghost!  What  an  example  for  you  to 
follow  ! 

Fourthly:  Christ  was  not  sent  forth  in  his 
undertaking  without  a  promise  of  support 
IN  it  and  a  glorious  reward  for  it.  It 
was  predicted  of  him,  "  He  shall  not  fail  nor 
be  discouraged  till  he  have  brought  forth 
judgment  unto  victory."  This  implied  that 
he  would  meet  with  much  to  discourage  him. 
If  many  waters  could  have  quenched  his 
love,  it  had  been  quenched :  but  divine  Om- 
nipotence supported  him.  And,  as  his 
Father  sent  him,  so  sends  he  you.  Faithful- 
ly has  he  promised  to  be  with  you  always 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  53. 


to  the  end  of  the  world.  The  divine  Father 
promised  him  souls  for  his  hire  ;  that  he 
should  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul,  and  be 
satisfied.  And  herein,  as  the  Father  sent 
him,  so  sends  he  you.  You  also  shall  have 
your  reward.  The  joy  set  before  him  en- 
couraged him  to  endure  the  cross ;  you  also 
shall  enter  into  the  joy  of  the  Lord.  Keep 
that  joy  in  your  view.  For  "  it  is  a  faithful 
saying,  If  we  suffer  with  him,  we  shall  also 
reign  with  him."  Hearken  to  the  promise 
of  your  Lord  and  Master,  for  his  sayings  are 
very  true,  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I 
grant  to  sit  down  with  me  in  my  throne,  as  I 
also  have  overcome  and  am  set  down  with 
my  Father  in  his  throne." 

Go  then,  my  dear  brethren,  stimulated  by 
these  prospects.  We  shall  meet  again. 
Crowns  of  glory  await  you  and  us.  Each, 
I  trust,  will  be  addressed  at  the  last  day,  by 
our  great  Redeemer,  "  Come  ye  blessed  of 
my  Father ; — these  were  hungry,  and  you 
fed  them  ;  athirst,  and  you  gave  them  drink  ; 
in  prison,  and  you  visited  them  ; — Enter  ye 
into  the  joy  of  your  Lord."     Amen. 


LXVII. — the      christian     ministry     a 
great  work. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  addressed  to  two  Mission- 
aries and  their  Wives.] 

"  I  am  doing  a  great  work,  so  that  I  cannot  come 
down  :  why  should  the  work  cease,  whilst  I  leave 
it  and  come  down  to  you." — Neh.  vi.  3. 

My  dear  young  friends,  it  would  have  been 
more  agreeable  to  my  feelings  if  this  address 
had  been  delivered  by  one  of  our  brethren 
in  London.  I  submit,  however,  the  more 
cheerfully,  from  the  persuasion  I  have  that 
you  will  receive  what  I  say  in  love.  I  shall 
found  a  few  observations  on  the  words  I  have 
read.     Let  us  review  the  occasion  of  them. 

We  may  consider  the  chapter  as  a  fulfil- 
ment of  what  Daniel  had  foretold  about  a 
hundred  years  before.  "  The  street  shall 
be  built  again,  and  the  wall,  even  in  trou- 
blous times." 

It  shows,  in  a  striking  light,  how  all  great 
undertakings  for  the  church  of  God  are  ac- 
companied with  difficulties  and  strong  op- 
positions. When  Judah  returned,  all  their 
difficulties  seemed  at  an  end  :  they  imagin- 
ed, now  they  were  liberated,  they  had  only 
to  go  to  work  and  rebuild  the  temple  ;  but 
they  soon  discovered  that  they  had  new  en- 
emies. 

The  conduct  of  Sanballat  and  Geshem 
shows  how  the  most  iniquitous  designs  are 
concealed  under  friendly  pretences.  "  Come 
let  us  meet  together  in  one  of  the  villages — 
but  they  thought  to  do  me  mischief." 

The  answer  of  Nehemiah  discovers  a 
union  of  wisdom  and  firmness.  He  saw 
through  their  designs,  but  did  not  reveal  his 


418 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


suspicions.  His  answer  would  have  been 
proper  even  had  they  meant  as  they  said. 

But  wherein  was  the  greatness  of  the 
work  of  Nchemiah?  The  building  of  a 
wall  would  not  seem  to  be  a  mighty  matter. 
But  then  it  must  not  be  considered  in  itself, 
but  in  its  effects — it  was  to  secure  a  city, 
where  the  worship  and  cause  of  God  were 
to  be  carried  on  for  ages ;  and  in  this  view 
it  was  a  great  work,  and  greatly  interested 
the  hearts  of  the  godly.  Hence  the  people 
had  "  a  mind  to  work,"  night  and  day,  with 
a  tool  in  one  hand  and  a  weapon  in  the  other. 
In  short,  with  respect  to  the  principle,  it  was 
the  same  as  that  which  has  attracted  the 
hearts  of  the  godly  in  all  ages — love  to  Zion, 
or  the  cause  of  God.  It  was  that  which 
dictated  the  137th  Psalm,  when  times  went 
ill;  and  the  29th  chapter  of  the  Second 
Book  of  Chronicles,  when  things  went  well. 
Such  was  the  public  spirit  of  those  times. 

But,  passing  the  work  of  Nehemiah,  I 
shall  not  be  thought  to  misapply  the  subject 
if  I  apply  it  to  the  work  in  which  you  are 
engaged.  You  have  a  great  work,  and  you 
may  expect  great  difficulties  and  oppositions 
in  its  execution,  and  great  encouragements. 
It  is  a  work  which  will  occupy  your  whole 
attention. 

I.  Let  me  remind  you  of  a  few  things 
relative  to  the  greatness  of  your  work. 
■ — Such  a  view  of  it  may,  in  one  sense, 
dismay  you,  and  induce  you  to  exclaim, 
"  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?  "  But 
in  another  sense  it  is  necessary ;  and  re- 
member, for  your  encouragement,  that "  they 
that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength." 

1.  It  is  the  work  of  saving  souls. — Light 
as  this  is  made  of  by  the  world,  it  is  great. 
The  temporal  salvation  of  an  empire  is 
great  and  interesting ;  but  the  salvation  of 
one  soul  exceeds  all  this ;  for  the  soul  is 
capable  of  eternal  happiness  or  misery. 
"  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the 
whole  world  and  lose  his  soul  ?  " 

2.  It  is  the  work  of  introducing  the  gospel 
where  it  has  never  been. — There  is  great  im- 
portance attaching  to  this,  whether  in  a 
country,  city,  town,  or  village.  It  is  lighting 
a  candle  which  may  burn  for  ages.  When 
Paul  and  Silas  first  entered  Europe,  they 
might  have  no  conception  of  the  effects. 
But  what  they  taught  was  a  light  that  has 
never  been  extinguished. 

3.  It  is  a  work  to  which  you  may  expect 
great  opposition. — Satan  will  dispute  every 
inch  of  ground  with  you,  and  his  opposition 
will  be  varied.  It  is  true,  your  brethren 
who  have  gone  before  you  have  had  difficul- 
ties to  encounter  which  you  will  probably 
escape  ;  but  do  not  expect  that  all  opposi- 
tion has  ceased.  The  more  God  blesses 
you  the  more  opposition  you  may  expect,  not 
from  Brahmins  only,  and  Hindoos,  but  from 
Europeans.     Expectations  of  ease  and  hon- 


or are  utterly  unworthy  of  a  Christian  mis- 
sionary. 

4.  It  is  a  work  that  must  occupy  your 
tvhole  attention. — Nehemiah  could  not  be 
diverted  from  his  work,  nor  must  you.  You 
must  not  go  with  a  divided  heart.  You  may 
wish  to  attend  to  other  things  ;  but  every 
thing  must  be  done  in  subserviency  to  your 
great  work.  Never  lose  sight  of  this.  If 
politics  or  worldly  speculations  invite  your 
attention,  you  must  reply,  "I  am  doing  a 
great  work:  why  should  the  work  cease 
whilst  I  come  down  to  you  ?  "  Always  con- 
sider an  attention  to  any  thing  that  would 
divert  you  from  the  grand  object  you  have 
in  view  as  "  going  down  : "  and  say,  I  am 
doing  a  great  work,  and  I  cannot  come 
down. 

II.  But,  while  yours  is  unquestionably  a 
great  work,  it  is  also  a  work  in  which  there 

ARE  GREAT    ENCOURAGEMENTS. Under  this 

head  we  may  remark : — 

1.  It  is  a  work  the  foundation  of  which 
has  been  laid  at  a  great  expense. — When 
God  would  save  a  nation,  he  sent  Moses  and 
Aaron :  he  gave  Egypt  for  them.  When  he 
would  restore  them  he  sacrificed  Babylon. 
But  to  lay  the  foundation  of  this  work  he 
sacrificed  his  Son ! 

2.  It  is  a  work  which  occupies  a  first  place 
in  the  designs  of  God. — All  his  other  works 
are  subservient  to  this.  They  were  not 
only  made  by  Christ  but  for  him.  The  rev- 
olutions of  empires  are  permitted  for  the 
sake  of  the  people  of  God.  Babylon  was 
raised  up  to  chastise  them,  and  destroyed 
to  deliver  them.  The  invasion  of  Britain 
and  other  nations  was  permitted  for  the 
gospel's  sake  ;  and  who  can  tell  but  this 
may  be  the  end  which  God  intends  to  an- 
swer in  permitting  British  armies  to  subdue 
India  !  Even  slavery  itself  may  be  permit- 
ted for  the  gospel's  sake. 

3.  It  is  a  work  in  which  the  hand  and 
heart  of  God  will  be  with  you. — If  ever  you 
incline  to  despond,  remember — "The  zeal 
of  the  Lord  of  hosts  will  perform  it." 

4.  It  is  a  work  which  involves  the  happi- 
ness of  your  species. — Whence  spring  all 
the  miseries  of  mankind  ?  "  Whence  come 
wars  and  fightings?"  From  the  state  of 
their  hearts.  The  gospel  is  the  remedy, 
and  the  only  remedy. — Ps.  lxvii. 

III.  Let  me  conclude  with  a  few  re- 
marks:— 

1.  The  greatest  ivork  requires  attention 
to  a  multitude  of  little  things. — It  is  com- 
posed of  little  things.  Great  works  are 
not  accomplished  by  a  single  exploit,  but  by 
a  series  of  labors — by  leaving  no  stone  un- 
turned. Look  at  Nehemiah.  He  inquires, 
weeps  alone,  prays,  speaks  to  the  king,  ob- 
tains favor  and  a  commission ;  but  still  he 
returned  to  labor,  even  in  the  night,  and  took 
a  calm  and  deliberate  view  of  the  work  ; 
and,  when  he  communicated  his  intentions, 


FAITH    IN    THE    GOSPEL    ESSENTIAL    TO    PREACHING    IT. 


419 


his  friends  joined  him  ;  and  thus,  by  a  mul- 
titude of  operations,  the  work  is  accomplish- 
ed. He  was  laborious,  firm,  disinterested, 
patient,  and  persevering ;  and  looked  for  his 
reward  to  God. 

2.  A  great  ivork  may  be  hindered  and 
stopped  by  little  things. — Little  follies  will 
spoil  the  whole. — Eccles.  x.  1.  Such  as  the 
dispute  of  the  disciples  Avho  should  be  the 
greatest ;  and  little  discords ;  and  self-will. 
A  great  character  will  imitate  Him  who 
"pleased  not  himself."  Abraham's  conde- 
scension to  Lot  is  a  fine  example. 

My  dear  sisters,  yours  is  a  great  work. 
In  the  first  ages,  there  were  women  who 
helped  to  advance  the  good  cause  ;  and  we 
are  indebted  nearly  as  much,  under  God,  to 
the  services  of  your  sex  as  to  those  of  our 
own.  It  is  for  you  to  strengthen  the  hands 
of  your  companions,  by  a  cheerful  demean- 
or under  their  various  discouragements,  by 
conversing  with  the  native  females,  by  keep- 
ing order  in  the  family,  by  setting  an  exam- 
ple of  modesty  and  affection,  by  economy 
and  industry. — You  may  be  of  service  on 
your  voyage.  It  was  remarked  of  one  of 
our  dear  sisters,  during  her  voyage,  by  an 
officer,  that  he  never  saw  her  equal  in 
sweetness  of  disposition,  calmness,  kindness, 
and  firmness  in  danger.  This  was  a  power- 
ful recommendation  of  the  gospel. — You 
may  be  members  of  a  large  family — con- 
form to  its  rules  ;  make  yourselves  useful ; 
beware  of  jealousy,  whisperings,  envies. — 
You  may  be  called  to  preside  in  a  small  sta- 
tion— conduct  every  thing  in  the  fear  of 
God.  Bear  and  forbear,  and  forgive.  Keep 
near  to  God.  Seek  your  own  happiness 
and  interest  in  that  of  the  whole. 

Dear  brethren  and  sisters,  we  shall  be 
with  you  in  heart.  We  shall  pray  for  you. 
And  Ave  trust  we  shall  meet  you  in  the 
world  above.  Meanwhile  my  brethren  and 
companions,  assembled  to  bid  you  farewell, 
will  cordially  unite  with  me  in  the  fervent 
prayer — Remember  them,  O  our  God,  for 
good! — The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  their 
spirits ! 


LXVIII. FAITH    IN  THE  GOSPEL    A    NECES- 
SARY   PREREQUISITE    TO    PREACHING    IT. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  addressed  to  the  Students 
of  the  Bristol  Education  Society.] 

"  We    believe,    and   therefore   speak." — 2   Cor. 
iv.13. 

The  words  immediately  preceding  those 
on  which  I  shall  found  a  few  observations  on 
the  important  work  of  the  ministry  are  a 
quotation  from  the  116th  Psalm.  David,  un- 
der his  troubles,  believed  in  God,  and  there- 
fore spoke.  And  the  apostles,  under  perse- 
cutions and  reproaches,  believed  in  the  gos- 
pel, and  therefore  spoke.     They  spoke  bold- 


ly in  the  name  of  Jesus,  whatever  might  be 
the  consequence.  They  might  be  slain,  as 
Christ  was.  But  then  like  him,  too,  they 
would  be  raised. — Ver.  14.  If  they  suffered 
with  him,  they  would  also  reign  with  him. 

I  shall  comprise  what  I  have  to  offer  under 
two  heads  of  discourse — the  subject  matter 
of  the  Christian  ministry,  and  the  necessity 
of  believing  it. 

1.  The  subject  matter  of  the 
Christian  ministry. — It  is  that  which  we 
have  believed.  It  is  of  the  first  importance 
to  a  messenger  to  know  his  errand.  With- 
out this,  whatever  be  our  talents,  natu- 
ral or  acquired,  we  are  unqualified  for 
the  Christian  ministry.  Without  this,  the 
most  fascinating  eloquence  is  in  danger  of 
becoming  an  engine  of  mischief.  The  sub- 
ject matter  of  the  apostle's  preaching  is  va- 
riously described :  it  is  called  "  the  faith " 
— "  the  truth  " — "  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  " 
— "  Christ  crucified  "— "  the  gospel "— "  the 
word  of  reconciliation,"  &c.  In  these  de- 
scriptions, we  see  our  work. 

It  does  not  follow  that  the  dictates  of  rea- 
son and  conscience  are  to  be  rejected  or  dis- 
used in  preaching.  The  light  of  nature  it- 
self teaches  some  truth — such  as  the  being 
of  God,  the  accountableness  of  man,  the 
fitness  of  doing  to  others  as  we  would  they 
should  do  to  us,  our  being  sinners,  or  what 
we  ought  not  to  be.  These  are  truths 
which  the  gospel  supposes,  and  which  require 
to  be  enforced  in  subserviency  to  it. 

But  several  important  particulars  do  fol- 
low ;  as, 

1.  That  ive  must  not  deal  in  curious  spec- 
ulations, which  have  no  foundation  in  the 
Scriptures. — Some  have  been  turned  aside 
by  such  an  indulgence  to  false  hypotheses, 
and  made  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good 
conscience.  A  large  proportion  of  the  ob- 
jections to  divine  truth  are  of  this  kind  : 
"  How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old  ?  " 
"How  are  the  dead  raised,  and  with  what 
body  ?  "  Hoio  can  one  be  three,  and  three 
one  ?  How  could  Christ  be  both  God  and 
man?  How  can  the  certain  efficaciousness 
of  grace  consist  with  free  agency  and  the  ac- 
countableness of  man  ?  Paul  would  not  ans- 
wer such  questions  as  these  by  opposing  con- 
jecture to  conjecture,  but  in  the  spirit  of  the 
text — "  We  believe,  and  therefore  speak.'' 

2.  That  ive  must  not  deal  in  private  im- 
pulses or  impressions,  which  have  no  founda- 
tion in  the  Scriptures. — One  founds  a  doc- 
trine on  his  own  experience ;  but  experience 
ought  to  be  judged  by  the  Bible,  not  the  Bible 
by  experience.  "  The  prophet  that  hath  a 
dream,  let  him  tell  a  dream ;  and  he  that  hath 
my  word,  let  him  speak  my  word  faithfully. 
What  is  the  chaff  to  the  wheat?  saith  the 
Lord."— Another  swears  that,  as  God  hveth, 
such  a  thing  is  true;  but  what  does  this 
prove,  save  the  impudence  and  profanity  of 
the  preacher  ? 


420 


SEltMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


3.  That  the  person  and  ivork  of  Christ 
must  be  the  leading  theme  of  our  ministry. — 
In  this,  if  we  be  Christians,  we  have  believed  ; 
and  this  we  must  preach  to  others.  For  ex- 
ample :  We  must  preach  him  as  divine. 
How  else  could  we  know  whom  we  had  be- 
lieved ?  We  must  preach  him  as  having 
assumed  our  nature,  and  thereby  qualified 
himself  to  be  our  Saviour. — Heb.  ii.  14,  15. 
We  must  preach  him  as  dying  for  our  sins, 
&.c. — 1  Cor.  xv.  1 — 4.  We  must  preach 
him  as  the  Saviour  of  Hie  lost,  taking  the 
place  of  the  chief  of  sinners.  We  must 
preach  him  as  the  only  ivay  of  acceptance 
with  God.  "Being  justified  freely  by  his 
grace,  we  have  peace  with  God,  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  In  short,  he  is 
suited  to  all  our  wants.  To  whom  else  shall 
we  go  ?  He  hath  the  words  of  eternal  life. 
So  preach  Christ. 

Every  sermon,  more  or  less,  should  have 
some  relation  to  Christ,  and  bear  on  his  per- 
son or  work.  This  is  the  life  of  all  doctrine, 
and  it  will  be  our  own  fault  of  it  is  dry.  Do 
not  consider  it  as  one  subject  among  others, 
but  as  that  which  involves  all  others,  and 
gives  them  an  interest  they  could  not  other- 
wise possess.  Preach,  not  only  the  truth  ; 
but  all  truth,  "  as  it  is  in  Jesus."  However 
ingenious  our  sermons  may  be,  unless  they 
bear  on  Christ,  and  lead  the  mind  to  Christ, 
we  do  not  preach  the  faith  of  the  gospel. 

As  all  doctrinal  religion  meets  here,  so 
does  all  practical. — The  Scriptures  draw 
every  thing  from  the  dying  love  of  Christ. 
"  Feed  the  church  of  God,  which  he  hath  pur- 
chased ivith  his  oivn  blood." — "  Be  ye  kind 
one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiving 
one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake 
hath  forgiven  you." — "  Ye  know  the  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he 
was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  he  became  poor, 
that  ye  through  his  poverty  might  be  rich." 
— "  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  ivhich  ivas  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." — "  Hereby  perceive  we 
the  love  of  God,  because  he  laid  doivn  his 
life  for  us :  and  we  ought  to  lay  down  our 
lives  for  the  brethren." — "Husbands,  love 
your  wives,  as  Christ  also  loved  the  church." 

The  same  may  be  said  of  experience. — 
Christian  experience  clings  to  Christ  and  his 
gospel.  The  religion  of  some,  who  talk  of 
experience,  goes  to  idolize  their  own  feel- 
ings and  admire  their  supposed  graces.  But 
true  Christian  experience  thinks  little  of 
self,  and  much  of  Christ. — John  vi.  68. 

II.  The  necessity  of  believing  the 
gospel  before  we  preach  it : — "We believe, 
and  therefore  speak."  It  does  not  follow 
that  every  believer  should  be  a  preacher ; 
but  every  preacher  ought  to  be  a  believer ; 
for, 

1.  This  is  the  only  motive  that  ivill  render 
preaching  a  delight. — How  can  we  discourse 
on  subjects  which  we  do  not  believe  ?  If 
sve  have  not  tasted  the  grace  of  God,  we 


shall  feel  no  pleasure  in  proclaiming  it  to 
others.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  faithless 
preachers  call  preaching  "  doing  duty  ?  "  or 
that  they  preach  other  men's  sermons  ?  and 
that  in  delivering  them  they  are  uninterest- 
ed by  them?  But,  if  we  speak  because  we 
believe,  our  preaching  will  be  the  utterance 
of  a  full  heart,  and  our  work  its  own  reward. 
We  must  taste  of  truth  as  Christians,  before 
Ave  preach  it.  Studying  it  merely  as  minis- 
ters will  never  do.  Believing  belongs  to  us 
as  Christians. 

2.  It  affords  ground  to  hope  for  usefidness 
to  others. — What  effect  will  the  sermons  of 
those  ministers  have,  who,  by  their  frothy 
conversation,  loose  deportment,  or  avaricious 
spirit,  are  always  counteracting  them  ?  The 
hearers  will  say,  and  say  truly,  He  does  not 
believe  his  own  doctrine.  He  may  talk  of 
truth,  or  of  holiness  and  practical  religion  ; 
but  all  is  vain. — If,  on  the  other  hand,  we 
feel  and  practise  what  we  preach,  this  must 
at  least  recommend  it  to  the  conscience ; 
and  it  often  does  more.  The  one  resembles 
a  man  persuading  you  to  embark  on  board 
his  vessel,  assuring  you  it  is  safe,  while  he 
himself  stands  on  the  shore.  The  other  has 
embarked  himself  and  all  he  has  ;  and,  like 
Moses  to  Hobab,  invites  you  to  accompany 
him. 

3.  It  will  render  the  work  of  the  ministry 
compatible  with  common  honesty. — The  world 
has  long  accused  ministers  with  being  hypo- 
crites. This  is  malicious  enough ;  but  while 
men  engage  in  this  work  from  indolence, 
avarice,  pride,  or  any  other  worldly  motive, 
rather  than  from  the  principle  expressed 
in  the  text,  they  are  furnished  with  a  pre- 
text for  such  reproaches.  If  we  believe  not 
ere  we  speak,  we  only  deceive,  and  the 
sooner  we  throw  off  the  deception  the  better. 

4.  JYo  other  motive  ivill  bear  the  test. — What 
an  account  will  faithless  ministers  have  to 
give  when  asked,  "What  hast  thou  to  do  to 
declare  my  statutes,  or  that  thou  shouldst 
take  my  covenant  in  thy  mouth  ? "  One 
may  have  to  answer,  The  vanity  of  my  pa- 
rents led  them  to  educate  me  for  the  minis- 
try, and  when  I  grew  up  I  was  fit  for  nothing 
else. — Another  may  have  to  answer,  My 
own  vanity  influenced  me :  having  a  taste 
for  learning,  and  public  speaking,  and  es- 
teeming it  a  reputable  and  genteel  mode  of 
life,  I  took  to  it. — Another  may  have  to  say, 
It  was  my  own  conceit  and  arrogance :  hav- 
ing a  large  portion  of  native  effrontery,  I 
made  my  way,  and  was  caressed  by  the  peo- 
ple.— Oh !  how  different  these  from  the 
apostles ! — "  We  have  believed,  and  there- 
fore speak." 

But  why  do  I  thus  speak  ?  I  am  not  ad- 
dressing a  society  which  pretends  to  train 
graceless  characters  for  the  ministry,  or  to 
make  men  ministers  by  mere  education. 
They  are  aware  of  the  necessity  of  their  pu- 
pils being  believers ;  and,  if  any  of  them 


ON    MAKING    FULL    PROOF    OF    THE    MINISTRY. 


421 


prove  otherwise,  they  have  deceived  their 
patrons.  They  do  not  so  much  as  pretend 
to  impart  gifts  ;  but  merely  to  improve  those 
which  Christ  appears  to  have  imparted. 
They  wish  to  enable  the  aged  and  expe- 
rienced part  of  our  ministers,  like  Aquila 
and  Priscilla,  to  expound  to  the  younger 
brethren  the  way  of  the  Lord  more  perfectly. 

And  as  to  you,  my  young  brethren,  I  have 
no  particular  jealousy  of  you  ;  only  as  we 
ought  to  be  jealous  with  a  godly  jealousy, 
"  looking  lest  any  one  fail  of  the  grace  of 
God."  You  are  likely,  another  day,  to  oc- 
cupy stations  of  much  greater  importance 
than  if  each  were  a  minister  of  state.  Our 
churches  look  to  you.  Many  aged  minis- 
ters are  gone.  Those  that  remain  will  soon 
follow.  God  has  begun  a  great  work  in  our 
day.  May  you  take  it  up,  and  carry  it  on. 
It  is  but  the  other  day  since  we  were  youths, 
looking  up  to  those  who  are  now  no  more. 
Now  the  load  lies  on  us.  Soon  it  must  lie 
on  you,  or  on  some  others.  Should  you 
prove  yourselves  unworthy,  God  will  find 
others.  Deliverance  will  arise  from  some 
other  quarter.  O,  men  of  God,  "  Flee  youth- 
ful lusts,  and  follow  after  righteousness, 
faith,  charity,  peace,  with  them  that  call  on 
the  Lord  out  of  a  pure  heart ! " 

I  ought  not  to  conclude  without  recom- 
mending to  the  audience  that  Saviour  whom 
we  have  believed.  We  have  found  rest  for 
our  souls.  Come  ye.  Forsake  the  world 
and  your  own  righteousness.  We  have 
worn  his  yoke,  some  of  us  for  forty  years, 
and  it  has  never  galled  us.  Take  his  yoke, 
and  learn  of  him,  and  you  shall  find  rest  for 
your  souls.  His  yoke  is  easy,  and  his  bur- 
den is  light. 


LXIX. THE    YOUNG    MINISTER     EXHORTED 

TO  MAKE  FULL  PROOF  OF  HIS  MINISTRY. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  addressed  to  the  Students 
of  the  Stepney  Academical  Institution.  ] 

"But  watch  thou  in  all  things,  endure  afflic- 
tions, do  the  work  of  an  evangelist,  make  full 
proof  of  thy  ministry.  Fori  am  now  ready  to  be 
offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand." 
— 2  Tim.  iv.  5,  6. 

Being  requested  to  address  a  word  of  ex- 
hortation to  my  younger  brethren,  I  doubt 
not  but  I  shall  be  heard  with  candor  and  at- 
tention ;  and  that  not  only  by  those  imme- 
diately addressed,  but  by  all  my  younger 
brethren  in  the  ministry.  You  will  not 
suppose,  then,  that  I  mean  to  compare  my- 
self to  an  apostle,  or  you  to  evangelists  ;  but 
the  work  is  in  substance  the  same,  whether 
it  be  in  the  hands  of  extraordinary  or  ordi- 
nary men:  and,  as  Paul  argued  the  im- 
portance of  Timothy's  work  from  his  own 
approaching  dissolution,  I  may  be  allowed 
to  enforce  it  upon  you  from  kindred  con- 


siderations ;  namely,  that  many  of  your 
elder  brethren  are  gone,  and  others  are  go- 
ing, the  way  of  all  the  earth. 

You  will  not  expect  me,  my  dear  young 
men,  to  discourse  to  you  on  the  advantages 
of  literary  acquirements.  I  might  do  so  in- 
deed, and  that  from  experience.  I  know 
the  value  of  such  acquirements,  both  by 
what  I  have  been  enabled  to  attain,  and  by 
the  want  of  that  which  I  have  not  attained  : 
but  it  is  more  congenial  with  my  feelings  to 
speak  of  things  of  still  greater  importance. 
Three  things  in  particular  are  suggested  by 
the  passage  which  I  have  read,  and  these  I 
shall  recommend  to  your  serious  attention  ; 
namely,  the  work  itself  to  which  you  are 
devoted — the  duties  inculcated  as  necessary 
to  the  discharge  of  it — and  the  considera- 
tions by  which  it  is  enforced. 

1.  The  work  itself  to  which  you  are 
devoted. — It  is  called  a  "ministry."  The 
word  signifies,  as  you  are  aware,  service. 
The  leading  character  of  a  minister  is  that 
of  a  servant.  This  is  an  idea  that  you  must 
ever  bear  in  mind.  It  is  a  service,  however, 
of  a  special  kind.  Every  Christian  is  a  ser- 
vant of  Christ,  but  every  Christian  is  not  a 
minister  of  the  gospel.  A  deacon  is  a  ser- 
vant, as  the  word  also  singifies  ;  but  his  ser- 
vice respects  temporal  things  ;  yours  is  that 
on  account  of  which  the  office  of  deacon 
was  appointed,  that  you  should  "  give  your- 
selves continually  to  prayer,  and  to  the 
ministry  of  the  word."  It  is  that  which 
Jethro  assigned  to  Moses — "Be  thou  for 
the  people  to  God-ward,  that  thou  mayest 
bring  the  causes  unto  God."  Your  living 
under  the  gospel  dispensation  renders  this 
a  pleasant  work :  it  must,  if  you  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  it,  be  pleasant  to  study  and  im- 
part the  gladdening  doctrine  of  salvation. 

I  have  observed  two  extremes  relative  to 
this  work;  one  on  the  part  of  ministers  them- 
selves, and  the  other  on  the  part  of  the  peo- 
ple. That  on  the  part  of  ministers  has  been 
an  abuse  of  their  office  of  ruling,  a  fondness 
for  power,  aspiring  to  the  exercise  of  do- 
minion over  their  brethren.  It  has  always 
grated  in  my  ears  to  hear  such  language  as 
this: — My  church,  my  deacons,  &c,  as  if 
churches  were  made  for  them,  rather  than 
they  for  churches.  Do  not  emulate  this 
empty  swell.  True  greatness  will  revolt  at 
it.  He  that  will  be  great,  let  him  be  the 
servant  of  all.  Think  of  the  woe  denounced 
against  the  idol  shepherd :  "  The  sword  shall 
be  upon  his  arm,  and  his  right  eye  shall  be 
darkened."  Think  especially  of  him  who 
said,  "  I  have  been  amongst  you  as  one  that 
serveth." 

The  extreme  on  the  part  of  the  people  is 
this  :  from  the  idea  of  ministers  being  ser- 
vants, some  of  them  seem  to  have  imagined 
that  they  are  their  masters.  It  is  true  they 
have  a  Master,  and  one  to  whom  they  must 
give  account ;  but  it  is  not  to  the  people  of 


422 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


their  charge.  As  Christians,  they  arc  ac- 
countable to  one  another,  the  same  as  other 
Christians  ;  but,  as  ministers,  to  Christ  only. 
In  serving  the  church  of  God,  you  will  act 
as  a  faithful  steward  towards  his  lord's  fami- 
ly ;  who  renders  service  to  them  all,  but  is 
accountable  to  his  lord  only.  Serve  the 
church  of  Christ  for  his  sake. 

II.  Let  me  direct  your  attention  to  the 

DUTIES  INCULCATED  AS  NECESSARY  TO  THE 
DISCHARGE   OF     THE    MINISTRY.       These  Will 

be  found  to  consist  in  four  things : — 

1.  Vigilance. — "  Watch  thou  in  all  things." 
This  is  a  general  quality  that  is  required  to 
run  through  all  our  work.  If  any  of  you  en- 
ter the  ministry  as  furnishing  you  with  a 
genteel  post  in  society,  you  will  be  at  best  a 
drone,  and  had  better  be  any  thing  than  a 
preacher.  You  are  watchmen,  and  must  be 
awake  when  others  are  asleep. 

2.  Patience. — "Endure  afflictions."  If 
you  cannot  bear  these,  you  had  better  let  the 
ministry  alone.  If  you  be  good  ministers  of 
Jesus  Christ,  you  will  not  only  be  afflicted  in 
common  with  others,  but  the  afflictions  of 
others  will  become  yours.  "  Who  is  offend- 
ed, and  I  burn  not  ?  "  You  must  care  for  all, 
and  expect  on  some  occasions,  when  you 
have  done,  to  receive  evil  for  good. 

3.  Activity  in  the  great  work  of  evangel- 
izing men  : — "  Do  the  work  of  an  evangel- 
ist." Without  considering  you  as  evangel- 
ists in  the  full  import  of  the  term,  there  is  a 
portion  of  the  work  pertaining  to  that  office 
which  is  common  to  us  all  as  ministers. 
Wherever  Providence  may  station  you,  my 
dear  young  men,  be  concerned  to  evangelize 
your  neighborhood.  Look  at  the  situations 
of  a  number  of  the  ejected  ministers,  and  see 
if  the  effects  of  their  evangelical  labors  do 
not  remain  to  this  day.  Who  can  look  over 
the  churches  in  Cambridgeshire,  without  see„- 
ing  in  them  the  fruits  of  the  labors  of  Oddy 
and  Holcroft?  Who  can  review  those  of 
Bedfordshire,  and  not  perceive  in  them  the 
effects  of  the  labors  of  Bunyan — labors  for 
which  he  suffered  twelve  years'  imprison- 
ment ?  The  same  remarks  might  be  made 
respecting  other  parts  of  the  kingdom. 
Emulate  these  men  of  God  in  evangelizing 
your  respective  neighborhoods. 

4.  Fidelity  in  discharging  your  trust : — 
"Make  full  proof  of  thy  ministry."  The 
word  means  thoroughly  to  accomplish  that 
which  you  have  undertaken.  Such  is  the 
import  of  Col.  iv.  17  :  "  Say  to  Archippus, 
take  heed  to  the  ministry  which  thou  hast 
received  in  the  Lord,  that  thou  fulfil  it." 
Were  you  to  present  a  soldier  with  a  sword, 
and  bid  him  make  full  proof  of  it,  he  could 
not  misunderstand  you.  Would  you  see  an 
example,  look  at  that  of  the  great  apostle  in 
the  context:  "I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I 
have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the 
faith." 

But  here  allow  me  to  be  a  little  more  par- 


ticular.    If  you  would  make  full  proof  of 
your  ministry  you  must  attend 

(1)  To  personal  religion. — This  is  often  in- 
culcated by  the  apostle. — "  Take  heed  to 
yourselves,  and  to  all  the  flock." — "Take 
heed  to  thyself  and  to  £hy  doctrine,"  &c. 
Many  people  will  take  our  personal  religion 
for  granted  ;  as  though  a  man  who  teaches 
others  must  needs  be  religious  himself:  but 
woe  unto  us  if  we  reason  in  this  way.  Trem- 
ble at  the  idea  of  being  a  graceless  minister 
— a  character,  it  is  to  be  feared,  not  very  un- 
frequent!  To  what  is  it  owing  that  some  of 
our  churches  have  been  prejudiced  against 
an  educated  ministry  ?  I  may  be  told  to 
their  ignorance  ;  and  in  part  it  is  so ;  but  in 
part  it  is  owing  to  other  causes.  The  light- 
ness, the  vanity,  the  foppery,  and  the  irreli- 
gion  of  some  young  men  have  produced  not 
only  this  effect,  but  an  abhorrence  of  the 
very  worship  of  God,  as  by  them  adminis- 
tered. Who  were  ever  known  to  be  preju- 
diced against  a  Pearce,  a  Francis,  or  a  Bed- 
dome,  on  account  of  their  education  ?  If 
there  were  individuals  of  this  description, 
let  them  be  disregarded  as  ignorant,  and  let 
them  be  told  that  vicious  characters  are  found 
among  the  uneducated  as  well  as  the  educa- 
ted. But  be  it  your  concern,  my  dear  young 
men,  to  shun  these  evils.  The  instructions 
which  you  receive,  if  consecrated  to  Christ, 
will  be  a  blessing  to  you;  but,  if  your  object 
be  to  shine  before  men,  they  will  be  a  curse. 

(2)  Let  the  time  allotted  you  for  education 
be  employed  in  acquiring  a  habit  of  useful 
study. — To  make  full  proof  of  your  ministry, 
you  must  give  yourselves  continually  prayer, 
and  the  ministry  of  the  word.  "  Meditate 
on  these  things,  and  give  yourselves  wholly 
to  them  ;"  and  this  to  the  end  of  your  lives. 
Let  no  one  imagine  that  he  will  leave  his 
present  situation  fully  qualified  for  the  work. 
If,  by  prayer  and  a  diligent  application  to 
study,  you  acquire  such  a  habit  of  close 
thinking  as  that  on  entering  the  work  it  shall 
be  your  delight  to  prosecute  it,  this  is  all 
that  will  be  expected  of  you.  It  is  for  the 
want  of  this  habit  of  study  that  there  are  so 
many  saunterers,  and  have  been  so  many 
scandals  amongst  ministers. 

(3)  In  every  stage  of  literary  improvement 
be  concerned  to  have  it  sanctified  and  subordi- 
nated to  God  as  you  go  on. — On  this  depends 
its  utility.  It  were  desirable  that  the  study  of 
languages  and  sciences  should  commence  in 
early  youth,  and  that  religion  should  come  af- 
ter it  to  make  the  last  impression,  seeing  it 
is  this  that  ordinarily  stamps  the  character. 
Could  we  be  certain  that  the  faith  of  Christ, 
and  the  gifts  suited  to  the  ministry,  would 
follow  an  early  education,  this  would  be  our 
course  ;  but,  as  this  cannot  be,  our  dread  of 
an  unconverted  ministry  makes  us  require  re- 
ligion as  the  first  qualification.  Only  pursue 
learning  that  you  may  be  better  able  to  serve 
the  Lord,  and  all  wdl  be  well.    It  is  thus  that 


MINISTERS    THE    GIFT    OF    CHRIST. 


423 


our  brethren  in  India,  though  their  attain- 
ments were  not  made  in  the  earliest  stages 
oflife,  have  retained  their  spirituality  and 
increased  in  usefulness.  Let  me  conclude 
by  noticing. 

III.    The   consideration  with   which 

THESE  EXHORTATIONS  ARE  ENFORCED  l 

"  For  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the 
time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand."  This  lan- 
guage denotes  an  anxiety  in  the  apostle  that 
the  work  of  God  might  go  on  when  he 
should  have  fallen  asleep ;  and,  if  we  be 
worthy  of  the  name  of  Christian  ministers, 
we  must  feel  a  portion  of  the  same.  Dear 
young  men,  to  you  we  look  for  successors 
in  the  work.  It  is  not  for  me  to  say  how 
long  your  elder  brethren  may  continue  ;  but 
we  have  seen  stars  of  no  ordinary  magnitude 
set  within  a  few  years  !  It  seems  but  yes- 
terday since  they  were  with  us,  and  we 
were  the  juniors  amongst  them.  Now  we 
are  obliged  to  take  their  place  ;  and  you,  be- 
loved youths,  will  soon  have  to  take  ours. 
We  do  not  wish  to  hold  ourselves  up  as  your 
examples  ;  but  the  cause  in  which  we  have 
been  engaged,  and  in  which  the  Lord  has 
not  frowned  on  our  attempts,  we  do  most 
earnestly  recommend  to  your  tender  and 
solicitous  regards. 

Your  elder,.brethren  may  be  spared  a  lit- 
tle longer,  and  yet  be  able  to  do  but  little 
more.  We  feel  the  force  of  the  wise  man's 
counsel ;  may  you  feel  it  too — "  Remember 
now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth, 
while  the  evil  days  come  not,  nor  the  years 
draw  nigh  when  thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no 
pleasure  in  them." 


LXX. — IMPORTANCE  OF  CHRISTIAN  MIN- 
ISTERS CONSIDERED  AS  THE  GIFT  OF 
CHRIST. 

[Sketch  of  a  Sermon  addressed  to  the  Church  at 
Moulton*  on  the  Ordination  of  Mr.  (now  Dr.) 
Carey,  August  1,  1787.] 

"  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high,  thou  hast  led  cap- 
tivity captive,  thou  hast  received  gifts  for  men,  yea, 
for  the  rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord  God  might 
dwell  among  them." — Psa.  lxviii.  IS. 

Some  think  it  refers  to  God's  goings  forth 
in  behalf  of  his  people  Israel,  leading  them 
forth  to  victory,  taking  their  enemies  cap- 
tive, and  enriching  them  with  the  spoils. 
Suppose  it  be  so,  we  are  warranted  to  con- 
sider it  as  mainly  referring  to  Christ,  for  so 
the  apostle  Paul  has  applied  it. — Eph.  iv.  8. 

The  apostle  not  only  applies  it  to  Christ, 
but  proves  it  applicable.  Thus  he  reasons, 
ver.  9,  10,  "  Now  that  he  ascended,  what  is 
it  but  that  he  also  descended,"  &c.    The 

*  The  nine  which  follow  this  were  addressed  to 
other  churches  on  the  ordination  of  their  respective 
pastors. 


captivity  which  he  led  captive  was  our  spirit- 
ual enemies  who  had  led  us  captive — Satan, 
Death.  And,  having  obtained  the  victory, 
he  proceeds  to  divide  the  spoils.  Gifts  to 
men. — As  David  made  presents.  And  hence 
comes  our  ordinances,  ministers,  &c.  There 
was  a  glorious  fulfilment  immediately  after 
his  ascension,  in  a  rich  profusion  of  gifts  and 
graces  to  his  church,  like  David's  presents. 
Here  it  is  "  received ; "  in  Ephesians  "gave." 
He  received  that  he  might  give,  received 
the  spoil  that  he  might  distribute  it.  But, 
as  I  wish  to  appropriate  the  passage  to  the 
work  allotted  me,  the  whole  of  that  to  which 
I  would  at  this  time  call  your  attention  will 
be  contained  in  two  things  : — 

I.  THE  GREAT  BLESSING  OF  THE  CHRIS- 
TIAN MINISTRY. 

1.  Ministers  are  received  for  and  are  given 
to  you  by  Christ. — As  men,  and  as  sinful  men, 
ministers  are  as  nothing,  and  wish  not  to 
make  any  thing  of  themselves  ;  but  as  the 
gifts  of  Christ  it  becomes  you  to  make  much 
of  them.  (1)  If  you  love  Christ  you  will 
make  much  of  your  minister,  on  account  of 
his  being  his  gift.  A  gift  designed  to 
supply  Christ's  absence  in  a  sort.  He  is 
gone  ("ascended,")  but  he  gives  you  his 
servants.  By-and-by  you  hope  to  be  with 
him,  but  as  yet  you  are  as  sheep  in  the  wil- 
derness. He  gives  you  a  shepherd.  (2)  If 
you  fear  God  you  will  be  afraid  of  treating 
your  pastor  amiss,  seeing  he  is  the  gift  of 
Christ.  God  took  it  ill  of  Israel  for  despis- 
ing Moses. — Numb.  xii.  8.  He  is  my  ser- 
vant. 

2.  Ministers  are  not  only  given  to  but  re- 
ceived for  you  of  God  the  Father,  as  a  cove- 
nant blessing,  among  the  spiritual  blessings 
in  heavenly  places  in  Christ.  In  this  view 
consider  that  Christ  received  nothing  at  his 
Father's  hand  but  what  cost  him  dear — cost 
him  his  life.  Or,  if  the  allusion  be  to  the 
dividing  of  the  spoils,  suppose  we  say,  He 
received  them  as  a  conqueror  receives  the 
spoils  at  the  hand  of  the  foe.  Your  minister 
was  one  of  those  Avho,  like  yourselves,  were 
brands  consuming  in  the  fire.  Christ  took 
him  from  your  enemies  and  gives  him  to  you. 
Make  much  of  the  gift  on  this  account. 
"  This  I  received  of  the  Amorite." 

3.  Consider  your  unworthiness  of  such  a 
blessing.  You  are  men,  mere  men,  and, 
what  is  more,  rebellious  men,  who  had  joined 
with  Satan.  And  must  you  share  the  spoils  ? 
It  is  not  usual  to  divide  the  spoils  amongst 
rebels  ....  Men  that  put  him  to  death  had 
these  gifts  given  to  them.  And  we  should 
all  have  done  the  same.  Some  of  you,  it  is 
likely,  have  been  vile  and  abandoned  char- 
acters, and  yet,  &c 

4.  The  end  of  it:— "That  the  Lord  God 
might  dwell  among  them."  "  But  will  God 
indeed  dwell  with  men  ? "  God  had  not 
dwelt  with  the  world,  nor  in  it,  while  sin 
bore  the  rule  ;  but  Christ's  mediation  was 


424 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


for  the  bringing  it  about.  "  Will  God  in- 
deed dwell  with  men  ?  "  He  will ;  and  how  ? 
It  is  by  the  means  of  ordinances  and  minis- 
ters. A  church  of  Christ  is  God's  house, 
and  where  any  one  builds  a  house  it  is  a 
token  that  he  means  to  dwell  there.  What 
a  blessing  to  a  village,  a  country,  for  God  to 
build  a  house  in  it.  It  is  by  this  that  we 
may  hope  for  a  blessing  upon  the  means  to 
the  conversion  of  our  children  and  friends, 
and  for  the  edification  of  believers. 

II.      Point   out   some   corresponding 

DUTIES  AS  ANSWERING  TO  THESE  YOUR 
PRIVILEGES. 

1.  Constant  and  diligent  attendance  at 
the  house  of  God.  If  the  house  of  God  be 
God's  dwelling,  let  it  be  yours,  your  home. 
If  God  gives  you  a  pastor,  do  you  thankfully 
receive  and  prize  him.  He  hath  not  dealt 
so  with  every  village. 

2.  Cheerfully  contribute  to  his  support. 
Christ  has  given  you  freely,  and  you  ought 
to  give  him  freely.  Consider  it  not  as  a 
gift,  but  as  a  debt;  and  not  as  done  to  him, 
but  to  Christ. 

3.  Follow  those  things  which  make  for 
peace,  with  which  the  presence  and  blessing 
of  God  are  connected. 

4.  Shun  those  things  that  tend  to  provoke 
the  Lord  to  withdraw  his  gifts,  and  to  cease 
to  dwell  among  you. 


LXXL 


-NATURE       AND       IMPORTANCE 
CHRISTIAN    LOVE. 


"  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  That 
ye  love  one  another;  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye 
also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to 
another." — John  xiii.  34,  35. 

The  counsels  of  a  dying  friend  have  pecu- 
liar weight:  those  especially  which  arise 
from  love,  and  a  regard  to  our  well-being. 
Such  was  this.  It  was  the  counsel  of  the 
greatest  and  best  friend  we  have  ;  and  the 
advice  is  calculated,  more  than  any  thing 
else,  for  our  good.  And  what  better  than 
this  can  I  advance  on  the  present  occasion  ? 
To  enter  into  all  the  particular  duties  of  a 
people  to  a  minister  and  to  one  another 
would  be  far  too  wide  a  field.  If  therefore 
I  dwell  on  the  principle,  I  hope  it  will  suf- 
fice, and  prove  beneficial.  If  you  ask,  What 
are  our  duties  to  our  minister  ?  I  answer, 
Love  him.  If  you  ask,  what  are  our  duties 
to  each  other  ?  I  answer,  Love  one  another. 
Learn  this  lesson  well,  and  everything  else 
will  follow.  We  shall  endeavor  to  ascertain 
wherein  consists  the  nature  of  Christian  love 
and  why  it  is  called  a  new  commandment — 
to  consider  its  importance  in  Christian  so- 
ciety— and  to  state  a  few  means  and  motives 
to  cherish  it. 

I.  Let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  the  na- 
ture OF  CHRISTIAN  LOVE,  AND   WHY  IT  IS 


CALLED    A    NEW    COMMANDMENT. We    may 

remark 

1.  It  is  not  mere  good  neighborhood  or, 
civility  between  man  and  man. — We  may 
meet  as  neighbors,  and  practise  the  little 
civilities  dictated  by  a  sense  of  propriety,  and 
regard  each  other  indifferently  ;  and  yet  be 
strangers  to  love. 

2.  It  is  not  mere  friendship. — This  be 
longs  to  us  as  men.     Heathens  are  capable 
of  this.     But  there  is  no  religion  in  it.     It  is 
not  Christian  love. 

3.  It  is  not  mere  respect  on  account  of  re- 
ligion.— I  never  remember  being  without 
that.  That  was  found  in  Saul  to  David,  and 
at  times  in  Pharaoh  to  Moses,  and  in  Ba- 
laam to  Israel.  But  there  was  no  religion 
in  it — no  love. 

4.  It  is  not  mere  party  attachment. — A 
good  man  will,  of  course,  unite  himself  with 
that  denomination  of  Christians  whose  senti- 
ments he  believes  to  be  nearest  the  truth  ; 
but  he  will  not  limit  his  affection  to  a  party, 
but  love  all  who  love  Jesus  Christ.  A  man 
may  be  a  zealous  partizan,  and  the  party 
whose  cause  he  espouses  may  be  nearest  the 
truth,  but  he,  nevertheless,  may  be  desti- 
tute of  love. 

5.  It  is  not  that  excessive  and  mistaken  at- 
tachment which  shall  lead  us  to  idolize  and 
flatter  a  minister,  or  to  exempt  each  other 
from  the  exercise  of  faithful  discipline. — 
This,  in  fact,  is  hatred.  "  Thou  shalt  not 
hate  thy  brother  in  thine  heart :  thou  shalt 
in  any  wise  rebuke  thy  neighbor,  and  not 
suffer  sin  upon  him." 

6.  It  is  not  mere  benevolence  itself. — There 
may  be  that  without  Christianity. 

Then  what  is  Christian  love  ? 

It  is  complacency  in  the  divine  image. — It 
is  a  union  of  heart,  like  that  of  Ruth  to  her 
mother-in-law.  Christian  love  is  love  for 
Christ's  sake. 

This  last  remark,  I  suppose,  furnishes  a 
clue  for  its  being  called  "a  new  command- 
ment." The  old  commandment  required 
benevolence,  or  love  to  our  neighbor ;  but 
this  is  complacency  in  Christ's  image,  or  the 
love  of  Christians  as  such.  And  being  in- 
troductory to  the  New-Testament  or  gospel 
dispensation,  under  which  the  church  should 
be  composed  of  believers  only,  it  is  suited  to 
it.  Personal  religion  is  now  to  be  the  bond 
of  union.  This  was  never  so  expressly  re- 
quired before.  This  is  mors  than  love  to 
our  neighbor,  or  benevolence :  this  is  brother- 
ly love,  or  complacency  in  each  other  as  breth- 
ren in  Christ. — Rom.  xii.  10.  Heb.  xiii.  1. 
This  is  genuine  charity. — 1  Cor.  xiii. 

II.  Let  us  consider  the  importance  of 
this  principle  in  Christian  society. — This 
new  commandment  is  the  most  extensive  of 
any  that  could  be  given.  Love  is  a  most 
comprehensive  principle :  it  is  the  fulfilling 
of  the  whole  law  ;  it  is  the  grand  cement 
that  unites  the  spiritual  building.    Without 


CHRISTIANS    FELLOW-HELPERS    TO    THE    TRUTH. 


425 


this,  any  wind  will  blow  it  down.     More  par- 
ticularly, 

1.  With  respect  to  the  duties  of  social 
religion. — Only  love  your  pastor,  and  every 
thing  of  consequence  will  follow.  You 
will  attend  early  and  constantly  on  his  min- 
istry. You  will  pray  for  him.  You  will 
take  well  his  brotherly  admonitions.  And, 
if  you  see  faults  in  him,  you  will  not  unne- 
cessarily expose  him ;  but,  if  the  nature  of 
the  case  allow,  mention  them  to  him  alone. 
You  will,  in  return  for  your  spiritual  privi- 
leges, cheerfully  impart  to  him  of  your 
natural  good  things.  You  will,  in  a  word, 
treat  him  respectfully,  tenderly,  and  with 
affectionate  fidelity.  Only  love  your  brother, 
and  you  will  cast  in  your  lot  with  him,  and 
the  house  of  God  will  be  sweet  to  you.  You 
will  consider  yourselves  as  intimately  united 
to  Christians,  and,  after  the  interruptions  of 
business  or  the  world,  you  will  rejoice,  as 
did  the  primitive  disciples,  to  return  to  "your 
own  company."  The  return  of  opportuni- 
ties will  be  welcomed.  You  will  have  an 
interest  in  each  other's  prayers.  You  will 
give  and  receive  reproof.  You  will  be  kind 
to  the  poor,  and  particularly  to  those  of  "  the 
household  of  faith."  You  will  sympathize 
with  the  afflicted.  You  will  "  bear  one 
another's  burdens."  You  will  bear  and 
forbear,  and  forgive. 

2  With  respect  to  its  privileges  and  advan- 
tages.— These  are  nothing  without  love. 
To  be  "  fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,"  to 
unite  at  the  Lord's  table,  and  a  variety  of 
other  privileges,  without  love,  will  be  priv- 
ileges in  name  only.  With  love,  the  com- 
pany, counsels,  and  prayers  of  Christian 
friends,  will  be  valued  ;  but  not  otherwise. 

III.  Let  us  mention  a  few  means  and 
motives  to  cherish  this  divine  principle. — 
As  means, 

1.  Avoid  those  things  ivhich  tend  to  damp 
it. — As  sarcastic  speeches,  and  unkind 
reflections. 

2.  Be  concerned  to  he  spiritually-minded 
yourselves,  or  others  cannot  love  you  as 
Christians.  If  any  err  from  this  rule,  let  us 
beware  that  we  do  not  make  their  conduct 
the  rule  of  our  own,  returning  evil  for  evil. 

Consider  as  motives, 

1.  The  love  of  Christ. — "  As  I  have  loved 
you,  so  love  ye  one  another."  Let  your  love 
be  ardent  and  self-denying. 

2.  This  may  comfort  you  under  the  ivorld's 
hatred. — If  you  be  like  Christ  the  world 
will  hate  you. — John  xv.  17 — 19.  Then 
when  they  hate  you  do  not  be  without  any 
source  of  comfort ;  but  love  one  another. 

3.  Brotherly  love  is  the  grand  recommen- 
dation of  religion. — Young  beginners  are 
drawn  by  it.  But,  if  they  cannot  perceive 
this,  they  will  be  damped  and  discouraged, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  will  be  grieved. 

4.  All  love  to  one  another  loill  turn  to  our 
own    account. — While  self-love    defeats  its 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  54. 


own  ends,  this  will  be  sure  to  benefit  us. 
Seek  another's  good,  and  in  it  you  shall  find 
your  own.  "By  this  ye  shall  know  that  ye 
have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  because  ye 
have  love  one  to  another." 


LXXII. CHRISTIAN      CHURCHES     EELLOW- 

HELPERS    WITH    THEIR    PASTORS    TO    THE 
TRUTH. 

"  We  therefore  ought  to  receive  such,  that  we 
might  be  fellow-helpers  to  the  truth." — 3  John,  8. 

The  ordination  of  elders  over  the  church- 
es was  a  practice  among  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians.— Acts  xiv.  23.  And  I  hope  it  will 
never  be  dispensed  with  in  our  churches. 
Besides  being  sanctioned  by  apostolical  ex- 
ample, it  is  a  guard  against  the  introduction 
of  improper  characters,  who,  by  getting  an 
artificial  majority  in  a  church,  may  intrude 
themselves  on  a  people  to  their  great  injury. 
Hence  the  exhortation,  "  Lay  hands  sudden- 
ly on  no  man."  It  also  furnishes  an  oppor- 
tunity of  solemnly  addressing  both  parties 
on  the  intimate  relation  into  which  they  have 
entered.  In  compliance  with  this  custom,  I 
would  affectionately  address  the  members  of 
this  church  on  the  present  interesting  occa- 
sion. 

The  language  of  the  text,  I  allow,  has 
respect  to  Christian  missionaries ;  but  that 
which  is  said  of  them,  and  the  treatment 
due  to  them,  will  in  a  great  degree  apply  to 
settled  pastors ;  for 

1.  They  went  forth,  taking  nothing  of  the 
Gentiles ;  and  these  give  up  all  worldly 
prospects  and  pursuits  for  Christ's  name's 
sake,  and  to  serve  your  spiritual  interests. 

2.  They  were  engaged  in  a  great  work, 
even  the  evangelization  of  the  world ;  and 
so  are  these.  God  promised  Canaan  to 
Abraham,  but  Israel  must  take  it;  and  the 
world  to  Christ,  but  Christians  must  conquer 
it.  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,"  &c.  Of 
this  army,  Christian  missionaries  and  minis- 
ters are  the  leaders. 

3.  They  wanted  help  from  their  brethren, 
and  it  was  to  the  honor  of  private  Christians 
to  help  them ;  for  in  so  doing  they  became 
fellow-helpers,  not  to  them  only,  but  also  "  to 
the  truth."  And  so  do  these  need  help,  and 
it  is  for  you,  by  helping  them,  to  be  fellow- 
helpers  to  the  truth. 

To  illustrate  and  enforce  the  duty  which 
is  here  enjoined  upon  you,  we  shall  take  a 
view  of  the  work  of  a  pastor  and  observe,  as 
we  go  along,  how  you  are  to  be  fellow-help- 
ers in  it. 

In  general,  it  is  spreading  the  truth. — This 
is  a  name  by  which  the  religion  of  the  Bible 
is  very  properly  designated,  since  it  is  not 
only  true,  but  emphatically  the  truth  ;  being 
the  only  true  doctrine  ever  given  to  the 
world  under  the  name  of  religion.     All  that 


426 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


went  before  it  were  false,  and  tended  to  mis- 
lead and  destroy  the  souls  of  men,  on  the 
true  character  of  God,  and  of  men,  and  on 
the  true  way  of  salvation. 

The  apostle  spoke  not  the  language  of 
conjecture,  but  of  assurance  ;  as  one  having 
been  in  a  mine,  coming  to  the  light  of  day : 
"  We  believe  and  are  sure." 

It  is  the  work  of  your  pastor  to  spread  the 
heavenly  truth,  and  yours  to  be  fellow-help- 
ers to  the  truth.     Particularly, 

I.  It  is  his  work  to  preach  the  gospel 
to  you.  There  are  many  ways  in  which  you 
may  be  his  fellow-helpers. 

1.  In  your  'prayers  to  God  for  him. — I  have 
lately  read  of  a  man  who  despised  the  prayers 
of  a  people.  But  so  did  not  Paul.  "  Brethren, 
pray  for  us." — "  Now  I  beseech  you,  breth- 
ren, for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  and  for 
the  love  of  the  Spirit,  that  ye  strive  together 
with  me  in  your  prayers  to  God  for  me." 
Prepare  the  way  to  God's  house  by  prayer. 
Do  not  expect  to  profit  else.  It  is  a  great 
mercy  that  God  sends  to  us  by  men  like 
ourselves  ;  men  whose  everlasting  interests 
are  involved  in  their  doctrine.  But  they  are 
sinful  creatures,  subject  to  temptations  in 
common  with  others,  and  to  some  peculiar 
to  themselves :  they  therefore  need  your 
prayers. 

2.  By  an  early  and  constant  attendance, 
and  spiritual  attentiveness  to  the  ivord,  you 
may  be  fellow-helpers. — What  an  effect  do 
empty  pews,  and  yawning  sleepy  hearers, 
produce  !  How  delightful  for  a  minister  to 
enter  his  pulpit,  as  Paul  speaks  of  coming  to 
Rome, — in  the  hope  of  being  comforted  by  the 
faith  of  his  hearers ! — Rom.  i.  12.  Where 
faith  is  seen  to  glisten  in  the  eyes  of  an  at- 
tentive audience,  it  produces  feelings  and 
thoughts  more  interesting  and  affecting  than 
could  ever  have  been  produced  in  the  study : 
while  the  contrary  has  a  tendency  to  chill  and 
freeze  the  feelings  of  the  soul,  and  to  reduce 
a  minister  to  a  situation  resembling  a  ship 
locked  in  by  islands  of  ice  near  the  poles. 

3.  By  rendering  his  ciixumstances  as  easy 
as  possible,  so  that  his  mind  may  not  be  har- 
assed by  worldly  cares,  you  may  be  fellow- 
helpers. — I  have  never  felt  it  a  hardship  to 
be  dependent  on  a  people  who  loved  me.  I 
have  thought  it  an  honor  to  be  so  supported. 
The  expressions  of  love  are  sweet.  But,  if 
love  be  wanting,  all  goes  wrong-.  Little  is 
done,  and  that  little  is  not  done  heartily. 

4.  By  enabliiig  him  by  your  habitual  de- 
portment to  speak  strongly  as  to  the  holy  effects 
of  religion,  you  may  be  fellow-helpers. — He 
will  wish  to  be  able  to  point  the  world  to 
the  people  of  his  charge  and  say — These  are 
my  epistles  of  commendation,  known  and 
read  of  all  men  !  And  to  address  you  boldly 
in  their  hearing,  in  the  language  of  the  apos- 
tle— "  Such  were  some  of  you  ;  but  ye  are 
washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye  are  jus- 
tified, in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by 


the  Spirit  of  our  God."  But,  if  your  conduct 
does  not  answer  the  description,  who  will  be- 
lieve him? 

II.  Another  part  of  your-pastor's  work  is 

VISITING  HIS  PEOPLE  FROM  HOUSE  TO 
HOUSE,  AND  ENCOURAGING  HOPEFUL  CHAR- 
ACTERS TO  STAND  FORWARD   ON  THE  LORD'S 

side. — And  in  this  you  may  be  fellow- 
helpers. 

1.  By  ivelcoming  him,  and  teaching  your 
children  and  servants  to  respect  him. — Much 
depends  on  this.  They  will  form  their  opin- 
ion of  him  by  the  sentiments  they  hear  you 
express  towards  him  ;  and,  if  they  do  not 
think  highly  of  him,  it  cannot  be  expected 
they  should  profit  under  his  ministrations. 
On  the  contrary,  if  they  witness  in  you  a 
high  esteem  for  his  character  and  his  tal- 
ents, they  will  attend  his  ministry  greatly 
prepossessed  in  his  favor,  and  with  minds 
prepared  to  receive  his  instructions. 

2.  By  noticing  those  in  the  congregation 
who  are  inquiring  after  the  ivay  of  salvation, 
and  directing  them  to  the  good  old  ivay,  you 
may  be  fellow-helpers. — There  are  some 
who,  like  Barnabas  with  Saul,  get  acquainted 
Avith  and  assist  converts  in  the  divine  life, 
and  introduce  them  to  the  church. — Acts 
ix.  27.  Such  persons  are  great  blessings  in 
a  church,  and  great  helpers  to  the  pastor. 
Be  friendly  with  the  poor ;  encourage  the 
modest  and  timid  ;  visit  the  sick,  and  converse 
and  pray  with  them.  This  will  strengthen 
the  hands  and  cheer  the  heart  of  your  pastor, 
and  greatly  promote  the  interests  of  the  truth. 

III.  Another  part  of  his  duty  is  the  main- 
tenance OF  A  STRICT  AND  FAITHFUL  DISCI- 
PLINE. And  in  this  you  may  be  fellow- 
helpers.  He  must  reprove,  and  rebuke,  and 
sometimes  separate  from  the  church  some  of 
whom  he  once  thought  well.  This  is  a  pain- 
ful duty.  But  it  is  a  duty,  and  it  is  your  duty 
to  stand  by  him.  Say  to  him,  as  the  peo- 
ple said  to  Ezra,  "  Arise  ;  for  this  matter  be- 
longeth  unto  thee  :  we  also  will  be  with  thee  : 
Be  of  good  courage  and  do  it."  Do  not  con- 
sult relationship,  or  worldly  interests,  or  pri- 
vate friendships.  Do  not  weaken  his  re- 
proofs by  siding  with  the  sinner.  Act  in 
unison.  "  Have  no  fellowship  with  such  a 
one,  no,  not  to  eat !  " 

You  especially  who  are  deacons,  you  must 
be  fellow-helpers.  You  must  be  to  your 
pastor  as  Aaron  and  Hur  were  to  Moses. 
Encourage  him  to  advise  with  you.  It  is 
customary  in  some  of  our  churches,  and  I 
wish  it  were  in  all,  for  the  pastor  and  dea- 
cons to  meet  and  consult  on  the  affairs  of 
the  church  an  hour  or  two,  some  evening 
immediately  preceding  the  monthly  meet- 
ing of  the  church.  These  meetings,  in  con- 
nection with  the  stated  meetings  of  the 
church,  constitute  a  happy  union  of  Chris- 
tian wisdom  with  Christian  liberty. 

Thus,  my  dear  brethren,  I  have  pointed 
out,  very  briefly  and  plainly,  a  few  ways  in 


CHRISTIAN    STEADFASTNESS. 


427 


which  you  and  your  pastor  may  be  fellow- 
helpers  to  the  truth.  Consider  what  I  have 
said  as  dictated  by  love  and  a  desire  for  your 
own  welfare,  and  for  the  promotion  of  the 
cause  of  our  common  Lord  ;  and  may  the  Lord 
give  you  understanding  in  all  things. 


LXXIII. ON      CHRISTIAN    STEADFASTNESS. 

"  We  live,  if  ye  stand  fast  in  the  Lord," — 1 
Thess.  iii.  8. 

If  I  wished  to  be  impressed  with  a  pat- 
tern of  a  Christian  minister,  I  would  study 
the  second  chapter  of  this  Epistle  ;  and,  if  I 
wished  to  see  a  pattern  of  a  Christian 
people,  I  know  not  where  I  could  look,  bet- 
ter than  to  the  church  of  the  Thessalonians. 
— Chap.  i.  5 — 10.  They  were  a  very  amia- 
ble people,  but  greatly  persecuted  ;  and  this 
excited  the  sentiments  and  conduct  ex- 
pressed in  the  third  chapter. 

The  amount  of  the  text  is  that  steadfast- 
ness in  a  Christian  people  is  the  life  of  a 
Christian  minister.  We  shall  notice,  there- 
fore, the  nature  of  Christian  steadfastness, 
and  its  influence  on  the  happiness  of  a  min- 
ister. 

I.  Let  us  inquire  what  is  that  spirit 

AND    CONDUCT    IN    A    PEOPLE  EXPRESSED  BY 
"STANDING    FAST    IN    THE     LORD." 

We  may  remark  in  general  (1)  The  lan- 
guage supposes  they  are  "  in  the  Lord."  It 
may  be  thought,  perhaps,  my  hearers,  that  I 
should  take  this  for  granted  of  you.  And  I 
hope  I  may  of  some,  and  of  many  ;  but  can 
I  of  all  ?  It  will  not  be  wise  for  you  to  take  it 
for  granted.  It  will  be  well  if  there  be  no 
profane  person  among  you,  as  Esau.  There 
is  great  force  in  that  exhortation — -(Heb.  xii. 
15) — "  Looking  diligently  lest  any  man  fail 
of  the  grace  of  God ;  lest  any  root  of  bit- 
terness springing  up  trouble  you,  and  there- 
by many  be  defiled."  Beware  therefore 
what  members  you  receive.  If  the  world 
be  allowed  to  mingle  with  the  church,  it 
will    soon    become   corrupt  .  .  .  Rome  .... 

National  churches And  even  the  best 

formed  churches  are  liable  to  impositions, 
and  in  danger  of  imbibing  a  worldly  spirit. 
(2)  The  language  itself  is  military.  Its  im- 
port is  similar  to  the  advice  of  the  apostle 
to  the  Corinthians  :  "  Watch  you,  stand  fast 
in  the  faith,  quit  you  like  men,  be  strong." 
It  supposes  the  army  of  the  Lamb  subject 
to  many  onsets  from  opposing  forces,  which 
tend  to  break  their  ranks  and  to  put  them  to 
flight.  This  is  the  object  of  Satan,  who 
knows  that,  if  an  army  be  thrown  into  dis- 
order, it  is  defeated.  The  great  onset  of 
that  day  was  persecution.  We  have  of  late 
years  been  exempted  from  this  in  public  ; 
but  still  we  may  expect  family  and  individu- 
al persecution.  They  that  will  live  godly, 
and  thus  oppose  the  current  of  public  opinion 


and  public  practice,  must  still  expect  to  suf- 
fer persecution.  But  the  chief  things  against 
which  we  are  called  to  make  a  stand  are  the 
temptations  of  the  world.  Then  let  me  be 
a  little  particular  here,  and  apprize  you  of 
your  danger  in  three  quarters — in  doctrine, 
discipline,  and  spirit. 

1.  Beivare  of  being  moved  from  the 
simplicity  of  Christian  doctrine. — Christian 
doctrine  is  the  foundation  on  which  the 
church  is  built.  Christians  feel  it  to  be 
so,  and  therefore  will  follow  it  wherever  it  is 
preached.  The  church  has  been  attacked 
by  infidelity,  by  gross  corruptions,  by  false 
candor,  and  spurious  zeal.  If  we  be  rooted 
and  grounded  in  Christian  doctrine,  we  shall 
not  be  materially  wrong  in  any  thing.  The 
doctrine  of  the  cross  involves  and  will  draw 
after  it  all  evangelical  truth,  and  holy  disci- 
pline, and  holy  practice.  But,  if  that  be 
given  up,  all  will  go  to  ruin.  For  example, 
If  you  give  up  the  divinity  and  atonement 
of  Christ,  the  life-blood  of  Christianity  is 
gone,  and  you  become  a  dead,  putrid  mass. 
— Or  if,  without  openly  rejecting  these 
truths,  you  yet,  under  the  specious  pretences 
of  candor,  liberality,  and  charity,  give  up 
their  importance,  the  effect  will  be  the  same. 
They  that  hold  the  truth  with  a  loose  hand 
will  soon  let  it  go ;  and  they  that  receive 
not  the  love  of  the  truth  will  soon  be  given 
up  to  believe  a  lie. — Or  if,  under  the  pre- 
tence of  being  favorable  to  practical  religion, 
you  make  light  pf  its  leading  principles,  the 
effect  will  be  the  same.  This  would  be 
razing  the  foundation  to  rear  the  structure, 
or  tearing  up  the  root  to  produce  the  fruit. — 
Or,  if  you  introduce  such  notions  of  the  gos- 
pel as  are  at  variance  with  the  holy  govern- 
ment of  God,  you  in  fact  introduce  another 
gospel.  Such  are  a  kind  of  religious  glut- 
tons, with  a  large  appetite,  but  no  spiritual 
taste.  They  may  call  themselves  orthodox, 
and  count  all  those  who  differ  from  them 
enemies  to  the  gospel,  and  stun  you  with 
their  effrontery ;  but  what  saith  Paul  ? — 
"Many  walk,  of  whom  I  tell  you,  even 
weeping,  that  they  are  the  enemies  of  the 
cross  of  Christ." — Or,  if  you  reduce  the 
doctrine  of  the  gospel  to  mere  speculation, 
you  will  become  conceited  and  litigious, 
thinking  you  know  something,  while  you  are 
deplorably  ignorant ;  and  the  effect  will  be 
the  same.  O,  my  brethren,  we  beseech  you 
by  the  love  of  Christ,  and  by  the  miseries  and 
mischiefs  occasioned  by  corrupt  doctrine  in 
churches,  "  stand  fast  in  the  Lord !  "  Next 
to  doctrine, 

2.  Beivare  of  sinking  into  a  relaxed  disci- 
pline.— As  an  army  without  good  order  and 
discipline  cannot  stand  their  ground,  so 
neither  can  a  Christian  church.  Great  for- 
bearance should  doubtless  be  exercised  in 
small  matters.  There  would  be  endless 
divisions  if  a  uniformity  of  opinion  were 
required  in  minor  things.    In  6uch  things 


428 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


we  must  bear  and  forbear.  But  we  must  be 
firm  and  resolute  in  opposition  to  much  of 
the  liberality  and  candor  of  the  present  age. 
The  church  at  Ephesus  is  commended  be- 
cause she  "could  not  bear  them  which  were 
evil."  There  are  not  only  wicked  charac- 
ters, but  evils  even  in  good  men,  from  which 
the  church  is  to  be  purged.  There  is  plenty 
of  work  to  be  done  by  those  who  are  spirit- 
ual. Many  churches  have  sunk  into  ruin  by 
slothfulness,  and  by  worldly  policy — retain- 
ing opulent  sinners  from  a  dread  of  losing 
their  patronage,  or  from  perverted  notions 
of  our  Saviour's  meaning  when  he  told  the 
Jews  that  they  who  were  without  sin  should 
cast  the  first  stone,  or  from  false  tenderness, 
and  sometimes  from  a  wish  to  be  excused  in 
their  own  turn  ;  thus  agreeing  together  to 
tempt  the  Lord.  My  brethren,  stand  fast 
here.  Whatever  pleas  may  be  urged,  have 
no  merely  nominal  members  ;  but  all  effec- 
tive men,  whose  hearts  are  with  you,  and 
whose  prayers  are  with  you.  If  any  habitu- 
ally absent  themselves,  try  and  restore  them  ; 
but,  if  they  will  not  return,  dissolve  the 
union.  If  any  man  set  himself  against  dis- 
cipline, such  a  man  had  better  be  out  of  the 
church  than  in  it.  If  any  man  forsake  the 
gospel,  restore  him  if  you  can  ;  but,  if  you 
cannot,  where  the  bond  of  union  is  broken 
the  form  is  not  worth  preserving,  nor  ought 
it  to  be  preserved.  The  candor  of  modern 
times  has  in  it  a  large  portion  of  indiffer- 
ence to  truth  and  uprightness,  and  is  in  di- 
rect contradiction  to  the  council  given  to 
the  seven  Asiatic  churches. 

3  Beivare  of  siyiking  into  a  worldly  spirit. 
This  is  a  great  temptation.  In  times  of 
outward  ease  and  affluence,  many  individu- 
als have  been  carried  away,  and  many 
churches  melted  down  and  lost  in  worldly 
conformity.  The  most  dangerous  feature  of 
this  evil  is,  that  it  may  prevail  in  a  person, 
and  yet  he  shall  maintain  a  respectability 
of  character.  Let  a  man  fall  into  gross 
immoralities,  and  the  world  will  soon  let  you 
know.  But  "men  will  praise  thee  when 
thou  doest  well  for  thyself."  And  therefore 
many  are  intrenched  in  this  evil,  and  yet 
fancy  themselves  good  Christians  all  the 
while.  This  is  one  of  the  grand  onsets  of 
your  mighty  foe.  My  brethren,  stand  fast ! 
....  We  proceed, 

II.  To  consider  the  influence  of 
Christian  steadfastness  on  the  mind 
and  labors  of  a  faithful  minister. 

There  is  something  supposed  in  this  as 
well  as  the  former  part  of  the  subject ;  viz. 
that  the  minister  be  a  man  of  God ;  other- 
wise, so  long  as  you  stand  fast  with  him,  he 
will  be  regardless  whether  or  not  you  "  stand 
fast  in  the  Lord."  This  is  a  good  rule  for 
trying  the  spirit  See  that  in  all  your  stead- 
fastness you  have  an  eye  to  the  Lord,  and  to 
his  cause.  Where  a  minister  preaches  him- 
eelf,  eo  long  as  a  people  stand  fast  with  him 


he  will  praise  them,  and  they  will  be  sure  to  be 
the  people  of  God !  But  the  life  and  joy 
of  a  true  minister  of  Christ  will  be,  that  you 
"  stand  fast  in  the  L^ord."  If  your  minister 
be  the  friend  of  God,  as  I  trust  he  is,  he  will 
join  with  me  in  charging  you  to  stand  fist 
with  him  no  longer,  and  no  farther,  than  he 
stands  fast  "m  the  Lord."  If  he  leave 
Christ,  in  doctrine  or  in  practice,  it  is  at 
your  peril  to  follow  him  ....  We  may  no- 
tice the  influence  of  Christian  steadfastness 
on  a  minister, 

1.  In  his  manner  of  preaching.  The  ef- 
fect on  the  mind  is  very  great.  If  the  peo- 
ple are  often  absent,  late,  inattentive,  or 
sleepy,  it  is  death  to  him.  But  if  constant, 
early,  attentive,  affectionate,  and  spiritual,  it 
is  life. 

2.  In  the  matter  of  his  preaching. — Chris- 
tian steadfastness  will  enable  your  minister 
to  state  all  the  genuine  effects  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  to  point  to  you  as  exemplifications 
without  fear  of  contradiction.  But,  except 
you  "stand  fast  in  the  Lord,"  in  vain  will 
your  minister  present  to  the  attention  of  his 
hearers,  for  their  admiration,  the  church  as 
the  building  of  God. — Ps.  cxxvii.  1.  My 
brethren,  enable  your  pastor  to  refer  to  you 
as  his  "  epistles,"  his  letters  of  recommen- 
dation, "  know  and  read  of  all  men." 

3.  In  the  success  of  his  ministry. — This 
greatly  depends  on  the  co-operation  of  his 
people,  on  their  knowing  one  another,  and 
provoking  one  another  to  love  and  good 
works,  and  on  each  one  being  willing  to  take 
some  part  in  active  service.  This  would  be 
convincing  to  sinners,  winning  to  inquirers, 
encouraging  to  your  fellow-Christians,  and 
life  to  your  minister.  But,  if  every  thing  be 
left  to  him,  his  heart  will  die,  and  his  work 
will  die  in  his  hands. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  account  for  this,  for 
your  sanctification  and  salvation  are  his  re- 
ward.    If  we  have  not  this,  what  have  we  ? 

After  all,  my  brethren,  this  is  of  greater 
concern  to  you  than  to  your  minister.  For, 
if  he  be  faithful,  he  shall  have  his  reward, 
whatever  become  of  you.  Though  Israel  be 
not  gathered,  yet  will  he  be  glorious  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord,  and  his  God  shall  be  his 
strength.  His  loss  may  be  made  up,  but 
yours  will  be  irreparable. 


LXXIV.— -CHURCHES      WALKING      IN      THE 
TRUTH  THE  JOY  OF  MINISTERS. 

"I  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  hear  that  my 
children  walk  in  truth." — 3  John  4. 

The  connection  of  pastor  and  people,  in 
dissenting  churches,  is  altogether  voluntary. 
There  are  no  bonds  to  bring  them  together, 
or  to  keep  them  together,  but  love.  The 
great  point,  therefore,  in  this  connection,  is 
the  maintaining  of  brotherly  love,  and  to 


WALKING    IN    THE    TRUTH. 


429 


render  each  other  holy  and  happy.  You 
wish  to  render  your  minister  happy,  or  you 
can  expect  no  religious  happiness  yourselves. 
I  have  selected  the  text  as  pointing  out  the 
course  of  conduct  that  will  accomplish  this 
end.     "  Walk  in  the  truth." 

I  take  it  for  granted  that  your  minister  can 
adopt  the  language  of  the  text.  If,  indeed, 
he  were  a  mercenary  or  an  ambitious  man, 
many  other  things  would  afford  him  much 
greater  pleasure.  But  I  trust,  in  this  re- 
spect, his  heart  is  one  with  the  apostle's.  In 
pursuing  this  subject,  I  shall 

I.  Offer  SOME  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE 
DUTY  ITSELF  OF   WALKING  IN  THE  TRUTH. 

In  order  to  this,  we  may  observe  that  the 
truth  is  of  a  practical  nature ;  other  truths 
may  be  speculative,  but  not  this.  But  what 
is  truth?  To  this  question  I  would  reply 
generally  and  particularly. 

1.  In  general — (1)  The  truth  is  a  system 
of  love  and  goodness — an  overflow  of  divine 
blessedness.  Then  walk  in  love  to  the 
church,  and  bear  good  will  even  to  enemies. 
(2)  The  truth  is  a  system  full  of  joy — "  good 
news,  and  glad  tidings  of  great  joy."  Then 
be  cheerful  and  happy,  not  morose  and 
gloomy.  (3)  The  truth  is  a  system  of  recon- 
ciliation. Then  let  it  be  your  concern  to 
live  peaceably,  and  to  exercise  forgiveness. 
(4)  The  truth  is  a  system  of  amazing  con- 
descension. Then  "  let  the  same  mind  be  in 
you  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus."  (5)  The 
truth  is  a  system  of  purity — "  a  highway  of 
holiness."  Then  "  be  ye  holy,  in  all  manner 
of  conversation."  (6)  The  truth  is  a  system 
full  of  importance.     Then  be  you  in  earnest. 

"  Strive  earnestly  for  the  faith  once  deliver- 
ed to  the  saints." 

2.  More  particularly — (1)  Divine  truth  in- 
cludes the  existence  of  God,  as  a  being  of  in- 
finite excellence  and  glory ;  "  holy,  just,  and 
•good."  Then  live  in  the  love  and  fear  of 
God.  (2)  It  includes  the  divine  authority  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures.  Then  make  them,  and 
not  interest,  or  inclination,  or  fashion,  the 
rule  of  your  faith  and  practice.  (3)  It 
includes  the  guilty  and  lost  condition  of  men 
as  sinners.  Then,  in  all  your  dealings  with 
God,  approach  him  in  that  character — as  ill 
and  hell  deserving.  (4)  It  includes  the 
doctrine  of  redemption  by  the  blood  of  Christ. 
Then  remember  that  you  are  "  not  your 
own,"  but  his.  (5)  Divine  truth  teaches  us 
that,  if  we  are  saved,  it  is  in  consequence  of 
sovereign  and  discriminating  grace.  It  traces 
our  salvation  to  electing  love,  and  informs 
us  that  the  great  end  that  Christ  had,  in  lay- 
ing down  his  life,  was  "  that  he  might  re- 
deem us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto 
himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works."  And  to  walk  in  this  truth  is  to  be 
such  people,  to  be  distinguished  by  zeal  and 
uprightness.  Let  it  never  be  asked  con- 
cerning us,  "  What  do  ye  more  than  others?  " 
(6)   It  includes  the  doctrine  of  efficacious 


grace — "My  people  shall  be  willing  in  the 
day  of  my  power."  "The  righteous  shall 
hold  on  his  way." — Then  to  walk  in  this  truth 
is  to  prove  that  grace  is  efficacious  by  a  per- 
severance in  all  holy  conversation  and  god- 
liness. (7)  It  includes  the  doctrine  of  eter- 
nal life,  as  infinitely  outweighing  all  the 
pleasures  and  all  the  ills  of  the  present  life. — 
"  I  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present 
life  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the 
glory  that  shall  be  revealed."  Then  be 
dead  to  the  world,  and  alive  to  God.  Look 
not  at  the  things  that  are  seen  and  are  tem- 
poral ;  but  at  those  which  are  unseen  and 
eternal. 

My  brethren,  if  the  truth  thus  dwell  in 
you,  and  operate,  you  will  naturally  be  at- 
tentive to  all  relative  duties  :  you  will  love 
your  pastor,  for  the  truth's  sake  which  he 
preaches ;  and,  if  you  love  him,  you  will 
make  a  point  of  attending  his  ministry,  of 
contributing  to  his  support,  and  of  consulting 
his  peace  and  happiness  in  every  possible 
way. — And,  if  the  truth  dwell  in  you,  you 
will  also  love  one  another,  for  the  truth's 
sake.  You  will  watch  over  one  another  in 
the  Lord,  and  follow  the  things  that  make 
for  peace. 

II.  I  proceed  to  notice  the  connection 

BETWEEN  SUCH  A  COURSE  OF  CONDUCT  IN  A 
PEOPLE,  AND  THE  JOY  AND  HAPPINESS  OF  A 
MINISTER. 

1.  If  he  be  an  upright  man,  it  ivill  be  the 
great  object  of  his  life  that  the  people  of  his 
charge  should  be  conformed  to  Christ ;  and  it 
must  needs  be  a  matter  of  joy  to  see  this 
great  end  answered.  He  must  needs  re- 
joice over  the  prosperity  of  those  with  whom 
he  travailed  in  birth,  till  Christ  was  formed 
in  them. 

2.  Such  a  course  of  conduct  in  a  people 
would  greatly  assist  a  minister  in  his  public 
work. — It  recommends  his  preaching  to  the 
world.  It  speaks  louder  than  language, 
when  he  can  say  of  his  people,  "  Ye  are  my 
epistles,  known  and  read  of  all  men."  It 
enables  him  to  be  bold  in  declaring  the  holy 
efficacy  of  truth  ;  and  to  answer  the  enemies 
in  the  gate,  who  would  reproach  the  grace 
of  God  as  tending  to  licentiousness. 

3.  Your  sanctif  cation  and  salvation  are  his 
great  reward : — "  For  what  is  our  hope,  or 
joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing  ?  Are  not  even 
ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
at  his  coming  ?  "  As  to  any  other  reward, 
you  well  know  that  the  prospects  of  dissent- 
ing ministers,  generally  speaking,  are  any 
thing  but  inviting.  And,  if  his  pecuniary 
reward  were  ten  times  greater,  if  he  be  a 
Christian,  it  would  not  satisfy  him.  It  is  not 
yours,  but  you,  that  must  make  him  happy. 
He  will  long  to  present  you  before  the  throne, 
and  to  be  able  to  say,  "  Here,  Lord,  am  I, 
and  the  children  Avhich  thou  hast  given  me." 

Young  people,  your  minister  longs  also 
for  your  salvation.    He  looks  upon  you  as 


430 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


rising  plants,  destined,  he  hopes,  to  occupy 
the  places  of  those  who  must  soon  die.  You 
have  no  conception  how  much  you  can  add 
to  his  joy. — He  can  have  no  greater  joy  than 
to  see  you  walking  in  the  truth.  Then  do 
not  disappoint  him.  Remember  that  his 
joy  and  your  joy  are  involved  in  the  same 
course  of  conduct.  Then,  while  others 
wander  in  the  mazes  of  error,  be  it  your 
concern  to  walk  in  the  truth. 


LXXV. CHURCHES   SHOULD    EXHIBIT    THE 

EIGHT  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 

"  These  things  saith  he  ...  .  who  walketh  in 
the  midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks." — 
.Rev.  ii.  1. 

My  dear  brethren,  that  part  of  the  solemn 
exercises  of  this  day  which  you  have  allotted 
to  me  is  to  give  a  word  of  advice  to  you,  as 
a  church  of  Christ.  I  confess  it  is  with 
pleasure  I  accept  of  this  service,  partly  be- 
cause I  see  you  once  more  happily  united  in 
the  choice  of  a  pastor,  and  partly  because  I 
believe  you  will  receive  the  word  of  ex- 
hortation with  candor  and  attention. 

The  language  of  the  text,  though  figura- 
tive, is  sufficiently  explained  in  the  preceding 
verse:  "The  seven  stars  are  the  angels  of 
the  seven  churches,  and  the  seven  candle- 
sticks which  thou  sawest  are  the  seven 
churches."  The  allusion  in  the  latter  figure 
is  doubtless  to  the  candlestick  in  the  Jew- 
ish tabernacle,  which  was  made  of  solid 
gold.— Exod.  xxv.  31—37 ;  Zech.  iv.  2.  It  is 
described  as  a  candlestick  with  a  bowl,  or 
fountain,  from  which  oil  was  conveyed, 
through  pipes,  to  the  several  lamps  which 
branched  out  from  it. 

It  is  observable  that,  under  the  Old-testa- 
ment dispensation,  the  church  is  represent- 
ed as  one  candlestick,  though  with  divers 
branches ;  but  under  the  New  as  seven  dis- 
tinct candlesticks:  which  may  denote  the 
different  kinds  of  church  government  under 
the  different  dispensations.  Under  the  first 
the  church  was  national,  and  so  was  repre- 
sented by  one  candlestick.  Under  the  last 
the  churches  were  congregational :  and  the 
seven  churches  are  represented  by  seven 
distinct  candlesticks. 

The  gospel  is  "  a  light  shining  in  a  dark 
place."  ....  To  view  God  as  having  lighted 
up  a  candle  to  a  benighted  world  is  a  cheer- 
ing thought ;  and  to  consider  yourselves  as 
instrumental  in  holding  it  forth — as  being 
that  to  the  gospel  which  a  candlestick  is  to 
the  candle — is  as  interesting  as  the  other  is 
cheering. 

You  may  consider  yourselves,  therefore, 
brethren,    as     instruments    in    holding 

FORTH  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  GOSPEL  TO  A  BE- 
NIGHTED world.      This  is  the  thought  I 
propose  to  dwell  upon,  and  this  only. 
The  end  of  your  existence,  as  a  church  of 


Christ,  is  to  "hold  forth  the  word  of  life." 
There  are  two  ways  of  doing  this,  to  both 
which  I  hope  you  will  religiously  attend: 
First,  By  supporting  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel :  and,  secondly,  by  recommending  it 
in  your  spirit  and  practice. 

I.  By  SUPPORTING  THE  PREACHING  OF  THE 

gospel. — I  scarcely  need  inform  you  that 
to  do  this  you  must  support  him  that  preaches 
it ;  and  now  give  me  your  attention  while  I 
mention  a  few  different  ways  in  which  it  is 
your  duty,  interest,  and  honor,  to  support 
your  pastor : — 

1.  By  a  diligent  and  constant  attendance 
on  his  ministry. — If  possible,  at  all  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Sabbath,  and  in  the  week. 
And  those  who  live  in  neighboring  places 
may  support  the  cause  essentially  by  re- 
ceiving their  minister  at  their  houses,  for 
the  purpose  of  village  preaching. 

2.  By  a  free  and  affectionate  carriage  to- 
ivards  him. — Treat  him  as  a  friend  and  a  bro- 
ther. If  in  his  preaching  he  should  occasion- 
ally make  a  mistake,  do  not  magnify  it.  Do 
not  make  him  an  offender  for  a  word.  You 
are  as  likely  to  mistake  in  judging  as  he  is 
in  advancing  a  sentiment.  If  you  perceive 
faults  in  his  deportment,  do  not  whisper  them 
about,  but  kindly  mention  them  to  him.  Do 
not  give  ear  to  every  report  concerning  him. 
He  has  a  right  to  expect  this  as  a  brother, 
but  especially  as  an  elder.  "  Rebuke  not 
an  elder,  but  entreat  him  as  a  father:  "  that 
is  an  elder  in  office  ;  and,  though  your  pastor 
may  be  your  junior  in  years,  he  is  your 
elder  in  office,  and  as  such  has  an  especial 
claim  on  your  forbearance  and  protection. 
Ministers  are  the  objects  of  envy,  and,  if 
every  report  against  them  were  encouraged, 
they  would  be  unable  to  stand  their  ground. 
— Under  trials  and  afflictions,  especially, 
you  should  manifest  great  tenderness  towards 
them.  God  often  afflicts  ministers  for  the 
good  of  the  people — that  they  may  be  able 
to  comfort  those  who  are  afflicted  :  surely 
then  it  becomes  the  people  to  be  very  affec- 
tionate towards  them  under  their  trials 

You  that  are  officers  in  the  church  should 
especially  be  concerned  to  bear  up  his 
hands,  as  Aaron  and  Hur  stayed  the  hands  of 
Moses. 

3.  By  treating  him  ivith  becoming  respect, 
and  teaching  your  children  and  servants  to 
do  the  same. — This  will  conduce  to  your  own 
advantage.  So  long  as  he  deserves  your 
respect,  you  ought  to  show  it ;  and  no  long- 
er ought  he  to  continue  to  be  your  pastor. 

4.  By  acknowledging  his  instrumentality 
in  your  edification.— There  is  great  danger 
of 'extremes  here.  Some  are  always  feed- 
ing a  minister's  vanity  by  telling  him  how 
well  he  preached  at  this  time  and  that ;  and, 
by  the  bye,  at  the  same  time  displaying 
their  own  vanity,  by  wishing  him  to  consider 
what  good  judges  they  are  of  an  ingenious 
discourse !    Others,  to  avoid  this  extreme, 


CHURCHES    SHOULD    EXHIBIT    THE    LIGHT    OF    THE    GOSPEL. 


431 


will  never  speak  to  him  in  the  language  of 
encouragement.  Surely  there  is  a  way  of 
acknowledging  ourselves  to  have  been  edi- 
fied and  profited,  which  does  not  tend  to 
feed  a  minister's  vanity,  but  to  encourage 
him  in  his  work. 

5.  By  giving  him  a  place  in  your  prayers. 
— Think  much  on  the  greatness  of  his  work. 
It  is  to  enlighten  a  benighted  world.  Pray 
that  he  himself  may  be  enlightened.  It  is 
to  "  feed  you  with  knowledge  and  under- 
standing." Pray  that  he  himself  may  be 
fed.  It  is  to  stand  between  God  and  men. 
Pray  that  he  may  be  kept  humble.  It  is  to 
disturb  the  carnal  security  of  men.  Pray 
that  he  himself  may  be  kept  awake.  It  is 
to  break  the  hard  heart.  Pray  that  he  may 
be  tender-hearted.  It  is  to  rouse  the  list- 
less soul  to  action.  Pray  that  he  may  be 
alive  to  himself.  It  is  to  trace  the  windings  of 
the  human  heart,  and  to  describe  the  genu- 
ine operations  of  grace  in  the  true  believer. 
Pray  that  he  himself  may  increase  in  Chris- 
tian experience.  From  what  your  pastor 
has  this  day  heard,  methinks  I  hear  him  sigh 
and  say  to  himself — "  Who  is  sufficient  for 
these  things  ?  "  Think  of  this,  my  brethren, 
and  you  will  not  forget  him  in  your  near  ad- 
dresses to  God. 

6.  By  not  hindering,  but  helping  him,  in 
the  exercises  of  his  pastoral  office. — Be  not 
of  a  touchy  temper,  so  as  to  prevent  him 
from  freely  giving  you  advice  and  caution, 
and  even  reproof.  It  would  be  to  his  dis- 
honor to  deal  in  personal  reflections  in  the 
pulpit ;  but,  out  of  it,  it  will  be  to  your  dis- 
honor to  be  offended  with  plain  and  close 
dealing.  If  you  are  of  such  a  temper  that 
you  cannot  bear  to  be  told  of  your  faults, 
you  will  hinder  him  in  the  discharge  of  his 
office.  Be  at  the  same  time  also  willing  to 
take  your  share  in  the  exercise  of  discipline. 
In  cases  of  personal  offence,  it  may  be  well 
for  your  pastor  in  some  instances  to  be  ex- 
cused, lest  the  parties  contract  a  prejudice 
against  him,  and  so  prevent  the  success  of 
his  ministrations.  But,  where  he  cannot  be 
excused,  be  you  always  ready  to  join  him, 
to  stand  by  him,  to  sanction  and  encourage 
him  in  the  execution  of  the  laws  of  Christ ; 
even  though  the  offenders  be  among  your 
relatives  and  acquaintance.  Let  the  dea- 
cons in  particular  stand  by  him  ;  and  never 
let  a  church  censure  have  so  much  as  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  passed  by  the  influence 
of  the  minister.  The  address  of  the  elders 
of  Israel  to  Ezra,  in  a  most  painful  case  of 
discipline,  will  furnish  you  with  a  good  ex- 
ample :  "  Arise,  for  this  matter  belongeth 
unto  thee  :  we  also  will  be  ivith  thee  :  be  of 
good  courage  and  do  it." 

7.  By  liberally  contributing  to  the  support 
of  his  family. — It  is  to  the  honor  of  protest- 
ant  dissenters  that  what  they  contribute  to 
their  ministers  they  contribute  freely,  with- 
out constraint ;  but  it  is  greater  honor  still, 


if  they  contribute  liberally.  Consider  your 
minister's  salary,  not  as  a  gift,  but  as  a  debt ; 
and  not  as  done  to  him,  but  to  Christ.  Give 
liberally,  or  you  will  lose  the  liberal  reward. 
Give  it  as  due  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  or 
Christ  will  take  no  favorable  notice  of  it.  " 
A  generous  and  punctilious  regard  to  God's 
servants,  even  in  their  temporal  character,, 
was  a  feature  of  the  great  reformation  in  the 
days  of  Nehemiah. — Chap.  xii.  43 — 47. 

II.  We  proceed  to  observe  that  the  end 
of  your  existence,  as  a  church  of  Christ,  is 
to  "hold  forth  the  word  of  life"  by  recom- 
mending IT  IN  YOUR  SPIRIT  AND  PRAC- 
TICE.— "  Be  blameless  and  harmless,  the 
sons  of  God,  without  rebuke,  in  the  midst  of 
a  crooked  and  perverse  nation,  among  whom 
ye  shine  as  lights  in  the  world,  holding  forth 
the  word  of  life ;  that  I  may  rejoice  in  the 
day  of  Christ  that  I  have  not  run  in  vain, 
neither  labored  in  vain."  This  is  a  power- 
ful way  of  preaching  the  gospel.  It  speaks 
louder  than  words — louder  than  thunder. 
Your  ministers  may  assure  those  who  are 
strangers  to  religion  that  religion  is  a  mat- 
ter of  infinite  importance,  and  you  may  say 
so  too  ;  but  if  they  see  you  light  and  frothy 
in  your  conversation,  indifferent  and  negli- 
gent in  your  duties,  do  you  think  they  willi 
believe  you  ?  No  (say  they,)  they  don's  be- 
lieve it  themselves!  Again,  you  may  tell 
them  what  an  evil  and  bitter  thing  &in  is  ; 
but,  if  they  see  you  loose  and  vain  iia  youc 
deportment,  you  cannot  expect  them  to  be- 
lieve you.  You  may  dilate  upon  the  canity 
of  the  world  ;  but,  if  you  are  covetou&  and 
oppressive,  what  will  your  servants  and 
workmen  say  ?  You  may  assure  the  gay 
and  thoughtless  that  religion  is  the  happiest 
life  ;  but  what  can  they  think,  if  they  see 
you  melancholy  in  the  service  of  God  and 
cheerful  only  when  engaged  in  other  pur- 
suits ?  . .  .  .  There  are  various  divine  truths, 
besides  the  above,  which  you  believe  and 
which  you  wish  others  to  believe.  For  in- 
stance, justification  by  the  imputed  righteous- 
ness  of  Christ:  then  disprove  the  calumny 
that  this  doctrine  leads  to  licentiousness,  by 
letting  them  see  that  your  personal  right- 
eousness exceeds  the  righteousness  of  the 
scribes  and  the  pharisees.  The  near  rela- 
tion of  Christians  to  God  as  their  Father : 
then  be  of  a  child-like  disposition.  The 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit:  then  bear  its  fruits. 
Efficacious  grace  :  then  prove  it  by  your  per- 
severance  There    are    three  things    I 

would  here  recommend  as  to  your  spirit,  and 
then  draw  to  a  close. 

1.  Cultivate  a  humble  savory  spirit,  rather 
than  a  censorious  or  a  curious  one. — A  cu- 
rious and  censorious  temper  is  almost  al- 
ways the  mark  of  a  little  mind,  and  has  no 
tendency  to  recommend  the  gospel.  A  hum- 
ble savory  Christian  will  speak  the  loudest. 

2.  Cultivate  a  peaceful,  sincere,  affection- 
ate   spirit  to  each  other. — "  Be  ye  all  of  one 


432 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


mind." — All  of  a  piece,  like  the  golden  can- 
dlestick. If  jarring,  and  strife,  and  conten- 
tion, be  kindled  among  you,  the  scandal  will 
not  be  confined  to  you,  but  will  extend  to 
the  whole  body,  yea,  to  religion  itself.  It  is 
in  a  time  of  peace  that  a  people  are  prosper- 
ous. The  heavenly  dove  "  flies  from  the 
abode  of  noise  and  strife."  Let  me  es- 
pecially recommend  you 

3.  To  cultivate  godly  sincerity. — If  there 
is  any  one  leading  idea  held  forth  in  your 
being  compared  to  a  golden  candlestick,  it 
seems  to  be  this.  The  candlestick  was  to 
be  all  gold — no  washing,  no  deception  :  yea, 
of  beaten  gold — that  no  part  should  be  hol- 
low. It  was  what  it  appeared  to  be — the 
same  within  as  without.  Let  this  be  your 
character.  The  great  art  of  church-govern- 
ment is  to  love  in  sincerity. 

My  brethren,  Christ  walketh  among  you! 
This  should — (1)  Impress  you  with  fear. — 
His  eye  is  upon  you !  (2)  Inspire  you  with 
courage. — What  could  you  do  without  him? 
(3)  Induce  you  to  imbibe  his  spirit — A  meek 
and  benevolent  spirit  to  all  mankind. 


LXXVI. ON      CULTIVATING      A     PEACEFUL 

DISPOSITION. 

"  Let  us,  therefore  follow  after  thethings  which 
make  for  peace." — Rom.  xiv.  19. 

My  dear  brethren,  in  complying  with  your 
request  to  address  you,  on  the  present 
occasion,  I  shall  study  plainness  of  speech. 
I  shall  not  divert  your  minds  with  curious 
speculations,  or  irrelevant  remarks,  but  en- 
deavor at  least  to  recommend  such  things  as 
I  conceive  your  circumstances  immediately 
require  ;  and  for  this  purpose  I  have  select- 
ed the  text  as  the  foundation  of  a  few  ob- 
servations :  "  Let  us,  therefore,  follow  after 
the  things  which  make  for  peace." 

There  is  scarcely  any  blessing  more  de- 
sirable than  peace — true,  well-grounded 
peace.  It  is  so  intimately  connected  with 
prosperity  that  the  Hebrew  word  which  is 
commonly  translated  "  peace  "  signifies  also 
prosperity.  "Peace  be  within  thy  walls,  and 
prosperity  within  thy  palaces."  The  He- 
brew word  is  the  same  in  both  instances. 

I  am  requested  on  the  present  occasion  to 
give  you  a  word  of  advice,  as  respects  your 
deportment  to  your  pastor  and  to  one  another. 
All  I  shall  attempt  will  be  to  explain  and  to 
enforce  the  exhortation  contained  in  the 
text ;  and,  if  peace  be  with  you,  prosperity 
will  follow  as  a  matter  of  course. 

I.  Explain  the  exhortation. — In  gen- 
eral, I  may  observe,  we  do  not  wish  you  to 
be  so  fond  of  peace  as  to  sacrifice  truth  to 
preserve  it.  If  your  pastor  desert  those 
grand  essential  truths  which  he  has  this  day 
confessed,  you  ought  to  desert  him,  or  rather 
to  desire  that  he  would  leave  you. — Nor  do 


we  mean  that  you  are  to  maintain  peace 
at  the  expense  of  7-ighteous7iess — a  peace 
consisting  in  the  neglect  of  discipline,  and 
the  passing  over  of  such  evils  as  ought  to 
be  exposed  and  reproved.  It  is  the  glory  of 
a  man  to  pass  over  an  injury  done  to  him- 
self, but  not  to  be  pliable  in  matters  which 
relate  to  God's  glory.  It  is  lamentable, 
however,  to  reflect  that  in  general  men  are 
less  severe  against  sin  towards  God  than 
against  an  injury  done  to  themselves.  The 
rule  of  Scripture  is  this— "First  pure,  then 
peaceable."     Let  this  be  your  rule. 

Some  of  the  observations  I  have  to  make 
will  more  immediately  respect  your  conduct 
towards  your  pastor  ;  and  others  your  con- 
duct towards  one  another. 

First:  Endeavor  by  all  means  to  pre- 
serve a  good  understanding  with  your  pas- 
tor. His  peace  of  mind  is  essential  for 
his  happiness  and  your  "  edification." 

1.  Let  your  stated  attendance  on  his  min- 
istry be  constant  and  candid. — If  you  are  neg- 
ligent, or  late,  it  will  affect  his  peace  of 
mind.  He  will  think  his  labors  are  unac- 
ceptable  And  if  you  should  discover 

any  mistakes  in  his  preaching  consider  hu- 
man frailty.  Do  not  talk  of  them  to  others, 
nor  among  yourselves,  but  to  him,  and  that 
with  modesty  and  tenderness. 

2.  Let  the  vigilance  you  exercise  over  his 
conduct,  be  characterized  by  the  same  tender- 
ness and  candor. — Enemies  will  watch  him 
with  a  desire  for  his  halting  ;  but  do  not  you. 
Be  not  hasty  in  taking  up  or  falling  in  with 
reports  to  his  disadvantage. 

3.  Let  your  contributions  for  his  support 
be  distinguished,  not  only  by  their  liberality, 
but  also  by  the  cheerfulness  ivith  which  they 
are  given. — Let  it  be  a  tribute  of  love  .... 
Do  not  imagine  that  your  contributions  en- 
title you  to  scrutinize  and  dictate  in  his  fam- 
ily arrangements  ....  His  being  a  minister 
does  not  destroy  his  privilege  as  a  man. 
Ministers  also  have  peculiar  feelings  in 
reference  to  such  subjects.  If  one  of  you 
were  to  intermeddle  with  the  domestic 
arrangements  of  another,  you  would  be  told 
to  mind  your  own  concerns,  and  not  to  in- 
terfere with  his,  seeing  he  does  not  come  to 
you  for  what  he  has.  But  your  minister 
would  feel  a  delicacy  on  this  point,  and  a 
difficulty,  which  it  should  be  your  study  to 
render  unnecessary.  And,  after  all,  you 
have  no  more  right  to  inspect  his  concerns 
than  he  yours. 

4.  Let  your  exercise  of  discipline  be  prompt, 
and  such  as  shall  preserve  him  from  prejudice. 
— Always  unite  with  him,  that  he  may  not 
have  to  endure  all  the  prejudice  and  odium 
consequent  on  strict  discipline.  In  many 
cases  you  may  relieve  him  altogether  from 
the  painful  duty,  and  thus  prevent  his  minis- 
trations from  being  rejected.  Take  as  much 
of  this  from  him  as  you  can,  "  that  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ  be  not  hindered." 


ON    CULTIVATING    A    PEACEFUL    DISPOSITION. 


433 


These  are  some  of  the  things  an  attention 
to  which  would  greatly  contribute  to  his 
peace  of  mind  and  to  your  edification. 

Secondly :  Let  me  exhort  you  to  endeavor, 
by  all  means,  to  preserve  peace  among  one 

ANOTHER. 

1.  Be  careful  to  cultivate  a  spirit  of  love. — 
There  is  nothing  more  conducive  to  peace 
than  this.  Provoke  not  one  another  to  an- 
ger, but  "  to  love  and  good  works."  Be  ex- 
amples of  love,  striving  who  shall  excel  in 
acts  of  kindness  and  sympathy.  "Be  not 
overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good." 

2.  Beware  of  sin. — There  is  nothing 
more  opposed  to  Christian  peace  than  this. 
Where  this  is  nourished,  peace  will  be  ban- 
ished ;  for,  though  it  be  private,  it  will  work, 
and  work  mischief.  It  will  be  a  wedge, 
gradually  widening  the  breach  between  God 
and  your  souls,  and  between  one  another. 

3.  Beware  of  a  disputatious  temper. — De- 
bates may  be  productive  of  good  ....  But 
they  too  often  originate  in  captiousness 
and  pride.  Think  of  the  account  of  them 
in  God's  word.  "A  fool's  lips  enter  into 
contention,  and  his  mouth  calleth  for  strokes." 
— "If  any  man  consent  not  to  wholesome 
words,  even  the  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  to  the  doctrine  which  is  ac- 
cording to  godliness ;  he  is  proud,  knowing 
nothing,  but  doting  about  questions  and 
strifes  of  words ;  whereof  cometh  envy, 
strife,  railings,  evil  surmisings,  perverse  dis- 
putings  of  men  of  corrupt  minds,  and  desti- 
tute of  the  truth.  From  such  withdraw 
thyself." 

4.  Avoid  a  spirit  of  groundless  jealousy. 
— Godly  jealousy  is  necessary,  when  we 
consider  what  we  all  are,  and  by  what  influ- 
ences we  are  surrounded.  But  an  ill  opin- 
ion of  others  is  the  source  of  much  mischief. 
From  this  suspicious  disposition,  words  are 
misconstrued,  and  actions  imputed  to  wrong 
motives.  If  we  indulge  in  this,  we  shall  be 
unable  to  believe  one  another,  or  to  place  con- 
fidence in  the  most  explicit  declarations. 
"  Jealousy  is  cruel  as  the  grave  !  "  It  devours 
the  happiness  of  those  who  cherish  it.  How 
opposed  to  true  charity  !  Charity  suspecteth 
no  evil,  hopeth  the  best,  believeth  the  most 
favorable  representations  ....  In  general,  a 
spirit  of  jealousy  would  seem  to  indicate  a 
dishonest  heart.  Its  possessors  seem  to 
know  themselves  to  be  bad,  and  therefore 
think  none  others  can  be  good.  Probably 
this  made  Satan  so  suspicious  of  Job's  sin- 
cerity. Beware  lest  you  imitate  him ! — and 
lest  your  suspicions  should  originate  in  the 
same  cause  ! 

5.  Beware  of  a  spirit  of  envy. — The  mem- 
bers of  a  church  are  like  the  stars.  One 
excelleth  another.  Then  beware  of  envy. 
Saul  envied  David  for  his  superiority,  when 
David  "behaved  himself  wisely."  Some 
excel  in  gifts,  and  graces,  and  consequently 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  55. 


obtain  a  greater  degree  of  esteem.  Beware 
of  envy.  Some  exceed  others  in  worldly 
property,  and  consequently,  though  not 
always  deservedly,  receive  greater  respect. 
But  beware  of  envy.  Do  not  imagine  that 
religion  cancels  the  obligation  to  treat  men 
according  to  their  rank  and  station  in  socie- 
ty. Let  not  envy  lead  you  to  think  much 
of  every  instance  of  respect  shown  to  a  su- 
perior, and  to  reflect,  If  /had  been  rich,  he 
Avould  have  visited  me  !  Certainly,  a  minis- 
ter should  visit  all  his  flock ;  but  there  may 
be  reasons,  apart  from  outward  circum- 
stances, why  one  shall  be  visited  more  than 
another.     "  Charity  envieth  not." 

G.  Do  not  intermeddle  with  each  other's 
temporal  affairs. — What  I  just  now  said  re- 
specting your  conduct  towards  your  pastor, 
I  would  repeat  concerning  your  conduct  to- 
wards one  another.  Different  people  have 
different  ways  of  managing  their  domestic 
affairs;  and,  if  your  brethren  do  but  act  so 
as  to  be  honorable  in  the  world,  what  right 
have  you  to  interfere  ?  If  indeed  their  de- 
portment be  inconsistent  with  their  charac- 
ter as  professed  Christians,  and  in  any  sense 
involve  the  honor  of  God :  if,  for  example, 
they  be  indolent,  and  disgrace  the  cause — 
or  extravagant,  and  therefore  become  unable 
to  pay  their  just  debts — then,  indeed,  it  will 
be  right  to  interfere  ;  but  even  then  it  is 
neither  friendly  nor  wise  to  make  their  faults 
the  topic  of  common  conversation. 

7.  Guard  against  a  touchy  temper. — Char- 
ity is  not  soon  angry. 

"  For   every   trifle  scam  to  take   offence  ; 
It    either  snows   great  pride  or  little  sense.  " 

8.  Repeat  no  grievances,  especially  when 
acknoivledgcd. — "He  that  repeateth  a  mat- 
ter, separateth  very  friends." 

9.  Strive  to  heal  differences. — It  is  a  great 
Tionor  to  be  a  peace-maker.  True,  it  is  often 
very  difficult;  for  "a  brother  offended  is 
harder  to  be  won  than  a  strong  city :  and 
their  contentions  are  like  the  bars  of  a 
castle."  But  by  how  much  the  more  diffi- 
culty there  is  by  so  much  the  more  honor 
will  there  be.  Do  not  abandon  the  attempt 
for  a  few  hard  sayings.  Those  who  inter- 
fere in  an  affray  commonly  receive  a  few 
blows  from  both  sides.  But  do  not  be 
discouraged.  Pray,  and  try  again.  And  let 
the  saying  of  our  Lord,  "  Blessed  are  the 
peace-makers,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,"  weigh  more  with  you  than  a  little 
temporary  difficulty  and  discouragement. 

'  10.  Encourage  no  tale-bearers. — Persons 
that  make  it  their  business,  and  feel  it  their 
delight,  to  go  about  telling  secrets  to  the  dis- 
advantage of  their  neighbors,  deserve  the 
deepest  marks  of  censure.  Are  you  at  vari- 
ance with  a  brother  ?  Mark  the  man  who 
by  his  insinuations  and  inuendoes  would 
make  the  breach  wider,  and  shun  him. 
There  are-  cases?,  indeed,  in  which,  in  our 


434 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


own  vindication,  we  arc  compelled  to  speak 
to  the  disadvantage  of  others  ;  but  to  black- 
en the  cbaracter  of  another  unnecessarily, 
and  intentionally  to  widen  a  breach  existing 
between  friends  or  neighbors,  is  infernal ! 
If  blessed  are  the  peace-makers,  cursed  are 
tbese  peace-breakers,  and  peace-preventers ! 
One  cannot  always  shut  one's  doors  against 
such  characters,  but  we  can  and  ought  to 
shut  our  ears  against  them  ;  and,  if  we  do 
this,  we  shall  deprive  them  of  their  ex- 
citement and  their  highest  gratification. 
"  Where  no  wood  is,  there  the  fire  goeth 
out ;  so  where  there  is  no  tale-bearer  the 
strife  ceaseth."  ....  And,  if  you  would  not 
encourage  tale-bearing  in  others,  be  sure 
you  are  not  guilty  of  it  yourselves.  If  you 
hear  one  speak  ill  of  another,  do  n't  go  and 
tell  him,  unless  indeed  it  affect  his  moral 
character  and  the  cause  of  religion ;  and 
never  assist  in  propagating  evil  reports. 

11.  Be  ready  to  forgive. — Without  this 
heavenly  temper  we  cannot  expect  to  live 
long  in  peace.  There  is  a  very  mistaken 
notion  of  honor  existing  among  men,  as  if  it 
lay  in  not  yielding,  but  in  resenting  an  in- 
jury ;  whereas  it  is  very  plain  that  true  hon- 
or consists  in  the  very  opposite.  "  The 
discretion  of  a  man  deferreth  his  anger;  and 
it  is  his  glory  to  pass  over  a  transgression." 
Our  own  interest  should  lead  us  to  this  ;  for 
in  some  things  we  shall  need  the  forgive- 
ness of  our  brethren;  and,  what  is  of  greater 
consequence  still,  we  all  need  the  divine 
forgiveness.  But  Christ  assured  his  disci- 
ples, "  If  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses, 
neither  will  your  heavenly  Father  forgive 
your  trespasses." 

These,  my  brethren,  are  some  of  the  dis- 
positions the  cultivation  of  which  will  make 
for  peace.  Some  of  them  may  appear  to 
you  little ;  but  great  rivers  flow  from  little 
springs.  "  How  great  a  matter  a  little  fire 
kindleth !  " 

These  things  you  are  to  "  follow  after." 
Sometimes  you  may  be  inclined  to  despair 
of  obtaining  peace  by  any  means.  But  be 
not  discouraged — "  follow  after." 

II.  Having  thus  explained  the  exhortation 
of  the  apostle,  I  shall  endeavor  to  enforce 

IT. 

1.  Consider  Iww  invaluable  a  blessing  peace 
is—  It  is  closely  connected  with  church  pros- 
perity ;  for  the  heavenly  dove  flies  from  the 
abodes  of  noise  and  strife.  And  to  soul  pros- 
perity.— "  Live  in  peace  ;  and  the  God  of  love 
and  peace  shall  be  with  you."  See  the  bless- 
edness of  peace  in  those  churches  which  have 
been  careful  to  cultivate  it ... .  and  see  the 
wretched  state  of  those  where  peace  has 
been  infringed  upon  ....  "Look  upon  Zion, 
the  city  of  our  solemnities  :  thine  eyes  shall 
see  Jerusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a  taberna- 
cle that  shall  not  be  taken  down,"  &c. 

2.  Consider  what  it  cost  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  to  obtain  it, — Peace  between  us  and 


God — between  us  and  all  holy  intelligences 
— was  brought  about  by  Christ ;  and  all  our 
peace  with  one  another  is  the  price  of  his 
blood.  "  It  pleased  the  Father,  having  made 
peace  through  the  blood  of  his  cross,  by  him 
to  reconcile  all  things  unto  himself." 

3.  Consider  its  influence  on  spectators. — 
Friends  ....  enemies  ....  other  churches 
.  .  .  .  young  converts ! 


LXXV1I. CHRISTIAN  CHURCHES  ARE  GOD's 

BUILDING. 

"Ye  are  God's  building." — 1  Cor.  iii.  9. 

Who  can  help  admiring  the  disinterested 
spirit  of  the  apostle  Paul?  The  Corinthi- 
ans were  divided  into  parties,  at  the  head  of 
each  of  which  was  some  great  man.  Paul 
himself  was  one.  But  he  disdained  such  a 
distinction.  "  Who  is  Paul  ?  or  who  is 
Apollos  ?  "  "  Ye  are  God's  building."  The 
emphasis  of  the  text  is  here.  "  Ye  are 
God's  husbandry,  God's  building  ; "  not  ours. 
Then  be  not  called  after  our  name,  but 
God's.  We  are  rather  yours,  than  you  ours. 
— Ver.  22. 

The  building  here  alluded  to  is  that  of  the 
temple. — Ver.  16,  17.  The  apostle  expa- 
tiates upon  the  same  idea  in  Eph.  ii.  20 — 22, 
which  may  be  considered  as  the  key  to  the 
text,  and  of  which,  in  discoursing  from  it,  I 
shall  avail  myself.  "  Ye  are  built  upon  the 
foundation  of*  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Je- 
sus Christ — himself  being  the  chief  corner- 
stone, in  whom  all  the  building,  fitly  framed 
together,  groweth  unto  a  holy  temple  in  the 
Lord,  in  whom  ye  also  are  builded  together, 
for  a  habitation  of  God,  through  the  Spirit." 

This  description  will  apply  either  to  the 
Christian  church  at  large,  or  to  a  particular 
church.  There  are  four  things  observable 
in  the  apostle's  account  of  building,  each  of 
which  is  applicable  to  a  Christian  church: 
it  must  be  reared  on  a  good  foundation — it 
must  be  fitly  framed  together — it  is  supposed 
at  present  to  be  incomplete,  but  in  a  grow- 
ing state — and  the  end  for  which  it  is  built 
is,  that  it  may  be  a  habitation  of  God,  through 
the  Spirit. 

I.  It  MUST  BE  REARED  ON  A  GOOD  FOUN- 
DATION.— On  Jesus  Christ,  himself  being  the 
chief  corner-stone.  This  is  the  foundation 
that  God  hath  laid  in  Zion. — Isa.  xxviii.  16. 
And  all  after  builders  must  follow  his  exam- 
ple. The  Jews  refused  it.  They  went  on 
to  build ;  but  they  were  no  longer  "  God's 
building." — The  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified 
was  the  foundation  of  the  apostolic  churches, 
and  continued  so  for  ages.  When  this  doc- 
trine was  deserted  and  corrupted,  men  might 
call  themselves  the  church,  and  greatly  in- 
crease ;  but  they  ceased  to  be  "  God's  build- 
ing."— This  was  the  foundation  laid  at  the 
Reformation ;    and   while  these  continued, 


GODLY    SIMPLICITY    IN    RELIGIOUS    EXERCISES. 


435 


though  accompanied  with  "  wood,  hay,  and 
stubble,"  God  blessed  the  churches.  But, 
when  these  reformed  churches  went  off  into 
a  mere  heathen  morality,  God  forsook  them. 
They  were  no  longer  "  God's  building." — 
Look  at  particular  churches.  It  is  this  doc- 
trine that  God  blesses  for  conversion.  The 
building  will  not  rise  without  it.  Where 
Christ  is  left  out  as  the  foundation,  he  will 
say,  as  he  did  to  the  Jews  of  old,  "  As  for 
your  house,  it  is  left  unto  you  desolate."  I 
trust,  my  brethren,  your  minister  will  lay 
this  foundation,  and  exalt  the  Saviour,  and 
that  you  will  encourage  him  in  so  doing. 

II.  It  must  be  fitly  framed  together. 
— A  building  is  not  a  mere  assemblage  of  a 
heterogeneous  mass  of  materials.  This 
were  a  heap,  rather  than  a  building.  There 
are  three  things  necessary  to  a  building's  be- 
ing fitly  framed  : — 

1.  The  materials  must  be  prepared,  before 
they  are  laid  in  it.  Such  were  the  orders 
concerning  Solomon's  temple.  There  was 
to  be  no  noise  there. — 1  Kings  vi.  7.  You 
are  few  in  number,  my  brethren ;  but  do  not 
be  so  anxious  after  increase  as  to  lay  improp- 
er materials.  What  if  you  could  obtain 
hundreds  of  members,  and  they  men  of  prop- 
erty ;  yet  if  they  were  haughty,  self-willed, 
and  worldly,  how  could  they  fit  in  with  the 
humble,  meet,  and  heavenly-minded  ? 

2.  That  they  be  formed  by  the  same  rule. 
It  is  not  enough  that  the  roughness  and  pro- 
tuberances of  their  characters  should  be 
smoothed  down  and  polished  off;  they  must 
be  made  to  fit  the  foundation  and  each 
other :  if  the  members  of  churches  fit  in  with 
the  foundation — with  Jesus  Christ,  in  his  gos- 
pel, government,  and  spirit — there  would  be 
little  danger  of  disunion  among-  themselves. 
The  great  means  of  promoting  religious 
union  among  Christians  is,  not  by  dispensing 
with  disagreeable  truth,  but  by  aspiring  to  a 
conformity  to  Christ.  Religious  uniformity 
is  like  perfection  in  other  things  :  we  are  not 
to  expect  it  in  this  world :  still  it  is  our  duty 
to  aspire  after  it.  There  is  no  union  any 
further  than  we  agree  ;  and  no  Christian 
union  any  further  than  that  in  which  we 
agree  is  the  mind  of  Christ.  It  will  be  of  no 
account  to  be  of  one  mind,  unless  that  mind 
be  the  mind  of  Christ.  The  way  there- 
fore to  promote  Christian  union  is  for  each  to 
think  more,  to  read  more,  to  pray  more,  to 
converse  more,  on  the  principles  of  the  doc- 
trine and  example  of  Christ.  God  builds  by 
rule.  He  conforms  to  the  image  of  his 
Son:  and  so  must  you.  The  house  must 
not  be  built  according  to  your  fancy,  or  your 
inclination,  but  according  to  the  rules  con- 
tained in  the  word  of  God.  "  See  thou  make 
all  things  according  to  the  pattern." — "  Keep 
the  ordinances  as  they  are  delivered  unto 
you."  A  neglect  of  holy  discipline  is  the 
bane  of  the  present  age  ;  but  you  must  ex- 


ercise a  holy  vigilance  here,  or  you  will  not 
be  God's  building. 

3.  That  each  shall  occupy  his  proper  place 
in  the  building.  Some  are  formed  to  teach  ; 
others  to  be  taught:  some  to  lead  ;  others  to 
be  led:  some  to  counsel ;  others  to  execute. 
See  that  each  is  in  his  place,  the  situation 
for  which  he  is  formed,  or  you  will  not  be 
God's  building. 

III.  It  is  supposed  at  present  to  be  incom- 
plete, but  advancing: — "It  groiveth  unto 
a  holy  temple."  This  is  applicable  to  the 
church  at  large  :  it  resembles  Solomon's  tem- 
ple— widest  at  the  upper  end. — 1  Kings  vi. 
6.  The  church  has  been  widening  from  the 
commencement,  and  will  still  extend.  And 
may  we  not  hope  that  there  will  be  some  re- 
semblance to  this  in  particular  churches  ?  If 
you  would  answer  to  the  spiritual  model — 
be  chaste,  not  admitting  any  rivals  in  your 
affections  ;  zealous,  spiritual,  and  faithful — 
and  you  will  be  God's  building,  and  you  must 
increase. 

IV.  The  end  for  which  the  building  is 
reared, — "  For  a  habitation  of  God."  When 
men  build  a  house,  it  is  that  it  may  be  inhab- 
ited. So  it  is  with  God.  If  you  are  God's 
building,  it  is  that  you  may  be  the  habita- 
tion of  God.  This  a  vast  blessing.,;  "  Will 
God  in  very  deed  dwell  with  men  ?"  Yes. 
Christ  "  gave  gifts  to  men,  that  the  Lord 
might  dwell  among  them."  He  hath  given 
you  a  paster — that  he  might  dwell  among 
you 


LXXVIII. THE     satisfaction     derived 

from  a  consciousness  that  our  reli- 
gious exercises  have  been  character- 
ized BY  GODLY  SIMPLICITY. 

"  Our  rejoicing  is  this,  the  testimony  of  our  con- 
science, that  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity, 
not  with  fleshly  wisdom,  but  by  the  grace  of  God, 
we  have  had  our  conversation  in  the  world,  and 
more  abundantly  to  you-ward." — 2  Cor.  i.  12, 

Such  was  the  declaration  of  Paul,  in  be-  - 
half  of  himself  and  his  brethren  ;  and  a  great 
thing  it  was  to  be  able  to  say,  especially 
when  accused  of  being  crafty  and  designing 
men.  That  they  were  so  accused  is  evident 
from  the  twelfth  chapter ;  and  the  declara- 
tion of  the  text  nobly  repels  all  such  insinu- 
ations. 

I  do  not  mean  to  assume  this  language  in 
behalf  of  myself  or  my  brethren  ;  but  would 
rather  apply  it  in  a  way  of  self-examination. 
By  "  fleshly  wisdom  "  is  meant  the  wisdom 
of  this  world,  worldly  policy,  that  wisdom 
Avhich  has  carnal  and  Avordly  ends  in  view  or 
is  aimed  and  exercised  for  our  own  interest, 
honor,  or  gratification.  By  "the  grace  of 
God "  is  meant  that  holy  wisdom  which  is 
from  above,  or  that  line  of  conduct  which  the 


436 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


grace  of  God  teaches — "simplicity  and  god- 
ly sincerity." 

I.  Let  us  state  a  few  cases  in  which 

THESE  OPPOSITE  PRINCIPLES  WILL,  ONE  OR 
THE  OTHER  OF  THEM,  INFLUENCE  OUR  CON- 
DUCT.— It  may  be  too  much  to  say  that  all 
men  are  governed  by  the  one  or  the  other. 
Some  have  neither.  Their  way  is  fleshly  ; 
but  it  is  fleshly  folly.  The  principles  of  the 
text,  however,  are  very  common.  Par- 
ticularly : — 

1.  In  preaching  the  gospel. — We  are  most- 
ly governed  by  one  or  other,  as  ministers. 

They  give  a  character  to  the  matter  of  our 
preaching. — If  we  are  influenced  by  the 
former,  our  preaching  will  partake  of  the 
wisdom  of  this  world.  It  will  savor  of  the 
flesh.  There  will  be  little  or  no  spirituality 
in  it.  It  will  favor  some  other  gospel.  But, 
if  we  are  influenced  by  the  latter,  our  preach- 
ing will  savor  of  Christ  and  heaven.  It  will 
he  wisdom,  but  not  the  wisdom  of  this  world. 
The  doctrine  we  preach  will  not  be  selected 
to  please  the  tastes  of  our  hearers,  but  drawn 
from  the  holy  Scriptures.  We  shall  declare 
"the  whole  counsel  of  God." 

These  principles  will  also  give  a  charac- 
ter to  the  manner  of  our  preaching. — If  we 
are  influenced  by  the  former,  our  preach- 
ing will  be  merely  an  art,  with  "enticing 
words  of  man's  wisdom."  But,  if  by  the 
latter,  it  will  be  characterized  by  simplicity  ; 
not  thinking  of  ourselves,  but  of  Christ  and 
the  salvation  of  souls. 

Finally,  These  principles  will  give  a  char- 
acter to  our  motives. — If  we  are  influenced 
by  the  former,  we  shall  study  to  be  approved 
of  men,  and  to  have  it  understood  that  we 
are  men  of  consequence.  "Giving  it  out 
that  he  was  some  great  one."  But,  if  by  the 
latter  we  shall  seek,  "not  yours,  but  you." 
The  love  of  God,  of  Christ,  and  of  souls, 
will  constrain  us. 

2.  In  reading  the  Scriptures,  and  hearing 
the  gospel. — Here,  also,  we  are  for  the  most 
part  governed  by  one  or  the  other  of  these 
principles. 

There  is  the  spirit  of  the  world,  and  the 
spirit  which  is  of  God.  It  is  of  great  conse- 
quence with  which  spirit  we  take'up  our  Bi- 
bles.— If  with  the  former,  it  will  be  no  wonder 
that  we  err,  and  stumble,  and  perish.  "A 
scorner  seeketh  wisdom,  and  findeth  it  not." 
Paine  read  the  Scriptures  to  pervert  and  vil- 
ify them.  We  may  be  acquainted  with  the 
original  languages,  and  be  able  to  criticise 
texts  ;  and  yet  not  discern  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit.  "  Spiritual  things  must  be  spiritually 
discerned."  This  will  be  especially  the  re- 
sult, if  we  form  a  system  of  our  own,  and  go 
to  the  Scriptures  to  have  it  confirmed,  in- 
stead of  deriving-  it  in  the  first  place  from  the 
unerring  oracles. — But,  if  we  are  influenced 
by  the  opposite  principle,  we  shall  pray, 
"  Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold 
wondrous    things  out   of  thy   law."      And, 


coming  with  the  simplicity  of  children,  we 
shall  have  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  revealed  to 
us. — Matt.  xi.  25. 

So  in  hearing  the  gospel. — If  we  hear 
merely  as  critics  on  the  preacher,  full  of 
conceit  and  fleshly  wisdom,  whatever  the 
preaching  may  be,  it  will  do  us  no  good. — 
But  if  we  hear  as  Christians,  in  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity,  we  shall  hear  the  word 
to  profit.  Take  heed  how  ye  hear,  lest  by- 
and-by  you  become  regardless  of  what  you 
hear,  or  even  prefer  the  flesh-pleasing  doc- 
trines which  lead  to  perdition. — 2  Pet.  ii. 
1—3. 

3.  In  church-fellowship  and  discipline  we 
are  governed  by  one  or  other  of  these  prin- 
ciples.    Particularly, 

In  receiving  members. — If  we  are  gov- 
erned by  the  former,  we  shall  catch  at  the 
rich,  and  covet  respectability,  and  be  more 
ambitious  to  increase  in  number  than  in  con- 
formity to  Christ. — But,  if  by  the  latter,  we 
shall  rejoice  in  the  accession  of  the  meanest 
Christian,  and  of  Christian  graces,  though 
they  shine  in  those  whom  the  world  despise. 

In  choosing  officers. — If  we  are  governed 
by  the  former  principle,  ministers  will  be 
chosen  on  account  of  their  popularity,  and 
deacons  on  account  of  their  opulence.  But, 
if  by  the  latter,  we  shall  fix  our  eye  stead- 
fastly on  the  qualifications  required  in  Scrip- 
ture ;  and,  if  we  cannot  find  men  who  attain 
to  the  full  standard,  we  shall  be  so  much  the 
more  concerned  to  choose  those  who  ap- 
proach the  nearest. 

In  exercising  discipline. — If  we  be  gov- 
erned by  the  former,  we  shall  be  concerned 
to  be  great  and  respectable.  If  by  the  lat- 
ter, we  shall  strive  after  conformity  to  Christ. 
If  by  the  former,  our  discipline  will  be  par- 
tial, screening  our  favorites.  But,  if  by  the 
latter,  we  shall  be  no  respecter  of  persons, 
but  act  with  impartial  fidelity,  with  a  single 
eye  to  the  glory  of  God. 

4.  In  deciding  in  our  various  worldly  con- 
cerns we  are  commonly  influenced  by  one  or 
other  of  these  principles. — If  by  the  former, 
the  question  will  be,  in  all  cases, — Is  it  wise  ? 
Is  it  politic  ?  What  will  people  say  ?  But, 
if  by  the  latter,  the  question  will  be, — Is  it 
rights  The  former  is  the  spirit  of  all 
worldly  men,  and  all  mere  nominal  Chris- 
tians :  the  latter,  of  the  genuine  Christian : 
If  we  are  governed  by  the  former,  in  forming 
our  various  connexions,  the  question  will  be, 
— Will  this  promote  my  ivorldly  interests  ? 
But,  if  by  the  latter,  the  question  will  be, — 
Will  it  contribute  to  the  prosperity  of  my 
soul1?  My  friends,  think  of  the  fruits  of 
Lot's  well-watered  plain :  and  shudder  at  the 
thought  of  choosing  situations  for  yourselves 
or  your  children,  without  a  supreme  regard 
to  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteous- 
ness. 

II.  Observe  the  satisfaction  arising 

FROM  BEING  ABLE   TO  ADOPT  THE  LAN- 


THE    REWARD    OF    A    FAITHFUL    MINISTER. 


437 


guage  of  the  apostle. — He  speaks  of  his 
consciousness  of  simplicity  and  godly  sin- 
cerity, as  a  matter  of  rejoicing,  yea,  of  sin- 
gular   rejoicing.     Wherefore? — 

1.  The  testimony  of  a  good  conscience  is 
sometimes  the  only  testimony  ive  have  in  our 
favor. — It  was  nearly  so  with  the  apostle,  at 

Corinth.  The  world  may  be  offended,  and 
bad  men  may  influence  even  good  men  to 
join  a  wrong  cause.  This  was  the  case  at 
Corinth.  Thus  Judas  led  away  the  disciples 
with  respect  to  Mary.  But,  if  we  can  say 
as  Paul  in  the  text,  this  will  bear  us  up 
under  all  the  misapprehensions  and  miscon- 
structions of  the  world,  or  even  of  our 
brethren.  Thus  Enoch  was  supported. 
Doubtless  he  had  to  endure  the  world's 
scorn  ;  but  "  he  had  this  testimony — that  he 
pleased  God." 

2.  The  testimony  of  stick  a  conscience  is 
an  echo  to  the  voice  of  God. — "If  our  heart 
condemn  us  not,  then  have  we  confidence 
towards  God." 

3.  The  testimony  of  a  good  conscience  tvill 
support  us  in  death. — But,  if  we  have  not 
this,  how  shall  we  bear  to  die,  and  to  appear 
in  judgment? 

My  friends,  if  your  minister  can  adopt  the 
language  of  Paul,  and  feel  a  consciousness 
of  being  governed  by  the  best  of  principles, 
still  this  will  avail  for  himself  only  :  it  will 
not  avail  you.  He  may  be  pure  of  your 
blood  ;  but  are  you  ?  If  you  perish,  and 
your  minister  be  guiltless,  where  will  the 
guilt  lie  then  ? 


LXXIX. THE     REWARD     OF    A     FAITHFUL 

MINISTER. 

"  For  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  re- 
joicing1'! Are  not  even  ye,  in  the  presence  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  at  his  coining  1  " — 1  Thess. 
ii.  19. 

I  do  not  know  any  part  of  the  Scriptures 
in  which  we  have  a  more  lovely  picture  of  a 
true  pastor  and  true  Christians  than  is  con- 
tained in  this  chapter.  Though  the  picture 
is  drawn  by  the  apostle  himself,  he  could 
appeal  to  God  for  its  correctness.  It  exhi- 
bits him  and  his  brethren  as  bold  in  proclaim- 
ing the  gospel ;  sincere  in  their  doctrine  ; 
acting  as  in  the  sight  of  God ;  faithful  to 
their  trust,  and  to  the  souls  of  their  hearers  ; 
unostentatious ;  gentle  and  affectionate ; 
disinterested  ;  and  consistent  in  their  deport- 
ment, not  only  among  unbelievers,  where 
even  hypocrites  will  preserve  appearances, 
but  also  among  the  people  of  their  charge. 
Let  mitiisters  look  at  this  picture,  and  at 
themselves. 

We  have  also  the  character  of  primitive 
Christians.  They  received  the  gospel,  not 
merely  as  the  message  of  the  apostles,  but 
as  "  the  word  of  God ;  "  it  wrought  in  them 
effectually  ;  and  they  were  the   determined 


followers  of  the  very  earliest  Christians, 
though  at  the  risk  of  persecution,  and  even 
of  death.  The  apostle  sums  up  all  by  a 
solemn  appeal  to  them  and  to  God,  that,  if 
he  and  his  brethren  had  any  reward  in  their 
labors,  it  consisted  in  their  salvation  :  "  What 
is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing  ? 
Are  not  even  ye  ?" 

The  import  of  this  passage  is  that  the  sal- 
vation of  his  hearers  is  the  reward  of  a  faith- 
ful minister.  In  discoursing  on  this  interest- 
ing subject,  I  shall  endeavor  to  explain  it — 
account  for  it — and  apply  it. 

I.  I  shall  endeavor  to  explain  the  ob- 
ject WHICH  EVERY  FAIFHFUL  MINISTER 
ACCOUNTS   HIS    HOPE  AND    JOY    AND    CROWN. 

It  is  you,  even  you,  in  the  presence  of  the 
Lord.  There  are  two  things  designed  by 
the  apostle  in  this  language  : — 

1.  To  disclaim  all  sordid  and  mercenary 
ends  on  his  part. — It  is  not  yours,  but  you." 
Of  course  we  have  a  hope,  and  expect  a 
reward  of  some  kind.  They  that  run  must 
have  a  prize,  a  joy,  a  crown :  but  it  is  not 
any  thing  carnal,  or  worldly.  Men  may,  in- 
deed, engage  in  the  ministry,  with  the  desire 
of  obtaining  lucre,  or  fame  ;  or  from  the  love 
of  power,  or  the  love  of  ease :  but  not  so 
Paul ;  not  so  any  true  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ.  As  to  Paul,  he  had  voluntarily  re- 
signed every  thing  of  this  kind,  for  the  sake 
of  the  gospel,  as  those  to  whom  he  wrote 
very  well  knew.  The  language,  therefore, 
peculiarly  became  his  lips.  And  no  true 
minister  of  Christ,  though  supported  by  the 
people  (and  it  is  fit  that  those  who  devote 
their  lives  to  an  object  should  be  supported 
in  it,)  will  enter  on  the  work  for  the  sake  of 
this  ;  nor  will  he  be  satisfied  with  this  alone, 
however  liberal. 

2.  Another  object  of  the  apostle  was  to 
show  the  necessity  of  true  religion,  and  a  per- 
severance in  it,  in  them. — There  are  some 
Avho  are  our  hope,  who  are  not  our  joy  ;  and 
others  who  are  our  hope,  and  joy  too,  for  a 
time,  who  will  never  be  our  crown  ;  who 
hold  not  out  to  the  end,  and  therefore,  will 
never  be  our  rejoicing  in  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  at  his  coming.  Some  are  under 
serious  impressions,  and  excite  a  hope  and 
joy,  like  that  felt  at  the  sight  of  blossoms  in 
the  spring,  which  yet  are  afterwards  blight- 
ed. There  are  some  that  have  even  made  a 
public  profession,  and  yet,  like  the  thorny 
and  stony-ground  hearers,  produce  no  fruit. 
The  object  desired,  therefore,  is  not  only 
your  setting  out,  but  your  holding  on,  walk- 
ing in  the  truth,  and  holding  fast  your  pro- 
fession to  the  end.  Then,  indeed,  you  will 
not  only  be  our  hope,  and  joy,  but  our  crown 
of  rejoicing. 

II.  I  shall  endeavor  to  account  for  its 

BEING  SO  : 

1.  If  we  are  faithful  ministers,  we  shall 
he  of  the  same  mind  as  Christ. — And  this 
was  the  reward  which  satisfied  him. — Isa.  liii. 


438 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


11.  He  endured  all  things  for  the  elect's 
sake ;  and  so  shall  we,  if  we  be  of  his 
mind. 

2.  If  we  are  faithful  ministers,  our  love  to 
Christ  will  make  us  rejoice  in  every  thing  that 
honors  him. — The  highest  honor  to  which 
John  the  Baptist  aspired  was  to  be  the  Bride- 
groom's friend  ;  and  to  see  him  increase 
was  enough,  though  at  the  expense  of  his 
own  popularity.  This  fulfilled  his  joy  ! 
What  labor  and  pains  will  men  take  at  an 
election  to  procure  votes  for  the  candidate 
to  whom  they  are  attached !  And  how 
grateful  to  him  to  see  his  friends,  each  on 
the  day  of  election,  bring  with  him  a  goodly 
number  of  votes  !  Much  more  we,  if  we  be 
faithful  ministers,  shall,  in  the  day  of  the 
Lord,  be  admired  in  all  them  that  believe, 
and  that  love  his  appearing. 

3.  If  we  be  true  ministers  of  Christ,  we 
shall  love  the  souls  of  men  as  he  loved  them. — 
And  this  accounts  also  for  the  language  of 
the  text.  All  of  you  have  souls  of  infinite 
value.  Some  of  you  are  the  children  of 
those  whom  we  have  loved,  and  with  whom 
we  have  taken  sweet  counsel,  and  walked 
to  the  house  of  God  in  company,  but  who 
are  now  no  more.  And  what  is  our  hope 
now  ?  Why,  that  you  may  follow  in  their 
steps.  Is  it  strange  that  we  should  long  to 
present  you  with  them  before  the  throne  ? 
Some  of  you  have  professed  to  be  the  spirit- 
ual children  of  your  pastor;  and  you  are  his 
hope,  and  his  joy  too.  See  to  it  that  you 
form  a  part  of  his  crown. 

III.  Allow  me  to  apply  the  subject. — 
You  may  think  this  subject  mostly  concerns 
ministers ;  but  be  assured  you  have  a  deep 
interest  in  it. 

If  it  be  our  duty  to  obtain  volunteers  for 
Christ,  it  is  your  duty  to  give  us  an  answer. 
— God  is  saying,  by  us,  "  Choose  ye,  this 
day,  whom  ye  will  serve." 

2.  If  your  salvation  be  our  reward,  still  is 
it  no  concent  of  yours  that  we  should  be  re- 
ivarded"}  You  would  scorn  to  deprive  your 
servants  of  their  wages,  or  your  minister  of 
his  salary  ;  but  this  is  not  enough  ;  this  will 
not  satisfy  us  ;  you  must  not  put  us  off  with 
your  money ;  for  we  seek  not  yours,  but 
you.  The  salvation  of  your  souls  is  the  on- 
ly reward  which  will  satisfy  a  faithful  ser- 
vant of  Jesus  Christ. 

3.  The  personal  interest  you  have  in  this 
matter  is  far  greater  than  ours. — If  we  be 
faithful,  our  loss  will  be  made  up  in  the  ap- 
probation of  God.  Though  you  be  not 
gathered,  we  shall  not  go  unrewarded.  But 
your  loss  will  be  irreparable. 

4.  You  must  be  presented  in  some  ivay, — 
if  not  as  our  joy  and  crown,  as  rebellious 
children,  to  be  dealt  with  as  such.  We  shall 
have  to  say  of  you,  These  our  hearers  were 
stubborn  and  rebellious,  and  would  not  listen 
to  our  message  of  love.  They  would  not 
come  to  Christ  that  they  might  have  life. 


LXXX. MINISTERS      AND     CHURCHES      EX- 
HORTED TO   SERVE  ONE  ANOTHER  IN  LOVE. 

[Sketch  of  an  Ordination  Sermon  addressed  to 
both  Pastor  and  People."'] 

"  By  love  serve  one  another." — Gal.  v.  13. 

My  brethren,  having  been  requested  on 
this  solemn  occasion  to  address  a  word  of 
exhortation  to  both  pastor  and  people,  I 
have  chosen  a  subject  equally  suitable  for 
both. 

I.  I  shall  begin  by  addressing  a  few 
words  to  you,  my  brother,  the  pastor  of  this 
church. 

The  text  expresses  your  duty — to  "  serve  " 
the  church  ;  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is 
to  be  performed — "  in  love."  Do  not  ima- 
gine there  is  any  thing  degrading  in  the  idea 
of  being  a  servant.  Though  you  are  to 
serve  them,  and  they  you,  yet  neither  of  you 
are  to  be  masters  of  the  other.  You  are 
fellow-servants,  and  have  each  "one  Mas- 
ter, even  Christ."  It  is  a  service,  not  of 
constraint,  but  of  love ;  like  that  which 
your  Lord  and  Master  himself  yielded.  "I 
have  been  among  you  as  one  that  serveth." 
Let  the  common  name  of  minister  remind 
you  of  this  ....  The  authority  you  exer- 
cise must  be  invariably  directed  to  the  spi- 
ritual advantage  of  the  church.  You  are 
invested  with  authority  ;  you  are  to  have  the 
rule  over  them,  in  the  Lord ;  but  not  as  a 
"  lord  over  God's  heritage."  Nor  are  you 
invested  with  this  authority  to  confer  digni- 
ty on  you,  or  that  you  may  value  yourself  as 
a  person  of  consequence  ;  but  for  the  good 
of  the  church.  This  is  the  end  of  office  : 
"  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  let 
him  be  your  minister ;  and  whosoever  will 
be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  ser- 
vant. Even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to 
be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister."  .... 
But,  more  particularly, 

1.  You  must  serve  the  church  of  God,  by 
feeding  them  ivith  the  ivord  of  life. — This  is 
the  leading  duty  of  a  minister.  "  Preach  the 
word ;  be  instant  in  season,  and  out  of 
season."  This  will  be  serving  them,  as  it 
will  promote  their  best  interests.  For  this 
end  you  must  be  familiar  with  the  word, 
"Meditate  on  these  things:  give  thyself 
wholly  to  them."  It  is  considered  a  fine 
thing  with  some  to  have  a  black  coat,  to  loi- 
ter about  all  the  week,  and  to  stand  up  to  be 
looked  at  and  admired  on  the  Sabbath.  But 
truly  this  is  not  to  serve  the  church  of  God. 
Be  concerned  to  be  "  a  scribe  ivell  instructed 
in  the  things  of  the  kingdom."  Be  concern- 
en  to  have  treasures,  and  to  bring  them  forth. 
I  would  advise  that  one  service  of  every 
Sabbath  consist  of  a  well-digested  exposi- 
tion, that  your  hearers  may  become  Bible 

*As  were  also  the  two  which  follow  it. 


MINISTERIAL    AND    CHRISTIAN    COMMUNION. 


439 


Christians.  Be  concerned  to  understand 
and  to  teach  the  doctrine  of  Christianity — 
"  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus."  Be  careful, 
particularly,  to  be  conversant  with  the  doc- 
trine of  the  cross  ;  if  you  be  right  there,  you 
can  scarcely  be  essentially  wrong-  any  where. 
Cut  off  the  reproach  of  dry  doctrine,  by 
preaching  it  feelingly  ;  and  of  its  being  in- 
imical to  good  works,  by  preaching  it  prac- 
tically. 

And  do  all  this  in  love. — Your  love  must 
be,  first,  to  Christ,  or  you  will  not  be  fitted  for 
your  work  of  feeding  the  church. — John  xxi. 
15 — 17.  Also  to  the  truth,  or  your  services 
will  be  mischievous,  rather  than  useful. 
And  to  Christians,  for  Christ's  sake. — Acts 
xx.  28.  And  to  the  souls  of  men,  as  fellow- 
men  and  fellow-sinners.  If  love  be  wanting, 
preaching  will  be  in  vain. 

2.  You  must  feed  the  church  of  God,  by 
loatching  over  them. — "  Be  instant  in  season, 
and  out  of  season  ;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort, 
with  all  long-suffering  and  doctrine."  Watch 
over  them,  not  as  a  vulture,  to  destroy  them  ; 
but  as  a  good  shepherd,  who  careth  for  the 
sheep.  If  you  are  compelled  to  reprove, 
beware  that  your  reproof  be  conveyed,  not 
in  ill  temper,  but  in  love ;  not  to  gratify  self, 
but  to  do  your  brother  good. 

3.  You  must  serve  them,  by  leading  them 
on,  in  all  spiritual  and  holy  exercises. — Lead 
them  by  your  example.  "  Be  thou  an  exam- 
ple of  the  believers,  in  word,  in  conversation, 
in  charity,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity." 
Visit  them.  You  have  as  much  need  to  pray 
with  them  and  for  them  in  private,  as  to 
preach  to  them  in  public.  And  you  must 
do  all  this  in  love.  An  affectionate  example 
and  deportment  will  draw  them  on. 

II.  Let  me  now  address  myself  to  the 
church. — You  also  must  serve  your  pastor, 
as  well  as  he  you,  and  this  in  love.  You 
must  seek  his  good,  as  well  as  he  yours. 

1.  Be  assiduous  to  make  him  happy  in  his 
mind. — If  he  discharge  his  work  with  grief, 
it  will  be  unprofitable  for  you.  If  you  be 
touchy,  and  soon  offended,  or  cold  and  dis- 
tant, it  will  destroy  his  happiness.  Do  not 
be  content  with  a  merely  negative  respect. 
Be  free,  open,  kind,  inviting  to  friendly  and 
Christian  intercourse  and  conversation  ;  and 
be  early  and  constant  in  your  attendance  on 
public  worship. 

2.  Be  concerned  to  render  him  as  easy  in 
his  circumstances  as  possible. — If  he  serve 
you  in  spiritual  things,  is  it  such  a  great 
thing  that  he  partake  of  your  carnal  things? 
I  hope  he  does  not  covet  a  haughty  indepen- 
dence of  you  ;  but  neither  let  him  sink  into 
an  abject  dependence.  Worship  not  with 
—offer  not  to  God — that  which  costs  you 
nothing.  It  is  the  glory  of  dissenting 
churches,  if  they  voluntarily  make  sacrifices 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  true  religion 
among  them. 

3.  If  there  be  any  thing  apparently  wrong  in 


his  conduct  or  his  preaching,  do  not  spread  it 
abroad,  but  tell  him  of  it  alone. — You  may 
have  mistaken  him,  and  this  will  give  him 
an  opportunity  of  explaining,  or,  if  he  be  in 
fault,  this  will  give  him  an  opportunity  of 
correcting  himself. 

And  do  everything  in  love. — Love  will 
dictate  what  is  proper  on  most  occasions. 
It  will  do  more  than  a  thousand  rules ;  and 
all  rules  without  it  are  nothing. 

To  the  deacons  let  me  say,  Be  you  help- 
ers in  everything — whether  agieeable  or 
disagreeable. 

To  the  congregation  generally,  I  would 
say,  You  also  have  an  interest  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  this  day.  My  brother  considers 
you  as  part  of  his  charge.  His  appointment 
by  the  church  is  with  your  approbation. 
He  will  seek  the  good  of  you  and  your  chil- 
dren. Then  teach  them  to  respect  and  love 
him 


LXXXI. MINISTERIAL    AND     CHRISTIAN 

COMMUNION. 

"  That  1  may  be  comforted  with  you,  by  the 
mutual  faith  both  of  you  and  me." — Rom.  i.  12. 

The  communion  of  saints  was  thought 
of  such  importance  among  the  early  Chris- 
tians as  to  become  an  article  of  faith  ;  and, 
where  the  spirit  of  it  is  preserved,  it  is  a 
charming  part  of  the  Christian  religion. 
The  text  gives  us  a  brief  description  of  it. 
Paul  longed  to  see  the  Roman  Christians,  of 
whom  as  yet  he  had  only  heard,  that  he 
might  impart  to  them  some  spiritual  gift, 
that  they  might  be  established.  His  faith 
would  comfort  them,  and  theirs  would  com- 
fort him. 

We  are  here  naturally  led  to  inquire  what 
there  is  in  the  faith  of  a  minister  to  com- 
fort Christians — what  there  is  in  the  faith  of 
private  Christians  to  comfort  ministers — and 
what  there  is  in  the  common  faith  of  both  to 
comfort  each  other. 

Let  us  then  inquire, 

I.  What  there  is  in    the    faith    of 

MINISTERS  TO  COMFORT  PRIVATE  CHRIS- 
TIANS.— For,  when  Christians  see  their  min- 
isters, they  naturally  expect  to  hear  some- 
thing concerning  the  faith  ;  and  Paul  seems 
to  take  this  for  granted.  There  are  three 
things  in  the  faith  of  a  minister  calculated 
to  comfort  private  Christians  : — 

1.  Its  being  scriptural  and  decided. — If  an- 
ti-scriptural, we  might  comfort  the  sinner 
and  the  hypocrite  :  if  speculative,  we  might 
amuse  a  few  ingenious  minds;  but  we  could 
not  comfort  the  Christian.  Nor  must  we  be 
undecided.  To  see  a  minister  who  is  de- 
cided, on  scriptural  grounds,  is  to  see  a 
guide  who  is  well  acquainted  with  his  map, 
and  who  knows  his  way ;  or  a  pilot  well 
acquainted  with   his  chart.      The  reverse 


440 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


will  be  stumbling  and  most  distressing.  If 
a  guide  now  tells  you  this  is  the  way,  then 
that,  and  is  at  a  loss  which  to  choose,  it 
must  occasion  fear  and  distrust,  instead  of 
comfort. 

2.  Its  being  considered,  not  for  themselves 
only,  but  as  a  public  trust  to  be  imparted. — 
Paul  considered  himself  a  debtor  to  others  ; 
an  almoner,  possessing  the  unsearchable 
riches  ;  "  as  poor,  yet  making  many  rich." 
In  fact,  the  very  afflictions  of  ministers,  as 
well  as  their  consolations,  are  sent  to  pro- 
duce this  effect. — 2  Cor.  i.  G. 

3.  Its  being  a  living  principle  in  their 
own  souls. — 1  Tim.  iv.  6.  Without  this, 
whatever  be  our  attainments,  our  ministra- 
tions will  not  ordinarily  edify  Christians. 
We  must  preach  from  the  heart,  or  we  shall 
seldom,  if  ever,  produce  any  good  in  the 
hearts  of  our  hearers. 

II.  What  there  is  in  the  faith  of 
private  Christians  to  comfort  minis- 
ters.— Ministers  must  receive,  as  well  as 
impart ;  and  should  be  concerned  to  do  so, 
in  every  visit,  and  in  all  their  intercourse 
with  their  people.  Now  the  faith  of  Chris- 
tians contributes  to  the  comfort  of  ministers, 
in  its  being,  its  growth,  and  its  fruits. 

1.  It  furnishes  them  with  sentiments  and 
feelings  in  their  preaching  which  nothing 
else  will. — A  believing,  spiritual,  attentive, 
affectionate  audience,  whose  souls  glisten 
in  their  eyes,  will  produce  thoughts  in  the 
pulpit  which  would  never  have  occurred  in 
the  study.  On  the  other  hand,  if  a  minister 
perceive  in  his  hearers,  and  especially  in 
those  of  whom  he  should  expect  better 
things,  unbelief,  worldliness,  carelessness, 
or  conceit,  he  is  like  a  ship  locked  up  near 
the  pole. 

2.  In  the  faith  of  Christians,  ministers  see 
the  travail  of  the  Redeemer's  soul. — And  this, 
if  they  love  him,  will  be  a  high  source  of 
comfort  to  them. 

3.  In  the  faith  of  Christians,  ministers 
often  see  the  fruit  of  their  own  labors. — They 
often  pray  for  their  people,  of  whom  they 
"travail  in  birth"  until  Christ  be  formed  in 
them.  Such  fruit,  therefore,  of  their  anxie- 
ty and  their  labor,  is  very  encouraging. 

4.  The  faith  of  Christians  is  a  pledge  of 
their  future  salvation. — A  Christian  minister 
must  love  his  people,  and  in  proportion  as  he 
loves  them  he  will  feel  concerned  for  their 
eternal  happiness.  Well,  here  is  a  pledge 
of  it,  and  this  cheers  him.  Your  minister 
looks  around,  and  feels  tenderly  attached 
to  you  as  friends,  and  as  the  children  of  dear 
friends  now  with  God;  and  sometimes  he 
enters  into  the  spirit  of  the  apostle,  who 
wished  himself  accursed,  after  the  manner 
of  Christ,  for  his  brethren,  his  kinsmen  after 
the  flesh.  Your  faith  therefore,  as  a  pledge 
of  eternal  glory,  must  needs  comfort  him. 

III.  What  there  is,  in  the  common 
faith  of  both,  to  comfort  each  other. 


— Common  blessings  are  best.  Let  us  not 
desire  great  things — the  wreath  of  honor, 
or  a  crown.  Amidst  all  this,  the  sweet 
singer  of  Israel  desired  and  sought  after 
"  one  thing,"  and  that  was  a  common  bless- 
ing.— Psa.  xxvii.  4.  Extensive  attainments, 
even  mental  acquisitions,  are  comparatively 
poor.  An  apostle  would  sacrifice  them  all 
for  a  common  blessing — the  knowledge  of 
Christ — Phil.  iii.  8.  These  blessings  are 
common  to  the  meanest  Christian. 

1.  Its  unity. — Those  who  have  never  seen 
each  other,  men  of  different  nations  and 
manners,  when  they  come  to  converse  on 
Christ  and  the  gospel,  presently  feel  their 
faith  to  be  one,  and  love  one  another ;  and 
this  is  a  source  of  great  delight.  As  a  Hin- 
doo said  of  some  of  the  missionaries,  new- 
ly arrived,  "  They  cannot  talk  our  language  ; 
but  we  see  all  our  hearts  are  one :  we  are 
united  in  the  death  of  Christ." 

2.  The  interesting  nature  of  the  truths 
believed. — "  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners." — "  God  manifest  in  the 
flesh." — "  There  is  no  condemnation  to  them 
that  are  in  Christ  Jesus." — "He  that  be- 
lieveth  on  him  is  not  condemned."  Christ 
is  come  ;  atonement  is  made  ;  the  way  of 
access  to  God  is  opened ;  our  sins  are  re- 
membered no  more  ;  we  are  no  more  stran- 
gers and  foreigners ;  we  live  in  hope  of 
eternal  life.  These  are  things  which,  if 
we  be  in  ignorance  and  unbelief,  will  have 
no  effect  upon  us  ;  or  if  we  be  in  doubt  and 
darkness,  like  the  two  disciples  going  to 
Emmaus,  we  shall  commune  and  be  sad ; 
but,  if  our  faith  be  in  lively  exercise,  our 
hearts  will  burn  within  us,  and  time  will 
glide  sweetly  on. 

Learn,  from  the  whole, 

1.  The  necessity  of  faith  to  Christian  com- 
munion.— Unbelievers,  or,  which  is  the  same 
thing,  merely  nominal  Christians,  are  non- 
conductors. Neither  ministers,  nor  others, 
can  receive  or  impart  without  faith. 

2.  The  necessity  of  the  communication  of 
faith  to  profitable  visits. — We  may  not  al- 
ways be  able  to  maintain  Christian  conver- 
sation. We  are  men,  and  must  sometimes 
converse  as  such.  But  Christian  visits  will 
be  of  this  kind.  It  is  delightful  when  they 
are  of  this  description  ;  and,  to  promote  this, 
we  should  avoid  large,  promiscuous   parties. 

3.  What  will  heavenly  communion  be  ! — 
No  darkness — no  discord — no  carnality — 
no  pride — no  imperfection  ! 


LXXXII. — ministers  and  christians  ex- 
horted TO  HOLD  fast  the  gospel. 

"  Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words  which 
thou  hast  heard  of  me,  in  faith  and  love,  which 
is  in  Christ  Jesus." — 2  Tim.  i.  13. 

This  epistle  was  written  on  the  near  ap- 
proach of  death,  and  is  very  solemn.    It  is 


CONVERSION    OF    THE    WORLD    TO    GOD. 


441 


addressed  to  Timothy,  and  as  such  is  doubt- 
less especially  applicable  to  ministers ;  but 
it  i  by  no  means  exclusively  so  ;  since  all 
Scripture  is  given  for  the  sake  of  the  church. 
I.  Let  us  notice  the  exhortation  it- 
self.— "Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words 
which  thou  hast  heard  of  me,"  &c.  The 
gospel  is  here  denominated  "  sound  words," 
— and  "  a  form  of  sound  words  : "  and  re- 
quires to  be  "held  fast  in  faith  and  love, 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus." 

1.  The  gospel  is  called  "  sound  words." 
— Much  has  been  said  of  sound  words,  and 
every  one  reckons  his  own  creed  to  be 
such.  I  would  only  observe  that  sound 
words  must  be  true  words,  and  words 
suited  to  convey  the  truth.  All  other  sys- 
tems are  hollow.  We  must  be  more  con- 
cerned about  their  being  true,  than  fine  or 
harmonious.  We  must  beware  of  specious 
Avords,  which  are  often  vehicles  of  error. 
The  words  which  the  Holy  Ghost  teaches 
are  the  standard  of  soundness.  So  much 
regard  as  we  pay  to  them,  so  far  are  we 
orthodox,  and  no  farther. 

2.  The  gospel  is  called  "  a  form  of  sound 
words." — The  word  signifies  a  brief  sketch, 
or  first  draft ;  such  as  artists  sketch  when 
they  begin  a  painting.  Paul  intimates  that 
he  had  given  Timothy  such  a  sketch — a 
compendium,  or  epitome.  Whether  he  had 
given  him  any  thing  of  the  kind,  differ- 
ent from  what  we  have,  we  know  not; 
but  Avhat  he  wrote  to  him  and  others  con- 
tains such  a  form,  expressed  in  different 
ways.  As — "This  is  a  faithful  saying, 
and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ 
Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners." 
— "  Without  controversy,  great  is  the  mys- 
tery of  godliness :  God  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
justified  in  the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preach- 
ed unto  the  Gentiles,  believed  on  in  the 
world,  received  up  into  glory." — We  have 
one  of  the  forms  in  his  first  epistle  to  the 
Corinthians,  chap.  xv.  1 — 4.  And  a  still 
more  perfect  one  in  his  epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans, chap.  hi.  24,  25. 

The  term  implies  two  things: — (1)  That 
what  the  apostle  taught  was  a  sure  guide. 
We  are  quite  safe  here.  Where  will  men 
go,  if  the  apostles'  doctrines  are  treated 
as  mere  opinions  ?  These  are  the  genuine 
criterion  of  orthodoxy.  Keep  within  these 
lines,  and  you  are  safe.  They  are  able, 
through  faith,  to  make  you  "  wise  unto  sal- 
vation." By  these,  the  man  of  God  may  be 
"  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good 
works." — (2)  It  implies  that  what  he  taught, 
though  it  contained  the  outline  of  truth, 
and  as  much  as  was  necessary  for  the  pres- 
ent, yet  is  not  the  whole.  It  was  only  an 
outline,  only  a  sketch,  for  Timothy  and  all 
other  Christians  to  fill  up,  and  to  meditate 
upon.  Paul  did  not  know  all.  Angels  do 
not.  It  will  require  eternity  to  reveal  all. 
There  is  plenty  of  room  for  meditation; 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  56. 


only  let  us  keep  within  the  lines  which  the 
apostles  have  sketched  out. 

3.  The  gospel,  as  a  form  of  sound  words, 
must  be  "held  fast." — This  supposes  that 
we  do,  at  least,  hold  the  faith.  Alas  !  many 
do  not.  Some  have  hold  of  a  wholly  false 
doctrine,  and  hold  it  fast  too.  Some  are 
Gallios,  perfectly  indifferent,  and  hold  fast 
the  world,  or  any  thing  rather  than  the 
gospel.  Nay  more,  it  is  to  be  feared  that 
many  who  talk  and  profess  much  about 
doctrines,  and  Scripture  doctrines  too,  yet 
do  not  hold  them  fast.  We  must. find,  the 
gospel,  as  Philip  and  Nathanael  found  the 
Messias,  and  then  Ave  shall  hold  it  fast. 
They  sought  out  Jesus,  and  compared  his 
character  and  pretensions  Avith  the  descrip- 
tions of  the  Messiah  in  the  prophecies  ;  and 
were  convinced  from  examination.  If,  in- 
stead of  being  convinced  of  the  truth  from 
actual  personal  research,  Ave  receive  the 
notions  of  others,  without  examination, 
upon  their  representations,  even  if  these 
notions  should  be  correct,  Ave  shall  be  in 
danger  of  not  holding  them  fast.  Many 
Avill  try  to  Avrest  the  truth  from  us.  Per- 
secutions— temptations  and  false  doctrines 
sanctioned  by  fashion  and  the  appearance 
of  learning,  have  occasionlly  made  sad  hav- 
oc Avith  the  truth,  and  forced  many  a  one 
who  held  it  loosely,  many  a  one  Avho  received 
his  faith  at  second-hand,  instead  of  drawing 
directly  from  the  fountain,  and  who  there- 
fore never  fully  comprehended  it,  to  give  up. 

4.  The  gospel  must  be  held  "in  faith  and 
love." — There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  bigoted 
and  blind  attachment  to  doctrines,  which 
will  be  of  no  use,  even  if  they  be  true.  The 
Avord  does  not  profit,  unless  it  be  "  mixed 
with  faith." — And  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a 
sound  creed,  without  charity,  or  love  to  God 
and  men.  But  the  gospel  must  be  held 
in  faith  and  love.  The  union  of  genuine 
orthodoxy  and  affection  constitutes  true 
religion. 

II.  Let  us  enforce  the  exhortation. — 

1.  Consider  the  inestimable  value  of  these 
sound  Avords. — They  are  the  words  of  eter- 
nal life.  There  is  nothing  in  this  Avorld 
equal  to  them.  They  are  the  pearl  of  great 
price. 

2.  They  have  been  held  in  such  esteem 
that  many  of  the  best  of  men  have  sacrificed 
their  lives  rather  than  part  Avith  them. — And 
shall  Ave  coAvardly  desert  the  truth,  or  shun 
the  avowal  of  it,  merely  lest  the  indifferent 
should  call  us  bigots,  or  infidels,  or  enthu- 
siasts ?  There  is  not  a  more  dangerous  foe 
to  the  truth  than  indifference.  Then  "  hold 
fast "  the  form  of  sound  Avords. 

3.  They  are  the  only  principles  that  can 
meet  the  exigences  of  perishing  sinners, — All 
besides,  however  plausible,  Avill  flatter,  rind 
allure,  and  deceive,  and  destroy  the  soul.^ 

4.  They  are  the  only  source  of  a  holy  life. 
—People  foolishly  discard  doctrines  under 


442 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


the  pretence  of  exalting  practice ;  but  holy- 
doctrine  is  the  source  and  spring  of  a  holy 
life.  What  has  the  church  become  where 
these  doctrines  are  given  up  ?  And  what 
have  those  dissenters  become  Avho  have  em- 
braced another  gospel  ?  Mere  men  of  the 
world. 

5.  They  are  the  only  source  of  real  happi- 
ness.— They  inspire  a  peace  and  joy  in 
health,  a  cheerful  acquiescence  under  afflic- 
tion, and  a  hope  in  death  and  the  prospect 
of  futurity,  to  which  all  are  strangers  who 
are  building  on  any  other  foundation  than 
that  laid  in  the  Scriptures  by  the  apostles, 
even  Jesus  Christ — himself  being  the  chief 
corner  stone. 


LXXXIII. NATURE  OF    TRUE    CONVERSION 

AND  EXTENT  OF  IT  UNDER  THE    REIGN    OF 
THE  MESSIAH. 

[Sketch  of  a    Sermon  preached  in   the  Circus, 
Edinburgh,  Oct.  13,  1799.] 

"  All  the  ends  of  the  world  shrill  remember  and 
turn  unto  the  Lord,  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  na- 
tions shall  worship  before  him." — Ps.  xxii.  27. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  Spirit  of 
inspiration  in  the  prophets  is  called  the 
Spirit  of  Christ  (1  Pet.  i.  10,)  because  Christ 
was  so  frequently  the  theme  of  it.  The 
plaintive  part  of  this  psalm  is  applied  more 
than  once  to  him.  The  explanation  (ver.  1,) 
"  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me  ?  why  art  thou  so  far  from  helping  me, 
and  from  the  words  of  my  roaring  ? "  he 
adopted  as  his  own.  The  revilings  in  ver. 
8  were  used,  inadvertently  no  doubt,  by  his 
enemies:  "He  trusted  on  the  Lord  that  he 
would  deliver  him  ;  let  him  deliver  him,  see- 
ing he  delighteth  in  him."  The  kind  of 
death  which  he  endured  was  expressly  point- 
ed out  in  ver.  1G.  "  They  pierced  my  hands 
and  my  feet."  Even  the  circumstance  of 
their  casting  lots  for  his  garments  is  noticed 
in  ver.  18.  "  They  part  my  garments  among 
them,  and  cast  lots  upon  my  vesture." 

And,  as  the  sufferings  of  Christ  were  the 
theme  of  Old-testament  prophecy,  so  also 
was  the  glory  that  followed  them.  His 
resurrection  and  exaltation  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,  with  the  glorious  success  of  his  gos- 
pel in  the  world,  are  hinted  at  from  ver.  19 
to  the  end  of  the  Psalm. 

The  passage  first  read  is  a  prediction  of 
the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles.  It  furnishes 
us  with  two  interesting  ideas ;  the  nature 
of  true  conversion — and  the  extent  of  it  un- 
der the  reign  of  the  Messiah. 

I.  The  nature  of  true  conversion: — 
It  is  to  remember — to  turn  to  the  Lord — and 
to  icorship  before  him.  This  is  a  plain  and 
simple  process.  Perhaps  the  first  religious 
exercise  of  mind  of  which  we  are  conscious 
is  reflection.     A  state  of  unregeneracy  is  a 


state  of  forgetfulness.  God  is  forgotten. 
Sinners  have  lost  all  just  sense  of  his  glory, 
authority,  mercy,  and  judgment:  living  as  if 
there  were  no  God,  or  as  if  they  thought 
there  was  none.  And,  when  God  is  forgot- 
ten, there  is  no  proper  remembrance  of  them- 
selves. Their  own  evil  ways  attract  little  or 
no  attention.  They  go  on,  adding  sin  to 
sin,  and  think  scarcely  any  thing  about  them. 
Even  if  some  threatening  judgment  should 
have  affrighted  them  into  vows  and  resolu- 
tions to  amend  their  lives,  no  sooner  is  the 
cloud  dissipated  than  all  is  forgotten. 

But,  if  ever  we  are  brought  to  be  the  sub- 
jects of  true  conversion,  we  shall  be  brought 
to  remember  these  things.  This  divine 
change  is  fitly  expressed  by  the  case  of  the 
prodigal,  who  is  said  to  have  come  to  himself, 
or  to  his  right  mind.  If  we  thus  come  to 
ourselves  Ave  shall  think  of  the  holiness, 
goodness,  and  forbearance  of  God  and  be 
troubled.  And,  if  we  think  of  God,  we  shall 
not  forget  our  own  evil  ways.  We  shall 
remember,  and  be  confounded,  and  never 
open  our  lips  any  more. 

The  Holy  Spirit  makes  use  of  divers 
means  in  conversion  ;  but  they  all  operate 
to  bring  the  sinner  to  reflection.  Sometimes 
he  works  by  adverse  providences. — Thus  it 
was  with  Joseph's  brethren.  They  had  sold 
their  brother  for  a  slave,  and  framed  a  lie. to 
deceive  their  father ;  and  more  than  twenty 
years  had  elapsed  when  they  went  down  in- 
to Egypt  to  buy  corn.  There  they  were 
treated  roughly,  and  put  in  ward  as  though 
they  were  spies.  In  this  situation,  they  re- 
membered and  reflected  upon  their  evil 
ways :  "  And  they  said  one  to  another,  We 
are  verily  guilty  concerning  our  brother,  in 
that  we  saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul,  when 
he  besought  us  and  we  would  not  hear : 
therefore  is  this  distress  come  upon  us. 
And  Reuben  answered  them,  saying,  Spake 
not  I  unto  you,  saying,  Do  not  sin  against 
the  child,  and  ye  would  no  hear  ?  therefore 
behold,  also,  his  blood  is  required." — Gen. 
xlii.  21,  22.  Thus,  also,  Manasseh  king  of 
Judah,  after  a  long  life  of  the  most  awful 
wickedness,  was  reclaimed  by  an  adverse 
p.ovidence.  In  the  thorns  of  affliction,  he 
remembered  the  Lord  God  of  his  fathers, 
called  upon  his  name,  and  obtained  mercy. 
Frequently  the  Lord  works  by  his  word. — 
In  reading  or  hearing  it,  something  lays  hold 
of  the  heart ;  and  the  effect  is  the  same. 
Peter's  hearers  (Acts  ii.)  were  brought  to 
remember  their  evil  doings,  and  to  sue  for 
mercy.  We  may  read  the  Scriptures  over 
and  over,  and  hear  hundreds  of  sermons, 
without  any  real  profit,  unless  they  operate 
in  this  way.  If  ever  you  hear  to  purpose, 
you  will  think  but  little  of  the  preacher; 
your  attention  will  be  principally  turned  to 
yourselves.  Sometimes,  I  believe,  a  sinner 
is  converted  without  any  apparent  second 
cause.     While  sitting  in  his  house,  or  walk- 


CONVERSION    OF    THE    WORLD    TO    GOD. 

ing  by  the  way,  his  mind  is  insensibly  drawn    brought  to  a  right  mind,  you  will  remember 
to  think  of  its  own  evil  courses :  "  I  thought    and  be  confounded  at  the  idea  that  a  God  of 
on  my  ways,"  says  David,  "and  turned  my    so  glorious  a  character,  and  whose  goodness 
feet  unto  thy  testimonies."     Whatever  be    to  you  has  never  abated,  should  have  had  no 
the  way  in  which  we  are  brought,  if  it  be  by    place  in  your  heart ;  that  you  have  never  re- 
the  word  of  God,  we  shall  certainly  be  in-    garded  him  in  any  thing  ;  but  lived  in  wicked 
duced  to  remember  those  things  which  here-    aversion  against  him.    Finally,  You  will  re- 
tofore  have  been  neglected  and  forgotten.        member,  and  that  with  contrition,  even  ways 
If  you  be  truly  the  subjects  of  God's  work,    that  you  have  counted  good.   Your  very  pray- 
there   will   be   many   ivays    which   will   be    ers,  and  tears,  and  alms,  and  the  whole  of  your 
brought  to  your  remembrance,  and   which    religion  while  unconverted,  will  appear  odi- 
you  will  reflect  upon  with  bitterness  ;  ways    ous  to  you.     That  of  which  you  have  made 
of  open   immorality — ways   in    which   you    a    righteousness,   hoping    at  least    that  it 
have  thought  there  was  little  or  no  harm —    would  balance  your  evil  deeds,  will  now  ap- 
ways  that  you  have  thought  little  about—    pear  as  "filthy  rags,"  fit  for  nothing,  unless 
and  even  ways  which  you  have  heretofore    it  were  to  bind  you  hand  and  foot^in  order 
accounted   good.      1.    You   will   remember    to  your  being  cast  into  utter  darkness.     Nor 
your  ways  of  open  immorality,  odious  to  both    will  these  your  views  be  at  all  exaggerating ; 
God  and  man,  and  which  have  required  some    for  all  this  is  but  the  truth.     God  requires 
pains  to  stifle  convictions  while  you  pursued    the  heart,  the  whole  heart,  and  nothing  but 
them.     Such  were  the  objects  of  bitter  re-    the  heart.     All  those  tilings  Avhich  God  re- 
collection to  the  penitent  publican,  and  to    quires  as  duties  are  but  so  many  expressions 
the  returning  prodigal.     Those  evil  courses    of  the  heart ;  whatever,  therefore,  we  have 
which   have    distinguished    your   character    done  without  the  heart,  can  have  no  good- 
may  be   supposed  to  have   most  interested    ness  in  it  in  his  sight,  who  sees  things  as 
your  hearts  ;  and  consequently  will  general-    they  are  ;  but  must  needs  be  evil.     And  that 
ly  be  the  first  which  occur  to  your  remem-    which  is  evil  in  the  sight  of  God,  if  we  be- 
brance.     But  these  are  not  the  only  evils  to    come  of  God's   mind,  will   be   evil   in  our 
be  lamented.     2.  You  will  remember  things    si^ht. 

in  which  you  have  thought  there  was  little  or      °But,  farther,  true  conversion  consists  not 
no  ham—  Such  are  those  pursuits  which  are    only  in  remembering  but  in  "  turnino-  to  the 
common  with  the  world.   The  principles,  cus-    Lord."     This  part  of  the  passage  is^expres- 
toms,  and  amusements  of  those  people  among    sive  of  a  cordial  relinquishment  of  our  idols, 
whom  you  have  lived,  you  accounted  lawful ;    whatever  they  have  been,  and  an  acquies- 
orifnotquite  lawful,  yet  nearly  so.   You  have    cence  in   the   gospel-way   of  salvation   by 
observed  many  to  act  upon  this  principle  in    Christ  alone.  '  Its  importance  will  appear,  if 
trade,  that  we  may  get  alt  we  can ;  and  may    we  consider,  1.  That   it   is  possible   to  re- 
have  thought  you  might  do  the  same  :  but,    member  our  evil  ways  without  turning  from 
if  you  are  brought  to  a  right  mind,  you  will    them.     There  are  few  who  attend  a  faithful 
remember  these  pursuits  as  Zaccheus  did,    ministry,  but  are  compelled,  at  one  time  or 
and,  like  him,  your  hands  will  not  be  able  to    other,  to  remember  their  ways,  and  that  with 
hold  the  ill-acquired  gain.     You  saw  little    pain,  shame,  and  remorse  ;  yet  they  continue 
or  no  harm,  it  may  be,  in  cards,  dice,  and    to  pursue  them.     Their  consciences  are  en- 
other  amusements  of  the  kind,  being   kept    lightened  and  awakened,  but  their  hearts  re- 
in countenance  by  the  example  of    people    main  the  same.     Therefore  they  persist  in 
of  fashion  ;  but,  if  brought  to  a  right  mind,    evil,  though  the  road  is  covered  with  briers 
you  will  remember  such  things  with  shame,    and  thorns.     The  guilt  of  such  characters  is 
being  conscious  that  in  many  instances  the    greater  by  far  than  that  of  sinners  in  com- 
desire  of  your  neighbor's  property  was  your    mon.     O !  dread  the  thought  of  remember- 
ruling  motive:  or,  if  no  property  was  at  stake,    ing  without  turning.     2.  It  is  possible   both 
it  is  an  exercise   on  which  you  cannot  ask    to  remember  and  turn,  and  yet  not  turn  "to 
for  a  divine  blessing  before  you  engage,  nor    the  Lord."     We  may  break  off  our  open  sins, 
go  with  freedom  upon  your  knees  when  you    fr0m  merely  selfish  considerations,  and  not 
retire.      3.    You  will  remember  ways  that    from  the  love  of  God.     This  is  not  breaking 
you  have  thought  nothing  about. — This  will    off  our  sins  "by  righteousness  ;"  but  a  mere 
be  the  case,  especially,  with  respect  to  heart    exchange  of  vices.     Shimei,  when  circum- 
sins.     Saul,  the   Pharisee,  had   no  idea  of   stances   required   it,   left  off   abusing   and 
God's  law  taking  cognizance  of  his  heart;    casting  dust  at  David  ;  but  he  was  the  same 
but,   when   the  commandment  came  in   its    character  notwithstanding.      Neither   God 
spirituality,  it  opened  to  him  an  entirely  new    nor  man  can  be  satisfied  with  such  turnings  : 
scene;  it  slew  all  his  self-righteous  hopes.    "If  ye  will  return,  return  to  me,  saith  the 
Or,  if  you  should  have  had  some  convictions    Lord." 

on  account  of  secret  sins,  yet  you  were  not  Once  more,  true  conversion  to  Christ  will 
aware  of  that  awful  load  of  negative  sin  of  be  accompanied  with  the  icorship  of  him. 
which  you  were  continually  guilty  ;  I  mean  Worship,  as  a  religious  exercise,  is  the 
the  want  of  love  to  God.    But,  if  you  are    homage  of  the  heart"  presented  to  God  ac- 


444 


SERMONS    AND    SKETCHES. 


cording-  to  his  revealed  will.  This  homage 
being  paid  to  the  Messiah  affords  a  proof  of 
his  proper  deity.  It  was  the  practice  of  the 
primitive  Christians,  and  that  by  which  they 
are  described,  "  to  call  upon  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus." 

Such  is  and  will  be  the  practice  of  all  true 
Christians  to  the  end  of  time.  If  we  be 
truly  converted  to  Christ,  we  shall  worship 
him  both  privately  and  publicly.  The  wor- 
ship of  the  closet,  of  the  family,  and  of  the 
church,  will  be  our  delight.  That  which  has 
heretofore  been  a  task  and  an  uneasiness 
will  become  our  meat  and  drink. 

II.  The  extent  of  conversion  under  the 
kingdom  or  reign  of  the  Messiah :  "  All  the 
ends  of  the  world  shall  remember  and  turn 
to  the  Lord, — all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations 
shall  worship  before  him." 

It  was  fit  that  the  accession  of  the 
Gentiles  should  be  reserved  for  the  gospel- 
day,  that  it  might  grace  the  triumph  of  Christ 
over  his  enemies,  and  appear  to  be  what  it 
is,  "  the  travail  of  his  soul."  It  is  becoming 
the  coronation  of  a  prince,  for  liberty  to  be 
granted  to  the  captives,  that  many  hearts 
may  unite  in  the  public  joy.  Hence  it 
might  be  that  the  Spirit  was  so  copiously 
poured  out  upon  the  apostles,  and  that  their 
preaching  became  so  eminently  successful. 
The  coronation  of  Christ  in  heaven  must 
be  accompanied  with  the  pardon  of  his 
murderers,  and  followed  by  the  liberation 
of  millions  among  the  heathen  who  had 
hitherto  been  the  willing  captives  of  the 
prince  of  darkness. 

And  this  great  and  good  work,  begun  in 
the  apostles'  days,  must  go  on,  and  "  must  in- 
crease," till  "  all  the  ends  of  the  world  shall 
remember  and  turn,"  and  "  all  the  kindreds 
of  the  nations  shall  worship  before  him." 
Conversion-work,  except  for  a  few  years  in 
the  early  ages,  has  been  individual :  God 
has  gathered  sinners  one  by  one.  Thus  it 
is  at  present  with  us  ;  but  it  will  not  be  thus 
always.  People  will  flock  to  Zion  as  doves 
to  their  windows.  The  church  will  be  struck 
with  joyful  surprise,  on  viewing  her  own  in- 
crease. Her  heart  shall  fear  and  be  enlarg- 
ed, saying,  "  who  hath  begotten  me  these  ?  " 
These,  whence  are  they  ? 

Further:  Conversion- work  has  hitherto 
been  circumscribed  within  certain  parts  of 
the  world.  For  many  ages  it  was  nearly 
confined  to  the- posterity  of  Abraham.  By 
means  of  the  labors  of  the  apostles,  it  was 
extended  to  various  parts  of  Asia,  the  bor- 
ders of  Africa,  and  of  Europe.  Of  late  ages 
it  has  been  nearly  confined  to  Europe  and 
America.  But  the  time  will  come  when 
"  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth "  shall  wor- 
ship. Ethiopia,  and  all  the  unknown  re- 
gions of  Africa,  shall  stretch  out  their  hands 
to  God.  Arabia  and  Persia,  and  Tartary, 
and  India,  and  China,  with  the  numerous 
islands  in  the  Eastern  and  Southern  Ocean, 


shall  bring  an  offering  before  him.  Maho- 
medans  shall  drop  their  delusion,  papists 
their  cruel  superstition,  Jews  shall  be 
ashamed  of  their  obstinacy,  deists  of  their 
enmity,  and  merely  nominal  Christians  of 
their  form  of  godliness  without  the  power 
of  it. 

These  hopes  are  not  the  flight  of  an  ar- 
dent imagination  ;  they  are  founded  on  the 
true  sayings  of  God.  Nor  can  the  time  of 
their  accomplishment  be  far  distant.  Dan- 
iel, in  his  seventh  chapter,  has  given  us  a 
prophecy  of  all  the  principal  events  from 
his  time  to  the  universal  spread  of  the  Mes- 
siah's kingdom.  The  whole  is  comprehend- 
ed in  the  rising  and  falling  of  four  great 
governments,  with  their  branches  and  subdi- 
visions. The  world  has  seen  the  rise  and 
fall  of  three  out  of  the  four.  They  have 
also  seen  the  fourth  divided  into  ten  king- 
doms, and  the  "  little  horn,"  or  papal  gov- 
ernment, rise  up  amongst  them.  They  have 
witnessed  its  rise,  its  reign,  and  in  part  its 
downfal.  The  last  branch  of  the  last  of  the 
four  beasts  is  now  in  its  dying  agonies. 
No  sooner  will  it  be  proclaimed,  "Babylon 
is  fallen  !  "  than  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb 
will  come.  There  are  no  more  tyrannical 
or  persecuting  powers  to  succeed ;  but  "  the 
kingdom  shall  be  given  to  the  people  of  the 
saints  of  the  Most  High."  All  ranks  of 
men,  princes,  nobles,  and  people,  becoming 
real  Christians,  the  government  of  the  world 
will  naturally  be  in  their  hands;  and  love, 
peace,  and  universal  good,  shall  consequent- 
ly pervade  the  whole  earth. 

Finally :  While  we  are  concerned  for  the 
world,  let  us  not  forget  our  own  souls.  If 
the  whole  world  be  saved  and  we  lost,  what 
will  it  avail  us  ? — Perhaps  we  can  scarcely 
conceive  of  any  thing  more  dreadful  than 
that  of  seeing  multitudes  from  the  east,  and 
from  the  west,  and  from  the  north,  and  from 
the  south,  sitting  down  in  the  kingdom  of 
God,  while  we,  who  thought  ourselves  the 
children  of  the  kingdom,  are  thrust  out ! 


LXXXIV. — EFFECT  OF  THINGS  DIFFER  AC- 
CORDING TO  THE  STATE  OF  THE  MIND. 

"  Unto  the  pure  al!  things  are  pure,  but  unto 
them  that  are  defiled  and  unbelieving  is  nothing 
pure;  but.  even  their  mind  and  conscience  is  de- 
filed."—Titus  i.  15. 

The  apostle  had  lived  to  see  many  who 
had  bid  fair  turn  aside.  Under  the  im- 
pression of  these  things,  he  writes  to  Titus 
as  he  had  done  to  Timothy. — 2  Tim.  ii.  21. 

The  human  mind  is  exposed  to  numerous 
influences — the  world — the  flesh — the  devil ; 
and,  according  to  the  state  of  the  mind,  such 
is  the  influence  exercised.  The  beams  of 
the  sun  lighting  on  a  garden  of  spices  ex- 
hale the  most  pleasing  odors,  while  they  pro- 


EFFECT    OF    THINGS    MODIFIED    BY    STATE    OF    MIND. 


445 


duce  an  opposite  effect  on  a  foul  and  unsa- 
vory object. 

I.  Let  us  endeavor  to  ascertain  the  im- 
port of  the  terms. — By  the  pure  is  not 
meant  the  sinless.  No  such  characters  are  to 
be  found.  If  any  think  so,  the  Scriptures  are 
decisive  on  this  point. — 1  John  i.  8,  10.  But 
as  a  defiled  mind  is  connected  with  unbe- 
lief, and  is  attributed  (ver.  14)  to  those  who 
"  turn  from  the  truth,"  so  a  pure  mind  must 
be  a  believing  one — one  that  receives  the 
"truth  in  the  love  of  it."  Evangelical  puri- 
ty is  connected  with  faith — thus  Peter:  1 
Pet.  i.  22 ;  Acts  xv.  9.  The  mind  and  con- 
science are  the  governing  powers  of  the  soul. 
If  they  be  polluted,  all  is  so.  If  the  judg- 
ment be  corrupted,  there  is  no  pledge  for  our 
retaining  one  correct  view  of  ourselves,  or 
of  God.  If  conscience,  God's  witness,  be 
defiled,  there  is  nothing  to  recal  us.  Faith 
is  the  principle  that  opposes  these  corrup- 
tions. 

II.  Illustrate  the  sentiment  by  a 
review  of  the  different  effects  produced 
by  the  same  things,  according  to  the  differ- 
ent state  of  the  mind.  1.  On  a  believing 
mind  the  doctrines  of  Christ  will  have  a 
sanctifying  effect,  and  the  contrary  on  an 
unbelieving.  Some  parts  of  Christian  doc- 
trine have  a  warning  tendency,  particularly 
the  omnipresence,  omnipotence,  and  holiness 
of  God — these  beget  holy  fear.  Others  are 
of  an  encouraging  complexion,  as  redemp- 
tion, pardon,  reconciliation,  eternal  life. 
Even  in  those  doctrines  to  which  unbeliev- 
ers are  ever  objecting — sovereign  efficacious 
grace,  personal  election,  &c. — the  Christian 
finds  the  most  powerful  motive  to  purity. 
But  on  others  they  produce  an  ill  effect,  ex- 
citing dislike  to  religion,  causing  to  raise 
objections.  You  never  hear  of  them  but  in 
ridicule.  Some  believe  in  them,  and  hail 
them  as  that  which  frees  them  from  restraint. 
Thus  they  are  either    "stumbling  at  the 


word  being  disobedient,"  or  "turning  the 
grace  of  God  into  lasciviousness."  2.  On  a 
believing  mind  precepts,  and  even  threaten- 
ings,  produce  a  salutary  effect.  Consider- 
ing the  divine  commands  as  their  rule,  they 
fear  to  deviate  and  are  tender  of  conscience  ; 
but  unbelievers  dislike  restraints,  and  there 
is  a  species  of  religion  which  proposes  to 
leave  them  out.  3.  Mercies  and  judgments 
humble,  melt,  and  soften  some,  but  harden 
others.  Mercy — Eccl.  viii.  11.  Judgments 
soften  transiently  only  :  Pharaoh — Saul. 
David  says,  Ps.  xviii.  5,  6.  But  another  re- 
turns to  his  sin  for  relief;  so  the  means  of 
grace  and  salvation  produce  no  good  effect. 
— Isa.  xxvi.  10.  4.  Evils  ivhich  occur  among 
men. — A  pure  mind  gathers  good  from 
the  wickedness  that  occurs  around  him — 
from  the  defection  of  apostates  (John  vi.  68,) 
and  from  the  falls  of  good  men.  But  others 
are  carried  away  before  these  things.  5. 
Treatment  from  men. — It  may  be  unkind — 
unjust,  but  we  shall  view  it  as  coming  from 
God.  David  turned  the  reproaches  of  Shimei 
into  reproofs  from  God ;  but  the  lawyer 
mentioned  in  the  gospels  turned  reproof  in- 
to reproach  ;  thus  the  most  faithful  preach- 
ing gives  offence. 

From  the  whole  we  see  the  vast  impor- 
tance of  the  mind  being  purified  by  faith. 
There  are  those  in  the  world  that  are  nei- 
ther believers  nor  unbelievers ;  but  none 
such  are  here.  Every  one  who  has  heard, 
or  who  has  had  opportunities  of  hearing, 
the  gospel,  is  one  of  them.  Some  manifest 
their  unbelief  by  making  no  pretension 
either  to  faith  or  purity,  but  ridicule  both. 
Some  pretend  faith ;  but  it  does  not  purify 
the  heart  and  life.  O,  come  to  Jesus — puri- 
fy your  souls  by  obeying  the  truth  !  Wash 
in  that  laver.  If  found  impure  at  the  great 
day,  all  is  over.  Nothing  unclean  shall  en- 
ter heaven.     Rev.  xxii.  11. 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE 


CHURCHES  OF  THE  NORTHAMPTONSHIRE  ASSOCIATION. 


1782—1815. 


1782. 

THE  EXCELLENCY  AND  UTILITY  OF  THE 
GRACE  OF  HOPE. 

Dear  Brethren, 

On  this  delightful  subject,  we  feel  great 
pleasure  in  addressing  you.  We  congratu- 
late you,  amidst  all  your  sorrows,  on  your 
possessing  such  a  hope ;  a  hope  which  has 
foundations  the  most  solid,  and  objects  the 
most  substantial.  God  has  not  put  this  jew- 
el into  your  hands  to  be  made  light  of.  He 
would  have  you  to  understand  it  in  order  to 
prize  it.  His  bestowing  upon  you  a  spiritu- 
al illumination  is  to  this  very  end.  He 
does  not  open  your  eyes  to  present  you 
with  mere  spectacles  of  misery,  nor  call  you 
by  his  grace  as  having  nothing  to  bestow 
upon  you  :  no,  blessed  be  his  name, "  the  eyes 
of  your  understandings  are  enlightened 
that  ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  his 
calling,  and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of 
his  inheritance  in  the  saints." 

To  assist  your  meditations  on  this  cheer- 
ing subject,  by  showing  its  excellency  and 
pointing  out  its  great  utility,  we  devote  this 
epistle. 

We  trust  that  what  we  have  already  com- 
municated to  you  on  various  important  sub- 
jects, has  not  been  received  in  vain.  We 
would  not  wish  to  trifle  with  you,  brethren, 
and  we  trust  our  letters  to  you  have  not 
been  trifled  with.  Having  therefore  confi- 
dence in  your  readiness  to  examine  and  re- 
ceive what  we  communicate,  "  we  are  will- 


ing to  impart  unto  you,  not  the  gospel  of 
God  only,  but  also  our  own  souls,  because  ye 
are  dear  unto  us  !  " 

Hope,  or  an  expectation  of  future  good,*  is 
of  so  extensive  an  influence  that  whether 
true  or  false,  well  or  ill  founded,  it  is  one  of 
the  principal  springs  that  keep  mankind  in 
motion.  It  is  vigorous,  bold,  and  enterprising. 
It  causes  men  to  encounter  dangers,  endure 
hardships,  and  surmount  difficulties  innume- 
rable, in  order  to  accomplish  the  desired  end. 
In  religion  it  is  of  no  less  consequence.  It 
is  claimed  by  almost  all  ranks  and  parties  of 
men.  It  makes  a  considerable  part  of  the 
religion  of  those  that  truly  fear  God ;  for, 
though  in  all  true  religion  there  is  and  must 
be  a  love  to  God  and  divine  things  for  their 
own  excellency,  yet  God  who  knows  our 
frame,  and  draws  us  with  the  cords  of  a  man, 

*  Hope,  as  its  objects  are  future,  is  distinguish- 
ed from  enjoyment.  Herein  the  portion  of  the 
saints  is  unlike  that  of  the  worldling,  and  even 
that  of  saints  in  glory.  Also  from  love,  the  objects 
of  which  are  past  and  present,  as  well  as  future, 
whereas  hope  is  confined  to  the  last.  As  they  are 
good  it  is  opposed  to  fear,  which  is  the  dread  of 
evil.  As  they  are  both  future  and  good,  and 
merely  so,  it  is  distinct  from  faith.  We  may  be 
said  to  believe  things  past,  as  that  the  worlds  were 
made  ;  and  things  evil,  as  the  wrath  to  come;  but 
cannot  be  said  to  hope  in  either.  As  it  is  an  ex- 
pectation, it  is  distinguished  from  desire.  We  may 
be  said  to  desire  what  it  is  not  possible  we  should 
ever  enjoy;  but  we  cannot  hope  unless  there  ap- 
pear at  least  a  possibility,  and  generally  speaking 
some  probability,  of  our  possessing  the  object  hoped 
for  ;  and,  in  proportion  as  this  probability  ap- 
pears to  the  mind  great  or  small,  hope  or  expec- 
tation ia  strong  or  weak. 


EXCELLENCY    AND    UTILITY    OF    HOPE. 


447 


condescends  also  to  excite  us  with  the 
promise  of  gracious  reward,  and  to  allure 
us  with  the  prospect  of  a  crown  of  glory. 

We  wish  you,  brethren,  seeing  God  has 
given  you  an  everlasting  consolation  and 
good  hope  through  grace,  to  consider  well 
the  goodness  or  excellence  of  that  divine 
gift.  On  this  account  it  excels  every  other 
hope  as  much  as  a  pearl  excels  a  pebble. 
A  great  part  of  its  excellency  consists  in 
its  being  so  ivtll  founded.  Though  our  hope 
should  aspire  to  the  highest  heavens,  and 
could  grasp  in  all  the  bliss  of  an  eternal 
world,  alas !  what  would  it  avail  us  if  ill 
founded  ?  The  hope  that  is  ill  founded  is 
said  to  make  ashamed,  and  so  terminates  in 
disappointment.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  many 
(O  that  there  may  be  none  of  us!)  who  are 
now  towering  high  in  expectation  will  one 
day  be  "  ashamed  and  confounded  "  because 
they  thus  had  hoped. 

The  grand  foundation  of  all  good  hope 
is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  God's  revealed  Me- 
diator, embraced  by  faith.  On  this  rock  the 
people  of  God  in  all  ages  have  built  their 
hope,  whatever  other  foundations  sinners 
have  devised.  Of  old,  God  laid  this  in  Zion. 
This  was  the  subject  of  apostolic  ministra- 
tions ;  they  held  forth  none  other  than  him 
"  whom  God  had  set  forth  to  be  a  propitia- 
tion through  faith  in  his  blood." 

That  the  mediation  of  Christ  is  the  pri- 
mary ground  of  all  good  hope  will  appear 
evident  if  we  do  but  recollect  (and  O  let  us 
never  forget!)  the  hopeless  condition  in  which 
sin  involved  us.  By  our  breach  of  covenant 
with  God,  the  very  idea  of  future  good  for 
us  was  totally  annihilated.  Nothing  but 
eternal  tribulation  and  anguish,  as  the  re- 
ward of  evil  doers,  was  now  to  be  expected. 
The  image  of  God  being  totally  effaced  in 
us,  his  favor  towards  us  was  absolutely  for- 
feited. Hence  the  least  idea  of  hope  from 
any  other  ground  than  the  mediation  of 
Christ  is  not  only  declarative  of  opposition 
to  God's  way  of  salvation,  but  is  altogether 
a  wild  chimera.  By  the  state  of  the  fallen 
angels  we  may  learn  what  ground  is  left  for 
hope  .where  no  mediator  is  provided  ;  and 
what  must  have  been  our  state  had  we  been 
left  in  their  condition.  These,  void  of  all 
hope  whatever,  "  are  reserved  in  everlasting 
chains  under  darkness,  unto  the  judgment  of 
the  great  day." 

We  are  not  unacquainted  with  the  many 
false  grounds  on  which  sinners  rest  their 
hopes,  but  we  as  well  know  who  has  said, 
"Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that 
which  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ."  We 
doubt  not,  brethren,  but  you  have  perceived 
the  vanity  of  a  multitude  of  those  things 
which  buoy  up  the  hopes  of  a  great  part  of 
mankind.  Yourselves,  it  may  be,  were  once 
the  subjects  of  those  delusory  dreams  where- 
of we  trust  ye  are  now  ashamed.  It  yields 
us  great  pain  to  see  such  numbers  of  our 


fellow-sinners  standing  on  such  slippery 
places!  The  mere  mercy  of  God,  to  the 
exclusion  of  Christ's  mediation — not  being 
so  bad  as  some  others — common  honesty  and 
civility  between  man  and  man — descent 
from  pious  parents — a  place  and  a  name 
among  the  godly — suffering  much  affliction 
in  this  life — legal  convictions — superior 
knowledge — superstitious  zeal — these  are 
some  of  the  dangerous  foundations  on  which 
vast  numbers  of  deluded  mortals  build  their 
eternal  all  !  But  ye,  brethren,  have  not  so 
learned  Christ.  Be  it  your  and  our  resolu- 
tion, with  holy  Paul,  to  "know  nothing"  in 
this  matter  "  but  Christ  and  him  crucified  !  " 

You  will  remember,  dear  brethren,  it  was 
necessary  that  this  glorious  Mediator  should 
be  revealed  ere  he  could  become  a  ground 
of  hope.  The  amazing  design  of  mercy 
was  first  laid  in  the  eternal  council ;  hence 
the  blood  of  Christ  is  termed  the  blood  of 
the  covenant  through  which  prisoners  in  the 
pit  become  prisoners  of  hope  :  but,  whatever 
design  of  mercy  might  exist  in  the  mind  of 
God,  that  could  not  become  a  ground  of 
hope  till  revealed  by  the  word  of  God. 
Hence  the  promise  of  the  woman's  seed 
afforded  the  first  and  only  dawn  of  hope  to 
a  lost  world.  Hence  also  the  word  of  God 
is  frequently  represented  in  Scripture  as 
that  .whereon  our  hope  resteth. 

Equally  necessary  is  it  that  the  mediation 
of  Christ  should  be  embraced  by  faith.  We 
trust  you  need  not  be  told  that  though  this 
mediation  be  the  sole  meritorious  ground  of 
our  hope,  yet  a  special  work  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  must  take  place  in  us,  before  we  can 
reasonably  put  in  our  claim  for  eternal 
bliss.  The  work  of  Christ  gives  to  the 
elect  sinner  a  title  to  its  possession  ;  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  gives  a  meetness  for  its 
enjoyment.  If  Ave  experience  the  latter, 
we  may  lay  claim  to  a  personal  interest  in 
the  former.  These  God  has  joined  together, 
ancT  let  no  man  dare  to  put  them  asunder. 
Christ  must  be  in  us,  ere  he  can  be  to  us 
the  hope  of  glory.  The  hope  that  maketh 
not  ashamed  is  wrought  by  experience.  The 
graces  of  the  Spirit,  however,  become  a 
ground  of  hope,  not  through  any  inherent 
merit,  but  in  virtue  of  the  promise  of  God  ; 
or  rather  they  are  the  evidence  of  our  in- 
terest in  the  promise.  In  numerous  passa- 
ges of  holy  writ,  God  has  promised  eternal 
life  to  all  such  as  bear  certain  characters  : 
namely,  to  those  that  are  of  a  broken  and 
contrite  spirit,  that  mourn  for  sin,  believe  in 
Christ,  love  him  in  sincerity,deny  themselves, 
take  up  their  cross,  follow  him,  &c.  Hence 
all  who  through  grace  are  the  subjects 
of  these  spiritual  dispositions  enjoy  a  right, 
founded  on  such  promises,  to  hope  for  eter- 
nal bliss  ;  and  this  is  another  reason  why 
the  word  of  God  is  frequently  represented 
in  Scripture  as  that  whereon  our  hope 
resteth. 


448 


CIRCULAR   LETTERS. 


It  is  to  be  feared  that  many  split  upon  this 
rock.  We  cautioned  you  against  those  who 
professedly  build  on  other  foundations  than 
Jesus  Christ;  but  these  are  not  the  only 
self-deceivers.  There  is  a  more  refined 
sort,  as  to  their  professed  principles,  who 
build  their  hope  on  something  more  specious 
in  appearance,  but  not  a  whit  better  in  reali- 
ty. These,  brethren,  you  have  more  reason 
to  be  guarded  against,  since  they  are  more 
frequent  in  your  assemblies,  and  some  of 
them  less  discernible,  though  not  less  dan- 
gerous, than  the  former.  These  will  fre- 
quently abound  with  supercilious  treatment 
towards  those  who  profess  to  build  upon 
their  own  works — will  abundantly  exclaim 
against  legal  books  and  legal  preaching, 
which,  by  the  way,  is  the  name  they  give 
not  only  to  those  performances  wherein  men 
are  taught  to  expect  eternal  life  as  the  fruit 
of  their  own  doings,  but  as  well  to  all  those 
wherein  practical  godliness  is  pressed  home. 
These  much  value  themselves  for  their  sup- 
posed orthodoxy  or  soundness  in  the  doc- 
trines of  grace  ;  nay,  so  valiant  are  they, 
many  of  them,  for  the  truth,  that  they 
will  contend  for  it  even  at  the  tavern  or  upon 
the  ale  bench !  but  they  seem  to  have  for- 
gotten that  part  of  sound  doctrine  that 
"  faith  without  works  is  dead,  being  alone."* 
These  talk  loudly  of  building  their  hopes  on 
Christ  alone,  but  forget  that  he  must  be,  as 
one  says,  a  Christ  believed  in,  loved,  and 
obeyed,  and  not  merely  a  Christ  talked  of. 
These  are  frequently  heard  boasting  how 
strong  their  hopes  are  of  their  being  deliv- 
ered from  slavish  fear,  of  their  certainty  of 
going  to  heaven,  die  when  they  may,  with 
many  such  presumptuous  things  ;  but  they 
forget  surely  what  the  Judge  of  all  the 
earth  has  said,  "  Not  every  one  that  saith 
unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven :  but  he  that  doeth  the 
will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.1' 
These,  whatever  their  professions  may  be, 
build  not  upon  the  rock  of  ages,  but  upon  a 
concealed  part  of  self.  There  is  no  such 
great  difference  between  them  and  profess- 
ed legalists,  against  Avhom  they  so  bitterly 
inveigh :  those  think  to  gain  heaven  by 
doing,  and  these  by  knowing,  which  they 
think  to  be  believing.  Their  hope  is  but 
the  hope  of  the  hypocrite,  which  will  in  the 
end  prove  no  better  than  the  spider's  web. 
Nor  do  they  draw  their  evidences  for  glory 
from  such  things  as  the  Scriptures  speak  of 

*  Besides,  it  would  be  no  great  difficulty  to 
prove  that  these  people,  with  all  their  boasted 
soundness,  are  unbelii  vers  in  the  very  essentials 
of  the  gospel.  That  is  an  essential  of  the  gospel, 
without  which  it  would  not  be  the  gospel.  Now 
what  conslilutes  it  gospel  is  its  being  good  news  ; 
but,  whatever  faith  such  people  may  have  in  it  as  a 
piece  of  news,  they  have  none  in  the  goodness  of 
it,  which  is  a  most  essential  thin;;  in  it,  and  with- 
out which  it  would  not  be  the  gospel. 


as  characterizing  the  godly,  but  from  their 
supposed  orthodoxy  or  soundness  in  religious 
principles,  with  perhaps  some  texts  of  Scrip- 
ture which  may  have  occurred  to  their  minds 
with  a  certain  impulse,  tending  mightily  to 
lift  them  up  with  joy,  but  not  to  fill  them 
with  holy  mourning,  or  self-loathing,  or  with 
a  desire  and  endeavor  to  walk  humbly  with 
their  God.  Real  religion  has  no  worse 
enemies  than  these.  By  approaching  near 
unto  it,  and  being  accounted  its  votaries, 
they  are  capable  of  doing  it  much  more  in- 
jury than  its  professed  foes.  While,  Joab- 
like,  they  embrace  it  with  a  dissimulating 
kiss,  by  their  works  they  stab  it  as  under  its 
fifth  rib ! 

We  do  not  mean  to  suggest  but  that  the 
holy  Scriptures  are  often  of  great  consola- 
tion to  the  godly  ;  nor  yet  to  deny  that  some 
passages  of  it  may  be  more  consolatory  to 
the  godly  than  others,  and  the  same  passa- 
ges at  one  time  which  are  not  at  another  : 
these  are  things  which  we  freely  acknowl- 
edge and  happily  experience.  For  the 
truth  or  duty  contained  in  any  passage  of 
Scripture  to  be,  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  opened 
to  the  mind,  and  impressed  upon  the  heart, 
and  afford  strong  consolation  to  the  person, 
is  a  part  of  experience  which  we  can  set  seal 
to,  as  both  reasonable  and  desirable.  It  is 
through  patience  and  comfort  of  the  Scriptures 
that  ive  have  hope.  But  when  impressions 
have  no  tendency  to  humble,  sanctify,  and 
lead  the  soul  to  God,  we  affirm,  and  are 
ready  to  give  proof,  that  they  are  no  better 
than  "lying  vanities,"  though  they  lie  at  the 
bottom  of  some  mighty  fabrics.  Our  having 
certain  passages  of  Scripture  impressed  upon 
our  minds  is  in  itself  no  evidence  for  glory 
at  all,  either  to  ourselves  or  others  ;  no,  not 
though  those  passages  should  be  promises  of 
heaven  itself:  but  if  by  this  we  are  humbled 
and  sanctified — if  a  spirit  of  holy  mourning, 
self-loathing,  watchfulness,  love  to  Christ 
and  holiness,  as  well  as  joy,  be  hereby 
wrought  in  us,  that  is  an  evidence  for  glory. 

Many  persons  are  the  subjects  of  Scrip- 
ture impressions,  and,  to  the  great  scandal  of 
religion,  are  hence  supposed  to  have  God's 
good  work  begun  in  them,  when  it  appears 
evident  by  their  spirit  and  conduct  that  they 
are  utter  strangers  to  real  Christianity.  Ba- 
laam could  have  produced  plenty  of  such  ev- 
idence as  this.  All  those  things  of  his  speak- 
ing are  recorded  as  a  part,  and  an  excellent 
part,  of  holy  Scripture,  and  were  suggested 
to  him  even  by  God  himself.  "  The  Lord," 
we  are  told,  "put  a  word  in  Balaam's  mouth." 
But,  as  none  of  these  things  had  any  tenden- 
cy to  sanctify  his  heart,  they  left  him  but 
where  they  found  him  !  Besides,  we  have 
no  reason  to  think  but  that  Satan  can  and 
does  suggest  many  things  in  the  words  of 
ScriptureT  We  know  he  did  thus  to  Christ 
himself;  and  if  to  him  why  not  to  us  ?  He 
has  ends  to  answer  in  so  doing ;  namely,  to 


EXCELLENCY    AND    UTILITY    OF    HOPE. 


449 


deceive  poor  souls  with  such  airy  dreams,  to 
draw  them  aw,ay  from  resting  their  hopes  on 
scriptural  grounds,  and  to  substitute  these 
illusory  foundations  in  their  room. — On  the 
other  hand,  whatever  be  the  means,  whether 
hearing  the  word  preached,  reading,  conver- 
sation, prayer,  or  meditation  ;  and  whether, 
in  so  meditating,  any  part  of  the  word  be 
suddenly  brought  to  our  mind,  and  impressed 
upon  our  heart,  or  whether  it  be  more  grad- 
ually— whether  we  have  never  thought  of 
the  passage  before,  or  whether  we  have  read 
it  a  thousand  times  over — it  matters  not.* 
If  it  tend  to  produce  a  spirit  of  pure  love  to 
Christ,  lowliness,  and  holiness,  that  affords 
us  a  ground  for  hope,  and  a  reason  for  thank- 
fulness. God  has  plentifully  promised  sal- 
vation to  all  who  are  the  subjects  of  these 
spiritual  dispositions. 

Should  an  enemy  to  your  holy  religion, 
after  all,  require  of  you  a  reason  for  the  hope 
that  is  in  you — should  he  demand  what 
grounds  you  have  to  conclude  that  the  things 
you  hope  for  have  a  real  existence — we  trust 
you  would  not  be  at  a  loss  for  a  reply.  There 
is  not  one  of  all  those  solid  arguments  which 
prove  the  divinity  of  the  sacred  oracles 
(which,  for  brevity's  sake,  we  forbear  to  enu- 
merate,) but  would  furnish  you  with  sufficient 
reason  to  give  an  answer  substantial  in  its 
nature,  though  in  its  manner  "  with  meek- 
ness and  fear." 

The  glorious  objects  with  which  your 
hope  is  conversant  next  demand  your  atten- 
tion, brethren ;  as  they  much,  very  much, 
contribute  to  its  excellency  and  your  felici- 
ty.— You  may  be  assured  they  are  some- 
thing good.  Hope  of  every  kind  has  to  do 
with  nothing  but  what  in  the  view  of  the 
mind  appears  such  ;  and  this  hope  has  to  do 
with  nothing  but  what  is  really  such.  That 
which  we  hope  for  is  not  merely  an  apparent, 
but  a  real  good;  and  not  only  a  good,  but  a  sub- 
stantial good  ;  and  not  only  a  substantial,  but 
a  suitable,  a  great,  yea,  an  everlasting  good  ! 

The  hope  of  worldlings  terminates  on  tri- 
fles ;  on  things  which,  when  enjoyed,  do  but 
cloy,  and  cannot  satisfy. — Let  a  man  in  pur- 
suit of  happiness  knock  at  the  door  of  every 
created  good,  every  created  good  must  an- 
swer, "It  is  not  in  me  !"  Riches  make  them- 
selves wings  and  fly  away ;  honor  is  empty 
as  the  wind  ;  mirth,  what  is  it  but  madness  ? 
Crowns  of  earthly  glory  commonly  prove 
crowns  of  thorns  to  them  that  wear  them ; 
all  are  lying  vanities,  promising  what  they 
cannot  perform.  O,  brethren,  let  the  re- 
solve of  the  church  made  wise  by  affliction 
be  our  resolve  :  "  The  Lord  is  my  portion, 
saith  my  soul,  therefore  will  I  hope  in  him." 

Here  we  find  what  the  wisest  of  men  well 
termed  substance. — Only  a  taste  thereof  af- 

*  See  Help  to  Zion's  Travellers,  a  piece  pub- 
lished at  the  request  of  the  Association  by  our 
brother  Hall,  p.  130—141. 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  57. 


fords  substantial  bliss.  O,  to  enjoy  God ! 
To  enjoy  God  in  Christ !  To  enjoy  him 
with  the  society  of  the  blessed!  To  enjoy 
him  with  soul  and  body,  the  latter  raised  and 
reunited  to  the  former  !  To  enjoy  him  to 
all  eternity.  To  enjoy  him  and  be  changed 
into  the  same  image !  These,  brethren, 
these  are  the  things  on  which  our  hope 
centres  :  nor  is  it  a  matter  of  small  consola- 
tion that  God  himself  has  pledged  his  faith- 
fulness for  their  bestowment  on  all  his  faith- 
ful followers.  However  desirable  these 
things  might  be,  we  should  have  little  reason 
to  rejoice  therein,  if  he  on  whose  word  it  rest- 
ed were  either  false  or  fickle  ;  but,  blessed 
be  his  name,  we  live  "in  hope  of  eternal 
life,  which  God,  that  cannot  lie,  promised 
before  the  world  began  ! " 

Nor  let  it  seem  the  less  glorious  that  it 
is  a  future  good. — In  the  view  of  infinite 
wisdom,  "  it  is  good  that  a  man  should  both 
hope  and  quietly  wait  for  the  salvation  of  the 
Lord."  It  seems  good  to  him  to  place  the 
blessings  he  means  to  bestow  upon  us  at  a 
distance  ;  so  at  a  distance  that  they  must  be 
hoped  in,  and  waited  for,  ere  they  are  enjoy- 
ed. Doubtless,  God  could  have  bestowed 
all  his  blessings  on  us  as  quickly  as  he  did 
paradise  on  the  converted  thief;  but  he  has 
not  seen  fit  in  common  so  to  do.  Certainly 
by  his  suspending  for  a  time  our  enjoyment 
of  promised  favors,  and  at  length  bestowing 
them,  he  glorifies  his  faithfulness  in  the  end, 
as  well  as  that  in  the  mean  time  he  exercises 
our  faithfulness,  patience,  and  resignation  to 
his  will.  But  this  is  not  all :  they  are  the 
more  welcome  when'they  do  come.  If  the 
object  hoped  for  prove  less  in  value  than  we 
expected,  then  indeed  its  having  been  sus- 
pended only  sinks  it  the  more  in  our  esteem  ; 
but  if  it  surpass  all  expectation,  if  it  exceed 
desire  itself  when  it  makes  its  appearance, 
then  its  having  been  so  long  in  coming  only, 
makes  it  the  more  welcome  when  come. 
"  Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick  "  for 
a  time  :  "  but,  when  the  desire  cometh,  it  is 
a  tree  of  life !  "  Let  us  not  think  much  at 
waiting  a  little  while  ;  no,  not  though  during 
that  time  exposed  to  great  tribulations ; 
since  our  dwelling  before  the  throne  will  by 
this  be  rendered  the  more  blissful,  and  our 
weight  of  glory  by  this  increased.  With 
what  sacred  pleasure  did  the  patriarch  Jacob 
resign  his  life,  having  waited  for  God's  sal- 
vation! With  what  unspeakable  joy  did 
good  old  Simeon  embrace  the  long-looked- 
for  blessing  !  With  what  raptures  of  bliss 
will  the  Lord  again  be  welcomed  on  an  ap- 
proaching period,  when  all  who  love  his  ap- 
pearing will  unite,  saying,  "  Lo,  this  is  our 
God,  we  have  waited  for  him! " 

Nay,  it  seems  to  be  a  glory  in  some  sense 
peculiar  to  religion  to  reserve  the  best  till  the 
last. — That  you  may  enjoy  strong  consola- 
tion, brethren,  in  your  passage  through  life, 
God  has  placed  Ids  favors  m  a  glorious  as- 


450 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


cending  gradation.  The  inviting  language 
of  every  one  of  them  is,  Press  forward. 
The  pleasures  of  the  world  and  sin,  if  they 
speak  truth,  can  afford  no  such  encourage- 
ment to  their  admirers :  no,  Ezekiel's  roll  is 
descriptive  of  their  utmost  prospects  ;  that 
roll  which  had  written  within  and  without 
"lamentations,  mourning,  and  woe."  But 
religion  presents  a  train  of  rising  glories : 
he  that  enters  it  aright  will  find  it  like  the 
waters  of  the  sanctuary  ;  first  to  his  ancles, 
then  to  his  knees,  then  to  his  loins,  and  at 
last  a  river  to  swim  in ! — The  different 
stages  of  the  church  maintain  the  same  idea ; 
the  Mosaic  dispensation  contained  greater 
discoveries  than  the  patriarchal ;  the  gos- 
pel contains  greater  than  the  Mosaic ; 
the  latter-day  glory  will  outshine  this ;  and 
ultimate  bliss  will  exceed  them  all.  "  Who 
is  she  that  looketh  forth  as  the  morning, 
fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  son,  and  terri- 
ble as  an  army  with  banners  ?  " 

Give  us  your  attention,  brethren,  while  we 
next  attempt  to  point  out  the  utility  of 
this  heavenly  grace  throughout  the  Chris- 
tian life. — Truly  this  is  beyond  expression. 
If  hope  in  general  is  of  so  much  use  among 
men  as  to  stimulate  them  in  all  their  labors, 
support  them  in  their  sorrows,  and  extricate 
them  from  a  thousand  labyrinths  in  life — if 
by  it  they  brave  dangers,  encounter  hard- 
ships, and  endure  difficulties — if,  in  short,  it 
be  that  by  which,  as  a  means,  even  God 
himself  as  it  were  bears  up  the  pillars  of 
the  world — then  what  must  be  the  use  of 
that  hope  which,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
so  much  surpasses  this  in  excellence  ?  As 
far  as  the  objects  of  Christian  hope  exceed 
in  value,  and  its  grounds  in  solidity,  those  of 
natural  hope,  so  far  does  the  use  of  the  one 
exceed  that  of  the  other.  Its  special  use 
will,  however,  be  best  ascertained  by  taking 
a  view  of  some  of  those  exercises,  cases, 
and  circumstances,  wherein  you  are  con- 
cerned in  your  passage  through  life. — Par- 
ticularly, 

You  have  known  its  value  from  the  time 
when  you  were  first  converted  unto  God, 
when  in  that  time  of  need  it  presented 
before  you  an  all-sufficient  refuge. — You 
remember,  dear  brethren,  it  may  be  some  of 
you  particularly,  "  the  wormwood  and  the 
gall "  in  that  great  work,  which  is  commonly 
begun  with  a  painful  conviction  of  sin.  You 
remember  when  a  sense  of  the  nature  and 
demerit  of  sin,  of  your  sin,  was  such  that 
your  souls  had  almost  dwelt  in  silence !  Ah, 
you  remember  when  the  glorious  character 
of  God  appeared,  thoagh  excellent,  yet 
terrible,  approaching  judgment  unavoidable, 
and  the  Judge  at  the  door !  And  have  you 
forgotten  the  "  door  of  hope  "  which  then 
was  opened  to  you  ?  Have  you  forgotten 
the  sound  of  the  great  trumpet  which  invited 
you  to  come  when  you  were  ready  to  perish  ? 
No,  surely.     While  many,  like   Cain  and 


Judas,  despair  of  mercy,  and  so  "  die  in  the 
pit,"  you  have  reason  to  bless  God  for  hav- 
ing enabled  you  to  "turn  to  the  strong-hold 
as  prisoners  of  hope  !  " 

Morever,  as  servants  of  God,  you  have  a 
great  work  to  do. — Though  the  meritorious 
part  of  your  salvation  has  been  long  since 
finished,  yet  there  is  a  salvation  for  you  still 
to  work  out.  By  prayer,  by  patience,  by 
watchfulness,  and  holy  strife,  you  have 
to  overcome  the  world,  mortify  sin,  and 
run  the  race  set  before  you.  Hope  is  of 
excellent  use  in  this  great  work.  It  is  well 
denominated  a  "  lively  hope."  Its  tendency 
is  not  to  lull  the  soul  asleep,  but  to  rouse  it 
to  action.  We  trust,  dear  brethren,  that  the 
hope  of  which  you  are  partakers  will  more 
and  more  animate  your  breasts  with  gener- 
ous purposes,  and  prompt  your  souls  to  no- 
ble pursuits.  For  this  you  have  the  greatest 
encouragements  surely  that  a  God  can  give  I 
God  will  employ  none  in  his  service  without 
making  it  their  inestimable  privilege.  They 
that  plough  for  him  shall  plough  in  hope. 
Mansions  of  bliss  stand  ready  to  receive  you, 
and  crowns  of  unfading  glory  to  reward  you  ; 
therefore,  beloved  brethren, "  be  ye  steadfast, 
immoveable,  always  abounding  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord,  forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your 
labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord." 

Again :  You  are  attended  with  indivelling 
sin  :  a  "  body  of  sin,"  which,  in  the  account 
of  every  one  that  loves  and  longs  for  purity, 
is  a  body  of  death :  yea,  worse  than  death 
itself!  " — You  wish  to  think  spiritually,  pray 
fervently,  hear  profitably,  and,  in  a  word, 
grow  in  grace  ;  but  this  proves  a  dead  weight 
to  all :  "  the  good  that  ye  would,  that  ye  do 
not !  " — You  wish  to  hate  and  avoid  evil,  and 
all  its  detestable  appearances  ;  but  you  find 
it  in  ten  thousand  forms  haunting,  surpris- 
ing, and  drawing  you  aside,  so  that  too  often 
"  the  evil  that  ye  would  not,  that  ye  do!" 
We  doubt  not,  dear  brethren,  but  that  in 
secret  you  frequently  groan  with  the  apos- 
tle, "  O  wretched  man  that  I  am  ;  who  shall 
deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death !  " 
Now  we  ask  what  can  afford  relief  .in  this 
case,  but  a  good  hope  through  grace  of  be- 
ing freed  at  the  hour  of  death  ?  This  proves 
a  helmet  in  your  spiritual  warfare.  This 
will  inspire  you  with  courage  in  every  con- 
flict: nothing  invigorates  the  soldier  like 
the  hope  of  conquering  at  last.  With  this 
you  will  tread  down  strength,  and,  in  pros- 
pect of  approaching  victory,  sing  with  the 
apostle,  "  /  thank  God  through  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ." 

Again :  You  are  subject  to  many  fears 
and  despondings  of  mind  ere  you  reach  your 
desired  haven.  Too  often,  through  an  un- 
watchful,  unholy  conduct,  the  Spirit  of  God 
is  grieved.  His  presence  once  withdrawn, 
darkness  will  overspread  the  mind,  and  evi- 
dences for  glory  seem  blotted  out.  Satan  is 
often  permitted  at  such  seasons  to  stand  as 


EXCELLENCY    AND    UTILITY    OF    HOPE. 


451 


at  your  right  hand,  accusing-  you  of  your  fil- 
thy garments ;  suggesting  that  such  a  one 
cannot  be  "  a  brand  plucked  out  of  the  burn- 
ing." Under  these  exercises  the  mind  is 
apt  to  be  depressed  beyond  measure ;  the 
soul,  afraid  of  acting  presumptuously,  inlay- 
ing hold  of  consolation,  is  ready,  strangely 
ready,  to  sink  beneath  the  waves  of  dark 
despair.  If  any  offer  consolation,  like  Ra- 
chel on  the  loss  of  her  children,  he  "refuseth 
to  be  comforted."  The  spirit,  at  some  such 
seasons,  is  so  dejected,  it  is  as  if  all  must  be 
given  up.  The  painful  language  of  the 
heart  is,  "  The  Lord  hath  forsaken  me,  and  " 
he  whom  I  once  thought  "  my  God  hath  for- 
gotten me  !  " — "My  hope  is  dried  up,  and  I 
am  cut  off  for  my  part ! "  Ah,  farewell 
hope  !  farewell  heaven !  farewell  Christ ! — 
No, — no, — nor  Christ,  nor  heaven,  nor  hope, 
will  suffer  this  !  Let  deep  call  to  deep,  let- 
waves,  let  billows  overflow,  deliverance 
shall  arise,  hope  will  not  fail,  but  will  afford 
relief.  It  will  prove  "  an  anchor  to  your 
soul,  sure  and  steadfast."  Yes,  it  will  cheer 
your  heart,  and  enable  you  to  sing,  "  Why 
art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul ;  and  why 
art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ?  hope  thou 
in  God,  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him  who  is  the 
health  of  my  countenance,  and  my  God ! " 
Again, 

You  are  subject  to  various  trying  provi- 
dences in  your  passage  through  life. — En- 
joyments in  this  life  are  very  precarious. 
While  we  are  feathering  our  nests,  and 
promising  ourselves  that  we  shall  die  therein 
unmolested,  how  soon  are  we  disappoint- 
ed! yea,  how  many  have  been  nearly  strip- 
ped of  their  earthly  all !  These,  being  de- 
prived of  almost  every  comfort  of  this  life, 
have  then  tasted  the  sweetness  of  hope  in 
another.  These  look  to  their  Maker,  and 
their  eyes  have  respect  to  the  Holy  One 
of  Israel  for  the  reparation  of  their  losses. 
Thus  sang  the  church  in  affliction,  stripped, 
and  bound  in  Babel's  yoke,  "The  Lord  is 
my  portion,  saith  my  soul,  therefore  will  I 
hope  in  him !  " 

Some  of  you  are  poor  in  this  world,  and 
are  subject  to  numerous  hardships. —  You  are 
often  entangled  in  mazes  of  difficulty  ;  you 
have  a  thousand  fears  that  you  shall  never 
get  honorably  through  life.  Especially  at 
times,  God  seems  to  have  set  you  in  "  dark 
places  : "  your  hopes  confounded,  your  fears 
come  upon  you,  and  your  prospects  at  an 
end !  Yes,  say  you,  "  Surely  against  me  is 
he  turned ;  he  turneth  his  hand  against  me 
all  the  day.  He  hath  builded  against  me 
and  compassed  me  with  gall  and  travail. 
He  hath  enclosed  my  ways  with  hewn  stone. 
He  hath  hedged  me  about  that  I  cannot  get 
out ;  he  hath  made  my  chain  heavy !  "  Poor 
people,  we  feel  for  you  !  wherewith  shall  we 
comfort  you  ?  Shall  we  recommend  and 
exercise  benevolence  towards  you  in  our  re- 
spective  churches?     Shall  we   exhort  you 


"  to  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  good ; "  and 
assure  you,  in  God's  name,  that  "so  shall  ye 
dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  ye  shall  be 
fed?"  Or  shall  we  hold  up  before  you  a 
kingdom  to  which  ye  are  heirs ;  a  period 
when  "every  tear  shall  be  wiped  away?" 
O,  brethren,  the  hope  of  the  gospel  furnishes 
you  with  these  strong  consolations !  Again, 

You  are  members  of  Christian  society ;  and 
though  by  your  letters  it  appears  you  enjoy 
peace  in  general,  yet  you  are  not  unac- 
quainted with  many  things  of  a  grieving 
tendency.  In  this  state  of  imperfection  of- 
fences will  come.  Unhappy  feuds  will 
sometimes  arise,  and  grievous  scandals  will 
take  place.  When  church-members  be- 
come self-sufficient,  and  cease  to  be  afraid 
of  entering  into  temptation — when  carnal 
ease  is  substituted  in  the  room  of  gospel 
peace — when  love  grows  cold,  and  complai- 
sance takes  its  place — when  we  are  so 
watchful  over  one  another  as  to  forget  our- 
selves— when  godly  jealousy  is  exchanged 
for  an  uncharitable  temper,  "  more  cruel 
than  the  grave  " — when,  instead  of  "  submit- 
ting to  one  another  in  the  fear  of  God,"  each 
one  becomes  headstrong  and  resolved  to 
have  his  own  way — when  superior  gifts  are 
envied,  and  inferior  ones  despised — when 
zeal  for  the  truth  degenerates  into  vain  jang- 
ling— when  we  are  very  apt  to  take  an  of- 
fence, but  not  to  forgive  one — when  tale- 
bearers are  encouraged,  and  a  spirit  of 
animosity  cherished — then,  brethren,  then 
expect  "confusion,  and  every  evil  work." 
We  are  happy  that  we  can  say  (and  blessed 
be  God  for  it)  that  such  a  spirit  is  far  from 
generally  prevailing  among  you  ;  yet,  so  far 
as  it  does  prevail  (which  the  all-seeing  God 
knows  is  too  far,)  it  dishonors  the  great  Head 
of  the  church,  and  wounds  every  upright 
member!  However,  this  should  be  far 
from  discouraging  religious  society  itself; 
not  to  mention  that  these  are  things  that 
must  always  be  expected,  more  or  less,  in 
this  state  of  trial,  and  that  they  always  ex- 
isted even  in  the  purest  ages  ;  we  can  affirm, 
and  ye  are  our  witnesses,  that  it  has  plea- 
sures which  abundantly  outweigh  all  these 
unhappinesses.  Nor  is  this  all:  hope  holds 
up  a  period,  even  within  the  limits  of  time,  a 
heaven  compared  with  the  present  state  of 
things,  when  "  holiness  to  the  Lord  shall  be 
written  as  upon  the  bells  of  the  horses,  and 
Sion  shall  become  a  quiet  habitation  !  "  But 
this,  say  you,  is  a  period  that  we  have  but 
little  hope  of  living  to  see.  Perhaps  so: 
still  you  live  in  prospect  of  a  better.  Bles- 
sed society,  where  purity  and  amity  forever 
reign !  Yes,  brethren,  immediately  on  en- 
tering members  of  the  church  triumphant, 
you  will  "  enter  into  peace,"  and  each  one  of 
you  "  walk  "  forever  "  in  his  uprightness ! 
Moreover,  . 

You  are  members  of  civil  society.— You 
wish  well  to  your  country,  and  must  have 


452 


CIRCULAR    LETTKRS. 


been  the  subjects  of  grief  to  see  what  you 
have  of  late  years  seen — its  glory  eclipsed 
by  unhappy  wars  and  dissensions ;  to  see  it 
conspired  against  by  surrounding  nations 
and  divided  by  domestic  feuds,  forsaken  by 
its  friends,  and  derided  by  its  enemies.  It 
may  be,  at  times,  fear  has  been  ready  to 
seize  you,  and  tempted  you  to  ask  what  will 
be  the  end  of  these  things  ?  The  sounds  of 
"Nineveh  is  fallen,"  "Babylon  is  fallen," 
yea,  o?"Judah  is  fallen,"  have  been  long  since 
heard  in  the  world;  and  what,  say  you,  are 
we  better  than  they?  Under  these  exer- 
cises, brethren,  we  trust  you  have  found,  and 
will  yet  find,  hope  of  excellent  use  to  you. 
Great  have  been  the  deliverances  your  God 
has  wrought  in  former  ages,  which  afford  a 
ground  of  hope  to  us.  He  can  defend  our 
coasts,  and  still  preserve  our  country ;  yes, 
he  can,  and  blessed  be  his  name  for  any  en- 
couragement afforded  us.  Let  us  then  hope 
and  pray :  "  It  may  be  the  Lord  God  of  hosts 
will  be  gracious  to  the  remnant  of  his  peo- 
ple." Or  should  he  refuse  that,  should  a 
consumption  be  decreed  to  overflow,  in 
righteousness,  still  he  can  preserve  his  faith- 
ful followers  as  he  did  Baruch,  and  those 
who  "  sighed  and  cried  "  in  the  day  of  Jeru- 
salem's ruin.  Nay,  suppose  him  to  refuse 
that;  suppose  that  not  only  your  country 
must  sink,  but  you  must  sink  Avith  it,  and 
perish  in  the  general  wreck !  Still  all  is  not 
lost.  Did  your  portion  lie  in  this  world, 
then,  indeed,  like  the  owner  of  a  vessel 
whose  all  is  on  board,  you  might  dread  its 
sinking  :  but,  seeing  your  inheritance  is  far 
beyond  the  reach  of  these  vicissitudes,  there 
is  reason  for  you  to  mingle  joy  with  tremb- 
ling. Yes,  brethren,  we  trust  there  is  rea- 
son for  you  to  unite  with  holy  David,  "  God 
is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present 
help  in  trouble — therefore  will  we  not  fear, 
though  the  earth  be  moved,  and  though  the 
mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the 
sea!" 

Once  more :  You  and  we  all,  by  some 
means,  must  shortly  die. — Be  it  so  that  no 
untimely  end  befal  us,  the  hour  Cometh  when 
we  must  bid  farewell  to  every  creature  com- 
fort; when  every  created  union  must  be 
dissolved,  and  we  appear  before  the  judg- 
ment-scat of  Christ !  Oh,  then  to  be  with- 
out hope  !  better  had  we  never  been  born ! 
Let  the  reluctance  and  horror  of  those  who 
are  driven  away  in  their  wickedness  teach 
us  the  value  of  a  well-grounded  hope  in  that 
awful  hour.  Verily,  words  cannot  describe 
it,  nor  thoughts  conceive  it !  Here  is  a  rock 
when  all  beside  sinks  under  us !  With  this, 
brethren,  like  the  priest  that  bore  the  ark  of 
God,  your  feet  will  stand  firm  amidst  all  the 
swellings  of  Jordan!  With  this  you  can 
behold  the  ghastly  spectre,  yea,  the  horrors 
of  the  grave  itself,  with  a  cheerful  counte- 
nance, and  sing  with  holy  Job,  "  Although 
after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet 


in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God:  whom  I  shall 
see  for  myself;  mine  eyes  shall  behold,  and 
not  another,  though  my  reins  be  consumed 
within  me  ! " 

Upon  the  whole,  permit  us  to  advise  and 
exhort  you,  dear  brethren,  to  a  few  things 
which  become  persons  who  have  expecta- 
tions like  yours. — While  you  guard  against 
presumption,  beware  of  despair.  The  lat- 
ter, as  well  as  the  former,  is  dangerous 
to  men,  and  offensive  to  God.  Despair 
is  the  death  of  action.  To  despair  of  mercy, 
and  so  never  apply  for  it,  is  to  act  like  the 
wicked  and  slothful  servant,  than  which 
nothing  tends  more  to  cast  reproach  on  the 
character  of  God.  Even  a  man  of  honor 
cannot  bear  to  be  distrusted.  While  fear 
keeps  you  from  presumption,  let  hope  pre- 
serve you  from  despair.  As  condemned 
criminals  in  yourselves  considered,  cast 
yourselves  on  him  for  mercy ;  as  servants, 
serve  him  cheerfully  and  rely  on  his  bounty  ; 
and,  as  suffering  the  loss  of  all  things  for 
him,  trust  him,  like  Moses,  to  make  up 
your  losses.  Remember,  "  the  Lord  taketh 
pleasure  in  them  that  fear  him,  in  those 
that  hope  in  his  mercy." 

Observe,  also,  he  that  has  this  hope  must 
purify  himself  as  Christ  is  pure. — He  must 
take  him  for  his  example,  and  aim  at  no  less 
than  a  complete  conformity  to  his  temper 
and  spirit.  That  which  true  hope  centres  in 
is  not  only  to  see  him  as  he  is,  but  to  be  "  like 
him."  Be  constant,  then,  dear  brethren,  in 
holy  exercises.  We  trust  your  hope  is  not 
of  that  kind  which,  in  proportion  as  it  in- 
creases, slackens  the  hand  of  diligence. 
Neglect  neither  public  nor  private  duties ; 
it  is  at  the  peril  of  your  souls'  welfare  if  you 
do !  Shame  may  keep  you  to  the  one,  but 
rather  let  the  love  of  Christ  constrain  you  to 
both.  Think  nothing  too  great  to  perform,  too 
much  to  lose,  or  too  hard  to  endure,  that  you 
may  obtain  so  blessed  a  hope.  O,  brethren, 
be  it  our  daily  concern  and  earnest  endeav- 
or to  grow  in  every  grace,  to  excel  in  every 
virtue.  Remember  he  whose  eyes  are  flames 
of  fire  surveys  our  heart  and  life  :  how  trans- 
porting the  thought,  could  we  conceive  him 
addressing  each  of  us  as  he  did  the  Thyatiran 
church,  "  I  know  thy  works,  and  charity,  and 
service,  and  faith  ;  and  thy  patience,  and  thy 
works,  and  the  last  to  be  more  than  the  first !  " 
Finally :  Use  all  means  to  cultivate  this 
heavenly  grace. — Remember  sin  is  its  worst 
enemy;  beware  of  that.  The  Holy  Spirit 
is  its  best  friend ;  see  that  you  grieve  not 
him.  Tribulations  themselves,  though  they 
may  seem  to  destroy  it,  in  the  end  cherish  it. 
They  "  work  patience,  and  patience  experi- 
ence, and  experience  hope;"  therefore  be 
reconciled  to  them.  Read  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  pray  in  secret  as  well  as  openly ; 
though  sojourners  on  earth,  let  your  conver- 
sation be  in  heaven;  learn  to  set  light  by 
this  world  ;  court  not  its  smiles,  nor  fear  its 


RELIGIOUS    DECLENSION. 


453 


frowns;  live  in  daily  expectation  of  dying, 
and  die  daily  in  humble  expectation  of  living 
for  evermore ;  realize  and  anticipate  those 
enjoyments  and  employments  to  which  ye 
are  hastening :  in  proportion  to  this,  your  de- 
sires will  be  strong  and  your  hopes  lively. 
Remember  hope  is  one  of  those  graces  which 
must  do  its  all  within  the  limits  of  time  ;  "  be 
sober,"  therefore,  "  and  hope  to  the  end;" 
aim,  like  Enoch,  to  "  walk  with  God "  till 
God  shall  take  you  ;  "  let  your  loins  be  girt, 
and  your  lights  burning,  and  ye  yourselves 
like  unto  men  that  wait  for  their  Lord. 
Blessed  are  those  servants  whom  the  Lord 
when  he  cometh  shall  find  so  doing !  Veri- 
ly, I  say  unto  you,"  said  this  blessed  Lord  of 
yours  (O  hearken,  and  be  astonished,)  "  Ver- 
ily, I  say  unto  you,  that  he  shall  gird  him- 
self, and  make  them  sit  down  to  meat,  and 
will  come  forth  and  serve  them  !  " 

Dearly  beloved  brethren,  farewell !  "  May 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself,  and  God  even 
our  Father,  who  hath  loved  us,  and  given  us 
everlasting  consolation,  and  good  hope 
through  grace,  comfort  your  hearts,  and  stab- 
lish  you  in  every  good  word  and  work ! 


178  5. 

CAUSES    OF    DECLENSION    IN    RELIGION,    AND 
MEANS  OF  REVIVAL. 

Dearly  beloved  brethren, 

Through  the  good  hand  of  our  God  upon 
us  Ave  met  together  according  to  appoint- 
ment, and  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  an  agree- 
able interview  with  several  of  our  dear 
friends  and  brethren  in  the  Lord.  We  trust 
also  that  our  God  was  with  us  in  the  different 
stages  of  the  opportunity.  The  letters  from 
the  several  churches,  which  were  attended 
to  the  first  evening  of  our  meeting  together, 
afforded  us  matter  for  pain  and  pleasure. 
Two  of  the  associate  churches  continue  des- 
titute of  the  stated  means  of  grace,  others 
are  tried  with  things  of  an  uncomfortable 
nature,  and  most  complain  of  the  want  of  a 
spirit  of  fervor  and  constancy  in  the  ways  of 
God.  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  we  met  with 
some  things  which  afforded  us  pleasure. 
Many  of  our  congregations  are  well  attend- 
ed ;  a  spirit  of  desire  after  the  word  is,  we 
think,  upon  the  increase  ;  nor  are  our  labors, 
we  hope,  altogether  in  vain,  as  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  in  a  way  of  conversion,  appears  to 
be  carrying  on,  though  not  in  instances  very 
remarkable. 

'Tis  true  we  have  reason  to  bewail  our 
own  and  other's  declensions,  yet  we  are  not, 
upon  the  whole,  discouraged.  It  affords  us 
no  little  satisfaction  to  hear  in  what  manner 
the  monthly  prayer  meetings  which  were 
proposed  in  our  letter  of  last  year  have  been 
carried  on,  and  how  God  has  been  evidently 
present  in   those  meetings,  stirring  up  the 


hearts  of  his  people  to  wrestle  hard  with  him 
for  the  revival  of  his  blessed  cause.  Though 
as  to  the  number  of  members  there  is  no  in- 
crease this  year,  but  something  of  the  con- 
trary ;  yet  a  spirit  of  prayer  in  some  mea- 
sure being  poured  out  more  than  balances  in 
our  account  for  this  defect.  We  cannot  but 
hope,  wherever  we  see  a  spirit  of  earnest 
prayer  generally  and  perseveringly  prevail, 
that  God  has  some  good  in  reserve,  which 
in  his  own  time  he  will  graciously  bestow. 

But,  while  we  rejoice  to  see  such  a  spirit 
of  united  prayer,  we  must  not  stop  here, 
brethren,  lest  in  so  doing  we  stop  short.  If 
Ave  Avould  hope  for  the  blessing  of  God  upon 
us,  there  must  be  added  to  this  a  spirit  of 
earnest  inquiry  into  the  causes  of  our  declen- 
sions, and  a  hearty  desire  and  endeavor  for 
their  removal.  When  Israel  could  not  go 
forward,  but  were  smitten  by  the  men  of  Ai, 
Joshua  and  the  elders  of  the  people  prostra- 
ted themselves  before  the  Lord.  In  this 
they  did  Avell  ;  but  this  Avas  not  sufficient — 
"Get  thee  up,"  said  the  Lord  to  his  servant 
— "  Avherefore  liest  thou  thus  upon  thy  face  ? 
Israel  hath  sinned — Up,  sanctify  the  people 

— and  search  for  the  accursed  thing!  " 

This,  it  is  apprehended,  is  the  case  Avith  us, 
as  Avell  as  it  was  with  Israel ;  and  this  must 
be  our  employment  as  Avell  as  theirs.  With 
a  view  to  assist  you,  brethren,  and  our- 
selves with  you,  in  this  very  necessary  in- 
quiry, Ave  appropriate  the  present  letter  to 

THE  POINTING  OUT  OF  SOME  OF  THOSE  EVILS 
WHICH  WE  APPREHEND  TO  BE  CAUSES  OF 
THAT  DECLENSION  OF  WHICH  SO  MANY  COM- 
PLAIN, AND  THE  MEANS  OF  THEIR  REMO- 
VAL. 

The  first  thing  that  we  shall  request  you 
to  make  inquiry  about,  is  Avhether  there  is 
not  a  great  degree  of  contenttdness  with  a 
mere  superficial  acquaiyitance  ivith  the  gos- 
pel, without  entering  into  its  spirit  and  end  ; 
and  whether  this  he  not  one  great  cause  of  the 
declension  complained  of. — In  the  apostles' 
time,  and  in  all  times,  grace  and  peace  have 
ever  been  multiplied  by  the  knowledge  of 
God;  and,  in  proportion  as  this  has  been 
neglected,  those  have  always  declined.  If 
Ave  are  sanctified  by  the  word  of  truth,  then, 
as  this  word  is  received  or  disrelished,  the 
Avork  of  sanctification  must  be  supposed  to 
rise  or  fall.  We  may  give  a  sort  of  idle  as- 
sent to  the  truths  of  God,  Avliich  amounts  to 
little  more  than  taking  it  for  granted  that 
they  are  true,  and  thinking  no  more  about 
them,  unless  somebody  opposes  us  :  but  this 
Avill  not  influence  the  heart  and  life,  and  yet 
it  seems  to  be  nearly  the  Avhole  of  Avhat 
many  attain  to,  or  seek  after. 

We  maintain  the  doctrine  of  one  infinitely 
glorious  God ;  but  do  we  realize  the  amia- 
bleness  of  his  character  ?  If  Ave  did,  Ave 
could  not  avoid  loving  him  with  our  heart  and 
soul,  and  mind  and  strength. — We  hold  the 
doctrine  of  the  universal  depravity  of  man- 


454 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


kind  ;  but  do  we  enter  into  its  evil  nature  and 
awful  tendency?  If  we  did  the  one,  how 
much  lower  should  we  lie  before  God,  and 
how  much  more  should  we  be  filled  with  a 
self-loathing  spirit!  If  the  other,  how  should 
we  feel  for  our  fellow-sinners !  how  earnest 
should  we  be  to  use  all  means,  and  have  all 
means  used,  if  it  might  please  God  thereby 
to  pluck  them  as  brands  out  of  the  burning! 
— We  hold  the  doctrine  of  a  trinity  of  per- 
sons in  the  Godhead ;  but  do  we  cordially 
enter  into  the  glorious  economy  of  redemp- 
tion, wherein  the  conduct  of  the  sacred 
Three  is  most  gloriously  displayed  ?  Surely, 
if  we  did,  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  would  be  with  us  more 
than  it  is. — We  avow  the  doctrines  of  free, 
sovereign,  and  efficacious  grace  ;  but  do  we 
generally  feel  the  grace  therein  discovered  ? 
If  we  did,  how  low  should  we  lie !  how 
grateful  should  we  be!  We  should  seldom 
think  of  their  sovereign  and  discriminating 
nature  without  considering  how  justly  God 
might  have  left  us  all  to  have  had  our  own 
will,  and  followed  our  own  ways  ;  to  have 
continued  to  increase  our  malady,  and  de- 
spise the  only  remedy  !  Did  we  properly 
enter  into  these  subjects,  we  could  not  think 
of  a  great  Saviour,  and  a,  great  salvation,  with- 
out loathing  ourselves  for  being  such  great 
sinners ;  nor  of  what  God  had  done  for,  and 
given  to  us,  without  longing  to  give  him  our 
little  all,  and  feeling  an  habitual  desire  to  do 
something  for  him. — If  we  realized  our  re- 
demption by  the  blood  of  Christ,  it  would  be 
natural  for  us  to  consider  ourselves  as 
bought  with  a  price,  and  therefore  not  our 
own  ;  "  a  price,  all  price  beyond !  "  O,  could 
we  enter  into  this,  Ave  should  readily  discern 
the  force  and  propriety  of  our  body  and  spir- 
it being  his  ;  his  indeed  !  dearly  bought,  and 
justly  due ! — Finally,  we  all  profess  to  be- 
lieve the  vanity  of  this  life  and  its  enjoyments, 
and  the  infinitely  superior  value  of  that 
above  ;  but  do  Ave  indeed  enter  into  these 
things  ")  If  Ave  did,  surely  Ave  should  have 
more  of  heavenly-mindedness,  and  less  of 
criminal  attachment  to  the  world. 

It  is  owing  in  a  great  degree  to  this  con- 
tentment Avith  a  superficial  knoAvledge  of 
things,  Avithout  entering  into  the  spirit  of 
them,  that  Ave  so  often  hear  the  truths  of  the 
gospel  spoken  of  Avith  a  tone  of  disgust,  call- 
ing them  "  dry  doctrines'."  Whereas  gospel 
truths,  if  preached  in  their  native  simplicity, 
and  received  Avith  understanding  and  cordi- 
ality, are  the  grand  source  of  all  Avell-ground- 
ed  consolation.  We  know  of  no  consolation 
worth  receiving  but  Avhat  arises  from  the  in- 
fluence of  truth  upon  the  mind.  Christ's 
Avords  are  spirit  and  life  to  them  Avho  hunger 
and  thirst  after  them,  or  have  a  heart  to  live 
upon  them  ;  and,  could  we  but  more  thor- 
oughly enter  into  this  Avay  of  living,  we 
should  find  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  in- 


stead of  being  dry,  to  be  Avhat  they  Avere  in 
the  days  of  Moses,  avIio  declared,  "  My  doc- 
trine shall  drop  as  the  rain,  my  speech  shall 
distil  as  the  deAv  ;  as  the  small  rain  upon  the 
tender  herb  and  as  the  showers  upon  the 
grass." — Deut.  xxxii.  2.  O,  brethren,  may  it 
be  our  and  your  concern  not  to  float  upon  the 
surface  of  Christianity,  but  to  enter  into  the 
spirit  of  it !  "  For  this  cause  "  an  apostle 
boAved  his  knees  "  to  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  that  we  might  "comprehend 
the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and 
height"  of  things:  and  for  this  cause  we 
also  Avish  to  boAv  our  knees,  knoAving  that  it 
is  by  this,  if  at  all,  that  we  are  "  filled  Avith 
all  the  fulness  of  God."— Eph.  iii.  14—19. 

Another  thing  which  Ave  apprehend  to  be 
a  great  cause  of  declension  is  a  contentedness 
tvith  present  attainments,  ivithout  aspiiing 
after  eminence  in  grace  and  holiness. — If 
Ave  may  judge  of  people's  thoughts  and 
aims  by  the  general  tenor  of  their  conduct, 
there  seems  to  be  much  of  a  contentment 
Avith  about  so  much  religion  as  is  thought 
necessary  to  constitute  them  good  men,  and 
that  Avill  just  suffice  to  carry  them  to  heaven  ; 
without  aiming  by  a  course  of  more  than 
ordinary  services  to  glorify  God  in  their  day 
and  generation.  We  profess  to  do  Avliat  Ave 
do  with  a  vieAv  to  glorify  God,  and  not  to  be 
saved  by  it ;  but  is  it  so  indeed  ?  Do  these 
things  look  like  it  ?  How  is  it  too  that  the 
positive  institutions  of  Christ  are  treated 
Avith  so  little  regard  ?  Whence  is  it  that 
Ave  hear  such  language  as  this  so  often  as 
Ave  do — "  Such  a  duty,  and  such  an  ordi- 
nance, is  not  essential  to  salvation — we  may 
never  be  baptized  in  water,  or  become 
church  members,  and  yet  go  to  heaven  as 
well  as  they  that  are  ?  " 

It  is  to  be  feared  the  old  puritanical  Avay 
of  devoting  ourselves  wholly  to  be  the 
Lord's,  resigning  up  our  bodies,  souls,  gifts, 
time,  property,  Avith  all  we  have  and  are  to 
serve  him,  and  frequently  reneAving  these 
covenants  before  him,  is  noAv  awfully 
neglected.  This  Avas  to  make  a  business  of 
religion,  a  life's  icork,  and  not  merely  an 
accidental  affair,  occurring  but  now  and 
then,  and  Avhat  must  be  attended  to  only 
when  Ave  can  spare  time  from  other  engage- 
ments. Few  seem  to  aim,  pray,  and  strive 
after  eminent  love  to  God  and  one  another. 
Many  appear  to  be  contented  if  they  can 
but  remember  the  time  when  they  had  such 
love  in  exercise,  and  then,  tacking  to  it  the 
notion  of  perseverance  without  the  thing, 
they  go  on  and  on,  satisfied  it  seems  if  they 
do  but  make  shift  just  to  get  to  heaven  at 
last,  without  much  caring  hoAv.  If  Ave  were 
in  a  proper  spirit,  the  question  Avith  us  would 
not  so  much  be,  Avhat  must  I  do  for  God  ? 
as  what  can  I  do  for  God  ?  A  servant  that 
heartily  loves  his  master  counts  it  a  privilege 
to  be  employed  by  him,  yea,  an  honor  to  be 
entrusted  Avith  any  of  his  concerns. 


RELIGIOUS    DECLENSION. 


455 


If  it  is  inquired,  what  then  is  to  be  done  ? 
wherein  in  particular  can  Ave  glorify  God 
more  than  we  have  done  ?  We  answer  by 
asking,  Is  there  no  room  for  amendment  ? 
Have  we  been  sufficiently  earnest  and  con- 
stant in  private  prayer  ?  Are  there  none  of 
us  that  have  opportunities  to  set  apart  partic- 
ular times  to  pray  for  the  effusion  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  ?  Can  we  do  no  more  than  we 
have  done  in  instructing  our  families  ?  Are 
there  none  of  our  dependants,  workmen,  or 
neighbors,  that  we  might  speak  to,  at  least 
so  far  as  to  ask  them  to  go  and  hear  the 
gospel  ?  Can  we  rectify  nothing  in  our 
tempers  and  behavior  in  the  world,  so  as 
better  to  recommend  religion  ?  Cannot  we 
watch  more  ?  Cannot  we  save  a  little  more 
of  our  substance  to  give  to  the  poor  ?  In  a 
word,  is  there  no  room  or  possibility  left  for 
our  being  more  meek,  loving,  and  resem- 
bling the  blessed  Jesus  than  we  have  been  ? 

To  glorify  God,  and  recommend  by  our 
example  the  religion  of  the  meek  and  lowly 
Jesus,  are  the  chief  ends  for  which  it  is 
worth  while  to  live ;  but  do  we  sufficiently 
pursue  these  ends  ?  Even  these  chief  ends 
of  our  existence,  are  they  in  any  good  de- 
gree so  much  as  kept  in  view  ?  Ah,  what 
have  we  done  for  God  in  the  towns,  villages, 
and  families  where  we  reside  ?  Christians 
are  said  to  be  the  light  of  the  world,  and 
the  salt  of  the  earth — do  we  answer  these 
characters  ?  Is  the  world  enlightened  by 
us  ?  Does  a  savor  of  Christ  accompany 
our  spirit  and  conversation  ?  Our  business, 
as  Christians,  is  practically  to  be  holding 
forth  the  word  of  life.  Have  we,  by  our 
earnestness,  sufficiently  held  forth  its  impor- 
tance ?  or  by  our  chaste  conversation,  coupled 
with  fear,  its  holy  tendency  ?  Have  we  all 
along,  by  a  becomings'/mess  of  spirit,  made 
it  evident  that  religion  is  no  low,  mean,  or 
dastardly  business  ?  Have  we  by  a  cheerful 
complacency  in  God's  service,  gospel,  and 
providence,  sufficiently  held  forth  the  excel- 
lency of  his  government  and  the  happy  ten- 
dency of  his  holy  religion  ? — Doubtless,  the 
most  holy  and  upright  Christians  in  these 
matters  will  find  great  cause  for  reflection, 
and  room  for  amendment  ;  but  are  there  not 
many  who  scarcely  ever  think  about  them, 
or,  if  they  do,  it  only  amounts  to  this,  to  sigh, 
and  go  backward,  resting  satisfied  with  a  few 
lifeless  complaints,  without  any  real  and 
abiding  efforts  to  have  things  otherwise  ? 

Another  cause  of  declension,  we  appre- 
hend, is  making  the  religion  of  others  our 
standard,  instead  of  the  luord  of  God. — The 
word  of  God  is  the  only  safe  rule  we  have 
to  go  by,  either  in  judging  what  is  real  reli- 
gion, or  what  exertions  and  services  for  God 
are  incumbent  upon  us.  As  it  is  unsafe  to 
conclude  ourselves  real  Christians  because 
we  may  have  such  feelings  as  we  have  heard 
spoken  of  by  some  whom  we  account  good 
men,  so  it  is  unjust  to  conclude  that  we  have 


religion  enough  because  we  may  suppose 
ourselves  to  be  equal  to  the  generality  of 
those  that  now  bear  that  character.  What 
if  they  be  good  men?  they  are  not  our 
standard — and  what  if  their  conversation  in 
general  be  such  as  gives  them  a  reputation 
in  the  religious  world  ?  Christ  did  not  say 
learn  of  them,  but  learn  of  me.  Or  if  in  a 
measure  we  are  allowed  to  follow  them  who 
through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  prom- 
ises, still  it  is  with  this  restriction,  as  far  as 
they  are  folloivers  of  Christ. 

Alas,  how  much  is  the  professing  part  of 
mankind  governed  by  ill  example  !  If  the 
question  turns  upon  religious  diligence,  as 
how  often  shall  I  attend  at  the  house  of  God 
— once  or  twice  on  the  Lord's  day  ?  or  how 
frequently  shall  I  give  my  company  at 
church-meetings,  opportunities  for  prayer, 
and  such  like  ?  is  not  the  answer  commonly 
governed  by  what  others  do  in  these  cases, 
rather  than  by  what  is  right  in  itself? — So, 
if  it  turns  on  liberality,  the  question  is  not 
what  am  I  able  to  spare  in  this  case,  con- 
sistent with  all  other  obligations  ?  but  what 
does  Mr.  such  a  one  give  ?  I  shall  do  the 
same  as  he  does. — Something  of  this  kind 
may  not  be  wrong,  as  a  degree  of  proportion 
among  friends  if  desirable ;  but,  if  carried 
to  too  great  lengths,  we  must  beware  lest 
our  attention  to  precedent  should  so  far  ex- 
clude principle  in  the  affair  as  to  render  even 
what  we  do  unacceptable  in  the  sight  of 
God. — So  if  the  question  turns  on  any  par- 
ticular piece  of  conduct,  whether  it  be  de- 
fensible or  not,  instead  of  searching  the  Bi- 
ble, and  praying  to  be  led  in  the  narrow 
way  of  truth  and  righteousness,  how  common 
is  it  to  hear  such  language  as  this — Such 
and  such  good  men  do  so  ;  surely,  therefore, 
there  can  be  no  great  harm  in  it ! — In  short, 
great  numbers  appear  to  be  quite  satisfied  if 
they  are  but  about  as  strict  and  as  holy  as 
other  people  with  whom  they  are  connected. 

Many  HI  effects  appear  evidently  to  arise 
from  this  quarter.  Hence  it  is  that,  for  the 
want  of  bringing  our  religion  and  religious 
life  to  the  test  of  God's  holy  word,  we  are 
in  general  so  wretchedly  deficient  in  a  sense 
of  our  vast  and  constant  defects,  have  no  spirit 
to  press  forivard,  but  to  go  on,  ivithout  re- 
pentance for  them  or  as  much  as  a  thought 
of  doing  otherwise. — Hence  also  there  is  so 
much  vanity  and  spiritual  pride  among  us. 
While  we  content  ourselves  with  barely 
keeping  pace  with  one  another,  we  may  all 
become  wretched  idlers,  and  loose  walkers  ; 
and  yet,  as  one  is  about  as  good  as  another, 
each  may  think  highly  of  himself;  whereas, 
bring  him  and  his  companions  with  him  to 
the  glass  of  God's  holy  word,  and,  if  they 
have  any  sensibility  left,  they  must  see  their 
odious  picture,  abhor  themselves,  and  feel 
their  former  conduct  as  but  too  much  re- 
sembling that  of  a  company  of  evil  conspira- 
tors who  kept  each  other  in  countenance. — 


456 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


Finally,  To  this  it  may  be  ascribed  in  part 
that  so  many  are  constantly  waxing  ivorse  and 
worse,  more  and  more  loose  and  careless  in 
their  spirit  and  conduct. — For  those  who  are 
contented  not  to  do  better  than  other  people 
generally  allow  themselves  to  do  a  little 
worse.  An  imitator  is  scarcely  ever  known 
to  equal  an  original  in  the  good,  but  gene- 
rally exceeds  him  in  the  bad  ;  not  only  in 
imitating  his  feelings,  but  adding  others  to 
their  number.  If  we  would  resemble  any 
great  and  good  man,  we  must  do  as  he  does, 
and  that  is  keep  our  eye  upon  the  mark, 
and  follow  Christ  as  our  model.  It  is  by 
this  means  that  he  has  attained  to  be  what  he 
is.  Here  we  shall  be  in  no  danger  of  learn- 
ing anything  amiss  ;  and  truly  we  have  fail- 
ings enough  of  our  own,  in  not  conforming 
to  the  model,  without  deriving  any  more 
from  the  imperfections  of  the  model  itself. 
Once   more, — The   ivant  of  considering 

THE  CONSEQUENCES   OF   OUR  OWN  GOOD  AND 

evil  conduct  is,  ice  apprehend,  another 
great  cause  of  declension  in  many  people. — It 
is  common  for  people  on  many  occasions  to 
think  within  themselves  in  some  such  man- 
ner as  this — "  What  signify  my  faults,  or 
my  efforts  ?  They  can  weigh  but  little  for 
or  against  the  public  good.  What  will  my 
prayers  avail  ?  and  what  great  loss  will  be 
sustained  by  an  individual  occasionally  omit- 
ting the  duty  of  prayer,  or  attendance  on  a 
church-meeting,  or  it  may  be  the  public 
worship  and  ordinances  of  God?  And  what 
consequences  will  follow  if  one  be  a  little 
now  and  then  off  one's  watch — nobody  is 
perfect,"  &c.  &c.  This,  and  a  great  deal 
more  such  horrid  atheism,  it  is  to  be  fear- 
ed, if  a  thorough  search  were  made,  would 
be  found  to  lie  at  the  bottom  of  our  common 
departures  from  God. 

If,  when  an  army  goes  forth  to  engage 
the  enemy,  every  soldier  were  to  reason 
with  himself  thus — Of  what  great  conse- 
quence will  my  services  be  ?  it  is  but  little 
execution  that  I  can  do  ;  it  will  make  but 
very  little  difference,  therefore,  if  I  desert  or 
stand  neuter — there  are  enough  to  fight 
without  me," — what  would  be  the  conse- 
quence ?  Would  such  reasoning  be  admit- 
ted ?  Was  it  admitted  in  the  case  of  the 
Reuhenites,  who  cowardly  abode  by  their 
sheep-folds  while  their  brethren  jeoparded 
their  lives  upon  the  high  places  in  the  field  ? 
Was  not  Meroz  cursed  with  a  bitter  curse 
because  its  inhabitants  came  not  forth  to  the 
help  of  the  Lord  in  the  day  of  the  mighty  ? — 
Judges  v.  15, 1G,  23.  If  an  army  would  hope 
to  obtain  the  victory,  every  man  should  act  as 
if  the  whole  issue  of  the  battle  depended  upon 
his  conduct :  so,  if  ever  things  go  well  in  a 
religious  view,  it  will  be  when  every  one  is 
concerned  to  act  as  if  he  were  the  only  one 
that  remained  on  God's  side. 

We  may  think  the  efforts  of  an  individual 
to  be  trifling;    but,  dear  brethren,  let  not 


this  atheistical  spirit  prevail  over  us.  It  is 
the  same  spawn  with  that  cast  forth  in  the 
days  of  Job,  when  they  asked  concerning 
the  Almighty,  "What  profit  shall  we  have  if 
we  pray  unto  him?  "  At  this  rate  Abraham 
might  have  forborne  interceding  for  Sodom, 
and  Daniel  for  his  brethren  of  the  captivity. 
James  also  must  be  mistaken  in  saying  that 
the  prayer  of  a  single,  individual,  righteous 
man  availeth  much.  Ah,  brethren,  this  spirit 
is  not  from  above,  but  cometh  of  an  evil 
heart  of  unbelief  departing  from  the  living 
God !  Have  clone  with  that  bastard  humility 
that  teaches  you  such  a  sort  of  thinking  low 
of  your  own  prayers  and  exertions  for  God 
as  to  make  you  decline  them,  or  at  least  to 
be  slack  or  indifferent  in  them  !  Great  things 
frequently  rise  from  small  beginnings. 
Some  of  the  greatest  good  that  has  ever 
been  done  in  the  world  has  been  set  a  go- 
ing by  the  efforts  of  an  individual. — Witness 
the  christianizing  of  a  great  part  of  the  hea- 
then world  by  the  labors  of  a  Paid,  and  the 
glorious  reformation  from  popery  began  by 
the  struggles  of  a  Litfher. 

It  is  impossible  to  tell  what  good  may  re- 
sult from  one  earnest  wrestling  with  God, 
from  one  hearty  exertion  in  his  cause,  or 
from  one  instance  of  a  meek  and  lowly  spirit, 
overcoming  evil  with  good.  Though  there 
is1  nothing  in  our  doings  from  which  we 
could  look  for  such  great  things  ;  yet  God  is 
pleased  frequently  to  crown  our  poor  ser- 
vices with  infinite  reward.  Such  conduct 
may  be,  and  often  has  been,  the  means  of 
the  conversion  and  eternal  salvation  of  souls : 
and  who  that  has  any  Christianity  in  him 
would  not  reckon  this  reward  enough  ?  A 
realizing  sense  of  these  things  would  stir  us 
all  up ;  ministers  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature,  private  Christians  situated  in 
this  or  that  dark  town  or  village  to  use  all 
means  to  have  it  preached,  and  both  to  re- 
commend it  to  all  around  by  a  meek  and  un- 
blemished conversation. 

Again,  we  may  think  the  faidts  of  an  in- 
dividual to  be  trifling,  but  they  are  not  so. 
For  the  crime  of  Achan  the  army  of  Israel 
suffered  a  defeat,  and  the  whole  camp  could 
not  go  forward.  Let  us  tremble  at  the 
thought  of  being  a  dead  weight  to  the  socie- 
ty of  which  Ave  are  members  ! — Besides,  the 
awful  tendency  of  such  conduct  is  seen  in 
its  contagious  influence.  If  people  continue 
to  be  governed  by  example,  as  they  certainly 
will  in  a  great  degree,  then  there  is  no 
knowing  what  the  consequences  will  be, 
nor  where  they  will  end.  A  single  defect  or 
slip,  of  which  we  may  think  but  little  at  the 
time,  may  be  copied  by  our  children,  servants, 
neighbors,  or  friends,  over  and  over  again  ; 
yea,  it  may  be  transmitted  to  posterity,  and 
pleaded  as  a  precedent  for  evil  when  we  are 
no  more !  Thus  it  may  kindle  a  fire  which, 
if  we  ourselves  are  saved  from  it,  may 
nevertheless  burn  to  the  lowest  hell,  and 


RELIGIOUS    DECLENSION. 


457 


aggravate  the  everlasting  misery  of  many 
around  us,  who  are  "flesh  of  our  flesh,  and 
bone  of  our  bone!  " 

These,  brethren,  we  apprehend,  are  some 
of  the  causes,  among  many  others,  which 
have  produced  those  declensions  which  you 
and  we  lament  But  what  do  we  say  ?  Do 
we  indeed  lament  them  ?  If  we  do,  it  will 
be  natural  for  us  to  inquire,  What  shall  we 
do  ?  What  means  can  he  used  towards  their 
removal,  and  a  happy  revival  ?  If  this  be  no w 
indeed  the  object  of  our  inquiry,  we  cannot 
do  better  than  to  attend  to  the  advice  of  the 
great  Head  of  the  church  to  a  backsliding 
people — "  Remember  from  whence  thou  art 
fallen,  and  repent,  and  do  thy  first  works." 
— "Be  watchful,  and  strengthen  the  things 
that  remain  that  are  ready  to  die." — "  Re- 
member how  thou  hast  received  and  heard, 
and  hold  fast,  and  repent !  " — Rev.  ii.  5  ;  iii. 
2, 3.     Particularly, 

First,  Let  us  recollect  the  best  periods  of 
the  Christian  church,  and  compare  them  with 
the  present ;  and  the  best  parts  of  our  oivn 
life,  if 'we  know  when  they  ivere,  and  compare 
them  ivith  what  ive  noto  are. — A  recollection 
of  the  disinterested  zeal  and  godly  simplicity 
of  the  primitive  Christians,  and  their  succes- 
sors in  after  ages,  millions  of  whom,  in 
Christ's  cause,  loved  not  their  lives  unto 
death,  would  surely  make  us  loathe  ourselves 
for  our  detestable  lukewarmness  !  As  pro- 
testants,  let  us  think  of  the  fervent  zeal  and" 
holy  piety  of  our  reformers — think  what  ob- 
jects they  grasped,  what  difficulties  they 
encountered,  and  what  ends  they  obtained  ! 
As  protestant  dissenters,  let  us  reflect  on  the 
spirit  and  conduct  of  our  puritan  and  non- 
conforming ancestors.  Think  how  they 
served  God  at  the  expense  of  all  that  was 
dear  to  them  in  this  world,  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  our  churches  in  woods,  and 
dens,  and  caves  of  the  earth !  Say,  too,  was 
their  love  to  God  more  than  need  be  ?  Is 
the  importance  of  things  abated  since  their 
death?  Might  not  they  have  pleaded  the 
danger  and  cruelty  of  the  times  in  excuse 
for  a  non-appearance  for  God  with  much 
more  seeming  plausibility  than  we  can  excuse 
our  spirit  of  hateful  indifference  ?  O  let  us 
remember  whence  we  are  fallen,  and  repent ! 

As  to  our  own  lives,  if  we  are  real  Chris- 
tians, probably  we  can  remember  times 
wherein  the  great  concerns  of  salvation 
seemed  to  eclipse  all  other  objects.  We 
covenanted  with  God — we  resigned  over  all 
to  him — we  loved  to  be  his,  willingly  his, 
rather  than  our  own — we  were  willing  to 
do  any  thing,  or  become  any  thing,  that 
should  glorify  his  name.  And  is  it  so  now  ? 
No !  but  why  not  ?  what  iniquity  have  we 
found  in  him,  that  we  are  gone  away  back- 
ward ?  "  O,  my  people,  saith  the  Lord, 
what  have  I  done  unto  thee  ?  wherein  have 
I  wearied  thee  ?  Testify  against  me  !  " 
Have  I  been  a  hard  master,  or  a  churlish  fa- 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  58. 


ther,  or  a  faithless  friend  ?  Have  I  not  been 
patient  enough  with  you,  or  generous  enough 
towards  you  ?  Could  I  have  done  anything 
more  for  you  that  I  have  not  done  ?  Was 
the  covenant  you  made  with  me  a  hard  bar- 
gain ?  Was  it  hard  on  your  side  for  me  to 
be  made  sin,  who  knew  no  sin,  that  you 
might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
me  ?  Were  the  rewards  of  my  service  such 
as  you  could  not   live  upon  ?     Is   it  better 

with  you  now  than  then  ? O,  Christian 

reader !  pause  awhile  ;  lay  aside  the  paper, 
and  retire  before  God  !  reflect,  and  pour  out 
thy  soul  before  him — Say  unto  him,  "O 
Lord,  righteousness  belongeth  unto  thee, 
but  unto  us  confusion  of  face  !  "  Thus, 
thus,  remember  whence  thou  art  fallen,  and 
repent ! 

But  do  not  stop  here — think  it  not  suffi- 
cient that  we  lament  and  mourn  over  our 
departures  from  God :  we  must  return  to  him 
with  full  purpose  of  heart — "  Strengthen  the 
things  that  remain  which  are  ready  to  die." 
Cherish  a  greater  love  to  the  truths  of  God 
— pay  an  invariable  regard  to  the  discipline 
of  his  house — cultivate  love  to  one  another 
— frequently  mingle  souls  by  frequently  as- 
sembling yourselves  together — encourage  a 
meek,  humble,  and  savory  spirit,  rather  than 
a  curious  one.  These  are  some  of  the  things 
among  us  that  are  "ready  to  die ! "  To  this 
it  is  added, 

"  Do  thy  first  works.'''' — Fill  up  your  places 
in  God's  worship  with  that  earnestness  and 
constancy  as  when  you  were  first  seeking 
after  the  salvation  of  your  souls — flee  from 
those  things  which  conscience,  in  its  most 
tender  and  best  informed  state,  durst  not 
meddle  with,  though  since  perhaps  they 
may  have  become  trifling  in  your  eyes — 
walk  in  your  family,  in  the  world,  and  in  the 
church,  with  God  always  before  you — live  in 
love,  meekness,  and  forbearance  with  one 
another — whatever  your  hands  find  you  to 
do,  "  do  it  with  all  your  might ; "  seeking  to 
promote,  by  all  means,  the  present  and  eter- 
nal welfare  of  all  around  you. 

Finally,  brethren,  let  us  not  forget  to  in- 
termingle prayer  with  all  we  do.  Our  need 
of  God's  Holy  Spirit  to  enable  us  to  do  any 
thing,  and  every  thing,  truly  good,  should 
excite  us  to  this.  Without  his  blessing  all 
means  are  without  efficacy,  and  every  effort 
for  revival  will  be  in  vain.  Constantly  and 
earnestly,  therefore,  let  us  approach  his 
throne.  Take  all  occasions  especially  for 
closet  prayer :  here,  if  any  where,  we  shall 
get  fresh  strength,  and  maintain  a  life  of 
communion  with  God.  Our  Lord  Jesus 
used  frequently  to  retire  into  a  mountain 
alone  for  prayer;  he,  therefore,  that  is  a. fol- 
lower of  Christ,  must  follow  him  in  this  im- 
portant duty. 

Dearly  beloved  brethen,  farewell !  "  Un- 
to him  that  is  able  to  keep  you  from  falling, 
and  to  present  you  faultless  before  the  pres- 


458 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


ence  of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy — To 
the  only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  be  glory  and 
majesty,  dominion  and  power,  both  now  and 
ever,  Amen." 


1795. 

WHY  CHRISTIANS  IN  THE  PRESENT  DAY 
POSSESS  LESS  JOY  THAN  THE  PRIMI- 
TIVE DISCIPLES. 

Dear  brethren, 

While  the  judgments  of  God  are  abroad 
in  the  earth,  and  multitudes  are  trembling 
for  the  fate  of  nations  and  dreading  lest  fam- 
ine, or  war,  or  pestilence,  which  have  deso- 
lated other  countries,  should  receive  a  com- 
mission to  lay  waste  our  own,  we  have 
reason  to  bless  God  that  he  has  manifested 
his  care  of  his  churches,  by  continuing  the 
gospel  among  us,  and  granting  it  to  be  at- 
tended with  some  increasing  success.  The 
wall  of  Jerusalem  is  built  up  even  in  troublous 
times ;  and  we  were  not  only  permitted  to 
assemble  in  peace,  but  received  tidings 
from  most  of  the  churches  of  a  peculiarly 
pleasing  nature. 

In  our  letter  of  last  year  we  addressed 
you  on  the  nature  and  grounds  of  joy  in  God. 
In  pursuance  of  the  resolution  of  the  last 
association,  we  shall  in  this  attempt  an  an- 
swer to  the  following  inquiry  :  Why  is  it 
that  Christians  in  the  present  day 
come  so  far  short  of  the  primitive 
Christians  in  the  possession  of  joy  ? 

That  the  thing  itself  is  a  fact  can  admit 
but  little  doubt.     It  is  true,  the  joy  of  the 
primitive    Christians    was    not   always    the 
same :  previous  to  the  resurrection  and  as- 
cension of  Christ  they  appeared  to  possess 
it  in  a  far  less  degree  than  afterwards  ;  and 
in  their  brightest   days  they,  no  doubt,   as 
well  as  we,  occasionally  experienced  inter- 
vening clouds.     The  account,  nevertheless, 
which  is  given  of  them,  intimates  that  a  vein 
of  sacred  enjoyment  ran  through  their  lives. 
No  sooner  had  they  beheld  the  Lord  Jesus 
taken  up  into  heaven  than  they  returned 
"  to  Jerusalem  with  great  joy,  and  were  con- 
tinually in  the  temple,  praising  and  blessing 
God."     And  after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and 
the  addition  of  3000  souls  by  the  preaching 
of  Peter,  they  are  described  as  "continuing 
daily  with  one  accord  in  the   temple,  and 
eating  their  meat  with  gladness  and  single- 
ness of  heart."     Persecution  itself  did   not 
destroy  their  happiness,  but  helped,  on  some 
considerations,  to  increase  it.     Having  been 
summoned  before    the  Jewish  council   for 
preaching  Christ,  they  "  departed  rejoicing 
that  they   were  counted   worthy   to   suffer 
shame  for  his  name's  sake."     Covered  with 
stripes,  thrust  into  an  inner  prison,  and  with 
their  feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks,  "  at  mid- 


night Paul  and  Silas  prayed,  and  sung 
praises  to  God ! "  Nor  was  this  happy 
frame  of  mind  confined  to  the  apostles,  or  to 
the  first  few  years  after  the  introduction  of 
Christianity :  Peter  -could  say  of  the  gen- 
erality of  Christians  at  the  time  when  he 
wrote  his  first  epistle,  "whom  having  not 
seen,  ye  love  ;  in  whom,  though  now  ye  see 
him  not,  yet,  believing,  ye  rejoice  with  joy 
unspeakable,  and  full  of  glory." 

Such  accounts  of  the  primitive  disciples 
afford  an  affecting  view  of  the  great  dispar- 
ity   between  them  and  the  generality    of 
modern  Christians.     The  following  particu- 
lars, amongst  others,  must  needs   strike  an 
attentive  observer : — First,  they  rejoiced  in 
all  their   labors,  complying   with  the  com- 
mands of  Christ  rather  as  an  honor  and  a 
privilege     than    as  mere    matter  of   duty. 
The  prompt  and  cheerful   manner  in  which 
they  attended  to  divine  institutions  exhibits 
a  lovely   picture   of   genuine   Christianity. 
"They  that  gladly  received  the  word  were 
baptized. — And  they  continued  steadfastly 
in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and 
in    breaking    of  bread,    and    in    prayers." 
There  is  not  a  single  instance  in  all  the  New 
Testament  of  an   avowed  Christian  living 
in  the  neglect  of  the  ordinances  of  Christ. 
Such  an  idea  seems  never  to  have  entered 
into  their  minds  ;  but  it  is  unnecessary  to  say 
that  with  us  it  is  a  common  case. — Secondly, 
'  they  rejoiced,  as  we  have  seen,  in  tribulation, 
considering  the  reproaches  of  the  world  as 
an  honor,  and  counting  it  all  joy  when  they 
fell  into  divers  temptations  :  but  the  highest 
exercises  of  grace  that  are  common  amongst 
us  fall  short  in   this  particular:  instead  of 
rejoicing  in  tribulation,  we  are  ready  to  ac- 
count it  pretty  much  if  we  rejoice   notwith- 
standing it. — Thirdly,  they  experienced  an 
habitual  consciousness  of  their  being  the 
subjects  of  gracious  dispositions,  and  conse- 
quently enjoyed  a  settled  persuasion  of  their 
interest  in  Christ.     In  all  the  New  Testa- 
ment we   have  scarcely  an  instance   of  a 
Christian  being  at  a  loss  to  perceive  the  evi- 
dence of  his  Christianity.     What  are  called 
doubts   and   fears   amongst  us,  and   which 
make  up  so  large  a  proportion  of  our  reli- 
gious experiences,  seem  to  have  occupied 
scarcely   any  place   amongst  them.      This 
fact,  if  there  were  no  other,  calls  for  serious 
inquiry  into  the  cause  or  causes  of  it.     The 
language  that  we  are  in  the  habit  of  using, 
when  speaking  of  our  love,  or  faith,  or  obe- 
dience, betrays  a  sad  defect  in  the  exercise 
of  these  heavenly  graces.     Instead  of  being 
able  to  say,  "  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things, 
thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee  " — "  I  have 
believed,   and  therefore  have  I  spoken " — 
"  God  whom  I  serve   in  the   gospel," — and 
the  like,  we  are  ready  to  be  startled  at  such 
professions,  and  feel  ourselves  under  a  kind 
of  necessity  to  soften  the  language  into  a 
wish,  a  willingness,  or  a  desire.    I  desire  to 


WHY    MODERN    CHRISTIANS    ARE    DEFICIENT    IN    JOY. 


459 


love,  I  ivould  believe,  I  icish  to  be  obedient, 
are  expressions  which  frequently  occur  in 
our  prayers  and  hymns  ;  but  wishing- to  love, 
and  desiring  to  obey,  when  substituted  in 
the  place  of  love  and  obedience  themselves, 
are  inadmissible.  Such  language  is  unknown 
in  the  Scriptures,  unless  it  be  found  in  the 
character  of  the  slothful,  whose  desire  is 
said  to  kill  him  ;  and  indicates,  to  say  the 
least,  but  a  small  degree  of  real  religion. 

To  account  for  this  disparity  is  of  impor- 
tance, as  by  a  knowledge  of  the  causes  of  a 
malady  we  may  be  directed  to  the  proper 
means  of  a  cure.  Peculiar  dejection  in 
individuals  may  often  be  accounted  for  from 
the  peculiarity  of  their  habits,  constitution, 
circumstances,  opportunities,  and  connec- 
tions ;  but  when  it  affects  a  body  or  genera- 
tion of  men  it  must  be  traced  to  other 
causes.  Why  should  not  we  go  on  our  way 
rejoicing  in  the  same  manner,  and  to  the 
same  degree,  as  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians ?  We  have  the  same  gospel,  the 
same  promises,  and  the  same  hopes.  The 
joy  and  peace  which  they  experienced  was 
in  believing:  the  great,  interesting,  and 
transporting  truths  of  the  gospel  were  the 
source  whence  they  derived  their  bliss. 
The  Lord  Messiah  was  come  according  to 
promise,  and  by  laying  down  his  life  had 
delivered  all  who  should  believe  in  him  from 
the  wrath  to  come. — Through  his  death  also 
they  were  freed  from  the  spirit  of  bondage 
attendant  on  the  former  dispensation,  and 
received  the  spirit  of  adoption  whereby 
they  cried  Abba,  Father. — The  thunders  of 
Sinai  gave  place  to  the  blessings  of  Sion, 
the  city  of  the  living  God ;  to  the  holy 
society  of  which,  as  to  a  kind  of  heaven  upon 
earth,  they  were  introduced. — Commission- 
ed to  publish  these  glad  tidings  to  every 
creature,  and  persuaded  that  the  cause  in 
which  they  had  engaged  would  sooner  or 
later  universally  prevail,  they  labored  with 
courage  and  unwearied  assiduity,  and  the 
work  of  the  Lord  prospered  in  their  hands. — 
Finally,  in  hope  of  eternal  life,  the  joy  set 
before  them,  like  their  Lord  and  Master, 
they  endured  the  cross,  despised  the  shame, 
and  went  and  sat  down  with  him  on  his 
throne,  as  he  had  overcome,  and  sat  down 
with  his  Father  on  his  throne. 

Now  which  of  these  sources  of  joy  has 
been  exhausted  ?  Are  not  Christ  and  the 
gospel,  and  its  promises,  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day,  and  forever  ?  Is  not  God  as  willing 
now  that  the  heirs  of  promise  should  have 
strong  consolation  as  he  was  formerly  ? 
Are  not  the  great  blessings  of  eternal  life 
as  real  and  as  interesting  in  the  present  age 
as  in  any  that  have  gone  before  ?  and  being 
promised  to  the  smallest  degree  of  real 
grace,  even  to  the  giving  of  a  cup  of  cold 
water  to  a  disciple  of  Jesus  because  he 
belongs  to  him,  can  it,  in  ordinary  cases,  be 
a  difficult  matter  for  a  decided  friend  of 


Christ  to  obtain  a  clear  satisfaction  of  his 
interest  in  them  ?  Wherefore  is  it  then,  if 
the  Son  hath  made  us  free,  that  we  are  not, 
in  the  most  extensive  meaning  of  the  term, 
free  indeed  ? 

Some  would  probably  attribute  the  whole 
to  divine  sovereignty,  alleging  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  divideth  to  every  age  and  generation, 
as  well  as  to  every  man,  severally  as  he  will. 
It  is  allowed  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  all  his 
gifts  and  operations,  acts  in  a  way  of  sover- 
eignty, since  we  have  no  claim  upon  him  for 
any  thing  which  he  bestows :  but  it  does  not 
belong  to  the  idea  of  sovereignty  that  there 
be  no  reason  for  it,  or  wisdom  in  it.  The 
Holy  Spirit  divideth  to  every  age  and  every 
man  severally  as  he  will,  but  he  always 
willeth  what  is  wise  and  good,  or  what  is 
best  upon  the  whole.  The  sovereignty  of 
creatures  may  degenerate  into  caprice  ;  but 
this  cannot  be  supposed  of  God.  Now  it 
belongs  to  the  wisdom  of  God  to  bestow  his 
favors  in  such  a  way  as  to  encourage  right- 
eousness, and  stamp  an  honor  upon  the 
means  of  his  own  appointment:  hence  it  is 
that  the  joys  of  salvation,  though  bestowed 
in  a  way  of  sovereignty,  are  generally  con- 
nected with  a  close  walk  with  God,  and 
communicated  through  means  adapted  to 
the  end. 

It  has  been  thought  by  others  that  the  dif- 
ference betwixt  us  and  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians, in  these  things,  may  be  accounted  for, 
at  least  in  some  degree,  by  a  difference  of 
circumstances.  Life  and  immortality  were 
brought  to  light,  as  the  Scriptures  express  it, 
by  the  gospel.  The  wonderful  transition 
therefore  which  they  experienced,  some  of 
them  from  the  darkness  of  Judaism  and  oth- 
ers from  the  still  grosser  darkness  of  Pa- 
ganism, together  with  the  great  success  of 
their  labors,  must  have  forcibly  impressed 
their  minds  with  both  surprise  and  joy. 
There  is  some  truth,  no  doubt,  in  this  obser- 
vation ;  but  it  ought  to  be  considered,  on  the 
other  hand,  that  our  circumstances  are  in 
some  respects  more  favorable  to  joy  than 
theirs ;  sufficiently  so  perhaps  to  balance,  if 
not  over-balance,  those  in  which  theirs  were 
superior  to  ours.  Let  the  following  things 
be  considered  in  connection  with  each  oth- 
er :  First,  glorious  things  are  spoken  in  pro- 
phecy of  what  shall  be  done  for  the  church 
in  the  last  periods  of  time.  All  the  light 
and  glory  that  have  ever  yet  appeared  will 
be  eclipsed  by  what  is  to  come.  One  pe- 
culiar characteristic  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
is,  that  it  is  progressive.  God  is  saying  to  his 
church  under  every  new  dispensation,  or  pe- 
riod of  her  existence,  "  Remember  not  the 
former  things,  neither  consider  the  things  of 
old  :  behold  I  do  a  new  thing  in  the  earth." 
— As  if  he  should  say,  You  may  forget  the 
past,  and  yet  have  enough  to  fill  you  with 
joyful  admiration.  The  Jewish  dispensation 
contained  a  greater  display  of  God  than  had 


460 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


ever  been  made  before  ;  yet,  compared  with 
the  dawn  of  gospel  glory,  it  was  but  as  the 
moon  to  the  sun ;   and  glorious  as  this  was, 
with  regard  to  all  that  had  gone  before,  it  will 
bear  no  comparison  to  that  which  is  to  follow 
after.     Not  only  shall  "the  moon  be  con- 
founded," but  "the  sun  ashamed,  when  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  shall  reign  in  Mount  Zion, 
and  before  his  ancients  gloriously  !  "     Sec- 
ondly, the  time  when  things  shall  be  accom- 
plished cannot  be  very  far  off.     The  sacred 
writers  of  the  New  Testament  frequently  in- 
timate that  they  had  passed  the  meridian  of 
time,  and  were  entered,  as  it  were,  into  the 
afternoon  of  the  world.     They  speak  of  their 
times  as  the  last  days,  and  of  themselves  as 
those  "  on  whom  the  ends  of  the  world  were 
come."     They  declared  that  "  the  end  of  all 
things  was  at  hand  ;"  that  the  judge  was  "  at 
the   door ; "  and  the  concluding  warning  of 
the  book  of  God  is  couched  in  this  strong 
expression, "  Surely  I  come  quickly  ! "     But, 
if  the  end  of  all  things  was   then   at  hand, 
what  must  we  think  of  it  after  a  lapse  of 
nearly  1800  years  ?     Thirdly,   it  is   highly 
probable,  if  not  more  than  probable  that 
in  the   ages  yet  to   come    there   may    be 
much    more   effected  than    in  all    preced- 
ing ages  put  together.     Some  of  the  great- 
est events   in  prophecy  we   know  remain 
to  be  accomplished ;  particularly,  the  utter 
downfal  of  antichrist,  the  conversion  of  the 
Jews,  and  the  universal  spread  of  true  reli- 
gion: but  if  the  end  of  all  things  be  at  hand, 
and  such  great  events  are  first  to  be  accom- 
plished, we   have   every  reason  to   expect 
great  changes,  in  quick  succession,  and  at  no 
great  distance  of  time.     The  convulsions  of 
the  present  day  may,  for  aught  Ave  know,  be 
some  of  the  throes  of  creation  travailing  in 
pain  for  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of 
God.     At  all  events,  the  day  of  the  church's 
redemption  draweth  nigh  ;  it  is  time  there- 
fore to  "lift  up  our  heads,"  and  to  go  forth 
in  prayer,  and  praise,  and  joyful  exertion  to 
meet  the  Bridegroom.     Could  the  apostles 
and  primitive  Christians  have  been  placed 
in  our  situation,  they   would  have  rejoiced 
with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. — We 
must  turn  our  attention  then  to  some  other 
objects  besides  the  circumstances  in  which 
we   are  placed  as   the   causes  of  our  want 
ofjoy. 

We  -pass  over  the  cases  of  such  as  indulge 
themselves  in  known  sin,  or  live  in  the  neg- 
lect of  known  duty,  as  cases  easily  accounted 
for,  at  one  period  of  time  as  well  as  another ; 
and  confine  our  inquiry  to  those  whose  con- 
versation is  allowed  in  general  to  be  regular 
and  circumspect ;  so  much  so,  at  least,  as  to 
be  equal  to  that  of  the  body  of  professing 
Christians  around  them. 

In  the  first  place,  let  it  be  considered 
whether  it  does  not  arise  from  the  want  of 
a  greater  degree  of  religion  in  general. — Joy 
is  a  grace  which  cannot  thrive  by  itself;  it 


is  a  kind  of  appendage  to  the  lively  exercise 
of  other  graces.  "  With  joy  shall  ye  draw 
water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation." — "  Hith- 
erto ye  have  asked  nothing  in  my  name  ;  ask 
and  receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full." — 
"  The  kingdom  of  God  is  righteousness, 
peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  From 
these  passages,  and  many  others  which  might 
be  cited,  it  is  apparent  that  holy  joy  stands 
connectedwith  appropriating  the  great  truths 
of  the  gospel  to  our  particular  cases — with 
importunate  prayer  in  the  name  of  Christ — 
and  with  the  practice  of  righteousness  and 
peace.  The  same  persons  who  are  daily 
employed  in  praising  and  blessing  God  have 
this  testimony  given  of  them,  "and  great 
grace  was  upon  them  all." 

Secondly :  Let  it  be  considered  whether 
another  reason  be  not  our  neglect  of  a  more 
frequent  and  intense  application  to  those  ob- 
jects whence  joy  arises. — We  have  seen  al- 
ready that  the  sources  from  which  the  prim- 
itive Christians  derived  their  joy  were  the 
great  doctrines  of  the  gospel  ;  but  it  is  a 
lamentable  fact  that  the  generality  of  pro- 
fessing Christians  amongst  us  content  them- 
selves with  a  very  superficial  knowledge  of 
these  things.  There  are  but  few  even 
amongst  the  goldly  in  our  day  that  so  enter 
into  the  spirit  and  glory  of  the  gospel  as 
clearly  to  distinguish  it  from  error  specious- 
ly disguised.  Hence,  if  a  minister  who  is 
much  respected  by  his  people  turn  aside 
from  even  important  truth,  it  is  common  for 
many  of  them  to  go  off  with  him.  If  Chris- 
tians were  properly  rooted  and  grounded  in 
the  gospel — if  they  understood  not  only 
tvhat  they  believe,  but  wherefore  they  be- 
lieve it — they  would  not  be  shaken  with 
every  wind  of  doctrine  ;  nor  would  many  of 
the  principles  which  prevail  in  the  present 
age  excite  even  a  momentary  hesitation  in 
their  minds.  But,  if  we  do  not  so  understand 
the  truth  as  clearly  to  distinguish  it  from 
error,  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  we  should 
be  greatly  affected  by  it.  It  is  by  drawing 
waters  from  the  wells  of  salvation  that  we 
have  joy  ;  but  these  wells  are  deep,  and,  in 
proportion  as  we  are  wanting  in  an  under- 
standing of  divine  things,  we  may  be  said 
to  have  nothing  to  draw  with. 

Thirdly :  To  this  may  be  added  the  want 
of  public  spirit. — The  primitive  Christians 
were  all  intent  on  disseminating  the  gospel 
through  the  world ;  and  it  was  in  the  midst 
of  this  kind  of  employment,  and  the  perse- 
cutions which  attended  it,  that  they  are 
said  to  have  been  "filled  with  joy  and  the 
Holy  Ghost."— Acts  xiii.  52.  Much  of  the 
joyful  part  of  religion  is  lost  by  rendering  it 
the  immediate  object  of  our  pursuit.  The 
chief  end  for  which  great  numbers  read 
their  Bibles,  and  hear  the  word,  is  that  they 
may  be  comforted,  and  obtain  some  satisfac- 
tion of  their  being  in  a  state  of  salvation ; 
but  this  is  not  the  way  in  which  the  comforts 


WHY    MODERN    CHRISTIANS    ARE    DEFICIENT    IN    JOY. 


461 


of  the  gospel  are  obtained.  There  are 
things  which,  if  pursued  as  our  chief  end, 
will  elude  our  grasp  and  vanish  from  our 
sight:  such  is  reputation  amongst  men,  and 
such  is  religious  joy.  If  we  pursue  the 
public  good,  not  for  the  sake  of  applause, 
but  from  a  disinterested  regard  to  the  well- 
being  of  our  species,  reputation  will  follow 
us ;  and,  if  the  glory  of  God  and  the  pros- 
perity of  his  cause  occupy  the  first  place 
in  our  affection,  we  shall  not  in  ordinary 
cases  be  wanting  in  peace  and  heavenly 
consolation.  If  a  portion  of  that  time 
which  we  spend  in  ransacking  for  evidence 
in  the  mass  of  past  experiences  were  em- 
ployed in  promoting  the  cause  of  God  in 
the  world,  and  seeking  the  welfare  of  the 
souls  and  bodies  of  men,  it  would  turn  to  a 
better  account.  In  seeking  the  salvation  of 
others  we  should  find  our  own.  The  love 
of  Zion  has  the  promise  of  personal  pros- 
perity. Ardently  to  promote  the  honor  of 
God,  and  the  good  of  mankind,  is  itself  an 
evidence,  and  the  highest  evidence,  of  true 
religion  :  whde,  therefore,  we  feel  conscious 
of  the  purity  of  our  present  motives,  we 
have  less  occasion  for  reflections  on  the 
past.  There  is  a  much  greater  satisfac- 
tion too  in  this  way  of  obtaining  comfort 
than  in  the  other ;  for,  however  former  ex- 
ercises of  grace  might  be  strong  and  de- 
cisive at  the  time,  yet  it  must  be  difficult 
to  realize  them  merely  by  a  distant  recol- 
lection. It  is  much  better  also,  and  more 
for  our  profit,  to  live  in  the  exercise  of  grace, 
than  barely  to  remember  that  we  did  so  at 
some  former  period  of  our  lives.  We  ap- 
peal to  your  own  hearts,  brethren,  with  re- 
spect to  your  late  disinterested  exertions 
for  carrying  the  gospel  amongst  the  heathen, 
— we  appeal  to  those  of  you  especially  who 
have  had  the  undertaking  most  at  heart, 
whether,  since  your  own  comfort  has  in  a 
sort  been  overlooked,  and  swallowed  up  in 
concern  for  the  salvation  of  others,  you 
have  not  felt  more  of  the  joyful  part  of  re- 
ligion than  you  did  before  ;  yea,  may  we  not 
add,  more  than  at  any  former  period  in  your 
remembrance  ? 

Fourthly  :  Much  may  be  owing  to  our 
viewing  the  mixture  of  evils  ivhich  pervade 
creation  on  a  contracted  scale. — If  the  evils 
which  befal  creatures  be  considered  merely 
as  evils,  and  our  minds  are  disposed  to  pore 
upon  them,  we  must  necessarily  feel  de- 
jected ;  but  if  every  partial  evil  contribute 
to  the  general  good — if  every  adversity, 
whether  it  respect  our  persons,  families, 
christian  connections,  country,  or  species, 
be  but  as  a  wheel  acting  upon  other  wheels, 
and  all  necessary  to  complete  the  vast  but 
well-ordered  machinery — the  contemplation 
of  evil  itself  in  this  view  must  raise  the 
heart  instead  of  depressing  it.  The  mise- 
ries of  the  present  and  of  the  future  life,  if 
contemplated    by  a  good  man  merely  as 


evils,  must  overwhelm  him  and  destroy  his 
present  peace.  What  can  he  do  ?  He  can- 
not shun  the  abodes  of  the  wretched  in 
tins  world,  and  so  put  the  thoughts  of  their 
miseries  far  from  him,  for  that  were  inhu- 
manity ;  neither  can  he  allow  himself  to 
doubt  of  the  execution  of  divine  threaten- 
ings  in  the  world  to  come,  for  that  were  to 
arraign  the  justice,  goodness,  wisdom,  and 
veracity  of  God  in  denouncing  them:  but 
he  may  view  things  on  an  enlarged  scale, 
and  thus  perceive  that  all  is  right  and  best 
upon  the  whole.  This  is  to  be  of  one  mind 
with  God,  and  so  to  be  truly  happy.  It  is 
in  this  way  that  we  are  reconciled  to  our 
own  adversities :  could  Jacob  have  seen 
through  the  gracious  designs  of  God  with 
regard  to  his  children,  or,  though  he  might 
be  unable  to  do  this,  had  he  properly  re- 
collected the  divine  promise,  "  I  will  sure- 
ly do  thee  good,"  he  would  not  have  con- 
cluded, as  he  did,  that  all  these  things  ivere 
against  him. 

It  is  thus  that  upon  some  occasions  we 
are  reconciled  to  the  miseries  of  a  public 
execution.  Awful  beyond  conception  it 
must  be  to  the  party  who  suffer;  but  jus- 
tice may  require  the  sacrifice.  However 
natural  affection,  therefore,  may  for  a  mo- 
ment revolt  at  the  idea  of  inflicting  death, 
all  concern  for  a  suffering  individual  is 
absorbed  by  the  love  of  our  species,  and 
a  regard  for  the  general  good. — It  is  thus 
that  the  heavenly  inhabitants  are  described 
as  being  not  only  reconciled  to  the  over- 
throw of  mystical  Babylon,  but  as  rejoic- 
ing in  it.  While  the  merchants  who  traded 
in  her  wares  bitterly  lament  her  fall,  cry- 
ing "alas  !  alas!  that  great  city!  In  one 
hour  is  she  made  desolate  !  "  the  friends  of 
God  are  called  to  a  very  different  employ- 
ment: "Rejoice  over  her  thou  heaven,  and  ye 
holy  apostles  and  prophets,  for  God  hath 
avenged  you  on  her.  And  after  these 
things  I  heard  a  great  voice  of  much  peo- 
ple in  heaven  saying,  Hallelujah ! — true  and 
righteous  are  his  judgments,  for  he  hath 
judged  the  great  whore,  which  did  corrupt 
the  earth  with  her  fornication,  and  hath 
avenged  the  blood  of  his  servants  at  her 
hand.  And  again  they  said  Hallelujah — 
and  her  smoke  rose  up  forever  and  ever !  " 
Was  there  any  malevolence  or  unchristian 
bitterness  in  all  this  ?  No  :  it  was  only 
viewing  things  on  a  large  scale ;  viewing 
them  as  God  views  them,  and  feeling  ac- 
cordingly. 

The  primitive  Christians  were  in  the 
habit  of  considering  all  things  as  working 
together  for  good,  and  so  of  deriving  joy 
from  every  occurrence.  If  the  world  smiled 
upon  them  they  rejoiced,  and  availed  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity  for  spreading  the 
gospel ;  or,  if  it  frowned  on  them  for  their 
attachment  to  Christ,  they  rejoiced  that  they 
were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  for 


462 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


his  name  sake.  By  thus  converting  every- 
thing into  food  for  joy,  they  answered  to  the 
exhortations  of  the  apostles.  "Let  the 
brother  of  low  degree  rejoice  that  he  is  ex- 
alted ;  but  the  rich  in  that  he  is  made  low  " 
— "  Beloved,  count  it  all  joy  when  ye  fall 
into  divers  temptations" — "Rejoice  ever- 
more— In  every  thing  give  thanks."  If 
we  would  feel  like  them  we  must  enter  into 
their  views  ;  we  must  have  less  of  the  com- 
plaining patriarch,  as  well  as  of  the  whin- 
ing merchants  ;  and  more  of  that  temper 
which  prompted  the  holy  inhabitants  of  hea- 
ven, on  every  new  dispensation  of  provi- 
dence, to  cry  "Amen,  Hallelujah!" 

Fifthly :  Much  is  owing,  no  doubt,  to  a 
spirit  of  conformity  to  the  -present  ivorld,  by 
which  many  Christians,  especially  those  in 
prosperous  circumstances,  are  influenced. 
It  was  a  complaint  made  by  one  of  the 
fathers  (Cyprian)  in  the  middle  of  the  third 
century,  a  time  when  the  church  had  enjoy- 
ed a  considerable  respite  from  persecution, 
that  "  each  one  studied  how  to  increase  his 
patrimony,  and,  forgetting  what  the  faithful 
had  done  in  apostolic  times,  or  what  they 
ought  always  to  do,  their  great  passion  was 
an  insatiable  desire  of  enlarging  their  for- 
tunes." 

This  complaint,  every  one  knows,  is  too 
applicable  to  our  times.  The  primitive 
Christians  were  persecuted.  The  Walden- 
ses,  the  reformers,  the  puritans,  and  the  non- 
conformists were  the  same ;  and,  having  but 
little  security  for  property,  they  had  but 
little  motive  to  increase  it :  being  driven 
also  from  the  society  of  their  persecutors, 
they  were  under  very  little  temptation  to 
imitate  their  manners ;  their  trials  were 
great,  but  they  were  of  a  different  kind  from 
ours.  Having  long  enjoyed  the  blessings 
of  religious  liberty,  we  have  relaxed  in 
watchfulness,  and  the  world  has  seemed  in 
a  measure  to  have  lost  its  enmity,  and  to 
smile  upon  us.  In  consequence  of  this  we 
have  become  upon  more  friendly  terms  with 
it ;  not  merely  by  behaving  courteously  and 
affectionately  to  men  in  common,  which  is 
our  duty  ;  but  by  imbibing  their  spirit,  court- 
ing their  company,  and  subjecting  ourselves 
to  a  servile  compliance  with  their  customs. 

These  things  were  extremely  unfriendly 
to  true  religion.  If  the  cares  of  this  world 
be  compared  to  thorns,  which  choke  the 
word,  the  alluring  pleasures  of  it  are  with 
no  less  propriety  compared  to  the  burning 
sun,  through  whose  influence  many  a  promis- 
ing plant  has  withered  away.  Or,  should 
the  root  of  the  matter  be  found  in  us,  yet  if 
our  heads  and  hearts  are  occupied  with  ap- 
pearance, dress,  entertainments,  and  the  like, 
there  can  be  but  little  room  for  heaven  or 
heavenly  things  ;  and  consequently  this  joy- 
ful part  of  religion  will  be  slighted  and  lost. 
Finally :  It  is  not  to  be  dissembled  that 
much  is  to  be  traced  to  the  manner  in  which 


the  gospel  is  preached.  The  Holy  Spirit  or- 
dinarily works  by  means  of  the  word.  It  is 
the  office  of  ministers  to  be  "  helpers  of 
your  joy ;"  but,  if  they  partake  of  the  spirit 
common  to  the  age  in  which  they  live,  their 
preaching  will  partake  of  it  too.  If  the 
great  and  interesting  truths  of  the  gospel 
are  not  thoroughly  understood,  and  felt,  they 
cannot,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things,  be 
communicated  in  such  a  manner  as  greatly 
to  interest  the  hearts  of  others.  While, 
therefore,  Ave  recommend  serious  reflection 
to  you,  brethren,  you  also  have  a  right  to 
expect  the  same  of  us  ;  and  we  trust  we  are 
willing  to  receive  as  well  as  to  administer 
the  word  of  exhortation.  Dear  brethren, 
farewell ! 


1799. 

THE  DISCIPLINE  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH- 
ES ILLUSTRATED  AND  ENFORCED. 

Beloved  brethren, 

When  the  apostles,  by  the  preaching  of 
the  word,  had  gathered  in  any  place  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  individuals  to  the  faith  of 
Christ,  it  was  their  uniform  practice,  for  the 
farther  promotion  of  his  kingdom  in  that 
place,  to  proceed  to  the  forming  of  them 
into  a  religious  society,  or  Christian  church. 
Being  thus  associated,  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
divine  worship  was  carried  on,  Christian  or- 
dinances observed,  holy  discipline  maintain- 
ed, and  the  word  of  life,  as  the  light  by  the 
golden  candlesticks,  exhibited.  Amongst 
them  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  high- 
priest  of  our  profession,  is  represented  as 
walking ;  observing  the  good,  and  applaud- 
ing it ;  pointing  out  the  evil,  and  censuring 
it ;  and  holding  up  life  and  immortality  to 
those  that  should  overcome  the  temptations 
of  the  present  state. 

Let  us  suppose  him  to  walk  amongst  our 
churches,  and  to  address  us  in  the  manner 
he  addressed  the  seven  churches  in  Asia. 
We  trust  he  would  find  some  things  to  ap- 
prove ;  but  we  are  also  apprehensive  he 
would  find  many  things  to  censure.  Let  us, 
brethren,  look  narrowly  into  the  discipline 
of  the  primitive  churches,  and  compare  our 
own  with  it. 

By  discipline  we  do  not  mean  to  include 
the  whole  of  the  order  of  a  Christian  church. 
We  have  already  touched  on  these  subjects 
in  the  course  of  our  annual  address  to  you. 
The  particular  object  to  which  we  shall,  at 
this  time,  request  your  attention,  is  that  part 
of  church-government  which  consists  in  a 

MUTUAL  WATCH  OVER  ONE  ANOTHER,  AND 
THE  CONDUCT  WE  ARE  DIRECTED  TO  PURSUE 

in  cases  of  disorder.  A  great  part  of 
our  duty  consists  in  cultivating  what  is 
lovely,  but  this  is  not  the  whole  of  it ;  we 
must  prune  as  well  as  plant,  if  we  would 


THE    DISCIPLINE    OF    THE    PRIMITIVE    CHURCHES. 


463 


bear  much  fruit,  and  be  Christ's  disciples. 
One  of  the  things  applauded  in  the  church 
of  Ephesus  was,  that  they  could  not  bear  than 
that  were  evil. 

Yet  we  are  not  to  suppose  from  hence  that 
no  irregularity  or  imperfection  whatever  is 
an  object  of  forbearance.  If  uniformity  be 
required  in  such  a  degree  as  that  every  dif- 
ference in  judgment  or  practice  shall  occa- 
sion a  separation,  the  churches  may  be 
always  dividing  into  parties,  which  we  are 
persuaded  was  never  encouraged  by  the 
apostles  of  our  Lord,  and  cannot  be  justified 
in  trivial  or  ordinary  cases.  A  contrary 
practice  is  expressly  taught  us  in  the  epistle 
to  the  Romans  (ch.  xiv. ;)  and  the  cases  in 
which  it  is  to  be  exercised  are  there  pointed 
out.  An  object  of  forbearance,  however,  must 
be  one  that  may  exist  without  being  an  occa- 
sion of  dispute  and  wrangling  in  the  church : 
it  must  "  not  be  to  doubtful  disputations." — 
Ver.  1.  It  must  also  respect  things  which 
do  not  enter  into  the  essence  of  God's  king- 
dom, the  leading  principles  of  which  are 
"  righteousness,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Koly 
Ghost."— Ver.  16,  17.  That  which  does  not 
subvert  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  nor  set 
aside  the  authority  of  the  King,  though  it  be 
an  imperfection,  is  yet  to  be  borne  with. 
Finally,  it  must  be  something  which  does 
not  "  destroy  the  work  of  God,"  or  which  is 
not  inconsistent  with  the  progress  of  vital 
religion  in  the  church,  or  in  one's  own  soul. 
— Ver.  20.  In  all  such  cases  we  are  not  to 
judge  one  another,  but  every  man's  con- 
science is  to  be  his  judge. — Ver.  23. 

In  attending  to  those  things  which  are  the 
proper  objects  of  discipline,  our  first  concern 
should  be  to  see  that  all  our  measures  are 
aimed  at  the  good  of  the  parly,  and  the  honor 
of  God.  Both  these  ends  are  pointed  out  in 
the  case  of  the  Corinthian  offender.  All 
was  to  be  done  "  that  his  spirit  might  be 
saved  in  the  day  of  the  Lord,"  and  to  clear 
themselves  as  a  church  from  being  partakers 
of  his  sin.  If  these  ends  be  kept  in  view, 
they  will  preserve  us  from  much  error ;  par- 
ticularly from  the  two  great  evils  into  which 
churches  are  in  danger  of  falling — false 
lenity,  and  unchristian  severity.  There  is 
often  a  party  found  in  a  community  who, 
under  the  name  of  tenderness,  are  for  neg- 
lecting ajl  wholesome  discipline ;  or,  if 
this  cannot  be  accomplished,  for  delaying  it 
to  the  utmost.  Such  persons  are  commonly 
the  advocates  for  disorderly  walkers,  espe- 
cially if  they  be  their  particular  friends  or 
relations.  Their  language  is,  "  He  that  is 
without  sin,  let  him  cast  the  first  stone." 
My  brother  hath  fallen  to-day,  and  I  may 
fall  to-morrow.  This  spirit,  though  it  exists 
only  in  individuals,  provided  they  be  persons 
of  any  weight  or  influence,  is  frequently 
known  to  impede  the  due  execution  of  the 
laws  of  Christ ;  and,  if  it  pervade  the  com- 
munity, it  will  soon  reduce  it  to  the  lowest 


state  of  degeneracy.  Such  for  a  time  was 
the  spirit  of  the  Corinthians ;  but,  when 
brought  to  a  proper  sense  of  things,  "what 
carefulness  it  wrought  in  them,  yea  what 
clearing  of  themselves,  yea  what  indigna- 
tion, yea  what  fear,  yea  what  vehement  de- 
sire, yea  what  zeal,  yea  what  revenge." — In 
opposing  the  extreme  of  false  tenderness, 
others  are  in  danger  of  falling  into  unfeeling 
severity.  This  spirit  will  make  the  worst  of 
every  thing,  and  lead  men  to  convert  the 
censures  of  the  church  into  weapons  of  pri- 
vate revenge.  Persons  of  this  description 
know  not  of  what  manner  of  spirit  they  are. 
They  lose  sight  of  the  good  of  the  offender. 
It  is  not  love  that  operates  in  them  ;  for  love 
worketh  no  evil.  The  true  medium  be- 
tween these  extremes  is  a  union  of  mercy 
and  truth.  Genuine  mercy  is  combined 
with  faithfulness,  and  genuine  faithfulness 
with  mercy  ;  and  this  is  the  only  spirit  that 
is  likely  to  "purge  iniquity." — Prov.  xvi.  6. 
Connivance  will  produce  indifference  ;  and 
undue  severity  will  arm  the  offender  with 
prejudice,  and  so  harden  him  in  his  sin :  but 
the  love  of  God  and  of  our  brother's  soul  is 
adapted  to  answer  every  good  end.  If  we 
love  God,  like  Levi,  we  shall  know  no  man 
after  the  flesh,  nor  acknowledge  our  nearest 
kindred ;  but  shall  observe  his  word,  and 
keep  his  covenant.  And,  if  we  love  the 
soul  of  our  brother  we  shall  say,  He  is  fallen 
to-day,  and  I  will  reprove  him  for  his  good : 
I  may  fall  to-morrow,  and  then  let  him  deal 
the  same  with  me.  Love  is  the  giand  se- 
cret of  church  discipline,  and  will  do  more 
than  all  other  things  put  together  towards 
insuring  success. 

In  the  exercise  of  discipline  it  is  neces- 
sary to  distinguish  between  faults  which  are 
the  consequence  of  sudden  temptation,  and 
such  as  are  the  result  of  premeditation  and 
habit.  The  former  require  a  compassionate 
treatment;  the  latter  a  greater  portion  of 
severity.  The  sin  of  Peter  in  denying  his 
Lord  was  great,  and,  if  noticed  by  the  ene- 
mies of  Christ,  might  bring  great  reproach 
upon  his  cause  ;  yet,  compared  with  the  sin 
of  Solomon,  it  was  little.  He  first  gave  way 
to  licentiousness,  then  to  idolatry,  and  on 
finding  that  God,  as  a  punishment  for  his  sin, 
had  given  ten  tribes  to  Jeroboam,  he  sought 
to  kill  him.  Cases  like  this  are  eminently 
dangerous,  and  require  a  prompt  and  decid- 
ed treatment,  like  that  which  we  should  use 
towards  a  child  fallen  into  the  fire  ;  in  which 
a  moment's  delay  might  be  fatal,  and  in  which 
hesitating  tenderness  would  be  the  height  of 
cruelty.  "  Of  some  have  compassion,  mak- 
ing a  difference  :  others  save  with  fear,  pull- 
ing them  out  of  the  fire  ;  hating  even  the 
garment  spotted  by  the  flesh." — Jude  22,  23. 
See  also  Gal.  vi.  l" 

In  all  our  admonitions  regard  should  be 
had  to  the  age  and  character  of  the  party. 
An  elder,  as  well  as  other  men,  may  be  in  a 


464 


CIRCULAR      LETTERS. 


fault,  and  a  fault  that  may  require  to  be  no- 
ticed ;  but  let  him  be  told  of  it  in  a  tender  and 
respectful  manner.  While  you  expostulate 
with  younger  men  on  a  footing  of  equality, 
pay  a  deference  to  age  and  office.  "Re- 
buke not  an  elder,  but  entreat  him  as  a  father, 
and  the  younger  men  as  brethren." — 1  Tim. 
v.l. 

In  the  due  execution  of  Christian  disci- 
pline there  are  many  things  to  be  done  by 
the  members  of  churches  individually  ;  and 
it  is  upon  the  proper  discharge  of  these  du- 
ties that  much  of  the  peace  and  purity  of  a 
church  depends.  If  we  be  faithful  to  one 
another,  there  will  be  but  few  occasions  for 
public  censure.  Various  improprieties  of 
conduct,  neglects  of  duty,  and  declensions  in 
the  power  of  godliness,  are  the  proper  ob- 
jects of  pastoral  admonition.  It  is  one  es- 
sential branch  of  this  office  to  "rebuke,  and 
exhort  with  all  long-suffering." — 2  Tim.  iv. 
2.  Nor  is  this  work  confined  to  pastors : 
Christians  are  directed  to  "admonish  one 
another." — Rom.  xv.  14.  Indeed  there  are 
things  which  a  wise  and  affectionate  people 
will  be  concerned  to  take  upon  themselves, 
lest  a  prejudice  should  be  contracted  against 
the  ministry,  which  may  prevent  its  good 
effects.  This  is  peculiarly  necessary  in  the 
settling  of  differences  in  which  whole  fa- 
milies may  be  interested,  and  in  which  it  is 
extremely  difficult  to  avoid  the  suspicion  of 
partiality. 

In  all  cases  of  personal  offence  the  rule 
laid  down  by  our  Lord  in  the  eighteenth 
chapter  of  Matthew  ought  to  be  attended  to  ; 
and  no  such  offence  ought  to  be  admitted 
before  a  church  till  the  precept  of  Christ  has 
been  first  complied  with  by  the  party  or  par- 
ties concerned. 

In  many  cases  where  faults  are  not  com- 
mitted immediately  against  us,  but  Avhich  are 
unknown  except  to  a  few  individuals,  love 
will  lead  us  to  endeavor  to  reclaim  the  par- 
ty, if  possible,  without  any  further  exposure. 
A  just  man  ivill  not  he  willing  unnecessarily 
to  make  his  brother  a  public  example.  The 
Scriptures  give  peculiar  encouragement  to 
these  personal  and  private  attempts.  "If 
any  of  you  do  err  from  the  truth,  and  one 
convert  him  ;  let  him  know  that  he  who 
converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his 
way  shall  save  a  soul  from  death,  and  hide  a 
multitude  of  sins." — James  v.  li>,  20. 

In  cases  of  evil  report,  where  things  are 
said  of  a  brother  in  our  hearing  which  if 
true  must  affect  his  character,  and  the  purity 
of  the  church,  it  cannot  be  right  to  go  on  to 
report  it.  Love  will  not  lead  to  this.  Many 
reports  Ave  know  are  unfounded  ;  or,  if  true 
in  the  main,  they  may  have  been  aggrava- 
ted; or  there  may  be  circumstances  attend- 
ing the  case  which,  if  fully  understood, 
would  make  things  appear  very  different 
from  the  manner  in  which  they  have  been 
represented.    Now  it  is  almost  impossible 


that  any  one  but  the  party  himself  should  be 
acquainted  with  all  these  circumstances,  or 
able  to  give  a  full  account  of  them.  No 
time  therefore  should  be  lost  ere  we  inquire 
at  the  hand  of  our  brother,  or,  if  on  any  con- 
sideration we  feel  that  to  be  unsuitable,  it 
would  be  proper  to  apply  to  an  officer  of  the 
church,  who  may  conduct  it  with  greater 
propriety. 

There  are  also  cases  of  a  still  more  pub- 
lic nature  in  which  much  of  the  peace  and 
happiness  of  a  church  depend  upon  the  con- 
duct of  its  members  in  their  individual  capa- 
city. The  charge  given  by  the  apostle  to  the 
Romans  (ch.  xvi.  17,  18,)  though  applicable 
to  a  church,  yet  seems  to  be  rather  addressed 
to  the  individuals  who  compose  it : — "  Now 
I  beseech  you,  brethren,  mark  them  which 
cause  divisions  and  offences  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  which  ye  have  learned,  and  avoid 
them.  For  they  that  are  such  serve  not  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  their  own  belly  ;  and 
by  good  words  and  fair  speeches  deceive  the 
hearts  of  the  simple."  The  characters  to  be 
avoided  appear  to  be  persons  whose  object  it 
is  to  set  up  a  party  in  the  church,  of  which 
they  may  be  the  heads  or  leaders — a  kind  of 
religious  demagogues.  Such  men  are  found, 
at  one  time  or  other,  in  most  societies  :  and 
in  some  cases  the  peace  of  the  churches  has 
been  invaded  by  strangers,  who  are  not  of 
their  own  community.  Let  the  "  brethren  " 
have  their  eye  upon  such  men.  "Mark 
them."  Trace  their  conduct,  and  you  will 
soon  discover  their  motives.  Stand  aloof 
from  them,  and  "  avoid  "  striking  in  with 
their  dividing  measures.  In  case  of  their 
being  members,  the  church  collectively  con- 
sidered ought,  no  doubt,  to  put  away  from 
amongst  them  such  wicked  persons :  but,  as 
every  collective  body  is  composed  of  indi- 
viduals, if  those  individuals  suffer  themselves 
to  be  drawn  away,  the  church  is  necessarily 
thrown  into  confusion,  and  rendered  incapa- 
ble of  a  prompt,  unanimous,  and  decided  con- 
duct. Let  members  of  churches  therefore 
beware  how  they  listen  to  the  insinuations 
of  those  who  would  entice  them  to  join  their 
party.  Men  of  this  stamp  are  described  by 
the  apostle,  and  therefore  may  be  known, 
particularly  by  three  things  : — First,  By  their 
doctrine  :  it  is  contrary  to  that  ivhich  has  been 
learned  of  Christ.  Secondly,  By  their  self- 
ish pursuits  :  "  they  serve  not  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ,  but  their  own  bellies."  Thirdly, 
By  their  insinuating  whining  pretences  of 
affectionate  regard  towards  their  partizans  : 
"  by  good  words  and  fair  speeches  they  de- 
ceive the  hearts  of  the  simple." 

To  this  may  be  added,  there  are 
duties  incumbent  on  individuals  in  their 
behavior  towards  persons  who  lie  under 
the  censure  of  the  church.  If  they  still 
continue  in  a  state  of  impenitence,  per- 
sist in  their  sin,  or  be  unreconciled  to  the 
church's  proceedings  with  them,  it  is  of  the 


DISCIPLINE    OP    THE    PRIMITIVE    CHURCHES. 


465 


utmost  consequence  that  every  member 
should  act  a  uniform  part  towards  them. 
We  may,  it  is  true,  continue  our  ordinary 
and  necessary  intercourse  with  them  as  men, 
in  the  concerns  of  this  life  ;  but  there  must 
be  no  familiarity,  no  social  interchange,  no 
visitings  to  them  nor  receiving  visits  from 
them,  nothing,  in  short,  that  is  expressive  of 
connivance  at  their  conduct.  "If  any  man 
that  is  called  a  brother  be  a  fornicator,  or 
covetous,  or  an  idolater,  or  a  railer,  or  a 
drunkard,  or  an  extortioner,  we  must  not 
keep  company  with  such  a  one,  no  not  to 
eat." — 1  Cor.  v.  11.  If  individual  members 
act  contrary  to  this  rule,  and  carry  it  freely 
towards  an  offender,  as  if  nothing  had  taken 
place,  it  will  render  the  censure  of  the 
church  of  none  effect.  Those  persons  also 
who  behave  in  this  manner  will  be  consider- 
ed by  the  party  as  his  friends,  and  others 
who  stand  aloof  as  his  enemies,  or  at  least 
as  being  unreasonably  severe ;  which  will 
work  confusion,  and  render  void  the  best 
and  most  wholesome  discipline.  We  must 
act  in  concert,  or  we  may  as  well  do  nothing. 
Members  who  violate  this  rule  are  partakers 
of  other  men's  sins,  and  deserve  the  re- 
bukes of  the  church  for  counteracting  its 
measures. 

With  respect  to  those  things  which  fall 
under  the  cognizance  of  a  church  in  its  col- 
lective capacity,  we  earnestly  recommend,  in 
general,  that  every  thing  be  done  not  only 
with  a  view  to  the  honor  of  God  and  the 
good  of  the  party,  as  before  observed,  but 
ivith  a  special  regard  to  the  revealed  ivill  of 
Christ.  That  some  kind  of  order  be  pre- 
served in  every  community  is  necessary  to 
its  existence.  Decency,  reputation,  and 
even  worldly  policy,  will  induce  us  to  take 
some  notice  of  gross  immoralities  ;  but  this 
is  not  Christian  discipline,  nor  will  it  be  pro- 
ductive of  its  salutary  effects.  In  the 
choice  of  officers  few  if  any  churches 
would  elect  a  profligate ;  but  if  opulence  be 
allowed  to  supply  the  place  of  spirituality, 
or  ambitious  or  litigious  characters  be  pre- 
ferred on  the  principle  of  expediency,  as  a 
means  of  keeping  them  in  better  humor,  is  it 
not  carnal  ?  So,  in  matters  of  discipline, 
few  churches  would  suffer  a  grossly  immoral 
or  litigious  character  to  continue  amongst 
them  unnoticed :  but  if  instead  of  a  calm, 
impartial,  and  decided  procedure,  we  enter 
into  pusillanimous  compromises  with  the  of- 
fender, consenting  that  he  should  withdraw 
of  his  own  accord — if  the  crimes  of  rich  men 
be  either  entirely  overlooked  or  but  slightly 
touched,  lest  the  cause  should  suffer  from 
their  being  offended — or  if  the  misconduct 
ofpoormenbe  disregarded  on  the  ground 
of  their  being  persons  of  little  or  no  account 
— "  are  we  not  carnal,  and  walk  as  men  ?  " 
Brethren,  are  there  any  such  things  amongst 
us  ?  Search  and  consider.  Such  things 
ought  not  to  be.  The  private  withdraw- 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  59. 


ment  of  an  individual,  if  it  be  without  good 
reasons,  may  justify  a  church  in  admonish- 
ing him,  and,  if  he  cannot  be  reclaimed,  in 
excluding  him  ;  but  it  cannot  itself  dissolve 
the  relation.  Till  such  exclusion  has  taken 
place  he  is  a  member,  and  his  conduct  af- 
fects their  reputation  as  much  as  that  of  any 
other  member.  With  regard  to  a  neglect 
of  discipline  lest  it  should  injure  the  cause, 
what  cause  must  that  be  which  requires  to 
be  thus  supported  ?  Be  it  our  concern  to 
obey  the  laws  of  Christ,  and  leave  him  to 
support  his  own  cause.  If  it  sink  by  a  ful- 
filment of  his  commandments,  let  it  sink. 
He  will  not  censure  us  for  not  supporting 
the  ark  with  unhallowed  hands.  And,  if  it 
be  criminal  to  fear  the  rich,  it  cannot  be  less 
so  to  despise  the  poor.  Let  brotherly  love 
abound  towards  both.  Do  all  things  with- 
out partiality  and  without  hypocrisy. 

We  cannot  enumerate  all  the  particular 
cases  which  fall  under  the  cognizance  of  a 
Christian  church,  but  shall  mention  a  few 
which  are  recorded  in  the  Scriptures  for  our 
imitation. 

A  DEPARTURE  FROM  THE  FAITH  OF  THE 
GOSPEL,  OR  ANY  OF  ITS  LEADING  DOCTRINES, 

is  an  object  of  Christian  discipline.  "I 
would  they  were  even  cut  off  that  trouble 
you." — "I  have  a  few  things  against  thee, 
because  thou  hast  them  who  hold  the  doc- 
trine of  Balaam — so  hast  thou  also  them  that 
hold  the  doctrine  of  the  Nicolaitans,  which 
thing  I  hate." — "A  man  that  is  an  heretic, 
after  the  first  and  second  admonition,  reject, 
knowing  that  he  that  is  such  is  subverted 
and  sinneth,  being  condemned  of  himself." 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  only  pas- 
sage in  the  New  Testament  wherein  heresy 
is  introduced  as  an  object  of  discipline  makes 
no  mention  of  any  thing  as  composing  it  but 
ivhat  relates  to  the  principles  of  the  party.  It 
may  be  supposed  that  those  who  were  ac- 
counted heretics  by  the  apostles  were  as 
impure  in  their  lives  as  they  were  antichris- 
tian  in  their  doctrine,  and  that  they  were 
commonly  disturbers  of  the  peace  and  unity 
of  the  churches  ;  but,  however  this  might  be, 
neither  of  these  evils  is  alleged  as  the 
ground  for  which  the  heretic  was  to  be  re- 
jected. All  that  is  mentioned  is  this  :  He 
is  "  subverted  and  sinneth,  being  condemned 
of  himself." 

He  is  "  subverted,"  that  is,  his  professed 
faith  in  the  gospel  is  in  effect  overturned,  or 
rendered  void  ;  consequently  he  requires  to 
be  treated  as  an  unbeliever.  He  is  "  con- 
demned of  himself;"  that  is,  the  gospel  be- 
ing a  consistent  whole,  he  that  rejects  some 
of  its  leading  principles,  while  he  professes 
to  retain  others,  is  certain  to  fall  into  self- 
contradiction  ;  which  if  clearly  pointed  out 
in  "  a  first  and  second  admonition,"  he  will 
be  compelled,  if  he  persist,  obstinately  to 
shut  his  eyes  against  the  light,  and  thus  sin 
against  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience. 


466 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


It  has  been  asked,  by  persons  who  disap- 
prove of  all  church  proceedings  on  account 
of  difference  in  religious  principles,  who  is 
to  judge  what  is  heresy  ?  We  answer,  those 
who  are  to  judge  what  is  immorality  in 
dealing  with  loose  characters.  To  suppose 
it  impossible  to  judge  what  heresy  is,  or  to 
deny  that  the  power  of  so  deciding  rests  in 
a  Christian  church,  is  to  charge  the  apostolic 
precept  with  impertinence.  It  is  true  the 
judgment  of  a  church  may  be  erroneous,  as 
well  as  that  of  an  individual ;  and  it  becomes 
them  in  their  decisions  to  consider  that  they 
will  all  be  revised  at  the  great  day :  but  the 
same  may  be  said  of  all  human  judgment, 
civil  or  judicial,  to  which  no  one  is  so  void 
of  reason  as  on  this  account  to  object. 

It  has  been  farther  objected  that  censur- 
ing a  person  on  account  of  his  religious  sen- 
timents invades  the  right  of  private  judg- 
ment, is  inconsistent  with  the  liberty  of  the 
gospel,  and  contrary  to  the  leading  princi- 
ples on  which  protestants  have  separated 
from  the  church  of  Rome  and  protestant 
dissenters  from  the  church  of  England. 
The  right  of  private  judgment,  while  we 
claim  no  connection  with  others,  is  an  un- 
doubted right.  We  may  be  Christians,  in- 
fidels, or  atheists,  and  none  but  God  has  any 
control  over  us :  but  if  we  desire  the  friend- 
ship and  esteem  of  good  men  notwithstand- 
ing, or  claim  admission  to  a  Christian  church, 
or  should  we  be  in  it  already  and  claim  to 
continue  our  situation,  surely  they  would 
not  be  obliged  to  comply.  If  so  our  right  of 
private  judgment  must  interfere  with  that  of 
others  whose  judgment  tells  them  that  there 
can  be  no  fellowship  between  light  and 
darkness,  or  communion  with  him  that  be- 
lieveth  and  an  infidel.  If  the  liberty  of  the 
gospel  consist  in  a  right  of  fellowship  with 
Christian  churches  whatever  be  our  princi- 
ples, it  will  follow  not  only  that  unbelievers 
may  claim  visible  communion  with  believers, 
but  that  no  exclusions  for  immorality  can  be 
justified,  provided  the  party  insists  that  his 
sentiments  are  in  harmony  with  his  practice. 
There  is  a  great  variety  of  opinion  as  to 
what  is  morality,  as  well  as  to  what  is  truth. 
One  loose  character  believes  in  polygamy, 
another  in  concubinage,  and  a  third  can  see 
no  harm  in  fornication,  nor  even  in  adul- 
tery, provided  it  be  undiscovered.*  If  the 
churches  of  Rome  and  England  had  done 
nothing  more  than  exclude  from  their  society 
characters  whom  they  considered  as  devia- 
ting from  the  first  principles  of  the  gospel, 
without  subjecting  them  to  civil  penalties  or 
disabilities,  however  we  might  have  dispu- 
ted the  truth  of  their  doctrine,  we  could  not 
have  justly  objected  to  their  discipline.  And, 
on  the  other  hand,  we  should  suppose  that 
the  separation  of  protestants  from  the  one, 
and  of  protestant  dissenters  from  the  other, 

*Such  was  the  morality  taught  by  Mr.  Hume. 


was  for  the  sake  of  enjoying  a  purer  church 
state,  wherein  they  might  act  up  to  the  laws 
of  Zion's  King ;  and  not  that  they  might 
live  as  though  there  were  no  king  in  Israel, 
which  is  the  case  where  every  man  does 
that  which  is  right  in  his  own  eyes. 

In  CASES    NOTORIOUS    AND    COMPLICATED 

wickedness  it  appears  that  in  the  primitive 
churches  immediate  exclusion  was  the  con- 
sequence. In  the  case  of  the  incestuous 
Corinthian,  there  are  no  directions  given 
for  his  being  admonished,  and  excluded  only 
in  case  of  his  being  incorrigibly  impenitent. 
The  apostle  determined  what  should  be 
done — "  In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  when 
ye  are  gathered  together  to  deliver  such  a  one 
unto  Satan."  We  cannot  but  consider  it  as 
an  error  in  the  discipline  of  some  churches, 
where  persons  have  been  detected  of  gross 
and  aggravated  wickedness,  that  their  exclu- 
sion has  been  suspended,  and  in  many  cases 
omitted,  on  the  ground  of  their  professed  re- 
pentance. While  the  evil  was  a  secret,  it  was 
persisted  in,  but,  when  exposed  by  a  public 
detection,  then  repentance  is  brought  for- 
ward, as  it  were,  in  arrest  of  judgment.  But 
can  that  repentance  be  genuine  that  is  plead- 
ed for  the  purpose  of  warding  off  the  censures 
of  a  Christian  church  ?  We  are  persuaded  it 
cannot.  The  eye  of  a  true  penitent  will  be 
fixed  upon  the  greatness  of  his  sin,  and  he 
will  be  the  last  to  discern  or  talk  of  his  re- 
pentance for  it.  So  far  from  pleading  it  in 
order  to  evade  censure,  he  will  censure  him- 
self, and  desire  nothing  more  than  that  tes- 
timony may  be  borne  against  his  conduct 
for  the  honor  of  Christ. 

But,  allowing  that  repentance  in  such 
cases  is  sincere,  still  it  is  not  of  such  ac- 
count as  to  set  aside  the  necessity  of  exclu- 
sion. The  end  to  be  answered  by  this  meas- 
ure is  not  merely  the  good  of  the  party,  but 
the  clearing  of  a  christian  church  from  the 
very  appearance  of  conniving  at  immorality, 
and  which  cannot  be  accomplished  by  re- 
pentance only.  Though  Miriam  might  be 
truly  sorry  for  her  sin  in  having  spoken 
against  Moses,  and  though  she  might  be 
healed  of  her  leprosy  ;  yet  "  the  Lord  said 
unto  Moses,  If  her  father  had  but  spit  in  her 
face,  should  she  not  be  ashamed  seven  days? 
Let  her  be  shut  out  from  the  camp  seven 
days  ;  and  after  that  let  her  be  received  in 
again." — Numb.  xii.  14. 

We  do  not  suppose,  however,  that  every  no- 
torious fault  requires  immediate  exclusion. 
The  general  rule  given  is  that  notorious 

EVILS  SHOULD  MEET  WITH  A  PUBLIC  RE- 
BUKE. "  Them  that  sin  rebuke  before  all, 
that  others  also  may  fear." — 1  Tim.  v.  20. 
But  this  proceeding  does  not  appear  to 
amount  to  exclusion ;  it  is  rather  of  the  na- 
ture of  a  censure  or  reprimand,  accompany- 
ing an  admonition.  To  us  it  appears  that  the 
circumstances  attending  a  sin  ought  to  de- 
termine whether  it  require  immediate  exclu- 


DISCIPLINE    OF    THE    PRIMITIVE    CHURCHES. 


467 


sion  or  not.  If  these  be  highly  aggravating 
— if  there  appear  to  have  been  premedita- 
tion, intention,  and  perseverance  in  the 
crime — "  put  away  from  amongst  yourselves 
that  wicked  person:"  but,  if  circumstances 
extenuate  rather  than  heighten  the  evil,  sol- 
emn admonition,  accompanied  with  rebuke, 
ought  to  suffice,  and  no  exclusion  to  follow 
but  in  case  of  incorrigible  impenitence. 

There  are  also  faults  which  do  not  come 
under  the  denomination  of  notorious  sins, 
wherein  directions  are  given  for  recovering 
the  offenders  without  any  mention  being 

MADE   OF  EXCLUSION,  EITHER  IMMEDIATE  OR 

ultimate.  There  is  perhaps  in  all  the 
churches  a  description  of  men  whose  char- 
acters are  far  from  being  uniformly  circum- 
spect, and  yet  not  sufficiently  irregular  to 
warrant  their  being  separated  from  com- 
munion. They  are  disorderly  walkers  ;  busy 
bodies  in  other  men's  matters,  while  negli- 
gent of  their  own  ;  in  a  word,  unamiable 
characters.  Now  those  that  are  such  we 
are  directed  to  exhort,  and  charge  that  they 
conduct  themselves  as  becometh  Christians. 
If  after  this  they  continue  disorderly,  ob- 
serve a  degree  of  distance  in  your  conduct 
towards  them  ;  withdraw  your  intimacy  ;  let 
them  feel  the  frowns  of  their  brethren :  yet 
be  not  wholly  reserved,  but  occasionally  ex- 
plain to  them  the  reasons  of  your  conduct, 
affectionately  admonish  them  at  the  same 
time  to  repentance  and  amendment  of  life. 
"Now  we  command  you,  brethren,  in  the 
name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  with- 
draw yourselves  from  every  brother  that 
walketh  disorderly,  and  not  after  the  tradi- 
tion which  ye  received  of  us. — For  we  hear 
that  there  are  some  who  walk  among  you 
disorderly,  working  not  at  all,  but  are  busy- 
bodies.  Now  them  that  are  such  we  com- 
mand, and  exhort  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
that  with  quietness  they  work,  and  eat  their 
own  bread.  And,  if  any  man  obey  not  our 
word  by  this  epistle,  note  that  man,  and 
have  no  company  with  him,  that  he  may  be 
ashamed:  yet  count  him  not  as  an  enemy, 
but  admonish  him  as  a  brother." — 2  Thes.  iii. 
6 — 15.  If  churches  were  to  consult  only  their 
own  reputation,  they  would  often  discard  such 
persons  at  an  early  period :  but,  where  there 
is  reason  to  hope  that  the  heart  is  right  in 
the  main,  great  forbearance  must  be  exer- 
cised, and  long  perseverance  in  endeavor- 
ing to  recover.  How  many  imperfections 
were  discovered  in  the  conduct  of  the  twelve 
apostles,  while  their  Lord  was  with  them, 
and  what  an  example  of  forbearance  has  he 
left  us !  One  character  reclaimed  is  of  great- 
er account,  and  more  to  the  honor  of  a  Chris- 
tian church,  than  many  discarded. 

Finally  :  A  watchful  eye  upon  the  state 
of  the  church,  and  of  particular  members, 
with  a  seasonable  interposition,  may  do  more 
towards  the  preservation  of  good  order  than 


all  other  things  put  together.  Discourage 
whisperings,  backbitings,  and  jealousies. 
Frown  on  tale-bearers,  and  give  no  ear  to 
their  tales.  Nip  contentions  in  the  bud. 
Adjust  differences  in  civil  matters  amongst 
yourselves.  Bring  together  at  an  early  pe- 
riod those  in  whom  misconception  and  dis- 
trust have  begun  to  operate,  ere  ill  opinion 
ripen  into  settled  dislike.  By  a  frank  and 
timely  explanation,  in  the  presence  of  a  com- 
mon friend,  that  may  be  healed  in  an  hour, 
which,  if  permitted  to  proceed,  a  series  of 
years  cannot  eradicate.  Be  affectionately 
free  with  one  another.  Give  tender  and 
faithful  hints  where  it  appears  to  you  that 
one  of  your  brethren  is  in  danger  of  being 
drawn  aside  from  the  principles  or  spirit  of 
the  gospel.  Let  all  be  g^ven,  from  their  first 
entering  into  connection  with  you,  to  expect 
them.  If  any  one  take  offence  at  such  treat- 
ment, give  him  to  understand  that  he  who 
cannot  endure  a  caution,  or  a  reproof,  is-un- 
fit  for  Christian  society,  and  is  in  the  utmost 
danger  of  falling  into  mischief. 

Brethren,  consider  what  we  say,  and  the 
Lord  give  you  understanding  in  all  things  I 
The  free  circulation  of  the  blood,  and  the 
proper  discharge  of  all  the  animal  functions, 
are  not  more  necessary  to  the  health  of  the 
body,  than  good  discipline  is  to  the  prosperi- 
ty of  a  community. 

If  it  were  duly  considered  how  much  the 
general  interests  of  religion,  and  even  the 
salvation  of  men,  may  be  affected  by  the 
purity  and  harmony  of  Christian  churches, 
we  should  tremble  at  the  thought  of  their 
being  interrupted  by  us.  The  planting  of  a 
church  in  a  neighborhood,  where  the  gospel 
is  preached,  and  the  ordinances  of  Christ 
administered  in  their  purity,  is  a  great  bles- 
sing. It  is  a  temple  reared  for  God,  in  which 
he  deigns  to  record  his  name,  to  meet  with 
his  humble  worshippers,  and  to  bless  them. 
We  have  seen  churches  of  this  description, 
in  the  midst  of  a  career  of  spiritual  prosperi- 
ty, edifying  one  another  in  love,  and  gather- 
ing souls  to  the  Redeemer's  standard,  all  in 
a  little  time  blasted  and  ruined  by  some  un- 
happy event  that  has  thrown  them  into  dis- 
order. One  of  the  members,  it  may  be,  has 
acted  unworthily — he  is  reproved — his  rela- 
tions or  particular  acquaintances  take  on  his 
side — discipline  is  interrupted — the  church 
is  divided  into  parties — hard  things  are  said 
on  both  sides — the  bond  of  love  is  broken — 
tender  minds  are  grieved,  and  retire — wor- 
ship is  but  thinly  attended,  and  the  enjoy- 
ment of  it  is  vanished — God's  friends  mourn 
in  secret,  and  his  enemies  triumph,  saying 
"  aha !  aha !  so  would  we  have  it !  "  O  breth- 
ren, it  is  a  serious  thing  to  occasion  the  ruin 
of  a  church  of  Christ!  "If  any  man  defile 
the  temple  of  God,  him  shall  God  destroy!" 
Dearly  beloved,  farewell.  Grace  and  peace 
be  with  you. 


468 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


18  02. 

THE    PRACTICAL    USES    OF     CHRISTIAN    BAP- 
TISM. 

Dear  brethren, 

In  connection  with  our  last  general  let- 
ter, and  agreeably  to  the  appointment  made 
at  the  yearly  meeting,  we  now  address  you 
on  a  subject,  not  only  of  general  interest, 
but  which  more  immediately  relates  to  that 
solemn  profession  which  you  have  made  of 
Christianity  ;  namely,  the  practical  uses 

OF    THE  ORDINANCE  OF  BAPTISM. 

That  Christian  baptism  is  properly  ad- 
ministered only  by  immersion,  and  to 
those  who  make  a  credible  profession  of 
faith  in  Christ,  it  is  no  part  of  our  present 
design  to  prove.  Addressing  you,  we  shall 
take  each  of  these  particulars  for  grant- 
ed. The  only  subject  to  which  we  now 
request  your  attention  is  the  influence  of 
this  ordinance,  where  it  produces  its  proper 
effects,  in  promoting  piety  in  individuals,  and 
purity  in  the  church. 

There  is  no  part  of  true  religion  that  is 
merely  speculative :  the  whole  is  designed 
and  adapted  to  sanctify  the  soul.  We  may 
presume,  therefore,  that  if  baptism  be  an  or- 
dinance of  God,  and  of  perpetual  obligation 
in  the  church,  it  is  of  importance  to  Chris- 
tian practice. 

But  it  is  not  on  presumptive  evidence  that 
we  wish  to  rest  the  improvement  of  this  in- 
stitution, any  more  than  the  institution  itself; 
neither  shall  we  go  about  to  connect  with  it 
acknowledged  duties  by  imaginary  allian- 
ces ;  but  shall  confine  ourselves  to  those 
uses  of  the  ordinance  which  are  actually 
made,  or  suggested,  in  the  New  Testament. 
We  could  address  many  things  to  parents, 
and  things  of  importance  too,  on  bringing 
up  their  children  in  the  nurture  and  admoni- 
tion of  the  Lord :  we  could  also  urge  it  up- 
on the  children  of  believers  that  they  were 
committed  to  God  from  their  earliest  infan- 
cy ;  but,  as  we  find  nothing  of  this  kind  in 
the  Scriptures  connected  iviih  baptism,  how- 
ever important  these  things  would  be  in  their 
place,  they  Avould  be  altogether  irrelevant 
while  treating  on  this  ordinance. 

Baptism  is  a  divine  institution,  pertaining 
to  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah,  or  the  gos- 
pel dispensation.  John  received  it  from  hea- 
ven, and  administered  it  to  the  Jews,  who,  on 
his  proclaiming  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
was  at  hand,  confessed  their  sins.  Jesus 
gave  sanction  to  it  by  his  example ;  and  af- 
ter his  resurrection,  when  all  power  in  hea- 
ven and  earth  was  committed  to  him,  he  con- 
firmed and  extended  it  to  believers  of  all 
nations.  Whatever  circumstantial  differ- 
ences there  might  be,  therefore,  between  the 
baptism  of  John  and  that  of  Christ,  they 
were  substantially  the  same.     There  were 


things  in  former  ages  which  bore  a  resem- 
blance to  it ;  as  the  salvation  of  Noah  and 
his  family  in  the  ark,  the  passage  of  the  Is- 
raelites through  the  sea,  divers  washings 
or  bathings  prescribed  by  the  Mosaic  ritual, 
&c.  ;  but  the  thing  itself  existed  not,  till  it 
was  revealed  to  the  immediate  forerunner 
of  Christ. 

The  principal  design  of  it  appears  to  be, 
A  solemn  and  practiced  profession  of  the 
Christian  religion.  Such  was  the  baptism 
of  John,  who  "said  unto  the  people,  that 
they  should  believe  on  him  who  should  come 
after  him ;  that  is,  on  Christ  Jesus."  And 
such  was  that  in  the  times  of  the  apostles. 
Paul  addressing  himself  to  the  churches 
in  Galatia,  who,  after  having  professed  to 
believe  in  Christ,  cleaved  to  the  Mosaic  law 
as  a  medium  of  justification,  thus  speaks: 
"  The  law  was  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us 
to  Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith : 
but,  after  thatfaith  is  come,  we  are  no  long- 
er under  a  schoolmaster.  For  ye  are  all 
the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus. 
For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized 
into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ."  The  al- 
lusion is  to  the  putting  on  of  apparel,  as 
when  one  that  enters  into  the  service  of  a 
prince  puts  on  his  distinguishing  attire  :  and 
the  design  of  the  sacred  writer  is  to  remind 
those  of  them  who  had  before  professed  the 
Jewish  religion  that  by  a  solemn  act  of  their 
own  they  had,  as  it  were,  put  off"  Moses,  and 
put  on  Christ.  There  is  a  putting  on  of 
Christ  which  is  internal,  and  consists  in  re- 
linquishing the  former  lusts,  and  being  of 
the  mind  of  Christ ;  but  that  which  is  here 
referred  to  appears  to  be  an  open  profession 
of  his  name,  to  the  renouncing  of  every 
thing  that  stood  in  competition  with  him. 
It  was  therefore  true  of  as  many  as  had  been 
baptized,  whether  they  abode  in  the  truth  or 
not.  And  even  their  being  "  the  children 
of  God  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ"  seems  to 
express  what  they  were  in  profession,  rather 
than  what  they  were  in  fact.  They  had  by 
their  baptism  disowned  all  dependence  on 
the  privileges  of  birth,  and  the  adoption 
which  pertained  to  them  as  the  children  of 
Abraham  ;  and  declared  their  acquiescence 
in  tiiat  power,  or  privilege,  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  which  the  gospel  imparts  to 
them  that  believe.  The  mention  of  this 
was  perfectly  in  point,  as  it  greatly  height- 
ened the  evil  of  their  defection.  The  amount 
is,  That  as  many  as  ivere  baptized  in  the  pri- 
mitive ages  ivere  voluntary  agents,  and  sub- 
mitted to  this  ordinance  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  solemn  and  practical  profession 
of  the  Christian  faith.  It  was  their  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  King  of  Zion  ;  that  by 
which  they  avowed  the  Lord  to  be  their  God. 
Hence  a  rejection  of  it  involved  a  rejection 
of  the  counsel  of  God.  The  sin  of  the  Pha- 
risees and  lawyers  consisted,  not  in  their  re- 
fusing to  submit  to  baptism  as  unbelievers  ; 


PRACTICAL   USES    OF    CHRISTIAN    BAPTISM. 


469 


but  in  not  embracing  the  Messiah,  and  so 
putting  on  the  badge  of  his  profession. 
Their  rejection  of  this  sign  was  justly  con- 
strued as  a  rejection  of  the  thing  signified  ; 
as,  when  a  rebel  refuses  to  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance,  it  is  construed  as  a  refusal  of 
submission  and  subjection  to  his  rightful 
prince. 

Such,  brethren,  is  the  profession  we  have 
made.  We  have  not  only  declared  in  words 
our  repentance  towards  God,  and  faith  to- 
wards our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  but  have  said 
the  same  things  by  our  baptism.  We  have 
solemnly  surrendered  ourselves  up  to  Christ, 
taking  him  to  be  our  prophet,  priest,  and 
kinjj  ;  enoragrino;  to  receive  his  doctrine,  to 
rely  on  his  atonement,  and  to  obey  his  laws. 
The  vows  of  God  are  upon  us.  We  have 
even  sworn  to  keep  his  righteous  judgments  ; 
and,  without  violating  the  oath  of  God,  we 
cannot  go  back.  If  it  be  a  sin  not  to  confess 
the  Lord  Jesus,  through  fear  or  shame,  it  is 
a  still  greater  sin,  after  we  have  confessed 
him,  to  turn  from  the  holy  commandment. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  consists  partly  of 
truths  to  be  believed  and  partly  of  precepts  to 
be  obeyed ;  and  the  ordinance  of  baptism 
furnishes  motives  for  a  faithful  adherence  to 
both. 

We  have  been  baptized  "  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Spirit ; "  and  have  thus  practically  avowed 
our  belief  in  them.  It  was  at  Jordan  that 
the  Father  bore  witness  to  his  well-beloved 
Son,  and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  up- 
on him  :  hither,  therefore,  in  the  early  ages, 
men  were  directed  to  repair,  that  they  might 
learn  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity.  If  we  re- 
linquish this  doctrine,  we  virtually  relinquish 
our  baptism.  Of  this  there  need  not  be  a 
more  convincing  proof  than  the  inclination 
which  has  been  discovered  by  those  who  have 
renounced  the  doctrine  to  disuse  the  form 
of  baptizing  in  the  name  of  the  Sacred  Three. 

We  have  also  professed  by  our  baptism 
to  embrace  that  great  salvation  which  is  ac- 
complished by  the  united  influence  of  the 
Sacred  Three.  We  have  in  effect  declared 
our  acquiescence  in  the  freeness  of  the  Fa- 
ther's grace,  in  the  all-sufficient  atonement 
of  the  Son,  and  in  the  sanctifying  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit :  for  these  are  the  princi- 
pal things  by  which,  in  the  New-testament 
account  of  the  economy  of  grace,  each  is 
distinguished.  Nor  can  we  renounce  them, 
without  virtually  renouncing  our  baptism. 

The  immersion  of  the  body  in  ivatei', 
which  is  a  purifying  element,  contains  a 
profession  of  our  faith  in  Christ,  through  the 
shedding  of  whose  blood  we  are  cleansed 
from  all  sin.  Hence,  baptism  in  the  name 
of  Christ  is  said  to  be  for  the  remission  of 
sins.  Not  that  there  is  any  such  virtue  in 
the  element,  whatever  be  the  quantity  ;  nor 
in  the  ceremony,  though  of  divine  appoint- 
ment :  but  it  contains  a  sign  of  the  way  in 


which  we  must  be  saved.  Sin  is  washed 
away  in  baptism  in  the  same  sense  as  Christ's 
flesh  is  eaten,  and  his  blood  drank,  in  the 
Lord's  supper :  the  sign,  when  rightly  used, 
leads  to  the  thing  signified.  Remission  of 
sins  is  ascribed  by  Peter  not  properly  to 
baptism,  but  to  the  name  in  which  the  par- 
ties were  to  be  baptized.  Thus  also  Saul 
was  directed  to  wash  away  his  sins,  call- 
ing on  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Nearly 
akin  to  this  is  the  idea  conveyed  to  us  in 
the  First  Epistle  of  Peter :  "  The  long-suf- 
fering of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah, 
while  the  ark  was  preparing,  wherein  few, 
that  is  eight  souls,  were  saved  by  water. 
The  like  figure  where  unto  baptism  doth  now 
save  us  (not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of 
the  flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good  con- 
science towards  God)  by  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ."  The  salvation  of  Noah  and 
his  family  by  the  ark  was  a  figure  of  our 
salvation  by  the  death  and  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  ark  for  a  time  was  sur- 
rounded, as  it  were,  with  waters  from  above, 
and  from  beneath :  but  it  survived  its  trial, 
and  those  who  were  in  it  were  at  length 
brought  safe  to  land.  Christ,  also,  for  a 
time  sustained  the  deluge  of  wrath  due  to 
our  sins ;  but  survived  the  trial,  rising  tri- 
umphantly from  the  dead,  and  thereby  saved 
us  from  everlasting  death.  Of  this  great 
transaction  baptism  is  a  like  figure.  It  is 
another  sign  of  the  same  thing.  The  re- 
semblance of  baptism  by  immersion  to  the 
death  and  resurrection  of  Christ,  and  the 
suitableness  of  the  one  to  signify  our  faith 
in  the  other,  are  manifest.  It  is  thus  that 
baptism  does  now  save  us  :  not  as  putting 
away  the  filth  of  the  flesh  (for  all  the  virtue 
contained  in  the  ordinance  itself  is  "the 
answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God,") 
but  as  affording  a  sign  of  our  salvation  by 
the  victorious  resurrection  of  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ. 

And,  as  we  are  taught  by  our  baptism  to 
adhere  to  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour, 
so  we  are  furnished  with  motives  to  adorn 
it  by  a  holy  conversation.  Thus  it  is  intro- 
duced in  the  epistles  to  the  Romans  and 
Colossians  as  a  sign  of  our  being  dead  and 
buried  to  the  principles  and  pursuits  of  the 
present  world  ;  and,  by  faith  in  Christ,  raised 
as  into  a  new  world.  The  death,  of  Christ 
is  emphatically  mentioned  as  that  into 
which  we  are  baptized — "Know  ye  not  that 
so  many  of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus 
Christ  were  baptized  into  his  death  ?  There- 
fore, we  are  buried  with  him  by  baptism  into 
death ;  that  like  as  Christ  died,  and  was  raised 
up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father, 
even  so  we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of 
life."  Christ's  dying  for  sin  afforded  a 
most  powerful  motive  for  our  dying  to  it; 
and  the  immersion  of  the  body  in  baptism, 
being  in  the  likejiess  of  the  former,  furnishes 
an  additional  motive  to  the  latter. 


470 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


The  leading  idea  suggested  by  a  death 
and  burial  seems  to  be  that  of  separation 
from  the  world.  There  is  no  greater  line  of 
separation  than  that  which  is  drawn  between 
the  dead  and  the  living.  "  The  dead  know 
not  any  thing ;  and  have  no  portion  in  all 
that  is  done  under  the  sun."  Such  is  the 
line  which  is  drawn  by  the  faith  of  the  ope- 
ration of  God  between  the  world  renewed 
and  the  world  depraved,  of  which  baptism  is 
the  appointed  sign.  If,  after  this,  we  are 
found  among  evil  doers,  we  may  well  be 
considered  and  shunned  as  a  kind  of  appari- 
tions, which  have  no  proper  concern  in  the 
affairs  of  mortals. 

The  apostle  applied  this  reasoning  against 
a  conformity  to  abrogated  ceremonies.  "If 
ye  be  dead  with  Christ  from  the  rudiments 
of  the  world,  why,  as  though  living  in  the 
world,  are  ye  subject  to  ordinances."  The 
same  reasoning  is  applicable  to  other  things, 
If  we  be  dead  with  Christ,  why,  as  though 
living,  are  we  subject  to  the  lust  of  the  flesh, 
the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life, 
which  are  of  the  world?  Why  are  any  of 
us  conformed  to  this  world ;  and  not  rather 
transformed  by  the  renewing  of  our  minds  ? 
If  we  be  dead,  and  our  life  be  hid  with 
Christ  in  God,  why  are  not  our  affections  set 
on  things  above,  and  not  on  things  on  the 
earth  ?  We  cannot  but  express  our  con- 
cern that  persons  professing  godliness  should 
be  carried  away  by  the  course  of  this  world, 
as  many  are  ;  meanly  imitating  the  ungodly, 
whose  conduct  they  ought  rather  to  reprove. 
Such  imitation,  so  far  as  it  operates,  contains 
a  virtual  renunciation  of  our  baptism.  The 
ideas  of  baptism  and  a  separation  from  the 
world,  whether  connected  by  us  or  not,  are 
strongly  associated  in  the  minds  of  men  in 
general.  After  this,  we  cannot  unite  with 
them  in  evil,  without  drawing  upon  our- 
selves their  most  pointed  censures.  They 
may  labor  to  seduce  us  for  the  sake  of  com- 
forting themselves  ;  and  while  accomplish- 
ing their  purpose  may  suppress  their  private 
thoughts  of  us,  and  even  compliment  us  for 
our  liberality  ;  but,  if  we  comply,  their  pre- 
tended esteem  will  be  turned  into  reproach. 
Nor  ought  we  to  consider  this  as  an  evil ; 
but  rather  as  a  mercy.  God  has  hereby  set 
a  hedge  about  us,  which  tends  more  than  a 
little  to  preserve  us  from  temptation.  If 
any  think  otherwise,  and  feel  uneasy  that 
they  cannot  act  like  other  men,  without 
drawing  upon  themselves  the  censures  of 
mankind,  it  is  a  dark  sign  that  their  hearts 
are  not  right  in  the  sight  of  God. 

Nor  is  this  ordinance  adapted  merely  to 
separate  between  believers  and  unbelievers 
individually  considered  :  its  design  is  also 
to  draw  a  line  of  distinction  between  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  and  the  kingdom  of  Satan. 
Whatever  may  be  said  of  baptism  as  it  is 
now  generally  understood  and  practised,  and 
of  the  personal  religion  of  those  who  prac- 


tise it,  it  was  originally  appointed  to  be  the 
boundary  of  visible  Christianity.     This  is  a 
principle    which,    if  properly    acted    upon, 
would  go  far  to  prevent  the  confounding  of 
the  church  and  the  world  ;  and  which,  con- 
sequently, tends  more  than  any  thing  of  the 
kind  to  counteract  ecclesiastical  degeneracy 
and  corruption.     Had  the  Christian  church 
in  all  ages  admitted  none  to  baptism,  from 
whomsoever  descended,  but  those  who  pro- 
fessed to  repent  and  believe  the  gospel,  it  is 
scarcely  conceivable  that  any  others  would 
have  been  admitted  to  the  Lord's  supper: 
and,  if  so,  a  stream  of  corruption  which  has 
actually    deluged  it    with  anti-christianism 
would  have  been   diverted   at   the   spring- 
head.     The    church  might,    indeed,   have 
been  corrupted  from  other  causes,  but  these 
would  have  been  merely  accidental.     Hypo- 
crites  and   formalists  might  have  imposed 
themselves  upon  it,  as  they  did  in  some  de- 
gree in  the  apostolic  age ;  but  they  would 
have  been  intruders.     Whatever  of  this  kind 
might  have  existed,  believers  could  not  have 
been  constitutionally   yoked  together   with 
unbelievers.      The   carnal   descendants   of 
godly  people  could  not  have  claimed  a  place 
in  Christ's   visible   kingdom.     The   church 
could  not  have  become  national,  embracing 
as  its  children  all  who  are  born  in  a   Chris- 
tianized country,  without  any  profession  of 
personal   religion.      Princes   and  nobles,  if 
worthy,  would  have  been  received  into  its 
communion  as  brethren ;  but  not  as  rulers 
or  patrons:  and,  if  unworthy,  refused  ;  even 
though  an  exposure  to  persecution  had  been 
the  consequence.     But  if  persons  be  admit- 
ted to  baptism  without  any  profession  of 
personal  religion,  or  upon  the  profession  of 
others  on  their  behalf,  their  admission  to  the 
Lord's-supper  will  in  most  cases  follow  as  a 
matter  of  course.     Indeed  it  ought  to  follow  : 
for,   though   among  evangelical   dissenters 
these  things  are  separated,  yet  from  the  be- 
ginning it  was  not  so.     Neither  Scripture 
nor  the  practice  of  the  ancient  churches  af- 
fords a  single  example  of  a  baptized  person, 
unless  his  conduct  was  grossly  immoral,  be- 
ing ineligible  to  communion.     And,  if  all  who 
are  now  baptized  be  admitted  to  the  supper, 
the  line  of  separation  will  be  broken ;  the 
church  will  be  no  longer  a  garden  enclosed, 
but  an  open  wilderness,  where  every  beast 
of  prey  can  range  at  pleasure.     Thus,  in- 
deed, it  was   foretold  it  should  be.     The 
writer    of  the   Apocalypse,  describing  the 
corruptions  which  should  prevail  in  the  wt- 
ble  church  during   the  twelve  hundred  and 
sixty  years'  reign   of  Antichrist,  represents 
it  under  the  form  of  the  outer  court  of  the 
temple  being  left  out  of  the  measurement  as 
profane,  and  given  to  the  Gentiles  to  he  trodden 
underfoot,  in  like  manner  as  the  holy  place 
and  holy  city  had  been  trodden  down  by  the 
heathen,  in  the  time  of  Antiochus. 

As  the  principle  of  believers'   baptism, 


PRACTICAL    USES    OF    CHRISTIAN    BAPTISM. 


471 


properly  acted  upon,  would  prevent  the  ad- 
mission of  all  unconverted  characters,  ex- 
cept hyprocrites  and  self-deceivers,  so  it 
would  have  its  influence  in  repelling  them. 
The  habits  of  some  hypocritical  characters, 
it  is  true,  would  render  it  an  easy  thing  to 
overleap  this  boundary ;  but  it  is  equally 
true  that  to  others  it  would  be  an  effectual 
bar.  There  are  not  a  few  in  the  religious 
Avorld  who  would  like  well  to  be  members 
of  a  Christian  church,  especially  where  the 
pastor  is  a  man  of  respectability,  provided 
they  could  be  admitted  without  drawing 
upon  themselves  the  laugh  of  the  irreligious. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  many  per- 
sons of  genteel  connections,  who  wish  to  be 
thought  religious,  and  whose  consciences 
approve  of  believers'  baptism,  are  withheld 
by  this  kind  of  shame  from  offering  them- 
selves to  our  churches.  An  ordinance 
which  thus  operates  possesses  a  mark  of  its 
pertaining  to  that  kingdom  which  is  not  of 
this  ivorld,  and  into  which  it  is  hard  for  a 
rich  man  to  enter. 

As  the  leading  idea  suggested  by  a  death 
and  burial  is  that  of  separation  from  the 
world,  so  the  principal  thing  denoted  by  a 
resurrection  is  an  entrance  into  a  new  state 
of  being.  Such  is  that  newness  of  life  of 
which  the  emersion  of  the  body  from  the 
waters  of  baptism  is  a  sign,  and  to  which  it 
furnishes  an  important  motive.  The  religion 
of  Jesus  does  not  consist  in  mere  negatives. 
It  is  not  enough  that  we  be  dead  to  the 
world :  we  must  be  alive  to  God.  With 
real  Christians  old  things  are  passed  away, 
and  all  things  are  become  new.  Unless  our 
baptism,  therefore,  be  merely  a  sign,  or  an 
unmeaning  ceremony,  our  hopes,  fears,  sor- 
rows, joys,  companions,  principles,  and  pur- 
suits, are  opposite  to  those  of  this  world. 
Even  a  partial  return  to  it  is  inconsistent 
with  our  baptismal  vows.  If  those  who  pro- 
fess to  be  dead  to  the  world  cannot  walk  in 
the  course  of  it  without  being  considered 
and  shunned  as  a  kind  of  apparitions,  those 
who  are  alive  from  the  dead  cannot  return 
without  resembling  a  living  character  who 
should  take  up  his  abode  in  a  sepulchre. 

A  few  general  reflections  will  conclude 
this  epistle. 

The  baptism  of  a  number  of  serious  Chris- 
tians is  an  interesting  and  impressive  specta- 
cle !  Often  on  such  solemn  occasions  have 
we  witnessed  the  falling  tear ;  not  only  from 
the  parties  baptized,  and  others  immediately 
connected  with  them,  but  from  indifferent 
spectators.  We  could  appeal  to  the  con- 
sciences of  many  serious  Christians,  whether 
they  did  not  receive  their  first  convictions 
of  the  reality  of  religion  at  such  opportuni- 
ties. We  could  appeal  to  all  of  you  who 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  attending  the  ad- 
ministration of  this  ordinance,  whether  it 
has  not  frequently  furnished  you  with  the 
most  solemn  and  tender  reflections.     Has 


not  the  sight  of  a  number  of  young  Chris- 
tians, offering  themselves  willingly  to  the 
Lord,  touched  the  secret  springs  of  holy 
sensibility  ?  Yes  ;  you  have  been  reminded 
by  it  of  your  own  solemn  engagements,  and 
led  to  inquire  in  what  manner  they  have 
been  fulfilled.  You  have  remembered  the 
days  of  your  espousals,  when  you  first  went 
after  your  Saviour  as  in  the  wilderness,  and 
have  been  sweetly  impelled  to  renew  the 
solemn  surrender.  Nor  have  your  reflec- 
tions been  confined  to  yourselves  ;  you  have 
considered  these  new  accessions  to  the 
church  of  God  as  supplying  the  place  of 
others  that  were  taken  away,  and  as  fulfill- 
ing the  promise,  "  Instead  of  thy  fathers, 
shall  be  thy  children."  When  a  number  of 
dear  friends  and  useful  characters  have,  one 
after  another,  been  removed  by  death,  you 
have  been  ready  to  ask,  Who  shall  fill  up 
their  place  ;  and  by  whom  shall  Jacob  arise  ? 
But  when  others  of  promising  gifts  and 
graces  have  come  forward,  and  yielded  up 
themselves  to  the  Lord  in  baptism,  they  have 
seemed  in  a  manner  to  be  "  baptized  for  the 
dead."  Thus,  when  the  ranks  of  an  army  in 
a  besieged  city  are  thinned  by  repeated  en- 
gagements, and  the  hearts  of  survivors  are 
ready  to  faint,  a  reinforcement  arrives :  a 
body  of  new  companions  throw  themselves 
in  to  its  relief,  and  inspire  them  with  new 
vigor. 

Further :  If  the  foregoing  remarks  be  just? 
the  importance  of  believers'  baptism  must 
appear  in  a  very  different  light  from  that  in 
which  some  have  represented  it.  If  the  or- 
dinary acknowledgments  of  many  who  live 
in  the  neglect  of  this  ordinance,  and  disap- 
prove of  the  zeal  of  others  who  submit  to  it, 
may  be  considered  as  expressive  of  their 
principles,  their  conduct  is  not  owing  to  a 
solid  conviction,  arising  from  impartial  in- 
quiry accompanied  with  prayer,  that  it  is 
unscriptural,  or  that  they  have  already  been 
baptized  according  to  the  institution  of 
Christ ;  but  to  a  notion  that  it  is  of  little  or 
no  account.  If  it  be  of  little  or  no  account 
to  bind  ourselves  to  the  Lord  in  the  ivay  of 
his  own  prescribing — to  confess  his  name 
before  men — to  avow  our  being  dead  to  the 
world,  and  alive  to  him — to  preserve  the 
church  from  being  constitutionally  corrupt- 
ed, and  yoked  together  with  unbelievers — 
to  obey  his  commandments  who  saith,  "Re- 
pent, and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you ; " 
and  to  follow  his  example  who  yielded  obe- 
dience to  this  institute,  saying,  "Thus  it 
becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  righteousness" — 
then  may  this  excuse  be  admitted.  But,  if 
these  things  be  important,  then  is  believers' 
baptism  important ;  and  all  attempts  to  de- 
preciate it  are  offensive  in  the  sight  of  Him 
who  is  the  Lord  and  lawgiver  of  Zion. 

Finally,  brethren,  it  becomes  us  to  be- 
ware lest  that  which  is  good  in  itself  should, 
through  the  corruption  of  our  nature,  become 


473 


CIRCULAK     LETTERS. 


an  occasion  of  evil.  There  is,  perhaps,  no 
temptation  more  common  among  religious 
people  than  to  think  too  highly  of  themselves 
on  account  of  their  advantages.  Where 
such  a  spirit  is  cherished,  baptism  may  be- 
come an  idol,  and  the  table  of  the  Lord  itself 
a  snare.  It  is  more  than  possible  that  some 
may  so  value  themselves  on  account  of  their 
baptism  as  to  make  it  a  substitute  for  a  life 
of  holiness  and  universal  righteousness.  It 
appears  that  some  among  the  Corinthians 
approached  too  near,  at  least,  to  this  spirit. 
They  had  been  baptised  ....  they  had  eaten 
and  drank  at  the  table  of  the  Lord  ....  yet 
they  trifled  with  idolatry,  and  worldly  lusts. 
"  I  would  not  that  ye  should  be  ignorant," 
said  Paul,  "  how  that  all  our  fathers  were 
under  the  cloud,  and  all  passed  through  the 
sea ;  and  were  all  baptized  unto  Moses  in  the 
cloud,  and  in  the  sea ;  and  did  eat  the  same 
spiritual  meat ;  and  did  all  drink  the  same 
spiritual  drink  (for  they  drank  of  that  spiritual 
rock  that  followed  them,  and  that  rock  was 
Christ.)  But  with  many  of  them  God  was  not 
well  pleased :  for  they  were  overthrown  in  the 
wilderness.  Now  these  things  were  our  ex- 
amples."— "  Wherefore  let  him  that  think- 
eth  he  standeth,  take  heed  lest  he  fall ! " 
As  if  he  had  said, — Are  you  members  of  a 
community  which  has  the  promised  presence 
of  Christ?  Our  fathers  also  were  "under 
the  cloud."  Has  God  interposed  in  your 
favor?  They  " passed  through  the  sea,"  as 
on  dry  land.  Have  you  been  baptized  ?  So 
were  they.  They  "  descended  "  in  a  body 
into  the  sea;  were  "buried,"  as  it  were,  by 
the  cloud  above  them  and  the  waters  on 
each  hand  of  them  ;  and  afterwards  "  ascend- 
ed" on  the  other  side.  Have  you  been  ad- 
mitted to  the  holy  supper  ?  They  also  ate 
of  that  food,  and  drank  of  that  stream,  the 
spiritual  intent  of  which  was  much  the  same. 
Yet  all  this  afforded  them  no  security,  when 
they  provoked  the  divine  jealousy.  Not- 
withstanding these  privileges  they  fell,  and 
were  destroyed  of  the  destroyer.  These 
things  are  recorded  for  our  admonition. — Of 
what  account  then  will  our  baptism  be  to  us, 
if,  instead  of  being  dead  to  the  world  and 
alive  to  God,  we  be  the  reverse  ?  Will  bap- 
tism save  us  ?  No :  it  will  bear  witness 
against  us  ! 

And  though  we  may  not  fall  into  so  fatal 
an  error  as  to  substitute  baptism  in  the  place 
of  holiness,  righteousness,  and  godliness ; 
yet  if  we  cherish  a  fond  conceit  of  our- 
selves, magnifying  our  advantages  to  the 
neglect  of  a  spirit  of  humble  watchfulness, 
our  baptism,  instead  of  aiding  us,  will  be- 
come a  snare.  We  do  not  always  act  up 
to  our  advantages.  It  is  very  possible  that 
Christians  who  are  behind  us,  in  this  particu- 
lar, may  notwithstanding  be  before  us  in 
their  general  character.  It  were  vain  and 
foolish  to  imagine  that  our  possessing  the 
truth  in  one  instance  will  secure  us  from  er- 


ror in  every  other ;  or  that  our  fulfilling  this 
command  of  Christ,  however  important,  will 
insure  a  course  of  universal  obedience. 

Let  us  never  forget  that  however  adapted 
this  or  that  ordinance,  form,  or  mode  of 
church  government,  may  be  to  promote  our 
spiritual  interests,  yet  if  we  rest  in  the 
means  they  will  deceive  us  ;  or  rather  we 
shall  deceive  ourselves.  It  is  the  presence 
of  Christ  only  that  can  keep  us  alive,  either 
as  individuals  or  as  churches.  While,  there- 
fore, we  recommend  the  means  which  he  has 
prescribed,  we  devoutly  add,  with  the  apos- 
tle, "  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  be  with  you  all !  "     Amen. 


1806. 

THE  PASTOR'S  ADDRESS  TO  HIS  CHRISTIAN 
HEARERS,  ENTREATING  THEIR  ASSIST- 
ANCE IN  PROMOTING  THE  INTEREST  OF 
CHRIST. 

Beloved  brethren, 

The  ministry  to  which  God  by  your  elec- 
tion has  called  us,  forms  a  distinguished 
part  of  the  gospel  dispensation.  Divine  in- 
struction was  communicated  under  the  Old 
Testament,  and  an  order  of  men  appointed 
of  God  for  the  purpose :  but  their  work  can 
scarcely  be  denominated  preaching.  They 
foretold  the  good  news :  but  it  is  for  us  to 
proclaim  it.  The  poor  having  the  gospel 
preached  to  them  is  alleged  in  proof  that 
the  Messiah  was  come,  and  that  they  were 
not  to  look  for  another. 

The  very  existence  of  Christian  churches 
is  in  subserviency  to  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel ;  or  they  would  not  have  been  de- 
scribed as  "  golden  candlesticks,"  the  use  of 
which  is  to  impart  light  to  those  around 
them.  We  speak  not  thus,  brethren,  to 
magnify  ourselves.  There  is  an  important 
difference  between  Christian  ministers  and 
the  Christian  ministry.  The  former,  we  are 
ready  to  acknowledge,  exist  for  your  sakes. 
"Whether  Paul,  Apollos,  or  Cephas — all 
are  yours;"  but  the  latter,  as  being  the 
chosen  means  of  extending  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom,  is  that  for  which  both  we  and  you 
exist.  "Ye  are  Christ's,  and  Christ  is 
God's." 

These  considerations  will  enable  us  to 
account  for  the  joy  which  the  apostle  expres- 
sed in  "Christ's  being  preached,"  even 
though  it  were  from  "envy;"  and  may 
teach  us  to  rejoice  in  the  same  thing,  though 
it  be  in  the  most  corrupt  communities,  or 
even  from  the  most  suspicious  motives.  But, 
though  God  may  cause  his  truth  to  triumph 
wherever  and  by  whomsoever  it  is  taught, 
yet  it  should  be  our  concern  to  publish  it  wil- 
lingly, and  to  the  best  advantage. 

The  primitive  churches  were  not  mere  as- 


CHRISTIANS    ENTREATED    TO    PROMOTE    THE    CAUSE    OF    CHRIST.         473 


semblies  of  men  who  agreed  to  meet  together 
once  or  twice  a  week,  and  to  subscribe  tor  the 
support  of  an  accomplished  man  who  should 
on  those  occasions  deliver  lectures  on  reli- 
gion. They  were  men  gathered  out  of  the 
world  by  the  preaching  of  the  cross,  and  form- 
ed into  society  for  the  promotion  of  Christ's 
kingdom  in  their  own  souls  and  in  the  world  a- 
round  them.  It  was  not  the  concern  of  the  min- 
isters or  elders  only:  the  body  of  the  people 
were  interested  in  all  that  was  done,  and,  ac- 
cording to  their  several  abilities  and  stations, 
took  part  in  it.  Neither  were  they  assemblies 
of  heady,  high-minded,  contentious  people, 
meeting  together  to  argue  on  points  of  doc- 
trine or  discipline,  and  converting  the  wor- 
ship of  God  into  scenes  of  strife.  They 
spoke  the  truth  ;  but  it  was  in  love :  they 
observed  discipline  ;  but,  like  an  army  of 
chosen  men,  it  was  that  they  might  attack 
the  kingdom  of  Satan  to  greater  advantage. 
Happy  were  it  for  our  churches  if  we  could 
come  to  a  closer  imitation  of  this  model ! 

We  trust  it  is  our  sincere  desire  as  minis- 
ters to  be  more  intent  upon  our  work:  but 
allow  us  to  ask  for  your  assistance.  Ne- 
hemiab,  zealous  as  he  was,  could  not  have 
built  the  wall  if  the  people  had  not  had  a  mind 
to  work.  Nor  could  Ezra  have  reformed  the 
abuses  among  the  people  if  nobody  had 
stood  with  him.  But  in  this  case  the  elders, 
when  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  the 
measure,  offered  themselves  willingly  to  as- 
sist him.  "  Arise,"  said  they,  "  for  this  mat- 
ter belongeth  unto  thee :  we  also  will  be 
with  thee :  be  of  good  courage  and  do  it." 
Such  is  the  assistance,  brethren,  which  we 
solicit  at  your  hands. 

We  might  enumerate  the  different  ways 
in  which  your  assistance  in  promoting  the 
interest  of  Christ  is  needed.  We  might  ask 
for  your  prayers,  your  early  attendance, 
your  counsels,  your  contributions,  and  your 
example  :  but  what  we  have  to  offer  will 
arise  from  a  review  of  the  different  branches 
of  our  own  labors. 

In  the  discharge  of  our  work  we  have  to 
do  with  four  descriptions  of  people,  and  in 
dealing  with  each  we  stand  in  need  of  your 
assistance :  namely,  serious  and  humble 
Christians — disorderly  walkers — persons  un- 
der concern  about  salvation — and  persons 
manifestly  unconverted. 

First :  It  may  be  supposed  that  in  every 
church  of  Christ  there  will  be  a  considera- 
ble proportion  of  serious  and  humble  Chris- 
tians.— Our  work  in  respect  of  them  is  to 
feed  them  with  the  wholesome  doctrine  of 
the  word,  and  to  teach  them  the  mind  of 
Christ  in  all  things.  The  assistance  which 
we  ask  of  you,  brethren,  in  this  part  of  our 
ministry,  is,  that  you  would  not  only  pray 
for  us,  but  be  free  to  impart  to  us  the  state 
of  your  minds,  and  whether  our  labors  be 
edifying  to  you  or  not.  It  is  not  so  much 
by  a  systematical  statement  and  defence  of 
Vol.  2.— Sic.  60. 


Christian  doctrines  that  believers  are  edified, 
as  by  those  doctrines  being  applied  to  their 
respective  cases.  This  is  the  way  in  which 
they  are  ordinarily  introduced  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  in  which  they  become  "  words  in 
due  season."  But  we  cannot  well  preach 
to  the  cases  of  people  unless  we  know  them. 
Add  to  this,  the  interest  which  you  discover 
in  the  things  of  God  has  a  more  than  ordi- 
nary influence  on  our  minds  in  the  delivery 
of  them.  You  cannot  conceive  the  differ- 
ence between  addressing  a  people  full  of 
tender  and  affectionate  attention,  whose 
souls  appear  in  their  eyes,  and  answer,  as  it 
were,  to  the  word  of  God ;  and  preaching 
to  those  who  are  either  half  asleep,  or  their 
thoughts  manifestly  occupied  by  other  things. 
By  looking  at  the  one,  our  hearts  have  ex- 
panded like  the  flowers  before  the  morning 
sun  :  thoughts  have  occurred,  and  sensations 
have  been  kindled,  which  the  labors  of  the 
study  could  never  have  furnished.  But,  by 
observing  the  other,  our  spirits  are  contract- 
ed like  the  flowers  by  the  damps  of  the 
evening,  and  thoughts  which  were  interest- 
ing when  alone  have  seemed  to  die  as  they 
proceeded  from  our  lips. 

It  will  tend  not  a  little  to  increase  your 
interest  in  hearing,  if  you  exercise  your- 
selves on  other  occasions  in  reading  and  re- 
flection. If  you  attend  to  the  things  of  God 
only,  or  chiefly,  while  hearing  us,  we  shall 
preach  to  you  under  great  disadvantage. 
The  apostle  complained  of  many  things  be- 
ing hard  to  be  uttered,  owing  to  the  He- 
brews being  dull  of  hearing ;  and  that,  when 
for  the  time  they  ought  to  have  been  teach- 
ers, they  had  need  that  one  should  teach 
them  again  which  were  the  first  principles 
of  the  oracles  of  God.  Thinking  hearers 
give  a  facility  to  preaching,  even  upon  the 
most  difficult  subjects ;  while  those  whose 
minds  are  seldom  occupied  at  other  times 
can  scarcely  understand  the  most  easy  and 
familiar  truths. 

Secondly:  In  every  church  we  must  ex- 
pect a  greater  or  less  proportion  of  disorder- 
ly walkers. — Our  work,  in  respect  of  them,  is 
to  warn,  admonish,  and,  if  possible,  to  re- 
claim them ;  or,  if  that  cannot  be,  to  sepa- 
rate them,  lest  the  little  leaven  should  leav- 
en the  whole  lump.  But  in  these  cases, 
more  than  in  many  others,  we  stand  in  need 
of  your  assistance.  It  is  not  ministers  only, 
but  all  "  who  are  spiritual,"  that  the  apostle 
addresses  on  this  subject ;  and  spiritual  char- 
acters may  always  expect  employment  in  re- 
storing others  in  the  spirit  of  meekness.  It 
is  of  great  importance  to  the  well-being  of 
a  church  that  men  are  not  wanting  who  will 
watch  over  one  another  in  love,  observe  and 
counteract  the  first  symptoms  of  declension, 
heal  differences  at  an  early  period,  and  nip 
disturbances  in  the  bud.  By  such  means 
there  will  be  but  few  things  of  a  disagreea- 
ble nature,  which  will  require  either  the  cen- 


474 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


sures  of  the  church  or  the  interference  of 
the  pastor. 

There  will  be  instances,  however,  in  which 
both  the  pastor  and  the  church  must  inter- 
fere ;  and  here  it  is  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence that  they  each  preserve  a  right  spirit, 
and  act  in  concert.  There  are  two  errors 
in  particular  into  which  individuals  have  fre- 
quently fallen  in  these  matters.  One  is  a 
harsh  and  unfeeling  conduct  towards  the 
offender,  tending  only  to  provoke  his  resent- 
ment, or  to  drive  him  to  despair;  the  other 
is  that  of  siding  with  him,  apologizing  for 
him,  and  carrying  it  so  familiarly  towards 
him  in  private  as  to  induce  him  to  think 
others  who  reprove  him  his  enemies.  Be- 
ware, brethren,  of  both  these  extremes, 
which,  instead  of  assisting  us  in  our  work, 
would  be  doing  the  utmost  to  counteract  us. 
We  may  almost  as  well  abandon  discipline 
as  not  to  act  in  concert.  It  was  on  this  prin- 
ciple that  the  apostle  enjoined  it  on  the  Co- 
rinthians "  not  to  keep  company,  if  any  man 
that  is  called  a  brother  be  a  fornicator,  or 
covetous,  or  an  idolater,  or  a  railer,  or  a 
drunkard,  or  an  extortioner ;  with  such  a  one, 
no  not  to  eat." 

Your  assistance  is  particularly  necessary 
to  resist  and  overcome  those  unlovely  par- 
tialities which  are  too  often  found  in  individ- 
uals towards  their  relations  or  favorites. 
We  have  seen  and  heard  of  disorderly  walk- 
ers, whose  connections  in  a  church  have 
been  so  extensive,  that,  when  they  should 
have  been  censured  or  admonished,  either  a 
strong  opposition  was  raised  in  their  favor, 
or  at  least  a  considerable  number  have 
chosen  to  stand  neuter,  and  so  to  leave  the 
officers  of  the  church  to  act  in  a  manner 
alone.  It  is  glorious  to  see  a  people  in  such 
cases  acting  in  the  spirit  of  Levi,  who  "  did 
not  acknowledge  his  brethren,  nor  know  his 
own  children;  but  observed  God's  word, 
and  kept  his  covenant!" 

It  is  often  extremely  difficult  for  a  pastor 
to  go  through  with  such  matters  without  in- 
jury to  his  character  and  ministry.  He,  be- 
ing by  his  office  obliged  to  take  the  lead,  be- 
comes the  principal  object  of  resentment ; 
and  every  idle  story  is  raked  up  by  the  party 
and  their  adherents  which  may  wound  his 
reputation,  and  impute  his  conduct  to  sus- 
picious motives.  If,  in  such  circumstances, 
his  brethren  stand  by  him,  he  will  disregard 
the  slander  of  his  enemies  ;  but,  if  they  be 
indifferent,  it  will  be  death  to  him.  Should 
such  a  conduct  issue  in  his  removal,  it  is  no 
more  than  might  be  expected. 

Thirdly :  In  every  church  of  Christ  we 
may  hope  to  find  some  persons  inquiring 
after  the  way  of  salvation. — This  may  be  the 
case  much  more  at  some  periods  than  at 
others  ;  but  we  may  presume,  from  the  pro- 
mise of  God  to  be  with  his  servants,  that 
the  word  of  truth  shall  not  be  any  length  of 
time  without  effect.     Our  work  in  this  case 


is  to  cherish  conviction,  and  to  direct  the 
mind  to  the  gospel  remedy.  But  if,  when 
men  are  inquiring  the  way  to  Zion,  there  be 
none  but  the  minister  to  give  them  informa- 
tion, things  must  be  low  indeed.  It  might  be 
expected  that  there  should  be  as  many  per- 
sons capable  of  giving  direction  on  this 
subject  as  there  are  serious  Christians  ;  for 
who  that  has  obtained  mercy  by  believing 
in  Jesus  should  be  at  a  loss  to  recommend 
him  to  another?  It  is  matter  of  fact,  how- 
ever, that  though,  as  in  cases  of  bodily  dis- 
ease, advisers  are  seldom  wanting ;  yet, 
either  for  want  of  being  interested  in  the 
matter,  or  sufficiently  skilful  in  the  word  of 
righteousness,  there  are  but  few,  compara- 
tively, whose  advice  is  of  any  value:  and 
this  we  apprehend  to  be  one  great  cause  of 
declension  in  many  churches.  Were  we 
writing  on  ministerial  defects,  we  should  not 
scruple  to  acknowledge  that  much  of  the 
preaching  of  the  present  day  is  subject  to 
the  same  censure ;  but  in  the  present  in- 
stance we  must  be  allowed  to  suppose  our- 
selves employed  in  teaching  the  good  and 
the  right  way,  and  to  solicit  your  assistance 
in  the  work.  When  the  apostle  tells  the 
Hebrews  that,  considering  the  time,  "  they 
ought  to  have  been  teachers,"  he  does  not 
mean  that  they  ought  all  to  have  been  min- 
isters ;  but  able  to  instruct  any  inquirer  in 
the  great  principles  of  the  gospel. 

It  has  been  already  intimated  that,  to  give 
advice  to  a  person  under  concern  about  sal- 
vation, it  is  necessary,  in  the  first  place,  that 
Ave  be  interested  on  his  behalf,  and  treat  him 
in  a  free  and  affectionate  manner.  Some 
members  of  churches  act  as  if  they  thought 
such  things  did  not  concern  them,  and  as  if 
their  whole  duty  consisted  in  sending  the 
party  to  the  minister.  A  church  composed 
of  such  characters  may  be  opulent  and  re- 
spectable ;  but  they  possess  nothing  inviting 
or  winning  to  an  awakened  mind.  To  cher- 
ish conviction,  and  give  a  right  direction  to 
such  a  mind,  we  must  be  free  and  affection- 
ate. When  a  sinner  begins  to  think  of  his 
condition,  such  questions  as  the  following 
will  often  cross  his  mind  : — Was  there  ever 
such  a  case  as  mine  before  ?  Are  there  any 
people  in  the  world  who  have  been  what  I 
am,  and  who  are  now  in  the  way  to  eternal 
life  ?  If  there  be,  who  are  they  ?  Where 
are  they  ?  But  if,  while  he  is  thinking  what 
he  must  do  to  be  saved,  he  neither  sees  nor 
hears  any  thing  among  you  which  renders  it 
probable  that  such  was  ever  your  concern — 
if,  as  soon  as  a  sermon  is  ended,  he  sees 
merely  an  exchange  of  civilities,  and,  on 
leaving  the  place,  observes  that  all  the  con- 
gregation immediately  fall  into  conversation 
about  worldly  things,  what  can  he  think? 
Either  that  there  is  nothing  in  religion,  or, 
if  there  be,  that  he  must  seek  elsewhere  for 
it.  The  voice  of  a  Christian  church  to  those 
who  attend  upon  their  ministry  should  be 


CHRISTIANS    ENTREATED    TO    PROMOTE    THE    CAUSE    OF    CHRIST. 


475 


that  of  Moses  to  Hobab  :  "  We  are  jour- 
neying to  the  place  of  which  the  Lord  hath 
said,  I  will  give  it  you.  Come  thou  with  us, 
and  we  wili  do  thee  good :  for  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  good  concerning  Israel." 

It  is  of  great  consequence  to  the  well-be- 
ing of  a  church,  that  there  be  persons  in  par- 
ticular in  it  who  are  accessible  to  characters 
of  this  description,  and  who  would  take  a 
pleasure  in  introducing  themselves  to  them. 
Barnabas,  who,  by  a  tender  and  affectionate, 
spirit,  was  peculiarly  fitted  for  this  employ- 
ment, was  acquainted  with  Saul  while  the 
other  disciples  were  afraid  of  him.  It  was 
he  that  introduced  him  to  the  apostles,  and 
declared  unto  them  how  he  had  seen  the 
Lord  in  the  way,  and  that  he  had  spoken  to 
him,  and  how  he  had  preached  boldly  at 
Damascus  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 

Affection,  however,  is  not  the  only  qual- 
ification for  this  work :  it  requires  that  you 
be  skilful  in  the  ivord  of  righteousness ;  else 
you  will  administer  false  consolation,  and 
may  be  instrumental  in  destroying,  instead 
of  saving  souls.  Not  that  it  requires  any 
extraordinary  talents  to  give  advice  in  such 
cases ;  the  danger  arises  principally  from  in- 
attention and  erroneous  views  of  the  gospel. 

If,  brethren,  you  would  assist  us  in  this  de- 
lightful work,  allow  us  to  caution  you  against 
one  prevailing  error,  and  to  recommend  one 
important  rule.  The  error  to  which  we  al- 
lude is,  Taking  it  for  granted  that  the 

PARTY  HAS  NO  DOUBTS  AS  TO  THE  GOSPEL 
WAT  OF  SALVATION,  AND  NO  UNWILLINGNESS 
TO  BE  SAVED  BY  IT,  PROVIDED  GOD  WERE 
BUT  WILLING  TO  SAVE  HIM. 

Such  are  probably  his  thoughts  of  himself; 
and  the  only  question  with  him  is,  whether 
he  have  an  interest  in  Christ  and  spiritual 
blessings.  Hence  he  is  employed  in  search- 
ing for  something  in  his  religious  experience 
which  may  amount  to  an  evidence  of  his 
conversion  ;  and  in  talking  with  you  he  ex- 
pects you  to  assist  him  in  the  search.  But 
do  not  take  this  account  of  tilings  as  being 
the  true  one  :  it  is  founded  in  self-deception. 
If  he  understood  and  believed  the  gospel 
way  of  salvation,  he  would  know  that  God 
was  willing  to  save  any  sinner  who  is  wil- 
ling to  be  saved  by  it.  A  willingness  to  relin- 
quish every  false  confidence,  every  claim 
of  preference  before  the  most  ungodly  char- 
acter, and  every  ground  of  hope  save  that 
which  God  has  laid  in  the  gospel,  is  all  that 
is  wanting.  If  he  have  this,  there  is 
nothing  in  heaven  or  earth  in  the  way  of  his 
salvation.  In  conversing  with  such  a  char- 
acter we  should  impress  this  truth  upon  him, 
assuring  him  that  if  he  be  straitened  it  is  not 
of  God,  but  in  his  own  bowels — that  the 
doubts  which  he  entertains  of  the  willing- 
ness of  God,  especially  on  account  of  his 
sinfulness  and  unworthiness,  are  no  other 
than  the  workings  of  a  self-righteous  oppo- 
sition to  the  gospel  (as  they  imply  an  opin- 


ion that,  if  he  were  less  sinful  and  more 
worthy,  God  might  be  induced  to  save  him) 
— and  that  if  he  be  not  saved  it  will  be  owing 
to  his  thus  continuing  to  stumble  at  the 
stumbling  stone.  Instead  of  allowing  that 
that  he  believes  the  gospel,  and  is  willing 
to  be  saved  in  the  gospel  way,  while  yet  his 
very  moans  betray  the  contrary,  we  should 
labor  to  persuade  him  that  he  does  not  yet 
understand  the  deceit  of  his  own  heart — that, 
if  he  were  willing  to  come  to  Christ  for  life, 
there  is  no  doubt  of  his  being  accepted  ;  in 
short,  that,  whenever  he  is  brought  to  be  of 
this  mind,  he  will  not  only  ask  after  the 
good  way,  but  walk  in  it,  and  will  assuredly 
find  rest  unto  his  soul. 

The  rule  we  recommend  is  this :  Point 

THEM  DIRECTLY  TO    THE    SAVIOUR.       It  may 

be  thought  that  no  Christian  can  misunder- 
stand or  misapply  this  important  direction, 
which  is  every  where  taught  in  the  New 
Testament.  Yet,  if  you  steer  not  clear  of 
the  above  error  you  will  be  unable  to  keep 
to  it.  So  long  as  you  admit  the  obstruction 
to  believing  in  Christ  to  consist  in  something 
distinct  from  disaffection  to  the  gospel  way 
of  salvation,  it  will  be  next  to  impossible  for 
you  to  exhort  a  sinner  to  it  in  the  language 
of  the  New  Testament.  For  how  can  you 
exhort  a  man  to  that  which  you  think  he  de- 
sires with  all  his  heart  to  comply  with,  but 
cannot  ?  You  must  feel  that  such  exhorta- 
tions would  be  tantalizing  and  insulting  him. 
You  may,  indeed,  conceive  of  him  as  igno- 
rant, and  as  such  labor  to  instruct  him  ;  but 
your  feelings  will  not  suffer  you  to  exhort 
him  to  any  thing  in  which  he  is  involuntary. 
Hence,  you  will  content  yourselves  with  di- 
recting him  to  wait  at  the  pool  of  ordinances, 
and  it  may  be  to  pray  for  grace  to  enable  him 
to  repent  and  believe,  encouraging  him  to 
hope  for  a  happy  issue  in  God's  due  time. 
But  this  is  not  pointing  the  sinner  directly  to 
Christ.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  furnishing  him 
with  a  resting-place  short  of  him,  and  giving 
him  to  imagine  that  duties  performed  while 
in  unbelief  are  pleasing  to  God. 

If  you  point  the  awakened  sinner  directly 
to  the  Saviour,  after  the  manner  of  the  New 
Testament,  you  will  not  be  employed  in  as- 
sisting him  to  analyze  the  distresses  of  his 
mind  and  administering  consolation  to  him 
from  the  hope  that  they  may  contain  some  of 
the  ingredients  of  true  conversion,  or  at  least 
the  signs  that  he  will  be  converted.  Neither 
will  you  consider  distress  as  ascertaining  a 
happy  issue,  any  otherwise  than  as  it  leads 
to  Christ.  If  the  question  were,  Do  I  be- 
lieve in  Jesus  for  salvation  ?  then,  indeed, 
you  must  inquire  what  effects  have  been 
produced.  But  it  is  very  different  where  the 
inquiry  is,  What  shall  we  do  ?  or,  What 
shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  The  murderers  of 
Christ  were  distressed;  but  Peter  did  not 
attempt  to  comfort  them  by  alleging  that  this 
was  a  hopeful  sign  of  their  conversion,  or  by 


476 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


any  way  directing  their  attention  to  Avhat  was 
within  them.  On  the  contrary,  he  exhibited 
the  Saviour,  and  exhorted  them  to  repent 
and  be  baptised  in  his  name.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  Philippian  jailor.  He 
was  in  great  distress,  yet  no  comfort  was  ad- 
ministered to  him  from  this  quarter,  nor  any 
other,  except  the  salvation  of  Christ.  Him 
Paul  and  Silas  exhibited,  and  in  him  directly 
exhorted  him  to  believe.  The  promise  of 
rest  is  not  made  to  the  weary  and  heavy  la- 
den, but  to  those  who  come  to  Christ  under 
their  burdens. 

Once  more:  If  you  keep  this  rule,  though 
you  will  labor  to  make  the  sinner  sensible  of 
his  sin  (as  till  this  is  the  case  he  will  never 
come  to  the  Saviour,)  yet  you  will  be  far 
from  holding  up  this  his  sensibility  as  afford- 
ing any  warrant,  qualification,  or  title  to  be- 
lieve in  him,  which  he  did  not  possess  before. 
The  gospel  itself  is  the  warrant,  and  not  any 
thing  in  the  state  of  the  mind  ;  though,  till 
the  mind  is  made  sensible  of  the  evil  of  sin, 
it  will  never  comply  with  the  gospel. 

Fourthly :  There  is  in  all  congregations 
and  neighborhoods  a  considerable  number  of 
people  who  are  living  in  their  sins,  and  in  a 
state  of  unconcernedness  about  salvation. — 
Our  work  in  respect  of  them  is,  whether  they 
will  hear  or  whether  they  will  forbear,  to 
declare  unto  them  their  true  character,  to 
exhibit  the  Saviour  as  the  only  refuge,  and 
to  warn  them  to  flee  to  him  from  the  wrath 
to  come.  In  this  also  there  are  various  ways 
in  which  you  may  greatly  assist  us.  If,  as 
heads  of  families,  you  were  to  inquire  of 
your  children  and  servants  what  they  have 
heard  and  noticed  on  the  Lord's-day,  you 
would  often  find  occasion  to  second  the  im- 
pressions made  by  our  labors.  It  is  also  of 
great  consequence  to  be  endued  with  that 
wisdom  from  above  which  dictates  a  word  in 
season  to  men  in  our  ordinary  concerns  with 
them.  Far  be  it  from  us  to  recommend  the 
fulsome  practice  of  some  professors,  who  are 
so  full  of  what  they  call  religion  as  to  in- 
troduce it  on  all  occasions,  and  that  in  a  most 
offensive  manner.  Yet  there  is  a  way  of 
dropping  a  hint  to  a  good  purpose.  It  is 
admirable  to  observe  the  easy  and  inof- 
fensive manner  in  which  a  patriarch  intro- 
duced some  of  the  most  important  truths 
to  a  heathen  prince,  merely  in  answer  to  the 
question,  How  old  art  thou  ?  "The  days  of 
the  years  of  my  pilgrimage,"  said  he,  "  are  a 
hundred  and  thirty  years  ;  few  and  evil  have 
the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life  been,  and 
have  not  attained  unto  the  days  of  the  years 
of  the  life  of  my  fathers,  in  the  days  of  their 
pilgrimage."  This  was  insinuating  to  Pha- 
raoh that  he  and  his  fathers  before  him  were 
strangers  and  pilgrims  upon  the  earth — that 
their  portion  was  not  in  this  world,  but  in 
another — that  the  life  of  man,  though  it  ex- 
tended to  a  hundred  and  thirty  years,  was 
but  a  few  days — and  that  those  few   days 


were  mixed  with  evil — all  which,  if  the  king 
reflected  on  it,  would  teach  him  to  set  light  by 
the  earthly  glory  with  which  he  was  loaded, 
and  to  seek  a  crown  which  fadeth  not  away. 

You  are  acquainted  with  many  who  do 
not  attend  the  preaching  of  the  word.  If, 
by  inviting  them  to  go  with  you,  an  individu- 
al only  should  be  caught,  as  we  say,  in  the 
gospel  net,  you  would  save  a  soul  from  death. 
Such  examples  have  frequently  occurred. 
It  is  an  established  law  in  the  divine  admin- 
istration that  men,  both  in  good  and  evil, 
should  in  a  very  great  degree  draw  and  be 
drawn  by  each  other.  The  ordinary  way  in 
which  the  knowledge  of  God  is  spread  in  the 
world  is,  by  every  man  saying  to  his  neigh- 
bor and  to  his  brother,  Know  the  Lord.  It 
is  a  character  of  gospel  times,  that  "  Many 
people  shall  go  and  say,  Come,  let  us  go  up 
to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of 
the  God  of  Jacob  ;  and  he  will  teach  us  of 
his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths :  for 
out  of  Zion  shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the 
word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem."  Add  to 
this,  by  visiting  your  neighbors  under  afflic- 
tion you  would  be  furnished  with  many  an 
opportunity  of  conversing  with  them  to  ad- 
vantage. Men's  consciences  are  commonly 
awake  at  such  seasons,  whatever  they  have 
been  at  others.  It  is  as  the  month  to  the 
wild  ass,  in  which  they  that  seek  her  may 
find  her. 

Finally :  Enable  us  to  use  strong  language 
when  recommending  the  gospel  by  its  holy 
and  happy  effects. — Unbelievers  constantly 
object  to  the  doctrine  of  grace  as  licentious; 
and,  if  they  can  refer  to  your  unworthy  con- 
duct, they  will  be  confirmed,  and  we  shall 
find  it  impossible  to  vindicate  the  truth  of 
God  without  disowning  such  conduct,  and  it 
may  be  you  on  account  of  it :  but  if  we  can 
appeal  to  the  upright,  the  temperate,  the 
peaceable,  the  benevolent,  the  holy  lives  of 
those  among  whom  we  labor,  it  will  be  of 
more  weight  than  a  volume  of  reasonings, 
and  have  a  greater  influence  on  the  con- 
sciences of  men.  A  congregation  composed 
of  kind  and  generous  masters,  diligent  and 
faithful  servants,  affectionate  husbands,  obe- 
dient wives,  tender  parents,  dutiful  children, 
and  loyal  subjects,  will  be  to  a  minister  what 
children  of  the  youth  are  said  to  be  to  a  pa- 
rent :  As  arrows  in  the  hand  of  a  mighty  man : 
— "  Happy  is  the  man  that  hath  his  quiver  full 
of  them  :  they  shall  not  be  ashamed,  but  they 
shall  speak  with  the  enemies  in  the  gate." 

These,  brethren,  are  some  of  the  principal 
ways  in  which  we  affectionately  solicit  your 
assistance  in  promoting  the  interest  of 
Christ.  In  doing  this,  we  virtually  pledge 
ourselves  to  be  ready  on  all  occasions  to 
engage  in  it.  We  feel  the  weight  of  this 
implication.  Let  each  have  the  other's 
prayer,  that  we  may  both  be  assisted  from 
above,  without  which  all  the  assistance  we 
can  render  each  other  will  be  unavailing. 


MORAL    AND    POSITIVE    OBEDIENCE. 


477 


Should  this  address  fall  into  the  hands  of 
one.  who  is  yet  in  his  sins,  let  him  consider 
that  the  object  of  it  is  his  salvation  ;  let  him 
reflect  on  the  case  of  a  man  whom  many  are 
endeavoring  to  save,  but  he  himself,  with 
hardened  unconcern,  is  pressing  forward  to 
destruction  ;  and  finally,  should  he  bethink 
himself,  and  desire  to  escape  the  wrath  to 
come,  let  him  beware  of  false  refuges,  and 
flee  to  Jesus,  the  hope  set  before  him  in  the 
gospel. 


1807. 

ON  MORAL  AND  POSITIVE  OBEDIENCE. 
Dear  brethren, 
In  addressing  these  our  annual  letters  to 
you,  it  is  our  desire  to  lead  you  on  in  the  di- 
vine life,  that,  not  contented  with  a  superfi- 
cial acquaintance  with  religion,  you  may 
clearly  understand  its  most  discriminating 
principles.  The  winds  of  doctrine  which 
abound,  by  which  many,  like  children,  are 
tossed  to  and  fro  and  carried  away,  require 
that  you  grow  up  into  Him  in  all  things  who 
is  the  head,  even  Christ. 

Concerning  the  subject  of  our  present  ad- 
dress, namely,  moral  and  positive  obedience, 
suffice  it  to  say,  we  think  we  perceive  some 
serious  evils  growing  up  in  certain  parts  of 
the  Christian  world  for  want  of  distinct  ideas 
concerning  it,  and  wish  to  arm  your  minds 
against  them.  All  we  shall  attempt  will 
be  to  give  a  clear  statement  of  the  distinc- 
tion, and  to  point  out  the  use  of  it  in  the 
Christian  religion. 

An  unreserved  obedience  to  the  revealed 
will  of  God,  in  whatever  form  it  is  delivered, 
is  the  scriptural  test  of  faith  and  love.  You 
have  professed  to  believe  in  Christ  for  salva- 
tion, and  have  been  baptized  in  his  name  ; 
but  this  is  not  all ;  the  same  commission 
which  requires  this  directs  also  that  the  dis- 
ciples should  be  instructed  in  the  whole  mind 
of  Christ:  "Teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 
As  the  commandments  of  Christ,  however, 
are  not  all  of  the  same  kind,  so  neither  is  our 
obedience  required  to  be  yielded  in  all  re- 
spects on  the  same  principles. 

The  distinction  of  obedience  into  moral 
and  positive  is  far  from  being  novel.  It  has 
been  made  by  the  ablest  writers,  of  various 
denominations,  and  must  be  made  if  we 
would  understand  the  Scriptures.  Without 
it,  we  should  confound  the  eternal  standard 
of  right  and  wrong  given  to  Israel  at  Sinai 
(the  sum  of  which  is  love  to  God  and  our 
neighbor)  with  the  body  of  "  carnal  ordinan- 
ces imposed  on  them  until  the  time  of  refor- 
mation." We  should  also  confound  those 
precepts  and  examples  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment which  arise  from  the  relations  we  stand 
in  to  God  and  to  one  another  with  positive 
institutions  which    arise  merely   from  the 


sovereign  will  of  the  Lawgiver,  and  could 
never  have  been  known  had  he  not  expressly 
enjoined  them.  Concerning  the  former,  an 
inspired  writer  does  not  scruple  to  refer  the 
primitive  Christians  to  that  sense  of  right 
and  wrong  which  is  implanted  in  the  minds 
of  men  in  general ;  saying,  "  Whatsoever 
things  are  /rwe,~whatsoever  things  are  honest, 
whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever 
things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely, 
whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report;  if 
there  be  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any 
praise,  think  on  these  things."  But,  con- 
cerning the  latter,  he  directs  their  whole  at- 
tention to  Christ,  and  to  those  who  acted 
under  his  authority.  "Be  ye  followers  of 
me  as  I  also  am  of  Christ." — "  Now  I  praise 
you,  brethren,  that  ye  remember  me  in  all 
things,  and  keep  the  ordinances  as  I  deliver- 
ed them  to  you."  The  one  is  commanded 
because  it  is  right ;  the  other  is  right  be- 
cause it  is  commanded.  The  great  princi- 
ples of  the  former  are  of  perpetual  obligation, 
and  know  no  other  variety  than  that  which 
arises  from  the  varying  of  relations  and  con- 
ditions ;  but  those  of  the  latter  may  be  bind- 
ing at  one  period  of  time,  and  utterly  abol- 
ished at  another. 

We  can  clearly  perceive  that  it  were  in- 
consistent with  the  perfections  of  God  not 
to  have  required  us  to  love  him  and  one 
another,  or  to  have  allowed  of  the  contrary. 
Children  also  must  needs  be  required  to 
"  obey  their  parents  ;  for  this  is  right."  But 
it  is  not  thus  in  positive  institutions.  What- 
ever wisdom  there  may  be  in  them,  and 
whatever  discernment  in  us,  we  could  not 
have  known  them  had  they  not  been  express- 
ly revealed ;  nor  are  they  ever  enforced  as 
being  right  in  themselves,  but  merely  as 
being  of  divine  appointment.  Of  them  we 
may  say,  Had  it  pleased  God,  he  might  in 
various  instances  have  enjoined  the  op- 
posites  :  but  of  the  other  we  are  not  allowed 
to  suppose  it  possible,  or  consistent  with 
righteousness,  to  require  anything  different 
from  that  which  is  required. 

The  design  of  moral  obligation  is  to  pre- 
serve order  in  the  creation  ;  that  of  positive 
institutions,  among  other  things,  to  prove 
us,  whether,  like  Abraham  in  offering  up 
his  son,  we  will  yield  implicit  obedience  to 
God's  commandments,  or  whether  we  will 
hesitate  till  we  perceive  the  reason  of  them. 
The  obligation  of  man  to  love  and  obey  his 
Creator  was  coeval  with  his  existence  :  but 
it  Avas  not  till  God  had  planted  a  garden  in 
Eden,  and  there  put  the  man  whom  he  had 
formed,  and  expressly  prohibited  the  fruit  of 
one  of  the  trees  on  pain  of  death,  that  he 
came  under  a  positive  law.  The  former 
would  approve  itself  to  his  conscience  as 
according  with  the  nature  of  things :  the 
latter  as  being  commanded  by  his  Creator. 
Having  briefly  stated  our  views  of  the 
subject,  we  proceed  to  point  out  the  uses  to 


478 


CIRCULAR     LETTERS. 


which  it  is  applicable  in  the  exercise  of 
Christian  obedience. 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  amuse  the  churches 
we  represent  with  useless  distinctions,  or 
speculations  which  apply  not  to  the  great 
purposes  of  practical  godliness.  If  we 
mistake  not,  brethren,  a  clear  view  of  the 
subject,  as  stated  above,  will  furnish  you 
with  much  important  instruction. 

We  need  only  remind  you  of  the  use  of 
this  distinction  in  reducing  to  a  narrow 
compass  the  baptismal  controversy.  Your 
ablest  writers  have  shown  from  hence  the 
fallacy  of  all  reasonings  in  favor  of  infant 
baptism  from  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  from 
circumcision,  or  from  any  ground  of  mere 
analogy :  and  not  your  writers  only  ;  for  the 
principle  is  conceded  by  a  considerable 
number  of  our  most  learned  opponents.* 
In  instituted  worship,  we  have  only  to  un- 
derstand the  will  of  our  divine_  Lawgiver 
in  relation  to  the  subject  in  question,  and  to 
obey  it. 

But  this  is  not  the  sole,  nor  perhaps  the 
principal  use  to  be  made  of  the  distinction. 
We  are  not  only  taught  by  it  to  look  for  ex- 
press precept  or  example,  in  things  positive, 
but  not  to  look  for  them  in  things  moral. 
In  obedience  of  the  latter  description  there 
is  not  that  need  of  minute  rules  or  exam- 
ples as  in  the  former  ;  but  merely  of  gener- 
al principles,  which  naturally  lead  to  all  the 
particulars  comprehended  in  them.  To 
require  express  precept  or  example,  or  to 
adhere  in  all  cases  to  the  literal  sense  of 
those  precepts  which  are  given  us,  in  things 
of  a  moral  nature,  would  lead  to  very  inju- 
rious consequences.  We  may,  by  a  disre- 
gard of  that  for  which  there  is  no  express 
precept  or  precedent,  omit  what  is  manifest- 
ly right ;  and,  by  an  adherence  to  the  letter 
of  scriptural  precepts,  overlook  the  spirit  of 
them,  and  do  that  which  is  manifestly  wrong. 

If  we  do  nothing  without  express  precept 
or  precedent,  we  must  build  no  places  for 
Christian  worship,  form  no  societies  for  visit- 
ing and  relieving  the  afflicted  poor,  establish 
no  schools,  endow  no  hospitals,  nor  contri- 
bute any  thing  towards  them,  nor  any  thing 
towards  printing  or  circulating  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  Whether  any  person  pretend- 
ing to  serious  religion  would  deny  these 
things  to  be  the  duty  of  Christians,  we  can- 
not tell ;  some,  however,  on  no  better 
ground,  have  thought  themselves  at  liberty 
to  lay  aside  family  ivorship,  and  the  sanctifi- 
cation  of  the  Lord's-day.  There  is  no  ex- 
press precept  or  precedent  for  either,  that 
we  recollect,  in  the  New  Testament.  But 
the  worship  of  God,  being  of  moral  obliga- 
tion, extends  to  the  various  relations  and 
situations  in  life.  In  duties  of  this  descrip- 
tion, it  is  not  God's  usual,  at  least  not  his 

*  See  Booth's  Padobaplism  Examined,  Vol. 
J.  Chap.  I. 


universal  method,  to  furnish  us  with  minute 
precepts,  but  rather  with  general  principles 
which  will  naturally  lead  us  to  the  practice 
of  them.  We  have  no  account  of  any  par- 
ticular injunction  given  to  Abraham  respect- 
ing the  order  of  his  family.  God  had  said  to 
him  in  general,  "  Walk  before  me,  and  be 
thou  perfect;"  and  this  was  sufficient.  "I 
know  Abraham,  said  the  Lord,  that  he  tvill 
command  his  children,  and  his  household 
after  him,  that  they  shall  keep  the  way  of 
the  Lord,  and  do  justice  and  judgment." 
And  with  respect  to  "  the  sanctification  of 
the  Lord's-day,"  so  far  as  it  relates  to  its 
being  the  day  appointed  for  Christian  wor- 
ship, rather  than  the  seventh — that  is  to  say, 
so  far  as  it  is  positive — though  we  have  no 
express  precept  for  it,  yet  there  are  not 
wanting  precedents,  which  amount  to  the 
same  thing.  As  to  the  keeping  of  the  day 
"  holy  to  the  Lord,"  this  is  moral,  and  not 
positive,  and  is  therefore  left  to  be  inferred 
from  general  principles.  If  God  be  publicly 
Avorshipped,  there  must  be  a  time  for  it ;  and 
that  time  requires  to  be  devoted  to  him. 
Whatever  was  moral  in  the  setting  apart  of 
the  seventh  day  for  divine  worship  (and  that 
something  was  so  may  be  presumed  from 
its  being  one  of  the  ten  commandments) 
applies  to  any  day  that  shall  be  appointed 
for  the  like  purpose.  Positive  institutions 
have  all  something  moral  pertaining  to  them, 
as  it  respects  the  holy  manner  in  which  they 
are  to  be  observed.  It  was  on  this  principle 
that  Paul  censured  as  immoral  the  manner 
in  which  the  Corinthians  attended  to  a  posi- 
tive institute.  His  reasoning  on  that  sub- 
ject applies  to  the  Lord's  day.  He  argued 
from  the  ordinance  of  breaking  bread  being 
the  Lord's  supper  that  eating  their  oivn  sup- 
per while  attending  to  it  was  rendering  it 
null  and  void.  And,  by  a  parity  of  reasoning, 
it  follows,  from  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
being  the  Lord's  day,  that  to  do  our  own  work, 
find  our  oivn  pleasure,  or  speak  our  own 
words  on  that  day,  is  to  render  it  null  and 
void.  Of  the  former  the  apostle  declared, 
"This  is  not  to  eat  the  Lord's  sup- 
per;" and  of  the  latter  he  would,  on  the 
same  principle,  have  declared,  This  is  not 
to  keep  the  Lord's  day.  After  all,  it  is 
surprising  if  any  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  sincerity  can  feel  this  to  be  a  bur- 
den. "  Why,  even  of  your  ownselves,  judge 
ye  not  what  is  right  ?  " 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  do  every  thing 
according  to  the  letter  of  moral  precepts, 
we  shall  often  overlook  the  true  intent  of 
them,  and  do  that  which  is  manifestly  wrong. 
Our  Lord's  precepts,  in  his  sermon  on  the 
mount,  if  so  understood,  would  contain  a 
prohibition  of  all  public  prayers,  and  public 
contributions,  and  require  such  an  acqui- 
escence in  injuries  as  he  himself,  when 
smitten  before  Pilate,  did  not  exemplify. 
The  right  hand,  in  certain  cases,  must  be 


MORAL    AND    TOSITIVE    OBEDIENCE. 


479 


cut  off,  and  the  right  eye  plucked  out.  If 
God  prosper  our  lawful  undertakings,  we 
must  not  only  avoid  all  increase  of  property, 
but  must  retain  no  part  of  what  we  have. 
No  beggar  nor  borrower  that  asks  assistance, 
whether  he  need  it  or  not,  must,  on  any  con- 
sideration, be  refused. 

We  believe  self-love  will  be  a  sufficient 
preservative  against  such  expositions  being 
reduced  to  practice  :  but,  if  the  principle  be 
retained,  it  will  be  at  work  in  some  other 
form,  diverting  the  attention  from  weightier 
matters,  and  reducing  religion  to  ceremony 
and  litigious  trifling. 

It  was  not  our  Lord's  design,  in  these 
precepts,  to  regulate  external  actions  so 
much  as  motives.  Many  of  his  precepts,  it 
is  true,  mention  the  act,  and  the  act  only ; 
but  their  aim  is  at  the  principle.  It  was  the 
spirit  of  ostentation  in  prayer  and  almsgiving, 
of  selfish  resentment  in  cases  of  injury,  and  of 
the  love  of  the  world  in  cases  of  accumulating 
and  retaining  property,  that  he  meant  to 
censure. 

Neither  is  it  by  attending  to  a  ceremony 
which  the  country  and  climate  ordinarily 
render  unnecessary,  that  we  comply  with 
our  Lord's  precept,  "  Ye  ought  to  wash  one 
another's  feet;"  but  "by  love  serving  one 
another."  We  may  wash  the  saints'  feet, 
and  neglect  to  dry  their  clothes,  or  admin- 
ister necessary  comfort  to  them  when  cold 
and  weary.  We  may  give  a  disciple  a  cup 
of  cold  water,  and  keep  back  what  is  more 
valuable  for  our  own  use.  If  we  be  taught 
of  God  to  love  one  another,  we  shall  find 
little  difficulty  in  understanding  and  prac- 
tising these  precepts. 

By  confounding  moral  and  positive  obe- 
dience, some  have  reasoned  thus:  "You 
agree  to  take  your  children  to  family  and 
public  worship,  teach  them  to  read  the  Bi- 
ble with  seriousness  and  attention,  instruct 
them  in  catechisms,  &c,  and  why  do  you 
not  take  them  to  the  Lord's  supper  ?  "  We 
answer,  The  former  are  moral  obligations  ; 
but  the  latter  is  not.  These  are  binding  on 
all  mankind,  and  therefore  ought  to  be  incul- 
cated from  the  earliest  dawn  of  knowledge, 
even  though  we  had  never  been  told°to 
"bring  up  our  children  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord;"  but  this  is  the 
immediate  duty  of  believers  only.  Others, 
on  the  same  principle,  have  argued  thus,  or 
to  this  effect:  "You  withhold  the  uncon- 
verted from  joining  at  the  Lord's  table,  and 
and  ivhy  not  also  from  joining  in  family  and 
public  prayer1?"  Our  answer  is  the  same. 
The  Lord's  supper  is  the  immediate  duty  of 
believers  only;  but  prayer  is  binding  on 
men  in  general,  however  far  they  may  be 
from  performing  it  in  an  acceptable  manner. 
To  join  with  unbelievers  in  what  is  not  their 
immediate  duty  is  to  become  partakers  of 
their  sin  ;  but  to  allow  them  to  join  with  us 
in  what  is  the  duty  of  every  one  is  not  so. 


We  ought  to  pray  for  such  things  as  both 
we  and  they  stand  in  need  of,  and  if  they 
unite  with  us  in  desire  it  is  well  for  them  ;  if 
not,  the  gudt  remains  with  themselves,  and 
not  with  us. 

If  we  be  not  greatly  mistaken,  many  dis- 
putes which  have  divided  Christians  on  the 
form,  order,  and  government  of  the  church  of 
Christ,  might  at  least  have  been  considera- 
bly diminished  by  a  proper  attention  to  this 
subject.  While  one  party  contends  for  an 
Erastian  latitude,  or  that  no  divine  directions 
are  left  us  on  these  subjects,  and  that  the 
church  must  be  modelled  and  governed  ac- 
cording to  circumstances,  the  other  seems 
to  have  considered  the  whole  as  a  system  of 
positive  institutions,  requiring  in  all  things 
the  most  literal  and  punctilious  observance. 
The  truth  lies,  we  apprehend,  between  these 
extremes  ;  and  the  way  to  find  it  is  to  ascer- 
tain on  what  principles  the  apostles  proceed- 
ed in  forming  and  organizing  Christian 
churches,  positive  or  moral.  If  the  for- 
mer, they  must  have  been  furnished  with  an 
exact  model,  or  pattern,  like  that  which  was 
given  to  Moses  in  the  mount,  and  have  done 
all  things  according  to  it:  but,  if  the  latter, 
they  would  only  be  furnished  with  general 
principles,  comprehending,  but  not  specify- 
ing, a  great  variety  of  particulars. 

That  the  framing  of  the  tabernacle  was 
positive  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  and  that  a 
part  of  the  religion  of  the  New  Testament 
is  so  is  equally  evident.  Concerning  this, 
the  injunctions  of  the  apostle  are  minute  and 
very  express.  "  Be  ye  followers  (imitators) 
of  me,  as  I  also  am  of  Christ." — "  In  this  I 
praise  you,  brethren,  that  ye  remember  me 
in  all  things,  and  keep  the  ordinances  as  I 
delivered  them  to  you." — "  For  I  have  re- 
ceived of  the  Lord  that  which  also  I  deliver- 
ed unto  you."  But  were  we  to  attempt  to 
draw  up  a  formula  of  church  government, 
worship,  and  discipline,  which  should  include 
any  thing  more  than  general  outlines,  and  to 
establish  it  upon  express  New-testament 
authorities,  we  should  attempt  what  is  im- 
practicable. 

We  doubt  not  but  the  apostles  acted  un- 
der divine  direction  ;  but  in  things  of  a  mor- 
al nature  that  direction  consisted,  not  in  pro- 
viding them  with  a  model,  or  pattern,  in  the 
manner  of  that  given  to  Moses,  but  in  fur- 
nishing them  with  general  principles,  and 
enduing  them  with  holy  wisdom  to  apply 
them  as  occasions  required. 

We  learn  from  the  Acts  and  the  epistles 
that  the  first  churches  were  congregations 
of  faithful  men,  voluntarily  united  together 
for  the  stated  ministration  of  the  word,  the 
administration  of  Christian  ordinances,  and 
the  mutually  assisting  each  other  in  promo- 
ting the  cause  of  Christ ;  that  they  were 
governed  by  bishops  and  deacons ;  that  a 
bishop  was  an  overseer,  not  of  other  minis- 
ters, but  of  the  flock  of  God  ;  that  the  gov- 


480 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


ernment  and  discipline  of  each  church  was 
within  itself;  that  the  gifts  of  the  different 
members  were  so  employed  as  to  conduce  to 
the  welfare  of  the  body;  and  that,  in  cases 
of  disorder,  all  proper  means  were  used  to 
vindicate  the  honor  of  Christ,  and  reclaim 
the  party. 

These,  and  others  which  might  be  named, 
we  call  general  principles.  They  are  some- 
times illustrated  by  the  incidental  occur- 
rence of  examples,  and  which,  in  all  similar 
cases,  are  binding:  but  it  is  not  always  so. 
That  a  variety  of  cases  occur  in  our  times, 
in  which  we  have  nothing  more  than  general 
principles  to  direct  us,  is  manifest  to  every 
person  of  experience  and  reflection.  We 
know  that  churches  were  formed,  elders  or- 
dained, and  prayer  and  praise  conducted 
with  "  the  understanding,"  or  so  as  to  be 
understood  by  others  ;  but  in  what  particu- 
lar manner  they  proceeded  in  each  we  are 
not  told.  We  have  no  account  of  the  forma- 
tion of  a  single  church,  no  ordination  ser- 
vice, nor  any  such  thing  as  a  formula  of  wor- 
ship. If  we  look  for  express  precept  or 
example  for  the  removal .  of  a  pastor  from 
one  situation  to  another,  Ave  shall  find  none. 
We  are  taught,  however,  that  for  the  church 
to  grow  unto  a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord  it 
requires  to  be  "fitly  framed  together." 
The  want  of  "  fitness "  in  a  connection, 
therefore,  especially  if  it  impede  the  growth 
of  the  spiritual  temple,  may  justify  a  removal. 
Or,  if  there  be  no  want  of  fitness,  yet,  if  the 
material  be  adapted  to  occupy  a  more  im- 
portant station,  a  removal  of  it  may  be  very 
proper.  Such  a  principle  may  be  misap- 
plied to  ambitious  and  interested  purposes  ; 
but,  if  the  increase  of  the  temple  be  kept  in 
view,  it  is  lawful,  and  in  some  cases  attend- 
ed with  great  and  good  effects. 

This  instance  may  suffice  instead  of  a  hun- 
dred, and  goes  to  show  that  the  forms  and 
orders  of  the  New-testament  church,  much 
more  than  of  the  Old,  are  founded  on  the 
reason  of  things.  They  appear  to  be  no 
more  than  what  men  who  were  possessed  of 
the  wisdom  from  above  would,  as  it  were  in- 
stinctively, adopt,  even  though  no  specific 
directions  should  be  given. 

But,  to  place  the  matter  beyond  all  doubt, 
let  us  refer  to  the  professions  and  practices 
of  the  apostles  themselves.  The  principles 
on  which  they  professed  to  act,  and  which 
they  inculcated  on  others,  were  these  :  "  Let 
all  things  be  done  to  edifying." — "Let  all 
things  be  done  decently,  and  in  order." 
Whatever  measures  had  a  tendency  to  build 
up  the  church  of  God  and  individuals  in 
their  most  holy  faith,  these  they  pursued. 
Whatever  measures  approved  themselves  to 
minds  endued  with  holy  wisdom  as  fit  and 
lovely,  and  as  tending,  like  good  discipline  in 
an  army,  to  the  enlargement  of  Christ's  king- 
dom, these  they  followed,  and  inculcated  on 
the  churches.     And  however  worldly  minds 


may  have  abused  the  principle,  by  introdu- 
cing vain  customs  under  the  pretence  of  de- 
cency, it  is  that  which,  understood  in  its  sim- 
ple and  original  sense,  must  still  be  the  test 
of  good  order  and  Christian  discipline. 

The  way  in  which  the  apostles  actually 
proceeded  in  the  forming  and  organizing  of 
churches  corresponds  with  this  statement  of 
things.  When  a  number  of  Christians  were 
assembled  together  in  the  days  of  Pentecost, 
they  were  considered  as  a  Christian  church. 
But  at  first  they  had  no  deacons,  and  proba- 
bly no  pastors,  except  the  apostles.  And,  if 
the  reason  of  things  had  not  required  it,  they 
might  have  continued  to  have  none.  But  in 
the  course  of  things  new  service  rose  upon 
their  hands,  therefore  they  must  have  new 
servants  to  perform  it ;  for,  said  the  apostles, 
"  It  is  not  reason  that  we  should  leave  the 
word  of  God,  and  serve  tables.  Wherefore, 
brethren,  look  ye  out  among  you  seven  men 
of  honest  report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
of  wisdom,  whom  we  may  appoint  over  this 
business."  In  this  process  we  perceive 
nothing  of  the  air  of  a  ceremony,  nothing 
like  that  of  punctilious  attention  to  forms, 
which  marks  obedience  to  a  positive  insti- 
tute ;  but  merely  the  conduct  of  men  endued 
with  the  wisdom  from  above ;  servants  ap- 
pointed when  service  required  it,  and  the 
number  of  the  one  regulated  by  the  quantity 
of  the  other.  All  things  are  done  "  decent- 
ly and  in  order ; "  all  things  are  done  "  to 
edifying." 

It  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  the  wisdom 
of  God  in  thus  varying  the  two'dispensations. 
The  Jewish  church  was  an  army  of  soldiers 
who  had  to  go  through  a  variety  of  forms  in 
learning  their  discipline:  the  Christian 
church  is  an  army  going  forth  to  battle. 
The  members  of  the  former  were  taught 
punctilious  obedience,  and  led  with  great 
formality  through  a  variety  of  religious  evo- 
lutions :  but  those  of  the  latter  (though  they 
also  must  keep  their  ranks,  and  act  in  obe- 
dience to  command  whenever  it  is  given) 
are  not  required  to  be  so  attentive  to  the 
mechanical  as  to  the  mental,  not  so  much  to 
the  minute  observance  of  forms  as  to  the 
spirit  and  design  of  them.  The  order  of 
the  one  would  almost  seem  to  have  been  ap- 
pointed for  order's  salve:  but  in  that  of  the 
other  the  utility  of  every  thing  is  apparent. 
The  obedience  of  the  former  was  that  of 
children  ;  the  latter  that  of  sons  arrived  at 
maturer  age. 

As  our  Saviour  abolished  the  Jewish  law 
of  divorce,  and  reduced  marriage  to  its  orig- 
inal simplicity ;  so,  having  abolished  the 
form  and  order  of  the  church  as  appointed 
by  Moses,  he  reduced  it  to  what,  as  to  its 
first  principles,  it  was  from  the  beginning, 
and  to  what  must  have  corresponded  with 
the  desires  of  believers  in  every  age.  It 
was  natural  for  "  the  sons  of  God,"  in  the 
days  of  Seth,  to  assemble  together,  and  to 


MORAL    AND    POSITIVE    OBEDIENCE. 


481 


"  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord ; "  and 
their  unnatural  fellowship  with  unbelievers 
brought  on  the  deluge.  And,  even  under 
the  Jewish  dispensation,  wicked  men,  though 
descended  from  Abraham,  were  not  consid- 
ered as  Israelites  indeed,  or  true  citizens  of 
Zion.  The  friends  of  God  were  then  "the 
companions  of  those  that  feared  him."  They 
"spoke  often  one  to  another,"  and  assem- 
bled for  mutual  edification.  What  then  is 
gospel  church-fellowship,  but  godliness  ram- 
ified, or  the  principle  of  holy  love  reduced 
to  action  ?  There  is  scarcely  a  precept  on 
ttie  subject  of  church  discipline,  but  what 
may,  in  substance,  be  found  in  the  Proverbs 
of  Solomon. 

Nor  does  it  follow  that  all  forms  of  wor- 
ship and  church-government  are  indifferent, 
and  left  to  be  accommodated  to  times,  places, 
and  circumstances.  The  principles,  or  gen- 
eral outlines  of  things,  are  marked  out,  and 
we  are  not  at  liberty  to  deviate  from  them  ; 
nor  are  they  to  be  filled  up  by  worldly  policy, 
but  by  a  pure  desire  of  carrying  them  into 
effect  according  to  their  true  intent. 

It  does  follow,  however,  that  Scripture 
precedent,  important  as  it  is,  is  not  binding 
on  Christians  in  things  of  a  moral  nature, 
unless  the  reason  of  the  thing  be  the  same 
in  the  case  to  be  proved  as  in  the  case  ad- 
duced. The  first  Christians  met  in  an  "  upper 
room ; "  for  they  had  no  proper  places  of 
worship.  But  it  does  not  follow  that  we 
who  have  more  convenient  houses  should  do 
so.  The  first  Christians  were  exhorted  to 
"  salute  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss"  The 
reason  was,  it  was  the  custom  in  the  east  for 
men  in  general  in  this  manner  to  express 
their  affection ;  and  all  that  the  apostle  did 
was  to  direct  that  this  common  mode  of  af- 
fectionate salutation  should  be  used  in  a  re- 
ligious way.  In  places  where  it  is  a  com- 
mon practice,  it  may  still  be  used  to  express 
the  strength  of  Christian  affection  :  but,  in 
a  country  where  the  practice  is  nearly  con- 
fined to  the  expression  of  affection  between 
the  sexes,  it  is  certainly  much  more  liable  to 
misconstruction  and  abuse.  And  as  it  was 
never  a  divine  institution,  but  merely  a  hu- 
man custom  applied  to  a  religious  use,  where 
this  custom  has  ceased,  though  the  spirit  of 
the  precept  remains,  yet  the  form  of  it  may 
lawfully  be  dispensed  with,  and  Christian 
affection  expressed  in  the  ordinary  modes  of 
salutation. 

Again  :  The  Corinthian  men  were  forbid- 
den to  pray  or  prophesy  with  their  heads 
covered.  The  reason  was,  the  head  being 
uncovered  was  then  the  sign  of  authority, 
and  its  being  covered  of  subjection.  But  in 
our  age  and  country  each  is  a  sign  of  the 
contrary.  If,  therefore,  we  be  obliged  to 
wear  any  sign  of  the  one  or  the  other,  in  our 
religious  assemblies,  it  requires  to  be  re- 
versed. 

It  also  follows  that,  in  attending  to  posi- 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  61. 


tive  institutions,  neither  express  precept  nor 
precedent  is  necessary  in  what  respects  the 
holy  manner  of  performing  them,  nor  binding 
in  regard  of  mere  accidental  circumstances, 
which  do  not  properly  belong  to  them.  It  re- 
quired neither  express  precept  nor  precedent 
to  make  it  the  duty  of  the  Corinthians,  when 
they  met  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  supper,  to 
do  it  soberly  and  in  the  fear  of  God,  nor  to 
render  the  contrary  a  sin.  There  are  also 
circumstances  which  may  on  some  occasions 
accompany  a  positive  institution,  and  not  on 
others  ;  and  which,  being  therefore  no  part 
of  it,  are  not  binding.  It  is  a  fact  that  the 
Lord's  supper  was  first  celebrated  with  "  un- 
leavened bread  ;  "  for  no  leaven  was  found 
at  the  time  in  all  the  Jewish  habitations : 
but  no  mention  being  made  of  it,  either  in 
the  institution  or  in  the  repetition  of  it  by 
the  apostle,  we  conclude  it  was  a  mere  ac- 
cidental circumstance,  no  more  belonging 
to  the  ordinance  than  its  having  been  in  "a 
large  upper  room."  It  is  a  fact,  too,  that 
our  Lord  and  his  disciples  sat  in  a  reclining 
posture  at  the  supper,  after  the  manner  of 
sitting  at  their  ordinary  meals :  yet  none 
imagine  this  to  be  binding  upon  us.  It  is 
also  a  fact,  with  regard  to  the  time,  that  our 
Saviour  first  sat  down  with  his  disciples  on 
the  evening  of  the  "fifth  day"  of  the  week, 
"the  night  in  which  he  was  betrayed:"  but 
though  that  was  a  memorable  night,  and 
worthy  to  be  noticed  as  a  circumstance  tend- 
ing to  show  the  strength  of  his  love,  yet 
seeing  the  words  of  the  institution  decide 
not  how  often  it  shall  be  attended  to,  and  no 
mention  is  made  of  its  being  afterwards  a 
rule,  but,  on  the  contrary,  of  the  church  at 
Troas  meeting  for  the  purpose  on  another 
day,  no  one  imagines  it  to  be  a  rule  of  con- 
duct to  us. 

The  same  might  be  said  of  females  being 
admitted  to  communion,  a  subject  on  which 
a  great  deal  has  been  written  of  late  years  in 
the  baptismal  controversy.  Whether  there 
be  express  precept  or  precedent  for  it,  or  not 
is  no  consequence ;  for  the  distinction  of 
sex  is  a  mere  circumstance,  in  nowise  af- 
fecting the  qualifications  required,  and  there- 
fore not  belonging  to  the  institution.  It  is 
of  just  as  much  account  as  whether  a  be- 
liever be  a  Jew  or  a  Greek,  a  slave  or  a 
free  man;  that  is,  it  is  of  no  account  at 
all. — "  For  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek, 
bond  nor  free,  male  nor  female  ;  but  all  are 
one  in  Christ  Jesus."  Express  precept  or 
precedent  might  as  well  be  demanded  for 
the  parties  being  tall  or  low,  black  or  white, 
sickly  or  healthy,  as  for  their  being  male  or 
female.  If  the  difference  between  a  pro- 
fessed believer  and  an  unconscious  infant, 
with  respect  to  baptism,  were  no  greater 
than  this  is  with  respect  to  the  supper,  we 
would  allow  it  to  be  lawful  to  baptize  the 
latter,  though  neither  express  precept  nor 
precedent  be  found  for  the  practice. 


482 


CIRCULAR  LETTERS. 


It  follows,  lastly,  that  many  disputes  on 
which  Christians  have  divided  and  crumbled 
into  parties  might  well  have  been  spared, 
and  that  without  any  disadvantage  to  the 
cause  of  pure  religion.  Whatever  necessi- 
ty there  may  be  for  withdrawing  from  those 
who  walk  disorderly,  we  have  no  warrant  to 
consider  those  things  as  the  standard  of  or- 
der, and  to  censure  our  brethren  for  deviat- 
ing from  them,  which  belong  not  to  the  laws 
of  Christ,  but  either  to  a  mere  difference  of 
opinion  respecting  their  application,  or  to 
some  accidental  circumstance  which  may  or 
may  not  attend  them. 

Finally,  brethren,  while  you  guard  against 
the  extremes  of  certain  disciplinarians  on 
the  one  hand,  avoid  those  of  anti-disciplina- 
rians on  the  other.  Allow  us  to  repeat, 
what  was  observed  at  the  beginning,  that 
an  unreserved  obedience  to  the  revealed  ivill 
of  God,  in  ivhatever  form  it  is  delivered,  is  the 
scriptural  test  of  faith  and  love.  "Prove 
what  that  good,  perfect,  and  acceptable  Avill 
of  the  Lord  is."  "  Do  all  things  without 
murmurings  and  disputings."  Remember 
that  "  the  wisdom  which  is  from  above  is 
first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle,  easy  to  be 
entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits, 
without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy." 
Dearly  beloved,  farewell.  The  God  of  love 
and  peace  be  with  you. 


1810. 

THE  PROMISE  OF  THE  SPIRIT  THE  GRAND 
ENCOURAGEMENT  IN  PROMOTING  THE 
GOSPEL. 

Dear  brethren, 

In  our  last  public  letter,  we  addressed  you 
on  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit :  in  this  we 
would  direct  your  attention  to  the  promise 
of  the  Spirit  as  the  grand  encour- 
agement IN  promoting  the  spread  of 
the  gospel. 

We  take  for  granted  that  the  spread  of 
the  gospel  is  the  great  object  of  your  desire. 
Without  this  it  will  be  hard  to  prove  that 
you  are  Christian  churches.  An  agreement 
in  a  few  favorite  opinions,  or  on  one  side  of  a 
disputed  subject,  or  even  a  disagreement 
with  others,  will  often  induce  men  to  form 
themselves  into  religious  societies,  and  to 
expend  much  zeal  and  much  property  in  ac- 
complishing their  objects:  but  this  is  not 
Christianity.  We  may  be  of  what  is  called 
a  sect,  but  we  must  not  be  of  a  sectarian 
spirit,  seeking  only  the  promotion  of  a  party. 
The  true  churches  of  Jesus  Christ  travail  in 
birth  for  the  salvation  of  men.  They  are  the 
armies  of  the  Lamb,  the  grand  object  of 
whose  existence  is  to  extend  the  Redeem- 
er's kingdom. 

About  eighteen  years  ago  God  put  into 
the  hearts  of  a  number  of  your  ministers 


and  members  to  do  something  for  his  name 
among  the  heathen  ;  the  effect  of  which  has 
been  to  give  an  impulse  to  those  labors  for 
the  attainment  of  the  same  object  in  our 
several  stations  at  home.  The  success 
which  has  followed  is  sufficient  to  induce  us 
to  press  forward  in  the  work,  and  to  search 
after  every  direction  and  every  considera- 
tion that  may  aid  our  progress. 

The  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  by 
some  disowned,  by  others  abused ;  and  even 
those  who  are  the  subjects  of  it,  from  vari- 
ous causes,  enjoy  much  less  of  it  than  might 
be  expected. 

Those  who  disoivn  it  apply  all  that  is  said 
in  the  Scriptures  on  the  subject  to  the  com- 
munication of  miraculous  and  extraordinary 
gifts,  as  though  the  Lord  had  long  since  for- 
saken the  earth,  and  men  were  now  to  be  con- 
verted by  the  mere  influence  of  moral  suasion. 
It  is  on  this  principle  that  writers,  according 
to  the  leaning  which  they  have  felt  towards 
the  opinions  of  this  or  that  political  party, 
have  represented  the  work  of  converting  the 
heathen  as  either  extremely  easy  or  abso- 
lutely impossible.  It  is  not  for  us  to  ac- 
quiesce in  either  ;  but,  while  we  despair  of 
success  from  mere  human  efforts,  to  trust  in 
Him  who,  when  sending  forth  his  servants 
to  teach  all  nations,  promised  to  be  with 
them  "  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

There  are  those,  on  the  other  hand,  who 
abuse  the  doctrine,  by  converting  it  into  an 
argument  for  sloth  and  avarice.  God  can 
convert  sinners,  say  they,  when  he  pleases, 
and  without  any  exertions  or  contributions 
of  ours. — Yes,  he  can ;  and  probably  he  will. 
Deliverance  will  arise  from  other  quarters, 
and  they  who  continue  in  this  spirit  will  be 
destroyed ! 

Even  those  in  whom  the  spirit  of  God  is, 
enjoy  much  less  of  it  than  might  be  expected ; 
and  this  principally  for  want  of  the  things 
which  were  stated  in  our  letter  of  last  year ; 
namely,  setting  a  proper  value  upon  it,  seek- 
ing it  with  fervent  prayer,  placing  an  entire 
dependence  upon  it,  and  maintaining  a  de- 
portment suitable  to  it.  In  proving,  there- 
fore, that  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
grand  encouragement  in  promoting  the 
spread  of  the  gospel,  we  have  not  merely  to 
oppose  the  adversaries  of  the  doctrine,  but 
to  instruct  and  impress  the  minds  of  its 
friends.  With  these  ends  in  view,  let  us 
recommend  to  your  consideration  the  fol- 
lowing remarks. 

First :  The  success  of  God's  cause  under 
the  Old  Testament  was  considered  by  be- 
lievers in  those  days  as  depending  entirely 
upon  God. — God  had  a  cause  in  the  world 
from  the  earliest  ages,  and  this  it  was  which 
interested  the  hearts  of  his  servants.  It 
was  for  the  setting  up  of  his  spiritual  king- 
dom in  the  world  that  he  blessed  the  seed 
of  Abraham,  and  formed  them  into  a  people. 
This  was  the  ivork  that  he  carried  on  from 


PROMISE    OF    THE    SPIRIT. 


483 


generation  to  generation  among  them. 
When,  therefore,  sentence  was  passed  on 
the  people  who  came  up  out  of  Egypt,  that 
they  should  die  in  the  wilderness,  Moses, 
who  seems  on  that  occasion  to  have  written 
the  90th  Psalm,  was  deeply  concerned,  lest, 
in  addition  to  temporal  judgments,  the  Lord 
should  withdraw  from  them  his  Holy  Spirit. 
"Let  thy  loork,"  said  he,  "appear  unto  thy 
servants,  and  thy  glory  unto  their  children  ; 
and  let  the  beauty  of  Jehovah  our  God  be 
upon  us  ;  and  establish  thou  the  work  of  our 
hands  upon  us :  the  work  of  our  hands  es- 
tablish thou  it."  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that 
this  prayer  was  answered.  Though  the  first 
generation  fell  in  the  wilderness,  yet  the  la- 
bors of  Moses  and  his  companions  were 
blessed  to  the  second.  These  were  the 
most  devoted  to  God  of  any  generation  that 
Israel  ever  saw.  It  was  of  them  that  the 
Lord  said,  "  I  remember  thee,  the  kindness 
of  thy  youth,  the  love  of  thine  espousals, 
when  thou  wentest  after  me  in  the  wilder- 
ness, in  a  land  that  was  not  sown.  Israel 
was  holiness  unto  the  Lord,  and  the  first- 
fruits  of  his  increase."  It  was  then  that 
Balaam  could  not  curse,  but,  though  desir- 
ous of  the  wages  of  unrighteousness,  was 
compelled  to  forego  them,  and  his  curse 
was  turned  into  a  blessing.  We  are  taught 
by  this  case,  amidst  temporal  calamities  and 
judgments,  in  which  our  earthly  hopes  may 
be  in  a  manner  extinguished,  to  seek  to  have 
the  loss  repaired  by  spiritual  blessings.  If 
God's  work  does  but  appear  to  us,  and  our 
posterity  after  us,  Ave  need  not  be  dismayed 
at  the  evils  which  afflict  the  earth. 

Similar  remarks  might  be  made  on  the 
state  of  the  church  at  the  captivity.  When 
the  temple  was  burnt,  and  the  people  redu- 
ced to  slavery  in  a  foreign  land,  it  must  seem 
as  if  the  cause  of  God  in  the  world  would 
go  to  ruin.  Hence  the  prayer  of  Habakkuk, 
"  O  Lord,  I  have  heard  thy  speech,  and  was 
afraid.  O  Lord,  revive,  (or  preserve  alive) 
thy  work  in  the  midst  of  the  years :  in  the 
midst  of  the  years  make  known ;  in  wrath 
remember  mercy."  This  prayer  also  was 
answered.  The  work  of  God  did  not  suffer, 
but  was  promoted  by  the  captivity.  The 
church  was  purified,  and  the  world,  behold- 
ing the  divine  interposition,  acknowledged, 
"The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for 
them." 

After  the  return  of  the  captives,  they  went 
about  to  rebuild  the  temple  ;  but  they  had 
many  adversaries,  and  no  military  force  to 
protect  them.  On  this  occasion  the  prophet 
Zechariah  (who  with  Haggai  stood  to 
strengthen  the  builders)  had  a  vision.  He 
saw  and  behold  "  a  candlestick,  all  of  gold, 
with  a  bowl  upon  the  top  of  it ;  and  his  seven 
lamps  thereon  ;  and  seven  pipes  to  the  seven 
lamps ;  and  two  olive  trees  on  each  side  of 
the  bowl,  which,  through  the  golden  pipes 
emptied  the  golden  oil  out  of  themselves." 


On  inquiry  of  the  angel  what  these  meant, 
he  was  answered,  "  This  is  the  word  of  the 
Lord  unto  Zerubbabel,  saying,  Not  by 
might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith 
the  Lord  of  Hosts."  As  if  he  had  said,  This 
vision  contains  a  message  of  encourage- 
ment to  Zerubbabel,  the  purport  of  which 
is,  Not  by  army  or  by  power,  &c.  For,  like 
as  the  candlestick  is  supplied  without  the 
hand  of  man,  so  God  will  prosper  his  cause, 
not  by  worldly  power  or  armies,  but  by  his 
gracious  influence  and  superintending  pro- 
vidence. Here,  also,  a  lesson  is  taught  us, 
not  to  wait  for  legal  protection,  or  even  tole- 
ration, before  we  endeavor  to  introduce  the 
gospel  into  a  country ;  but  to  engage  in  the 
work,  trusting  in  God,  not  only  to  succeed 
our  labors,  but,  while  acting  on  Christian 
principles,  either  to  give  us  favor  in  the 
eyes  of  those  with  whom  we  have  to  do,  or 
strength  to  endure  the  contrary. 

Further :  The  success  of  the  gospel  in  the 
times  of  the  apostles  is  ascribed  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  its  first  or 
primary  cause.  That  the  truth  of  the  doc- 
trine, and  even  the  manner  in  which  it  was 
delivered,  contributed  as  second  causes  tc- 
its  success,  is  allowed.  Such  appears  to  be 
the  meaning  of  Acts  xiv.  1.  "  They  so  spake 
that  a  great  multitude  believed."  But,  if 
we  look  to  either  of  these  as  the  first  cause, 
we  shall  be  unable  to  account  for  the  little 
success  of  our  Lord's  preaching  when  com- 
pared with  that  of  his  apostles.  He  spoke 
as  never  man  spoke ;  yet  compared  with 
them  he  labored  in  vain,  and  spent  his 
strength  for  nought  and  in  vain.  It  is  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  which  the  difference  is  as- 
cribed. They  did  greater  works  than  he, 
because,  as  he  said,  "  I  go  to  the  Father." 

In  promising  to  "  be  with  his  disciples  to 
the  end  of  the  world,"  he  could  refer  to  no 
other  than  his  spiritual  presence ;  to  this,, 
therefore,  he  taught  them  to  look  for  encou- 
ragement. To  this  cause  the  success  of  the 
apostle  is  uniformly  ascribed.  "  The  hand 
of  the  Lord  was  with  them,  and  a  great 
number  believed,  and  turned  to  the  Lord. 
—  God  always  causeth  us  to  triumph  in  Christ, 
and  maketh  manifest  the  savor  of  his  know- 
ledge by  us  in  every  place. — The  Lord  open- 
ed the  heart  of  Lydia,  and  she  attended  un- 
to the  things  which  were  spoken  of  Paul. 
— The  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  mighty 
through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of  strong 
holds." 

The  great  success  which  prophecy  gives 
us  to  expect  in  the  latter  days  is  ascribed  to 
the  same  cause.  Upon  the  land  of  my  peo- 
ple shall  be  thorns  and  briers — "  until  the 
Spirit  be  poured  upon  us  from  on  high." 
Then  the  wilderness  would  be  a  fruitful  field, 
and  that  which  had  been  hitherto  considered 
as  a  fruitful  field  would  be  counted  a  forest. 

If  the  success  of  the  gospel  were  owing  to 
the  pliability  of  the  people,  or  to  any  pre- 


484 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


paredness,  natural  or  acquired,  for  receiving 
it,  we  might  have  expected  it  to  prevail  most 
in  those  places  which  were  the  most  distin- 
guished by  their  morality,  and  most  cultiva- 
ted in  their  minds  and  manners.  But  the 
fact  was  that  in  Corinth,  a  sink  of  debauch- 
ery, God  had  "much  people ;"  whereas  in 
Athens,  the  seat  of  polite  literature,  there 
were  only  a  few  individuals  who  embraced 
the  truth.  Nor  was  this  the  greatest  display 
of  the  freeness  of  the  Spirit :  Jerusalem, 
which  had  not  only  withstood  the  preaching 
and  miracles  of  the  Lord,  but  had  actually 
put  him"  to  death — Jerusalem  bows  at  the 
pouring  out  of  his  Spirit ;  and  not  merely 
the  common  people,  but  "a  great  compa 
ny  of  the  priests,  were  obedient  to  the 
faith." 

To  the  above  maybe  added,  the  experience 
of  those  whose  ministry  has  been  most 
blessed  to  the  turning  of  sinners  to  God. — 
Men  of  light  and  speculative  minds,  whose 
preaching  produces  scarcely  any  fruit,  will 
go  about  to  account  for  the  renewal  of  the 
mind  by  the  established  laws  of  nature:  but 
they  who  see  most  of  this  change  among 
their  hearers,  see  most  of  God  in  it,  and 
have  been  always  ready  to  subscribe  to  the 
truth  of  our  Lord's  words  to  Peter,  "Flesh 
and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but 
my  Father  who  is  in  heaven." 

To  this  brief  statement  of  the  evidence  of 
the  doctrine,  we  shall  only  add  a  few  re- 
marks to  enforce  "  the  prayer  of  faith "  in 
your  endeavors  to  propagate  the  gospel  both 
at  home  and  abroad. — This  is  the  natur- 
al consequence  of  the  doctrine.  If  all  our 
help  be  in  God,  to  him  it  becomes  us  to  look 
for  success.  It  was  from  a  prayer-meeting, 
held  in  an  upper  room,  that  the  first  Chris- 
tians descended,  and  commenced  that  nota- 
ble attack  on  Satan's  kingdom  in  which  three 
thousand  fell  before  them.  When  Peter 
was  imprisoned,  prayer  was  made  without 
ceasing  of  the  church  unto  God  for  him. 
When  liberated  by  the  angel,  in  the 
dead  of  night,  he  found  his  brethren  en- 
gaged in  this  exercise.  It  was  in  prayer 
that  the  late  undertakings  for  spreading  the 
gospel  among  the  heathen  originated.  We 
have  seen  success  enough  attend  them  to 
encourage  us  to  go  forward ;  and  probably 
if  we  had  been  more  sensible  of  our  depen- 
dence on  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  more  importu- 
nate in  our  prayers,  we  should  have  seen 
much  more.  The  prayer  of  faith  falls  not 
to  the  ground.  If"  we  have  not,"  it  is  "  be- 
cause we  ask  not ;"  or,  if  "we  ask  and  re- 
ceive not,"  it  is  "because  we  ask  amiss." 
Joash  smote  thrice  upon  the  ground  and 
stayed,  by  which  he  cut  short  his  victories. 
Something  analogous  to  this  may  be  the 
cause  of  our  having  no  more  success  than  we 
have. 

Consider,  brethren,  the  dispensation  under 
which  we  live. — We  are  under  the  kingdom 


of  the  Messiah,  fitly  called  "  the  ministration 
of  the  Spirit,"  because  the  richest  effusions 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  reserved  for  his  reign, 
and  great  accessions  to  the  church  from 
among  the  Gentiles  ordained  to  grace  his 
triumphs.  It  was  fit  that  the  death  of  Christ 
should  be  followed  by  the  out-pouring  of 
the  Spirit,  that  it  might  appear  to  be  what  it 
was,  its  proper  effect ;  and  that  which  was 
seen  in  the  days  of  Pentecost  was  but  an 
earnest  of  what  is  yet  to  come.  To  pray 
under  such  a  dispensation  is  coming  to  God 
in  a  good  time.  In  asking  for  the  success  of 
the  gospel,  we  ask  that  of  the  Father  of 
heaven  and  earth  in  which  his  soul  delight- 
eth,  and  to  which  he  has  pledged  his  every 
perfection  ;  namely  to  glorify  his  Son. 

Finally :  Compare  the  current  language 
of  prophecy  with  the  state  of  things  in  the 
world,  and  in  the  church. — In  whatever  ob- 
scurity the  minutiae  of  future  events  may  be 
involved,  the  events  themselves  are  plainly 
revealed.  We  have  seen  the  four  monarchies, 
or  preponderating  powers,  described  by  Dan- 
iel as  successively  ruling  the  world  ;  namely, 
the  Babylonian,  the  Persian,  the  Macedonian, 
and  the  Roman.  We  have  seen  the  last 
subdivided  into  ten  kingdoms,  and  the  lit- 
tle papal  horn  growing  up  among  them. 
We  have  seen  the  saints  of  the  Most  High 
'  worn  out "  for  more  than  a  thousand  years 
by  his  persecutions.  We  have  seen  his  rise, 
his  reign,  and,  in  a  considerable  degree,  his 
downfal.  "The  judgment  is  set,"  and  they 
have  begun  to  "  take  away  his  dominion ;  " 
and  will  go  on  "  to  consume  and  to  destroy 
it  unto  the  end."  And,  when  this  is  accom- 
plished, "the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and 
the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the 
whole  heaven,  Avill  be  given  to  the  people  of 
the  saints  of  the  Most  High."  It  is  not  im- 
probable that  "the  days  of  the  voice  of  the 
seventh  angel,  when  he  shall  begin  to  sound," 
have  already  commenced  ;  which  voice,  while 
it  ushers  in  the  vials  or  seven  last  plagues 
upon  the  antichristian  powers,  is  to  the 
church  a  signal  of  prosperity  :  for,  the  sev- 
enth angel  having  sounded,  voices  are  heard 
in  heaven,  saying,  "  The  kingdoms  of  this 
world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord 
and  of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign  forever 
and  ever."  The  glorious  things  spoken  of 
the  church  are  not  all  confined  to  the  days 
of  the  millennium  ;  many  of  them  will  go  be- 
fore it,  in  like  manner  as  the  victorious  days 
of  David  went  before  the  rest,  or  pacific 
reign,  of  Solomon,  and  prepared  its  way. 
Previous  to  the  fall  of  Babylon,  an  angel  is 
seen  flying  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having 
the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  to  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth ;  and,  before  the  terrible 
conflict  in  which  the  beast  and  the  false  pro- 
phet are  taken,  the  Son  of  God  is  described 
as  riding  forth  on  a  white  horse,  and  the  ar- 
mies of  heaven  as  following  him.  The  final 
ruin  of  the  antichristian  cause  will  be  brought 


WIDOWS    AND    ORPHANS    OF    CHRISTIAN    MINISTERS. 


485 


upon  itself  by  its  opposition  to  the  progress 
of  the  gospel. 

The  sum  is,  that  the  time  for  the  promul- 
gation of  the  gospel  is  come  ;  and,  if  attend- 
ed to  in  a  full  dependence  on  the  promise  of 
the  Spirit,  it  will,  no  doubt,  be  successful. — 
The  rough  places  in  its  way  are  smoothing, 
that  all  flesh  may  see  the  salvation  of  God. 
The  greatest  events  pertaining  to  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  have  occurred  in  such  a  way 
as  to  escape  the  observation  of  the  unbeliev- 
ing world,  and  it  may  be  of  some  believers. 
It  was  so  at  the  coming  of  our  Lord,  and 
probably  will  be  so  in  much  that  is  before 
us.  If  we  look  at  events  only  with  respect 
to  instruments,  second  causes,  and  political 
bearings,  we  shall  be  filled  with  vexation 
and  disquietude,  and  shall  come  within  the 
sweep  of  that  awful  threatening,  "  Because 
they  regard  not  the  works  of  the  Lord,  nor 
the  operations  of  his  hands,  he  will  destroy 
them  and  not  build  them  up."  But,  if  we 
keep  our  eye  on  the  kingdom  of  God,  what- 
ever become  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world, 
we  shall  reap  advantage  from  every  thing 
that  passes  before  us.  God  in  our  times  is 
shaking  the  heavens  and  the  earth:  but 
there  are  things  which  cannot  be  shaken. 
"Wherefore  we,  receiving  a  kingdom  which 
cannot  be  moved,  let  us  have  grace  whereby 
we  may  serve  God  acceptably,  with  rever- 
ence and  godly  fear." 


1815. 

THE   SITUATION     OF    THE     WIDOWS    AND  OR- 
PHANS OF    CHRISTIAN    MINISTERS,  ^C 

Dear  brethren, 

The  subject  to  which  we  this  year  invite 
your  attention  is   the   situation   of   the 

WIDOWS  AND  ORPHANS  OF  CHRISTIAN  MIN- 
ISTERS, AND  OF  MINISTERS  THEMSELVES 
WHO  BY  AGE,  OR  PERMANENT  AFFLICTION, 
ARE  LAID  ASIDE  FROM  THEIR  WORK. 

We  have  not  been  used  to  address  you  on 
subjects  relating  to  our  own  temporal  inter- 
ests ;  nor  is  this  the  case  at  present ;  for 
the  far  greater  part  of  those  who  have  been 
most  active  in  forming  the  institution  for 
which  we  plead  have  no  expectation  of  de- 
riving any  advantage  from  it,  but,  feeling 
for  many  of  their  brethren,  they  are  desirous 
of  alleviating  their  condition. 

Mercy  is  a  distinguishing  character  of  the 
religion  of  the  Bible,  especially  to  the  fa- 
therless and  the  widow.  The  great  God 
claims  to  be  their  protector  and  avenger. 
"  A  father  of  the  fatherless,  and  a  judge  of 
the  widow,  is  God  in  his  holy  habitation." — 
"  Ye  shall  not  afflict  any  widow,  or  fatherless 
child.  If  thou  afflict  them  in  any  wise,  and 
they  cry  at  all  unto  me,  I  will  surely  hear 
their  cry.     And  my  wrath  shall  wax  hot, 


and  I  will  kill  you  with  the  sword :  and  your 
wives  shall  be  widows,  and  your  children 
fatherless."  Mercy  to  the  fatherless  and 
the  widow  is  introduced  as  a  test  of  true 
religion.  "Pure  and  undefiled  religion  be- 
fore God  and  the  Father  is  this,  to  visit  the 
fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and 
to  keep  ourselves  unspotted  from  the  world." 
The  affliction  of  the  fatherless  and  the 
widow  is  a  subject  taken  for  granted.  From 
the  day  of  their  bereavement,  dejection  takes 
possession  of  their  dwelling,  and  imprints 
its  image  on  every  object  around  them. 
And,  when  to  this  is  added  that  from  time  to 
time  their  sources  of  the.necessaries  of  life 
are  in  a  great  measure  dried  up,  a  full  cup 
of  affliction  must  needs  be  their  portion. 
At  first  many  feel  for  them,  and  weep  with 
them :  but  time  and  a  number  of  similar 
cases  wear  away  these  impressions ;  and, 
being  unprotected,  it  is  well  if  they  be  not 
exposed  to  oppression ;  and,  even  where 
there  is  no  particular  want  of  kindness 
towards  them,  yet  their  cases,  being  but  lit- 
tle known,  are  often  but  little  regarded. 

The  widow  and  fatherless  children  of 
ministers  have  peculiar  claims  on  the  benev- 
olence of  the  churches.  The  ministerial 
profession,  like  that  of  arms,  requires  the 
subjects  of  it,  if  possible,  not  to  "  entangle 
themselves  with  the  affairs  of  this  life,  that 
they  may  please  him  who  has  chosen  them 
to  be  soldiers."  On  this  ground,  a  large 
proportion  of  ministers,  living  entirely  on 
the  contributions  of  their  hearers,  have  no 
opportunity  of  providing  for  their  families 
after  their  decease.  You,  brethren,  by  the 
blessing  of  God  on  your  diligent  attention 
to  business,  are  generally  enabled  to  meet 
this  difficulty.  You  have  business  in  which 
to  bring  up  your  children  from  their  early 
years ;  but  they  seldom  have  :  and  when 
you  have  taught  them  an  honorable  calling 
you  can  spare  something  to  set  them  up  in 
trade ;  but  it  is  rarely  so  with  them. 

Yet  the  post  occupied  by  your  ministers 
is  honorable  and  important.  Regardless  of 
the  sneers  of  the  irreligious,  they  feel  it  to 
be  so.  To  be  chosen  and  approved  by  a 
Christian  congregation,  next  to  the  choice 
and  approbation  of  Christ,  is  their  highest 
ambition.  This  honor,  however,  involves 
them  in  circumstances  which  require  your 
consideration.  You  expect  them  to  main- 
tain a  respectable  appearance,  both  in  their 
persons  and  families :  but  to  do  this,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  pay  every  one  his  due, 
often  renders  it  impossible  to  provide  for 
futurity. 

Our  churches,  when  in  want  of  ministers, 
are  solicitous  to  obtain  men  of  talent- 
There  may  be  an  excess  in  this  desire,  es- 
pecially where  personal  godliness  is  over- 
looked ;  and  it  is  certain  that  great  talents 
are  far  from  being  common.  But  view 
Christian  ministers  as  a  body,  and  we  may 


486 


CIRCULAR    LETTERS. 


appeal  to  you  whether  they  he  not  possessed 
of  talents,  which,  if  employed  in  business, 
would  with  the  blessing  of  God,  ordinarily 
bestowed  on  honest  industry,  have  rendered 
both  them  and  their  families  equally  com- 
fortable with  you  and  yours.  And  shall 
their  having  relinquished  these  temporal 
advantages  to  serve  the  cause  of  Christ, 
and  to  promote  your  spiritual  welfare,  be  at 
the  expense  of  the  comfort  of  their  widows 
and  children  when  they  have  finished  their 
course  ? 

In  the  persecuting  times  which  preceded 
the  Revolution  of  1(388,  our  protestant  dis- 
senting forefathers  had  but  little  encourage- 
ment to  provide  for  futurity,  as  the  fruits  of 
their  industry  were  taken  from  them  :  but  it 
is  not  so  with  us  ;  our  property  is  secure  ; 
and  we  are  therefore  able  to  contribute  to 
those  benevolent  objects  Avhich  tend  to  the 
good  of  mankind. 

It  was  an  object  that  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  our  fathers,  early  in  the  last  century, 
to  provide  for  the  widows  of  their  ministers ; 
and  a  noble  fund  it  is  which  was  then  estab- 
lished in  London  for  the  widows  of  the 
three  denominations.  Besides  this,  a  liberal 
plan  has  been  pursued  within  the  last  two- 
and-twenty-years  to  increase  the  sum,  by 
an  addition  from  the  profits  of  a  magazine. 
It  is  not  to  supersede  these  benevolent 
means  of  relief,  but  to  add  to  them  accord- 
ing to  the  exigences  of  the  times,  and  to 
include  not  only  widows,  but  superannuated 
ministers  and  orphans,  that  societies  like 
ours  have  of  late  been  formed  in  various 
countries  and  religious  connections. 

The  case  of  superannuated  ministers,  or 
ministers  who  by  affliction  are  permanently 
laid  aside  from  their  work,  has  a  serious 
influence  on  the  well-being  of  the  churches. 
Where  no  provision  of  this  kind  is  made, 
every  humane  and  Christian  feeling  revolts 
at  the  idea  of  dismissing  an  aged  and  hon- 
orable man,  even  though  his  work  is  done. 
Yet,  if  the  congregation  continue  to  sup- 
port him,  they  may  be  unable  to  support 
another.  The  consequence  is,  in  a  few 
years  the  congregation  has  dwindled  almost 
to  nothing.  To  meet  these  cases,  along 
with  those  of  the  fatherless  and  the  widow, 
is  the  object  of  this  institution. 

Brethren,  we  feel  it  an  honor  to  be  sup- 
ported by  the  free  contributions  of  those 
whom  we  serve  in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  To 
receive  our  support  as  an  expression  of  love 
renders  it  doubly  valuable.  And,  if  you 
view  things  in  a  right  light,  you  will  esteem 
it  a  privilege  on  your  part.  If  your  places 
of  worship  were  ready  built  for  you,  your 
ministers  supported,  and  their  families  pro- 
vided for,  would  it  be  better  ?  Would  you 
feel  equally  interested  in  them?  Would 
you  not  feel  as  David  did  when  Araunah  the 
Jebusite  offered  his  threshing-floor,  his  oxen, 


and  his  wood  ?  "  Nay,  but  I  will  not  offer 
burnt-offerings  unto  the  Lord  my  God  of 
that  which  doth  cost  me  nothing!  " 

Should  any  object  that  ministers  ought  to 
set  an  example  of  trust  in  their  heavenly 
Father,  who  knoweth  what  things  they  need, 
and  of  leaving  their  widows  and  fatherless 
children  with  him ;  we  answer,  when  all  is 
done  that  can  be  done  to  alleviate  their 
wants,  there  will  be  abundant  occasion  for 
these  graces.  The  trust  that  we  are  called 
to  place  in  our  heavenly  Father  does  not 
however  preclude  the  exercise  of  prudent 
foresight,  either  in  ourselves,  or  in  the 
friends  of  Christ  towards  us  for  his  sake. 

It  is  one  of  the  most  lovely  features  of 
our  mission  in  the  East,  that,  while  our 
brethren  are  disinterestedly  giving  up  all 
their  temporal  acquirements  to  the  cause  in 
which  they  are  engaged,  they  have  provided 
an  asylum  for  their  widows  and  orphans ; 
so  that,  when  a  missionary  dies,  he  has  no 
painful  anxiety  what  is  to  become  of  them. 
They  have  a  home,  which  some  have  pre- 
ferred to  their  native  country.  Is  it  any 
distrust  of  the  Lord's  goodness  to  be  thus 
tender  of  those  who  are  flesh  of  their  flesh 
and  bone  of  their  bone,  and  Avho  have  helped 
to  bear  the  burden  of  their  cares  ?  Say, 
rather,  is  it  not  a  truly  Christian  conduct  ? 
But,  if  so,  why  should  we  not  go  and  do 
likewise  ? 

It  is  one  of  the  most  endearing  traits  in 
the  character  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that, 
while  the  salvation  of  the  world  was  pend- 
ing, he  did  not  neglect  to  provide  for  his 
aged  mother.  Joseph  is  thought  to  have 
been  dead  for  some  years,  and  Mary  seems 
to  have  followed  Jesus,  who,  while  upon 
earth,  discharged  every  branch  of  filial  duty 
and  affection  towards  her.  But,  now  that 
he  is  going  to  his  Father,  who  shall  provide 
for  her  ?  Looking  down  from  the  cross  on 
her,  and  on  his  beloved  disciple,  he  saith  to 
the  one,  "  Behold  thy  son  !  "  and  to  the  oth- 
er, "  Behold  thy  mother  !  "  What  exquisite 
sensibility  do  these  words  convey !  To 
her  it  Avas  saying,  Consider  me  as  living  in 
my  beloved  disciple  ;  and,  to  him,  consider 
my  mother  as  your  own.  It  is  no  wonder 
that  "  from  that  time  that  disciple  took  her 
to  his  own  home." 

We  live  in  times  very  eventful ;  and  it 
cannot  have  escaped  your  observation  that 
the  success  of  the  gospel  has  kept  pace 
with  the  mighty  changes  which  have  agitat- 
ed the  world.  Never,  perhaps,  were  there 
such  great  calls  on  our  liberality  as  of  late 
years,  and  never  were  more  honorable  ex- 
ertions made.  Yet  God,  that  giveth  us  all 
things  richly  to  enjoy,  has  not  suffered  us  to 
want,  and  has  promised  to  supply  all  our 
need  according  to  his  riches  in  glory  by 
Christ  Jesus. 


LETTERS 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


[Advertisement. — About  the  beginning  of  1814  Mr.  Fuller,  in  compliance  with  the 
request  of  Dr.  Ryland,  began  a  Series  of  Letters,  intending  to  prepare  one  every  month, 
till  he  had  gone  through  a  Body  of  Divinity.  He  was  however  prevented  by  ill  health 
and  his  many  pressing  engagements  from  punctually  fulfilling  his  design  ;  and  only  the 
following  nine  Letters  had  been  completed  when  he  was  called  to  his  reward.] 


LETTER  I. 


of  a  Deep  and  Intimate  Acquaintance  with 
Divine  Truth."* 


IMPORTANCE  of  systematic  divinity. 

My  dear  brother, 

Respecting  your  request  of  a  monthly 
letter,  I  acknowledge  I  have  wished  for 
several  years  past  to  give,  as  far  as  I  was 
able,  a  connected  view  of  the  gospel ;  but 
have  hitherto  wanted  either  sufficient  leisure, 
or  sufficient  inducement,  seriously  to  set 
about  it.  The  difficulty  of  giving  every  part 
of  divine  truth  its  due  importance,  and  of 
placing  it  in  the  system  where  it  will  have 
the  greatest  effect,  is  such  that  I  have  no 
expectation  of  doing  it  to  my  own  satisfac- 
tion :  but  I  am  willing  to  try.  May  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God  preserve  my  heart  and 
mind,  that  I  may  neither  be  misled,  nor  con- 
tribute to  the  misleading  of  others !  Pray 
that  this  may  be  the  case ;  and,  as  you  re- 
ceive my  letters,  make  free  remarks  upon 
them,  and  let  me  see  them. 

Before  I  enter  upon  particulars,  I  wish  to 
obviate  some  objections  to  the  study  of  sys- 
tematic divinity,  and  to  show  its  importance 
to  a  just  and  enlarged  view  of  the  gospel. 
For  this  purpose,  I  must  beg  leave  to  intro- 
duce part  of  a  sermon,  which  I  printed  near- 
ly eighteen  years  ago,  "  On  the  Importance 


LETTER  II. 

importance  of  a  true  system. 

In  my  last  I  endeavored  to  show  the  im- 
portance of  system:  in  this  I  ahall  attempt  to 
show  the  importance  of  a  true  system  ;  and 
to  prove  that  truth  itself,  by  being  displaced 
from  those  connections  which  it  occupies  in 
the  Scriptures,  may  be  perverted,  and  prove 
injurious  to  those  that  hold  it.  No  system  can 
be  supposed  to  heivholiy  erroneous  ;  but,  if  a 
considerable  part  of  it  be  false,  the  whole 
will  be  vitiated,  and  that  which  is  true  will 
be  divested  of  its  salutary  influence.  "  If 
ye  be  circumcised,"  said  the  apostle  to  the 
Galatians,  "  Christ  shall  profit  you  nothing." 
As  one  truth,  thoroughly  imbibed,  will  lead 
to  a  hundred  more,  so  will  one  error.  False 
doctrine  will  eat  as  doth  a  gangrene,  which 
though  it  may  seem  to  be  confined  to  one, 
part  of  the  body,  infects  the  whole  mass,  and, 
if  not  extracted,  must  issue  in  death. 

*  In  this  edition  it  is  not  thought  necessary  to- 
transcribe  the  passage,  as  it  will  be  found  in  pages 
204 — 206  of  this  volume,  and  comprises  the  fourth) 
subdivision  of  the  first  part  of  the  discourse  re- 
ferred to. 


488 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


Ifono  put  on  the  profession  of  Christianity 
without  cordially  believing  it,  it  will  not  sit 
easy  upon  him ;  his  heart  will  not  be  in  it : 
and  if,  at  the  same  time,  he  live  in  the  in- 
dulgence of  secret  vice,  he  will  soon  feel 
it  necessary  to  new-model  his  religious  opin- 
ions. It  degrades  him,  even  in  his  own  es- 
teem, to  be  a  hypocrite,  avowing  one  thing 
and  practising  another.  In  order  to  be  easy, 
therefore,  it  becomes  necessary  for  him  to 
have  a  new  creed,  that  he  may  answer  the 
reproaches  of  his  conscience,  and  it  may  be 
those  of  his  acquaintance,  by  the  assump- 
tion that  his  ideas  are  changed.  He  begins 
by  doubting ;  and,  having  by  criminal  indul- 
gence effaced  all  sense  of  the  holiness  of 
God  from  his  mind,  he  thinks  of  him  only  in 
respect  of  what  he  calls  his  goodness,  which 
he  hopes  will  induce  him  to  connive  at  his 
frailties.  With  thoughts  like  these,  of  God 
and  of  sin,  he  will  soon  find  himself  in  pos- 
session of  a  system.  A  new  field  of  thought 
opens  to  his  mind,  in  which  he  finds  very 
little  need  of  Christ,  and  becomes,  in  his 
own  eyes,  a  being  of  consequence.  Such, 
or  nearly  such,  was  the  process  of  those  who 
perished,  "because  they  received  not  the 
love  of  the  truth  that  they  might  be  saved. 
And  for  this  cause  God  sent  them  strong  de- 
lusion, that  they  should  believe  a  lie  :  that 
they  all  might  be  damned,  who  believed  not 
the  truth,  but  had  pleasure  in  unrighteous- 
ness." But,  passing  these  delusive  systems, 
truth  itself,  if  viewed  out  of  its  scriptural 
connections,  is  vitiated  and  injurious.  The 
members  of  our  bodies  are  no  otherwise  ben- 
eficial than  as  they  occupy  the  places  in 
which  the  Creator  has  fixed  them.  If  the 
foot  were  in  the  place  of  the  hand,  or  the 
ear  of  the  eye,  instead  of  being  useful,  they 
would  each  be  injurious:  and  the  same  is 
true  of  a  preposterous  view  of  scripture 
doctrines.  The  Jews,  in  the  time  of"  our 
Saviour,  professed  the  same  creed,  in  the 
main,  as  their  forefathers ;  they  reckoned 
themselves  to  believe  Moses ;  but,  holding 
with  Moses  to  the  exclusion  of  Christ,  their 
faith  was  rendered  void.  "If  ye  believed 
Moses,"  said  our  Lord,  "ye  would  believe 
me  ;  for  he  wrote  of  me."  Thus  it  is  with 
us :  if  we  hold  the  law  of  Moses  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  Christ,  or  any  otherwise  than  as 
subservient  to  the  gospel,  or  Christ  and  the 
gospel  to  the  exclusion  of  the  law  of  Moses, 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other  will  profit  us. 

To  illustrate  and  confirm  these  observa- 
tions, I  shall  select,  for  examples,  three  of 
the  leading  doctrines  of  the  gospel ;  namely, 
election,  the  atonement,  and  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

If  the  doctrine  of  election  be  viewed  in 
those  connections  in  which  it  stands  in  the 
Scriptures,  it  will  be  of  great  importance  in 
the  Christian  life.  The  whole  difference 
between  the  saved  and  the  lost  being  as- 
cribed to  sovereign  grace,  the  pride  of  man 


is  abased :  the  believer  is  taught  to  feel  and 
acknowledge  that  by  the  grace  of  God  he  is 
what  he  is  ;  and  the  sinner  to  apply  for  mer- 
cy, not  as  being  on  terms  with  his  Maker, 
but  absolutely  at  his  discretion.  It  is  fre- 
quently the  last  point  which  a  sinner  yields 
to  God.  To  relinquish  every  claim  and 
ground  of  hope  from  his  own  good  endea- 
vors, and  fall  at  the  feet  of  sovereign  mercy, 
requires  that  he  be  born  of  God.  If  we  take 
our  views  of  this  great  subject  in  its  connec- 
tion with  others,  I  need  not  say  we  shall  not 
consider  it  as  founded  on  any  thing  good 
foreseen  in  us,  whether  it  be  faith  or  good 
works :  this  were  to  exclude  the  idea  of  an 
election  of  grace ;  and  to  admit,  if  not  to  es- 
tablish, boasting.  Neither  shall  we  look  at 
the  end  in  such  a  way  as  to  lose  sight  of  the 
means.  We  shall  consider  it  as  we  do  other 
divine  appointments,  not  as  revealed  to  us 
to  be  a  rule  of  conduct,  but  to  teach  us  our 
entire  dependence  upon  Gotl.  We  are  given 
to  believe  that  whatever  good  or  evil  befals 
us  we  are  thereunto  appointed. — 1  Thess.  iii. 
3.  The  time  of  our  continuance  in  the  world 
is  as  much  an  object  of  divine  purpose  as  our 
eternal  destiny ;  but  we  do  not  imagine,  on 
this  account,  that  we  shall  live  though  we 
neither  eat  nor  drink ;  nor  presume  that 
though  we  leap  headlong  from  a  precipice 
no  danger  will  befal  us.  Neither  does  it 
hinder  us  from  exhorting  or  persuading 
others  to  pursue  the  way  of  safety,  and  to 
flee  from  danger.  In  these  things  we  act 
the  same  as  if  there  were  no  divine  appoint- 
ments, or  as  if  we  believed  nothing  concern- 
ing them ;  but,  when  we  have  done  all  that 
can  be  done,  the  sentiment  of  an  all-dispos- 
ing providence  recurs  to  mind,  and  teaches 
us  that  we  are  still  in  the  hands  of  God. 
Such  were  the  views  of  good  men,  as  re- 
corded in  Scripture.  They  believed  the 
days  of  man  to  be  appointed,  and  that  he 
could  not  pass  his  bounds ;  yet,  in  time  of 
famine,  the  patriarch  Jacob  sent  to  Egypt  to 
buy  corn,  "  that  they  might  live,  and  not  die." 
Elisha  knew  of  a  certainty  that  Benhadad 
Avould  die  ;  yet,  speaking  of  him  in  respect 
of  his  disease,  he  did  not  scruple  to  say, 
"He  may  recover."  The  Lord  assured 
Paul,  in  his  perilous  voyage,  that  "there 
should  be  no  loss  of  any  man's  life  ;  yet, 
when  he  saw  the  ship-men  making  their  es- 
cape, he  said  to  the  centurion,  "Except 
these  abide  in  the  ship,  ye  cannot  be  saved." 
A  fleshly  mind  may  ask,  "  How  can  these 
things  be  ?  "  How  can  divine  predestina- 
tion accord  with  human  agency  and  account- 
ableness  ?  But  a  truly  humble  Christian, 
finding  both  in  his  Bible,  will  believe  both, 
though  he  may  be  unable  fully  to  understand 
their  consistency;  and  he  will  find  in  the 
one  a  motive  to  depend  entirely  on  God,  and 
in  the  other  a  caution  against  slothfulness 
and  presumptuous  neglect  of  duty.  And 
thus  a  Christian  minister,  if  he  view  the 


IMPORTANCE    OF    A    TRUE    SYSTEM. 


489 


doctrine  in  its  proper  connections,  will  find 
nothing  in  it  to  hinder  the  free  use  of  warn- 
ings, invitations,  and  persuasions,  either  to 
the  converted  or  the  unconverted.  Yet  he 
will  not  ground  his  hopes  of  success  on  the 
pliability  of  the  human  mind,  but  on  the 
promised  grace  of  God;  who  (while  he  pro- 
phecies to  the  dry  bones,  as  he  is  command- 
ed) is  known  to  inspire  them  with  the  breath 
of  life. 

Thus  it  was  that  the  apostle,  while  in  the 
ninth,  tenth,  and  eleventh  chapters  of  his 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  he  traces  the  sove- 
reignty of  God  in  calling  some  from  among 
the  Jews,  and  leaving  others  to  perish  in 
unbelief,  never  thought  of  excusing  that  un- 
belief, nor  felt  any  scruples  in  exhorting  and 
warning  the  subjects  of  it,  nor  in  praying  for 
their  salvation.  Even  in  his  preaching  to 
the  Gentiles,  he  kept  his  eye  on  them,  if  by 
any  means  he  might  provoke  to  emulation 
those  who  were  his  flesh,  and  might  save 
some  of  them. 

But,  whatever  this  doctrine  is  in  itself, 
yet,  if  viewed  out  of  its  connections,  or  in 
connections  which  do  not  belong  to  it,  it  will 
become  another  thing.  God's  election  of 
the  posterity  of  Abraham  was  of  sovereign 
favor,  and  not  on  account  of  any  excellence 
in  them,  natural  or  moral ;  in  which  view  it 
was  humbling,  and  no  doubt  had  a  good  ef- 
fect on  the  godly  Israelites.  But  the  Jews 
in  our  Saviour's  time  turned  this  their  na- 
tional election  into  another  kind  of  doctrine, 
full  of  flattery  towards  themselves,  and  of 
the  most  intolerable  contempt  and  malignity 
towards  others.  And  thus  the  doctrine  of 
eternal  and  personal  election  viewed  in  a 
similar  light  becomes  a  source  of  pride,  bit- 
terness, sloth,  and  presumption.  Conceive 
of  the  love  of  God  as  capricious  fondness — 
imagine,  besause  it  had  no  inducement  from 
the  goodness  of  the  creature,  that  therefore 
it  was  without  reason,  only  so  it  was  and  so 
it  must  be — view  it,  not  as  a  means  by  which 
God  would  assert  the  sovereignty  of  his 
grace,  but  as  an  end  to  which  every  thing 
must  become  subservient — conceive  of  your- 
self as  a  darling  of  heaven,  a  favorite  of 
providence,  for  whom  divine  interpositions 
next  to  miracles  are  continually  occurring — 
and,  instead  of  being  humbled  before  God  as 
a  poor  sinner,  you  will  feel  like  a  person 
who  in  a  dream  or  a  reverie  imagines  him- 
self a  king,  takes  state  to  himself,  and  treats 
every  one  about  him  with  distant  contempt. 

If  the  doctrine  of  atonement  be  viewed  in 
the  connections  in  which  it  stands  in  the 
sacred  Scriptures,  it  is  the  life-blood  of  the 
gospel  system.  Consider  it  as  a  method 
devised  by  the  infinite  wisdom  of  God,  by 
which  he  might  honor  his  own  name  by  dis- 
pensing mercy  to  the  unworthy  in  a  way 
consistent  with  righteousness,  and  we  shall 
be  furnished  with  considerations  at  once  the 


most  humiliating  and  transporting  that  were 
ever  presented  to  a  creature's  mind. 

But  there  are  ways  of  viewing  this  doc- 
trine which  will  render  it  void,  and  even 
worse  than  void.  If,  for  instance,  instead  of 
connecting  it  with  the  divinity  of  Christ,  we 
ascribe  its  efficacy  to  divine  appointment, 
the  name  may  remain,  but  that  will  be  all. 
On  this  principle  it  ivas  possible  that  the 
blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  should  have  taken 
away  sin,  and  that  the  cup  should  have  passed 
away  from  the  Saviour  without  his  drinking 
it.  As  there  would  on  this  principle  be  no 
necessity  for  the  death  of  Christ,  so  neither 
could  there  be  any  great  love  displayed  by 
it;  and,  as  to  its  constraining  influence,  we 
need  not  look  for  it. 

Or,  if  the  atonement  be  considered  as  a 
reparation  to  man  for  the  injury  done  him  by 
his  being  connected  with  his  first  parents,  it 
is  rendered  void.  Whatever  evil  we  derive 
from  our  first  parents,  while  we  ourselves 
choose  it,  we  are  no  more  injured  than  if  we 
derived  it  from  our  immediate  parents  ;  and 
it  will  no  more  bear  to  be  pleaded  at  the  last 
judgment,  than  it  will  bear  to  be  alleged  by 
a  thief,  at  an  earthly  tribunal,  that  his  father 
had  been  a  thief  before  him.  To  argue, 
therefore,  as  some  have  done,  that  if  Christ 
had  not  come  into  the  world  and  given  us 
grace,  so  as  to  remove  the  inability  for  do- 
ing good  under  which  we  lay  as  the  descend- 
ants of  Adam,  we  should  not  have  been 
blameworthy  for  not  doing  it,  is  to  render 
grace  no  more  grace,  and  the  atonement  a 
satisfaction  to  man  rather  than  to  God.  If 
man  would  not  have  been  blameworthy  with- 
out the  gift  of  Christ  and  a  provision  of  grace, 
it  would  seem  a  pity  that  both  had  not  been 
withheld,  and  that  we  had  not  been  left  to 
the  justice  of  our  Creator,  who  surely  might 
be  trusted  not  to  punish  for  that  in  which  we 
were  not  in  fault. 

Or,  if  the  doctrine  of  atonement  lead  us 
to  entertain  degrading  notions  of  the  law  of 
God,  or  to  plead  an  exemption  from  its  pre- 
ceptive authority,  we  may  be  sure  it  is  not 
the  Scripture  doctrine  of  reconciliation. 
Atonement  has  respect  to  justice,  and  jus- 
tice to  the  law,  or  the  revealed  will  of  the 
sovereign,  which  has  been  violated,  and  its 
very  design  is  to  repair  its  honor.  If  the 
law  which  has  been  transgressed  were  un- 
just, instead  of  an  atonement  being  required 
for  the  breach  of  it,  it  ought  to  have  been 
repealed,  and  the  lawgiver  have  taken  upon 
himself  the  disgrace  of  having  enacted  it. 
Every  instance  of  punishment  among  men 
is  a  sort  of  atonement  to  the  justice  of  the 
country,  the  design  of  which  is  to  restore 
the  authority  of  good  government,  which 
transgression  has  impaired.  But  if  the  law 
itself  is  bad,  or  the  penalty  too  severe,  every 
sacrifice  made  to  it  must  be  an  instance  of 
cruelty.     And  should  a  prince  of  the  blood 


Vol..  2,—Sig.  62. 


490 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


royal,  in  compassion  to  the  offenders,  offer 
to  suffer  in  their  stead,  for  the  purpose  of 
atonement,  whatever  love  it  might  discover 
on  his  part,  it  were  still  greater  cruelty  to 
accept  the  offer,  even  though  he  might  sur- 
vive his  sufferings.  The  public  voice  would 
he,  There  is  no  need  of  any  atonement ;  it 
will  do  no  honor  but  dishonor  to  the  legisla- 
ture :  and  to  call  the  liberation  of  the  con- 
victs an  act  of  grace  is  to  add  insult  to  in- 
jury. The  law  ought  not  to  have  been 
enacted,  and,  now  it  is  enacted,  ought  im- 
mediately to  be  repealed.  It  is  easy  to  see 
from  hence,  that,  in  proportion  as  the  law  is 
depreciated,  the  gospel  is  undermined,  and 
both  grace  and  atonement  rendered  void. 
It  is  the  law  as  abused,  or  as  turned  into  a 
way  of  life  in  opposition  to  the  gospel  J  for 
which  it  was  never  given  to  a  fallen  crea- 
ture,) that  the  sacred  Scriptures  depreciate 
it ;  and  not  as  the  revealed  will  of  God,  the 
immutable  standard  of  right  and  wrong.  In 
this  view,  the  apostle  delighted  in  it :  and, 
if  we  be  Christians,  we  shall  delight  in  it  too, 
and  shall  not  object  to  be  under  it  as  a  rule 
of  duty  ;  for  no  man  objects  to  be  governed 
by  laws  which  he  loves. 

Finally  :  If  the  doctrine  of  divine  influence 
be  considered  in  its  scriptural  connections, 
it  will  be  of  essential  importance  in  the 
Christian  life ;  but,  if  these  be  lost  sight  of, 
it  will  become  injurious. 

To  say  nothing  of  extraordinary  influence, 
I  conceive  there  is  what  may  be  termed  an 
indirect  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
Holy  Spirit,  having  inspired  the  prophets 
and  apostles,  testified  in  and  by  them,  and 
often  without  effect.  "Many  years  didst 
thou  forbear  them,  and  testifiedst  against 
them,  by  thy  Spirit,  in  thy  prophets,  yet 
would  they  not  give  ear."  The  messages  of 
the  prophets  being  dictated  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  resistance  of  them  was  resistance  of 
him.  It  was  in  this  way,  I  conceive,  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  strove  with  the  antediluvi- 
ans, and  that  unbelievers  are  said  always  to 
have  resisted  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  the  di- 
vine influence  to  which  I  refer  is  that  by 
which  sinners  are  renewed  and  sanctified  ; 
concerning  which  two  things  require  to  be 
kept  in  view. 

First :  It  accords  ivith  the  Scripture.  Is  it 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  example,  to 
illuminate  the  mind,  or  to  guide  us  into  truth  ? 
In  order  to  try  whether  that  which  we  ac- 
count light  be  the  effect  of  divine  teaching, 
or  only  a  figment  of  our  own  imagination,  we 
must  bring  it  to  the  written  word.  "  To  the 
law  and  to  the  testimony :  if  they  speak  not 
according  to  this  word,  it  is  because  there  is 
no  light  in  them."  The  Holy  Spirit  teaches 
nothing  but  what  is  true,  and  what  was  true 
antecedently  to  his  teaching  it,  and  would 
have  been  true  though  we  had  never  been 
taught  it.  Such  are  the  glory  of  the  divine 
character,  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin, 


our  own  guilty  and  lost  condition  as  sinners, 
and  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  test  of  divine  illumination, 
therefore,  is  whether  that  in  which  we  con- 
ceive ourselves  to  be  enlightened  be  a  part 
of  divine  truth  as  revealed  in  the  Scriptures. 
Further :  Is  it  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
lead  us  in  the  "  paths  of  righteousness  ?  " 
This  also  must  be  tried  by  the  written  word. 
The  Holy  Spirit  leads  us  into  nothing  but 
what  is  right  antecedently  to  our  being  led 
into  it,  and  which  would  have  been  so  though 
we  had  never  been  led  into  it.  He  that  teach- 
eth  us  to  profit  leadeth  us  "  by  the  way  that 
we  should  go."  The  paths  in  which  he  leads 
us  for  his  name's  sake  are  those  of  righteous- 
ness. Such  are  those  of  repentance  for  sin, 
faith  in  Christ,  love  to  God  and  one  another, 
and  every  species  of  Christian  obedience. 
One  test,  therefore,  of  our  being  led  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  in  any  way  wherein  we  walk, 
is,  whether  it  be  a  part  of  the  will  of  God  as 
revealed  in  the  Scriptures.  As  the  Holy 
Spirit  teaches  us  nothing  but  what  was  previ- 
ously true,  so  he  leads  us  into  nothing  but 
what  was  previously  duty. 

Secondly  :  Divine  influence  not  only  ac- 
cords with  the  sacred  Scriptures,  but  requires 
to  be  introduced  in  those  connections  in  which 
the  Scriptures  introduce  it.  We  have  heard 
it  described  as  if  it  were  a  talent,  the  use  or 
abuse  of  which  would  either  issue  in  our  sal- 
vation or  heighten  our  guilt.  This  is  true  of 
opportunities  and  means  of  grace,  or  of  what 
is  above  described  as  the  indirect  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  but  not  of  his  special  in- 
fluence. The  things  done  for  the  Lord's 
vineyard,  concerning  which  he  asks,  "What 
more  could  I  have  done  ?  "  include  the  form- 
er, and  not  the  latter.  The  mighty  works 
done  in  Chorazin,  Bethsaida,  and  Caperna- 
um, relate,  not  to  the  special  influences  of 
the  Spirit  on  their  minds,  but  to  the  miracles 
wrought  before  their  eyes,  accompanied  as 
they  were  by  the  heavenly  doctrine.  I  do 
not  remember  an  instance  in  the  sacred 
Scriptures  in  which  the  renewing  and  sanc- 
tifying influences  of  the  Spirit  are  thus  rep- 
resented. Divine  influence  has  been  intro- 
duced as  an  excuse  for  sin  committed  previ- 
ously to  our  being  the  subject  of  it,  as  if,  be- 
cause it  is  necessary  to  any  thing  truly  good 
being  done  by  us,  therefore  it  must  be  neces- 
sary to  its  being  required  of  us.  But,  if  so, 
there  would  have  been  no  complaints  of  Si- 
mon the  Pharisee  for  his  want  of  love  to 
Christ;  nor  of  unbelievers  at  the  last  judg- 
ment for  the  same  thing;  nor  would  Paul  have 
carried  with  him  so  humbling  a  sense  of  his 
sin  in  having  persecuted  the  church  of  God, 
while  in  unbelief,  as  to  reckon  himself  the 
chief  of  sinners  on  account  of  it.  The  want 
of  divine  influence  has  been  introduced  as 
an  apology  for  negligence  and  slothfulness 
in  the  Christian  life.  What  else  do  men 
mean  when  they  speak  of  this  and  the  other 


PLAN  PROPOSED  TO  BE  PURSUED. 


491 


duty  as  "  no  farther  binding  upon  them  than 
as  the  Lord  shall  enable  them  to  discharge 
it  ?  "  If  it  be  so,  we  have  no  sin  to  confess  for 
"not  doing  that  which  we  ought  to  have 
done;"  for,  as  far  as  the  Lord  enables 
us  to  discharge  our  obligations,  we  discharge 
them.  The  doctrine  of  divine  influence  is 
introduced  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  as  a  mo- 
tive to  activity :  "  Work  out  your  own  sal- 
vation with  fear  and  trembling ;  for  it  is  God 
that  worketh  in  you,  both  to  will  and  to  do  of 
his  own  good  pleasure." 

Finally  :  We  have  often  heard  this  doc- 
trine introduced  in  the  pulpit  in  such  a  way 
as  to  weaken  the  force  of  what  lias  been  pre- 
viously said  on  behalf  of  God  and  righteous- 
ness. When  the  sacred  Scriptures  speak 
of  the  cause  of  good,  they  ascribe  everything 
to  God's  Holy  Spirit.  The  writers  seem  to 
have  no  fear  of  going  too  far.  And  it  is  the 
same  with  them  when  they  exhort,  or  warn,  or 
expostulate  ;  they  discover  no  apprehension 
of  going  so  far  as  to  render  void  the  grace 
of  God.  In  all  their  writings,  the  one  never 
seems  to  stand  in  the  way  of  the  other  :  each 
is  allowed  its  full  scope,  without  any  apparent 
suspicion  of  inconsistency  between  them. 
But  is  it  so  with  us  ?  If  one  dares  to  ex- 
hort sinners  in  the  words  of  Scripture,  to 
"repent  and  believe  the  gospel,"  he  present- 
ly feels  himself  upon  tender  ground;  and,  if 
he  does  not  recede,  yet  he  must  qualify  his 
words,  or  he  will  be  suspected  of  disbelieving 
the  work  of  the  Spirit !  To  prevent  this  he 
must  needs  introduce  it,  though  it  be  only  to 
blunt  the  edge  of  his  exhortation — "Repent 
and  believe  the  gospel ;  I  know,  indeed,  you 
cannot  do  this  of  yourselves  ;  but  yon  can  pray 
for  the  Holy  Spirit  to^enable  you  to  do  it." 

It  is  right  to  pray  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  as 
well  as  for  every  thing  else  that  Ave  need, 
and  to  exhort  others  to  do  so ;  and  it  may 
be  one  of  the  first  petitions  of  a  mind  return- 
ing to  God,  "Turn  thou  me,  and  I  shall  be 
turned : "  but  to  introduce  it  instead  of  re- 
penting and  believing.,  and  as  something 
which  a  sinner  can  do,  though  he  cannot  do 
the  other,  is  erroneous  and  dangerous. 


LETTER   III. 

PLAN  PROPOSED  TO  BE  PURSUED. 

I  wish,  in  this  letter,  to  state  the  princi- 
pal and  general  outlines  of  what  I  shall  at- 
tempt. In  observing  different  systematic 
writers,  I  perceive  they  have  taken  different 
methods  of  arrangement.  The  greatest 
number  proceed  on  the  analytical  plan,  be- 
ginning with  the  being  and  attributes  of  God, 
the  creation  of  the  world,  moral  government, 
the  fall  of  angels  and  men,  and  so  proceed 
to  redemption  by  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  ben- 
efits and  obligations  resulting  from  it.  One 
eminent  divine,  you  know,  has  treated  the 


subject  historically,  tracing  the  gradual  de- 
velopement  of  divine  truth  as  it  actually  took 
place  in  the  order  of  time.*  These  differ- 
ent methods  have  each  their  advantages  ; 
but  it  has  for  some  time  appeared  to  me  that 
the  great  number  of  them  have  also  their 
disadvantage  ;  so  much  so  as  to  render  truth, 
in  a  systematic  form,  almost  uninteresting. 

I  do  not  know  how  it  may  prove  on  trial, 
but  I  wish  to  begin  with  the  centre  of 
Christianity — the  doctrine  of  the  cross,  and  to 
work  round  it ;  or  with  what  may  be  called 
the  heart  of  Christianity,  and  to  trace  it 
through  its  principal  veins  or  relations,  both 
in  doctrine  and  practice.  If  Christianity 
had  not  been  comprehended  in  this  doctrine, 
the  apostle,  who  shunned  not  to  declare  the 
whole  counsel  of  God,  could  not  have  de- 
termined to  know  nothing  else  in  his  minis- 
try. The  whole  of  the  Christian  system 
appears  to  be  presupposed  by  it,  included  in 
it,  or  to  arise  from  it:  if,  therefore,  I  write 
any  thing,  it  will  be  on  this  principle.  In  its  fa- 
vor, the  following  things  may  be  alleged  : — 

First :  It  accords  with  truth.  All  things 
are  said  to  have  been  created  not  only  by 
Christ,  but  for  him.  All  things  in  creation, 
therefore,  are  rendered  subservient  to  his 
glory  as  Redeemer ;  and,  being  thus  con- 
nected, they  require  to  be  viewed  so,  in 
order  to  be   seen  with  advantage. 

Secondly :  By  viewing  all  divine  truths 
and  duties  as  related  to  one  great  object,  as 
so  many  lines  meeting  in  a  centre,  a  charac- 
ter of  unity  is  imparted  to  the  subject  which 
it  would  not  otherwise  possess,  and  which 
seems  properly  to  belong  to  the  idea  of  a 
system.  A  system,  if  I  understand  it,  is  a 
ivhole,  composed  of  a  number  of  parts,  so 
combined  and  arranged  as  to  show  their 
proper  connections  and  dependencies,  and 
to  exhibit  every  truth  and  every  duty  to  the 
best  advantage.  The  unity  of  a  number  in 
one  great  object,  and  so  forming  a  whole, 
gives  an  interest  to  the  subject  which  it 
would  not  otherwise  possess.  It  is  interest- 
ing, no  doubt,  to  view  the  works  of  nature 
as  revolving  round  the  sun  as  their  centre  ; 
but  to  view  nature  and  providence  as  cen- 
tering in  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer  is  much 
more  interesting. 

Thirdly :  The  object  in  which  all  the 
parts  of  the  system  are  united  being  Christ 
must  tend  to  shed  a  sweet  savor  on  the 
whole.  We  have  often  heard  the  epithet 
dry  applied  to  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel, 
especially  when  systematically  treated  :  but 
this  must  have  arisen  from  the  faults  or  de- 
fects of  the  system,  or  from  the  uninterest- 
ing manner  of  treating  it,  or  from  a  defect 
in  the  hearer  or  reader.  The  doctrine  of 
the  gospel,  if  imparted  in  its  genuine  sim- 
plicity, and  received  in  faith  and  love, 
"  drops  as   the  rain  and  distils  as  the  dew 

•  President  Edwards's  History  of  Redemption. 


492 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


upon  the  tender  herb."  I  may  not  be  able 
thus  to  impart  it :  but,  whether  I  do  or  not, 
it  may  be  done  ;  and,  so  far  as  I  or  any 
other  may  fail,  let  the  fault  be  imputed  to  us, 
and  not  to  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour. 

Fourthly  :  There  is  a  singular  advantage 
attending  the  study  of  other  truths  through 
this  medium.  We  might  know  something 
of  God  and  of  ourselves  through  the  medi- 
um of  the  divine  law ;  and  it  is  necessary 
for  some  purposes  to  understand  this  subject 
as  distinct  from  the  gospel.  But  a  sense  of 
the  holiness  and  justice  of  God,  contrasted 
with  our  depravity  and  guilt,  might  be  more 
than  we  could  bear.  To  view  these  great  sub- 
jects on  the  other  hand  through  the  cross  of 
Christ  is  to  view  the  malady  through  the 
medium  of  the  remedy,  and  so  never  to 
want  an  antidote  for  despair. 

With  the  idea  of  all  divine  truth  bearing 
an  intimate  relation  to  Christ  agrees  that 
notable  phrase  in  Ephes.  iv.  21 :  "  The 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus."  To  believe  the 
truth  concerning  Jesus  is  to  believe  the 
whole  doctrine  of  the  Scriptures.  Hence 
it  is  that  in  all  the  brief  summaries  of 
Christian  doctrine  the  person  and  work  of 
Christ  are  prominent.  Such  are  the  follow- 
ing :  "  Brethren,  I  declare  unto  you  the 
gospel  which  I  preached  unto  you,  which 
also  you  have  received,  and  wherein  ye 
stand ;  by  which  also  ye  are  saved,  if  ye 
keep  in  memory  what  I  preached  unto  you, 
unless  ye  have  believed  in  vain.  For  I  de- 
livered unto  you,  among  the  first  principles, 
that  which  I  also  received,  how  that  Christ 
died  for  our  sins  according  to  the  Scrip- 
tures.— Great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness, 
God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in 
the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto 
the  Gentiles,  believed  on  in  the  world,  re- 
ceived up  into  glory. — This  is  a  faithful 
saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that 
Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief. — This  is  the 
record,  that  God  hath  given  unto  us  eternal 
life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son. — He  that 
believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  born  of 
God. — Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the 
world,  but  he  that  believeth  that  Jesus  is 
the  Son  of  God  ?  "  Fully  aware  that  this 
golden  link  would  draw  along  with  it  the 
whole  chain  of  evangelical  truth,  the  sacred 
writers  seem  careful  for  nothing  in  compari- 
son of  it.  It  is  on  this  ground  that  faith  in 
Christ  is  represented  as  essential  to  spiritual 
life. — See  John  vi.  53 — 56.  "Jesus  said 
unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man, 
and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in  you. 
Whoso  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my 
blood  hath  eternal  life,  and  I  will  raise  him 
up  at  the  last  day.  For  my  flesh  is  meat 
indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He 
that  eateth  my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood, 
dwelleth  in  me,  and  I   in  him."     We  may 


be  Christians  by  education,  may  be  well 
versed  in  Christianity  as  a  science,  may  be 
able  to  converse,  and  preach,  and  write,  in 
defence  of  it ;  but  if  Christ  crucified  be  not 
that  to  us  which  food  is  to  the  hungry,  and 
drink  to  the  thirsty,  we  are  dead  while  we 
live.  It  is  on  this  ground  that  error  con- 
cerning the  person  and  work  of  Christ  is  of 
such  importance  as  frequently  to  become 
death  to  the  party.  We  may  err  on  other 
subjects  and  survive,  though  it  be  in  a  maim- 
ed state  ;  but  to  err  in  this  is  to  contract  a 
disease  in  the  vitals,  the  ordinary  effect  of 
which  is  death.  When  Peter  confessed  him 
to  be  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  Jesus  an- 
swered, "Upon  this  rock  will  I  build  my 
church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  pre- 
vail against  it."  Upon  this  principle,  as  a 
foundation,  Christianity  rests ;  and  it  is 
remarkable  that,  to  this  day,  deviation  con- 
cerning the  person  and  work  of  Christ  is 
followed  by  a  dereliction  of  almost  every 
other  evangelical  doctrine,  and  of  the  spirit 
of  Christianity.  How  should  it  be  other- 
wise ?  If  the  foundation  be  removed,  the 
building  must  fall. 

What  is  it  that  is  denominated  the  great 
mystery  of  godliness  ?  Is  it  not  that  "  God 
was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in  the 
Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the 
Gentiles,  believed  on  in  the  world,  received 
up  into  glory  ?  "  It  is  this  that  the  apostle 
John  introduces  at  the  beginning  of  his  gos- 
pel under  the  name  of  "  the  Word  :  "  "  The 
Word  was  with  God,  and  was  God  ;  by  whom 
all  things  were  made,  and  who  was  made 
flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us."  *  It  is  this  up- 
on which  he  dwells  in  the  introduction  of 
his  first  epistle  :  "  That  which  was  from  the 
beginning,  which  we  have  heard,  which  we 
have  seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we  have 
looked  upon,  and  our  hands  have  handled  of 
the  word  of  life  (for  the  life  was  manifested, 
and  we  have  seen  it,  and  bear  witness,  and 
show  unto  you  that  eternal  life  which  was 
with  the  Father,  and  was  manifested  unto 
us  ; )  that  which  we  have  seen  and  heard  de- 
clare we  unto  you,  that  ye  also  may  have 
fellowship  with  us  ;  and  truly  our  fellowship 
is  with  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ."  Christ  is  here  described,  1.  As  to 
what  he  was  in  his  pre-incarnate  state ; 
namely,  as  that  which  was  from  the  begin- 
ning, the  word  of  life,  and  that  eternal  life 
Avhich  was  with  the  Father.  2.  As  to  what 
he  became  by  his  incarnation :  he  was  so 
manifested  that  his  disciples  could  see  him, 
and  look  on  him,  and  handle  him ;  and  thus 
be  qualified  to  bear  witness  of  him,  and  to 
show  unto  others  that  eternal  life  that  was 
with  the  Father.     3.  As  having  opened   a 

*  Whether  we  read  Grid,  or  the  Son  of  God, 
or  the  Lord,  or  the  Word,  the  idea  is  the  same. 
There  is  no  meaning  in  saying  of  any  one  who  was 
not  God  that  he  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,  or  that 
he  was  made  flesh,  &c. 


THE    BEING    OF    GOD. 


493 


way  in  which  those  who  believed  in  him 
were  admitted  to  fellowship  with  God,  and 
witli  him,  and  were  commissioned  to  invite 
others  to  partake  with  them.  I  have  long 
considered  this  passage  a's  a  decisive  proof 
of  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  as  a  summary 
of  the  gospel. 


LETTER  IV. 

ON  THE  BEING  OF  GOD. 

Having  in  the  foregoing  letters  endeavor- 
ed to  show  the  importance  of  system,  and  of 
that  system  being  the  true  one,  and  pro- 
posed the  plan  of  what  I  may  communicate, 
I  shall  now  proceed  to  execute  it  as  well  as 
I  am  able.  In  the  last  letter  it  was  stated, 
concerning  the  doctrine  of  the  cross,  that 
every  thing  pertaining  to  Christianity  was 
presupposed  by  it,  included  in  it,  or  arose  out 
of  it.  This  threefold  distribution  will  form 
the  three  parts  into  which  what  I  write  will 
be  divided.  Under  the  first ;  namely,  prin- 
ciples presupposed  by  the  doctrine  of  the 
cross,  I  begin  with  the  being  of  God,  to  which 
fundamental  principle  this  letter  will  be  de- 
voted. God  is  the  first  cause  and  last  end 
of  all  things.  "  Of  him,  and  through  him, 
and  to  him  are  all  things ;  to  him  be  glory 
forever,  Amen !  "  To  undertake  to  prove  his 
existence  seems  to  be  almost  as  unnecessa- 
ry as  to  go  about  to  prove  our  own.  The 
Scriptures  at  their  outset  take  it  for  granted  ; 
and  he  that  calls  it  in  question  is  not  so 
much  to  be  reasoned  with  as  to  be  reproved. 
His  error  belongs  to  the  heart  rather  than 
to  the  understanding.  His  doubts  are  ei- 
ther affected,  or  arise  from  a  wish  to  free 
himself  from  the  idea  of  accountableness. 
The  things  that  are  seen  in  the  visible  crea- 
tion contain  so  clear  a  manifestation  of  the 
things  that  are  not  seen,  even  of  his  eternal 
power  and  Godhead,  as  to  leave  atheists  and 
idolaters  "without  excuse." — Rom.  i.  20. 

All  reasoning  must  proceed  upon  some 
acknowledged  principles  ;  and  what  can  de- 
serve to  be  so  considered  more  than  our 
own  existence,  and  that  of  the  great  First 
Cause  ?  There  are  truths  among  men  which 
it  is  indecorous  to  attempt  to  prove.  To 
discuss  the  question  whether  a  parent  ought 
to  be  acknowledged  and  obeyed  by  his  chil- 
dren, whatever  proof  might  be  alleged  for  it, 
would  tend  to  agitate  a  subject  which  ought 
to  be  at  rest.  I  question  whether  argu- 
mentation in  favor  of  the  existence  of  God 
has  not  made  more  sceptics  than  believers. 
An  Orissa  pundit,  not  being  able  to  see  God, 
required  of  a  missionary  a  proof  of  his  exist- 
ence. He  was  asked,  in  answer,  whether 
he  could  see  his  own  soul ;  and  whether  he 
had  any  doubts  of  his  possessing  one.  "  Cer- 
tainly not,"  said  the  pundit.  "  Such,"  said 
the  missionary,  "is  the  living  God:  he  is 


invisible   to   us,    but    he    is   every    where 
present." 

In  the  early  ages  of  the  world  there  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  much  stronger  per- 
suasion of  divine  interposition  in  human 
affairs  than  generally  prevails  in  our  times. 
Even  heathens,  whose  gods  were  vanity, 
put  their  trust  in  them.  In  all  their  wars, 
they  not  only  took  counsel  with  their  wise 
men,  but  consulted  their  oracles.  Rollin, 
from  Xenophon,  holds  it  up  as  one  of  the 
great  virtues  of  Cyrus  that  he  respected 
the  gods.  "  In  the  si<?-ht  of  all  his  army," 
says  he,  "he  makes  mention  of  the  gods, 
offers  sacrifices  and  libations  to  them,  ad- 
dresses himself  to  them  by  prayer  and  in- 
vocation, and  implores  their  succor  and  pro- 
tection. What  a  shame,  then,  and  a  re- 
proach, would  it  be  to  a  Christian  officer  or 
general,  if,  on  a  day  of  battle,  he  should 
blush  to  appear  as  religious  and  devout  as  a 
pagan  prince  ;  and  if  the  Lord  of  hosts 
and  God  of  armies,  whom  he  acknowledges 
as  such,  should  make  a  less  impression  on 
his  mind  than  a  respect  for  the  false  deities 
of  paganism  did  upon  the  mind  of  Cyrus." 
Yet  this  is  the  fact.  Now  and  then,  on  an 
occasion  of  great  success,  God  is  acknow- 
ledged ;  but  in  general  he  is  disregarded. 
How  is  this  to  be  accounted  for  ?  Cyrus's 
gods  were  according  to  his  mind ;  but,  with 
the  true  God,  the  dispositions  of  the  greater 
part  of  mankind  are  C.  perfect  variance. 
Real  Christians  still  acknowledge  him  in  all 
their  ways,  and  he  directs  their  paths  ;  but 
merely  nominal  Christians,  having  a  God 
ivho  is  not  according  to  their  minds,  think 
but  little  of  him,  feel  ashamed  to  own  him, 
and  thus  sink  into  practical  atheism.  To 
know  that  there  is  a  God  is  necessary,  in- 
deed, to  true  religion;  but,  if  we  stop  there, 
it  will  be  of  no  use.  What  is  the  Supreme 
Being  of  modern  unbelievers?  and  of  what 
account  is  their  knowledge  of  him  ?  As  the  . 
Author  of  the  machinery  of  the  universe,  he 
is  admired,  and  magnified  in  such  a  way  as 
to  render  it  beneath  him  to  interfere  with 
the  affairs  of  mortals,  or  to  call  them  to  ac- 
count. 

The  true  knowledge  of  God  is  less  spec- 
ulative than  practical.  It  is  remarkable 
with  what  deep  reverence  the  inspired  writers 
speak  of  God.  Moses,  when  relating  his 
appearance  at  the  bush,  did  not  attempt  to 
explain  his  name,  but  communicated  it  in 
the  words  which  he  heard.  "  And  Moses 
said  unto  God,  Behold,  when  I  come  unto 
the  children  of  Israel,  and  shall  say  unto 
them,  The  God  of  your  fathers  hath  sent 
me  unto  you,  and  they  will  say  unto  me, 
What  is  his  name  ?  what  shall  I  say  unto 
them  ?  And  God  said  unto  Moses,  /  am 
that  lam:  and  he  said,  Thus  shalt  thou  say 
unto  the  children  of  Israel,  /  am  hath  sent 
me  unto  you."  This  sublime  language  sug- 
gests not  only  his  self-existence,  but  his  in- 


494 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


comprehensibleness.  It  is  beyond  the  pow- 
ers of  a  creature  even  to  be  taught  what  he  is. 

"  As  to  the  being  of  God,"  says  Dr.  Owen, 
"we  are  so  far  from  a  knowledge  of  it,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  instruct  one  another  therein  by 
words  and  expressions  of  it,  as  that  to  frame 
any  conceptions  in  our  own  mind,  with  such 
species  and  impressions  of  things  as  we  re- 
ceive the  knowledge  of  all  other  things  by, 
is  to  make  an  idol  to  ourselves,  and  so  to 
worship  a  God  of  our  own  making,  and  not  the 
God  that  made  us.  We  may  as  well  and  as 
lawfully  hew  him  out  of  wood  and  stone,  as 
form  him  a  being  in  our  minds  suited  to  our 
apprehensions.  The  utmost  of  the  best  of 
our  thoughts  of  the  being  of  God  is,  that  we 
can  have  no  thoughts  of  it.  Our  knowledge 
of  a  being  is  but  low  when  it  mounts  no 
higher  but  only  to  know  that  we  know  it 
not. — There  be  some  things  of  God  which 
he  himself  hath  taught  us  to  speak  of,  and  to 
regulate  our  expressions  of  them  ;  but,  when 
we  have  so  done,  we  see  not  the  things 
themselves,  we  know  them  not ;  to  believe 
and  to  admire  is  all  that  we  can  attain  to. 
We  profess,  as  we  are  taught,  that  God  is 
infinite,  omnipotent,  eternal ;  and  we  know 
what  disputes  and  notions  there  are  about 
omnipresence,  immensity,  infinity,  and  eter- 
nity. We  have,  I  say,  words  and  notions 
about  these  things;  but,  as  to  the  things 
themselves,  what  do  we  know  ?  what  do 
we  comprehend  of  them  ?  Can  the  mind  of 
man  do  any  thing  more  but  swallow  itself 
up  in  an  infinite  abyss,  which  is  as  nothing? 
Give  itself  up  to  what  it  cannot  conceive, 
much  less  express  ?  Is  not  our  understand- 
ing brutish  in  the  contemplation  of  such 
things?  and  is  as  if  it  were  not?  Yea,  the 
perfection  of  our  understanding  is,  not  to 
understand,  and  to  rest  there  :  they  are  but 
the  back  parts  of  eternity  and  infinity  that 
we  have  a  glimpse  of.  What  shall  I  say  of 
the  trinity,  or  the  subsistence  of  distinct  per- 
sons in  the  same  individual  essence  ;  a  mys- 
tery by  many  denied,  because  by  none  un- 
derstood; a  mystery  whose  very  letter  is 
mysterious. — '  How  little  a  portion  is  heard 
of  him!'" 

In  the  epistles  of  Paul  there  are  various 
instances  in  which,  having  mentioned  the 
name  of  God,  he  stops  to  pay  him  adoration. 
Thus,  when  describing  the  dishonor  put  upon 
him  by  worshipping  and  serving  the  creature 
more  than  the  Creator,  he  pauses,  and  adds, 
"  Who  is  blessed  forever,  Amen  !  "  Thus 
also,  speaking  of  Christ  as  having  "  given 
himself  to  deliver  us  from  this  present  evil 
world,  according  to  the  will  of  God  and  our 
Father,"  he  adds,  "To  Him  be  glory  forever 
and  ever,  Amen ! "  And  thus,  when  having 
spoken  of  the  exceeding  abundant  grace 
shown  to  himself  as  the  chief  of  sinners,  he 
adds,  "  Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immor- 
tal, invisible,  the  only  wise  God,  be  honor 
and  glory  forever  and  ever,  Amen ! " 


It  is  the  name  of  God  that  gives  authority, 
importance,  and  glory,  to  every  person  or 
thing  with  which  it  stands  connected.  The 
glory  of  man,  above  the  rest  of  the  creatures, 
consisted  in  this  :  "  God  created  man  in  his 
own  image ;  in  the  image  of  God  created  he 
him."  This,  and  not  merely  the  well-being 
of  man,  is  the  reason  given  why  murder 
should  be  punished  with  death.  "He  that 
sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood 
be  shed  ;  for  in  the  image  of  God  made  he 
man."  This  is  the  great  sanction  to  the 
precepts  and  threatenings  of  the  law :  "  That 
thou  mayest  fear  that  fearful  name,  the  Lord 
thy  God."  Herein  consists  the  great  evil  of 
sin  ;  and  of  that  sin  especially  which  is  com- 
mitted immediately  against  God.  "  Khoav 
thou  therefore,  and  see,  that  it  is  an  evil 
thing,  and  bitter,  that  thou  hast  forsaken  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  that  my  fear  is  not  in 
thee,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  If  one  man  sin 
against  another,  the  judge  shall  judge  him ; 
but,  if  a  man  sin  against  the  Lord,  who  shall 
entreat  for  him  ?  "  The  sin  of  the  men  of 
Sodom,  though  it  had  reached  to  heaven,  yet 
was  not  completed  till  they  persevered  in  it, 
when  smitten  of  God  with  blindness.  Pha- 
raoh and  the  Egyptians  had  grievously  op- 
pressed Israel ;  but  it  was  by  persevering 
in  their  sins  notwithstanding  the  judgments 
of  God,  and  presuming  to  follow  his  people 
into  the  sea,  that  they  brought  upon  them- 
selves destruction.  Of  this  nature  was  the 
disobedience  of  Saul,  the  boasting  of  Senna- 
cherib and  Rabshakeh,  the  pride  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, the  profanation  of  the  sacred 
vessels  by  Belteshazzar,  and  the  shutting  up 
of  John  in  prison  by  Herod.  Each  of  these 
men  had  done  much  evil  before  ;  but,  by 
setting  themselves  directly  against  God, 
they  sealed  their  doom.  It  is  on  this  prin- 
ciple that  idolatry  and  blasphemy  were  pun- 
ished with  death  under  the  theocracy,  and 
that,  under  the  gospel,  unbelief  and  aposta- 
cy  are  threatened  with  damnation. 

God  manifested  himself  in  creation,  in 
giving  laws  to  his  creatures,  in  the  provi- 
dential government  of  the  world,  and  in 
other  ways ;  but  all  these  exhibited  him 
only  in  part :  it  is  in  the  gospel  of  salvation, 
through  his  dear  Son,  that  his  whole  char- 
acter appears ;  so  that,  from  invisible,  he  in 
a  sense  becomes  visible.  "No  one  had 
seen  God  at  any  time  ;  but  the  only  begot- 
ten Son,  who  dwelleth  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  he  declared  him."  What  is  it  that 
believers  see  in  the  gospel  when  their  minds 
are  spiritually  enlightened?  It  is  "the 
glory  of  God,  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ." 
Whatever  is  visible  in  an  object  is  called  its 
face.  Thus  we  speak  of  the  face  of  the 
heavens,  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  sea  ;  and 
in  each  of  these  the  glory  of  God  is  to  be 
seen ;  but  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  that 
is,  in  that  which  has  been  manifested  to  us 
by  his  incarnation,  life,  preaching,  miracles, 


NECESSITY    OF    A    DIVINE    REVELATION. 


495 


sufferings,  resurrection,  and  ascension,  the 
glory  of  God  is  seen  in  a  degree  that  it  has 
never  been  seen  in  before.  The  apostle, 
when  speaking  of  God  in  relation  to  the  gos- 
pel, uses  the  epithet  "blessed"  with  singu- 
lar propriety:  "According  to  the  glorious 
gospel  of  the  blessed  God."  The  gospel 
is  the  grand  emanation  from  the  fountain  of 
blessedness,  an  overflow  of  the  divine  good- 
ness. It  is  the  infinitely  happy  God,  pour- 
ing forth  his  happiness  upon  miserable  sin- 
ners, through  Jesus  Christ.  The  result  is, 
that,  as  God  is  the  Great  Supreme,  he  must 
in  all  things  occupy  the  supreme  place. 
Thus  we  are  required,  by  his  law,  to  love 
him  first,  and  then  to  love  our  neighbor  as 
ourselves  ;  and  thus  the  coming  of  Christ  is 
celebrated,  first  as  giving  "  glory  to  God  in 
the  highest,"  and  then  "  peace  on  earth  and 
good  will  to  men." 


LETTER  V. 

ON  THE  NECESSITY  OF  A  DIVINE  REVELATION. 

It  would  be  improper,  I  conceive,  to  rest 
the  being  of  God  on  Scripture  testimony : 
seeing  the  whole  weight  of  that  testimony 
must  depend  upon  the  supposition  that  he 
is,  and  that  the  sacred  Scriptures  were  writ- 
ten by  holy  men  inspired  by  him.  Hence, 
the  Scriptures,  at  their  outset,  take  this  prin- 
ciple for  granted  :  yet,  in  the  way  that  the 
works  of  nature  imply  a  divine  first  cause, 
so  does  the  work  of  revelation.  Men  were 
as  morally  unable  to  write  such  a  book  as 
they  were  naturally  unable  to  create  the 
heavens  and  the  earth.  In  this  way  the 
sacred  Scriptures  prove  the  being  of  a  God. 

I  wish  to  offer  a  few  remarks  on  the  ne- 
cessity of  a  divine  revelation — on  the  evi- 
dence of  the  Bible  being  written  by  inspi- 
ration of  God,  so  as  to  answer  this  necessity 
— and  on  its  uniform  bearing  on  the  doctrine 
of  salvation  through  the  cross  of  Christ:  but, 
as  this  is  more  than  can  be  comprehended 
in  a  single  letter,  I  must  divide  it  into  two 
or  three. 

First :  I  shall  offer  a  few  remarks  on  the 
necessity  of  a  revelation  from  God.  In  es- 
tablishing this  principle,  let  it  be  observed, 
we  are  not  required  to  depreciate  the  light 
of  nature.  The  word  of  God  is  not  to  be 
exalted  at  the  expense  of  his  works.  The 
evidence  which  is  afforded  of  the  beirg  and 
perfections  of  God  by  the  creation  which 
surrounds  us,  and  of  which  we  ourselves  are 
a  part,  is  no  more  superseded  by  revelation 
than  the  law  is  rendered  void  by  faith.  All 
things  which  proceed  from  God  are  in  har- 
mony with  each  other.  If  all  the  evidence 
which  the  heathen  have  of  the  being  and 
perfections  of  God  consist  of  traditional  ac- 
counts, derived  originally  from  revelation, 
there  must  be  great  uncertainty  in  it,  as  in 


every  thing  else  that  comes  through  such  an 
uncertain  medium  ;  and,  if  so,  though  they 
should  disbelieve  it,  how  are  they  tvithout 
excuse  ?  and  how  are  we  to  understand  the 
reasonings  of  the  apostle  on  the  subject  ? 
He  appears  to  represent  the  wrath  of  God  as 
revealed  from  heaven  against  all  ungodli- 
ness, "because  that  which  may  be  known  is 
manifest  in  them  ;  for  God  hath  showed  it 
unto  them.  For  the  invisible  things  of  him, 
that  is,  his  eternal  power  and  godhead,  are 
clearly  seen  from  the  creation  of  the  world, 
being  understood  by  the  things  that  are 
made :  so  that  they  are  without  excuse" 
This  is  equal  to  saying,  God  is  invisible,  but 
his  works  are  visible  :  his  eternal  power  and 
godhead  are  manifest  from  the  things  which 
he  has  created.  All  things  which  have  a 
beginning  must  originate  in  a  cause  without 
beginning  ;  so  that  they  are  without  excuse. 
Whether  the  heathen  in  any  instance  have, 
or  have  not,  actually  perceived  the  eternal 
power  and  godhead  of  the  creator,  merely 
from  the  works  of  his  hands,  is  a  question 
that  I  shall  not  undertake  to  answer.  If 
such  a  case  never  occurred,  it  is  sufficient 
for  my  argument  that  it  has  not  been  for 
want  of  objective  light,  but  of  a  state  of 
mind  to  receive  it.  In  pleading  for  the  ne- 
cessity of  divine  revelation,  as  the  means  of 
enlightening  and  saving  sinners,  we  should 
beware  of  imitating  those  who,  in  arguing 
for  the  necessity  of  divine  grace  to  renew 
and  sanctify  them,  represent  them  as  physi- 
cally unable  to  do  good  without  it,  and  so 
excuse  them  in  their  sins.  "  Every  mouth 
will  be  stopped,  and  all  the  world,"  whatever 
advantages  or  disadvantages  they  may  have 
possessed  in  these  respects,  "  will  be  found 
guilty  before  God."  It  is  true  that  the  guilt 
of  those  who  have  lived  in  sin  without  the 
light  of  revelation  will  be  much  less  than 
theirs  who  have  continued  in  their  sins  under 
it;  but  all  are  without  excuse  before  God. 
Divine  revelation  is  necessary  to  a  compe- 
tent knowledge  of  God,  and  of  his  will  con- 
cerning us.  This  principle  will  be  evident 
by  a  review  of  two  others  ;  namely,  the  in- 
sufficiency of  human  reason  for  these  impor- 
tant purposes,  and  the  connection  between 
revelation  and  faith. 

1.  Let  us  review  the  insufficiency  of  human 
reason  to  obtain  from  the  mere  light  of  nature 
a  competent  knowledge  of  God,  and  of  his  will 
concerning  us.  The  light  of  nature  fur- 
nishes us  with  little  or  no  knowledge  of  the 
moral  character  and  government  of  God. 
While  man  was  in  a  state  of  innocence,  in- 
deed, he  might,  by  reflecting  on  his  own 
mind,  understand  something  of  the  charac- 
ter of  that  divine  original  after  whose  image 
he  was  created  ;  but,  having  sinned,  this 
image  is  effaced.  It  is  also  true  that  the 
judgments  of  God  against  sinners  are  man- 
ifest in  all  the  earth  ;  and  every  man's  con- 
science bears  witness  that  what  is  wrong  in 


496 


SYSTEMATIC    iftVINITY, 


another  towards  liirn  must  be  wrong  in  him 
towards  another  ;  and  that,  having  felt  and 
acted  contrary  to  this  equitable  principle, 
in  innumerable  instances,  he  is  a  sinner ; 
but  as  to  the  evil  nature  of  sin  as  committed 
against  God,  and  his  own  lost  condition, 
conscience  itself  can  yield  him  little  or  no  in- 
formation. And  as  to  an  hereafter,  whether 
there  be  any,  and,  if  there  be,  what  it  will 
prove  ;  whether  we  shall  have  to  give  account 
of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body  ;  whether  there 
will  be  any  hope  of  forgiveness  ;  and  what 
we  must  do  to  be  saved — all  is  darkness. 
The  light  of  nature,  though  sufficient  to 
bear  witness  for  God,  and  so  to  leave  sin- 
ners without  excuse,  was  never  designed  in 
any  state  to  furnish  man  with  all  he  needed. 
Even  in  innocence  man  was  governed  by 
a  revealed  law.  It  does  not  appear  that  he 
was  left  to  find  out  the  character  or  will  of 
his  Creator  by  his  reason,  though  reason, 
being  under  the  influence  of  rectitude,  would 
lead  him,  as  he  understood  the  mind  of  God, 
to  love  and  obey  it.  But,  if  revelation  was 
necessary  in  innocence,  much  more  now 
man's  foolish  heart  is  darkened  by  sin. 

The  state'  of  the  heathen  who  are  with- 
out divine  revelation,  furnishes  awful  proof 
of  its  necessity.  The  grossness  of  their 
thoughts  of  God,  and  of  a  hereafter,  is  such 
that  those  who  have  received  the  light  of 
revelation  can  scarcely  think  it  possible  for 
rational  beings  to  entertain  them.  To  say 
nothing  of  the  uncivilized  heathen,  even  the 
polished  sons  of  Greece  and  Rome,  though 
prodigies  in  science,  yet,  in  relation  to  these 
things,  were  the  subjects  of  the  most  sot- 
tish stupidity.  Well  is  it  said,  "The  world 
by  wisdom  knew  not  God."  That  small  por- 
tion of  real  light  which  on  these  subjects 
appears  in  the  writings  of  our  modern  De- 
ists is  borrowed  from  those  very  writings 
which  they  mean  to  depreciate.  They  live 
in  the  neighborhood  of  revelation,  and, 
whether  they  will  own  it  or  not,  are  enlight- 
ened by  it.  The  speculations  of  those  who 
have  had  only  the  light  of  nature  to  guide 
them  are,  in  respect  of  God  and  religion, 
absurd  in  the  extreme. 

Man  is  said  to  be  tviser  than  the  beasts  of 
the  field ;  but  it  is  principally  by  means  of 
instruction.  We  are  born,  it  is  true,  with 
an  immortal  mind  ;  but,  uninformed,  what  is 
it?  Knowledge  chiefly  enters  in  at  the  door 
of  the  senses.  To  what  do  we  owe  the  gift 
of  speech  ?  It  seems  to  be  natural  to  us  ; 
but,  if  we  look  at  one  who  is  born  deaf,  we 
shall  find  him  dumb  also  ;  and,  if  to  this  be 
added  blindness,  there  will  be  but  little  dif- 
ference between  him  and  the  beasts  of  the 
field.  But,  if  we  need  human  instruction 
for  the  attainment  of  knowledge  in  things  of 
this  life,  is  it  surprising  that  we  should  need 
a  divine  instructer  for  things  heavenly  and 
divine  ?  It  is  true  that  God  instructs  us,  as 


has  been  said,  by  his  works :  but  they  con- 
tain only  a  few  of  the  rudiments  of  divine 
knowledge  :  like  the  parables  of  our  Sa- 
viour, they  were  not  designed  to  furnish 
perfect  information  on  the  subject,  but 
merely  a  general  intimation,  tending  to  ex- 
cite humble  inquiry  for  further  instruction  ; 
which,  when  asked,  was  readily  granted,  but, 
when  set  at  nought,  it  was  "seeing  and  not 
perceiving,  hearing  and  not  understanding; 
lest  they  should  be  converted  and  healed." 
The  apostle,  in  his  address  to  the  Athenians, 
represents  it  as  the  design  of  God,  in  his 
works  of  creation  and  providence,  to  lead 
men  to  seek  him  :  but,  though  he  was  not  far 
from  every  one,  seeing  all  live  and  move 
and  have  their  being  in  him,  yet  the  light  of 
nature  could  only  enable  them  "to feel  after 
him,  if  haply  they  might  find  him."  Though 
"the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and 
the  firmament  showeth  his  handy  work ; " 
though  "  day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and 
night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge,"  and 
though  their  voice  is  heard  in  every  language 
and  in  every  clime,  even  to  the  end  of  the 
world ;  yet  it  is  not  by  them,  but  by  the 
word  of  Jehovah,  that  souls  are  converted, 
and  the  simple  made  wise.  Some  of  the 
Avisest  among  the  old  heathens  felt  and  ac- 
knowledged the  need  there  was  of  a  reve- 
lation from  heaven ;  and  heathens  of  the 
present  day  acknowledge  the  same  thing. 
A  Hindoo  fakeer,  who  was  a  brahmin  goroo, 
being  lately  asked  by  one  of  his  disciples, 
who  had  heard  a  missionary  at  Balasore, 
whether  he  could  make  known  to  him  the 
living  and  only  God,  answered,  "  We  know 
there  is  one  living  God,  besides  Kreshnoo, 
Seeb,  and  Ram ;  but  we  do  not  know  his 
way."  The  disciple  replied,  "  Come  to  the 
Sahib,  Fakeer ;  he  will  tell  you  of  the  God 
of  heaven,  whose  way  he  knows." 

2.  The  necessity  of  divine  revelation  will 
further  appear,  if  we  consider  its  relation  to 
faith. 

Supposing  mankind  to  be  in  a  guilty  and 
perishing  condition,  and  that  "  God  so  loved 
the  world  as  to  give  his  only-begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life  ;  "  a  revela- 
tion from  heaven  was  necessary  as  the 
ground  of  faith.  "  Faith  cometh  by  hear- 
ing, and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God:"  with- 
out revelation,  therefore,  there  would  be  no 
faith,  and  so  no  salvation. 

Both  revelation  and  faith  may,  however, 
exist  in  widely  different  degrees.  Revela- 
tion was  first  given  in  obscure  intimations, 
afterwards  in  types  and  shadows,  in  pro- 
mises and  in  prophecies  ;  and  under  each 
it  was  the  office  of  faith  to  keep  pace  with 
it.  The  faith  of  Abel  and  that  of  Paul, 
though  as  to  their  nature  and  object  the 
same,  yet,  as  to  degree,  must  have  been 
widely  different,  on  account  of  the  difference 


INSPIRATION    OF    THE    HOLT    SCRIPTURES. 


497 


of  the  degrees  of  divine  revelation  which 
each  possessed.  Revelation,  like  the  shin- 
ing light,  shone  "more  and  more  unto  the 
perfect  day,"  and  such  was  the  "  path  of 
the  just,"  which  corresponded  with  it. 

From  these  remarks,  we  may  see  the 
force  of  such  passages  as  the  following : 
"  He  showeth  his  word  unto  Jacob,  his  stat- 
utes and  his  judgments  unto  Israel.  He 
hath  not  dealt  so  with  any  nation,  and  as  to 
his  judgments  they  have  not  known  them. 
Praise  ye  the  Lord." — "  What  advantage 
then  hath  the  Jew  ?  or  what  profit  is  there 
in  circumcision?  Much  every  way:  chiefly, 
because  that  unto  them  were  committed  the 
oracles  of  God." — "At  that  time  ye  were 
without  Christ  (being  aliens  from  the  com- 
monwealth of  Israel,  and  strangers  from  the 
covenants  of  promise,)  having  no  hope,  and 
without  God  in  the  world:  but  now,  in 
Christ  Jesus,  ye  who  some  time  ago  were 
far  off  are  made  nigh,  by  the  blood  of 
Christ." 

We  may  also  learn,  from  these  remarks, 
to  make  allowance  for  the  small  degrees  of 
faith  where  the  light  of  revelation  has  been 
but  little  known.  It  is  not  for  us  to  say 
how  small  a  portion  of  divine  truth  may  ir- 
radiate the  mind,  nor  by  what  means  the 
Holy  Spirit  may  impart  it.  According  to 
the  ordinary  way  of  the  divine  proceeding 
under  the  gospel,  it  may  be  asked,  "  How 
shall  they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have 
not  heard  ?  and  how  shall  they  hear  without 
a  preacher  ?  and  how  shall  they  preach  ex- 
cept they  be  sent  ?  "  But  this  has  not  been 
the  uniform  method  of  the  divine  proceed- 
ing from  the  beginning.  Previously  to  the 
time  of  Moses,  there  was  no  written  revela- 
tion, and  till  the  coming  of  Christ  no  ordi- 
nance for  ■preaching  the  word.  No  mission- 
aries till  then  were  sent  among  the  heathen. 
Good  men  under  the  Old  Testament  stood 
on  much  lower  ground  than  those  under  the 
New  Testament.  Cornelius,  the  Roman 
centurion,  being  stationed  in  Judea,  learned 
enough  of  the  God  of  Israel  to  be  just  and 
devout,  giving  much  alms  to  the  people,  and 
praying  to  God  alway  ;  and,  before  he  had 
heard  of  Jesus  being  the  Messiah,  his 
prayers  and  his  alms  were  approved  of  God. 
Yet  the  words  spoken  to  him  by  Peter  were 
those  by  which  he  ivas  saved :  a  proof  this, 
not  of  there  being  another  way  of  accept- 
ance with  God  than  that  which  the  gospel 
reveals,  nor  of  its  being  possible  without 
faith  to  please  God ;  but  that  faith  may  ex- 
ist while  as  yet  there  is  no  explicit  revela- 
tion of  the  Saviour.  Finally  :  It  is  not  for 
us  to  say  what  may  be  effected  in  an  extra- 
ordinary way  upon  the  minds  of  men.  A 
ray  of  divine  revelation  shot  athwart  the 
darkness  of  paganism,  into  the  minds  of 
the  eastern  magi,  and  led  them  to  worship 
the  new-born  Saviour. 


LETTER  VI. 

ON  THE    INSPIRATION  OF    THE    HOLT    SCRIP- 
TURES. 

In  my  last,  I   endeavored  to   show  the 
necessity  of  a  divine  revelation.     In  this,  I 
shall  offer  evidence  of  the  Bible  being  written 
by  inspiration  of  God,  so  as  to  answer  to  this 
necessity.     It  is  certain  that  those  who  wrote 
the  books  which  compose  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  profess  to  have  been   divinely 
inspired.     "The  Spirit  of  God  spake  by  me, 
and  his  word  was  in  my  tongue :  the  God  of 
Israel  said,  the  Rock  of  Israel  spake  to  me. 
— The  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  saying,  &c. — 
Thus  saith  the  Lord. — .All  Scripture  is  giv- 
en   by   inspiration  of  God. — Holy   men   of 
God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy 
Spirit. — The  things  that  I  write   unto  you 
are  the  commandments  of  the  Lord."     We 
must,   therefore,   either   admit  these   writ- 
ings to   be  the  word  of  God,   or   consider 
them  as  mere  imposture.     To  pretend  to 
"venerate   them   as    authentic    records    of 
the    dispensation   of   God,"    and   yet   deny 
their  inspiration,  is  absurd :  it  is  believing 
the  writers  in  Avhat  they  say  of  other  sub- 
jects, and  disbelieving  them  in  what  they  say 
of  themselves.     If  their  writings  be  not  what 
they  profess  them  to  be,  they  are  imposture, 
and  deserve  to  be  rejected.     There  is  no* 
consistent  medium  between  faith  and  un- 
belief. 

But,  though  all  Scripture  is  given  by  in- 
spiration of  God,  it  does  not  follow  that  it  is 
so  in  the  same  sense  and  degree.  It  required 
one  degree  of  inspiration  to  foretel  future 
events,  and  another  to  narrate  facts  which 
fell  under  the  writer's  knowledge.  The 
one  required  less  exercise  of  his  own 
judgment,  the  other  more.  Inspiration,  in 
the  latter  case,  might  be  little  more  than  a 
divine  superintendence,  preserving  him  from 
error,  and  from  other  defects  and  faults,  to 
which  ordinary  historians  are  subject.  Di- 
vine inspiration,  of  whatever  kind  or  degree, 
must  have  carried  in  it  its  own  evidence  to  the 
party,  or  he  could  not  with  propriety  have 
declared,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  "—and  "  The 
things  that  I  write  unto  you  are  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Lord."  And  it  appears, 
in  some  cases,  to  have  been  equally  evident 
to  those  who  ivere  present.  Thus,  when  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Jahaziel,  and 
he  foretold  the  overthrow  of  the  Moabites 
and  Ammonites,  Jehoshaphatand  the  people 
appear  to  have  been  as  certain  that  it  was 
by  inspiration  of  God  as  he  himself  was  ;  and 
therefore  fell  before  the  Lord,  and  worship- 
ped.— 2  Chron.  xx. 

The  only  question  is,  whether  that  which 
was  evident  to  them  can  be  so  to  us,  at  this 
distance  of  time  and  place ;  if  not  i?i  the  same 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  63. 


498 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


degree,  yet  ivith  sufficient  certainty  to  warrant 
our  unreserved  dependence  upon  it.  Some  of 
the  principal  grounds  on  which  the  affirma- 
tive may  be  maintained,  I  conceive  to  be  the 
following:  the  truth  of  the  things  contained 
in  the  sacred  writings,  their  consistency, 
their  perfection,  their  pungency,  and  their 
utility.     Let  us  review  these  particulars. 

1.  The  truth  of  the  things  contained  in  the 
sacred  writings.  It  requires  that  a  book  pro- 
fessing to  be  a  revelation  from  God  should 
contain  truth,  and  nothing  but  truth :  such 
particularly  must  be  its  history,  its  prophe- 
cies, its  miracles,  and  its  doctrines.  Now, 
as  the  Scriptures  abound  with  these,  if  they 
be  untrue,  it  can  be  no  difficult  undertaking 
to  prove  them  so.  The  facts  being  stated, 
with  the  evidence  accompanying  them,  it 
lies  upon  those  who  disbelieve  them  to  show 
cause.  It  certainly  has  not  been  for  want 
of  adversaries,  nor  of  adversaries  of  talent, 
that  this  work  has  never  been  accomplished. 
How  is  that,  out  of  all  those  Avho  have  writ- 
ten against  the  Bible,  not  an  individual  has 
soberly  and  modestly  undertaken  to  answer 
the  evidence  which  has  been  adduced  for 
the  veracity  of  its  history,  the  fulfilment  of 
its  prophecies,  the  reality  of  its  miracles,  and 
the  purity  and  consistency  of  its  doctrines  ? 
Instead  of  this,  many  of  them  have  meanly 
pretended  to  believe  'the  Bible,  while  yet 
they  have  been  deceitfully  undermining  it ; 
and  those  who  have  avowed  their  hostility 
have  commonly  dealt  in  ridicule,  rather  than 
in  reason.  Verily,  it  is  to  the  honor  of.the 
Bible  to  have  such  men  for  its  adversaries. 

2.  Their  consistency.  A  book  written  by 
more  than  thirty  men,  of  different  talents  and 
stations  in  life,  living  in  different  ages,  the 
greater  part  of  Avhom,  therefore,  could  have 
no  communication  with  each  other,  must, 
had  it  not  been  written  under  the  inspiration 
of  God,  have  been  full  of  contradictions. 
Let  any  other  production  be  named  which 
has  preserved  a  consistency  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. To  suppose  a  succession  of 
writings,  the  work  of  designing  impostors 
or  at  least  of  weak-headed  fanatics,  capable 
of  maintaining  that  harmony  which  is  appa- 
rent in  the  sacred  Scriptures,  is  no  less  ab- 
surd than  the  notion  of  Epicurus,  that  the 
world  was  formed  by  a  fortuitous  concourse 
of  atoms,  without  a  designing  cause.  Great 
as  are  the  differences  between  Jews  and 
Christians,  there  is  none  between  their  sa- 
cred writings.  The  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments are  dictated  by  one  and  the  same  Spir- 
it. Paul  was  hated  by  his  unbelieving  coun- 
trymen, and  treated  as  an  apostate  from  the 
religion  of  his  ancestors  ;  but  he  was  not  an 
apostate.  "I  thank  God,"  says  he  to  Timo- 
thy, "  whom  I  serve  from  my  forefathers." 
He  speaks  also  of  the  same  faith  which  was 
in  Timothy  as  having  dwelt  first  in  his  grand- 
mother Lois,  and  then  in  his  mother  Eunice  ; 
the  former  of  whom  lived  and  died  under  the 


former  dispensation.  The  same  God  who, 
"  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners, 
spoke  in  time  past  unto  the  fathers  by  the 
prophets,"  in  the  "last  days  spoke  unto  us  by 
his  Son."  Consistency,  it  is  true,  may  not 
in  every  instance  be  a  test  of  truth ;  since 
error  and  falsehood  may,  in  some  particu- 
lars, be  made  to  agree ;  but,  in  a  subject 
whose  bearings  are  multifarious  and  minute, 
they  cannot  escape  detection  :  nothing  but 
truth  in  such  cases  will  be  found  consistent 
throughout. 

3.  Their  perfection.  If  the  Bible  be  of 
God,  perfection  must  be  one  of  its  proper- 
ties ;  for "  He  is  a  Rock,  and  his  work  is 
perfect."  This  property,  however,  belongs 
to  it,  not  as  having  been  begun  and  ended 
at  once.  This  the  work  of  creation  was 
not :  each  day  had  its  proper  work ;  which, 
on  review,  was  pronounced  very  good,  and 
all  together,  when  finished,  formed  a  glori- 
ous whole.  Such  was  the  work  of  inspira- 
tion: the  sacred  Scriptures  were  upwards  of 
fifteen  hundred  years  from  their  commence- 
ment to  their  completion ;  but,  being  com- 
pleted, they  form  a  whole,  and  every  part  of 
them  is  very  good.  There  is  this  peculiar 
property  belonging  to  the  sacred  Scriptures, 
that,  if  you  are  in  possession  of  only  a  single 
book,  you  may  generally  learn  from  it  the 
leading  principles  which  run  through  all  the 
rest.  The  strong  language  of  David  con- 
cerning the  sacred  Scriptures,  such  as  their 
being  "  more  to  be  desired  than  thousands  of 
gold  and  silver,  sweeter  than  honey  and 
the  honey- comb,"  and  the  like,  could  have 
reference  to  little  more  than  the  Pentateuch 
of  Moses.  Even  a  leaf  from  the  sacred  ora- 
cles would,  in  innumerable  instances,  teach 
him  that  should  find  it,  and  read  it  with  a 
humble  mind,  the  way  to  everlasting  life ; 
and  this  not  as  possessing  any  thing  like  a 
charm,  but  as  containing  principles  which,  if 
understood  and  followed,  will  lead  the  in- 
quirer to  God. 

4.  Their  pungency.  There  is  nothing  in 
the  sacred  Scriptures  to  gratify  an  idle  cu- 
riosity ;  but  much  that  commends  itself  to 
the  conscience,  and  that  interests  the  heart. 
They  are  a  mirror,  into  which  he  that  seri- 
ously looks  must,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree, 
see  his  own  likeness,  and  discover  what  kind 
of  character  he  is.  That  which  was  said  of 
Jesus  by  the  Samaritan  woman,  might  be  said 
of  them,  in  thousands  of  instances  :  "  He  told 
me  all  that  ever  I  did."  They  are  "the 
words  of  the  wise,  which  are  as  goads,  and 
as  nails  fastened  by  the  master  of  assem- 
blies." They  not  only  prick  the  sinner  in 
his  heart,  but  stick  so  fast  that  he  is  incapa- 
ble of  extracting  them.  It  has  been  remarked 
that  they  who  heard  the  preaching  of  the 
apostles  were  generally  moved  by  it,  either 
to  repent  and  be  converted,  or  to  oppose  the 
truth  with  bitter  resentment.  Their  doctrine 
was  a  savor  of  life  unto  life  in  them  that  be- 


INSPIRATION    OF    THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES. 


499 


lieved,  and  of  death  unto  death  in  them  that 
resisted.  Surely,  if  we  preached  more  in  the 
spirit  and  power  of  the  apostles,  the  effects  of 
our  ministry  would  more  resemble  theirs,  and 
our  hearers  would  not  be  able  to  sit  year  after 
year  easy  in  their  sins.  "The  word  of  God 
is  quick  and  powerful,  sharper  than  any  two- 
edged  sword  ;  piercing  even  to  the  dividing 
asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints 
and  marrow ;  and  is  a  discerner  of  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart."  If  our 
preaching  be  but  little  adapted  to  produce 
these  effects,  surely  it  contains  but  little  of 
the  word  of  God. 

5.  Their  utility.  There  is  much  in  the 
sacred  Scriptures  that  is  entertaining  and 
pleasing  to  the  ingenious,  and  more  to  con- 
sole the  sorrowful :  it  was  not,  however,  to 
please,  nor  merely  to  comfort,  but  to  profit 
us  that  they  were  written.  That  which  is 
given  by  inspiration  of  God  is  "profitable  for 
doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  in- 
struction in  righteousness  ;  that  the  man  of 
God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished 
unto  all  good  works."  Unbelievers  may 
declaim  against  the  Bible  ;  but  universal  ex- 
perience proves  that,  in  respect  of  the  pre- 
sent life  only,  they  who  believe  it  and  form 
their  lives  on  its  principles  are,  .beyond  all 
comparison,  the  best  members  of  society  ; 
while  they  who  disbelieve  and  traduce  it  are 
the  worst.  And,  if  to  this  be  added  the  life 
to  come,  it  is  no  longer  a  subject  of  com- 
parison, but  of  contrast ;  for  the  former  or- 
dinarily die  in  peace  and  hope,  the  latter 
either  blinded  by  insensibility,  or,  if  awaken- 
ed to  reflection,  in  fearful  forebodings  of  the 
wrath  to  come. 

I  shall  conclude  this  letter  with  a  few  re- 
marks on  the  properties  and  tendencies  as- 
cribed to  the  sacred  Scriptures  in  the  nine- 
teenth Psalm.  Having  declared  the  glory  of 
God,  as  manifested  by  his  works,  the  writer 
proceeds  to  exhibit  another  medium  of  the 
divine  glory,  less  magnificent,  but  more 
suited  to  the  cases  of  sinful  men,  namely, 
his  word.  The  law,  the  testimony,  the  stat- 
utes, the  commandments,  the  fear,  and  the 
judgments  of  the  Lord,  are  but  different 
names  given  to  the  Scriptures. 

"The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  convert- 
ing the  soul." — The  book  of  nature  declares 
the  "  eternal  power  and  Godhead "  of  the 
Creator ;  but  that  of  Scripture  represents 
his  whole  character ;  not  only  as  the  Crea- 
tor, but  as  the  Moral  Governor  and  Saviour 
of  men.  Hence  it  is  "  able  to  make  us  wise 
unto  salvation,  through  faith  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

"  The  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure,  mak- 
ing wise  the  simple." — The  opinions  of  the 
greatest  men,  formed  merely  from  the  works 
of  nature,  are  full  of  uncertainty,  and  but  ill 
adapted  to  instruct  the  illiterate  part  of 
mankind  in  their  best  interests  ;  but  the  sa- 


cred Scriptures  contain  the  true  sayings  of 
God,  which  may  be  safely  depended  upon. 

"  The  statutes  of  the  Lord  are  right,  re- 
joicing the  heart." — The  principles  inculcat- 
ed in  the  sacred  Scriptures  accord  with  the 
nature  and  fitness  of  things.  That  which 
they  require  approves  itself  to  the  con- 
science ;  and  that  which  they  teach,  though 
foolishness  in  the  account  of  unbelievers, 
is,  to  those  who  understand  and  believe  it, 
the  wisdom  of  God.  This  property  gives 
joy  to  every  upright  mind;  for  the  friends 
of  righteousness  must  needs  rejoice  in  that 
which  is  right. 

"The  commandments  of  the  Lord  are 
pure,  enlightening  the  eyes." — Their  free- 
dom from  every  mixture  of  corruption  ren- 
ders them  fit  to  illuminate  the  mind  and 
cheer  the  heart.  Wearied  with  the  discord- 
ant opinions  of  men,  we  turn  to  the  Scrip- 
tures, and,  like  Jonathan  on  tasting  the 
honey,  our  eyes  are  enlightened. 

"  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean,  enduring 
forever." — The  worship  of  God,  as  taught  in 
the  sacred  Scriptures,  is  chaste  and  uncor- 
rupt;  and  therefore  shall  continue  when 
idolatry,  and  every  abomination  which  has 
passed  under  the  name  of  religion,  shall  be 
no  more. 

"  The  judgments  of  the  Lord  aTe  true,  and 
righteous  altogether." — The  sacred  Scrip- 
tures contain  the  decisions  of  the  Judge  of 
all,  both  as  to  things  and  characters,  from 
which  there  is  no  appeal :  nor  is  it  fit  there 
should  be  ;  seeing  they  are  not  only  formed 
in  wisdom,  but  perfectly  accord  with  truth 
and  equity. 

"  More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold  ; 
yea,  than  much  fine  gold  :  sweeter  also  than 
honey,  and  the  honeycomb." — There  is  a 
rich,  a  valuable,  I  might  say  an  invaluable 
quality  in  these  writings,  which  is  not  to  be 
found  in  any  other;  and  which  so  interests 
the  heart  that  the  things  most  valued  in  the 
world  lose  all  their  attractions  in  comparison 
of  it. 

"  Moreover,  by  them  is  thy  servant  warn- 
ed ;  and  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great 
reward." — They  are  adapted  at  the  same 
time  to  preserve  us  from  evil,  and  to  lead  us 
in  the  good  and  the  right  way  :  and,  as  we 
follow  it,  yield  inexpressible  satisfaction.  If 
in  reading  these  holy  oracles  we  make  the 
proper  use  of  them,  we  shall,  according  to 
the  remaining  verses  in  the  Psalm,  perceive 
that  our  errors  are  innumerable  ;  shall  feel 
the  need  of  keeping  grace  to  preserve  us 
even  from  the  worst  of  crimes  ;  and  shall 
aspire  to  a  conformity  in  our  words  and 
thoughts  to  the  will  of  God. 

May  the  blessing  of  God  attend  the  vari- 
ous attempts  to  translate  and  circulate  the 
sacred  Scriptures  !  A  few  years  ago,  a  cer- 
tain infidel  braggadocio  pretended  to  have 
gone  through  the  wood  and  cut  down  trees, 


500 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


which  the  priests,  he  said,  might  stick  in 
again,  but  they  would  not  grow !  And  have 
the  sacred  Scriptures  been  less  in  request 
since  that  time  than  they  were  before  ? 
Rather  have  they  not  been  much  more  so  ? 
Infidelity,  by  overacting-  its  part,  has  given 
itself  a  wound ;  and  its  abettors,  like  Herod, 
have  been  eaten  of  worms,  and  have  died. 
But  the  word  of  the  Lord  has  grown  and 
been  multiplied. 


LETTER  VII. 

ON  THE  UNIFORM  BEARING  OF  THE  SCRIP- 
TURES ON  THE  PERSON  AND  WORK  OF 
CHRIST. 

In  the  two  preceding  letters  I  have  en- 
deavored to  show  the  necessity  of  divine 
revelation,  and  to  give  evidence  of  the  Bible's 
being  written  by  inspiration  of  God,  so  as  to 
answer  to  that  necessity ;  in  this  I  shall  add 
a  few  thoughts  on  its  uniform  bearing  on  the 
person  and  ivork  of  Christ. 

We  need  not  follow  those  who  drag  in 
Christ  on  all  occasions.  To  suppose,  for 
instance,  that  all  the  Psalms  of  David  refer 
to  him,  is  to  establish  the  gospel  on  the  ruins 
of  common  sense.  Still  less  need  we  see 
him  prefigured  by  every  thing  in  which  a 
heated  imagination  may  trace  a  resemblance. 
This  were  to  go  into  a  kind  of  spiritual 
Quixotism,  finding  a  castle  where  others 
would  only  find  a  windmill.  Nevertheless, 
the  sacred  Scriptures  are  full  of  Christ,  and 
uniformly  lead  to  him.  The  holy  book  be- 
gins with  an  account  of  the  creation  of  the 
world:  "In  the  beginning  God  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth."  But  they  elsewhere 
inform  us  that  "  In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the 
Word  was  God.  All  things  were  made  by 
him,  and  without  him  was  not  any  thing 
made  that  was  made."  Yea  more,  that  all 
things  were  made  not  only  by  him,  as  the 
first  cause,  but  for  him,  as  the  last  end.  The 
creation  seems  to  have  been  designed  as  a 
theatre  on  which  he  should  displaj'  his  glory, 
particularly  in  the  work  of  redemption. 
Surely  it  was  in  this  view  that  he  "rejoiced 
in  the  habitable  parts  of  the  earth,  and  his 
delights  were  with  the  sons  of  men." 

The  history  contained  in  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures is  that  of  the  church  or  people  of  God  : 
other  nations  are  introduced  only  in  an  in- 
cidental manner  as  being  connected  with 
them:  and  this  people  were  formed  for 
Christ.  Him  God  appointed  to  be  "  heir  of 
all  things."  All  that  was  done  by  the  pa- 
triarchs and  prophets,  under  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, was  preparatory  to  his  kingdom.  It 
was  in  his  field  that  they  labored,  and  there- 
fore his  apostles  "  entered  into  their  labors." 
God's  calling  Abraham,  and  blessing  and  in- 
creasing him,  had  all  along  a  reference  to 


the  kingdom  of  his  Son.  He  was  the  prin- 
cipal seed  in  whom  all  the  kindreds  of  the 
earth  were  to  be  blessed.  Why  did  Mel- 
chizedek,  on  meeting  Abraham,  when  he 
returned  from  the  slaughter  of  the  kings, 
bless  him  with  so  much  heart?  Was  it  not 
as  knowing  that  he  had  the  promises,  espe- 
cially that  of  the  Messiah  ?  Why  is  Esau's 
despising  his  birthright  reckoned  profane- 
ness,  but  on  account  of  its  referring  to  some- 
thing sacred ")  The  promises  made  to  Abra- 
ham's posterity  chiefly  related  to  things  at  a 
great  distance  ;  but  Esau  longed  for  some- 
thing nearer  at  hand,  and  therefore  sold  his 
birthright  for  a  present  enjoyment.  Why  is 
the  reproach  which  Moses  preferred  to  the 
treasures  of  Egypt  called  "  the  reproach  of 
Christ,"  but  that  Israel  being  in  possession 
of  Him,  and  Moses  believing  it,  cast  in  his 
lot  with  them,  though  in  a  state  of  slavery  ? 
Were  not  these  the  "  good  things  "  to  which 
he  referred,  in  persuading  Hobab  to  go  with 
them  ?  All  that  was  done  for  Israel  from 
their  going  down  into  Egypt  to  their  settle- 
ment in  Canaan,  and  from  thence  to  the 
coming  of  Christ,  was  in  reference  to  him. 
The  conquest  of  the  seven  nations  was  au- 
thorized, and  even  commanded  by  JeHo- 
VaH,  for  the  purpose  of  re-establishing  his 
government  in  his  own  world,  from  which 
he  had  in  a  manner  been  driven  by  idolatry. 
It  was  setting  up  his  standard  with  the  de- 
sign of  ultimately  subduing  the  world  to  the 
obedience  of  faith.  What  but  the  promise 
of  Christ,  as  including  the  covenant  that  God 
made  with  David,  rendered  it  all  his  salva- 
tion and  all  his  desire  ?  It  was  owing  to  the 
bearing  Avhich  the  Old-testament  history 
had  on  the  person  and  work  of  Christ  that 
Stephen  and  Paul,  when  preaching  him  to 
the  Jews,  made  use  of  it  to  introduce  their 
subject. — Acts  vii.  xiii. 

The  body  of  the  Jewish  institutions  was 
but  a  shadow  of  good  things  to  come,  of 
which  Christ  was  the  substance.  Their 
priests  and  prophets  and  kings  were  typical 
of  him.  Their  sacrifices  pointed  to  him 
who  "  gave  himself  for  us,  an  offering  and  a 
sacrifice  to  God  for  a  sweet-smelling  savor." 
The  manna  on  which  they  fed  in  the  wil- 
derness referred  to  him,  as  the  "  bread  of 
God  that  should  come  down  from  heaven." 
The  rock,  from  whence  the  water  flowed 
that  followed  them  in  their  journeys,  is  said 
to  be  Christ,  as  being  typical  of  him.  Their 
cities  of  refuge  represent  him,  "  as  the  hope 
set  before  us."  The  whole  dispensation 
served  as  a  foil,  to  set  off  the  superior  glory 
of  his  kingdom.  The  temple  was  but  as 
the  scaffolding  to  that  which  he  would 
build,  and  the  glory  of  which  he  would  bear. 
The  moral  law  exhibited  right  things,  and 
the  ceremonial  law  a  shadow  of  good  things  ; 
but  "grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus  Christ." 
The  Christian  dispensation  is  to  that  of  the 
Old  Testament  as  the  jubilee  to  a  state  of 


THE    PERFECTIONS    OF    GOD. 


501 


captivity.  It  might  be  in  reference  to  such 
things  as  these  that  the  psalmist  prayed, 
"Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold 
wonderful  things  out  of  thy  law  !  " 

Of  the  prophecies  with  which  the  Scrip- 
tures abound,  the  person  and  work  of  Christ 
form  the  principal  theme.  "To  him  gave 
all  the  prophets  witness"  either  in  what  they 
wrote  or  spoke.  "The  testimony  of  Jesus 
is  the  spirit  of  prophecy."  From  the  first 
mention  of  the  woman's  seed,  to  his  appear- 
ance in  the  flesh,  the  language  of  prophecy 
concerning  him  became  more  explicit  and 
distinct.  The  blessing  on  JeHoVaH  the 
God  of  Shem  seems  to  intimate  designs 
of  mercy  towards  his  descendants.  The 
promise  to  Abraham  and  his  seed  is  more 
express.  Abraham,  understanding  it  as  in- 
cluding the  Messiah,  believed,  and  it  was 
counted  to  him  for  righteousness.  He 
earnestly  desired  to  see  his  day  ;  he  saw  it, 
and  rejoiced.  Jacob's  prophecy  is  still  more 
explicit  and  distinct.  He  foretells  his  being 
of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  and  that  under  his 
reign  the  Gentiles  should  be  gathered. 
After  this,  the  house  of  David  is  specified, 
as  that  from  which  the  Messiah  should 
spring.  The  Psalms  abound  in  predictions 
concerning  him.  Isaiah  tells  of  his  being 
miraculously  born  of  a  virgin — of  his  hum- 
ble and  gentle  character,  "  not  breaking  the 
bruised  reed,  nor  quenching  the  smoking 
flax  " — of  his  sufferings,  death,  and  everlast- 
ing kingdom,  which  implied  his  resurrec- 
tion.— Acts  xiii.  34.  Micali  named  the  town 
of  Bethlehem  as  the  place  where  he  should 
be  born.  Zachariah  mentioned  the  beasts 
on  which  he  should  make  his  public  entry 
into  Jerusalem.  The  spirit  of  inspiration 
in  the  prophets  is  called  "  the  spirit  of 
Christ,"  because  it  "testified  beforehand 
the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that 
should  follow."  But,  if  the  Old  Testament 
had  a  uniform  bearing  on  the  person  and 
work  of  Christ,  much  more  the  New.  This 
is  properly  entitled  "The  New  Testament 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 
The  one  abounds  with  prophecies  ;  the  other 
relates  to  their  accomplishment.  The  ordi- 
nances of  the  former  were  prefigurative  ; 
those  of  the  latter  are  commemorative. 
But  both  point  to  the  same  object.  Every 
divine  truth  bears  a  relation  to  him  :  hence 
the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  is  called  "  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus."  In  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ  we  see  the  glory  of  the  divine  char- 
acter in  such  a  manner  as  we  see  it  no 
where  else.  The  evil  nature  of  sin  is  man- 
ifested in  his  cross,  and  the  lost  condition  of 
sinners  in  the  price  at  which  our  redemption 
was  obtained.  Grace,  mercy,  and  peace  are 
in  him.  The  resurrection  to  eternal  life  is 
through  his  death.  In  him  every  precept 
finds  its  most  powerful  motive  and  every 
promise  its  most  perfect  fulfilment.  The 
Jews  possessed  the  sacred  Scriptures  of  the 


Old  Testament,  and  searched  them,*  thinking 
that  in  them  they  had  eternal  life  ;  but  they 
would  not  come  to  him  that  they  might  have  it. 
What  a  picture  does  this  present  to  us  of 
multitudes  in  our  own  times.  We  possess 
both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament;  and 
it  is  pleasing  to  see  the  zeal  manifested  of 
late  in  giving  them  circulation.  All  orders 
and  degrees  of  men  will  unite  in  applauding 
them.  But  they  overlook  Christ,  to  whom 
they  uniformly  bear  testimony  ;  and,  while 
thinking  to  obtain  eternal  life,  will  not  come 
to  him  that  they  might  have  it. 


LETTER  VIII. 

ON    THE    PERFECTIONS    OF    GOD. 

I  need  not  say  to  you  that  just  views  of 
the  divine  character  lie  at  the  foundation  of 
all  true  religion.  Without  them,  it  is  im- 
possible, in  the  nature  of  things,  to  love  God, 
or  to  perceive  the  fitness  of  our  being  re- 
quired to  love  him,  or  the  evil  of  not  loving 
him,  or  the  necessity  of  such  a  Saviour  and 
such  a  salvation  as  the  gospel  reveals.  We 
may  be  terrified  by  the  fear  of  the  wrath  to 
come,  and  delighted  with  the  hope  of  es- 
caping it  through  Christ ;  but  if -this  terror 
and  this  hope  have  no  respect  to  the  charac- 
ter of  God,  as  holy,  just,  and  good,  there  can 
be  no  hatred  of  sin  as  sin,  nor  love  to  God 
as  God,  and  consequently  no  true  religion. 
"  This  is  life  eternal,  to  know  thee,  the  only 
true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast 
sent."  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  cannot  be  known 
by  sense,  nor  by  any  means  but  those  in 
which  he  has  been  pleased  to  manifest  him- 
self. These  are  his  works  and  his  word. 
Every  thing  that  meets  our  eyes,  or  accosts 
our  ears,  in  heaven  or  in  earth,  is  full  of  his 
glory.  "The  invisible  things  of  him,  from 
the  creation  of  the  world,  are  clearly  seen, 
being  understood  by  the  things  that  are 
made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  Godhead  ; 
so  that,  were  there  no  other  revelation  of 
himself,  this  were  sufficient  to  leave  sinners 
without  excuse.  But,  besides  this  silent 
mode  of  manifesting  himself,  God  has  dis- 
played himself  by  his  word.  Even  in  a  state 
of  innocence,  man  was  governed  by  the  re- 
vealed will  of  his  Creator ;  and  the  revela- 
tion of  God,  from  first  to  last,  manifests  the 
glory  of  his  perfections. 

The  perfections  of  God  require  to  be  dis- 
tinguished into  natural  and  moral :  the  for- 
mer respect  his  greatness,  the  latter  his 
goodness ;  or,  more  particularly,  the  one  re- 
fers to  his  infinite  understanding,  his  al- 
mighty power,  his  eternity,  immensity,  om- 
nipresence, immutability,  &c. ;  the  other,  to 
his  purity,  justice,  faithfulness,  goodness,  or, 

*  See  Dr.  Campbell's  translation  of  John  v. 
39,  40. 


502 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


in  one  word,  to  his  holiness.  The  former  are 
necessary  to  render  him  an  object  of  respect, 
the  latter  of  love,  and  both  together  of  holy- 
fear  The  natural  perfections  of  God  are 
principally  manifested  in  the  creation  and 
providential  government  of  the  world ;  his 
moral  perfections  in  the  creation,  moral  gov- 
ernment, and  salvation  of  intelligent  beings. 
The  former  are  glorious  as  connected  with 
the  latter,  but  the  latter  are  glorious  in 
themselves.  Power  and  knowledge,  and 
every  other  attribute  belonging  to  the 
greatness  of  God,  could  they  be  separated 
from  his  righteousness  and  goodness,  would 
render  him  an  object  of  dread,  and  not  of 
love :  but  righteousness  and  goodness, 
whether  connected  with  greatness  or  not, 
are  lovely. 

Correspondent  with  this  is  what  we  are 
taught  of  the  "  image  of  God  "  in  the  soul 
of  man  :  it  is  partly  natural  and  partly  moral. 
The  moral  image  of  God,,  consisting  in 
"righteousness  and  true  holiness,"  was 
effaced  by  sin  ;  but  the  natural  image  of  God, 
consisting  in  his  rational  and  immortal  na- 
ture, was  not.  In  this  respect,  man,  though 
fallen,  still  retains  his  Creator's  image,  and 
therefore  cannot  be  murdered  or  cursed 
without  incurring  his  high  displeasure. — 
Gen.  ix.  6.     James  iii.  9. 

The  same  distinction  is  perceivable  in  the 
humiliation  and  exaltation  of  Christ.  He 
emptied  or  disrobed  himself;  he  laid  aside  his 
glory  for  a  season :  yet  not  his  goodness, 
but  his  greatness:  not  his  purity,  justice, 
faithfulness,  or  holiness ;  but  the  display  of 
his  eternity,  supremacy,  immensity,  wisdom, 
power,  omniscience,  and  omnipresence  :  be- 
coming a  mortal  man,  subject  to  his  parents, 
supported  by  the  ordinary  aliments  of  life, 
and  ascribing  his  doctrine  and  miracles  to 
the  Father.  It  was  thus  that,  "  being  rich, 
he  became  poor,  that  through  his  poverty  we 
might  be  made  rich."  And  this  it  is  that  ac- 
counts for  the  ascriptions  given  him  after 
his  exaltation :  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and 
wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory, 
and  blessing.  Each  of  these  terms  has  re- 
spect to  that  glory  of  which  he  had  disrobed 
himself,  and  with  which  he  was  therefore 
worthy  now  to  be  doubly  invested. 

As  it  is  not  talent,  but  morality,  that  con- 
stitutes character  among  men,  so  it  is  not 
the  natural,  but  the  moral  perfections  of  God, 
which  properly  constitute  his  character. 
Holiness  is  the  glory  of  the  divine  nature. 
Thus,  when  he  would  show  Moses  his  glory, 
he  said,  "  I  will  make  all  my  goodness  pass 
before  thee."  Yet,  as  greatness  illustrates 
goodness  among  men,  so  does  the  greatness 
of  God  illustrate  his  goodness.  His  being 
"  the  High  and  lofty  One,  that  inhabiteth 
eternity,"  illustrates  the  holiness  of  his 
name,  and  the  unexampled  condescension  of 
his  nature  towards  the  poor  and  contrite. 
It  ia  by  the  union  of  these  divine  excellences 


that  he  stands  opposed  to  all  the  deities  of 
the  heathen.  His  greatest  enemies  have 
often  confessed  him  to  be  the  "  Most  High  " 
and  "  Most  Holy."  Hence  Moses  could 
say,  "  their  rock  is  not  as  our  Rock,  our  ad- 
versaries themselves  being  judges." 

The  precepts,  prohibitions,  and  promises 
of  the  divine  law,  are  a  mirror  in  which  we 
may  perceive  the  moral  perfections  of  the 
Lawgiver.  They  each  express  his  heart ; 
or  what  he  loves,  and  what  he  hates.  They 
moreover  show  his  goodness  to  his  creatures, 
granting  them  every  thing  that  would  do 
them  good,  and  withholding  nothing  but  that 
which  would  prove  their  ruin.  The  sum  of 
all  his  requirements  was  love  to  God  and 
one  another.  And,  as  his  promises  to  the 
obedient  would  express  his  love  of  righteous- 
ness, so  his  threatenings  against  transgress- 
ors show  his  great  abhorrence  of  sin.  On 
no  other  principle  can  we  account  for  such 
tremendous  curses  being  denounced,  by  a 
Being  full  of  goodness,  against  the  work  of 
his  hands.  Moreover,  to  show  that  these 
are  not  mere  words  given  out  to  deter  man- 
kind, without  any  design  of  carrying  them 
into  execution,  but  that,  in  all  his  threaten- 
ings of  future  punishment  to  the  ungodly, 
he  means  what  he  says,  he  inflicts  numerous 
and  sore  judgments  upon  his  enemies,  even 
in  this  world.  In  one  instance,  he  destroyed, 
with  the  exception  of  a  single  family,  the 
whole  race  of  man  which  he  had  created. 
In  many  others,  by  war,  by  famine,  by  pesti- 
lence, and  other  means,  his  displeasure 
against  sin  has  been  expressed  in  almost 
every  age.  Yet  has  he  never  failed  to 
maintain  his  character,  as  "  the  Lord,  the 
Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suf- 
fering, and  abundant  in  goodness  and  in 
truth."  Often  has  he  pardoned  those  who 
have  sought  his  mercy ;  and,  even  when  the 
parties  have  not  sought  it,  he  has  wrought 
for  his  great  name's  sake.  These  are  a  few 
of  the  expressions  of  the  divine  mind  ;  but, 
as  Job  says,  they  are  "  but  a  part  of  his 
ways,"  and  exhibit  only  a  part  of  his  char- 
acter. The  only  display  of  the  divine  per- 
fections which  can  be  denominated  perfect 
is  in  the  salvation  of  sinners,  through  the 
obedience  and  death  of  his  beloved  Son. 
After  all  the  preceding  manifestations  of 
his  glory,  it  may  be  said,  "No  one  hath 
seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only-begotten 
Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he 
hath  declared  him.  In  his  undertaking, 
every  divine  perfection  meets  and  harmo- 
nizes. There  were,  in  former  ages,  various 
displays  of  truth  and  righteousness  on  the 
one  hand,  and  of  mercy  and  peace  on  the 
other:  but  there  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  a  point  in  which  they  could  meet  and 
be  united.  If  one  prevailed,  the  other  re- 
ceded, or  gave  place.  It  was  thus  at  the 
flood,  and  at  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  :  truth  and  righteousness  prevail- 
ed ;  but  mercy  and  peace  retired,  leaving 


ON    THE    TRINITY. 


503 


the  transgressors  to  suffer.  And  thus,  when 
Israel  was  pardoned  at  the  intercession  of 
Moses,  mercy  and  peace  prevailed;  but 
justice  was  suspended.  It  was  reserved  for 
the  only-begotten  of  the  Father  to  unite 
them  in  the  same  instance.  In  him  "mercy 
and  truth  are  met  together,  righteousness 
and  peace  have  kissed  each  other." 

When  the  appointed  time  was  come, 
justice  awoke  and  smote  the  Shepherd,  that 
mercy  might  turn  its  hand  towards  the  little 
ones.  It  is  thus  that  every  perfection  in  the 
divine  nature,  natural  and  moral,  is  declar- 
ed ;  wisdom,  and  power,  and  faithfulness, 
and  justice,  and  love,  and  mercy,  all  meet 
and  blend  their  rays.  God  is  "just,  and  the 
justifier  of  them  that  believe  in  Jesus."  A 
greater  honor  is  conferred  on  the  divine  law, 
both  as  to  its  precept  and  penalty,  than  is 
sufficient  to  counterbalance  the  utmost  dis- 
grace upon  it,  by  man's  rebellion ;  and  a 
greater  display  afforded  of  the  divine  dis- 
pleasure against  sin  than  if  the  whole  world 
had  suffered  the  reward  of  their  deeds. 
And  now  love  to  sinners,  which  wrought 
unsolicited  in  the  gift  of  Christ,  flows  with- 
out any  impediment  towards  all  who  come 
unto  God  by  him. 

The  struggles  of  justice  and  mercy,  and 
the  triumphs  of  the  latter,  are  very  affect- 
ingly  represented  in  Jeremiah  hi.  19,  &c. 
Hosea  xi.  8.  "  But  I  said,  How  shall  I  put 
thee  among  the  children,  and  give  thee  a 
pleasant  land  ?  " — "  How  shall  I  give  thee 
up,  Ephraim  ?  shall  I  deliver  thee,  Israel  ? 
How  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah  ?  shall  I 
set  thee  as  Zeboim?  My  heart  is  turned 
within  me,  and  my  repentings  are  kindled 
together."  In  the  former  of  these  passages, 
it  is  intimated  that,  though  God  was  dispos- 
ed to  show  mercy,  yet  their  conduct  put  his 
very  perfections  to  the  proof.  In  the  latter, 
we  must  conceive  an  offended  father  as  hav- 
ing hold  of  his  son  with  one  hand,  and  hold- 
ing up  a  rod  in  the  other,  making  alternate 
appeals,  first  to  his  own  compassion,  then 
to  the  conscience  of  the  offender.  Justice 
requires  him  to  be  delivered  over  to  punish- 
ment, to  be  made  as  Admah,  and  set  for  an 
example  as  Zeboim.  But  mercy  pleads  in 
arrest  of  judgment,  and  overcomes.  To 
such  a  case  as  this  the  divine  conduct 
towards  Israel  might  be  compared  ;  but  all 
this  mercy,  and  all  that  follow,  and  all  that 
shall  yet  follow,  is  through  the  atonement 
of  Christ.  His  sacrifice  has  furnished  the 
answers  to  these  hard  questions. 


LETTER  IX. 

ON  THE  TRINITY OR  ON  THE  FATHER, 

SON,  AND  HOLT  SPIRIT  BEING  ONE  GOD. 

A  subject  so  great  and  so  much  above 
our  comprehension  as  this  is  requires  to  be 


treated  with  trembling.  Every  thing  that 
we  can  think  or  say,  concerning  the  ever 
blessed  God,  requires  the  greatest  modesty, 
fear,  and  reverence.  Were  I  to  hear  two 
persons  engaged  in  a  warm  contest  upon  the 
subject,  I  should  fear  for  them  both.  One 
might  in  the  main  be  in  the  right,  and  the 
other  in  the  wrong:  but,  if  many  words 
were  used,  they  might  both  be  expected  to 
incur  the  reproof  of  the  Almighty  :  "  Who 
is  this  that  darkeneth  counsel  by  words 
without  knowledge." 

The  people  of  Israel  were  forbidden  to 
break  through  the  bounds  which  were  set 
for  them,  and  to  gaze  on  the  visible  glory  of 
Jehovah.  The  Bethshemites,  for  looking  in- 
to the  ark,  were  smitten  with  death.  Such 
judgments  may  not  befal  us  in  these  days  ; 
but  we  may  expect  others,  more  to  be  dread- 
ed. As  the  gospel  is  a  spiritual  dispensa- 
tion, its  judgments,  as  well  as  its  blessings, 
are  chiefly  spiritual.  Where  men  have  em- 
ployed themselves  in  curiously  prying  into 
things  too  high  for  them,  they  have  ordina- 
rily been  smitten  with  a  blast  upon  their 
minds  and  upon  their  ministry. 

There  is  a  greater  importance  in  the  doc- 
trine of  the  trinity  than  commonly  appears 
on  a  superficial  inspection  of  it ;  chiefly, 
perhaps,  on  account  of  its  affecting  our  views 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  person  and  work  of 
Christ;  which  doctrine,  being  the  founda- 
tion on  which  the  church  is  built,  cannot  be 
removed  without  the  utmost  danger  to  the 
building. 

It  is  a  subject  of  pure  revelation.  If  the 
doctrine  be  not  taught  in  the  oracles  of  God, 
we  have  nothing  to  do  with  it ;  but,  if  it  be, 
whether  we  can  comprehend  it  or  not,  we 
are  required  humbly  to  believe  it,  and  to  en- 
deavor to  understand  so  much  as  God  has 
revealed  concerning  it.  We  are  not  re- 
quired to  understand  how  three  are  one : 
for  this  is  not  revealed.  If  we  do  not  consid- 
er the  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit,  as  being  both 
three  and  one  in  the  same  se7ise,  which  cer- 
tainly we  do  not,  then  we  do  not  believe  a 
contradiction.  We  may  leave  speculating 
minds  to  lose  themselves  and  others  in  a 
labyrinth  of  conceits,  while  we  learn  what 
is  revealed,  and  rest  contented  with  it. 

In  believing  three  divine  persons  in  one 
essence,  I  do  not  mean  that  the  distinction 
between  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  holy 
Spirit,  is  the  same  as  that  between  three 
human  persons:  but  neither  is  there  any 
other  term  that  answers  to  the  scriptural 
idea;  and,  since  Christ  is  said  to  be  "the 
express  image  of  his  Father's  person,"  I  see 
nothing  objectionable  in  using  this. 

The  doctrine  was  certainly  less  explicitly 
revealed  in  the  Old  Testament  than  it  is  in  the 
New.  When  the  Messiah  came,  it  was  ex- 
pected that  he  would  tell  us  all  things,  ft* 
the  degree  in  which  the  doctrine  was  made 
known  in  the  Old  Testament  bears  a  pro- 


504 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY. 


portion  to  that  of  oilier  important  truths,  it  is 
sufficient.  From  the  beginning  of  the  crea- 
tion the  name  of  God  is  represented  under  a 
plural  form  ;  with  which  agrees  the  moving 
of  the  Spirit  of  God  upon  the  face  of  the 
waters ;  and  all  things  being  made  by  the 
Word,  and  without  him  nothing  made  that 
was  made.  The  angel  of  the  Lord  which 
appeared  to  Abraham,  Lot,  Jacob,  Moses, 
Joshua,  &c,  in  the  form  of  man,  was  consid- 
ered and  treated  by  them  as  God,  and  re- 
ceived divine  worship  at  their  hands.  In 
reference  to  this,  I  conceive,  it  is  said  in  the 
New  Testament,  that,  "being  in  the  form 
of  God,  he  thought  it  no  usurpation  to  be  as 
God." 

In  the  New  Testament  the  doctrine  is 
more  explicitly  revealed;  particularly  in 
Christ's  commission  to  his  apostles  to  bap- 
tize in  the  name  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  the  Second 
Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  he  in- 
vokes the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  be  with  them.  And  John,  in 
his  First  Epistle,  introduces  the  Father,  the 
Word,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  bearing  wit- 
ness to  the  gospel ;  or,  that  God  had  given 
us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son. 
If,  in  the  first  of  these  passages,  the  Son  and 
Holy  Spirit  be  considered  as  divine  persons, 
and  as  one  with  the  Father,  both  in  na- 
ture and  in  the  economy  of  redemption,  there 
is  a  fitness  in  our  being  baptized  into  this 
individual  name  ;  but  to  be  baptized  into  the 
name  of  God,  a  creature,  and  an  energy, 
must  be  the  height  of  incongruity.  The  next 
passage  shows  the  importance  of  the  doc- 
trine to  the  existence  and  progress  of  vital 
godliness.  It  is  not  a  subject  of  mere  spec- 
ulation, but  one  on  which  depends  all  the 
communications  of  grace  and  peace  to  sinful 
men ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  they  who  re- 
ject it  are  seldom  known  to  acknowledge  any 
spiritual  communion  with  God,  but  treat  it 
as  fanaticism.  The  last  of  these  passages 
has  been  strongly  opposed  as  an  interpola- 
tion. It  is  not  for  me  to  decide  this  question 
by  a  reference  to  ancient  versions  of  the 
New  Testament ;  but  there  are  two  or  three 
considerations  which,  after  all  that  I  have 
seen  on  the  other  side,  weigh  with  me  in  its 
favor.  First:  From  the  seventh  verse  be- 
ing wanting  in  some  copies  and  found  in 
others,  all  that  can  be  fairly  inferred  is  that 
there  must  have  been  either  an  interpolation 
by  some  copyist,  or  an  omission  by  some  oth- 
er. The  question  is,  Which  is  the  most 
probable  ?  If  it  is  an  omission  in  the  copies 
where  it  is  wanting,  it  might  not  have  been 
from  design,  but  from  mere  oversight,  espe- 
cially as  the  eighth  verse  begins  so  much  like 
the  seventh ;  whereas,  if  it  be  an  interpola- 
tion, no  oversight  can  account  for  it,  but 
it  must  have  arisen  from  wicked,  wilful 
imposture.     To  which  of  thes3  suppositions 


will  candor  its  give  vote?  Secondly  :  Suppos- 
ing the  omission  or  interpolation,  whichever 
it  was,  to  have  arisen  from  design  ;  which  is 
the  most  probable,  and  the  least  likely  to 
have  escaped  detection — that  the  antitrini- 
tarians  should  omit  what  was  unfavorable 
to  them,  or  that  the  trinitarians  should  in- 
troduce what  was  favorable  ?  An  omission 
would  escape  detection  seven  times  where 
an  interpolation  would  escape  it  once. 
Thirdly :  The  connection  of  the  passage  is 
altogether  in  its  favor.  The  phraseology  is 
that  of  the  apostle  John  ;  so  that,  if  the 
words  are  not  his,  it  must  have  been  the 
most  successful  imitation  of  him  that  can  be 
imagined.  As  it  stands  in  our  translation, 
there  is  evidently  a  gradation  of  ideas,  form- 
ing a  kind  of  climax  of  witnesses  ;  namely, 
that  of  the  three  in  heaven,  of  the  three  on 
earth,  and  the  testimony  which  a  believer 
has  within  himself.  To  leave  out  the  first 
were  to  weaken  the  passage  and  destroy  its 
beauty.  Besides,  it  is  not  the  omission  of 
the  seventh  verse  only  that  is  necessary,  to 
make  any  thing  like  sense  of  the  passage. 
The  words  on  earth,  in  the  eighth  verse,  must 
also  be  left  out,  if  not  the  whole  of  the  ninth 
verse,  in  which  the  ivitness  of  God  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  introduced  :  but  which, 
if  the  seventh  verse  be  left  out,  had  not  been 
introduced.  Those  who  are  now  for  new- 
modelling  the  passage  leave  out  some  of 
these,  but  not  all ;  nor  can  they  prove  that 
those  words  which  they  do  leave  out  were 
uniformly  left  out  of  even  those  copies  in 
Avhich  the  seventh  verse  is  omitted.  As  the 
Father  is  allowed  on  all  hands  to  be  a  divine 
person,  whatever  proves  the  divinity  and 
personality  of  the  Son  proves  the  plurality 
of  divine  persons  in  the  Godhead.  I  need 
not  adduce  the  evidences  of  this  truth  :  the 
sacred  Scriptures  are  full  of  them.  Divine 
perfections  are  ordinarily  ascribed  to  him, 
and  divine  worship  is  paid  to  him,  both  by 
angels  and  men.  If  Jesus  Christ  is  not 
God,  equal  with  the  Father,  Christianity 
must  have  tended  to  establish  a  system  of 
idolatry,  more  dangerous,  as  being  more 
plausible,  than  that  which  it  came  to  destroy. 
The  union  of  the  divine  and  human  natures, 
in  the  person  of  Christ,  is  a  subject  on  which 
the  sacred  writers  delight  to  dwell ;  and  so 
should  we,  for  herein  is  the  glory  of  the  gos- 
pel. "  Unto  us  a  child  is  bom  ;  and  his  name 
shall  be  called — the  mighty  God.''''  He  was 
born  in  Bethlehem  ;  yet  his  "  goings  forth 
were  from  of  old,  from  everlasting."  He 
was  made  "  of  the  seed  of  David  according  to 
the  flesh,"  and  "  declared  to  be  the  Son  of 
God  with  poiver."  "  Of  whom  as  concerning 
the  flesh  Christ  came,  who  is  over  all  God 
blessed  forever,  Amen."  In  his  original  na- 
ture, he  is  described  as  incapable  of  death, 
and  as  taking  flesh  and  blood  upon  him  to 
qualify  himself  for  enduring  it. — Heb.  ii.  14. 
He  was  the  "  Son  of  God,"  yet  "  touched  ivith 


ON    THE    TRINITY. 


505 


a  feeling  of  our  infirmities  ; " — the  root  and 
the  offspring  of  David."  The  sacred  Scrip- 
tures lay  great  stress  on  what  Christ  was 
antecedently  to  his  assumption  of  human  na- 
ture, and  of  the  official  character  of  a  Media- 
tor and  Saviour.  "  The  Word  teas  with  God, 
and  the  Word  was  God. — He  who  icas  rich 
for  our  sakes  became  poor,  that  we  through 
his  poverty  might  be  made  rich. — Who  be- 
ing the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the  ex- 
press image  of  his  person,  and  upholding  all 
things  by  the  word  of  his  power,  &c. — Who, 
being  in  the  form  of  God,  thought  it  not  rob- 
bery," or  usurpation,  "to  be  equal  with  God  ; 
but  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took 
upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was 
made  in  the  likeness  of  men."  If  divine  per- 
sonality be  not  essential  to  Deity,  distinct 
from  all  office  capacity,  and  antecedent  to  it, 
what  meaning  is  there  in  this  language  ?  An 
economical  trinity,  or  that  which  would  not 
have  been  but  for  the  economy  of  redemp- 
tion, is  not  the  trinity  of  the  Scriptures.  It 
is  not  a  trinity  of  divine  persons,  but  merely 
of  offices  personified  ;  whereas  Christ  is  dis- 
tinguished from  the  Father  as  the  express 
image  or  character  of  his  person,  while  yet  in 
his  pre-incarnate  state. 

The  sacred  Scriptures  lay  great  stress  on 
the  character  of  Christ  as  "  the  Son  of  God." 
It  was  this  that  formed  the  first  link  in  the 
Christian  profession,  and  was  reckoned  to 
clraw  after  it  the  whole  chain  of  evangeli- 
cal truth.  "  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
the  Son  of  God."  From  this  rises  the 
great  love  of  God  in  the  gift  of  him :  "  God 
so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  his  only-begot- 
ten Son  " — the  condescension  of  his  obedi- 
ence :  "  Though  he  was  a  son  yet  learned 
he  obedience  " — the  efficacy  of  his  blood : 
"  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleans- 
eth  us  from  all  sin" — the  dignity  of  his 
priesthood  :  "  We  have  a  great  High  Priest 
Jesus  the  Son  of  God" — the  greatness  of 
the  sin  of  unbelief:  "  He  that  believeth  not 
is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not 
believed  on  the  name  of  the  only-begotten 
Son  of  God" — the  greatness  of  the  sin  of 
apostacy :  "  Who  have  trodden  under  foot 
the  Son  of  God."  The  incarnation,  resur- 
rection, and  exaltation,  of  Christ  declared, 
but  did  not  constitute  him  the  Son  of  God  ; 
nor  did  any  of  his  offices,  to  all  which  his 
Sonship  was  antecedent.  God  sent  his  Son 
into  the  world.  This  implies  that  he  was 
his  Son  antecedently  to  his  being  sent,  as 
much  as  Christ's  sending  his  disciples  im- 
plies that  they  were  his  disciples  before  he 
sent  them.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
Son  of  God  being  made  of  a  woman,  made 
under  the  law.  These  terms  no  more  ex- 
press that  which  rendered  him  a  Son,  than 
his  being  made  flesh  expresses  that  which 
rendered  him  the  Word.  The  Son  of  God 
was  manifested  to  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil ;  he  must  therefore  have  been  the  Son 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  64. 


of  God  antecedently  to  his  being  manifested 
in  the  flesh.  I  have  heard  it  asserted  that 
"  Eternal  generation  is  eternal  nonsense." 
But  whence  does  this  appear  ?  Does  it  fol- 
low that,  because  a  son  among  men  is  infe- 
rior and  posterior  to  his  father,  therefore  it 
must  be  so  with  the  Son  of  God  ?  If  so, 
why  should  his  saying  that  God  was  his  own 
Father  be  considered  as  making  himself 
equal  with  God  ?  Of  the  only-begotten  Son 
it  is  not  said  he  was,  or  will  be,  but  he  is  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Father ;  denoting  the  eter- 
nity and  immutability  of  his  character. 
There  never  was  a  point  in  duration  in  which 
God  was  without  his  Son :  he  rejoiced  al- 
ways before  him.  Bold  assertions  are  not  to 
be  placed  in  opposition  to  revealed  truth.  In 
Christ's  being  called  the  Son  of  God,  there 
may  be,  for  the  assistance  of  our  low  con- 
ceptions, some  reference  to  sonship  among 
men ;  but  not  sufficient  to  warrant  us  to 
reason  from  the  one  to  the  other.  The  sa- 
cred Scriptures  often  ascribe  the  miracles  of 
Christ,  his  sustaining  the  load  of  his  suffer- 
ings, and  his  resurrection  from  the  dead,  to 
the  power  of  the  Father,  or  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  rather  than  to  his  own  divinity.  I 
have  read  in  human  writings,  "  But  the  di- 
vinity within  supported  him  to  bear."  But 
I  never  met  with  such  an  idea  in  the  sacred 
Scriptures.  They  represent  the  Father  as 
upholding  his  servant,  his  elect  in  whom  his 
soul  delighted:  and  as  sending  his  angel  to 
strengthen  him  in  the  conflict.  While  act- 
ing as  the  Father's  servant,  there  was  a  fit- 
ness in  his  being  supported  by  him,  as  well 
as  his  being  in  all  things  obedient  to  his 
will.  But  when  the  value,  virtue,  or  efficacy 
of  what  he  did  and  suffered,  are  touched 
upon,  they  are  never  ascribed  either  to  the 
Father  or  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  to  himself. 
Such  is  the  idea  suggested  by  those  fore- 
quoted  passages.  "  Who  being  the  bright- 
ness of  his  glory,  and  the  express  image  of 
his  person,  and  upholding  all  things  by  the 
word  of  his  power,  when  he  had  by  himself 
purged  our  sins,  sat  down  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  majesty  on  high." — "Ye  are  not  re- 
deemed by  corruptible  things,  but  by  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  Christ."— >' The  blood  of  Je- 
sus Christ,  his  Son,  cleansethus  from  all  sin. 
Much  less  is  said  in  the  sacred  Scriptures 
on  the  divinity  and  personality  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  than  on  those  of  the  Son.  The  Ho- 
ly Spirit  not  having  become  incarnate,  it 
might  be  less  necessary  to  guard  his  honors, 
and  to  warn  men  against  thinking  meanly 
of  him.  All  judgment  was  committed  to 
the  Son,  because  he  ivas  the  Son  of  Man. 
Yet  there  is  enough  said  against  grieving 
the  Spirit,  blasphemy  against  him,  lying 
against  him,  doing  despite  to  him,  and  defil- 
ing his  temple,  to  make  us  tremble.  In  the 
economy  of  redemption  it  is  the  office  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  not  to  exhibit  himself,  but  to 
"  take  of  the  things  of  Christ,  and  to  show 


506 


SYSTEMATIC    DIVINITY 


them  to  us."  He  is  the  great  spring  head  of 
all  the  good  that  is  in  the  world ;  but,  in  pro- 
ducing it,  he  himself  appears  not.  We  are 
no  otherwise  conscious  of  his  influences 
than  by  their  effects.  He  is  a  wind  which 
bloweth  where  it  listeth  :  we  hear  the  sound, 
and  feel  the  effects  ;  but  know  nothing  more 
of  it. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  not  the  grand  object  of 
ministerial  exhibition  ;  but  Christ,  in  his  per- 
son, work,  and  offices.  When  Philip  went 
down  to  Samaria,  it  was  not  to  preach  God 
the  Holy  Spirit  unto  them,  but  to  preach 
Christ  unto  them.  While  this  was  done, 
the  Holy  Spirit  gave  testimony  to  the  word 
of  his  grace,  and  rendered  it  effectual.  The 
more  sensible  we  are,  both  as  ministers  and 
Christians,  of  our  entire  dependence  on  the 
Holy  Spirit's  influences,  the  better:  but,  if 
we  make  them  the  grand  theme  of  our  min- 
istry, we  shall  do  that  which  he  himself 
avoids,  and  so  shall  counteract  his  opera- 


tions. The  attempts  to  reduce  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  a  mere  property,  or  energy,  of  the 
Deity,  arise  from  much  the  same  source  as 
the  attempts  to  prove  the  inferiority  and  pos- 
teriority of  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God ; 
namely,  reasoning  from  things  human  to 
things  divine.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  com- 
pared to  the  spirit  of  man  ;  and,  as  the  lat- 
ter is  not  a  person  distinguishable  from  man, 
so,  it  has  been  said,  the  former  cannot  be  a 
person  distinguishable  from  God  the  Father. 
But  the  design  of  the  apostle,  in  1  Cor.  ii. 
11,  was  not  to  represent  the  Spirit  of  God 
as  resembling  the  spirit  of  man  in  respect  of 
his  subsistence,  but  of  his  knoioledge ;  and 
it  is  presumptuous  to  reason  from  it  on  a 
subject  that  we  cannot  understand.  The 
grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of 
God  and  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
be  with  you,  and  your  affectionate  brother 
— A.  F. 


THOUGHTS   ON  PREACHING, 


LETTERS   TO   A   YOUNG   MINISTER, 


&.C.    &G. 


LETTER  I. 

ON  EXPOUNDING  THE  SCRIPTURES. 

"  My  dear  brother, 

As  you  have  expressed  a  wish  for  a  few 
of  my  thoughts  on  your  principal  work  as  a 
Christian  minister,  I  will  endeavor  to  comply 
with  your  request,persuaded  that  what  I  write 
will  be  read  with  candor  and  seriousness. 

The  work  in  which  you  are  engaged  is  of 
great  importance.  To  declare  the  whole 
counsel  of  God  in  such  a  way  as  to  save 
yourself  and  them  that  hear  you — or,  if  they 
are  not  saved,  to  be  pure  from  their  blood — 
is  no  small  matter.  The  character  of  the 
preaching  in  an  age  contributes,  more  than 
most  other  things,  to  give  a  character  to  the 
Christians  of  that  age.  A  great  and  solemn 
trust,  therefore,  is  reposed  in  us,  of  which 
we  must  shortly  give  an  account. 

The  work  of  a  Christian  minister,  as  it 
respects  the  pulpit,  may  be  distinguished 
into  two  general  branches ;  namely,  ex- 
pounding the  Scriptures,  and  discoursing  on 
divine  subjects.  In  this  letter  I  shall  offer  a 
few  remarks  on  the  former. 

I  have  found  it  not  a  little  useful,  both  to 
myself  and  to  the  people,  to  appropriate  one 
part  of  every  Lord's-day  to  the  exposition  of 
a  chapter,  or  part  of  a  chapter,  in  the  sacred 
writings.  In  this  way,  during  the  last 
eighteen  years,  I  have  gone  over  the  greater 
part  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  some  books  in 
the  New.     It  is  advantageous  to  a  minister 


to  feel  himself  necessitated,  as  it  were,  to 
understand  every  part  of  Scripture,  in  order 
to  explain  it  to  the  people.  It  is  also  ad- 
vantageous to  a  people  that  what  they  hear 
should  come  directly  from  the  word  of  God, 
and  that  they  should  be  led  to  see  the  scope 
and  connection  of  the  sacred  writers.  For 
want  of  this,  a  great  number  of  Scripture 
passages  are  misunderstood  and  misapplied. 
In  going  over  a  book,  I  have  frequently 
been  struck  with  surprise  in  meeting  with 
texts  which,  as  they  had  always  occurred  to 
me,  I  had  understood  in  a  sense  utterly 
foreign  from  what  manifestly  appeared  to  be 
their  meaning  when  viewed  in  connection 
with  the  context. 

The  great  thing  necessary  for  expounding 
the  Scriptures  is  to  enter  into  their  true  mean- 
ing. We  may  read  them,  and  talk  about 
them,  again  and  again,  without  imparting 
any  light  concerning  them.  If  the  hearer, 
when  you  have  done,  understand  no  more  of 
that  part  of  Scripture  than  he  did  before, 
your  labor  is  lost.  Yet  this  is  commonly  the 
case  with  those  attempts  at  expounding 
which  consist  of  little  else  than  comparing 
parallel  passages,  or,  by  the  help  of  a  Con- 
cordance, tracing  the  use  of  the  same  word 
in  other  places,  going  from  text  to  text  till 
both  the  preacher  and  the  people  are  weari- 
ed and  lost.  This  is  troubling  the  Scriptures 
rather  than  expounding  them.  If  I  were  to 
open  a  chest  of  oranges  among  my  friends, 
and,  in  order  to  ascertain  their  quality,  were 
to  hold  up  one,  and  lay  it  down  ;  then  hold 
up  another,  and  say,  This  is  like  the  last ; 


508 


THOUGHTS    ON    PREACHING. 


then  a  third,  a  fourth,  a  fifth,  and  so  on,  till  view  of  the  glory  of  the  divine  character  and 
I  came  to  the  bottom  of  the  chest,  saying  of  government  opens  the  door  to  the  whole 
each,  It  is  like  the  other;  of  what  account  mystery  of  redemption.  It  is  thus  also  that 
would  it  be  ?  The  company  would  doubt-  a  lively  faith  in  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and 
less  be  weary,  and  had  much  rather  have  the  glory  arising  out  of  them,  is  a  key  which 
tasted  two  or  three  of  them.  unlocks  a  large  part  of  the  sacred  oracles. 
The  scope  of  the  sacred  writers  is  of  While  the  disciples  remained  ignorant  of 
greater  importance  in  understanding  the  his  death,  they  knew  but  little  of  the  Scrip- 
Scriptures  than  the  most  critical  examination  tures ;  but,  having  learned  the  design  of  this 
of  terms,  or  the  most  laborious  comparison  great  event,  a  flood  of  light  poured  in  upon 
of  the  use  of  them  in  different  places.  For  them,  and  the  Old  Testament  became  plain 
Avant  of  attending  to  this,  not  only  particular  and  deeply  interesting. 

passages,  but  whole  chapters,  are  frequently  A  humble  sense   of  our  own  ignorance, 

misunderstood.      The   reasonings   of   both  and  of  our  entire  dependence  upon  God,  has 

Christ  and  his  apostles  frequently  proceed,  also  a  great  influence  on  our  coming-  at  the 

not  upon  what  is  true  in  fact,  but  merely  in  true  meaning  of  his  word.     There  are  few 

the  estimation  of  the  parties  addressed:  that  things  which  tend  more  to  blind  the  mind 

is  to  say,  they  reason  with  them  on  their  oivn  than  a  conceit  of  our  own  powers.     Hence 

principles.    It  was  not  true  that  Simon  the  we  perceive  the  justness  of  such  language 

pharisee  was  a  little  sinner,  nor   a  forgiven  as  the  following : — "  Proud,  knowing  noth- 

sinner,  nor  that  he  loved  Christ  a  little:  but  ing." — "He  that  thinketh  he  knoweth  any 


he  thought  thus  of  himself,  and  upon  these 
principles  Christ  reasoned  with  him.  It  was 
not  true  that  the  pharisees  were  just  men, 
and  needed  no  repentance  :  but  such  were 


thing,   knoweth   nothing    as   he    ought  to 
know." — "  If  any  man  will  be  wise,  let  him 
first  become  a  fool,  that  he  may  be  wise." 
To  understand  the  Scriptures  in  such  a 


their  thoughts   of  themselves,   and   Christ  manner  as  profitably  to  expound  them,  it  is 

suggested  that  therefore  they  had  no  need  necessary  to  be   conversant  with  them  in 

of  him ;  for  that  he   came  "  not  to  call  the  private  ;  and  to  mix,  not  only  faith,  but  the 

righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance."     Fi-  prayer  of  faith,  with  what  we  read.     There 

nally :  It  was  not  true  that  the  Pharisees  who  is  a  great  difference  between  reading  the 

murmured  at  Christ's   receiving  publicans  Scriptures  as  a  student,  in  order  to  find  some- 

and  sinners  had  never,  like  the  ninety-nine  thing  to  say  to  the  people,  and  reading  them 

sheep  in  the  wilderness,  gone  astray;  nor  as  a  Christian,  with  a  view  to  get  good  from 

that,  like  the  elder  son,  they  had  served  God,  them  to  one's  own  soul.     That  which  is 

and  never  at  any  time  transgressed  his  com-  gained  in  the  latter  of  these  ways  is,  beyond 

mandment ;  nor  that  all  which  God  had  was  all  comparison,  of  the  greatest  use,  both  to 

theirs :  but  such  were  their  own  views,  and  ourselves  and  others.     That  which  we  corn- 


Christ  reasons  with  them  accordingly.  It  is 
as  if  he  had  said,  Be  it  so  that  you  are  right- 
eous and  happy ;  yet  why  should  you  mur- 
mur at  the  return  of  these  poor  sinners  ? 
Now,  to  mistake  the  principle  on  which  such 


municate  will  freeze  upon  our  lips,  unless 
we  have  first  applied  it  to  ourselves  ;  or,  to 
use  the  language  of  Scripture,  "  tasted,  felt, 
and  handled  the  word  of  life." 

When  I  have  read  a  psalm  or  chapter, 


reasonings  proceed,  is  to  lose  all  the  benefit    which  I   mean  to  expound,  and  have  en 


of  them,  and  to  fall  into  many  errors. 

Moreover,  to  enter  into  the  true  meaning 
of  the  Scriptures,  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  we  drink  into  the  spirit  of  the  writers. 
This  is  the  greatest  of  all  accomplishments. 


deavored  to  uuderstand  it,  I  have  commonly 
thought  it  right  to  consult  the  best  exposi- 
tors I  could  obtain,  trying  and  comparing 
my  ideas  with  theirs.  Hereby  I  have  gener- 
ally   obtained    some    interesting    thought 


I  do  not  mean  that  you  are  to  expect  a  spirit  which  had  not  occurred  to  me,  and  some- 

of  extraordinary  inspiration  ;    but    that    of  times  have  seen  reason  to  retract  what  be- 

power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind.     It  fore  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  meaning.     But 

is  impossible  to  enter  into  the  sentiments  of  to  go  first  to  expositors   is  to  preclude  the 

any  great  writer  without  a  kindred  mind,  exercise  of  your  own  judgment ;  and,  after 

Who  but  a  Pope,  or  a  Cowper,  could  have  all,  that  which  is  furnished  by  the  labors  of 

translated  Homer  ?  and  who  can  explain  the  another,  though  equally  good  in  itself,  will 

oracles  of  God,  but  he  who,  in  a  measure,  be  far  less  interesting  to  us  than  that  which 

drinks  into  the  same  spirit?     Every  Chris-  is  the  result  of  our  own  application. 

tian  knows  by  experience  that,  in  a  spiritual  I  will  only  add  that  I  have  found  it  not  a 

frame  of  mind,  he  can  understand  more  of  little  useful  to  keep  a  book  in  which  I  write 

the  Scriptures  in  an  hour  than  he  can  at  down  all  my  expository  notes,  which,  though 

other  times,  with  the  utmost  application,  in  illegible  to  others,  yet  answer  two  purposes 

a  week.     It  is  by  an  unction  from  the  Holy  to  myself :  first,  by  looking  them  over  before 

One  that  we  know  all  things.  I  go  into  the  pulpit,  I  have  a  clear  under- 

I  may  add,  there  are  some  things  which,  standing  of  every  sentence :  and,  secondly, 

when    known,    wonderfully    facilitate    the  I  can  have  recourse  to  them  on  future  oc- 

knowledge  of  other  things.    It  thus  that  a  casions. 


EXPOUNDING    THE    SCRIPTURES. 


509 


LETTER  II. 

ON  SERMONS,  AND  THE  SUBJECT-MATTER  OF 
THEM. 

Though  expounding  the  Scriptures  be  an 
important  part  of  the  public  work  of  a  min- 
ister, yet  it  is  not  the  whole  of  it.  There 
is  a  great  variety  of  subjects,  both  in  doctrinal 
and  practical  religion,  which  require  to  be 
illustrated,  established,  and  improved  ;  which 
cannot  be  done  in  an  exposition.  Dis- 
courses of  this  kind  are  properly  called 
sermons. 

You  request  me  to  give  you  my  thoughts 
on  this  part  of  your  work  somewhat  more 
particularly.  I  will  endeavor  to  do  so,  by 
considering  what  must  be  the  matter,  and 
the  manner  of  preaching,  if  we  wish  to  do 
good  to  the  souls  of  men. 

Unless  the  subject-matter  of  your  preach- 
ing be  truly  evangelical,  you  had  better  be 
any  thing  than  a  minister.  When  the  apos- 
tle speaks  of  a  necessity  being  laid  upon 
him  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  might  mean 
that  he  was  not  at  liberty  to  relinquish  his 
work  in  favor  of  ease,  or  honor,  or  any  other 
worldly  object ;  but  he  was  not  bound  to 
preach  merely,  but  to  preach  that  doctrine 
which  had  been  delivered  unto  him.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  us  ;  wo  unto  us  if  we 
preach  not  the  gospel ! 

It  may  seem  to  be  a  very  easy  thing,  with 
the  Bible  in  our  hands,  to  learn  the  truth, 
clear  of  all  impure  mixtures,  and  to  make  it 
the  subject  of  our  ministry.  But  it  is  not  so. 
We  talk  much  of  thinking  and  judging  for 
ourselves;  but  who  canjustly  pretend  to  be 
free  from  the  influences  which  surround 
him,  especially  in  early  life  ?  We  are  in- 
sensibly, and  almost  irresistibly,  assimilated 
by  the  books  we  read,  and  the  company  with 
which  we  associate  ;  and  the  principles  cur- 
rent in  our  age  and  connections  will  ordina- 
rily influence  our  minds.  Nor  is  the  dan- 
ger solely  from  without :  we  are  "  slow  of 
heart "  to  believe  in  a  doctrine  so  holy  and 
divine,  and  prone  to  deviate  at  every  point. 
If,  therefore,  we  were  wholly  to  think  for 
ourselves,  that  were  no  security  for  our 
keeping  to  the  mind  of  Christ. 

I  mention  these  things,  not  to  deter  you 
from  either  reading  or  thinking  for  yourself ; 
but  rather  to  inculcate  the  necessity  of 
prayer  for  divine  guidance  and  a  close  ad- 
herence to  the  Scriptures.  Though  we 
must  think  for  ourselves,  we  must  not  de- 
pend upon  ourselves,  but,  as  little  children, 
learn  at  the  feet  of  our  Saviour. 

If  you  look  over  the  New  Testament,  you 
will  find  the  subject-matter  of  your  preach- 
ing briefly  yet  fully  expressed  in  such  lan- 
guage as  the  following :  "  Preach  the  ivord. 
— Preach  the  gospel. — Preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature. — Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus 


it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from 
the  dead  the  third  day,  and  that  repentance 
and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in 
his  name,  among  all  nations,  beginning  at 
Jerusalem. — I  declare  unto  you  the  gospel 
which  I  preached  unto  you,  which  also  ye 
have  received,  and  wherein  ye  stand,  if  ye 
keep  in  memory  what  I  preached  unto  you, 
unless  ye  have  believed  in  vain.  For  I  de- 
livered unto  you,  first  of  all,  that  which  I 
also  received,  how  that  Christ  died  for  our 
sins  according  to  the  Scriptures  ;  and  that 
he  was  buried,  and  that  he  rose  again  the 
third  day  according  to  the  Scriptures. — We 
preach  Christ  crucified.— I  am  determined 
to  know  nothing  among  you  but  Jesus  Christ 
and  him  crucified. — This  is  the  record,  that 
God  hath  given  unto  us  eternal  life,  and  this 
life  is  in  his  Son. — We  are  ambassadors  for 
Christ,  as  though  God  did  beseech  men  by 
us,  we  pray  them  in  Christ's  stead,  saying, 
Be  ye  reconciled  unto  God.  For  he  hath 
made  him  to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin, 
that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness 
of  God  in  him. — I  have  kept  back  nothing 
that  was  profitable  unto  you,  but  have 
showed  you,  and  have  taught  you  publicly, 
and  from  house  to  house,  testifying  both  to 
the  Jews,  and  also  to  the  Greeks,  repentance 
toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ." 

Such,  my  brother,  is  the  concurrent  lan- 
guage of  the  New  Testament.  Every  one 
of  the  foregoing  passages  contains  an  epi- 
tome of  the  gospel  ministry.  You  will  not 
expect  me  to  expatiate  upon  their  various 
connections  :  I  may,  however,  notice  three 
or  four  particulars,  which  follow  from  them. 
First:  In  every  sermon  ive  shoidd  have  an 
errand;  and  one  of  such  importance  that  if 
it  be  received  or  complied  with  it  will  issue  in 
eternal  salvation. — I  say  nothing  of  those 
preachers  who  profess  to  go  into  the  pulpit 
without  an  errand,  and  to  depend  upon  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  furnish  them  with  one  at  the 
time.  I  write  not  for  them,  but  for  such  as 
make  a  point  of  thinking  before  they  attempt 
to  preach.  Even  of  these  I  have  heard  some 
who,  in  studying  their  texts,  have  appeared 
to  me  to  have  no  other  object  in  view  than 
to  find  something  to  say,  in  order  to  fill  up 
the  time.  This,  however,  is  not  preaching, 
but  merely  talking  about  good  things. 
Such  ministers,  though  they  think  of  some- 
thing beforehand,  yet  appear  to  me  to  re- 
semble Ahimaaz,  who  ran  without  tidings. 
I  have  also  heard  many  an  ingenious  dis- 
course, in  which  I  could  not  but  admire  the 
talents  of  the  preacher  ;  but  his  only  object 
appeared  to  be  to  correct  the  grosser  vices, 
and  to  form  the  manners  of  his  audience,  so 
as  to  render  them  useful  members  of  civil 
society.  Such  ministers  have  an  errand ; 
but  not  of  such  importance  as  to  save  those 
who  receive  it,  which  sufficiently  proves 
that  it  is  not  the  gospel. 


510 


THOUGHTS    ON    PREACHING. 


In  preparing  for  the  pulpit,  it  would  be 
well  to  reflect  in  some  such  manner  as  this  : 
— I  am  expected  to  preach,  it  may  be  to 
some  hundreds  of  people,  some  of  whom 
may  come  several  miles  to  hear ;  and  what 
have  I  to  say  to  them?  Is  it  for  me  to  sit 
here  studying  a  text  merely  to  rind  some- 
thing to  say  to  fill  up  the  hour?  I  may  do 
this  without  imparting  any  useful  instruc- 
tion, without  commending  myself  to  any 
man's  conscience,  and  without  winning,  or 
even  aiming  to  win,  one  soul  to  Christ.  It 
is  possible  there  may  be  in  the  audience  a 
poor  miserable  creature,  laboring  under  the 
load  of  a  guilty  conscience.  If  he  depart 
without  being  told  how  to  obtain  rest  for  his 
soul,  what  may  be  the  consequence  ?  Or, 
it  may  be,  some  stranger  may  be  there  who 
has  never  heard  the  way  of  salvation  in  his 
life.  If  he  should  depart  without  hearing  it 
now,  and  should  die  before  another  opportu- 
nity occurs,  how  shall  I  meet  him  at  the  bar 
of  God  ?  Possibly  some  one  of  my  constant 
hearers  may  die  in  the  following  week  ;  and 
is  there  nothing  I  should  wish  to  say  to  him 
before  his  departure  ?  It  may  be  that  I 
myself  may  die  before  another  Lord's-day  : 
this  may  be  the  last  time  that  I  shall  ascend 
the  pulpit ;  and  have  I  no  important  testi- 
mony to  leave  with  the  people  of  my  care  ? 

Secondly:  Every  sermon  should  contain  a 
portion  of  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  the 
death  of  Christ. — If  there  be  any  meaning  in 
the  foregoing  passages,  this  is  emphatically 
called  the  gospel.  A  sermon,  therefore, 
in  which  this  doctrine  has  not  a  place,  and  I 
might  add  a  prominent  place,  cannot  be  a 
gospel  sermon.  It  may  be  ingenious,  it  may 
be  eloquent :  but  a  want  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  cross  is  a  defect  which  no  pulpit  excel- 
lence can  supply. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  encourage  that  fas- 
tidious humour  manifested  by  some  hearers, 
who  object  to  a  sermon  unless  the  cross  of 
Christ  be  the  immediate  and  direct  topic  of 
discourse.  There  is  a  rich  variety  in  the 
sacred  writings,  and  so  there  ought  to  be  in 
our  ministrations.  There  are  various  im- 
portant truths  supposed  by  this  great  doc- 
trine, and  these  require  to  be  illustrated  and 
established.  There  are  various  branches 
pertaining  to  it,  which  require  to  be  distinct- 
ly considered  ;  various  consequences  arising 
from  it,  which  require  to  be  pointed  out ; 
various  duties  corresponding  with  it,  which 
require  to  be  inculcated ;  and  various  evils 
inimical  to  it,  which  may  require  to  be  ex- 
posed. All  I  mean  to  say  is  that  as  there  is 
a  relation  between  these  subjects  and  the 
doctrine  of  the  cross,  if  we  would  introduce 
them  in  a  truly  evangelical  manner,  it  re- 
quires to  be  inthat  relation.  I  may  establish 
the  moral  character  and  government  of  God  ; 
the  holiness,  justice,  goodness,  and  perpetu- 
al obligation  of  the  law  ;  the  evil  of  sin ; 
and  the  exposedness  of  the  sinner  to  end- 


less punishment:  but  if  I  have  any  other 
end  in  view  than,  by  convincing  him  of  his 
lost  condition,  to  make  him  feel  the  need  of 
a  Saviour,  I  cannot  be  said  to  have  preached 
the  gospel ;  nor  is  my  reasoning,  however 
forcible,  likely  to  produce  any  good  effect. 
I  may  be  very  pointed  in  pressing  the  prac- 
tical parts  of  religion,  and  in  reproving  the 
sins  of  the  times  ;  but  if  I  enforce  the  one, 
or  inveigh  against  the  other,  or  any  other 
than  evangelical  principles,  I,  in  so  doing, 
preach  not  the  gospel.  All  scriptural 
preaching  is  practical :  but  when  practice  is 
enforced  in  opposition  to  doctrine,  or  even 
to  the  neglect  of  it,  it  becomes  antiscriptu- 
ral.  The  apostolic  precept  runs  thus : 
"  Preach  the  word ;  be  instant  in  season, 
and  out  of  season ;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort, 
with  all  long-suffering  and  doctrine." 

Thirdly :  In  preaching  the  gospel,  ive 
must  not  imitate  the  orator,  ivhose  attention 
is  taken  up  ivith  his  performance,  but  rather 
the  herald,  ivhose  object  is  to  publish,  or 
proclaim,  good  tidings. — There  is  in  the  one 
an  earnestness,  a  fulness  of  heart,  a  mind  so 
interested  in  the  subject  as  to  be  inattentive 
to  other  things,  which  is  not  in  the  other. 
"We  believe,  and  therefore  speak."  The 
emphatical  meaning  of  the  terms  xufvu-a-tn, 
luxyyixi^u,,  to  preach,  and  preach  the  gos- 
pel, is  noticeable  in  the  account  given  of  the 
ministry  of  John  the  Baptist.  "The  law 
and  the  prophets  were  until  John  ;  since  that 
time  the  kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and 
every  man  presseth  into  it."  Moses  and  the 
prophets  spoke  of  things  at  a  distance  ;  but 
John  did  more  than  prophecy :  his  was  "  the 
voice  of  one  that  cried ;  "  he  announced  the 
fulfilment  of  what  had  been  foretold,  pro- 
claiming the  Messiah  as  being  among  them, 
and  his  kingdom  as  at  hand.  He  opened  the 
door  of  salvation,  and  great  numbers  pressed 
in! 

Fourthly :  Though  the  doctrine  of  recon- 
ciliation by  the  blood  of  Christ  forms  the 
ground-work  of  the  gospel  embassy,  yet  it  be- 
longs to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  not  merely 
to  declare  that  truth,  but  to  accompany  it  ivith 
earnest  calls,  and  pressing  invitations,  to  sin- 
ners to  receive  it,  together  with  the  most 
solemn  ivarnings  and  threatenings  to  unbe- 
lievers ivho  shall  continue  to  reject  it. — The 
preaching  of  both  John  and  Christ  is,  in- 
deed, distinguished  from  the  calls  to  re- 
pentance and  faith  which  they  addressed  to 
their  hearers,  as  being  the  ground  on  which 
they  rested ;  but  the  latter  were  no  less 
essential  to  their  work  than  the  former. 
John  came  "preaching  in  the  wilderness  of 
Judea,  and  saying,  Repent  ye,"  &c.  After 
John  was  put  in  prison,  Jesus  came  into 
Galilee,  "preaching  the  gospel  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  saying,  the  time  is  fulfilled, 
and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand — repent 
ye,  and  believe  the  gospel."  And  thus  the 
apostle  explains  the  ministry  of  reconcilia- 


COMPOSITION    OP    A    SERMON. 


511 


tion  as  comprehending  not  only  a  declara- 
tion of  the  doctrine,  but  the  persuading  of 
men,  "  beseeching"  them  to  be  "reconciled 
to  God.1'— 2  Cor.  v.  18—20. 

There  is  nothing  in  all  this  which  clashes 
with  the  most  entire  dependence  on  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  success 
to  our  ministry.  Though  we  invite  men, 
yet  it  is  not  on  their  pliability  that  we  must 
rest  our  hopes,  but  on  the  power  and  promise 
of  God.  These  are  a  part  of  the  weapons 
of  our  warfare  ;  but  it  is  through  God  that 
they  become  mighty  to  the  pulling  down  of 
strong  holds. 


LETTER  III. 

ON    THE    COMPOSITION    OF    A    SERMON. 

You  have  requested  my  thoughts  on  the 
composition  of  a  sermon.  There  are  seve- 
ral publications  on  this  subject  well  worthy 
of  your  notice.  If  what  I  may  offer  have 
any  peculiar  claim  to  your  attention,  it 
will  be  on  account  of  its  familiarity. 

The  form  or  manner  in  which  a  sermon 
is  composed  and  delivered  is  of  some  im- 
portance, inasmuch  as  it  influences  the  at- 
tention, and  renders  the  matter  delivered 
more  or  less  easy  of  being  comprehended 
and  retained. 

In  general,  I  do  not  think  a  minister  of 
Jesus  Christ  should  aim  at  fine  composition 
for  the  pulpit.  We  ought  to  use  sound 
speech,  and  good  sense :  but  if  we  aspire 
after  great  elegance  of  expression,  or  be- 
come very  exact  in  the  formation  of  our 
periods,  though  we  may  amuse  and  please 
the  ears  of  a  few,  we  shall  not  profit  the 
many,  and  consequently  shall  not  answer  the 
great  end  of  our  ministry.  Illiterate  hearers 
may  be  very  poor  judges  of  preaching ; 
yet  the  effect  which  it  produces  upon  them 
is  the  best  criterion  of  its  real  excellence. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  ministerial  gift 
consists  in  fruitfulness  of  invention ;  but 
that  which  greatly  aids  in  the  composition 
and  delivery  of  a  sermon  is  spirituality  of 
mind.  Without  this  we  shall  get  no  good 
ourselves,  and  be  likely  to  do  but  little  good 
to  others.  The  first  thing,  therefore,  be- 
fore we  sit  down  to  study,  should  be  to  draw 
near  to  G  od  in  prayer.  Spiritual  things  are 
spiritually  discerned. 

When  a  passage  of  Scripture  is  fixed  on 
as  the  ground  of  a  sermon,  it  is  necessary 
to  read  it  in  connection  with  the  context, 
and  endeavor  by  your  own  judgment  to  gain 
a  clear  idea  of  its  genuine  meaning.  Hav- 
ing formed  your  own  judgment,  I  would 
then  advise  you  to  consult  expositors,  who 
may  throw  additional  light  upon  it,  or  give  a 
different  sense  to  it ;  and,  if  the  sense  which 
they  give  appear  to  have  evidence  in  its 
favor,  you  must  relinquish  your  own.    Be 


satisfied,  at  all  events,  that  you  have  the 
mind  of  the  Holy  Spirit  before  you  pro- 
ceed. 

In  the  next  place,  having  determined  on 
the  meaning  of  the  text,  it  is  necessary  to 
examine  the  force  of  each  word  or  term  of 
importance  in  it.  This  may  be  done  by  ex- 
amining the  use  of  the  same  terms  in  other 
places  of  Scripture  by  the  help  of  a  con- 
cordance :  but  here  a  good  judgment  of 
your  own  is  required,  that  you  may  select  a 
few  out  of  the  many  parallel  texts  which 
really  illustrate  that  on  which  you  have  fix- 
ed. Some  of  the  worst  sermons  are  made 
out  of  a  concordance,  being  a  mere  collec- 
tion of  similar  sounds,  which,  instead  of 
throwing  light  upon  the  subject,  only  throw 
it  into  confusion. 

The  force  of  words  or  terms  of  importance 
may  also  be  examined  to  great  advantage 
by  a  judicious  use  of  contrast.  Place  all 
the  important  terms  of  your  text,  one  at  a 
time,  in  contrast  with  other  things,  or  ex- 
amine to  what  ideas  they  stand  opposed. 
For  example,  let  your  text  be  Psa:  cxlv.  16: 
"  Thou  openest  thy  hand,  and  satisfiest  the 
desire  of  every  living  thing."  Begin  with 
the  term  openest.  "  Thou  openest  thy 
hand."  What  an  idea  does  this  convey  of 
the  paternal  goodness  of  the  great  Father  of 
his  creation !  How  opposite  to  the  conduct 
of  many  of  his  creatures  one  to  another, 
whose  hands  and  hearts  are  shut!  What 
an  idea  also  does  it  convey  of  the  ease  with 
which  the  wants  of  the  whole  creation  are 
supplied !  Let  me  pause  a  moment  and 
think  of  their  wants.  What  a  quantity  of 
vegetable  and  animal  food  is  daily  consum- 
ed in  one  town :  what  a  quantity  in  a  large 
city  like  London :  what  a  quantity  in  a  na- 
tion :  in  the  whole  world  !  But  men  do  not 
compose  a  hundredth  part  of  "every  living 
thing !  "  O  what  innumerable  wants  through- 
out all  animate  nature  ;  in  the  earth,  in  the 
air,  in  the  waters !  Whence  comes  their 
supply  ?  "Thou  openest  thy  hand,"  and  all 
are  satisfied.  And  can  all  these  wants  be 
supplied  by  only  the  opening  of  his  hand? 
What  then  must  sin  be,  and  salvation  from 
it  ?  That  is  a  work  of  wonderful  expense. 
God  openeth  his  hand  and  satisfieth  all  crea- 
tion, but  he  mnst  purchase  the  church  ivith 
his  blood !  God  is  all  sufficient  as  to  power 
in  the  one  case  as  well  as  the  other;  but 
there  are  things  relative  to  his  moral  conduct 
which  he  cannot  do :  he  cannot  deny  him- 
self. Here  lies  the  great  difficulty  of  salva- 
tion. In  what  a  variety  of  ivays  are  our 
wants  supplied.  The  earth  is  fruitful,  the 
air  is  full  of  life,  the  clouds  empty  them- 
selves upon  the  earth,  the  sun  pours  forth 
its  genial  rays  ;  but  the  operation  of  all 
these  second  causes  is  only  the  opening  of 
his  hand  !  Nay,  further :  look  we  to  instru- 
ments as  well  as  means  ?  Parents  feed  us 
in  our  childhood,  and  supply  our  youthful 


512 


THOUGHTS    ON    PREACHING. 


wants ;  ways  are  opened  for  our  future 
subsistence  ;  connections  are  formed,  which 
prove  sources  of  comfort ;  friends  are  kind 
in  seasons  of  extremity ;  supplies  are  pre- 
sented from  quarters  that  we  never  expect- 
ed. What  are  all  these  but  the  opening  of 
his  hand  "!■  If  his  hand  were  shut,  what  a 
world  would  this  be !  The  heavens  brass, 
the  earth  iron;  famine,  pestilence,  and  death 
must  follow. — See  Psalm  civ.  27 — 29. 

Next  take  up  the  pronoun  thou.  You 
will  infer  from  this,  If  thou  openest  thy  hand, 
should  I  shut  mine  against  my  poor  brother  ? 
This  important  sentiment  will  properly  oc- 
cupy the  place  of  improvement  towards  the 
close  of  the  discourse. 

Consider  next  the  term  hand.  There  is 
a  difference  between  the  hand  and  the  heart. 
God  opens  his  hand,  in  the  way  of  provi- 
dence, towards  his  worst  enemies.  He  gave 
Nebuchadnezzar  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth.  But  he  opens  his  heart  in  the  gos- 
pel of  his  Son.  This  is  the  better  portion 
of  the  two.  While  we  are  thankful  for  the 
one,  let  us  not  rest  satisfied  in  it :  it  is  mere- 
ly a  hand  portion.  Rather  let  us  pray  with 
Jabez  to  be  blessed  indeed;  and  that  we 
might  have  a  Joseph's  portion  ;  not  only  the 
precious  things  of  the  earth  and  the  fulness 
thereof,  but  "the  good  will  of  Him  that 
dwelt,  in  the  bush !  " 

Proceed  :  "Thou  satisfiest  the  desire"  &c. 
God,  I  see,  does  not  give  grudgingly.  It 
seems  to  be  a  characteristic  of  the  divine 
nature,  both  in  the  natural  and  moral  world, 
to  raise  desires,  not  with  a  view  to  disap- 
point, but  to  satisfy  them.  O  what  a  .con- 
soling thought  is  this !  If  there  be  any  de- 
sires in  us  which  are  not  satisfied,  it  is 
through  their  being  self-created  ones,  which 
is  our  own  fault ;  or  through  artificial  scar- 
city arising  from  men's  luxury,  which  is  the 
fault  of  our  species.  God  raises  no  desires 
as  our  creator  but  he  gives  enough  to  satisfy 
them ;  and  none  as  our  redeemer  and  sanc- 
tifier  but  what  shall  be  actually  satisfied. 
O  the  wonderful  munificence  of  GOD ! 
"  How  great  is  his  goodness,  and  how  great 
is  his  beauty  ! " 

Now,  having  examined  the  force  of  every 
term  of  importance,  by  contrasting  it  with 
the  opposite  idea  or  ideas,  you  will  find 
yourself  in  possession  of  a  number  of  inter- 
esting thoughts,  which  you  may  consider  as 
so  many  recruits,  and,  having  noted  them 
down  as  they  occurred,  your  next  business 
is  to  arrange  them  in  order,  or  to  give  each 
thought  that  place  in  your  discourse  which 
it  will  occupy  to  the  greatest  advantage. 
Many  sermons  are  a  mob  of  ideas :  they 
contain  very  good  sentiments,  but  they  have 
no  object  in  view  ;  so  that  the  hearer  is  con- 
tinually answering  the  preacher,  Very  true, 
very  true  ;  but  what  then  ?  What  is  it  you 
are  aiming  at  ?  What  is  this  to  the  pur- 
pose ?    A  preacher,  then,  if  he  would  inter- 


est a  judicious  hearer,  must  have  an  object 
at  which  he  aims,  and  must  never  lose 
sight  of  it  throughout  his  discourse.  This 
is  what  writers  on  those  subjects  call  a  uni- 
ty of  desig7i :  and  this  is  a  matter  of  far 
greater  importance  than  studying  well  turned 
periods,  or  forming  pretty  expressions.  It 
is  this  that  nails  the  attention  of  an  audience. 
One  thing  at  once  is  a  maxim  in  common 
life,  by  which  the  greatest  men  have  made 
the  greatest  proficiency.  Shun,  therefore, 
a  multiplicity  of  divisions  and  subdivisions. 
He  who  aims  to  say  every  thing  in  a  single 
discourse,  in  effect  says  nothing.  Avoid 
making  a  head  or  particular  of  every  thought. 
Unity  of  design  may  be  preserved  consist- 
ently with  various  methods  of  division ; 
but  the  thing  itself  is  indispensable  to  good 
preaching. 

The  following  reasons  have  induced  me 
to  hold  this  opinion  :  1.  The  human  mind  is 
so  formed  as  to  delight  in  unity.  To  divide 
the  attention  is  to  weaken,  if  not  destroy  it. 
President  Edwards's  sermons,  though 
in  some  respects  not  proper  for  imitation, 
yet,  in  this,  are  worthy  of  notice.  They  all 
hold  up  some  one  great  leading  truth  ;  and 
that  truth  is  the  spirit  of  his  text,  and  serves 
for  the  title  of  his  sermon.  Look  over  the 
table  of  contents  to  his  Thirty-three  Ser- 
mons, and  you  will  find  the  title  of  each 
sermon  throw  an  amazing  light  upon  the 
text.  The  sentiment  expressed  in  the  title 
he  calls  the  doctrine  of  the  text ;  and  all  he 
says  is  to  illustrate,  establish,  or  improve  it. 
It  might  be  of  use,  if,  in  the  composition  of 
sermons,  we  were  to  oblige  ourselves  to 
give  titles  to  them.  Many  of  what  are 
called  sermons  would  be  found  to  require 
three  or  four  titles  to  answer  to  their  con- 
tents ;  which  at  once  proves  that,  properly 
speaking,  they  are  not  sermons. 

2.  It  has  been  said,  and  I  think  justly, 
that  evidence  should  constitute  the  body  or 
substance  of  every  doctrinal  discourse. 
Evidence  may  be  drawn  from  various 
sources  ;  as  Scripture  testimony,  example, 
the  reason  of  things,  &c. ;  but  evidence 
always  implies  a  leading  truth  to  be  proved. 
Where  this  is  not  the  case,  the  preacher 
gives  himself  no  opportunity  of  advancing 
evidence ;  consequently  his  sermon,  if  it 
may  be  so  called,  will  be  without  body, 
without  substance,  and  will  contain  nothing 
that  shall  leave  any  strong  impression  upon 
a  thinking  mind.  In  opening  a  battery 
against  a  wall,  you  would  not  throw  your 
balls  at  random,  first  at  one  place  and 
then  at  another,  but  direct  your  whole  force 
against  a  particular  spot.  In  the  one  case 
your  labor  would  be  thrown  away ;  in  the 
other  you  are  likely  to  make  an  effectual 
impression. 

3.  It  is  greatly  assisting  to  memory,  both 
with  respect  to  the  preacher  and  the  hearer. 
Memory  is  exercised  by  the  relation  of  one 


COMPOSITION    OF    A    SERMON. 


515 


thing  to  another.  Were  you  to  attempt  to 
remember  seven  different  objects  which  bore 
no  manner  of  relation  to  each  other,  such  as 
ivater,  time,  wisdom,  fruit,  contentment,  fowls, 
and  revenues,  you  would  find  it  almost  im- 
possible ;  but  take  seven  objects  which, 
though  different  in  nature,  yet  possess  some 
point  of  unity  which  associates  them  in  the 
mind,  and  the  work  is  easy.  Thus,  sun, 
moon,  stars,  earth,  air,  fire,  and  water,  are 
readily  remembered,  being  so  many  principal 
parts  of  the  one  creation. 

4.  I  cannot  so  well  satisfy  my  conscience 
unless  I  have  some  interesting  truth  to  com- 
municate, or  some  important  duty  to  en- 
force. When  I  have  been  thinking  of  the 
approach  of  the  Lord's-day,  the  questions 
have  occurred  to  my  mind,  What  message 
have  I  to  deliver  to  the  people  of  my 
charge  ?  What  important  doctrine  to  estab- 
lish ?  What  sin  to  expose  ?  What  duty 
to  inculcate  ?  What  case  to  meet?  What 
acknowledged  truth  to  improve?  The 
method  frequently  used  seems  to  afford  an 
answer  to  none  of  these  questions  ;  but  is 
rather  saying,  None  at  all,  only  I  have  a  text 
of  Scripture,  on  the  different  parts  of  which 
I  may  say  something  that  will  fill  up  the 
time. 

Divisions  are  either  topical,  textual,  or 
compound.  The  first,  or  topical  method,  is 
to  collect  all  your  remarks  upon  a  text,  and 
reduce  them  to  a  point,  like  so  many  rays  of 
light  in  a  focus.  In  other  words,  ask  your- 
self, What  important  truth  is  it  that  the  text 
contains,  and  ivhich  I  feel  impressed  upon  my 
oion  mind,  and  wish  to  impress  upon  that  of 
the  congregation  ?  And  make  this  the  topic 
of  discourse. 

After  going  over  the  passage  before  men- 
tioned, as  above,  you  could  be  at  no  loss  to 
determine  that  the  leading  sentiment  would 
be — The  bounty  of  providence.  This  is  what 
the  old  divines  called  the  doctrine  of  the 
text ;  and,  when  they  printed  their  discours- 
es, this  was  the  title  of  them. 

But,  you  may  ask,  what  am  I  to  do  with 
this  doctrine  when  I  have  found  it  ?  Am  I 
to  make  no  divisions,  or  subdivisions  ?  Of 
what  is  my  discourse  to  be  composed  ?  Yes, 
there  must  be  divisions,  and  perhaps  sub- 
divisions ;  but  let  them  not  be  so  many  dis- 
tinct subjects,  which  have  no  relation  to  each 
other,  but  50  many  parts  of  a  ivhole.  When 
I  have  a  subject  before  me,  I  sometimes  ask 
myself  three  questions :  What  is  it  ?  On 
what  evidence  does  it  rest  ?  and  what  does 
it  concern  me,  or  any  of  the  people,  if  it  be 
true  ?  The  division  of  many  subjects  will 
therefore  be,  I.  Explain  the  doctrine.  II. 
Establish  it.     III.  Improve  it. 

Let  us  try  the  above  subject  on  this  plan, 
and  see  whether  we  cannot  find  a  place,  un- 
der one  or  other  of  these  heads,  for  all  the 
foregoing  thoughts,  which  occurred  spon- 


&•*-* 


xiom 

..e  live,  and 

Creation  is  full 


taneously  on  looking\ 
perhaps,  as  we  go  alor 
teresting  may  occur. 

Introduction. — How 
in  the  dark  respecting  C 
for  want  of  evidence.     1 
every  one  of  us  ;  for  in 
move,  and  have  our  being, 
of  God. 

There  is  something  in  this  passage  won- 
derfully sublime.  It  expresses  a  great  truth 
in  the  most  simple  language.  It  represents 
the  great  Creator  as  the  Father  of  his  crea- 
tion, encompassed  round  by  an  innumerable 
family,  whose  eyes  all  wait  on  him  for  daily 
food ;  while  he,  with  paternal  goodness, 
opens  his  bounteous  hand,  and  satisfies  their 
various  wants. 

The  subject  which  invites  our  attention  is 
— the  bounty  of  providence.  In  discoursing  on 
it,  I  shall  offer  some  remarks  by  the  way  of 
explanation — notice  the  evidence  on  which 
ijt  rests — and  then  improve  the  subject. 

I.  Offer  some  remarks  upon  the  subject  by 
way  of  explanation.  There  is  much  dis- 
content among  men.  Many  objections  may 
arise  in  the  mind  to  this  doctrine,  and  but 
few  feel  themselves  duly  impressed  with  its 
reality.  In  order  to  obviate  such  objections, 
I  would  observe, 

1.  The  desires  which  God  satifies  are  to 
be  restricted  to  those  of  his  own  creating. — 
Men  have  a  number  of  artificial,  self-crea- 
ted, and  sinful  desires These  he  does 

not   engage   to   satisfy ;  but    merely   those 
which  are  purely  natural. 

2.  Though  God  satisfies  the  desire  of 
every  living  thing,  yet  not  all  in  the  same 
way,  but  of  every  creature  according  to  its 
nature  and  circumstances.  Many  of  the 
creatures,  like  the  lily,  neither  toil  nor  spin, 
but  receive  the  bounties  of  providence  ready 
prepared  to  their  hand  :  but  this  is  not  the 
case  with  all.  It  is  not  thus  with  man  :  for, 
though  we  are  forbidden  to  be  inordinate- 
ly careful,  yet  we  must  commonly  labor  for 
what  we  have.  It  is  a  part  of  the  load  laid 
upon  us,  that  by  the  sweat  of  the  brow  Ave 
shall  eat  bread.  Nor  do  I  know  whether 
there  be  more  of  judgment  than  of  mercy  in 
this  sentence.  Idleness  is  certainly  a  soil  on 
which  sin  grows  to  its  greatest  perfection. 
Considering  what  man  is,  it  is  a  mercy  that 
we  have  employment.  It  is  among  the  rich 
who  have  nothing  to  do,  and  the  very  poor 
who  will  do  but  little,  that  wickedness  is 
most  prevalent. 

3.  The  text  expresses  what  God  does  or- 
dinarily, not  universally,  or  in  all  cases. — 
There  are  cases  of  famine  ;  seasons  in  which 
God  as  it  were  shuts  his  hand,  on  account 
of  the  sins  of  men  ;  and,  if  he  shuts  his  hand, 
the  heavens  become  brass,  and  the  earth 
iron,  and  millions  perish  for  want  of  bread. 
There  are  also  cases  more  common  than  fam- 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  65. 


THOUGHTS    ON    PREACHING. 


512 

.  great  numbers  of  mankind  labor  under 
,,ie  hardships  of  poverty,  pine  away,  and  are 
stricken  through,  for  want  of  the  fruits  of 
the  field.  But  this  is  one  of  those  evils  under 
which  the  world  groans,  owing  to  the  sin  of 
man.  If  there  were  no  waste  or  intemper- 
ance among  one  part  of  mankind,  there 
would  be  a  sufficiency  and  more  than  a  suf- 
fiency  for  all. 

II.  We  proceed  to  notice  a  few  of  the  ev- 
idences by  which  this  important  truth  is 
supported. 

There  are  some  subjects  which  are  diffi- 
cult to  prove,  not  from  a  scarcity,  but  from  a 
profusion  of  evidence.  Where  this  is  the 
case,  the  difficulty  lies  in  selection:  I  shall 
content  myself  with  offering  three  things  to 
your  consideration. 

1.  The  supplies  we  constantly  receive 
cannot  be  ascribed  to  our  own  labor  as  their 

first  cause. — The  whole  of  human  labor  is  but 
a  kind  of  manufactory  of  the  materials  with 
which  God  is  pleased  to  furnish  us.  We 
make  nothing :  we  only  change  the  forms  of 
different  productions,  to  suit  our  conveni- 
ence. We  are  as  really,  though  not  as  sen- 
sibly, dependent  on  God  as  Israel  in  the  wil- 
derness, who  were  fed  with  manna  from 
heaven.  To  this  may  be  added,  when  we 
have  labored  to  the  utmost,  it  amounts  to 
nothing  without  a  divine  blessing  upon  it. 
All,  therefore,  that  we  possess  proceeds  from 
the  opening  of  his  hand. 

2.  A  consideration  of  the  number  and  mag- 
nitude of  the  tvants  of  creatures  will  convince 
us  that  nothing  short  of  the  all-sufficiency  of 
God  can  supply  them. — What  a  quantity  of 
vegetable  and  animal  food  is  required  by  a 
single  town,  for  only  one  day !  more  for  a  city; 
more  for  a  nation ;  more  still  for  a  world  ; 
and  that  for  a  succession  of  ages  !  And 
what  are  men,  when  compared  with  the  whole 
animate  creation  ?  All  nature  teems  with 
life.  The  earth,  the  air,  the  sea,  each 
swarms  with  being.  Whence  can  all  these 
be  continually  supplied,  but  by  him  that  made 
them  ?  "  Thou  openest  thy  hand,  and  sat- 
isfiest  the  desire  of  every  living  thing." 

3.  If  we  consider  the  various  ways  and 
means  by  which  our  supplies  reach  us,  we 
shall  be  convinced  of  the  truth  in  question. 
God  does  not  satisfy  our  desires  immediately, 
so  much  as  through  the  medium  of  second 
causes ;  and,  though  we  may  be  too  insensi- 
ble of  that  hand  which  puts  all  in  motion,  yet 
it  is  no  less  engaged  than  if  we  were  suppli- 
ed by  miracle.  A  concatenation,  or  chain 
of  causes,  is  apparent  in  the  works  of  God. 
Our  food  is  prepared  by  a  complicate  but  beau- 
tiful machinery.  The  heavens  are  made  to 
hear  the  earth,  the  earth  to  hear  the  corn,  the 
wine,  and  oil,  and  the  corn,  the  wine,  and 
the  oil  to  hear  the  people.  What  is  that  ten- 
dency of  various  parts  of  the  creation  to  sat- 
isfy the  desires  :  i'  other  parts,  but  the  opera- 
tion of  his  hand,  who  is  concerned  to  uphold 


and  render  happy  the  creatures  that  he  hath 
made  ?  The  earth  abounds  in  fertility,  and 
the  air  with  salubrity  :  the  clouds  pour  forth 
their  waters  on  the  earth,  and  the  sun  its 
genial  rays.  Fire  and  hail,  snow  and  winds 
and  seas  contribute  to  our  welfare.  We  in- 
hale life  with  every  breath  we  breathe.  The 
elements  are  employed  for  our  sustenance 
and  happiness. 

Look  we  to  instruments  as  well  as  means  ? 
Tender  parents  have  supplied  us  during  our 
childhood  and  youth ;  ways  have  been  opened 
for  our  future  subsistence  ;  endearing  con- 
nections have  been  formed,  which  have 
proved  a  source  of  much  enjoyment ;  in  sea- 
sons of  difficulty  friends  have  kindly  aided 
us ;  supplies  have  arisen  from  quarters  that 
we  never  expected  :  what  are  these  but  the 
openings  of  his  hand  ? 

III.  Improve  the  subject.  There  is  no 
divine  truth  but  is  of  some  account,  and  this 
will  be  found  not  a  little  fruitful. 

1.  If  such  be  the  bounty  of  divine  provi- 
dence, under  ivhat  ob!igatio7is  do  ive  lie  !  yet 
what  actual  returns  have  we  made  for  all 
this  goodness  ?  All  the  return  that  God  re- 
quires is  a  grateful  heart:  "  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart."  But, 
alas  !  are  there  not  many  of  you  who  are  this 
day  his  enemies  ?  The  idea  is  shocking-, 
that  such  a  God  should  have  an  enemy  ;  yet 
so  it  is.  The  worst  thing  that  was  said  of 
one  of  the  worst  of  men  was,  "He  hath  eat- 
en at  my  table,  and  hath  lifted  up  his  heel 
against  me  ! "  God  has  been  feeding  a  gen- 
eration of  vipers  ;  which,  under  the  frost  of 
childhood  or  adversity,  seemed  to  claim  his 
pity :  but  which,  under  the  sunshine  of  ma- 
turer  years  and  prosperous  circumstances, 
do  not  fail  to  hiss  and  spit  their  venom  in  his 
face  !  These  things  must  all  come  into  ac- 
count. All  God's  goodness,  and  all  our 
abuses  of  it,  will  be  brought  to  light  at  the 
last  day. 

2.  From  this  view  of  the  divine  beneficence, 
what  encouragement  is  there  to  trust  in  the 
Lord  under  all  our  wants  and  difficulties  ! 
With  what  ease  can  he  supply  our  wants  ! 
In  how  many  ways,  unknown  to  us,  and  un- 
expected by  us,  can  he  give  a  favorable  turn 
to  our  affairs  !  "  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do 
good,  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  ve- 
rily thou  shalt  be  fed." — "  Young  lions  do 
lack,  and  suffer  hunger  :  but  they  that  seejj 
the  Lord  shall  not  want  any  good  thing." 

3.  If  such  be  the  bounty  of  providence, 
what  is  that  of  grace  ?  If  this  be  the  opening 
of  his  hand,  that  is  the  opening  of  his  heart. 
If  he  satisfies  natural  desires,  much  more 
those  that  are  spiritual. — See  ver.  19.  That 
which  is  only  done  generally  in  the  one  case 
is  done  universally  in  the  other.  Not  one 
soul  shall  perish  through  famine,  or  any  kind 
of  want,  whose  desires  terminate  on  Christ. 

While  therefore  we  cherish  gratitude  for 
temporal  mercies,  let  us  not  rest  satisfied  in 


COMPOSITION    OF    A    SERMON. 


515 


them.  God  gave  Nebuchadnezzar  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  earth.  See  how  light  he 
makes  of  worldly  good,  to  bestow  it  on  the 
basest  of  men  ;  to  throw  it  away,  as  it  were, 
on  his  worst  enemies.  Do  not  be  content 
with  Nebuchadnezzar's  portion  ;  but  rather 
covet,'  with  Jabez,  to  be  blessed  indeed. 
Worldly  good,  though  a  blessing  in  itself, 
is  capable  of  being  turned  by  sin  into  a 
curse.  Covet  the  crowning  point  of  Joseph's 
portion  ;  not  only  the  precious  things  of  the 
earth,  and  the  fulness  thereof;  but  "the 
good  will  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the  bush  !  " 

4.  If  God  be  thus  good,  what  must  shi  be, 
that  can  induce  him  to  load  this  world  with 
such  a  degree  of  misery ! 

5.  If  God  can  with  such  ease  supply  all 
creation,  what  a  blessing  must  redemption  be! 
For  the  one  he  has  only  to  open  his  hand, 
and  the  work  is  done  :  the  other  must  be 
accomplished  by  the  purchase  of  his  blood  ! 
God  was  sufficient  for  the  latter,  as  well  as 
for  the  former,  as  to  power  ;  but  there  are 
things  relative  to  his  moral  conduct  which 
he  cannot  do — He  cannot  deny  himself. 
Here  lies  the  great  difficulty  of  salvation. 

6.  What  a  motive  is  here  to  be  kind  to  the 
poor  and  needy !  If  we  be  children  of  God 
we  must  imitate  him:  "Thou  shalt  open  thy 
hand  wide  unto  thy  brother,  to  thy  poor,  and 
to  thy  needy  in  thy  land." 

This  may  serve  as  an  example  of  the  top- 
ical method  of  preaching  ;  and,  where  it  can 
be  accomplished,  it  is  very  interesting.  But 
there  are  some  texts  which  cannot  be  easily 
reduced  to  a  single  topic  :  and  indeed  it  is 
better  not  to  be  confined  to  one  method,  but 
to  indulge  variety.  Whatever  method  may 
be  pursued  consistent  with  a  unity  of  design 
is  very  allowable.  This  object  may  be  at- 
tained in  what  is  called  the  textual  method 
of  division,  on  which  I  shall  next  proceed  to 
offer  a  few  observations. 

[N.  B.  Mr.  Fuller  appears  not  to  have  fulfilled 
his  intention  of  proceeding  with  the  subject,  the 
foregoing  letters  being  all  that  can  be  found  of  the 
series.  The  letter  which  follows  was  addressed  to 
another  of  Mr.  Fuller's  friends,  and  has  been 
kindly  handed  to  the  editor  of  this  edition  of  the 
works.] 


LETTER  IV. 

ON    THE    COMPOSITION    OF    A    SERMON. 

Endeavor  to  understand  a  subject  be- 
fore you  speak  of  it.  Do  not  overload  your 
memory  with  words.  Write  down  a  few 
leading  things  for  the  sake  of  arrangement 
and  assistance  of  memory  ;  but  not  a  great 
deal.  Memory  must  not  he  overburdened. 
Never  carry  what  you  write  into  the  pulpit. 
Avoid    vulgar  expressions :    do  not  affect 


finical  ones,  nor  words  out  of  common  use. 
As  to  division  and  arrangement,  it  barely 
respects  the  assortment  of  your  materials. 
You  must  endeavor  to  understand  and  feel 
your  subject,  or  the  manner  in  which  you 
divide  it  will  signify  but  little.  But  if  both 
these  may  be  taken  for  granted,  then  I  should 
say  much  depends,  as  to  your  being  heard 
with  pleasure  and  profit,  on  a  proper  discus- 
sion and  management  of  the  subject.  At  all 
events,  avoid  a  multiplying  of  heads  and  par- 
ticulars. A  few  well-chosen  thoughts,  ma- 
tured, proved,  and  improved,  are  abundant- 
ly more  acceptable  than  when  the  whole 
is  chopped,  as  it  were,  into  mince  meat.  It 
is  very  common  to  divide  in  a  textual  way, 
i.  e.  to  propose  to  discourse  first  upon  one 
part  or  branch  of  it ;  secondly,  upon  another, 
&c.     As  for  example  : — 

"In  thy  light  we  shall  see  light." — Ps. 
xxxvi.  9. 

First,  inquire  what  is  meant  by  that  light 
which  is  ascribed  to  God:  "Thy  light;" 
secondly,  what  is  that  light  which  we  see 
in  God's  light ;  thirdly,  what  is  included  in 
seeing  this  light.  I  cannot  say  I  approve  of 
this  method.  It  is  not,  properly  speaking,  a 
sermon.  A  sermon  is  a  discourse  on  some 
divine  subject,  or  a  train  of  interesting 
thoughts  on  some  sacred  theme.  The  above 
process,  I  think,  should  be  brought  into  the 
introduction  and  explication  of  the  text,  and 
should  be  done  in  about  five  minutes.  Then, 
having  made  the  text  plain  by  explaining 
the  difficult  parts  of  it,  I  should  state  the 
leading  truth  taught  in  the  text  as  the  sub- 
ject or  theme  of  the  discourse.  For  ex- 
ample : — 

"In  thy  light  we  shall  see  light." — Ps. 
xxxvi.  9. 

There  is  a  great  boast  of  light  in  the 
world,  and  there  is  some  ground  for  it  in 
natural  things :  but,  as  of  old  the  world  by 
wisdom  knew  not  God,  so  of  late.  If  ever 
we  know  God,  it  must  be  through  the  medi- 
um of  his  word.  This  I  take  to  be  the 
meaning  of  the  passage  I  have  read.  The 
term  light  in  the  last  clause  means  the  true 
knowledge  of  God :  and,  in  the  first,  the 
true  medium  of  attaining  it,  viz.  divine 
revelation.  The  sun  seems  to  amount  to 
this :  the  word  of  God  is  the  grand  medium 
by  which  we  can  attain  a  true  and  saving 
knowledge  of  God.  What  the  sun  and 
stars  are  to  the  regions  of  matter,  that  rev- 
elation is  to  the  mental  region. — Gen.  i. 
13,  17. 

I.  Let  us  try  to  illustrate  this  impor- 
tant TRUTH  BY  A  FEW  OBSERVATIONS. 

1.  The  knowledge  of  God  was  objec- 
tively manifested  by  the  light  of  nature, 
but  through  man's  depravity  rendered  in- 
operative. See  Rom.  i.  28.  It  is  the  reve- 
lation of  the  law  of  the  Lord  that  convert- 
eth  the  soul. — Psa.  xix.  1 — 11. 


516 


THOUGHTS    ON    PREACHING. 


2.  The  true  knowledge  of  God  was  ob- 
tained under  the  patriarchal  or  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation by  great  numbers,  but  it  was 
through  the  medium  of  revelation.  As 
revelation  increased,  the  knowledge  of  God 
increased  Avith  it ;  prophecies,  promises,  and 
precepts;  types,  and  shadows.  In  this 
light  they  saw  light,  though  not  so  clearly 
as  in  after  days. 

3.  The  true  knowledge  of  God  has  ob- 
tained still  more  ground  under  the  gospel 
dispensation  ;  but  it  is  still  through  the  me- 
dium of  revelation.  Whenever  the  latter 
has  gone  among  the  Gentiles,  the  former 
has  gone  along  with  it :  and,  as  revelation  is 
more  perfect,  God  has  the  more  honored  it. 

4.  The  light  of  the  gospel  dispensation  is 
not  yet  perfect  (Isa.  xxx.  26  ;)  but,  whatever 
degree  of  brilliancy  arises,  it  will  be  through 
this  medium.  We  must  not  think  we  have 
exhausted  Scripture  knowledge  :  we  know 
but  little  of  it  yet.  A  thousand  promises 
and  prophecies  will  appear  in  a  glory,  of 
which  we  have  now  but  faint  ideas.  Let 
us  now — 

II.  Endeavor  to  improve  this  sub- 
ject. 

1.  Be  thankful  for  the  light  of  revelation. 
Regard  not  the  ignis  fatuus  which  wanders 
about  under  the  name  of  reason  in  modern 
productions. — 2  Peter  i.  19. 

2.  Walk  in  it  particularly  in  finding  your 
way  to  eternal  life  ;  for  settling  disputed 
principles,  and  regulating  your  lives. 

3.  There  are  many  things  of  which  you 
may  entertain  no  doubt,  concerning  which 
there  may  be  no  manner  of  dispute  ;  yet 
make  a  point  of  seeing  them  in  God's 
light.  Many  content  themselves  with  seeing 
them  in  the  light  in  which  great  and  good 
men  have  placed  them ;  but,  though  angels, 
they  are  not  the  true  light :  they  all  view 
things  partially.  If  what  they  say  be  true, 
yet,  if  we  receive  it  merely  on  their  repre- 
sentation, our  faith  will  stand  in  the  wisdom 
of  men,  and  not  in  the  power  of  God. — 1 
Cor.  ii.  9.  That  knowledge  or  faith  which 
has  not  God's  word  for  its  ground  will  not 
stand  the  day  of  trial. 

4.  Endeavor  to  spread  it  in  your  connec- 
tions and  in  the  world  at  large,  &c. 

I  do  not  pretend  to  say  that  sermons  should 
be  formed  after  this  or  any  other  mode. 
Every  subject,  in  some  degree,  requires  a 
mode  of  discussion  for  itself.  There  are, 
however,  some  general  observations,  that 
will  ordinarily  apply  to  most  subjects.  In 
doctrinal  subjects,  in  which  some  great  truth 
is  taught,  your  business  is  to  find  out  that 
truth,  and  state  it  in  the  introduction:  if 
clearly  stated,  search  for  the  evidences,  and 
make  it  one  head  of  the  discourse  to  establish 
it.  If  it  be  a  truth  to  be  illustrated,  set  it 
before  the  hearers  in  various  points  of  light; 
and  as  no  divine  truth  is  merely  speculative, 


but  some  way  or  other  concerns  the  hearers, 
the  latter  part  of  the  subject  should  consist 
in  improvement.  I.  To  explain — II.  Toes- 
stablish — III.  To  improve  it. 

But  in  all  cases  the  division  must  be 
governed  by  the  materials  you  have  to  divide. 
It  would  be  absurd  to  explain  a  subject  that 
was  already  as  plain  as  you  could  make  it,  or 
in  which  there  appeared  no  difficulties  or 
liability  to  misunderstand.  There  are  three 
questions  I  have  often  put  to  myself  in 
thinking  on  a  subject — What1}  Why")  What 
then  ?  In  other  words — What  am  I  going  to 
teach  ?  Why  ?  or  on  what  ground  do  1  ad- 
vance it  as  a  truth  ?  And  what  does  it  con- 
cern any  or  all  of  my  hearers  if  it  be  true  ? 

On  practical  subjects  there  is  seldom  much 
room  for  you  to  prove  and  improve.  Not 
the  former,  since  there  is  no  truth  to  be  es- 
tablished ;  not  the  latter,  because  the  whole 
sermon  is  an  address  upon  those  things  of 
which  no  improvement  is  made.  I  have 
generally  found  that  exhortations  include 
matter  for  a  two-fold  division,  and  have  very 
commonly  proposed,  first,  to  inquire  into  the 
meaning  and  extent  of  the  exhortation  ; 
secondly,  to  enforce  it.  Under  the  former 
there  is  room  to  expatiate  upon  every  idea 
or  branch  of  the  duty.  In  the  latter,  to  in- 
troduce any  motive  that  serves  either  for 
that  or  other  texts. 

If  a  text  be  partly  doctrinal  and  partly 
practical,  the  practical  part  may  often  be 
introduced  first:  I  think  the  doctrinal  part 
will  come  as  a  motive  to  enforce  it. 


[The  subject  of  the  following  paper,  which  ori- 
ginally appeared  in  the  Evangelical  Magazine, 
will  it  is  presumed  sufficiently  justify  ils  insertion 
in  this  place.] 

ON  THE  ABUSE  OF  ALLEGORY  IN  PREACHING. 

After  what  several  able  writers  have 
produced  of  late  years  upon  this  practice, 
particularly  the  late  Dr.  Stennett  on  the 
Parable  of  the  Sower,  it  might  have  been 
expected  that  this  evil  would  at  least  have 
been  considerably  diminished.  But  the 
misfortune  is,  those  who  are  most  addicted 
to  this  way  of  preaching  seem  in  general  to 
have  very  little  inclination  to  read.  Wheth- 
er they  deem  it  unlawful,  as  involving  them 
in  the  sin  charged  upon  the  prophets,  of 
stealing  every  one  from  his  neighbor — or 
whether  they  be  so  enamored  of  their  own 
thoughts  as  to  set  all  others  at  defiance — I 
cannot  decide ;  but  certain  it  is  that  many 
preach  as  if  they  had  never  read  or  thought 
upon  the  subject. 

Very  little  observation  will  convince  us 
that  the  preachers  with  whom  this  practice 
mostly  prevails  are  of  the  lower  sort  with  re- 
spect to  seriousness  and  good  sense,  how- 


ABUSE  OF  ALLEGORY  OF  PREACHING. 


517 


ever  high  they  may  affect  to  soar  in  their 
notions.  Of  such  characters  I  have  but  lit- 
tle hope.  But  as  some  godly  men  are,  I 
believe,  too  much  infected  with  this  disease, 
if  the  editor  will  indulge  me  with  two  or 
three  pages  in  the  magazine,  I  will  expostu- 
late with  one  of  them  on  the  causes  and  con- 
sequences of  his  conduct. 

Let  me  intreat  you  then,  my  friend,  to 
consider,  in  the  first  place,  whether,  when 
you  turn  plain  historical  facts  into  allegory, 
you  treat  the  word  of  G^l  with  becoming 
reverence.  Can  you  seriously  think  the 
Scriptures  to  be  a  book  of  riddles  and  co- 
nundrums, and  that  a  Christian  minister  is 
properly  employed  in  giving  scope  to  his 
fancy,  in  order  to  discover  their  solution  ?  I 
have  been  asked  the  meaning  of  certain 
passages  of  Scripture  ;  and,  when  I  have  an- 
swered according  to  what  appeared  to  be 
the  scope  of  the  sacred  writer,  it  has  been 
said,  "  Yes,  that  may  be  the  literal  meaning  ; 
but  what  is  the  spiritual  meaning  of  it  ?"  as 
though  every  part  of  Scripture  had  a  spirit- 
ual, that  is,  a  hidden  or  allegorical  meaning, 
besides  its  obvious  one.  That  some  parts 
of  Scripture  are  allegorical — that  some  pro- 
phecies have  a  double  reference — and  that 
the  principle  suggested  by  many  a  passage 
may  be  applied  to  other  things  besides  what 
is  immediately  intended — there  is  no  doubt: 
but  this  is  very  different  from  the  practice 
to  which  I  allude.  All  Scripture  is  profitable 
in  some  way ;  some  for  doctrine,  some  for 
reproof,  some  for  correction,  and  some  for 
instruction  in  righteousness  :  but  all  is  not 
to  be  turned  into  allegory.  If  we  must  play, 
let  it  be  with  things  of  less  consequence  than 
the  word  of  the  eternal  God! 

Secondly  :  consider  whether  the  motive 
that  stimulates  you  to  such  a  manner  of 
treating  the  sacred  oracles  be  any  other  than 
vanity.  If  you  preached  to  a  people  pos- 
sessed of  any  thing  like  good  sense,  they 
would  consider  it  as  perverting  the  word  of 
God,  and  whipping  it  into  froth.  Instead  of 
applauding  you,  they  would  be  unable  to 
endure  it.  But,  if  your  people  be  ignorant, 
such  things  will  please  them  ;  and  they  may 
gaze,  and  admire,  and  smile,  and  say  one  to 
another,  it  may  be  in  your  hearing  too,  Well, 
what  a  man !  Who  would  have  thought 
that  he  would  have  found  so  much  gospel  in 
that  text  ?  Ah,  very  true  :  who  indeed  ? 
But  what  would  the  apostle  Paul  say  ? 
"Are  ye  not  carnal  ?"  Is  it  for  a  man  of 
God  to  "court  a  grin  when  he  should  woo  a 
soul  ?  "  For  shame  !  desist  from  such  folly, 
or  lay  aside  the  Christian  ministry !  You 
are  commanded  to  "  feed  the  church  of  God, 
which  he  hath  purchased  with  his  own 
blood : "  but  it  is  not  every  thing  pleasing 
to  a  people  that  feeds  them  in  the  sense  of 
the  apostle.    He  did  not  mean  to  direct  the 


Ephesian  elders  to  feed  men's  fancies,  and 
still  less  their  prejudices  ;  but  their  spiritual 
desires:  and  this  is  accomplished  only  by 
administering  to  them  the  words  of  truth 
and  soberness.  If  your  preaching  be  such 
as  God  approves,  and  if  you  study  to  show 
yourself  approved  of  him,  it  will  lead  the 
people  to  admire  your  Saviour  rather  than 
you,  and  render  him  the  topic  of  their  con- 
versation. 

Thirdly :  Consider  whether  both  you  and 
your  people  be  not  in  danger  of  mistaking 
this  spiritualizing  passion  for  spirituality  of 
mind  and  a  being  led  into  "  the  deep  things 
of  God."  There  are  few  objects  at  a  great- 
er distance  than  the  effervescence  of  a  vain 
imagination  and  that  holy  and  humble  spirit 
by  which  spiritual  things  are  discerned  ;  yet 
the  one  is  often  mistaken  for  the  other.  The 
preacher  dreams  of  deep  discoveries :  and 
the  people  wonder  to  hear  them:  but  what 
saith  the  Scriptures  ?  "  The  prophet  that 
hath  only  a  dream  must  tell  his  dream  ;  but 
he  that  hath  God's  word,  let  him  speak  it 
faithfully :  for  Avhat  is  the  chaff  to  the 
wheat?" 

Finally :  Consider  the  consequences  which 
must  follow  from  this  practice.  If  an  un- 
believer come  into  your  assembly,  and  find 
you  arraying  Christianity  in  this  fancy  dress, 
is  it  likely  he  should  be  convinced  of  all — 
and,  the  secrets  of  his  heart  being  made 
manifest,  fall  down  and  worship  God,  and 
report  that  God  is  among  you,  and  that  of  a 
truth?  If  he  hear  you  treat  of  the  historical 
parts  of  Scripture  as  meaning  something 
very  different  from  what  they  appear  to 
mean,  will  he  not  say  you  are  mad,  and  be 
furnished  with  a  handle  for  representing 
religion  itself  as  void  of  truth  and  good 
sense  ?  Or  if  he  hear  you  interpret  the 
miracles,  which  Christ  wrought  in  proof  of 
his  Messiahship,  of  that  change  which  is  now 
wrought  in  the  minds  of  sinners  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  will  he  not  say  that  you  your- 
selves appear  to  consider  the  whole  as  a 
string  of  fables,  and  are  employed  in  finding 
out  the  morals  of  them  ? 

But  perhaps  you  are  seldom  attended  by 
men  of  this  description.  Be  it  so ;  what, 
think  you,  must  be  the  effect  of  such  preach- 
ing on  professing  Christians,  either  nomi- 
nal or  real  ?  The  former  will  either  fall 
asleep  under  it,  as  something  which  does 
not  concern  them  ;  or,  if  they  attend  to  you, 
and  understand  your  interpretations,  they 
will  think  they  are  quite  in  the  secret,  and 
set  themselves  down  for  deep  Christians ; 
when,  in  truth,  they  know  nothing  yet  as 
they  ought  to  know.  And,  as  to  real  Chris- 
tians, their  souls  will  either  pine  under  your 
ministry,  or,  by  contracting  a  false  taste, 
will  thirst  after  the  froth  of  human  fancy,  to 
the  neglect  of  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word  ; 


.18 


THOUGHTS    ON    PREACHING. 


and  instead  of  growing  in  grace,  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  will 
make  no  progress  in  either. 

It  is  an  easy  thing  for  a  man  of  a  luxuri- 
ant imagination,  unincumbered  by  judgment, 
to  make  any  thing  he  pleases  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, as  well  as  any  other  book  ;  but  in  so 


of  course  their  efficacy ;  which  in  fact  is  re- 
ducing them  to  nothing.  If  they  be  not  ap- 
plied to  their  appropriate  uses,  they  are  per- 
verted ;  and  a  perverted  good  proves  the 
greatest  of  evils.  Thus  it  is  that  characters 
abound  who  are  full  of  scripture  language, 
while  yet  they  are  awfully  destitute  of  scrip- 


doing  he  must  destroy  their  simplicity,  and    ture  knowledge,  or  scriptural  religion. 


MEMOIRS 


REV.    SAMUEL   PEARCE 


FAMILY    AND   FRIENDS 

OF 

MR.   PEARCE, 
THESE   MEMOIRS, 

COMPILED    WITH    THEIR    APPROBATION 

AND    FROM    A    TENDER    REGARD    TO    HIS    MEMORY, 

ARE    AFFECTIONATELY 

AND     RESPECTFULLY 


INSCRIBED   BY 

THE  COMPILER. 


INTRODUCTION. 


It  was  observed  by  this  excellent  man,  during  his  affliction,  that  he  never  till  then  gained  any 
persona]  instruction  from  our  Lord's  telling  Peter  by  what  death  he  should  glorify  God.  To  die 
by  a  consumption  had  used  to  be  an  object  of  dread  to  him:  but  "  Oh  my  dear  Lord,"  said  he, 
''  if  by  this  death  I  can  most  glorify  thee,  I  prefer  it  to  all  others."  The  lingering  death  of  the 
cross,  by  which  our  Saviour  himself  expired,  afforded  him  an  opportunity  of  uttering  some  of  the 
most  affecting  sentences  which  are  left  on  sacred  record:  and  to  the  lingering  death  of  this  his 
honored  servant  we  are  indebted  for  a  considerable  part  of  the  materials  which  appear  in  these  Me- 
moirs. Had  he  been  taken  away  suddenly,  there  had  been  no  opportunity  for  him  to  have  express- 
ed his  sentiments  and  feelings  in  the  manner  he  has  now  done  in  letters  to  his  friends.  While  in 
health,  his  hands  were  full  of  labor,  and  consequently  his  letters  were  written  mostly  upon  the 
ppur  of  occasion;  and  related  principally  to  business,  or  to  things  which  would  be  less  interesting  to 
Christians  in  general.  It  is  true,  even  in  them  it  was  his  manner  to  drop  a  few  sentiments,  towards 
the  close,  of  an  experimental  kind;  and  many  of  these  hints  will  be  interspersed  hi  this  brief  account 
of  him:  but  it  was  during  his  affliction,  when,  being  rid  aside  nearly  a  year,  and  obliged  to  desist 
from  all  public  concerns,  that  he  gave  scope  to  all  the  feelings  of  his  heart.  Here,  standing  as  on  an 
eminence,  he  reviewed  his  life,  re-examined  the  ground  of  his  hope,  and  anticipated  the  crown 
which  awaited  him,  with  a  joy  truly  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 

Like  Elijah,  he  has  left  the  "  chariot  of  Israel,"  and  ascended  as  in  a  "chariot  of  fire;"  but  not 
without  having  first  communicated  of  his  eminently  Christian  spirit.  Oh  that  a  double  portion  of 
it  may  rest  upon  us ! 


MEMOIRS 


OF    THE    LATE 


REV.     SAMUEL     PEARCE 


CHAPTER  I. 

HIS  PARENTAGE,  CONVERSION,  CALL  TO  THE 
MINISTRY,  AND  SETTLEMENT  AT  BIR- 
MINGHAM. 

Mr.  Samuel  Pearce  was  born  at  Ply- 
mouth, on  July  20th,  1766.  His  father  who 
survives  him,  is  a  respectable  silversmith, 
and  has  been  many  years  a  deacon  of  the 
baptist  church  in  that  place. 

When  a  child,  he  lived  with  his  grand- 
father, who  was  very  fond  of  him,  and  en- 
deavored to  impress  his  mind  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  religion.  At  about  eight  or  nine 
years  of  age  he  came  home  to  his  father  with 
a  view  of  learning  his  business.  As  head- 
vanced  in  life,  his  evil  propensities,  as  he 
has  said,  began  to  ripen  ;  and,  forming  con- 
nexions with  several  vicious  school-fellows, 
he  became  more  and  more  corrupted.  So 
greatly  was  his  heart  at  this  time  set  in  him 
to  do  evil,  that  had  it  not  been  for  the  re- 
straining goodness  of  God,  which  somehow, 
he  knew  not  how,  preserved  him  in  most  in- 
stances from  carrying  his  wicked  inclinations 
into  practice,  he  supposed  he  should  have 
been  utterly  ruined. 

At  times  he  was  under  strong  convictions, 
which  rendered  him  miserable  ;  but  at  other 
times  they  subsided,  and  then  he  would  re- 
turn with  eagerness  to  his  sinful  pursuits. 
When  about  fifteen  years  old  he  was  sent  by 
his  father  to  inquire  after  the  welfare  of  a 
person  in  the  neighborhood,  in  dying  cir- 
cumstances, who  (though  before  his  depar- 
ture he  was  in  a  happy  state  of  mind)  at  that 
time  was  sinking  into  deep  despair.  While 
in  the  room  of  the  dying  man,  he  heard  him 
cry  out  with  inexpressible  agony  of  spirit, 
"  I  am  damned  forever  !  "  These  awful 
words  pierced  his  soul ;  and  he  felt  a  resolu- 
tion at  the  time  to  serve  the  Lord ;  but  the 
impression  soon  wore  off,  and  he  again  re- 
turned to  folly. 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  66. 


When  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  it  pleas- 
ed God  effectually  to  turn  him  to  himself. 
A  sermon  delivered  by  Mr.  Birt,  who  was 
then  co-pastor  with  Mr.  Gibbs  of  the  baptist 
church  at  Plymouth,  was  the  first  means  of 
impressing  his  heart  with  a  sense  of  his  lost 
condition,  and  of  directing  him  to  the  gospel 
remedy.  The  change  in  him  appears  to  have 
been  sudden,  but  effectual ;  and,  though  his 
vicious  propensities  were  bitter  to  his  recol- 
lection, yet,  being  now  sensibly  subdued,  he 
was  furnished  with  so  much  the  clearer  evi- 
dence that  the  work  was  of  God.  "  I  be- 
lieve," he  says,  "  few  conversions  were  more 
joyful.  The  change  produced  in  my  views, 
feelings,  and  conduct,  was  so  evident  to  my- 
self, that  I  could  no  more  doubt  of  its  being 
from  God  than  of  my  existence.  I  had  the 
witness  in  myself,  and  was  filled  with  peace 
and  joy  unspeakable." 

His  feelings  being  naturally  strong,  and 
receiving  a  new  direction,  he  entered  into 
religion  with  all  his  heart ;  but,  not  having 
known  the  devices  of  Satan,  his  soul  was  in- 
jured by  its  own  ardor,  and  he  was  thrown 
into  great  perplexity.  Having  read  Dod- 
dridge's "  Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion  in 
the  Soul,"  he  determined  formally  to  dedi- 
cate himself  to  the  Lord,  in  the  manner  re- 
commended in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of 
that  work.  The  form  of  a  covenant,  as  there 
drawn  up,  he  also  adopted  as  his  own ;  and, 
that  he  might  bind  himself  in  the  most  solemn 
and  affecting1  manner,  signed  it  tvilh  his  blood. 
But  afterwards,  failing  in  his  engagements, 
he  was  plunged  into  great  distress,  and  al- 
most into  despair.  On  a  review  of  his  cov- 
enant, he  seems  to  have  accused  himself  of 
a  pharisaical  reliance  upon  the  strength  of 
his  own  resolutions  ;  and  therefore,  taking 
the  paper  to  the  top  of  his  father's  house,  he 
tore  it  into  small  pieces,  and  threw  it  from 
him  to  be  scattered  by  the  wind.  He  did 
not  however  consider  his  obligation  to  be  the 
Lord's  as  hereby  nullified  ;  but,  feeling  more 


522 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


suspicious  of  himself,  he   depended  solely 
upon  the  blood  of  the  cross. 

After  this  he  was  baptized,  and  became  a 
member  of  the  baptist  church  at  Plymouth, 
the  ministers  and  members  of  which,  in  a 
few  years,  perceived  in  him  talents  for  pub- 
lic work.  Being  solicited  by  both  his  pas- 
tors, he  exercised  as  a  probationer  ;  and,  re- 
ceiving a  unanimous  call  from  the  church, 
entered  on  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  No- 
vember, 1786.  Soon  after  this  he  went  to 
the  academy  at  Bristol,  then  under  the  su- 
perintendence of  Dr.  Caleb  Evans. 

Mr.  Birt,  now  pastor  of  the  baptist  church, 
in  the  square,  Plymouth  Dock,  in  a  letter  to 
the  compiler  of  these  memoirs,  thus  speaks 
of  him : — "  Though  he  was,  so  far  as  I  know, 
the  very  first-fruits  of  my  ministry  on  my 
coming  hither,  and  though  our  friendship  and 
affection  for  each  other  were  great  and  con- 
stant, yet  previously  to  his  going  to  Bristol 
1  had'but  few  opportunities  of  conversing 
with  him,  or  of  making  particular  observa- 
tions on  him.  All  who  best  knew  him,  how- 
ever, well  remember  and  most  tenderly  speak 
of  his  loving  deportment;  and  those  who  at- 
tended the  conferences  with  him  soon  re- 
ceived the  most  impressive  intimations  of 
his  future  eminence  as  a  minister  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

"  Very  few,"  adds  Mr.  Birt,  "have entered 
upon  and  gone  through  their  religious  pro- 
fession with  more  exalted  piety  or  warmer 
zeal  than  Samuel  Pearce  ;  and  as  few  have 
exceeded  him  in  the  possession  and  display 
of  that  charity  which  'suffereth  long,  and  is 
kind,  that  envieth  not,  that  vaunteth  not  it- 
self, and  is  not  puffed  up,  that  doth  not  be- 
have itself  unseemly,  that  seeketh  not  her 
own,  is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil, 
that  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all  things, 
endureth  all  things.'  But  why  should  I  say 
this  to  you  ?     You  know  him  yourself." 

While  at  the  academy  he  was  much  dis- 
tinguished by  the  amiableness  of  his  spirit 
and  behavior.  It  is  sometimes  observable 
that  where  the  talents  of  a  young  man  are 
admired  by  his  friends,  and  his  early  efforts 
flattered  by  crowded  auditories,  effects  have 
been  produced  which  have  proved  fatal  to 
his  future  respectability  and  usefulness.  But 
this  Avas  not  the  case  with  Mr.  Pearce. 
Notwithstanding  the  popularity  which  even 
at  that  early  period  attended  his  ministerial 
exercises,  his  tutors  have  more  than  once 
remarked  that  he  never  appeared  to  them  to 
be  in  the  least  elated,  or  to  have  neglected 
his  proper  studies  ;  but  was  uniformly  the 
serious,  industrious,  docile,  modest,  and  un- 
assuming young  man. 

Towards  the  latter  end  of  1789,  he  came 
to  the  church  in  Cannon-street,  Birmingham, 
to  whom  he  was  recommended  by  Mr.  Hall, 
now  of  Cambridge,  at  that  time  one  of  his 
tutors.  After  preaching  to  them  a  while  on 
probation   he  waa   chosen  to  be  their  pas- 


tor. His  ordination  was  in  August  1790. 
Dr.  Evans  gave  the  charge,  and  the  late 
venerable  Mr.  Hall,  of  Arnsby,  delivered  an 
address  to  the  church  on  the  occasion. 

About  two  months  after  this  he  wrote  to 
his  friend  Mr.  Summers.  Whether  the  sen- 
timents contained  in  that  letter  arose  from 
the  recollection  of  his  late  solemn  engage- 
ment is  uncertain ;  but  they  were  certainly 
very  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  Request- 
ing his  friend  to  pray  for  him,  he  says: — 
"Paul  speaks  of  blessings  received  through 
the  prayers  of  his  fellow-christians  :  no  won- 
der, therefore,  he  so  often  solicits  their  con- 
tinuance. But,  if  it  be  well  to  be  interested 
in  the  prayers  of  fellow-christians,  how  much 
more  to  believe  the  great  High  Priest  of  our 
profession,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  is  gone 
into  the  holy  of  holies,  with  our  names  on 
his  breast-plate,  ever  to  plead  in  the  presence 
of  God  for  us — for  us :  O  transporting 
thought!  Who  can  doubt  of  the  success  of 
such  an  intercessor? 

"I  have  of  late  had  my  mind  very  plea- 
santly, and  I  hope  profitably,  exercised  on 
this  subject,  more  than  ever,  and  find  increas- 
ing pleasure  from  a  well-grounded  faith  in 
the  divinity  of  my  incarnate  advocate.  I  see 
the  glory  of  his  office,  arising  from  the  infi- 
nite extent  of  his  knowledge,  power,  and 
love,  as  well  as  from  the  efficacy  of  his  aton- 
ing sacrifice.  I  do  not  wonder  at  those  men 
who  deny  the  priestly  office  of  Christ,  when 
they  have  refused  him  the  honors  of  deity.  I 
rejoice  in  that  lie  who  pleads  for  us  knows 
our  wants  individually,  as  well  as  the  ne- 
cessities of  the  whole  church  collectively. 
Through  his  intercession  alone  I  expect  my 
sins  to  be  pardoned,  my  services  accepted, 
and  my  soul  preserved,  guided,  and  comfort- 
ed :  and,  with  confidence  in  his  intercession, 
I  cannot  doubt  but  I  shall  enjoy  all.  O  how 
sweet  is  it,  my  dear  friend,  to  exercise  a 
lively  faith  in  a  living  Saviour !  May  you 
and  I  do  this  daily.  Thus  for  us  to  live  will 
be  Christ,  and  to  die  gain  :  living  or  dying, 
we  shall  be  the  Lord's." 

In  this  early  stage  of  his  ministry,  redemp- 
tion by  the  blood  of  Christ  appears  to  have 
been  his  chosen  theme-  Writing  to  the 
same  friend  as  above,  on  Sept.  30,  1791,  he 
says  : — "  I  have  for  my  evening  discourse 
the  best  subject  in  all  the  Bible — redemp- 
tion.— Ephes.  i.  7.  How  welcome  to  the 
captive!  Forgiveness,  how  delightful  to  the 
guilty  !  Grace,  how  pleasing  to  the  heart 
of  a  saved  sinner!  O,  my  dear  friend,  how 
much  do  we  lose  of  gospel  blessings  for  want 
of  realizing  our  personal  concern  with  them  ! 
Hence  it  is  that  we  are  no  more  humble, 
thankful,  watchful,  prayerful,  joyful.  We 
view  the  glories  of  the  gospel  at  a  distance  ; 
and  for  want  of  that  faith  which  is  the  sub- 
stance of  things  hoped  for,  and  evidence  of 
things  not  seen,  think  too  lightly  of  them. 
"  Lord,  increase  our  faith  !  " 


CORRESPONDENCE    WITH    MR.     STEADMAN. 


523 


In  the  year  1791  he  married  Miss  Sarah 
Hopkins,  daughter  of  Mr.  Joshua.  Hopkins 
of  Alcester— a  connection  which  appears  to 
have  been  all  along  a  source  of  great  enjoy- 
ment to  him.  The  following  lines  addressed 
to  Mrs.  Pearce  when  he  was  on  a  journey, 
a  little  more  than  a  year  after  their  marriage, 
seem  to  be  no  more  than  a  common  letter: 
yet  they  show,  not  only  the  tenderness  of 
his  affection,  but  his  heavenly-mindedness, 
his  gentle  manner  of  persuading,  and  how 
every  argument  was  fetched  from  religion, 
and  every  incident  improved  for  introducing 
it:— 

"  Chipping  Norton,  August  15,  1792. 

"  I  believe,  on  retrospection,  that  I  have 
hitherto  rather  anticipated  the  proposed  time 
of  my  return,  than  delayed  the  interview 
with  my  dear  Sarah  for  an  hour.  But  what 
shall  I  say,  my  love,  now  to  reconcile  you 
to  my  procrastinating  my  return  for  several 
days  more  ?  Why  I  will  say — It  appears  I 
am  called  of  God ;  and  I  trust  the  piety  of 
both  of  us  will  submit  and  say,  '  Thy  will 
be  done.' 

"You  have  no  doubt  perused  Mr.  Ryland's 
letter  to  me,  wherein  I  find  he  solicits  an  ex- 
change. The  reason  he  assigns  is  so  obvi- 
ously important  that  a  much  greater  sacrifice 
than  we  are  called  to  make  should  not  be 
withheld  to  accomplish  it.  I  therefore  pro- 
pose, God  willing,  to  spend  the  next  Lord's 
day  at  Northampton.  I  thought  of  taking 
tea  with  you  this  evening  :  that  would  have 
been  highly  gratifying  to  us  both  ;  but  it  must 
be  our  meat  and  drink  to  do  and  submit  to 
the  will  of  our  heavenly  Father.  All  is  good 
that  comes  from  him,  and  all  is  done  right 
which  is  done  in  obedience  to  him.  Oh  to 
be  perfectly  resigned  to  his  disposal — how 
good  is  it!  May  you,  my  dearest  Sarah, 
and  myself,  daily  prove  the  sweetness  of  this 
pious  frame  of  soul :  then  all  our  duties  will 
be  sweet,  all  our  trials  will  be  light,  all  our 
pleasures  will  be  pure,  and  all  our  hopes 
sanctified. 

"  This  evening  I  hope  to  be  at  Northamp- 
ton. Let  your  prayers  assist  my  efforts  on 
the  ensuing  Sabbath.  You  will,  I  trust,  find 
in  Mr.  R.  a  ship  richly  laden  with  spiritual 
treasures.  Oh  for  more  supplies  from  the 
exhaustless  mines  of  grace  !  " 

The  soul  of  Mr.  Pearce  was  formed  for 
friendship  :  it  was  natural  therefore  to  sup- 
pose that,  while  engaging  in  the  pursuit  of 
his  studies  at  the  academy,  he  would  con- 
tract religious  intimacies  with  some  of  his 
brethren  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that 
the  grand  cement  of  his  friendship  was  kin- 
dred piety.  In  the  two  following  letters, 
addressed  to  his  friend  Mr.  Steadman,  the 
reader  will  perceive  the  justness  of  this  re- 
mark, as  well  as  the  encouraging  prospects 
which  soon  attended  his  labors  at  Birming- 
ham : — 


May  9,  1792. 

"  My  very  dear  Brother, 

"You  live  so  remote  that  I  can  hear 
nothing  of  your  prosperity  at  Broughton. 
I  hope  you  are  settled  with  a  comfortable 
people,  and  that  you  enjoy  much  of  your 
Master's  presence,  both  in  the  study  and  in 
the  pulpit.  For  my  part,  I  have  nothing  to 
lament  but  an  insensible  ungrateful  heart,and 
that  is  sufficient  cause  for  lamentation.  This, 
only  this,  bows  me  down  ;  and  under  this 
pressure  1  am  ready  to  adopt  the  words  I 
preached  from  last  evening — '  Oh  that  I  had 
wings  like  a  dove,  for  then  would  I  fly  away 
and  be  at  rest ! ' 

"As  a  people  we  are  generally  united: 
I  believe  more  so  than  most  churches  of  the 
same  dimensions.  Our  number  of  members 
is  about  295,  between  forty  and  fifty  of 
whom  have  joined  us  since  I  saw  you,  and 
most  of  them  I  have  the  happiness  of  con- 
sidering as  my  children  in  the  faith. — There 
is  still  a  crying  out  amongst  us  after  salva- 
tion ;  and  still,  through  much  grace,  it  is 
my  happiness  to  point  them  to  '  the  Lamb 
of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world.' 

"  In  preaching,  I  have  often  peculiar  lib- 
erty ;  at  other  times  barren.  I  suppose  my 
experience  is  like  that  of  most  of  my  breth- 
ren :  but  I  am  not  weary  of  my  work.  I 
hope  still  that  I  am  willing  to  spend  and  be 
spent,  so  that  I  may  win  souls  to  Christ,  and 
finish  my  course  with  joy :  but  I  want  more 
heart-religion :  I  want  a  more  habitual 
sense  of  the  divine  presence  :  I  want  to 
walk  with  God  as  Enoch  walked.  There 
is  nothing  that  grieves  me  so  much,  or  brings 
so  much  darkness  on  my  soul,  as  my  little 
spirituality,  and  frequent  wanderings  in 
secret  prayer.  I  cannot  neglect  the  duty  ; 
but  it  is  seldom  that  I  enjoy  it. 

■  Ye  that  love  the  Lord  indeed, 
Tell  me,  is  it  so  with  you  V 

When  I  come  to  the  house  of  God,  I  pray 
and  preach  with  freedom.  Then  I  think  the 
presence  of  the  people  seems  to  weigh 
more  with  me  than  the  presence  of  God,  and 
deem  myself  a  hypocrite,  almost  ready  to 
leave  my  pulpit,  for  some  more  pious  preach- 
er. But  the  Lord  does  own  the  word  :  and 
again  I  say,  If  I  go  to  hell  myself,  I  will  do 
what  I  can  to  keep  others  from  going  thith- 
er ;  and  so  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  I 
will. 

"  An  observation  once  made  to  me  helps 
to  support  me  above  water: — 'If  you  did  not 
plough  in  your  closet,  you  would  not  reap 
in  the  pulpit.'  And  again  I  think,  'the 
Lord  dwelleth  in  Zion,  and  loveth  it  more 
than  the  dwellings  of  Jacob.' 

"  Feb.  1793. 

"  The  pleasure  which  your  friendly  epistle 
gave  me  rises  beyond  expression  ;  and  it  is 
one  of  the  first  wishes  of  my  heart  ever  to 


524 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


live  in  your  valued  friendship.  Accept  this 
and  my  former  letters,  my  dear  brother,  as 
sufficient  evidences  of  my  ardent  wishes  to 
preserve,  by  correspondence,  that  mutual 
remembrance  of  each  other  which  on  my 
part  will  ever  be  pleasurable,  and  on  yours, 
I  hope,  never  painful. 

"But,  ah,  how  soon  may  we  be  rendered 
incapable  of  such  an  intercourse!  When  I 
left  Bristol,  I  left  it  with  regret.  I  was  sor- 
ry to  leave  my  studies  to  embark,  inexpe- 
rienced as  I  am,  on  the  tempestuous  ocean 
of  public  life,  where  the  high  blowing  winds, 
and  rude  noisy  billows,  must  more  or  less 
inevitably  annoy  the  trembling  voyager. 
Nor  did  it  make  a  small  addition  to  my  pain 
that  I  was  to  part  with  so  many  of  my  dear 
companions,  with  whom  I  had  spent  so  many 
happy  hours,  either  in  furnishing  or  unbur- 
dening the  mind.  I  need  not  say,  amongst 
the  first  of  these  I  considered  Josiah  Evans.* 
But  ah,  my  friend,  we  shall  see  his  face  no 
more  !  Through  divine  grace  I  hope  we 
shall  go  to  him  ;  but  he  will  not  return  to 
us.  'He  wasted  away,  he  gave  up  the 
ghost,  and  where  is  he  ?  '  I  was  prepared 
for  the  news  because  I  expected  it.  The 
last  time  I  heard  directly  from  him  was  by  a 
very  serious  and  affectionate  letter,  which 
I  received,  I  think,  last  September.  To  it  I 
replied;  but  received  no  answer.  I  conjec- 
tured— I  feared ;  and  now  my  conjectures 
and  fears  are  all  realized.  Dear  departed 
youth !  Thy  memory  will  ever  be  grateful 
to  this  affectionate  breast.  May  thy  amia- 
ble qualities  live  again  in  thy  surviving 
friend,  that,  to  the  latest  period  of  his  life, 
he  may  thank  God  for  the  friendship  of 
Josiah  Evans ! 

"I  assure  you,  my  dear  Steadman,  I  feel, 
keenly  feel,  the  force  of  the  sentiment  which 
Blair  thus  elegantly  expresses  : — 

•  Of  joys  departed,  ne'er  to  be  recalled, 
How  painful  the  remembrance  !' 

"But  I  sorrow  not  as  one  without  hope. 
I  have  a  two-fold  hope  :  I  hope  he  is  now 
among  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect, 
and  that  he  will  be  of  the  blessed  and  holy 
number  who  have  part  in  the  first  resurrec- 
tion: and  I  hope  also,  through  the  same 
rich,  free,  sovereign,  almighty,  matchless 
grace,  to  join  the  number  too.  Pleasing 
thought !     Unite  to  divide  no  more  ! 

"  I  preached  last  night  from  Rev.  xxi.  6  : 
'I  will  give  unto  him  that  is  athirst  of  the 
fountain  of  the  water  of  life  freely.'  I  took 
occasion  to  expound  the  former  part  of  the 
chapter,  and  found  therein  a  pleasure  inex- 
pressible ;  especially  when  speaking  from 
the  first  verse — 'and  there  was  no  more 
sea.'  The  first  idea  that  presented  itself  to 
me  was  this — there  shall  be  no  bar  to  inter- 

*  See  a  brief  account  of  him,  given  in  part  by 
Mr.  Pearce,  in  Dr.  Rippon's  Register,  Vol.  I. 
pp.  51.— 516. 


course.  Whether  the  thought  be  just,  or 
not,  I  leave  with  you  and  my  hearers  to  de- 
termine ;  but  I  found  happy  liberty  in  illus- 
trating it.  What  is  it  that  separates  one 
nation,  and  one  part  of  the  globe,  from 
another?  Is  it  not  the  sea?  Are  not 
Christians,  though  all  of  one  family,  the 
common  Father  of  which  is  God,  separated 
by  this  sea,  or  that  river,  or  the  other  stream 
below  ?  Yes,  but  they  are  one  family  still. 
There  shall  be  none  of  these  obstructions  to 
communion,  of  these  bars  to  intercourse ; 
nothing  to  divide  their  affections  or  disunite 
their  praise  forever. — Forgive  my  freedoms. 
I  am  writing  to  a  friend,  to  a  brother." 

There  are  few,  if  any,  thinking  men  but 
who  at  some  seasons  have  had  their  minds 
perplexed  with  regard  to  religious  princi- 
ples, even  those  which  are  of  the  greatest 
importance.  In  the  end,  however,  where 
the  heart  is  right,  such  exercises  commonly 
issue  in  a  more  decided  attachment  to  the 
truth.  Thus  it  was  with  Mr.  Pearce.  In 
another  part  of  the  above  letter,  he  thus 
writes  to  his  friend  Steadman: — "I  have, 
since  I  saw  you,  been  much  perplexed  about 
some  doctrinal  points,  both  Arminian  and 
Socinian,  I  believe  through  reading  very 
attentively,  but  without  sufficient  depen- 
dence on  the  Spirit  of  truth,  several  contro- 
versies on  those  subjects  ;  particularly  the 
writings  of  Whitby,  Priestly,  and  others. 
Indeed,  had  the  state  of  mind  I  was  in  about 
ten  weeks  since  continued,  I  should  have 
been  incapable  of  preaching  with  comfort  at 
all.  But  in  the  mount  of  the  Lord  will  he 
be  seen.  Just  as  I  thought  of  giving  up, 
he  who  hath  the  hearts  of  all  men  in  his 
hand,  and  turneth  them  as  the  rivers  of 
water  are  turned,  was  pleased,  by  a  merci- 
ful though  afflicting  providence,  to  set  me 
at  a  happy  liberty. 

"  I  was  violently  seized  with  a  disorder 
very  rife  here,  and  which  carried  off  many, 
supposed  to  be  an  inflammation  in  the 
bowels.  One  Sabbath  evening  I  felt  such 
alarming  symptoms  that  I  did  not  expect  to 
see  the  Monday  morning.  In  these  circum- 
stances I  realized  the  feelings  of  a  dying 
man.  My  mind  had  been  so  accustomed  to 
reflect  on  virtue  and  moral  goodness,  that 
the  first  thing  I  attempted  was  a  survey  of 
my  own  conduct;  my  diligence  and  faith- 
fulness in  the  ministry,  my  unspotted  life, 
&c.  &c.  But,  ah,  vain  props  these  for  dy- 
ing men  to  rest  on  !  Such  heart-sins,  such 
corruptions,  and  evil  propensities,  recurred 
to  my  mind,  that,  if  ever  I  knew  the  moment 
when  I  felt  my  own  righteousness  to  be  as 
loathsome  and  filthy  rags,  it  was  then.  And 
where  should  I,  where  could  I,  where  did  I 
flee,  but  to  Him  whose  glory  and  grace  I 
had  been  of  late  degrading,  at  least  in  my 
thoughts  ?  Yes,  there  1  saw  peace  for 
guilty  consciences  was  to  be  alone  obtained 
throuo-h  an    almighty    Saviour.      And  oh, 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  MR.  SUMMERS. 


525 


en, 


wonderful  to  tell,  I  again  came  to  him;  nor 
was  I  sent  away  without  the  blessing:.  I 
found  him  full  of  all  compassion,  ready  to 
receive  the  most  ungrateful   of  men. 

'  Oh  to  grace  how  great  a  debtor 
Daily  I'm  constrained  to  be  !' 

Thus,  my  dear  brother,  was  the  snare  brok 
and  thus  I  escaped. 

'  A  debtor  to  mercy  alone, 
Of  covenant  mercy  I  sing.' 

Join  with  me  in  praising  Him  who  remem- 
bered me  in  my  low  estate,  because  his 
mercy  endureth  forever.  Yet  this  is  among 
the  all  things.  I  have  found  it  has  made 
me  more  spiritual  in  preaching.  I  have 
prized  the  gospel  more  than  ever,  and  hope 
it  will  be  the  means  of  guarding  me  against 
future  temptations." 

From  his  first  coming  to  Birmingham,  his 
meekness  and  patience  were  put  to  the 
trial  by  an  antinomian  spirit  which  infected 
many  individuals,  both  in  and  out  of  his  con- 
gregation. It  is  well  known  with  what  af- 
fection it  was  his  practice  to  beseech  sinners 
to  be  reconciled  to  God,  and  to  exhort 
Christians  to  the  exercise  of  practical  god- 
liness :  but  these  were  things  which  they 
could  not  endure.  Soothing  doctrine  was 
all  they  desired.  Therefore  it  was  that  his 
ministry  was  traduced  by  them  as  arminian, 
and  treated  with  neglect  and  contempt. 
But,  like  his  divine  Master,  he  bore  the  con- 
tradiction of  sinners  against  himself,  and 
this  while  he  had  the  strongest  satisfaction 
that,  in  those  very  things  to  which  they  ob- 
jected, he  was  pleasing  God.  And  though 
he  plainly  perceived  the  pernicious  influence 
of  their  principles  upon  their  own  minds,  as 
well  as  the  minds  of  others,  yet  he  treated 
them  with  great  gentleness  and  long  for- 
bearance ;  and,  when  it  became  necessary 
to  exclude  such  of  this  description  as  were 
in  communion  with  him,  it  was  with  the 
greatest  reluctance  that  he  came  into  that 
measure,  and  not  without  having  first  tried 
all  other  means  in  vain.  He  was  not  apt  to 
deal  in  harsh  language;  yet,  in  one  of  his 
letters  about  that  time,  he  speaks  of  the 
principles  and  spirit  of  these  people  as  a 
"cursed  leaven." 

Among  his  numerous  religious  friendships, 
he  seems  to  have  formed  one  for  the  special 
purpose  of  spiritual  improvement.  This  was 
with  Mr.  Summers,  of  London,  who  often 
accompanied  him  in  his  journeys  ;  to  whom, 
therefore,  it  might  be  expected  he  would 
open  his  heart  without  reserve.  Here,  it  is 
true,  we  sometimes  see  him,  like  his  breth- 
ren, groaning  under  darkness,  want  of  spir- 
ituality, and  the  remains  of  indwelling  sin  ; 
but  frequently  rising  above  all,  as  into  his 
native  element,  and  pouring  forth  his  ardent 
soul  in  expressions  of  joy  and  praise. — On 
Aug.  19, 1793,  he  writes  thus  : — 


"  My  dear  Brother, 
"  When  I  take  my  pen  to  pursue  my  cor- 
respondence with  you,  I  have  no  concern 
but  to  communicate  something  which  may 
answer  the  same  end  we  propose  in  our  an- 
nual journeys  ;  viz.  lending  some  assistance 
in  the  important  object  of  getting  and  keep- 
ing nearer  to  God.  This,  I  am  persuaded, 
is  the  mark  at  which  we  should  be  contin- 
ually aiming,  nor  rest  satisfied  until  we  at- 
tain that  to  which  we  aspire.  I  am  really 
ashamed  of  myself,  when,  on  the  one  hand, 
I  review  the  time  that  has  elapsed  since  I  first 
assumed  the  christian  name,  with  the  op- 
portunities of  improvement  in  godliness 
which  have  crowded  on  my  moments  since 
that  period  ;  and  when,  on  the  other,  I  feel 
the  little  advance  I  have  made  !  More  light, 
to  be  sure,  I  have  ;  but  light  loithout  heat 
leaves  the  Christian  half  dissatisfied.  Yes- 
terday, I  preached  on  the  duty  of  engaged- 
ness  in  God's  service,  from  Jer.  xxx.  21, 
'  Who  is  this  that  engaged  his  heart  to  ap- 
proach unto  me,  saith  the  Lord  '  (a  text  for 
which  I  am  indebted  to  our  last  journey.) 
While  urging  the  necessity  of  heart-religion, 
including  sincerity  and  ardor,  I  found  my- 
self much  assisted  by  reflecting  on  the  ardor 
which  our  dear  Redeemer  discovered  in  the 
cause  of  sinners.  '  Ah,'  I  could  not  help 
saying;,  '  if  our  Saviour  had  measured  his  in- 
tenseness  in  his  engagements  for  us,  by  our 
fervency  in  fulfilling  our  engagements  to 
him, — we  should  have  been  now  farther  from 
hope  than  we  are  from  perfection.' 

'  Dear  Lord  the  ardor  of  thy  love 
Reproves  my  cold  returns.5 

"Two  things  are  causes  of  daily  aston- 
ishment to  me: — The  readiness  of  Christ  to 
come  from  earth  to  heaven  for  me  ;  and  my 
backwardness  to  rise  from  earth  to  heaven 
with  him.  But,  oh,  how  animating  the  pros- 
pect !  A  time  approaches  when  we  shall 
rise  to  sink  no  more  :  to  '  be  forever  with  the 
Lord.'  To  be  with  the  Lord  for  a  week,  for 
a  day,  for  an  hour ;  how  sweetly  must  the 
moments  pass!  But  to  be  forever  with  the 
Lord, — that  enstamps  salvation  with  perfec- 
tion ;  that  gives  an  energy  to  our  hopes,  and 
a  dignity  to  our  joy,  so  as  to  render  it  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory  !  I  have  had  a 
few  realizing  moments  since  we  parted,  and 
the  effect  has  been,  I  trust,  a  broken  heart. 
Oh,  my  brother,  it  is  desirable  to  have  a 
broken  heart,  were  it  only  for  the  sake  of 
the  pleasure  it  feels  in  being  helped  and 
healed  by  Jesus  !  Heart-affecting  views  of 
the  cursed  effects  of  sin  are  highly  salutary 
to  a  Christian's  growth  in  humility,  confi- 
dence, and  gratitude.  At  once  how  abasing 
and  exalting  is  the  comparison  of  our  loath- 
some hearts  with  that  of  the  lovely  Saviour! 
In  Him  we  see  all  that  can  charm  an  angel's 
heart:  in  ourselves  all  that  can  gratify  a 
devil's.     And  yet  we  may  rest  perfectly  as* 


526 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.     PEARCE. 


sured  thai  these  nests  of  iniquity  shall,  ere 
long,  be  transformed  into  the  temples  of  God  ; 
and  these  sighs  of  sorrow  be  exchanged  for 
songs  of  praise. 

"Last  Lord's-day  I  spent  the  most  profit- 
able Sabbath  to  myself  that  I  ever  remem- 
ber since  I  have  been  in  the  ministry ;  and 
to  this  hour  I  feel  the  sweet  solemnities  of 
that  day  delightfully  protracted.  Ah  !  my 
brother,  were  it  not  for  past  experience  I 
should  say, 

'  My  heart  presumes  I  cannot  lose 

The  relish  all  my  days.' 

■  But  now  I  rejoice  with  trembling,  desiring 
to  'hold  fast  what  I  have,  that  no  man  take 
my  crown.'  Yet  fearing  that  I  shall  find 
how, 

— '  Ere  one  fleeting  hour  is  past, 

The  flatt'iing  world  employs 
Some  sensual  bait  to  seize  my  taste, 
And  to  pollute  my  joys.'  " 

In  April,  1794,  dropping  a  few  lines  to 
the  compiler  of  these  Memoirs,  on  a  Lord's 
day  evening,  he  thus  concludes  : — "  We 
have  had  a  good  day.  I  find,  as  a  dear  friend 
once  said,  it  is  pleasant  speaking  for  God 
when  we  ivalk  with  him.  Oh,  for  much  of 
Enoch's  spirit!  The  Head  of  the  church 
grant  it  to  my  dear  brother,  and  his  affec- 
tionate friend — S.  P." 

In  another  letter  to  Mr.  Summers,  dated 
June  24,  1794,  he  thus  writes: — "We,  my 
friend,  have  entered  on  a  correspondence  of 
heart  with  heart ;  and  must  not  lose  sight  of 
that  avowed  object.  I  thank  you  sincerely 
for  continuing  the  remembrance  of  so  un- 
worthy a  creature  in  your  intercourse  with 
heaven ;  and  I  thank  that  sacred  Spirit  whose 
quickening  influences,  you  say,  you  enjoy 
in  the  exercise.  Yes,  my  brother,  I  have 
reaped  the  fruits  of  your  supplications.  I 
have  been  indulged  with  some  seasons  of 
unusual  joy,  tranquil  as  solitude,  and  solid  as 
the  rock  on  which  our  hopes  are  built.  In 
public  exercises,  peculiar  assistance  has 
been  afforded  ;  especially  in  these  three 
things: — The  exultation  of  the  Redeemer's 
glory — the  detection  of  the  crooked  ways, 
false  refuges,  and  self-delusions  of  the  hu- 
man heart — and  the  stirring  up  of  the  saints 
to  press  onward,  making  God's  cause  their 
own,  and  considering  themselves  as  living 
not  for  themselves,  but  for  Him  alone. 

"  Nor  hath  the  word  been  without  its 
effect:  above  fifty  have  been  added  to  our 
church  this  year,  most  of  whom  I  rejoice  in 
as  the  seals  of  my  ministry  in  the  Lord.  In- 
deed, I  am  surrounded  with  goodness ;  and 
scarcely  a  day  passes  over  my  head  but  I 
say,  were  it  not  for  an  ungrateful  heart,  I 
should  be  the  happiest  man  alive  ;  and,  that 
excepted,  I  neither  expect  nor  wish  to  be 
happier  in  this  world.  My  wife,  my  children, 
and  myself,  are  uninterruptedly  healthy ; 
my  friends  kind  ;  my  soul  at  rest ;  my  la- 
bors successful,  &c.     Who  should  be  con- 


tent and  thankful  if  I  should  not?     Oh,  my 
brother,  help  me  to  praise  !  " 

In  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Pearce,  from  Plymouth, 
dated  Sept.  2,  1794,  the  dark  side  of  the 
cloud  seems  towards  him  : — "  I  have  felt 
much  barrenness,"  says  he,  "  as  to  spiritual 
things,  since  I  have  been  here,  compared 
with  my  usual  frame  at  home ;  and  it  is  a 
poor  exchange  to  enjoy  the  creature  at  the 
expense  of  the  Creator's  presence  !  A  few 
seasons  of  spirituality  I  have  enjoyed ;  but 
my  heart,  my  inconstant  heart,  is  too  prone 
to  rove  from  its  proper  centre.  Pray  for  me, 
my  dear,  my  dearest  friend :  I  do  for  you 
daily.  Oh,  wrestle  for  me,  that  I  may  have 
more  of  Enoch's  spirit !  I  am  fully  persuaded 
that  a  Christian  is  no  longer  really  happy, 
and  inwardly  satisfied,  than  whilst  he  walks 
with  God  ;  and  I  would  this  moment  rejoice 
to  abandon  every  pleasure  here  for  a  closer 
walk  with  him.  I  cannot,  amidst  all  the 
round  of  social  pleasure,  amidst  the  most  in- 
viting scenes  of  nature,yee/  that  peace  with 
God  which  passeth  understanding.  My 
thirst  for  preaching  Christ,  I  fear,  abates, 
and  a  detestable  vanity  for  the  reputation  of 
a  'good  preacher  '  (as  the  world  terms  it) has 
already  cost  me  many  conflicts.  Daily  I 
feel  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  a  remark 
which  my  friend  Summers  made  on  his  jour- 
ney to  Wales,  that  'it  is  easier  for  a  Chris- 
tian to  walk  habitually  near  to  God  than  to 
be  irregular  in  our  walk  with  him.'  But  I 
want  resolution  ;  I  want  a  contempt  for  the 
world  ;  I  want  more  heavenly-mindedness  ; 
I  want  more  humility ;  I  want  much,  very 
much,  of  that  which  God  alone  can  bestow. 
Lord,  help  the  weakest  lamb  in  all  thy  flock! 

"  I  preached  this  evening  from  Cant.  ii.  3: 
'I  sat  down  under  his  shadow  with  great  de- 
light, and  his  fruit  was  sweet  to  my  taste.' 
But  how  little  love  for  my  Saviour  did  I  feel ! 
With  what  little  affection  and  zeal  did  I 
speak !  I  am  by  some  praised.  I  am  fol- 
lowed by  many.  I  am  respected  by  most  of 
my  acquaintance.  But  all  this  is  nothing, 
yea,  less  than  nothing,  compared  with  pos- 
sessing this  testimony,  that  I  please  God. 
Oh,  thou  friend  of  sinners,  humble  me  by  re- 
pentance, and  melt  me  down  with  love  ! 

"To-morrow  morning  I  set  offforLaun- 
ceston.  I  write  to-night,  lest  my  stay  in 
Cornwall  might  make  my  delay  appear  te- 
dious to  the  dear  and  deserving  object  of  my 
most  undissembled  love.  Oh,  my  Sarah, 
had  I  as  much  proof  that  I  love  Jesus  Christ 
as  I  have  of  my  love  to  you,  I  should  prize 
it  more  than  rubies !  As  often  as  you  can 
find  an  hour  for  correspondence,  think  of 
your  more  than  ever  affectionate — S.  P." 

On  the  same  subject,  and  the  same  occa- 
sion, about  three  weeks  afterwards  (Sept. 
23,  1794,)  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Summers.  His 
dissatisfaction  with  himself  while  spending 
his  time  in  visits,  and  his  satisfaction  when 
engaged  in  his  proper  work,  are  well  worthy 


EXERTIONS    IN    PROMOTING    MISSION3. 


527 


of  attention.  "I  was  pretty  much  engaged 
in  preaching,"  says  he,  "  and  often  felt  en- 
larged in  public  work :  but,  in  private,  my 
almost  daily  cry  was,  '  My  leanness,  my 
leanness  ! '  Indeed  it  was  a  barren  visit,  as 
to  the  inward  exercises  of  grace.  Now  and 
then  I  felt  a  brokenness  of  spirit,  and  a  pant- 
ing after  God  ;  but  in  general  my  mind  was 
in  a  dissipated  state.  After  so  long  an  ab- 
sence from  so  large  an  acquaintance,  I  was 
always  crowded  with  company,  some  of  whom 
though  amiable,  were  very  gay.  Their 
politeness  and  cheerfulness,  joined  with  a 
high  degree  of  indulgence,  were  too  fasci- 
nating for  my  volatile  mind.  I  admired,  and 
was  too  much  conformed  to  their  spirit.  I 
did  indeed  often  struggle  with  myself,  and 
watched  for  occasions  of  dropping  some  im- 
proving hint ;  but,  either  through  want  of 
opportunity  or  of  fortitude,  the  hint  seldom 
produced  a  long  conversation,  or  a  perma- 
nent effect.  New  visits,  or  excursions,  were 
every  day  proposed,  and  my  heart  was  con- 
tinually divided  between  painful  recollection 
and  flattering  hopes.  One  lesson,  indeed,  I 
have  thoroughly  learned — that  real,  solid 
satisfaction,  is  to  be  found  in  nothing  but 
God.  May  I  have  grace  to  improve  it 
throughout  my  future  life. 

"The  last  week  I  have  known  more  of 
the  power  of  inward  religion  than  all  the 
four  which  I  have  spent  from  home.  I  de- 
voted the  week  to  my  Lord's  service  entire- 
ly, and  I  found  in  keeping  his  command- 
ments great  reward." 

In  another  letter  to  Mr.  Summers,  dated 
Nov.  10,  1794,  he  says — "  I  suppose  I  shall 
visit  Londoain  the  spring:  prepare  my  way 
by  communion  both  with  God  and  man.  I 
hope  your  soul  prospers.  I  have  enjoyed 
more  of  God  within  this  month  than  ever 
since  the  day  of  my  espousals  with  him.  Oh, 
my  brother,  help  me  to  praise  !  I  cannot  say 
that  I  am  quite  so  exalted  in  my  frame  to- 
day ;  yet  still  I  acknowledge  what  I  have 
lived  upon  for  weeks — that,  were  there  no 
being  or  thing  in  the  universe  beside  God 
and  me,  I  should  be  at  no  loss  for  happiness. 
Oh, 

'  'Tis  heaven  to  rest  in  his  embrace. 
And  no  where  else  but  there.'  " 


CHAP.  II. 

HIS  LABORIOUS  EXERTIONS  IN  PROMOTING 
MISSIONS  TO  THE  HEATHEN,  AND  HIS  OF- 
FERING HIMSELF  TO  BECOME  A  MISSION- 
ARY. 

Mr.  Pearce  was  uniformly  the  spiritual 
and  the  active  servant  of  Christ ;  but  neither 
his  spirituality  nor  his  activity  would  have 
appeared  in  the  manner  they  have,  but  for 
his  engagement  in  the  introduction  of  the 
gospel  among  the  heathen. 


It  was  not  long  after  his  settlement  at 
Birmingham  that  he  became  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Carey,  in  whom  he  found  a  soul  nearly 
akin  to  his  own.  When  the  brethren  in  the 
counties  of  Northampton  and  Leicester 
formed  themselves  into  a  missionary  society 
at  Kettering,  in  October,  1792,  he  was  there, 
and  entered  into  the  business  with  all  his 
heart.  On  his  return  to  Birmingham,  he 
communicated  the  subject  to  his  congrega- 
tion with  so  much  effect  that,  in  addition  to 
the  small  sum  of  £13.  2s.  6d.,  with  which 
the  subscription  was  begun,  £70  were  col- 
lected, and  transmitted  to  the  treasurer ; 
and  the  leading  members  of  the  church 
formed  themselves  into  an  assistant  society. 
Early  in  the  following  spring,  when  it  was 
resolved  that  our  brethren,  Thomas  and 
Carey,  should  go  on  a  mission  to  the  Hin- 
doos, and  a  considerable  sum  of  money  was 
wanted  for  the  purpose,  he  labored  with 
increasing  ardor  in  various  parts  of  the 
kingdom  ;  and,  when  the  object  was  accom- 
plished, he  rejoiced  in  all  his  labor,  smiling 
in  every  company,  and  blessing  God. 

During  his  labors  and  journeys  on  this 
important  object  he  wrote  several  letters  to 
his  friends,  an  extract  or  two  from  which 
will  discover  the  state  of  his  mind  at  this 
period,  as  well  as  the  encouragements  that 
he  met  with  in  his  work  at  home  : — 

To  Mr.  Steadman. 

Birmingham,  Feb.  8,  1793. 
"  My  very  dear  Brother, 
"  Union  of  sentiment  often  creates  friend- 
ship among  carnal  men,  and  similarity  of 
feeling  never  fails  to  produce  affection 
among  pious  men,  as  far  as  that  similarity 
is  known.  I  have  loved  you  ever  since  I 
knew  you.  We  saw,  we  felt  alike,  in  the 
interesting  concerns  of  personal  religion. 
We  formed  a  reciprocal  attachment.  We 
expressed  it  by  words.  We  agreed  to  do  so 
by  correspondence ;  and  we  have  not  alto- 
gether been  wanting  to  our  engagements. 
But  our  correspondence  has  been  interrupt- 
ed, not,  I  believe,  through  any  diminution 
of  regard  on  either  side  ;  I  am  persuaded 
not  on  mine.  I  rather  condemn  myself  as 
the  first  aggressor  ;  but  I  excuse  while  I 
condemn,  and  so  would  you,  did  you  know 
half  the  concerns  which  devolve  upon  me 
in  my  present  situation.  Birmingham  is  a 
central  place ;  the  inhabitants  are  nume- 
rous ;  our  members  are  between  three  and 
four  hundred.  The  word  preached  has 
lately  been  remarkably  blessed.  In  less 
than  five  months  I  baptized  nearly  forty 
persons,  almost  all  newly  awakened.  Next 
Lord's-day  week  I  expect  to  add  to  their 
number.  These  persons  came  to  my  house 
to  propose  the  most  important  of  all  in- 
quiries— '  What  must  we  do  to  be  saved  ?' 
I  have  been  thus  engaged  some  weeks, 
during  the  greatest  part  of  most  days.     This, 


523 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


with  four  sermons  a  week,  will  account  for 
my  neglect.  But  your  letter,  received  this 
evening  calls  forth  every  latent  affection  of 
my  heart  for  you.  We  are,  my  dear  brother, 
not  only  united  in  the  common  object  of 
pursuit — salvation  ;  not  only  rest  our  hopes 
on  the  same  foundation — Jesus  Christ;  but 
we  feel  alike  respecting  the  poor  heathens. 
Oh  how  Christianity  expands  the  mind! 
What  tenderness  for  our  poor  fellow-sinners  ! 
What  sympathy  for  their  moral  misery  ! 
What  desires  to  do  them  everlasting  good 
doth  it  provoke  !  How  satisfying  to  our 
judgments  is  this  evidence  of  grace  !  How 
gratifying  to  our  present  taste  are  these 
benevolent  breathings  !  Oh,  how  I  love  that 
man  whose  soul  is  deeply  affected  with  the 
importance  of  the  precious  gospel  to  idola- 
trous heathens!  Excellently,  my  dear 
brother,  you  observe,  that,  great  as  its  bless- 
ings are  in  the  estimation  of  a  sinner  called 
in  a  christian  country,  inexpressibly  greater 
must  they  shine  on  the  newly  illuminated 
mind  of  a  converted  pagan. 

"  We  shall  be  glad  of  all  your  assistance 
in  a  pecuniary  way,  as  the  expense  will  be 
heavy.  Dear  brother  Carey  has  paid  us  a 
visit  of  love  this  week.  He  preached  ex- 
cellently to-night.  I  expect  brother  Thomas 
next  week,  or  the  week  after.  I  wish  you 
would  meet  him  here.  I  have  a  house  at 
your  command,  and  a  heart  greatly  attached 
to  you." 

To  Mr.  Fuller. 

Feb.  23,  1793. 

"  I  am  willing  to  go  any  where,  and  do 
any  thing  in  my  power,  but  I  hope  no  plan 
will  be  suffered  to  interfere  with  the  affect- 
ing— hoped  for — dreaded  day,  March  13  (the 
day  of  our  brethren  Carey  and  Thomas's 
solemn  designation  at  Leicester.)  Oh  how 
the  anticipation  of  it  at  once  rejoices  and 
afflicts  me !  Our  hearts  need  steeling  to 
part  with  our  much-loved  brethren,  who  are 
about  to  venture  their  all  for  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  I  feel  my  soul  melting  within 
me  when  I  read  the  20th  chapter  of  the 
Acts,  and  especially  verses  36 — 38.  But 
why  grieve  ?  We  shall  see  them  again. 
Oh  yes ;  them  and  the  children  whom  the 
Lord  will  give  them ; — we  and  the  children 
whom  the  Lord  hath  given  us.  We  shall 
meet  again,  not  to  weep  and  pray,  but  to 
smile  and  praise." 

From  the  day  of  the  departure  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, no  one  was  more  importunate  in 
prayer  than  Mr.  Pearce ;  and,  on  the  news 
of  their  safe  arrival,  no  one  was  more  filled 
with  joy  and  thankfulness. 

Hitherto  we  had  witnessed  his  zeal  in 
promoting  this  important  undertaking  at 
home  ;  but  this  did  not  satisfy  him.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1794,  we  were  given  to  understand 
that  he  had  for  some  time  had  it  in  serious 
contemplation  to  go  himself,  and  to  cast  in 
his  lot  with  his  brethren  in  India.     When 


his  designs  were  first  discovered,  his  friends 
and  connexions  were  much  concerned^  and 
endeavored  to  persuade  him  that  he  was 
already  in  a  sphere  of  usefulness  too  impor- 
tant to  be  relinquished.  But  his  answer 
was  that  they  were  too  interested  in  the 
affair  to  be  competent  judges.  And  nothing 
would  satisfy  him  short  of  his  making  a 
formal  offer  of  his  services  to  the  committee  : 
nor  could  he  be  happy  for  them  to  decide 
upon  it  without  their  appointing  a  day  of 
solemn  prayer  for  the  purpose,  and,  when 
assembled,  hearing  an  account  of  the  prin- 
cipal exercises  of  his  mind  upon  the  subject, 
with  the  reasons  which  induced  him  to  make 
the  proposal,  as  well  as  the  reasons  alleged 
by  his  connections  against  it. 

On  October  4,  1794,  he  wrote  to  an  inti- 
mate friend,  of  whom  he  entertained  a  hope 
that  he  might  accompany  him,  as  follows : — 
"Last  Wednesday  I  rode  to  Northamp- 
ton, where  a  ministers'  meeting  was  held 
on  the  following  day.  We  talked  much 
about  the  mission.  We  read  some  fresh  and 
very  encouraging  accounts.  We  lamented 
that  we  could  obtain  no  suitable  persons  to 
send  out  to  the  assistance  of  our  brethren. 
Now,  what  do  you  think  was  said  at  this 
meeting  ?  My  dear  brother,  do  not  be  sur- 
prised that  all  present  united  in  opinion 
that  in  all  our  connection  there  was  no  man 
known  to  us  so  suitable  as  you,  provided  you 
were  disposed  for  it,  and  things  could  be 
brought  to  bear.  I  thought  it  right  to  men- 
tion this  circumstance  ;  and  one  thing  more 
I  cannot  refrain  from  saying,  that,  were  it 
manifestly  the  will  of  God,  I  should  call  that 
the  happiest  hour  of  my  life  which  witness- 
ed our  both  embarking  with  our  families  on 
board  one  ship  as  helpers  of  the  servants 
of  Jesus  Christ  already  in  Hindostan.  Yes, 
I  could  unreluctantly  leave  Europe  and  all 
its  contents  for  the  pleasures  and  perils  of 
this  glorious  service.  Often  my  heart  in 
the  sincerest  ardors  thus  breathes  forth  its 
desires  unto  God, — '  Here  am  I,  send  me.' 
But  I  am  ignorant  whether  you  from  expe- 
rience can  realize  my  feelings.  Perhaps 
you  have  friendship  enough  for  me  to  lay 
open  your  meditation  on  this  subject  in  your 
next.  If  you  have  had  half  the  exercises 
that  I  have,  it  will  be  a  relief  to  your  la- 
boring mind :  or,  if  you  think  I  have  made 
too  free  with  you,  reprove  me,  and  I  will 
love  you  still.  Oh  if  I  could  find  a  heart 
that  had  been  tortured  and  ravished  like  my 
own  in  this  respect,  I  should  form  a  new 
kind  of  alliance,  and  feel  a  friendship  of  a 
novel  species.  With  eagerness  should  I 
communicate  all  the  vicissitudes  of  my  sen- 
sations, and  with  eagerness  listen  to  a  reci- 
tal of  kindred  feelings.  With  impatience  I 
should  seek,  and  with  gratitude  receive,  di- 
rection and  support ;  and  I  hope  feel  a  new 
occasion  of  thankfulness  when  I  bow  my 
knee  to  the  Father  of  mercies  and  the  God 


NARRATIVE    PRESENTED    TO    THE    COMMITTEE. 


529 


of  all  comfort.  Whence  is  it  that  I  thus 
write  to  you,  as  I  have  never  written  to  any 
one  before  ?  Is  there  a  fellowship  of  the 
spirit ;  or  is  it  the  confidence  that  I  have  in 
your  friendship  that  thus  directs  my  pen  ? 

Tell  me,  dear !  Tell  me  how  you  felt, 

and  how  you  still  feel,  on  this  interesting 
subject,  and  do  not  long  delay  the  gratifi- 
cation to  your  very  affectionate  friend  and 
brother— S.  P." 

About  a  month  preceding  the  decision  of 
this  affair,  he  drew  up  a  narrative  of  his  ex- 
perience respecting  it ;  resolving  at  the 
same  time  to  set  apart  one  day  in  every 
week  for  secret  fasting  and  prayer  to  God 
for  direction  ;  and  to  keep  a  diary  of  the  ex- 
ercises of  his  mind  during  the  month. 

When  the  committee  were  met  at  North- 
ampton, according  to  his  desire,  he  present- 
ed to  them  the  narrative,  which  was  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"October  8,  1794.  Having  had  some  pe- 
culiar exercises  of  mind  relative  to  my  per- 
sonally attempting  to  labor  for  the  dear 
Redeemer  amongst  the  heathen,  and  being 
at  a  loss  to  know  what  is  the  will  of  the 
Lord  in  this  matter  respecting  me,  I  have 
thought  that  I  might  gain  some  satisfaction 
by  adopting  these  two  resolutions: — First, 
that  I  will,  in  the  presence  of  God,  faithful- 
ly endeavor  to  recollect  the  various  work- 
ings of  my  mind  on  this  subject,  from  the 
first  period  of  my  feeling  any  desire  of  this 
nature  until  now,  and  commit  them  to  wri- 
ting; together  with  what  considerations  do 
now  on  the  one  hand  impel  me  to  the  work, 
and,  on  the  other,  what  prevent  me  from  im- 
mediately resolving  to  enter  upon  it.  Sec- 
ondly, That  I  will  from  this  day  keep  a  reg- 
ular journal,  with  special  relation  to  this 
matter. 

"This  account  and  journal  will,  I  hope, 
furnish  me  with  much  assistance  in  forming 
a  future  opinion  of  the  path  of  duty  ;  as  well 
as  help  any  friends  whom  I  may  hereafter 
think  proper  to  consult  to  give  me  suitable 
advice  in  the  business.     Lord,  help  me  ! 

"  It  is  very  common  for  young  converts  to 
feel  strong  desires  for  the  conversion  of 
others.  These  desires  immediately  follow- 
ed the  evidences  of  my  own  religion  ;  and  I 
remember  well  they  were  particularly  fixed 
upon  the  poor  heathen.  I  believe  the  first 
week  that  I  knew  the  grace  of  God  in  truth 
I  put  up  many  fervent  cries  to  heaven  in 
their  behalf,  and  at  the  same  time  felt  a 
strong  desire  to  be  employed  in  promoting 
their  salvation.  It  was  not  lonsr  after  that  the 
first  settlers  sailed  for  Botany  Bay.  I  longed 
to  go  with  them,  although  in  company  with 
the  convicts,  in  hopes  of  making  known  the 
blessings  of  the  great  salvation  in  New 
Zealand.  I  actually  had  thought  of  making 
an  effort  to  go  out  unknown  to  my  friends  ; 
but,  ignorant  how  to  proceed,  I  abandoned 
my  purpose.  Nevertheless,  I  could  not  help 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  67. 


talking  about  it ;  and  at  one  time  a  report 
was  circulated  that  I  was  really  going,  and 
a  neighboring  minister  very  seriously  con- 
versed with  me  upon  the  subject. 

"  While  I  was  at  the  Bristol  academy, 
the  desire  remained  ;  but  not  with  that  en- 
ergy as  at  first,  except  on  one  or  two  occa- 
sions. Being  sent  by  my  tutor  to  preach 
two  Sabbaths  at  Coleford,  I  felt  particular 
sweetness  in  devoting  the  evenings  of  the 
week  to  going  from  house  to  house  among 
the  colliers,  who  dwelt  in  the  Forest  of 
Dean,  adjoining  the  town,  conversing  and 
praying  with  them,  and  preaching  to  them. 
In  these  exercises  I  found  the  most  solid 
satisfaction  that  I  have  ever  known  in  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  my  calling.  In  a 
poor  hut,  Avith  a  stone  to  stand  upon,  and 
a  three-legged  stool  for  my  desk,  surround- 
ed with  thirty  or  forty  of  the  smutty  neigh- 
bors, I  have  felt  such  an  unction  from  above 
that  my  whole  auditory  have  been  melted 
into  tears,  whilst  directed  to  "  the  Lamb  of 
God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world  ; "  and  I,  weeping  among  them,  could 
scarcely  speak,  or  they  hear,  for  interrupt- 
ing sighs  and  sobs.  Many  a  time  did  I  then 
think,  thus  it  was  with  the  apostles  of  our 
Lord,  when  they  went  from  house  to  house 
among  the  poor  heathen.  In  work  like  this 
I  could  live  and  die.  Indeed,  had  I  at  that 
time  been  at  liberty  to  settle,  I  should  have 
preferred  that  situation  to  any  in  the  king- 
dom with  which  I  was  then  acquainted. 

"But  the  Lord  placed  me  in  a  situation 
very  different.  He  brought  me  to  Birming- 
ham ;  and  here,  amongst  the  novelties, 
cares,  and  duties  of  my  station,  I  do  not  re- 
member any  wish  for  foreign  service,  till, 
after  a  residence  of  some  months,  I  heard 
Dr.  Coke  preach  at  one  of  Mr.  Wesley's 
chapels,  from  Psalm  lxviii.  31:  'Ethiopia 
shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God.' 
Then  it  was  that,  in  Mr.  Home's  phrase, 
'  I  felt  a  passion  for  missions.'  Then  I  felt 
an  interest  in  the  state  of  the  heathen  world 
far  more  deep  and  permanent  than  before, 
and  seriously  thought  how  I  could  best  pro- 
mote their  obtaining  the  knowledge  of  the 
crucified  Jesus. 

"As  noway  at  that  time  was  open,  I  can- 
not say  that  I  thought  of  taking  a  part  of 
the  good  work  among  the  heathen  abroad  ; 
but  resolved  that  I  would  render  them  all 
the  assistance  I  could  at  home.  My  mind 
was  employed  during  the  residue  of  that 
week  in  meditating  on  Psalm lxvii.  3:  'Glo- 
rious things  are  spoken  of  thee,  O  city  of 
God ! ' — and  the  next  Sabbath  morning  I 
spoke  from  those  words,  on  the  promised 
increase  of  the  church  of  God.  I  had  ob- 
served that  our  monthly  meetings  for  prayer 
had  been  better  attended  than  the  other 
prayer-meetings,  from  the  time  that  I  first 
knew  the  people  in  Cannon-street:  but  I 
thought  a  more  general  attention  to  them 


530 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


was  desirable.  I  therefore  preached  on  the 
Sabbathsday  evening  preceding  the  next 
monthly  prayer-meeting  from  Matthew  vi. 
10 — 'Thy  kingdom  come  ;'  and  urged  with 
ardor  and  affection  a  universal  union  of  the 
serious  part  of  the  congregation  in  this  ex- 
ercise. It  rejoiced  me  to  see  three  times  as 
many  the  next  night  as  usual ;  and,  for  some 
time  after  that,  I  had  nearly  equal  cause  for 
joy. 

"  As  to  my  own  part,  I  continued  to 
preach  much  upon  the  promises  of  God  re- 
specting the  conversion  of  the  heathen  na- 
tions ;  and  by  so  doing,  and  always  commu- 
nicating to  my  people  every  piece  of  infor- 
mation I  could  obtain  respecting  the  pres- 
ent state  of  missions,  they  soon  imbibed  the 
same  spirit ;  and  from  that  time  to  this  they 
have  discovered  so  much  concern  for  the 
more  extensive  spread  of  the  gospel  that  at 
our  monthly  prayer-meetings,  both  stated 
and  occasional,  I  should  be  as  much  surprised 
at  the  case  of  the  heathen  being  omitted  in 
any  prayer  as  at  an  omission  of  the  name 
and  merits  of  Jesus. 

"Indeed  it  has  been  a  frequent  means  of 
enkindling  my  languid  devotion,  in  my  pri- 
vate, domestic,  and  public  engagements  in 
prayer.  When  I  have  been  barren  in  peti- 
tioning for  myself,  and  other  things,  often 
have  I  been  sweetly  enlarged  when  I  came 
to  notice  the  situation  of  those  who  were 
perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge. 

"  Thus  I  went  on,  praying  and  preaching, 
and  conversing  on  the  subject,  till  the  time 
of  brother  Carey's  ordination  at  Leicester, 
May  24,  1791.  On  the  evening  of  that  day 
he  read  to  the  ministers  a  great  part  of  his 
manuscript,  since  published,  entitled  '  An 
Inquiry  into  the  Obligations  of  Christians  to 
use  Means  for  the  Conversion  of  the  Hea- 
then.' This  added  fresh  fuel  to  my  zeal. 
But  to  pray  and  preach  on  the  subject  was 
all  I  could  then  think  of  doing.  But  when 
I  heard  of  a  proposed  meeting  at  Ketter- 
ing, October  2,  1792,  for  the  express  purpose 
of  considering  our  duty  in  regard  to  the 
heathen,  I  could  not  resist  my  inclination 
for  going,  although  at  that  time  I  was  not 
much  acquainted  with  the  ministers  of  the 
Northamptonshire  association.  There  I 
got  my  judgment  informed,  and  my  heart 
increasingly  interested.  I  returned  home 
resolved  to  lay  myself  out  in  the  cause. 
The  public  steps  I  have  taken  are  too  well 
known  to  nerd  repeating  ;  but  my  mind  be- 
came now  inclined  to  go  among  the  heathen 
myself.  Yet  a  consideration  of  my  con- 
nections with  the  dear  people  of  God  in  Bir- 
mingham restrained  my  desires,  and  kept 
me  from  naming  my  wishes  to  anybody  (as 
I  remember,)  except  to  brother  Carey. 
With  him  I  was  pretty  free.  We  had  an 
interesting  conversation  about  it  just  before 
he  left  Europe.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
manner  of  his  saying,  'Well,  you  will  come 


after  us.'  My  heart  said  Amen !  and  my 
eagerness  for  the  work  increased  ;  though 
I  never  talked  freely  about  it,  except  to  my 
wife,  and  we  then  both  thought  that  my  re- 
lation to  the  church  in  Cannon-street,  and 
usefulness  there,  forbad  any  such  an  attempt. 
However,  I  have  made  it  a  constant  matter 
of  prayer,  often  begging  of  God,  as  I  did 
when  first  I  was  disposed  for  the  work  of 
the  ministry,  cither  that  he  would  take  away 
the  desire  or  open  a  door  for  its  fulfilment. 
And  the  result  has  uniformly  been  that  the 
more  spiritual  I  have  been  in  the  frame  of 
my  mind,  the  more  love  I  have  felt  for  God, 
and  the  more  communion  I  have  enjoyed 
with  him,  so  much  the  more  disposed  have  I 
been  to  engage  as  a  missionary  among  the 
heathen. 

"  Until  the  accounts  came  of  our  brethren's 
entrance  on  the  work  in  India,  my  connect- 
ions in  Europe  pretty  nearly  balanced  my 
desire  for  going  abroad  ;  and,  though  I  felt 
quite  devoted  to  the  Lord's  will  and  work, 
yet  I  thought  the  scale  rather  prepondera- 
ted on  the  side  of  my  abiding  in  my  present 
situation. 

"  But  since  our  brethren's  letters  have 
informed  us  that  there  are  such  prospects  of 
usefulness  in  Hindostan,  and  that  preachers 
are  a  thousand  times  more  wanted  than  peo- 
ple to  preach  to,  my  heart  has  been  more 
deeply  affected  than  ever  with  their  condi- 
tion ;  and  my  desires  for  a  participation  of 
the  toils  and  pleasures,  crosses  and  comforts, 
of  which  they  are  the  subjects,  are  advanced 
to  an  anxiety  which  nothing  can  remove, 
and  time  seems  to  increase. 

"It  has  pleased  God  also  lately  to  teach 
me,  more  than  ever,  that  Himself  is  the 
fountain  of  happiness;  that  likeness  to  him, 
friendship  for  him,  and  communion  with  him, 
form  the  basis  of  all  true  enjoyment ;  and 
that  this  can  be  attained  as  well  in  an  east- 
ern jungle,  amongst  Hindoos  and  Moors,  as 
in  the  most  polished  parts  of  Europe.  The 
very  disposition  which,  blessed  be  my  dear 
Redeemer !  he  has  given  me,  to  be  any  thing, 
do  any  thing,  or  endure  any   thing,  so  that 

his  name  might  be  glorified, 1  say,  the 

disposition  itself  is  heaven  begun  below  ! 
I  do  feel  a  daily  panting  after  more  devo- 
tedness  to  his  service,  and  I  can  never  think 
of  my  suffering  Lord  without  dissolving  into 
love — love  which  constrains  me  to  glorify 
him  with  my  body  and  spirit,  which  are  his. 
"  I  do  often  represent  to  myself  all  the 
possible  hardships  of  a  mission,  arising  from 
my  own  heart,  the  nature  of  the  country,  do- 
mestic connections,  disappointment  in  my 
hopes,  &.c.  &c. :  and  then  I  set  over  against 
them  all  these  two  thoughts, — /  am  God's 
servant ;  and  God  is  my  friend.  In  this  I 
anticipate  happiness  in  the  midst  of  suffer- 
ing, light  in  darkness,  and  life  in  death. 
Yea,  I  do  not  count  my  life  dear  unto  my- 
self, so  that  I  may  win  some  poor  heathen 


DECISION    OF    THE    COMMITTEE. 


531 


unto  Christ;  and  I  am  willing  to  be  offered 
as  a  sacrifice  on  the  service  of  the  faith  of 
the  gospel. 

"Air.  Home  justly  observes  'that,  in  or- 
der to  justify  a  man's  undertaking  the  work 
of  a  missionary,  he  should  be  qualified  for 
it,  disposed  heartily  to  enter  upon  it,  and 
free  from  such  ties  as  exclude  an  engage- 
ment.'— As  to  the  first,  others  must  judge 
for  me ;  but  they  must  not  be  men  who 
have  an  interest  in  keeping  me  at  home.  I 
shall  rejoice  in  opportunities  of  attaining  to 
an  acquaintance  with  the  ideas  of  judicious 
and  impartial  men  in  this  matter,  and  with 
them  I  must  leave  it.  A  willingness  to  em- 
bark in  this  cause  I  do  possess  ;  and  I  can 
hardly  persuade  myself  that  God  has  for  ten 
years  inclined  my  heart  to  this  work  with- 
out having  any  thing  for  me  to  do  in  it. 
But  the  third  thing  requires  more  considera- 
tion ;  and  here  alone  I  hesitate." — Here  he 
goes  on  to  state  all  the  objections  from  this 
quarter,  with  his  answers  to  them,  leaving 
it  with  his  brethren  to  decide,  when  they 
had  heard  the  whole. 

The  committee,  after  the  most  serious  and 
mature  deliberation,  though  they  were  fully 
satisfied  as  to  brother  Pearce's  qualifications, 
and  greatly  approved  of  his  spirit,  yet  were 
unanimously  of  opinion  that  he  ought  not  to 
go ;  and  that  not  merely  on  account  of  his 
connections  at  home,  which  might  have 
been  pleaded  in  the  case  of  brother  Carey, 
but  on  account  of  the  mission  itself,  which 
required  his  assistance  in  the  station  which 
he  already  occupied. 

In  this  opinion  brother  Carey  himself, 
with  singular  disinterestedness  of  mind, 
afterwards  concurred  ;  and  wrote  to  brother 
Pearce  to  the  same  effect.* 

On  receiving  the  opinion  of  the  committee 
he  immediately  wrote  to  Mrs.  P.  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Northampton,  Nov.  13,  1794. 
"  My  dear  Sarah, 

"  I  am  disappointed,  but  not  dismayed.  I 
ever  wish  to  make  my  Saviour's  will  my 
own.  I  am  more  satisfied  than  ever  I  ex- 
pected I  should  be  with  a  negative  upon  my 
earnest  desires,  because  the  business  has 
been  so  conducted  that  I  think  (if  by  any 
means  such  an  issue  could  be  ensured)  the 
mind  of  Christ  has  been  obtained.  My  dear 
brethren  here  have  treated  the  affair  with 
as  much  seriousness  and  affection  as  I  could 
possibly  desire,  and  I  think  more  than  so 
insignificant  a  worm  could  expect.  After 
we  had  spent  the  former  part  of  this  day  in 
fasting  and  prayer,  with  conversation  on 
the  subject,  till  nearly  two  o'clock,  brother 
Potts,  King,  and  I  retired.  We  prayed, 
while  the  committee  consulted.  The  case 
seemed  difficult,  and  I  suppose  they  were 

*  See  Periodical  Accounts,  Vol.  1.  p.  374. 


nearly  two  hours  in  deciding  it.  At  last, 
time  forced  them  to  a  point,  and  their  an- 
swer I  enclose  for  your  satisfaction.  Pray 
take  care  of  it ;  it  will  serve  for  me  to  refer 
to  when  my  mind  may  labor  beneath  a  bur- 
den of  guilt  another  day.  I  am  my  dear 
Sarah's  own — S.  P." 

The  decision  of  the  committee,  though  it 
rendered  him  much  more  reconciled  to  abide 
in  his  native  country  than  he  could  have 
been  without  it,  yet  did  not  in  the  least 
abate  his  zeal  for  the  object.  As  he  could 
not  promote  it  abroad,  he  seemed  resolved 
to  lay  himself  out  more  for  it  at  home.  In 
March,  1795,  after  a  dangerous  illness,  he 
says,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Fuller — "Through 
mercy  I  am  almost  in  a  state  of  convales- 
ence.  May  my  spared  life  be  wholly  devo- 
ted to  the  service  of  my  dear  Redeemer! 
I  do  not  care  where  I  am,  whether  in  Eng- 
land or  in  India,  so  I  am  employed  as  he 
would  have  me :  but  surely  we  need  pray 
hard  that  God  would  send  some  more  help 
to  Hindostan." 

In  January,  1796,  when  he  was  first  in- 
formed by  the  secretary  of  a  young  man 
(Mr.  Fountain)  being  desirous  of  going,  of 
the  character  that  was  given  of  him  by  our 
friend  Mr.  Savage  of  London,  and  of  a  com- 
mittee-meeting being  in  contemplation,  he 
wrote  thus  in  answer  : — "  Your  letter,  just 
arrived,  put — I  was  going  to  say — another 
soul  into  my  little  body  ;  at  least  it  has  ad- 
ded new  life  to  the  soul  I  have.  I  cannot 
be  contented  with  the  thought  of  being  ab- 
sent from  your  proposed  meeting.  No,  no  ; 
I  must  be  there  (for  my  own  sake  I  mean) 
and  try  to  sing  with  you,  '  O'er  the  gloomy 
hills  of  darkness.' ' '  * 

In  August,  the  same  year,  having  received 
a  letter  from  India,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Fuller 
as  follows : — "Brother  Carey  speaks  in  such 
a  manner  of  the  effects  of  the  gospel  in  his 
neighborhood  as  in  my  view  promises  a 
fair  illustration  of  our  Lord's  parable,  when 
he  compared  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  a 
little  leaven,  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal, 
which  insinuated  itself  so  effectually  as  to 
leaven  the  lump  at  last.  Blessed  be  God, 
the  leaven  is  already  in  the  meal ;  the  fer- 
mentation is  begun  ;  and  my  hopes  were 
never  half  so  strong  as  they  are  now  that  the 
whole   shall    be    effectually    leavened.      O 

THAT  I  WERE  THERE  TO  WITNESS  THE  DE- 
LIGHTFUL   process!      But   whither   am   I 

running  ?     I  long    to   write  rou 

from  Hindostan ! " 

On  receiving  other  letters  from  India,  in 
January,  1797,  he  thus  writes  : — "  Perhaps 
you  are  now  rejoicing  in  spirit  with  me  over 
fresh  intelligence  from  Bengal.  This  mo- 
ment have  I  concluded  reading  two  letters 
from  brother  Thomas  :  one  to  the  Society, 

*The  428th  hymn  of  Dr.  Rippon's  Selection, 
frequently  sung  at  our  committee  meetings. 


532 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


and  the  other  to  myself.*  He  speaks  of 
others  from  brother  Carey.  I  hope  they  are 
already  in  your  possession.  If  his  corres- 
pondence has  produced  the  same  effects  on 
your  heart  as  brother  Thomas's  has  on  mine 
you  are  filled  with  gladness  and  hope.  I 
am  grieved  that  I  cannot  convey  them  to 
you  immediately.  I  long  to  witness  the 
pleasure  their  contents  will  impart  to  all 
whose  hearts  are  with  us.  O  that  I  were 
accounted  worthy  of  the  Lord  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  Booteas  !  " 

Being  detained  from  one  of  our  mission 
meetings  by  preparing  the  Periodical  Ac- 
counts for  the  press,  he  soon  after  wrote  as 
follows :  "  We  shall  now  get  out  No.  IV.- 
very  soon.  I  hope  it  will  go  to  the  press  in 
a  very  few  days.  Did  you  notice  that  the 
very  day  on  which  we  invited  all  our  friends 
to  a  day  of  prayer  on  behalf  of  the  mission 
(December  28,  1796)  was  the  same  in  which 
brother  Carey  sent  his  best  and  most  inter- 
esting accounts  to  the  society  ?  I  hope  you 
had  solemn  and  sweet  seasons  at  North- 
ampton. On  many  accounts  I  should  have 
rejoiced  to  have  been  with  you :  yet  I  am 
satisfied  that  on  the  whole  I  was  doing  best 
at  home." 

It  has  been  already  observed  that,  for  a 
month  preceding  the  decision  of  the  com- 
mittee, he  resolved  to  devote  one  day  in 
every  week  to  secret  prayer  and  fasting,  and 
to  keep  a  diary  of  the  exercises  of  his  mind 
during  the  whole  of  that  period.  This  diary 
was  not  shown  to  the  committee  at  the  time, 
but  merely  the  preceding  narrative.  Since 
his  death  a  few  of  them  have  perused  it,  and 
have  been  almost  ready  to  think  that,  if  they 
had  seen  it  before,  they  would  not  have 
dared  to  oppose  his  going.  But  the  Lord 
hath  taken  him  to  himself.  It  no  longer 
remains  a  question  now  whether  he  shall 
labor  in  England,  or  in  India.  A  few  pas- 
sages, however,  from  this  transcript  of  his 
heart,  while  contemplating  a  great  and  dis- 
interested undertaking,  will  furnish  a  better 
idea  of  his  character  than  could  be  given 
by  any  other  hand  ;  and  with  these  we  shall 
close  the  present  chapter. 

"  Oct.  8,  1794. — Had  some  remarkable 
freedom  and  affection  this  morning,  both  in 
family  and  secret  prayer.  With  many  tears 
I  dedicated  myself,  body  and  soul,  to  the 
service  of  Jesus ;  and  earnestly  implored 
full  satisfaction  respecting  the  path  of  duty. — 
I  feel  an  increasing  deadness  for  all  earthly 
comforts ;  and  derive  my  happiness  imme- 
diately from  God  himself.  May  I  still  en- 
dure, as  Moses  did,  by  seeing  him  who  is 
invisible ! 

"  10. — Enjoyed  much  freedom  to-day  in 
the  family.  Whilst  noticing  in  prayer  the 
state  of  the  millions  of  heathen  who  know 

*  See  these  Letters  printed  in  Periodical  Ac- 
counts, Vol.  I.,  pp.  294,  301. 


not  God,  I  felt  the  aggregate  value  of  their 
immortal  souls  with  peculiar  energy. 

"  Afterwards  was  much  struck  whilst  (on 
my  knees  before  God  in  secret)  I  read  the 
fourth  chapter  of  Micah.  The  ninth  verse  I 
fancied  very  applicable  to  the  church  in  Can- 
non-street :  but  what  reason  is  there  for 
such  a  cry  about  so  insignificant  a  worm  as 
I  am  ?  The  third  chapter  of  Habakkuk  too 
well  expresses  that  mixture  of  solemnity  and 
confidence  with  which  I  contemplate  the  work 
of  the  mission. 

"  Whilst  at  prayer-meeting  to-night,  I 
learned  more  of  the  meaning  of  some  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  than  ever  before.  Suita- 
ble frames  of  soul  are  like  good  lights,  in 
which  a  painting  appears  to  its  full  advan- 
tage. I  had  often  meditated  on  Phil.  iii.  7, 
8,  and  Gal.  vi.  14,  but  never  felt  crucifixion 
to  the  world,  and  disesteem  for  all  that  it 
contains,  as  at  that  time.  All  prospects  of 
pecuniary  independence,  and  growing  repu- 
tation, with  which  in  unworthier  moments  I 
had  amused  myself,  were  now  chased  from 
my  mind ;  and  the  desire  of  living  wholly  to 
Christ  swallowed  up  every  other  thought. 
Frowns  and  smiles,  fulness  and  want,  honor 
and  reproach,  were  now  equally  indifferent ; 
and,  when  I  concluded  the  meeting,  my 
whole  soul  felt,  as  it  were,  going  after  the 
lost  sheep  of  Christ  among  the  heathen. 

"  I  do  feel  a  growing  satisfaction  in  the 
proposal  of  spending  my  whole  life  in  some- 
thing nobler  than  the  locality  of  this  island 
will  admit.  I  long  to  raise  my  Master's  ban- 
ner in  climes  where  the  sound  of  his  fame 
hath  but  scarcely  reached.  He  hath  said, 
for  my  encouragement,  that  iall  nations  shall 
flow  unto  it.' 

"  The  conduct  and  success  of  Stach, 
Boonish,  and  other  Moravian  missionaries  in 
Greenland,  both  confound  and  stimulate  me. 
O  Lord,  forgive  my  past  indolence  in  thy 
service,  and  help  me  to  redeem  the  residue 
of  my  days  for  exertions  more  worthy  a  friend 
of  mankind  and  a  servant  of  God. 

"  13. — Being  taken  up  with  visiters  the 
former  part  of  the  day,  I  spent  the  after  part 
in  application  to  the  Bengal  language,  and 
found  the  difficulties  I  apprehended  vanish 
as  fast  as  I  encountered  them.  I  read  and 
prayed,  prayed  and  read,  and  made  no  small 
advances.     Blessed  be  God! 

"  15. — There  are  in  Birmingham  50,000 
inhabitants ;  and,  exclusive  of  the  vicinity, 
ten  ministers  who  preach  the  fundamental 
truths  of  the  gospel.  In  Hindostan  there 
are  twice  as  many  millions  of  inhabitants ; 
and  not  so  many  gospel  preachers.  Now 
Jesus  Christ  hath  commanded  his  ministers 
to  go  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  every  creature :  why  should  we  be 
so  disproportionate  in  our  labors  ?  Peculiar 
circumstances  must  not  be  urged  against 
positive  commands :  I  am  therefore  bound,  if 


EXTRACTS    FROM    HIS    DIARY. 


533 


others  do  not  go,  to  make  the  means  more 
proportionate  to  the  multitude. 

"To-night,  reading  some  letters  from 
brother  Carey,  in  which  he  speaks  of  his 
wife's  illness  when  she  first  came  into  the 
country,  I  endeavored  to  realize  myself  not 
only  with  a  sick  but  a  dead  wife.  The  thought 
was  like  a  cold  dagger  to  my  heart  at.  first : 
but  on  recollection  I  considered  the  same 
God  ruled  in  India  as  in  Europe  ;  and  that 
he  could  either  preserve  her,  or  support  me, 
as  well  there  as  here.  My  business  is  only 
to  be  where  he  would  have  me.  Other  things 
I  leave  to  him.  O  Lord,  though  with  timid- 
ity, yet  I  hope  not  without  satisfaction,  I 
look  every  possible  evil  in  the  face,  and  say, 
'  Thy  will  be  done  ! ' 

"  17. — This  is  the  fast  day  I  have  set  apart 
for  extraordinary  devotion  in  relation  to  my 
present  exercise  of  mind.  Rose  earlier  than 
usual,  and  began  the  day  in  prayer  that  God 
would  be  with  me  in  every  part  of  it,  and 
grant  the  end  I  have  in  view  may  be  clearly 
ascertained — the  knowledge  of  his  will. 

"  Considering  the  importance  of  the  work 
before  me,  I  began  at  the  foundation  of  all 
religion,  and  reviewed  the  grounds  on  which 
I  stood, — The  being  of  a  God,  the  relation  of 
mankind  to  him,  with  the  divine  inspiration 
of  the  Scriptures — and  the  review  afforded 
me  great  satisfaction.*  I  also  compared  the 
different  religions  which  claimed  divine  ori- 
gin, and  found  little  difficulty  in  determining 
which  had  most  internal  evidence  of  its  di- 
vinity. I  attentively  read  and  seriously  con- 
sidered Doddridge's  three  excellent  Sermons 
on  the  Evidences  of  the  Christian  Religion  ; 
which  was  followed  by  such  conviction  that 
I  had  hardly  patience  to  conclude  the  book 
before  I  fell  on  my  knees  before  God,  to 
bless  him  for  such  a  religion,  established  on 
such  a  basis  ;  and  I  have  received  more  solid 
satisfaction  this  day  upon  the  subject  than 
ever  I  did  before. 

"  I  also  considered,  since  the  gospel  is  true, 
since  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church,  and 
his  will  is  the  law  of  all  his  followers,  what 
are  the  obligations  of  his  servants  in  respect 
of  the  enlargement  of  his  kingdom.  I  here 
referred  to  our  Lord's  commission,  which  I 
could  not  but  consider  as  universal  in  its  ob- 
ject and  permanent  in  its  obligations.  I  read 
brother  Carey's  remarks  upon  it:  and  as  the 
command  has  never  been  repealed — as  there 
are  millions  of  beings  in  the  world  on  whom 
the  command  may  be  exercised — as  I  can 
produce  no  counter-revelation — and  as  I  lie 
under  no  natural  impossibilities  of  perform- 

*  There  is  a  wide  difference  between  admitting 
these  principles  in  theory,  and  making  use  of  them. 
David  might  have  worn  Saul's  accoutrements  at  a 
parade;  but,  in  meeting  Goliah,  he  must  go  forth 
in  an  armor  that  had  been  tried.  A  mariner  may 
sit  in  his  cabin  at  his  ease,  while  the  ship  is  in  har- 
bor; but,  ere  he  undertakes  a  voyage,  lie  must  ex- 
amine its  soundness,  and  inquire  whether  it  will 
endure  the  storms  which  may  overtake  him. 


ing  it — I  concluded  that  I,  as  a  servant  of 
Christ,  was  bound  by  this  law. 

"  I  took  the  narrative  of  my  experience, 
and  statement  of  my  views  on  this  subject, 
in  my  hand,  and,  bowing  down  before  God, 
I  earnestly  besought  an  impartial  and  en- 
lightened spirit.  I  then  perused  that  paper  ; 
and  can  now  say  that  I  have  (allowing  for 
my  own  fallibility)  not  one  doubt  upon  the 
subject.  I  therefore  resolved  to  close  this 
solemn  season  with  reading  a  portion  of 
both  Testaments,  and  earnest  prayer  to  God 
for  my  family,  my  people,  the  heathen  world, 
the  society,  and  particularly  for  the  success 
of  our  dear  brethren  Thomas  and  Carey,  and 
his  blessing,  presence,  and  grace,  to  be  ever 
my  guide  and  glory.  Accordingly  I  read 
the  forty-ninth  chapter  of  Isaiah ;  and  with 
what  sweetness !  I  never  read  a  chapter  in 
private  with  such  feelings  since  I  have  been 
in  the  ministry.  The  eighth,  ninth,  tenth, 
twentieth,  and  twenty-first  verses,  I  thought 
remarkably  suitable. 

"  Read  also  part  of  the  epistle  to  the  Ephe- 
sians,  and  the  first  chapter  to  the  Philippians. 

0,  that  for  me  to  live  may  be  Christ  alone  ! 
Blessed  be  my  dear  Saviour!  in  prayer  I 
have  had  such  fellowship  with  him  as  would 
warm  me  in  Greenland,  comfort  me  in  New 
Zealand,  and  rejoice  me  in  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  ! 

"  18. — I  dreamed  that  I  saw  one  of  the 
Christian  Hindoos.  O,  how  I  loved  him  ! 
I  long  to  realize  my  dream.  How  pleasant 
will  it  be  to  sit  down  at  the  Lord's  table  with 
our  swarthy  brethren,  and  hear  Jesus  preach- 
ed in  their  language  !  Surely  then  will  come 
to  pass  the  saying  that  is  written,  In  Christ 
there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  barbarian, 
Scythian,  bond  nor  free,  all  are  one  in  him. 

"Have  been  happy  to-day  in  completing 
the  manuscript  of  Periodical  Accounts,  No. 

1.  Any  thing  relative  to  the  salvation  of  the 
heathen"  brings  a  certain  pleasure  with  it.  I 
find  I  cannot  pray,  nor  converse,  nor  read, 
nor  study,  nor  preach  with  satisfaction,  with- 
out reference  to  this  subject. 

"  20. — Was  a  little  discouraged  on  read- 
ing Mr.  Zeigenbald's  conferences  with  the 
Malabarians^  till  I  recollected,  what  ought 
to  be  ever  present  to  my  mind,  in  brother 
Carey's  words, — '  The  xoork  is  God's.'' 

"  In  the  evening  I  found  some  little  diffi- 
culty with  the  language  ;  but,  considering 
how  merchants  and  captains  overcome  this 
difficulty  for  the  sake  of  wealth,  I  sat  con- 
founded before  the  Lord  that  I  should  ever 
have  indulged  such  a  thought  ;  and,  looking 
up  to  him,^I  set  about  it  with  cheerfulness, 
and  found  that  I  was  making  a  sensible  ad- 
vance, although  I  can  never  apply  till  eleven 
o'clock  at  night  on  account  of  my  other  du- 
ties.f 

t  Night  studies,  often  continued  till  two  or  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  it  is  to  be  feared  were  the 
first  occasion  of  impairing  Mr.   Pearce  s   health, 


i34 


MEMOIR?    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


"Preached  from  2  Kings  iv.  26,  'It  is 
well '  .  .  .  .  was  much  enlarged  both  in 
thought  and  expression.  Whilst  speaking 
of  the  satisfaction  enjoyed  by  a  truly  pious 
mind  when  it  feels  itself  in  all  circumstances 
and  times  in  the  hand  of  a  good  God,  I  felt 
that  were  the  universe  destroyed,  and  I  the 
only  being  in  it  beside  God,  he  is  fully  ade- 
quate to  my  complete  happiness  ;  and  had  I 
been  in  an  African  wood,  surrounded  with 
venomous  serpents,  devouring  heasts,  and 
savage  men,  in  such  a  frame  I  should  be  the 
subject  of  perfect  peace  and  exalted  joy. 
Yes,  O  my  God,  thou  hast  taught  me  that 
thou  alone  art  worthy  of  my  confidence  ; 
and,  with  this  sentiment  fixed  in  my  heart, 
I  am  free  from  all  solicitude  about  any  tem- 
poral prospects  or  concerns.  If  thy  presence 
be  enjoyed,  poverty  shall  be  riches,  darkness 
light,  affliction  prosperity,  reproach  my  honor, 
and  fatigue  my  rest;  and  thou  hast  said, 
'My  presence  shall  go  with  thee.'  Enough, 
Lord  !  I  ask  for  nothing,  nothing  more. 

"  But  how  sad  the  proofs  of  our  depravity  ; 
and  how  insecure  the  best  frames  we  enjoy ! 
Returning  home,  a  wicked  expression  from 
a  person  who  passed  me  caught  my  ear,  and 
recurred  so  often  to  my  thoughts  for  some 
minutes  as  to  bring  guilt  upon  my  mind,  and 
overwhelm  me  with  shame  before  God.  But 
I  appealed  to  God  for  my  hatred  of  all  such 
things,  secretly  confessed  the  sin  of  my 
heart,  and  again  ventured  to  the  mercy-seat. 
On  such  occasions  how  precious  a  mediator 
is  to  the  soul ! 

"22. — I  did  not  on  the  former  part  of  the 
day  feel  my  wonted  ardor  for  the  work  of  a 
missionary,  but  rather  an  inclination  to  con- 
sult flesh  and  blood,  and  look  at  the  worst 
side  of  things.  I  did  so:  but,  when  on  my 
knees  before  God  in  prayer  about  it,  I  first 
considered  that  my  judgment  was  still  equally 
satisfied,  and  my  conscience  so  convinced 
that  I  durst  not  relinquish  the  work  for  a 
thousand  worlds  !  And  then  I  thought  that 
this  dull  frame  had  not  been  without  its  use, 
as  I  was  now  fully  convinced  that  my  desire 
to  go  did  not  arise  from  any  fluctuation  of 
inconstant  passions,  but  the  settled  convic- 
tions of  my  judgment.  I  therefore  renewed 
my  vows  unto  the  Lord,  that,  let  what  diffi- 
culties soever  be  in  the  way,  I  would,  pro- 
vided the  society  approved,  surmount  them 
all.  I  felt  a  kind  of  unutterable  satisfaction 
of  mind  in  my  resolution  of  leaving  the  de- 
cision in  the  hands  of  my  brethren.  May 
God  rightly  dispose  their  hearts !  I  have  no 
doubt  but  he  will. 

and  brought  on  that  train  of  nervous  sensations 
with  which  he  was  afterwards  afflicted.  Though 
not  much  accustomed  to  converse  on  the  subject, 
he  once  acknowledged  to  a  brother  in  the  ministry, 
that,  owing  to  his  enervated  state,  he  sometimes 
dreaded  the  approach  of  public  services  to  such  a 
decree  that  he  would  rather  have  submitted  to  stripes 
than  engage  in  them ;  and  that  while  in  the  pulpit 
he  was  frequently  distressed  with  the  apprehension 
of  falling  over  it. 


"  23. — Have  found  a  little  time  to  apply  to 
the  Bengallee  language.  How  pleasant  it 
is  to  work  for  God  !  Love  transforms  thorns 
to  roses,  and  makes  pain  itself  a  pleasure. 
I  never  sat  down  to  any  study  with  such  pe- 
culiar and  continued  satisfaction.  The 
thought  of  exalting  the  Redeemer  in  this 
language  is  a  spur  to  my  application  para- 
mount to  every  discouragement  for  want  of 
a  living  tutor.  I  have  passed  this  day  with 
an  abiding  satisfaction  respecting  my  pres- 
ent views. 

"  24. — O  for  the  enlightening,  enlivening, 
and  sanctifying  presence  of  God  to-day ! 
It  is  the  second  of  those  days  of  extraordina- 
ry devotion  which  I  have  set  apart  for  seek- 
ing God  in  relation  to  the  mission.  How 
shall  I  spend  it?  I  will  devote  the  morning 
to  prayer,  reading,  and  meditation  ;  and  the 
afternoon  to  visiting  the  wretched,  and  re- 
lieving the  needy.  May  God  accept  my 
services,  guide  me  by  his  counsel,  and  em- 
ploy me  for  his  praise  ! 

"  Having  besought  the  Lord  that  he  would 
not  suffer  me  to  deceive  myself  in  so  impor- 
tant a  matter  as  that  which  I  had  now  re- 
tired to  consider,  and  exercised  some  confi- 
dence that  he  would  be  the  rewarder  of 
those  who  diligently  seek  him,  I  read  the 
J  19th  Psalm  at  the  conclusion  of  my  prayer, 
and  felt  and  wondered  at  the  congruity  of 
so  many  of  the  verses  to  the  breathings  of 
my  own  heart.  Often  with  holy  admiration 
I  paused,  and  read,  and  thought,  and  prayed 
over  the  verse  again,  especially  verses  20, 
31,  59,  00,  112,  f45,  146.  'My  soul  break- 
eth  for  the  longing  that  it  hath  unto  thy 
judgments  at  all  times.' — 'I  have  stuck  unto 
thy  testimonies :  O  Lord,  put  me  not  to 
shame.' 

"  Most  of  the  morning  I  spent  in  seriously 
reading  Mr.  Home's  '  Letters  on  Missions,' 
having  first  begged  of  the  Lord  to  make  the 
perusal  profitable  to  my  instruction  in  the 
path  of  duty.  To  the  interrogation,  'Which 
ofyou  will  forsake  all,  deny  himself,  take  up 
his  cross,  and,  if  God  pleases,  die  for  his  re- 
ligion?' I  replied  spontaneously,  Blessed 
be  God,  I  am  willing!  Lord,  help  me  to  ac- 
complish it ! 

"  Closed  this  season  with  reading  the  61st 
and  62d  chapters  of  Isaiah,  and  prayer  for 
the  church  of  God  at  large,  my  own  congre- 
gation, the  heathen,  the  society,  brethren 
Thomas  and  Carey,  all  missionaries  whom 
God  hath  sent  of  every  denomination,  my 
own  case,  my  wife  and  family,  and  for  as- 
sistance in  my  work. 

"The  after  part  of  this  day  has  been 
gloomy  indeed.  All  the  painful  circum- 
stances which  can  attend  my  going  have 
met  upon  my  heart,  and  formed  a  load  al- 
most insupportable.  A  number  of  things 
which  have  been  some  time  accumulating 
have  united  their  pressure,  and  made  me 
groan  being  burdened.  Whilst  at  a  prayer- 
meeting  I   looked  round  on  my  Christian 


EXTRACTS    FROM    HIS    DIARY. 


535 


friends,  and  said  to  myself,  A  few  months 
more,  and  probably  I  shall  leave  you  all ! 
But  in  the  deepest  of  my  gloom  I  resolved, 
though  faint,  yet  to  pursue  ;  not  doubting 
but  my  Lord  would  give  me  strength  equal 
to  the  day. 

"  I  had  scarcely  formed  this  resolution 
before  it  occurred,  my  Lord  and  Master  was 
a  man  of  sorrows.  Oppressed  and  covered 
with  blood,  he  cried,  '  If  it  be  possible,  let 
this  cup  pass  from  me.'  Yet  in  the  depth  of 
his  agonies  he  added,  'Thy  will  be  done.' 
This  thought  was  to  me  what  the  sight  of 
the  cross  was  to  Bunyan's  pilgrim ;  I  lost 
my  burden.  Spent  the  remainder  of  the 
meeting  in  sweet  communion  with  God. 

"  But,  on  coming  home,  the  sight  of  Mrs. 
P.  replaced  my  load.  She  had  for  some 
time  been  much  discouraged  at  the  thoughts 
of  going.  I  therefore  felt  reluctant  to  say 
any  thing  on  this  subject,  thinking  it  would 
be  unpleasant  to  her ;  but,  though  I  strove 
to  conceal  it,  an  involuntary  sigh  betrayed 
my  uneasiness.  She  kindly  required  the 
cause.  I  avoided  at  first  an  explanation, 
till  she,  guessing  the  reason,  said  to  this 
effect : — '  I  hope  you  will  be  no  more  un- 
easy on  my  account.  For  the  last  two  or 
three  days  I  have  been  more  comfortable 
than  ever  in  the  thought  of  going.  I  have 
considered  the  steps  you  are  pursuing  to 
know  the  mind  of  God,  and  I  think  you  can- 
not take  more  proper  ones.  When  you  con- 
sult the  ministers,  you  should  represent 
your  obstacles  as  strongly  as  your  induce- 
ments :  and  then,  if  they  advise  your  going, 
though  the  parting  from  my  friends  will  be 
almost  insupportable,  yet  I  will  make  myself 
as  happy  as  I  can,  and  God  can  make  me 
happy  any  where.' 

"  Should  this  little  diary  fall  into  the  hands 
of  a  man  having  the  soul  of  the  missionary, 
circumstanced  as  I  am,  he  will  be  the  only 
man  capable  of  sharing  my  peace,  my  joy, 
my  gratitude,  my  rapture  of  soul.  Thus  at 
evening-tide  it  is  light  :  thus  God  brings 
his  people  through  fire  and  through  water 
into  a  wealthy  place:  thus  those  who  ask 
do  receive,  and  their  joy  is  full.  '  O  love 
the  Lord,  ye  his  saints  :  there  is  no  want  to 
them  that  fear  him! ' 

"  26. — Had  much  enlargement  this  morn- 
ing whilst  speaking  on  the  nature,  extent, 
and  influence  of  divine  love:  what  designs 
it  formed — with  what  energy  it  acted — with 
what  perseverance  it  pursued  its  object — 
what  obstacles  it  surmounted — what  diffi- 
culties it  conquered — and  what  sweetness 
it  imparted  under  the  heaviest  loads  and  se- 
verest trials.  Almost  through  the  day  I  en- 
joyed a  very  desirable  frame  ;  and,  on  com- 
ing home,  my  wife  and  I  had  some  conver- 
sation on  the  subject  of  my  going.  She 
said,  Though  in  general  the  thought  was 
painful,  yet  there  were  some  seasons  when 
she  had  no  preference,  but  felt  herself  dis- 


posed to  go  or  stay  as  the  Lord  should 
direct. 

"This  day  wrote  to  brother  Fuller,  briefly 
stating  my  desires,  requesting  his  advice, 
and  proposing  a  meeting  of  the  committee 
on  the  business.  I  feel  great  satisfaction 
arising  from  my  leaving  the  matter  to  the 
determination  of  my  honored  brethren,  and 
to  God  through  them. 

"  27. — To-day  I  sent  a  packet  to  our  breth- 
ren in  India.  I  could  not  forbear  telling 
brother  Carey  all  my  feelings,  views,  and 
expectations  ;  but  without  saying  I  should 
be  entirely  governed  by  the  opinion  of  the 
Society. 

"  28.  Still  panting  to  preach  Jesus  among 
my  fellow-sinners  to  whom  he  is  yet  un- 
known. Wrote  to  Dr.  Rogers,  of  Philadel- 
phia, to-day,  upon  the  subject  with  freedom 
and  warmth,  and  inquired  whether,  whilst 
the  people  of  the  United  States  were  form- 
ing societies  to  encourage  arts,  liberty,  and 
emigration,  there  could  not  a  few  be  found 
among  them  who  would  form  a  society  for 
the  transmission  of  the  word  of  life  to  the 
benighted  heathen ;  or,  in  case  that  could 
not  be,  whether  they  might  not  strengthen 
our  hands  in  Europe,  by  some  benevolent 
proof  of  concurring  with  us  in  a  design 
which  they  speak  of  with  such  approbation. 
With  this  I  sent  Home's  Letters.  I  will 
follow  both  with  my  prayers  ;  and  who  can 
tell  ? 

"29. — Looked  over  the  Code  of  Hindoo 
Laws  to-day.  How  much  is  there  to  admire 
in  it,  founded  on  the  principles  of  justice ! 
The  most  salutary  regulations  are  adopted 
in  many  circumstances.  But  what  a  pity 
that  so  much  excellence  should  be  debased 
by  laws  to  establish  or  countenance  idola- 
try, magic,  prostitution,  prayers  for  the  dead, 
false-witnessing,  theft,  and  suicide.  How 
perfect  is  the  morality  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  ; 
and  how  desirable  that  they  should  embrace 
it !  Ought  not  means  to  be  used  ?  Can 
we  assist  them  too  soon  ?  There  is  reason 
to  think  that  their  shasters  were  penned 
about  the  beginning  of  the  Kollee  Jogue, 
which  must  be  soon  after  the  deluge  :  and 
are  not  4000  years  long  enough  for  100,000,- 
000  of  men  to  be  under  the  empire  of  the 
devil? 

"31. — I  am  encouraged  to  enter  upon  this 
day  (which  I  set  apart  for  supplicating  God) 
by  a  recollection  of  his  promises  to  those 
who  seek  him.  If  the  sacred  word  be  true, 
the  servants  of  God  can  never  seek  his  face 
in  vain  ;  and,  as  I  am  conscious  of  my  sin- 
cerity and  earnest  desire  only  to  know  his 
pleasure  that  I  may  perform  it,  I  find  a  de- 
gree of  confidence  that  I  shall  realize  the 
fulfilment  of  the  word  on  which  he  causeth 
me  to  hope. 

"  Began  the  day  with  solemn  prayer  for 
the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  my  pres- 
ent exercise,  that  so  I  might  enjoy  the  spirit 


536 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


and  power  of  prayer,  and  have  my  personal 
religion  improved,  as  well  as  my  public  steps 
directed.  In  this  duty  I  found  a  little  quick- 
ening. 

"  I  then  read  over  the  narrative  of  my  ex- 
perience, and  my  journal.  I  find  my  views 
are  still  the  same  :  but  my  heart  is  much 
more  established  than  when  I  began  to  write. 

"  Was  much  struck  in  reading  Paul's 
words  in  2  Cor.  i.  17,  when,  after  speaking 
of  his  purpose  to  travel  for  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel,  he  saith,  'Did  I  then  use  light- 
ness when  I  was  thus  minded  ?  Or  the  things 
that  I  purpose,  do  I  purpose  according  to  the 
flesh,  that  with  me  there  should  be  yea,  yea, 
nay,  nay  ?  '  The  piety  of  the  apostle  in  not 
purposing  after  the  flesh,  the  seriousness  of 
spirit  with  which  he  formed  his  designs,  and 
his  steadfast  adherance  to  them,  were  in  my 
view  worthy  of  the  highest  admiration  and 
strictest  imitation. 

"  Thinking  that  I  might  get  some  assist- 
ance from  David  Brainerd's  experience,  I 
read  his  life  to  the  time  of  his  being  appoint- 
ed a  missionary  among  the  Indians.  The 
exalted  devotion  of  that  dear  man  almost 
made  me  question  mine.  Yet,  at  some  sea- 
sons, he  speaks  of  sinking  as  well  as  rising. 
His  singular  piety  excepted,  his  feelings, 
prayers,  desires,  comforts,  hopes,  and  sor- 
rows, are  my  own  ;  and  if  I  could  follow  him 
in  nothing  else,  I  knew  I  had  been  enabled 
to  say  this  with  him,  '  I  feel  exceedingly 
calm,  and  quite  resigned  to  God  respecting 
my  future  improvement  (or station)  ivhen&nd 
where  he  pleased.  My  faith  lifted  me  above 
the  world,  and  removed  all  those  mountains 
which  I  could  not  look  over  of  late.  I 
thought  I  wanted  not  the  favor  of  man  to 
lean  upon  ;  for  I  knew  God's  favor  was  infi- 
nitely better,  and  that  it  was  no  matter  ivhere, 
or  when,  or  how  Christ  should  send  me,  nor 
with  what  trials  he  should  still  exercise  me, 
if  I  might  be  prepared  for  his  work  and  will.' 

"  Read  the  second,  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and 
sixth  chapters  of  the  second  epistle  to  the 
Corinthians.  Felt  a  kind  of  placidity,  but 
not  much  joy.  On  beginning  the  conclud- 
ing prayer  I  had  no  strength  to  wrestle,  nor 
power  with  God  at  all.  I  seemed  as  one 
desolate  and  forsaken.  I  prayed  for  myself, 
the  society,  the  missionaries,  the  converted 
Hindoos,  the  church  in  Cannon-street,  my 
family,  and  ministry  ;  but  yet  all  was  dull- 
ness, and  I  feared  I  had  offended  the  Lord. 
I  felt  but  little  zeal  for  the  mission,  and  was 
about  to  conclude  with  a  lamentation  over 
the  hardness  of  my  heart,  when  on  a  sudden 
it  pleased  God  to  smite  the  rock  with  the  rod 
of  his  Spirit,  and  immediately  the  waters 
began  to  flow.  O  what  a  heavenly,  glorious, 
melting  power  was  it !  My  eyes,  almost  clos- 
ed with  weeping,  hardly  suffer  me  to  write. 
I  feel  it  over  again.  O  what  a  view  of  the 
love  of  a  crucified  Redeemer  did  I  enjoy ! 
the  attractions  of  his  cross  how  powerful !  I 


was  as  a  giant  refreshed  with  new  wine,  as 
to  my  animation :  like  Mary  at  the  master's 
feet,  weeping  for  tenderness  of  soul  ;  like  a 
little  child,  for  submission  to  my  heavenly 
Father's  will ;  and  like  Paul,  for  a  victory 
over  all  self-love  and  creature-love,  and  fear 
of  man,  when  these  things  stand  in  the  way 
of  my  duty.  The  interest  that  Christ  took 
in  the  redemption  of  the  heathen,  the  situa- 
tion of  our  brethren  in  Bengal,  the  worth  of 
the  soul,  and  the  plain  command  of  Jesus 
Christ,  together  with  an  irresistible  drawing 
of  soul,  which  by  far  exceeded  any  thing  I 
ever  felt  before,  and  is  impossible  to  be  de- 
scribed to  or  conceived  of  by  those  who  have 
never  experienced  it — all  compelled  me  to 
voiv  that  I  would,  by  his  leave,  serve  him 
among  the  heathen.  The  Bible  lying  open 
before  me  (upon  my  knees,)  many  passages 
caught  my  eye,  and  confirmed  the  purposes 
of  my  heart.  If  ever  in  my  life  I  knew  any 
thing  of  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  I 
did  at  this  time.  I  was  swallowed  up  in  God. 
Hunger,  fulness,  cold,  heat,  friends,  and  en- 
emies, all  seemed  nothing  before  God.  I 
was  in  a  new  world.  All  was  delightful  ; 
for  Christ  was  all,  and  in  all.  Many  times  I 
concluded  prayer  ;  but,  when  rising  from  my 
knees,  communion  Avith  God  was  so  desira- 
ble that  I  was  sweetly  drawn  to  it  again  and 
again,  till  my  animal  strength  was  almost 
exhausted.  Then  I  thought  it  would  be 
pleasure  to  burn  for  God  ! 

"  And  now  while  I  write  such  a  heavenly 
sweetness  fills  my  soul  that  no  exterior  cir- 
cumstances can  remove  it ;  and  I  do  uni- 
formly feel  that  the  more  I  am  thus,  the 
more  I  pant  for  the  service  of  my  blessed 
Jesus  among  the  heathen.  Yes,  my  dear, 
my  dying  Lord,  I  am  thine,  thy  servant ;  and, 
if  I  neglect  the  service  of  so  good  a  master, 
I  may  well  expect  a  guilty  conscience  in 
life,  and  a  death  awful  as  that  of  Judas  or  of 
Spira ! 

"  This  evening  I  had  a  meeting  with  my 
friends.  Returned  much  dejected.  Re- 
ceived a  letter  from  brother  Fuller,  which, 
though  he  says  he  has  many  objections  to 
my  going,  yet  is  so  affectionately  expressed 
as  to  yield  me  a  gratification. 

"  Nov.  3. — This  evening  received  a  letter 
from  brother  Ryland,  containing  many  ob- 
jections :  but  contradiction  itself  is  pleasant 
when  it  is  the  voice  of  judgment  mingled 
with  affection.  I  wish  to  remember  that  1 
may  be  mistaken,  though  I  cannot  say  I  am 
at  present  convinced  that  it  is  so.  I  am 
happy  to  find  that  brother  Ryland  approves 
of  my  referring  it  to  the  committee.  I  have 
much  confidence  in  the  judgment  of  my 
brethren,  and  hope  I  shall  be  perfectly  satis- 
fied with  their  advice.  I  do,  think  however, 
if  they  knew  how  earnestly  I  pant  for  the 
work,  it  would  be  impossible  for  them  to 
withhold  their  ready  acquiescence.  O  Lord, 
thou  knowest  my  sincerity  ;  and  that,  if  I  go 


RESIGNATION    UNDER    AFFLICTING    PROVIDENCES. 


037 


not  to  the  work,  it  will  not  be  owing  to  any 
reluctance  on  my  part!  If  I  stay  in  Eng- 
land, I  fear  I  shall  be  a  poor  useless  drone ; 
or,  if  a  sense  of  duty  prompt  me  to  activity 
I  doubt  whether  I  shall  ever  know  inward 
peace  and  joy  again.  O  Lord,  I  am,  thou 
knowest  I  am  oppressed,  undertake  for  me  ! 

"  5.  At  times  to-day  I  have  been  recon- 
ciled to  the  thought  of  staying,  if  my  breth- 
ren should  so  advise  ;  but  at  other  times  I 
seem  to  think  I  could  not.  I  look  at  brother 
Carey's  portrait  as  it  hangs  in  my  study :  I 
love  him  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
long  to  join  his  labors!  every  look  calls  up 
a  hundred  thoughts,  all  of  which  inflame  my 
desire  to  be  a  fellow-laborer  with  him  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord.  One  thing  however  I 
have  resolved  upon,  that  the  Lord  helping 
me,  if  I  cannot  go  abroad,  I  will  do  all  I 
can  to  serve  the  mission  at  home. 

"  7. — This  is  the  last  day  of  peculiar  de- 
votion before  the  deciding  meeting.  May 
I  have  strength  to  wrestle  with  God  to-day 
for  his  wisdom  to  preside  in  the  committee, 
and  by  faith  to  leave  the  issue  to  their  de- 
termination ! 

"  I  did  not  enjoy  much  enlargement  in 
prayer  to-day.  My  mind  seems  at  present 
incapable  of  those  sensations  of  joy  with 
which  I  have  lately  been  much  indulged, 
through  its  strugglings  in  relation  to  my 
going  or  staying:  yet  I  have  been  enabled 
to  commit  the  issue  into  the  hands  of  God, 
as  he  may  direct  my  brethren,  hoping  that 
their  advice  will  be  agreeable  to  his  will." 

The  result  of  the  committee-meeting  has 
already  been  related ;  together  with  the 
state  of  his  mind,  as  far  as  could  be  collect- 
ed from  his  letters,  for  some  time  after  it. 
The  termination  of  these  tender  and  inter- 
esting exercises,  and  of  all  his  other  labors, 
in  so  speedy  a  removal  from  the  present 
scene  of  action,  may  teach  us  not  to  draw 
any  certain  conclusion,  as  to  the  designs  of 
God  concerning  our  future  labors,  from  the 
ardor  or  sincerity  of  our  feelings.  He  may 
take  it  well  that  "  it  was  in  our  hearts  to 
build  him  a  house,"  though  he  should  for 
wise  reasons  have  determined  not  to  grati- 
fy us.  Suffice  it  that  in  matters  of  ever- 
lasting moment  he  has  engaged  to  "per- 
fect that  which  concerns  us."  In  this  he  hath 
condescended  to  bind  himself,  as  by  an  oath, 
for  our  consolation  ;  here,  therefore  we  may 
safely  consider  our  spiritual  desires  as  indica- 
tive of  his  designs  :  but  it  is  otherwise  in  vari- 
ous instances  with  regard  to  present  duty. 

CHAPTER  III. 

HIS  EXERCISES  AND  LABORS,  FROM  THE 
TIME  OF  HIS  GIVING  UP  THE  IDEA  OF 
GOING  ABROAD  TO  THE  COMMENCEMENT 
OF  HIS  LAST  AFFLICTION. 

Had  the  multiplied  labors  of  this  excellent 
man  permitted  his  keeping  a  regular  diary, 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  68 


we  may  see,  by  the  foregoing  specimen  of  a 
single  month,  what  a  rich  store  of  truly 
christian  experience  would  have  pervaded 
these  memoirs.  We  should  then  have  been 
better  able  to  trace  the  gradual  openings  of 
his  holy  mind,  and  the  springs  of  that  ex- 
traordinary unction  of  spirit,  and  energy  of 
action,  by  which  his  life  was  distinguished. 
As  it  is,  we  can  only  collect  the  gleanings 
of  the  harvest,  partly  from  memory,  and 
partly  from  letters  communicated  by  his 
friends. 

This  chapter  will  include  a  period  of 
about  four  years,  during  which  he  went 
twice  to  London,  to  collect  for  the  Baptist 
Mission,  and  once  he  visited  Dublin,  at  the 
invitation  of  the  Evangelical  Society  in  that 
city. 

There  appears  throughout  the  general 
tenor  of  his  life  a  singular  submissiveness 
to  the  will  of  God ;  and,  what  is  worthy  of 
notice,  this  disposition  was  generally  most 
conspicuous  when  his  own  will  was  most 
counteracted.  The  justness  of  this  remark 
is  sufficiently  apparent  from  his  letter  to 
Mrs.  Pearce,  of  November  13,  1794,*  after 
the  decision  of  the  committee ;  and  the 
same  spirit  was  carried  into  the  common 
concerns  of  life.  Thus,  about  a  month  after- 
wards, when  his  dear  Louisa  was  ill  of  a 
fever,  he  thus  writes  from  Northampton  to 
Mrs.  Pearce : — 

Northampton,  Dec.  13,  1794. 

"  My  dear  Sarah, 

"I  am  just  brought  on  the  wings  of  celes- 
tial mercy  safe  to  my  Sabbath's  station.  I 
am  well ;  and  my  dear  friends  here  seem 
healthy  and  happy :  but  I  feel  for  you.  I 
long  to  know  how  our  dear  Louisa's  pulse 
beats  :  I  fear  still  feverish.  We  must  not, 
however,  suffer  ourselves  to  be  infected  with 
a  mental  fever  on  this  account.     Is  she  ill  ? 

It  is  right.     Is  she  very  ill dying  ?    It 

is  still  right.  Is  she  gone  to  join  the 
heavenly  choristers  ?  It  is  all  right,  not- 
withstanding our  repinings  ....  Repinings  ! 
No ;  we  will  not  repine.  It  is  best  she 
should  go.  It  is  best  for  her:  This  we 
must  allow.  It  is  best  for  us :  Do  we  ex- 
pect it?  O,  what  poor,  ungrateful,  short- 
sighted worms  are  we  !  Let  us  submit,  my 
Sarah,  till  we  come  to  heaven :  if  we  do  not 
then  see  that  it  is  best,  let  us  then  complain. 
But  why  do  I  attempt  to  console  ?  Perhaps 
an  indulgent  providence  has  ere  now  dissi- 
pated your  fears :  or,  if  that  same  kind  prov- 
idence has  removed  our  babe,  you  have  con- 
solation enough  in  Him  who  suffered  more 
than  we  ;  and  more  than  enough  to  quiet  all 
our  passions  in  that  astonishing  considera- 
tion,—" God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he 
spared  not  his  own  Son."     Did  God  cheer- 

*  See  page  531. 


538 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.     PEARCE. 


fully  give  the  holy  child  Jesus  for  us ;  and 
shall  we  refuse  our  child  to  him  ?  He  gave 
his  Son  to  suffer :  He  takes  our  children  to 
enjoy :  Yes  ;  to  enjoy  Himself.  Yours  with 
the  tenderest  regard, — S.  P." 

In  June,  1795,  he  attended  the  association 
at  Kettering,  partly  on  account  of  some  mis- 
sionary business  there  to  be  transacted. 
That  was  a  season  of  great  joy  to  many, 
especially  the  last  forenoon  previous  to 
parting.  Thence  he  wrote  to  Mrs.  Pearce 
as  follows  : — 

"  From  a  pew  in  the  house  of  God  at 
Kettering,  with  my  cup  of  joy  running  over, 
I  address  you  by  the  hands  of  brother  Sim- 
mons. Had  it  pleased  divine  providence  to 
have  permitted  your  accompanying  me,  my 
pleasures  would  have  received  no  small  ad- 
dition, because  I  should  have  hoped  tliat  you 
would  have  been  rilled  with  similar  consola- 
tion, and  have  received  equal  edification  by 
the  precious  means  of  grace  on  which  I 
have  attended.  Indeed,  I  never  remember 
to  have  enjoyed  a  public  meeting  to  such  a 
high  degree  since  I  have  been  in  the  habit 
of  attending  upon  them.  Oh,  that  1  may 
return  to  you,  and  the  dear  church  of  God, 
in  the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ !  I  hope,  my  beloved,  that  you  are 
not  without  the  enjoyment  of  the  sweetness 
and  the  supports  of  the  blessed  gospel.  Oh, 
that  you  may  get  and  keep  near  to  God,  and 
in  Him  find  infinitely  more  than  you  can 
possibly  lose  by  your  husband's  absence  ! 

"  Mr.  Hall  preached,  last  evening,  from  1 
Pet.  i.  8.  A  most  evangelical  and  experi- 
mental season  !  I  was  charmed  and  warmed. 
Oh,  that  Jesus  may  go  on  to  reveal  himself 
to  him  as  altogether  lovely !  I  am  unable 
to  write  more  now.  To-day  I  set  off  for 
Northampton,  and  preach  there  to-night. 
The  Lord  bless  you!" 

In  July,  1795,  he  received  a  pressing  in- 
vitation from  the  General  Evangelical  Socie- 
ty in  Dublin  to  pay  them  a  visit,  and  to  as- 
sist in  diffusing  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of 
God  in  that  kingdom.  To  this  invitation  he 
replied  in  the  following  letter,  addressed  to 
Dr.  M'Dowal  :— 

Birmingham,  Aug.  3,  1795. 

"  Rev.  and  dear  Sir, 

"I  received  your  favour  of  the  22nd  ult., 
and,  for  the  interesting  reason  you  assign, 
transmit  a  '  speedy  answer.'  The  society, 
on  whose  behalf  you  wrote,  I  have  ever  con- 
sidered with  the  respect  due  to  the  real 
friends  of  the  best  of  causes — the  cause  of 
God  and  of  his  Christ— a  cause  which  em- 
braces the  most  important  and  durable  inter- 
ests of  our  fellow-men  ;  and  your  name, 
dear  sir,  I  have  been  taught  to  hold  in  more 
than  common  esteem  by  my  dear  brother 
and  father,  Messrs.  Birt  and  Francis. 
The   benevolent  institution  which  you  are 


engaged  in  supporting,  I  am  persuaded, 
deserves  more  than  the  good  wishes  or 
prayers  of  your  brethren  in  the  kingdom  and 
patience  of  Jesus,  on  this  side  the  channel ; 
and  it  will  yield  me  substantial  pleasure  to 
afford  personal  assistance  in  your  pious  la- 
bors. But  for  the  present,  I  am  sorry  to  say, 
I  must  decline  your  proposal,  being  engaged 
to  spend  a  month  in  London  this  autumn  on 
the  business  of  our  mission  society,  of  which 
you  have  probably  heard. 

"  When  I  formed  my  present  connections 
with  the  church  in  Birmingham,  I  proposed 
an  annual  freedom  for  six  weeks  from  my 
pastoral  duties  ;  and,  should  the  '  Evangeli- 
cal Society  '  express  a  wish  for  my  services 
the  ensuing  year,  I  am  perfectly  inclined, 
God  willing,  to  spend  that  time  beneath  their 
direction,  and  at  what  part  of  the  year  they 
conceive  a  visit  would  be  most  serviceable 
to  the  good  design.  I  only  request  that, 
should  this  be  their  desire,  I  may  receive 
the  information  as  soon  as  they  can  conven- 
iently decide,  that  I  may  withhold  myself 
from  other  engagements,  which  may  inter- 
fere with  the  time  they  may  appoint.  I  en- 
treat you  to  make  my  christian  respects  ac- 
ceptable to  the  gentlemen  who  compose  the 
society  ;  and  assure  yourself  that  I  am,  dear 
sir,  respectfully  and  affectionately,  your 
brother,  in  our  Lord  Jesus, — S.  P." 

The  invitation  was  repeated,  and  he  com- 
plied with  their  request,  engaging  to  go  over 
in  the  month  of  June,  179(j. 

A  little  before  this  journey,  it  occurred  to 
Dr.  Ryland  that  an  itinerating  mission  into 
Cornwall  might  be  of  use  to  the  cause  of  true 
religion,  and  that  two  acceptable  ministers 
might  be  induced  to  undertake  it ;  and  that, 
if  executed  during  the  vacation  at  the  Bris- 
tol academy,  two  of  the  students  might  sup- 
ply their  place.  He  communicated  his 
thoughts  to  Mr.  Pearce,  who  wrote  thus  in 
answer : — 


"  My  very  dear  Brother, 


May  30,  1796. 


"  I  thank  you  a  thousand  times  for  your 
last  letter.  Blessed  be  God,  who  hath  put 
it  into  your  heart  to  propose  such  a  plan  for 
increasing  the  boundaries  of  Zion  !  I  have 
read  your  letter  to  our  wisest  friends  here, 
and  they  heard  it  with  great  joy.  The  plan, 
the  place,  the  mode,  the  persons, — all,  all 
meet  our  most  affectionate  wishes.  How 
did  such  a  scheme  never  enter  our  minds  be- 
fore ?  Alas  !  we  have  nothing  in  our  hearts 
that  is  worth  having,  save  what  God  puts 
there.  Do  write  to  me  when  at  Dublin,  and 
tell  me  whether  it  be  resolved  on,  when  they 
set  out,  &c.  I  hope,  ere  long,  to  hear  that 
as  many  disciples  are  employed  in  Great 
Britain,  as  the  Saviour  employed  in  Judea. 
When  he  gives  the  word,  great  will  be  the 
company  of  the  preachers. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  brother,  let  us  go  on  still 


CORRESPONDENCE    RESPECTING    A    MISSION    INTO    CORNWALL. 


539 


praying,  contriving,  laboring,  defending,  un- 
til the  little  leaven  leaveneth  the  whole  lump, 
and  the  small  stone  from  the  mountain  fill 
the  whole  earth. 

"  What  pleasures  do  those  lose  who  have 
uo  interest  in  God's  gracious  and  holy  cause  ! 
How  thankful  should  we  be  that  we  are  not 
strangers  to  the  joy  which  the  friends  of 
Zion  feel,  when  the  Lord  turneth  again 
Zion's  captivity  !  I  am,  beyond  expression, 
your  affectionate  brother  in  Christ, — S.  P." 

On  May  31  he  set  off  for  Dublin,  and  "  the 
Lord  prospered  his  way  "  so  that  he  arrived 
at  the  time  appointed;  and  from  every  ac- 
count it  appears  that  he  was  not  only  sent  in 
the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  the  gospel  of  peace, 
but  that  the  Lord  himself  went  with  him. 
His  preaching  was  not  only  highly  accepta- 
ble to  every  class  of  hearers,  but  the  word 
came  from  him  with  power ;  and  there  is 
abundant  reason  to  believe  that  many  will, 
through  eternity,  praise  God  for  sending  his 
message  to  them  by  this  dear  ambassador  of 
Christ.  His  memory  lives  in  their  hearts, 
and  they  join  with  the  other  churches  of 
Christ  in  deploring  the  loss  they  have  sus- 
tained by  his  death. 

He  was  earnestly  solicited  by  the  Evangel- 
ical Society  to  renew  his  visit  to  that  king- 
dom in  1798.  Ready  to  embrace  every  call 
of  duty,  he  had  signified  his  compliance  ; 
and  the  time  was  fixed:  but  the  breaking 
out  of  the  late  rebellion  prevented  him  from 
realizing  his  intention.  This  was  a  painful 
disappointment  to  many,  who  wished  once 
more  to  see  his  face,  and  to  have  heard  the 
glad  tidings  from  his  lips. 

Such  is  the  brief  account  of  his  visit  to 
Dublin  given  by  Dr.  M'Dowal.  The  follow- 
ing letter  was  written  to  Mrs.  Pearce,  when 
he  had  been  there  little  more  than  a  week : — 

Dublin,  June  30,  1796. 
"  My  dear  Sarah, 

"  I  long  to  know  how  you  do,  and  you  will 
be  as  much  concerned  to  know  how  I  go  on 
at  this  distance  from  you.  I  haste  to  satisfy 
your  inquiries. 

"  I  am  in  perfect  health  :  am  delightfully 
disappointed  with  the  place  and  its  inhabi- 
tants. I  am  very  thankful  that  I  came  over. 
I  have  found  much  more  religion  here  al- 
ready than  I  expected  to  meet  with  during 
the  whole  of  my  stay.  The  prospect  of  use- 
fulness is  flattering.  I  have  already  many 
more  friends  (  I  hope  Christian  friends)  than 
I  can  gratify  by  visits.  Many  doors  are 
open  for  preaching  the  gospel  in  the  city  ; 
and  my  country  excursions  will  probably  be 
few.     Thus  much  for  outline. 

"But  you  will  like  to  know  how  I  spend 
my  time,  &c.  Well,  then:  I  am  at  the  house 
of  a  Mr.  Hutton,  late  high -sheriff  for  the  city, 
a  gentleman  of  opulence,  respectability,  and 
evangelical  piety.  He  is  by  profession  a 
Calvinistic    presbyterian,    an   elder  of  Dr. 


M'Dowal's  church  ;  has  a  most  amiable  wife, 
and  four  children.  I  am  very  thankful  for 
being  placed  here  during  my  stay.  I  am 
quite  at  home — I  mean  as  to  ease  and  fami- 
liarity ;  for,  as  to  style  of  living,  I  neither  do, 
nor  desire  to  equal  it.  Yet,  in  my  present 
situation,  it  is  convenient.  It  would,  how- 
ever, be  sickening  and  dull,  had  I  not  a  God 
to  go  to,  to  converse  with,  to  enjoy,  and  to 
call  my  own.  O  it  is  this,  it  is  this,  my  dear- 
est Sarah,  which  gives  a  point  to  every  en- 
joyment, and  sweetens  all  the  cup  of  life. 

"  The  Lord's-day  after  I  wrote  to  you  last, 
I  preached  for  Dr.  M'Dowal  in  the  morning, 
at  half  past  eleven  ;  heard  a  Mr.  Kilburne 
at  five  ;  and  preached  again  at  Plunket-street 
at  seven.  On  Tuesday  evening  I  preached 
at  an  hospital ;  and  on  Thursday  evening  at 
Plunket-street  again.  Yesterday  for  the 
baptists,  in  the  morning;  Dr.  M'Dowal  at 
five  ;  and  at  Plunket-street  at  seven. 

"  The  hours  of  worship  will  appear  singu- 
lar to  you :  they  depend  on  the  usual  meal 
times.  We  breakfast  at  ten  ;  dine  between 
four  and  five,  sometimes  between  five  and 
six ;  take  tea  from  seven  to  nine  ;  and  sup 
from  ten  to  twelve. 

"  I  thank  God  that  I  possess  an  abiding 
determination  to  aim  at  the  consciences  of 
the  people  in  every  discourse.  I  have  borne 
the  most  positive  testimony  against  the  pre- 
vailing evils  of  professors  here  :  as  sensuali- 
ty, gaiety,  vain  amusements,  neglect  of  the 
Sabbath,  &c. ;  and  last  night  told  an  immense 
crowd  of  professors  of  the  first  rank  '  that,  if 
they  made  custom  and  fashion  their  plea, 
they  were  awfully  deluding  their  souls  ;  for 
it  had  always  been  the  fashion  to  insult  God, 
to  dissipate  time,  and  to  pursue  the  broad 
road  to  hell :  but  it  would  not  lessen  their 
torments  there  that  the  way  to  damnation 
was  the  fashion.' 

"  I  feared  my  faithfulness  would  have 
given  them  offence  :  but,  I  am  persuaded, 
it  was  the  way  to  please  the  Lord ;  and 
those  who  I  expected  would  be  enemies  are 
not  only  at  peace  with  me,  but  even  renounce 
their  sensual  indulgences  to  attend  on  my 
ministry.  I  do  assuredly  believe  that  God 
hath  sent  me  hither  for  good.  The  five 
o'clock  meetings  are  miserably  attended  in 
general.  In  a  house  that  will  hold  1500  or 
2000  people,  you  will  hardly  see  above  fifty  ! 
Yesterday  morning  I  preached  on  the  sub- 
ject of  public  worship,  from  Psalm  v.  7,  and 
seriously  warned  them  against  preferring 
their  bellies  to  God,  and  their  own  houses 
to  his.  I  was  delighted  and  surprised,  at  the 
five  o'clock  meeting,  to  see  the  place  nearly 
full.  Surely  this  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  it 
is  marvellous  in  my  eyes.  Never,  never  did 
I  more  feel  how  weak  I  am  in  myself— a 
mere  nothing  :  and  how  strong  I  am  in  the 
omnipotence  of  God.  I  feel  a  superiority  to 
all  fear,  and  possess  a  conscious  dignity  in 
being  the  ambassador  of  Christ.     O  help  me 


540 


MEMOIRS    OP    MR.    PEARCE. 


to  praise  !  for  it  is  he  alone  who  teacheth  my 
hands  to  war,  and  my  fingers  to  fight :  and 
still  pray  for  me  ;  for,  if  he  withdraw  for  a 
moment,  I  become  as  weak  and  unprofitable 
as  the  briars  of  the  wilderness. 

"  You  cannot  think  how  much  I  am  sup- 
ported by  the  assurance  that  I  have  left  a 
praying  people  at  Birmingham  ;  and  I  be- 
lieve that,  in  answer  to  their  prayers,  I  have 
hitherto  been  wonderfully  assisted  in  the 
public  work,  as  well  as  enjoyed  much  in 
private  devotion. 

"I  have  formed  a  most  pleasing  acquaint- 
ance with  several  serious  young  men  in  the 
university  here,  and  with  two  of  the  fellows 
of  the  college — most  pious  gentlemen  in- 
deed, who  have  undergone  a  world  of  re- 
proach for  Christ  and  his  gospel,  and  have 
been  forbidden  to  preach  in  the  churches  by 
the  archbishop:  but  God  has  raised  another 
house  for  them  here,  where  they  preach 
with  much  success,  and  have  begun  a  meet- 
ing in  the  college,  which  promises  fresh 
prosperity  to  the  cause  of  Jesus." 

The  following  particulars,  in  addition  to 
the  above,  are  taken  partly  from  some  notes 
in  his  own  hand-writing,  and  partly  from  the 
account  given  by  his  friend  Mr.  Summers, 
who  accompanied  him  during  the  latter  part 
of  his  visits. 

At  his  first  arrival,  the  congregations  were 
but  thinly  attended,  and  the  baptist  congre- 
gation in  particular,  amongst  whom  he  de- 
livered several  discourses.  It  much  affect- 
ed him  to  see  the  whole  city  given  to  sen- 
suality and  worldly  conformity ;  and  es- 
pecially to  find  those  of  his  own  denomina- 
tion amongst  the  lowest  and  least  affected 
with  their  condition.  But,  the  longer  he 
continued,  the  more  the  congregations  in- 
creased, and  every  opportunity  became  in- 
creasingly interesting,  both  to  him  and  them. 
His  faithful  remonstrances,  and  earnest 
recommendations  of  prayer-meetings  to  his 
baptist  friends,  though  at  first  apparently  ill 
received,  were  well  taken  in  the  end  ;  and 
he  had  the  happiness  to  see  in  them  some 
hopeful  appearances  of  a  return  to  God. 
On  June  the  20th  he  wrote  to  his  friend  Mr. 
Summers  as  follows: — 
My  dear  friend, 

"If  you  mean  to  abide  by  my  opinion,  I 
say,  Come  to  Dublin,  and  come  directly  ! 
I  have  been  most  delightfully  disappointed. 
I  expected  darkness,  and  behold  light ;  sor- 
row, and  I  have  had  cause  for  abundant  joy. 
I  thank  God  that  I  came  hither,  and  hope 
that  many,  as  well  as  myself,  will  have 
cause  to  praise  him.  Never  have  I  been 
more  deeply  taught  my  own  nothingness — 
never  hath  the  power  of  God  more  evident- 
ly rested  upon  me.  The  harvest  here  is 
great  indeed  ;  and  the  Lord  of  the  harvest 
hath  enabled  me  to  labor  in  it  with  delight. 
'  I  praise  him  for  all  that  is  past  ; 
I  trust  him  for  all  that's  to  come.' 


"  The  Lord  hath  of  late  been  doing  great 
things  fijr  Dublin.  Several  of  the  young 
men  in  the  college  have  been  awakened  ; 
and  two  of  the  fellows  are  sweet  evangelical 
preachers.  One  of  them  is  of  a  spirit  serene 
as  the  summer's  evening,  and  sweet  as  the 
breath  of  May.  I  am  already  intimate  with 
them,  and  have  spent  several  mornings  in 
college  with  various  students  who  bid  fair  to 
be  faithful  watchmen  on  Jerusalem's  walls. 
But  I  hope  you  will  come  ;  and  then  you  will 
see  for  yourself.  If  not,  I  will  give  you 
some  pleasant  details  when  we  meet  in 
England." 

Mr.  Summers  complied  with  this  invita- 
tion ;  and  of  the  last  seven  or  eight  days  of 
Mr.  Pearce's  continuance  at  Dublin  he  him- 
self thus  writes: — 

"Monday,  July  4. — At  three  in  the  after- 
noon I  went  with  my  friend,  Mr.  Summers, 
to  Mr.  K.'s.  Spent  a  very  agreeable  day. 
Miss  A.  K.  remarked  two  wonders  in  Dub- 
lin : — A  praying  society  composed  of  stu- 
dents at  college,  and  another  of  lawyers. — 
The  family  were  called  together.  We 
sung :  I  read,  and  expounded  the  twelfth 
chapter  of  Isaiah  ;  and  prayed. — At  seven 
we  went  to  a  prayer-meeting  at  Plunket- 
street — there  was  a  very  large  attendance. 
Mr.  R.  and  Mr.  S.  prayed  ;  and  I  spoke  from 
Rom.  x.  12,  13 :  "  There  is  no  difference 
between  the  Jew  and  the  Greek;  for  the 
same  Lord  over  all  is  rich  unto  all  who  call 
upon  him.  For  whosoever  shall  call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved." — 
Many  seemed  affected. — After  I  had  closed 
the  opportunity,  I  told  them  some  of  my 
own  experience,  and  requested  that,  if  any 
present  wished  for  conversation,  they  would 
come  to  me,  either  that  evening  or  on 
Thursday  evening,  in  the  vestry. — Five  per- 
sons came  in :  one  had  been  long  impressed 
with  religion,  but  could  never  summon 
courage  enough  to  open  her  heart  before. 
Another,  a  Miss  W.,  attributed  her  first  im- 
pressions, under  God,  to  my  ministry  ;  and 
told  me  that  her  father  had  regularly  attend- 
ed of  late,  and  that  her  mother  was  so  much 
alarmed  as  to  be  almost  in  despair.  Poor 
girl !  she  seemed  truly  in  earnest  about  her 
own  soul,  and  as  much  concerned  for  her 
parents. — The  next  had  possessed  a  serious 
concern  for  some  time,  and  of  late  had  been 
much  revived. — One  young  lady,  a  Miss  H., 
staid  in  the  meeting-house,  exceedingly  af- 
fected indeed.  Mr.  K.  spoke  to  her. — She 
said  she  would  speak  to  me  on  Thursday. 

"Tuesday,  5th. — Went  to  Leislip.  At 
seven  preached  to  a  large  and  affected 
auditory. 

"  Wednesday,  Gth. — Mr.  H.  and  myself 
went  to  Mrs.  WG.,  to  inquire  about  the 
young  lady  who  was  so  much  affected  at  the 
meeting.  Mrs.  M'G.  said  her  mother 
and  sister  were  pious ;  that  she  had  been 
very  ,giddy;   but  that  last  Lord's-day  she 


VISIT    AT    DUBLIN. 


541 


was  seriously  awakened  to  a  sense  of  sin  ; 
had  expressed  her  delight  in  religion,  and 
fled  for  refuge  to  the  blood  of  Jesus. — Her 
sister  was  introduced  to  me ;  a  sweetly  pi- 
ous lady. — I  agreed  to  wait  for  an  interview 
with  the  young  lady  at  Mr.  H.'s,  in  Eccles- 
street,  to-morrow. 

"  Thursday,  7th. — Miss  H.,  her  sister,  and 
Mrs.  M'G.  came  to  Eccles-street. — A  most 
delightful  interview.  Seldom  have  I  seen 
such  proficiency  in  so  short  a  time. — That 
day  week,  at  Plunket-street,  she  received 
her  first  serious  impressions.  Her  concern 
deepened  at  Mass-lane,  on  Lord's-day  morn- 
ing— more  so  in  the  evening  at  Plunket- 
street — but  most  of  all  on  Monday  night. 
I  exhorted  them  to  begin  a  prayer  and  ex- 
perience-meeting ;  and  they  agreed.  Bless- 
ed be  God !  this  strengthens  my  hands 
greatly. — At  seven  o'clock  preached  at 
Plunket-street,  from  Jer.  i.  4,  5 :  '  Going 
and  weeping — they  shall  ask  the  way  to 
Zion  with  their  faces  thitherward.'  A  full 
house  ;  and  an  impressive  season.  Tarried 
after  the  public  services  were  ended,  to  con- 
verse on  religion.  The  most  pleasing  case 
was  that  of  a  young  man  of  Mr.  D.'s. 

"  Saturday,  9th. — Went  with  my  friend, 
Mr.  S.,  to  call  on  Miss  H. — Found  her  at 
her  mother's. — We  first  passed  the  door. — 
She  ran  out  after  us. — Seemed  happy ;  but 
agitated.  Ran,  and  called  her  mother. — 
Soon  we  saw  the  door  of  the  parlor  open, 
and  a  majestic  lady  appeared  ;  who,  as  she 
entered  the  room,  thus  accosted  me : — 
'  Who  art  thou,  oh,  blessed  of  the  Lord  ? 
Welcome  to  the  widow's  house !  Accept 
the  widow's  thanks  for  coming  after  the 
child  whom  thou  hast  begotten  in  the  gos- 
pel ! ' — I  was  too  much  overcome  to  do  more 
than  take  by  the  hand  the  aged  saint.  A 
solemn  silence  ensued  for  a  minute  or  two  ; 
when  the  old  lady,  recovering,  expressed  the 
fulness  of  her  satisfaction  respecting  the 
reality  of  the  change  effected  in  her  daugh- 
ter, and  her  gratitude  for  great  refreshment 
of  her  own  soul,  by  means  of  my  poor  la- 
bors. She  said  she  had  known  the  Lord 
during  forty  years,  being  called  under  the 
ministry  of  John  Fisher,  in  the  open  air, 
when  on  a  visit  to  an  officer,  who  was  her 
brother-in-law.  She  told  us  much  of  her 
experience,  and  promised  to  encourage  the 
prayer-meeting  which  I  proposed  to  be  held 
in  her  house  every  Lord's-day  evening. 
They  are  to  begin  to-morrow,  after  preach- 
ing.— It  was  a  pleasant  meeting ;  and  we 
returned  with  pleasure  to  Eccles-street. 
After  we  rose  up  to  come  away,  the  old  lady 
affectionately  said,  '  May  the  good-will  of 
Him  who  dwelt  in  the  bush  attend  you 
wherever  you  go,  for  ever  and  ever. 

The  young  lady,  some  months  after,  wrote 
to  Mr.  S.,  and  says,  amongst  other  things,  '  I 
have  great  reason  to  be  thankful  for  the 
many  blessings  the  Lord  has  been  pleased 


to  bestow  upon  me,  and  in  particular  for  his 
sending  Mr.  Pearce  to  this  city  ;  and  that 
through  his  means  I  have  been  convinced  of 
sin.  I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that,  through 
grace,  I  am  enabled  to  walk  in  the  narrow 
path.  The  Lord  has  taken  away  all  desire 
for  worldly  company  ;  all  my  desires,  now, 
are  to  attend  on  the  means  of  grace.  Bless- 
ed be  his  name  !  I  often  find  him  present 
in  them.  My  mother  and  I  often  remember 
the  happy  time  we  spent  in  your  company  at 
our  house.  She  often  speaks  of  it  with 
great  pleasure,  and  blesses  the  Lord  for  the 
change  which  grace  has  wrought  in  me." 

"Lord's-day,  LOth  (the  last  Sabbath)— 
Preached  in  the  morning  at  Mary's  Abbey, 
from  Job  xxxiii.  27,  28:  'He  looked  upon 
men,  and  if  any  say,  I  have  sinned,  and  per- 
verted that  which  was  right,  and  it  profited 
me  not,  he  will  deliver  his  soul  from  going 
into  the  pit,  and  his  life  shall  see  the  light.' 
— A  happy  season. — In  the  afternoon,  having 
dined  with  Mr.  W.,  he  took  me  to  Swift's- 
alley,  the  baptist  place  of  worship,  where  I 
gave  an  exhortation  on  brotherly  love,  and 
administered  the  Lord's  supper.  At  Mr. 
W.'s  motion,  the  church  requested  me  to 
look  out  a  suitable  minister  for  them.  In 
the  evening  I  preached  at  Plunket-street, 
from  2  Tim.  i.  18 :  '  The  Lord  grant  unto 
him  that  he  may  find  mercy  of  the  Lord  in 
that  day ! ' — A  very  solemn  season. 

Monday,  11th. — Met  the  dear  Christian 
friends,  for  the  last  time,  at  a  prayer-meet- 
ing in  Plunket-street. — The  Lord  was  there  ! 
Several  friends  spent  the  evening  with  us 
afterwards  at  Mr.  H.'s. 

"Tuesday,  12th. — Went  on  board  at  four; 
arrived  at  Liverpool  on  Thursday,  and  safely 
at  home  on  Friday,  July  15th,  1796.  Bless- 
ed be  the  preserver  of  men,  the  Saviour  of 
sinners,  and  the  help  of  his  servants,  for 
evermore,  amen,  amen." 

Some  time  after,  writing  to  his  friend  who 
accompanied  him,  he  says,  '  I  have  received 
several  letters  from  Dublin :  two  from 
Master  B.,  one  from  Miss  H.,  one  from 
M.,  three  or  four  from  our  baptist  friends, 
and  some  from  others  whom  I  cannot 
recollect. — Mr.  K.  lately  called  on  me, 
in  his  way  from  Bath  to  Holyhead.  We 
talked  of  you,  and  of  our  Lord,  and  did 
not  part  till  we  had  presented  ourselves  be- 
fore the  throne." 

During  his  labors  in  Dublin,  he  was 
strongly  solicited  to  settle  in  a  very  flatter- 
ing situation  in  the  neighborhood  ;*  and  a 
very  liberal  salary  was  offered  him.  On  his 
positively  declining  it,  mention  was  made 
of  only  six  months  of  the  year.  When  that 
was  declined,  three  months  were  proposed ; 
and,  when  he  was  about  to  answer  this  in 
the  negative,  the  party  refused  to  receive 

*  At  the  Black  Rock,  the  residence  of  some 
of  the  most  genteel  families  in  the  vicinity  of  Dub- 
lin. 


542 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.     PEARCE. 


his  answer,  desiring  him  to  take  time  to 
consider  of  it.  He  did  so;  and,  though  he 
entertained  a  very  grateful  sense  of  the  kind- 
ness and  generosity  expressed  by  the  pro- 
posal, yet,  after  the  maturest  deliberation, 
he  thought  it  his  duty  to  decline  it.  Mr. 
Pearce's  modesty  prevented  his  talking  on 
such  a  subject ;  but  it  was  known  at  the 
time  by  his  friend  who  accompanied  him, 
and,  since  his  death,  has  been  frequently 
mentioned  as  an  instance  of  his  disinterest- 
ed spirit. 

His  friends  at  Birmingham  were  ready  to 
think  it  hard  that  he  should  be  so  willing  to 
leave  them  to  go  on  a  mission  among  the 
heathen  :  but  they  could  not  well  complain, 
and  much  less  think  ill  of  him,  when  they 
saw  that  such  a  willingness  was  more  than 
could  be  effected  by  the  most  flattering 
prospects  of  a  worldly  nature,  accompanied, 
too,  with  promising  appearances  of  religious 
usefulness. 

About  a  month  after  his  return  from  Dub- 
lin, Mr.  Pearce  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Carey,  in  which  he  gives  some  farther  ac- 
count of  Ireland,  as  well  as  of  some  other 
interesting  matters : — 

Birmingham,  Aug.  12,  1796. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  brother,  did  you  but  know 
with  what  feelings  I  resume  my  pen,  freely 
to  correspond  with  you  after  receiving  your 
very  affectionate  letter  to  myself,  and  pe- 
rusing that  which  you  sent  by  the  same 
conveyance  to  the  society,  I  am  sure  you 
would  persuade  yourself  that  I  have  no  com- 
mon friendship  for  you,  and  that  your  re- 
gards are  at  least  returned  with  equal 
ardor. 

"  I  fear  (I  had  almost  said)  that  I  shall 
never  see  your  face  in  the  flesh  ;  but  if  any 
thing  can  add  to  the  joy  which  the  presence 
of  Christ,  and  conformity,  perfect  conformi- 
ty to  him,  will  afford  in  heaven,  surely  the 
certain  prospect  of  meeting  with  my  dear 
brother  Carey  there  is  one  of  the  greatest. 
Thrice  happy  should  I  be  if  the  providence 
of  God  would  open  a  way  for  my  partaking 
of  your  labors,  your  sufferings,  and  your 
pleasures,  on  this  side  the  eternal  world  : 
but  all  my  brethren  here  are  of  opinion  that 
I  shall  be  more  useful  at  home  than  abroad  ; 
and  I,  though  reluctantly,  submit.  Yet  I 
am  truly  with  you  in  spirit.  My  heart  is  at 
Mudnabatty,  and  at  times  I  even  hope  to 
find  my  body  there:  but  with  the  Lord  I 
leave  it ;  He  knows  my  wishes,  my  motives, 
my  regret:  He  knows  all  my  soul;  and, 
depraved  as  it  is,  I  feel  an  inexpressible 
satisfaction  that  he  does  know  it.  However, 
it  is  an  humbling  thought  to  me,  that  he  sees 
I  am  unfit  for  such  a  station,  and  unworthy 
of  such  an  honor  as  to  bear  his  name  among 
the  heathen.  But  I  must  be  thankful  still 
that,  though  he  appoints  me  not  to  a  post 
in  foreign  service,  he  will  allow  me  to  stand 


sentinel  at  home.     In  this   situation  may  I 
have  grace  to  be  faithful  unto  death  ! 

"  I  hardly  wonder  at  your  being  pained  on 
account  of  the  effects  produced  in  the  minds 
of  your  European  friends,  by  the  news  of 
your  engagement  in  the  indigo  business,  be- 
cause I  imagine  you  are  ignorant  of  the  pro- 
cess of  that  matter  amongst  us.  When  I 
received  the  news,  I  glorified  God  in  sincer- 
ity on  account  of  it,  and  gave  most  hearty 
thanks  to  him  for  his  most  gracious  appear- 
ance on  your  behalf:  but  at  the  same  time  I 
feared  lest,  through  that  undertaking,  the 
work  of  the  mission  might  in  some  way  or 
other  be  impeded.  The  same  impression 
was  made  on  the  minds  of  many  others  ;  yet 
no  blame  was  attached,  in  our  view,  to  you. 
Our  minds  were  only  alarmed  for  the  future 
— not  disposed  to  censure  for  the  past.  Had 
you  seen  a  faithful  copy  of  the  prayers,  the 
praises,  and  the  conversation  of  the  day  in 
which  your  letters  were  read,  I  know  you 
would  not  have  entertained  one  unkind 
thought  of  the  society  towards  you.  Oh,  no, 
my  dear  brother,  far  be  it  from  us  to  lay  an 
atom  upon  your  spirits  of  a  painful  nature. 
Need  I  say,  we  do  love  you,  we  do  respect 
you,  we  do  confide  too  much  in  you,  to  de- 
sign the  smallest  occasion  of  distress  to  your 
heart.  But  I  close  this  subject.  In  future 
we  will  atone  for  an  expression  that  might 
bear  a  harsh  construction.  We  will  strength- 
en, we  will  support,  we  will  comfort,  we  will 
encourage  you  in  your  aduous  work :  all,  all 
shall  be  love  and  kindness  ;  glory  to  God,  and 
good  will  to  men.  If  I  have  done  aught  that 
is  wrong,  as  an  individual,  pardon  me  ;  if  we 
have  said  aught  amiss,  as  a  society,  pardon 
us.  Let  us  forbear  one  another  in  love,  '  for- 
giving one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's 
sake  hath  forgiven  us.' 

"  By  the  time  this  reaches  you,  I  hope 
you  will  have  received  Nos.  I.  and  II.  of  Pe- 
riodical Accounts.  Should  you  find  any 
thing  in  them  which  you  think  had  better  be 
omitted,  pray  be  free  in  mentioning  it,  and 
in  future  your  instructions  shall  be  fully  at- 
tended to.  We  have  taken  all  the  pains,  and 
used  all  the  caution,  in  our  power,  to  render 
them  unexceptionable ;  but  you  can  better 
judge  in  some  respects  than  we.  If  you 
should  not  approve  of  all  (though  we  are  not 
conscious  of  any  thing  that  you  will  disap- 
prove) you  will  not  be  offended,  but  believe 
we  have  done  our  best,  and,  with  your  re- 
marks, hope  to  do  better  still. 

"With  pleasure,  approaching  to  rapture,  I 
read  the  last  accounts  you  sent  us.  I  never 
expected  immediate  success  :  the  prospect  is 
truly  greater  than  my  most  sanguine  hopes. 
"The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to  a.  little 
leaven  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal,  till  the 
whole  is  leavened."  Blessed  be  God !  the 
leaven  is  in  the  meal,  and  its  influence  is  al- 
ready discoverable.  A  great  God  is  doing 
great  things  by  you.    Go  on,  my  dearest 


LETTER    TO    DR.     CAREY. 


543 


brother,  go  on ;  God  will  do  greater  things 
than  these.  Jesus  is  worthy  of  a  ivodd  of 
praise  :  and  shall  Hindostan  not  praise  him  ? 
Surely  he  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul 
there,  and  the  sower  and  the  reaper  shall  re- 
joice together.  Already  the  empire  of  dark- 
ness totters,  and  soon  it  shall  doubtless  fall. 
Blessed  be  the  laborers  in  this  important 
work ;  and  blessed  be  He  who  giveth  them 
hearts  and  strength  to  labor,  and  promises 
that  they  shall  not  labor  in  vain  ! 

"  Do  not  fear  the  want  of  money.  God  is 
for  us,  and  the  silver  and  the  gold  are  his  ; 
and  so  are  the  hearts  of  those  who  possess 
the  most  of  it.  I  will  travel  from  the  Land's 
end  to  the  Orkney's  but  we  will  get  money 
enough  for  all  the  demands  of  the  mission.  I 
have  never  had  a  fear  on  that  head :  a  little 
exertion  will  do  wonders  ;  and  past  experi- 
ence justifies  every  confidence.  Men,  we 
only  want ;  and  God  shall  find  them  for  us  in 
due  time. 

"  Is  brother  Fountain  arrived  ?  We  hope 
he  Avill  be  an  acceptable  remittance,  and, 
viva  voce,  compensate  for  the  lack  of  epis- 
tolary communications. 

"  I  rejoice  in  contemplating  a  church  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  Bengal,  formed 
upon  his  own  plan.  Why  do  not  the  Hin- 
doo converts  join  it?  Lord  help  their  unbe- 
lief !  But  perhaps  the  drop  is  now  withheld, 
that  you  may  by  and  bye  have  the  shower, 
and  lift  up  your  eyes  and  say,  "These, 
whence  came  they  ?  They  fly  as  clouds,  or 
as  doves  to  their  windows."  For  three  years 
we  read  of  few  baptized  by  the  first  disci- 
ples of  our  Lord  ;  but,  on  the  fourth,  three 
thousand,  and  five  thousand,  openly  avowed 
him.  The  Lord  send  you  such  another  Pen- 
tecost ! 

"  I  intend  to  write  my  dear  brother  a  long 
letter.  It  will  prove  my  desire  to  gratify  him, 
if  it  do  no  more.  I  wish  that  I  knew  in  what 
communications  your  other  correspondents 
will  be  most  deficient :  then  I  would  try  to 
supply  their  omissions. 

"I  will  begin  with  myself:  but  I  have 
nothing  good  to  say.  I  think  I  am  the  most 
vile,  ungrateful  servant  that  ever  Jesus  Christ 
employed  in  his  church.  At  some  times,  I 
question  whether  I  ever  knew  the  grace  of 
God  in  truth  ;  and  at  others  I  hesitate  on  the 
most  important  points  of  christian  faith.  I 
have  lately  had  peculiar  struggles  of  this 
kind  with  my  own  heart,  and  have  often  half 
concluded  to  speak  no  more  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord.  When  I  am  preparing  for  the  pul- 
pit, I  fear  I  am  going  to  avow  fables  for  facts, 
and  doctrines  of  men  for  the  truths  of  God. 
In  conversation  I  am  obliged  to  be  silent, 
lest  my  tongue  should  belie  my  heart.  In 
prayer  I  know  not  what  to  say,  and  at  times 
think  prayer  altogether  useless.  Yet  I  can- 
not wholly  surrender  my  hope,  or  my  pro- 
fession.— Three  things  I  find,  above  all  oth- 
ers, tend  to  my  preservation : — First,  a  re- 


collection of  a  time  when,  at  once,  I  was 
brought  to  abandon  the  practice  of  sins 
which  the  fear  of  damnation  could  never 
bring  me  to  relinquish  before.  Surely,  I 
say,  this  must  be  the  finger  of  God,  accor- 
ding to  the  scripture  doctrine  of  regenera- 
tion : — Secondly,  I  feel  such  a  consciousness 
of  guilt  that  nothing  but  the  gospel  scheme 
can  satisfy  my  mind  respecting  the  hope  of 
salvation  : — Thirdly,  I  see  that  what  true  de- 
votion does  appear  in  the  world  seems  only 
to  be  found  among  those  to  whom  Christ  is 
precious. 

"  But  I  frequently  find  a  backwardness  to 
secret  prayer,  and  much  deadness  in  it :  and 
it  puzzles  me  to  see  how  this  can  be  consis- 
tent with  a  life  of  grace.  However,  I  re- 
solve, that,  let  what  will  become  of  me,  I 
will  do  all  I  can  for  God  while  I  live,  and 
leave  the  rest  to  him ;  and  this  I  usually  ex- 
perience to  be  the  best  way  to  be  at  peace. 

"  I  believe  that,  if  I  were  more  fully  giv- 
en up  to  God,  I  should  be  free  from  these 
distressing  workings  of  mind ;  and  then  I 
long  to  be  a  missionary,  where  I  should  have 
temptations  to  nothing  but  to  abound  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord,  and  lay  myself  entirely 
out  for  him.  In  such  a  situation,  I  think, 
pride  would  have  but  little  food  and  faith 
more  occasion  for  exercise  ;  so  that  the  spir- 
itual life  and  inward  religion  would  thrive 
better  than  they  do  now. 

"At  times,  indeed  I  do  feel,  I  trust,  gen- 
uine contrition,  and  sincerely  lament  my 
short-comings  before  God.  Oh  the  sweets 
that  accompany  true  repentance !  Yes,  I 
love  to  be  abased  before  God.  'There  it  is 
I  find  my  blessing.'  May  the  Lord  daily  and 
hourly  bring  me  low,  and  keep  me  so ! 

'  As  to  my  public  work,  I  find,  whilst  en- 
gaged in  it,  little  cause  to  complain  for  want 
either  of  matter  or  words.  My  labors  are 
acceptable  and  not  altogether  unprofitable  to 
the  hearers  ;  but  what  is  this  to  me,  if  my 
own  soul  starve  whilst  others  are  fed  by  me  ? 
Oh,  my  brother,  I  need  your  prayers  ;  and  I 
feel  a  great  satisfaction  in  the  hope  that  you 
do  not  forget  me.  Oh,  that  I  may  be  kept 
faithful  unto  death  !  Indeed,  in  the  midst  of 
my  strugglings,  a  gleam  of  hope  that  I  shall 
at  last  awake  in  the  likeness  of  God,  affords 
me  greater  joy  than  words  can  express.  To 
be  with  Christ  is  far  better  than  to  continue 
sinning  here  :  but,  if  the  Lord  hath  any  thing 
to  do  by  me,  His  will  be  done. 

"  I  have  never  so  fully  opened  my  case  to 
any  one  before.  Your  freedom  on  similar 
topics  encourages  me  to  make  my  complaint 
to  you,  and  I  think  if  you  were  near  me  I 
should  feel  great  relief  in  revealing  to  you 
all  my  heart.  But  I  shall  fatigue  you  with 
my  moanings,  so  I  will  have  done  on  this 
subject. 

"  It  is  not  long  since  I  returned  from  a 
mission  to  Ireland.  A  society  is  established 
in  Dublin  for  the  purpose  of  inviting  from 


544 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


England,  ministers  of  various  denominations 
to  assist  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  there.  Some  of  our  Bap- 
tist brethren  had  been  there  before  me,  as 
Rippon,  Langdon,  Francis,  and  Birt ;  and  I 
think  the  plan  is  calculated  for  usefulness. 
I  have,  at  Dr.  Rippon's  request,  sent  him 
some  remarks  on  my  visit  for  the  Register, 
but,  as  it  is  probable  you  will  receive  this 
before  that  comes  to  hand,  I  will  say  some- 
thing of  my  excursion  here. 

"  Having  engaged  to  spend  six  Lord's-days 
in  that  kingdom,  I  arrived  there  the  day  be- 
fore the  first  Sabbath  in  June.  I  first  made 
myself  acquainted  with  the  general  state  of 
religion  in  Dublin.  I  found  there  were  four 
presbyterian  congregations ;  two  of  these 
belong  to  the  southern  presbytery,  and  are 
Arians  or  Socinians  ;  the  other  two  are  con- 
nected with  the  northern  presbytery,  and 
retain  the  Westminster  confession  of  faith. 
One  of  these  latter  congregations  is  very 
email,  and  the  minister,  though  orthodox,  ap- 
pears to  have  but  little  success.  The  other 
is  large  and  flourishing :  the  place  of  worship 
is  ninety  feet  by  seventy,  and  in  a  morning 
well  filled.  Their  times  of  public  service 
are  at  half-past  eleven  and  five.  In  the 
afternoon  the  stated  congregations  are  small 
indeed  ;  for  five  o'clock  is  the  usual  dining- 
hour  in  Dublin,  and  few  of  the  hearers  would 
leave  their  dinners  for  the  gospel.  Dr. 
M'Dowal  is  the  senior  pastor  of  this  church — 
a  very  affectionate,  spiritual  man.  The  ju- 
nior is  Mr.  Horner.  The  doctor  is  a  warm 
friend  to  the  society  at  whose  request  I  went 
over  to  Ireland. 

"There  is  one  congregation  of  burgher 
seceders,  and  another  of  antiburghers.  The 
latter  will  not  hear  any  man  who  is  not  of 
their  own  cast ;  the  former  are  much  more 
liberal.  I  preached  for  them  once,  and  they 
affectionately  solicited  a  repetition  of  my 
services. 

"  Lady  Huntingdon's  connection  has  one 
society  here,  the  only  one  in  the  kingdom, 
perhaps,  except  at  Sligo,  where  there  is 
another.  It  is  not  large  and  I  fear  rather 
declining.  There  is  not  one  independent 
church  in  the  whole  kingdom.  There  were 
ten  baptist  societies  in  Ireland:  but  they  are 
now  reduced  to  six  ;  and  are  I  fear,  still  on 
the  decline. 

"The  inhabitants  of  Dublin  seem  to  be 
chiefly  composed  of  two  classes ;  the  one 
assumes  the  appearance  of  opulence  ;  the 
other  exhibits  marks  of  the  most  abject  pov- 
erty :  and,  as  there  are  no  parishes  in  Ireland 
which  provide  for  the  poor,  many  die  every 
year  for  want  of  the  common  necessaries  of 
life. 

"  Most  of  the  rich  are  by  profession  pro- 
testants  ;  the  poor  are  nearly  all  papists,  and 
strongly  prejudiced  against  the  reformed  re- 
ligion. Their  ignorance  and  superstition 
are  scarcely  inferior  to  your  miserable  Hin- 


doos. On  Midsummer-day  I  had  an  affect- 
ing proof  of  the  latter.  On  the  public  road 
about  a  mile  from  Dublin  is  a  well,  which 
was  once  included  in  the  precincts  of  a  prio- 
ry dedicated  to  St.  John  of  Jerusalem.  This 
well  is  in  high  repute  for  curing  a  number 
of  bodily  complaints,  and  its  virtues  are  said 
to  be  the  most  efficacious  on  the  saint's  own 
day.  So  from  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  for 
twenty-four  hours,  it  becomes  the  rendez- 
vous for  all  the  lame,  blind,  and  otherwise 
diseased  people,  within  a  circuit  of  twenty 
miles.  Here  they  brought  old  and  young, 
and  applied  the  '  holy  water'  both  internally 
and  externally  ;  some  by  pouring,  some  by 
immersion,  and  all  by  drinking  ;  whilst,  for 
the  good  of  those  who  could  not  attend  in 
person,  their  friends  filled  bottles  with  the 
efficacious  water  to  use  at  home.  Several 
I  saw  on  their  knees  before  the  well  at  their 
devotions,  which  were  not  unfrequently  in- 
terrupted with  a  glass  of  whiskey.  With 
this  they  were  supplied  from  a  number  of 
dealers  in  that  article,  who  kept  standings 
all  round  the  well. 

"Near  to  the  spot  was  a  church-yard, 
where  great  numbers  kneeled  upon  the 
tombs  of  their  diseased  relatives,  and  ap- 
peared earnestly  engaged  in  praying  for  the 
repose  of  their  souls. 

"  It  was  truly  a  lamentable  sight.  My 
heart  ached  at  their  delusions,  whilst  I  felt 
gratitude,  I  hope  unfeigned,  for  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  'water  of  life,  of  which  if  a 
man  drink  he  shall  live  forever ! ' 

"There  are  few  or  none  of  the  middle 
class  to  connect  the  rich  and  the  poor,  so 
that  favorable  access  to  them  is  far  more 
difficult  than  to  the  lower  orders  of  the  peo- 
ple in  England  ;  and  their  priests  hold  them 
in  such  bondage  that,  if  a  catholic  ser- 
vant only  attend  on  family- worship  in  a  pro- 
testant  house,  penance  must  be  performed 
for  the  offence." 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  his  hav- 
ing "  formed  a  pleasing  acquaintance  with 
several  serious  young  gentlemen  of  the  uni- 
versity of  Dublin."*  The  following  letter 
was  addressed  to  one  of  them,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Matthias,  a  few  months  after  his  return : 

"  Dear  brother  Matthias, 

"  I  have  been  employed  this  whole  day  in 
writing  letters  to  Dublin  ;  and  it  is  the  first 
day  I  have  been  able  to  redeem  for  that  pur- 
pose. I  will  not  consume  a  page  in  apology. 
Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  necessity,  not  dis- 
inclination, has  detained  from  my  Irish 
friends  those  proofs  of  my  gratitude  and  es- 
teem which  in  other  circumstances  I  ought 
to  have  presented  three  months  ago.  I 
thought  this  morning  of  answering  all  their 
demands  before  I  slept ;  but  I  have  written 
so  many  sheets,  and  all  full,  that  I  find  my 

*  Page  540. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  CORRESPONDENCE. 


645 


eyes  and  my  fingers  both  fail ;  and  I  believe 
this  must  close  my  intercourse  with  Dublin 
this  day.  When  I  shall  be  able  to  complete 
my  purpose  I  do  not  know.  To  form  friend- 
ships with  a^ood  men  is  pleasant;  but  to 
maintaina/Z  that  communion  which  friendship 
expects,  is  in  some  cases  very  difficult.  Hap- 
py should  I  be  could  I  meet  my  Irish  friends 
in  propria  persona,  instead  of  sitting-  in  soli- 
tude, and  maintaining,  by  the  tedious  medium 
of  the  pen,  this  distant  intercourse.  But 
'the  Lord  he  shall  choose  our  inheritance 
for  us.'  Were  all  the  planets  of  our  system 
embodied  and  placed  in  close  association,  the 
light  would  be  greater  and  the  object  grand- 
er ;  but  then  usefulness  and  systematic 
beauty  consist  in  their  dispersion  :  and  what 
are  we,  my  brother,  but  so  many  satellites  to 
Jesus,  the  great  Sun  of  the  Christian  system  ? 
Some,  indeed,  like  burning  Mercuries,  keep 
nearer  the  luminary,  and  receive  more  of  its 
light  and  heat,  whilst  others,  like  the  ringed 
planet,  or  the  Georgium  Sidus,  preserve  a 
greater  distance,  and  reflect  a  greater  por- 
tion of  his  light ;  yet  if,  amidst  all  this  diver- 
sity, they  belong  to  the  system,  two  things  may 
be  affirmed  of  all : — all  keep  true  to  one  cen- 
tre, and  borrow  whatever  light  they  have 
from  one  source.  True  it  is  that  the  further 
they  are  from  the  sun,  the  longer  are  they 
in  performing  their  revolutions :  and  is  not 
this  exemplified  in  us  ?  The  closer  we  keep 
to  Jesus,  the  more  brilliant  are  our  graces  ; 
the  more  cheerful  and  active  are  our  lives  : 
but  alas  !  we  are  all  comets  ;  we  all  move  in 
eccentric  orbits  :  at  one  time  glowing  be- 
neath the  ray  divine,  at  another  congealing 
and  freezing  into  icicles.  'Oh  what  a  mir- 
acle to  man  is  man ! ' 

"  Little  did  I  think  when  I  begun  this  let- 
ter that  I  should  thus  have  indulged  myself 
in  allegory :  but  true  friendship,  I  believe, 
always  dictates  extempore ;  and  my  friends 
must  never  expect  from  me  a  studied  epistle. 
They  can  meet  with  better  thoughts  than  I 
can  furnish  them  with,  in  any  bookseller's 
shop.  It  is  not  the  dish,  however  well  it 
may  be  cooked,  that  gives  the  relish,  but  the 
sweet  sauce  of  friendship  ;  and  this  I  think 
sometimes  makes  even  nonsense  palatable. 

"  But  I  have  some  questions  to  put  to  you  : 
first,  how  are  all  my  college  friends,  Messrs. 
Walker,  Maturin,  Hamilton,  &c.  ?  How  is 
their  health  ?  But,  chiefly,  how  are  the  in- 
terests of  religion  among  you  ?  Are  there 
any  praying  students  added  to  your  number? 
Do  all  those  you  thought  well  of  continue  to 
justify  their  profession  ?  You  know  what  it 
is  that  interests  me.  Pray  tell  me  all,  whe- 
ther it  makes  me  weep  or  rejoice. 

"  I  hope  Mr.  H — 's  ministry  was  blessed 
in  Dublin.  Do  you  know  any  instances  of 
it?  We  must  sow  in  hope,  and  I  trust  that 
we  shall  all  gather  fruit  to  eternal  life,  even 
where  the  buddings  have  never  appeared  to 
us  in  this  world.  How  is  it  with  your  own 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  69 


soul  ?  I  thank  God  I  never,  I  think,  rejoiced 
habitually  so  much  in  him  as  I  have  done  of 
late.  '  God  is  love.''  That  makes  me  happy. 
I  rejoice  that  God  reigns;  that  he  reigns 
over  all ;  that  he  reigns  over  me ;  over  my 
crosses,  my  comforts,  my  family,  my  friends, 
my  senses,  my  mental  powers,  my  designs, 
my  words,  my  preaching,  my  conduct ;  that 
he  is  God  over  all,  blessed  forever.  I  am 
willing  to  live,  yet  I  long  to  die,  to  be  freed 
from  all  error  and  all  sin.  I  have  nothing 
else  to  trouble  me  ;  no  other  cross  to  carry. 
The  sun  shines  without  all  day  long  ;  but  I 
am  sensible  of  internal  darkness.  Well, 
through  grace  it  shall  be  all  light  by  and  by. 
Yes,  you  and  I  shall  be  angels  of  light;  all 
Mercuries  then  ;  all  near  the  sun ;  always  in 
motion  ;  always  glowing  with  zeal,  and  flam- 
ing with  love.  Oh,  for  the  new  heavens  and 
the  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteous- 
ness ! 

'  Oh  what  love  and  concord  there, 

And  what  sweet  harmony 

In  heaven  above,  where  happy  souls, 

Adore  thy  majesty  ! 
Oh  how  the  heavenly  choirs  all  sing 
To  him  who  sits  enthroned  above  ! 

What  admiring  ! 

And  aspiring  ! 

Still  desiring: 
Oh  how  I  long  to  taste  this  feast  of  love!' 


"  Will  you  tell  brother  M- 


that  I  wait 


an  opportunity  of  sending  a  parcel  to  him  ? 
In  that  I  will  enclose  a  letter.  My  very 
affectionate  respects  to  him  and  Mr.  H — — , 
and  all  my  college  friends  as  though  named. 
If  you  be  not  weary  of  such  an  eccentric 
correspondent,  pray  do  not  be  long  ere  you 
write  to  your  unworthy  but  affectionate  broth- 
er in  Christ— S.  P." 

Awhile  after  this,  he  thus  writes  to  hi3 
friend  Mr.  Summers  :— 

"  December,  1796.  I  rejoice  that  you  have 
been  supported  under  and  brought  through 
your  late  trials.  I  do  not  wonder  at  it ;  for 
it  is  no  more  than  God  has  promised :  and 
though  we  may  well  wonder  that  he  pro- 
mises any  thing,  yet  his  performance  is  no 
just  ground  of  surprise  :  and,  when  we  find 
ourselves  so  employed,  we  had  better  turn 
our  wonder  to  our  own  unbelief,  that  for  one 
moment  suspected  God  would  not  be  as  good 
as  his  word. 

"I  have  been  lately  more  than  ever  de- 
lighted with  the  thought  that  God  hath  en- 
gaged to  do  any  thing  for  such  worms  as  we. 
I  never  studied  the  deistical  controversy  so 
much,  nor  ever  rejoiced  in  revelation  more. 
Alas  !  what  should  we  know  if  God  had  not 
condescended  to  teach  us  ?  Paul  very  just- 
ly remarks  that  no  one  knoweth  any  thing  of 
God,  but  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  he  to  whom 
the  Spirit  revealeth  him.  Now  the  Spirit 
hath  revealed  God  in  the  Bible  ;  but  to  an 
unbeliever  the  Bible  is  a  sealed  book.  He 
can  know  nothing  from  a  book  that  he  looks 

i 


546 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


upon  as  an  imposture,  and  yet  there  is  no 
o  ther  book  in  which  God  is  revealed :  so  that 
to  reject  the  Bible  is  to  immerse  ourselves 
in  darkness,  and,  whilst  professing  to  be 
wise,  actually  to  become  fools  :  whereas  no 
sooner  do  we  believe  what  the  Spirit  saith, 
than  unto  us  is  God  revealed,  and  in  his  light 
do  we  see  light." 

To  the  above  may  be  added  a  few  extracts 
of  letters  which  he  addressed  to  his  friends 
in  1797  and  1798. 

To  Dr.  Ryland. 

March,  1797. 
"  During  the  last  three  weeks  I  have,  at 
times,  been  very  poorly,  with  colds,  &c.  Am 
better  now,  and  have  been  all  along  assisted 
in  going  through  my  public  duties.  Let  us 
continue  to  pray  for  each  other  till  death 
makes  it  a  needless  service.  How  uncer- 
tain is  life,  and  what  a  blessing  is  death  to  a 
saint!  I  seem  lately  to  feel  a  kind  of  affec- 
tion for  death.  Methinks  if  it  were  visible  I 
could  embrace  it.  'Welcome  herald  that 
bids  the  prisoner  be  free  ;  that  announces 
the  dawn  of  everlasting  day  ;  that  bids  the 
redeemed  come  to  Zion  with  everlasting 
joy,  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  an  erroneous 
judgment  and  a  depraved  heart.'  To  believe, 
to  feel,  to  speak,  to  act  exactly  as  God  will 
have  me  ;  to  be  wholly  absorbed  and  taken 
up  with  him  ;  this,  nothing  short  of  this,  can 
make  my  bliss  complete.  But  all  this  is  mine. 
Oh  the  height,  the  depth,  the  length,  the 
breadth  of  redeeming  love  !  It  conquers  my 
heart,  and  constrains  me  to  yield  myself  a 
living  sacrifice,  acceptable  to  God,  through 

Jesus  Christ. My  dear  brother,  we  have 

had  many  happy  meetings  on  earth :  the  best 
is  in  reserve. 

'  No  heart  upon  earth  can  conceive 

The  bliss  that  in  heaven  they  share; 

Then  who  this  dark  world  would  not  leave, 

And  cheerfully  die  to  be  there  1 ' 

"Oh  how  full  of  love,  and  joy,  and  praise, 
shall  we  be  when  that  happy  state  is  ours ! 
Well,  yet  a  little  while,  and  He  that  shall 
come  will  come  :  Even  so  come,  Lord  Jesus  ! 
My  dear  brother,  forgive  the  hasty  effusions 
of  a  heart  that  loves  you  in  the  bowels  of 
Jesus,  and  is  always  happy  in  testifying  it- 
self to  be  affectionately  yours, — S.  P." 

To  Mr.  Cave, 

On  the  falling  away  of  some  who  had  promised  fair 
in  religion. 

— ,  1797. 

"I  thank  you,  my  dear  brother,  for  the 
confidence  you  repose  in  me,  the  affection 
you  have  forme,  and  the  freedom  with  which 
you  write  to  me.  Assure  yourself  that  I  sin- 
cerely sympathize  in  the  cutting  events 
which  you  have  lately  experienced.  Trying 
indeed!  Your  heart  must  bleed.  Yet  be 
not  discouraged  in  your  work.  The  more 
Satan  opposes  Christ,  the  more  let  its  oppose 


him.  He  comes  with  great  violence  because 
his  time  is  short.  His  kingdom  is  on  the 
decline  ;  his  strong  holds  are  besieged,  and 
he  knows  they  must  soon  be  taken.  Whilst 
it  lasts,  he  is  making  desperate  sallies  on  the 
armies  of  the  Lamb.  It  is  no  great  wonder 
that  he  fights  and  wounds  a  raw  recruit  now 
and  then,  who  strays  from  the  camp,  and, 
thoughtless  of  the  danger,  keeps  not  close 
by  the  captain's  tent.  I  hope  our  glorious 
leader  will  heal  the  wounded,  and  rescue  the 
captive.  He  is  sure  to  make  reprisals. 
Christ  will  have  ten  to  one.  You  will  see 
his  arm  made  bare.  He  shall  go  forth  like 
a  man  of  war.  The  prisoners  shall  be  re- 
deemed, and  the  old  tyrant  shall  be  cast  into 
the  bottomless  pit.  Be  of  good  cheer,  my 
fellow-soldier.  The  cause  is  not  ours,  but 
God's.  Let  us  endure  hardness,  and  still 
fight  the  good  fight  of  faith.  At  last  we  shall 
come  off  conquerors  through  him  who  hath 
loved  us. 

"  I  hope  you  have  some  causes  for  joy  as 
well  as  grief.  I  trust  though  one,  or  two, 
or  three  fall,  the  tens  and  the  twenties  stand 
their  ground.  Oh  do  what  you  can  to  cheer 
them  under  the  common  trial.  Let  them  not 
see  a  faint  heart  in  you.  Fight  manfully  still. 
Tell  them  to  watch  the  more  ;  to  pray  the 
harder;  to  walk  the  closer  with  God.  So 
out  of  the  eater  shall  come  forth  meat,  and 
sweetness  out  of  the  strong." 

To  Mr.  Bates  and  Mrs.  Barnes, 
Who  had  been  burnt  out  of  their  residence. 

"  The  many  expressions  of  christian  friend- 
ship which  I  received  from  you,  and  your 
affectionate  families,  during  my  late  visit  to 
London,  will  often  excite  grateful  recollec- 
tion in  future,  as  they  have  almost  daily  since 
I  parted  from  you  ;  and  though  I  do  not  write 
this  avowedly  as  a  mere  letter  of  acknow- 
ledgment, yet  I  wish  it  to  assure  you  that 
I  am  not  forgetful  of  my  friends,  nor  un- 
thankful for  their  kindness.  May  all  the  fa- 
vor you  show  to  the  servants  of  our  common 
Lord,  for  his  sake,  be  amply  recompensed  in 
present  peace,  and  future  felicity,  when  the 
promise  of  him  who  cannot  lie  shall  be  ful- 
filled,— 'A  cup  of  cold  water  given  to  a  dis- 
ciple, in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  shall  not  lose 
its  reward.' 

"  But,  whilst  you,  my  dear  friends,  live  '  in 
hope  of  the  glory  '  that  remains  '  to  be  re- 
vealed,' I  am  persuaded  that  you  expect  all 
as  the  fruit  of  sovereign  mercy,  which  first 
forms  us  to  the  mind  of  Christ,  then  accepts, 
and  then  rewards.  Truly,  if  sinners  be  re- 
wai  ded,  it  must  be  '  of  grace,  and  not  of  debt.' 
Yet  it  is  a  mercy  of  unspeakable  magnitude 
that  grace  should  establish  a  connection  be- 
tween obedience  and  enjoyment,  such  a  con- 
nection as  at  once  ensures  joy  to  the  believer, 
and  glory  to  Christ. 

"  Oh  that  our  thoughts,  our  affections,  our 


EXTRACTS  FROM  CORRESPONDENCE. 


547 


desires,  may  be  much  in  heaven !  Here,  you 
have  been  taught,  is  '  no  continuing  city,'  no 
certain  place  of  abode  ;  and  though  you 
have  been  taught  it  awfully  in  flames,  yet, 
if  you  learn  it  effectually,  the  terror  of  the 
means  will  be  conquered  by  the  excellency 
and  glory  of  the  consequences.  Yes,  my 
friends,  '  in  heaven  we  have  a  better  and  en- 
during substance : '  the  apartments  there 
are  more  spacious  ;  the  society  more  sweet ; 
the  enjoyments  more  perfect;  and  all  to  last 
forever.  Well  may  Christians  '  rejoice  in 
hope  of  the  glory  of  God ! ' 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bowyer,  Pall  Mall. 
Nov.  17, 1797. 

"  Blessed  be  '  the  preserver  of  men,'  for 

all  his  goodness  to  dear  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B . 

With  theirs  shall  my  gratitude  also  ascend, 
whilst  separated  from  their  society ;  and 
with  theirs  shall  it  more  warmly  and  per- 
manently ascend,  when  we  meet  to  form  a 
part  of  the  '  general  assembly,  and  church  of 
the  first-born.' 

"I  do  not  return  to  London  this  autumn, 
but  I  mean  to  visit  Portsmouth.  I  must  be 
indebted  to  you  for  my  directions.  We  shall 
be  very  happy  to  see  you  at  Luke -street :  but 
Wales  I  suppose  will  be  the  vortex  that  will 
swallow  up  much  of  your  time.  Well,  so 
you  are  happy,  we  must  be  disinterested 
enough  to  be  satisfied,  although  we  be  de- 
nied a  personal  participation. 

"  Let  us  not  forget  that  we  are  Christians  ; 
and  Christians  profess  a  hope  of  a  better 
country  than  Cambria  contains.  There  we 
all  belong.  Already  citizens  by  privilege, 
we  shall  be  so  by  possession  soon. 

'  Roll  swifter  round,  ye  wheels  of  time, 
And  bring  the  welcome  day  !  ' 

"In  hope  of  greeting  you  both  in  that 
good  land,  I  remain  most  affectionately 
yours, — S.  P." 

To  Dr.  Ryland. 

Nov.  17,  1797. 

"  I  feel  much  for  you  in  relation  both  to 
the  duties  and  trials  of  your  present  situa- 
tion :  at  the  same  time  I  bless  God  who  fixed 
you  in  it,  because  I  am  persuaded  that  it 
will  be  for  his  glory  in  the  churches  of  Christ. 
And,  though  none  but  those  whose  hands 
are  full  of  religious  concerns  can  guess  at 
your  difficulties,  yet  our  blessed  Redeemer 
knows  them  all.  Oh,  my  brother,  you  are 
travailing  for  him  who  redeemed  you  by  his 
blood,  who  sympathizes  with  you,  and  who 
will  graciously  crown  you  at  last.  Small 
as  my  trials  are,  I  would  turn  smith,  and 
work  at  the  anvil  and  the  forge,  rather  than 
bear  them  for  any  other  master  than  Christ. 
Yet,  were  they  ten  thousand  times  as  many 
as  they  are,  the  thought  of  their  being  for 
Him,  I  trust,  would  sweeten  them  all. 

"  I  have  reason  to  be  very  thankful  for 
much  pleasure  of  late  both  as  a  Christian 


and  a  minister.  I  have  never  felt  so  deeply 
my  need  of  a  divine  Redeemer,  and  seldom 
possessed  such  solid  confidence  that  he  is 
mine.  I  want  more  and  more  to  become  a 
little  child,  to  dwindle  into  nothing  in  my 
own  esteem,  to  renounce  my  own  wisdom, 
power,  and  goodness,  and  simply  look  to 
and  live  upon  Jesus  for  all.  I  am  ashamed 
that  I  have  so  much  pride,  so  much  self-will. 
Oh  my  Saviour!  make  me  '  meek  and  lowly 
in  heart ; '  in  this  alone  I  find  '  rest  to  my 
soul.' 

"  I  could  say  much  of  what  Immanuel  has 
done  for  my  soul ;  but  I  fear  lest  even  this 
should  savor  of  vanity.  When  shall  I  be 
like  my  Lord  ?  Oh  welcome  death,  when  I 
have  nothing  more  to  do  for  Christ!  To 
him,  till  then,  may  I  live  every  day  and 
every  hour.  Rather  may  I  be  annihilated 
than  not  live  to  him  ! 

"  You  will  rejoice  with  me  to  hear  that  we 
have  a  pleasing  prospect  as  a  church.  Sev- 
eral very  hopeful  and  some  very  valuable 
characters  are  about  to  join  us.  Lord,  carry 
on  thy  work !  " 

To  Mrs.  Pearce, 
On  the  dangerous  illness  of  one  of  the  children. 
"  Portsmouth,  Jan.  29,  1798. 

"Ignorant  of  the  circumstances  of  our 
dear  child,  how  shall  I  address  myself  to 
her  dearer  mother !  With  a  fluttering  heart, 
and  a  trembling  hand,  I,  in  this  uncertainty, 
resume  my  pen.  One  consideration  tran- 
quillizes my  mind, — I  and  mine  are  in  the 
hands  of  God ;  the  wise,  the  good,  the  in- 
dulgent parent  of  mankind  !  Whatever  he 
does  is  best.  I  am  prepared  for  all  his  will, 
and  hope  that  I  shall  never  have  a  feeling 
Avhose  language  is  not,  '  Thy  will  be  done.' 

"  I  am  most  kindly  entertained  here  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoveller;  and,  except  my 
dear  Sarah's  presence,  feel  myself  at  home. 
They  have  had  greater  trials  than  ive  can  at 
present  know.  They  have  attended  seven 
children  to  the  gloomy  tomb  :  they  have 
been  supported  beneath  their  loss  by  him 
who  hath  said,  '  As  thy  days  so  shall  thy 
strength  be.'  Mrs.  S.  tells  me  she  '  blessed 
God  for  all.'  May  my  dear  Sarah  be  ena- 
bled to  do  the  same,  whatever  the  result 
may  prove.  To-morrow  I  expect  another 
letter  from  you  ;  yet,  lest  you  should  too 
much  feel  my  absence,  I  will  not  delay  for- 
warding this  a  single  post.  O  that  it  may 
prove  in  some  degree  a  messenger  of  con- 
solation ! 

"  Yesterday  I  preached  three  times  :  God 
was  very  good.  I  received  your  letter  be- 
fore the  first  service  :  you  may  be  assured 
that  I  bore  you  on  my  heart  in  the  presence 
of  my  Lord  and  yours;  nor  shall  I  pray  in 
vain :  He  will  either  restore  the  child,  or 
support  you  under  the  loss  of  it.  I  dare  not 
pray  with  importunity  for  any  earthly  good ; 
for  '  who  knoweth  what  is  good  for  man  in 


548 


MEMOIR?    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


this  life,  all  the  days  of  his  vain  life,  which 
the  spendeth  as  a  shadow  ? '  But  strength 
to  bear  the  loss  of  earthly  comforts  he  has 
promised :  for  that  I  importune  ;  and  that,  I 
doubt  not,  will  be  granted. 

"In  a  house  directly  opposite  to  the  win- 
dow before  which  I  now  write,  a  wife,  a 
mother,  is  just  departed  !  Why  am  I  not  a 
bereaved  husband  ?  Why  are  not  my  chil- 
dren motherless  ?  When  we  compare  our 
condition  with  our  wishes,  we  often  com- 
plain :  but,  if  we  compare  it  with  that  of 
many  around  us,  our  complaints  will  be  ex- 
changed for  gratitude  and  praise." 

To  R.  Bowyer,  Esq. 

Feb.  14, 1798. 

"Not  a  day  has  hurried  by,  since  I  parted 
with  my  dear  friends  in  Pall  Mall,  but  they 
have  been  in  my  affectionate  remembrance  ; 
but,  not  being  able  to  speak  with  any  satis- 
faction respecting  our  dear  child,  I  have 
withheld  myself  from  imparting  new  anxie- 
ties to  bosoms  already  alive  to  painful  sen- 
sibility. 

"  At  length,  however,  a  gracious  God  puts 
it  in  my  power  to  say  that  there  is  hope. 
After  languishing  between  life  and  death 
for  many  days,  she  now  seems  to  amend. 
We  flatter  ourselves  that  she  has  passed 
the  crisis,  and  will  yet  be  restored  to  our 
arms  ;  but  parental  fears  forbid  too  strong  a 
confidence.  It  may  be  that  our  most  mer- 
ciful God  saw  that  the  shock  of  a  sudden 
removal  would  be  too  strong  for  the  tender 
feelings  of  a  mother;  and  so  by  degrees 
prepares  for  the  stroke  which  must  fall  at 
last.  However,  she  is  in  the  best  hands, 
and  we  are,  I  hope,  preparing  for  submis- 
sion to  whatever  may  be  the  blessed  will  of 
God. 

"I  was  brought  home  in  safety,  and  feel 
myself  in  much  better  health  in  consequence 
of  my  journey.  Oh  that  it  may  be  all  conse- 
crated to  my  Redeemer's  praise  ! 

"  Happy  should  I  be  if  I  could  oftener  en- 
joy your  friendly  society ;  but  we  must  wait 
for  the  full  accomplishment  of  our  social 
wishes  till  we  come  to  that  better  world  for 
which  divine  grace  is  preparing  us  ; — There 
our  best,  our  brightest  hopes,  and  there  our 
warmest  affections  must  be  found.  Could 
we  have  all  we  want  below,  we  should  be 
reluctant  to  ascend,  when  Jesus  calls  us 
home.  No,  this  is  not  our  rest ;  it  is  pollu- 
ted with  sin,  and  dashed  with  sorrow :  but 
though  our  pains  in  themselves  are  evil,  yet 
our  God  turns  the  curse  into  a  blessing,  and 
makes  all  that  we  meet  with  accomplish  our 
good. 

"  What  better  can  I  wish,  my  friends,  than 
the  humble  place  of  Mary,  or  the  happy  rest 
of  John !  Faith  can  enjoy  them  both,  till 
actually  we  fall  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  and 


lean  upon  his  bosom,  when  we  see  him  as 
he  is. 

'  Oh  the  delights,  the  heavenly  joys, 

The  glories  of  the  place, 
Where  Jesus  sheds  the  brightest  beams 

Of  his  o'erflowing  grace  ! '  " 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  LAST  AFFLICTION, 
AND  THE  HOLT  AND  HAPPY  EXERCISES 
OF    HIS    MIND    UNDER    IT. 

Early  in  October,  1798,  Mr.  Pearce  at- 
tended at  the  Kettering  ministers*  meeting, 
and  preached  from  Psalm  xc.  16,  17 :  "  Let 
thy  work  appear  unto  thy  servants,  and  thy 
glory  unto  their  children.  And  let  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us :  and 
establish  thou  the  work  of  our  hands  upon 
us;  yea,  the  work  of  our  hands  establish 
thou  it.'  He  was  observed  to  be  singularly 
solemn  and  affectionate  in  that  discourse. 
If  he  had  known  it  to  be  the  last  time  that 
he  should  address  his  brethren  in  that  part 
of  the  country,  he  could  scarcely  have  felt 
or  spoken  in  a  more  interesting  manner.  It 
was  a  discourse  full  of  instruction,  full  of  a 
holy  unction,  and  that  seemed  to  breathe  an 
apostolical  ardor.  On  his  return,  he  preach- 
ed at  Market  Harborough  ;  and  riding  home 
the  next  day  in  company  with  his  friend  Mr. 
Summers,  of  London,  they  were  overtaken 
with  rain.  Mr.  Pearce  was  wet  through 
his  clothes,  and  towards  evening  complained 
of  a  chilliness.  A  slight  hoarseness  follow- 
ed. He  preached  several  times  after  this, 
which  brought  on  an  inflammation,  and 
issued  in  a  consumption.  It  is  probable 
that,  if  his  constitution  had  not  been  pre-  - 
viously  impaired,  such  effects  might  not 
have  followed  in  this  instance.  His  own 
ideas  on  this  subject  are  expressed  in  a  let- 
ter to  Dr.  Ryland,  dated  Dec.  4,  1798  ;  and 
in  another  to  Mr.  King,  dated  from  Bristol, 
on  his  way  to  Plymouth,  March  30,  1799. 
In  the  former,  he  says,  "Ever  since  my 
Christmas  journey  last  year  to  Sheepshead, 
Nottingham,  and  Leicester,  on  the  mission 
business,  I  have  found  my  constitution 
greatly  debilitated,  in  consequence  of  a  cold 
caught  after  the  unusual  exertions  which 
circumstances  then  demanded  :  so  that,  from 
a  frame  that  could  endure  any  weather,  I 
have  since  been  too  tender  to  encounter  a 
single  shower  without  danger  ;  and  the  du- 
ties of  the  Lord's  day,  which,  as  far  as  bodi- 
ly strength  went,  I  could  perform  with  little 
fatigue,  have  since  frequently  overcome  me. 
But  the  severe  cold  I  caught  in  my  return 
from  the  last  Kettering  ministers'  meeting 
has  affected  me  so  much  that  I  have  some- 
times concluded  I  must  give  up  preaching 
entirely ;  for,  though  my  head  and  spirits 
are  better  than  for  two  years  past,  yet  my 
stomach  is  so  very  weak  that  I  cannot  pray 


CORRESPONDENCE    DURING    LAST    ILLNESS. 


549 


in  my  family  without  frequent  pauses  for 
breath,  and  in  the  pulpit  it  is  labor  and  agony 
which  must  be  felt  to  be  conceived  of.  I 
have  however  made  shift  to  preach  some- 
times thrice,  but  mostly  only  twice  on  a 
Lord's  day,  till  the  last,  when  the  morning 
sermon  only,  though  I  delivered  it  with 
great  pleasure  of  mind  and  with  as  much 
caution  as  to  my  voice  as  possible,  yet  cost 
me  so  much  labor  as  threw  me  into  a  fever 
till  the  next  day,  and  prevented  my  sleeping 
all  night." — In  the  latter,  he  thus  writes, — 
"Should  my  life  be  spared,  I  and  my  family, 
and  all  my  connections,  will  stand  indebted, 
under  God,  to  you.  Uususpecting  of  dan- 
ger myself,  I  believe  I  should  have  gone  on 
with  my  exertions,  till  the  grave  had  receiv- 
ed me.  Your  attention  sent  Mr.  B.  (the 
apothecary)  to  me,  and  then  I  first  learned 
what  I  have  since  been  increasingly  con- 
vinced of — that  I  was  rapidly  destroying  the 
vital  principle.  And  the  kind  interest  you 
have  taken  in  my  welfare  ever  since  has 
often  drawn  the  grateful  tear  from  my  eye. 
May  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  reward 
your  kindness  to  his  unworthy  servant,  and 
save  you  from  all  the  evils  from  which  your 
distinguished  friendship  would  have  saved 
me!" 

Such  were  his  ideas.  His  labors  were 
certainly  abundant ;  perhaps  too  great  for 
his  constitution :  but  it  is  probable  that 
nothing  was  more  injurious  to  his  health 
than  a  frequent  exposure  to  night  air,  and 
an  inattention  to  the  necessity  of  changing 
damp  clothes. 

Hitherto  we  have  seen  in  Mr.  Pearce  the 
active,  assiduous,  and  laborious  servant  of 
Jesus  Christ :  but  now  we  see  him  laid 
aside  from  his  work,  wasting  away  by  slow 
degrees,  patiently  enduring  the  will  of  God, 
and  cheerfully  waiting  for  his  dissolution. 
And,  as  here  is  but  little  to  narrate,  I  shall 
content  myself  with  copying  his  letters,  or 
extracts  from  them,  to  his  friends,  in  the  or- 
der of  time  in  which  they  were  written,  only 
now  and  then  dropping  a  few  hints  to  fur- 
nish the  reader  with  the  occasions  of  some 
of  them. 

To  Dr.  Ryland. 

Birmingham,  Oct.  8,  1798. 
"  Oh  !  my  dear  brother,  your  letter  of  the 
5th,  which  I  received  this  morning,  has 
made  me  thankful  for  all  my  pulpit  agonies, 
as  they  enable  me  to  weep  with  a  weeping 
brother.  They  have  been  of  use  to  me  in 
other  respects  ;  particularly  in  teaching  me 
the  importance  of  attaining  and  maintaining 
that  spirituality  and  pious  ardor  in  which  I 
have  found  the  most  effectual  relief;  so  that 
on  the  whole  I  must  try  to  '  glory  in  tribula- 
tions also.'  I  trust  I  often  can  when  the 
conflict  is  past ;  but  to  glory  '  in  '  them,  es- 
pecially in  mental  distress — hie  labor,  hoc 
opus  est. 


"  But  how  often  has  it  been  found  that 
when  ministers  have  felt  themselves  most 
embarrassed  the  most  effectual  good  has 
been  done  to  the  people  !  Oh  for  hearts  en- 
tirely resigned  to  the  will  of  God! 

"How  happy  should  I  be  could  I  always 
enjoy  the  sympathies  of  a  brother  who  is 
tried  in  these  points  as  I  of  late  have  been ! " 

To  Mr.  Fuller. 

Birmingham,  Oct.  29,  1798. 

"  I  caught  a  violent  cold  in  returning  from 
our  last  committee-meeting,  from  which  I 
have  not  yet  recovered.  A  little  thing  now 
affects  my  constitution,  which  I  once  judged 
would  be  weather  and  labor-proof  for  at  least 
thirty  years,  if  I  lived  so  long.  I  thank  God 
that  I  am  not  debilitated  by  iniquity.  I  have 
lately  met  with  an  occurrence  which  occa- 
sioned me  much  pain  and  perplexity  .... 
Trials  soften  our  hearts,  and  make  us  more 
fully  prize  the  dear  few  into  whose  faithful 
sympathizing  bosoms  we  can  with  confidence 
pour  our  sorrows.  I  think  I  should  bless 
God  for  my  afflictions,  if  they  produced  no 
other  fruit  than  these — the  tenderness  they 
inspire,  and  the  friendships  they  capacitate 
us  to  enjoy.  Pray,  my  dear  brother,  for 
yours  affectionately, — S.  P." 

To  a  young  man  who  had  applied  to  him 
for  advice  how  he  should  best  improve  his 
time,  previous  to  his  going  to  the  Bristol 
Academy  : — • 

Birmingham,  JVov.  13, 1798. 
"My  dear  M. 

"  I  can  only  confess  my  regret  at  not  re- 
plying to  yours  at  a  much  earlier  period,  and 
assure  you  that  the  delay  has  been  acciden- 
tal, and  not  designed.  I  felt  the  importance 
of  your  request  for  advice — I  was  sensible 
it  deserved  some  consideration  before  it  was 
answered. — I  was  full  of  business  at  the  mo- 
ment— I  put  it  by,  and  it  was  forgotten  ;  and 
now  it  is  too  late.  The  time  of  your  going 
to  Bristol  draws  nigh.  If,  instead  of  an 
opinion  respecting  the  best  way  of  occupy- 
ing your  time  before  you  go,  you  will  accept 
a  little  counsel  during  your  continuance 
there,  I  shall  be  happy  at  any  time  to  con- 
tribute such  a  mite  as  my  experience  and 
observation  have  put  in  my  power. 

"  At  present,  the  following  rules  appear  of 
so  much  moment,  that,  were  I  to  resume  a 
place  in  any  literary  establishment,  I  would 
religiously  adopt  them  as  the  standard  of  my 
conduct: — First,  I  would  cultivate  a  spirit 
of  habitual  devotion.  Warm  piety  connect- 
ed with  my  studies,  especially  at  my  en- 
trance upon  them,  would  not  only  assist  me 
in  forming  a  judgment  on  their  respective 
importance,  and  secure  the  blessing  of  God 
upofi  them ;  but  would  so  cement  the  reli- 
gious feeling  with  literary  pursuit,  as  that  it 
might  abide  with  me  for  life.  The  habit  of 
uniting  these,  being  once  formed,  would,  I 


550 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


hope,  be  never  lost ;  and  I  am  sure  that, 
without  this,  I  shall  both  pursue  trivial  and 
unworthy  objects,  and  those  that  are  worthy 
I  shall  pursue  for  a  wrong  end. — Secondly, 
I  would  determine  on  a  uniform  submission 
to  the  instructions  of  my  preceptor,  and 
study  those  things  which  would  give  him 
pleasure.  If  he  be  not  wiser  than  I  am,  for 
what  purpose  do  I  come  under  his  care  ?  I 
accepted  the  pecuniary  help  of  the  Society 
on  condition  of  conforming  to  its  will ;  and 
it  is  the  Society's  will  that  my  tutor  should 
govern  me.  My  example  will  have  influ- 
ence :  let  me  not,  by  a  single  act  of  disobe- 
dience, or  by  a  word  that  implicates  dissatis- 
faction, sow  the  seeds  of  discord  in  the  bosoms 
of  my  companions. — Thirdly,  I  would  pray 
and  strive  for  the  power  of  self-government,  to 
form  no  plan,  to  utter  not  a  word,  to  take  no 
step,  under  the  mere  influence  of  passion. 
Let  my  judgment  be  often  asked,  and  let  me 
always  give  it  time  to  answer.  Let  me  al- 
ways guard  against  a  light  or  trifling  spirit ; 
and  particularly  as  I  shall  be  amongst  a  num- 
ber of  youths  whose  years  will  incline  them 
all  to  the  same  frailty. — Fourthly,  I  would  in 
all  my  weekly  and  daily  pursuits  observe 
the  strictest  order.  Always  let  me  act  by  a 
plan.  Let  every  hour  have  its  proper  pursuit ; 
from  which  let  nothing  but  a  settled  convic- 
tion that  I  can  employ  it  to  better  advantage 
ever  cause  me  to  deviate.  Let  me  have  fix- 
ed time  for  prayer,  meditation,  reading,  lan- 
guages, correspondence,  recreation,  sleep, 
&c. — Fifthly,  I  would  not  only  assign  to  ev- 
ery hour  its  proper  pursuit;  but  what  I  did  I 
would  try  to  do  with  all  my  might.  The 
hours  at  such  a  place  are  precious  beyond 
conception,  till  the  student  enters  on  life's 
busy  scenes.  Let  me  set  the  best  of  my 
class  ever  before  me,  and  strive  to  be  bet- 
ter than  they.  In  humility  and  diligence 
let  me  aim  to  be  the  first. — Sixthly,  I  would 
particularly  avoid  a  versatile  habit.  In  all 
things  I  would  persevere.  Without  this,  I 
may  be  a  gaudy  butterfly  ;  but  never,  like  the 
bee,  will  my  hive  bear  examining.  What- 
ever I  take  in  hand,  let  me  first  be  sure  I  un- 
derstand it,  then  duly  consider  it,  and,  if  it 
be  good,  let  me  adopt  and  use  it. 

"To  these,  my  dear  brother,  let  me  add 
three  or  four  things  more  minute,  but  which, 
I  am  persuaded,  will  help  you  much. — Guard 
against  a  large  acquaintance  while  you  are  a 
student.  Bristol  friendship,  while  you  sustain 
that  character,  will  prove  a  vile  thief,  and  rob 
you  of  many  an  invaluable  hour.  Get  two 
or  three  oj  the  students,  tvhose  piety  you  most 
approve,  to  meet  for  one  hour  in  a  iceek  for 
experimental  conversation  and  mutual  prayer. 
I  found  this  highly  beneficial,  though,  strange 
to  tell,  by  some  we  were  persecuted  for  our 
practice  ! — Keep  a  diary.  Once  a  week  at 
farthest  call  yourself  to  an  account :  What 
advances  you  have  made  in  your  different 
studies ;  in  divinity,  history,  language,  nat- 


ural philosophy,  style,  arrangement;  and, 
amidst  all,  do  not  forget  to  inquire,  Ami 
more  fit  to  serve  and  to  enjoy  God  than  I  was 
last  week  ?  " 

On  Dec.  2,  1798,  he  delivered  his  last  ser- 
mon. The  subject  was  taken  from  Dan.  x. 
19,  "  Oh  man,  greatly  beloved,  fear  not, 
peace  be  unto  thee ;  be  strong,  yea,  be  strong. 
And  when  he  had  spoken  unto  me,  I  was 
strengthened,  and  said,  Let  my  Lord  speak  ; 
for  thou  hast  strengthened  me." — "  Amongst 
all  the  Old  Testament  saints,"  said  he,  in  his 
introduction  to  that  discourse,  "  there  is  not 
one  whose  imperfections  were  fewer,  than 
those  of  Daniel.  By  the  history  given  of 
him  in  this  book,  which  yet  seems  not  to  be 
complete,  he  appears  to  have  excelled  among 
the  excellent."  Doubtless,  no  one  was  far- 
ther from  his  thoughts  than  himself:  sever- 
al of  his  friends,  however,  could  not  help  ap- 
plying it  to  him,  and  that  with  a  painful  ap- 
prehension of  what  followed  soon  after. 

To  Mr.  Cave,  Leicester. 

"Birmingham,  Dec.  4,  179S. 

" Blessed  be  God,  my  mind  is 

calm  ;  and,  though  my  body  be  weakness  it- 
self, my  spirits  are  good,  and  I  can  write  as 
well  as  ever,  though  I  can  hardly  speak  two 
sentences  without  a  pause.  All  is  well, 
brother!  all  is  well,  for  time  and  eternity. 
My  soul  rejoices  in  the  everlasting  covenant 
ordered  in  all  things  and  sure.  Peace  from 
our  dear  Lord  Jesus  be  with  your  spirit,  as  it 
is  (yea,  more  also)  with  your  affectionate 
brother— S.  P." 

To  Mr.  Nichols,  Nottingham. 

"Birmingham,  Dec.  10,  1798. 
"  I  am  now  quite  laid  by  from  preaching, 
and  am  so  reduced  in  my  internal  strength 
that  I  can  hardly  converse  with  a  friend  for 
five  minutes  without  losing  my  breath.  In- 
deed, I  have  been  so  ill  that  I  thought  the 
next  ascent  would  be,  not  to  a  pulpit,  but  to 
a  throne — the  throne  of  glory.  Yes,  indeed, 
my  friend,  the  religion  of  Jesus  will  support 
when  flesh  and  heart  fail ;  and,  in  my  worst 
state  of  body,  my  soul  was  filled  with  joy. 
I  am  now  getting  a  little  better,  though  but 
very  slowly.  But  fast  or  slow,  or  as  it  may, 
the  Lord  doth  all  things  well." 

To  R.  Bowyer,  Esq. 

-I  have  overdone  myself  in  preach- 


ing. I  am  now  ordered  to  lie  by,  and  not 
even  to  converse,  without  great  care  ;  nor  in- 
deed, till  to-day,  have  I  for  some  time  been 
able  to  utter  a  sentence  without  a  painful  ef- 
fort. Blessed  be  God !  I  have  been  filled 
all  through  my  affliction  with  peace  and  joy 
in  believing ;  and  at  one  time,  when  I  thought 
I  was  entering  the  valley  of  death,  the  pros- 
pect beyond  was  so  full  of  glory,  that,  but  for 


CORRESPONDENCE    DURING    LAST    ILLNESS. 


551 


the  sorrow  it  would  have  occasioned  to  some 
who  would  be  left  behind,  I  should  have  long- 
ed that  moment  to  have  mounted  to  the  skies. 
Oh,  my  friend,  what  a  mercy  that  I  am  not 
receiving-  the  wages  of  sin  ;  that  my  health 
has  not  been  impaired  by  vice  ;  but  that,  on 
the  contrary,  I  am  bearing  in  my  body  the 
marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus .'  To  him  be  all  the 
praise  !  Truly,  I  have  proved  that  God  is 
faithful :  and  most  cheerfully  would  I  take 
double  the  affliction  for  one  half  of  the  joy 
and  sweetness  which  have  attended  it.  Ac- 
cept a  sermon  which  is  this  day  published."* 

To  Mr. Bates  and  Mrs.  Barnes,  Minories. 

"Birmingham,  Dec.  14,  1798. 

" I  could  tell  you  much  of  the 

Lord's  goodness  during  my  affliction.  Tru- 
ly '  his  right  hand  hath  been  under  my  head, 
and  his  left  embraced  me.'  And  when  I  was 
at  the  worst,  especially,  and  expected  ere 
long  to  have  done  with  time,  even  then,  such 
holy  joy,  such  ineffable  sweetness  hlled  my 
soul,  that  I  would  not  have  exchanged  that 
situation  for  any  besides  heaven  itself. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  friends,  let  us  live  to  Christ, 
and  lay  ourselves  wholly  out  for  him  whilst 
we  live  ;  and  then,  \tfhen  health  and  life  for- 
sake us,  he  will  be  the  strength  of  our  heart, 
and  our  portion  forever." 

About  this  time  the  congregation  at  Can- 
non-street was  supplied  for  several  months 
by  Mr.  Ward,  who  has  since  gone  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  India.  Here  that  amiable  young 
man  became  intimately  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Pearce,  and  conceived  a  most  affectionate 
esteem  for  him.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend,  da- 
ted Jan.  5, 1799,  he  writes  as  follows : — 

"  I  am  happy  in  the  company  of  dear  bro- 
ther Pearce.  I  have  seen  more  of  God  in 
him  than  in  any  other  person  I  ever  knew. 
Oh  how  happy  should  I  be  to  live  and  die 
with  him !  When  well,  he  preaches  three 
times  on  aLord's-day,  and  two  or  three  times 
in  the  week  besides.  He  instructs  the  young 
people  in  the  principles  of  religion,  natural 
philosophy,  astronomy,  &c.  They  have  a 
benevolent  society,  from  the  funds  of  which 
they  distribute  forty  or  fifty  pounds  a  year 
to  the  poor  of  the  congregation.  They  have 
a  sick  society  for  visiting  the  afflicted  in  gen- 
eral :  a  book  society  at  chapel :  a  Lord's-day 
school,  at  which  more  than  two  hundred  chil- 
dren are  instructed.  Add  to  this,  mission- 
ary business,  visiting  the  people,  an  exten- 
sive correspondence,  two  volumes  of  mission 
history  preparing  for  the  press,  &c. ;  and 
then  you  will  see  something  of  the  soul  of 
Pearce.  He  is  every  where  venerated, 
though  but  a  young  man  ;  and  all  the  kind, 
tender,  gentle  affections,  make  him  as  a  little 
child  at  the  feet  of  his  Saviour. — W.  W." 

*  The  last  but  one  he  ever  preached,  entitled, 
Motives  to  Gratitude.  It  was  delivered  on 
the  day  of  national  thanksgiving,  and  printed  at  the 
request  of  his  own  congregation. 


In  February,  he  rode  to  the  opening  of  a 
baptist  meeting-house  at  Bedworth ;  but 
did  not  engage  in  any  of  the  services.  Here 
several  ol  his  brethren  saw  him  for  the  last 
time.  Soon  afterwards,  writing  to  the  com- 
piler of  these  memoirs,  he  says, — "  The 
Lord's-day  after  I  came  home  I  tried  to 
speak  a  little  after  sermon.  It  inflamed  my 
lungs  afresh,  produced  phlegm,  coughing, 
and  spitting  of  blood.  Perhaps  1  may  never 
preach  more.  Well,  the  Lord's  will  be  done. 
1  thank  him  that  he  ever  took  me  into  his 
service ;  and  now,  if  he  see  fit  to  give  me  a 
discharge,  I  submit." 

During  the  above  meeting  a  word  was 
dropped  by  one  of  his  bretliren  which  he 
took  as  a  reflection,  though  nothing  was 
farther  from  the  intention  of  the  speaker. 
It  wrought  upon  his  mind ;  and  in  a  few 
days   alter  he   wrote  as  follows  : — "  Do  you 

remember  what  passed  at  B ?     Had 

I  not  been  accustomed  to  receive  plain 
friendly  remarks  from  you,  I  should  have 
thought  you  meant  to  insinuate  a  reproof. 
If  you  did,  tell  me  plainly.  If  you  did  not, 
it  is  all  at  an  end.  You  will  not  take  my 
naming  it  unkindly,  although  I  should  be 
mistaken ;  such  afiectionate  explanations 
are  necessary,  when  suspicions  arise,  to 
the  preservation  of  friendship ;  and  I  need 
not  say  that  I  hold  the  preservation  of  your 
friendship  in  no  small  account." 

The  above  is  copied,  not  only  to  set  forth 
the  spirit  and  conduct  of  Mr.  Pearce  in  a 
case  wherein  he  felt  himself  aggrieved,  but 
to  show  in  how  easy  and  amiable  a  manner 
thousands  of  mistakes  might  be  rectified, 
and  differences  prevented,  by  a  frank  and 
timely  explanation. 

To  Mr.  Comfield,  Northampton. 

"  Birmingham,  March  4,  1799. 

"I  could  wish  my  sympathies  to  be  as 
extensive  as  human — 1  was  going  to  say 
(and  why  not?)  as  animal  misery.  The 
very  limited  comprehension  of  the  human 
intelligence  forbids  this  indeed,  and  whilst 
I  am  attempting  to  participate  as  far  as  the 
news  of  affliction  reaches  me,  I  find  the 
same  events  do  not  often  produce  equal 
feelings.  We  measure  our  sympathies,  not 
by  the  causes  of  sorrow,  but  by  the  sensi- 
bilities of  the  sorrowful:  hence  I  abound  in 
feeling  on  your  account.  The  situation  of 
your  family  must  have  given  distress  to  a 
president  of  any  character;  but  in  you  it 
must  have  produced  agonies.  I  know  the 
tenderness  of  your  heart:  your  feelings  are 
delicately  strong.  You  must  feel  much,  or 
nothing ;  and  he  that  knows  you,  and  does 
not  feel  much  when  you  feel,  must  be  a 
brute. 

"  May  the  fountain  of  mercy  supply  you 
with  the  cheering  stream !  May  your  sor- 
row be  turned  into  joy  ! 

"  I  am  sure  that  I  ought  to  value  more 


552 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


than  ever  your  friendship  for  me.  You 
have  remembered  me,  not  merely  in  my 
affliction,  but  in  your  own.  Our  friendship, 
our  benevolence,  must  never  be  compared 
with  that  of  Jesus  ;  but  it  is  truly  delightful 
to  see  the  disciple  treading,  though  at  an 
humble  distance,  in  the  footsteps  of  a  Mas- 
ter, who,  amidst  the  tortures  of  crucifixion, 
exercised  forgiveness  to  his  murderers,  and 
the  tenderness  of  filial  piety  to  a  disconso- 
late mother !  When  we  realize  the  scene, 
how  much  do  our  imaginations  embrace — 
the  persons — the  circumstances — the  words 
— '  Woman,  behold  thy  Son  ;  Jo  hn,  behold 
thy  mother !' " 

By  the  above  letter,  the  reader  will  per- 
ceive that,  while  deeply  afflicted  himself, 
he  felt  in  the  tenderest  manner  for  the 
afflictions  of  others. 

To  Mr.  Fuller. 

"March  23,  1799." 

He  was  now  setting  out  for  Plymouth  ; 
and  after  observing  the  great  danger  he  was 
supposed  to  be  in,  with  respect  to  a  con- 
sumption, he  adds, — "  But  thanks  be  to  God 
who  giveth  my  heart  the  victory,  let  my 
poor  body  be  consumed,  or  preserved.  In 
the  thought  of  leaving,  I  feel  a  momentary 
gloom  ;  but  in  the  thought  of  going,  a  heav- 
enly triumph. 

1  Oh  to  grace  how  great  a  debtor  !  ' 

"Praise  God  with  me,  and  for  me,  my 
dear  brother,  and  let  us  not  mind  dying  any- 
more than  sleeping.  No,  no;  let  every 
Christian  sing  the  loudest  as  he  gets  the 
nearest  to  the  presence  of  his  God.  Eter- 
nally yours  in  Him  who  hath  washed  us 
both  in  his  blood, — S.  P." 

To  Mr.  Medley,  London. 

«  March  23,  1799. 

"  My  affliction  has  been  rendered  sweet 
by  the  supports  and  smiles  of  Him  whom  I 
have  served  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son.  He 
hath  delivered,  he  doth  deliver,  and  I  trust 
that  he  will  yet  deliver.  Living  or  dying, 
all  is  well  forever.  Oh  what  shall  I  render 
to  the  Lord ! " 

It  seems  that,  in  order  to  avoid  wounding 
Mrs.  P.'s  feelings,  he  deferred  the  settle- 
ment of  his  affairs  till  he  arrived  at  Bristol ; 
whence  he  wrote  to  his  friend,  Mr.  King, 
requesting  him  to  become  an  executor. 
Receiving  a  favorable  answer,  he  replied  as 
follows : — 

"  Bristol,  April  6,  1799. 

"  Your  letter,  just  received,  affected  me 
too  much,  with  feelings  both  of  sympathy 
and  gratitude,  to  remain  unanswered  a  sin- 
gle post.  Most  heartily  do  I  thank  you  for 
accepting  a  service  which  friendship  alone 
can  render  agreeable  in  the  most  simple 
cases.  Should  that  service  demand  your 
activities  at  an  early  period,  may  no  unfore- 


seen occurrence  increase  the  necessary 
care  !  But  may  the  father  of  the  fatherless, 
and  judge  of  the  widows,  send  you  a  recom- 
pense into  your  own  bosom,  equal  to  all  that 
friendship  to  which,  under  God,  I  have  been 
so  much  indebted  in  life,  and  reposing  on 
whose  bosom,  even  death  itself  loses  a  part 
of  its  gloom.  In  you,  my  children  will  find 
another  father — in  you,  my  wife  another 
husband.  Your  tenderness  will  sympathize 
with  the  one,  under  the  most  distressing 
sensibilities  ;  and  your  prudent  counsels  be 
a  guide  to  the  others,  through  the  unknown 
mazes  of  inexperienced  youth.  Enough — 
blessed  God !  My  soul  prostrates,  and 
adores  thee  for  such  a  friend." 

To  Mr.  Fuller. 

"  Plymouth,  April  18,  1799. 

"  The  last  time  that  I  wrote  to  you  was 
at  the  close  of  a  letter  sent  to  you  by  brother 
Ryland.  I  did  not  like  that  postscript  form  ; 
it  looked  so  card-like  as  to  make  me  fear 
that  you  would  deem  it  unbrotherly.  After 
all,  perhaps,  you  thought  nothing  about  it ; 
and  my  anxieties  might  arise  only  from  my 
weakness,  which  seems  to  be  constantly  in- 
creasing my  sensibilities.  If  ever  I  felt  love 
in  its  tenderness  for  my  friends,  it  has  been 
since  my  affliction.  This,  in  a  great  meas- 
ure, is  no  more  than  the  love  of  '  publicans 
and  harlots,  who  love  those  that  love  them.' 
I  never  conceived  myself  by  a  hundred  de- 
grees so  interested  in  the  regards  of  my 
friends,  as  this  season  of  affliction  has  man- 
ifested I  was  ;  and  therefore,  so  far  from 
claiming  any  '  reward '  for  loving  them  in 
return,  I  should  account  myself  a  monster  of 
ingratitude  were  it  otherwise.  Yet  there 
is  something  in  affliction  itself,  which,  by 
increasing  the  delicacy  of  our  feelings,  and 
detaching  our  thoughts  from  the  usual  round 
of  objects  which  present  themselves  to  the 
mind  when  in  a  state  of  health,  may  be  ea- 
sily conceived  to  make  us  susceptible  of 
stronger  and  more  permanent  impressions 
of  an  affectionate  nature. 

"  I  heard  at  Bristol  that  you  and  your 
friends  had  remembered  me  in  your  prayers, 
at  Kettering.  Whether  the  Lord  whom 
we  serve  may  see  fit  to  answer  your  peti- 
tions on  my  account,  or  not,  may  they  at 
least  be  returned  into  your  own  bosoms  ! 

"  For  the  sake  of  others  I  should  be  hap- 
py could  I  assure  you  that  my  health  was 
improving.  As  to  myself,  I  thank  God  that 
I  am  not  without  a  desire  to  depart,  and  to 
be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better.  I  find 
that  neither  in  sickness,  nor  in  health,  I  can 
be  so  much  as  I  wish  like  Him  whom  I  love. 
'  To  die  is  gain : '  oh  to  gain  that  state,  those 
feelings,  that  character,  which  perfectly  ac- 
cord with  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  are  attend- 
ed with  the  full  persuasion  of  his  complete 
and  everlasting  approbation!  I  want  no 
heaven  but  this;    and,  to  gain  this,  most 


CORRESPONDENCE    DURING    LAST    ILLNESS. 


553 


gladly  would  I  this  moment  expire.     But,    saints,  who  will  give  you  their  benedictions 
if  to  abide  in  the  flesh  be  more   needful  for     at  that  solemn  season. 


an  individual  of  my  fellow-men, — Lord,  let 
thy  will  be  done  ;  only  let  Christ  be  magni- 
fied by  me,  whether  in  life  or  death ! 

"  The  weather  lias  been  so  wet  and 
windy  since  I  have  been  at  Plymouth  that  I 
could  not  reasonably  expect  to  be  much  bet- 
ter ;  and  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  much  worse. 
All  the    future   is   uncertain.     Professional 


To  Dr.  Rtland. 

"  Plymouth,  April  24,  1799. 

"  Very  dear  brother, 
"  My  health  is  in  much  the  same  state  as 
when  I  wrote  last,  excepting  that  my  mus- 
cular   strength    rather    increases,  and   my 


man  encourage  me;  but  frequent  returns  powers  of  speaking  seem  less  and  less  every 
appear,  and  occasional  discharges  of  blood  week.  I  have,  for  the  most  part,  spoken  only 
check  my  expectations.  If  I  speak  but  for  in  whispers  for  several  days  past;  and  even 
two  minutes,  my  breast  feels  as  sore  as  these  seem  too  much  for  my  irritable  lungs, 
though  it  were  scraped  with  a  rough-edged  My  father  asked  me  a  question  to-day  ;  he 
razor;  so  that  I  am  mute  all  the  day  lonp;,  did  not  understand  me  when  I  whispered; 
and  have  actually  learned  to  converse  with  so  I  was  obliged  to  utter  one  word,  and  one 
my  sister  by  means  of  our  fingers.  word  only,  a  little  louder,  and  that  brought 

"I  thank  you  for  yours  of  April  4th,  on  a  soreness,  which  I  expect  to  feel  till  bed- 
which  I  did  not  receive  till  the  12th,  the  day    time. 

that  I  arrived  at  Plymouth.  On  the  16th,  a  "I  am  still  looking  out  for  fine  weather ; 
copy  of  yours  to  brother  Ryland  came  to  all  here  is  cold  and  rainy.  We  have  had 
hand,  to  which  I  should  have  replied  yester-  but  two  or  three  fair  and  warm  days  since  I 
day,  but  had  not  leisure.  I  am  happy  and  have  been  here ;  then  I  felt  better.  I  am 
thankful  for  your  success.  May  the  Lord  perfectly  at  a  loss  even  to  guess  what  the 
himself  pilot  the 'Criterion  '  safely  to  Cal-  Lord  means  to  do  with  me  ;  but  I  desire  to 
cutta  river  !  commit  my  ways  to  him,  and  be  at  peace.     I 

"  Unless  the  Lord  work  a  miracle  for  me,  am  going  to-day  about  five  miles  into  the 
I  am  sure  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  attend  country  (to  Tamerton,)  where  I  shall  await 
the  Olney  meeting.     It  is  to  my  feelings  a    the  will  of  God  concerning1  me. 


severe    anticipation  ;    but  how  can  I 
Christian,  and  not  submit  to  God  ?  " 


be  a 


To  Mr.  Wm.  Ward. 

"  Plymouth,  April  22,  1799. 


"I  knew  not  of  any  committee-meeting  of 
our  society  to  be  held  respecting  Mr.  Marsh- 
man  and  his  wife.  I  have  therefore  sent  no 
vote,  and,  indeed,  it  is  my  happiness  that  I 
have  full  confidence  in  my  brethren,  at  this 
important  crisis,  since  close  thinking,  or  much 
"  Most  affectionately  do  I  thank  you  for  writing,  always  increases  my  fever,  and  pro- 
your  letter,  so   full  of  information,  and  of   motes  my  complaint. 

friendship.  To  our  common  friend,  who  is  "  My  dear  brother,  I  hope  you  will  cor- 
gone  into  heaven,  where  he  ever  sitteth  at  respond  much  with  Kettering.  I  used  to  be 
the  right  hand  of  God  for  us,  I  commend  you.  a  medium  ;  but  God  has  put  me  out  of  the 
Whether  I  die,  or  live,  God  will  take  care  of  way.  I  could  weep  that  I  can  serve  him  no 
you  till  he  has  ripened  you  for  the  common  more ;  and  yet  I  fear  some  would  be  tears  of 
salvation.  Then  shall  I  meet  my  dear  bro-  pride.  Oh,  for  perfect  likeness  to  my  hum- 
ther  Ward  again ;  and  who  can  tell  how  ble  Lord ! " 
much  more  interesting  our  intercourse   in 

heaven  will  be  made  by  the  scenes  that  most  To  Mr.  King. 

distress  our  poor  spirits  here  ?     Oh,  had  I  Tamerton,  May  2,  1799. 

none  to  live  tor,  I  had  rather  die  than  live,  * 

that  I  may  be  at  once  like  Him  whom  Hove.  "  .  .  .  .  Give  my  love  to  all  the  dear  peo- 
But,  while  he  ensures  me  grace,  why  should  pie  at  Cannon-street.  Oh,  pray  that  he  who 
I  regret  the  delay  of  glory  ?  No :  I  will  wait  afflicts  would  give  me  patience  to  endure, 
his  will  who  performeth  all  things  for  me.  Indeed,  the  state  of  suspense  in  which  I  have 
"  My  dear  brother,  had  I  strength  I  should  been  kept  so  long  requires  much  of  it;  and 
rejoice  to  acquaint  you  with  the  wrestlings  I  often  exclaim,  ere  I  am  aware,  Oh,  my 
and  the  victories,  the  hopes  and  the  fears,  dear  people  !  Oh,  my  dear  family  !  when  shall 
the  pleasures  and  the  pangs,  which  I  have  I  be  restored  to  you  again  ?  The  Lord  for- 
lately  experienced.  But  I  must  forbear.  All  give  all  the  sin  of  my  desires!  At  times  I 
I  can  now  say  is  that  God  hath  done  me  feel  a  sweet  and  perfect  calm,  and  wish  ever 
much  good  by  all,  and  made  me  very  thank-  to  live  under  the  influence  of  a  belief  in  the 
ful  for  all  he  has  done.  goodness  of  God,  and  of  all  his  plans,  and  all 

"  Alas  !  I  shall  see  you  no  more.  I  can-  his  works." 
not  be  at  Olney  on  the  7th  of  May.  The  The  reader  has  seen  how  much  he  regret- 
journey  would  be  my  death.  But  the  Lord  ted  being  absent  from  the  solemn  designa- 
whom  you  serve  will  be  with  you  then,  and  tion  of  the  missionaries  at  <  vncy.  He,  how- 
forever.  My  love  to  all  the  dear  assembled  ever,  addressed  the  following  lines  to  Mr. 
Vol.  2.— Sic.  70. 


554 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


Fuller,  which  were  read  at  the  close  of  that 
meeting,  to  the  dissolving  of  nearly  the  whole 
assembly  in  tears : — 

"  Tamerton,  May  2, 1799. 
"  .  .  .  .  Oh  that  the  Lord,  who  is  uncon- 
fined  by  place  or  condition,  may  copiously 
pour  out  upon  you  all  the  rich  effusions  of 
his  Holy  Spirit  on  the  approaching  day ! 
My  most  hearty  love  to  each  missionary  who 
may  then  encircle  the  throne  of  grace. 
Happy  men  !  Happy  women  !  You  are 
going  to  be  fellow-laborers  with  Christ  him- 
self! I  congratulate — I  almost  envy  you  ; 
yet  I  love  you,  and  can  scarcely  now  forbear 
dropping  a  tear  of  love  as  each  of  your  names 
passes  across  my  mind.  Oh  what  promises 
are  yours  ;  and  what  a  reward !  Surely 
heaven  is  filled  with  double  joy,  and  resounds 
with  unusual  acclamations,  at  the  arrival  of 
each  missionary  there.  Oh  be  faithful,  my 
dear  brethren,  my  dear  sisters,  be  faithful 
unto  death,  and  all  this  joy  is  yours  !  Long 
as  I  live,  my  imagination  will  be  hovering 
over  you  in  Bengal ;  and,  should  I  die,  if  sep- 
arate spirits  be  allowed  a  visit  to  the  world 
they  have  left,  methinks  mine  would  soon 
be  at  Mudnabatty,  watching  your  labors, 
your  conflicts,  and  your  pleasures,  whilst 
you  are  always  abounding  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord." 

To  Dr.  Ryland. 

"  Plymouth,  May  14,  1799. 
"  My  dear  brother, 

"Yours  of  the  11th  instant  I  have  just  re- 
ceived, and  thank  you  for  your  continued 
concern  for  your  poor  unworthy  brother. 

"  I  have  suffered  much  in  my  health  since 
I  wrote  to  you  last,  by  the  increase  of  my 
feverish  complaint,  which  filled  me  with  heat 
and  horror  all  night,  and  in  the  day  some- 
times almost  suffocated  me  with  the  violence 
of  its  paroxysms.  I  am  extremely  weak  ; 
and  now  that  warm  weather,  which  I  came 
into  Devon  to  seek,  I  dread  as  much  as  the 
cold,  because  it  excites  the  fever.  I  am 
happy,  however,  in  the  Lord.  I  have  not  a 
wish  to  live  or  die,  but  as  he  pleases.  I  truly 
enjoy  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  would  not  be  without  his  divine  atone- 
ment, whereon  to  rest  my  soul,  for  ten  thou- 
sand worlds.  I  feel  quite  weaned  from  earth, 
and  all  things  in  it.  Death  has  lost  his  sting, 
the  grave  its  horrors,  and  the  attractions  of 
heaven,  I  had  almost  said,  are  sometimes 
violent. 

1  Oh  to  grace  how  great  a  debtor  ! ' 
"  But  I  am  wearied.     May  all  grace  abound 
towards  my  dear  brother,  and  his  affectionate 
— S.  P." 

To  the  Church  in  Cannon-street. 
"  Plymouth,  May  31, 1799. 
"  To  the  dear  people  of  my  charge,  the 
flock  of  Christ,  assembling  in  Cannon-street, 


Birmingham,  their  afflicted  but  affectionate 
pastor,  presents  his  love  in  Christ  Jesus,  the 
great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep. 

"  My  dearest,  dearest,  friends  and  brethren, 

"  Separated  as  I  have  been  a  long  time 
from  you,  and  during  that  time  of  separation 
having  suffered  much  both  in  body  and  mind, 
yet  my  heart  has  still  been  with  you,  parti- 
cipating in  your  sorrows,  uniting  in  your 
prayers,  and  rejoicing  with  you  in  the  hope 
of  that  glory  to  which  divine  faithfulness  has 
engaged  to  bring  us,  and  for  which  our 
heavenly  Father,  by  all  his  providences  and 
by  every  operation  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  ia 
daily  preparing  us. 

"  Never,  my  dear  brethren,  did  I  so  much 
rejoice  in  our  being  made  '  partakers  of  the 
heavenly  calling '  as  during  my  late  afflic- 
tions. The  sweet  thoughts  of  glory,  where 
I  shall  meet  my  dear  Lord  Jesus,  with  all 
his  redeemed  ones,  perfectly  freed  from  all 
that  sin  which  now  burdens  us  and  makes 
us  groan  from  day  to  day, — this  transports 
my  soul,  whilst  out  of  weakness  I  am  made 
strong,  and  at  times  am  enabled  to  glory  even 
in  my  bodily  infirmities,  that  the  power  of 
Christ,  in  supporting  when  Lflesh  and  heart 
fail,  may  the  more  evidently  rest  upon  me. 
Oh,  my  dear  brethren  and  sisters,  let  me,  as 
one  alive  almost  from  the  dead,  let  me  ex- 
hort you  to  stand  fast  in  that  blessed  gospel 
which  for  ten  years  I  have  now  preached 
among  you — the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  ; 
the  gospel  of  God ;  the  gospel  of  free,  full, 
everlasting  salvation,  founded  on  the  suffer- 
ings and  death  of  God  manifest  in  thefesh. 
Look  much  at  this  all-amazing  scene ! 
*  Behold  !  a  God  descends  and  dies 
To  save  my  soul  from  gaping  hell;  ' 
and  then  say,  whether  any  poor  broken-heart- 
ed sinner  need  be  afraid  to  venture  his  hopes 
of  salvation  on  such  a  sacrifice;  especially 
since  He  who  is  thus  'mighty  to  save  '  hath 
said  that  '  whosoever  cometh  to  him  he  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out.'  You,  beloved,  who  have 
found  the  peace-speaking  virtue  of  this  blood 
of  atonement,  must  not  be  satisfied  with 
what  you  have  already  known  or  enjoyed. 
The  only  way  to  be  constantly  happy,  and 
constantly  prepared  for  the  most  awful 
changes  which  we  must  all  experience,  is, 
to  be  constantly  looking  and  coming  to  a  dy- 
ing Saviour  ;  renouncing  all  our  own  worth- 
iness ;  cleaving  to  the  loving  Jesus  as  our 
all  in  all ;  giving  up  every  thing,  however 
valuable  to  our  worldly  interests,  that  clashes 
with  our  fidelity  to  Christ ;  begging  that  of 
his  fulness  Ave  may  receive  '  grace  upon 
grace,'  whilst  our  faith  actually  relies  on  his 
power  and  faithfulness,  for  the  full  accom- 
plishment of  every  promise  in  his  word  that 
we  plead  with  him  ;  and  guarded  against 
every  thing  that  might  for  a  moment  bring 
distance  and  darkness  between  your  souls 
and  your  precious  Lord,     If  you  thus  live, 


RESIGNATION    DURING    LAST    ILLNESS. 


555 


(and  oh  that  you  may  daily  receive  fresh  life 
from  Christ  so  to  do!)  'the  peace  of  God 
will  keep  your  hearts  and  minds,'  and  you 
will  be  filled  with  'joy  unspeakable  and  full 
of  glory.' 

"  As  a  church,  you  cannot  conceive  what 
pleasure  I  have  enjoyed  in  hearing  that  you 
are  in  peace,  that  you  attend  prayer-meet- 
ings, that  you  seem  to  be  stirred  up  of  late 
for  the  honor  and  prosperity  of  religion.  Go 
on  in  these  good  ways,  my  beloved  friends, 
and  assuredly  the  God  of  peace  will  be  with 
you.  Yea,  if  after  all  I  should  be  taken  en- 
tirely from  you,  yet  God  will  surely  visit  you, 
and  never  leave  you,  nor  forsake  you. 

"  As  to  my  health,  I  seem  on  the  whole  to 
be  still  mending,  though  but  very  slowly. 
The  fever  troubles  me  often,  botli  by  day 
and  night,  but  my  strength  increases.  I 
long  to  see  your  faces  in  the  flesh ;  yea, 
when  I  thought  myself  near  the  gates  of  the 
grave,  I  wished,  if  it  were  the  Lord's  will, 
to  depart  among  those  whom  I  so  much  loved. 
But  I  am  in  good  hands,  and  all  must  be 
right. 

"  I  thank  both  you  and  the  congregation 
most  affectionately  for  all  the  kindness  you 
have  shown  respecting  me  and  my  family 
during  my  absence.  The  Lord  return  it  a 
thousand  fold  !  My  love  to  every  one,  both 
old  and  young,  rich  and  poor,  as  though 
named.  The  Lord  bless  to  your  edification 
the  occasional  ministry  which  you  enjoy.  I 
hope  you  regularly  attend  upon  it,  and  keep 
together,  as  'the  horses  in  Pharaoh's  chariot.' 
I  pray  much  for  you :  pray,  still  pray,  for 
your  very  affectionate,  though  unworthy, 
pastor." 

In  a  postscript  to  Mr.  King,  he  says,  "  I 
have  made  an  effort  to  write  this  letter : 
my  affections  would  take  no  denial ;  but  it 
has  brought  on  the  fever." 

Towards  the  latter  end  of  May,  when  Mr. 
Ward  and  his  companions  were  just  ready 
to  set  sail,  a  consultation  concerning  Mr. 
Pearce  was  held  on  board  the  Criterion,  in 
which  all  the  missionaries  and  some  of  the 
members  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society 
were  present.  It  was  well  known  that  he 
had  for  several  years  been  engaged  in  pre- 
paring materials  for  a  "  History  of  Missions," 
to  be  comprised  in  two  volumes  octavo  :  and, 
as  the  sending  of  the  gospel  amongst  the 
heathen  had  so  deeply  occupied  his  heart, 
considerable  expectations  had  been  formed 
by  religious  people  of  his  producing  an  in- 
teresting work  on  the  subject.  The  ques- 
tion now  was,  Could  not  this  performance 
be  finished  by  other  hands,  and  the  profits 
of  it  be  appropriated  to  the  benefit  of  Mr. 
Pearce's  family  ?  It  was  admitted  by  all 
that  this  work  would,  partly  from  its  own 
merits,  and  partly  from  the  great  interest 
which  the  author  justly  possessed  in  the 
public  esteem,  be  very  productive  ;  and  that 
it  would  be  a  delicate  and  proper  method  of 


enabling  the  religious  public,  by  subscribing 
liberally  to  it,  to  afford  substantial  assistance 
to  the  family  of  this  excellent  man.  The 
result  was  that  one  of  the  members  of  the 
society  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Pearce's 
relations  at  Plymouth,  requesting  them  to 
consult  him,  as  he  should  be  able  to  bear  it, 
respecting  the  state  of  his  manuscripts,  and 
to  inquire  whether  they  were  in  a  condition 
to  admit  of  being  finished  by  another  hand  ; 
desiring  them  also  to  assure  him,  for  his 
present  relief  concerning  his  dear  family, 
that  whatever  the  hand  of  friendship  could 
effect  on  their  behalf  should  be  accomplish- 
ed. The  answer,  though  it  left  no  manner 
of  hope  as  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  ob- 
ject, yet  it  is  so  expressive  of  the  reigning 
dispositions  of  the  writer's  heart,  as  an 
affectionate  husband,  a  tender  father,  a 
grateful  friend,  and  a  sincere  Christian,  that 
it  cannot  be  uninteresting  to  the  reader : — 

"  Tamerton,  June  24,  1799. 
"  To  use  the  common  introduction  of '  dear 
brother  '  would  fall  so  far  short  of  my  feel- 
ings towards  a  friend  whose  uniform  con- 
duct has  ever  laid  so  great  a  claim  to  my 
affection  and  gratitude,  but  whose  recent 
kindness — kindness  in  adversity — kindness 
to  my  wife — kindness  to  my  children — kind- 
ness that  would  go  far  to  '  smooth  the  bed 
of  death,'  has  overwhelmed  my  whole  soul 
in  tender  thankfulness,  and  engaged  my 
everlasting  esteem.  I  know  not  how  to 
begin  .  .  .  . '  Thought  is  poor,  and  poor  ex- 
pression.' The  only  thing  that  lay  heavy 
on  my  heart,  when  in  the  nearest  prospect 
of  eternity,  was  the  future  situation  of  my 
family.  I  had  but  a  comparatively  small 
portion  to  leave  behind  me,  and  yet  that 
little  was  the  all  that  an  amiable  woman, — ■ 
delicately  brought  up,  and,  through  mercy, 
for  the  most  part  comfortably  provided  for 
since  she  entered  on  domestic  life, — with 
five  babes  to  feed,  clothe,  and  educate,  had 
to  subsist  on.  Ah,  what  a  prospect!  Hard 
and  long  I  strove  to  realize  the  promises 
made  to  the  widows  and  the  fatherless  ;  but 
these  alone  I  could  not  fully  rest  on  and  en- 
joy. For  my  own  part,  God  was  indeed 
very  gracious.  I  was  willing,  I  hope,  to 
linger  in  suffering,  if  I  might  thereby  most 
glorify  him  ;  and  death  was  an  angel  whom 
I  longed  to  come  and  embrace  me,  '  cold  as 
his  embraces  are :  but  how  could  I  leave 
those  who  were  dearest  to  my  heart  in  the 
midst  of  a  world  in  which  although  thousands 
now  professed  friendship  for  me,  and,  on  my 
account,  for  mine  ;  yet,  after  my  decease, 
would,  with  few  exceptions,  soon  forget  my 
widow  and  my  children,  among  the  crowds 
of  the  needy  and  distressed. — It  was  at  this 
moment  of  painful  sensibility  that  your  heart 
meditated  a  plan  to  remove  my  anxieties — a 
plan  too  that  would  involve  much  personal 
labor    before    it    could    be     accomplished. 


556 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


'  Blessed  be  God,  who  put  it  into  thy  heart, 
and  blessed  be  thou.'  May  the  blessing  of 
the  widow  and  the  fatherless  rest  on  you 
and  yours  for  ever.     Amen  and  amen  ! 

"  You  will  regret  perhaps  that  I  have 
taken  up  so  much  respecting  yourself;  but 
I  have  scarcely  gratified  the  shadow  of  my 
wishes.  Excuse  then,  on  the  one  hand,  that 
I  have  said  so  much  ;  and  accept,  on  the 
other,  what  remains  unexpressed. 

"  My  affections  and  desires  are  among 
my  dear  people  at  Birmingham  ;  and,  unless  I 
find  my  strength  increase  here,  I  purpose  to 
set  out  for  that  place  in  the  course  of  a 
fortnight,  or  at  most  a  month.  The  journey, 
performed  by  short  stages,  may  do  me  good  ; 
if  not,  I  expect  when  the  winter  comes  to 
sleep  in  peace  !  and  it  will  delight  my  soul 
to  see  them  once  more  before  I  die.  Be- 
sides, I  have  many  little  arrangements  to 
make  among  my  books  and  papers,  to  pre- 
vent confusion  after  my  decease.  Indeed, 
till  I  get  home,  I  cannot  fully  answer  your 
kind  letter;  but  I  fear  that  my  materials 
consist  so  much  in  references  which  none 
but  myself  would  understand,  that  a  second 
person  could  not  take  it  up  and  prosecute 
it.  I  am  still  equally  indebted  to  you  for  a 
proposal  so  generous,  so  laborious. 

"  Rejoice  with  me  that  the  blessed  gos- 
pel still  '  bears  my  spirits  up.'  I  am  become 
familiar  with  the  thoughts  of  dying.  I  have 
taken  my  leave  often  of  the  world,  and, 
thanks  be  to  God,  I  do  it  always  with  tran- 
quillity, and  often  Avith  rapture.  Oh,  what 
grace,  what  grace  it  was  that  ever  called 
me  to  be  a  Christian  !  What  would  have 
been  my  present  feelings,  if  I  were  going  to 
meet  God  with  all  the  tilth  and  load  of  my 
sin  about  me  !  But  God  in  my  nature  hath 
put  my  sin  away,  taught  me  to  love  him,  and 
long  for  his  appearing.  Oh,  my  dear  brother, 
how  consonant  is  everlasting  praise  with 
such  a  great  salvation  !  " 

After  this,  another  letter  was  addressed 
to  Mr.  Pearce,  informing  him  more  particu- 
larly that  the  above  proposal  did  not  origi- 
nate with  an  individual,  but  with  several  of 
the  brethren  who  dearly  loved  him,  and  had 
consulted  on  the  business  ;  and  that  it  was 
no  more  than  an  act  of  justice  to  one  who 
had  spent  his  life  in  serving  the  public  ;  also 
requesting  him  to  give  directions  by  which 
his  manuscripts  might  be  found  and  examin- 
ed, lest  he  should  be  taken  away  before  his 
arrival  at  Birmingham.  To  this  he  answer- 
ed as  follows : — 

"  Plymouth,  July  6, 1799. 

"  I  need  not  repeat  the  growing  sense  I 
have  of  your  kindness,  and  yet  1  know  not 
how  to  forbear. 

"  I  cannot  direct  Mr.  K to  all  my 

papers,  as  many  of  them  are  in  books  from 
which  I  was  making  extracts  ;  and,  if  I  could, 
I  am  persuaded  that  they  are  in  a  state  too 


confused,  incorrect,  and  unfinished,  to  suffer 
you  or  any  other  friend  to  realize  your  kind 
intentions. 

"  I  have  possessed  a  tenacious  memory.  I 
have  begun  one  part  of  the  history  ;  read 
the  necessary  books  ;  reflected  ;  aranged  ; 
written  perhaps  the  introduction,  and  then 
trusting  to  my  recollection,  with  a  revisal  of 
the  books  as  I  should  want  them,  have  em- 
ployed myself  in  getting  materials  for 
another  part,  &c.  Thus,  till  my  illness,  the 
volumes  existed  in  my  head — my  books  were 
at  hand,  and  I  was  on  the  eve  of  writing 
them  out,  when  it  pleased  God  to  make  me 
pause :  and,  as  close  thinking  has  been 
strongly  forbidden  me,  I  dare  say  that  were 
I  again  restored  to  health  I  should  find  it 
necessary  to  go  over  much  of  my  former 
reading  to  refresh  my  memory. 

"It  is  now  Saturday.  On  Monday  next 
we  purpose  setting  out  on  our  return.  May 
the  Lord  prosper  our  way!  Accept  the 
sincere  affection,  and  the  ten  thousand 
thanks,  of  your  brother  in  the  Lord, — S.  P." 

As  the  manuscripts  were  found  to  be  in 
such  a  state  that  no  person,  except  the  au- 
thor himself,  could  finish  them,  the  design 
was  necessarily  dropped.  The  public  mind 
however,  was  deeply  impressed  with  Mr. 
Pearce's  worth ;  and  that  which  the  friend- 
ship of  a  few  could  not  effect  has  since  been 
amply  accomplished  by  the  liberal  exertions 
of  many. 

To  Mr.  Birt. 
Birmingham,  July  26,  1799. 

"It  is  not  with  common  feelings  that  I 
begin  a  letter  to  you.  Your  name  brings  so 
many  interesting  circumstances  of  my  life 
before  me,  in  which  your  friendship  has 
been  so  uniformly  and  eminently  displayed, 
that  now,  amidst  the  imbecilities  of  sick- 
ness and  the  serious  prospect  of  another 
world,  my  heart  is  overwhelmed  with  grati- 
tude, whilst  it  glows  Avith  affection, — an 
aifection  which  eternity  shall  not  annihilate, 
but  improve. 

"  We  reached  Bristol  on  the  Friday  after 
Ave  parted  from  you,  having  suited  our  pro- 
gress to  my  strength  and  spirits.  We  staid 
with  Bristol  friends  till  Monday,  when  we 
pursued  our  journey,  and  Avent  comfortably 
on  till  the  uncommonly  rough  road  from 
Tewksbury  to  Eversham  quite  jaded  me  ; 
and  I  have  not  yet  recovered  from  the  ex- 
cessive fatigue  of  that  miserable  ride.  At 
Alcester  Ave  rested  a  day  and  a  half;  and, 
through  the  abundant  goodness  of  God,  Ave 
safely  arrived  at  Birmingham  on  Friday 
evening,  the  19th  of  July. 

"  I  feel  an  undisturbed  tranquillity  of  soul, 
and  am  cheerfully  Avaiting  the  will  of  God. 
My  voice  is  gone,  so  that  I  cannot  whisper 
without  pain ;  and  of  this  circumstance  I 
am  at  times  most  ready  to  complain.  For, 
to  see  my  dear  and  amiable  Sarah  look  at 


CORRESPONDENCE    DURING    LAST    ILLNESS. 


557 


me,  and  then  at  the  children,  and  at  length 
bathe  her  face  in  tears,  without  my  being 

able  to  say  one  kind  word  of  comfort, 

Oh  ! ! .  .  .  .  Yet  the  Lord  supports  me  under 
this  also  ;  and  I  trust  will  support  me  to  the 
end." 

To  Mr.  Rock. 

"  July  28,  1799. 
"  ....  I  am  now  to  all  appearance  within 
a  few   steps   of  eternity.     In   Christ  I   am 
safe.     In  him  I  am  happy.     I  trust  we  shall 
meet  in  heaven." 

To  R.  Bowter,  Esq. 

"  Birmingham,  Aug.  1,  1799- 

"  Much  disappointed  that  I  am  not  releas- 
ed from  this  world  of  sin,  and  put  in  posses- 
sion of  the  pleasures  enjoyed  by  the  spirits 
of  just  men  made  perfect,  I  once  more  ad- 
dress my  dear  fellow-heirs  of  that  glory 
which,  ere  long,  shall  be  revealed  to  us  all. 

"  We  returned  from  Devon  last  Friday 
week.  I  was  exceedingly  weak,  and  for 
several  days  afterwards  got  rapidly  worse. 
My  friends  compelled  me  to  try  another 
physician.  I  am  still  told  that  I  shall  recov- 
er. Be  that  as  it  may,  I  wish  to  have  my 
own  will  annihilated,  that  the  will  of  the 
Lord  may  be  done.  Through  his  abundant 
grace,  I  have  been,  and  still  am,  happy  in 
my  soul ;  and  I  trust  my  prevailing  desire  is 
that,  living  or  dying,  I  may  be  the  Lord's." 

To  R.  Bowter,  Esq. 

On  his  having  sent  him  a  print  of  Mr.  Schwartz, 
the  missionary  on  the  Malabar  coast. 

"  Birmingham,  Aug.  16,  1799. 
"  On  three  accounts  was  your  last  parcel 
highly  acceptable.  It  represented  a  man 
whom  I  have  long  been  in  the  habit  of  lov- 
ing and  revering  ;  and  whose  character  and 
labors  I  intended,  if  the  Lord  had  not  laid 
his  hand  upon  me  by  my  present  illness,  to 
have  presented  to  the  public  in  Europe,  as 
he  himself  presented  them  to  the  millions  of 
Asia. — The  execution,  bearing  so  strong  a 
likeness  to  the  original,  heightened  its  value. 
And  then  the  hand  from  whence  it  came, 
and  the  friendship  it  was  intended  to  ex- 
press, add  to  its  worth." 

To  Mr.  Fuller. 
"  Birmingham,  Aug.  19,  1799. 

"  The  doctor  has  been  making  me  worse 
and  weaker  for  three  weeks.  In  the  middle 
of  the  last  week  he  spoke  confidently  of  my 
recovery  ;  but  to-day  he  has  seen  fit  to  alter 
his  plans  ;  and,  if  I  do  not  find  a  speedy 
alteration  for  the  better,  I  must  have  done 
with  all  physicians  but  Him  who  '  healeth 
the  broken  in  heart.' 

"  For  some  time  after  I  came  home.,  I  was 
led  to  believe  my  case  to  be  consumptive  ; 
and  then,  thinking  myself  of  a  certainty  near 


the  kingdom  of  heaven,  I  rejoiced  hourly  in 
the  delightful  prospect. 

"Since  then  I  have  been  told  that  I  am 
not  in  a  dangerous  way  ;  and,  though  I  give 
very  little  credit  to  such  assertions  in  this 
case,  yet  I  have  found  my  mind  so  taken  up 
with  earth  again,  that  I  seem  as  though  I 
had  another  soul.  My  spiritual  pleasures 
are  greatly  interrupted,  and  some  of  the 
most  plainuve  parts  of  the  most  plaintive 
psalms  seem  the  only  true  language  of  my 
heart.  Yet,  'Thy  will  be  done,'  I  trust, 
prevails  ;  and  if  it  be  the  Lord's  will  that  I 
linger  long,  and  suffer  much,  Oh,  let  him 
give  me  the  patience  of  hope,  and  still,  his 
will  be  done  ! — I  can  write  no  more.  This 
is  a  whole  day's  work ;  for  it  is  only  after 
tea  that,  for  a  few  minutes,  I  can  sit  up,  and 
attend  to  any  thing." 

From  the  latter  end  of  August,  and  all 
through  the  month  of  September,  to  the 
10th  of  October,  the  day  on  ivhich  he  died,  he 
seems  to  have  been  unable  to  write.  He 
did  not,  however,  lose  the  exercise  of  his 
mental  powers  ;  and  though,  in  the  last  of 
the  above  letters,  he  complains  of  darkness, 
it  appears  that  he  soon  recovered  that  peace 
and  joy  in  God  by  which  his  affliction,  and 
even  his  life,  were  distinguished. 

A  little  before  he  died,  he  was  visited  by 
Mr.  Medley,  of  London,  with  whom  he  had 
been  particularly  intimate  on  his  first  com- 
ing to  Birmingham.  Mr.  Pearce  was  much 
affected  at  the  sight  of  his  friend,  and  con- 
tinued silently  weeping  for  nearly  ten  min- 
utes, holding  and  pressing  his  hand.  After 
this,  he  spoke,  or  rather  Avhispered,  as  fol- 
lows : — "  This  sick  bed  is  a  Bethel  to  me  : 
it  is  none  other  than  the  house  of  God,  and 
the  gate  of  heaven.  I  can  scarcely  express 
the  pleasures  that  I  have  enjoyed  in  this 
affliction.  The  nearer  I  draw  to  my  disso- 
lution, the  happier  I  am.  It  scarcely  can 
be  called  an  affliction,  it  is  so  counterbal- 
anced with  joy.  You  have  lost  your  pious 
father ;  tell  me  how  it  was." — Here  Mr. 
Medley  informed  him  of  particulars.  He 
wept  much  at  the  recital,  and  especially  at 

hearing     of    his    last     words, "  Home, 

home ! " Mr.    Medley    telling    him    of 

some  temptations  he  had  lately  met  with, 
he  charged  him  to  keep  near  to  God. 
"  Keep  close  to  God,"  said  he,  "  and  no- 
things will  hurt  you  !  " 

The  following  letters  itnd  narrative  were 
read  by  Dr.  Ryland  at  the  close  of  his  fune- 
ral sermon  ;  and,  being  printed  at  the  end 
of  it,  were  omitted  in  some  of  the  former 
editions  of  the  Memoirs. 

To  Dr.  Ryland. 

"  Birmingham,  Dec.  9,  1798. 
"My  dear  brother,  Lord's-day  Evening. 

"  After  a  Sabbath — such  a  one  I  never 
knew  before — spent  in  an  entire  seclusion 
from  the  house  and  ordinances  of  my  God,  I 


558 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


seek  Christian  converse  with  you,  in  a  way 
in  which  I  am  yet  permitted  to  have  inter- 
course with  my  brethren.  The  day  after  I 
wrote  to  you  last,  my  medical  attendant  laid 
me  under  the  strictest  injunctions  not  to 
speak  again  in  public  for  one  month  at  least. 
He  says  that  my  stomach  is  become  so  irrita- 
ble, through  repeated  inflammations,  that 
conversation,  unless  managed  with  great 
caution,  would  be  dangerous  ; — that  he  does 
not  think  my  present  condition  alarming, 
provided  I  take  rest;  but,  without  that,  he 
intimated  my  life  was  in  great  danger.  He 
forbids  my  exposing  myself  to  the  evening 
air,  on  any  account,  and  going  out  of  doors, 
or  to  the  door,  unless  when  the  air  is  dry 
and  clear  ;  so  that  I  am,  during  the  weather 
we  now  have  in  Birmingham  (very  foggy,) 
a  complete  prisoner  ;  and  the  repeated  cau- 
tions from  my  dear  and  affectionate  friends, 
whose  solicitude,  I  conceive,  far  exceeds 
the  danger,  compels  me  to  a  rigid  observ- 
ance of  the  doctor's  rules. 

"This  morning  brother  Pope  took  my 
place  ;  and,  in  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Brewer 
(who  has  discovered  uncommon  tenderness 
and  respect  for  me  and  the  people,  since  he 
knew  my  state)  preached  a  very  affection- 
ate sermon  from  1  Sam.  iii.  18 — '  It  is  the 
Lord,  let  him  do  what  seemeth  him  good.'  By 
what  I  hear,  his  sympathizing  observations, 
in  relation  to  the  event  which  occasioned 
his  being  then  in  my  pulpit,  drew  more  tears 
from  the  people's  eyes  than  a  dozen  such 
poor  creatures  as  their  pastor  could  deserve. 
But  I  have, ....  blessed  be  God,  long  had 
the  satisfaction  of  finding  myself  embosom- 
ed in  friendship  ....  the  friendship  of  the 
people  of  my  charge  :  though  I  lament  their 
love  should  occasion  them  a  pang  ....  but 
thus  it  is  ...  .  our  heavenly  Father  sees 
that,  for  our  mixed  characters,  a  mixed  state 
is  best. 

"I  anticipated  a  day  of  gloom:  but  I  had 
unexpected  reason  to  rejoice,  that  the 
shadow  of  death  was  turned  into  the  joy  of 
the  morning  ;  and  though  I  said,  with  per- 
haps before  unequalled  feeling,  'How  amia- 
ble are  thy  tabernacles ! '  yet  I  found  the 
God  of  Zion  does  not  neglect  the  dwellings 
of  Jacob.  My  poor  wife  was  much  affected 
at  so  novel  a  thing  as  leaving  me  behind 
her,  and  so  it  was  a  dewy  morning  ;  but  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  soon  arose,  and  shed 
such  ineffable  delight  throughout  my  soul 
that  I  could  say,  '  It  is  good  to  be  here.'' — 
Motive  to  resignation  and  gratitude  also 
crowded  upon  motive,  till  my  judgment  was 
convinced  that  I  ought  to  rejoice  in  the 
Lord  exceedingly,  and  so  my  whole  soul 
took  its  fill  of  joy.  May  I,  if  it  be  my  Sa- 
viour's will,  feel  as  happy  when  I  come  to 
die  !  When  my  poor  Sarah  lay  at  the  point 
of  death,  for  some  days  after  her  first  lying 
in,  towards  the  latter  days,  I  enjoyed  such 
support,  and  felt  my  will  so  entirely  bowed 


down  to  that  of  God,  that  I  said  in  my  heart, 
'  I  shall  never  fear  another  trial  ....  He 
that  sustained  me  amidst  this  flame  will  de- 
fend me  from  every  spark  ! '  And  this  con- 
fidence I  long  enjoyed. — But  that  was  near- 
ly six  years  ago,  and  I  had  almost  forgotten 
the  land  of  the  Hermonites  and  the  hill  Mi- 
zar.  But  the  Lord  has  prepared  me  to  re- 
ceive a  fresh  display  of  his  fatherly  care, 
and  his  (shall  I  call  it?)  punctilious  veracity. 
If  I  should  be  raised  up  again,  I  shall  be 
able  to  preach  on  the  faithfulness  of  God 
more  experimentally  than  ever.  Perhaps 
some  trial  is  coining  on,  and  I  am  instru- 
mental in  preparing  them  for  it;  or  if  not,  if 
I  am  to  depart  hence  to  be  no  more  seen, 
I  know  the  Lord  can  carry  on  his  work  as 
well  without  me  as  with  me.  He  who  re- 
deemed the  sheep  with  his  blood  will  never 
suffer  them  to  perish  for  want  of  shepherding, 
especially  since  he  himself  is  the  chief 
Shepherd  of  souls.  But  my  family !  Ah, 
there  I  find  my  faith  but  still  imperfect. 
However,  I  do  not  think  the  Lord  will  ever 
take  me  away  till  he  helps  me  to  leave  my 
fatherless  children  in  his  hands,  and  trust 
my  widow  also  with  him.  '  His  love  in  times 
past,'  and  I  may  add  in  times  present  too, 
1  forbids  me  to  think  he  will  leave  me  at  last 
in  trouble  to  sink.' 

"  Whilst  my  weakness  was  gaining 
ground,  I  used  to  ask  myself  how  I  could 
like  to  be  laid  by  ?  I  have  dreamed  that  this 
was  the  case  ;  and  both  awake  and  asleep  I 
felt  as  though  it  were  an  evil  that  could  not 
be  borne  : — but  now  I  find  the  Lord  can  fit 
the  back  to  the  burden  ;  and,  though  I  think 
I  love  the  thought  of  serving  Christ  at  this 
moment  better  than  ever,  yet  he  has  made 
me  willing  to  be  ...  .  nothing,  if  he  please 
to  have  it  so  ;  and  now  my  happy  heart 
'  could  sing  itself  away  to  everlasting  bliss." 

"  O  what  a  mercy  that  I  have  not  brought 
on  my  affliction  by  serving  the  devil !  What 
a  mercy  that  I  have  so  many  dear  sympa- 
thizing friends  !  What  a  mercy  that  I  have 
so  much  dear  domestic  comfort!  What  a 
mercy  that  I  am  in  no  violent  bodily  pain  ! 
What  a  mercy  that  I  can  read  and  write 
without  doing  myself  an  injury!  What  a 
mercy  that  my  animal  spirits  have  all  the 
time  this  has  been  coming  on  (ever  since 
the  last  Kettering  meeting  of  ministers) 
been  vigorous — free  from  dejection !  And, 
which  I  reckon  among  the  greatest  of  this 
day's  privileges,  what  a  mercy  that  I  have 
been  able  to  employ  myself  for  Christ  and 
his  dear  cause  to-day ;  as  I  have  been  al- 
most wholly  occupied  in  the  concerns  of  the 
(I  hope)  reviving  church  at  Bromsgrove, 
and  the  infant  church  at  Cradley  !  O,  my 
dear  brother,  it  is  all  mercy ;  is  it  not  ? 
O  help  me  then  in  his  praise,  for  he  is  good, 
for  his  mercy  endureth  forever. 

"Ought  I  to  apologize  for  this  experi- 
mental chat  with  you,  who  have  concerns  to 


CORRESPONDENCE  DURING  LAST  ILLNESS. 


559 


transact  of  so  much  more  importance  than  any 
that  are  confined  to  an  individual  ?  Forgive 
me,  if  I  have  intruded  too  much  on  your 
time — but  do  not  forget  to  praise  on  my  be- 
half a  faithful  God.  I  shall  now  leave  room 
against  I  have  some  business  to  write  about 
— till  then  adieu — but  let  us  not  forget  that 
'  this  God  is  our  God  forever  and  ever, 
and  will  be  our  guide  even  until  death.' 
Amen.  Amen.  We  shall  soon  meet  in 
heaven." 

To  Mr.  King. 
"  Plymouth,  April  23, 1799. 
"  My  dear  friend  and  brother, 

"I  have  the  satisfaction  to  inform  you 
that  at  length  my  complaint  appears  to  be 
removed,  and  that  I  am  by  degrees  return- 
ing to  my  usual  diet,  by  which,  with  the  di- 
vine blessing,  I  hope  to  be  again  strength- 
ened for  the  discharge  of  the  duties  and 
the  enjoyment  of  the  pleasures  which  await 
me  among  the  dear  people  of  my  charge. 

"  I  am  indeed  informed,  by  a  medical  at- 
tendant here,  that  I  shall  never  be  equal  to 
the  labors  of  my  past  years,  and  that  my 
return  to  moderate  efforts  must  be  made  by 
slow  degrees.  As  the  path  of  duty,  I  desire 
to  submit;  but,  after  so  long  a  suspension  from 
serving  the  Redeemer  in  his  church,  my  soul 
pants  for  usefulness  more  extensive  than  ever, 
and  I  long  to  become  an  apostle  to  the  world. 
I  do  not  think  I  ever  prized  the  ministerial 
work  so  much  as  I  now  do.  Two  questions 
have  been  long  before  me.  The  first  was, 
Shall  I  live  or  die  ?  The  second,  If  I  live, 
how  will  my  life  be  spent  ?  With  regard  to 
the  former,  my  heart  answered,  'It  is  no 
matter — all  is  well — for  my  own  sake,  I  need 
not  be  taught  that  it  is  best  to  be  with  Christ; 
but,  for  the  sake  of  others,  it  may  be  best 
to  abide  in  the  body — I  am  in  the  Lord's 
hands,  let  him  do  by  me  as  seemeth  him 
best  forme  and  mine,  and  for  his  cause  and 
honor  in  the  world  ! — But,  as  to  the  second 
question,  I  could  hardly  reconcile  myself 
to  the  thoughts  of  living,  unless  it  were  to 
promote  the  interest  of  my  Lord ;  and,  if 
my  disorder  should  so  far  weaken  me  as  to 
render  me  incapable  of  the  ministry,  nothing 
then  appeared  before  me  but  gloom  and 
darkness.  However,  I  will  hope  in  the  Lord 
that,  though  he  hath  chastened  me  sorely, 
yet,  since  he  hath  not  given  me  over  unto 
death,  sparing  mercy  will  be  followed  with 
strength,  that  I  may  show  forth  his  praise 
in  the-land  of  the  living. 

"  I  am  still  exceedingly  weak ;  more  so 
than  at  any  period  before  I  left  home,  except 
the  first  week  of  my  lying  by  ;  but  I  am 
getting  strength,  though  slowly.  It  is  im- 
possible at  present  to  fix  any  time  for  my  re- 
turn. It  grieves  me  that  the  patience  of  the 
dear  people  should  be  so  long  tried  ;  but  the 
trial  is  as  great  on  my  part  as  it  can  be  on 
theirs,  and  we  must  pity  and   pray   for  one 


another.     It  is  now  a  task  for  me  to  write  at 
all,  or  this  should  have  been  longer." 

To  Mr.  Pope. 

"Plymouth,  May  24,  1799. 

"  I  cannot  write  much— this  I  believe  is 
the  only  letter  I  have  written  (except  to  my 
wife)  since  I  wrote  to  you  last.  My  com- 
plaint has  issued  in  a  confirmed,  slow,  ner- 
vous fever ;  which  has  wasted  my  spirits  and 
strength,  and  taken  a  great  part  of  the  little 
flesh  I  had,  when  in  health,  away  from  me. 
The  symptoms  have  been  very  threatening, 
and  I  have  repeatedly  thought  that,  let  the 
physician  do  what  he  will,  he  cannot  keep  me 
long  from  those  heavenly  joys  for  which, 
blessed  be  God,  I  have  lately  been  much 
longing  ;  and,  were  it  not  for  my  dear  people 
and  family,  I  should  have  earnestly  prayed 
for  leave  to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ, 
which  is  so  much  better  than  to  abide  in  this 
vain,  suffering,  sinning  world. 

"The  doctors  however  pronounce  my  case 
very  hopeful — say  there  is  little  or  no  dan- 
ger— but  that  all  these  complaints  require  a 
great  deal  of  time  to  get  rid  of.  I  still  feel 
myself  on  precarious  ground,  but  quite  re- 
signed to  the  will  of  him,  who,  unworthy  as 
I  am,  continues  daily  to  'fill  my  soul  with 
joy  and  peace  in  believing.'  Yes,  my  dear 
friend,  noiv  my  soul  feels  the  value  of  a  free, 
full,  and  everlasting  salvation — and,  what  is 
more,  I  do  enjoy  that  salvation  ;  while  I  rest 
all  my  hope  on  the  Son  of  God  in  human 
nature  dying  on  the  cross  for  me.  To  me 
now,  health  or  sickness,  pain  or  ease,  life  or 
death,  are  things  indifferent.  I  feel  so  hap- 
py, in  being  in  the  hands  of  infinite  love, 
that,  when  the  severest  strokes  are  laid  upon 
me,  I  receive  them  with  pleasure,  because 
they  come  from  my  heavenly  Father's  hands  ! 
'  O  to  grace  how  great  a  debtor ! '  &c." 

To  Dr.  Ryland. 
"Birmingham,  July  20,  1799. 
"  My  very  dear  brother, 

"Your  friendly  anxieties  on  my  behalf  de- 
mand the  earliest  satisfaction.  We  had  a 
pleasant  ride  to  Newport  on  the  afternoon 
we  left  you,  and  the  next  day  without  much 
fatigue  reached  Tewksbury ;  but  the  road 
was  so  rough  from  Tewksbury  to  Eversham, 
that  it  wearied  and  injured  me  more  than  all 
the  jolting  we  had  had  before,  put  together. 
However  we  reached  Alcester  on  Wednes- 
day evening,  stopped  there  a  day  to  rest,  and 
last  night,  (Friday)  were  brought  safely 
hither,  blessed  be  God  ! 

"  I  find  myself  getting  weaker  and  weak- 
er, and  so  my  Lord  instructs  me  in  his  plea- 
sure to  remove  me  soon.  You  say  well,  my 
dear  brother,  that  at  such  a  prospect  'I  can- 
not complain.'  No,  blessed  be  his  dear  name 
who  shed  his  blood  for  me,  he  helps  me  to 
rejoice  at  times  with  joy  unspeakable.  Now 
I  see  the  value  of  the  religion  of  the  cross. 


5G0 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


It  is  a  religion  for  a  dying  sinner.  It  is  all 
the  most  guilty,  the  most  wretched,  can  de- 
sire. Yes,  I  taste  its  sweetness  and  enjoy 
its  fulness  with  all  the  gloom  of  a  dying  bed 
before  me.  And  far  rather  would  I  be  the 
poor  emaciated  and  emaciating  creature  that 
I  am,  than  be  an  emperor,  with  every  earth- 
ly good  about  him — but  without  a  God  ! 

"  I  was  delighted  the  other  day,  in  re-pe- 
rusing the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  to  observe 
that,  when  Christian  came  to  the  top  of  the 
hill  Difficulty,  he  was  put  to  sleep  in  a  cham- 
ber called  Peace.  '  Why  how  good  is  the 
Lord  of  the  way  to  me ! '  said  I.  I  have  not 
reached  the  summit  of  the  hill  yet,  but,  not- 
withstanding, he   puts  me  to  sleep  in  the 

chamber  of  Peace  every  night True, 

it  is  often  a  chamber  of  pain ;  but  let  pain 
be  as  formidable  as  it  may,  it  has  never  yet 
been  able  to  expel  that  peace  which  the 
great  Guardian  of  Israel  has  appointed  to 
keep  my  heart  and  mind  through  Christ 
Jesus. 

"I  have  been  laboring  lately  to  exercise 
most  love  to  God  when  I  have  been  suffering 
most  severely : — but  what  shall  I  say  ?  Alas ! 
too  often  the  sense  of  pain  absorbs  every 
other  thought.  Yet  there  have  been  seasons 
when  I  have  been  affected  with  such  a  de- 
lightful sense  of  the  loveliness  of  God  as  to 
ravish  my  soul,  and  give  predominance  to  the 
sacred  passion. — It  was  never  till  to-day  that 
I  got  any  personal  instruction  from  our 
Lord's  telling  Peter  by  'what  death'  he 
should  glorify  God.  O  what  a  satisfying 
thought  it  is  that  God  appoints  those  means 
of  dissolution  whereby  he  gets  most  glory 
to  himself.  It  was  the  very  thing  I  needed ; 
for,  of  all  the  ways  of  dying,  that  which  I 
most  dreaded  was  by  a  consumption  (in  which 
it  is  now  highly  probable  my  disorder  will  is- 
sue.) But  O,  my  dear  Lord,  if  hy  this  death 
I  can  most  glorify  thee,  I  prefer  it  to  all  oth- 
ers, and  thank  thee  that  by  this  means-  thou 
art  hastening  my  fuller  enjoyment  of  thee 
in  a  purer  world. 

"  A  si7iless  state  !  '  O  'tis  a  heaven  worth 
dying  for ! '  I  cannot  realize  any  thing  about 
heaven,  but  the  presence  of  Christ  and  his 
people,  and  a  perfect  deliverance  from  sin — 
and  I  want  no  more — I  am  sick  of  sinning — 
soon  I  shall  be  beyond  its  power. 
'  O  joyful  hour  !  O  blest  abode  ! 
I  shall  be  near  and  like  my  God  !' 

"  I  only  thought  of  filling  one  side — and 
now  have  not  left  room  to  thank  you  and 
dear  Mrs.  Ryland  for  the  minute,  affection- 
ate, and  constant  attentions  you  paid  us  in 
Bristol.  May  the  Lord  reward  you.  Our 
hearty  love  to  all  around,  till  we  meet  in 
heaven.     Eternally  yours  in  Christ, — S.  P." 

"Birmingham,  Aug.  4,  1799. 
Lord's-day  Evening. 
"  My  very  dear  brother, 

"  Still,  I  trust,  hastening  to  the  land '  where 


there  shall  be  no  more  curse,'  I  take  this  op- 
portunity of  talking  a  little  with  you  on  the 
road,  for  we  are  fellow-travellers;  and  a  lit- 
tle conversation  by  the  way  will  not  lose  me 
the  privilege  of  getting  first  to  the  end  of 
my  journey. 

"  It  is  seventeen  years  within  about  a  week 
since  I  first  actually  set  out  on  my  pilgrim- 
age ;  and,  when  I  review  the  many  dangers 
to  which  during  that  time  I  have  been  ex- 
posed, I  am  filled  with  conviction  that  I  have 
all  along  been  the  care  of  omnipotent  love. 
Ah,  how  many  Pliables,  and  Timorouses, 
and  Talkatives,  have  I  seen,  while  my  quiv- 
ering heart  said,  '  Alas !  I  shall  soon  follow 
these  sons  of  apostacy,  prove  a  disgrace  to 
religion,  and  have  my  portion  with  hypo- 
crites at  last.' 

"  These  fears  may  have  had  their  uses — 
may  have  made  me  more  cautious,  more  dis- 
trustful of  myself,  and  kept  me  more  depen- 
dent on  the  Lord.     Thus — 

'  All  that  I've  met  has  work'd  for  my  good.' 

"  With  what  intricacy  to  our  view,  and  yet 
with  what  actual  skill  and  goodness,  does 
the  Lord  draw  his  plans,  and  mark  out  our 
path !  Here  we  wonder  and  complain. — 
Soon  we  shall  all  agree  that  it  was  a  right 
path  to  the  city  of  habitation  ;  and  what  we 
now  most  deeply  regret  shall  become  the 
subject  of  our  warmest  praises. 

"  I  am  afraid  to  come  back  again  to  life. 
O  how  many  dangers  await  me  !  Perhaps  I 
may  get  proud  and  indolent,  and  be  more  of 
the  priest  than  of  the  evangelist — surely  I 
rejoice  in  feeling  my  outward  man  decay, 
and  having  the  sentence  of  death  in  myself. 
O  what  prospects  are  before  me  in  the  bles- 
sed world  whither  I  am  going !  To  be  holy 
as  God  is  holy — to  have  nothing  but  holiness 
in  my  nature — to  be  assured,  without  a  doubt, 
and  eternally  to  carry  about  this  assurance 
with  me,  that  the  pure  God  looks  on  me  with 
constant  complacency,  forever  blesses  me, 
and  says,  as  at  the  first  creation, — 'It  is  very 
good.'  I  am  happy  now  in  hoping  in  the  di- 
vine purposes  towards  me ;  but  I  know,  and 
the  thought  is  my  constant  burden,  that  the 
being  I  love  best  always  sees  something  in 
me  which  he  infinitely  hates.  '  O  wretched, 
wretched  man  that  I  am  !'  The  thought  even 
now  makes  me  weep :  and  who  can  help  it 
that  seriously  reflects  he  never  comes  to 
God,  to  pray  or  praise,  but  he  brings  what 
his  God  detests  along  with  him,  carries  it 
with  him  wherever  he  goes,  and  can  never 
get  rid  of  it  as  long  as  he  lives  ?  Come,  my 
dear  brother,  will  you  not  share  my  joy  and 
help  my  praise,  that  soon  I  shall  leave  this 
body  of  sin  and  death  behind,  to  enter  on  the 
perfection  of  my  spiritual  nature ;  and  pa- 
tiently to  wait  till  this  natural  body  shall  be- 
come a  spiritual  body,  and  so  be  a  fit  vehi- 
cle for  my  immortal  and  happy  spirit  ? 

"  But  I  must  forbear — I  have  been  very 
unwell  all  day  ;  but  this   evening  God  has 


CORRESPONDENCE    DURING    LAST    ILLNESS. 


561 


kindly  given  me  a  respite — my  fever  is  low 
and  my  spirits  are  cheerful,  so  I  have  in- 
dulged myself  in  unbosoming  my  feelings  to 
my  dear  friend." 

Memoranda. 

Taken  down  occasionally  by  Mrs.  Pearce,  within 
four  or  five  weeks  of  Mr.  Pearce's  death. 

He  once  said,  "  I  have  been  in  darkness 
two  or  three  days,  crying,  O  when  wilt  thou 
comfort  me  ?  But  last  night  the  mist  was 
taken  from  me,  and  the  Lord  shone  in  upon 
my  soul.  O  that  I  could  speak!  I  would  tell 
a  world  to  trust  a  faithful  God.  Sweet  af- 
fliction, now  it  worketh  glory,  glory!  " 

Mrs.  P.  having  told  him  the  various  exer- 
cises of  her  mind,  he  replied, — "O  trust  the 
Lord:  if  he  lifts  up  the  light  of  his  counte- 
nance upon  you,  as  he  has  done  upon  me  this 
day,  all  your  mountains  will  become  mole- 
hills. I  feel  your  situation,  I  feel  your  sor- 
rows ;  but  he  who  takes  care  of  sparrows  will 
care  for  you  and  my  dear  children." 

When  scorching  with  burning  fever,  he 
said,  "  Hot  and  happy." — One  Lord's  day 
morning  he  said,  "Cheer  up,  my  dear,  think 
how  much  will  be  said  to-day  of  the  faith- 
fulness of  God.  Though  we  are  called  to 
separate,  he  will  never  separate  from  you.  I 
wish  I  could  tell  the  world  what  a  good  and 
gracious  God  he  is.  Never  need  they  who 
trust  in  him  be  afraid  of  trials.  He  has  pro- 
mised to  give  strength  for  the  day  ;  that  is 
his  promise.  O  what  a  lovely  God  !  and  he 
is  my  God  and  yours.  He  will  never  leave 
us  nor  forsake  us,  no  never!  I  have  been 
thinking  that  this  and  that  medicine  will  do 
me  good,  but  what  have  I  to  do  with  it  ?  It 
is  in  my  Jesus's  hands  ;  he  will  do  it  all,  and 
there  I  leave  it.  What  a  mercy  is  it  I  have 
a  good  bed  to  lie  upon  ;  you,  my  dear  Sarah, 
to  wait  upon  me,  and  friends  to  pray  for  me  ! 

0  how  thankful  should  I  be  for  all  my  pains  ! 

1  want  for  nothing  :  all  my  wishes  are  anti- 
cipated. O  I  have  felt  the  force  of  those 
words  of  David, — 'Unless  thy  law  (my  gra- 
cious God  !)  had  been  my  delights,  I  should 
have  perished  in  mine  affliction.'  Though  I 
am  too  weak  to  read  it,  or  hear  it,  I  can  think 
upon  it,  and  O  how  good  it  is !  I  am  in  the 
best  hands  I  could  be  in  ;  in  the  hands  of 
my  dear  Lord  and  Saviour,  and  he  willjdo 
all  things  well.  Yes,  yes,  he  cannot  do 
wrong." 

One  morning  Mrs.  P.  asked  him  how  he 
felt. — "Very  ill,  but  unspeakably  happy  in 
the  Lord,  and  my  dear  Lord  Jesus."  Once 
beholding  her  grieving,  he  said,  "  O,  my 
dear  Sarah,  do  not  be  so  anxious,  but  leave 
me  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Jesus,  and  think, 
if  you  were  as  wise  as  he,  you  would  do  the 
same  by  me.  If  he  takes  me,  I  shall  not  be 
lost ;  I  shall  only  go  a  little  before  :  we  shall 
meet  again  never  to  part." 


After  a  violent  fit  of  coughing  he  said, 
"  It  is  all  well.  O  what  a  good  God  is  he  ! 
It  is  done  by  him,  and  it  must  be  well. — If  I 
ever  recover  I  shall  pity  the  sick  more  than 
ever ;  and,  if  I  do  not,  I  shall  go  to  sing  de- 
livering love  ;  so  you  see  it  will  be  all  well. 

0  for  more  patience  !  Well,  my  God  is  the 
God  of  patience,  and  he  will  give  me  all  I 
need.  I  rejoice  it  is  in  my  Jesus's  hands  to 
communicate,  and  it  cannot  be  in  better.  It 
is  my  God  who  gives  me  patience  to  bear  all 
his  will." 

When,  after  a  restless  night,  Mrs.  P.  asked 
him  what  she  should  do  for  him, — "You  can 
do  nothing  but  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  have 
patience  to  bear  all  my  Lord's  will." — After 
taking  a  medicine  he  said,  "  If  it  be  the  Lord's 
will  to  bless  it,  for  your  sake,  and  for  the  sake 
of  the  dear  children  ....  but  the  Lord's  will 
be  done.  O  I  fear  I  sin,  I  dishonor  God  by 
impatience  ;  but  I  would  not  for  a  thousand 
worlds  sin  in  a  thought  if  I  could  avoid  it." 
Mrs.  P.  replied,  she  trusted  the  Lord  would 
still  keep  him  ;  seeing  he  had  brought  him 
thus  far,  he  would  not  desert  him  at  last. 
"  No,  no,"  he  said,  "  I  hope  he  will  not.  As 
a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord 
pitieth  them  that  fear  him.  Why  do  I  com- 
plain ?  My  dear  Jesus's  sufferings  were 
much  sorer  and  more  bitter  than  mine  ;  '  And 
did  he  thus  suffer  and  shall  I  repine  ! '     No; 

1  will  cheerfully  suffer  my  Father's  will." 

One  morning,  after  being  asked  how  he 
felt,  he  replied,  "  I  have  but  one  severe  pain 
about  me :  what  a  mercy  !  O  how  good  a 
God  to  afford  some  intervals  amidst  so  much 
pain !  He  is  altogether  good.  Jesus  lives, 
my  dear,  and  that  must  be  our  consolation." 
After  taking  a  medicine  which  operated  very 
powerfully,  he  said,  "This  will  make  me  so 
much  lower ;  well,  let  it  be.  Multiply  my 
pains,  thou  good  |God  ;  so  thou  art  but  glori- 
fied, I  care  not  what  I  suffer:  all  is  right." 

Being  asked  how  he  felt  after  a  restless 
night,  he  replied,  "  I  have  so  much  weak- 
ness and  pain,  I  have  not  had  much  enjoy- 
ment ;  but  I  have  a  full  persuasion  that  the 
Lord  is  doing  all  things  well.  If  it  were  not 
for  strong  confidence  in  a  lovely  God,  I  must 
sink ;  but  all  is  well.  O,  blessed  God,  I 
would  not  love  thee  less.  O  support  a  sink- 
ing worm !  O  what  a  mercy  to  be  assured 
that  all  things  are  working  together  for 
good  ! " 

Mrs.  P.  saying,  If  we  must  part,  I  trust  the 
separation  will  not  be  forever — "  O  no,"  he 
replied,  "  we  sorrow  not  as  those  who  have 
no  hope."  She  said,  Then  you  can  leave  me 
and  your  dear  children  with  resignation,  can 
you  ?  He  answered,  "  My  heart  was  pierced 
through  with  many  sorrows,  before  I  could 
give  you  and  the  dear  children  up  ;  but  the 
Lord  has  heard  me  say,  Thy  will  be  done  ; 
and  I  now  can  say  (blessed  be  his  dear 
name!)  I  have  none  of  my  own." 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  71 


562 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


His  last  day,  October  10th,  was  very 
happy.    Mrs.  P.  repeated  this  verse, — 

"  Since  all  that  I  meet  shall  work  for  my  good ; 
The  bitter  is  sweet,  the  med'eine  is  food; 
Though  painful  at  present,  'twill  cease  before  long, 
And  then,  O  how  pleasant  the  conqueror's  song  !  " 

He  repeated,  with  an  inexpressible  smile, 
the  last  line,  "  The  conqueror's  song." 

He  said  once,  "  O  my  dear !  What  shall 
I  do  ?  But  why  do  I  complain  ;  he  makes 
all  my  bed  in  my  sickness."  She  then  re- 
peated those  lines, — 

"  Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed 
Feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are." 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "he  can,  he  does,  I 
feel  it." 

CHAPTER  V. 

GENERAL    OUTLINES    OF    HIS    CHARACTER. 

To  develope  the  character  of  any  person, 
it  is  necessary  to  determine  what  was  his 
governing  principle.  If  this  can  be  clearly 
ascertained,  we  shall  easily  account  for  the 
tenor  of  his  conduct. 

The  governing  principle  in  Mr.  Pearce, 
beyond  all  doubt,  was  Holy  Love. 

To  mention  this  is  sufficient  to  prove  it  to 
all  who  knew  him.  His  friends  have  often 
compared  him  to  "  that  disciple  whom  Jesus 
loved."  His  religion  was  that  of  the  heart. 
Almost  every  thing  he  saw,  or  heard,  or  read, 
or  studied,  was  converted  to  the  feeding  of 
this  divine  flame.  Every  subject  that  passed 
through  his  hands  seemed  to  have  been  cast 
into  this  mould.  Things,  that  to  a  merely 
speculative  mind  would  have  furnished  mat- 
ter only  for  curiosity,  to  him  afforded  ma- 
terials for  devotion.  His  sermons  were  gen- 
erally the  effusions  ofhis  heart,  and  invariably 
aimed  at  the  hearts  of  his  hearers. 

For  the  justness  of  the  above  remarks  I 
might  appeal,  not  only  to  the  letters  which 
he  addressed  to  his  friends,  but  to  those  which 
his  friends  addressed  to  him.  It  is  worthy 
of  notice  how  much  we  are  influenced  in  our 
correspondence  by  the  turn  of  mind  of  the 
person  we  address.  If  we  write  to  a  humor- 
ous character,  we  shall  generally  find  that 
what  we  write,  perhaps  without  being  con- 
scious of  it,  will  be  interspersed  with  pleas- 
antries :  or,  if  to  one  of  a  very  serious  cast, 
our  letters  will  be  more  serious  than  usual. 
On  this  principle  it  has  been  thought  we 
may  form  some  judgment  of  our  own  spirit 
by  the  spirit  in  which  our  friends  address  us. 
These  remarks  will  apply  with  singular  pro- 
priety to  the  correspondence  of  Mr.  Pearce. 
In  locking  over  the  first  volume  of"  Periodi- 
cal Accounts  of  the  Baptist  Mission,"  the 
reader  will  easily  perceive  the  most  affec- 
tionate letters  r.om  the  missionaries  are  those 
which  are  addressed  to  him. 

It  is  not  enough  to  say,  of  this  affectionate 


spirit,  that  it  formed  a  prominent  feature  in 
his  character:  it  was  rather  the  life-blood 
that  animated  the  whole  system.  He  seemed, 
as  one  of  his  friends  observed,  to  be  bapti- 
zed in  it.  It  was  holy  love  that  gave  the 
tone  to  his  general  deportment :  as  a  son,  a 
subject,  a  neighbor,  a  Christian,  a  minister,  a 
pastor,  a  friend,  a  husband,  and  a  father,  he 
was  manifestly  governed  by  this  principle  ; 
and  this  it  was  that  produced  in  him  that 
lovely  uniformity  of  character  which  consti- 
tutes the  true  beauty  of  holiness. 

By  the  grace  of  God  he  was  what  he  was  : 
and  to  the  honor  of  grace,  and  not  for  the 
glory  of  a  sinful  worm,  be  it  recorded.  Like 
all  other  men,  he  was  the  subject  of  a  de- 
praved nature.  He  felt  it,  and  lamented  it, 
and  longed  to  depart  that  he  might  be  freed 
from  it:  but  certainly  we  have  seldom  seen 
a  character,  taking  him  altogether,  "  whose 
excellences  were  so  many  and  so  uniform, 
and  whose  imperfections  were  so  few."  We 
have  seen  men  rise  high  in  contemplation, 
who  have  abounded  but  little  in  action. — We 
have  seen  zeal  mingled  with  bitterness,  and 
candor  degenerate  into  indifference  ;  expe- 
rimental religion  mixed  with  a  large  portion 
of  enthusiasm  ;  and  what  is  called  rational 
religion  void  of  every  thing  that  interests  the 
heart  of  man. — We  have  seen  splendid  tal- 
ents tarnished  with  insufferable  pride  ;  se- 
riousness with  melancholy  ;  cheerfulness 
with  levity  ;  and  great  attainments  in  reli- 
gion with  uncharitable  censoriousness  to- 
wards men  of  low  degree  :  but  we  have  not 
seen  these  things  in  our  brother  Pearce. 

There  have  been  few  men  in  whom  has 
been  united  a  greater  portion  of  the  con- 
templative and  the  active — holy  zeal  and 
genuine  candor — spirituality  and  rationality 
— talents  that  attracted  almost  universal  ap- 
plause and  yet  the  most  unaffected  modesty 
— faithfulness  in  bearing  testimony  against 
evil,  with  the  tenderest  compassion  to  the 
soul  of  the  evil  doer — fortitude  that  would 
encounter  any  difficulty  in  the  way  of  duty, 
without  any  thing  boisterous,  noisy,  or  over- 
bearing— deep  seriousness,  with  habitual 
cheerfulness — and  a  constant  aim  to  pro- 
mote the  highest  degrees  of  piety  in  himself 
and  others,  with  a  readiness  to  hope  the  best 
of  the  lowest ;  not  "  breaking  the  bruised 
reed,"  nor  "  quenching  the  smoking  flax." 

He  loved  the  divine  character  as  revealed 
in  the  Scriptures. — To  adore  God,  to  contem- 
plate his  glorious  perfections,  to  enjoy  his 
favor,  and  to  submit  to  his  disposal,  were  his 
highest  delight.  "  I  felt,"  says  he,  "  when 
contemplating  the  hardships  of  a  missionary 
life,  that  were  the  universe  destroyed,  and  I 
the  only  being  in  it  besides  God,  he  is  fully 
adequate  to  my  complete  happiness ;  and 
had  I  been  in  an  African  wood,  surrounded 
with  venomous  serpents,  devouring  beasts, 
and  savage  men  ;  in  such  a  frame,  I  should 
be  the  subject  of  perfect  peace  and  exalted 


MEMORANDA    RELATIVE    TO    HIS    DYING    EXERCISES. 


563 


joy.  Yes,  0  my  God!  thou  hast  taught  me 
that  thou  alone  art  worthy  of  my  confi- 
dence ;  and,  with  this  sentiment  fixed  in  my 
heart,  I  am  freed  from  all  solicitude  about 
my  temporal  concerns.  If  thy  presence  be 
enjoyed,  poverty  shall  be  riches,  darkness 
light,  affliction  prosperity,  reproach  my  honor, 
and  fatigue  my  rest !  " 

He  loved  the  gospel. — The  truths  which  he 
believed  and  taught,  dwelt  richly  in  him,  in 
all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding.  The 
reader  will  recollect  how  he  went  over  the 
great  principles  of  Christianity,  examining 
the  grounds  on  which  he  rested,  in  the  first 
of  those  days  which  he  devoted  to  solemn 
fasting  and  prayer  in  reference  to  his  becom- 
ing a  missionary;*  and  with  what  ardent 
affection  he  set  his  seal  anew  to  every  part 
of  divine  truth  as  he  went  along. 

If  salvation  had  been  of  works,  few  men, 
according  to  our  way  of  estimating  charac- 
ters, had  a  fairer  claim  :  but,  as  he  himself 
has  related,  he  could  not  meet  the  king  of 
terrors  in  this  armor,  f  So  far  was  he  from 
placing  any  dependence  on  his  own  works, 
that  the  more  he  did  for  God  the  less  he 
thought  of  it  in  such  a  way.  "  All  the  sat- 
isfaction I  wish  for  here,"  says  he,  "  is  to  be 
doing  my  heavenly  Father's  will.  I  hope  I 
have  found  it  my  meat  and  drink  to  do  his 
work ;  and  can  set  to  my  seal  that  the  purest 
pleasures  of  human  life  spring  from  the 
humble  obedience  of  faith.  It  is  a  good 
saying, 'We  cannot  do  too  much  for  God, 
nor  trust  in  what  we  do  too  little.'  I  find  a 
growing  conviction  of  the  necessity  of  a 
free  salvation.  The  more  I  do  for  God,  the 
less  I  think  of  it  ;  and  am  progressively 
ashamed  that  I  do  no  more." 

Christ  crucified  was  his  darling  theme, 
from  first  to  last.  This  was  the  subject  on 
which  he  dwelt  at  the  outset  of  his  ministry 
among  the  Coldford  colliers,  when  "  he 
could  scarcely  speak  for  weeping,  nor  they 
hear  for  interrupting  sighs  and  sobs."  This 
was  the  burden  of  the  song,  when  addressing 
the  more  polished  and  crowded  audiences 
at  Birmingham,  London,  and  Dublin  ;  this 
was  the  grand  motive  exhibited  in  sermons 
for  the  promotion  of  public  charities ;  and 
this  was  the  rock  on  which  he  rested  all  his 
hopes,  in  the  prospect  of  death.  It  is  true, 
as  we  have  seen,  he  was  shaken  for  a  time 
by  the  writings  of  a  Jfhilby,  and  of  a  Priest- 
ley ;  but  this  transient  hesitation,  by  the 
over-ruling  grace  of  God,  tended  only  to 
establish  him  more  firmly  in  the  end. 
"  Blessed  be  his  dear  name,"  says  he,  under 
his  last  affliction,  "  who  shed  his  blood  for 
me.  He  helps  me  to  rejoice  at  times  with 
joy  unspeakable.  Now  I  see  the  value  of 
the  religion  of  the  cross.  It  is  a  religion 
for  a  dying  sinner.  It  is  all  the  most  guilty 
and  the  most  wretched  can  desire.     Yes,  I 

*  See  chap.  II.  p.  522.      t  chapter  1  p.  522. 


taste  its  sweetness,  and  enjoy  its  fulnessj 
with  all  the  gloom  of  a  dying  bed  before  me  > 
and  far  rather  would  I  be  the  poor  emaciated 
and  emaciating  creature  that  I  am,  than  be 
an  emperor  with  every  earthly  good  about 
him,  but  without  a  God." 

Notwithstanding  this,  however,  there 
were  those  in  Birmingham,  and  other  places 
who  would  not  allow  that  he  preached  the 
gospel.  And  if  by  the  gospel  were  meant 
the  doctrine  taught  by  Mr.  Huntington,  Mr. 
Bradford,  and  others  who  follow  hard  after 
them,  it  must  be  granted  he  did  not.  If  the 
fall  and  depravity  of  man  operate  to  destroy 
his  accountableness  to  his  Creator — if  his 
inability  to  obey  the  law,  or  comply  with  the 
gospel,  be  of  such  a  nature  as  to  excuse  him 
in  the  neglect  of  either — or,  if  not,  yet  if 
Christ's  coming  under  the  law  frees  believ- 
ers from  all  obligations  to  obey  its  precepts — 
if  gospel-invitations  are  addressed  only  to 
the  regenerate — if  the  illuminating  influen- 
ces of  the  Holy  Spirit  consist  in  revealing 
to  us  the  secret  purposes  of  God  concern- 
ing us,  or  impressing  us  with  the  idea  that 
we  are  the  favorites  of  heaven — if  believing 
such  impressions  be  Christian  faith,  and 
doubting  of  their  validity  unbelief — if  there 
be  no  such  thing  as  progressive  sanctifica- 
tion,  nor  any  sanctification  inherent,  ex- 
cept that  of  the  illumination  before  describ- 
ed— if  wicked  men  are  not  obliged  to  do 
anything  beyond  what  they  can  find  in  their 
hearts  to  do,  nor  good  men  to  be  holy  be- 
yond what  they  actually  are — and  if  these 
things  constitute  the  gospel,  Mr.  Pearce 
certainly  did  not  preach  it.  But  if  a  man, 
whatever  be  his  depravity,  be  necessarily  a 
free  agent,  and  accountable  for  all  his  dis- 
positions and  actions — if  gospel  invitations 
be  addressed  to  men,  not  as  elect  nor  as 
non-elect,  but  as  sinners  exposed  to  the 
righteous  displeasure  of  God — if  Christ's 
obedience  and  death  rather  increase  than 
diminish  our  obligations  to  love  God  and 
one  another — if  faith  in  Christ  be  a  falling 
in  with  God's  way  of  salvation,  and  unbelief 
a  falling  out  with  it — if  sanctification  be  a 
progressive  work,  and  so  essential  a  branch 
of  our  salvation  as  that  without  it  no  man 
shall  see  the  Lord — if  the  Holy  Spirit  in- 
struct us  in  nothing  by  his  illuminating  in- 
fluences but  what  was  already  revealed  in 
the  Scriptures,  and  which  we  should  have 
perceived  but  for  that  we  loved  darkness 
rather  than  light — and  if  he  incline  us  to 
nothing  but  what  was  antecedently  right,  or 
to  such  a  spirit  as  every  intelligent  creature 
ought  at  all  times  to  have  possessed — then 
Mr.  Pearce  did  preach  the  gospel ;  and  that 
which  his  accusers  call  by  this  name  is 
another  gospel,  and  not  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
Moreover,  If  the  doctrine  taught  by  Mr. 
Pearce  be  not  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  that 
which  is  taught  by  the  above  writers  and 
their  adherents  be,  it  may  be  expected  that 


564 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.     PEARCE. 


the  effects  produced  will  in  some  degree 
correspond  with  this  representation.  And 
is  it  evident  to  all  men  who  are  acquainted 
with  both,  and  who  judge  impartially,  that 
the  doctrine  taught  by  Mr.  Pearce  is  pro- 
ductive of  "  hatred,  variance,  emulations, 
wrath,  strife,  railings,  evil  surmisings,  and 
perverse  disputings  ?  "  that  it  renders  those 
who  embrace  it  "lovers  of  their  own  selves, 
covetous,  boasters,  proud,  false  accusers, 
fierce,  despisers  of  those  that  are  good  ; " 
while  that  of  his  adversaries  promotes  "  love, 
joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, faith,  meekness,  and  temperance  ? " 
....  "ivhy  even  of  yourselves  judge  ye  not 
ivhat  is  right")  .  .  .  .  ye  shall  know  them  by 
their  fruits." 

Mr.  Pearce's  ideas  of  preaching  human 
obligation  may  be  seen  in  the  following  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  addressed  to  a  young 
minister  who  was  sent  out  of  the  church  of 
which  he  was  pastor.  "  You  request  my 
thoughts  how  a  minister  should  preach  hu- 
man  obligation.  I  would  reply,  do  it  exten- 
sively, do  it  constantly  ;  but,  withal,  do  it  af- 
fectionately, and  evangelically.  I  think,  con- 
sidering the  general  character  of  our  hear- 
ers, and  the  state  of  their  mental  improve- 
ment, it  would  be  time  lost  to  argue  much 
from  the  data  of  natural  religion.  The  best 
way  is  perhaps  to  express  duties  in  Scripture 
language,  and  enforce  them  by  evangelical 
motives  ;  as  the  example  of  Christ — the  end 
of  his  sufferings  and  death — the  conscious- 
ness of  his  approbation — the  assistance  he 
has  promised — the  influence  of  a  holy  con- 
versation on  God's  people,  and  on  the  peo- 
ple of  the  world — the  small  returns  we  at 
best  can  make  for  the  love  of  Jesus — and 
the  hope  of  eternal  holiness.  These  form 
a  body  of  arguments  which  the  most  simple 
may  understand,  and  the  most  dull  may  feel. 
Yet  I  would  not  neglect  on  some  occasions 
to  show  the  obligations  of  man  to  love  his 
Creator — the  reasonableness  of  the  divine 
law — and  the  natural  tendency  of  its  com- 
mands to  promote  our  own  comfort,  the  good 
of  society,  and  the  glory  of  God.  These 
will  serve  to  illuminate,  but,  after  all,  it  is 
'  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God '  that  will 
most  effectually  animate,  and  impel  to  ac- 
tion." 

Mr.  Pearce's  affection  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  cross  was  not  merely,  nor  principally,  en 
account  of  its  being  a  system  which  secured 
his  own  safety.  Had  this  been  the  case,  he 
might,  like  others  whose  religion  originates 
and  terminates  in  self-love,  have  been  de- 
lighted with  the  idea  of  the  grace  of  the 
Son  ;  but  it  would  have  been  at  the  expense 
of  all  complacency  in  the  righteous  govern- 
ment of  the  Father.  He  might  have  admir- 
ed something  which  he  accounted  the  gos- 
pel, as  saving  him  from  misery  ;  Jjuthe  could 
have  discerned  no  loveliness  in  the  divine 
law  as  being  holy,  just  and  good,  nor  in  the 


mediation  of  Christ  as  doing  honor  to  it. 
That  which  in  his  view  constituted  the  glo- 
ry of  the  gospel  was,  that  God  is  therein  re- 
vealed as  "  the  just  God  and  the  Saviour — 
just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that  believeth 
in  Jesus." 

He  ivas  a  lover  of  good  men. — He  was  nev- 
er more  in  his  element  than  when  joining 
with  them  in  spiritual  conversation,  prayer, 
and  praise.  His  heart  was  tenderly  attached 
to  the  people  of  his  charge  ;  and  it  was  one 
of  the  bitterest  ingredients  in  his  cup  dur- 
ing his  long  affliction  to  be  cut  off  from  their 
society.  When  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ply- 
mouth, he  thus  writes  to  Mr.  King,  one  of 
the  deacons,  "Give  my  love  to  all  the  dear 
people.  O  pray  that  he  who  afflicts  would 
give  me  patience  to  endure.  Indeed  the 
state  of  suspense  in  which  I  have  been  kept 
so  long  requires  much  of  it ;  and  I  often  ex- 
claim, ere  I  am  aware,  O  my  dear  people ! 
O  my  dear  family,  when  shall  I  return  to  you 
again  !  "  He  conscientiously  dissented  from 
the  Church  of  England,  and  from  every  oth- 
er national  establishment  of  religion,  as  in- 
consistent with  what  he  judged  the  scriptu- 
ral account  of  the  nature  of  Christ's  king- 
dom :  nor  was  he  less  conscientious  in  his 
rejection  of  infant  baptism,  considering  it  as 
having  no  foundation  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  as  tending  to  confound  the  church  and 
the  world  :  yet  he  embraced  with  brotherly 
affection  great  numbers  of  godly  men  both 
in  and  out  of  the  establishment.  His  spirit 
was  truly  catholic  :  he  loved  all  who  loved 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  "Let 
us  pray,"  said  he  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  "  for 
the  peace  of  Jerusalem :  they  shall  prosper 
who  love — not  this  part,  or  the  other,  but 
who  love  her — that  is,  the  whole  body  of 
Christ. 

He  bore  good  ivill  to  all  mankind. — It  was 
from  this  principle  that  he  so  ardently  desir- 
ed to  go  and  preach  the  gospel  among  the 
heathen.  And  even  under  his  long  affliction, 
when  at  times  he  entertained  hopes  of  re- 
covery, he  would  say,  "  My  soul  pants  for 
usefulness  more  extensive  than  ever:  I  long 
to  become  an  apostle  to  the  world !  "  The 
errors  and  sins  of  men  wrought  much 
in  him  in  a  way  of  pity.  He  knew  that  they 
were  culpable  in  the  sight  of  God  :  but  he 
knew  also  that  he  himself  wras  a  sinner,  and 
felt  that  they  were  entitled  to  his  compassion. 
His  zeal  for  the  atonement  of  his  Saviour 
never  appeared  to  have  operated  in  a  way  of 
unchristian  bitterness  against  those  who  re- 
jected these  important  doctrines  ;  and  though 
he  was  shamefully  traduced  by  professors  of 
another  description  as  a  mere  legal  preach- 
er, and  his  ministry  held  up  as  affording  no 
food  for  the  souls  of  believers — and  though 
he  could  not  but  feel  the  injury  of  such  mis- 
representations, yet  he  does  not  appear  to 
have  cherished  unchristian  resentment,  but 
would  at  any  time  have  laid  himself  out  for 


GENERAL    OUTLINES    OF    HIS    CHARACTER. 


565 


the  good  of  his  worst  enemies.  It  was  his 
constant  endeavor  to  promote  as  good  an 
understanding  between  the  different  congre- 
gations in  the  town  as  the  nature  of  their 
different  religious  sentiments  would  admit. 
The  cruel  bitterness  of  many  people  against 
Dr.  Priestly  and  his  friends,  at  and  after  the 
Birmingham  riots,  was  affecting  to  his  mind. 
Such  methods  of  opposing  error  he  abhor- 
red. His  regard  to  mankind  made  him  la- 
ment the  consequences  of  war  :  but  while  he 
wished  and  prayed  for  peace  to  the  nations, 
and  especially  to  his  native  country,  he  had 
no  idea  of  turbulently  contending  for  it. 
Though  friendly  to  civil  and  religious  liber- 
ty, he  stood  aloof  from  the  fire  of  political 
contention.  In  an  excellent  Circular  Letter 
to  the  churches  of  the  midland  association  in 
1794,  of  which  he  was  the  writer,  he  thus 
expresses  himself: — "Have  as  little  as  possi- 
ble to  do  with  the  world.  Meddle  not  with 
political  controversies.  An  inordinate  pur- 
suit of  these,  we  are  sorry  to  observe,  has 
been  as  a  canker-worm  at  the  root  of  vital 
piety;  and  caused  the  love  of  many,  former- 
ly zealous  professors,  to  wax  cold.  'The 
Lord  reigneth ;'  it  is  our  place  to  '  rejoice  in 
his  government,  and  quietly  wait  for  the  sal- 
vation of  God.'  The  establishment  of  his 
kingdom  will  be  the  ultimate  end  of  all  those 
national  commotions  which  terrify  the  earth. 
'  The  wrath  of  man  shall  praise  him  ;  and  the 
remainder  of  wrath  he  will  restrain.'  From 
this  time,  more  than  ever,  he  turned  his 
whole  attention  to  the  promoting  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ,  cherishing  and  recommend- 
ing a  spirit  of  contentment  and  gratitude 
for  the  civil  and  religious  advantages  that 
we  enjoyed.  Such  were  the  sentiments  in- 
culcated in  the  last  sermon  that  he  printed, 
and  the  last  but  one  that  he  preached.*  His 
dear  young  friends  who  are  gone  to  India 
will  never  forget  how  earnestly  he  charged 
them  by  letter,  when  confined  at  Plymouth, 
to  conduct  themselves  in  all  civil  matters  as 
peaceable  and  obedient  subjects  to  the  gov- 
ernment under  which  they  lived,  in  whatev- 
er country  it  might  be  their  lot  to  reside. 

It  toas  love  that  tempered  his  faithfulness 
ivith  so  large  a  portion  of  tender  concern  for 
the  good  of  those  ivhose  conduct  he  icas  obli- 
ged to  censure. — He  could  not  bear  them 
that  were  evil ;  butfwould  set  himself  against 
them  with  the  greatest  firmness  ;  yet  it  was 
easy  to  discover  the  pain  of  mind  with  which 
this  necessary  part  of  duty  was  discharged. 
It  is  well  remembered  how  he  conducted 
himself  towards  certain  preachers  in  the 
neighborhood,  who,  wandering  from  place 
to  ^place,  corrupted  and  embroiled  the 
churches  ;  whose  conduct  he  knew  to  be  as 
dishonorable  as  their  principles  were  loose 
and  unscriptural :    and,  when  requested  to 

*  See  page  551.     Note. 


recite  particulars  in  his  own  defence,  his 
fear  and  tenderness  for  character,  his  modest 
reluctance  to  accuse  persons  older  than 
himself,  and  his  deep  concern  that  men  en- 
gaged in  the  Christian  ministry  should  ren- 
der such  accusations  necessary,  were  each 
conspicuous,  and  proved  to  all  present  that 
that  the  work  of  an  accuser  was  to  him  a 
strange  lvork. 

It  teas  love  that  expanded  his  heart,  and 
prompted  him  to  labor  in  season  and  out  of 
season  for  the  salvation  of  sinners. — This 
was  the  spring  of  that  constant  stream  of 
activity  by  which  his  life  was  distinguished. 
His  conscience  would  not  suffer  him  to  de- 
cline what  appeared  to  be  right.  "  I  dare 
not  refuse,"  he  would  say,  "  lest  I  should 
shrink  from  duty.  Unjustifiable  ease  is 
worse  than  the  most  difficult  labors  to  which 
duty  calls-"  To  persons  who  never  entered 
into  his  views  and  feelings,  some  parts  of 
his  conduct,  especially  those  which  relate 
to  his  desire  of  quitting  his  country  that  he 
might  preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  will 
appear  extravagant :  but  no  man  could  with 
greater  propriety  have  adopted  the  language 
of  the  apostle,  "  Whether  we  be  beside  our- 
selves, it  is  to  God  ;  or  whether  we  be  so- 
ber, it  is  for  your  cause ;  for  the  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  us." 

He  was  frequently  told  that  his  exercises 
were  too  great  for  bhis  strength  ;  but  such 
was  the  ardor  of  his  heart,  "He  could  not 
die  in  a  better  work."  When  he  went  up 
into  the  pulpit  to  deliver  his  last  sermon,  he 
thought  he  should  not  have  been  able  to  get 
through  ;  but,  when  he  got  a  little  warm,  he 
felt  relieved,  and  forgot  his  indisposition, 
preaching  with  equal  fervor  and  freedom  as 
when  in  perfect  health.  While  he  was  laid 
aside  he  could  not  forbear  hoping  that  he 
should  some  time  resume  his  delightful 
work ;  and,  knowing  the  strength  of  his 
feelings  to  be  such  that  it  would  be  unsafe 
to  trust  himself,  he  proposed  for  a  time  to 
write  his  discourses,  that  his  mind  might  not 
be  at  liberty  to  overdo  his  debilitated  frame. 

Jill  his  counsels,  cautions,  and  reproofs,  ap- 
pear to  have  been  the  effect  of  love. — It  was  a 
rule  dictated  by  his  heart,  no  less  than  by 
his  judgment,  to  discourage  all  evil  speak- 
ing: nor  would  he  approve  of  just  censure 
unless  some  good  and  necessary  end  were 
to  be  answered  by  it.  Two  of  his  distant 
friends  being  at  his  house  together,  one  of 
them,  during  the  absence  of  the  other,  sug- 
gested something  to  his  disadvantage.  He 
put  a  stop  to  the  conversation  by  answering, 
"  He  is  here,  take  him  aside,  and  tell  him  of 
it  by  himself:  you  may  do  him  good." 

If  he  perceived  "any  of  his  acquaintance 
bewildered  in  fruitless  speculations,  he 
would  in  an  affectionate  manner  endeavor 
to  draw  off  their  attention  from  these  mazes 
of  confusion  to  the  simple  doctrine  of  the 


566 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


cross.  A  specimen  of  this  kind  of  treatment 
will  be  seen  in  the  letter,  No.  I.,  towards 
the  close  of  this  chapter. 

He  was  affectionate  to  all,  but  especially 
towards  the  rising  generation.  The  youth 
of  his  own  congregation,  of  London,  and  of 
Dublin,  have  not  forgot  his  melting  dis- 
courses, which  were  particularly  addressed 
to  them.  He  took  much  delight  in  speak- 
ing to  the  children,  and  would  adapt  himself 
to  their  capacities,  and  expostulate  with 
them  on  the  things  which  belonged  to  their 
everlasting  peace.  While  at  Plymouth,  he 
wrote  thus  to  one  of  his  friends,  "  O  how- 
should  I  rejoice,  were  there  a  speedy  pros- 
pect of  my  returning  to  my  great  and 
little  congregations  ! "  Nor  was  it  by 
preaching  only  that  he  sought  their  eternal 
welfare:  several  of  his  letters  are  addressed 
to  young  persons. — See  No.  II.  and  III.,  to- 
wards the  close  of  this  chapter. 

With  what  joy  did  he  congratulate  one  of 
his  most  intimate  friends,  on  hearing  that 
three  of  the  younger  branches  of  his  family 
had  apparently  been  brought  to  take  the 
Redeemer's  yoke  upon  them  ! — "  Thanks, 
thanks  be  to  God,"  said  he,  "  for  the  enrap- 
turing prospects  before  you  as  a  father,  as  a 
Christian  father  especially.  What,  three  of 
a  family  !  and  these  three  at  once  !  O  the 
heights,  and  depths,  and  lengths,  and 
breadths  of  his  unfathomable  grace  !  My 
soul  feels  joy  unspeakable  at  the  blessed 
news.  Three  immortal  souls  secured  for 
eternal  life  !  Three  rational  spirits  prepar- 
ing to  grace  Imruanuel's  triumphs,  and  sing 
his  praise !  Three  examples  of  virtue  and 
goodness,  exhibiting  the  genuine  influence 
of  the  true  religion-  of  Jesus  before  the 
world  ! — Perhaps  three  mothers  training  up 
to  lead  three  future  families  in  the  way  to 
heaven.  Oh  what  a  train  of  blessings  do  I 
see  in  this  event!  Most  sincerely  do  I  par- 
ticipate with  my  dear  friend  in  his  pleasures, 
and  in  his  gratitude." 

Towards  the  close  of  life,  writing  to  the 
same  friend,  he  thus  concludes  his  letter, — 

"  Present  our  love  to  dear  Mrs.   S ,  and 

the  family,  especially  those  whose  hearts  are 
engaged  to  seek  the  Lord  and  his  goodness. 
O  tell  them  they  will  find  him  good  all  their 
lives,  supremely  good  on  dying  beds,  but 
best  of  all  in  glory." 

In  his  visits  to  the  sick  he  was  singularly 
useful.  His  sympathetic  conversation,  af- 
fectionate prayers,  and  endearing  manner 
of  recommending  to  them  a  compassionate 
Saviour,  frequently  operated  as  a  cordial  to 
their  troubled  hearts.  A  young  man  of  his 
congregation  was  dangerously  ill.  His  fa- 
ther living  at  a  distance  was  anxious  to  hear 
from  him ;  and  Mr.  Pearce,  in  a  letter  to 
the  minister  on  whose  preaching  the  father 
attended,  wrote  as  follows  : — "I  feel  for  the 
anxiety  of  Mr.  V ,  and  am  happy  in  be- 


ing at  this  time  a  Barnabas  to  him.  I  was 
not  seriously  alarmed  for  his  son  till  last 
Tuesday,  when  I  expected,  from  every 
symptom,  and  the  language  of  his  apothecary, 
that  he  was  nigh  unto  death.  But,  to  our 
astonishment  and  joy,  a  surprising  change 
has  since  taken  place.  I  saw  him  yesterday 
apparently  in  a  fair  way  of  recovery.  His 
mind  for  the  first  part  of  his  illness  was 
sometimes  joyful,  and  almost  constantly 
calm;  but,  when  at  the  worst,  suspicions 
crowded  his  mind  ;  he  feared  he  had  been  a 
hypocrite.  I  talked  and  prayed,  and  wept 
with  him.  One  scene  was  very  affecting  : 
both  he  and  his  wife  appeared  like  persons 
newly  awakened.  They  never  felt,  so 
strongly  the  importance  of  religion  before. 
He  conversed  about  the  tenderness  of  Jesus 
to  broken-hearted  sinners  ;  and,  whilst  we 
spoke,  it  seemed  as  though  he  came  and  be- 
gan to  heal  the  wound.  It  did  me  good, 
and  I  trust  was  not  unavailing  to  them. 
They  have  since  been  for  the  most  part  hap- 
py ;  and  a  very  pleasant  interview  I  had 
with  them  on  the  past  day." 

Every  man  must  have  his  seasons  of  re- 
laxation. In  his  earlier  years  he  would  take 
strong  bodily  exercise.  Of  late  he  occa- 
sionally employed  himself  with  the  micro- 
scope, and  in  making  a  few  philosophical 
experiments.  "  We  will  amuse  ourselves 
with  philosophy,  said  he  to  a  philosophical 
friend,  but  Jesus  shall  be  our  teacher."  In 
all  these  exercises  he  seems  never  to  have 
lost  sight  of  God,  but  Avould  be  discovering 
something  in  his  works  that  should  furnish 
matter  for  praise  and  admiration.  His  mind 
did  not  appear  to  have  been  unfitted,  but 
rather  assisted  by  such  pursuits  for  the  dis- 
charge of  the  more  spiritual  exercises,  into 
which  he  would  fall  at  a  proper  season,  as 
into  his  native  element.  If  in  company 
with  his  friends,  and  the  conversation  turn- 
ed upon  the  works  of  nature,  or  art,  or  any 
other  subject  of  science,  he  would  cheer- 
fully take  a  part  in  it,  and  when  occasion 
required,  by  some  easy  and  pleasant  transi- 
tion, direct  it  into  another  channel.  An 
ingenious  friend  once  showed  him  a  model 
of  a  machine  which  he  thought  of  construct- 
ing, and  by  which  he  hoped  to  be  able  to 
produce  a  perpetual  motion.  Mr.  Pearce, 
having  patiently  inspected  it,  discovered 
where  the  operation  would  stop,  and  pointed 
it  out.  His  friend  was  convinced*  and  felt, 
as  may  be  supposed,  rather  unpleasant  at 
his  disappointment.  He  consoled  him  ;  and, 
a  prayer-meeting  being  at  hand,  said  to  this 
effect,  "  We  may  learn  from  hence  our 
own  insufficiency,  and  the  glory  of  that  Be- 
ing who  is  '  wonderful  in  counsel,  and  ex- 
cellent in  working:'  let  us  go  and  worship 
Him." 

His  mild  and  gentle  disposition,  not  apt  to 
give  or  take  offence,  often  won  upon  per- 


GENERAL    OUTLINES    OF    HIS    CHARACTER. 


5G7 


sons  in  matters  wherein  at  first  they  have 
shown  themselves  averse.  When  collect- 
ing for  the  baptist  mission,  a  gentleman,  who 
had  no  knowledge  of  him,  or  of  the  conduct- 
ors of  that  undertaking,  made  some  objec- 
tions on  the  ground  that  the  baptists  had 
little  or  nothing  to  say  to  the  unconverted. 
This  objection  Mr.  Pearce  attempted  to  re- 
move, by  alleging  that  the  parties  concern- 
ed in  this  business  were  entirely  of  another 
mind.  "I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  the 
gentleman  ;  "  but  I  have  my  fears."  "  Then 
pray,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Pearce,  "  do  not  give 
till  you  are  satisfied."  "  Why,  I  assure  you," 
replied  the  other,  "I  think  the  Methodists 
more  likely  to  succeed  than  you  ;  and  should 
feel  more  pleasure  in  giving  them  ten  guin- 
eas, than  you  one."  If  you  give  them 
twenty  guineas,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Pearce,  "  we 
shall  rejoice  in  their  success  :  and,  if  you 
give  us  one,  I  hope  it  will  not  be  misappli- 
ed." The  gentleman  smiled,  and  gave  him 
four. 

His  figure,  to  a  superficial  observer,  would 
at  first  sight,  convey  .nothing  very  interest- 
ing; but,  on  close 'inspection,  his  counte- 
nance would  be  acknowledged  to  be  a 
faithful  index  to  his  soul.  Calm,  placid,  and, 
when  in  the  pulpit  especially,  full  of  anima- 
tion, his  appearance  was  not  a  little  expres- 
sive of  the  interest  he  felt  in  the  eternal 
welfare  of  his  audience  ;  his  eyes  beaming 
benignity,  and  speaking  in  the  most  impres- 
sive language  his  willingness  to  imparl  not 
only  the  gospel  of  God,  but  his  oivn  soul  also. 

His  imagination  was  vivid,  and  his  judg- 
ment clear.  He  relished  the  elegancies  of 
science,  and  felt  alive  to  the  most  delicate 
and  refined  sentiments :  yet  these  were 
things  on  account  of  which  he  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  valued  himself.  They  were 
rather  his  amusements  than  his  employment. 

His  address  was  easy  and  insinuating ; 
his  voice  pleasant,  but  sometimes  overstrain- 
ed in  the  course  of  his  sermon  ;  his  language 
chaste,  flowing,  and  inclining  to  the  florid  : 
this  last,  however,  abated  as  his  judgment 
ripened.  His  delivery  was  rather  slow  than 
rapid ;  his  attitude  graceful,  and  his  coun- 
tenance, in  almost  all  his  discourses,  ap- 
proaching to  an  affectionate  smile.  He 
never  appears,  however,  to  have  studied 
what  are  called  the  graces  of  pulpit  action  ; 
and,  whatever  he  had  read  concerning  them, 
it  was  manifest  that  he  thought  nothing  of 
them,  or  of  any  other  of  the  ornaments  of 
speech,  at  the  time.  Both  his  action  and 
language  were  the  genuine  expressions  of 
an  ardent  mind,  affected,  and  sometimes 
deeply,  with  his  subject.  Being  rather  be- 
low the  common  stature,  and  disregarding, 
or  rather,  I  might  say,  disapproving  every 
thing  pompous  in  his  appearance,  he  has 
upon  some  occasions  been  prejudged  to  his 
disadvantage:  but  the  song  of  the  nightin- 
gale is  not  the  less  melodious  for  his  not 


appearing  in  a  gaudy  plumage.  His  man- 
ner of  preparing  for  the  pulpit  may  be  seen 

in  a  letter  addressed  to  Mr.  C ,  of  L , 

avIio  was  sent  out  of  his  church,  and  which 
may  be  of  use  to  others  in  a  similar  situation. 
See  No.  IV.  towards  the  close  of  this  chap- 
ter. 

His  ministry  was  highly  acceptable  to 
persons  of  education :  but  he  appears  to 
have  been  most  in  his  element  when  preach- 
ing to  the  poor.  The  feelings  which  he 
himself  expresses,  when  instructing  the 
colliers,  appear  to  have  continued  with  him 
through  life.  It  was  his  delight  to  carry  the 
glad  tidings  of  salvation  into  the  villages 
wherever  he  could  find  access  and  opportu- 
nity. And,  as  he  sought  the  good  of  their 
souls,  so  he  both  labored  and  suffered  to 
relieve  their  temporal  wants  ;  living  him- 
self in  a  style  of  frugality  and  self-denial, 
that  he  might  have  whereof  to  give  to  them 
that  needed. 

Finally  :  He  possessed  a  large  portion  of 
real  happiness. — There  are  few  characters 
whose  enjoyments,  both  natural  and  spirit- 
ual, have  risen  to  so  great  a  height.  He 
dwelt  in  love  :  and  "  he  that  dwelleth  in  love 
dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him."  Such 
a  life  must  needs  be  happy.  If  his  religion 
had  originated  and  terminated  in  self-love, 
as  some  contend  the  whole  of  religion  does, 
his  joys  had  been  not  only  of  a  different  na- 
ture, but  far  less  extensive  than  they  were. 
His  interest  was  bound  up  with  that  of  his 
Lord  and  Saviour.  Its  afflictions  were  his 
affliction,  and  its  joys  his  joy.  The  grand 
object  of  his  desire  was  to  "  see  the  good  of 
God's  chosen,  to  rejoice  in  the  gladness  of 
his  nation,  and  to  glory  with  his  inheritance." 
"What  pleasures  do  those  lose,"  says  he, 
«'  who  have  no  interest  in  God's  gracious  and 
holy  cause  !"  * 

If  an  object  of  joy  presented  itself  to  his 
mind,  he  would  delight  in  multiplying  it  by 
its  probable  or  possible  consequences. 
Thus  it  was,  as  we  have  seen,  in  his  con- 
gratulating his  friend  on  the  conversion  of 
three  of  his  children;  and  thus  it  was  when 
speaking  of  a  people  who  divided  into  two 
congregations,  not  from  discord,  but  from  an 
increase  of  numbers  ;  and  who  generously 
united  in  erecting  a  new  and  additional 
place  of  worship: — "these  liberal  souls  are 
subscribing,"  said  he,  "  in  order  to  support 
a  religion  which,  as  far  as  it  truly  prevails, 
will  render  others  as  liberal  as  themselves." 

His  heart  was  so  much  formed  for  social 
enjoyment  that  he  seems  to  have  contem- 
plated the  heavenly  state  under  this  idea 
with  peculiar  advantage.  This  was  the  lead- 
ing theme  of  a  discourse  from  Rev.  v.  9 — 12, 
which  he  delivered  at  a  meeting  of  minis- 
ters at  Arnsby,  April  18, 1797,  and  of  which 
his  brethren  retain  a  lively  remembrance. 

*See  Letter  to  Dr.  Ryland,  May  30,  '96,  p.  538. 


568 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


On  this  pleasing  subject  he  dwells  also  in  a 
letter  to  his  dear  friend  Birt. — "  I  had  much 
pleasure,  a  few  days  since,  in  meditating  on 
the  affectionate  language  of  our  Lord  to  his 
sorrowful  disciples : — "  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you."  What  a  plenitude  of  conso- 
lation do  these  words  contain  !  what  a  sweet 
view  of  heaven  as  a  place  of  society  !  It  is 
one  place  for  us  all ;  that  place  where  his  glo- 
rified body  is,  there  all  his  followers  shall  as- 
semble, to  part  no  more.  Where  he  is, 
there  we  shall  be  also.  Oh,  blessed  antici- 
pation !  There  shall  be  Abel,  and  all  the 
martyrs;  Abraham,  and  all  the  patriarchs  ; 
Isaiah,  and  all  the  prophets ;  Paul,  and  all 
the  apostles ;  Gabriel,  and  all  the  angels ; 
and,  above  all,  Jesus,  and  all  his  ransomed 
people  !  Oh  to  be  amongst  the  number  !  My 
dear  brother,  let  us  be  strong  in  the  Lord. 
Let  us  realize  the  bliss  before  us.  Let  our 
faith  bring  heaven  itself  nearer,  and  feast, 
and  live  upon  the  scene.  Oh  what  a  com- 
manding influence  would  it  have  upon  our 
thoughts,  passions,  comforts,  sorrows,  words, 
ministry,  prayers,  praises,  and  conduct. 
What  manner  of  persons  should  we  be  in 
all  holy  conversation  and  godliness !  " 

In  many  persons  the  pleasures  imparted 
by  religion  are  counteracted  by  a  gloomy 
constitution  :  but  it  was  not  so  in  him.  In 
his  disposition  they  met  with  a  friendly  soil. 
Cheerfulness  was  as  natural  to  him  as  breath- 
ing ;  and  this  spirit,  sanctified  by  the  grace 
of  God,  gave  a  tincture  to  all  his  thoughts, 
conversation,  and  preaching.  He  was  sel- 
dom heard  without  tears;  but  they  were 
frequently  tears  of  pleasure.  No  levity,  no 
attempts  at  wit,  no  aiming  to  excite  the  risi- 
bility of  an  audience,  ever  disgraced  his  ser- 
mons. Religion  in  him  was  habitual  serious- 
ness, mingled  with  sacred  pleasure,  frequent- 
ly rising  into  sublime  delight,  and  occasion- 
ally overflowing  with  transporting  joy. 

LETTERS  REFERRED  TO  IN  THIS  CHAPTER. 

No.  I. 

To  a  young  man  whose  mind  he  perceived  was  be- 
wildered with  fruitless  speculations. 

"  The  conversation  we  had  on  our  way  to 
so  far  interested  me  in  your  religious 


feelings  that  I  find  it  impossible  to  satisfy 
my  mind  till  I  have  expressed  my  ardent 
wishes  for  the  happy  termination  of  your 
late  exercises,  and  contributed  my  mite  to 
the  promotion  of  your  joy  in  the  Lord.  A 
disposition  more  or  less  to  'scepticism,'  I  be- 
lieve, is  common  to  our  nature,  in  propor- 
tion as  opposite  systems  and  jarring  opinions, 
each  supported  by  a  plausibility  of  argument, 
are  presented  to  our  minds  :  and  with  some 
qualification  I  admit  Robinson's  remark, 
'  That  he  who  never  doubted  never  believed.' 
While  examining  the  grounds  of  persuasion, 
it  is  right  for  the  mind  to  hesitate.     Opinions 


ought  not  to  be  prejudged,  any  more  than 
criminals.  Every  objection  ought  to  have 
its  weight ;  and,  the  more  numerous  and 
forcible  objections  are,  the  more  cause  shall 
we  finally  have  for  the  triumph,  'Magna  est 
Veritas  et  prevalebit;'  but  there  are  two  or 
three  considerations  which  have  no  small 
weight  with  me  in  relation  to  religious  con- 
troversies. 

"  The  first  is,  The  importance  of  truth. 
It  would  be  endless  to  write  on  truth  in  gen- 
eral. I  confine  my  views  to  what  I  deem 
the  leading  truth  in  the  New  Testament, — 
The  atonement  made  on  behalf  of  sinners  by 
the  Son  of  God ;  the  doctrine  of  the  cross ; 
Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified.  It  surely 
cannot  be  a  matter  of  small  concern  whether 
the  Creator  of  all  things,  out  of  mere  love  to 
rebellious  men,  exchanged  a  throne  for  a 
cross,  and  thereby  reconciled  a  ruined  world 
to  God.  If  this  be  not  true,  how  can  we  res- 
pect the  Bible  as  an  inspired  book,  which  so 
plainly  attributes  our  salvation  to  the  grace 
of  God,  'through  the  redemption  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  ? '  And,  if  we  discard  the  Bible, 
what  can  we  do  with  prophecies,  miracles, 
and  all  the  power  of  evidence  on  which,  as 
on  adamantine  pillars,  its  authority  abides? 
Surely  the  infidel  has  more  to  reject  than  the 
believer  to  embrace.  That  book  then  which 
we  receive,  not  as  the  word  of  man,  but  as 
the  word  of  God,  not  as  the  religion  of  our 
ancestors,  but  on  the  invincible  conviction 
which  attends  an  impartial  investigation  of 
its  evidences — that  book  reveals  a  truth  of 
the  highest  importance  to  man,  consonant  to 
the  opinions  of  the  earliest  ages  and  the  most 
enlightened  nations,  perfectly  consistent  with 
the  Jewish  economy  as  to  its  spirit  and  de- 
sign, altogether  adapted  to  unite  the  equita- 
ble and  merciful  perfections  of  the  Deity  in 
the  sinner's  salvation,  and  above  all  things 
calculated  to  beget  the  most  established 
peace,  to  inspire  with  the  liveliest  hope,  and 
to  engage  the  heart  and  life  in  habitual  de- 
votedness  to  the  interest  of  morality  and 
piety.  Such  a  doctrine  I  cannot  but  vene- 
rate ;  and  to  the  author  of  such  a  doctrine  my 
whole  soul  labors  to  exhaust  itself  in  praise. 

'  Oh  the  sweet  wonders  of  the  cross, 
Where  God  my  Saviour  lov'd  and  died  !  ' 

Forgive,  my  friend,  forgive  the  transport  of 
a  soul  compelled  to  feel  where  it  attempts 
only  to  explore.  I  cannot  on  this  subject 
control  my  passions  by  the  laws  of  logic. 
'  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory,  save  in  the 
cross  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord  ! ' 

"  Secondly:  I  consider  man  as  a  depraved 
creature,  so  depraved  that  his  judgment  is 
as  dark  as  his  appetites  are  sensual,  wholly 
dependent  on  God,  therefore,  for  religious 
light  as  well  as  true  devotion,  yet  such  a 
dupe  to  pride  as  to  reject  every  thing  which 
the  narrow  limits  of  his  comprehension  can- 
not embrace,  and  such  a  slave  to  his  passions 


LETTERS  BEFORE  REFERRED  TO. 


569 


as  to  admit  no  law  but  self-interest  for  his 
government.  With  these  views  of  human 
nature  I  am  persuaded  we  ought  to  suspect 
oar  own  decisions,  whenever  they  oppose 
truths  too  sublime  for  our  understandings, 
or  too  pure  for  our  lusts.  To  err  on  this 
side,  indeed,  '  is  human  ; '  wherefore  the 
wise  man  saith,  '  He  that  trusteth  to  his  own 
heart  is  a  fool.'  Should  therefore  the  evi- 
dence be  only  equal  on  the  side  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ,  I  should  think  with  this  allow- 
ance we  should  do  well  to  admit  it. 

"  Thirdly  :  If  the  gospel  of  Christ  be  true, 
it  should  be  heartily  embraced.  We  should 
yield  ourselves  to  its  influence  without  re- 
serve. We  must  come  to  a  point,  and  re- 
solve to  be  either  infidels  or  Christians.  To 
know  the  power  of  the  sun  we  should  ex- 
pose ourselves  to  his  rays :  to  know  the 
sweetness  of  honey  we  must  bring  it  to  our 
palates.  Speculations  will  not  do  in  either 
of  these  cases,  much  less  will  it  in  matters 
of  religion. — 'My  son,'  saith  God  '  give  me 
thine  heart ! ' 

"  Fourthly  :  A  humble  admission  of  the 
light  we  already  have  is  the  most  effectual 
way  to  a  full  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the 
doctrine  of  Christ.  'If  any  may  will  do  his 
will,  he  shall  know  of  his  doctrine  whether 
it  be  of  God.'  If  we  honor  God  as  far  as  we 
know  his  will,  he  will  honor  us  with  farther 
discoveries  of  it.  Thus  shall  we  know  if 
we  follow  on  to  know  the  Lord  ;  thus,  thus 
shall  you,  my  dear  friend,  become  assured 
that  there  is  salvation  in  no  other  name  than 
that  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  and  thus,  from  an  in- 
ward experience  of  the  quickening  influences 
of  his  Holy  Spirit,  you  will  join  the  admiring 
church,  and  say  of  Jesus,  '  This  is  my  be- 
loved, this  is  my  friend  ;  he  is  the  chiefest 
among  ten  thousand,  he  is  altogether  lovely.' 
Yes,  I  yet  hope — I  expect — to  see  you  re- 
joicing in  Christ  Jesus  ;  and  appearing  as  a 
living  witness  that  he  is  faithful  who  hath 
said — '  Seek,  and  ye  shall  find  ;  ask,  and  re- 
ceive, that  your  joy  may  be  full.'" 

In  another  letter  to  the  same  correspon- 
dent, after  congratulating  himself  that  he 
had  discovered  such  a  mode  of  killing  nox- 
ious insects  as  should  put  them  to  the  least 
pain,  and  which  was  characteristic  of  the 
tenderness  of  his  heart,  he  proceeds  as  fol- 
lows :  "  But  enough  of  nature.  How  is  my 
brother  as  a  Christian  J  We  have  had  some 
interesting  moments  in  conversation  on  the 
methods  of  grace,  that  grace  whose  influence 
reaches  to  the  day  of  adversity  and  the  hour  of 
death ;  seasons  when  of  every  thing  else  it 
may  be  said,  Miserable  comforters  are  they 
all !  My  dear  friend,  we  will  amuse  ourselves 
with  philosophy,  but  Christ  shall  be  our  teach- 
er ;  Christ  shall  be  our  glory  ;  Christ  shall  be 
our  portion.  Oh  that  we  may  be  enabled 
'  to  comprehend  the  heights,  and  depths,  and 
lengths,  and  breadths,  and  to  know  the  love 
of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge  ! '  " 
Vol.  2.— Sis.  72 


No.  II. 

To  a  young  gentleman  of  his  acquaintance,  who 
was  then  studying  physic  at  Edinburgh. 

"  Did  my  dear  friend  P know  with 

what  sincere  affection  and  serious  concern  I 
almost  daily  think  of  him,  he  would  need  no 
other  evidence  of  the  effect  which  his  last 
visit  and  his  subsequent  letters  have  produ- 
ced. Indeed  there  is  not  a  youno1  man  in 
the  world,  in  earlier  life  than  myself,  for 
whose  universal  prosperity  I  am  so  deeply 
interested.  Many  circumstances  I  can 
trace,  on  a  review  of  the  past  fourteen  years, 
which  have  contributed  to  beget  and  aug- 
ment affection  and  esteem  ;  and  I  can  assure 
you  that  every  interview,  and  every  letter,  still 
tends  to  consolidate  my  regard. 

"Happy  should  I  be  if  my  ability  to  serve 
you  at  this  important  crisis  of  human  life 
were  equal  to  your  wishes  or  my  own.  Your 
situation  demands  all  the  aids  which  the 
wisdom  and  prudence  of  your  friends  can 
afford,  that  you  may  be  directed  not  only  to 
the  most  worthy  objects  of  pursuit,  but  also 
to  the  most  effectual  means  for  obtaining 
them.  In  your  professional  character  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  give  you  any  assistance. 
If  any  general  observations  I  can  make  should 
prove  at  all  useful,  I  shall  be  richly  rewarded 
for  the  time  I  employ  in  their  communica- 
tion. 

"  I  thank  you  sincerely  for  the  freedom 
wherewith  you  have  disclosed  the  peculiari- 
ties of  your  situation,  and  the  views  and  reso- 
lutions wherewith  they  have  inspired  you. 
I  can  recommend  nothing  better,  my  dear 
friend,  than  a  determined  adherence  to  the 
purposes  you  have  already  formed  respect- 
ing the  intimacies  you  contract  and  the  as- 
sociates you  choose.  In  such  a  place  as 
Edinburgh,  it  may  be  supposed,  no  descrip- 
tion of  persons  will  be  wanting.  Some  so 
notoriously  vicious  that  their  atrocity  of 
character  will  have  no  small  tendency  to 
confirm  your  morals,  from  the  odious  con- 
trast which  their  practices  present  to  your 
view.  Against  these  therefore  I  need  not 
caution  you.  You  will  flee  them  as  so  many 
serpents,  in  whose  breath  is  venom  and  de- 
struction. More  danger  may  be  apprehended 
from  those  mixed  characters  who  blend  the 
profession  of  philosophical  refinement  with 
the  secret  indulgence  of  those  sensual  grat- 
ifications which  at  once  exhaust  the  pocket, 
destroy  the  health,  and  debase  the  character. 
"That  morality  is  friendly  to  individual 
happiness  and  to  social  order,  no  man  who 
respects  his  own  conscience  or  character 
will  have  the  effrontery  to  deny.  Its  avenues 
cannot,  therefore,  be  too  sacredly  guarded, 
nor  those  principles  which  support  a  virtu- 
ous practice  be  too  seriously  maintained. 
But  morality  derives,  it  is  true,  its  best,  its 
only  support  from  the  principles  of  religion. 


570 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


'  The  fear  of  the  Lord,'  said  the  wise  man, 
'  is  to  hate  evil.'  He  therefore  who  endea- 
vors to  weaken  the  sanctions  of  religion,  to 
induce  a  sceptical  habit,  to  detach  my 
thoughts  from  an  eve?'  present  God,  and  my 
hopes  from  a  futurity  of  holy  enjoyment,  he 
is  a  worse  enemy  than  the  man  who  meets 
me  with  the  pistol  and  the  dagger.  Should 
my  dear  friend  then  fall  into  the  company  of 
those  whose  friendship  cannot  be  purchased 
but  by  the  sacrifice  of  revelation,  I  hope  he 
will  ever  think  such  a  price  too  great  for  the 
good  opinion  of  men  who  blaspheme  piety 
and  dishonor  God.  Deism  is  indeed  the 
fashion  of  the  day,  and,  to  be  in  the  mode, 
you  must  quit  the  good  old  path  of  devotion, 
as  too  antiquated  for  any  but  monks  and  her- 
mits :  so  as  you  laugh  at  religion,  that  is 
enough  to  secure  to  you  the  company  and 
the  applause  of  the  sons  of  politeness.  Oh 
that  God  may  be  a  buckler  and  a  shield  to 
defend  you  from  their  assaults!  Let  but 
their  private  morals  be  inquired  into,  and,  if 
they  may  have  a  hearing,  I  dare  engage  they 
will  not  bear  a  favorable  testimony  to  the 
good  tendency  of  scepticism  ;  and  it  may  be 
regarded  as  an  indisputable  axiom  that  what 
is  unfriendly  to  virtue  is  unfriendly  to  man. 
"  Were  I  to  argue  a  posteriori  in  favor 
of  truth,  I  should  contend  that  those  princi- 
ples must  be  true  which,  first,  corresponded 
with  general  observation — secondly,  tended 
to  general  happiness — thirdly,  preserved  a 
uniform  connection  between  cause  and  ef- 
fect, evil  and  remedy,  in  all  situations. 

"I  would  then  apply  these  data  to  the 
principles  held  on  the  one  side  by  the  deists 
and  on  the  other  by  the  believers  in  reve- 
lation. In  the  application  of  the  Jirst,  I 
would  refer  to  the  state  of  human  nature. 
The  deist  contends  for  its  purity  and  pow- 
ers. Revelation  declares  its  depravity  and 
weakness.  I  compare  these  opposite  dec- 
larations with  the  facts  that  fall  under  con- 
stant observation.  Do  I  not  see  that  there 
is  a  larger  portion  of  vice  in  the  world  than 
of  virtue;  that  no  man  needs  solicitation  to 
evil,  but  every  man  a  guard  against  it ;  and 
that  thousands  bewail  their  subjection  to 
lusts  which  they  have  not  power  to  subdue, 
whilst  they  live  in  moral  slavery,  and  can- 
not burst  the  chain  ?  Which  principle  then 
shall  I  admit?  Will  observation  counte- 
nance the  deistical.t  I  am  convinced  to 
the  contrary,  and  must  say,  I  cannot  be  a 
deist  without  becoming  a  fool  ;  and,  to  exalt 
my  reason,  I  must  deny  my  senses. 

"I  take  the  second  datum  and  inquire 
which  tends  most  to  general  happiness.  To 
secure  happiness,  three  things  are  neces- 
sary : — objects,  means,  and  motives.  The 
question  is,  Which  points  out  the  true  source 
of  happiness,  which  directs  to  the  best  means 
for  attaining  it,  and  which  furnishes  me 
with  the  most  powerful  motives  to  induce 
my  pursuit  of  it  ?     If  I  take  a  deist  for  my 


tutor,  he  tells  me  that  fame  is  the  object, 
universal  accommodation  of  manners  to  in- 
terest the  means,  and  self-love  the  spring  of 
action.  Sordid  teacher  !  From  him  I  turn 
to  Jesus.  His  better  voice  informs  me  that 
the  source  of  felicity  is  the  friendship  of  my 
God ;  that  love  to  my  Maker,  and  love  to  man, 
expressed  in  all  trie  noble  and  amiable  ef- 
fusions of  devotion  and  benevolence,  are 
the  means  ;  and  that  the  glory  of  God,  and 
the  happiness  of  the  universe,  must  be  my 
motives.  Blessed  instructer  ;  thy  dictates 
approve  themselves  to  every  illuminated 
conscience,  to  every  pious  heart  !     Do  they 

not,  my  dear  P ,  approve  themselves 

to  yours  ? 

"  But  I  will  not  tire  your  patience  by 
pursuing  these  remarks.  Little  did  I  think 
of  such  amplification  when  I  first  took  up 
my  pen.  Oh  that  I  may  have  the  joy  of 
finding  that  these  (at  least  well  meant)  en- 
deavors to  establish  your  piety  have  not 
been  ungraciously  received,  nor  wholly  un-. 
profitable  to  your  mind !  I  am  encouraged 
to  these  effusions  of  friendship  by  that  ami- 
able self  distrust  which  your  letter  expres- 
ses,— a  temper  not  only  becoming  the 
earlier  stages  of  life,  but  graceful  in  all  its 
advancing  periods. 

"Unspeakable  satisfaction  does  it  afford 
me  to  find  that  you  are  conscious  of  the 
necessity  of '  first'  seeking  assistance  from 
heaven.  Retain,  my  dear  friend,  this  hon- 
orable, this  equitable  sentiment.  '  In  all 
thy  ways  acknowledge  God,  and  he  shall 
direct  thy  paths.' 

"  I  hope  you  will  still  be  cautious  in  your 
intimacies.  You  will  gain  more  by  a  half- 
hour's  intercourse  with  God  than  the  friend- 
ship of  the  whole  college  can  impart.  Too 
much  acquaintance  would  be  followed  with 
a  waste  of  that  precious  time  on  the  present 
improvement  of  which  your  future  useful- 
ness and  respectability  in  your  profession 
depend.  Like  the  bee,  you  may  do  best 
by  sipping  the  sweets  of  every  flower  ; 
but  remember  the  sweetest  blossom  is  not 
the  hive. 

"P.  S.  So  many  books  have  been  pub- 
lished on  the  same  subject  as  the  manuscript 
which  you  helped  me  to  copy,  that  I  have 
not  sent  it  to  the  press."  * 

No.  III. 

To  a  young  lady  at  school,  Bliss  A.  H.,  a  daughter 
of  one  of  the  members  of  his  church. 

"  I  cannot  deny  myself  the  pleasure  which 
this   opportunity  affords  me  of   expressing 

*  The  compiler  believes  this  was  an  answer  to 
Mr.  Peter  Edwards's  Candid  Reasons,  &c.  He 
knows  Mr  Pearce  did  write  an  answer  to  that 
performance.  By  the  imposing  air  of  the  writer 
he  has  acknowledged  he  was  at  first  a  little  stun- 
ned;  but,  upon  examining  his  arguments,  found  it 
no  very  difficult  undertaking  to  point  out  their 
fallacy. 


LETTERS  BEFORE  REFERRED  TO. 


571 


the  concern  I  feel  for  your  happiness,  ari- 
sing   from   the     sincerest    friendship, a 

friendship  which  the  many  amiable  qualities 
you  possess,  together  with  the  innumerable 
opportunities  I  have  had  of  seeing  them 
displayed,  have  taught  me  to  form  and  per- 
petuate. 

"  It  affords  me  inexpressible  pleasure  to 
hear  that  you  are  so  happy  in  your  present 
situation — a  situation  in  which  I  rejoice  to 
see  you  placed,  because  it  is  not  merely 
calculated  to  embellish  the  manners,  but 
to  profit  the  soul.  I  hope  that  my  dear 
Ann,  amidst  the  various  pursuits  of  an  or- 
namental or  scientific  nature  which  she 
may  adopt,  will  not  omit  that  first,  that 
great  concern,  the  dedication  of  her  heart 
to  God.  To  this,  my  dear  girl,  every  thing 
invites  you  that  is  worthy  of  your  attention. 
The  dignity  of  a  rational  and  immortal  soul, 
the  condition  of  human  nature,  the  gracious 
truths  and  promises  of  God,  the  sweetness 
and  usefulness  of  religion,  the  comfort  it 
yields  in  affliction,  the  security  it  affords  in 
temptation,  the  supports  it  gives  in  death, 
and  the  prospects  it  opens  of  life  everlast- 
ing ;  all  these  considerations,  backed  with 
the  uncertainty  of  life,  the  solemnity  of 
judgment,  the  terrors  of  hell,  and  the  calls 
of  conscience  and  of  God, — all  demand  your 
heart  for  the  blessed  Jehovah.  This,  and 
nothing  short  of  this,  is  true  religion.  You 
have  often  heard,  and  often  luritten  on  reli- 
gion: it  is  time  you  should  feel  it  now. 
Oh  what  a  blessedness  will  attend  your 
hearty  surrender  of  yourself  to  the  God  and 
father  of  men  !  Methinks  I  see  all  the  an- 
gels of  God  rejoicing  at  the  sight;  all  the 
saints  in  heaven  partaking  of  their  joy  ;  Je- 
sus himself,  who  died  for  sinners,  gazing  on 
you  with  delight;  your  own  heart  filled 
with  peace  and  joy  in  believing ;  and  a 
thousand  streams  of  goodness  flowing  from 
your  renovated  soul  to  refresh  the  aged 
saint,  and  to  encourage  your  fellow  youth 
to  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and 
press  on  to  God.  But  oh,  should  I  be  mista- 
ken !     Alas,  alas,  I  cannot  bear  the  thought. 

0  thou  Saviour  of  sinners,  and  God  of  love, 
take  captive  the  heart  of  my  dear  young 
friend,  and  make  her  truly  willing  to  be 
wholly  thine  ! 

"If  you  can  find  freedom,  do  oblige  me 
with  a  letter  on  the  state  of  religion  in  your 
own  soul,  and  be  assured  of  every  sympa- 
thy or  advice  that  I  am  capable  of  feeling 
or  giving." 

No.  IV. 

To    a  young  Minister,  Mr.  C ,  of  L , 

on  preparation  for  the  pulpit. 

"  My  dear  Brother, 

"  Your  first  letter  gave  me  much  pleasure. 

1  hoped  you  would  learn  some  useful  lesson 
from    the    first     Sabbath    disappointment. 


Every  thing  is  good  that  leads  us  to  depend 
more  simply  on  the  Lord.  Could  I  choose 
my  frames,  I  would  say  respecting  industry 
in  preparation  for  public  work,  as  is  fre- 
quently said  respecting  Christian  obedience 
— I  would  apply  as  close  as  though  I  ex- 
pected no  help  from  the  Lord,  whilst  I  would 
depend  upon  the  Lord  for  assistance  as 
though  I  had  never  made  any  preparation  at 
all. 

"I  rejoice  much  in  every  thing  that  af- 
fords you  ground  for  solid  pleasure.  The 
account  of  the  affection  borne  you  by  the 
people  of  God  was  therefore  a  matter  of 
joy  to  my  heart,  especially  as  I  learnt  from 
the  person  who  brought  your  letter  that  the 
friendship  seemed  pretty  general.' 

"  Your  last  has  occasioned  me  some  pain 
on  your  account,  because  it  informs  me  that 
you  have  been  '  exceedingly  tried  in  the 
pulpit;'  but  I  receive  satisfaction  a^ain 
from  considering  that  the  gloom  of  midnight 
precedes  the  rising  day,  not  only  in  the 
natural  world,  but  frequently  also  in  the 
Christian  minister's  experience.  Do  not 
be  discouraged,  my  dear  brother;  those 
whose  labors  God  has  been  pleased  most 
eminently  to  bless  have  generally  had  their 
days  of  prosperity  ushered  in  with  clouds 
and  storms.  You  are  in  the  sieve ;  but  the 
sieve  is  in  our  Saviour's  hands  ;  and  he  will 
not  suffer  any  thing  but  the  chaff  to  fall 
through,  let  him  winnow  us  as  often  as  he 
may.  No  one  at  times,  I  think  I  may  say, 
has  been  worse  tried  than  myself  in  the 
same  manner  as  you  express ;  though  I 
must  be  thankful  it  has  not  been  often. 

"  You  ask  direction  of  me,  my  dear 
brother.  I  am  too  inexperienced  myself  to 
be  capable  of  directing  others ;  yet,  if  the 
little  time  I  have  been  employed  for  God 
has  furnished  me  with  any  thing  worthy  of 
communication,  it  will  be  imparted  to  no 
one  with  more  readiness  than  to  you. 

"  I  should  advise  you,  when  you  have 
been  distressed  by  hesitation,  to  reflect 
whether  it  arose  from  an  inability  to  recol- 
lect your  ideas  or  to  obtain  words  suited  to 
convey  them. — If  the  former,  I  think  these 
two  directions  may  be  serviceable  :  First, 
endeavor  to  think  in  a  train.  Let  one  idea 
depend  upon  another  in  your  discourses,  as 
one  link  does  upon  another  in  a  chain. 
For  this  end  I  have  found  it  necessary  to 
arrange  my  subjects  in  the  order  of  time. 
Thus,  for  instance, — if  speaking-  of  the 
promises,  I  would  begin  with  those  which 
were  suited  to  the  earliest  inquiries  of  a 
convinced  soul ;  as  pardon,  assistance  in 
prayer,  wisdom,  &c. ;  then  go  to  those  parts 
of  Christian  experience  which  are  usually 
subsequent  to  the  former;  as  promises  of 
support  in  afflictions,  deliverance  from 
temptations,  and  perseverance  in  grace  ; 
closing  with  a  review  of  those  which  speak 
of  support  in  death,  and  final  glory.     Then 


572 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


all  the  varieties  of  description  respecting 
the  glory  of  heaven  will  follow  in  natural 
order;  as,  the  enlargement  of  the  under- 
standing, purification  of  the  affections,  inter- 
course with  saints,  angels,  and  even  Christ 
himself,  which  will  be  eternal :  thus  begin- 
ning with  the  lowest  marks  of  grace,  and 
ascending  step  by  step,  you  arrive  at  last  in 
the  fruition  of  faith.  This  mode  is  most 
natural,  and  most  pleasing  to  the  hearers, 
as  well  as  assisting  to  the  preacher ;  for 
one  idea  gives  birth  to  another,  and  he  can 
hardly  help  going  forward  regularly  and 
easily. 

"  Secondly :  Labor  to  render  your  ideas 
transparent  to  yourself.  Never  offer  to  in- 
troduce a  thought  which  you  cannot,  see 
through  before  you  enter  the  pulpit. — You 
have  read  in  Claude  that  the  best  prepara- 
tive to  preach  from  a  subject  is  to  under- 
stand it:  and  I  think  Bishop  Burnet  says, 
'no  man  properly  understands  any  thing 
who  cannot  at  any  time  represent  it  to 
others.' 

"  If  your  hesitation  proceeds  from  a  want 
of  words,  I  should  advise  you — 1.  To  read 
good  and  easy  authors  ;  Dr.  Watts  especially. 
— 2.  To  xurite  a  great  part  of  your  sermons, 
and  for  a  while  get  at  least  the  leading 
ideas  of  every  head  of  discourse  by  heart, 
enlarging  only  at  the  close  of  every  thought. 
— 3.  Sometimes,  as  in  the  end  of  sermons, 
or  when  you  preach  in  villages,  start  off  in 
preaching  beyond  all  you  have  premeditated. 
Fasten  on  some  leading  ideas  ;  as,  the  so- 
lemnity of  death,  the  awfulness  of  judgment, 
the  necessity  of  a  change  of  heart,  the  wil- 
lingness of  Christ  to  save,  &c.  Never  mind 
how  far  you  ramble  from  the  point,  so  as 
you  do  not  lose  sight  of  it ;  and,  if  your  heart 
be  any  way  warm,  you  will  fiijd  some  ex- 
pressions then  fall  from  your  lips  which  your 
imagination  could  not  produce  in  an  age  of 
studious  application. — 4.  Divest  yourself  of 
all  fear.  If  you  should  break  the  rules  of 
grammar,  or  put  in  or  leave  out  a  word,  and 
recollect  at  the  end  of  the  sentence  the  im- 
propriety ;  unless  it  makes  nonsense,  or  bad 
divinity,  never  try  to  mend  it,  but  let  it  pass. 
If  so,  perhaps  only  a  few  would  notice  it; 
but,  if  you  stammer  in  trying  to  mend  it, 
you  will  expose  yourself  to  all  the  congre- 
gation. 

"  In  addition  to  all  I  have  said,  you  know 
where  to  look,  and  from  whom  to  seek  that 
wisdom  and  strength  which  only  God  can 
give.  To  him  I  recommend  you,  my  dear 
brother,  assuring  you  of  my  real  esteem  for 
you,  and  requesting  you  will  not  fail  to  pray 
for  the  least  of  saints,  but  yours  affection- 
ately, S.  P. 

CONCLUDING    REFLECTIONS. 

The  great  ends  of  Christian  biography 
are  instruction  and  example.     By  faithfully 


describing  the  lives  of  men  eminent  for  god- 
liness, we  not  only  embalm  their  memory, 
but  furnish  ourselves  with  fresh  materials 
and  motives  for  a  holy  life.  It  is  abundant- 
ly more  impressive  to  view  the  religion  of 
Jesus  as  operating  in  a  living  character  than 
to  contemplate  it  abstractedly.  For  this 
reason  we  may  suppose  the  Lord  the  Spirit 
has  condescended  to  exhibit,  first  and  prin- 
cipally, the  life  of  Christ ;  and,  after  his,  that 
of  many  of  his  eminent  followers.  And  for 
this  reason  he  by  his  holy  influences  still 
furnishes  the  church  with  now  and  then  a 
singular  example  of  godliness,  which  it  is 
our  duty  to  notice  and  record.  There  can 
be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  the  life  of  Mr. 
Pearce  ought  to  be  considered  as  one  of 
these  examples.  May  that  same  divine 
Spirit  who  had  manifestly  so  great  a  hand  in 
forming  his  character  teach  us  to  derive  from 
it  botli  instruction  and  edification  ! 

First:  In  him  we  may  see  the  holy  efficacy, 
and  by  consequence  the  truth,  of  the  Christian 
religion. — It  was  long  since  asked,  "  who 
is  he  that  overcometh  the  world,  but  he  who 
believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God  ?  " 
This  question  contained  a  challenge  to  men 
of  all  religions  who  were  then  upon  the 
earth.  Idolatry  had  a  great  diversity  of 
species,  every  nation  worshipping  its  own 
gods,  and  in  modes  peculiar  to  itself:  phi- 
losophers also  were  divided  into  numerous 
sects,  each  flattering  itself  that  it  had  found 
the  truth :  even  the  Jews  had  their  divi- 
sions ;  their  Pharisees,  Sadducees,  and  Es- 
senes  :  but,  great  as  many  of  them  were  in 
deeds  of  divers  kinds,  an  apostle  could  look 
them  all  in  the  face,  and  ask,  "  who  is  he 
that  overcometh  the  world  ?  ;'  The  same 
question  might  be  safely  asked  in  every  suc- 
ceeding age.  The  various  kinds  of  religion 
that  still  prevail;  the  pagan,  Mahomedan, 
Jewish,  papal,  or  protestant,  may  form  the 
exteriors  of  man  according  to  their  respect- 
ive models  ;  but  where  is  the  man  amongst 
them,  save  the  true  believer  in  Jesus,  that 
overcometh  the  world  ?  Men  may  cease 
from  particular  evils,  and  assume  a  very  dif- 
ferent character ;  may  lay  aside  their  drunk- 
enness, blasphemies,  or  debaucheries,  and 
take  up  with  a  kind  of  monkish  austerity, 
and  yet  all  may  amount  to  nothing  more 
than  an  exchange  of  vices.  The  lusts  of 
the  flesh  will  on  many  occasions  give  place 
to  those  of  the  mind  ;  but  to  overcome  the 
world  is  another  thing.  By  embracing  the 
doctrine  of  the  cross,  to  feel  not  merely  a 
dread  of  the  consequences  of  sin,  but  a  holy 
abhorrence  of  its  nature — and,  by  convers- 
ing with  invisible  realities,  to  become  re- 
gardless of  the  best,  and  fearless  of  the 
worst  that  this  world  has  to  dispense — this 
is  the  effect  of  genuine  Christianity,  and 
this  is  a  standing  proof  of  its  divine  original.' 
Let  the  most  inveterate  enemy  of  revelation 
have   witnessed  the   disinterested  benevo- 


CONCLUDING    REFLECTIONS. 


573 


lence  of  a  Paul,  a  Peter,  or  a  John,  and 
whether  he  would  own  it  or  not,  his  con- 
science must  have  borne  testimony  that  this 
is  true  religion.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
Samuel  Pearce :  whether  the  doctrine  he 
preached  found  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers,  or  not,  his  spirit  and  life  must  have 
approved  themselves  to  their  consciences. 

Secondly  :  hi  him  ive  see  how  much  may 
be  done  for  God  in  a  little  time. — If  his  death 
had  been  foreknown  by  his  friends,  some 
might  have  hesitated  whether  it  was  worth 
while  for  him  to  engage  in  the  work  of  the 
ministry  for  so  short  a  period  :  yet,  if  we  take 
a  view  of  his  labors,  perhaps  there  are  few 
lives  productive  of  a  greater  portion  of  good. 
That  life  is  not  always  the  longest  which  is 
spun  out  to  the  greatest  extent  of  days.  The 
best  of  all  lives  amounted  but  to  thirty-three 
years  ;  and  the  most  important  works  per- 
taining to  that  were  wrought  in  the  last  three. 
There  is  undoubtedly  a  way  of  rendering  a 
short  life  a  long  one,  and  a  long  life  a  short 
one,  by  filling  or  not  filling  it  with  proper 
materials.  That  time  which  is  squandered 
away  in  sloth,  or  trifling  pursuits,  forms  a 
kind  of  blank  in  human  life  :  in  looking  it 
over  there  is  nothing  for  the  mind  to  rest 
upon ;  and  a  whole  life  so  spent,  whatever 
number  of  years  it  may  contain,  must  ap- 
pear upon  reflection  short  and  vacant,  in 
comparison  of  one  filled  up  with  valuable 
acquisitions  and  holy  actions.  It  is  like  the 
space  between  us  and  the  son,  which  though 
immensely  greater  than  that  which  is  trav- 
ersed in  a  profitable  journey,  yet,  being  all 
empty  space,  the  mind  gets  over  it  in  much 
less  time,  and  without  any  satisfaction.  If 
1  that  life  be  long  which  answers  life's  great 
end,'  Mr.  Pearce  may  assuredly  be  said  to 
have  come  to  his  grave  in  a  good  old  age. 
And  might  we  not  all  do  much  more  than  we 
do,  if  our  hearts  were  more  in  our  work? 
Where  this  is  wanting,  or  operates  but  in  a 
small  degree,  difficulties  are  magnified  into 
impossibilities  ;  a  lion  is  in  the  way  of  ex- 
traordinary exertion  ;  or,  if  we  be  induced 
to  engage  in  something  of  this  kind,  it  will 
be  at  the  expense  of  a  uniform  attention  to 
ordinary  duties.  But  some  will  ask,  How 
are  our  hearts  to  be  in  our  work  ?  Mr. 
Pearce's  heart  was  habitually  in  his  ;  and 
that  which  kept  alive  the  sacred  flame  in  him 
appears  to  have  been, — the  constant  habit 
of  conversing  witli  divine  truth,  and  walking 
with  God  in  private. 

"  Thirdly :  In  him  we  see,  in  clear  and 
strong  colors,  to  ivhat  a  degree  of  solid  peace 
and  joy  true  religion  will  raise  us,  even  in  the 
present  world. — A  little  religion,  it  has  been 
justly  said,  will  make  us  miserable  ;  but  a 
great  deal  will  make  us  happy.  The  one 
will  do  little  more  than  keep  the  conscience 
alive,  while  our  numerous  defects  and  in- 
consistencies are  perpetually  furnishing  it 
with    materials  to  scourge    us :  the   other 


keeps  the  heart  alive,  and  leads  us  to  drink 
deep  at  the  fountain  of  joy.  Hence  it  is,  in 
a  great  degree,  that  so  much  of  the  spirit 
of  bondage,  and  so  little  of  the  spirit  of 
adoption,  prevails  among  Christians.  Re- 
ligious enjoyments  with  us  are  rather  occa- 
sional than  habitual ;  or,  if  in  some  instances 
it  be  otherwise,  we  are  ready  to  suspect  that 
it  is  supported  in  part  by  the  strange  fire  of 
enthusiasm,  and  not  by  the  pure  flame  of 
scriptural  devotion.  But,  in  Mr.  Pearce, 
Ave  saw  a  devotion  ardent,  steady,  pure,  and 
persevering  :  kindled,  as  we  may  say,  at  the 
altar  of  God,  like  the  fire  of  the  temple,  it 
went  not  out  by  night  nor  by  day.  He 
seemed  to  have  learnt  that  heavenly  art,  so 
conspicuous  among  the  primitive  Christians, 
of  converting  every  tiling  he  met  with  into 
materials  for  love,  and  joy,  and  praise. 
Hence  he  labored,  as  he  expresses  it,  "  to 
exercise  most  love  to  God  when  suffering 
most  severely  ;"  and  hence  he  so  affecting- 
ly  encountered  the  billows  that  overwhelm- 
ed his  feeble  frame,  crying, 

"  Sweet  affliction  !  sweet  affliction  ! 
Singing  as  I  wade  to  heaven." 

The  constant  happiness  that  he  enjoyed 
in  God  was  apparent  in  the  effects  of  his 
sermons  upon  others.  Whatever  we  feel 
ourselves  we  shall  ordinarily  communicate 
to  our  hearers :  and  it  has  been  already 
noticed  that  one  of  the  most  distinguishing- 
properties  of  his  discourses  was — that  they 
inspired  the  serious  mind  with  the  liveliest, 
sensations  of  happiness.  They  descended 
upon  the  audience,  not  indeed  like  a  trans- 
porting flood,  but  like  a  shower  of  dew,  gent- 
ly insinuating  itself  into  the  heart,  insensi- 
bly dissipating  its  gloom,  and  gradually 
drawing  forth  the  graces  of  faith,  hope,  love, 
and  joy  ;  while  the  countenance  was  bright- 
ened almost  into  a  smile,  tears  of  pleasure 
would  rise,  and  glisten,  and  fall  from  the 
admiring  eye. 

What  a  practical  confutation  did  his  life  af- 
ford of  the  slander  so  generally  cast  upon  the 
religion  of  Jesus,  that  it  fills  the  mind  with 
gloom  and  misery  !  No :  leaving  futurity  out 
of  the  question,  the  whole  world  of  unbe- 
lievers might  be  challenged  to  produce  a 
character  from  among  them  who  possessed 
half  his  enjoyments. 

Fourthly  :  From  his  example  we  are  fur- 
nished with  the  greatest  encouragement, 
while  pursuing  the  path  of  duty,  to  place  our 
trust  in  God. — The  situation  in  which  he 
left  his  family,  we  have  seen  already,  was 
not  owing  to  an  indifference  to  their  inter- 
est, or  an  improvident  disposition,  or  the 
want  of  opportunity  to  have  provided  for 
them  ;  but  to  a  steady  and  determined  obe- 
dience to  do  what  he  accounted  the  will  of 
God.  He  felt  deeply  for  them,  and  we  all 
felt  with  him,  and  longed  to  be  able  to  assure 
him  before  his  departure  that  they  would  be 


574 


MEMOIRS    OF    MR.    PEARCE. 


amply  provided  for :  but  owing  to  circum- 
stances which  have  already  been  mentioned, 
this  was  more  than  we  could  do.  This  was 
a  point  in  which  he  was  called  to  die  in  faith  : 
and  indeed  so  he  did.  He  appears  to  have 
had  no  idea  of  that  flood  of  kindness  which, 
immediately  after  his  decease,  flowed  from 
the  religious  public  :  but  he  believed  in  God, 
and  cheerfully  left  all  with  him.  "  Oh  that 
I  could  speak,"  said  he  to  Mrs.  Pearce  a 
little  before  his  death,  "  I  would  tell  a  world 
to  trust  a  faithful  God.  Sweet  affliction! 
now  it  worketh  glory,  glory  !  "  And,  when 
she  told  him  the  workings  of  her  mind,  he 
answered,  "  Oh  trust  the  Lord  !  If  he  lift 
up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upon  you, 
as  he  has  done  upon  me  this  day,  all  your 
mountains  will  become  mole-hills.  I  feel 
your  situation  :  I  feel  your  sorrows  :  but  he 
who  takes  care  of  sparrows  will  take  care  of 
you  and  my  dear  children." 

The  liberal  contributions  which  have 
since  been  made,  though  they  do  not  war- 
rant ministers  in  general  to  expect  the  same, 
and  much  less  to  neglect  providing  for  their 
own  families  on  such  a  presumption,  yet 
they  must  needs  be  considered  as  a  singular 
encouragement,  when  we  are  satisfied  that 
we  are  in  the  path  of  duty,  to  be  inordinate- 
ly "careful  for  nothing,  but  in  every  thing  by 
prayer  and  supplication,  with  thanksgiving, 
to  let  our  requests  be  made  known  unto  him. 
"  Finally :  In  him  we  see  that  the  way  to 
true  excellence  is  not  to  affect  eccentricity,  nor 
to  aspire  after  the  performance  of  a  few  splen- 
did actio7is ;  but  to  Jill  up  our  lives  zvith  a 
sober,  modest,  sincere,  affectionate,  assiduous, 
and  uniform  conduct. — Real  greatness  at- 
taches to  character ;  and  character  arises 
from  a  course  of  action.  The  solid  reputa- 
tion of  a  merchant  arises  not  from  his  having 
made  his  fortune  by  a  few  successful  adven- 
tures ;  but  from  a  course  of  wise  economy 
and  honorable  industry,  which  gradually 
accumulating  advances  by  pence  to  shillings 
and  by  shillings  to  pounds.  The  most  ex- 
cellent philosophers  are  not  those  who  have 
dealt  chiefly  in  splendid  speculation,  and 
looked  down  upon  the  ordinary  concerns  of 
men  as  things  beneath  their  notice ;  but 
those  who  have  felt  their  interests  united 
with  the  interests  of  mankind,  and  bent  their 
principal  attention  to  things  of  real  and  pub- 
lic utility.  It  is  much  the  same  in  religion. 
We  do  not  esteem  a  man  for  one  or  two  or 
three  good  deeds,  any  farther  than  as  these 
deeds  are  indications  of  the  real  state  of  his 
mind.  We  do  not  estimate  the  character  of 
Christ  himself  so  much  from  his  having 
given  sight  to  the  blind,  or  restored  Lazarus 
from  the  grave,  as  from  his  going  about  con- 
tinually doing  good. 


These  single  attempts  at  great  things  are 
frequently  the  efforts  of  a  vain  mind,  which 
pants  for  fame  and  has  not  patience  to  wait 
for  it,  nor  discernment  to  know  the  way  in 
which  it  is  obtained.  One  pursues  the  shade, 
and  it  flies  from  him ;  while  another  turns 
his  back  upon  it,  and  it  follows  him.  The 
one  aims  to  climb  the  rock,  but  falls  ere  he 
reaches  the  summit  ;  the  other,  in  pursuit  of 
a  different  object,  ere  he  is  aware,  possesses 
it ;  seeking  the  approbation  of  his  God,  he 
finds  with  it  that  of  his  fellow-Christians. 


[To  the  editions  of  the  foregoing  Memoirs  pub- 
lished in  a  separate  form  are  appended  several 
poetic  effusions  by  Mr.  Pearce,  which  is  not  deem- 
ed advisable  to  retain  in  an  edition  of  Mr.  Fuller's 
works.  The  following  piece  however  is  inserted 
as  a  specimen  of  the  devotional  spirit  which  they 
breathe.] 

HYMN    IN  A    STORM. 

In  the  floods  of  tribulation, 

While  the  billows  o'er  me  roll, 
Jesus  whispers  consolation, 

And  supports  my  sinking  soul  : 
Thus  the  lion  yields  me  honey, 

From  the  eater  food  is  given, 
Strengthen'dthus,  I  still  press  forward, 

Singing,  as  I  wade  to  heaven, — 
Sweet  affliction  !  Sweet  affliction  ! 

That  brings  Jesus  to  my  soul ! 

'Mid  the  gloom,  the  vivid  lightnings 

With  increased  brightness  play; 
'Mid  the  thornbrake,  beauteous  flow'rets 

Look  more  beautiful  and  gay ; 
So  in  darkest  dispensations 

Doth  my  faithful  Lord  appear, 
With  his  richest  consolations, 

To  re-animate  and  cheer: 
Sweet  affliction  !  Sweet  affliction  ! 

Thus  to  bring  my  Saviour  near  ! 

Floods  of  tribulation  heighten, 

Billows  still  around  me  roar; 
Those  who  know  not  Christ  ye  frighten, 

But  my  soul  defies  your  pow'r: 
In  the  sacred  page  recorded, 

Thus  his  word  securely  stands, 
ct  Fear  not,  I'm,  in  trouble,  near  thee, 

Nought  shall  pluck  thee  from  my  hands." 
Sweet  affliction  !  Sweet  affliction  ! 

Every  word  my  love  demands. 

All  I  meet  I  find  assists  me 

In  my  path  to  heavenly  joy, 
Where,  though  trials  now  attend  me, 

Trials  never  more  annoy  ; 
Wearing  there  a  weight  of  glory, 

Still  the  path  I'll  ne'er  forget, 
But  reflecting  how  it  led  me 

To  my  blessed  Saviour's  seat, — 
Cry,  affliction  !  Sweet  affliction  ! 

Haste  !  Bring  more  to  Jesus'  feet ! 


APOLOGY 


FOR    THE    LATE 


CHRISTIAN     MISSIONS     TO     INDIA. 


IN    THREE    PARTS. 


WITH    AN     APPENDIX 


PART      I. 

"  There  are  no  such  things  done  as  thou  sayest; 
but  thou  feignest  them  out  of  thine  own  heart." — 
Nehemiah. 

"  And  now,  I  say  unto  you,  refrain  from  these 
men,  and  let  them  alone ;  for  if  this  counsel,  or  this 
work,  be  of  men,  it  will  come  to  nought:  but,  if  it 
be  of  God,  ye  cannot  overthrow  it,  lest  haply  ye  be 
found  even  to  fight  against  God."— Gamaliel. 

SECTION  I. 

an  address  to  edward  parry,  esq.,  chair- 
man of  the  east  india  company. 

Sir, 

As  in  a  letter  lately  addressed  to  you  by 
Mr.  Thomas  Twining,  on  the  danger  of  in- 
terfering in  the  religious  opinions  of  the 
natives  of  India,  there  is  a  reference  to  the 
labors  of  the  baptist  missionaries  in  that 
country,  you  will  not  consider  me,  I  hope,  as 
obtruding  myself  on  your  attention  while  I 
offer  a  few  remarks  upon  it,  and  upon  the 
important  subject  which  it  embraces. 

It  is  true,  the  principal  part  of  Mr.  Twin- 
ing's  pamphlet  is  directed  against  "  The 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,"  and  that 
this  has  been  sufficiently  answered  from 
another  quarter  ;  but,  though  he  affects  "not 
to  know  these  missionaries,"  yet  their  un- 
dertaking, particularly  in  the  work  of  trans- 


lating the  Scriptures,  has,  no  doubt,  contrib- 
uted to  excite  his  alarm. 

If,  by  "  interfering  in  the  religious  opinions 
of  the  natives  of  India,"  Mr.  Twining  means 
nothing  more  than  the  dissemination  of  the 
Christian  faith  by  the  fair  methods  of  per- 
suasion, the  baptist  missionaries,  and  those 
of  every  other  denomination,  must  be  ac- 
knowledged to  have  interfered  ;  but  if  he 
include  under  that  term  violence,  unfair  in- 
fluence, or  any  measures  subversive  of  free 
choice— or  any  addresses,  either  in  speech 
or  in  writing,  which  have  endangered  the 
peace  of  society — they  have  not  interfered, 
nor  have  they  any  desire  of  so  doing. 

Whether  Mr.  Twining  has  chosen  this 
ambiguous  term,  that  he  may  with  the  greater 
ease  insinuate,  as  occasion  requires,  the  ob- 
noxious idea  of  a  design  to  overthrow  the 
pagan  and  Mahomedan  religions  by  force,  I 
shall  not  determine  ;  but  that  such  is  the  use 
that  is  made  of  it,  throughout  his  pamphlet, 
is  clear.  "  As  long,"  he  says,  "as  we  con- 
tinue to  govern  India  in  the  mild  and  tolerant 
spirit  of  Christianity,  we  may  govern  it  with 
ease  ;  but,  if  ever  the  fatal  day  shall  arrive 
when  religious  innovation  shall  set  her  foot 
in  that  country,  indignation  will  spread  from 
one  end  of  Hindostan  to  the  other." — p.  30. 
Is  giving  the  Scriptures  then  to  the  natives 
in  their  own  languages,  and  offering  to  in- 


576 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


struct  them  in  their  leading  doctrines,  oppo- 
sed to  the  mild  and  tolerant  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity ?  If  it  be,  sir,  neither  the  Founder  of 
the  Christian  religion,  nor  his  followers,  have 
yet  understood  it.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  not 
an  "innovation;"  the  fatal  day  has  arrived 
more  than  a  century  ago.  Mr.  Twining 
"hopes  our  native  subjects  in  India  will  be 
permitted  <\mei\y  to  follow  their  own  religious 
opinions." — p.  31.  We  hope  so  too  ;  but, 
if  this  gentleman's  wishes  could  be  realized, 
we  should  not  be  permitted  to  follow  ours, 
nor  to  recommend  what  we  believe  to  be  of 
eternal  importance  to  our  fellow-men  and 
fellow-subjects.  Yet  this  is  all  we  desire. 
If  missionaries,  or  any  other  persons  on  their 
behalf,  should  so  far  forget  the  principles  of 
the  gospel  as  to  aim  at  any  thing  beyond  it, 
I  trust  the  government  will  always  possess 
wisdom  and  justice  sufficient  to  counteract 
them.  The  question,  sir,  which  Mr.  Twin- 
ing proposes  to  submit  to  a  general  court  of 
proprietors,  whatever  be  the  terms  in  which 
it  may  be  couched,  will  not  be,  whether  the 
natives  of  India  shall  continue  to  enjoy  the 
most  perfect  toleration,  but  whether  that 

TOLERATION  SHALL  BE  EXTENDED  TO  CHRIS- 
TIAN MISSIONARIES. 

I  have  observed  with  pain,  sir,  of  late  years, 
a  notion  of  toleration,  entertained  even  by 
some  who  would  be  thought  its  firmest  ad- 
vocates, which  tends  not  only  to  abridge,  but 
to  subvert  it.  They  have  no  objection  to 
Christians  of  any  denomination  enjoying  their 
own  opinions,  and,  it  may  be,  their  own  wor- 
ship ;  but  they  must  not  be  allowed  to  make 
proselytes.  Such  appear  to  be  the  notions  of 
Mr.  Twining  and  his  friends.  They  do  not 
propose  to  persecute  the  Christians  of  India, 
provided  they  would  keep  their  Christianity 
to  themselves  ;  but  those  who  attempt  to  con- 
vert others  are  to  be  exterminated.  Sir,  I 
need  not  say  to  you  that  this  is  not  toleration, 
but  persecution.  Toleration  is  a  legal  per- 
mission not  only  to  enjoy  our  own  principles 
unmolested,  but  to  make  use  of  all  the  fair 
means  of  persuasion  to  recommend  them  to 
others.  The  former  is  but  little  more  than 
might  be  enjoyed  in  countries  the  most  dis- 
tinguished by  persecution  ;  for  few  would 
wish  to  interrupt  men  so  long  as  they  kept 
their  religion  to  themselves.  Yet  this  is  the 
whole  of  what  some  would  wish  to  allow, 
both  in  the  East  and  West  Indies.  In  former 
times,  unbelievers  felt  the  need  of  toleration 
for  themselves,  and  then  they  generally  advo- 
cated it  on  behalf  of  others ;  but  of  late, 
owing  perhaps  to  the  increase  of  their  num- 
bers, they  have  assumed  a  loftier  tone.  Now, 
though  for  political  reasons  all  men  must  be 
allowed  to  follow  their  own  religion,  yet  they 
must  not  aim  at  making  proselytes.  Men 
who  have  no  belief  in  the  Christian  religion 
may  be  expected  to  have  no  regard  for  it ; 
and,  where  this  is  the  case,  the  rights  of  con- 
science will  be  but  little  respected. 


So  far  as  my  observations  extend,  these 
remarks  are  applicable  to  deists  in  general  ; 
and,  where  situations  are  favorable  to  their 
views,  they  may  be  expected  to  rise  in  their 
demands.  In  a  letter  from  Mr.  Carey,  now 
before  me,  of  a  late  date,  he  writes  as  fol- 
lows : — "  India  ewarms  with  deists  ;  and 
deists  are,  in  my  opinion,  the  most  intolerant 
of  mankind.  Their  great  desire  is  to  exter- 
minate true  religion  from  the  earth.  I  con- 
sider the  alarms  which  have  been  spread 
through  India  as  the  fabrications  of  these 
men.  The  concurrence  of  two  or  three  cir- 
cumstances in  point  of  time  ;  namely,  the 
massacre  at  Vellore,  the  rebellious  disposi- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  in  some  parts  of  My- 
sore, and  the  public  advertisements  for  sub- 
scriptions to  the  oriental  translations,  have 
furnished  them  with  occasion  to  represent 
the  introduction  of  Christianity  among  the 
natives  as  dangerous." 

While  Mr.  Carey  was  writing  this  letter, 
sir,  he  might  not  be  aware  that  a  number  of 
these  men  were  preparing  to  embark  for  Eu- 
rope, with  a  view  to  spread  the  alarm  at  home. 
Assuredly  they  have  a  cause  in  which  they 
are  engaged,  as  well  as  the  Bible  Society ; 
and  are  not  wanting  in  zeal  to  support  it. 
Mr.  Twining  would  be  thought  a  Christian; 
but,  if  so,  in  what  cause  is  he  engaged  ?  He 
may  pretend  that  he  is  only  pleading  for 
toleration  ;  but,  in  fact,  he  is  pleading  for 
the  exclusion  of  what  he  acknowledges  to 
be  light  and  truth,  and  for  the  refusal  of  tol- 
eration to  the  religion  of  his  Maker. 

As  "  the  religious  opinions  and  customs  of 
the  natives  of  India  "  are  a  subject  on  which 
Mr.  Twining's  feelings  are  so  "particularly 
alive,"  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  what  a 
few  of  these  opinions  and  customs  are.  It 
may  not  be  necessary,  sir,  for  your  informa- 
tion ;  but  some  persons  into  whose  hands 
this  pamphlet  may  fall  may  be  the  better  able 
to  judge  of  the  question  at  issue. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  the  Hindoos  ac- 
knowledge one  Supreme  God  :  they  do  not 
appear,  however,  to  worship  Him,  but  cer- 
tain subordinate  powers,  which,  they  say, 
proceeded  from  him.  Of  these,  the  three 
principal  are  denominated  Birmha,  the  crea- 
tor of | all ;  Vishnoo,  the  preserver  of  all; 
and  Seeb,  the  destroyer  of  all.  Birmha  is 
not  worshipped  at  all ;  Vishnoo  only  by  a 
few  ;  but  Seeb  (the  destroyer)  by  almost  all : 
their  worship,  therefore,  is  chiefly  the  effect 
of  superstitious  fears.  The  foulest  vices 
are  ascribed  to  these  subordinate  deities  in 
their  own  shasters  ;  but  that  which  is  sin  in 
men,  they  say,  is  not  sin  in  the  gods.  Be- 
sides these,  they  worship  innumerable  in- 
ferior deities,  called  debtas,  chiefly,  if  not 
entirely,  under  an  idea  that  it  is  in  their 
power  to  do  them  harm.  The  lusts,  quar- 
rels, and  other  vices  of  these  debtas  also  fill 
their  shasters,  as  their  images  do  the  coun- 
try.    The  chief  use  that  they  seem  to  make 


ADDRESS    TO    THE    CHAIRMAN    OF    THE    EAST    INDIA    COMPANY. 


577 


of  the  one  Supreme  God  is  to  ascribe  to  him 
all  the  evil  that  they  commit,  and  to  persuade 
themselves  that  they  are  not  accountable 
beings. 

They  have  a  most  firm  faith  in  conjuration, 
in  lucky  and  unlucky  days;  and  in  almost 
all  their  civil  concerns  act  under  its  influence. 

A  considerable  part  of  their  religion  con- 
sists in  self-torment.  One  will  hold  up  a 
hand  till  it  is  grown  stiff,  and  he  is  incapa- 
ble of  taking  it  down  again:  another  will  lie 
upon  the  points  of  iron  spikes,  just  so  blunt 
as  not  to  pierce  him  to  death,  and  this  for 
years  together ;  others,  on  certain  days  at 
the  beginning  of  the  new  year,  are  suspend- 
ed in  the  air  by  sharp  iron  hooks  stuck 
through  the  skin  on  each  side  of  their  back, 
and  continue  swinging  round  in  that  position 
from  five  to  fifteen  minutes.  At  the  worship 
of  Juggernaut,  whose  temple  is  in  Orissa 
this  massy  wooden  god  is  borne  in  a  car- 
riage, drawn  by  the  multitude  ;  and,  while  the 
air  resounds  with  their  shouts,  happy  are 
those  who  throw  themselves  under  the 
wheels  to  be  crushed  to  death  !  This,  and 
every  other  species  of  self-torment  and  self- 
murder,  gains  admiration  from  the  spec- 
tators. 

Besides  this,  it  is  well  known  to  be  a  part 
of  their  religion  to  favor  the  burning  of 
xvidows  with  the  bodies  of  their  deceased 
husbands.  Their  shasters  pronounce  this 
to  be  a  great  virtue,  and  to  render  them  a  kind 
of  celestial  beings.  And,  lest  the  circum- 
stance of  absence  at  the  time  of  the  husband's 
death  should  prevent  it,  their  laws  prescribe 
as  follows :  "  If  the  wife  be  within  one  day's 
journey  of  the  place  where  her  husband  dies, 
the  burning  of  his  corpse  shall  be  deferred 
one  day  for  her  arrival.  If  he  die  in  anoth- 
er country,  the  virtuous  wife  shall  take  any 
of  his  effects,  a  sandal  for  instance,  and, 
binding  it  on  her  thigh,  shall  enter  the  fire 
with  it."  Thus  careful  are  these  sacred 
laws  to  secure  their  victim.  And  as  if  it 
were  meant  to  outrage  every  vestige  of  hu- 
manity, and  to  refine  upon  cruelty,  it  is  an 
established  law  that  the  eldest  son,  or  nearest 
relation,  shall  set  fire  to  the  pile  ! 

Great  numbers  of  infants  also  are  thrown 
into  the  river,  as  offerings  to  the  goddess  ; 
and  others,  who  refuse  their  mother's  milk, 
are  frequently  hung  up  in  baskets  on  the 
branch  of  a  tree,  &c,  to  be  devoured  by  ants 
or  birds  of  prey  ! 

Whether  all  these  customs  be  proper  ob- 
jects of  toleration  may  admit  of  a  doubt. 
The  British  government  in  India  seems  to 
have  thought  otherwise.  The  governor  gen- 
eral in  council,  on  August  20,  1802,  is  said 
to  have  passed  a  decree  declaring  some  of 
them  to  be  murder.  We  leave  this,  how- 
ever, to  the  civil  authorities.  Our  object  is 
confined  to  remonstrance,  persuasion,  and 
the  exhibition  of  truth :  and  surely,  if  it  be 
possible  by  such  means  to  induce  a  people, 
or  any  part  of  a  people,  to  cast  away  these 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  73 


practices,  it  must  be  so  far  favorable  to  hu- 
man happiness.  If,  sir,  there  were  no  here- 
after, and  we  were  merely  to  consult  our 
own  national  interest,  it  were  worth  while, 
as  far  as  possible,  to  endeavor  to  mitigate 
these  evils:  but,  if  the  good  of  the  govern- 
ed be  allowed  to  have  place  in  a  government, 
it  is  still  more  so:  and  if  there  be  a  judg- 
ment to  come,  where  governors  and  gov- 
erned must  each  appearand  give  an  account, 
it  must  be  an  object  of  the  first  importance. 
At  that  bar,  sir,  the  adversaries  of  those  who 
peaceably  endeavor  to  bring  off  the  Hindoos 
from  these  abominations  will  be  ashamed  to 
show  their  face  ! 

I  may  be  told  that  the  particulars  above 
referred  to  are  the  most  offensive  parts  of 
the  system,  and  that  other  parts  of  it  may  be 
very  good.  It  is  true  that  there  are  degrees 
in  evil.  All  things  pertaining  to  Hindooism 
may  not  be  equally  shocking  to  the  feelings 
of  an  enlightened  mind.  I  might  safely 
affirm,  however,  with  Dr.  Buchanan,  "  The 
Hindoos  have  no  moral  gods :"  neither  does 
any  part  of  their  religion  produce  a  moral 
impression  on  their  minds,  but  the  contrary. 
As  men,  they  are  not  worse  than  other  men  : 
but,  by  their  superstitions,  they  are  become 
exceedingly  corrupt. 

"The  natives  of  India,"  Mr.  Twining  tells 
us,  "  are  a  religious  people  ;  and  in  this  res- 
pect they  differ,  he  fears,  from  the  inhabit- 
ants of  this  country."  If,  by  the  inhabitants 
of  this  country,  he  means  those  Christians 
who  are  alarmed  at  the  progress  of  Chris- 
tianity, I  fear  so  too.  If  the  religion  of  the 
natives  of  India,  however,  have  no  influence 
on  their  morals,  unless  it  be  to  corrupt  them, 
it  will  argue  nothing  in  its  favor.  And  that 
this  is  the  case,  every  friend  to  the  morality 
of  the  New  Testament,  who  has  resided  in 
India,  can  bear  witness.  I  have  read  enough, 
sir,  of  the  communications  of  men  of  this  de- 
scription, to  make  me  disregard  the  praises 
bestowed  on  the  virtues  of  these  people  by 
others.  I  find  these  praises  proceed  either 
from  deistical  writers,  whose  manifest  de- 
sign is  to  depreciate  the  value  of  Christianity, 
or  from  persons  residing  in  the  country,  who, 
"  despairing,"  as  Dr.  Buchanan  says,  "  of  the 
intellectual  or  moral  improvement  of  the 
natives,  are  content  with  an  obsequious 
spirit  and  manual  service.  These  they  call 
the  virtues  of  the  Hindoo  ;  and,  after  twenty 
years'  service,  praise  their  domestic  for  his 
vii-tues." 

"  I  know  not,"  says  Bernier,  an  intelligent 
French  traveller,  "  whether  there  be  in  the 
world  a  more  covetous  and  sordid  nation. — 
The  brahmins  keep  these  people  in  their  er- 
rors and  superstitions,  and  scruple  not  to  com- 
mit tricks  and  villainies  so  infamous  that  I 
could  never  have  believed  them  if  I  had  not 
made  an  ample  inquiry  into  them."  * 

*  Voyages  de  Francois  Bernier,  Tome  I.,  pp. 
150.,  162,  et  Tome  II.,  p.  105. 


578 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


"  A  race  of  people,"  says  governor  Hol- 
well,  "who  from  their  infancy  are  utter 
strangers  to  the  idea  of  common  faithjand 
honesty.  This  is  the  situation  of  the  bulk 
of  the  people  of  Hindostan,  as  well  as  of  the 
modern  brahmins  ;  amongst  the  latter,  if  we 
except  one  in  a  thousand,  we  give  them  over 
measure.  The  Gentoos,  in  general,  are  as 
degenerate,  superstitious,  litigious,  and  wick- 
ed a  people,  as  any  race  of  people  in  the 
known  world,  if  not  eminently  more  so,  es- 
pecially the  common  run  of  brahmins  ;  and 
we  can  truly  aver  that,  during  almost  five 
years  that  Ave  presided  in  the  judicial  cutch- 
ery  court  of  Calcutta,  never  any  murder,  or 
other  atrocious  crime,  came  before  us,  but 
it  was  proved,  in  the  end,  a  brahmin  was  at 
the  bottom  of  it."  * 

"A  man  must  be  long  acquainted  with 
them,"  says  Sir  John  Shore,  governor  gen- 
eral of  Bengal,  "before  he  can  believe  them 
capable  of  that  barefaced  falsehood,  servile 
adulation,  and  deliberate  deception,  which 
they  daily  practise.  It  is  the  business  of  all, 
from  the  ryott  to  the  dewan,  to  conceal  and 
deceive  :  the  simplest  matters  of  fact  are 
designedly  covered  with  a  veil,  through 
which  no  human  understanding  can  pene- 
trate." j- 

"  Lying,  theft,  whoredom,  and  deceit,  says 
Mr.  Carey,  "  are  sins  for  which  the  Hindoos 
are  notorious.  There  is  not  one  man  in  a 
thousand  who  does  not  make  lying  his  con- 
stant practice.  Their  thoughts  [of  God  are 
so  very  light,  that  they  only  consider  him  as 
a  sort  of  plaything.  Avarice  and  servility 
are  so  united  in  almost  every  individual  that 
cheating,  juggling,  and  lying,  are  esteemed 
no  sins  with  them  ;  and  the  best  among  them, 
though  they  speak  ever  so  great  a  falsehood, 
yet  it  is  not  considered  as  an  evil,  unless  you 
first  charge  them  to  speak  the  truth.  When 
they  defraud  you  ever  so  much,  and  you 
charge  them  with  it,  they  coolly  answer,  'It 
is  the  custom  of  the  country.'  Were  you 
to  charge  any  company  often  men  with  hav- 
ing amongst  them  liars,  thieves,  whore- 
mongers, and  deceitful  characters,  however 
improper  it  might  be,  owing  to  your  want  of 
proof,  yet  there  would  be  little  probability  of 
your  accusing  them  falsely.  All  the  good 
that  can  with  justice  be  said  in  favor  of  them 
is,  they  are  not  so  ferocious  as  many  other 
heathens." 

I  have  said  nothing  of  the  Mahomedans  ; 
but  it  is  well  known  that  they  are  not  be- 
hind the  Hindoos  in  superstition,  and 'great- 
ly exceed  them  in  ferocity,  pride,  and'intol- 
erance. 

In  short,  sir,  to  every  European  who 
places  virtue  in  the  fear  of  God  and  a  re- 

*  Holwell's  Historical  Events,  Vol.  I  p.  228 
Vol.  II.,  p.  151. 

t  Parliamentary  Proceedings  against  Mr.  Has- 
tings, Appendix  to  Vol.  II.,  p.  65. 


gard  to  men,  and  not  in  that  which  merely 
contributes  to  his  own  interest  and  inclina- 
tion, the  introduction  of  the  means  of  Chris- 
tianity, among  both  Hindoos  and  Mahome- 
dans, must  appear  a  matter  of  national  im- 
portance. Christianity  might  not  be  em- 
braced, at  first,  by  the  greater  part ;  but  it 
would,  nevertheless,  have  a  powerful  in- 
fluence on  society  ;  not  only  on  those  who 
believed  it,  but,  by  way  of  example,  on 
those  who  believed  it  not. 

But  Mr.  Twining  professes  to  be  alarmed 
at  the  measure,  as  dangerous  to  the  British 
interests  in  India.  He  asserts  this  again 
and  again  ;  but  what  has  he  done  beyond 
asserting  it  ?  Has  he  produced  a  single 
fact  that  can  bear  upon  the  subject ;  or  pre- 
ferred a  single  charge  against  the  conduct 
of  the  missionaries  ?  Neither  the  one  nor 
the  other.  It  is  rather  surprising,  indeed, 
that  he  should  not  have  discovered  some- 
thing on  which  to  found  the  appearance  of 
a  charge  ;  for  I  am  not  ignorant,  sir,  that 
the  missionaries  have  on  some  occasions 
felt  much,  and  spoken  in  strong  language. 
They  have  frequently  seen  females  burnt 
alive,  and  have  remonstrated  against  the 
horrid  deed,  as  an  act  of  murder ;  taking 
occasion  also  from  thence  to  prove  to  the 
people  that  such  a  religion  could  not  be  of 
God.  If  at  such  times  there  had  been 
somewhat  of  a  local  tumult,  there  had  been 
nothing  surprising  in  it.  But  the  truth  is, 
no  such  tumult  has  ever  occurred  ;  nor  have 
any  means  which  they  have  used  so  much 
as  endangered  their  own  safety. 

Mr.  Twining  speaks  of  alarms  among  the 
natives  ;  but  what  are  they  ?  When  or 
where  did  they  manifest  themselves  ?  If, 
by  "alarms,"  he  means  a  conviction  that 
their  principles  will  gradually  fall  before  the 
light  of  the  gospel,  there  is  some  foundation 
for  what  he  says  ;  for  considerable  numbers 
of  them  have  calmly  acknowledged  as  much 
as  this.  But  if  he  mean  that,  on  account  of 
any  thing  done  or  doing  by  the  Missionaries, 
they  are  apprehensive  oftheir  religion  being 
suppressed  by  authority,  there  is  no  proof  of 
the  fact,  nor  so  much  as  an  attempt  to  prove 
it.  Nothing  can  furnish  stronger  evidence 
of  Mr.  Twining's  want  of  materials  of  this 
kind,  than  his  reference  to  "  the  recent 
catastrophes  of  Buenos  Ayres,  Rosetta,  and 
Vellore." — p.  27.  You  need  not  be  told, 
sir,  that  none  of  these  catastrophes  were 
produced  by  an  attempt  to  recommend  our 
religious  principles. 

That  alarms  may  exist  in  India  is  very 
possible  ;  but,  if  such  there  be,  they  are  of 
a  date  posterior  to  the  Vellore  mutiny,  and 
must  be  traced,  it  is  probable,  to  the  causes 
which  produced  that  melancholy  event. 
That  the  labors  of  the  'missionaries,  either 
in  Bengal  or  on  the  Coast,  have  been  pro- 
ductive of  any  such  effect,  remains  to  be 
proved.     The  only  alarms  which  they  have 


ADDRESS    TO    THE    CHAIRMAN    OF    THE    EAST    INDIA    COMPANY. 


579 


excited  will  be  found  in  the  minds  of  Euro- 
peans, who,  passing  under  the  name  of 
Christians,  are  tremblingly  alive  to  the  dan- 
ger of  Christianity  making  progress  in  the 
earth. 

If,  by  "  the  light  and  truth  into  which 
the  omnipotent  power  of  heaven  may  some- 
time lead  these  people,"  Mr.  Twining  means 
Christianity,  his  pamphlet  exhibits,  to  say 
the  least,  an  awkward  association  of  ideas. 
Of  Mr.  Twining  I  know  nothing  but  from 
the  part  he  has  taken  in  this  business,  and 
therefore  can  have  no  personal  disrespect 
towards  him :  but  I  cannot  understand,  sir, 
how  a  Christian  could  be  disgusted  with  the 
idea  expressed  by  a  Suabian  Catholic,  of 
"  the  great  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls 
gathering  together  his  sheep  from  all  nations 
and  religions,  languages,  and  kingdoms," 
(pp.  9,  10  ;  )  how,  in  searching  for  something 
which  the  British  nation  values  as  the  Hin- 
doos do  their  Shasters,  and  the  Mahomedans 
their  Koran,  he  should  overlook  the  Bible, 
and  instance  in  "  Magna  Charta"  (p.  30 ;  ) 
how  he  can  be  shocked  at  the  downfal  of 
Mahomedism  (p.  17;)  how  his  feelings  can 
be  so  "  particularly  alive"  on  the  religious 
opinions  of  the  natives  of  India  (p.  29  ;  )  and 
above  all,  how  he  can  be  so  alarmed  at  the 
progress  of  Christianity.  It  is  true  he  pro- 
fesses to  feel  on  this  subject  chiefly  from  his 
"  extreme  apprehension  of  the  fatal  conse- 
quences to  ourselves."  But,  if  so,  why  do 
his  alarms  extend  to  Turkey,  and  even  to 
China? — pp.  15.  17.  Is  he  afraid  that,  if 
the  Mahomedism  of  the  one  and  the  Pagan- 
ism of  the  other  should  give  place  to  the 
gospel,  they  would  refuse  to  trade  with  us  ? 
Surely,  sir,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  of 
this  gentleman's  being  "  of  a  party,"  nor  of 
what  that  party  is  ! 

May  I  not  take  it  for  granted,  sir,  that  a 
British  government  cannot  refuse  to  tolerate 
protestant  missionaries  ;  that  a  protestant 
government  cannot  forbid  the  free  circula- 
tion of  the  Scriptures  ;  that  a  Christian  gov- 
ernment cannot  exclude  Christianity  from 
any  part  of  its  territories ;  and  that  if,  in 
addition  to  this,  the  measures  which  have  of 
late  years  been  pursued  in  India,  without  the 
least  inconvenience  arising  from  them,  can 
be  proved  to  be  safe  and  ivise,  they  will  be 
protected,  rather  than  suppressed  ?  I  trust 
I  may. 

Permit  me,  sir,  to  copy  an  extract  or  two 
from  the  letters  of  the  missionaries  on  this 
subject.  "  No  political  evil,"  says  Mr.  Carey, 
"  can  reasonably  be  feared  from  the  spread 
of  Christianity  now  ;  for  it  has  been  public- 
ly preached  in  different  parts  of  Bengal  for 
about  twenty  years  past,  without  the  small- 
est symptom  of  the  kind.  Within  the  last 
five  years,  an  edition  of  the  New  Testament, 
of  two  thousand  copies,  nearly  one  of  the 
Pentateuch  of  a  thousand,  one  of  Matthew 
of  five  hundred,  and  one  of  the  Psalms  and 


Isaiah  of  a  thousand,  besides  many  copies  of 
a  second  edition  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  of  the  poetical  books  of  Scripture,  from 
Job  to  Canticles,  and  many  religious  tracts, 
have  been  distributed  among  the  natives 
without  a  single  instance  of  disturbance, 
unless  the  abusive  language  of  a  few  loose 
persons  may  be  so  called.  To  this  might  be 
added  the  experience  of  the  missionaries  on 
the  coast,  who  have  taught  Christianity  for 
a  hundred  years,  and  reckon  about  forty 
thousand  persons  to  have  embraced  it.  Such 
long-continued  exertions  to  spread  the  gos- 
pel, carried  on  to  such  an  extent  and  in  such 
different  situations,  without  producing  the 
smallest  inconvenience,  may,  we  presume, 
furnish  a  course  of  experience  sufficient  to 
remove  every  suspicion  of  political  evil 
arising  from  the  introduction  of  Christian- 
ity." 

"  The  tongue  of  slander  itself,"  says  Mr. 
Marshman,  "  has  not  been  able  to  charge  us, 
nor  any  of  the  native  converts,  with  the  least 
deviation  from  the  laws  and  government 
under  which  we  live.  How  should  it,  when 
we  are  devoted  from  our  very  hearts  to  the 
British  government,  and  this  not  from  a 
blind  partiality,  but  from  a  firm  conviction 
of  its  being  a  blessing  to  the  country  ?  Had 
we  been  sent  hither  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
conciliating  the  natives  to  it,  and  of  support- 
ing it  by  every  means  in  our  power,  we 
could  not  have  been  more  cordially  attach- 
ed to  it,  nor  have  pursued  a  line  of  conduct 
more  adapted  to  the  end.  Nothing  will  so 
effectually  establish  the  British  dominion  in 
India  as  the  introduction  of  Christianity, 
provided  it  be  merely  by  persuasion  ;  and 
nothing  is  more  safe,  and,  under  the  divine 
blessing,  more  easy. 

"With  regard  to  safety,  there  is  nothing 
to  be  feared  from  the  attempt.  The  Hin- 
doos resemble  an  immense  number  of  par- 
ticles of  sand,  which  are  incapable  of  form- 
ing a  solid  mass.  There  is  no  bond  of  union 
among  them,  nor  any  principle  capable 
of  effecting  it.  Their  hierarchy  has  no  head, 
no  influential  body,  no  subordinate  orders. 
The  brahmins,  as  well  as  the  nation  at  large 
are  a  vast  number  of  disconnected  atoms, 
totally  incapable  of  cohesion.  In  this  coun- 
try, sin  seems  to  have  given  the  fullest  sam- 
ple of  its  disuniting,  debilitating  power. 
The  children  are  opposed  to  the  parents, 
and  the  parents  to  the  children ;  brother 
totally  disregards  brother  ;  and  a  brahmin 
will  see  another  brahmin  perish  with  the 
greatest  apathy.  Yea,  for  the  sake  of  a 
little  gain,  a  brahmin  will  write  against  his 
gods,  satisfying  himself  Avith  this,  that  the 
sin  belongs  to  his  employer,  and  that  he  only 
does  something  to  support  himself.  When 
to  this  are  added  their  natural  imbecility, 
and  the  enervating  influence  of  climate, 
it  will  be  evident  that  nothing  is  less  to 
be   apprehended  than   a  steady,   concerted 


580 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


opposition  to  the  spread  of  Christianity. 
Nothing  will  ever  appear  beyond  that  indi- 
vidual contempt  and  hatred  of  the  gospel 
which  are  inseparable  from  the  vicious 
mind. 

"  Instead  of  the  introduction  of  Christiani- 
ty endangering  the  safety  of  the  state,  the 
danger  arises  from  the  other  side.  No  one 
unacquainted  with  the  natives  can  know  the 
heart  of  an  idolater.  We  have  about  a  hun- 
dred servants  in  our  different  departments  ; 
and  they  have  been  treated  with  a  kindness 
which,  in  England,  would  have  conciliated 
affection,  and  created  attachment.  But  so 
far  are  these  effects  from  being  produced  in 
them,  that  not  an  individual  can  be  found 
amongst  them  who  would  not  cheat  us  to 
any  extent,  or  who  would  not  plunder  us  of 
every  thing  we  have,  were  it  in  their  power. 
How  can  it  be  otherwise  ?  Their  religion 
frees  them  from  every  tie  of  justice.  If  their 
own  benefit  can  be  secured  by  any  action, 
this  renders  it  lawful,  or  at  least  venial, 
though  it  were  fraud,  robbery,  or  even  mur- 
der. Often  have  we  heard  it  affirmed  that 
a  robber  who  should  spend  the  whole  night 
in  the  most  atrocious  deeds,  and  secure 
plunder  to  the  amount  of  a  hundred  rupees, 
would  wipe  off  all  the  stain  in  the  morning 
by  giving  one  of  them  to  a  brahmin !  Attach- 
ment to  a  master,  a  family,  or  a  government 
of  a  different  religion,  is  that  which  cannot 
be  produced  in  the  mind  of  a  Hindoo  while 
under  the  power  of  his  gooroo  or  his  debta. 
But  if  they  lose  caste,  and  embrace  Christ- 
ianity, not  by  force,  but  from  pure  conviction 
they  become  other  men.  Even  those  who, 
as  it  may  prove,  have  not  embraced  it  cor- 
dially, are  considerably  influenced  by  it.  If 
once  they  lose  caste  the  charm  is  broken, 
and  they  become  capable  of  attachment  to 
government. 

"These  remarks  are  abundantly  proved 
by  what  is  seen  in  our  native  converts. 
We  have  baptized  above  a  hundred  of  them  ; 
and  we  dare  affirm  that  the  British  govern- 
ment has  not  a  hundred  better  subjects  and 
more  cordial  friends  among  the  natives  of 
Hindostan.  The  gloomy  and  faithless  de- 
mon of  superstition  is  dethroned.  They 
cannot  fear  a  brahmin  nor  a  debta  as  hereto- 
fore. While  they  feel  an  attachment  to  us 
to  which  they  had  been  strangers,  they  are 
also  cordially  attached  to  the  governors  who 
protect  them  in  the  exercise  of  their  religion, 
and  whom  they  consider  as  their  friends  and 
brethren. 

"  Such  is  the  ease  with  which  Christianity, 
under  the  divine  blessing,  could  be  dissemi- 
nated, that  it  may  seem  to  some  incredible. 
No  public  acts  of  government  are  necessary. 
It  is  not  necessary  that  government  should 
appear  in  the  business ;  and  much  less  that 
it  should  be  at  any  expense  whatever.  If  it 
be  only  understood  that  no  one  shall  be  for- 
bidden to  teach  Christianity,  and  no  one  but 


the  evil  doer  receive  interruption  from  the 
magistrate,  the  work  will  go  on  in  the  most 
gradual  and  yet  effectual  manner.  God  is 
raising  up  native  converts  of  character  and 
talents  suited  to  it.  It  is  possible  for  ten  of 
these  brethren  to  enter  a  district,  to  go  un- 
observed through  the  principal  towns,  sit 
down  in  a  private  circle,  gently  reason,  con- 
vey ideas  of  divine  truth,  and  turn  persons 
from  darkness  to  light,  nearly  unobserved. 
Thus  a  town,  a  district,  a  country,  could  be 
leavened  with  the  blessed  gospel,  almost 
without  the  knowledge  of  the  wealthy  and 
great,  even  of  their  own  countrymen. 

"  The  only  thing  necessary  for  European 
missionaries  is  that,  as  long  as  they  deserve 
the  confidence  of  government,  they  be  per- 
mitted to  fix  their  residence  in  those  places 
which  will  enable  them  to  exercise  a  neces- 
sary superintendence,  and  administer  sup- 
port to  these  native  brethren  ;  to  visit  the  so- 
cieties which  are  formed  ;  and,  as  occasion 
offers,  dispense  with  prudence  the  word  of 
life.  It  were  the  easiest  thing  imaginable 
for  government  to  obtain  from  European 
missionaries  the  most  ample  pledges  of  good 
behavior,  and  to  withdraw  ^its  protection 
the  moment  they  ceased  to  deserve  it.  A 
good  man  would  feel  a  pleasure  in  giving 
such  security  ;  and,  what  is  more,  his  being 
a  good  man  would  itself  be  a  security. — 
What  security  could  have  been  exacted 
from  a  Schwartz,  equal  to  that  which  his 
own  wise  and  benevolent  heart  afforded  ? 
Nor  is  this  peculiar  to  Schwartz  ;  it  is  the 
feeling  of  every  real  missionary. 

"  A  permission  to  itinerate  and  form  mis- 
sionary stations  in  the  country,  so  far  from 
being  injurious  to  the  British  government, 
would  advance  its  essential  interests.  In 
every  missionary  it  would  have  a  friend  ; 
a  friend  whose  influence  and  capacity  of 
rendering  service  would  be  constantly  in- 
creasing. What  were  the  advantages  which 
the  English  derived  from  one  Schwartz  in 
the  Mysore  country  ?  And  what  would  be 
the  effect  of  their  having  at  this  moment  a 
hundred  Schwartz's  in  India,  each  with  his 
train  of  pious,  peaceable,  loyal,  and  faithful 
disciples  ?  These  messengers  of  peace 
and  love  (  and  all  others  we  give  up  )  would 
endear  to  the  inhabitants  the  very  nation 
to  which  they  belonged.  Who  are  these, 
they  would  ask,  that  so  manifestly  seek  our 
good,  and  not  their  own  ?  The  answer, 
that  they  are  English,  must  exhibit  an  idea 
of  the  government  and  nation  which  the 
natives  can  never  have  displayed  before 
their  eyes  too  often. 

"  But,  if  a  missionary  could  so  far  forget 
himself  and  his  object  as  to  cherish  a  spirit 
inimical  to  government,  still,  one  would 
suppose,  his  own  interest  would  correct 
him.  To  whom  are  he  and  his  friends  in- 
debted for  sequrity  ?  Without  the  protec- 
tion of  government,  they  would  be  contin- 


STRICTURES    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARING's    PREFACE. 


581 


ually  in  danger  of  being  massacred.  If, 
however,  the  folly  of  any  one  should  render 
him  insensible  to  these  considerations,  he 
must  abide  the  consequences.  Let  him 
bear  his  own  burden." 

Sir,  I  cannot  persuade  myself  that  the 
East  India  Company  will  adopt  the  princi- 
ples of  Mr.  Twining.  They  have  too  much 
good  sense  to  be  alarmed  at  every  outcry, 
too  much  justiceto  ascribe  danger  to  causes 
from  which  it  never  arose,  and  too  much 
wisdom  to  banish  men  Avho  have  always 
approved  themselves  the  faithful  friends  of 
their  government.  Whatever  be  the  mind 
of  individuals,  I  trust  that  neither  they  nor 
the  British  government,  as  a  body,  are  pre- 
pared to  prohibit  the  free  circulation  of  the 
Scriptures,  or  the  temperate  propagation 
of  Christianity. 

I  am  aware,  indeed,  that  persecution  has 
of  late  made  its  appearance  in  our  IVest  In- 
dia colonies  and,  if  Mr.  Twining  and  his 
party  could  succeed,  there  is  too  much  rea- 
son to  fear  that  we  should  see  the  same 
thing  in  the  east ;  but  I  am  also  aware  that, 
in  the  first  instance,  it  was  disallowed  by 
his  majesty  in  coujvcii,  ;  and,  though  it 
lias  since  been  revived  on  a  narrower  scale, 
yet  I  trust  it  will  not  be  permitted  either 
in  the  west  or  in  the  east  to  accomplish  its 
end. 

It  is  not  difficult,  sir,  to  account  for  that 
aversion  from  religion  which  is  so  frequent- 
ly found  in  men  who  have  left  their  coun- 
try at  an  early  period  in  pursuit  of  a  fortune. 
They  neither  understood  nor  believed  the 
gospel  when  at  home  ;  and  on  going  abroad 
took  leave  of  Christian  ordinances,  and  of 
all  respect  for  them.  They  may  wish,  in- 
deed, for  certain  reasons,  to  retain  the  name 
of  Christians ;  but  that  is  all  :  they  cannot 
bear  the  thing,  nor  that  any  about  them 
should  be  in  earnest  in  the  profession  of  it. 
But,  whatever  measures  may  be  taken  by 
men  who  have  become  aliens  from  that 
which  is  the  glory  of  their  country,  I  trust 
there  will  be  found  a  sufficient  number  of 
the  rulers  and  inhabitants  of  this  land  to 
counteract  them.  If  not,  let  us  talk  as  we 
may  against  French  atheism,  we  are  fast 
sinking  into  it. 

If,  sir,  there  be  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the 
earth,  the  danger  lies  in  making  him  our 
enemy.  It  is  a  principle  which  cannot  be 
disputed,   however  it  may  be   disregarded, 

THAT  WHATEVER  IS  RIGHT  IS  WISE,  AND 
WHATEVER  IS  WRONG  IS  FOOLISH  AND  DAN- 
GEROUS. Sir,  the  tombs  of  nations,  succes- 
sively buried  in  oblivion,  have  this  truth 
inscribed  on  every  one  of  them.  It  was  by 
"fforbidding  Christian  ministers  to  speak 
unto  the  Gentiles  that  they  might  be  saved, 
that  the  most  favored  nation  upon  the  earth 
filled  up  the  measure  of  its  sins,  and  drew 
upon  it  the  wrath  of  heaven  to  the  utter- 
most ! " 


At  a  time,  sir,  when  many  and  great  na- 
tions are  overthrown  nations  which  have 
not  possessed  our  privileges,  and  therefore 
have  not  incurred  our  guilt — when  we  are 
engaged  in  the  most  tremendous  struggle 
that  this  country  ever  knew,  a  struggle  for 
our  very  existence — and  when,  on  certain 
occasions,  we  profess  to  fast  and  to  humble 
ourselves  before  Almighty  God,  shall  we 
raise  from  its  slumbers  the  wicked  system 
of  persecution?  " Do  we  provoke  the 
Lord  to  jealousy  ?  Are  we  stronger  than 
He  ?  " 

Mr.  Twining  may'be  disgusted  at  the  idea 
of  the  eastern  empire  being  given  us  by  pro- 
vidence,ybr  the  very  purpose  of  introducing 
the  gospel  (p.  25 ;)  but,  if  it  be  so,  it  is  no 
more  than  God's  having  formerly  given  it  to 
Cyrus,  "for  Jacob  his  servant's  sake." — Isa. 
xlv.  1 — 4.  Men  may  scorn  to  be  subservient 
to  their  Maker  ;  but  whether  they  consent  or 
not,  it  will  be  so.  The  conquests  of  Rome 
made  way  for  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
into  Britain  ;  and  those  of  Britain  may  make 
way  for  its  general  introduction  in  the  east. 
Should  Britain  be  friendly  to  this  object,  it 
may  be  the  lengthening  of  her  tranquillity; 
but,  as  an  eloquent  writer*  observes,  "If  we 
decline  the  illustrious  appointment,  God  may 
devolve  on  some  less  refractory  people  those 
high  destinies  which  might  have  been  ours. 
'  Who  knoweth  whether  we  are  come  to  the 
kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this  ?  If  we  al- 
together hold  our  peace  at  this  time,  then 
may  there  enlargement  and  deliverance 
arise  to  them  from  another  place,  and  we 
and  our  father's  house  may  be  destroyed.' " 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully  yours, 

Andrew  Fuller. 


SECTION  II. 

STRICTURES  ON  THE  PREFACE  TO  A  PAMPH- 
LET ENTITLED  "OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE 
PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  EAST  INDIA  COM- 
PANY." 

This  performance,  though  anonymous, 
has  been  generally  ascribed  to  Major  Scott 
Waring  :  and,  as  I  understand  that  that  gen- 
tleman has  since  publicly  avowed  himself  to 
be  the  author,  I  shall  consider  him  as  such 
in  the  following  remarks. 

Mr.  Twining's  performance  had  scarcely 
any  thing  tangible  about  it.  It  was  chiefly 
made  up  of  quotations,  with  here  and  there 
a  sentence  distinguished  by  italics,  or  capi- 
tals of  different  sizes,  according,  it  should 
seem,  to  the  different  degrees  of  suspicion 
and  alarm  which  possessed  the  mind  of  the 
author.     But  Major  Scott  Waring  attempts  to 

*  Mr.  Wrangham's  sermon,  On  the  Translation 
of  the  Scriptures  into  the  Oriental  Languages, 
preached  before  the  University  of  Cambridge,  on 
May  10,  1807.— p.  11. 


582 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


reason  ;  and,  as  lie  certainly  has  entered  into 
the  subject  ivilh  all  his  heart,  we  may  hope 
from  hence  to  ascertain  the  real  strength  of 
our  adversaries. 

Having  given  his  preface  a  cursory  re- 
view, I  determined,  before  I  sat  down  to 
answer  it,  to  read  through  his  pamphlet ;  and, 
on  looking  it  over,  I  found  that  though  the 
"  Observations  "  related  chiefly  to  things 
beside  my  province,  yet  they  contained  pas- 
sages worthy  of  attention;  especially  when 
compared  with  others,  and  with  the  general 
design  of  his  performance.  A  few  of  these 
I  shall  take  the  liberty  to  transcribe. 

"For  many  centuries,  we  believe,  Chris- 
tian missionaries  have  resided  in  India,  with 
the  free  consent  of  the  native  princes.  These 
men  were  generally,  if  not  universally,  pure 
in  their  morals,  and  inoffensive  in  their  con- 
duct; and  many  of  them  highly  respected 
by  the  princes  of  India,  who  allowed  them  to 
preach  the  gospel,  and  to  make  as  many 
converts  as  they  could  to  the  Christian  reli- 
gion."— p.  9. 

"  Missionaries  can  do  no  mischief  in  India, 
if  they  are  treated  as  formerly,  neither  en- 
couraged nor  oppressed  ;  but,  if  men  paid  by 
the  British  government  are  encouraged  to 
make  converts  to  Christianity,  our  empire 
will  be  in  danger." — p.  14. 

"  The  missionaries  now  in  India,  or  those 
who  may  go  thither  in  future,  should  be 
treated  by  our  government  as  they  formerly 
were  by  the  native  princes.  In  that  case 
they  may  be  as  zealous  as  possible,  without 
doing  mischief.  Mr.  Buchanan  says  that  the 
Four  Gospels  have  been  translated,  and  lib- 
erally distributed.  If  that  was  done  at  the 
expense  of  the  Bible  Society  in  England,  or 
of  the  other  religious  societies  in  Europe, 
the  measure  was  laudable  ;  but  if  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  Company,  and  from  their  press, 
it  was  most  impolitic,  and  made  use  of,  no 
doubt,  by  the  sons  of  Tippoo  Sultaun,  to  ex- 
cite the  seapoys  to  mutiny.  The  true  line 
for  the  British  government  to  pursue  is  ob- 
vious ;  let  missionaries  make  as  many  con- 
verts as  they  can,  but  give  them  no  support 
on  the  one  hand,  nor  discouragement  on  the 
other.  Let  us  copy  the  example  of  the  na- 
tive princes  in  allowing  the  missionaries  of 
this  day  to  preach  the  gospel  also,  but  there 
let  us  stop."— pp.  22,  23. 

"  No  jealousy  was  ever  entertained,  either 
by  Mahomedan  or  Hindoo  princes,  because 
missionaries  were  settled  in  their  countries 
who  now  and  then  converted  one  of  their 
subjects  to  Christianity.  No  jealousy  will 
now  be  entertained  of  their  having  similar 
success,  while  the  British  government,  which 
stands  in  possession  of  the  power  formerly 
enjoyed  by  the  native  princes,  is  contented 
merely  with  following  their  example." — 
p.  25. 

As  I  have  no  concern  in  any  plan  which 
would  be  expensive  to  government,  or  would 


require  their  interference  in  any  way  be- 
yond simple  protection  to  the  missionaries, 
and  that  no  longer  than  their  conduct  is  found 
to  be  deserving  of  it,  I  have  no  dispute  with 
Major  Scott  Waring  on  what  he  has  here 
advanced.  If  he  suspects  Mr.  Carey  to  be 
paid  by  government,  or  the  translations  in 
which  he  is  engaged  to  be  printed  or  circu- 
lated at  their  expense,  I  can  assure  him  it  is 
without  foundation.  The  salary  which  he 
receives  is  not  as  a  missionary,  but  merely 
as  a  professor  of  the  Shanscrit  and  Benga- 
lee languages.  Government  knows  nothing 
of  him,  or  his  colleagues,  as  missionaries, 
any  farther  than,  when  mentioning  certain 
literary  works,  to  speak  of  those  works  as 
undertaken  by  "  the  protestant  missionaries 
at  Serampore."  Mr.  Carey's  salary  is  the 
due  reward  of  his  labors  as  a  literary  man. 
It  is  true,  he  disinterestedly  devotes  all  his 
savings  to  the  work  of  spreading  the  gospel ; 
but  the  same  may  be  said  of  more  than  one 
of  his  colleagues,  who  have  no  connection 
with  government,  and  whose  avocations  are 
productive  of  little,  if  any  thing,  less  than  his. 
And,  whatever  has  been  done  by  the  mis- 
sionaries in  translating  and  circulating  the 
Scriptures,  has  been  done  at  the  expense  of 
societies  and  individuals.  Whether  any 
translations  have  been  printed  at  the  Com- 
pany's press,  I  cannot  speak  with  certainty. 
I  think  it  is  highly  probable  they  have  not; 
of  this,  however,  I  am  certain,  that  those 
which  are  enumerated  by  Mr.  Carey  [in 
page  579  of  this  volume]  were  printed  at 
Serampore.  When  it  was  determined  to 
translate  the  Scriptures  into  all  the  eastern 
languages,  government  permitted  them  to 
advertize  in  their  Gazette  for  subscriptions 
to  the  work  :  but,  to  argue  from  this  that 
they  had  any  pecuniary  concern  in  the  un- 
dertaking, is  absurd  ;  for,  if  so,  what  need 
was  there  to  advertize  for  private  subscrip- 
tions ? 

Upon  the  whole,  it  follows  that  what  has 
been  done  is,  in  Major  Scott  Waring's 
opinion,  "laudable,"  and  was  not  made  use 
of  to  excite  the  seapoys  to  mutiny.  And 
here  I  might  take  leave  of  this  gentleman, 
were  it  not  for  his  preface,  with  the  satis- 
faction of  our  labors  having  obtained  his  ap- 
probation and  applause.  For,  as  to  what  he 
says  of  the  hopelessness  of  attempting  to 
convert  the  Hindoos,  that  is  to  ourselves. 
We  derive  hope  from  a  book  with  which  he 
may  be  but  little  acquainted ;  and,  so  long 
as  we  do  "  no  mischief,"  why  should  we  be 
interrupted  ? 

But,  when  I  look  into  the  preface,  I  find 
a  new  and  a  contradictory  publication. 
Whether  the  "  Observations  "  were  written 
at  so  distant  a  period  that  he  had  forgotten 
them, ■. or  whether  the  late  "intelligence 
from  Madras  "  proved  so  alarming  to  him  as 
to  produce  an  entire  change  in  his  princL 
pies — whatever  was  the  cause,  there  is  cer. 


STRICTURES    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARlNG's    PREFACE. 


583 


tainly  a  most  violent  opposition  between  the 
one  and  the  other. 

Before  we  proceed  to  examine  this  ex- 
traordinary preface,  which  is  nearly  as  large 
as  the  book  itself,  it  may  be  proper  to  re- 
mark that  Major  Scott  Waring  knows  no- 
thing of  the  effects  of  Christian  missions  in 
India  of  late  years,  but  from  the  report  of 
their  adversaries.  The  reader  will  recollect 
what  was  quoted  from  Mr.  Carey's  letter  of 
February  13,  1807  [in  page  5?G  of  this  vol- 
ume,] and  the  intimation  there  given  of  a 
number  of  persons  who  ivere  at  that  time  pre- 
paring to  embark  for  Europe,  ivith  a  view  to 
spread  the  alarm  at  home.  These  are  the 
men  from  whom  the  author  derives  his  in- 
telligence. "  Various  private  accounts" 
says  he,  "from  men  of  sense,  observation, 
and  character,  mention,"  &c. — p.  1.  And 
again,  "  I  am  assured,  by  gentlemen  lately 
returned  from  India,  that,"  &c. — p.  xlii. 
These,  or  some  gentlemen  like-minded, 
have  been  endeavoring  by  private  letters, 
during  the  whole  of  1807,  to  excite  suspi- 
cions against  [us.  But,  when  told  of  these 
things,  our  answer  has  been,  "  Let  us  not 
be  judged  by  private  letters  :  let  our  adver- 
saries come  forward  and  accuse  the  mission- 
aries ;  or,  at  least,  give  proof  of  their  labors 
having  been  injurious."  * 

I  know  not  who  these  gentlemen  are,  and 
therefore  can  have  no  personal  disrespect  to 
any  of  them  :  but,  whoever  they  be,  I  have 
no  scruple  in  saying  that  their  reports,  as 
given  in  the  performance  before  me,  are  ut- 
terly unworthy  of  credit.  Of  this  the  reader 
will  be  convinced,  I  presume,  in  the  course 
of  these  remarks. 

Major  Scott  Waring,  as  if  conscious  that 
private  reports  were  of  no  use,  unless  to  fill 
up  the  deficiencies  of  what  is  public  and 
authentic,  begins  with  the  \Proclamation 
from  the  Madras  Government,  on  Dec.  3, 
180(3 ;  ^that  is,  about  six  months  after  the 
mutiny  at  Vellore.  This  proclamation 
states  that,  in  some  late  instances,  an  extra- 
ordinary degree  of  agitation  had  prevailed 
among  several  corps  of  the  native  army  of 
that  coast — that,  on  inquiry  into  the  cause, 
it  appeared  that  many  persons  of  evil  inten- 
tion had  endeavored,  for  malicious  purposes, 
to  impress  upon  the  native  troops  a  belief 
that  it  was  the  wish  of  the  British  govern- 
ment to  convert  them,  by  forcible  means,  to 
Christianity — that  such  malicious  reports 
had  been  observed  with  concern  to  be  be- 
lieved by  many  of  the  native  troops — and 
that  they  were  utterly  without  foundation, 
—pp.  i— v. 

Such  is  "  the  alarming  intelligence  lately 
received  from  Madras."  From  hence  Ma- 
jor Scott  Waring  takes  occasion  "humbly  to 

*  Private  intelligence  is  proper  on  some  occa- 
sions; but,  in  cases  of  accusation,  no  man  should 
be  able  to  take  away  another's  character  without 
risking  his  own. 


submit  to  the  consideration  of  his  majesty's 
ministers,  the  East  India  Company,  and  the 
legislature,  a  plan  for  restoring  that  confi- 
dence which  the  natives  formerly  reposed  in 
the  justice  and  policy  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, as  to  the  security  of  their  religion, 
laws,  and  local  customs."  And  what  is  it  ? 
Nothing  less  than  "  the  immediate  recal 
of  every  english  missionary,  and  a 
prohibition  to  all  persons  dependent 
on  the  Company  from  giving  assistance 
to  the  translation  or  circulation 
of  our  holy  scriptures." — p.  xvii.  These 
the  author  thinks  "the  most,  and  indeed 
the  only,  efficacious  measures."  That  they 
would  be  efficacious  there  can  be  no  doubt ; 
and  such  would  be  the  application  of  a 
guillotine  for  the  cure  of  the  head-ache  ; 
but  whether  it  be  just  or  wise  is  another 
question. 

If  I  had  written  the  "Observations,"  and 
had  been  afterwards  convinced  that  the 
principles  they  contained  were  erroneous,  I 
think  I  should  not  have  sent  out  a  new  edi- 
tion of  them:  or,  if  justice  had  failed  to  in- 
fluence me,  a  regard  to  consistency  would 
have  prevented  my  publishing  them  and 
their  refutation  in  the  same  pampldet ;  but 
to  publish  that  refutation  in  the  form  of  a 
preface  is  beyond  every  thing.  To  preface 
his  work  by  contradicting  its  leading  prin- 
ciples is  advertising  his  reader  that  he  has 
sold  him  a  bad  commodity.  Should  his 
Majesty's  ministers,  the  East  India  Compa- 
ny, or  the  Legislature,  attend  to  this  gen- 
tleman's performance,  in  what  part  are  they 
to  regard  him?  In  the  preface  they  are  ad- 
vised "  immediately  to  recal  every  English 
missionary  ; "  but>  as  they  read  on,  they  are 
told  that  "  the  true  line  for  the  British  gov- 
ernment to  pursue  is  obvious ;  let  Mission- 
aries be  as  zealous  as  they  may,  and  make 
as  many  converts  as  they  can,  provided 
they  be  neither  encouraged  on  the  one  hand 
nor  discouraged  on  the  other,  they  can  do 
no  mischief."  What  then  are  they  to  do, 
unless  it  be  to  disregard  the  whole  as  nuga- 
tory ? 

And  what  have  these  English  missiona- 
ries done,  that  they  are  to  be  immediately 
recalled ;  and  these  holy  Scriptures,  that 
they  are  not  to  be  translated  or  circulated 
by  any  one  dependent  on  the  Company  ? 
Nothing.  As  to  the  former,  it  is  not  pre- 
tended that  they  had  any  hand  in  the  tragi- 
cal event  at  Vellore.  On  the  contrary,  they 
are  expressly  acquitted  of  it. — p.  xi.  And, 
as  to  the  latter,  no  accusation  has  yet  been 
brought  against  them.  But  evil-minded 
men,  it  seems,  have  taken  occasion,  from  the 
increase  of  the  one  and  the  gratuitous  circu- 
lation of  the  other,  to  misrepresent  the  de- 
signs of  government;  and,  therefore,  it  is 
necessary  to  proceed  to  this  extremity.  The 
author,  "it  must  be  acknowledged,  has  hit 
upon  a  happy  expedient  for  suppressing  the 


584 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


Scriptures ;  for,  if  he  can  once  get  the  men 
who  are  employed  in  translating  and  circu- 
lating them  recalled,  there  is  no  danger  of 
their  doing  any  further  mischief.  So  long 
as  they  are  locked  up  in  an  unknown  lan- 
guage, all  Asia  may  continue  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  under  the  dominion  of 
imposture. 

But  why  must  the  missionaries  be  recall- 
ed immediately  ?  It  was  said  by  a  wise 
heathen,  Ye  ought  to  do  nothing  rashly. 
Permit  us,  at  least,  to  ask  a  question  or  two 
before  we  are  condemned. 

In  the  first  place  :  When  were  these  mis- 
representations made  ?  Is  there  any  proof 
of  their  having  existed  be/ore  the  mu- 
tiny, so  as  to  have  had  any  influence  in  pro- 
ducing it  ?  None  at  all.  But  we  are  told 
that  "it  is  impossible,  impolitic  as  the  meas- 
ure was,  that  the  mere  change  in  the  dress 
of  the  seapoys  could  have  produced  a  gene- 
ral belief  that  the  British  government  was 
resolved  to  compel  them  to  embrace  Chris- 
tianity."— p.  1.  I  answer,  there  is  no  proof 
that  such  a  general  belief  existed;  no,  not 
six  months  afterwards,  when  the  proclama- 
tion was  issued  ;  for  it  was  then  alleged  to 
have  extended  only  to  "  several  corps  of  the 
native  army  on  the  coast;"  and  at  the  time 
of  the  mutiny  there  is  no  proof  of  any  other 
belief  than  what  arose  from  the  impositions. 
With  what  color  of  evidence  can  this  writer 
pretend  that  "  the  great  increase  of  English 
missionaries  of  late  years,  and  the  gratui- 
tous distribution  of  our  sacred  Scriptures 
throughout  the  whole  country"  were  con- 
nected with  the  impositions  in  dress,  in  the 
representations  made  to  the  seapoys,  when 
in  the  same  sentence  he  acknowledges 
those  impositions  to  have  affected  their  reli- 
gion ?  Allowing  it  to  be  what  he  calls  it, 
"  a  religious  mutiny"  yet  the  impositions  in 
dress  were  competent  to  produce  it.  Had 
he  not  been  determined  to  bring  in  these 
missionaries,  and  these  holy  Scriptures,  at 
any  rate,  he  would  have  concluded  that  the 
other  causes  were  "  sufficient  to  create  the 
alarm,"  Avithout  any  thing  else  being  con- 
nected with  them.  But  "  various  private  ac- 
counts from  men  of  sense,  observation,  and 
character,  mention  that  the  great  increase 
of  missionaries,  the  profuse  and  gratuitous 
circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  added  to  the 
change  of  dress,  were  represented  as  proofs 
of  our  resolution  ultimately  to  compel  them 
to  become  Christians." — p.  1.  Ah  that  is  it ! 
Major  Scott  Waring  knows  of  nothing  an- 
tecedent to  the  mutiny  ;  the  proclamation 
knows  of  nothing;  but  " private  accounts 
from  men  of  sense,  observation,  and  charac- 
ter," make  known  every  thing.  And  what 
have  they  to  say  on  this  subject?  They 
tell  of  the  great  increase  of  English  mission- 
aries of  late  years.  It  is  possible  there  may 
be  about  fifteen  or  sixteen :  but  nine  of 
them,  by  Major  Scott  Waring'a  own  reck- 


oning, are  in  Bengal,  where  no  alarm  worth 
mentioning  has  existed,  except  in  the  minds 
of  Europeans.  They  also  tell  of  "the  gra- 
tuitous circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  through- 
out the  whole  country." — pp.  x.  1.  The  truth 
is,  I  believe,  that  the  gratuitous  circulation 
of  the  Scriptures  has  been  hitherto  confined 
to  Bengal.  Thus  much,  at  present,  for  the 
private  accounts  of  these  men  of  sense,  ob- 
servation, and  character,  but  for  whose  in- 
formation we  could  not  have  known  of  any 
misrepresentations  being  made  to  the  sea- 
poys, prior  to  the  Vellore  mutiny. 

We  ask,  secondly,  Who  were  the  authors 
of  these  misrepresentations  ?  The  proclama- 
tion does  not  inform  us  ;  and  probably  gov- 
ernment did'  not  know,  or  they  would  have 
punished  the  offenders.  But  whether  it  be 
from  the  private  accounts  of  these  men  of 
sense,  observation,  and  character,  or  from  some 
other  source  of  information,  Major  Scott 
Waring  makes  it  out  that  they  were  "  disaf- 
fected natives  of  the  Carnatic  and  the  My- 
sore."— p.  x.  This,  if  applied  to  what  took 
place  subsequent  to  the  mutiny,  may  have 
some  truth  in  it,  or  it  may  not.  The  evil- 
minded  persons  referred  to  in  the  proclama- 
tion, who  appear  to  have  availed  themselves 
of  the  mutiny  to  increase  the  alarm,  might  be 
disaffected  natives,  or  they  might  be  Europe- 
ans, who,  from  aversion  to  Christianity,  and 
a  desire  to  get  the  Scriptures  suppressed  and 
the  missionaries  recalled,  suggested  such 
things  to  the  seapoys  as  might  accomplish 
their  end.  It  is  remarkable  that,  in  the  very 
passage  in  which  this  writer  speaks  in  so  pos- 
itive a  strain  of  "the  disaffected  men  of  the 
Carnatic  and  Mysore  "  having  taken  advan- 
tage of  our  folly,  and  excited  the  troops  to 
mutiny,  he  exonerates  the  sons  of  Tippoo 
Sultaun,  whom  he  had  before,  with  equal 
positivity,  condemned.  "  We  know,"  he  had 
said  in  his  observations,  "  that  the  mutiny 
was  excited  by  the  sons  of  Tippoo  Sultaun, 
whose  emissaries  insinuated  that  the  change 
which  Ave  wished  to  adopt  in  the  dress  of  the 
seapoys  Avas  only  a  preparatory  step  tOAvards 
the  accomplishment  of  our  great  object,Avhich 
was  to  compel  them  to  embrace  Christianity." 
— p.  8.  But  in  the  preface  (p.  x.)  he  says, 
"  From  later  information  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  the  sons  of  Tippoo  Sultaun  are 
innocent  of  the  charge  preferred  against 
them ;  but  the  disaffected  men  of  the  Car- 
natic and  the  Mysore  did  take  advantage  of 
our  folly :  and  that  they  excited  the  troops 
to  a  religious  mutiny  is  beyond  a  doubt."  If 
this  gentleman's  knowledge  be  thus  unfound- 
ed, though  so  very  minute  and  particular 
that  he  Avould  almost  seem  to  have  been  an 
ear- witness,  Avhat  is  to  be  thought  of  his  con- 
jectures? and  Avhat  to  make  of  this  last  ac- 
count more  than  conjecture  I  cannot  tell. 
His  eagerness  to  charge  the  disaffected  na- 
tives looks  as  if  som>.  other  people  were  sus- 
pected.    Let  us  hear  the  other  side. 


STRICTURES  ON  MAJOR  SCOTT  WARING 's  PREFACE. 


585 


Mr.  Carey  says, "  India  swarms  with  deists ; 
and  deists  are,  in  my  opinion,  the  most  intol- 
erant of  mankind.  Their  great  desire  is  to 
exterminate  true  religion  from  the  earth.  I 
consider  the  alarms  which  have  been  spread 
through  India  as  the  fabrications  of  these  men. 
The  concurrence  of  two  or  three  circum- 
stances, in  point  of  time,  namely,  the  massa- 
cre at  Vellore,  the  rebellious  disposition  of 
the  inhabitants  in  some  part  of  Mysore,  and 
the  public  advertisements  for  subscriptions 
to  the  oriental  translations,  have  furnished 
them  with  occasion  to  represent  the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity  among  the  natives  as 
dangerous." 

Dr.  Kerr's  Report,  dated  Madras,  July  23, 
1807,  twelve  months  after  the  mutiny,  con- 
firms Mr.  Carey's  statement.  He  clearly 
shows  that,  in  his  opinion,  the  evil-minded 
persons,  who  industriously  circulated  reports 
nearly  allied  to  the  above,  were  not  natives, 
but  Europeans,  hostile  to  religion  and  its  in- 
terests. "  Various  reports,"  says  he,  "  have 
been  industriously  circulated,  by  evil-minded 
persons  hostile  to  religion  and  its  interests, 
that  the  natives  would  be  alarmed  were  mis- 
sionaries allowed  to  come  out  to  India;  but 
I  feel  myself  authorized,  by  a  near  acquaint- 
ance with  many  of  the  protestant  missiona- 
ries now  in  India,  and  a  perfect  knowledge 
of  the  respect  which  is  entertained  for  them 
by  all  descriptions  of  the  natives,  to  repeat 
what  I  have  formerly  stated  to  government, 
that  these  men  are,  and  always  have  been, 
more  beloved  by  the  natives  than  any  other 
class  of  Europeans  ;  and  it  is  to  be  accounted 
for  on  the  most  rational  grounds, — that  is, 
they  learn  their  language  intimately ;  they 
associate  with  them  in  a  peaceable,  humble 
manner,  and  do  them  every  act  of  kindness 
in  their  power  ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  the 
example  of  their  Christian  lives  produces  the 
very  highest  respect  amongst  heathens, 
unaccustomed  to  behold  such  excellence 
amongst  each  other.  The  lives  of  such  men 
in  India  have  always  been  a  blessing  to  the 
country,  and  I  heartily  wish  that  all  such 
characters  may  be  encouraged  to  come 
amongst  us." 

The  above  statements  from  Mr.  Carey,  and 
Dr.  Kerr,  I  may  venture  to  place  against  the 
anonymous  accounts  of  men  of  sense,  observa- 
tion, and  character  ;  and,  if  they  be  true,  they 
not  only  furnish  an  exposition  to  the  labors 
of  Messrs.  Twining,  Scott  Waring,  and  Co., 
but  fully  account  for  those  apprehensions 
which,  it  is  said,  "existed  as  late  as  March, 
1807,  three  months  after  the  date  of  the  proc- 
lamation ;  and  which  induced  the  British  offi- 
cers attached  to  the  native  corps  constantly 
to  sleep  with  loaded  pistols  under  their  pil- 
lows."— p.  xi.  An  event  so  tragical  as  that 
at  Vellore  would  itself,  indeed,  suggest  the 
necessity  of  such  a  precaution,  and  that  for  a 
considerable  time  after;  and  still  more  so 
when  the  flame  was  fanned  by  evil-minded 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  74 


persons.  Yes,  reader,  if  these  statements  be 
true,  it  follows  that  the  enemies  of  Christian- 
ity, after  having  themselves  excited  these 
alarms,  are  now  actually  attempting  to  trans- 
fer the  responsibility  for  their  consequences 
to  the  missionaries. 

We  ask,  lastly,  let  these  misrepresentations 
have  been  fabricated  when  and  by  whom  they 
might,  Is  it  just,  or  wise,  to  recal  those  per- 
sons who  are  acknowledged  to  have  had  no 
concern  in  them,  or  to  suppress  the  circulation 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures  on  that  account  ? 

A  great  outrage  has  certainly  been  com- 
mitted. What  was  the  cause  ?  According 
to  Major  Scott  Waring,  the  Madras  govern- 
ment acted  absurdly ;  first,  in  changing  so 
suddenly  a  native  to  an  English  administra- 
tion, and  then  in  imposing  such  alterations 
in  the  dress  of  the  seapoys  as  affected  their 
religion.  And  when,  in  addition  to  this,  they 
were  told,  by  evil-minded  persons,  of  the 
great  increase  of  missionaries,  and  the  gra- 
tuitous circulation  of  the  Scriptures  through- 
out the  country,  they  believed  govern- 
ment intended  to  compel  them  to  become 
Christians  ;  and,  though  the  thing  was  not 
true,  yet  it  was  by  no  means  irrational  for 
them  to  believe  it. — p.  ix.  x.  Supposing  this 
account  to  be  correct,  where  is  the  justice  of 
punishing  men  for  their  numbers  being  mag- 
nified, and  their  labors  misrepresented  by 
others  ?  If  an  atonement  be  necessary,  why 
select  them  as  victims  ?  If,  indeed,  the  evil- 
minded  incendiaries,  who  misrepresented 
their  designs  and  those  of  government,  could 
be  detected,  it  might  answer  a  good  end  to 
punish  them ;  but,  if  this  cannot  be  accom- 
plished, let  not  the  innocent  suffer. 

Major  Scott  Waring  seems,  indeed,  to  give 
up  the  justice  of  the  measure  ;  but  yet  con- 
tends for  it  as  of  "  absolute  necessity,  seeing 
the  proclamation  had  not  lulled  the  suspi- 
cions of  the  people." — p.  xi.  Such  are  the 
Machiavelian  politics  of  this  gentleman. 
Could  we  suppose  him  to  be  sufficiently  ac- 
quainted with  the  New  Testament,  we  might 
suspect  that  he  had  taken  up  this  opinion 
from  Caiaphas,  the  Jewish  high-priest,  who 
advised  the  crucifixion  of  our  Lord,  on  the 
principle  of  its  being  "  expedient  that  one 
man  should  die  for  the  people,  and  that  the 
whole  nation  perish  not." — John  xi.  49,  50. 

"  It  is  necessary  to  convince  the  natives," 
says  this  writer,  "  not  only  that  we  never  did 
entertain  the  wild  idea  of  compelling  them 
to  embrace  Christianity,  but  that  we  have  not 
a  wish  to  convert  them." — p.  vi.  It  cannot 
be  necessary  to  convince  the  natives  that 
Major  Scott  Waring,  and  all  who  are  like- 
minded  with  him,  have  not  a  wish  to  convert 
them  ;  and  as  to  others,  who  may  entertain 
the  idea  of  converting  them  ivithout  compul- 
sion, it  deserves  to  be  considered  whether 
the  recalling  of  them  would  not  have  a  con- 
trary effect  to  that  which  is  pretended.  The 
recal  of  the  missionaries,  and  the  virtual  sup- 


586 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


pression  of  the  Scriptures,  would  furnish  the 
natives  with  an  important  subject  of  reflec- 
tion. It  would  be  a  tacit  acknowledgment, 
on  the  part  of  government,  that,  till  instruct- 
ed by  the  Vellore  mutiny,  they  had  enter- 
tained "the  wild  idea  of  compelling  them  to 
embrace  Christianity  ;"  but  that  noiv  they 
have  become  sober  and  relinquished  it  ! 
Whether  such  a  measure  would  be  attrib- 
uted to  respect,  or  to  fear,  and  what  effects  it 
would  produce  on  the  army  and  the  country, 
let  common  sense  determine. 

As  the  main  design  of  this  preface  was  to 
excite  "his  majesty's  ministers, the  East  In- 
dia Company,  and  the  legislature,"  against 
the  missionaries  and  their  labors,  the  author, 
having  improved  the  Vellore  mutiny  as  far 
as  he  is  able,  proceeds  to  denounce  these 
men,  and  all  who  have  been  in  any  way  abet- 
tors of  their  dangerous  designs.  The  Brit- 
ish and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  who  have  aid- 
ed them  as  translators  ;  Mr.  Brown  and  Dr. 
Buchanan,  who  have  encouraged  them  ;  and 
Dr.  Kerr,  who  is  engaged  in  the  same  cause 
with  them,  all  come  in  for  a  share  of  his  cen- 
sures. 

"Dr.  Buchanan  conceives,"  says  he, "that 
it  is  by  no  means  submitted  to  our  judgment, 
or  to  our  notions  of  policy,  whether  we  shall 
embrace  the  means  of  imparting  Christian 
knowledge  to  our  subjects  or  not." — p.  xxv. 
The  major  probably  thinks  this  a  very  ivild 
opinion  :  yet  it  only  amounts  to  this,  that 
God  is  greater  than  man,  and  that  what  re- 
spects the  promotion  of  his  kingdom  in  the 
earth  must  not  be  rendered  subservient  to 
worldly  interests.  But  this,  he  tells  us,  "  was 
precisely  the  doctrine  of  the  Spaniards  and 
Portuguese,  when  they  discovered  the  new 
world  ;  and  they  extirpated  millions  of  un- 
fortunate men  in  propagating  their  doctrines 
by  the  sword."  If  there  be  any  force  in  this 
remark,  (which  seems  to  be  a  favorite  one,) 
it  is  because  the  persecuting  conduct  of  these 
nations  was  the  legitimate  and  necessary  con- 
sequence of  the  doctrine  in  question.  But 
why  might  they  not  have  considered  them- 
selves as  under  indispensable  obligation  to 
impart  the  means  of  Christian  knowledge, 
without  being  obliged  to  follow  it  with  per- 
secution? Does  it  follow,  because  they 
were  not  obliged  to  extend  their  religious 
principles  by  the  sword,  that  we  are  not 
obliged  to  extend  ours  without  the  sword? 

Many  things  are  said  on  the  impolicy  of 
Dr.  Buchanan's  visit  to  the  Syrian  Christians, 
and  that  of  Dr.  Kerr  to  the  Malabar  coast. 
It  seems  to  have  given  this  writer  serious 
offence  that  the  governor  of  Madras  should 
have  given  the  epithet  "important"  to  an 
inquiry  relating  to  Christianity. — p.  xxix. 
He  calls  it  "  the  most  trifling  of  all  possible 
subjects  connected  with  the  welfare  of  our 
oriental  empire." — p.  xxxiii.  He  speaks  of 
this  empire  as  being  "conquered  by  British 
valor." — p.  xl.     God  and  religion,  therefore, 


it  should  seem,  can  have  nothing  to  do  with 
it.  No,  let  the  missionaries  go  to  Africa,  to 
the  South  Sea  Islands,  or  to  the  wilds  of 
America  ;  but  let  them  not  come  hither ! 
"  O  thou  seer,  go,  flee  thee  away  into  the 
land  of  Judah,  and  there  eat  bread,  and 
prophesy  there  :  but  prophesy  not  again  any 
more  at  Bethel :  for  it  is  the  king's  chapel, 
and  it  is  the  king's  court." — Amos  vii.  12, 13. 
Yet  this  gentleman  would  be  thought,  after 
all,  to  be  a  Christian,  and  "  trusts  it  will  not 
be  imputed  to  indifference  for  the  eternal 
welfare  of  the  people  of  India"  that  he  ad- 
vises what  he  does ! 

But  as  Dr.  Buchanan  and  Dr.  Kerr,  if 
they  judge  it  necessary,  are  able  to  vindi- 
cate themselves,  I  shall  confine  my  replies 
to  those  particulars  which  more  immediately 
concern  me.  Many  things  are  said  against 
"  the  English,  and  especially  the  baptist 
missionaries.  "  Such,  indeed,  is  the  quan- 
tity of  misrepresentation  contained  in  these 
few  pages,  that,  to  correct  it,  it  is  often 
necessary  to  contradict  every  sentence.  On 
this  account,  the  reader  must  frequently 
dispense  with  the  ordinary  forms  of  quoting 
and  answering  ;  and  consider  those  para- 
graphs which  are  marked  with  reversed 
commas  as  the  words  of  Major  Scott  War- 
ing, and  those  which  are  not  as  the  answers 
to  them.  I  do  not  accuse  my  opponent  of 
wilful  errors ;  but,  if  he  be  clear  of  them, 
his  information  must  be  extremely  incor- 
rect. 

"We  have  now  a  great  number  of  sec- 
tarian missionaries  spread  over  every  part 
of  India." — p.  xii.  Those  whom  Major 
Scott  Waring  is  pleased  to  honor  with  this 
appellation  may  amount  to  fifteen  or  sixteen, 
the  greater  part  of  whom  reside  at  Seram- 
pore,  near  Calcutta,  directly  under  the  eye 
of  the  supreme  government.  "  Mr.  Carey 
the  head  of  the  baptist  mission  in  Bengal, 
and  his  assistant  missionaries,  have  been 
employed,  since  the  year  1804,  in  transla- 
ting the  Scriptures  into  the  various  langua- 
ges of  India."  It  may  have  been  from  that 
period  that  the  work  of  translating  has  been 
conducted  on  so  extensive  a  scale  ;  but  for 
many  years  before  that  time  Mr.  Carey 
was  engaged  in  the  same  undertaking.  An 
edition  of  the  New  Testament,  in  Bengalee, 
was  printed  at  Serampore  in  1801,  a  copy 
of  which  is  now  in  His  Majesty's  library. 
"  Mr.  Carey  is  employed  in  translating  the 
Scriptures  into  the  Chinese  language." — p. 
xv.  The  Chinese  translation  is  not  the 
work  of  Mr.  Carey,  but  of  Mr.  Johannes 
Lassar,  a  learned  Armenian  Christian,  with 
other  assistants.  "  As  the  different  parts 
are  translated,  they  are  printed,  as  I  under- 
stand, at  the  Company' 's  press,  attached  to 
the  College  at  Calcutta."  If  this  were  true, 
while  no  man  is  forced  to  read  them,  no 
danger  could  arise  from  it :  but  there  is  very 
little,  if  any,  truth  in   it.     The  translations 


STRICTURES    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    VVARING's    PREFACE. 


5S7 


of  the  missionaries  have  been  printed  at 
Serampore.  "  Specimens  of  these  transla- 
tions have  been  sent  home  by  the  provost." 
It  seems,  then,  that  they  were  not  engaged 
in  any  thing  of  which  they  were  ashamed. 
"  The  natives  of  India  cannot  be  ignorant 
of  these  novel  and  extraordinary  proceen- 
ings  :" — Especially  while  their  most  learn- 
ed pundits  assist  in  the  Avork.  "They  can 
form  no  other  conclusion  than  this,  that, 
if  we  cannot  persuade,  we  shall  compel  them 
to  embrace  Christianity.  "  So  long  as  no 
compulsion  is  used  towards  them,  they  have 
more  sense  than  to  draw  such  conclusions, 
or  even  to  believe  them  when  drawn  for 
them  by  others  whom  they  consider  as  men 
of  no  religion. 

"  In  1781,  when  it  was  a  fixed  principle 
of  the  legislature  that  we  ought  never  to 
interfere  with  the  religion,  laws,  or  native 
customs  of  the  people  of  India,  a  proposi- 
tion for  free-schools  and  Christian  mission- 
aries could  not  have  been  listened  to.  " — p. 
xiii.  There  never  was  a  period,  since  the 
British  have  had  footing  in  India,  in  which 
either  free-schools  or  Christian  missionaries 
were  considered  as  an  interference  with  the 
religious  opinions  of  the  natives.  If  they 
were,  why  were  Schwartz  and  his  contem- 
poraries tolerated  ?  The  truth  is,  the  term 
"  interference  "  has  been  adopted  in  this 
controversy  to  answer  an  end,  and  the  idea 
which  our  adversaries  endeavor  to  attach 
to  it   is  altogether  novel. 

"  Thel  ate  bishop  of  St.  Asaph,  a  sound  and 
orthodox  divine,  and  one  of  the  main  pillars 
of  our  good  old  Church  of  England,  depreca- 
ted all  such  interference."  He  did  so  ;  and 
Major  Scott  Waring,  with  his  men  of  sense, 
observation,  and  character,  have,  doubtless, 
in  his  lordship's  decease,  lost  an  able  advo- 
cate. "  The  command  of  our  Saviour  to 
his  apostles,  to  preach  the  gospel  to  all  na- 
tions, did  not,  as  he  conceived,  apply  to 
us — and  his  opinion  in  1781  was  universal." 
Major  Scott  Waring  may  know  that  this 
was  the  opinion  of  the  late  bishop  of  St. 
Asaph ;  but  he  knows  very  little  indeed 
of  what  were  the  opinions  of  the  Christian 
world.  "  Since  that  period  many  very  wor- 
thy and  good  men  are  of  opinion  that,  as 
Christians,  it  is  incumbent  upon  us  to  spread 
the  Christian  religion  as  widely  as  we  pos- 
sibly can  ;  and  highly,  indeed,  do  I  ap- 
plaud their  zeal,  when  it  is  exercised  in 
countries  where  we  have  no  political  pow- 
er. "  Whatever  charges  we  may  exhibit 
against  Major  Scott  Waring,  we  cannot 
accuse  him  of  not  speaking  out. 

"I  do  not  exactly  know  what  are  baptist 
missionaries.  I  believe  they  may  be  classed 
with  Calvinistic  methodists,  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  Arminian  methodists." — p. 
xv.  We  can  excuse  the  author's  ignorance 
on  this  subject :  but  when  he  tells  us,  in 
the  same  page,  that  there  are    "  spread  over 


India,  baptist  missionaries,  Arminian  meth- 
odist,  and  united  brethren  missionaries," 
&c.  &c. ,  we  see  ignorance  combined  with 
something  worse.  The  Arminian  metho- 
dists have  no  mission  in  India,  and  never 
had.  The  united  brethren  have  formerly 
had  one  at  Serampore  ;  but,  I  believe,  at 
present  they  have  none.  Before  this  gen- 
tleman writes  again,  he  would  do  well  to 
consider  the  justness  of  the  remark  made 
by  himself,  and  to  apply  it  to  other  subjects, 
as  well  as  politics  :  "In  discussing  political 
questions,  a  certain  degree  of  acquaintance 
with  the  subject  is  supposed  to  be  requi- 
site."—p.  38. 

"  I  am  assured,  by  gentlemen  lately  return- 
ed from  India,  that,  notwithstanding  the  very 
great  increase  of  missionaries  of  late  years, 
the  case  is  not  changed  since  my  time  ;  that 
they  have  not  made  a  single  Mahomedan 
convert,  and  that  the  few  Hindoos  who  have 
been  converted  were  men  of  the  most  des- 
picable character,  who  had  lost  their  castes, 
and  took  up  a  new  religion  because  they 
were  excommunicated." — p.  xlii.  I  presume 
these  gentlemen  lately  returned  from  India 
are  the  same  persons  whom  this  writer  else- 
where denominates  men  of  sense,  observation 
and  character.  The  reader  will  now  be  able 
to  judge  of  the  value  of  these  boasted  au- 
thorities. Every  particular  in  this  par- 
agraph is  false.  There  has  been  no  such 
great  increase  of  missionaries  of  late  years 
as  is  pretended.  There  are  Mahomedans, 
as  well  as  Hindoos,  who  have  been  baptized. 
Out  of  more  than  eighty  natives  who  had 
been  baptized  before  May  25,  1806,  only 
three  had  previously  lost  caste,  eight  were 
brahmins,  and  seven  Mahomedans.  The 
whole  number  which  had  been  excluded  for 
immoral  conduct  might  amount  to  eight  or 
nine.  As  nearly  as  I  can  make  it  out  the 
above  is  a  true  statement.  The  reader  may 
see  a  list  of  the  baptized,  down  to  Nov.  1804, 
in  No.  XV.  Periodical  Accounts — Pref.  p. 
xiv.  I  can  assure  him  that  the  missionaries 
might  have  had  more  proselytes  than  they 
have,  if  they  would  have  received  such 
characters  as  these  men  report  them  to  have 
received  ;  but  their  object  is  to  make  con- 
verts to  Christ,  and  not  proselytes  to  them- 
selves. Indeed,  so  little  are  the  assertions 
of  this  writer  to  be  regarded,  with  respect 
to  the  character  of  the  native  converts,  that 
it  would  be  the  easiest  thing  imaginable  di- 
rectly to  confront  them  by  the  testimony 
of  competent  witnesses.  Mr.  J.  Fernandez, 
a  gentleman  who  came  from  India  early  in 
1806,  and  who  is  now  with  Dr.  Ryland  at 
Bristol,  makes  the  following  declaration  : — 
"  There  are  several  Mahomedan  converts 
among  the  missionaries,  and  some  very  re- 
spectable Hindoos  who  have  embraced 
Christianity.  To  the  best  of  my  recollec- 
tion, there  are  but  two  at  Serampore  who 
had  previously  lost  caste :  these  had  been 


588 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


for  a  long  time  reckoned  Portuguese,  and 
were  not  in  worse  circumstances  than  other 
people.  Some  of  the  highest  class  of  brah- 
mins have,  to  my  knowledge,  embraced  the 
gospel,  whom  the  natives  call  Mookoorja, 
Chattirja,  Barridja,"  &c.  As  to  what  is  said 
of  their  non-success,  either  by  Major  Scott 
Waring  or  the  gentleman  lately  returned 
from  India,  I  appeal  to  the  common  sense  of 
mankind,  whether,  if  they  themselves  be- 
lieved what  they  say,  they  would  raise  such 
an  opposition  as  they  do.  They  tell  us  the 
natives  are  alarmed  ;  but  the  alarm  is  with 
themselves.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable 
that  infidelity,  which  has  of  late  years 
threatened  to  swallow  up  Christianity, 
should  in  so  short  a  time  be  alarmed  for  it- 
self, and  for  its  pagan  and  Mahomedan  al- 
lies. A  small  detachment  from  the  Chris- 
tian army,  clad  in  the  armor  of  God,  and 
operating  as  in  a  way  of  diversion,  has 
caused  their  host  to  tremble,  and  to  cry  out 
to  the  civil  powers  to  assist  them  by  recall- 
ing these  men. 

This  gentleman  is  sufficiently  aware  of 
the  prejudice  which  exists  against  protestant 
dissenters,  and  knows  how  to  avail  himself 
of  it.  He  can  condescend  to  call  the  mis- 
sionaries sectaries  and  schismatics. — pp. 
xliii. — xlv.  And  would  he  have  liked  them 
better,  if  they  had  been  churchmen?  No; 
for  he  speaks  of  certain  gentlemen  as 
"clased  under  that  description  of  our  cler- 
gy who  are  termed  evangelical,,,  and  of 
their  being  all  for  "converting  the  Hindoos 
to  Christianity." — p.  xv.  Clergymen  of 
this  description  are,  in  his  account,  as  bad 
as  sectaries  and  schismatics.  The  truth  is, 
it  is  as  Chiistians  that  we  incur  his  dis- 
pleasure ;  only  he  judges  it  prudent  to  at- 
tack us  under  other  names. 

But  these  missionaries  are  also  repre- 
sented as  "illiterate,  ignorant,  and  as  enthu- 
siastic as  the  wildest  devotees  among  the 
Hindoos." — p.  xliv.  The  following  extract 
from  the  speech  of  Sir  George  Barlow,  pub- 
lished in  a  Calcutta  Gazette  Extraordinary, 
on  Saturday,  March  8,  1800,  will  prove  that 
all  men  are  not  of  Major  Scott  Waring's 
opinion.  "I  have  received  with  great  sat- 
isfaction the  information  that,  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Asiatic  Society,  the  society 
of  protestant  missionaries  at  the  Danish  set- 
tlement of  Serampore,  aided  and  superin- 
tended by  the  abilities  of  Mr.  Carey,  pro- 
fessor of  the  Shanscrit  and  Bengalee  lan- 
guages, has  undertaken  the  translation  of 
some  of  the  most  ancient  and  authentic 
works  of  literature  in  the  former  of  these 
languages." 

Of  the  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  Lon- 
don society,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  an  in- 
dividual who  is  either  "  ignorant  or  illite- 
rate ; "  though,  doubtless,  as  in  all  other 
bodies  of  men,  there  are  diversities  of  talent 
and  learning.     And,  with  respect  to  enthusi- 


asm, after  what  has  been  quoted  from  Major 
Scott  Waring,  no  Christian  need  be  offend- 
ed at  his  calling  him  an  enthusiast. 

This  gentleman  has  furnished  himself 
with  various  reports  from  the  missionary  so- 
cieties. Among  others,  he  has  met  with  a 
"  Sermon,"  preached  in  May  last  before 
"  The  Society  of  Missions  to  Africa  and  the 
East,"  of  which  society  admiral  lord  Gam- 
bier  is  a  governor.  It  seems,  then,  that  In- 
dia is  not  altogether  "  thrown  into  the  hands 
of  schismatics."  But  at  the  end  of  this  ser- 
mon is  an  account  of  a  brahmin,  as  given  by 
Mr.  John  Thomas,  in  the  "  Baptist  Periodi- 
cal Accounts."— Vol.  I.  pp.  22—26.  Let 
any  one  that  fears  God  read  that  account, 
and  compare  it  with  these  remarks  upon  it. 
I  had  the  curiosity,"  says  he,  "to  inquire 
after  Mr.  Thomas  and  his  convert,  and  I 
heard  that  they  both  died  raving  mad  in 
Bengal." — p.  xlvi.  We  may  suppose  this 
information,  as  well  as  the  preceding,  was 
received  from  the  gentlemen  lately  returned 
from  India.  It  is  worthy  of  them.  Parbo- 
tee,  however,  is  neither  dead  nor  insane. 
And  Mr.  Thomas,  though  his  mind  was  de- 
ranged for  a  month  or  two  at  one  period  of 
his  life,  yet  died  sane  and  happy.  Mr.  John 
Fernandez,  the  gentleman  before  referred 
to,  says,  "Mr.  Thomas  was  deranged  for  a 
short  time  ;  and  after  his  recovery  lived  with 
my  father  at  Dinagepore  for  a  considerable 
time  before  his  dissolution,  when  he  died 
very  happy.  As  for  Parbotee,  I  am  almost 
certain  that  he  is  still  alive.  He  was  so, 
however,  when  I  left  India  in  180G.  I  saw 
him  myself." 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  gentleman  is  for 
tolerating  the  Roman  Catholic  missionaries, 
and  all  others,  indeed,  except  "those  who 
possess  this  new  mania  for  conversion,  so  un- 
accountably taken  up." — p.  xlix.  We  per- 
fectly comprehend  him  ;  and,  I  hope,  shall 
profit  by  the  hint.  It  signifies  but  little 
with  him  how  many  missionaries  there  are, 
nor  by  what  names  they  are  called,  so  that 
they  are  not  in  earnest  for  the  salvation  of 
men.  We  will  follow  his  example  : — while 
we  adhere  to  that  denomination  which  ap- 
pears to  us  to  approach  nearest  to  the  Scrip- 
tures, we  will  recognize  the  Christian,  in 
whatever  communion  we  may  find  him. 
We  will  rejoice  in  the  good  which  is  done 
by  "  The  Society  for  promoting  Christian 
Knowledge,"  even  though  they  are  offend- 
ed with  their  missionaries,  for  nothing  that 
we  can  conceive  but  their  exercising  the 
common  duties  of  hospitality  to  ours.* 

*  See  the  last  Report  of  the  committee  of  this 
society,  No.  IV.  p.  165.  They  acknowledge  the 
documents  they  possess  to  be  quite  insufficient  to 
enable  them  to  form  a  judgment  of  the  true  ground 
of  certain  disorders  ;  but  "  Missionaries  from  an 
Anabaptist  Society,  and  from  that  called  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  have  called  upon 
them,  and  it  seems  received  some  countenance  from 


STRICTURES    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARING  S    PREFACE. 


539 


Major  Scott  Waring,  among'  other  mis- 
sionary reports,  has  procured  No.  XVI.  of 
the  "  Baptist  Periodical  Accounts,"  and  pro- 
poses giving  us  some  extracts  from  it.  Be- 
fore lie  does  this,  however,  he  presents  us 
with  a  few  particulars  by  way  of  introduc- 
tion ;  but  all,  as  the  reader  would  suppose, 
gathered  from  this  said  No.  XVI.  First,  he 
informs  us  that  "  nine  English  missionaries 
are  employed  by  this  society  in  Bengal 
alone.'1'' — p.  liii.  What  a  number  then  must 
they  employ,  the  reader  would  suppose,  in 
all  the  other  provinces  of  India!  It  hap- 
pens, however,  that  in  no  other  province  of 
Hindostan  have  they  ever  employed  a  single 
missionary.  Whether  the  gentlemen  lately 
returned  from  India  informed  the  author  of 
the  great  numbers  of  these  missionaries 
scattered  all  over  the  country,  or  however 
he  came  by  the  idea,  his  mind  is  certainly 
full  of  it,  and  it  has  led  him  into  a  curious 
train  of  reasoning.  "  The  jealousy  and  the 
alarm,"  says  he,  "  which  has  pervaded  the 
whole  Of  the  Carnatic  and  Mysore,  has  been 
but  partially  felt  in  Bengal,  because  [there] 
the  efforts  of  the  English  Missionaries  have 
hitherto  not  extended  beyond  a  few  incon- 
siderable villages,  and  the  populous  city  of 
Dacca." — p.  li.  They  have  been  more  ex- 
tensive then,  it  should  seem,  in  the  Carnatic 
and  Mysore  !  The  truth  is,  I  believe,  that 
not  an  English  missionary  has  entered 
either  of  these  countries.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  what  has  been  hitherto  done  is 
confined  to  Bengal  ;  for  though  the  London 
society  has  Jive  or  six  missionaries  in  other 
provinces,  some  of  which  may  be  near  to 
the  Carnatic,  yet  the  time  is  so  short  that 
they  have  scarcely  been  able,  at  present,  to 
acquire  the  languages.  But  in  Bengal  the 
baptist  mission  has  existed  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  the  labors  of  the  missionaries 
have  been  much  more  extensive  than  our 
author  would  seem  in  this  instance  to  appre- 
hend :  yet  there  these  "  alarms  have  been 
but  partially  felt !  "  Who  does  not  perceive 
the    consequence  ?      These    alarms    are 

NOT  THE  EFFECT  OF  MISSIONARY  EXER- 
TIONS. 

Major  Scott  Waring  goes  on  to  inform  his 
reader  of  a  number  of  particulars,  in  a  man- 
ner as  though  he  had  collected  them  from 
our  own  report.  Among  other  things,  he 
speaks  of  Mr.  Carey  as  "  having  apartments 
in  the  college  for  the  reception  of  his  brother 
missionaries  when  they  visit  Calcutta,"  and 
repeats  the  story  of  "  Mr.  Thomas  and  his 
convert  Parbotee  dying  mad  in  Bengal." — 
p.  53.  Did  he  learn  these  particulars  from 
No.  XVI.  or  from  the  gentlemen  lately  re- 
turned from  India  ?  It  were  singular  in- 
deed if  a  professor  in  a  college  had  no  apart- 

them;  and,  therefore,  this  committee  thinks  proper 
to  throw  out  a  suspicion  that  they  may  have  been 
the  occasion  of  these  evils! 


ments  in  it,  and  were  not  at  liberty  to  re- 
ceive any  person  who  may  call  upon  him. 

"In  the  company's  list  of  college  officers 
he  is  styled  Mr.  William  Carey  ;  but  the 
Bible  Society  has  given  him  the  dignified 
title  of  Reverend.'''' — p.  liii.  He  might  be 
called  Doctor  Carey,  or  Professor  Carey. 
Whether  either  of  these  titles  would  be 
less  displeasing  to  this  gentleman  I  cannot 
tell.  If  not,  whenever  he  has  occasion  to 
correspond  with  him,  he  may  lay  aside  all 
titles,  and  call  him,  as  I  do,  Mr,  Carey.  I 
can  answer  for  it  that  it  will  give  him  no 
offence. 

As  to  the  attempts  to  prove  from  the  mis- 
sionaries' own  accounts  that  they  have 
"  caused  considerable  uneasiness  among  the 
people  of  the  villages,"  Major  Scott  Waring 
may  make  what  he  can  of  them.  If  he  had 
given  extracts,  as  he  proposed,  and  referred 
to  the  pages,  it  would  have  appeared  that 
no  such  sensation  was  ever  produced  ivith 
respect  to  government.  It  was  confined,  as 
Mr.  Carey  says,  "to  abusive  language  from 
a  few  loose  persons  ; "  or,  at  most,  to  ill 
treatment  of  the  native  converts,  and  which, 
in  every  instance,  they  have  borne  with 
Christian  meekness  and  patience.  No  such 
thing  as  a  disturbance,  endangering  the 
peace  of  society,  has  occurred.  The  "  alarm  " 
which  the  appearance  of  a  European  is  al- 
lowed to  excite  (p.  Iviii.)  respects  him  not 
as  a  missionary,  but  as  a  European  ;  and  it 
is  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  this  as  much 
as  possible  that  the  labors  of  the  native 
converts  are  encouraged.  This  writer 
seems  to  think  it  sufficient  to  discredit  all 
missionary  attempts  that  he  can  prove  from 
our  own  accounts  that  we  have  strong 
prejudices  to  encounter,  and  judge  it  expe- 
dient, instead  of  violently  attacking  them, 
to  proceed  in  as  still  and  silent  a  way  as 
possible. 

A  very  heavy  charge  is  preferred  against 
one  of  the  missionaries,  as  having  perverted 
the  words  of  our  Lord  :  "Think  you  that  I 
am  come  to  send  peace  on  the  earth  ?  I  tell 
you  nay."  Yet  nothing  is  alleged  to  prove 
it  a  perversion,  except  that  the  gospel  incul- 
cates the  mild  doctrine  of  "  peace  on  earth, 
and  good  will  to  men." — p.  lix.  The  direct 
influence  of  the  gospel  is  no  doubt  what  he 
says  of  it ;  but  what  if,  owing  to  the  depravi- 
ty of  men,  it  should  in  many  instances  occa- 
sion the  most  bitter  enmity  and  opposition  ? 
Is  the  gospel  accountable  for  this  ?  Chris- 
tian compassion  has  been  known  to  excite 
the  foulest  resentment  in  some  men.  What 
then  ?  Is  Christian  compassion  ever  the 
worse  ? 

The  remarks  on  the  journey  to  Dacca 
(pp.  liv.  Iv.)  show  what  Major  Scott  Waring 
ivishes  to  prove  ;  but  that  is  all.  If  what  he 
calls  "  the  proper  line  for  the  British  gov- 
ernment to  pursue,"  had  been  pursued  on 
that  occasion,  the  young  men  had  not  been 


590 


AN     APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


interrupted.  I  say  the  young  men ;  for  it 
was  not  Mr.  Carey,  but  Mr.  William  Carey, 
his  second  son,  who  accompanied  Mr.  Moore. 
"They  distinguished,"  we  are  told,  "be- 
tween the  brahmims  and  the  people  at  large." 
Yes,  they  had  reason  to  do  so  ;  for  the  peo- 
ple were  eager  to  receive  the  tracts,  but 
some  of  the  brahmins  were  offended  ;  and 
this  is  common  on  almost  all  other  occasions. 
"  Should  we  be  mad  enough  to  make  the 
same  destinction,  our  distraction  is  inevita- 
ble.'''' One  would  think,  then,  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  missionaries  themselves  would 
not  only  be  inevitable,  but  immediate.  As 
the  brahmins  are  displeased  with  none  but 
them  and  the  native  converts,  if  they  escape, 
there  is  no  cause  for  others  to  fear.  The 
truth  is,  the  common  people  are  not  so  un- 
der the  influence  of  the  brahmins  as  to  be 
displeased  with  hearing  them  publicly  con- 
futed. On  the  contrary,  they  will  often  ex- 
press their  pleasure  at  it ;  and,  when  the 
latter  remain  silent,  will  call  out.  "  Why 
do  you  not  answer  him  ?"  But  "lord  Clive 
and  Mr.  Verelst,  in  the  year  1766,  were  not 
so  mad  as  to  advise  a  poor  creature  who  had 
lost  caste  to  abandon  his  ridiculous  and  idol- 
atrous prejudices,  and  to  embrace  the  true 
religion." — p.  lvi.  If  I  were  to  say  they 
were  not  so  wise  and  so  good  as  to  do  so,  I 
should  be  as  near  the  truth  ;  and  my  saying 
would  bear  reflection  in  a  dying  hour,  quite 
as  much  as  that  of  Major  Scolt  Waring. 

"  We  may  conceive  the  narrow  bigotry  by 
which  these  men  are  actuated,  by  the  con- 
duct of  Mr.  [William]  Carey  and  Mr.  Moore 
to  some  native  Christian  catholics  whom 
they  met  with  in  a  village  when  they  were 
driven  from  Dacca  by  the  magistrate  and 
collector."  And  what  was  it?  Why,  "to 
these  poor  catholics,  they  pointed  out  the 
errors  of  Popery,  and  warned  them  of  the 
danger  of  worshipping  and  trusting  to 
idols" — p.  lx.  And  this  is  bigotry !  Such 
bigots  they  certainly  were  and  are. 

To  prove  the  absolute  inutility  of  the  dis- 
persion of  one  edition  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment,and  of  twenty  thousand  religious  tracts, 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Carey  is  cited,  which 
speaks  of  there  being  "  but  few  months  in 
which  some  were  not  baptized  ;  of  three  na- 
tives having  joined  them  the  last  month,  and 
two  the  month  before  ;  but  of  their  being 
under  the  necessity  of  excluding  several  for 
evil  conduct." — p.  lx.  If  Major  Scott  Waring 
be  not  more  successful  in  his  opposition  than 
he  is  in  his  proof,  Christianity  may  still  go 
on  and  prosper  in  India.  I  suspect  it  was 
from  a  conscious  want  of  this  important  ar- 
ticle, that  he  was  obliged  to  fill  up  his  pages 
with  such  terms  as  "  bigots,"  "  madmen," 
"mischievous  madmen,"  &c.  &c.  There 
is  nothing  so  provoking,  to  a  man  who  is  de- 
sirous of  proving  a  point,  as  the  want  of 
evidence. 

"  In  the  course  of  several  years,  they  have 


made  about  eighty  converts,  all  from  the 
lowest  of  the  people,  most  of  them  beggars 
by  profession,  and  others  who  had  lost  their 
castes.  The  whole  of  them  were  rescued 
from  poverty,  and  procured  a  comfortable 
subsistence  by  their  conversion." — p.  xli. 
That  is,  reader,  thus  say  the  gentlemen  late- 
ly returned  from  India. — p.  xlii.  I  need  not 
repeat  the  refutation  of  these  falsehoods. 
Before,  they  were  said  all  to  have  previous- 
ly lost  caste :  but  now  it  seems  to  be  only 
some  of  them.  Judge,  reader,  do  these  men 
believe  what  they  say  ?  But  "the  whole  of 
them  were  rescued  from  poverty,  and  pro- 
cured a  comfortable  subsistence  by  their 
conversion."  A  considerable  number  of  the 
Christian  natives  live  many  miles  from  Se- 
rampore,  and  subsist  in  the  same  manner  as 
they  did  before  their  baptism,  and  without 
any  aid  from  the  missionaries.  The  subsist- 
ence of  others,  who  reside  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Serampore,  is  from  the  same  em- 
ployment as  it  was  before  they  became 
Christians  ;  and  those  who  receive  pay  from 
the  missionaries  are  such  as  axe-  employed  by 
them.  Mr.  John  Fernandez  says,  "  I  have 
been  present  almost  every  time  when  the 
converts  have  professed  their  faith  before 
the  brethren,  and  have  repeatedly  heard  the 
missionaries  tell  them  that,  unless  they 
worked  with  their  own  hands,  they  would  re- 
ceive no  help  from  them.  Inquirers  were 
always  kept  for  some  time  on  probation." 
Some  of  them  were  Byraggees,  a  sort  of 
religious  beggars  :  but  they  are  no  longer 
so  when  they  become  Christians.  No  one 
is  supported  in  idleness.  If  any  are  better- 
ed in  their  circumstances,  it  is  by  being 
taught  to  be  industrious  and  frugal.  But 
many  of  those  whom  our  author  calls  "beg- 
gars by  profession"  lived  in  much  greater 
fulness  by  that  way  of  life  than  they  do 
now  by  labor  ;  and  it  is  not  very  likely  that 
they  should  have  relinquished  the  one,  and 
chosen  the  other,  from  interested  motives. 
What  is  it  that  kindles  the  wrath  of  this 
man  ?  If  a  word  be  spoken  against  the 
character  of  these  people  while  they  contin- 
ue heathens,  he  is  all  indignant:  but,  if  they 
become  Christians,  the  foulest  reproaches 
are  heaped  upon  them.  Is  it  because  these 
beggars  are  become  industrious,  and  cease 
to  live  upon  the  superstitious  credulity  of 
their  neighbors,  that  he  is  so  offended  ? 
Does  he  think  the  British  government  would 
be  overturned  if  all  the  rest  of  the  beggars 
were  to  follow  their  example  ? 

But  "one  of  the  missionaries  writes  to 
England  that  a  hundred  rupees  a  month 
would  support  ten  native  converts  with  their 
families,  and  a  still  greater  number  of  sin- 
gle brethren  ;  which,"  he  says,  "is  undoubt- 
edly true,  because  the  wages  of  our  common 
servants  are  but  three,  four,  and  five  rupees 
a  month." — p.  lxi.  lxii.  Why  does  not  our 
author  refer  to  the  pages  from  whence  he 


PART    II. INTRODUCTION. 


591 


takes  his  extracts?  As  this  passage  stands 
in  his  pamphlet,  it  conveys  the  idea  that 
every  native  convert  with  a  family  costs  the 
society  ten  rupees  a  month  :  but  if  the  read- 
er look  into  No.  XVI.  p.  171,  from  which  the 
extract  is  taken,  he  will  find  that  it  is  of 
native  preachers  that  Mr.  Marshman  writes ; 
who  observes  that,  "  while  they  are  thus 
employed  in  disseminating  the  good  seed, 
they  cannot  be  at  home  supporting  their 
families."  It  is  one  thing,  surely,  to  pay  a 
man  ten  rupees  for  the  support  of  his  family, 
and  his  own  travelling  expenses  ;  and 
another  to  give  him  the  same  sum  as  a  com- 
mon laborer  at  home. 

Major  Scott  Waring  may  give  as  many 
extracts  from  our  publications  as  he  pleases  ; 
but  he  should  not  pervert  the  meaning.  He 
may  think  us  wild  and  foolish  to  lay  out 
money  in  such  undertakings  ;  he  may  call 
it  "ridiculous  to  talk  of  the  perishing  mil- 
lions of  India  (p.  lxii. ;)  he  may  reckon  com- 
passion to  a  great  city,  wholly  given  to  idol- 
atry, a  proof  of  the  want  of  common  sense 
(p.  lxv. ;)  but  let  him  do  us  the  justice  of  al- 
lowing us  to  think  otherwise.  We  are  not 
surprised  at  his  having  no  compassion  for 
perishing  idolaters,  nor  indeed  at  any  thing 
else,  unless  it  be  his  pretending,  after  all,  to 
be  a  Christian  ;  but  let  him  not  represent  us 
as  employed  in  bribing  bad  men  to  become 
hypocrites. 

"  Some  of  these  converts  have  been  ex- 
pelled for  gross  immorality."  True,  and 
what  then  ?  "  Such  I  am  confident  would 
be  the  fate  of  the  remainder,  were  not  the 
missionaries  afraid  of  being  laughed  at." 
But  why  should  he  imagine  this  ?  Does  he 
think  the  Hindoos  all  had  men  ?  or  do  they 
become  such  when  they  embrace  Christiani- 
ty ?  And  why  should  the  missionaries  be 
supposed  to  retain  bad  men  in  their  society 
for  fear  of  being  laughed  at  ?  Had  they 
feared  this,  they  had  never  engaged  in  the 
work.  Did  they  fear  this,  they  would  not 
exclude  so  many  as  they  do :  or,  at  least, 
would  not  report  it  in  their  letters.  I  may 
add,  it  is  not  long  since  they  had  a  fair  op- 
portunity to  have  entirely  desisted  from  their 
work  ;  and  that  in  a  way  that  would  not 
have  incurred  the  laughter,  but  possibly  the 
commendation  of  these  men.  They  might 
also  from  that  time  have  gone  on  to  accu- 
mulate fortunes,  instead  of  sacrificing  every 
thing  in  a  cause  which  they  knew,  it  seems, 
at  the  same  time  to  be  hopeless.  Surely 
these  missionaries  must  be  worse  than  mad- 
men ;  and  the  government  at  Calcutta,  and 
the  Asiatic  Society,  cannot  be  much  better, 
to  think  of  employing  them  in  translating 
works  of  literature. 

Once  more,  "  The  new  orders  of  mission- 
aries are  the  most  ignorant  and  the  most 
bigoted  of  men.  Their  compositions  are,  in 
fact,  nothing  but  puritanical  rant,  of  the  most 
vulgar  kind ;  worse   than  that  so  much  in 


fashion  in  Great  Britain,  during  the  days  of 
Oliver  Cromwell."  We  hope  the  author 
will  furnish  us  with  a  specimen.  Yes.  here 
it  is  :  "  When  Mr.  [W.]  Carey  and  Mr. 
Moore  were  at  Dacca,  they  write  on  the 
Lord's  day  as  follows :  What  an  awful  sight 
have  we  ivitnessed  this  day !  A  large  and 
popidous  city  ivholly  given  to  idolatry,  and 
not  an  individual  to  ivarn  them  to  fee  from 
the  ivralh  to  come.  As  soon  as  we  rose  in  the 
morning,  our  attention  ivas  unavoidably  ex- 
cited by  sceries  the  most  absurd,  disgusting, 
and  degrading  to  human  nature!"  Judge, 
Christian  reader,  what  a  state  of  mind  that 
man  must  possess  who  can  call  this  language 
vulgar  rant,  and  adduce  it  as  a  proof  of  ig- 
norance and  bigotry  !  "  Could  men  posses- 
sing common  sense,"  he  adds,  "  have  written 
such  nonsense  as  this  is,  unless  blinded  by 
enthusiasm?  Had  they  discovered  that  a. 
single  Englishman  was  a  convert  to  the 
Hindoo  or  the  Mahomedan  religion,  they 
would  have  been  justified  in  giving  their 
sentiments  to  him,  as  to  his  apostasy  from 
the  true  to  a  false  and  idolatrous  religion  ; 
but  to  pour  out  such  unmeaning  and  use- 
less abuse  on  an  immense  population,  which 
merely  observed  those  forms  and  ceremo- 
nies which  had  been  used  throughout  Hin- 
dostan  for  above  2000  years,  is  folly  and  arro- 
gance in  the  extreme." — p.  lxv.  I  wonder 
whether  this  writer  ever  read  a  book  called 
the  Bible,  or  heard  of  any  of  its  language, 
excepting  a  few  passages  held  up,  perchance 
to  ridicule,  in  some  history  of  the  times  of 
Oliver  Cromwell !  I  presume  the  reader 
has  had  enough  :  and,  as  all  that  follows  is 
little  else  than  a  repetition  of  what  has  al- 
ready been  answered,  interlarded  with  the 
usual  quantity  of  low  abuse,  I  shall  pass  it 
over  unnoticed.  I  have  seldom  seen  a  per- 
formance, by  a  writer  calling  himself  a  Chris- 
tian, so  full  of  bare-faced  infidelity.  May 
God  give  him  repentance  to  the  acknowl- 
edging; of  the  truth  ! 


PART  II. 

We  certify  the  king  that  if  this  city  be  buikled, 
and  the  walls  thereof  set  up  by  this  means,  thou 
shalt  have  no  portion  on  this  side  the  river. 

THE    ADVERSARIES    OF    JUDAH. 

Now  Tatnai,  governor  beyond  the  river,  Shethar- 
boznai,  and  your  companions  the  Apharsachites, 
be  ye  far  from  thence  :  let  the  work  of  this  house 
of  God  alone.  darius. 


INTRODUCTION. 

That  apologies  for  Christianity  shoul'd 
have  been  necessary  in  heathen  countries  is 
easily  conceived:  but  an  attempt  of  the  kind 
in  this  country,  and  at  this  period  of  time} 
seems  itself  almost  to  require  an  apology. 


592 


AN    APOLOGY    TOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


Who  would  have  thought  that  the  sons  of 
protestant  Britain  would  so  far  degenerate 
as  to  become  the  advocates  of  paganism  ?  or, 
though  that  were  the  case  with  a  few  indi- 
viduals, yet  who  could  have  imagined  that 
a  number  of  men  would  be  found  who  would 
have  either  the  power  or  the  resolution  pub- 
licly to  oppose  the  propagation  of  Chris- 
tianity ? 

We  may  be  told  that  the  greater  part  of 
our  opponents  profess  to  be  Christians,  and 
that  their  opposition  is  merely  on  political 
considerations.  I  might  meet  them  upon 
this  ground,  and  might  deny  that  the  pro- 
gress of  the  gospel  in  any  country,  or  in  any 
circumstances,  can  be  unfriendly  to  its  polit- 
ical welfare.  But  it  would  be  compromising 
the  honor  of  the  gospel  to  rest  its  defence  on 
this  principle.  If  Christianity  be  true,  it  is 
of  such  importance  that  no  political  consid- 
erations are  sufficient  to  weigh  against  it ; 
nor  ought  they,  for  a  moment,  to  be  placed 
in  competition  with  it.  If  Christianity  be 
true,  it  is  of  God ;  and,  if  it  be  of  God,  to 
oppose  its  progress  on  the  grounds  of  poli- 
tical expediency  is  the  same  thing  as  to  tell 
our  Maker  that  we  will  not  have  him  to  reign 
over  us,  unless  his  government  be  subser- 
vient to  our  temporal  interests. 

Should  we  be  reminded  that  we  are  fal- 
lible men,  and  ought  not  to  identify  our  un- 
dertakings with  Christianity,  nor  to  reckon 
every  opposition  to  us  as  an  opposition  to 
Christ,  this  we  readily  admit.  If  we  be  op- 
posed in  relation  to  any  other  object  than 
that  of  propagating  the  gospel,  or  on  account 
of  any  thing  faulty  in  us  in  the  pursuit  of 
that  object,  such  opposition  is  not  directed 
against  Christianity,  and  we  have  no  desire, 
in  such  cases,  to  identify  our  undertakings 
with  it.  Let  it  only  be  fairly  proved  that  the 
missionaries  are  intemperate,  and  dangerous 
men,  and  we  will  admit  the  propriety  of  their 
being  recalled.  But  if  no  such  proof  be 
given,  if  the  reports  circulated  against  them 
be  unfounded,  if  the  alarms  which  have  been 
spread  in  India  be  the  mere  fabrications  of 
evil-minded  Europeans,  and  if  they  them- 
selves be  men  who  work  the  work  of  God, 
an  opposition  to  them  may  be  found  to  be 
an  opposition  to  Christ. 

Let  our  adversaries,  instead  of  declaim- 
ing against  us,  join  issue  with  us  on  this 
point.  Let  them  prove  the  missionaries  to 
be  intemperate  and  dangerous  men,  and  their 
cause  is  gained. 

We  have  only  one  petition  to  present  to 
our  judges;  which  is  that  such  effects  as  nat- 
urally arise  from  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
among  those  who  do  not  believe  it,  tvhich  edivays 
have  arisen,  even  from  the  first  preaching  of 
the  apostles  doivn  to  our  oivn  times,  and  which 
terminate  only  on  ourselves,  may  not  be  admit- 
ted in  evidence  against  us.  Our  adversaries 
allege  that,  according  to  our  own  accounts, 
the  missionaries  occasionally  excito  uneasi- 


ness, and  that  the  native  Christians  some- 
times draw  upon  themselves  abusive  treat- 
ment. We  do  not  deny  that  in  a  few  in- 
stances this  has  been  the  case  ;  but  we  say 
this  effect  is  no  more  than  what  Christianity 
has  always  produced,  in  a  greater  or  less  de- 
gree, when  addressed  to  unbelievers  ;  and 
that  so  long  as  this  uneasiness  and  abuse  are 
merely  directed  against  the  parties,  and  are 
no  more  injurious  to  the  British  government 
than  the  preaching  of  Paul  and  Barnabas 
was  to  that  of  Rome,  we  ought  not,  on  this 
account,  to  be  censured.  And  if  a  few  things 
of  this  kind  be  thrown  aside,  as  irrelevant, 
we  have  no  apprehension  of  a  single  charge 
being  substantiated  against  us. 

SECTION  I. 

REMARKS    ON   MAJOR  SCOTT    WARINg's    LET- 
TER   TO    THE    REV.    MR.    OWEN. 

There  is  a  sympathy  between  kindred 
principles  which  is  often  unperceived  by  the 
party  who  favors  them,  but  which  may  be 
expected  to  betray  itself  in  speaking  or  writ- 
ing upon  the  subject.  How  is  it  that  our 
opponents  are  so  anxious  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  paganism  and  Mahomedism  ?  They 
certainly  have  no  intention  of  becoming  the 
disciples  of  either,  nor  to  convey  any  such 
idea  to  the  public  :  but,  when  these  systems 
are  in  danger,  they  have  a  feeling  for  them 
which  they  cannot  conceal.  How  is  it  that 
Major  Scott  Waring  should  so  readily  find 
mottos  for  his  pamphlets,  in  "  Hints  to  the 
Public  and  the  Legislature,  on  the  Nature 
and  Effect  of  Evangelical  Preaching  ?  "  He 
professes  to  be  no  sectary,  but  a  true  orthodox 
churchman,  believing  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
trinity  ;  nay  more,  considering  the  belief  of 
that  doctrine  as  the  only  thing  essential  to 
Christianity. — p.  107.  Yet  the  author  of 
these  "  Hints,"  if  report  be  true,  while  he 
calls  himself  "a  Barrister,"  is,  in  reality,  a 
Socinian  dissenter :  but,  being  so  exactly  of 
his  mind  with  respect  to  evangelical  religion, 
his  wanting  what  he  accounts  the  only  es- 
sential of  Christianity  is  a  matter  of  small 
account. 

Finally  :  How  is  it  that  the  cause  of  our 
opponents  should  be  favored  in  most  of  the 
Socinian  publications,  and  that  they  should 
be  so  happily  united  in  their  wishes  for  gov- 
ernment not  to  tolerate  evangelical  religion? 
One  submits  "A  Plan  to  his  Majesty's  Min- 
isters, the  East  India  Company,  and  the  Leg- 
islature," proposing  to  "  recal  every  Eng- 
lish missionary  ;"  another  suggests  "Hints 
to  the  Public  and  the  Legislature,  on  the 
Nature  and  Effect  of  Evangelical  Preaching." 
The  language  of  both  is,  We  know  not  what 
to  do  with  these  evangelical  men,  and  there- 
fore humbly  request  government  to  take 
them  in  hand ! — Yet  these  are  the  men  who 
would  be  thought  the  friends,  and  almost  the 
only  friends,  of  reason  and  toleration  ! 


REMARKS    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARING's    LETTER. 


593 


If  the  major  and  his  new  ally  have  been 
accused  of  dealing  too  much  in  reason,  we 
answer,  with  Dr.  Owen,  They  have  been 
unjustly  treated  ;  as  much  so  as  poor  St. 
Hierome,  when  beaten  by  an  angel  for 
preaching  in  a  Ciceronian  style. 

So  much  for  the  motto.  As  to  the  Letter 
itself,  it  contains  little  more  than  a  repeti- 
tion of  things  which  have  no  foundation  in 
truth,  and  which,  I  trust,  have  been  already 
answered.  The  major  having  been  so  ably 
repulsed  in  his  first  object  of  attack,  "  The 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,"  may  be 
expected  to  direct  his  force  somewhat  more 
pointedly  against  the  missionaries.  We  have 
his  whole  strength,  however,  in  his  former 
Preface.  No  new  facts  are  adduced,  nor 
new  arguments  from  the  old  ones :  almost 
all  is  repetition.  Thus  he  repeats  the  base 
calumnies  of  our  bribing  beggars  to  become 
Christians  ;  of  our  sending  out  thousands  a 
year  to  support  them  ;  of  our  not  having 
made  one  good  convert ;  of  the  converts 
having  lost  caste  before  they  were  baptized, 
&c. — pp.  32,  87.  And  thus,  seven  times 
over,  he  has  repeated  the  words  of  Mr. 
Marshman,  on  "  an  alarm  being  excited  in  a 
bigoted  city  by  the  appearance  of  a  Euro- 
pean missionary,"  which,  after  all,  respects 
him  not  as  a  missionary,  but  merely  as  a 
European.  The  scope  of  Mr.  Marshman's 
argument  proves  this  ;  for  he  is  recommend- 
ing native  missionaries,  who,  in  conversing 
with  their  own  countrymen,  are  listened  to 
with  attention,  and  excite  none  of  that  fear 
and  reserve  which  are  produced  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  foreigner.  * 

If  the  reviling  conduct  of  the  inhabitants 
of  a  certain  village,  towards  the  missionaries 
or  native  converts,  who  bore  all  without  re- 
sistance, proves  the  fault  to  have  been  with 
them,  it  will  prove  the  same  of  other  mission- 
aries whom  our  author  professes  to  respect, 
and  of  other  native  converts.  If  he  will  look 
into  the  Report  of  "The  Society  for  promo- 
ting Christian  Knowledge,"  for  1804,  he  will 
see  an  account  of  "an  extraordinary  con- 
version of  several  thousands,  and  of  an  ex- 
traordinary and  unexpected  ■persecution  of  the 
converts  from  their  heathen  neighbors,  and 
particularly  from  some  men  in  office,  under 
the  collector.'''' — p.  145.  Moreover,  it  will 
prove  that  the  apostle  Paul  and  our  Saviour 
were  accountable  for  the  uneasiness  which 
their  preaching  excited  among  the  Jews,  and 
for  the  persecutions  which  they  met  with  on 
account  of  it.  We  may  be  told,  indeed,  that 
we  ought  not  to  compare  ourselves  with 
Christ  and  his  apostles  ;  and  it  is  true  that, 
in  various  respects,  it  would  be  highly  im- 
proper to  do  so :  but  in  things  which  are 
common  to  Christ  and  his  followers  it  is  very 
proper.  Now  this  is  the  case  in  the  present 
instance.      The    disciples   of  Christ    were 


given  to  expect  that  their  doctrine  would 
draw  upon  them  the  displeasure  of  unbeliev- 
ers, in  the  same  manner  as  that  of  Christ 
had  done  before  them.  "  Remember  the 
word  that  I  said  unto  you,  The  servant  is  not 
greater  than  his  Lord.  If  they  have  perse- 
cuted me,  they  will  also  persecute  you :  if 
they  have  kept  my  saying,  they  will  keep 
yours  also." — John  xv.  20.  If  Major  Scott 
Waring  had  known  any  thing  of  the  gospel 
and  of  its  opposition  to  the  vicious  inclina- 
tions of  the  human  heart,  he  could  not  have 
stumbled  in  the  manner  he  has  at  Mr.  Ward's 
application  of  the  words  of  our  Saviour  in 
Luke  xii.  51.  He  had  introduced  them  be- 
fore, and  now  he  introduces  them  again  and 
again. — pp.  80 ;  99.  "  Suppose  ye  that  I  am 
come  to  send  peace  on  the  earth  ?  I  tell  you 
Nay."  "  These  words,"  he  says,  "  most  evi- 
dently, considered  with  their  context,  apply 
to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  which  our 
blessed  Saviour  predicted  would  happen  be- 
fore the  generation  then  existing  had  passed 
away."  So,  then,  Christ  came  to  set  fire  to 
Jerusalem  !  But  how  was  it  already  kindled  "J 
Almost  any  commentator  would  have  taught 
him  that  these  words  have  no  reference  to 
Jewish  wars,  but  to  Christian  persecutions, 
which  were  predicted  to  take  place  at  the 
same  time.  Neither  do  they  express,  as  I 
have  said  before,  what  was  the  direct  tenden- 
cy of  the  gospel,  which  is  doubtless  to  pro- 
duce love  and  peace,  but  that  of  which, 
through  man's  depravity,  it  would  be  the 
occasion.  In  this  sense  Mr.  Ward  applied 
the  text,  in  order  to  account  for  the  perse- 
cutions which  the  native  converts  met  Avith  ; 
and  I  should  not  have  supposed  that  a  man 
of  Major  Scott  Waring's  age  and  talents 
could  have  construed  it  into  a  suggestion 
that  the  natural  tendency  of  the  gospel  is  to 
produce  division. 

The  major  proposes  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Owen 
that  they  should  "  preserve  the  manners  of 
gentlemen  in  arguing  the  question." — p.  4. 
Is  it  then  becoming  the  pen  of  a  gentleman 
to  write  as  he  has  done  of  Mr.  Thomas  and 
the  other  missionaries  ?  *     Or  does  he  think 

*  Having  lately  received  a  letter  from  a  gentle- 
man of  respectability  in  Scotland,  concerning  the 
calumny  on  the  memory  of  Mr.  Thomas,  I  shall 
take  the  liberty  of  introducing  it  in  this  place,  as 
a  farther  vindication  of  this  injured  character. 
"  Dear  sir, 

"  An  anonymous  pamphlet  t  has  this  day  fallen 
into  my  hands,  which  is  ascribed  to  a  gentleman 
who  formerly  held  a  high  rank  in  the  East  India 
Company's  military  service,  and  of  which  it  is  the 
principal  object  to  induce  the  East  India  Company 
to  expel  every  protestant  missionary  from  their  pos- 
sessions, and  prevent  the  circulation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures in  the  native  languages. 

"Among  the  numerous  and  virulent  misrepresen- 
tations which  this  work  contains,  there  is  a  most 
false  and  scandalous  aspersion  of  the  character  of 


*  See  Periodical  Accounts,  No.  XVI.  p.  170.        f  Major  Scott  Waring's  Observations,"  &c. 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  75 


594^ 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


himself  at  liberty,  when  dealing  with  them 
to  put  off  that  character?  If  his  own  mo- 
tives be  arraigned,  or  his  Christianity  sus- 
pected, he  thinks  himself  rudely  treated  ; 
yet,  when  speaking  of  men  who  secede  from 
the  established  church,  he  can  allow  himself 
to  insinuate  that  they  do  not  act  from  prin- 
ciple.— p.  58. 

As  to* the  charges  of  "ignorance  and  bi- 
gotry," which  he  is  continually  ringing  in 
our  ears,   I  refer  to   the   answers   already 

the  late  Mr.  Thomas,  who  was  the  first  missionary 
of  your  society  in  India,  which,  from  my  personal 
acquaintance  with  that  gentleman,  I  am  enabled  to 
contradict  in  the  most  positive  manner,  and  which, 
from  my  regard  for  his  memory,  I  deem  it  my  duty 
so  to  contradict. 

"  The  author  asserts,  in  p.  46,  and  again  in  p. 
51,  of  the  preface,  that  Mr.  Thomas  died  raving 
mad  in  Bengal.  It  is  indeed  true  that  Mr.  Thomas 
was  once  afflicted  with  a  temporary  derangement  ; 
but  it  was  a  considerable  time  before  his  death. 
From  the  summer  of  1796,  till  May  1801, 1  held  an 
official  situation  in  the  Company's  civil  service  at 
Dinagepore ;  and,  during  the  last  six  months  of 
this  period,  I  had  very  frequent  intercourse  with 
Mr.  Thomas,  and  heard  him  preach  almost  every 
Sunday;  and  I  most  solemnly  affirm  that  I  never 
saw  the  least  symptom  of  derangement  in  any  part 
of  his  behavior  or  conversation.  On  the  contrary, 
I  considered  him  as  a  man  of  good  understanding, 
uncommon  benevolence,  and  solid  piety. 

"  In  May  1801,  I  quitted  Dinagepore,  and  never 
again  saw  Mr.  Thomas ;  but  I  had  more  than  one 
letter  from  him  between  that  time  and  his  death, 
which  happened,  I  think,  in  October,  the  same  year. 
These  letters,  which  are  still  in  my  possession,  ex- 
hibit no  signs  whatever  of  mental  derangement.  In 
the  last  of  them  he  wrote  (with  the  calmness  and 
hope  of  a  Christian)  of  his  own  dissolution;  an 
event  which  he  thought  was  near  at  hand,  as  he 
felt  some  internal  symptoms  of  the  formation  of  a 
polypus  in  his  heart. 

"  After  Mr.  Thomas's  decease,  I  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  learning  the  circumstances  of  it  from  the 
late  Mr.  Samuel  Powell,  a  person  whose  veracity 
none  who  knew  him  could  question  :  and  I  never 
had  the  smallest  reason  to  believe  or  suspect  that 
Mr.  Thomas  was,  in  any  degree  whatever,  deranged 
in  mind  at  the  time  of  his  death.  On  the  contrary, 
I  always  understood  that  he  died  in  possession  of 
his  faculties,  and  of  that  hope  which  nothing  but 
an  unshaken  faith  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  can  give. 

"  It  is  not  my  present  purpose  to  vindicate  the 
living  from  the  coarse  and  vulgar  abuse  of  this 
anonymous  author. .  This  you  have  undertaken,  and 
are  well  qualified  to  do ;  but  as  he  has  thought  it 
necessary  to  insult  the  character  of  the  dead,  and 
wound  the  feelings  of  surviving  friends;  and  as  I 
am,  perhaps,  the  only  person  now  in  Great  Britain 
who  can,  from  personal  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Thomas  during  the  last  year  of  his  life,  do  any  thino- 
to  rescue  his  memory  from  this  unmerited  insult,  I 
should  think  it  criminal  to  have  remained  silent  on 
this  occasion.  And  I  am  happy  thus  to  make  some 
return  for  the  instructions  1  received  from  Mr. 
Thomas  as  a  minister  of  Christ,  and  the  pleasure  I 
frequently  enjoyed  in  his  society  and  conversation. 

"  You  are  at  liberty  to  make  any  use  of  this  let- 
ter that  you  may  think  proper.     Believe   ine  to  be, 

Dear  sir,  very  sincerely  yours, 

"  William  Cunninghame." 

Glasgow,  Jan.  15,  1803. 


given  in  my  Strictures.  It  is  allowed  that 
"  Mr.  Carey  may  be  a  good  oriental  scholar, 
and  a  good  man ;  but  he  is  narrow-minded 
and  intemperate." — p.  33.  The  proof  of  this 
is  taken  from  the  conduct  of  his  son  at  Dacca. 
The  mistake  as  to  the  person  is  excusable  : 
but  what  was  there  in  the  conduct  of  either 
of  the  young  men  on  that  occasion  which 
showed  them  to  be  narrow-minded  or  intem- 
perate ?  They  felt,  though  they  were  not 
apostles,  for  a  great  city  wholly  given  to 
idolatry  ;  for  they  had  read  in  their  Bibles 
that  "idolaters  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of 
God."  This  was  narrowness  !  But  when 
Major  Scott  Waring  proposes  to  exclude  all 
denominations  of  Christian  missionaries  from 
India,  except  those  of  the  established  church, 
I  suppose  he  reckons  this  consistent  with 
liberality.* 

With  regard  to  intemperateness,  I  know 
of  nothing  like  it  in  the  conduct  of  these 
junior  missionaries.  They  gave  away  tracts 
to  those  who  came  to  their  boat  for  them, 
and  wished  to  have  taken  a  stand  in  the  city 
for  the  like  purpose  :  but,  being  interrupted, 
they  returned  home  ;  not  declining,  how- 
ever, to  do  that  which  had  been  done  for 
years  without  offence,  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  Marquis  Wellesley — namely,  to 
distribute  tracts  in  the  villages.  As  to  the 
Marquis  Cornwallis,  or  any  other  person, 
being  absent  from  Calcutta,  it  had  just  as 
much  influence  in  causing  their  journey  as 
Major  Scott  Waring's  being  at  the  same 
time,  perchance,  at   Peterborough  House. 

But  their  language  is  cant.  The  major, 
however,  might  find  plenty  of  such  cant  in 
the  communications  of  Schwartz  and  his 
colleagues  to  "  The  Society  for  promoting 
Christian  Knowledge,"  if  he  would  only 
look  over  the  East  India  intelligence  in 
their  reports.  These,  he  tells  us,  were 
missionaries  in  his  time,  and  of  them  he  ap- 
proves :  yet,  if  their  letters  were  printed  in 
our  accounts,  they  would  equally  fall  under 
his  censure.  The  truth  is,  the  language  of 
a  serious  mind,  formed  on  scriptural  princi- 
ples, will  always  sound  like  cant  in  the  ears 
of  such  men  as  this  author. 

Major  Scott  Waring  makes  a  curious  dis- 
tinction between  a  gratuitous  circulation  of 
the  Scriptures  and  a  giving  them  to  peti- 
tioners. The  former  he  opposes  ;  but  to  the 
latter,  he  says,  "  no  Christian  can  object." 
— p.  48.  Wherein  then  consists  the  mighty 
difference  ?  In  the  one  case  they  are  offered 
for  acceptance,  if  the  party  please  ;  in  the 
other,  the  party  himself  makes  the  applica- 
tion :  but  in  neither  is  there  any  thing  done 

*  Such  is  the  notion  of  liberality  and  toleration 
which  I  ventured  to  denounce  in  my  Letter  to  the 
chairman  of  the  East  India  Company;  and  I  wish 
I  were  able  to  draw  the  serious  attention  of  every 
friend  to  religious  liberty  in  Britain  to  the  subject. 
These  men  talk  of  liberty,  while  they  are  razing  it 
to  its  foundation. 


REMARKS    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARING  S    LETTER. 


595 


but  with  his  full  consent.  No  difference 
exists  as  to  the  effects  ;  for,  if  an  individual 
petition  for  a  New  Testament,  as  soon  as 
the  brahmins  or  other  interested  persons 
come  to  know  it  they  will  be  just  as  uneasy, 
and  as  likely  to  revile  him,  as  if  he  had  re- 
ceived it  without  petitioning.  But,  I  sup- 
pose, Major  Scott  Waring  may  think  that  if 
nothing  were  done,  except  in  consequence 
of  applications  from  the  natives,  nothing  in 
effect  would  be  done,  and  this  would  please 
him!  After  all,  I  question  whether  the 
greater  part  of  the  New  Testaments  Miiich 
have  been  distributed  have  not  been  given 
as  "  a  dole  of  charity  to  petitioners.''''  An 
indiscriminate  distribution  would  be  throw- 
ing them  away  :  it  is  therefore  an  object  with 
the  missionaries  to  give  Testaments  only  to 
persons  who  desire  them,  and  who  are,  there- 
fore, likely  to  read  them.  So  I  hope  Ave 
shall  please  better  as  we  understand  one 
another. 

It  seems  to  grieve  the  major  that  Chris- 
tians of  almost  all  denominations  are  united 
against  him  ;  but  he  and  his  colleagues  have 
to  thank  themselves  for  this.  Had  their 
attack  been  directed  merely  against  a  few 
dissenters,  they  might  have  had  some  chance 
of  succeeding :  but  it  is  so  broad  that  no 
man,  who  has  any  feeling  for  Christianity, 
can  view  it  in  any  other  light  than  as  an 
attempt  to  crush  it  in  our  eastern  posses- 
sions. It  is  an  attempt  to  stop  the  progress 
of  the  Bible  ;  and  therefore  must  be  abso- 
lutely antichristian.  Whether  Major  Scott 
Waring  perceives  his  error  in  this  respect, 
and  wishes  to  repair  it,  or  whatever  be  his 
motive,  he  certainly  labors  in  this,  his  second 
performance,  to  divide  his  opponents.  First, 
he  would  fain  persuade  them  that  he  him- 
self is  a  Christian,  which  it  is  very  possible 
he  may  be  in  his  own  esteem  ;  and,  second- 
ly, he  would  be  very  glad  to  single  out 
these  sectarian  missionaries  as  the  only 
objects  of  his  dislike.  It  grieves  him  sorely 
that  they  should  have  been  encouraged  by 
clergymen.  If  they  would  but  discard  these 
men,  I  know  not  but  they  might  obtain  for- 
giveness for  being  evangelical.  But,  if  not, 
he  will  do  his  utmost  to  prove  that  they  are 
not  the  true  sons  of  the  church.  "I  never 
met  with  an  evangelical  clergyman,"  he 
says,  "  who  had  not  a  tender  feeling  for 
those  who  have  deserted  the  church  of  Eng- 
land, though  at  one  time  conformists."  Al- 
lowing this  to  be  the  case,  he  might  have 
supposed  it  was  for  their  holding  evangelical 
principles  in  common  with  themselves,  and 
not  on  account  of  their  deserting  the  church. 
And,  whatever  feeling  they  might  have  to- 
ward those  Christians  who  are  not  of  their 
own  communion,  it  is  surely  as  pardonable 
as  that  which  this  author  and  his  party  have 
toward  Mahomedans  and  heathens. 

This  writer  seems  to  think  that,  unless 
the  whole  population  of  India  were  convert- 


ed, nothing  is  done.  If  forty  in  a  year  were 
to  embrace  Christianity,  that  is  nothing  in 
his  account.  He  should  consider,  however, 
that  we  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  and  in  the  importance  of  eternal  sal- 
vation. We  should  not  think  our  labor  lost, 
therefore,  if  W3  could  be  the  instruments  of 
saving  half  that  number.  We  know,  more- 
over, that  the  greatest  and  most  beneficial 
events  to  mankind  have  arisen  from  small 
beginnings.  Hence  we  pay  no  regard  to 
such  objections  ;  and  even  the  flouts  and 
sneers  of  our  adversaries  are  far  from  dis- 
couraging us.  We  compare  them  with  those 
of  "Sanballat  the  Horonite,  and  Tobiah  the 
Ammonite,"  who  were  grieved  exceeding- 
ly that  there  was  come  a  man  to  seek  the 
welfare  of  the  children  of  Israel.  "  What 
do  these  feeble  Jews  ?"  said  the  one  :  "  will 
they  fortify  themselves  ?  will  they  sacrifice  ? 
will  they  make  an  end  in  a  day  ?  Even 
that  which  they  build,"  answered  the  other, 
"  if  a  fox  go  up,  he  shall  even  break  down 
their  stone  wall."  Yet  Nehemiah  went  on 
with  the  work,  and  the  wall  was  built. 

The  author  still  continues  to  revile  Mr. 
[Wm.]  Carey,  and  Mr.  Moore,  for  what 
they  wrote  in  their  journal  at  Dacca,  calling 
it  "  downright  nonsense  ;"  and  still  speaks 
of  them  as  "  ignorant  men,"  on  account  of 
it.  The  reader  may  see  what  this  nonsense 
was,  by  only  turning  to  p.  591.  Reader, 
can  you  tell  us  wherein  lies  the  nonsense  of 
this  language  ?  for  we  are  unable  to  dis- 
cover it.  Major  Scott  Waring  has  been 
told  that,  as  the  language  of  the  young  men 
was  taken  from  the  words  of  Scripture,  in 
reviling  them  he  blasphemes  the  word  of 
God.  And  what  is  his  answer  ?  As  far  as 
I  can  understand  it,  it  amounts  to  this :  The 
same  things,  which  were  very  wise  in  Paul, 
and  in  our  Saviour,  are  very  foolish  in  these 
young  men. — p.  89.  But  there  may  come 
a  time  when  it  shall  appear,  even  to  this 
gentleman,  that  things  are  the  same,  whether 
they  be  in  an  apostle  or  in  any  other  man  ; 
and  that  he  who  revileth  the  ivords  of  Christ 
revileth  Christ ;  and  he  that  revileth  Christ 
revileth  Him  that  sent  him. 


SECTION  II. 

REMARKS    ON      "  A      VINDICATION       OF       THE 
HINDOOS,  BY  A  BENGAL    OFFICER." 

Since  the  publications  of  Messrs.  Twi- 
ning and  Scott  Waring,  another  piece  has 
appeared,  entitled  "  A  Vindication  of  the 
Hindoos  from  the  Aspersions  of  the  Rev. 
Claudius  Buchanan,  M.  A. :  with  a  Refuta- 
tion of  the  Arguments  exhibited  in  his  Me- 
moir on  the  Expediency  of  an  Ecclesiastical 
Establishment  for  British  India,  and  the 
ultimate  Civilization  of  the  Natives  by 
their  Conversion  to  Christianity.     Also,  Re- 


596 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


marks  on  an  Address  from  the  Missionaries 
in  Bengal  to  the  Natives  of  India,  condemn- 
ing their  Errors,  and  inviting  them  to  be- 
come Christians.  The  whole  tending  to 
evince  the  Excellency  of  the  Moral  System 
of  the  Hindoos,  and  the  Danger  of  interfer- 
ing with  their  Customs  or  Religion.  By  a 
Bengal  Officer." 

This  production  surpasses  all  that  have 
gone  before  it.  Messrs.  Twining  and  Scott 
Waring  were  desirous  of  being  considered 
as  Christians ;  but,  if  this  writer  does  not 
formally  avow  his  infidelity,  he  takes  so 
little  care  to  disguise  it  that  no  doubt  can 
remain  on  the  subject.  After  having 
ascribed  the  protestant  religion  to  "rea- 
son" rather  than  revelation  (pp.  9,  10) — 
pretended  that  the  immortality  of  the  soul 
was  first  revealed  in  Hindostan  (p.  28) — 
questioned  whether  Christianity  be  at  all 
necessary  to  the  improvement  of  the  Indian 
system  of  moral  ordinances  (p.  11) — prefer- 
red the  heathen  notion  of  transmigration  to 
the  Christian  doctrine  of  future  punishment 
(p.  47) — and  framed  a  Geeta  of  his  own  in 
favor  of  purgatory  (p.  48) — after  all  this,  I 
say,  and  much  more,  he  cannot,  with  any 
consistency,  pretend  to  be  a  Christian.* 

If  he  believe  in  any  thing  pertaining  to 
religion,  beyond  the  dictates  of  his  own 
reason,  it  is  in  the  revelations  of  his  "divine 
Menu."  He  is  fond  of  calling  these  insti- 
tutes by  the  name  of  Scripture,  and  reasons 
from  them  against  our  endeavoring  to  con- 
vince and  convert  the  Hindoos. — pp.  15,  16, 
22,  23.  It  is  an  unfortunate  circumstance 
that  the  Hindoo  religion  admits  of  no  prose- 
lytes ;  otherwise  this  writer  must,  ere  now, 
have  been  invested  with  the  honors  of  the 
poitou. 

The  gentleman  complains  of  his  want  of 
"  eloquence." — p.  3.  There  is,  however,  in 
his  performance,  much  that  tends  to  dazzle 
the  mind  of  the  reader.  But,  as  he  professes 
"to  decline  the  factitious  aid  of  false  ap- 
pearances," I  shall  attend  only  to  facts,  and 
to  the  reasoning  which  is  founded  upon 
them. 

I  must  also  be  allowed  to  confine  my  re- 
marks to  what  immediately  relates  to  the 
late  Christian  missions  to  India.  With  an 
ecclesiastical  establishment  I  have  no  con- 
cern. Thus  much,  however,  I  will  say,  the 
treatment  of  Dr.  Buchanan,  by  this  writer, 
is  most  indecent.  Whatever  were  the  mo- 
tives of  that  gentleman,  he  cannot  prove 
them  to  have  been  either  mercenary  or  am- 
bitious. Where,  then  is  the  justice,  or  can- 
dor, of  his  insinuations  ?  But  why  do  I 
complain  ?  Candid  treatment  is  not  to  be 
expected  from  an  anonymous  accuser. 

*  In  the  last  two  pages  he  has  put  marks  of 
quotation  to  his  own  words,  and  represented  them 
as  the  reasonings  of  the  Hindoos  ! 


This  writer's  pen  appears  to  have  been 
taken  up  on  occasion  of  a  manuscript  falling 
into  his  hands,  "professing  to  be  a  transla- 
tion of  an  address  to  the  inhabitants  of  In- 
dia, from  the  missionaries  of  Serampore,  in- 
viting them  to  become  Christians." — p.  1. 
From  this  address  he  has  given  several  ex- 
tracts ;  and  the  chief  of  his  remarks,  in  the 
first  part  of  his  pamphlet,  are  founded  up- 
on it. 

But,  before  *he  or  Major  Scott  Waring 
had  thus  publicly  animadverted  on  a  private 
translation,  they  should  have  known  a  few 
particulars  concerning  it.  How  could  they 
tell  whether  it  was  drawn  up  by  the  mission- 
aries ?  Or,  if  it  were,  whether  the  transla- 
tion were  faithful  ?  I  can  assure  them  and 
the  public  that  it  was  not  written  by  a  Euro- 
pean, but  by  a  native  ;  and  that  the  transla- 
tion is  very  far  from  being  a  faithful  one. 
In  referring  to  the  former  of  these  circum- 
stances, I  do  not  mean  either  to  disparage 
the  tract  or  the  writer,  nor  to  exempt  the 
missionaries  from  having  a  concern  in  it. 
They  doubtless  approved  of  it,  and  printed 
it,  and  it  was  circulated  as  an  addressyVonj 
them.  All  I  mean  to  say  on  this  point  is, 
that  some  allowance  should  be  made  for 
the  style  or  manner  of  address  as  coming 
from  a  Hindoo.  At  the  same  time  it  may 
be  presumed  that  no  Hindoo  would  call  his 
own  countrymen  barbarians. 

With  respect  to  the  translation,  it  was 
done  by  a  person  who  did  not  choose  to  put 
his  name  to  it,  and  apparently  with  the  de- 
sign of  inflaming  the  minds  of  the  directors 
and  of  government  against  the  missionaries. 
Whether  we  are  to  ascribe  his  errors  to 
this  cause,  or  to  ignorance,  I  shall  not  de- 
termine:  but  that  the  most  offensive  ideas 
contained  in  the  translation  are  not  in  the 
original  is  a  fact.  Nothing  is  said  in  the 
tract  itself  about "  their  books  of  philosophy;" 
nor  are  they  said  to  be  "  fit  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  children."  The  Hindoos  are  not 
called  "  barbarians,"  nor  their  shasters  "the 
shasters  of  barbarians,"  nor  are  they  desired 
to  "  abominate  them." 

I  have  before  me  the  translation  from  which 
this  author  appears  to  have  taken  his  ex- 
tracts, and  another  by  Mr.  John  Fernandez, 
a  gentleman  who  is  now  with  Dr.  Ryland  at 
Bristol,  and  who  will  be  answerable  for  its 
fidelity.  I  shall  present  the  reader  with 
the  first  21  verses  of  both,  in  two  opposite 
columns;  and  as  the  14th,  15th,  and  20th 
verses,  are  those  which  contain  the  supposed 
offensive  passages,  I  shall  give  in  them  the 
original  words  in  English  characters,  so  that 
any  person  who  understands  the  language 
mnyjudge  of  both  the  translations.  I  have 
also  authority  to  say  that  any  person  who 
can  read  Bengalee  may  have  one  of  the 
original  tracts  by  applying  to  Dr.  Ryland. 


REMARKS    ON    "A    VINDICATION    OF    THE    HINDOOS. : 


597 


Translation  from    which    the    Vindicator 
appears  to  have  taken  his  extracts. 
*t 

THE  MESSENGER  OF  GLAD 
TIDINGS. 

1.  Hear,  all  ye  people  of  the  land,  hear 
with  attention,  how  ye  may  obtain  salvation 
from  hell,  hard  to  escape ! 

2.  No  one  is  able  to  describe  it!  the 
thought  of  money  and  riches  is  vain. 

3.  All  such  things  are  calculated  only  for 
this  life  ;  let  all  men  observe  that  this  world 
is  not  eternal. 

4.  The  enjoyment  of  all  these  goods  is 
but  for  a  short  time  ;  for  at  his  death  no 
one  can  take  his  riches  with  him. 

5.  He  must  resign  all  his  garments,  or- 
naments, and  health,  to  his  kindred  ;  for  af- 
ter that  he  will  have  no  corporeal  form. 

0.  Know,  all  ye  people,  that  after  life 
comes  death  ;  and  after  death,  the  going 
to  heaven  or  hell. 

7.  Unless  you  are  cleansed  from  evil,  you 
will  not  go  to  heaven  :  ye  will  be  cast  head- 
long into  the  awful  regions  of  hell. 

8.  What  sort  of  place  hell  is,  or  what  are 
its  torments,  no  one  knows :  no  one  is  able 
to  imagine. 

9.  Hell  is  full  of  inevitable  sufferings,  in 
the  midst  of  fire  never  to  be  extinguished  ; 
its  extinction  will  never  come  to  pass. 

10.  Having  fallen  into  it,  brethren,  there 
is  then  no  salvation  ;  its  beginning  and  its 
duration  are  of  infinite  time. 

11.  With  constant  meditation,  fear  lest 
hereafter  ye  fall  into  this  dreadful  pit 
of  hell ;  into  that  fire  which  cannot  be 
quenched. 

12.  Form  a  remedy,  O  people,  form  a 
remedy  ;  for  without  a  remedy  ye  shall  not 
obtain  salvation. 

13.  In  other  sastras  there  is  not  any  ac- 
count of  salvation ;  and  yet  how  many  dis- 
courses there  are  upon  the  rites  and  cere- 
monies peculiar  to  people  of  different  coun- 
tries. 


Translation  by  Mr.  John  Fernandez. 
THE  GOSPEL  MESSENGER. 


1.  Hear,  O  people  of  the  world,  hear  with 
one  mind  ;  from  hell  tremendous,  how  will 
you  find  salvation  ? 

2.  None  of  you  are  inquiring  about  these 
things ;  incessantly  mindful  of  rupees  and 
cowries. 

3.  All  these  things  are  for  this  world; 
this  is  a  transitory  world  ;  see  every  one. 

4.  These  things  are  needful  only  for  a 
short  time  :  after  death,  riches  will  never  go 
with  you. 

5.  You  will  leave  these  riches,  jewels, 
apparel,  behind  you  :  a  stop  being  put  to 
these  things,  they  will  be  utterly  useless. 

6.  Having  once  been  born,  you  know  you 
must  die  ;  after  death  you  must  go  either  to 
heaven  or  hell. 

7.  Without  the  pardon  of  sin  you  will 
never  go  to  heaven  ;  but  headlong  you  Avill 
fall  into  the  thick  gloom  of  hell. 

8.  What  hell  is,  what  torments  there  are 
in  it,  you  know  not ;  therefore  you  are  not 
concerned. 

9.  The  dreadful  hell  is  full  of  unquench- 
able fire  ;  its  extinction  will  never  be  ! 

10.  Falling  therein,  brother,  there  is  no 
deliverance :  eternity's  bound  will  only  be 
its  beginning! 

11.  Fear,  lest  you  fall  into  this  dreadful 
hell.  Beware,  O  beware  of  this  unquencha- 
ble furnace  ! 

12.  Take  refuge  in  Christ,  take  refuge  ; 
without  a  refuge  none  will  receive  salva- 
tion. 

13.  In  other  shasters  there  is  no  news  of 
redemption  ;  they  contain  so  many  expres- 
sions of  national  rites  and  customs. 


Hindoo  mosolmaner  hohoo  ache  shastor  ta- 
harboddonto  mora  koreenoo  bistor. 


14.  Both  Hindoos  and  musulmans  have 
many  sasters  ;  most  of  which  we  have  ex- 
amined. 


14.  Hindoos  and  musulmans  have  many 
shasters  ;  we  have  investigated  them 
thoroughly. 

Prokritto  ooddhar  tolto  naheeka  tahay  bal- 
lyanondo  shastro  seye  oopokotf  liar  neyay. 


15.  In  none  of  them  are  to  be  found  the 
principles  of  the  true  salvation:  those  your 
sastras  are  fit  only  for  the  amusement  of 
children,  and  your  books  of  philosophy  are 
mere  fables. 

1G.  Formerly  we  ourselves  had  only  such 
sastras  ;  but,  having  obtained  the  great  sas- 
tra,  we  flung  those  away. 


15.  True  search  for  deliverance  (from  the 
wrath  to  come)  there  is  not  in  them;  chil- 
dren-enticing shasters  they  are,  like  fabu- 
lous tales. 

16.  Ours  were  formerly  such  kind  of  shas- 
ters ;  but,  finding  the  great  shaster,  we 
threw  away  the  other. 


598 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


17.  The  great  sastra  of  religion  contains 
glad  tidings  ;  for  in  it  alone  is  to  be  found 
the  way  to  salvation. 

18.  The  great  sastra  of  religion  had  not 
appeared  here  :  some  time  since  we  obtain- 
ed it,  and  have  now  brought  it  here. 

19.  Hear,  hear,  ye  people,  hear  with  due 
attention  !  Let  him  who  is  willing  come, 
and  we  will  cause  it  to  be  read. 


20.  Hereafter  do  ye  andjyour  brethren 
abominate  the  discourses  of  barbarians  :  the 
sastras  of  barbarians  contain  not  the  means 
of  salvation. 

21.  If  you  and  vour  brethren  wish  for  the 
means  of  salvation,  be  attentive,  and  hear 
somewhat  of  an  example,  &c. — 

The  writer  of  the  tract  then  proceeds  to 
give  a  sketch  of  Scripture  doctrine,  &c. 

The  reader  will  here  perceive  that,  in- 
stead of  calling  them  barbarians,  and  tell- 
ing them  to  abominate  their  barbarian  shas- 
ters  and  discourses,  the  missionaries  merely 
intreat  them  not  to  abominate  the  Bible  as 
being  what  they  term  the  shaster  of  the 
M'leeches,  or  unclean ;  for  so  they  denomi- 
nate all  who  are  not  of  the  caste.  It  was 
on  this  account  that  a  brahmin  urged  another 
brahmin  who  had  conversed  with  Mr. 
Thomas,  and  thought  favorably  of  him,  to 
go  and  wash  his  clothes  ;  for,  said  he,  he  is 
MUeech  (or  unclean)  if  not  filthy.  The  other 
replied,  that  filthy  men  did  filthy  deeds ; 
whereas  he  could  never  say  so  of  this  Eng- 
lishman, and  he  would  not  go  and  wash  his 
clothes.* 

Thus  has  this  tract  not  only  been  mis- 
translated, and  its  mistranslations  largely 
quoted  and  descanted  upon  ;  but  our  adver- 
saries have  represented  its  circulation  in 
India  as  that  which  must  needs  have  pro- 
voked the  natives  to  rise  up  against  the 
missionaries.  It  was  this  that  Major  Scott 
Waring  alleged  as  a  reason  why  he  should 
not  have  wondered  if  they  had  thrown  them 
into  the  Ganges.f  Yet  when  the  truth 
comes  to  be  stated,  it  appears  that  the  in 
flammatory  passages  in  the  tract  have  been 
inserted  by  some  unknown  person,  engaged 
in  the  same  cause  ivith  himself.  There  is  no 
proof  that  the  tract  itself,  or  any  other  tract, 
was  ever  known  to  give  any  such  offence  to 
the  natives  as  to  cause  them  to  treat  the 
missionaries  ill,  either  in  words  or  actions. 
I  wonder  what  these  men  can  think  of  a 
cause  which  requires  such  means  to  support 
it ;  and  whether,  when  thus  detected,  they 
be  susceptible  of  shame  like  other  men. 

It  is  not  enough  for  them  on  the  authority 
of  an  anonymous  manuscript  translation  to 

*  See  "  Periodical  Accounts,"  Vol.  I.  p.  22. 
|  "  Observations,"  Preface,  p.  lxvi. 


17.  This  holy  book  is  the  good  news  of 
salvation  ;  the  way  of  deliverance  is  in  this 
alone. 

18.  The  holy  book  was  not  made  known 
here  ;  some  time  ago  we  received  it,  now 
we  have  brought  it  hither. 

19.  Hear  ye,  hear  ye,  O  people,  hear 
with  attention  !  Whosesoever  wish  it  is, 
come — we  will  cause  you  to  hear. 

Mleech'ho  bolee  ghrinna  pache  horroho 
shobbdy  mleecli'ho  shastro  nohh'e  ey  trdnner 
oopdy. 

20.  Lest  you  should  hereafter  call  it  the 
barbarian's  (shaster)  and  should  hate  it  (this 
is  not  the  barbarian's  shaster,  but  a  remedy 
for  your  salvation.) 

21.  A  little  of  its  contents  we  must  de- 
clare :  hear  with  your  mind,  if  you  wish  for 
a  remedy. — 

accuse  the  missionaries  of  calling  the  natives 
"  barbarians,"  &c,  but  Major  Scott  Waring 
must  add,  "  this  tract  has  been  profusely 
circulated  amongst  the  native  troops  in  Ben- 
gal."— p.  117.  It  is  impossible  for  me  at 
this  distance  to  be  acquainted  with  every 
minute  circumstance  ;  but  I  am  almost  cer- 
tain that  there- is  no  truth  in  this  statement, 
and  that  the  missionaries  have  never  gone 
among  the  native  troops  on  any  occasion. 
If,  however,  it  be  true,  let  Major  Scott  Wa- 
ring prove  it.  I  challenge  him  to  do  so  by 
any  other  testimony  than  that  which,  in  a 
great  number  of  instances,  has  been  proved, 
I  presume,  to  be  utterly  unworthy  of  credit. 

It  is  owing  to  such  base  representations 
as  these,  particularly  in  the  pamphlets  of 
Major  Scott  Waring,  that  even  the  frie>nds 
of  Christianity,  and  of  the  missionaries,  have 
thought  themselves  obliged  in  justice  to 
concede  that  the  latter  may  have  been  guilty 
of  iridiscretions.  It  is  scarcely  possible, 
while  slander  is  flying  about,  as  in  a  shower 
of  poisoned  arrows,  and  before  they  have 
been  repelled,  not  to  have  our  confidence  in 
some  degree  wounded.  Bui  while  I  freely 
acknowledge  that  there  may  have  been  in- 
stances of  indiscretion  (for  the  missionaries 
are  men,)  I  must  insist  that  neither  Mr. 
Twining,  nor  Major  Scott  Waring,  nor  the 
Bengal  Officer,  has  substantiated  a  single 
charge  of  the  kind. 

The  substance  of  the  Bengal  Officer's  re- 
marks may  be  considered  under  three  heads  ; 
namely,  the  morality  of  the  Hindoo  system — 
the  moral  character  of  the  Hindoos — and  the 
conduct  of  the  missionaries  and  of  the  native 
Christians. 

Of  the  morality  of  the  Hindoo  sys- 
tem.— "  The  religious  creed  of  the  Gen- 
toos,"  says  Professor  White,  in  his  Bampton 
Lectures,  "is  a  system  of  the  most  barbar- 
ous idolatry,  They  acknowledge  indeed 
one  supreme  God  :  yet  innumerable  are  the 
subordinate  deities  whom  they  worship,  and 
innumerable  also  are  the  vices  and  follies 


REMARKS    ON    UA    VINDICATION    OF    THE     HINDOOS." 


599 


which  they  ascribe  to  them.  With  a  blind- 
ness which  has  ever  been  found  inseparable 
from  polytheism,  they  adore,  as  the  attri- 
butes of  their  gods,  the  wickedness  and 
passions  which  deform  and  disgrace  human 
nature ;  and  their  worship  is,  in  many  re- 
spects, not  unworthy  of  the  deities  who  are 
the  objects  of  it.  The  favor  of  beings 
which  have  no  existence  but  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  superstitious  enthusiast  is  con- 
ciliated by  senseless  ceremonies  and  un- 
reasonable mortifications — by  ceremonies 
which  consume  the  time  which  should  be 
dedicated  to  the  active  and  social  duties,  and 
by  mortifications  which  strike  at  the  root  of 
every  lawful  and  innocent  enjoyment. 
What  indeed  shall  we  think  of  a  religion 
which  supposes  the  expiation  of  sins  to  con- 
sist in  penances  than  which  fancy  cannot 
suggest  any  thing  more  rigorous  and  ab- 
surd ;  in  sitting  or  standing  whole  years  in 
one  unvaried  posture  ;  in  carrying  the  heav- 
iest loads,  or  dragging  the  most  weighty 
chains  ;  in  exposing  the  naked  body  to  the 
scorching  sun;  and  in  hanging  with  the 
head  downward  before  the  fiercest  and  most 
intolerable  fire  ?  " — Sermon  X.  p.  12. 

But  our  author  tells  a  very  different  tale. 
He  "  reposes  the  Hindoo  system  on  the 
broad  basis  of  its  own  merits,  convinced  that 
on  the  enlarged  principles  of  moral  reason- 
ing it  little  needs  the  meliorating  hand  of 
Christian  dispensations  to  render  its  votaries 
a  sufficiently  correct  and  moral  people,  for 
all  the  useful  purposes  of  civilized  society." 
— p.  9.  Could  this  be  proved,  it  were  no 
solid  objection  to  Christian  missions.  To 
argue  merely  from  what  is  useful  to  civilized 
society  is  to  argue  as  an  atheist.  Civilized 
society  is  not  the  chief  end  of  man.  If 
there  be  an  eternal  hereafter,  it  must  be 
of  infinitely  greater  moment,  both  to  gov- 
ernors and  governed,  than  all  the  affairs  of 
the  greatest  empire  upon  earth.  This  wri- 
ter, when  pleading  the  cause  of  "  beggars 
by  profession "  (  as  Major  Scott  Waring 
calls  the  Hindoo  byraggees  when  they  have 
left  that  profession  and  become  Christians  ) 
can  allege  that  religion  ought  not  to  be  sub- 
servient to  mere  worldly  interest  (p.  76 ) ; 
but,  when  his  cause  requires  it,  he  can  turn 
about,  and  contend  that  that  which  is  suffi- 
cient for  the  puposes  of  civil  society  is  all 
that  is  necessary.  The  cause  of  God  and 
truth  requires  that  such  an  atheistical  prin- 
ciple should  be  repelled,  otherwise  I  should 
have  no  objection  to  meet  him  even  upon 
this  ground,  persuaded  as  I  am  that  what- 
ever is  right  for  another  life  is  wise  for 
this. 

But  let  us  attend  to  "  the  excellence  of 
the  religious  and  moral  doctrines  of  the 
Hindoos,"  as  taught  in  The  Institutes  of 
Menu,  and  in  other  books.  From  these, 
especially  the  former,  we  are  furnished  with 
numerous  quotations,  occasionally  intersper- 


sed with  triumphant  questions  ;  such  as, 
"  Are  these  tales  for  children  ?  "  "  Are 
these  the  discourses  of  barbarians  ?  " 

On  the  Institutes  of  Menu,  I  would  offer 
a  few  remarks  : — 

First :  Let  them  possess  what  excellency 
they  may,  they  are  unknown  to  the  people. 
The  millions  of  Hindostan  have  no  access 
to  them.  Sir  William  Jones  did  indeed 
persuade  the  brahmins  to  communicate  them 
to  him  ;  and  by  his  translation,  and  the  aid 
of  the  press,  the  European  world  are  now 
acquainted  with  them,  as  well  as  with  other 
productions  to  which  our  author  refers  us : 
but  to  the  Hindoo  population  they  are  as 
though  they  existed  not.  The  lower  clas- 
ses are  by  their  law  subjected  to  penalty 
for  hearing  any  part  of  the  Vedas  read.  The 
young  are  not  taught  principles  from  this 
work  ;  and  it  never  furnishes  a  text  for  dis- 
coursing to  the  adult.  There  is,  indeed, 
no  such  thing  as  moral  education,  or  moral 
preaching,  among  the  great  body  of  the 
people.  They  know  far  less  of  the  doctrines 
of  Menu  than  the  vulgar  pagans  of  ancient 
Greece  knew  the  writings  of  Plato.  It  is, 
therefore,  utterly  fallacious  and  disingenu- 
ous to  quote  this  work  as  a  standard  of  opin- 
ion or  practice  among  the  Hindoo  people, 
seeing  it  is  little  more  known  to  the  bulk  of 
them  than  if  it  had  no  existence. 

Secondly :  Though  there  are  some  good 
sentiments  in  these  Institutes,  yet  they  con- 
tain a  large  portion  not  only  of  puerility,  hut 
of  immortality,  which  this  ivriter  has  careful- 
ly passed  over.  Sir  William  Jones  says  of 
the  work,  that  "  with  many  beauties,  which 
need  not  be  pointed  out,  it  contains  many 
blemishes  which  cannot  be  justified  or  palli- 
ated. It  is  a  system  of  despotism  and 
priestcraft,  both  indeed  limited  by  law,  but 
artfully  conspiring  to  give  mutual  support, 
though  with  mutual  checks.  It  is  filled  with 
strange  conceits  in  metaphysics  and  natural 
philosophy,  with  idle  superstitions,  and  with 
s  scheme  of  theology  most  obscurely  figura- 
tive, and  consequently  liable  to  dangerous 
misconceptions.  It  abounds  with  minute 
and  childish  formalities,  with  ceremonies 
generally  absurd,  and  often  ridiculous ;  the 
punishments  are  partial  and  fanciful  ;  for 
some  crimes  dreadfully  cruel,  for  others  rep- 
rehensibly  slight ;  and  the  very  morals, 
though  rigid  enough  on  the  whole,  are  in  one 
or  two  instances  (as  in  the  case  of  light  oaths, 
and  pious  perjury)  unaccountably  relaxed." 

The  following  specimen  may  serve  as  a 
proof  of  the  justness  of  Sir  William's  remark, 
of  its  being  a  system  of"  priestcraft." 

Ver.  313.  "Let  not  a  king,  though  in  the 
greatest  distress  for  money,  provoke  hrahmins 
to  anger,  by  taking  their  property :  for  they, 
once  enraged,  could  immediately,  by  sacri- 
fices and  imprecations  destroy  him,  with  his 
troops,  elephants,  horses,  and  cars." 

V.  315.  "  What  prince  could  gain  wealth 


600 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


by  oppressing  those  who,  if  angry,  could 
frame  other  worlds,  and  regents  of  worlds  ; 

COUld  GIVE  BEING  TO  NEW  GODS,  (llld  mor- 
tals0?" 

V.  31G.  "  What  man  desirous  of  life  would 
injure  those  by  the  aid  of  whom,  that  is,  by 
whose  oblations,  worlds  and  gods  perpetu- 
ally subsist;  those  who  are  rich  in  the 
learning  of  the  Vedas?" 

V.  317.  "  A  brahmin,  whether  learned  or 
ignorant,  is  a  powerful  divinity  ;  even  as 
fire  is  a  powerful  divinity,  whether  conse- 
crated or  popular." 

V.  318.  Even  in  places  for  burning  the 
dead,  the  bright  fire  is  undefiled  ;  and  when 
presented  with  clarified  butter,  or  subsequent 
sacrifices,  blazes  again  with  extreme  splen- 
dor." 

V.  319.  "  Thus,  although  brahmins  employ 
themselves  in  all  sorts  of  mean  occupation, 
they  must  invariably  be  honored  ;  for  they 
are  something  transcendently  divine."* 

Our  author  would  persuade  us  that  the 
"  Divine  Spirit"  is  the  grand  object  of  Hin- 
doo adoration  :  but  he  omitted  to  tell  us  that 
the  brahmins  are  above  Him,  for  that  worlds 

AND  GODS  SUBSIST  BY  THEIR  OBLATIONS,  and 

they  can  give  being  to  new  gods.  Any 
person  of  common  discernment  may  perceive, 
by  this  specimen,  that,  let  these  Institutes  be 
of  what  antiquity  they  may,  they  are  ofbrah- 
minical  origin  ;  and  that,  in  order  to  raise 
this  class  of  men  above  the  control  of  the 
civil  powers,  they  not  only  give  them  "  di- 
vinity," but  elevate  them  "  above  all  that  is 
called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped." 

Thirdly :  Even  those  parts  which  our  au- 
thor has  selected  and  quoted  are  very  far  from 
being  unexceptionable.  On  the  two  great 
subjects  of  the  Unity  of  God,  and  the  expia- 
tion of  sin,  what  do  the  Vedas  teach  ?  What 
ideas  are  we  to  attach  to  the  following  lan- 
guage ? — "  Equally  perceiving  the  supreme 
soul  in  all  beings,  and  all  beings  in  the  su- 
preme soul,  he  sacrifices  his  own  spirit  by 
fixing  it  on  the  spirit  of  God  ;  and  approaches 
the  nature  of  that  sole  divinity  who  shines  by 
his  own  effulgence." — If  there  be  any  mean- 
ing in  this  rhapsody,  it  corresponds  with  the 
atheistical  jargon  of  Spinoza,  confounding 
the  Creator  with  the  work  of  his  hands. 

That  which  follows  is  worse  : — "  The  Di- 
vine Spirit  alone  is  the  whole  assemblage  of 
gods ;  all  worlds  are  seated  in  the  Divine 
Spirit,  and  the  Divine  Spirit,  no  doubt,  pro- 
duces by  a  chain  of  causes  and  effects,  con- 
sistent with  free  will,  the  connected  series 
of  acts  performed  by  embodied  souls." — 
p.  2G. 

Such  is  their  doctrine  of  ''  One  Supreme 
Being!"  Is  then  the  infinitely  glorious  God 
to  be  not  only  associated  but  identified  with 
the  rabble  of  heathen  deities,  all  which  sub- 

*  Sir  William  Jones's  Works,  Vol.  III.  pp.  378, 
379. 


sist  in  the  oblations  of  the  brahmins  ?  Is  his 
blessed  name  to  be  annihilated  and  lost  in 
theirs  ?  Better  a  thousand  times  were  it  to 
make  no  mention  of  Him  than  to  introduce 
Him  in  such  company.  Though  the  last  sen- 
tence cautiously  guards  the  idea  of  human 
agency,  so  much  indeed  as  to  possess  the 
air  of  modern  composition  ;  yet  it  is  certain 
that  the  brahmins,  on  this  principle,  con- 
stantly excuse  themselves  from  blame  in  all 
their  deeds,  as  they  have  frequently  alleged 
to  the  missionaries  that  it  is  not  they  but  God 
ill  them  that  performs  the  evil. 

What  follows  is  still  worse  : — "  We  may 
contemplate  the  subtle  tether  in  the  cavities 
of  his  [that  is  God's]  body  ;  the  air,  in  his 
muscular  motion  and  sensitive  nerves ;  the 
supreme  solar  and  igneous  light,  in  his  di- 
gestive heat  and  visual  organs :  in  his  cor- 
poreal fluid,  water ;  in  the  terrene  parts  of 
his  fabric,  earth.  In  his  heart,  the  moon  ;  in 
his  auditory  nerves,  the  guardians  of  eight 
regions  ;  *  in  his  progressive  motion,  Vish- 
nu ;  f  in  muscular  force,  Hara  ;|  in  his  or- 
gans of  speech,  Agni;§  in  excretion,  Mi- 
tra  ;  ||  in  procreation,  Brahma."  H 

I  presume  the  reader  has  had  enough,  and 
needs  no  reflections  of  mine.  Let  us  hear 
the  Vindicator  of  image  worship.  "  It  is  true 
that  in  general  they  worship  the  Deity 
through  the  medium  of  images  ;  and  we  satis- 
factorily learn  from  the  Geeta  that  it  is  not 
the  mere  image,  but  the  invisible  Spirit,  that 
they  thus  worship." — p.  44.  And  thus  from 
Abulfazel :  **  "  They  one  and  all  believe  in 
the  unity  of  the  Godhead ;  and,  although 
they  hold  images  in  high  veneration,  yet 
they  are  by  no  means  idolaters,  as  the  igno- 
rant suppose.  I  have  myself  frequently  dis- 
coursed upon  the  subject  with  many  learned 
and  upright  men  of  this  religion,  and  com- 
prehend their  doctrine  ;  which  is,  that  the 
images  are  only  representations  of  celestial 
beings,  to  whom  they  turn  themselves  while 
at  prayer  to  prevent  their  thoughts  from  wan- 
dering :  and  they  think  it  an  indispensable 
duty  to  address  the  Deity  after  that  manner." 
— p.  47. 

If  this  reasoning  be  just,  there  never  were 
any  idolaters  upon  earth ;  for  what  is  said 
of  the  Hindoos  applies  to  the  worshippers  of 
Baal,  and  of  all  other  heathen  deities.  But 
to  call  this  worshipping  the  Deity  through  the 
medium  of  images  is  representing  them  as 
connected  with  Him,  when,  in  fact,  they  are 
rivals  of  him  in  the  hearts  of  his  creatures. 

*  Eight  points  of  the  compass, 
f  The  preserver.  J  The  destroyer. 

§  God  of  fire.  ||  The  Sun. 

IT  The  Creator.—]).  27. 

**  Abulfazel  was  the  prime  minister  of  Ackbar, 
one  of  the  Mogul  emperors  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
who,  perceiving  the  ill  effects  of  Mahomedan  per- 
secution, endeavored  to  reconcile  the  different  reli- 
gious parties  in  the  empire,  and  to  persuade  that  of 
the  court  to  think  favorably  of  that  of  the  country. 


REMARKS    ON    "  A    VINDICATION    OF    THE    HINDOOS. 


601 


The  invisible  spirit  to  which  their  devotions 
are  directed,  according  to  this  writer's  own 
account,  is  Crishna  (p.  45 ;)  who  is  not 
God,  but  a  deified  creature  that  takes  place 
of  God  :  a  daemon,  whose  character,  as  drawn 
even  in  their  own  shasters,  is  lewd  and 
treacherous.  We  might  know  from  these 
their  records,  even  though  an  apostle  had 
not  told  us,  that  "i/ie  things  which  the  Gen- 
tiles sacrifice,  they  sacrifice  to  daemons,  aind 
not  to  God." 

It  has  been  common  to  speak  of  the  Hin- 
doos as  acknowledging  one  Supreme  Being, 
but  as  worshipping  a  number  of  subordinate 
deities  ;  and  I  may  have  used  this  language 
as  well  as  others.  The  terms  supreme  and 
subordinate,  however,  do  not  appear  to  be 
happily  chosen.  They  might  as  well  be  ap- 
plied to  a  lawful  sovereign  and  a  number  of 
usurpers  who  had  set  up  the  standard  of  re- 
bellion against  him.  Whatever  subordina- 
tion there  may  be  among  these  deities  with 
respect  to  each  other,  they  are  all  opposed 
to  the  true  God.  What  claims  can  He  have, 
after  those  of  Chreeshna  are  satisfied,  who 
calls  his  "the  supreme  nature,  which  is 
superior  to  all  things  ?" — p.  45.  Our  author 
would  wish  him,  no  doubt,  to  be  thought  an 
attribute  of  the  true  God,  or,  as  he  calls  him, 
"  the  preserving  power  of  the  Divinity  ;"  but 
this  he  cannot  be,  for  his  character  is  im- 
moral. If  it  be  alleged  that  he  is  merely  an 
imaginary  being,  and  therefore  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other,  I  answer,  while  he  claims 
"a  supreme  nature,"  and  is  worshipped  as 
possessing  it,  though  he  be  nothing  in  him- 
self, yet  he  is  something  to  the  worshippers, 
and  answers  all  the  ends  of  a  conscious  and 
active  usurper  of  the  throne  of  God. 

After  this,  the  reader  will  not  be  surprised 
to  hear  of  "repentance,  devotion,  and  pious 
austerities,"  as  the  means  of  expiating  sin. 
— pp.  29,  36.  We  cannot  wonder  at  such 
notions  in  benighted  pagans  ;  but  that  a  wri- 
ter who  has  read  the  New  Testament  should 
think  of  alleging  them,  as  a  recommendation 
of  the  system  to  the  favorable  regard  of 
Christians,  is  a  proof  of  his  having  either 
never  understood  what  Christianity  is,  or  for- 
gotten it  amidst  the  charms  of  idolatry.  As 
to  what  these  "  devotions  and  austerities" 
are,  be  they  what  they  may,  when  considered 
as  an  expiation  of  sin,  they  are  worse  than 
nothing.  But  the  truth  is,  they  are  neither 
aimed  to  propitiate  the  true  God,  nor  do  they 
consist  of  any  thing  which  he  requires  at 
their  hands. 

Such  are  the  excellences  of  the  Hindoo 
system  ;  such  the  arguments  which  the  mis- 
sionaries are  challenged  to  answer;  and 
such  the  faith  which  would  be  thought  to 
erect  her  standard  by  the  side  of  reason ! 
Our  author,  after  enumerating  these  and 
other  glorious  principles,  asks,  with  an  air  of 
triumph,  "  What  is  it  that  the  missionaries 
propose  teaching  to  the  Hindoos  ?"  What 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  70 


is  it,  in  religious  concerns,  which  they  do 
not  require  to  be  taught  ? 

He  allows  there  are  "  many  reprehensible 
customs  among  the  Hindoos,  the  mere  off- 
spring of  superstition  ; "  but  he  contends  that 
"  they  are  not  enjoined  by  the  Vedas,  and 
are  chiefly  confined  to  certain  classes." — p. 
09.  "  I  have  no  hesitation,"  he  says,  "  in 
declaring  that  no  branch  whatever  of  their  my- 
thology, so  far  as  I  understand  it,  appears  to 
merit,  in  the  smallest  degree,  the  harsh  charges 
of  vice  and  falsehood.'''' — p.  97.  Yet,  to  say 
nothing  of  things  which  it  would  be  indecent 
to  mention,  Dr.  Buchanan  has  quoted  a  num- 
ber of  authorities  from  their  sacred  books  in 
favor  of  the  burning  of  women,  and  in  which 
such  voluntary  sacrifices  are  declared  not 
to  be  suicide,  but,  on  the  contrary,  highly 
meritorious.*  And  the  Institutes  of  Menu, 
as  Sir  William  Jones  observes,  are  unac- 
countably relaxed  in  regard  of  light  oaths 
and  pious  perjury.  But  these  things,  and  a 
hundred  more,  stand  for  nothing  with  our 
author,  whose  admiration  of  the  general  sys- 
tem leads  him  to  forget,  as  trilling,  all  such 
imperfections.  "  Wherever  I  look  around 
me,"  he  says,  "in  the  vast  region  of  Hindoo 
mythology,  I  discover  piety  in  the  garb  of 
allegory  :  and  I  see  morality  at  every  turn, 
blended  with  every  tale  :  and,  as  far  as  I 
can  rely  on  my  own  judgment,  it  appears  the 
most  complete  and  ample  system  of  moral 
allegory  that  the  world  has  ever  produced  ! " 
—p.  97. 

How  shall  we  stand  against  this  tide  of 
eloquence  ?  I  will  transcribe  a  passage 
from  Dr.  Tennant.  "  It  is  curious,"  says  he, 
"  to  observe  how  the  indifference,  or  rather 
the  dislike,  of  some  old  settlers  in  India,  is 
expressed  against  the  system  of  their  fore- 
fathers. It  is  compared  with  the  Hindoo 
institutions  with  an  affectation  of  impartiality, 
while,  in  the  mean  time,  the  latter  system  is 
extolled  in  its  greatest  puerilities  and  follies  : 
its  grossest  fables  are  always  asserted  to 
convey  some  hidden  but  sound  lessons  of 
wisdom.  They  inveigh  against  the  schisms, 
disputes,  and  differences  of  the  western 
world,  ascribing  them  solely  to  their  reli- 
gious dogmata.  They  palliate  the  most 
fanatical  and  most  painful  of  the  Hindoo 
rites,  and  never  fail  in  discovering  some  sal- 
utary influence  which  they  shed  upon  so- 
ciety. Wrapt  up  in  devout  admiration  of 
the  beauty  and  sublimity  of  the  Vedas,  they 
affect  to  triumph  in  their  supposed  superiority 
over  the  simplicity  of  the  Hebrew  and  Greek 
Scriptures.  This  affectation  is  the  more 
ridiculous,  because  it  is  indulged  by  those 
who  pretend  to  great  taste,  and  profound 
knowledge  of  Sanscrit  learning."  f 

*  Memoir,  p.  96. 

t   Thoughts  on  the  British  Government  in  In- 
dia, p.  141.     Note. 


602 


AN     APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


If  the  doctor's  performance  had  not  been 
■written  before  that  of  the  Bengal  officer,  we 
should  almost  have  supposed  he  meant  to 
draw  his  picture. 

This  author  may  suppose  that  a  system  so 
good-natured  as  to  concede  the  divinity  of 
Christ  (p.  50)  might  be  expected  to  receive 
some  concessions  in  return :  but  he  had  bet- 
ter not  attempt  a  compromise,  for  the  systems 
cannot  agree.  If  he  be  a  heathen,  let  him 
cast  in  his  lot  with  heathens.  Let  him,  if  he 
should  get  intoxicated,  attend  to  the  recipe 
of  his  "divine  Menu  ;"  let  him,*in  order  "to 
atone  for  his  offence,  drink  more  spirit  in 
flame  till  he  severely  burn  his  body  ;  or  let 
him  drink,  boiling  hot,  until  he  die,  the  urine 
of  a  cow,  or  pure  water,  or  milk,  or  clarified 
butter,  or  juice  expressed  from  cow-dung." 
— p.  41.  Let  him,  if  he  should  be  vicious,  ex- 
pect to  become  a  dog,  or  a  cat,  or  some  more 
despicable  creature  ;  or,  if  he  be  virtuous, 
let  him  hope  for  his  reward  in  the  favor  of 
Chrishna. — p.  46.  But  we  are  Christians, 
and  have  learned  another  lesson.  We  have 
been  taught  to  revere  the  authority  of  Him 
who  hath  said  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other 
gods  before  me.  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto 
thee  any  graven  image,  or  any  likeness  of 
any  thing  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  that  is 
in  the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  water 
under  the  earth :  thou  shalt  not  bow  down 
thyself  to  them,  nor  serve  them:  for  I  the 
Lord  thy  God  am  a  jealous  God." 

Of  the  Moral  Character  of  the  Hin- 
doos.— This  is  a  subject  of  great  importance 
in  the  present  controversy ;  for,  if  Hin- 
dooism  produce  as  good  fruits  as  Christianity, 
the  necessity  of  attempting  the  conversion 
of  its  votaries  must,  in  a  great  degree,  if  not 
entirely,  be  set  aside.  It  is  a  subject,  too, 
in  which  our  author  has  the  advantage  of  us, 
as  it  must  be  more  agreeable  to  the  public 
mind  to  think  favorably  than  unfavorably  of 
a  great  people  who  form  now  a  component 
part  of  the  empire.  Nothing  but  truth,  and 
a  desire  to  do  them  good,  can  justify  us  in 
disputing  these  favorable  accounts. 

Considering  the  importance  of  the  subject, 
and  the  weight  of  testimony  which  our  au- 
thor must  be  aware  he  had  to  encounter,  we 
may  suppose  he  has  brought  forward  all  the 
proof  of  which  he  is  capable.  That  the  read- 
er may  be  able  to  judge  on  the  subject,  I 
will  first  state  the  substance  of  the  evidence 
on  the  other  side,  and  then  inquire  what  this 
writer  has  done  towards  overturning  it. 

I  have  already  mentioned  three  or  four 
testimonies  in  my  Letter  to  the  Chairman  of 
the  East  India  Company.*  These  I  shall 
not  repeat. 

Tamerlane  the  Great,  when  about  to  die, 
thus  addressed  his  sons  and  statesmen : — 
"  Know,  my  dear  children,  and  elevated 
statesmen,  that  the  inhabitant  of  Hindostan 

*  See  Part  I.,  p.  758,  of  this  volume. 


cultivates  imposture,  fraud,  and  deception, 
and  considers  them  to  be  meritorious  ac- 
complishments. Should  any  person  entrust 
to  him  the  care  of  his  property,  that  person 
will  soon  become  only  the  nominal  posses- 
sor of  it." 

"The  tendency  of  this  my  mandate  to  you, 
statesmen,  is  to  preclude  a  confidence  in 
their  actions,  or  an  adoption  of  their  ad- 
vice."! 

"At  Benares,"  adds  Dr.  Buchanan,  "the 
fountain  of  Hindoo  learning  and  religion, 
where  Captain  Wilford,  author  of  the  Es- 
says on  the  Indian  and  Egyptian  mythology, 
has  long  resided  in  the  society  of  the  brah- 
mins, a  scene  has  been  lately  exhibited  which 
certainly  has  never  had  a  parallel  in  any 
other  learned  society  in  the  world. 

"The  pundit  of  Captain  Wilford  having 
for  a  considerable  time  been  guilty  of  in- 
terpolating his  books,  and  of  fabricating  new 
sentences  in  old  works,  to  answer  a  particu- 
lar purpose,  was  at  length  detected  and 
publicly  disgraced.  As  a  last  effort  to  save 
his  character,  '  he  brought  ten  brahmins,  not 
only  as  his  compurgators,  but  to  swear,  by 
what  is  most  sacred  in  their  religion,  to  the 
genuineness  of  the  extracts.':):  Captain  Wil- 
ford would  not  permit  the  ceremonial  of  per- 
jury to  take  place,  but  dismissed  them  from 
his  presence  with  indignation." 

Dr.  Tennant,  late  chaplain  to  his  majesty's 
troops  in  Bengal,  has  written  very  explicitly 
on  the  subject,  not  only  stating  facts,  but 
pointing  out  their  connection  with  the  sys- 
tem. As  his  testimony  includes  the  opin- 
ions of  Sir  James  M'Intosh,  Sir  William 
Jones,  and  some  other  very  respectable  au- 
thorities, and  as  he  himself  cannot  be  accused 
of  any  strong  predilection  for  missions,  I 
shall  transcribe  a  few  pages  from  his  account. 
"The  native  character,"  he  says,  "how- 
ever amiable  in  some  respects  it  may  ap- 
pear, is  frequently  stained  with  vices  direct- 
ly hostile  to  society.  The  crime  of  perjury, 
from  the  great  defects  of  their  religious  sys- 
tem, is  remarkably  prevalent,  and  in  many 
instances  renders  the  execution  of  justice 
difficult  and  impossible. 

"  The  prevalence  of  this  vice,"  says  Sir 
James  M'Intosh,  "  which  I  have  myself  ob- 
served,'is,  perhaps,  a  more  certain  criterion 
of  a  general  dissolution  of  moral  principle 
than  other  more  daring  and  ferocious  crimes, 
much  more  terrible  to  the  imagination,  and 
of  which  the  immediate  consequences  are 
more  destructive  to  society."  "Perjury," 
adds  Dr.  Tennant,  "  indicates  the  absence 
of  all  the  common  restraints  by  which  men 

f  Dr.jBuclianan's  Memoir,  pp.  113, 114.  "  Mar- 
quis Coruwallis  was  never  known,  during  his  ad- 
ministration in  India,  to  admit  a  native  to  his  con- 
fidence. Under  the  administration  of  marquis 
Welles  ley  there  is  a  total  exclusion  of  native  coun- 
sel." 

t  Asiatic  Researches,  Vol.  VIII.,  p.  28. 


REMARKS    ON    "  A    VINDICATION    OF    THE    HINDOOS. 


603 


are  withheld  from  the  commission  of  crimes. 
It  is  an  attack  upon  religion  and  law  in  the 
very  point  of  their  union  for  the  protection 
of  human  society.  It  weakens  the  founda- 
tion of  every  right,  by  rendering  the  execu- 
tion of  justice  unattainable. 

"Sir  William  Jones," continues  he,  "after 
long  judicial  experience,  was  obliged,  re- 
luctantly, to  acknowledge  this  moral  depra- 
vity of  the  natives  of  India.  He  had  carried 
out  with  him  to  that  country  a  strong  pre- 
judice in  their  favor,  which  he  had  imbibed 
in  the  course  of  his  studies,  and  which  in  him 
was  perhaps  neither  unamiable  nor  ungrace- 
ful. This  prejudice  he  could  not  longer  re- 
tain against  the  universal  testimony  of  Eu- 
ropeans, and  the  enormous  examples  of  de- 
pravity among  the  natives  which  he  often 
witnessed  in  his  judicial  capacity."* 

Again  :  Having  described  the  state  of  the 
country  previously  to  its  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  British,  Dr.  Tennant  says, 
"thus,  within  the  short  space  of  a  man's  life, 
and  almost  in  our  own  remembrance,  the 
empire  of  India  fell  into  anarchy  and  ruin; 
not  from  the  external  violence  of  foreign 
enemies,  but  from  the  inveteracy  and  extent 
of  corruption  which  pervaded  the  ivholeofits 
members."  f 

Again:  "The  boasted  humanity  of  the 
Hindoo  system,  to  all  sentient  beings,  is  but 
ill  supported,  when  we  come  to  a  close  ex- 
amination of  the  customs  which  it  tolerates, 
the  precepts  which  it  enjoins,  or  the  actual 
conduct  of  its  votaries.  Though  it  be  ad- 
mitted that  some  of  the  above  horrid  customs 
are  a  violation  of  their  written  code,  yet 
there  are  other  practices  equally  shocking 
to  which  it  affords  its  immediate  sanction. 
The  public  encouragement  held  out  to  aged 
pilgrims  who  drown  themselves  in  the 
Ganges,  under  the  notion  of  acquiring  reli- 
gious merit,  is  equally  repugnant  with  the 
practice  already  noticed  to  reason  and  hu- 
manity. No  less  than  four  or  five  persons 
have  been  seen  drowning  themselves  at  one 
time,  with  the  view  of  performing  a  religious 
sacrifice  of  high  value  in  their  own  estima- 
tion, and  that  of  many  thousands  who  attend 
this  frightful  solemnity. — The  recommenda- 
tion given  to  a  favorite  wife  to  burn  herself 
on  the  same  funeral  pile  with  the  dead  body 
of  her  husband  affords  not  an  unfrequent 
spectacle  of  deliberate  cruelty,  which  can- 
not, perhaps,  be  equalled  in  the  whole  an- 
nals of  superstition. 

"  The  cruel  treatment  of  the  sick,  the  aged, 
and  dying,  if  not  a  precept,  is  a  practical  re- 
sult of  this  degraded  system,  far  more  uni- 
versal than  any  of  those  already  mentioned  : 
it  is  of  a  nature  which  the  most  moderate 
share  of  humanity  would  prompt  any  person 

*  Thoughts  on  the  British  Government  in  India, 
p.  54. 
t  Ibid.  77. 


to  use  very  zealous  efforts  to  remedy.  As 
soon  as  any  mortal  symptoms  are  discovered 
in  the  state  of  a  patient  by  his  physician,  or 
by  his  relations,  he  is,  if  in  Bengal,  removed 
from  his  bed,  and  carried  to  the  brink  of  the 
Ganges,  where  he  is  laid  down  with  his  feet 
and  legs  immersed  in  the  river  there,  instead 
of  receiving  from  his  friends  :  any  of  the 
tender  consolations  of  sympathy,  to  alleviate 
the  pain  of  his  departing  moments,  his  mouth, 
nose,  and  ears,  are  stuffed  witli  clay,  or  wet 
sand,  while  tlie  by-standers  crowd  close 
around  him,  and  incessantly  pour  torrents  of 
water  upon  his  head  and  body.  It  is  thus, 
amidst  the  convulsive  struggles  of  suffoca- 
tion, added  to  the  ao'ony  of  disease,  that  the 
wretched  Hindoo  bids  farewell  to  his  pre- 
sent existence,  and  finally  closes  his  eyes 
upon  the  sufferings  of  life. 

"  But  waving  these  particular  usages,  some 
of  which  are  perhaps  abuses  which  have 
sprung  out  of  their  primitive  institutions,  it 
may  be  contended,  on  good  grounds,  that 
the  general  spirit  of  the  system  has  itself  a 
tendency,  in  many  instances,  to  promote  ig- 
norance and  encourage  vice. 

"  In  the  Historical  Fragments  of  the  Mogul 
Empire,  Mr.  Orme  has  presented  the  public 
with  a  laborious  and  detailed  exposition  of 
all  those  defects  of  the  Hindoo  system.  The 
author,  in  this  work,  conveys  no  very  favor- 
able impression  of  the  Indian  character ;  but 
his  ideas  are  the  result  of  personal  observa- 
tion: they  are  clear,  forcible,  and  correct. 
Towards  the  close  of  his  interesting  disqui- 
sition, he  thus  sums  up  the  general  impres- 
sion which  the  subject  left  upon  his  mind. 
'  Having  brought  to  a  conclusion  this  Essay 
on  the  Government  and  People  of  Hindos- 
tan,  I  cannot  refrain  from  making  the  reflec- 
tions which  so  obviously  arise  from  the 
subject.  Christianity  vindicates  all  its  glo- 
ries, all  its  honors,  and  all  its  reverence,  when 
we  behold  the  most  horrid  impieties  avowed 
amongst  the  nations  on  whom  its  influence 
does  not  shine,  as  actions  necessary  in  the 
common  conduct  of  life  :  I  mean  piosonings, 
treachery,  and  assassination,  among  the  sons 
of  ambition;  rapine,  cruelty,  and  extortion, 
in  the  ministers  of  justice. — I  leave  divines 
to  vindicate,  by  more  sanctified  reflections, 
the  cause  of  their  religion  and  of  their 
God.'— 

"  The  Hindoo  system  makes  little  or  no 
provision  for  the  instruction  of  the  great  body 
of  the  people  :  a  defect  the  more  remarkable 
when  we  advert  to  the  number  and  authority 
of  its  priesthood,  and  the  great  multiplicity 
and  size  of  its  sacred  volumes.  Their  Ve- 
das,  Poorans,  and  other  books  held  sacred, 
contain,  it  is  said,  a  copious  system  of  sound 
morality  ;  and,  from  the  specimens  already 
translated,  this  must  be  partly  admitted  ;  but 
the  truths  contained  in  these  writings  are 
almost  totally  obscured  and  rendered  useless 
by  a  vast  mixture  of  puerile  fictions  and  fri- 


604 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


volous  7-egidations.  And,  besides,  the  can- 
onical books  of  the  Hindoos  have  always 
been  regarded  as  a  bequest  too  sacred  to  be 
committed  to  vulgar  hands  :  to  the  far  greater 
part  of  the  community  their  perusal  is  strictly 
forbidden  :  closely  guarded  in  the  archives 
of  the  learned,  to  the  great  body  of  the  peo- 
ple they  remain,  in  the  most  emphatic  sense, 
'a  dead  letter.' 

Of  the  ceremonies  of  brahminism,  some  are 
showy,  many  are  absurd,  and  not  a  few  both 
indecent  and  immoral.  Its  temples  were 
formerly  in  some  districts  richly  endowed  ; 
they  are  represented  by  all  travellers  as 
maintaining  a  number  of  priests  and,  what 
seems  peculiar,  a  number  of  women  con- 
secrated to  this  service,  who  are  taught  to 
sing  and  dance  at  public  festivals  in  honor 
of  the  god.  The  voluptuous  indolence  in 
which  they  are  destined  to  spend  their  lives 
renders  them  totally  useless  to  society  ; 
while  the  indecency  of  their  manners  gives 
room  to  suspect  that  they  may  injure  it  by 
their  example. 

"  The  temples  themselves,  which  in  other 
countries  excite  sentiments  of  reverence 
and  devotion,  are  in  India  plenished  with 
images  of  fecundity,  and  of  creative  power, 
too  gross  for  description.  Similar  rep- 
resentations are  also  displayed  by  those  im- 
ages which,  at  certain  times,  are  drawn 
through  the  streets  amidst  the  dancing, 
noise,  and  acclamations  of  the  multitude. 
The  ruth  jatra,  or  riding  of  the  gods,  is  a 
ceremony  at  once  cruel  and  indecent. — 
The  carriages  on  which  their  deities  are 
then  placed  are  of  immense  height,  and 
supported  on  sixteen  wheels ;  the  whole 
drawn  along  by  thousands  of  fanatics,  some 
of  whom  fall  down  before  these  wheels, 
and,  being  instantly  crushed,  are,  as  they 
believe,  put  in  possession  of  immortal  bliss. 

"  It  would  be,  perhaps,  rash,  after  all,  to 
affirm  tbat  the  Hindoos  are  immoral  and 
depraved  in  a  degree  proportioned  to  the 
melancholy  extent  of  their  superstitious  sys- 
tem,  though  their  minds  are  strongly  with- 
drawn by  it  from  feeling  the  due  weight  of 
moral  obligations.  Those  [however]  who 
are  concerned  in  the  police  know  well  the 
frequency  of  fraud,  robbery,  and  murder,  as 
well  as  the  great  number  of  delinquents 
which  have  always  rendered  the  prisons 
more  crowded  than  any  other  habitations 
in  India.  It  has  not  been  from  them,  nor 
indeed  from  any  class  of  men  intimately 
acquainted  with  their  manners,  that  the 
Hindoo  character  has  received  so  many 
encomiums  for  its  innocence  and  simplici- 
ty." 

Speaking  of  their  wandering  religious  de- 
votees, he  says,  "  Mr.  Richardson,  author  of 
the  Persian  and  Arabic  dictionary,  has  char- 
acterized these  vagrants,  under  the  article 
Fakeer,  in  the  following  manner: — 'In  this 
singular  class  of  men,  who  in  Hindostan 


despise  every  sort  of  clothing,  there  are  a 
number  of  enthusiasts,  but  a  far  greater  pro- 
portion of  knaves  ;  every  vagabond  who  has 
an  aversion  to  labor  being1  received  into  a 
fraternity  which  is  regulated  by  laws  of  a 
secret  and  uncommon  nature.  The  Hindoos 
view  them  with  a  wonderful  respect,  not 
only  on  account  of  their  sanctified  reputa- 
tion, but  from  a  substantial  dread  of  their 
power.  The  fakeer  pilgrimages  often  con- 
sist of  many  thousands  of  naked  saints,  who 
exact,  wherever  they  pass,  a  general  trib- 
ute ;  while  their  character  is  too  sacred 
for  the  civil  power  to  take  cognizance  of 
their  conduct."  * 

Many  other  testimonies  might  be  produ- 
ced. If  the  reader  wish  to  see  them  system- 
atically stated,  he  may  find  much  to  his 
purpose  in  Cuninghame's  Christianity  in  In- 
dia."    Chap.  II. 

We  have  now  to  examine  what  our  au- 
thor has  advanced  on  the  other  side.  Has 
he  attempted  to  weaken  this  body  of  evi- 
dence, or  to  overcome  it  by  testimonies  more 
numerous  or  more  credible  ?  Neither  the 
one  or  the  other.  He  takes  no  notice  of 
any  thing  that  has  been  said  by  others  ;  not 
even  by  Dr.  Buchanan,  though  he  was  pro- 
fessedly answering  his  Memoir.  And,  as  to 
the  testimonies  which  he  produces,  lo,  they 
are  two  ....  viz.  himself  and  Abulfa- 
zel  ! 

From  his  oum  knowledge  he  writes  many 
things.  He  resided  in  India  many  years  ; 
has  been  much  acquainted  with  the  people  ; 
has  gone  into  their  temples,  and  never  saw 
any  thing  indecent  in  them  ;  has  entrusted 
money  and  liquors  to  a  great  amount  in  the 
hands  of  Hindoo  servants,  and  never  found 
them  unfaithful — but  stop  :  we  know  not 
who  this  witness  is  :  we  cannot  admit  of 
anonymous  testimony.  No  man,  while  he 
withholds  his  name  from  the  public,  has  a 
right  to  expect  credit  any  farther  than  what 
he  advances  may  recommend  itself.  I  must 
take  leave,  therefore,  to  set  down  all  that 
he  has  related  from  his  own  knowledge  as 
nugatory. 

Let  us  examine  the  next  witness.  Abul- 
fazel  might  be  a  great  and  enlightened 
statesman,  and  might  be  aware  that  the 
persecutions  carried  on  against  the  Hindoos 
in  the  preceding  reigns  were  impolitic  as 
well  as  cruel.  He  might  wish  to  praise 
them  into  attachment,  and  to  soften  the  an- 
tipathies of  the  Mahomedans  against  them. 
Hence  he  might  endeavor  to  persuade  the 
latter  that  the  former  were  "  not  idolaters," 
but,  like  themselves,  "  believers  in  one  God, 
and  withal  a  very  amiable  and  good  sort  of 
people."  But,  whatever  proof  this  may  af- 
ford of  Abulfazel's  talents  for  governing, 
the  truth   of  his  statements   requires  to  be 

*  Thoughts  on  the  British  Government  vh 
India,  §  IX.  X. 


REMARKS    ON    UA    VINDICATION    OF    THE    HINDOOS." 


605 


confirmed  by  more  disinterested  testimony  ; 
and,  where  the  whole  current  of  European 
experience  is  against  it,  it  can  be  of  no  ac- 
count. 

The  reader  will  draw  the  inference,  that 
the  evidence  of  Hindoo  depravity  is  not 
weakened  in  the  least  degree  by  any  thing 
this  writer  has  advanced. 

Of  the  conduct  of  the  missionaries 

AND      THE     NATIVE      CHRISTIANS. Oil      this 

part  of  the  subject  our  author  is  less  profuse 
than  his  predecessor.  There  are  a  few 
passages  in  his  performance,  however, 
which  require  notice.  He  says,  "  If  the 
conduct  of  the  missionaries  has  here  so  un- 
wisely forced  itself  on  the  attention  of  the 
public,  and  thus  rendered  them  obnoxious 
to  the  displeasure  of  our  government  in  the 
east,  in  having,  unsanctioned  by  its  authori- 
ty, assumed  the  dangerous  province  of  at- 
tempting to  regulate  the  consciences  of  its 
native  subjects,  to  the  manifest  tendency  of 
disturbing  that  repose  and  public  confidence 
that  forms  at  this  moment  the  chief  security 
of  our  precarious  tenure  in  Hindostan— if 
men,  thus  laboring  for  subsistence  in  their 
vocation,  and  under  the  necessity  of  making 
converts  at  any  rate,  in  order  to  ensure  the 
continuance  of  their  allowances  and  the 
permanency  of  their  missions,  rashly  venture 
to  hurl  the  bigot  anathema  of  intolerance  at 
the  head  of  the  '  barbarian  Hindoos,'  and 
unadvisedly  to  vilify  the  revered  reposito- 
ries of  their  faith — we  may  find  some  color 
of  excuse  in  the  seeming  necessity  under 
which  they  act :  but  that  a  member  of  the 
English  church,"  &c. — pp.  3,  4. 

On  this  tedious  sentence,  or  rather  part 
of  a  sentence,  I  would  offer  a  few  remarks. 
1.  If  the  conduct  of  the  missionaries  has 
been  forced  on  the  attention  of  the  public, 
it  is  their  adversaries  that  have  forced  it. 
Nothing  has  been  done  by  them  or  their 
friends,  but  in  self-defence.  2.  I  do  not 
understand  how  the  private  request  of  the 
governor-general  for  Mr.  Carey  and  his 
colleagues,  at  a  certain  critical  period,  to 
desist  from  preaching  to  the  natives,  can  be 
attributed  to  displeasure,  when  the  acting 
magistrates  who  delivered  the  message  ac- 
knowledged that  "  they  were  well  satisfied 
with  the  character  and  deportment  of  the 
missionaries,  and  that  no  complaints  had 
ever  been  lodged  against  them."  3.  If,  at 
the  first  outset,  their  undertaking  was  not 
sanctioned  by  authority,  and  if  on  that  ac- 
count they  settled  in  the  Danish  territory  ; 
yet  government,  having  known  them,  and 
being  satisfied  that  they  acted  not  from  con- 
tumacy, but  from  the  most  pure,  upright,  and 
peaceable  principles,  has  always  been  friend- 
ly to  them.  Under  the  administration  of 
Marquis  Wellesley  they  lived  secure.  4. 
There  never  was  an  idea  of  their  labors  dis- 
turbing the  confidence  which  the  natives 
place  in  the  British  government,  till  Europe- 


an adversaries  suggested  it.  5.  The  mis- 
sionary labor  of  the  men  referred  to  is  not 
for  their  own  subsistence  ;  nor  do  they  sub- 
sist by  "  allowances"  from  England.  At  all 
times  this  has  not  been  the  case  ;  but,  at 
present,  the  remittances  sent  from  this  coun- 
try are  for  another  use.  It  is  by  their  own 
literary  labors  that  they  subsist,  which  not 
only  supply  their  wants,  but  enable  them  to 
devote  a  surplus  for  the  propagation  of  the 
gospel.  Did  they  act  from  mercenary  mo- 
tives, they  might  lay  by  their  thousands,  and 
return,  as  well  as  their  accusers,  in  affluence 
to  their  native  country.  6.  If  "  the  bigot 
anathema  of  intolerance,"  which  this  writer 
endeavors  to  hurl  at  the -missionaries,  hurt 
them  no  more  than  theirs  does  the  Hindoos, 
there  is  no  cause  for  alarm.  But  who  could 
have  imagined  that  an  address  to  the  con- 
science could  have  been  represented  as  "  as- 
suming to  regulate  it;"  and  that  a  writer 
with  the  cant  of  toleration  in  his  mouth  could 
advocate  the  cause  of  intolerance  ? 

This  author  tells  us  of  "a  circumstance 
having  recently  come  to  his  knowledge  that 
exhibits  proof  superior  to  a  hundred  argu- 
ments ofthe  impropriety  and  dangerous  con- 
sequences of  injudicious  interference  with 
the  Hindoos  on  the  score  of  their  religion." — 
p.  54.  This  "circumstance"  must  surely, 
then,  be  of  importance,  especially  at  a  time 
when  arguments  are  so  scarce.  And  what 
is  it?  A  native  of  Calcutta  had  lost  caste  ; 
he  went  to  one  ofthe  missionaries,  and  was 
immediately  baptized ;  soon  after  this  he 
became  a  preacher  ;  in  addressing  his  coun- 
trymen, he  provoked  their  resentment ;  and, 
after  being  assaulted  with  clods  and  brick- 
bats, narrowly  escaped  with  his  life.  But 
here  I  must  again  take  the  liberty  of  remind- 
ing- the  gentleman  that  he  is  out  of  his 
province.  An  anonymous  writer  has  no 
business  to  obtrude  himself  as  a  witness,  but 
merely  as  a  reasoner. 

I  know  the  first  part  of  this  story  to  be 
a  fabrication,  and  I  suspect  the  whole  to  be 
one:  but,  whether  any  part  of  it  be  true  or 
not,  it  makes  nothing  for  his  argument.  He 
might  with  equal  justice  accuse  the  mission- 
aries of  having  been  assaulted  by  him,  and 
his  friend  the  Major,  with  a  volley  of  foul 
abuse. 

All  our  opponents  declaim  on  the  danger 
of  tolerating  missionaries,  and  urge  the 
necessity  of  an  immediate  suppression  of 
their  labors.  Yet  I  cannot  learn  that  the 
Hindoos,  as  a  body,  are  an  intolerant  people. 
There  may  be,  and  doubtless  are,  excep- 
tions ;  but  in  general  I  have  always  under- 
stood that  in  this  respect  they  differ  widely 
from  the  Mahomedans.  And,  if  this  be  true, 
how  can  they  be  offended  with  government 
for  being  of  the  same  mind  ?  Were  they 
themselves  an  intolerant  people,  it  might  be 
expected  that  a  government,  to  be  accepta- 
ble to  them,  must  not  only  protect  them  in 


GOG 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


the  exercise  of  their  own  religion,  but  per- 
secute all  who  might  endeavor  to  convince 
or  persuade  them  to  relinquish  it.  Such  is 
exactly  the  line  of  conduct  which  our  op- 
ponents mark  out  for  the  British  government 
in  India  :  but  the  Hindoos  appear  to  desire 
co  such  thing ;  and,  if  they  did,  who  does 
not  perceive  that  it  would  be  mean  and  de- 
grading for  any  government  in  this  manner 
to  render  itself  the  instrument  of  their  in- 
tolerance ?  Whether,  therefore,  these  men, 
in  urging  such  advice  on  the  different  de- 
partments of  the  British  government,  con- 
sult their  honor,  or  their  own  inclination,  let 
those  high  authorities  decide. 

Such  is  the  modesty  of  this  writer  that  he 
allows  "  It  would  not  perhaps  become  him 
to  assume  the  province  of  dictating  the 
means  of  suppressing  these  missionaries  ;" 
but  he  makes  no  scruple  of  asserting  that 
"  the  government  in  India  stands  pledged  to 
the  honorable  company,  and  to  the  empire 
at  large,  by  every  sense  of  imperious  duty 
and  by  every  consideration  of  safety  to  our 
countrymen  abroad,  by  the  most  prompt  and 
decisive  interposition  of  their  authority"  to 
suppress  them.  He  is  also  so  good  as  to  in- 
form the  government  with  what  facility  it 
may  be  effected,  inasmuch  as  the  Danish 
settlement  of  Serampore  is  now  [probably] 
under  our  immediate  control. — p.  170. 

If  government,  whether  in  England  or  in 
India,  be  of  opinion  that  the  accusers  of 
these  missionaries  have  substantiated  their 
charges  against  them,  they  can  be  at  no  loss 
for  the  means  of  suppressing  them  :  but,  if 
they  should  think  it  right  to  wait  for  better 
evidence  than  has  yet  appeared,  I  hope  they 
may  stand  acquitted  of  violating  their  pledge 
either  to  the  honorable  company  or  to  the 
empire  at  large. 


PART  III. 

All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in 
earth.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  teaching  them  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded 
you;  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  ahvay,  unto  the  end  of 
the  world.     Amen.  Jesus  Christ. 


It  appears  to  be  the  design  of  Providence, 
by  a  succession  of  events,  to  effect  a  more 
marked  distinction  between  the  friends  and 
enemies  of  religion  than  has,  of  late  years, 
subsisted.  Through  a  variety  of  causes 
they  have  long  been  confounded.  As 
though  there  were  no  standard  for  either 
side  to  repair  to,  they  have  each  mingled 
with  the  other  in  a  sort  of  promiscuous  mass. 

The  effect  of  this  junction  has  been  more 
unfavorable  to  the  cause  of  Christ  than  to 
that  of  his  adversaries ;  for  as  holy  things 


would  not  communicate  holiness,  but  un- 
clean things  would  communicate  unclean- 
ness  (Haggai  ii.  12,  13,)  so  it  has  been  in 
respect  to  these  commixtures.  Ungodly 
men  who  have  had  to  do  with  holy  things 
have  not  thereby  become  holy ;  but  godly 
men  who  have  had  to  do  with  unclean  things 
have  thereby  become  unclean.  Hence  it 
appears  to  be  the  will  of  God,  by  his  inscru- 
table providence,  to  effect  a  closer  union 
among  Christians,  and  a  more  marked  sepa- 
ration between  them  and  their  adversaries. 
As  though  some  decisive  conflict  were  about 
to  take  place,  the  host  on  each  side  seemed 
to  be  mustering  for  the  battle. 

The  French  Revolution  (that  mighty 
shaking  of  the  church  and  of  the  world)  has 
been  productive  of  this  among  other  effects. 
Great  numbers,  who  had  before  passed  as 
Christians,  perceiving  infidelity  to  be  com- 
ing into  fashion,  avowed  their  unbelief.* 
Christians,  on  the  other  hand,  of  different 
denominations,  felt  a  new  motive  to  unite 
in  defence  of  the  common  faith  in  which  they 
were  agreed. 

The  same  effect  has  been  produced  by  the 
sending  out  of  missions  to  the  heathen. 
The  effort  itself  excited  a  correspondence  of 
feeling,  a  communication  of  sentiment,  and 
a  unity  of  action,  and  that  to  a  great  extent  : 
and  now  that  success  has,  in  some  measure, 
attended  it,  it  has  drawn  against  it  a  host  of 
adversaries.  As  the  assembling  of  Israel 
before  the  Lord  in  Mizpeh  (1  Sam.  vii.,) 
though  they  had  neither  sword  nor  spear 
among  them,  excited  the  jealousy  of  the 
Philistines,  and  drew  forth  their  armies  in 
the  hope  of  crushing  them  at  the  outset,  so 
it  is  at  this  day.  It  is  remarkable  what  a 
tendency  the  genuine  exercises  of  true  re- 
ligion have  to  manifest  the  principles  of 
men,  and  to  draw  them  into  a  union,  either 
on  the  side  of  Christ,  or  on  that  of  his  ad- 
versaries. You  may  now  perceive  Deists, 
Socinians,  and  others  who  retain  the  form  of 
Christianity  but  deny  the  power,  naturally 
falling  into  their  ranks  on  one  side,  and  se- 
rious Christians,  almost  forgetting  their  for- 
mer differences,  as  naturally  uniting  on  the 
other.  I  question  whether  there  ever  was  a 
controversy,  since  the  days  of  the  apostles, 
in  which  religion  and  irreligion  were  more 
clearly  marked,  and  their  respective  adher- 
ents more  distinctly  organized. 

But  is  it  Christianity  that  they  attack  ? 
O  no !  It  is  mcthodism,  Calvinism,  fanati- 
cism, or  sectarianism,  &c.  And  is  it  a  new 
thing  for  the  adversaries  of  religion  to 
attack  it  under  other  names  ?  Was  it  ever 
known  that  they  did  otherwise  ?     The  apos- 

*  Many  of  these,  however,  when  the  rage  of 
French  principles  began  to  abate,  perceiving  that 
they  had  mistaken  the  road  to  preferment,  turned 
about,  and  assumed  to  be  the  patrons  of  rational 
and  orthodox  Christianity  ! 


REMARKS    ON    "A    VINDICATION    OF    THE    HINDOOS. 


607 


tie  Paul  was  not  accused  as  a  zealous  pro- 
moter of  the  true  religion,  but  as  a  pestilent 
fellow,  a  mover  of  sedition,  and  a  ringleader 
of  an  obnoxious  sect.  Unless  we  wish  to 
be  imposed  upon  by  names  instead  of  things, 
we  can  be  at  no  loss  to  perceive  that  the 
prime  object  of  their  attack  is  the  relig- 
ion of  the  New  Testament. 

Among  those  who  contribute  their  aid  in 
this  important  struggle,  we  shall  find  the 
Edinburgh  Rcvieivers  just  now  coming  for- 
ward. It  is  one  of  the  professed  objects  of 
these  Editors  to  "  use  their  feeble  endeavors 
in  assisting  the  public  judgment  on  those 
topics  to  which  its  attention  was  actually 
directed."  The  attack  on  missions  is  pre- 
ceded by  one  on  methodism ;  *  for  it  would 
have  been  imprudent  to  have  fallen  abruptly 
upon  the  subject.  Under  this  general  term, 
the  Reviewer  professes  to  include,  in  one 
undistinguished  mass,  "the  sentiments  of 
the  Arminian  and  Calvinistic  methodists, 
and  of  the  evangelical  clergymen  of  the 
church  of  England  !  "  These  he  describes 
as  three  classes  of  fanatics,  very  good  sub- 
jects indeed,  but  "  engaged  in  one  general 
conspiracy  against  common  sense  and  ra- 
tional orthodox  Christianity ! " 

These  fanatics  are  denounced  as  main- 
taining "  the  absurd  notions  of  a  universal 
providence,  extending  not  only  to  the  rise 
and  fall  of  nations,  but  to  the  concerns  of  in- 
dividuals ;  the  insufficiency  of  baptism,  and 
of  a  participation  in  the  customary  worship 
of  the  country,  without  the  regenerating 
grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  denominate  men 
Christians;"  and  what  is  worse,  it  seems, 
as  "  making  a  marked  and  dangerous  divi- 
sion of  mankind  into  the  godly  and  the  %m- 
godly!- 

The  party  seems  to  be  extending  too ; 
and  where  it  will  end  the  Reviewer  cannot 
tell,  nor  whether  the  evil  admits  of  any  cure. 
"  All  mines  and  subterraneous  places  belong 
to  them  ;  they  creep  into  hospitals,  and 
small  schools,  and  so  work  their  way  up- 
wards. They  beg  all  the  little  livings,  par- 
ticularly in  the  north  of  England,  from  the 
ministers  for  the  time  being  ;  and  from  these 
fixed  points  they  make  incursions  upon  the 
happiness  and  common  sense  of  the  vicin- 
age." The  Reviewer  "  most  sincerely  depre- 
cates such  an  event;  but  it  will  excite  in 
him  no  manner  of  surprise  if  a  period  arrive 
when  the  churches  of  the  sober  and  orthodox 
part  of  the  English  clergy  are  completely 
deserted  by  the  middling  and  lower  classes 
of  the  community."  They  have  not  only 
made  "  an  alarming  inroad  into  the  church," 
but  are  "  attacking  the  army  and  the  navy. 
The  principality  of  Wales,  and  the  East  In- 
dia Company,  they  have  already  acquired." 
And,  what  is  more  still,  they  have  made 
their  way  into  "  the  legislature  ;  and  by 

*  No.  XXII.  p.  341. 


the  talents  of  some  of  them,  and  the  unim- 
peached  excellence  of  their  characters,  ren- 
der it  probable  that  fanaticism  will  increase 
rather  than  diminish ! " 

What  is  to  be  done  with  these  fanatics? 
Truly,  the  reviewer  does  not  know.  He 
"  cannot  see  what  is  likely  to  impede  the 
progress "  of  their  opinions.  He  is  not 
wanting  in  good  will,  but  what  can  he  do  ? 
He  "believes  them  to  be  very  good  subjects  ; 
and  has  no  doubt  but  that  any  farther  at- 
tempt upon  their  religious  liberties,  without 
reconciling  them  to  the  church,  would  have 
a  direct  tendency  to  render  them  disaffected 
to  the  state."  He  thinks  "something  may, 
perhaps,  be  done  in  the  way  of  ridicule  ;" 
but  ridicule  in  some  men's  hands  becomes 
itself  ridiculous. 

Ah,  well  may  these  reviewers  talk  of 
their  'feeble  endeavors  in  assisting  the  pub- 
lic judgment!"  They  have  gleaned  from 
the  Methodist  and  Evangelical  Magazines 
a  portion  of  real  weakness  and  absurdity, 
though  several  of  their  extracts  are  such 
only  in  their  opinion  ;  and  with  this,  by  their 
comments,  they  have  mixed  a  larger  portion 
of  misrepresentation.  The  best  use  that 
the  editors  of  those  publications  can  make 
of  the  critique  will  be  to  be  more  cautious 
than  they  have  been  in  some  instances ; 
but,  while  they  pluck  up  the  weeds,  there  is 
no  need  to  plant  the  deadly  nightshade  in 
their  place. 

The  reviewer  proposes  in  a  subsequent 
number  to  write  an  article  on  "Missions." 
By  the  foregoing  specimen  we  can  be  at 
no  loss  what  to  expect  at  his  hand. 

It  has  been  said  of  the  "  Edinburgh  Re- 
view," that,  "  with  a  greater  force  of  wri- 
ting than  the  "  Monthly,"  it  unites  at  least 
an  equal  rancor  against  genuine  Christiani- 
ty, without  that  suspicion  of  Socinian  and 
sectarian  bias  under  which  the  other  labors; 
while  the  barbarity,  insolence,  and  pride, 
which  it  displays  in  almost  all  its  criticisms, 
is  sufficient  to  give  it  a  prominence  amongst 
the  works  of  darkness."  An  attack  on  mis- 
sions, from  such  a  quarter,  if  not  to  their 
honor,  cannot  be  to  their  dishonor  ;  and,  if 
made  by  the  writer  of  this  article  especially, 
will,  it  is  hoped,  produce  no  ill  effects. 


SECTION  I. 

STRICTURES    OX      MAJOR      SCOTT      WARIXG's 
THIRD    PAMPHLET. 

The  present  performance  is  of  a  piece 
with  this  author's  other  productions.  The 
quantity  of  repetition  surpasses  any  thing 
that  I  have  been  used  to  meet  with  in  wri- 
ters of  the  most  ordinary  talents.  The  foul 
spirit  which  pervades  it  is  much  the  same, 
upon  the  whole,  as  heretofore.  It  is  true, 
there  is  much  less  acrimony  towards  many 


608 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


of  his  opponents ;  but  what  is  taken  from 
them  is  laid  upon  the  missionaries.  The  ti- 
tle of  it  might  have  been,  War  with  the  Mis- 
sionaries, and  Peace  with  all  the  world  be- 
sides. The  remarks  on  the  critique  of 
"  The  Christian  Observer  "  are  so  many  ad- 
vances for  a  separate  peace.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  his  compliments  to  the  members 
of  the  church  of  Scotland,  to  the  Arminian 
methodists,  to  the  united  brethren,  and  to 
all  indeed  who  have  not  sent  missionaries  to 
India.  He  has  found  some  difficulty,  how- 
ever, in  ranking  under  this  head  the  Society 
for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  whom 
he  will  not  allow  to  have  sent  out  any  mis- 
sionaries to  India,  but  merely  to  have  given 
pecuniary  assistance ;  and  that  only,  it 
seems,  in  former  times.  Their  own  reports, 
however,  speak  a  different  language  :  they 
express  their  desire  of  sending  missionaries, 
provided  any  could  be  found  to  be  sent. 

The  sum  is,  our  author  and  his  party  are 
aware  of  their  having  erred  in  their  first  at- 
tack. By  making  it  on  so  extended  a  scale, 
they  shocked  the  feelings  of  the  Christian 
world,  and  drew  upon  themselves  their  uni- 
ted and  indignant  censures.  But  what  is  to 
be  done  ?  Having  committed  an  error,  they 
must  repair  it  as  well  as  they  are  able  ;  and 
there  is  no  way  of  doing  this  but  by  endeav- 
oring to  divide  their  opponents.  With  all 
his  antipathy  to  the  Evangelical  clergy,  the 
major  would  make  peace  with  them,  and 
grant  them  almost  any  terms,  so  that  they 
would  be  neutrals  in  his  war  of  extermina- 
tion against  the  missionaries. 

Having  requested  a  friend  in  town  to  fur- 
nish the  major  with  the  first  part  of  my 
"Apology,"  he  had  no  sooner  dipped  into 
it  than  he  proclaimed  in  his  preface  that  I 
had  "put  beyond  the  possibility  of  future 
doubt  the  correctness  of  his  private  informa- 
tion;" that  is,  by  publishing  Mr.  Carey's 
letter,  in  which  he  speaks  of  alarms  which 
had  been  spread  through  India.  After  this 
no  person,  he  presumes,  will  venture  to  say 
that  an  alarm  was  not  spread  through  India 
in  180b'  and  1807,  relative  to  missionaries. — 
p.  vi.  But  whoever  denied  that  an  alarm 
was  spread  among  Europeans  throughout 
India  ?  I  knew  that  at  each  of  the  three 
presidencies  these  alarms  had  been  indus- 
triously circulated,  and  strange  reports  add- 
ed to  them,  as  that  tlffc  missionaries,  or  at 
least  Mr.  Carey,  were  imprisoned,  &c.  &c. 
It  was  of  these  alarms  that  I  understood  and 
still  understand  Mr.  Carey  to  have  written, 
and  not  any  which  were  entertained  by  the 
native  population  of  India,  which  is  the 
point  that  our  author's  private  information 
aims  to  establish.  From  the  date  of  the 
Vellore  mutiny,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of 
alarms  having  existed  throughout  the  coun- 
try among  Europeans  ;  and,  in  Mr.  Carey's 
opinion,  so  far  as  they  related  to  the  plans 
of  Christian  missionaries,  they  were  fabri- 


cated by  deists,  who  availed  themselves  of 
thai'  and  other  circumstances  to  answer  an 
end. 

He  adds  "  On  the  13th  of  Feb.  1807,  Mr 
Carey  writes,  A  number  of  persons  were  pre- 
paring to  e^ibarkfor  Europe,  ivith  a  vieiv  to 
spread  the  alarm  at  /tome."  Mr.  Carey  writes 
no  such  thing.  Whatever  merit  or  demerit 
there  may  be  in  that  paragraph,  it  belongs 
to  the  apologist,  and  not  to  Mr.  Carey. 
This,  if  our  author  had  been  a  little  less  in 
a  hurry,  he  must  have  perceived.  Mr.  Ca- 
rey, instead  of  having  communicated  it,  is 
supposed  not  to  be  aware  of  it.  And  though 
it  is  there  intimated  that  a  number  of  per- 
sons were  at  that  time  preparing  to  embark, 
with  a  view  to  spread  the  alarms  at  home, 
yet  it  was  never  imagined  that  this  vas  their 
sole  view  in  returning  to  Europe. 

There  is  no  difficulty  in  understanding 
the  major,  when  he  suggests  that  Mr.  Caroy 
must  have  included  the  governor  of  Ceylon, 
and  the  governor-general  and  council  of 
Bengal  among  the  deists  who  swarm  in  In- 
dia, "  because  they  have  very  effectually 
opposed  the  plans  of  the  missionaries." — p. 
viii.  Of  the  former  1  have  heard  nothing, 
except  from  our  author,  and  therefore  hope 
it  may  resemble  many  other  things  of  his 
communicating.  And  as  to  the  latter,  if 
any  such  effectual  opposition  has  been  made 
as  he  appears  to  hope  for,  it  is  unknown  to 
me.  But,  if  it  have,  it  is  no  new  thing  for 
deists  so  far  to  conceal  their  motives  as  to 
influence  public  measures,  even  those  in 
which  men  of  very  different  principles  pre- 
side. 

I  have  no  inclination  to  follow  this  writer 
through  one  tenth  of  his  wranglings  and 
repetitions  ;  nor  is  there  any  need  of  it.  It 
will  be  sufficient  if  after  a  few  general  re- 
marks I  answer  his  most  serious  charges 
against  the  missionaries. 

The  major  intimates  that,  if  his  assertion 
of  Mr.  Ward's  having  impiously  perverted 
a  passage  of  the  holy  gospel  could  be  dis- 
proved, that  were  coming  to  an  issue. — p. 
22.  If  it  were  in  the  power  of  evidence 
to  convince  him  on  this  subject,  he  would 
be  convinced  by  what  is  alleged  by  "  The 
Christian  Observer."  But  the  truth  is,  as 
Dr.  Johnson  is  said  to  have  bluntly  express- 
ed it,  in  answering  an  ignorant  opponent, 
We  may  offer  evidence,  but  we  cannot  furnish 
men  with  understanding. 

It  is  still  persisted  in  that  missions,  or 
Bibles,  sent  into  a  country  where  we  had 
engaged  to  preserve  to  them  the  free  exer- 
cise of  religion,  amount  to  a  violation  of  the 
public  faith. — p.  8.  The  free  exercise  of 
one  religion  then,  it  seems,  is  inconsistent 
with  the  free  offer  of  another.  The  next 
proposal  to  government  may  be  for  the  si- 
lencing of  protestant  dissenters  ;  for,  so  long 
as  they  are  allowed  to  preach  in  the  coun- 
try, the  members  of  the  national  church,  ac- 


STRICTURES    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARINg's    THIRD    PAMPHLET. 


609 


cording  to  his  reasoning,  have  not  the  free 
exercise  of  their  religion. 

When  converts  to  Christianity  are  men- 
tioned, the  major  calls  out,  "  Where  are  they  ? 
Who  are  they?  I  can  find  no  account  of 
them  in  the  Missionary  Reports." — p.  18. 
He  speaks,  however,  in  another  place,  of  the 
"  nonsense  that  we  may  read  in  the  Mission- 
ary Reports  relative  to  the  success  of  the 
missionaries  in  making  numerous  converts 
to  Christianity." — p.  33.  If  he  has  read  the 
last  four  or  five  Reports  of  "  The  Society  for 
Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,"  he  must 
there  have  met  with  the  largest  portion  of 
this  kind  of  nonsense  that  has  appeared  of 
late  years,  particularly  in  the  communica- 
tions of  Mr.  Gericke.  And,  as  he  has  exam- 
ined the  Baptist  Periodical  Accounts,  he  can- 
not have  overlooked  the  list  of  the  baptized 
in  No.  XV.  down  to  Nov.  1804.  He  must 
there  have  seen  several  brahmins  among 
them,  and  also  several  Mahomedans,  and 
consequently  have  known  his  private  ac- 
counts to  be  unfounded.  But  perhaps  he 
will  answer,  as  in  p.  73,  "  This  is  an  atrocious 
falsehood."  We  leave  the  reader  to  judge 
from  what  has  been  said,  and  what  may  yet 
be  said,  to  whom  the  charge  of  falsehood 
belongs.  Meanwhile,  if  our  author  be  deter- 
mined to  disbelieve  the  accounts,  let  him 
disbelieve  them ;  but  let  him  not  say  they 
are  not  to  be  found  in  the  Missionary  Re- 
ports, and  at  the  same  time  accuse  those  Re- 
ports of  nonsense  for  relating  them  ! 

It  is  remarkable  with  what  facility  the 
major  picks  up  the  discordant  principles  of 
other  men,  and  sews  them  together  in  a  sort 
of  patch-work.  One  while,  the  bishop  of 
St.  Asaph  seemed  to  be  his  oracle  :  now,  the 
barrister  is  every  thing.  Getting  hold  of 
him  he  can  mimic  the  Socinian,  and  declaim 
against  John  Calvin.  The  bishop  of  St. 
Asaph  would  have  censured  him  for  traduc- 
ing Calvin,  for  whom  he  professed  a  high 
respect.  But,  when  a  man  has  no  principles 
of  his  own,  what  can  he  do?  He  had  better 
not  borrow  those  of  others,  however,  till  he 
knows  how  to  use  them. 

By  the  frequent  recurrence  of  such  terms 
as  hot-headed  maniacs,  madmen,  mad  Calvin- 
ists,  mad  Baptists,  &c.  &c,  it  would  seem 
as  if  the  gentleman  himself  was  scarcely 
sober.  Had  this  raving  kind  of  diction  been 
confined  to  his  later  publications,  we  might 
have  ascribed  it  to  the  goadings  of  the  Re- 
views ;  but,  as  it  has  been  his  strain  of  writ- 
ing from  the  beginning,  it  must  belong  to 
his  nature. 

We  have  heard  much  of  a  certain  tract, 
which  calls  the  natives  "  barbarians,  and  their 
shasters  barbarian-shasters,"  and  of  some 
thousands  of  it  being  distributed  among  the 
native  troops,  and  other  inhabitants  of  Ben- 
gal. At  length  we  are  told  that  the  mis- 
sionaries, with  all  their  activity,  did  not  visit 
one  military  station ;  that  their  abusive  tracts 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  77 


were  distributed  once  at  Berhampore  among 
the  native  troops,  and  that  the  copy  now  in 
England  was  given  by  one  of  our  seapoys  to 
his  officer. — p.  129.  We  are  much  obliged 
to  the  major  for  being  so  explicit.  He  may 
tell  us,  in  his  next  piece,  who  translated  it ; 
for  he  seems  to  be  quite  in  the  secret.  At 
present,  I  can  only  observe  that,  by  his  ac- 
count, this  obnoxious  tract  appears  to  have 
been  scattered  among  the  troops  by  thou- 
sands, if  not  without  hands,  yet  without  a 
single  visit  from  the  missionaries  ! 

The  major  has  not  yet  finished  his  labors 
in  defaming  the  memory  of  Mr.  Thomas. 
"  A  man,"  he  says,  "  whom  Mr.  Thomas  puts 
down  as  a  brahmin,  a  man  of  title,  was,  in 
fact,  a  servant  of  Mr.  Thomas,  an  outcast  of 
society.  This  fellow,  Parbotee,  as  he  is 
called,  robbed  his  master,  Mr.  Thomas,  and 
ran  away,  and,  as  I  understand,  died  mad  at 
a  distant  period." — p.  75.  For  a  writer,  on 
the  authority  of  men  whom  he  will  not  name, 
thus  to  abuse  the  memory  of  the  dead,  is  an 
outrage  on  decency.  Parbotee  was  and  is  a 
brahmin,  and  never  was  a  servant  to  Mr. 
Thomas.  When  will  this  man  desist  from 
retailing  falsehood  ? 

Speaking  of  missionary  societies,  he  says, 
"  There  is  also  an  Arminian  Methodist  soci- 
ety, and  a  society  of  the  United  Brethren, 
whose  missionaries  are  well  employed  in 
pagan  countries ;  but  they  have  ivisely  re- 
frained from  sending  missionaries  to  India." 
— p.  85.  Have  they  ?  Yet  we  are  told  in 
the  preface  to  the  "  Observations,"  p.  xv., 
that  there  are  "spread  over  India  Arminian 
Methodist  and  United  Brethren  missiona- 
ries," &c.  &c.  And  in  the  letter  to  Mr. 
Owen  we  are  assured  that,  "  on  most  accu- 
rately looking  over  the  preface,  he  could  not 
discover  either  a  misstatement  or  a  misrep- 
resentation !  " — p.  117.  Whether  he  discov- 
ered this,  or  whether  he  wrote  both  without 
discovering  them  to  be  contradictions,  it  is 
not  for  me"  to  determine;  but,  if  the  latter 
were  the  case,  I  should  not  be  surprised,  for 
it  is  easy  to  perceive  that,  in  many  instances, 
he  knows  not  what  he  writes. 

"  Mr.  Marshman,"  says  he,  "  was  at  Sau- 
^ur  during  a  great  Hindoo  festival,  where  at 
feast  200,000  Hindoos  were  assembled.  He 
preached  to  as  many  as  could  hear  him,  and 
he  told  the  Hindoos  that  '  he  did  not  come, 
like  other  Englishmen,  to  take  their  money, 
but  to  bring  the  jewel  above  all  price,  the 
grand  offer  of  salvation.'  The  Hindoos  be- 
came clamorous  on  their  devotions  being 
thus  disturbed,  and  Mr.  Marshman  exclaimed, 
'  Well,  since  you  decline  it,  remember  that, 
as  you  have  received  the  gospel,  you  have 
no  longer  any  excuse  for  idolatry,  but  will  be 
damned  everlastingly'  " — pp-  36,  98. 

It  is  the  practice  of  this  writer  to  make  no 
references  to  the  page  or  book  from  which 
he  takes  his  extracts.  In  cases  of  accusa- 
tion this  is  unpardonable,  and  is  difficult  to 


CIO 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


be  accounted  for  on  any  principle  but  that  of 
a  desire  to  escape  detection. 

The  only  visits  to  Saugur  of  which  I  have 
any  remembrance,  or  can  find  any  traces  in 
the  Periodical  Accounts,  are  two.  One  may 
be  found  in  No.  XVI.,  pp.  225,  22G ;  but  in 
this  there  is  no  address  to  the  Hindoos  of 
any  kind :  his  quotation,  therefore,  could  not 
be  taken  from  thence.  The  other  is  in  No. 
XIV.,  pp.  513—522.  Here  then  is  an  ad- 
dress to  the  Hindoos  ;  and,  as  some  of  the 
words  which  are  quoted  are  to  be  found  in 
p.  521, 1  conclude  it  must  be  to  this  address 
that  he  refers. 

On  reading  the  whole  account,  and  com- 
paring it  with  that  of  Major  Scott  Waring's, 
I  find  in  the  latter  a  much  larger  portion  of 
misrepresentation  than  of  fact.  Mr.  Marsh- 
man  was  not  the  missionary  who  addressed 
the  Hindoos,  but  Mr.  Chamberlain  ;  and  the 
circumstance  of  their  "  becoming  clamorous 
on  account  of  their  devotions  being  disturb- 
ed "  is  not  in  the  account,  and  must,  there- 
fore, either  have  been  taken  from  some  other 
account,  and  without  regard  to  truth  applied 
to  this,  or  be  absolutely  a  fabrication.  Nor 
is  this  all :  There  were  no  such  words  spo- 
ken as  of  his  being  come  to  bring  the  jewel 
above  all  price,  the  grand  offer  of  salvation  : 
nor  did  he  exclaim,  Well,  since  you  decline  it, 
remember  that,  as  you  have  received  the  gospel, 
you  have  no  longer  any  excuse  for  idolatry,  but 
will  be  damned  everlastingly.  These  are 
Major  Scott  Waring's  words,  and  not  those 
of  the  missionary.  He  may  pretend  that 
there  were  things  said  which  are  capable  of 
this  construction  ;  but  he  has  no  right  to 
quote  his  own  constructions,  be  they  just  or 
not,  as  the  words  of  another.  I  hoped  before 
that  the  major,  notwithstanding  all  his  mis- 
statements, had  not  been  guilty  of  wilful 
errors  ;  but  really  after  this  he  hardly  leaves 
one  the  power  of  placing  any  dependence 
on  his  veracity. 

A  great  deal  is  said  about  the  number  of 
the  missionaries.  It  is  introduced  in  this 
pamphlet  in  no  less  than  seven  places.  It  is 
said  that  "the  London  Society  maintain 
thirteen  missionaries  on  the  coast  and  in  Cey- 
lon, and  one  at  Surat ;  and  that  three  of  the 
number  are  women." — p.  15.  Are  women 
then  to  be  reckoned  as  missionaries  ?  If  so, 
we  have  considerably  more  than  eleven  in 
Bengal.  But  why  did  he  not  take  in  their 
children  too  ?  In  reckoning  the  whole  num- 
ber of  both  the  societies,  sometimes  they  are 
twenty-three,  and  sometimes  twenty-five, 
yet  both  are  given  as  the  number  "  now  in 
India." — pp.  25,  81.  To  assist  the  gentle- 
man in  his  future  reckonings,  I  will  put  down 
the  names  and  places  of  the  missionaries  of 
both  societies. 

Messrs.  Carey,  Marshman,  Ward,  Moore, 
Rowe,  Robinson,  and  Felix  Carey,  at  Seram- 
pore  ;  Mr.  Chamberlain,  at  Cutwa ;  and  Mes- 
srs. Mardon  and  Chater  at  Rangoon,  in  Bur- 


mah.  Besides  them,  there  was  Mr.  Biss,  but 
he  died  in  1807.  Mr.  William  Carey,  though 
he  accompanied  Mr.  Moore  to  Dacca,  is  not 
at  present  a  missionary.  The  number  of 
missionaries,  therefore,  that  we  have  now  in 
the  Company's  territories  is  only  eight. 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  London  Society  will  show 
what  are  their  numbers  and  situations.  "  All 
the  missionaries  we  have  in  India  are,  Mes- 
srs. Cran  and  Desgranges,  at  Vizagapatam  ; 
Mr.  Loveless,  at  the  school  at  Madras  ;  Dr. 
Taylor,  at  Bombay  ;  Mr.  Ringletaube  in  Tra- 
vancore ;  and  Messrs.  Vos,  Erhartd,  and  Palm, 
in  Ceylon. — Taylor  never  got  to  Surat,  nor 
can  he  go  at  present ;  and  he  is  not  at  all 
engaged  as  a  missionary  as  yet,  and  never,  I 
believe,  preached  one  sermon  to  the  heathen. 
None  of  those  now  in  India  have  been  at 
Ceylon ;  but  those  in  Ceylon  were  first,  for 
a  few  weeks,  at  Tranquebar.  Loveless  and 
Desgranges  are  married,  as  also  the  Ceylon 
missionaries ;  but,  as  their  wives  do  not 
preach,  they  ought  not  to  be  called  mission- 
aries. We  have  heard  nothing  of  Messrs. 
Vos,  Erhartd,  and  Palm,  being  sent  from 
Ceylon,  and  do  not  believe  it." 

Now,  lest  the  major  should  again  be  out 
in  his  reckoning,  I  may  inform  him  that  the 
whole  number  of  missionaries  from  this  so- 
ciety in  Hindostan  is  five  ;  which,  with  the 
three  who  are  or  were  in  Ceylon,  make 
eight ;  and  which,  added  to  the  eight  in 
Bengal,  make  sixteen. 

Our  author  has  furnished  himself  with  the 
baptist  statement,  which  seems  to  have  af- 
forded him  much  new  light  upon  the  subject. 
This  statement,  the  reader  should  be  inform- 
ed, was  drawn  up  in  the  spring  of  1807,  not  to 
be  sold,  but  circulated  among  the  directors, 
and  the  members  of  administration.  The  de- 
sign of  it  was  to  counteract  the  influence  of 
a  number  of  private  letters  which  had  then 
arrived  from  India  against  the  mission  ;  and 
I  have  no  particular  reason  to  doubt  of  its 
having  answered  the  end. 

Had  the  major  known  the  particulars  com- 
municated in  this  statement  sooner,  he 
"  should  not  have  written  one  word  about 
Bengal  missionaries." — p.  GO.  We  hope  then 
he  will  learn,  in  future,  to  wait  till  he  under- 
stand a  subject  before  he  writes  upon  it.  It 
might  be  full  as  creditable  to  himself  to  do 
so,  and  some  saving  to  the  public.  But  we 
must  not  count  too  fast  on  the  major's  appro- 
bation. If  he  had  not  written,  it  had  been, 
not  from  any  satisfactory  opinion  of  the  mis- 
sionaries' conduct,  but  from  their  being  laid 
under  an  interdiction  which  he  hopes  may 
be  sufficient  to  stop  them  in  their  career.  It 
is  possible,  however,  he  might  have  written 
notwithstanding  ;  for  since  he  has  seen  the 
statement  he  has  written  nearly  as  much  as 
he  did  before. 

Our  author,  in  going  over  the  statement, 
finds  the  baptist  society  submitting  to  the 


STRICTURES    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARING 's    THIRD    PAMPHLET.  611 


consideration  of  government  the  following 
proposition,  as  the  opinion  of  the  missiona- 
ries :  "  No  political  evil  can  reasonably  be 
feared  from  the  spread  of  Christianity  now  ; 
for  it  has  been  publicly  preached  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  Bengal  for  about  twenty  years 
past,*  without  the  smallest  symptom  of  the 
kind."  "  But  are  the  baptist  missionaries," 
he  asks,  "  or  their  society  at  home,  author- 
ized by  law  to  determine  whether  or  not  a 
political  evil  is  to  be  reasonably  feared  from 
the  spread  of  Christianity  in  India?" — p. 
69.  Unless  our  being  baptists  deprives  us 
of  the  right  of  all  other  subjects,  we  have 
just  the  same  authority  as  Major  Scott  Wa- 
ring, who  also  has  said  a  great  deal  to  gov- 
ernment on  what  is  reasonable  and  unrea- 
sonable. He  states  what  he  conceives  to 
be  good  policy,  submitting  it  to  the  consid- 
eration of  those  who  are  authorized  to  de- 
termine it,  and  we  have  done  no  more. 

But  the  principal  materials  which  our  au- 
thor finds  in  the  baptist  statement  are  such 
as  enable  him  to  accuse  us,  as  he  thinks,  of 
falsehood  and  even  of  rebellion.  These  are 
certainly  very  serious  charges,  and,  if  we 
be  unable  to  answer  them,  must  sink  us  in 
the  estimation  of  all  honest  men. 

For  our  parts,  we  are  not  conscious  of 
having  been  guilty  of  either  of  these  crimes. 
So  far  as  we  know  our  own  hearts,  we  have 
from  the  beginning  exercised  a  conscience 
void  of  offence  towards  God  and  towards 
man.  If  we  be  guilty,  therefore,  we  must 
be  under  the  grossest  self-deception.  And, 
as  we  never  considered  ourselves  either  as 
liars  or  rebels,  neither  have  we  been  able  to 
learn  that  any  other  person,  high  or  low, 
churchman  or  dissenter,  friend  or  enemy, 
has  so  considered  us,  till  Major  Scott  Wa- 
ring made  the  discovery. 

"Not  a  single  instance  of  disturbance  has 
occurred,"  says  Mr.  Carey,  "  unless  the 
abusive  language  of  a  few  loose  persons 
may  be  so  called."  To  prove  the  falsehood 
of  this  statement,  the  major  refers  to  the  old 
story  of  a  universal  alarm  being  excited  by 
their  entering  into  a  city  or  a  village.  One 
of  these  statements,  he  says,  must  be  false. 
But,  if  the  alarm  mean  nothing  more  than  a 
sensation  of  fear  arising  from  the  presence 
of  Europeans,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  dis- 
turbance included  in  it.  Our  author  has 
read  the  account  of  the  journey  to  Saugur,  f 
and  might  have  observed  that  "  the  people 
were  surprised  to  see  Europeans  amongst 
them,  and  that  some  appeared  afraid  : "  yet 
at  that  time  their  errand  was  unknown. 
Thisy*mr,  therefore,  could  not  respect  them 
as  missionaries,  but  merely  as  Europeans. 

*  Though  Mr.  Carey  had  been  there  only  thir- 
teen years,  yet  Mr.  Thomas  had  publicly  preached 
to  the  Hindoos  in  their  own  language  for  several 
years  before. 

t  Periodical  Accounts,  No.  XIV.  p.  518. 


Mr.  Carey  says,  further,  that  "  the  mis- 
sionaries on  the  coast  reckon  about  forty 
thousand  persons  to  have  embraced  Chris- 
tianity." "  This,"  says  the  major,  "  is  anoth- 
er direct  false  assertion.  Dr.  Kerr  admits, 
on  the  7th  of  Nov.  1806,  that  hitherto  it  is 
generally  imagined  few  good  converts  have 
been  made." — p.  70.  But,  though  this  might 
be  generally  imagined,  yet  it  does  not  follow 
that  it  was  true,  or  that  Dr.  Kerr  thought  it 
to  be  true.  Or,  granting  that  he  did,  he 
might  mean  it  only  comparatively.  Forty 
thousand  people  are  but  few  when  compared 
with  the  population  of  the  country.  In  the 
letter  addressed  to  Dr.  Vincent,  which  was 
published  in  the  report  of  the  Society  for 
Promoting  Christian  Knowledge  of  1800, 
they  are  reckoned  at  "three  thousand;" 
and  since  that  time,  according  to  the  reports 
of  that  society,  there  have  been  great  ac- 
cessions ;  whole  villages  casting  away  their 
idols  and  embracing  the  gospel.  Whether 
forty  thousand  be  a  just  estimate,  I  cannot 
tell,  and  Mr.  Carey  does  not  determine  ; 
but,  till  I  have  some  better  proof  of  his  want 
of  veracity  than  has  yet  appeared,  I  can  en- 
tertain no  doubt  of  its  being  agreeable  to 
the  information  he  had  received. 

Thousands  of  heathens  in  Calcutta  were 
willing  to  hear  the  gospel  ;  "  but  we,"  says 
Mr.  Marshman,  "  are  forbidden  to  preach  it." 
That  is,  in  Calcutta,  where  they  had  preach- 
ed it.  "This  assertion,"  says  the  major, 
"  is  false  ;  they  are  allowed  to  preach  it  in 
Serampore,  and  in  their  own  house  in  Cal- 
cutta." But  the  thousands  who  desire  to 
hear  it  could  not  attend  in  either  of  those 
places.  If  Major  Scott  Waring  want  un- 
derstanding, who  can  help  it  ?  But  he 
should  not  charge  that  as  false  which  arises 
from  his  own  misconstructions. 

To  say  that  thousands  of  heathens  are 
willing  to  hear  the  gospel,  is,  he  says,  "  a 
false  and  wicked  assertion,  in  the  way  in 
which  the  missionaries  desire  to  be  under- 
stood. Curiosity  may  draw,  as  it  has  done, 
thousands  together  to  hear  these  men  preach, 
but  they  are  not  likely,  to  use  the  elegant 
expression  of  one  of  the  coast  missionaries, 
to  catch  one  (of  the  thousands)  in  the  gos- 
pel net." — p.  72.  The  missionaries  never 
desired  to  be  understood  as  if  thousands 
stood  ready  to  embrace  Christianity,  but 
merely  that  they  were  willing  and  even  de- 
sirous to  hear  it ;  and  this,  whatever  were 
their  motives,  was  the  truth.  As  to  the  im- 
probability of  their  being  brought  to  believe 
it,  that  is  only  Major  Scott  Waring's  opinion, 
and  stands  for  nothing. 

"  We  have  baptized,"  says  Mr.  Marsh- 
man,  "about  a  hundred  of  these  people,  and 
we  dare  affirm  that  the  British  government 
has  not  a  hundred  better  subjects,  and  more 
cordial  friends,  among  the  natives  of  Ilin- 
dostan."  "  This,"  says  the  major,  "  is  a 
most  atrocious  falsehood.     Of  their  hundred 


612 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


converts,  whom  they  have  baptized  in  thir- 
teen years,*  they  have  dismissed  many  for 
gross  immorality." — p.  73.  The  number  of 
those  who  have  been  dismissed  for  gross 
immorality,  however,  is  not  so  great  as  this 
writer  would  have  it  thought  to  be  ;  but,  be 
it  what  it  may,  Mr.  Marshman  says  in  the 
same  page,  "  If  they  lose  caste,  and  embrace 
Christianity,  not  by  force,  but  from  pure 
conviction,  they  become  other  men.  Even 
those  ivho,  as  it  may  prove,  have  not  embraced 
it  cordially,  are  considerably  influenced  by 
it.  If  once  they  lose  caste,  the  charm  is  broken, 
and  they  become  capable  of  attachment  to 
government.'1'' 

But  I  am  weary  of  contending  with  this 
foul  opponent.  It  is  time  to  bring  this  part 
of  the  subject,  at  least,  to  a  close.  As  "  the 
most  atrocious  falsehood "  is  charged  on 
the  missionaries,  let  us  here  come  to  an  is- 
sue. We  will  not  shrink  from  it.  Let  our 
judges  satisfy  themselves  of  the  truth  of  our 
statements.  We  will  hold  ourselves  obli- 
ged, whenever  called  upon  by  proper  au- 
thority, to  give  proof  of  them.  If  falsehood 
be  found  on  our  side,  let  our  missionaries 
be  ordered  out  of  the  country  as  a  set  of 
impostors  ;  but,  if  on  the  side  of  our  accusers, 
let  the  burden  which  they  have  labored  to 
fasten  upon  us  fall  upon  themselves. 

But  our  missionaries  are  accused  not 
only  of  falsehood,  but  with  being  "in  open 
rebellion."  This  accusation  is  founded  on 
their  going  out  without  legal  authority,  and 
by  foreign  ships — on  their  availing  them- 
selves of  the  protection  of  Denmark — and 
on  their  itinerating  in  the  country  without 
passports,  and  after  a  legal  permission  to 
do  so  was  refused  them. 

It  is  easy  to  perceive  that,  on  this  subject, 
the  hopes  of  our  accuser  begin  to  brighten. 
Like  the  Pharisees  and  the  Herodians,  he 
thinks  he  shall  be  able  to  entangle  us,  and 
bring  us  under  the  displeasure  of  govern- 
ment. Well,  let  him  do  his  utmost.  We 
acknowledge  the  above  to  be  facts,  let  them 
affect  us  as  they  may.  It  is  worthy  of  no- 
tice, however,  that  it  is  not  owing  to  any 
thing  which  our  accuser  has  written  that 
these  facts  have  been  brought  to  light. 
The  substance  of  them  was  contained  in 
the  Statement;  which  statement  was,  in  fact, 
though  not  in  form,  respectfully  submitted 
to  the  very  parties  to  whom  he  wishes  to 
accuse  us.  He  is,  therefore,  a  day  too  late. 
Our  judges  were  in  possession  of  the  facts 
before  he  knew  of  them.  There  is  nothing 
left  for  him  to  do  as  an  accuser,  but  merely 
as  counsel,  to  assist  the  judges  in  forming  a 
decision,  by  his  comments  and  learned  ar- 
guments. And,  with  respect  to  these,  we 
must  take  the  liberty  of  wiping  off  a  part  of 
his   coloring;  and,   truly   it  can  be  only  a 

*  He  might  have  said  in  six. 


part,  for  to  remove  the  whole  the  pamphlet 
itselfmust.be  literally  purified  by  fire. 

The  itinerating  excursions,  subsequent  to 
the  refusal  of  a  legal  permission  in  1805, 
were  not  in  defance  of  government,  but  with 
their  knowledge,  and,  1  may  say,  their  ap- 
probation. The  refusal  of  the  governor- 
general  did  not  appear  to  arise  from  any 
disapprobation  of  the  object,  or  of  the  means 
used  to  accomplish  it,  but  merely  from  a 
hesitation  whether  the  government  in  India 
were  warrantedybrwiaWy  to  adopt  the  meas- 
ure. There  was  no  prohibition  whatever  at 
that  time  laid  upon  the  missionaries,  nor  any 
intimation  of  even  a  wish  for  them  to  relax 
in  their  itinerating  labors.  On  the  contrary, 
when,  from  the  hesitation  before  mentioned, 
the  governor-general  disapproved  of  a  com- 
mittee to  superintend  the  translations,  he 
nevertheless  gave  full  liberty  to  advertize 
in  the  "  Gazette "  for  voluntary  subscrip- 
tions ;  and  added,  "  Let  the  missionaries  go 
on  in  their  present  line  of  action." 

Our  accuser,  not  knowing  what  to  do  with 
this  last  sentence,  contrives  to  throw  it  back 
a  year,  supposing  the  remark  must  have 
been  made  "prior  to  the  autumn  of  1805." 
— p.  93.  Certainly  this  supposition  is  neces- 
sary for  his  argument ;  but  unfortunately  it 
is  not  true.  I  cannot  exactly  refer  to  the 
date,  but  have  no  doubt  of  its  being  in  18C6. 
Never  till  the  24th  of  August,  in  that  year, 
was  any  thing  like  a  prohibition  given, 
and  then  it  appears  to  have  arisen  more  from 
apprehension  than  dislike  ;  and  consisted 
not  in  a  written  order  from  the  governor- 
general  in  council,  but  merely  in  a  private 
verbal  message.  If,  therefore,  the  major 
flatter  himself  that  Sir  George  Barlow  is  of 
the  same  mind  with  him  and  his  party,  he 
may  find  himself  mistaken. 

I  may  add  that  the  protection  of  the  Da- 
nish government  was  granted  at  the  unso- 
licited recommendation  of  the  late  govern- 
or Bie,  whose  testimony  to  the  good  charac- 
ter of  the  missionaries  was  not  only  sent  to 
his  own  government  at  Copenhagen,  but 
the  same  things  conveyed  in  a  letter  to  the 
society  in  England  in  the  following  terms  : 
— "  Permit  me  to  assure  you  that  I  do  not 
consider  the  friendship  and  few  civilities  I 
have  had  it  in  my  power  to  show  your  breth- 
ren here  otherwise  than  as  fully  due  to  them. 
1  have  received  them  as  righteous  men,  in 
the  name  of  righteous  men  ;  and  I  shall  never 
withhold  good  from  them  to  whom  it  is  due, 
when  it  is  in  the  power  of  my  hand  to  do  it. 
I  am  happy  in  possessing  them,  and  shall 
be  more  so  in  seeing  their  number  increase." 
— The  missionaries  have  always  acknoAv- 
ledged  the  kindness  of  the  British  as  well 
as  of  the  Danish  government;  and,  though 
at  one  period  they  expressed  their  concern 
at  being  forbidden  to  preach  to  the  multi- 
tudes who  were  willing  to  hear  in  Calcutta, 


STRICTURES    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARINg's    THIRD    PAMPHLET. 


613 


yet  neither  they  nor  the  society  have  dealt 
in  reflections,  but  have  contented  themselves 
with  simply  stating  the  tacts,  and  the  argu- 
ments arising  from  them  ;  and  this  merely 
to  counteract  the  underhand  measures  of 
their  adversaries. 

We  ask  only  for  a  calm  and  candid  hear- 
ing. We  solemnly  aver  before  God  and 
our  country  that  we  are  most  sincerely  at- 
tached to  its  constitution  and  government ; 
that  we  regard  its  authority  with  sentiments 
of  the  highest  respect,  and  hold  ourselves 
bound  to  be  obedient  to  its  lawful  commands. 
Obedience  to  the  ruling  powers  we  conceive 
to  be  enjoined  in  Scripture,  where,  however, 
an  exception  is  expressly  made  in  favor  of 
those  cases  in  which  the  commands  of  man 
are  directly  opposed  to  the  revealed  com- 
mands of  God.  These  are  cases  which,  in 
the  coarse  of  human  affairs,  may  occur ;  but 
which  no  good  subject  will  love  to  antici- 
pate before  their  actual  occurrence.  Sup- 
posing, however,  the  arrival  of  an  emergence 
so  painful,  it  surely  would  be  somewhat 
harsh  to  stigmatize  with  the  name  of  "  open 
rebellion"  the  reluctant  disobedience,  in  a 
particular  instance,  of  those  who  are  only 
yielding  to  a  deliberate,  sober,  and  conscien- 
tious conviction  of  their  duty.  The  apostles 
exhorted  all  Christians,  rather  than  renounce 
their  faith  or  disobey  the  divine  precepts  at 
the  command  of  the  state,  to  "resist  even 
unto  blood  ; "  but  we  have  yet  to  learn  that 
such  injunctions  were  intended  or  received 
as  instigations  to  rebellion. 

Were  it  possible  to  conceive  (we  merely 
suppose  the  case)  that  the  missionaries 
should  be  called  to  the  hard  duty  of  deciding 
between  the  service  of  God  and  obedience 
to  man,  we  trust  that  they  would  be  enabled 
to  encounter,  with  resignation,  the  painful 
sacrifice  imposed  upon  them ;  but  we  are 
thankful  to  say  that  they  have  as  yet  been 
spared  so  severe  a  trial. 

Surely  nothing  but  the  most  uncandid  and 
bitter  prejudice  would  represent  the  refusal 
of  an  official  sanction  to  their  itinerations  as 
an  imperative  prohibition  of  them  ;  or  would 
class  the  missionaries  as  rebels  merely  be- 
cause, being  denied  the  formal  protection  of 
the  governing  power,  they  were  content  with 
connivance,  or  at  least  with  uncovenanted 
toleration.  Numbers  of  Europeans  are  to 
be  found  residing  in  India,  though  unaccre- 
dited by  the  company  or  the  British  govern- 
ments ;  and  we  have  never  understood  that 
all  these  were  considered  as  in  a  state  of 
"  open  rebellion."  Yet  we  have  no  objec- 
tion to  be  explicit,  and  will  be  free  to  con- 
fess that  the  legality  of  such  a  residence  for 
the  purposes  of  private  emolument  would  in 
our  view  be  more  than  doubtful,  and  that  we 
should  certainly  abstain  from  it. 

If,  upon  a  candid  consideration  of  all  cir- 
cumstances, it  be  found  that  we  have,  in 
some  instances,  deviated  from  the  regula- 


tions alluded  to,  it  will  be  remembered  that 
it  has  not  been  for  any  object  of  temporal 
advantage,  the  illicit  pursuit  of  which  it  was 
doubtless  the  design  of  those  regulations  to 
prevent,  though  they  are  necessarily  ex- 
pressed in  terms  which  give  them  a  more 
general  application.  As  far,  indeed,  as  the 
deviation  may,  even  under  these  circum- 
stances, seem  an  irregular  proceeding,  so 
far  we  should  certainly  rest  our  defence  of 
it  on  the  nature  and  importance  of  the  ob- 
jects which  it  was  intended  to  compass  ;  and, 
in  this  mild  and  qualified  case,  should  even 
appeal  to  the  spirit  of  the  principle  which 
has  been  already  mentioned — the  principle 
of  a  conscientious  preference  of  duty  to  all 
other  considerations,  however  pressing. 

With  respect  to  the  question  of  duty,  we 
are  aware  that  men  may  be  prompted  by  de- 
lusive impulses  and  erroneous  comments  to 
measures  of  extravagance,  justly  censurable 
by  civil  authority.  But  we  are  governed  by 
no  such  impulses.  We  have  no  notion  of 
any  thing  being  the  will  of  God,  but  what 
may  be  proved  from  the  Scriptures  ;  nor  of 
any  obligations  upon  us  to  go  among  the 
heathen  more  than  upon  other  Christians. 
If  we  be  not  authorized  by  the  New  Testa- 
ment, we  have  no  authority.  And  as  to  our 
comments,  if  they  will  not  bear  the  test  of 
fair  and  impartial  scrutiny,  let  them  be  dis- 
carded, and  let  our  undertakings  be  placed 
to  the  account  of  a  well-meant  but  misguid- 
ed zeal.  The  principal  ground  on  which 
we  act  is  confined  to  a  narrow  compass :  it 
is  the  commission  of  our  Saviour  to  his  dis- 
ciples, "  Go — teach  all  nations  ;"  which  com- 
mission we  do  not  consider  as  confined  to 
the  apostles,  because  his  promised  presence 
to  them  who  should  execute  it  extends  "  to 
the  end  of  the  world." 

Our  accuser  is  aware  that  the  apostles  and 
primitive  ministers  went  every  where  preach- 
ing the  gospel,  even  though  it  were  at  the 
risk  of  liberty  and  life ;  and  this,  he  con- 
ceives, was  right  in  them,  because  "  they 
were  expressly  commanded  to  do  so." — p.  80. 
His  conclusion,  that  it  is  wrong  in  Christians 
of  the  present  day,  rests  upon  the  supposition 
that  the  command  of  Christ  does  not  extend 
to  them  ;  but  we  shall  not  allow  him  to  build 
on  these  disputed  premises. 

That  there  were  things  committed  to  the 
apostles,  for  them  to  commit  to  Christians  of 
succeeding  ages,  cannot  be  denied.  Such 
must  have  been  the  great  body  of  Christian 
doctrines  and  precepts  contained  in  the  New 
Testament ;  and,  seeing  the  promise  of  Christ 
to  be  with  his  servants  in  the  execution  of 
the  command  reaches  "to  the  end  of  the 
world,"  the  command  itself  must  have  been 
of  this  description.  Not  that  every  Chris- 
tian is  obliged  to  preach,  or  any  Christian  in 
all  places :  but  the  Christian  church  as  a 
body,  and  every  member  of  it  individually, 
is  obliged  to  do  its  utmost  in  the  use  of  those 


614 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


means  which  Christ  has  appointed  for  the 
discipling  of  all  nations. 

To  say  that  because  we  are  not  endowed, 
like  the  apostles,  with  the  gift  of  tongues  and 
the  power  of  working  miracles,  therefore  we 
are  not  obliged  to  make  use  of  the  powers 
which  we  have  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world,  is  trifling,  not  reasoning.  What 
proof  or  appearance  of  proof  is  there  that  the 
obligations  of  the  apostles  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  all  nations  arose  from  those  extraordi- 
nary endowments  ?  If  our  being  unable  to 
work  miracles  be  a  reason  why  we  should 
not  preach  the  gospel  to  all  nations  as  far  as 
opportunity  admits,  it  is  a  reason  why  we 
should  not  preach  it  at  all ;  or,  which  is  the 
same  thing,  a  proof  that  the  Christian  min- 
istry, as  soon  as  miracles  had  ceased,  ought 
to  have  terminated.  The  institution  of  the 
Christian  ministry  is  founded  in  the  com- 
mission, even  that  commission  which  enjoins 
the  teaching  of  all  nations.  And,  if  we  leave 
out  one  part,  we  must,  to  be  consistent,  leave 
out  the  other.  We  ought  either  not  to  teach 
at  all,  or,  according  to  our  powers  and  op- 
portunities, to  teach  all  nations. 

If  we  believe  the  Scriptures  (and  if  we  do 
not  we  are  not  Christians)  we  must  believe 
that  all  nations  are  promised  to  the  Messiah 
for  his  inheritance,  no  less  than  the  land  of 
Canaan  was  promised  to  the  seed  of  Abra- 
ham ;  and  we,  as  well  as  they,  ought,  in  the 
use  of  those  means  which  he  has  appointed, 
to  go  up  and  endeavor  to  possess  them.  It 
is  not  for  us,  having  obtained  a  comfortable 
footing  in  Europe,  like  the  Israelites  in  Ca- 
naan, to  make  leagues  with  the  other  parts 
of  the  world,  and,  provided  we  may  but  live 
at  ease  in  our  tents,  to  consent  for  them  to 
remain  as  they  are.  Such  a  spirit,  though 
complimented  by  some  as  liberal,  is  mean 
and  inconsistent  with  the  love  of  either  God 
or  man. 

Our  accuser,  who  will  neither  be  a  Chris- 
tian nor  let  Christianity  alone,  represents 
the  apostles  as  "  authorized  to  act  in  defiance 
of  magistrates,"  to  "break  the  laws  of  the 
different  countries  they  visited,"  to  "  despise 
the  orders  of  men  ; "  "  but  Christians  now" 
he  tells  us,  "  are  expressly  directed  to  obey 
the  powers  that  be"  If  the  principle  acted 
on  by  the  apostles,  "  be  admitted  in  these 
days,"  he  thinks,  "  we  must  bid  adieu  to  In- 
dia."—pp.  53,  79,  80. 

It  would  seem  by  this  account  of  things 
as  if  the  apostles,  under  a  divine  authority, 
trampled  on  all  law  and  order  among  men, 
and,  as  far  as  their  influence  extended,  ac- 
tually "turned  the  world  upside  down."  If 
it  were  not  so,  the  conclusion  that  the  same 
principle  acted  upon  in  these  days  would 
prove  the  loss  of  India  is  mere  unfounded 
assertion.  But  were  any  such  effects  pro- 
duced by  the  labors  of  the  apostles?  What 
colonies  were  lost  to  the  Romans  through 
them  ?     Let  the  countries  be  named  which 


were  ruined  or  injured  by  their  preaching. 

In  attempting  to  fix  a  charge  upon  us,  our 
accuser  has  libelled  the  apostles,  and  even 
their  Master,  as  well  as  the  Christians  of  all 
succeeding  ages.  Where  did  he  learn  that 
Jesus  Christ  authorized  his  apostles  to  act  in 
defiance  of  magistrates,  or  to  despise  the  or- 
ders of  men  ?  What  proof  has  he  that  they 
ever  acted  on  such  principles  ?  Was  there 
any  thing  like  this  in  the  behavior  of  Paul 
before  Felix,  or  Festus,  or  Agrippa?  Such 
a  spirit  had  no  more  place  in  his  religion 
than  our  accuser  has  been  able  to  prove  it  to 
have  had  place  in  ours.  The  apostles  were 
commanded  to  break  no  laws  but  such  as  were 
inconsistent  with  their  allegiance  to  Christ ; 
and  in  breaking  them  they  never  acted  with 
contumacy,  but  merely  as  impelled  by  a  su- 
perior authority  ;  bearing  at  the  same  time 
the  consequences  with  meekness  and  forti- 
tude, as  their  Lord  had  done  before  them. 
The  principle  on  which  they  acted  was  that 
which  He  had  laid  down  for  them  when 
tempted  by  certain  "  hypocrites,"  with  the 
intent  of  rendering  him  obnoxious  to  gov- 
ernment (not  that  they  cared  for  government, 
but  were  desirous  of  making  it  the  instru- 
ment of  their  malice:)  namely,  "Render 
unto  Cesar  the  things  which  are  Cesar's,  and 
unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's." 

What  authority  has  our  accuser  for  repre- 
senting the  apostles  as  enjoining  on  common 
Christians  that  subjection  to  civil  government 
which  they  did  not  exemplify  in  their  own 
conduct  ?  Were  not  they  themselves  sub- 
ject to  the  powers  that  were  ?  Yes,  in  every 
thing  save  in  what  concerned  their  allegiance 
to  Christ,  and  this  reserve  they  made  for  all 
Christians.  Why  else  did  they  encourage 
them  to  hold  fast  their  profession  under  the 
most  cruel  persecutions  ;  referring  them  to 
the  last  judgment,  when  God  would  recom- 
pense rest  to  them,  and  tribulation  to  those 
that  troubled  them  ?  Could  they  have  sub- 
mitted their  consciences  to  the  ruling  pow- 
ers, they  need  not  have  suffered  persecution  ; 
but  they  acted  on  the  same  principle  as  the 
apostles,  who,  instead  of  laying  down  one 
law  for  themselves  and  another  for  them, 
exhorted  them  to  follow  their  example  : 
"  Those  things,"  said  they,  "  which  ye  have 
both  learned,  and  received,  and  heard,  and 
seen  in  us,  do." 

On  the  principle  of  our  accuser,  all  those 
Christians  of  the  first  three  centuries  who 
had  not  the  power  of  working  miracles, 
though  peaceable  and  loyal  subjects  in  civil 
concerns,  yet,  not  submitting  their  conscien- 
ces to  the  ruling  powers,  were  rebels.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  English  martyrs  in 
the  days  of  the  first  Mary.  They  could  not 
work  miracles  any  more  than  we,  and  pre- 
tended to  no  special  commission  from  hea- 
ven to  break  the  laws  :  but,  while  they  man- 
ifested the  utmost  loyalty  to  the  queen  in 
civil  matters,  they  felt  themselves  accounta- 


STRICTURES    ON    MAJOR    SCOTT    WARlNG's    THIRD    PAMPHLET. 


615 


ble  to  a  higher  authority,  and  submitted 
to  be  burnt  alive  rather  than  obey  her  man- 
dates. These  characters,  whom  all  succeed- 
ing ages  have  revered  as  men  of  whom  the 
world  was  not  worthy,  were  loaded  by  the 
Bonners  and  Gardiners  of  the  day  with  every 
epithet  of  abuse,  and  treated  as  rebels. 

We  may  be  told  that  the  cases  are  dis- 
similar :  they  were  put  to  death,  but  the 
whole  that  our  accuser  aims  at  is  banish- 
ment ;  they  suffered  for  avowing  their  reli- 
gious principles  at  home,  whereas  we  might 
have  done  this  without  his  wishing  to  inter- 
rupt us.  But  this  dissimilarity  relates  only 
to  degree  ;  the  principle  is  the  same.  If, 
since  the  days  of  miracles,  Christians  have 
been  under  an  obligation  to  submit  to  the 
powers  that  be  in  religious  matters,  the 
martyrs  of  seventeen  hundred  years  have 
been,  in  fact,  a  succession  of  rebels. 

Our  accuser  may  think  it  a  matter  "not 
to  be  endured  "  that  sectaries  should  com- 
pare themselves  with  these  honored  charac- 
ters :*  but  with  his  leave,  or  without  it,  we 
are  Christians;  and,  though  we  should  be 
less  than  the  least  of  Christ's  servants,  yet 
we  must  aspire  to  act  upon  the  same  prin- 
ciples as  the  greatest  of  them. 

What  is  there  in  these  principles  which 
affects  the  honor  of  government,  or  the 
peace  and  good  order  of  society  ?  Is  it 
any  disparagement  to  the  highest  human 
authorities  not  to  interfere  with  the  divine 
prerogative  ?  On  the  contrary,  is  it  not 
their  highest  honor  to  respect  it?  Those 
governments  which,  disregarding  such  men 
as  our  accuser,  protect  the  free  exercise 
of  religious  principle,  will  not  only  be  pros- 
pered of  Heaven,  but  will  ever  stand  high 
in  the  esteem  of  the  wise  and  the  good,  and 
when  the  ferment  of  the  day  is  over  be  ap- 
plauded by  mankind  in  general. 

A  great  deal  is  said  by  all  our  opponents 
on  the  power  of  working  miracles,  as  though 
because  we  cannot  pretend  to  this  qualifi- 
cation we  had  no  warrant  to  attempt  the 
conversion  of  the  heathen.  "  It  is  not  to 
be  endured,"  says  our  accuser,  "  that  these 
men  should  be  compared  with  the  apostles 
who  wrought  miracles."  And  another  wise- 
acre gravely  suggests  that  "  sectaries  are 
not  likely  to  have  these  extraordinary  pow- 
ers ;  as  though,  had  we  been  churchmen, 
we  might  have   stood   some   chance   of  at- 

*  Considering  the  pains  which  have  been  taken 
to  load  us  with  the  odium  of  sectarianism,  it  may 
be  thought  I  should  have  done  something  towards 
removing  it.  The  truth  is,  our  opponents  care 
not  for  the  church,  nor  have  they  any  dislike  to 
dissenters,  provided  they  be  adverse  to  evangeli- 
cal religion.  All  that  they  say,  therefore,  against 
us  as  sectaries,  is  for  the  mean  and  crafty  purpose 
of  working  upon  the  prejudices  of  churchmen; 
and  such  vulgar  abuse  requires  no  answer. 


taining  them  !  f  It  was  the  commission  of 
Christ,  and  not  the  power  of  working  mira- 
cles, that  constituted  the  warrant  of  the 
apostles  to  "  go  and  teach  all  nations."  The 
latter  was,  indeed,  an  important  qualifica- 
tion, and  necessary  to  accredit  the  Chris- 
tian religion  at  its  outset ;  but,  if  it  had  been 
necessary  to  its  progress,  it  would  either 
have  been  continued  till  all  nations  had  been 
evangelized,  or  the  promise  of  Christ  to  be 
with  his  servants  in  the  execution  of  the 
commission  would  not  have  extended  to 
the  end  of  the  world. 

If  we  arrogated  to  compare  ourselves  with 
the  apostles,  in  distinction  from  other  Chris- 
tians, that  indeed  were  not  to  be  endured: 
but  nothing  is  farther  from  our  minds.  If 
we  compare  ourselves  with  the  apostles, 
it  is  not  as  apostles,  but  as  Christians,  en- 
gaged, according  to  the  gifts  which  we  pos- 
sess, in  the  same  common  cause.  That  there 
were  some  things  pursued  by  Christ  and  his 
apostles  which  require  to  be  pursued  by  all 
Christians  cannot  be  denied.  Why  else  is 
our  Saviour  said  to  have  "  left  us  an  exam- 
ple that  we  should  follow  his  steps  ?  "  And 
why  did  the  apostle  exhort  the  Corinthians 
to  be  "followers  of  him,  as  he  also  was  of 
Christ?  "  It  might  have  been  said  of  Paul, 
that  for  him  to  compare  himself  with  Christ 
"  was  not  to  be  endured  ;  "  and  that  with 
equal  justice  as  this  is  said  of  us.  He  did 
not  compare  himself  with  Christ,  though 
he  imitated  him  in  those  things  wherein  he 
was  set  for  an  example  ;  neither  do  we  com- 
pare ourselves  with  the  apostles,  though 
we  imitate  them  in  those  things  wherein 
they  are  set  for  our  example. 

Nothing  is  more  evident,  to  men  who 
have  their  senses  exercised  to  discern  be- 
tween good  and  evil,  than  that  the  cause 
of  God  is  the  same  in  all  ages ;  and  that, 
whatever  diversity  of  gifts  there  may  be 
among  Christians,  there  is  but  one  spirit. 
It  is  not  on  that  wherein  Christianity  is  di- 
verse in  different  ages  that  we  found  our 
comparisons,  but  on  that  wherein  it  is  the 
same  in  all  ages.  Whatever  diversities 
there  were  as  to  spiritual  gifts  between 
Christ  and  his  apostles,  or  among  the  apos- 
tles themselves,  yet  they  each  incurred  the 
hatred  and  opposition  of  wicked  men.  The 
Lord  of  Glory  himself  was  reproached  as  a 
madman,  and  the   people  who  attended  to 

f  This  suggestion  is  contained  in  a  piece  which 
has  lately  appeared,  under  the  title  of  The  Dangers 
of  British  India  from  French  Invasion  and  Mis- 
sionary Establishments.  I  see  nothing  in  the 
pamphlet  which  requires  an  answer.  Government 
will  see  to  that  part  which  refers  to  the  danger 
of  French  invasion,  whether  they  read  this  per- 
formance or  not;  and,  as  to  what  relates  to  the 
missionaries,  it  is  a  mere  repetition  of  things 
which  have  been  answered  in  the  preceding  pages. 


GIG 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


him  considered  as  fools  for  listening  to  his 
doctrine.  He  was  also  accused  to  govern- 
ment of  stirring  up  the  people,  merely  be- 
cause he  taught  them  throughout  the  coun- 
try. Such  also  was  the  treatment  of  the 
apostles.  So  foreign  wore  the  things  of 
which  Paul  discoursed  from  all  the  previous 
ideas  of  Festus,  that,  though  he  spoke  only 
the  words  of  truth  and  soberness,  yet  they 
appeared  to  the  other  to  be  madness.  And 
the  charges  alleged  against  him,  at  another 
time,  before  Felix,  were,  that  he  was  a  pes- 
tilent character,  a  mover  of  sedition,  and, 
what  Avas  worse  still,  a  ringleader  of  the 
sect  of  the  JYazarenes.  Now  when  we 
hear  the  same  charges,  for  substance,  al- 
leged against  us,  at  a  distance  of  almost 
2000  years,  we  cannot  help  concluding  that, 
whatever  disparities  there  are  between 
Christ  and  the  apostles  and  Christians  of 
the  present  day,  there  are  certain  common 
points  of  likeness,  and  that  all  such  re- 
proaches prove  nothing  against  us. 

We  do  not  wonder,  however,  that  our  ad- 
versaries should  not  be  able  to  "  endure  " 
these  comparisons  ;  for  they  not  only  feel 
annoyed  by  them,  but  must  needs  perceive 
that,  if  ive  are  compared  to  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  they  also  will  be  compared  to  men 
of  a  very  opposite  character,  and  this  they 
may  not  be  able  to  "  endure  "  any  more  than 
the  other. 

Another  subject  on  which  almost  all  our 
opponents  dwell  is  the  impracticability  of 
converting  the  Hindoos.  Most  of  them,  as  if 
to  screen  themselves  from  the  suspicion  of 
being  averse  to  Christianity,  acknowledge 
that  if  the  thing  were  practicable  it  would 
be  right.  But,  in  the  first  place,  they  speak 
as  though  we  expected  the  sudden  conver- 
sion of  the  whole  population  of  India ;  and 
as  though  nothing  were  done,  unless  it 
amounted  to  this  ;  but  we  have  no  idea  of 
the  kind.  If  the  work  go  on  in  a  silent  and 
gradual  way,  like  the  operations  of  a  little 
leaven,  as  the  kingdom  of  heaven  has  been 
used  to  go  on,  the  whole  lump  may  in  the 
end,  though  not  at  present,  be  leavened. 
We  say  the  leaven  has  begun  to  operate,  and 
all  we  desire  is,  that  its  operation  may  not 
be  impeded. 

We  perfectly  agree  with  our  opponents 
that  the  Hindoos  can  never  be  converted 
by  mere  human  means,  though  we  are  equal- 
ly persuaded  they  will  never  be  converted 
without  them.  We  no  more  think  that "  men 
can  accomplish  it"  than  they.  We  do  not 
use  such  calculations  respecting  the  expul- 
sion of  paganism  and  Mahomedism  from 
India  as  might  be  used  concerning  the  re- 
duction of  a  country  by  a  certain  degree  of 
physical  force.  Our  hope  arises  from  the 
promise  of  Christ  to  be  with  his  servants  in 
the  execution  of  their  mission  to  the  end  of 
the  world.     Nor  can  our  adversaries  con- 


sistently object  to  this,  since  they  also  can 
talk  of  "the  omnipotent  power  of  heaven 
leading  these  people  into  the  paths  of  light 
and  truth,"  and  even  of  "  the  outpouring  of 
the  Spirit  "  upon  them.  The  difference  is, 
they  introduce  divine  influence  as  some- 
thing miraculous,  and  for  the  purpose  of 
superseding  human  means ;  we  as  an  ordi- 
nary blessing,  promised  to  the  church  in  all 
ages,  and  to  encourage  the  use  of  means. 
They  argue  from  what  the  Almighty  can  do 
to  what  he  must  do,  if  ever  the  work  be 
done  ;  namely,  convert  them  "  in  an  instant :" 
we  consider  such  talk  as  wild  and  visionary. 
Our  opponents  sometimes  declaim  against 
"the  enthusiasm"  of  the  missionaries;  but 
nothing  like  this  will  be  found  in  any  of  their 
communications.  Surely  they  must  be  hard- 
ly driven,  or  they  would  not  have  attempt- 
ed to  conceal  their  opposition  to  the  progress 
of  the  gospel  under  the  mask  of  fanaticism. 
Do  they  really  think  it  more  probable  that 
God  will  convert  a  whole  country  "in  an 
instant"  than  that  they  will  be  converted  in 
the  ordinary  use  of  means  ?  No,  they  ex- 
pect no  such  divine  interference,  and,  it  may 
be,  on  this  very  account  give  it  the  prefer- 
ence. If  the  Hindoos  must  be  converted, 
they  had  rather,  it  seems,  that  it  should  be 
done  by  the  immediate  power  of  God  than 
by  us ;  but  it  requires  no  great  depth  of 
penetration  to  perceive  that  it  would  please 
them  better  still  were  it  to  be  done  by 
neither. 

SECTION  II. 

REMARKS  ON  "  A  LETTER  TO  THE  PRESI- 
DENT OF  THE  BOARD  OF  CONTROL  ON 
THE  PROPAGATION  OF  CHRISTIANITY  IN 
INDIA." 

My  design  in  noticing  this  letter  is  more 
for  the  purpose  of  explanation  than  dispute. 
The  "  hints"  suggested  to  those  who  are 
concerned  in  sending  out  missionaries  to  the 
east,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  their  peacea- 
ble temper  and  character,  are  very  good.  I 
can  say,  in  behalf  of  the  societies  which 
have  of  late  years  sent  out  missionaries  to 
that  quarter,  that  it  has  been  their  aim,  from 
the  beginning,  to  act  on  the  principle  which 
the  author  recommends.  The  following  are 
extracts  from  the  Instructions  of  the  London 
and  the  Baptist  Societies. 

To  the  Missionaries  going  to  Surat. 

"  It  is  peculiarly  incumbent  on  you  for 
your  own  comfort,  and  agreeable  to  the 
spirit  and  teaching  of  our  divine  Master,  to 
avoid  all  interference  both  in  word  and  in 
deed  with  the  company's  servants,  govern- 
ment, and  regulations.  We  cannot  suffi- 
ciently convey  what  we  feel  on  the  high 
importance  of  this  injunction,  of  abstaining 


ON    THE    PROPAGATION    OF    CHRISTIANITY    IN    INDIA. 


617 


from  all  observations  on  the  political  affairs 
of  the  country  or  government,  in  your  inter- 
course, and  in  your  correspondence. — The 
very  existence  of  the  mission  may  be  involv- 
ed in  an  attention  or  inattention  to  this 
regulation !  " 

To  the  Missionaries  going  to  Bengal. 

"  Since  that  kingdom  which  we,  as  the 
disciples  of  Jesus,  wish  to  establish,  is  not 
of  this  world,  we  affectionately  and  serious- 
ly enjoin  on  each  missionary  under  our  pat- 
ronage that  he  do  cautiously  and  constantly 
abstain  from  every  interference  with  the  po- 
litical concerns  of  the  country  where  he  may 
be  called  to  labor,  whether  by  words  or 
deeds  ;  that  he  be  obedient  to  the  laws  in 
all  civil  affairs  ;  that  he  respect  magistrates, 
supreme  and  subordinate,  and  teach  the 
same  things  to  others :  in  fine,  that  he  apply 
himself  wholly  to  the  all-important  concerns 
of  that  evangelical  service  to  which  lie  has 
so  solemnly  dedicated  himself. 

"  Lastly  :  However  gross  may  be  the 
idolatries  and  heathenish  superstitions  that 
may  fall  beneath  a  missionary's  notice,  the 
society  are  nevertheless  persuaded  that  both 
the  mutual  respect  due  from  man  to  man, 
and  the  interests  of  the  true  religion,  de- 
mand that  every  missionary  should  sedu- 
lously avoid  all  rudeness,  insult,  and  inter- 
ruption, during  the  observance  of  the  said 
superstitions  ;  recommending  no  methods 
but  those  adopted  by  Christ  and  his  apostles, 
viz.  the  persevering  use  of  Scripture,  reason, 
prayer,  meekness,  and  love." 

The  societies  may  not,  in  every  instance, 
have  succeeded  according  to  their  wishes  ; 
but,  if  any  of  their  missionaries  have  betray- 
ed another  spirit,  they  have  not  failed  to 
admonish  them,  and,  if  they  could  not  be 
corrected,  would  certainly  recal  them.  The 
mildness  and  gentleness  of  missionaries, 
however,  does  not  require  to  be  such  as 
that  they  should  not  refute  and  expose  the 
evils  of  idolatry.  No  man  can  be  a  mission- 
ary who  is  not  allowed  to  do  this.  This  has 
been  always  done  by  Mr.  Schwartz  and  his 
colleagues  (whom  the  author  of  the  letter 
justly  praises,)  as  is  manifest  from  their  com- 
munications to  "  The  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge,"  and  of  which  the 
society  have  approved  by  communicating 
them  to  the  public. 

"Mr.  Kolhoff,"  say  they,  "in  his  inter- 
course with  heathens,  made  it  his  business 
to  give  them  a  plain  and  comprehensive 
view  of  all  the  truths  of  our  holy  religion, 
and  to  prevail  upon  them  to  receive  them, 
by  representing  Ike  absurdity  and  sinfulness 
of  their  idol-worship,  the  happiness  which 
would  attend  their  obedience  to  the  truth, 
and  the  judgments  to  which  the,]/  would  ren- 
der themselves  liable  by  a  contempt  of  (he  only 
true  God,  and  the  offers  of  his  ?/ierci/." — Re- 
port of  1798,  p.  134. 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  78 


They  also  tell  us  of  Mr.  Pohle,  another  of 
their  missionaries,  "preaching  daily  the 
principles  of  Christianity  to  the  natives  of 
different  religions,  and  especially  the  hea- 
thens, refuting  at  the  same  time  their  errors" 
Yet  he  is  said  to  have  been  "  heard  with 
joy  and  amazement." — Report  of  1796, 
p.  129. 

The  following  extract  of  Mr.  Kolhoffs 
letter  will  furnish  an  apology  for  their  ear- 
nestness, to  those  who  may  think  nothing  to 
be  proper  but  simple  instruction. 

"  Besides  a  multiplicity  of  superior  deities, 
the  heathens  in  this  country  have  a  great 
number  of  infernal  deities  (or  rather  devils,) 
whom  they  likewise  make  objects  of  their 
adoration.  The  worship  or  service  done  to 
these  infernal  deities,  in  order  to  render 
them  propitious,  consists  in  offering  them 
sheep,  swine,  fowls,  rice,  plantains,  and  in- 
toxicating liquors,  which  is  always  done 
either  in  a  garden,  or  in  a  chapel  built  in  a 
grove,  without  the  city  or  village.  After  offer- 
ing the  sacrifice,  the  priest,  and  the  people  by 
whom  the  sacrifice  is  brought,  sit  down  to 
feast  themselves  on  the  things  offered. 

"  Such  a  sacrifice  was  offered  by  some 
heathens  in  the  month  of  July  last,  near  a 
village  twelve  miles  to  the  south  of  Tanjore. 
Having  offered  their  sacrifice,  they  sat 
down  to  the  succeeding  entertainment,  in 
which  the  priest,  having  made  too  free  with 
the  intoxicating  liquor,  very  soon  became 
like  a  wild  bSast,  and  murdered  two  persons 
who  were  near  him,  witli  the  instrument 
with  which  he  had  killed  the  victims. 
Others  endeavored  to  save  themselves  by 
flight,  but  he  pursued  after  them,  murdered 
a  woman,  wounded  six  others,  and  very  like- 
ly would  have  proceeded  in  his  murderous 
business,  if  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  had 
not  brought  him  down  with  their  sticks,  and 
disabled  him  from  doing  further  mischief. 
He  was  taken  a  prisoner  to  Tanjore,  and 
died  in  his  confinement  of  the  wounds  he 
got  from  the  inhabitants.  Oh,  that  the 
heathens  would  open  their  eyes  to  see  the 
dreadful  consequences  of  forsaking  their 
Maker,  and  doing  the  devil's  drudgery  !  " — 
Report  of  1798,  p.  132. 

"  I  believe,"  says  the  author  of  the  Letter 
to  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Control, 
"  that  in  Bengal  the  matter  has  been  much 
the  same  as  on  the  coast,  and  that  no  dis- 
satisfaction has,  for  perhaps  a  century,  been 
produced  by  the  preaching  of  the  missiona- 
ries, catholic  or  protestant,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  only  a  recent  instance  of  disgust, 
very  naturally  excited  among  some  Hin- 
doos, from  being  (if  I  am  rightly  informed) 
coarsely  reproached  by  some  vulgar  zealot, 
with  the  worship  of  murderers,  liars,  and  so 
forth."— pp.  9,  10. 

I  very  much  suspect  that  this  g<  tleman 
has  been  misinformed,  even  as  to  this  excep- 
tion.    No  such  communication  has  reached 


618 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


roe  ;  and  if  any  one  of  the  missionaries  had, 
by  the  use  of  such  language,  excited  dis- 
gust, I  think  either  myself  or  some  other 
member  of  the  society  would  have  heard  of 
it.  If  it  were  "  a  fact,  and  a  matter  of  710/0- 
riety  in  India,"  it  is  somewhat  extraordinary 
that  when,  on  account  of  the  alarms  pro- 
duced by  the  Vellore  mutiny,  Mr.  Carey  and 
his  colleagues  were  requested  to  desist  from 
preaching  to  the  natives,  the  magistrates  at 
Calcutta,  who  delivered  that  request,  should 
have  made  no  mention  of  it  ;  and  still  more 
so  that  they  should  have  declared  them- 
selves "  well  satisfied  with  their  character 
and  deportment,"  acknowledging  that  "  no 
complaint  had  ever  been  lodged  against 
them."  But  the  number  of  private  reports 
which  have  of  late  been  circulated  is  suffi- 
cient, for  a  time,  to  shake  the  confidence 
even  of  those  who  are  friendly  to  the  object. 
We  can  only  repeat  what  we  have  said 
before,  "  Let  us  not  be  judged  by  private 
letters :  let  our  adversaries  come  forward 
and  accuse  the  missionaries,  or  at  least  give 
proof  of  their  labors  having  been  injurious." 

There  is,  doubtless,  a  manner  of  repre- 
senting things  which  tends  not  to  convince, 
but  to  provoke.  If  any  thing  of  this  kind  can 
be  proved  against  the  missionaries,  we  shall 
by  no  means  defend  it.  To  charge  a  com- 
pany of  Hindoos  directly  with  the  worship  of 
murderers,  liars,  &c,  must  be  very  improper ; 
but  it  is  possible  for  a  charge  of  this  kind  to 
be  urged  in  a  less  offensive  manner.  Sup- 
posing a  brahmin  to  be  in  the  company,  and 
that,  in  encountering  the  missionary,  he 
should  appeal  to  the  shasters  for  the  lawful- 
ness of  idol  worship  ;  would  it  be  improper 
for  the  missionary  calmly  to  prove  from  those 
shasters  that  the  very  gods  which  they  com- 
mand to  be  worshipped  are  there  described 
as  the  most  vicious  characters  ?  This,  I  be- 
lieve, has  been  done,  and  that  with  good 
effect.  Nor  did  I  ever  hear  of  an  instance 
of  any  Hindoo  being  provoked  by  it,  except 
the  brahmins,  who  were  thereby  confounded 
before  the  people. 

With  respect  to  inculcating  "  the  less  con- 
troverted principles  of  Christianity,"  I  do  not 
believe  that  the  missionaries  have  ever  so 
much  as  mentioned  to  the  converted  natives, 
and  certainly  not  to  the  unconverted,  any  of 
the  controversies  of  European  Christians. 
On  the  contrary,  they  teach  them  what  they 
conceive  to  be  simple  Christianity,  both  in 
doctrine  and  practice  ;  and  were  any  thing 
like  a  disputatious  spirit  to  arise  among  them, 
(which,  I  believe,  has  never  been  the  case,) 
they  would  utterly  discourage  it. 

The  fears  which  this  writer  seems  to  en- 
tertain of  "  confounding  the  people  with  a 
variety  of  discordant  opinions  and  sects  "  are, 
I  trust,  without  foundation;  but,  as  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  notice  this  subject  more 
particularly  in  the  next  article,  I  shall  here 
pass  it  by. 


What  this  author  means,  and  who  he  can 
refer  to,  by  "churches  overflowing  with  con- 
verts, who  do  no  honor  to  the  cause,  but  serve 
rather  as  a  stumbling-block  than  an  incite- 
ment to  the  conversion  of  others,"  I  know  not. 
Major  Scott  Waring,  in  his  third  pamphlet, 
understands  him  as  agreeing  with  him,  that 
"  the  hundred  converts  made  in  thirteen  years 
by  the  Bengal  missionaries  have  injured  the 
cause  of  Christianity  in  India." — p.  136.  Af- 
ter this,  I  must  say,  the  author  is  called  upon 
by  every  consideration  of  truth,  justice,  and 
religion,  and  in  the  name  of  each  I  hereby 
call  upon  him,  through  some  public  medium, 
to  explain  his  meaning.  The  accusations  of 
Major  Scott  Waring,  and  his  associates,  re- 
flect no  dishonor ;  but  when  taken  up  as  sober 
truth  by  a  writer  who  appears  to  be  not  only 
a  man  of  veracity,  but  friendly  to  religion, 
they  become  of  consequence,  and  require  to 
be  either  substantiated  or  retracted. 

We  may  have  more  hope  of  the  conversion 
of  the  Hindoos,  and  consequently  more  zeal, 
than  this  author.  We  certainly  do  hope,  by 
the  good  hand  of  God  upon  us,  to  produce 
something  more  than  merely  "  an  increased 
esteem  for  Christianity  "  among  the  heathen  : 
but  so  far  as  his  advice  goes  to  recommend 
temperate  men  and  measures,  it  meets  our 
cordial  approbation. 

This  writer  recommends  to  government 
that  "  the  number  of  missionaries  should  be 
limited,  and  that  they  should  be  required  to 
enter  into  covenants  with  the  company,  cal- 
culated to  insure  their  prompt  obedience  to 
the  restraints  which  it  may  be  found  neces- 
sary to  impose  upon  them."  It  is  possible 
this  gentleman  may  have  formed  his  idea  of 
the  number  of  the  missionaries  from  the  re- 
ports circulated  in  such  pamphlets  as  those 
of  Major  Scott  Waring,  as  if  "  a  great  num- 
ber of  sectarian  missionaries  were  spread 
over  every  part  of  India."  If  he  had  known 
that  this  great  number  does  not  exceed  six- 
teen ;  and  that  the  greater  part  of  them  reside 
at  Serampore,  under  the  immediate  eye  of 
the  supreme  government,  he  would  scarcely 
have  thought  of  such  a  proposal.  As  to 
"  covenanting  with  the  company,"  the  quota- 
tion from  Mr.  Marshman  *  proves  their  wil- 
lingness to  give  every  possible  security  for 
their  peaceable  and  good  behaviour. 

The  sum  of  this  gentleman's  advice  is,  that, 
"  with  the  growing  zeal  of  this  country  for 
Indian  conversion,  the  vigilant  control  of  the 
India  government  should  keep  pace."  A 
vigilant  control  and  a  system  of  intolerance 
sound  very  much  alike.  I  hope,  however, 
he  does  not  mean  such  control  as  would  im- 
pede the  work  itself;  and,  if  no  more  be 
meant  than  a  restriction  from  intemperate 
language  and  behaviour,  such  restraints,  I 
trust,  will  not  "  be  found  necessary  to  be 
imposed  upon  them." 

*  See  pp.  580,  581,  of  this  volume. 


ON    RESTRICTING    MISSSIONAUY    EXERTIONS. 


619 


SECTION  III. 

REMARKS  ON  THE  PROPRIETY  OF  CONFIN- 
ING MISSIONARY  UNDERTAKINGS  TO  THE 
ESTABLISHED    CHURCH. 

I  am  aware  that  on  this  part  of  the  subject 
I  have  strong  prejudices  to  encounter,  espe- 
cially from  those  who  know  little  or  nothing 
of  protestant  dissenters,  except  from  the  op- 
probrious names  given  them  by  their  adver- 
saries. 

Of  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  for  In- 
dia I  say  nothing.  We  shall  rejoice  in  the 
success  of  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  sincerity.  Whether  such  an  establish- 
ment take  place,  or  not,  I  am  persuaded  no 
force  will  be  used  towards  the  natives  ;  and 
I  should  not  have  suspected  a  desire  to  ex- 
clude protestant  dissenters,  had  it  not  been 
expressly  avowed  in  a  late  discourse  before 
one  of  our  universities.*  There  are  thou- 
sands, I  am  persuaded,  in  the  national  church, 
who  would  utterly  disapprove  of  the  illiberal 
wish,  and  whose  hearts  would  revolt  at  the 
idea  of  recalling  men  of  approved  talents  and 
character,  who,  with  great  labor  and  perse- 
verance, have  in  a  measure  cleared  the 
ground  and  sown  the  seed,  to  make  way  for 
others  to  go  after  them  who  should  reap  the 
harvest.  Attached  as  they  are  to  the  church 
of  England,  they  would  not  wish,  in  this  man- 
ner, to  promote  her  interests.  They  would, 
I  presume,  consider  such  a  measure  as  strictly 
sectarian ;  that  is,  establishing  a  party  at  the 
expense  of  the  general  interest  of  the  church 
of  Christ. 

But,  should  churchmen  of  this  description 
be  out-numbered  by  others  of  a  different 
mind,  we  appeal  from  them  to  the  temper- 
ance, the  wisdom,  and  the  justice  of  govern- 
ment. A  government  distinguished  by  its 
tolerant  principles,  and  which  guards  the 
rights  of  conscience  even  in  Mahometans 
and  heathens,  will  not,  we  trust,  exclude 
protestant  dissenting  missionaries  from  any 
of  its  territories,  especially  men  of  learning 
and  character,  against  whom  not  a  single 
charge  of  improper  conduct  has  ever  been 
substantiated. 

Dr.  Barrow  says,  "Missionaries  of  various 
interests,  or  parties,  ignorantly  or  wilfully 
differing  in  their  comments,  their  opinions, 
and  their  designs,  should  not  be  suffered  to 
appear  amongst  those  whom  we  wish  to  con- 
vert." Surely  Dr.  Barrow  misrht  have  sup- 
posed, from  the  disinterested  labors  of  these 
missionaries,  and  from  the  good  understand- 
ing which  they  have  always  endeavored  to 
cultivate  with  Christians  of  other  denomina- 
tions, that  they  had  no  "  design"  in  view  but 
that  of  extending  the  Christian  religion  ;  but 

*  See  Dr.  Barrow's  Sermon  before  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford,  Nov.  8,  1S07,  pp.  13,  14. 


that  if  they  differ  from  him,  or  others,  in  some 
particulars,  it  may  arise  from  other  causes 
than  either  ignorance  or  obstinacy. 

He  adds,  "  If  we  permit  the  ministers  of 
various  sects  and  denominations,  Lutherans 
and  Calvinists,  Arminians  and  Baptists,  to 
inculcate  their  respective  tenets  without  re- 
straint, the  unlettered  Indian  will  not  be  able 
to  determine  what  that  Christianity  is  which 
we  would  persuade  him  to  embrace  ;  and  the 
more  learned,  convinced  that  the  doctrines 
of  all  our  teachers  cannot  be  equally  true, 
may  be  led  to  conclude  that  all  are  equally 
false."  Plausible  as  this  reasoning  may  ap- 
pear on  paper,  experience  and  fact  are  against 
it.  There  never  has  been,  and  I  trust  never 
will  be,  such  an  opposition  in  the  doctrine  of 
the  missionaries  as  to  furnish  any  stumbling- 
block  to  the  natives.  According  to  the  rea- 
soning of  this  gentleman,  if  "  the  Society 
for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge "  had 
sent  out  an  English  clergyman  as  a  mission- 
ary to  India,  they  must  at  the  same  time  have 
recalled  Schwartz,  Gericke,  and  their  fellow- 
laborers,  as  being  "Lutherans." 

The  errors  which  exist  in  the  Christian 
world,  to  whomsoever  they  belong,  are  doubt- 
less an  evil,  and  tend  to  obstruct  the  progress 
of  the  gospel.  Could  Ave  be  all  of  one  mind, 
and  that  the  mind  of  Christ,  we  might  hope 
for  greater  success ;  but,  seeing  this  is  not 
the  case,  what  are  we  to  do  ?  Surely  there 
is  no  necessity  for  our  all  sitting  idle  ;  nor 
yet  for  one  party,  which  happens  to  be  estab- 
lished by  civil  authority,  to  exclude  the  rest. 

Let  us  suppose  an  agricultural  mission 
among  the  American  Indians.  Fifteen  or 
sixteen  experienced  farmers  are  sent  to  teach 
the  people  how  to  cultivate  their  lands.  Af- 
ter a  few  years'  trial,  some  good  fruits  arise 
from  their  instructions.  But  a  certain  theo- 
rist, sitting  at  home,  finds  out  that  these  men 
are  not  all  perfectly  of  one  opinion  as  to  the 
best  modes  of  husbandry  ;  and  therefore  pro- 
poses to  recal  them,  and  to  send  others  in 
their  place.  Common  sense  would,  in  this 
case,  check  the  presumption.  It  would  say, 
Let  these  men  alone.  There  is  no  such  dif- 
ference between  them  as  materially  to  affect 
the  object.  There  is  room  enough  for  them 
all,  so  that  no  one  will  need  to  interfere  with 
his  neighbor.  Even  the  less  skilful  among 
them  will  do  good,  perhaps  as  much  as  those 
whom  you  would  send  in  their  place,  and 
who,  after  all,  might  be  as  far  from  unanim- 
ity as  they  are. 

Such  is  the  extent  of  the  British  empire  in 
the  east  that,  if  we  could  divest  ourselves  of 
the  sectarian  spirit  of  "  desiring  to  boast  of 
other  men's  labors,"  no  two  denominations 
of  Christians  need  interfere,  and  all  might 
be  helpers  one  of  another.  But  though  it 
were  otherwise,  and  the  evils  alleged  were 
allowed  to  arise  from  it,  yet  the  measures 
proposed  by  this  writer  would  not  diminish 
them.     It  is  by  subscribing  "  the  creed  of 


G20 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS* 


the  national  church  "  that  he  wishes  all  who 
engage  in  this  work  to  be  united :  but  the 
unanimity  produced  by  subscribing  a  creed, 
however  good  that  creed  may  be,  is  little 
more  than  nominal,  and  therefore  could  have 
no  good  effect  on  thinking  heathens.  They 
would  soon  discover  that  there  had  been  al- 
most as  many  different  "comments  and  opin- 
ions" about  the  meaning  of  the  creed,  as 
about  the  Scriptures  themselves  ;  and  that 
as  great  an  opposition  existed  among  those 
who  had  subscribed  it  as  between  them  and 
others  who  had  not  subscribed  it. 

The  truth  is,  if  we  wish  to  convert  hea- 
thens to  ourselves,  we  must  do  as  the  church 
of  Rome  does,  set  up  for  infallibility,  and 
withhold  the  Scriptures  from  the  people, 
lest  they  should  read  and  judge  for  them- 
selves. But,  if  we  wish  to  convert  them  to 
Christ,  we  shall  put  the  Scriptures  into 
their  hands,  as  the  only  standard  of  truth, 
and  teach  them  to  consider  all  other  wri- 
tings as  in  nowise  binding  on  their  conscien- 
ces, nor  even  as  claiming  regard  any  farther 
than  they  agree  with  them.  By  this  rule 
let  them  form  their  judgments  of  us,  and 
of  our  differences,  should  they  deem  it  worth 
while  to  inquire  into  them ;  but  the  aim  of 
a  true  missionary  will  ever  be  to  divert 
their  attention  from  such  things,  and  to 
direct  it  to   "  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus." 

It  cannot  be  very  marvellous  to  them  that 
fallible  men  should  not  be  perfectlyof  one 
mind.  Whether  they  be  pagans  or  Mahorn- 
edans,  they  know  very  well  this  is  not  the 
case  with  them  ;  and,  though  the  Christian 
religion  professes  to  contain  one  consistent 
doctrine,  yet  it  were  highly  presumptuous 
to  encourage  in  them  the  hope  of  rinding 
this  any  where  in  perfection,  save  in  the 
holy  Scriptures.  However  proper  it  may 
be  for  a  church  to  express  the  leading  ar- 
ticles of  its  faith  in  a  creed,  yet  to  make 
that  creed   "  a  rule   of    conduct,  and  a 

STANDARD     OF     TRUTH,    TO  WHICH  APPEALS 
IN    DOUBT    AND    CONTROVERSY  ARE     TO     BE 

made,"  is  to  invade  the  divine  prerogative, 
and  to  make  void  the  word  of  God  by  our 
traditions.  I  have  too  high  an  opinion  of 
the  Reformers  to  suppose  that  they  ever 
intended  a  composition  of  theirs  to  take 
place  of  the  oracles  of  God.  Should  such 
an  idea  be  held  up  to  the  Hindoos  as  that 
which  was  delivered  in  this  sermon,  it  were 
indeed  to  cast  a  stumbling-block  in  their 
way :  but  if  we  be  contented  with  giving 
them  the  word  of  God  as  the  only  standard  of 
faith  and  practice,  and  with  being  ourselves, 
in  all  we  say  or  do  among  them,  measured 
by  it,  no  material  evil  will  arise  to  them  from 
our  differences. 

To  this  may  be  added,  if  no  great  tempta- 
tions of  a  worldly  nature  be  held  up  as  mo- 
tives, it  may  be  presumed  that  iew  will 
engage  in  the  work  but  those  whom  the 
love    of  Christ  constraineth :  but  between 


such  men  the  differences  will  not  be  very 
important ;  and,  as  they  know  one  another, 
those  differences  may  be  expected  to  di- 
minish. 

Dr.  Barrow  recommends  "  one  uniform 
and  general  attempt,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
others,  ivhtre  we  have  the  poiver  to  exclude 
them,  to  be  made  by  the  ministers  of  the 
national  church,  under  the  authority  and 
regulations  of  an  act  of  the  legislature." 

And  how  many  ministers  of  the  national 
church  does  Dr.  Barrow  think  would  en- 
gage in  this  undertaking  ?  If  there  be  a 
sufficient  number  to  justify  his  proposal, 
why  do  they  not  supply  the  episcopal  mis- 
sion on  the  coast  of  Coromandel?  The 
worthy  successors  cf  Schwartz  have  long 
proclaimed  the  harvest  in  India  to  be  great, 
and  the  laborers  to  be  few.  Scarcely  a 
report  of  the  "  Society  for  Promoting  Chris- 
tian Knowledge "  has  appeared  since  the 
death  of  that  great  man,  without  calling  out 
for  more  missionaries. 

"  Mr.  Gericke,"  says  the  society,  "  la- 
ments the  want  of  more  assistance  at  Tan- 
jore.  How  happy  a  thing,  he  observes, 
would  it  be  if  God  were  to  furnish  a  faith- 
ful missionary  for  the  assistance  of  Mr. 
Kolhoff,  and  another  or  two  for  the  congre- 
gations southward  of  Tanjore.  It  is  de- 
lightful to  see  the  growth  of  the  Tanjore 
mission,  and  the  southern  congregations 
dependent  upon  it.  The  inhabitants  of 
whole  villages  flock  to  it.  What  a  pity 
that  there  are  not  laborers  for  such  a  de- 
lightful harvest !  At  Jaffna,  and  all  the 
coast  of  Ceylon,  there  is  another  great  har- 
vest. We  have  sent  such  of  our  native 
catechists  as  could  be  spared ;  but  many 
are  required  for  that  extensive  work." 

Such*  was  the  Report  in  1803 ;  and  did 
any  of  the  ministers  of  the  national  church 
offer  themselves  for  the  service  ?  I  believe 
"not ;  but  Ave  are  told  that  "  applications  had 
been  repeatedly  made  to  the  professors  at 
Halle  in  Saxony  to  furnish  the  society  with 
some  new   missionaries." 

The  Report  in  1804,  among  other  things, 
gives  the  cheering  intelligence  of  "  the  in- 
habitants of  four  villages  being  unanimous 
in  their  resolution  of  embracing  the  Chris- 
tian faith;  and  of  their  having  put  away 
their  idols,  and  converted  their  temples  into 
Christian  churches."  It  is  added  by  Mr. 
Gericke,  "  It  seems  that  if  we  had  faithful 
and  discreet  laborers  for  the  vineyard  of  the 
protestant  mission  on  this  coast,  to  send 
Avherever  a  door  is  opened  unto  us,  rapid 
would  be  the  progress  of  the  gospel." 

The  following  is  the  answer  which  the 
society  was  enabled  to  make  to  these  solemn 
and  impressive  calls  :  "  It  is  with  concern 
that  the  society  still  has  to  report  that  no 
suitable  supplies  of  new  missionaries  have 
yet  been  heard  of,  to  succeed  the  good  men 
who  have  finished  their  course." 


ON    RESTRICTING    MISSIONARY    EXERTIONS. 


621 


If  we  look  to  the  next  year,  1805,  we  find 
"  The  society  cannot  yet  report  that  any  new 
missionaries  have  been  engaged  in  Europe 
to  carry  on  the  work  of  promoting  Christian 
Knowledge  in  the  East  Indies,  although 
many  efforts  have  been  used  to  find  out  suit- 
able persons  to  be  employed  in  this  labor  of 
love." 

In  the  Report  of  180(3  the  complaints  are 
repeated  ;  but  no  mention  is  yet  made  of  any 
new  missionaries  ;  and  none  in  that  of  1807, 
just  published. 

I  do  not  reflect  upon  the  English  clergy. 
There  are  many  among  them  who,  I  am  per- 
suaded, would  willingly  engage  in  any  ser- 
vice which  appeared  to  be  their  duty ;  but 
who,  from  the  purest  motives,  might  consider 
themselves  called  to  labor  in  another  quarter. 
Neither  do  I  reflect  upon  the  society ;  for 
how  can  they  send  out  missionaries  till  there 
are  missionaries  to  be  sent?  I  only  ask,  how 
could  Dr.  Barrow,  with  these  facts  before  his 
eyes,  preach  and  write  as  he  did  ?  How 
could  he  propose  to  take  the  whole  work  of 
evangelizing  India  into  the  hands  of  the  min- 
isters of  the  national  church,  when  that  part 
of  it  which  had  a  special  claim  upon  them 
was  known  to  be  standing  still,  in  a  manner, 
for  want  of  assistance  ? 

Let  there  be  what  excellence  there  may 
in  the  established  church,  (and  far  be  it  from 
me  to  wish  to  depreciate  it,)  it  is  not  thence 
exclusively  that  Ave  are  to  look  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  work.  To  furnish  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  suitable  men  for  so  great  an 
undertaking  is  not  in  the  power  of  any  one 
denomination,  established  or  unestablished  ; 
nor,  as  I  suspect,  of  the  friends  of  Christian- 
ity in  all  of  them  united  :  but  if,  like  her  that 
anointed  the  Lord's  feet,  we  do  ichat  we  can, 
we  shall  be  approved. 

For  many  ministers  and  members  of  the 
established  church  I  feel  a  most  sincere  re- 
gard; and  sorry  should  I  be  to  wound  their 
feelings.  It  is  a  circumstance  that  has  af- 
forded me  pleasure,  in  this  otherwise  disa- 
greeable controversy,  that  its  tendency  is  to 
unite  the  friends  of  Christianity  in  a  common 
cause.  If,  in  my  remarks  on  the  episcopal 
mission  in  the  east,  I  have  seemed  to  inter- 
fere in  concerns  which  do  not  immediately 
belong  to  me,  it  is  because  I  have  found  it 
necessary,  in  order  to  repel  the  propositions 
of  a   writer  whose  avowed  intolerance 

KNOWS  NO  LIMITS  BUT  THE  WANT  OF  POWER  ! 

Whatever  this  gentleman  may  allege  in 
behalf  of  "  one  uniform  and  general  attempt, 
to  be  made  by  the  ministers  of  the  national 
church  exclusively,"  "  the  Society  for  Pro- 
moting Christian  Knowledge"  cannot,  with 
any  consistency,  second  the  motion.  They 
must  know  that  such  a  proposal,  whatever  it 


may  appear  on  paper,  could  not  be  reduced 
to  practice.  And  surely  it  is  not  too  much 
to  infer  that,  if  it  be  right  and  desirable  to 
introduce  Christianity  among  the  Hindoos, 
others  should  be  allowed  to  take  part  in  the 
work  as  well  as  they,  especially  as  there  is 
no  desire  of  interfering  in  any  of  their  labors. 
Let  the  church  of  England  do  what  it  can. 
Let  it  send  out  ministers  who  are  willing  to 
spend  and  be  spent  in  the  work,  and  we  with 
all  our  hearts  shall  pray  for  their  success. 
From  missionaries  of  this  description  we 
should  have  no  apprehensions.  Such  men 
would  not  wish  to  "exclude"  those  who  are 
already  employed,  whether  they  could  fully 
accord  with  them  or  not.  Their  language 
would  be,  "  Let  there  be  no  strife  between 
us,  for  we  are  brethren  !  Is  not  the  whole 
land  before  us  ?  If  you  will  go  to  the  left 
hand,  then  we  will  take  the  right ;  or  if  you 
depart  to  the  right  hand  we  will  go  to  the 
left."  Nay  more,  their  language  already  is, 
"God  bless  all  missionary  institu- 
tions! Mat  the  work  of  God  prosper 
in  all  their  hands  !  "  * 

For  our  parts,  observing  of  late  years  that 
Christianity  itself  was  powerfully  assailed, 
we  have,  in  a  manner,  laid  aside  inferior  ob- 
jects, and  made  common  cause  with  the 
Christian  world.  We  have  been  less  atten- 
tive to  the  things  in  which  we  differ  from 
other  Christians  than  to  those  wherein  we 
are  agreed  ;  and  to  the  best  of  our  abilities 
have  joined  with  them  in  defending  the  com- 
mon faith.  Our  zeal  has  not  been  expended 
in  making  proselytes  to  a  party,  but  in  turn- 
ing sinners  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ.  It 
was  in  pursuit  of  this  object  that  Ave  first  en- 
gaged in  missionary  undertakings.  We  had 
no  interest  to  serve  but  that  of  Christ.  It 
Avas  in  our  hearts  to  do  something  for  his 
name  among  the  heathen ;  and,  if  it  might 
be,  to  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  his  kingdom. 
Such  also  Ave  know  (as  far  as  men  can  knoAv 
each  other)  Avere  the  motives  of  our  breth- 
ren, the  missionaries.  And,  noAv  that  it  hath 
pleased  God  in  some  measure  to  prosper  our 
way,  it  is  our  humble,  respectful,  and  most 
earnest  entreaty  ....  hinder  us  not  ! 

We  ask  not  for  any  temporal  advantage, 
any  participation  in  trade,  any  share  of  power, 
any  stations  of  honor,  or  any  assistance  from 
government:  we  ask  merely  for  permission 
to  expend  such  sums  of  money  as  may  be 
furnished  by  the  liberality  of  Christians, 
earned  chiefly  by  the  SAveat  of  the  broAv,  in 
imparting  the  Avord  of  life  to  our  fellowjsub- 
jects  in  Hindostan. 

*  See  the  Rev.  Basil  Wood's  Sermon,  prefixed 
to  the  last  Report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Society 
for  Missions  to  Africa  and  the  East,  pp.  175 — 178. 


G22 


AN     APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


APPENDIX. 


RECENT    TESTIMONIES    TO    THE    CHARACTER 
OF    THE    MISSIONARIES. 

Extracts  of  a  Letter  from  Lieutenant-Colonel  San- 
dys (who,  after  twenty-two  years'  service  in  In- 
dia, returned  in  180-1)  in  answer  to  one  addressed 
to  him  since  the  veracity  of  the  missionaries  has 
been  called  in  question  by  Major  Scott  Waring. 

"  From  my  acquaintance  with  Messrs. 
Carey,  Ward,  Marshman,  &c,  before  I  left 
India,  I  feel  a  repugnance  to  answer  the 
question  on  their  veracity.  I  can  believe 
that,  as  all  men  are  fallible,  they  in  some  of 
their  impressions  and  relations  may  have 
been  mistaken  ;  but,  as  to  their  veracity,  I 
do  not,  cannot,  dare  not  doubt  it.  I  can  also 
readily  conceive  that  a  common  village  tu- 
mult in  India  may  in  England  be  considered 
as  a  very  serious  affair  :  but  an  English  mob 
and  an  Indian  mob  are  very  different  things. 
A  missionary  may  go  with  a  small  boat  thirty 
or  forty  miles  to  a  village  market,  sit  down, 
converse,  and  afterwards  preach.  Perhaps 
some  brahmin  will  oppose  him.  This  intro- 
duces the  Hindoo  idolatry  ;  and,  while  he 
remains  calm,  they  will  become  vociferous. 
As  he  proceeds  to  his  boat,  the  boys  may  be 
encouraged  to  throw  mud  at  him ;  but  no 
personal  injury  follows  ;  and  the  missionary, 
as  he  is  going  away,  may  be  asked  by  a  vil- 
lager when  he  will  come  again  and  hold  con- 
versation with  his  brahmin  :  but  this  is  all. 

"  Having  served  at  different  times  in  vari- 
ous staff  departments  of  the  army,  particu- 
larly in  Mysore,  under  the  marquis  Corn- 
Avallis,  I  had  a  great  variety  of  people,  of 
different  castes,  under  my  direction,  and  had 
full  opportunity  of  observing  their  customs 
and  manners. 

"I  never  heard  of  any  thing  worthy  of 
being  called  a  tumult  or  disturbance  occa- 
sioned by  the  missionaries  while  I  was  in 
India,  which  I  think  I  should  if  there  had 
been  any ;  and  I  do  not  believe  that  any  of 
their  addresses  to  the  natives,  either  in  Avords 
or  writing,  would  produce  any  serious  effect 
of  the  kind,  provided  there  were  no  actual 
interruption  of  their  customs.  At  the  en- 
campment near  Surat,  a  Bengal  brahmin 
sepoy  (a  soldier  of  the  priest  order)  went  to 
the  river  to  perform  his  ablutions,  and  to  say 
his  prayers,  according  to  custom,  in  the 
water.  Another  sepoy,  of  the  Bombay  es- 
tablishment, going  into  the  stream  before 
him,  at  the  same  time  and  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, mudded  the  water.  As  soon  as  the 
brahmin  perceived  it,  he  instantly  left  the 
river  and  ran  to  his  battalion,  calling  out 
that  he  was  contaminated  and  had  lost  his 
caste.  The  respective  battalions  to  which 
the  parties  belonged  immediately  took  arms, 


and,  had  not  their  officers  exerted  themselves 
with  great  energy  and  prudence,  the  con- 
sequence must  have  been  dreadful ;  but 
through  their  interference  the  business  was 
settled. — The  Bombay  sepoy  might  have 
said  what  he  pleased  to  the  brahmin  standing 
on  the  bank.  He  might  have  inveighed 
against  him  in  the  most  bitter  terms,  and  told 
him  that  his  caste  was  better  than  his  :  the 
brahmin,  I  believe,  would  have  returned  only 
a  smile  of  contempt.  It  is  not  talking  to 
them,  or  endeavoring  to  persuade  them,  but 
actual  interference  that  will  excite  mutiny 
and  disaffection.  In  all  the  instances  of  dis- 
satisfaction that  I  remember,  this  has  been 
the  case. 

"  A  little  before  my  return,  I  and  some 
others  were  in  company  with  a  Christian  na- 
tive, called  Petumber,  a  very  eloquent  man. 
He  told  us  that  he  had  in  preaching  to  his 
countrymen  occasionally  met  with  abuse,  but 
that  in  general  they  heard  him  with  atten- 
tion. In  crossing  a  river,  he  said,  he  passed 
one  of  his  old  acquaintances,  a  brahmin,  who 
was  washing,  and  praying  to  his  gods,  to 
whom  he  spoke  of  the  absurdity  of  his  wor- 
ship. The  brahmin  only  pitied  him,  and  told 
him  that  with  his  caste  he  had  lost  his  senses. 
Thus  they  parted  without  any  thing  like  an- 
ger on  either  side  :  but,  had  Petumber  passed 
the  stream  above  him,  religious  hatred  and 
revenge  would  have  followed.  As  to  talking 
about  religion  they  are  fond  of  it :  it  is  only 
when  they  are  interrupted  or  contaminated 
that  they  are  seriously  offended." 

Extracts  of  a  Letter  from  William  Cunning- 
hame,  Esq.,  late  assistant  judge  at  Dinagepore, 
on  the  same  occasion  as  the  foregoing. 

"  If  Mr.  Carey  be  accused  of  falsehood, 
and  if  I  were  called  upon  to  state  what  I 
think  of  this  charge,  my  sensations  respect- 
ing it  would  be  those  of  any  ingenuous  per- 
son well  acquainted  with  the  great  Howard, 
had  he  been  called  upon  to  vindicate  that 
philanthropist  from  the  charge  of  inhuman- 
ity. I  am  as  well  convinced  as  I  can  be  of 
any  thing  which  is  not  the  subject  of  con- 
sciousness, that  Mr.  Carey  is  totally  incapa- 
ble of  being  guilty  of  any  falsehood  or  mis- 
representation whatever. 

"  During  the  last  two  years  of  Mr.  Carey's 
residence  in  the  Dinagepore  district,  he  was 
well  known,  not  only  to  me,  but  to  all  the 
gentlemen  in  the  company's  civil  service  in 
that  station.  He  possessed,  I  can  safely  say, 
the  cordial  friendship  of  some,  and  the  good 
opinion  of  all. 

"In  particular,  I  know  that  the  gentleman 
who  held  the  office  of  judge  and  magistrate 
of  that  large  and  important  district  had  a  very 
high   esteem  and  respect   for   Mr.  Carey's 


TESTIMONIES    TO    THE    CHARACTER    OF    THE    MISSIONARIES. 


G23 


character,  which  he  showed  hy  every  proper 
mark  of  polite  attention.  And  of  that  gen- 
tleman, the  unspotted  integrity  and  the  mer- 
its as  a  public  servant  are  well  known,  and 
have,  I  believe,  been  acknowledged  by  every 
successive  government  of  Bengal,  from  Lord 
Cornwallis's  to  Sir  George  Barlow's.  While 
Mr.  Carey  resided  in  the  above  district,  his 
conduct  was  uniformly  quiet  and  irreprehen- 
sible  ;  and,  had  it  been  otherwise,  I,  from  my 
situation  as  registrar  of  the  civil  court  of 
Dinagepore  and  assistant  to  the  magistrate, 
must  have  known  of  it. 

"After  I  quitted  Dinagepore,  in  1801,  my 
personal  intercourse  with  Mr.  Carey  be- 
came more  frequent.  I  had  also  an  oppor- 
tunity of  becoming  well  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Ward,  and  knew  Mr.  Marshman,  though, 
from  this  last  gentleman's  being  more  con- 
fined by  his  duties  as  a  schoolmaster,  I  sel- 
dom saw  him. 

"  I  shall  say  nothing  of  Mr.  Carey's  reli- 
gion, because  it  is  not  that  which  is  the 
subject  of  dispute  :  but  I  will  say  that  the 
unaffected  simplicity  of  his  manners,  the 
modesty  of  his  demeanor,  his  good  sense 
and  information,  his  unwearied  industry,  and 
the  general  excellence  of  his  character,  did, 
as  far  as  I  had  an  opportunity  of  observing, 
procure  to  him  the  esteem  of  all  those  Eu- 
ropeans to  whom  he  was  known. 

"  I  also  frequently  conversed  with  Hin- 
doo and  Mahomedan  natives,  rather  of  the 
better  sort,  upon  the  subject  of  Christianity 
and  the  probable  success  of  the  mission, 
and  they  generally  discussed  these  things 
with  much  freedom.  As  far  as  I  can  recol- 
lect, I  never  in  any  conversation  of  this 
kind  heard  Mr.  Carey  or  any  of  the  other 
missionaries  mentioned  with  disrespect.  On 
the  contrary,  I  believe  their  characters  were 
highly  respected  even  by  the  natives,  who, 
with  all  their  faults,  generally  form  pretty 
just  estimates  of  the  characters  of  Europe- 
ans who  reside  among  them,  and  are  by  no 
means  backward  in  giving  their  sentiments 
thereupon. 

"  Though  I  did  not  personally  know  the 
native  converts,  I  can  safely  affirm,  from 
my  acquaintance  with  the  character  of  the 
missionaries,  that  their  testimony  respect- 
ing those  converts  ought  to  be  received, 
and  that  full  credit  should  be  attached  to 
it.  It  is  a  most  unfounded  calumny  to  as- 
sert that  the  missionaries  have  received 
immoral  characters,  knowing  them  to  be 
such,  into  the  church.  I  am  certain  they 
would  receive  no  such  characters." 


[The  two  following  letters  were  published  by 
the  author  in  a  separate  form,  at  a  subsequent  pe- 
riod to  the  above;  but,  as  they  form  an  appropri- 
ate conclusion  to  the  subject,  it  is  deemed  advisa- 
ble to  give  them  a  place  in   this  appendix.] 


THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  PETITIONERS* 
TO  PARLIAMENT  FOR  RELIGIOUS  TOLE- 
RATION IN  INDIA  t  A  LETTER  TO  JOHN 
WETLAND,  JUN.,  Esq.,  OCCASIONED  BY 
HIS  LETTER  TO  SIR  HUGH  INGLIS,  BART., 
ON     THE     STATE     OF     RELIGION     IN     INDIA. 

Sir, 

I  have  read  with  interest  your  Letter 
addressed  to  Sir  Hugh  Inglis,  Bart.,  "  On 
the  state  of  Religion  in  India."  Having 
been  for  twenty  years  past  the  secretary  of 
the  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  the  society 
which  sent  out  the  present  Dr.  Carey  and 
his  colleagues,  it  is  natural  that  I  should 
be  interested  in  whatever  may  affect  the 
important  question  now  pending  in  parlia- 
ment. 

The  dispassionate,  candid,  and  for  the 
most  part  judicious  strain  in  which  you  have 
written,  sir,  deserves  acknowledgment. — 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  it  appears 
to  me  to  come  nearer  the  point  at  issue 
than  any  thing  that  I  have  met  with. 

Those  gentlemen  who  assert  that  "  as 
the  Hindoos  and  the  Christians  worship  one 
great  Creator,  it  is  indifferent  whether  the 
adoration  be  offered  to  him  through  the 
pure  medium  of  Christianity  or  through 
the  bloody  and  obscene  rites  of  the  Indian 
idolatry,"  you  very  properly  deem  incom- 
petent to  judge  on  the  subject.  The  Brit- 
ish legislature  I  trust  will  never  so  dishonor 
itself  as  to  entertain  the  question  whether 
the  Christian  religion  be  preferable  to  that 
of  Juggernaut. 

As  to  what  you  have  written,  sir,  of  an 
ecclesiastical  establishment,  that  is  not  my 
immediate  concern  ;  but  if  it  be  so  conducted 
as  to  "  take  a  share  in  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen,"  and  do  not  interfere  with  the 
labors  of  those  who  are  unconnected  with 
it,  it  will  be  entitled  to  our  Christian  regards, 
no  less  than  our  undertakings  are  to  those 
of  pious  episcopalians.  The  efforts  of  indi- 
viduals and  societies  unconnected  with  the 
establishment  are  those  which  immediately 
concern  me,  and  a  large  proportion  of  the 
petitioners. 

Many  of  your  remarks  on  this  part  of  the 
subject,  sir,  are  candid  and  liberal.  Your 
short  and  conclusive  proof  that  "no  danger 
is  to  be  apprehended  from  these  efforts, 
because  no  danger  ever  has  arisen,  though 
the  practice  has  been  going  on  for  centu- 
ries, and  during  the  period   many  thousands 

*  By  the  title  given  to  these  pages,  the  author 
means  no  more  than  to  express  his  own  princi- 
ples, and  what  he  conceives  to  be  the  principles 
of  the  petitioners  in  general.  Having  observed, 
by  conversing  with  several  gentlemen,  that  the 
object  of  the  petitions  was  understood  to  be  some- 
thipg  incompatible  with  the  security  of  govern- 
ment, he  wished,  as  far  as  he  was  able,  to  remove 
those  impressions,  and  to  give  a  true  statement  of 
what  he  conceived  to  be  their  object. 


624 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS. 


of  natives  have  been  converted,"  must  ap- 
prove itself  to  every  candid  and  enlightened 
legislator. 

It  is  here,  sir,  that  I  wish  to  offer  a  few  re- 
marks on  your  proposed  regulations,  and  to 
state  what  I  consider  as  the  principles  of  the 
general  body  of  the  petitioners. 

In  order  to  be  a  competent  judge  of  the 
question  at  issue  you  reckon  a  man  must  be 
"  free  from  enthusiasm,  either  for  or  against 
Christianity."  You  do  not  mean  by  this  that 
he  should  be  "  deficient  in  a  warmth  of  grat- 
itude for  the  benefits  of  Christianity  ;"  but 
merely  that,  while  he  engages  in  real  earn- 
est in  the  propagation  of  the  gospel,  he  is 
not  to  be  regardless  of  good  sense  and  sound 
discretion.  That  there  are  enthusiasts  of 
this  description  is  very  possible  ;  but  I  hope 
to  be  believed,  when  I  say  that,  of  all  the 
persons  I  have  conversed  with  on  the  sub- 
ject, I  have  never  met  with  such  a  one. 
Persons  whose  principal  attention  is  turned 
to  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  and  who 
are  but  little  acquainted  with  its  political 
bearings,  may  dwell  more  on  the  former  and 
less  on  the  latter ;  but  I  never  heard  such 
an  idea  as  this  suggested,  that  "  we  have  no- 
thing to  do  but  to  pour  into  India  all  the 
evangelical  knowledge  and  zeal  we  can  ex- 
port, and  leave  the  result  to  Providence." 
Many  of  the  petitions  have  expressed  a  wish 
for  all  prudent  and  peaceable  means  to  be 
used  ;  and,  where  this  has  not  been  express- 
ed, I  believe  it  has  be,en  invariably  under- 
stood. It  is  not  to  prudence,  sir,  that  the  pe- 
titioners have  any  objection  ;  but  merely  to 
that  species  of  prudence  that  ivould  not  scruple 
to  subject,  nor  even  to  'sacrifice,  Christianity 
to  political  expediency.  Ought  a  nation,  sir, 
to  set  up  its  power  and  temporal  prosperity 
as  the  supreme  end,  and  to  require  that  no- 
thing be  done  within  the  sphere  of  its  in- 
fluence but  what  appears  consistent  with, 
if  not  calculated  to  promote,  this  end?  Is 
not  this  to  "sit  in  the  seat  of  God?"  See 
Ezek.  xxviii.  1 — 10. 

Dr.  Carey  and  his  colleagues,  sir,  are  ac- 
knowledged by  the  marquis  Wellesley  (in  a 
late  speech,  said  to  have  been  delivered  in 
the  house  of  lords)  to  be  "  quiet,  prudent,  dis- 
creet, orderly,  and  learned  men :"  yet  no  men 
on  earth  are  farther  from  admitting  such  a 
principle  as  the  above  than  they.  We  may 
be  prudent  without  being  irreligious.  Dr. 
Marshman  has  proved  that,  if  the  British 
government  be  friendly  to  Christianity,  it 
ivill  by  this  insure  its  own  prosperity  ;  for 
"  whatever  is  right  is  wise  : "  but  to  be- 
friend Christianity  itself  in  subserviency  to 
our  worldly  interest  were  to  turn  that  which 
is  good  into  evil,  and,  instead  of  "  placing  us 
under  the  divine  protection,"  might  be  ex- 
pected to  procure  our  overthrow.  If  God  be 
what  we  are  in  the  habit  of  calling  him,  the 
Supreme  Being,  he  must  be  treated  as  su- 
preme, or  we  cannot  hope  for  his  blessing. 


You  allege  that  "the  ultimate  conversion 
of  these  heathens  depends,  under  God,  upon 
the  duration  of  the  British  dominion."  That 
the  British  dominion  may  be  the  appointed 
means  of  enlightening  the  eastern  world,  as 
the  Roman  dominion  was  of  enlightening 
Britain,  is  readily  admitted.  This  may  be 
the  design  of  Providence  in  connecting  them. 
It  is  also  allowed  that,  on  the  supposition  of 
British  dominion  being  used  for  the  amelio- 
ration of  the  condition  of  the  natives,  its  du- 
ration is  very  desirable,  and  must  needs  be 
desired  by  the  friends  of  Christianity  :  but  I 
cannot  allow  the  prevalence  of  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  to  depend  on  the  duration  of  any 
earthly  government.  The  duration  of  a  gov- 
ernment may  depend  upon  its  befriending 
the  kingdom  of  Christ:  but,  if  it  refuse  to 
do  this,  deliverance  will  arise  from  another 
quarter.  The  great  system  of  God,  as  re- 
vealed in  prophecy ,^will  be  accomplished  : 
the  nation  and  kingdom  that  refuses  to  serve 
Him  wdl  perish. 

I  am  persuaded,  sir,  that  you  have  no  in- 
tention to  reduce  Christianity  to  a  state  of 
mere  subserviency  to  civil  policy,  and  that, 
if  you  perceived  this  consequence  to  be  in- 
volved in  any  thing  you  had  advanced,  you 
would  retract  it.  "I  do  certainly," you  say, 
"go  a  little  beyond  Machiavel,"  Avho  was 
for  holding  religion  in  veneration  as  the 
means  of  preserving  government.  Yet  you 
speak  of  our  being  "bound  as  a  Christian 
country  to  impart  the  blessings  of  Christiani- 
ty, only  so  far  as  it  can  be  done  with  safely  to 
our  dominion."  Be  assured,  sir,  I  have  no 
desire  to  endanger  British  dominion,  nor  the 
most  distant  idea  that  the  labors  of  mission- 
aries will  have  any  such  tendency.  If  they 
have,  however,  it  will  be  an  event  of  which 
history  furnishes  no  example.  But  why  set 
up  the  safety  of  our  dominion  as  the  supreme 
object,  to  which  every  thing  else,  even  the 
imparting  of  the  blessings  of  Christianity, 
must  give  way  ?  If  there  be  any  meaning 
in  our  Saviour's  words,  "  He  that  saveth  his 
life  shall  lose  it,"  is  not  this  the  way  to  ruin 
that  very  dominion  you  are  so  anxious  to 
preserve  ?  It  was  to  prevent  the  Romans 
from  coming  to  take  away  their  place  and 
nation  that  the  Jews  were  persuaded  to  cru- 
cify the  Lord  of  glory — a  measure  which 
brought  on  them  the  very  evil  that  they 
dreaded. 

Review,  sir,  your  proposed  regulations  for 
confining  missionaries  to  a  particular  district, 
and  sending  them  away  by  a  summary  power 
upon  proof  of  any  evil  consequences,  not 
only  arising,  but  "  likely  to  arise,  from  their 
presence."  Does  not  this  suppose  that  you 
have  adversaries  to  deal  with,  such  as  Shimei 
Avas  known  to  be  by  Solomon  ;  who,  there- 
fore, must  be  confined  and  watched  with  a 
jealous  eye,  and  who  require  to  be  punished 
on  the  ground  of  mere  apprehension  ?  Does 
it  not  proceed  on  the  principle  that  every 


ANSWER  TO  AN  ANONYMOUS  LETTER,  &C. 


625 


tiling  must  be  subservient  to  political  expe- 
diency ?  Why  should  you  not  treat  mis- 
sionaries as  friends  till  they  prove  themselves 
to  be  enemies?  If  they  prove  to  be  such 
let  tiiem  be  sent  home  at  our  expense  ;  or 
let  us  be  informed,  and  we  will  recal  them. 
Of  all  the  missionaries  that  have  gone  to 
India,  how  many  has  the  government  found 
that  deserved  the  name  of  enemies  ?  I  be- 
lieve not  one.  But  their  zeal,  it  has  been 
said,  may  betray  them  into  indiscretions.  It 
may;  we  have  never  heard,  however,  of  any 
such  indiscretions  as  those  of  which  milita- 
ry gentlemen  have  been  guilty,  in  cutting  off 
men's  beards  and  shooting  their  monkeys.  But 
allowing  that  religious  zeal  may  betray  them 
into  some  indiscretions,  and  this  we  do  not 
deny  ;  yet  let  them  be  treated  as  you  would 
treat  a, friend;  that  is,  let  them  be  told  of 
their  indiscretions,  of  which  it  may  be  they 
are  not  aware  at  the  time.  A  few  such 
words  would  go  much  farther  with  these  men 
than  a  jealous  eye  or  severe  animadversion. 
A  friendly  feeling,  sir,  in  this  case,  is  every 
thing.  Suppose  a  missionary  stationed  up 
the  country  ;  he  gives  the  Scriptures  to  those 
who  ask  for  them,  and  preaches,  or  rather 
converses,  with  the  natives  (for  their  ad- 
dresses are  not  harangues,  but  are  frequent- 
ly interrupted  by  inquiries.)  The  Hindoos 
are  attentive,  and  desire  to  hear  more  ;  but 
two  or  three  Mahomedans,  to  whom  it  is 
almost  natural  to  be  of  a  bitter,  persecuting 
spirit,  are  displeased,  and  get  a  letter  of  com- 
plaints written  to  government.  If  govern- 
ment be  friendly,  it  will  hear  both  sides  be- 
fore it  judges  ;  if  not,  the  missionary  will  be 
immediately  ordered  away.  Such,  sir,  ap- 
pears to  be  the  summary  process  which  your 
proposed  regulations  would  justify. 

Why  should  imaginary  dangers,  unfound- 
ed in  a  single  fact  during  the  experience,  as 
you  say,  of  centuries,  be  made  the  ground 
of  legislative  control  ?  Surely,  sir,  your  ap- 
prehensions of  "  a  premature  shock  being 
given  to  the  Hindoo  opinions,"  while  yet  you 
acknowledge  that  "no  danger  ever  has 
arisen,"  must  have  been  excited  by  the  re- 
iterated representations  of  those  persons 
whom  you  reckon  incompetent  to  judge  on 
the  question.  Why  should  a  course  of  dis- 
interested labors  which  in  every  instance  of 
conversion  adds  a  cordial  friend  to  the  Bri- 
tish government,  even  though  it  were  like 
the  course  of  an  apostle  to  be  now  and  then 
the  innocent  occasion  of  a  local  disturbance, 
be  viewed  with  so  jealous  an  eye?  Out  of 
nearly  five  hundred  persons  who  have  em- 
braced Christianity  by  means  of  our  mission- 
aries, we  fear  no  contradiction  when  we  say, 
that  not  one  of  them  has  proved  himself  any 
other  than  a  loyal  and  peaceable  subject. 

If  there  be  any  danger  of  mischief  arising 
from  missionaries,  it  must  affect  themselves 
before   it   can   affect  government.     In  the 


frolic  of  the  officers  who  shot  the  sacred 
monkeys,  government  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  so  much  as  thought  of;  it  was 
their  own  life,  and  that  only,  that  was  en- 
dangered ;  and  so  long  as  missionaries  stand 
merely  on  their  own  ground,  receiving  no 
favor  but  what  is~ common  to  good  subjects 
(and  this  is  all  we  ask,)  it  will  be  the  same 
with  them.  If  any  danger  arise,  it  will  be  to 
themselves  ;  and  of  this,  after  all  their  ex- 
perience, they  have  no  apprehensions. 

Some  gentlemen  cannot  understand  what 
we  mean  in  our  petitions,  when  we  profess 
obedience  to  government  in  civil  things  only. 
We  mean  nothing  more  than  to  reserve  our 
consciences  for  God,  according  to  our  Sa- 
viour's words,  "  Render  unto  Cesar  the  things 
which  are  Cesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things 
that  are  God's."  We  have  no  reserves  but 
these.  Hinder  us  not  in  our  efforts  to  carry 
into  execution  the  commission  of  Christ,  and 
we  are  not  anxious  about  other  things.  We 
mean  by  obedience  in  all  civil  concerns  as 
much  as  if  we  engaged  to  conduct  ourselves 
in  a  loyal,  orderly,  and  peaceable  way.  If 
it  be  objected  that  we  are  liable  to  act  im- 
properly in  religious,  as  well  as  in  civil  con- 
cerns— we  answer,  If  our  conduct,  even  in 
the  exercises  of  religion,  be  injurious  to  the 
peace  of  society,  we  should  allow  this  to  be 
a  breach  of  civil  obedience,  and  have  no  ob- 
jection to  be  accountable  for  it :  only  let  us 
not  be  punished  on  the  ground  of  mere  ap- 
prehension, nor  treated  but  as  being  what 
we  are — sincere  friends  to  our  country  and 
to  our  species.  I  am,  sir,  respectfully  yours, 
Andrew  Fuller. 


ANSWER  TO  AN  ANONYMOUS  LETTER  FROM 
"AN  OBSERVER,"  ON  HIS  OBJECTIONS  TO 
FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

I  should  not  have  thought  it  necessary 
thus  publicly  *  to  notice  an  anonymous  letter, 
had  it  not  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of  an- 
swering an  objection  to  foreign  missions, 
which  has  been  more  than  once  advanced — 
that  of  its  interfering  with  exertions  in  favor 
of  our  own  countrymen.  I  shall  say  but  little 
of  the  gross  misstatement  in  the  letter,  f  as 
that  my  going  to  Scotland,  in  1799,  was  to 
"  witness  the  state  of  that  country,"  and  to 

*  This  article  originally  appeared  in  the  The- 
ological and  Biblical  Magazine,  1802. 

t  The   following  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  this  sin- 
gular communication: — 
"  Rev.  Sir, 

"Various  and  costly  have  been  the  exertions 
made  for  the  propagation  of  the  gospel  among  for- 
eign nations.  However  laudable  this  labor  of  love 
may  be,  yet  very  considerable  blame  is  attached  to 
it;  since  the  probability  of  g  cater  success  was  in 
favor  of  a  region  far  less  dista.t,  and  more  deserv- 


Vol.  2.— Sig.  79 


62G 


AN    APOLOGY    FOR    CHRISTIAN     MISSIONS, 


"  concert  measures  for  doing  good  ; "  that  I 
did  not  "  condescend  "  to  halt,  and  preach, 
between  York  and  Newcastle  ;  and  that  "it 
cannot  be  said  that  one  convert  has  been 
made  "in foreign  missions.  Such  assertions 
must  have  arisen  from  the  want  of  informa- 
tion. My  journey  was  merely  owing  to  a 
kind  invitation  given  me  to  go  and  receive 
the  donations  of  a  number  ,pf  my  fellow- 
christians,  Avho  were  willing  to  contribute  to 
the  giving  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  a  great 
nation  which  had  them  not,  as  all  the  coun- 
try between  York  and  Newcastle  has.  My 
excursion  was  not  a  preaching  one,  though 
I  did  preach,  and  that  to  the  utmost  extent 
of  my  power.  If  I  had  taken  half  a  year,  I 
might  have  stopped  much  oftener  than  I  did  : 
but  then  it  is  possible  my  own  congregation 
would  have  reminded  me  that "  charity  be- 
gins at  home."  Whether  success  has,  or 
has  not,  attended  foreign  missions,  the  ac- 
counts which  have  been  printed  of  them,  so 
far  as  human  judgment  can  go  in  such  mat- 
ters, will  enable  us  to  decide. 

The  only  question  that  requires  attention 
is,  Whether  the  spirit  which,  within  the  last 
ten  years,  has  prompted  Christians  of  different 
denominations  to  engage  in  foreign  missions, 
has  been  favorable  or  unfavorable  to  the  prop- 
agation of  the  gospel  at  home  ? — It  is  a  fact 

ing,  if  charity  begins  at  home.  The  wilful  neglect 
of  so  large  a  part  of  our  own  land  is  certainly  un- 
pardonable. It  is  true  that  many  an  expensive  and 
fatiguing  journey  has  been  undertaken,  from  south 
to  north  Britain,  which  has  been  well  repaid  by 
that  which  has  taken  and  is  likely  to  take  place. 
Yet  you,  sir,  have  rode  post  down  to  the  Scotch 
metropolis,  for  the  purpose  of  witnessing  the  state 
of  that  country,  with  a  view  to  aid  in  concerting 
the  best  means  by  which  good  might  be  done:  but 
neither  yourself,  nor  others,  who  at  least  ought  to 
have  had  more  consideration,  did  condescend  to 
halt  by  the  way,  either  to  preach  or  inquire -into 
the  truly  deplorable  state  of  ignorance  and  irrelig- 
ion  of  that  large  and  populous  tract  of  country  sit- 
uated between  York  and  Newcastle-upon-Tyne ; 
or,  in  your  flight  back  again  to  give  one  thought 
towards  the  reformation  of  Cumberland,  or  hea- 
thenish Westmoreland. 

"  If  we  may  judge  of  the  success  which  attended 
the  labors  of  faulinus,  the  first  missionary  sent  into 
these  parts  from  Rome,  the  most  pleasing  benefits 
would  be  the  consequence,  upon  the  application  of 
proper  means.  Paulinus  is  said  to  have  baptized, 
in  one  day,  ten  thousand  persons  in  the  river  Swale, 
near  Richmond  in  Yorkshire.  The  fair  Otaheitan, 
the  filthy  Hottentot,  and  cruel  East  Indian,  have 
each  been  sharers  in  missionary  boon,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  many  thousands  of  pounds,  many  valuable 
lives,  and  the  earnest  labors  of  pious  and  zealous 
characters:  and,  after  all  this,  it  cannot  be  said 
that  one  convert  has  been  made;  when,  in  all  prob- 
ability, if  a  tenth  part  had  been  done  in  favor  of 
our  own  nation,  some  scores,  perhaps  hundreds, 
would  have  been  praising  God  and  thanking  you, 
which  they  might  have  done  to  all  eternity. — That 
the  time  for  the  calling  of  the  gentiles  may  be  fast 
approaching  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  one  who  is 
no  director  in  these  matters,  but  only 

"  An  Observer." 


which  cannot  be  disputed,  that,  within  the 
above  period,  there  have  been  far  greater 
exertions  to  communicate  the  principles  of 
religion  to  the  heathenized  parts  of  both  Eng- 
land and  Scotland  than  at  any  former  period 
within  the  remembrance,  at  least,  of  the  pres- 
ent generation.  If  I  were  to  say  they  have 
been  five  times  greater  than  before,  1  think 
I  should  not  exceed  the  truth.  Nor  has  that 
part  of  the  kingdom  to  which  the  writer  of 
the  letter  alludes  been  overlooked.  And 
how  is  this  fact  to  be  accounted  for  ?  Will 
this  friend  to  village-preaching  unite  with 
bishop  Horsley,  and  say  it  is  the  effect  of 
political  motives  ;  and  merely  a  new  direc- 
tion of  the  democratic  current,  which  was 
interrupted  by  the  treason  and  sedition  bills 
in  1795?  If  so,  Ave  might  ask,  How  came 
it  to  commence  two  years  before  those  bills 
were  passed  ?  How  is  it  that  it  should  have 
prevailed,  not  so  much  among  those  dissent- 
ers who  took  an  eager  share  in  political  con- 
tention, as  those  who  had  scarcely  ever  con- 
cerned themselves  in  any  thing  of  the  kind  ? 
And,  finally,  How  is  it  that  it  should  have 
extended  to  other  nations  as  well  as  Britain, 
and  other  quarters  of  the  world  as  well  as 
Europe  ?  But  I  suppose  the  writer  of  this 
letter  would  not  attribute  it  to  this  cause. 
How  then  will  he  account  for  it?  The  truth 
most  manifestly  is  that  the  very  practice  of 
which  he  complains  has  been  more  conducive 
to  that  which  he  recommends  than  all  other 
causes  put  together.  It  is  natural  that  it 
should  be  so.  A  longing  desire  after  the 
spread  of  the  gospel,  when  once  kindled,  ex- 
tends in  all  directions.  The  same  principle 
which  induces  some  to  leave  their  native 
land,  to  impart  the  heavenly  light,  induces 
others  to  contribute  and  pray  for  their  suc- 
cess :  and,  while  they  are  doing  this,  it  is 
next  to  impossible  to  forget  their  own  coun- 
trymen, who,  though  they  have  access  to  the 
written  word,  yet  live  "  without  God  in  the 
world." 

It  is  very  singular  that  the  example  of 
"Paulinus  "  (I  suppose  he  meant  Austin  the 
monk,)  who  came  to  Britain  as  a  missionary 
from  Home,  about  the  year  59(3,  and  is  said 
to  have  baptized  ten  thousand  people  in  the 
river  Swale,*  should  be  alleged  against  for- 
eign missions.  Allowing  Austin's  converts 
to  have  been  real  Christians  (which,  how- 
ever, is  very  doubtful,)  according  to  the  "  Ob- 
server" there  was  "much  blame  attached" 
to  his  labors  of  love,  since  the  probability  of 
greater  success  was  in  favor  of  Italy  ;  a 
country  far  less  distant  than  Britain,  and  more 
deserving  of  his  charity,  which  should  have 
begun  at  home. 

Unfortunately  for  this  proverb,  I  do  not 
recollect  ever  hearing  it  alleged  but  for  a 

*  Fox's  Acts  and  Monuments,  Vol.  I.,  p.  132, 
9th  edition. 


ANSWER  TO  AN  ANONYMOUS  LETTER,  &C. 


627 


selfish  purpose.  Go  and  ask  relief  for  some 
distressed  object  of  a  wealthy  man.  His 
answer  is,  "  Charity  begins  at  home."  True, 
and  it  seems  to  end  there.  And,  by  the 
reasoning  of  this  observer,  his  would  do  the 
same.  So  long  as  there  are  any  sinners  in 
Britain,  we  must  confine  our  attention  to  them. 
A  person  of  a  contracted  mind  once  objected 
to  the    exportation  of  our    manufactures. 


"  We  have  many  poor  people  in  England," 
said  he,  "who  are  half  naked,  and  would  be 
glad  of  them  ;  and  charity  begins  at  home." 
He  was  informed,  however,  by  a  merchant, 
that  to  send  our  commodities  abroad  is  not 
the  way  to  impoverish,  but  to  enrich  our- 
selves, and  even  to  furnish  the  poor  with 
clothing,  by  providing  them  with  plenty  of 
good  employment. 


ESSAYS,    LETTERS,    &c 


ECCLESIASTICAL   POLITY. 


AN    INQUIRY    INTO    THE     RIGHT    OF    PRIVATE 
JUDGMENT  IN  MATTERS   OF  RELIGION. 

In  former  times  liberty  of  conscience  and 
the  right  of  private  judgment  in  matters  of 
religion  were  denied  both  by  ecclesiastics 
and°  politicians.  Of  late  they  have  been 
very  generally  admitted,  and  much  has  been 
said  arid  written  in  their  defence.  But  the 
nature  and  extent  of  these  rights,  in  refer- 
ence to  religious  society,  have  not  been  so 
clearly  ascertained;  and  claims  have  been 
instituted  which  appear  to  be  subversive  pf 
those  very  principles  so  often  pleaded  in 
their  support. 

The  right  of  private  judgment  in  matters 
of  religion  appears  to  be  the  right  which 
every'individual  has  to  think  and  to 
avow  his  thoughts  on  those  subjects, 
without  being  liable  to  any  civil  in- 
CONVENIENCE ON  THAT  ACCOUNT.       TllC  Sl'.b- 

iect  in  this  view  has  been  successfully  sup- 
ported by  writers  of  ability,  and  the  princi- 
ple has  been  acted  upon  by  the  great  body 
of  nonconformists  and  dissenters  of  later 
times.  There  can  scarcely  be  any  doubt 
remaining  with  respect  to  the  power  of  the 
civil  magistrate  to  interfere  with  the  relig- 
ious sentiments  and  private  judgment  of  the 
subject:  this  is  now  very  generally  and  very 
justly  exploded.  But  of  late  the  subject  has 
taken  another  turn,  and  men  have  pleaded 
not  only  an  exemption  from  civil  penalties 
on  account  of  their  religious  principles,  in 
•which  the  very  essence  of  persecution  con- 
sists, but  also  that  they  are  not  subject  to 
the  control  of  a  religious  society  with  which 
they  stand  connected  for  any  tenets  which 
they  may  think  proper  to  avow.  The  right  of 
private  judgment  now  frequently  assumed  is 


a  rigid  in  every  individual  U'ho  may  become  a 
member  of  a  Christian  church  to  think  and  avoiv 
his  thoughts,  be  they  what  they  may,  icilhout 
being  subject  to  exclusion  or  admonition,  or  the 
ill  opinion  of  his  brethren  on  that  account.  Any 
tiling  that  is  inconsistent  with  this  is  thought 
to  be  a  species  of  spiritual  tyranny,  and  re- 
pugnant to  that  "  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
hath  made  us  free."  But  this  appears  to  be 
highly  extravagant,  and  is  what  no  man 
can  claim  as  a  right.  The  following  consid- 
erations are  submitted  to  the  reader. 

First:  The  supposed  right  of  the  individ- 
ual is  contrary  to  the  principles  on  tvhich 
Christian  churches  were  originally  founded. 
Not  only  were  those  who  disbelieved  the 
gospel  refused  admission  to  a  Christian 
church,  but  those  who  perverted  the  gospel, 
or  maintained  pernicious  errors  concerning 
it,  were  subject  to  admonition  and  exclusion. 
The  apostle  Paul  directed  that  a  heretic 
after  the  first  and  second  admonition  should 
be  rejected.  And,  in  his  epistle  to  the 
churches  of  Galatia,  he  expressed  a  wish 
that  those  who  troubled  them  by  subverting 
the  gospel  of  Christ  and  introducing  another 
gospel  were  "  cut  off."  The  church  at  Per- 
gamos  is  reproved  for  having  those  among 
them  who  held  the  doctrine  of  Balaam  and 
of  the  Nicolaitans.  If  the  churches  of  Ga- 
latia complied  with  the  apostle's  desire,  their 
false  teachers  might  have  exclaimed  against 
them  as  invading  the  right  of  private  judg- 
ment, and  with  as  much  justice  as  some  in 
Liter  times  have  done  against  the  censures 
of  their  brethren.  And,  had  the  church  of 
Pergamos  been  formed  on  the  principles 
above  mentioned,  they  might  have  replied 
to  the  solemn  message  of  our  Lord  in  some 
such  manner  as  the  following  :  Why  are  we 


RIGHT    OF    PRIVATE     JUDGMENT. 


629 


blamed  for  having  those  among  us  who  hold 
the  doctrine  of  Nicolas?  It  is  sufficient  for 
us  as  individuals  to  think  for  ourselves,  and 
leave  others  to  do  the  same.  We  cannot 
refuse  these  men  without  invading  the  right 
of  private  judgment  ? 

If  it  be  objected  that  inspiration  rendered 
the  judgment  of  the  apostles  infallible,  and 
that  therefore  their  conduct  in  this  case  is 
not  a  rule  for  us,  it  may  be  replied  that,  if 
the  apostles  were  infallible,  the  churches 
were  not  so,  and  the  blame  is  laid  on  them 
for  having  neglected  to  exclude  the  charac- 
ters in  question.  Besides,  this  objection 
would  tend  to  prove  that  primitive  Christians, 
on  account  of  the  infallibility  of  the  apostle, 
did  not  possess  the  right  of  private  judgment ; 
and  that  the  right  sprung  up  in  the  church 
in  consequence  of  our  being  all  equally  falli- 
ble !  But  this  is  contrary  to  the  declaration 
of  the  apostle  :  "  not  that  we  have  dominion 
over  your  faith,  but  are  helpers  of  your 
joy."  Hence  it  appears  that  admonishing 
or  excluding  from  the  primitive  church  those 
who  held  pernicious  errors  was  not  reckon- 
ed to  be  subversive  of  the  right  of  private 
judgment ;  and  the  churches  being  exhorted 
to  such  discipline  by  the  apostles  was  exer- 
cising no  dominion  over  their  faith. 

Secondly  :  Not  only  is  this  supposed  right 
of  private  judgment  inconsistent  with  apos- 
tolic practice,  but  it  is  also  contrary  to  rea- 
son and  the  fitness  of  things.  All  society  is 
founded  in  mutual  agreement.  It  is  no  less 
a  dictate  of  common  sense  than  of  the  word 
of  God  that  "  two  cannot  walk  together,  ex- 
cept they  be  agreed."  No  society  can  sub- 
sist unless  there  be  some  specific  principles 
in  which  they  are  united.  In  political 
societies,  these  principles  will  be  of  a  politi- 
cal nature  :  in  civil  ones,  of  a  civil  kind  ;  and, 
in  those  of  religion,  of  a  religious  nature. 
According  to  the  degree  of  importance  in 
which  those  principles  are  held  by  the  par- 
ties associating,  such  will  be  their  concern 
to  maintain  and  act  upon  them ;  and  the 
terms  of  admittance  or  continuance  in  such 
society  must  be  regulated  accordingly.  If 
there  be  no  definite  principles  in  which  it  is 
necessary  that  a  society  should  be  agreed, 
but  every  member  of  it  be  at  liberty  to  im- 
bibe and  propagate  whatever  notions  he 
pleases,  then  all  societies,  civil,  political,  and 
religious,  have  hitherto  been  mistaken ;  for 
all  of  them  have  had  in  view  the  attainment 
of  some  specific  object :  and  this  is  more 
especially  the  case  with  societies  that  are 
purely  religious.  A  community  must  en- 
tirely renounce  the  name  of  a  Christian 
church  before  it  can  act  upon  the  principle 
here  contended  for  ;  and  those  who  entire- 
ly reject  Christianity  ought,  nevertheless,  to 
be  admitted  or  retained  in  fellowship,  if  they 
choose  it ;  seeing  they  have  only  exercised 
the  right  of  private  judgment ! 

Farther  :    If  a  Christian  society  has  no 


right  to  withdraw  from  an  individual  whose 
principles  they  consider  as  false  and  inju- 
rious, neither  has  an  individual  any  right  to 
withdraw  from  a  society  in  a  similar  "case  ; 
and  then  there  is  an  end  to  all  religious 
liberty  at  once. 

Whether  it  be  right  for  us  to  think  the 
worse  of  any  person  on  account  of  his  erro- 
neous principles  must  depend  on  a  previous 
question  ;  namely,  whether  he  be  either  bet- 
ter or  worse  for  the  principles  which  he 
imbibes  ?  If  he  be  not,  then  it  must  be 
allowed  that  we  ought  not  to  think  so  of 
him;  but,  if  he  be,  undoubtedly  we  ought 
to  think  of  one  another  according  to  truth. 
To  say  that  no  person  is  better  or  worse  in 
a  moral  view,  whatever  be  his  principles, 
is  to  say  that  principles  themselves  have 
no  influence  on  the  heart  and  life  ;  and  that 
amounts  to  the  same  thing  as  their  being 
of  no  importance.  But,  if  so,  all  those 
Scriptures  which  represent  truth  as  a  means 
of  sanctification  ought  to  be  discarded  ; 
and  all  the  labors  of  good  men  to  discover 
truth,  and  of  the  apostles  to  disseminate 
it — yea,  and  those  of  the  Son  of  God  him- 
self, who  came  into  the  world  to  bear 
witness  to  the  truth — were   totally  in  vain. 


ON    CREEDS    AND    SUBSCRIPTIONS. 

It  has  been  very  common,  among  a  cer- 
tain class  of  writers,  to  exclaim  against 
creeds  and  systems  in  religion  as  inconsist- 
ent with  Christian  liberty  and  the  rights 
of  conscience :  but  surely  they  must  be 
understood  as  objecting  to  those  creeds 
only  which  they  dislike,  and  not  to  creeds 
in  general  ;  for  no  doubt,  unless  they  be 
worse  than  the  worst  of  beings,  they  have 
a  creed  of  their  own.  The  man  who  has 
no  creed,  has  no  belief;  which  is  the  same 
thing  as  being  an  unbeliever  ;  and  he  whose 
belief  is  not  formed  into  a  system  has  only 
a  few  loose,  unconnected  thoughts,  without 
entering  into  the  harmony  and  glory  of  the 
gospel.  Every  well-informed  and  consist- 
ent believer,  therefore,  must  have  a  creed 
— a  system  which  he  supposes  to  contain 
the   leading   principles  of  divine  revelation. 

It  may  be  pleaded  that  the  objection  does 
not  lie  so  much  against  our  having  creeds 
or  systems  as  against  our  imposing  them  on 
others  as  the  condition  of  Christian  fellow- 
ship. If,  indeed,  a  subscription  to  articles 
of  faith  were  required  without  examination, 
or  enforced  by  civil  penalties,  it  would  be 
an  unwarrantable  imposition  on  the  rights 
of  conscience:  but,  if  an  explicit  agreement 
in  what  may  be  deemed  fundamental  prin- 
ciples be  judged  essential  to  fellowship, 
this  is  only  requiring  that  a  man  appear  to 
be  a  Christian  before  he  can  have  a  right  to 
be  treated  as  such.  Suppose  it  were  re- 
quired of  a  Jew  or  an  infidel,  before  he  is 


630 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


admitted  to  the  Lord's  supper  (which  either 
might  be  disposed  to  solicit  for  some  worldly 
purpose,)  that  he  must  previously  become 
a  believer  ;  should  we  thereby  impose  Chris- 
tianity upon  him  ?  He  might  claim  the  right 
of  private  judgment,  and  deem  such  a  re- 
quisition incompatible  with  its  admission; 
but  it  is  evident  that  he  could  not  be  entitled 
to  Christian  regard,  and  that,  while  he  ex- 
claimed against  the  imposition  of  creeds 
and  systems,  he  himself  would  be  guilty 
of  an  imposition  of  the  grossest  kind,  utterly 
inconsistent  with  the  rights  of  voluntary 
and  social  compact,  as  well  as  of  Christian 
liberty. 

In  order  to  be  a  little  more  explicit  on 
the  subject,  it  may  be  necessary  to  offer 
the  following  remarks: — 

First :  It  is  admitted  that  no  society  has 
a  right  to  make  laws  where  Christ  has  made 
none. — Whoever  attempts  this,  whether  in 
an  individual  or  social  capacity,  is  guilty  of 
substituting  for  doctrines  the  command- 
ments of  men,  and  making  void  the  law  of 
God  by  his  traditions. 

Secondly  :  The  fallibility  of  all  human 
judgment  is  fully  allowed.  A  Christian  so- 
ciety, as  well  as  an  individual,  is  liable  to  err 
in  judging  what  are  the  doctrines  and  pre- 
cepts of  Christ.  Whatever  articles  of  faith 
and  practice,  therefore,  are  introduced  into  a 
community,  they  ought,  no  doubt,  to  be  open 
to  correction  or  amendment,  whenever  those 
who  subscribe  them  shall  perceive  their  in- 
consistency with  the  will  of  Christ. 

Thirdly :  whatever  may  be  said  on  the 
propriety  of  human  systems  of  faith,  they  are 
not  to  be  considered  as  the  proper  ground  on 
winch  to  rest  our  religious  sentiments.  The 
word  of  God,  and  that  alone,  ought  to  be  the 
ground  of  both  faith  and  practice.  But  all 
this  does  not  prove  that  it  would  be  wrong 
for  an  individual  to  judge  of  the  meaning  of 
the  divine  word,  nor  for  a  number  of  indi- 
viduals, who  agree  in  their  judgments,  to  ex- 
press that  agreement  in  explicit  terms,  and 
consider  themselves  as  bound  to  walk  by  the 
same  rule. 

Fourthly  :  Whether  the  united  sentiments 
of  a  Christian  society  be  expressed  in  writ- 
ing or  not  is  immaterial,  provided  they  be 
mutually  understood  and  avowed. — Some 
societies  have  no  written  articles  of  faith  or 
discipline ;  but  with  them,  as  with  others  that 
have,  it  is  always  understood  that  there  are 
certain  principles  a  professed  belief  of  which 
is  deemed  necessary  to  communion. 

The  substance  of  the  inquiry  therefore 
would  be,  whether  a  body  of  Christians  have 
a  right  to  judge  of  the  meaning  of  the  doc- 
trines and  precepts  of  the  gospel,  and  to  act 
accordingly  ?  That  an  individual  has  a  right 
so  to  judge,  and  to  form  his  connections  with 
those  whose  views  are  most  congenial  with 
his  own,  Avill  not  be  disputed  :  but,  if  so,  why 
have  not  a  society  the  same  right  ?   If  Christ 


has  given  both  doctrines  and  precepts,  some 
of  which  are  more  immediately  addressed  to 
Christians  in  their  social  capacity,  they  must 
not  only  possess  such  a  right,  but  are  under 
obligation  to  exercise  it.  If  the  righteous 
nation  ivhich  keep  the  truth  be  the  only  proper 
characters  for  entering  into  gospel  fellow- 
ship, those  who  have  the  charge  of  their  ad- 
mission are  obliged  to  form  a  judgment  on 
what  is  truth,  and  what  is  righteousness  ; 
without  which  they  must  be  wholly  unquali- 
fied for  their  office. 

If  a  Christian  society  have  no  right  to 
judge  what  is  truth,  and  to  render  an  agree- 
ment with  them  in  certain  points  a  term  of 
communion,  then  neither  have  they  a  right 
to  judge  what  is  righteousness,  nor  to  render 
an  agreement  in  matters  of  practical  right 
and  wrong  a  term  of  communion. 

There  is  a  great  diversity  of  sentiment  in 
the  world  concerning  morality,  as  well  as 
doctrine  :  and,  if  it  be  an  unscriptural  impo- 
sition to  agree  to  any  articles  whatever,  it 
must  be  to  exclude  any  one  for  immorality, 
or  even  to  admonish  him  on  that  account ; 
for  it  might  be  alleged  that  he  only  thinks 
for  himself,  and  acts  accordingly.  Nor  would 
it  stop  here :  almost  every  species  of  immor- 
ality has  been  defended  and  may  be  disguised, 
and  thus,  under  the  pretence  of  a  right  of 
private  judgment,  the  church  of  God  would 
become  like  the  mother  of  harlots — "  the  hab- 
itation of  devils,  and  the  hold  of  every  foul 
spirit,  and  a  cage  of  every  unclean  and  hateful 
bird." 

It  is  a  trite  and  frivolous  objection  which 
some  have  made  against  subscriptions  and  ar- 
ticles of  faith — that  it  is  setting  bounds  to  the 
freedom  of  inquiry,  and  requiring  a  conform- 
ity of  sentiment  that  is  incompatible  with  the 
various  opportunities  and  capacities  of  dif- 
ferent persons.  The  same  objection  might 
be  urged  against  the  covenanting  of  the  Is- 
raelites, (Neh.  x.  29,)  and  all  laws  in  society. 
If  a  religious  community  agree  to  specify 
some  leading  principles  which  they  consider 
as  derived  from  the  word  of  God,  and  judge 
the  belief  of  them  to  be  necessary  in  order 
to  any  person's  becoming  or  continuing  a 
member  with  them,  it  does  not  follow  that 
those  principles  should  be  equally  under- 
stood, or  that  all  their  brethren  must  have 
the  same  degree  of  knowledge,  nor  yet  that 
they  should  understand  and  believe  nothing 
else.  The  powers  and  capacities  of  differ- 
ent persons  are  various  ;  one  may  compre- 
hend more  of  the  same  truth  than  another, 
and  have  his  views  more  enlarged  by  an  ex- 
ceedingly great  variety  of  kindred  ideas  ; 
and  yet  the  substance  of  their  belief  may  still 
be  the  same.  The  object  of  articles  is  to 
keep  at  a  distance,  not  those  who  are  weak 
in  the  faith,  but  such  as  are  its  avowed  ene- 
mies. Supposing  a  church-covenant  to  be 
so  general  as  not  to  specify  one  principle  or 
duty,  but  barely  an  engagement  to  adhere  to 


PRINCIPLES    OF    CHURCH    DISCIPLINE. 


631 


the  Scriptures  as  a  rule  of  faith  and  practice, 
the  objection  would  still  apply  ;  and  it  might 
be  said,  One  man  is  capable  of  understand- 
ing much  more  of  the  Scriptures  than 
another,  and  persons  of  more  enlarged  minds 
may  discover  a  great  deal  of  truth  relating 
to  science  which  the  Scriptures  do  not  pre- 
tend to  teach :  why,  therefore,  do  we  frame 
articles  to  limit  the  freedom  of  inquiry,  or 
which  require  a  conformity  of  sentiment  in- 
compatible with  the  opportunities  and  capaci- 
ties of  persons  so  differently  circumstanced  ? 
The  objection,  therefore,  if  admitted,  would 
prove  too  much.  The  jpowers  of  the  mind 
will  probably  vary  in  a  future  world  ;  one 
will  be  capable  of  comprehending  much  more 
of  truth  than  another  ;  yet  the  redeemed  will 
all  be  of  one  mind,  and  of  one  heart. 

Every  one  feels  the  importance  of  articles, 
or  laws,  in  civil  society;  and  yet  these  are 
nothing  less  than  expositions  or  particular 
applications  of  the  great  principle  of  univer- 
sal equity.  General  or  universal  equity  is 
that  to  civil  laws  which  the  Bible  is  to  arti- 
cles of  faith  ;  it  is  the  source  from  which 
they  are  all  professedly  derived,  and  the 
standard  to  which  they  ought  all  to  be  sub- 
mitted. The  one  are  as  liable  to  swerve 
from  general  equity  as  the  other  from  the 
word  of  God :  and,  where  this  is  proved  to 
be  the  case  in  either  instance,  such  errors 
require  to  be  corrected.  But  as  no  person 
of  common  sense  would  on  this  account  in- 
veigh against  laws  being  made,  and  insist 
that  we  ought  only  to  covenant  in  general  to 
walk  according  to  equity,  without  agreeing 
in  any  leading  principles,  or  determining 
wherein  that  equity  consists ;  neither  ought 
he  to  inveigh  against  articles  of  faith  and 
practice  in  religious  matters,  provided  that 
they  comport  with  the  mind  of  God  in  his 
word,  if  articles  of  faith  be  opposed  to  the 
authority  of  Scripture,  or  substituted  in  the 
place  of  such  authority,  they  become  objec- 
tionable and  injurious:  but,  if  they  simply 
express  the  united  judgment  of  those  who 
voluntarily  subscribe  them,  they  are  incapa- 
ble of  any  such  kind  of  imputation. 


THOUGHTS  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  ON  WHICH 
THE  APOSTLES  PROCEEDED,  IN  FORMING 
AND  ORGANIZING  CHRISTIAN  CHURCHES, 
AND  REGULATING  VARIOUS  RELIGIOUS  DU- 
TIES. 

[Written  in^Apri],  1804,  for  the  use  of  the  Breth- 
ren at  Serampore.] 

Various  disputes  have  arisen  among 
Christians  respecting  the  form,  the  order, 
and  the  organization  of  the  church  of  Christ. 
It  is  from  different  apprehensions  on  these 
subjects  that  most  of  our  religious  denomi- 
nations have  arisen.  Having  been  often 
called  upon  to  give  advice  in  certain  cases, 
and  to  ground  it  on  scriptural   authority,  I 


have  been  led  to  examine  with  some  atten- 
tion what  the  Scriptures  teach  us  concern- 
ing them. 

It  has  appeared  to  me  that  some,  in  look- 
ing for  scriptural  authority  for  whatever  is 
done  in  Christian  churches,  expect  too  much  ; 
while,  on  the  contrary,  others  expect  too 
little.  It  is  a  fact,  which  must  strike  every 
attentive  reader,  that  the  manner  in  which 
the  greater  part  of  the  worship  and  forms  of 
the  New  Testament  is  prescribed  is  very 
different  from  that  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Moses  was  commanded  to  do  all  things  ac- 
cording to  the  "pattern"  showed  him  in  the 
mount:  but  no  such  pattern  is  given  us  in 
the  gospel  respecting  the  form  and  order  of 
Christian  worship.  All,  or  nearly  all,  we 
know  of  the  matter  is  from  the  narrative  of 
facts,  as  stated  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
and  from  certain  counsels  addressed  to  min- 
isters and  churches,  in  the  apostolical  epis- 
tles. 

In  each  of  these,  several  things  are  inci- 
dentally brought  to  light ;  but  express  in- 
junctions, like  those  under  the  law,  are  rarely 
to  be  found.  We  have  no  particular  account, 
for  instance,  of  the  original  formation  of  a 
single  church,  nor  of  an  ordination  service, 
nor  in  what  order  the  primitive  worship  was 
generally  conducted.  What  then  shall  we 
say  to  these  things  ?  Shall  we  infer  that  all 
forms  of  worship  and  church  government  are 
indifferent,  and  left  to  be  accommodated  to 
time,  place,  and  other  circumstances  ?  This 
would  open  a  door  to  human  inventions,  and 
to  all  the  corruptions  which  have  defaced 
the  church  of  Christ.  Nevertheless,  this  we 
may  infer — that  to  attempt  to  draw  up  a  for- 
mula of  church  government,  worship,  and 
discipline,  which  shall  include  any  thing 
more  than  general  outlines,  and  to  establish 
it  expressly  on  New-Testament  authority, 
is  to  attempt  what  is  utterly  impracticable. 

The  general  outlines  or  principles  of  tilings 
may  be  collected,  and  these  will  apply  to 
particular  cases.  This,  I  apprehend,  is  all 
that  we  are  warranted  to  expect.  If,  for  ex- 
ample, we  look  for  either  precept  or  prece- 
dent for  the  removal  of  a  Christian  pastor 
from  one  situation  to  another,  we  shall  rind 
none.  But  we  are  taught  that,  for  the  church 
to  "  grow  unto  a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord," 
it  requires  to  be  "  fitly  framed  together." — 
Ephes.  ii.  21.  The  want ofjitness  therefore, 
in  a  connection,  especially  if  it  impede  the 
growth  of  the  spiritual  temple,  may  justify 
the  removal  of  a  minister.  Or,  if  there  be 
no  want  of  fitness,  yet,  if  the  material  be 
adapted  to  occupy  a  more  important  station 
in  the  building,  this  may  also  justify  its  re- 
moval. Such  a  principle  may  be  misapplied 
to  ambitious  and  interested  purposes  ;  but, 
if  the  increase  of  the  temple  be  kept  in  view, 
it  is  lawful,  and  in  many  cases  attended  with 
great  and  good  effects. 

This  example,  instead  of  a  hundred,  may 


C32 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


suffice  to  show,  if  I  mistake  not,  that  the  form 
and  order  of  tlie  Christian  church,  much  more 
than  that  of  the  Jewish  church,  are  founded 
on  the  reason  and  fitness  of  things.  Under 
the  former  dispensation,  the  duties  of  reli- 
gion were  mostly  positive;  and  were  of 
course  prescribed  with  the  nicest  precision, 
and  the  most  exact  minuteness.  Under  the 
gospel  they  are  chiefly  moral,  and,  conse- 
quently, require  only  the  suggestion  of  gen- 
eral principles.  In  conforming  to  the  one,  it 
was  necessary  that  men  should  keep  their 
eye  incessantly  upon  the  rule  :  but,  in  com- 
plying with  the  other,  there  is  more  occasion 
for  fixing  it  upon  the  end. 

The  form  and  order  of  the  Christian  church 
appear  to  be  no  other  than  what  men,  pos- 
sessed of  "  the  wisdom  which  is  from  above," 
would  at  any  time  very  naturally  fall  into, 
even  though  no  other  direction  were  afford- 
ed them.  That  the  apostles  were  supernatu- 
rally  directed  is  true  ;  but  that  direction  con- 
sisted not  in  their  being  furnished  with  a 
"  pattern,"  in  the  manner  of  that  given  to 
Moses  ;  but  in  enduing  them  with  holy  wis- 
dom, to  discern  and  pursue  on  all  occasions 
what  was  good  and  right.  The  Jewish  church 
was  an  army  of  soldiers  under  preparatory 
discipline  :  the  Christian  church  is  an  army 
going  forth  to  battle.  The  members  of  the 
one  were  taught  punctilious  obedience,  and 
led  with  great  formality  through  a  variety  of 
religious  evolutions.  Those  of  the  other, 
though  they  also  must  keep  their  ranks  and 
act  in  obedience  to  command,  yet  are  not  re- 
quired to  be  so  attentive  to  the  mechanical 
as  to  the  mental,  not  so  much  to  the  minute 
observance  of  forms  as  to  their  spirit  and 
design.  The  obedience  of  the  former  was 
that  of  children  ;  the  latter  that  of  sons  ar- 
rived at  maturer  age. 

I  have  said  that  the  form  and  order  of  the 
Christian  church  are  chiefly  moral,  or  founded 
in  the  fitness  of  things,  as  those  of  the 
Jewish  church  were  chief y  positive :  for 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other  will  hold  true 
universally.  Some  things  pertaining  to  the 
organization  of  the  latter  were  settled  on 
the  same  principles  as  those  of  the  former. 
The  seventy  elders,  ordained  to  assist  Mo- 
ses, bore  a  near  resemblance  to  the  seven 
deacons  chosen  to  assist  the  apostles  (Num. 
xi. ;  Acts  vi. :)  both  originated  in  the  neces- 
sity of  the  case,  and  as  such  were  approved 
of  God.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  some 
things  pertaining  to  the  Christian  church 
which  are  entirely  positive  ;  and,  being 
clearly  revealed,  require  to  be  obeyed  with 
the  same  punctilious  regard  to  the  "  pattern  " 
given  as  was  observed  by  Moses  in  con- 
structing the  tabernacle.  Such  are  baptism 
and  the  Lord's  supper.  They  were  "  ordi- 
nances" of  God,  and  required  to  be  kept 
"  as  they  were  delivered." — Matt.  iii.  15 ; 
Luke  i.  (3  ;  1  Cor.  xi.  2.  But  in  many  things 
pertaining  to  order  and  discipline,  though 


we  are  furnished  with  nothing  more  than 
general  outlines,  and  are  obliged  to  keep 
within  them,  yet  in  the  filling  up  there  is 
room  left  for  the  exercise  of  discretion  and 
forbearance. 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  will  not  the  consid- 
ering of  these  things  as  moral,  rather  than 
positive,  open  a  way  for  the  introduction  of 
human  inventions  into  the  church  of  God. 
Why  should  it  ?  Though  the  greater  part 
of  what  belongs  to  the  organization  and 
discipline  of  the  church  be  founded  in  the 
fitness  of  things,  yet  the  human  mind  in 
its  present  imperfect  and  depraved  state  is 
not  of  itself,  and  without  divine  direction, 
sufficient  to  perceive  it.  We  have  so  much 
of  the  wisdom  that  is  "from  beneath" dwell- 
ing in  us  that  we  should  be  continually  err- 
ing, if  left  to  ourselves.  It  is  not  necessary 
indeed,  in  things  of  this  nature,  that  we 
should  be  furnished  with  precepts  and  ex- 
amples with  the  same  minuteness  as  in 
positive  institutions  ;  but,  without  so  much 
of  one  or  other  of  them  as  shall  mark  the 
outlines  of  our  conduct,  we  shall  be  certain 
to  wander.  If  we  were  left  without  a  reve- 
lation from  heaven,  our  ideas  of  the  univer- 
sal rule  of  right  and  wrong  would  be  very 
defective  and  erroneous.  In  whatsoever 
therefore  the  Lord  hath  condescended  to 
instruct  us,  we  are  not  at  liberty  to  prefer 
what  may  appear  fit  and  right  to  us ;  but, 
in  like  circumstances,  are  bound  to  follow 
it.  If  I  plead  for  discretion  and  forbear- 
ance, it  is  only  where  the  Scriptures  do 
not  decide  ;  and  where,  consequently,  it 
was  thought  sufficient  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  put  us  in  possession  of  general  princi- 
ples. 

I.  That  the  form  and  order  of  the 
New  Testament  church  were  founded 
in  the  fitness  of  things  will  appear, 
i  presume,  from  the  following  con- 
siderations. 

1.  The  general  principles  expressly  men- 
tioned by  the  apostles  as  the  rule  of  Chris- 
tian conduct.  "  Let  all  things  be  done  to 
edifying. — Let  all  things  be  done  decently, 
and  in  order.'''' — 1  Cor.  xiv.  26,  40.  What- 
ever measures  tended  to  buildup  the  church 
of  God,  and  individuals,  in  their  most  holy 
faith,  these  were  adopted  as  the  rule  of 
their  conduct,  and  rendered  binding  on 
them  by  the  authority  of  Christ. — Moreo- 
ver, whatever  measures  approve  themselves 
to  minds  endued,  as  those  of  the  apostles 
were,  with  the  wisdom  from  above,  as  fit 
and  lovely,  and  calculated  to  render  the 
whole  church  effective  (like  that  of  good 
discipline  to  an  army)  in  the  propagation 
of  the  gospel ;  these  are  the  rules  by  which 
the  primitive  Christians  were  governed. 
And  however  worldly  minds  may  have  abu- 
sed them,  by  introducing  will-worship  and 
vain  customs,  under  pretence  of  their  decen- 
cy, these,  understood  in  their  simple  and 


PRINCIPLES    OF    CHURCH    DISCIPLINE. 


C33 


original  sense,  must  still  be  the  test  of  good 
order  and  Christian  discipline. 

2.  The  way  in  which  the  apostles  actually 
proceeded,  in  the  forming  and  organizing  of 
churches,  is  a  proof  that  they  were  guided 
by  a  sense  of  fitness  and  propriety. — When 
a  number  of  Christians  agreed  to  walk  to- 
gether in  the  faith  and  order  of  the  gospel, 
they  became  a  Christian  church.  But  at 
first  they  had  no  deacons,  and  probably  no 
pastors,  except  the  apostles :  and,  if  the 
reason  of  things  had  not  required  it,  they 
might  have  continued  to  have  none.  But 
in  the  course  of  events  they  found  new  ser- 
vice rise  upon  their  hands,  and  therefore 
must  have  new  servants :  *  for,  said  the 
apostles,  "  it  is  not  reason  that  we  should 
leave  the  word  of  God  to  serve  tables: 
wherefore  look  ye  out  among  you  seven 
men  of  honest  report,  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  wisdom,  whom  we  may  appoint 
over  this  business." — Acts  vi.  2,  3.  In  this 
process  we  see  nothing  like  a  punctilious 
attention  to  a  positive  institute,  but  the  con- 
duct of  men  who  were  endued  with  heavenly 
wisdom.  All  things  are  done  "  decently 
and  in  order,"  and  all  "  to  edifying."  In 
the  course  of  events,  the  apostles,  who  had 
supplied  the  place  of  pastors,  would  be 
called  to  travel  into  other  parts  of  the  world  ; 
and  then,  it  is  likely,  the  church  at  Jerusa- 
lem would  have  a  resident  pastor  or  pas- 
tors of  their  own. 

And,  as  servants  were  appointed  when 
actual  service  demanded,  so  the  number  of 
them  would  be  regulated  by  the  same  rule. 
A  large  church  or  congregation,  where 
much  service  was  to  be  done,  required  seven 
deacons  ;  and  where  they  abounded  not  only 
in  numbers,  but  also  in  spiritual  gifts,  they 
commonly,  if  not  always,  seem  to  have  had 
a  plurality  of  bishops  or  elders. — With  re- 
spect to  us,  where  the  reason  of  the  thing 
exists — that  is,  where  there  are  churches 
whose  numbers  require  it,  and  whose  gifts 
admit  of  it — it  is  well  to  follow  this  part  of 
their  example :  but  for  a  small  church  to 
have  more  pastors  than  one  appears  to  be  as 
unnecessary  as  to  have  "seven"  deacons. 
Such  a  rule  would  favor  idleness,  and  pre- 
vent useful  ministers  from  extending  their 
labors.  To  appoint  two  or  three  to  a  sta- 
tion which  might  be  filled  by  one  must 
have  a  tendency  to  leave  many  other  places 
unoccupied,  and  so  contract  instead  of  en- 
larging the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

3.  The  principles  on  which  the  apostles 
proceeded  may  appear  by  tracing  the  analo- 
gy between  them  and  a  company  of  Chris- 
tian missionaries  in  the  present  day. — The 
term  "  apostle  "  signifies  one  that  is  sent. 
If  we  substract  the  ideas  of  being  sent  im- 
mediately by  Christ,  of  being  endowed  with 
extraordinary  gifts  and  authority,  suited  to 

*  A  deacon  signifies  a  servant. 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  80 


the  special  purpoges  of  primitive  times,  he 
will,  for  aught  I  see,  be  merely  a  Christian 
missionary.  Let  us  then  suppose  a  church, 
or  society  of  Christians,  to  have  in  contem- 
plation a  mission  to  the  heathen.  One  of 
the  first  things  demanding  their  attention 
would  be  the  selection  of  a  number  of  suita- 
ble missionaries.  Next,  they  would  instruct 
them  in  the  things  necessary  to  their  under- 
taking ;  and,  after  this,  send  them  forth  to 
preach  the  gospel. — Such  was  precisely  the 
conduct  of  our  Lord  towards  his  disciples. 
He  first  selected  them ;  then  instructed 
them,  during  his  personal  ministry  ;  and,  af- 
ter his  resurrection,  gave  them  their  com- 
mission and  a  rich  effusion  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  qualify  them  for  the  undertaking. 

The  missionaries,  arriving  at  the  scene  of 
action,  would  first  unite  in  social  prayer, 
and  Christian  fellowship :  and  this  would 
constitute  the  first  church.  Thus  the  apos- 
tles, and  those  who  adhered  to  them,  first 
met  in  an  upper  room  for  prayer,  preparato- 
ry to  their  attack  on  the  world  of  the  un- 
godly ;  and  this  little  baud  of  "one  hun- 
dred and  twenty "  formed  the  first  Chris 
tian  church.  And  when  sinners  were  con- 
verted, and  joined  them,  they  are  represent- 
ed as  being  "  added  to  the  church." — Acts 
ii.  41—47. 

Again  :  The  first  missionaries  to  a  hea- 
then country  could  not  be  chosen  to  the 
work  by  those  to  whom  they  were  sent,  but 
by  him  or  them  who  sent  them  ;  nor  would 
their  influence  be  confined  to  a  single  con- 
gregation, but  extend  to  all  the  societies 
that  might  be  raised  by  means  of  their  la- 
bors. It  would  be  different  with  succeed- 
ing pastors,  who  might  be  raised  up  from 
among  the  converts.  They  would  of  course 
be  chosen  by  their  brethren,  and  their  au- 
thority would  be  confined  to  the  churches 
which  elected  them.  Thus  the  primitive 
missionaries  were  not  constituted  apostles 
by  the  churches,  but  by  receiving  their  ap- 
pointment immediately  from  Christ ;  nor 
was  their  authority  limited  to  any  particular 
church,  but  extended  alike  to  all.  In  this 
they  differ  from  ordinary  pastors,  who  are 
elected  by  the  churches  they  are  intended 
to  serve,  and  whose  authority  is  confined  to 
that  particular  department. 

Again :  The  first  missionaries  to  a  hea- 
then country  would  be  employed  in  the 
planting  of  churches,  wherever  proper  ma- 
terials were  found  for  the  purpose  ;  and,  if 
the  work  so  increased  upon  their  hands  as 
to  be  too  much  for  them,  they  would  depute 
others,  like-minded  with  themselves,  whom 
God  would  qualify  with  gifts  and  graces  to 
render  them  assistance.  Some  one  person 
at  least  of  this  description  would  be  present, 
in  the  formation  and  organization  of  every 
church,  to  see  that  "  all  things  were  done 
decently  and  in  order."  And,  if  there  were 
any  other  churches  in  the  neighborhood  of 


634 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


that  in  which  such  an  organization  took 
place,  their  elders  and  messengers  would 
doubtless  be  present ;  and,  to  express  their 
brotherly  concurrence,  would  join  in  it. 

Thus  the  apostles  planted  churches  ;  and, 
when  elders  were  to  be  ordained,  the  peo- 
ple chose  them,  and  they  by  the  solemn 
laying  on  of  hands  invested  them  with  the 
office. — Acts  vi.  3;  xiv.  23.  And,  when  the 
work  still  increased  upon  their  hands,  they 
appointed  such  men  as  Timothy  and  Titus 
as  Evangelists  to  "  set  tilings  in  order"  in 
their  stead. — Titus  i.  5.  In  these  ordina- 
tions and  arrangements,  a  Paul  or  a  Titus 
would  preside.  The  other  elders  of  the 
church,  and  probably  of  the  sister  churches, 
would  unite  in  brotherly  concurrence,  and 
in  imploring  a  blessing  on  the  parties;  and 
hence  there  would  be  the  "laying  on  of  the 
hands  of  the  presbytery,"  or  elders. — 1  Tim. 
iv.  14. 

But  as  the  missionaries  would  die,  a  ques- 
tion would  arise  :  Who  should  be  their  suc- 
cessors ;  or,  rather,  on  whom  should  the 
general  concerns  of  the  churches  devolve? 
— Strictly  speaking,  there  might,  be  no  neces- 
sity for  any  successors.  The  Christian  re- 
ligion being  planted  by  them  might  be  con- 
tinued by  the  native  pastors,  whom  God 
would  successively  raise  up ;  and  who,  if 
"  faithful  men,"  would  not  only  be  concern- 
ed to  edify  and  watch  over  their  own  respec- 
tive charges,  but  would  extend  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth,  and  plant  new  churches 
around  them.  In  cases  of  difficulty,  espe- 
cially those  of  common  concern,  they  would 
call  in  the  advice  of  their  brethren,  as  the 
first  missionaries  had  done  before  them 
(Acts.  xv. ;)  judging  in  all  things  not  as 
lords  over  a  heritage,  but  as  men  who  must 
finally  give  an  account. 

That  this  would  be  the  case  is  more 
probable  when  it  is  considered  that,  though 
the  first  missionaries  had  an  authority  and 
an  influence  which  no  succeeding  pastors 
would  possess,  yet  it  was  exercised  only  in 
things  which  it  would  be  lawful  for  others  to 
do  as  ivell  as  themselves.  They  had  no  pow- 
er but  what  required  to  be  exercised  in  sub- 
serviency to  the  will  of  Christ,  and  for  the 
edification  of  the  churches  ;  and  if  this  rule 
be  retained,  and  this  end  answered,  it  is  of 
no  account  whether  it  be  done  by  them  or 
by  the  native  pastors  after  their  decease. 
If  the  former  planted  churches,  set  them  in 
order,  and  presided  at  the  ordination  of  el- 
ders over  them,  it  was  not  because  the  same 
things  would  not  have  been  valid  if  done 
without  them,  but  because  they  would  not 
have  been  done  at  all.  Let  but  churches 
be  planted,  set  in  order,  and  scripturally 
organized,  and  whether  it  be  by  the  primi- 
tive missionaries,  or  succeeding  pastors,  all 
is  good,  and  acceptable  to  Christ. 

Such,  I  conceive,  is  the  state  of  things 
with  respect  to  the  apostles  and  succeeding 


pastors.  There  never  were  any  men,  or  set 
of  men  whatsoever,  that  were,  properly 
speaking,  their  successors.  Nor  was  it 
necessary  that  there  should,  seeing  every 
thing  which  they  did  (excepting  what  was 
extraotdinary,  in  which  respect  none  can 
succeed  them)  was  lawful  for  every  pastor 
to  do  in  his  immediate  charge. 

If  a  necessity  existed  for  any  superior  of- 
fice or  offices,  it  must  be  for  the  purpose  of 
inspecting  and  preserving  the  general  in- 
terest of  the  whole  body :  but  even  this 
would  be  more  likely  to  be  answered  by 
occasional  conferences  among  the  elders. 

II.  The  following  arguments  are  of- 
fered in  proof  that  the  office  of  a 
superior,  or  of  a  general  supebintend- 
ant  in  the  christian  church,  is  both 
unlawful  and  unnecessary. 

1.  A  bishop  is  the  first  permanent  office 
in  the  Christian  church.  It  was  the  highest 
title  assumed  for  many  ages  after  the  apos- 
tles. But  a  bishop  is  no  other  than  a  pres- 
byter, an  elder,  or  overseer  of  a  single  con- 
gregation ;  as  is  evident  from  each  of  these 
names  being  given  to  the  elders  of  the 
church  at  Ephesus,  who  met  Paul  at  Mile- 
tus.— Acts  xx.  17,  28.  Any  office  therefore, 
in  the  present  day,  which  claims  the  over- 
sight of  bishops,  must  be  anti-scriptural. 

2.  It  accords  with  the  genius  of  Chris- 
tianity that  the  churches  be  governed,  and 
all  their  affairs  adjusted,  by  mutual  consulta- 
tion and  persuasion,  rather  than  by  coercion. 
But,  where  the  power  has  been  vested  in  one 
or  more  superior  officers,  it  has  commonly 
degenerated  into  a  lording  it  over  the  heri- 
tage, and  the  people  have  gradually  lost  all 
interest  in  it.  If  Christ's  kingdom  were  of 
this  world,  its  officers  might  require  to  be 
invested  with  worldly  honor,  pageantry,  and 
authority.  Its  members  also  must  be  gov- 
erned "like  the  horse  and  the  mule,  which 
have  no  understanding."  But  the  great 
Head  of  the  church  has  told  his  servants 
"It  shall  not  be  so  amongst  you."  On  this 
ground  there  might  be  danger  in  what  you 
propose  in  your  letters,  of  having  Europe- 
an missionaries  as  superintendents  of  the 
native  pastors.  You  should  indeed  superin- 
tend them,  but  not  so  as  to  make  it  an  office, 
or  to  set  an  example  of  lordly  domination  in 
future  times  among  themselves. 

3.  The  apostles  in  the  exercise  of  their 
authority  did  not  act  separately  from  other 
elders,  but  in  conjunction  with  them;  by 
which  means  they  gradually  inured  them  to 
the  discharge  of  the  same  duties  among 
themselves  after  their  decease.  Paul  laid 
his  hands  on  Timothy,  yet  not  as  an  indi- 
vidual, in  the  manner  practised  by  diocesan 
bishops,  but  as  an  elder  among  other  elders, 
— 2  Tim.  i.  6,  comp.  with  1  Tim.  iv.  14. 

In  the  planting  and  organizing  of  churches, 
the  same  things  which  were  done  by  them 
were   done  by   others  appointed  by   them  ; 


PRINCIPLES    OF    CHURCH    DISCIPLINE. 


635 


and  had  they  been  done  by  elders  whom 
thsy  had  not  appointed,  provided  the  will 
of  Christ  had  been  properly  regarded, 
they  would  not,  I  presume,  have  object- 
ed to  their  validity.  This  is  certainly 
true,  at  least,  in  some  particulars  ;  and  I  see 
no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  the  same  in 
all.  Paul  left  Timothy  at  Ephesus,  that  lie 
might  "charge  some  tn  teach  no  other  doc- 
trine." But,  if  the  Ephesian  elders  had 
been  of  themselves  attached  to  the  truth, 
neither  Paul  nor  Timothy  would  have  been 
offended  with  them  for  superseding  the  ex- 
ercise of  their  authority. 

The  apostle  slso  left  Titus  in  Crete  to 
"  set  in  order  the  things  that  were  wanting, 
and  to  ordain  elders  in  every  city."  But, 
if  the  Cretans  themselves  had  had  sufficient 
wisdom  and  virtue  to  have  regulated  their 
own  affairs  by  the  word  of  God,  would  their 
"order"  have  been  reckoned  disorder? 
And  had  there  been  "  elders  "  already  or- 
dained amongst  them,  who  were  competent 
to  assist  in  the  ordination  of  others,  if  we 
may  judge  from  the  tenor  of  apostolic  prac- 
tice, instead  of  objecting  to  the  validity  of 
their  proceedings,  both  Paul  and  Titus 
would,  "  though  absent  in  the  flesh,  have 
been  with  them  in  the  spirit,  joying,  and  be- 
holding their  order,  and  the  steadfastness 
of  their  faith  in  Christ." 

III.  I  CONCLUDE  THESE  BRIEF  REMARKS 
WITH  A  FEW  REFLECTIONS  ON  SOME  PAR- 
TICULAR   DUTIES. 

If  such  be  the  principles  on  which  the 
primitive  churches  were  founded,  is  it  not 
more  becoming  for  us  to  inquire  into  the 
spirit,  reason,  or  design  of  various  precepts, 
and  adhere  to  it,  than  to  be  always  disput- 
ing and  dividing  about  the  letter  of  them  ? 

1.  There  are  various  precepts  in  our  Lord's 
sermon  on  the  mount  which  I  am  persuaded 
were  never  designed  to  be  taken  literally.  For 
example,  we  are  commanded  to  "  swear  not 
at  all." — Matt.  v.  33—37.  Hence  many 
good  men  have  objected  to  the  lawfulness  of 
an  oath  before  a  magistrate :  yet  such  oaths 
were  not  only  allowed,  but  commanded  by 
the  law  of  Moses. — Deut.  vi.  13.  And  our 
Lord  declared  that  it  was  not  his  design,  in 
any  thing  he  here  said,  to  destroy  or  set  aside 
the  law. — Matt.  v.  17,  18.  None  of  his  an- 
swers were  aimed  against  the  law,  but  against 
the  glosses  of  the  pharisees  upon  it.  But, 
to  understand  him  as  condemning  all  kinds 
of  oaths,  is  to  make  him  condemn  the  law. 
Nor  is  this  all  ;  it  would  go  to  condemn 
many  things  in  his  apostles  which  are  writ- 
ten under  divine  inspiration,  as  in  the  fol- 
lowing instances.  "The  God  and  Father 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  blessed  for 
ever,"  said  Paul,  "  knoweth  that  I  lie  not." — 
"  I  call  God  for  a  record  upon  my  soul,  that 
to  spare  you  I  came  not  as  yet  unto  Corinth." 
— "God  is  my  witness,  whom  I  serve  with 
my  spirit  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son,  that  with- 
out ceasing  I  make  mention  of  you  always 


in  my  prayers."— 2  Cor.  xi.  31 ;  i.  23.  Rom. 
i.  9.  Each  of  these  is  a  solemn  oath  :  yet 
we  never  think  of  their  being  sinful.  The 
swearing  which  our  Lord  forbids  relates  to 
our  ordinary  "communications,"  which  should 
be  "yea,  yea,  or  nay,  nay."  It  is  this  which 
is  forbidden  by  the  apostle  James,  when  he 
says,  "Above  all  things,  my  brethren,  swear 
not,  lest  ye  fall  into  condemnation." — James 
v.  12.  Though  a  barren  and  profane  vice, 
it  was  very  common  among  the  Jews,  and 
is  equally  so  among  many  who  call  them- 
selves Christians. 

Again  :  Instead  of  avenging-  ourselves, 
"  an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth," 
we  are  commanded  "  not  to  resist  evil."  Did 
our  Saviour  mean  by  this  to  censure  the  law, 
as  appointed  of  God  (Exod.  xxi.  24 — 27,)  and 
as  administered  by  the  civil  magistrate  ? 
That  would  be  to  "  destroy  the  law,"  and 
not  to  fulfil  it.  His  design  was  doubtless  to 
forbid  private  retaliation  and  revenge,  which 
the  Jews  had  attempted  to  justify  by  a  per- 
version of  the  divine  command.  He  did  not 
complain  of  the  law  in  the  hands  of  the  mag- 
istrate, nor  forbid  his  followers  appealing  to 
it  where  public  justice  was  concerned  ;  but 
they  must  do  nothing  from  a  principle  of  re- 
venge, or  for  the  sake  of  retaliation. 

If  the  command  "not  to  resist  evil"  were 
understood  literally,  and  without  any  re- 
striction, and  we  were  literally  obliged 
"  when  smitten  on  one  cheek  to  turn  the 
other  also,"  our  Saviour  himself  would  have 
erred  in  not  setting  the  example,  when  he 
was  smitten  before  Pilate  ;  for  instead  of 
submission  he  remonstrated  :  "  If  I  have 
spoken  well,  why  smitest  thou  me  ?  " — Luke 
vi.  29.  John  xviii.  23.  But  though  our 
Lord's  command  is  not  to  be  taken  literally, 
yet,  if  we  attend  to  the  spirit  of  it,  we  shall 
find  it  to  contain  a  very  important  lesson  : 
it  teaches  us  that  we  had  better  suffer  in- 
sults and  injuries,  and  even  the  repetition  of 
them,  than  undertake  to  avenge  ourselves. 
It  is  the  principle,  rather  than  the  act,  which 
he  means  to  enforce  :  yet  there  are  cases  in 
which  the  act  itself  would  be  right  and  praise- 
worthy. 

Unbelievers  affect  to  ridicule  this  precept ; 
yet  who  ridicules  the  conduct  of  Themisto- 
cles,  the  Athenian  general,  who  in  a  coun- 
cil of  war  had  the  cane  of  Eurybiades  shaken 
over  his  head  ;  and  who,  instead  of  resent- 
ing it,  exclaimed,  "  Strike,  but  hear  me !  " 
This  instance  of  magnanimous  patience 
saved  his  country.  And  may  not  a  Chris- 
tian have  a  still  greater  end  in  view?  If 
by  his  patience  he  should  save  his  soul  from 
death,  however  infidels  may  sneer,  he  will 
have  a  weightier  crown  awarded  him  another 
day  than  what  was  decreed  for  the  noble 
Athenian.  The  cheerful  sufferings  of  the 
holy  martyrs  in  all  ages  have  exemplified 
this  principle.  While  they  sought  the  sal- 
vation of  mankind,  the  world  hated  them: 


636 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


but,  instead  of  rendering  evil  for  evil,  they 
practically  said — Strike,  but  hear  us  ! 

Again  :  If  our  Lord's  precepts  on  alms- 
giving and  prayer  were  understood  literally 
(Matt.  vi.  1 — 6,)  they  would  prove  it  unlaw- 
ful to  join  in  any  public  contributions  for  the 
poor,  and  to  engage  in  public  prayer :  but  it 
is  not  the  act  which  our  Lord  has  principally 
in  view,  but  the  principle   or  motive.     His 
object  was  to  condemn  a  spirit  of  ostenta- 
tion, in  the  same  way  as  we  should  under- 
stand another  prohibition  :  "  Lay  not  up  for 
yourselves  treasures  upon  earth." — Matt.  vi. 
19.     Some  Christians  have  concluded  from 
hence  that  all  accumulation  of  property  is 
contrary    to  the   command  of  Christ.     The 
ill  consequences   of  such  interpretation  do 
not  lie  in  their  rendering  men  careless  about 
the  world,  for  there  is   but  little   danger  of 
persons  who  have  opportunities  of  acquiring 
wealth  erring  on  that  side  ;  but  the  mischief 
is,  they  make  men  guilty  of  hypocrisy  in  set- 
ting them  to  devise  methods  by  which  they 
may  go  on  in  business  like  their  neighbors, 
and  yet  find  some  salvo  for  their  consciences 
by  which  to  impose  upon  themselves.     If  it 
were  the  design  of  Christ  to  forbid  all  ac- 
cumulation of  property,  why  were  the  prim- 
itive Christians  directed   to  "lay  up  some- 
thing for  the  poor  every  first  day  of  the  week, 
according  as  God  had  prospered  them." — 
1  Cor.  xvi.  2.     It  will  hardly  be  pleaded  that 
they  were  to  lay  by  for  this  purpose  the  whole 
of  their  gains  ;  but,  if  not,  they  must  have 
been  allowed  to  labor  and  trade  like  other 
men.     Moreover,  if  they  were  forbidden  to 
increase  wealth,  why  are  they  exhorted  to 
diligence,  "  that  they  may  have  whereof  to 
give  to  him  that  needeth  ?  " — Ephes.  iv.  28. 
On  this  principle  also  it  would  be  wrong  for 
parents  to  provide  any  thing  for  their  chil- 
dren, which  both  reason  and  Scripture  allow. 
—2  Cor.  xii.  14. 

Finally :  If  these  words  require  to  be 
taken  literally,  why  should  not  others  of  a 
similar  import  be  understood  in  the  same 
way?  "Take  no  thought  for  your  life, 
what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink." — 
"Sell  what  ye  have  and  give  alms." — Matt, 
vi.  25  ;  Luke  xii.  33.  Yet,  if  such  a  literal 
interpretation  were  reduced  to  general  prac- 
tice, it  would  destroy  all  distinction  of  prop- 
erty, and  so  of  rich  and  poor.  This,  how- 
ever, was  not  our  Lord's  design,  or  he  would 
not  have  addressed  men,  much  less  good 
men,  under  the  character  of  rich  and  poor. — 
James  i.  9,  10.  The  accumulation  of  prop- 
erty, if  arising  from  the  blessing  of  God  on 
our  lawful  occupations,  and  considered  as  a 
trust  to  be  laid  out  for  him,  has  nothing  wrong 
in  it.  The  danger  is,  what  our  Lord  in- 
veighs against,  that  of  making  a  "  treasure  " 
of  it,  or  setting  our  hearts  upon  it  as  an  idol 
in  the  place  of  God,  instead  of  considering1 
all  as  his,  and  as  requiring  all  to  be  employed 
for  him,  according  to  his  revealed  will.     It 


is  the  desire  to  be  great,  to  shine,  and  to  in- 
dulge in  the  pride  of  life,  that  is  destructive 
to  men's  souls.  This  is  the  evil  every  where 
described  by  such  language  as  the  following  : 
— "Ye  ask,  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask 
amiss,  that  ye  may  consume  it  upon  your 
lusts." — "They  that  will  be  rich  fall  into 
temptation  and  a  snare,  and  into  many  fool- 
ish and  hurtful  lusts,  which  drown  men  in 
destruction  and  perdition." — James  iv.  3  ; 
1  Tim.  vi.  9. 

2.  I  observe  the  reason  of  some  diiiics 
ceases  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  by  a  change 
of  circumstances. — This  remark,  I  am  aware, 
is  liable  to  great  abuse.  Some,  under  the 
pretence  of  accommodating  Christianity  to 
times  and  circumstances,  may  render  it  a 
mere  temporising  system,  to  be  just  what 
its  professors  may  find  it  their  interest  or 
their  inclination  to  have  it  be.  Yet,  after 
all,  the  fact  cannot  be  called  in  question  ; 
and,  if  men  will  abuse  it,  they  must  take 
the  consequence. 

It  is  a  fact  that  for  a  man  in  the  times  of 
the  apostles  to  have  had  "his  head  covered  " 
in  public  worship  was  reckoned  to  be  "  dis- 
honoring his  head  ; "  for,  by  the  custom 
which  then  prevailed,  it  was  a  sign  of  sub- 
jection.— 1  Cor.  xi.  4 — 7.  But  in  our  times 
the  reverse  is  true ;  a  being  uncovered  is 
the  sign  of  subjection,  and  the  being  cover- 
ed indicates  some  kind  of  superiority.  Men 
are  now  generally  uncovered  in  the  time  of 
worship,  not  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining 
their  dignity,  or  superiority  over  the  women  ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  for  avoiding  the  ap- 
pearance of  assuming  too  much  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God,  by  seeming  to  refuse  that 
honor  to  him  which  is  paid  to  our  superiors 
among  men.  The  woman,  on  the  other 
hand,  Mas  then  required  to  be  covered,  as 
by  the  custom  of  those  times  it  was  a  token 
of  her  subjection  to  the  man.  But,  though 
our  females  still  cover  the  head  in  public 
worship,  it  is  not  for  this  purpose,  nor  does 
it  convey  any  such  idea. 

For  the  same  purpose  the  hair  of  the  man 
was  shorn,  and  that  of  the  woman  worn  at 
length.  Each  by  the  custom  of  the  time 
and  place  was  considered  as  distinctive  of 
the  sexes,  which  various  important  purposes 
in  society,  and  even  nature  itself,  required 
to  be  preserved.  When  the  apostle  asks, 
"  Doth  not  even  nature  itself  teach  you  that 
if  a  man  have  long  hair  it  is  a  shame  unto 
him  ;  but  if  a  woman  have  long  hair  it  is  a 
glory  to  her  "  ( 1  Cor.  xi.  14, 15  ; )  some  have 
thought  that,  "  by  nature,"  he  means  no 
more  than  custom.  This  I  apprehend  is  a 
mistake.  President  Edwards  has  happily 
expressed  what  appears  to  be  the  true 
meaning  of  this  passage  in  the  following 
words: — "It  is  custom  which  establishes 
any  outward  sign  as  a  token  of  inward  senti- 
ment: therefore  when  it  had  established 
the  wearing  of  long  hair  as  the  sign  of  a  fe- 


PRINCIPLES    OF    DISSENT. 


637 


male,  'nature  itself  taught  that  it  was 
a  shame  for  a  man  to  appear  in  the  known 
garb  of  a  woman."  The  truth  is,  I  appre- 
hend, if  the  proper  distinction  of  the  sexes 
be  preserved,  by  each  appearing  in  that 
habit  which  the  custom  of  the  age  and 
country  mikes  the  distinctive  marks  of 
them,  the  end  aimed  at  by  the  apostle  is 
fully  answered.*' 


A   BRIEF   STATEMENT    OF  THE  PRINCIPi.ES  OF 
DISSENT. 

From  the  first  establishment  of  the  church 
of  England  on  its  present  basis,  to  this  day, 
there  have  been  dissenters  from  it :  but,  as 
all  dissent  is  expressive  rather  of  what  is 
disapproved  than  of  what  is  embraced,  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  the  objects  of  disap- 
probation will  be  different  in  different  per- 
sons. The  English  dissenters  are  common- 
ly distinguished  into  three  denominations  : 
presbyterians,  independents,  and  baptists  : 
but  there  exists,  and  has  existed  nearly  from 
the  beginning,  a  distinction  of  greater  im- 
portance, and  more  descriptive  of  their 
respective  grounds  of  dissent,  by  which  also 
they  are  reducible  to  three  classes  : — viz. 

Those  who  have  disapproved  of  the  doc- 
trine of  the  national  church — those  who  ap- 
proved of  its  doctrine,  but  were  dissatisfied 
with  the  degree  of  its  reformation — and  those 
who  also  approved  of  its  doctrine,  but  dis- 
approved not  only  of  particular  parts,  but  of 
the  very  principle  of  its  constitution. 

Of  the  first  description,  there  were  indi- 
viduals from  the  time  of  the  Reformation  in 
the  reign  of  Edward  the  Sixth,  to  the  revo- 
lution in  1688,  several  of  whom  were  put  to 
death  for  their  principles :  but  till  the 
eighteenth  century  their  numbers  appear  to 
have  been  few.  Whatever  we  may  think  of 
the  doctrines  which  these  people  imbibed, 
no  person  who  respects  the  right  of  private 
judgment,  and  the  authority  of  him  who  re- 
proved his  own  disciples  when  they  would 
have  called  for  fire  from  heaven  upon  his 
enemies,  declaring  that  he  "  came  not  to 
destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save  them,"  can 
forbear  to  regret  that  the  Reformation  should 
at  so  early  a  period  have  been  stained  with 
blood. 

Of  the  second  description  were  the  greater 
part  of  the  puritans  and  nonconformists. 
They  were  presbyterians.  They  did  not  ob- 
ject to  a  national  establishment  of  religion  ; 

*  The  remainder  of  this  Essay,  principally  rela- 
ting to  the  connection  between  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  supper,  is  supposed  to  be  lost.  Some  of 
the  following  treatises  will,  however,  convey  the 
author's  sentiments  on  this  subject. 

Nearly  allied  to  the  subject  of  the  preceding 
essay  is  a  treatise  On  Moral  and  Positive  Obe- 
dience, and  another  On  the  Discipline  of  the  Prim- 
itive Churches.  See  Circular  Letters  of  the 
Northamptonshire  Association. 


but  rather  wished  to  be  comprehended  in  it, 
provided  it  had  been  framed  after  the  model 
of  other  reformed  churches,  which  they 
accounted  more  agreeable  to  the  Scriptures. 
Hence,  when  they  left  the  church,  it  was 
with  reluctance,  complaining  of  the  terms 
of  conformity,  to  which  they  could  not  con- 
scientiously subscribe.  The  several  at- 
tempts for  compromising  the  differences,  and 
admitting  them  into  the  national  church, 
during  the  reigns  of  James  the  First  and 
Charles  the  Second,  respected  dissenters  of 
this  description. 

The  third,  and  last  class  of  dissenters, 
differed  not  from  the  established  church  in 
the  main  as  to  their  doctrine,  though  they 
might  not  approve  of  being  sworn  to  the 
belief  i)f  every  particular  in  a  human  compo- 
sition, especially  of  so  large  an  extent  as  the 
thirty-nine  articles.  But  with  respect  to  its 
constitution,  government,  and  discipline, 
their  objections  were  far  greater  than  those 
of  their  brethren.  Its  being  an  ally,  and  as 
it  were  a  branch  of  the  state,  and  compre- 
hending the  body  of  the  nation,  good  and 
bad,  appeared  to  them  utterly  inconsistent 
with  the  nature  of  "  Christ's  kingdom," 
which  "  is  not  of  this  world : "  and  of  a 
Christian  church,  which  in  its  own  articles 
is  said  to  be  "a  congregation  of  faithful 
men." 

They  had  no  antipathy  to  churchmen,  but 
considered  many  of  them  as  persons  eminent 
in  godliness ;  nor  to  this  church  in  distinc- 
tion from  others,  though  there  might  be  in 
them  different  degrees  of  good  and  evil : 
but  their  grand  objection  was  to  the  church 
considered  as  national.  The  temporal  power 
of  bishops,  the  imposition  of  ministers,  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  free  election  of  the  people, 
the  mixture  of  godly  and  manifestly  un- 
godly characters  at  the  Lord's  table,  the 
corruption  of  worship,  the  total  want  of  dis- 
cipline, and  all  other  deviations  from  primi- 
tive Christianity,  appeared  to  them  to  be  no 
more  than  might  be  expected,  if  circumstan- 
ces admitted  it,  to  grow  out  of  a  national 
establishment.  They,  therefore,  peaceably 
withdrew  from  its  communion,  with  the  view 
of  forming  churches  on  the  plan  of  the  New 
Testament.  But  the  leaders  in  the  estab- 
lishment considering  themselves  as  the  true 
church,  and  all  who  dissented  from  them  as 
guilty  of  schism,  being  jealous  whereunto 
this  might  grow,  and  having  the  civil  power 
on  their  side,  thought  good  to  prevent  them. 
In  the  reign  of  the  famed  Elizabeth,  in  the 
year  1593,  several  of  them  were  actually 
executed  on  gibbets — not  for  any  contempt 
of  civil  authority,  for  to  this  they  professed 
and  yielded  all  due  obedience  ;  nor  for  any 
matter  of  wrong  or  icicked  lewdness,  for  their 
lives  were  unblameable:  but  for  following 
what  they  believed  to  be  the  mind  of  Christ, 
regardless  of  ecclesiastical  restraints.  The 
rest  fled  to  Holland  for  safety. 


638 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


Among  these  exiles  was  Mr.  John  Rob- 
inson, a  man  who  for  gentleness,  modesty, 
firmness,  and  solid  wisdom,  has  been  rarely 
excelled.  He  and  his  companions  in  tribu- 
lation were  permitted  to  form  a  congrega- 
tional church  at  Leyden,  which  is  said  to 
have  consisted  of  three  hundred  members. 
About  twenty-seven  years  after  their  resi- 
dence in  Holland,  namely,  in  1620,  about  a 
hundred  of  the  younger  members  of  the 
church  went  over  to  North  America,  and 
formed  the  settlement  of  New  Plymouth; 
and,  as  every  previous  attempt  to  colonize 
that  country  had  failed,  they  may  properly 
be  considered  as  the  founders  of  the  Amer- 
ican empire. 

Another  of  these  exiles  was  the  famous 
Mr.  Henry  Ainsworth,  author  of  the  "  Com- 
mentary on  the  Pentateuch,  the  Psalms,  and 
the  Song  of  Songs."  He  was  a  teacher  of 
another  congregational  church  at  Amster- 
dam.* 

To  this  third  class  belong  the  greater  part 
of  the  English  dissenters,  who  in  the  present 
day  are  denominated  Independents  and  Bap- 
tists. It  is  true  they  have  much  relaxed  in 
various  points  of  church-government  and 
discipline  ;  some,  perhaps,  to  their  honor, 
and  some  to  their  dishonor;  but  the  princi- 
ple on  which  their  churches  are  formed  is 
congregational.  The  latter  denomination 
have  one  additional  reason  for  their  dissent 
from  the  Established  church  above  their 
brethren,  namely,  their  disapprobation  of  in- 
fant baptism  ;  and  in  which  they  also  dis- 
sent from  them. 

Those  who  separate  from  the  Establish- 
ed church  on  this  ground,  cannot,  consist- 
ently with  their  principles,  complain  of  the 
terms  of  conformity  as  being  either  too  nar- 
row or  too  wide  for  them  ;  neither  can  they 
become  competitors  with  it  for  worldly  pow- 
er. If  the  government  should  even  offer  to 
make  theirs  the  established  religion,  how- 
ever they  might  be  obliged  to  them  for 
their  kindness,  they  could  not  accept  it 
without  relinquishing  their  first  principles 
relative  to  church  government. 

Neither  can  they,  without  relinquishing 
the  first  principles  of  the  system  by  which 
they  are  distinguished  from  other  Christians, 
persecute  any  man  for  his  religion,  whatever 
that  religion  be.  They  may  think  and 
speak  of  men  according  to  their  true  char- 
acter ;  they  may  refuse  all  religious  con- 
nection with  them  ;  they  may  expose  their 
principles  to  just  abhorrence  ;  but  their 
hand  must  not  be  upon  them.  They  can 
neither  call  in  the   aid  of  the   civil   power 


*  Two  of  his  Treatises,  the  one  entitled  The  Com- 
munion of  Saints,  and  the  other  An  Arroiv 
against  Idolatry,  have  within  a  few  years  been 
reprinted  at  Edinburgh;  to  which  are  prefixed 
some  account  of  the  life  and  writings  of  the  author. 


nor  in  any  way  deprive  them  of  their  rights  : 
and  this,  not  because  they  consider  error 
as  inn  cent,  but  as  a  species  of  guilt  which 
is  not  cognizable  by  an  earthly  tribunal. 

It  has  been  remarked  by  American  his- 
torians that  there  was  a  manifest  difference, 
in  respect  of  forbearance,  between  the  gov- 
ernment and  colony  of  New  Plymouth,  who 
retained  the  principles  of  their  beloved 
Rubinson,  and  those  of  Massachusetts  Bay, 
which  consisted  chiefly  of  dissenters  of 
the  second  description,  and  who  went  over 
at  different  times,  between  the  years  1G24 
and  1G33.  Other  denominations  had  great 
cause  to  complain  of  the  persecuting  spirit 
of  the  latter,  even  though  they  themselves 
had  fled  from  the  persecutions  of  the  Eng- 
lish prelates :  but  of  the  former  no  such 
complaints  were  heard.  Ear  be  it  from  us, 
however,  to  insinuate  of  any  one  of  these 
descriptions  of  dissenters  of  the  present 
age  that  they  are  friendly  to  persecution. 
They,  and  we  hope  the  most  respectable 
part  of  episcopalians,  have  since  learned 
that,  in  matters  of  religion,  "  to  our  own 
master  we  must  stand  or  fall." 

Once  more :  Dissenters  of  this  descrip- 
tion cannot,  consistently  with  their  original 
principles, be  factious,  turbulent,  disaffected, 
or  in  any  way  inimical  to  the  well-being  of 
the  state.  It  is  a  maxim  familiar  with  their 
fathers,  "Render  unto  Caesar  the  things 
that  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things 
that  are  God's."  Obedience,  in  all  civil 
matters,  "  to  the  powers  that  were,"  was  an 
essential  article  of  their  creed.  In  this 
obedience  they  did  not,  indeed,  include  an 
approbation  of  every  particular  measure  : 
but  neither  did  they  so  explain  it  away  as 
to  make  it  consist  in  a  merely  forced  com- 
pliance with  the  laws,  for  fear  of  consequen- 
ces ;  but  in  a  voluntary,  cordial,  loyal,  and 
dutiful  demeanor.  By  how  much  they  are 
impressed  also  with  the  truth  that  "  Christ's 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,"  by  so  much 
will  they  become  dead  to  struggles  for 
worldly  power :  leaving  restless  spirits  to 
deal  in  cabals  and  intrigues,  they  will  "  seek 
peace  with  all  men,  and  holiness,  without, 
which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord." 

Such,  as  far  as  we  understand  them,  are 
the  genuine  principles  of  congregational 
dissent.  We  do  not  pretend  to  say  that  all 
congregationalists  have  uniformly  acted  up 
to  them.  Many  do  not  understand  the  prin- 
ciples which  they  profess,  and  others  act 
inconsistently  with  them.  Our  object  is  to 
exhibit  them,  not  merely  for  the  information 
of  other  denominations,  but  for  the  convic- 
tion of  our  own. 

If  the  love  of  civil  and  religious  liberty 
(which  under  God  is  the  only  security  they 
have)  has  had  too  great  a  hold  on  some  of 
their  minds  ;  and,  in  cases  where  they  have 
conceived  it  to  be  in   danger,  has  betrayed 


VINDICATION    OF    PROTESTANT    DISSENT. 


639 


them  into  language  and  behavior  which,  in 
the  hour  of  serious  reflection,  they  must 
condemn  as  unchristian  ;  yet  it  is  not  in  the 
power  of  their  worst  enemies  to  prove  that 
they  have  ever  entered  into  any  of  those 
conspiracies  which  appear  to  have  existed 
of  late  years  to  overturn  the  government 
and  constitution  of  the  country.  There 
may,  indeed,  have  been  individuals  who 
have  done  this  ;  for  bad  men  are  known  to 
mingle  in  all  societies  :  but  even  of  such 
we  have  scarcely  heard  an   instance. 

There  are  certain  violent  men,  who  ap- 
pear to  be  galled  by  the  wholesome  resraints 
of  the  state  upon  their  persecuting  spirit, 
and  who  are  no  less  averse  to  the  best,  most 
laborious,  and  most  useful  clergymen  in  the 
nation,  than  they  are  to  us,  that  make  it 
their  business  to  rake  together  every  idle 
story,  and  to  persuade  their  readers  that 
dissenters,  as  a  body,  are  enemies  to  the 
state.  From  s  uch  quarters,  village  preach- 
ing has  been  ascribed  to  political  motives  ; 
and  even  Sunday  Schools,  as  they  are  called, 
denounced  as  the  seminaries  of  sedition. 
To  all  these  charges  we  answer  by  asking 
for  proof.  In  so  large  a  body  of  men  we 
cannot  undertake  to  say  there  are  no  bad 
men;  neither  can  our  accusers  say  so  of  the 
Established  church.  Nay,  more  ;  we  cannot 
undertake  to  vindicate  all  the  conduct  of 
those  whom  we  may  account  good  men. 
Only  let  it  be  proved  of  any  village  preach- 
er, or  school-master,  or  catechist,  that  he 
diffuses  a  spirit  of  disaffection  to  govern- 
ment among  those  whom  he  instructs,  and 
if  he  be  not  discarded,  or  at  least  reproved, 
by  his  connections,  as  soon  as  they  know  it, 
let  them  bear  the  blame  for  ever. 

"  It  may  be  objected,"  says  Justin  Martyr, 
in  his  Apology,  "  that  some  Christians  have 
been  convicted  as  evil-doers.  Well,  I  will 
grant  the  objection,  and  more  ;  not  only  that 
some,  but  many,  and  at  different  times,  have 
been  thus  duly  convicted  upon  a  fair  trial ; 
but  then  I  must  tell  you  again  that  you  con- 
demned not  the  persons  aforesaid  as  crimi- 
nals, but  as  Christians.  Moreover,  we  con- 
fess that,  as  all  the  sects  in  general  among 
the  Greeks  went  under  the  common  name  of 
philosophers,  though  extremely  different  in 
opinion,  so  truly  among  us  the  professors  of 
this  new  wisdom,  whether  in  reality  or  ap- 
pearance only,  go  all  by  the  same  title,  and 
are  denominated  Christians.  Wherefore  we 
pray  that  all  those  who  are  indicted  by  the 
name  of  Christian  may  be  examined  as  to 
their  actions  ;  and  that  every  person  convict- 
ed may  suffer  as  an  evil-doer,  and  riot  as  a 
Christian." 

Such  is  our  prayer  as  dissenters.  If  any 
man,  or  society  of  men,  be  guilty,  let  them 
bear  their  burden  ;  but  let  them  suffer  as 
evil-doers,  and  not  as  dissenters. 


VINDICATION    OF    PROTESTANT    DISSENT.* 

The  oppositions  which  have  of  la  e  years 
been  made  to  Christianity  have  happily  in- 
duced its  friends,  of  all  denominations,  to 
come  to  a  better  understanding  with  each 
other:  forbearing  contentions  of  less  mo- 
ment, they  have  joined  their  efforts  in  de- 
fending the  common  salvation.  On  this 
ground,  evangelical  dissenters,  though  their 
opinion  of  a  national  establishment  of  reli- 
gion is  the  same  as  before,  yet,  from  a  regard 
to  the  doctrine,  character,  and  usefulness  of 
many  of  its  ministers,  have  sincerely  rejoiced 
in  their  labors.  Evangelical  episcopalians 
have  also  many  of  them  laid  aside  smaller 
differences  ;  and,  whatever  they  might  think 
of  dissent,  have  esteemed  the  serious  part  of 
dissenters.  Thus  far  the  malignant  influence 
of  infidelity  has  not  only  been  counteracted, 
but  made  to  defeat  itself. 

But  things  have  not  operated  in  this  way 
in  every  instance.  In  various  late  publica- 
tions, by  evangelical  churchmen,  great  stress 
is  laid  on  "  regularity,"  by  which  seems  to 
be  meant,  not  only  a  strict  regard  to  the 
forms  and  orders  of  the  establishment,  but 
the  standing  aloof  from  all  dissenters,  as 
"  sectaries  and  schismatics."  A  piece  in 
"  The  Christian  Observer,"  said  to  be  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  R.,  an  aged  and  respectable  cler- 
gyman in  the  north  of  England,  goes  so  far 
as  to  dissuade  ministers  of  his  description 
from  having  any  acquaintance  with  them. 
Such  dissenters  as  Watts,  Doddridge,  and 
Guyse,  received  "great  advantage,"  it  seems, 
from  their  acquaintance  with  certain  clergy- 
men ;  and  employed  it  in  recruiting  their 
congfresfations  at  the  expense  of  the  church! 
—Vol.1.  No.  III.  p.  162. 

It  would  seem,  from  such  insinuations  as 
these,  to  be  dangerous  for  dissenters,  how- 
ever distinguished  by  talents  or  character,  to 
come  near  these  dignified  men  ;  for,  if  in 
their  life-time  they  be  treated  with  civility, 
they  may  expect  to  be  reproached  for  it  after 
they  are  dead  !  The  celebrated  work  of  Mr. 
Overton  makes  quite  enough  of  this  "regu- 
larity," and  bears  hard  upon  dissenters. 
"  Sectaries  and  schismatics"  are  names  pret- 
ty liberally  bestowed  upon  them.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  "  Address  of  Mr.  Robin- 
son." Whether  these  gentlemen  judge  it 
prudent  to  take  such  measures,  as  feeling 
their  churchmanship  suspected  by  their  irre- 
ligious brethren,  and  wish  to  establish  it  at 
our  expense ;  or  whatever  be  the  reason, 
they  seem  of  late,  some  of  thern  at  least,  to 

*  Written  in  reply  to  the  charges  of  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Robinson,  M.  A.,  Vicar  of  St.  Mary's, 
Leicester,  in  a  pamphlet  entitled,  "  A  Serious  Call 
to  a  Constant  and  Devout  Attendance  on  the  Stated 
Services  of  the  Church  of  England." 


640 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


be  not  a  little  desirous  of  renewing  hostili- 
ties. 

Before  I  proceed  any  farther,  I  desire  it 
may  be  noticed  that  I  have  no  personal  an- 
tipathy to  any  one  of  these  ministers  ;  that  I 
have  the  happiness  to  be  acquainted  with 
several  of  them,  who,  I  am  persuaded,  are 
men  of  another  spirit ;  that  even  those  on 
whom  I  take  the  liberty  of  animadverting  are 
esteemed  by  me,  and  many  other  dissenters, 
for  their  work's  sake  ;  that  I  have  no  desire 
to  impeach  their  integrity,  in  adhering  to  the 
church ;  that  I  utterly  dislike  all  such  per- 
sonal reflections,  leaving  the  judgment  of 
motives  to  God  only  ;  and,  finally,  that,  what- 
ever objections  I  may  have  to  particular  parts 
of  the  church,  they  are  but  little,  compared 
to  my  aversion  from  its  grand  principle — that 
is,  its  being  national,  and  established,  and  di- 
rected by  civil  authority. 

I  have  no  desire  to  "  reproach  or  calum- 
niate" Mr.  R.  for  what  he  has  written  ;  nor 
do  I  blame  him  for  defending  the  church  as 
far  as  he  is  able,  and  trying,  by  fair  argument 
and  Christian  persuasion,  to  induce  his  hear- 
ers, who  have  deserted  her  communion,  to 
return :  only  let  him  not  complain  if  others 
claim  the  right  of  examining  the  justice  of 
what  he  advances.  He  speaks  of  "  a  host  of 
disputants"  appearing,  when  he,  or  any  of  his 
brethren,  defend  their  own  principles.  To 
me  it  appears  that,  for  a  considerable  time, 
dissenters  have  been  nearly  silent  on  these 
subjects  ;  and  that  what  has  been  M'ritten 
has  been  chiefly  on  the  other  side. 

Mr.  R.  declares  his  "  principal  concern  is 
with  the  persons  who  have  left  his  ministry  ; 
that  he  desires  to  stir  up  no  contention  with 
others  ;  that  he  casts  no  reflections  on  those 
who,  from  conscientious  motives,  separate 
from  the  church  ;  and  will  enter  into  no  alter- 
cations, nor  answer  the  idle  cavils  of  those 
who  delight  in  strife." — p.  5.  Yet  he  stigma- 
tizes dissenters  in  general  as  "  sectaries," 
and  charges  them  with  "  schism."  It  may  be 
said,  however,  that  this  is  only  a  necessary 
consequence  of  his  being  a  churchman  on 
conviction  :  and  that,  whether  he  dealt  in 
such  language  or  not,  he  must,  to  be  con- 
sistent, entertain  such  thoughts  of  them. 
Admitting  this  apology,  then,  I  will  conclude 
Mr.  R.'s  aversion  is  not  to  persons  but  things, 
and,  on  this  ground,  will  cheerfully  join  issue 
with  him. 

With  respect  to  the  persons  addressed  in 
Mr.  R.'s  pamphlet,  I  do  not  know  that  they 
should  complain  of  him,  unless  it  be  for  their 
"conscientiousness"  being  tacitly  called  in 
question.  Their  minister  expostulates  with 
them,  and  it  becomes  them  to  hear  him  can- 
didly, especially  when  he  professes  to  ad- 
dress them  witli  "  argument  and  exhortation, 
rather  than  with  menace  or  reproof;  assign- 
ing what  appear  to  him  the  strongest  reasons 
for  conformity,  and  leaving  them  to  their 
mature  deliberation,  entreating  that  they  may 


regulate  their  conduct  only  so  far  as  they 
perceive  their  strength  and  importance." 
This  is  fair  and  manly. 

Mr.  R.  has  done  well  also,  before  he  ex- 
hibits the  charge  of  "  schism,"  to  undertake 
the  proof  of  the  church  of  England  being 
"truly  apostolical."  If  it  be  so,  and  the  jus- 
tice of  its  claim  on  all  Christians  within  the 
realm  to  consider  themselves  as  its  members 
can  be  substantiated,  dissenters  must,  of 
course,  be  "sectaries  and  schismatics  ;"  and 
though  the  state,  from  political  clemency, 
may  tolerate  them,  yet  wtll  they  not  be  ac- 
quitted before  a  higher  tribunal.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  be  not  so  ;  or,  though  it  be,  yet 
if  it  have  no  exclusive  claim,  either  from 
God  or  man,  to  the  membership  of  all  Chris- 
tians within  the  realm,  it  will  follow  that  the 
names  signify  nothing  more  than  they  did  in 
the  mouths  of  the  ancient  enemies  of  the 
Christians,  who  stigmatized  them  as  "the 
sect  of  the  Nazarenes  ;"  and  that  the  only 
difference  between  those  who  call  themselves 
the  church  vid  other  Christians  is,  that,  being 
of  the  sect  which  happens  to  be  favored  by 
the  state,  they  are  more  particularly  exposed 
to  the  temptation  of  assuming  supercilious 
airs,  and  looking  down  upon  their  brethren 
with  contempt. 

I  have  said,  If  the  church  of  England  be 
truly  apostolical  in  the  main,  yet,  if  it  have 
no  exclusive  claim  to  the  membership  of  all 
Christians  within  the  realm,  it  may  not  follow 
that  all  dissenters  are  guilty  of  "schism,"  or 
that  they  are  any  more  deserving  of  the 
name  of  "  sectaries  "  than  episcopalians  are, 
in  countries  where  theirs  is  not  the  estab- 
lished religion.  If  the  church  of  England 
were  allowed  to  be  "  a  part  of  the  church  of 
Christ,"  (p.  28)  why  may  not  other  churches 
be  another  part  ?  Is  it  proveable  that  any 
of  the  primitive  churches  laid  claim  to  the 
membership  of  all  Christians  within  a  certain 
tract  of  country  ? 

But  though,  for  argument's  sake,  I  have 
granted  this,  yet  I  do  not  allow  it.  I  am 
persuaded  that  the  church  of  England  is  not 
"  a  true  apostolical  church,"  and  have  no  ob- 
jection to  rest  the  lawfulness  of  dissent  upon 
the  issue  of  this  question. 

Mr.  R.'s  first  argument  for  it  is,  "  It  con- 
forms to  apostolical  example  in  the  different 
orders  of  its  ministers." — p.  5.  It  might  have 
been  expected  that,  under  this  head,  we 
should  have  been  referred  to  scripture  proofs. 
If  Mr.  R.  could  have  told  us  in  what  parts  of 
the  New  Testament  we  might  find  the  offi- 
ces of  errc/i-bishops,  arc/i-deacons,  deans, 
priests,  &c.  &c.  &c,  there  is  little  doubt  but 
he  would ;  but  this  he  has  wisely  declined. 
Or,  though  the  names  cannot  be  found,  yet, 
if  what  is  done  corresponded  with  what  was 
done  in  the  primitive  churches,  it  might  be 
said  that  the  spirit  of  things  is  preserved  ; 
but  the  proof  of  this  is  not  attempted.  Or  if 
the   work  of  bishops  and  deacons  in  the 


VINDICATION    OF    PROTESTANT    DISSENT. 


641 


church  of  England,  whose  names  are  found 
in  the  Scriptures,  could  be  proved  to  be  the 
same  as  that  which  pertained  to  those  offices 
originally,  it  would  be  in  its  favor,  so  far  as 
it  went;  but  neither  is  this  attempted.  Fi- 
nally :  If  it  had  been  proved  that  one  set  of 
pastors  were  subject  to  the  control  of  another, 
who  invested  them  with  office  and  deprived 
them  of  it  as  occasion  required,  something 
had  been  accomplished  ;  but  neither  is  this 
attempted.  Nor  is  a  single  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture referred  to  on  the  subject,  except  1  Cor. 
xiv.  2(3,  40:  "Let  all  things  be  done  to  edi- 
fying"— "Let  all  things  be  done  decently, 
and  in  order," — which  prove  just  as  much  in 
favor  of  popery  as  of  modern  episcopacy,  and 
have  been  as  often  quoted  for  that  purpose 
as  for  tliis. 

What  is  it  then  that  Mr.  R.  alleges  in 
proof  of  his  assertion?  Hear  him.  "The 
subordination  established  among  the  clergy, 
and  the  share  of  power  it  has  assigned  to 
some  of  them  over  others,  are  reasonable 
and  expedient,  and  such  as  ought  not  to  be 
objected  to,  unless  they  can  be  proved 

TO     BE    CONTRARY    TO    DIVINE    INJUNCTION." 

Mr.  R.  feels  himself  unable  to  prove  them 
to  be  any  part  of  what  God  halh  enjoined  ; 
but  thinks  to  come  oft*  with  referring  it  to  his 
opponents  to  prove  them  forbidden  !  Two- 
thirds  of  the  superstitions  of  popery  and  pa- 
ganism might  thus  be  vindicated.  The  bap- 
tizing of  bells  is  no  more  contrary  to  express 
divine  injunction  than  the  things  for  which 
Mr.  R.  contends. 

"  It  is  CONGENIAL  WITH  THE  BRITISH  CON- 
STITUTION." One  would  hope  then  it  would 
be  allowed  not  to  be  an  essential  part  of  it ; 
for  that  would  be  making  a  thing  to  be  con- 
genial with  itself.  We  admire  the  British 
constitution  as  a  monument  of  human  wis- 
dom in  civil  affairs,  and  are  thankful  to  live 
under  its  shadow  ;  but  we  do  not  think  it  a 
model  after  which  Jesus  Christ  formed  the 
government  of  his  church! 

"  The  distinction  of  ministers  into  bishops, 
priests,  and  deacons — the  general  scheme 
of  episcopal  ordination  and  episcopal  gov- 
ernment, prevailed  very  early  in  the 
church."  How  much  of  truth,  or  of  un- 
truth, there  may  be  in  this  assertion,  I  shall 
not  inquire  :  it  is  sufficient  for  my  argu- 
ment that  this  does  not  prove  it  to  be  "apos- 
tolical." 

Were  the  primitive  bishops  overseers  of 
other  ministers,  or  of  the  flock  of  God  ? 
Were  they  chosen  by  a  dean  and  chapter, 
on  being  nominated  by  the  civil  magistrate, 
or  by  the  suffrage  of  the  people  ?  Did  then- 
authority  extend  over  a  country,  including  a 
number  of  congregations;  or  was  it  confined 
to  one  ;  or,  at  most,  to  that  and  the  branches 
that  pertained  to  it  ?  When  bishops  became 
corrupt,  did  the  purer  part  of  the  churches 
appeal  to  superior  authority  to  get  them  re- 
moved ;  or  did  they  only  inform  the  apostles, 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  81 


and  the  apostles  themselves  appeal  to  the 
churches?  These  questions  must  be  re- 
solved, before  the  church  of  England  can 
be  proved  to  be  apostolical,  even  with  re- 
spect to  her  officers. 

If  Mr.  R.  had  been  chosen  to  his  present 
office  by  the  suffrage  of  the  congregation, 
instead  of  being  presented  to  the  living  by 
a  patron,  he  would  have  had  an  argument 
to  plead  with  those  who  have  deserted  him 
which  now  he  has  not.  As  it  is,  he  can 
only  say,  "  I  have  solemnly  pledged  my- 
self to  attend  to  your  spiritual  concerns  !  " 
-p.  1. 

Mr.  R.  opposes  the  ordination  of  the  epis- 
copal clergy  to  that  of  self-sent  individuals 
among  the  sectaries. — p.  8,  10.  But  he 
must  know  this  is  not  a  general  practice 
among  us  ;  and  he  might  know  that  no  com- 
munion is  ordinarily  held  with  such  charac- 
ters. If  this  practice  were  half  as  general 
among  us,  as  what  he  wishes  to  be  consid- 
ered "accidental"  in  the  church,  there 
might  be  some  appearance  of  justice  in  what 
he  alleges. 

In  short,  all  Mr.  R.'s  arguments  for  the 
church  of  England  being  "  apostolical " 
have  hitherto  been  such  as  would  equally 
apply  to  that  of  Rome.  An  advocate  for 
that  holy  and  apostolical  church,  as  she  also 
calls  herself,  could  allege  that  she  has  her 
bishops,  priests,  and  deacons  ;  that  the  sub- 
ordination of  the  people  to  the  clergy,  the 
clergy  to  the  bishops,  and  the  bishops  to  the 
pope,  is  "reasonable  and  expedient  ;" 
that  all  which  "is  essential "  to  the  system 
is  the  appointment  of  one  man  of  "eminent 
sanctity  and  sufficiency,  to  have  the  care  of 
all  the  churches  ;  "  that  this,  and  many  oth- 
er "  decent  and  edifying  "  things,  ought  not 
to  be  objected  to,  unless  they  can  be  proved 
to  be  contrary  to  express  divine  injunction  ! 
Christian  reader  !  Does  any  thing  belong- 
ing to  true  religion  require  to  be  thus  sup- 
ported ?  Is  this  any  other  than  setting  up 
men's  threshold  by  God's  thresholds,  and  their 
post  by  his  posts  ? 

It  may  appear  singular  to  some  that,  in 
proving  the  church  of  England  to  be  apos- 
tolical, Mr.  R.  begins  with  the  "  order  of 
her  ministers,"  entirely  passing  over  what 
the  church  is  in  itself.  A  church,  we  are 
told  in  the  articles,  is  "  a  generation  of  faith- 
ful men,"  &c.  Why  then  did  he  not  under- 
take to  prove  that  such  was  the  church  of 
England?  that  it  was  a  congregation  as- 
sembling together,  like  that  at  Corinth,  in 
one  place;  and  a  congregation  of  faithful 
men,  gathered  out  of  an  unbelieving  world, 
and  sufficiently  distinguished  from  it? 
These  things  Mr.  R.  has  not  undertaken  to 
prove,  but  confines  himself  to  the  order  of 
its  ministers.  The  gold  of  this  temple  seems 
greater,  in  his  account,  than  the  temple  itself. 
What  should  we  think  of  a  lady,  who  should 
pretend  to  be  queen  of  the  realm  ;  but,  in- 


642 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


stead  of  proving  that  she  was  the  bride,  the 
king's  consort,  she  alleges  the  order  and 
subordination  of  her  servants?  Would  she 
not  be  told  that  this  was  a  circumstance 
which  might  attach  to  a  pretender  as  well 
as  to  the  queen,  and  therefore  proved  no- 
thing ? 

To  the  order  of  her  ministers,  Mr.  R.  adds 
the  purity  of  her  doctrine.  Here  I  am  will- 
ing to  allow  that,  so  far  as  respects  the  writ- 
ten forms  of  the  church,  it  is  in  the  main 
evangelical.  I  allow  also  that  doctrine  is 
an  article  of  a  thousand  times  greater  im- 
portance than  the  orders  of  ministers,  be 
they  what  they  may.  It  is  on  this  account 
that  we  heartily  wish  all  who  believe  and 
preach  these  doctrines  success. 

There  are  two  tilings,  however,  which  re- 
quire to  be  noticed  under  this  head  : — 

First:  It  is  possible  to  magnify  articles 
of  faith,  of  human  composition,  to  the  dis- 
honor of  the  Scriptures,  from  their  agree- 
ment with  which  arises  all  their  value.  It 
is  not  enough  that  what  we  believe  is  truth, 
but  that  we  believe  it  as  a  revelation  from 
God.  To  be  attached  to  a  set  of  doctrines, 
be  they  ever  so  true,  because  the  church 
has  taught  them,  is  to  put  the  church  in  the 
place  of  Christ.  Our  faith,  in  tins  case, 
would  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  man,  and  not 
in  the  power  of  God  ;  and  will  be  of  no  ac- 
count to  us,  either  here  or  hereafter. 

Secondly  :  The  articles  of  faith  drawn  up 
for  the  church  are  not  the  church,  nor  can  it 
be  collected  from  them,  as  Mr.  R.  says  it 
can,  "  what  those  grand  doctrines  are  in 
which  the  church  would  have  all  her  members 
instructed  and  established." — p.  11.  They 
might,  and  doubtless  did,  express  what  the 
church  of  England  that  once  was  would 
have  ;  but  not  that  which  noiv  is.  It  is  not 
true  that  the  church  of  England  that  now  is 
would  have  any  such  thing.  The  church,  if 
a  church  it  be,  is  the  great  body  of  the  bish- 
ops, clergy,  and  people :  and  they  manifest- 
ly wish  for  the  reverse  of  what  the  Reform- 
ers did  ;  and,  could  they  but  fairly  get  rid  of 
the  articles,  would  reckon  it  a  most  de- 
sirable thing.  Yet,  by  confounding  the  for- 
mularies of  the  church  with  the  church 
itself,  Mr.  R.  can  go  on  to  tell  us  what  she 
believes,  and  what  she  teaches ;  though,  if 
we  except  a  comparatively  small  number 
of  her  clergy  and  members,  she  neither 
does  the  one  nor  the  other. 

To  make  this  matter  more  plain,  let  us 
suppose  one  of  our  dissenting  churches, 
which  a  century  ago  subscribed,  as  articles 
of  faith,  the  substance  of  the  assembly's 
catechism  ;  but  within  the  last  fifty  years 
(though  the  articles  are  still  retained,  and, 
for  the  sake  of  certain  emoluments  left  to 
the  Calvinistic  interest  in  the  place,  are  still 
subscribed)  the  minister  and  the  body  of  the 
members  are  actually  become  Socinians — 
would  Mr.  R.  allow  of  their  being  a  sound 


and  apostolical  church,  with  regard  to  doc- 
trine, on  the  mere  ground  of  the  retention 
and  subscription  of  the  articles  ?  And 
should  a  Calvinistic  individual,  fondly  at- 
tached to  the  old  place  stand  up  in  it  with 
the  articles  in  his  hand  and  boast  in  this 
manner:  "Possessed  as  she  is  of  such  a 
treasure  as  this  of  divine  truth,  who  shall 
calumniate  or  oppose  her  ?  "  (p.  14)  would 
not  Mr.  R.  pity  his  weakness,  and  feel  in- 
dignant at  the  delusion  by  which  he  impo- 
sed upon  himself  and  labored  to  impose  up- 
on others?  It  is  not  what  a  community 
retains  in  its  books,  but  what  is  retained  in 
the  minds  of  its  members,  that  determines 
what  it  is.  "  The  body  without  the  spirit  is 
dead." 

Thus  we  have  seen  the  substance  of  what 
Mr.  R.  has  to  offer  in  proof  of  the  church  of 
England's  being  "apostolical."  What  fol- 
lows chiefly  consists  of  commendations  of 
her  forms  and  objections  to  those  of  dis- 
senters. We  will,  however,  proceed  to  ex- 
amine the  whole. 

"  The  form  of  common  prayer"  he  says, 
"  in  which  you  are  called  to  join  is  truly 
excellent  " — p.  14.  There  are  doubtless 
many  good  things  in  it,  but  it  is  too  much 
to  pronounce  upon  it  in  this  manner.  To 
mention  only  one  instance,  if  the  burial  ser- 
vice were  abolished,  and  what  should  be 
said  of  the  deceased  were  left  to  the  dic- 
tates and  feelings  of  Mr.  R.'s  own  mind,  I 
question  whether  he  would  utter  what  is 
there  uttered,  however  "excellent"  he  may 
now  profess  to  think  it.  But  it  is  not  my 
design  to  point  out  the  faults  of  this  book. 
If  a  liturgy  must  be  used,  it  may  answer 
the  end,  upon  the  whole,  as  well  as  another : 
if  a  church  must  be  composed  of  a  whole 
nation,  and  consequently  the  great  body  of 
its  clergy  as  well  as  members  be  prayerless 
men,  it  may  be  necessary  to  frame  prayers 
for  them;  and  if  to  prayers  were  added  ser- 
mons or  homilies,  it  might  be  stil!  better: 
but  "  a  congregation  of  faithful  men"  needs 
not  such  securities.  Mr.  R.  himself,  when 
he  meets  with  people  of  this  description, 
and  sometimes  in  public  worship,  can  deal 
in  "  extemporaneous  effusions,"  however 
contemptuously  he  can  allow  himself  to 
speak  of  them  in  others.  It  is  sufficient  al- 
so for  my  argument  that  Mr.  R.  does  not 
undertake  to  prove  that  the  use  of  a  liturgy 
formed  any  part  of  "  apostolic  "  practice. 

He  proceeds,  "  We  owe  it  to  our  country 
to  comply  with  all  its  ordinances  which  are 
not  contrary  to  a  good  conscience."  By 
this  Mr.  R.  must  mean  all  ordinances  rela- 
tive to  faith  and  worship,  else  it  is  nothing  to 
his  purpose.  But  on  what  authority  is  this 
position  built  ?  Christians  were  command- 
ed to  be  "subject  to  every  ordinance  of 
man,"  even  when  under  heathen  govern- 
ments, "  for  the  Lord's  sake." — 1  Pet.  ii.  13, 
14.    But  surely  it  cannot  be  imagined  that 


VINDICATION    OF    PROTESTANT    DISSENT. 


643 


these  ordinances  respected  the  modelling  of 
Christian  faith  and  worship.  The  apostle 
could  not  mean  to  give  heathen  magistrates 
any  such  authority,  nor  to  subject  Christians 
to  it.  The  ordinances  of  man  are  explained 
in  the  context,  of  things  civil  and  moral, 
which  undoubtedly  ought,  in  all  ages  and 
circumstances,  to  be  obeyed  by  Christians, 
and  that  from  a  religious  motive,  or  "  for  the 
Lord's  sake  :"  but  to  apply  it  to  the  regula- 
tion of  faith  and  worship  is  dishonorable  to 
the  only  law-giver  of  the  church.  A  church 
itself  has  no  right  to  make  ordinances  of  this 
hind,  but  merely  to  interpret  and  declare 
what  they  apprehend  to  be  the  mind  of 
Christ ;  and  such  interpretations  and  declara- 
tions ought  ever  to  be  open  to  revision  and 
correction,  when  judged  to  be  at  variance 
with  his  revealed  will.  To  worship  God 
"by  the  commandments  of  men  "  is  itself 
forbidden  in  the  Scriptures  (Matt.  xv.  (J, 
Mark  vii.  7,)  and  therefore  is  contrary  to  a 
good  conscience."  The  interposition  of 
human  authority,  in  divine  things,  generally 
corrupts  them  ;  but,  if  not,  yet  it  affects  the 
nature  of  conformity  to  them.  To  believe 
a  doctrine  or  conform  to  a  mode  of  worship, 
even  though  each  may  in  itself  be  right 
on  account  of  its  being  ordained  of  men,  ren- 
ders it  merely  human  religion,  destroying 
the  very  principle  of  Christian  obedience. 

If  the  apostles  in  planting  Christianity 
had  acted  upon  Mr.  R.'s  principle,  they 
would  not  have  ordained  the  same  things 
"  in  all  churches  ;"  but  have  framed  a  dif- 
ferent formulary  of  worship  in  different 
countries.  Their  first  business  would  have 
been  to  examine  how  much  of  the  old  mate- 
rials of  heathen  superstition,  many  parts 
of  which  might  not  be  contradicted  by  ex- 
press divine  injunction,  would  do  to  work 
over  again;  and  what  was  the  civil  consti- 
tution of  the  country,  that  they  might  as  far 
as  possible  accommodate  things  to  the  pub- 
lic mind.  I  do  not  wonder  that  Mr.  R. 
should  be  partial  to  this  principle  :  it  is  that  of 
his  church  and  of  the  church  of  Rome  be- 
fore her.  Why  is  it  that  episcopacy  has  in 
it  so  much  of  popery,  and  popery  of  hea- 
thenism ?  The  reason  in  both  is  the  same. 
They  each  undertook  to  convert  men  by  na- 
tions. Now,  to  bring  a  nation  over  to  a 
new  religion  requires  that  as  few  alterations 
be  introduced  as  possible,  that  old  things 
be  retained  under  new  names,  and  that 
great  sacrifices  be  made  to  popular  humor. 
Thus  popery,  in  numerous  instances,  was 
only  heathenism  in  a  Christian  garb  and 
episcopacy  was  no  other  than  popery  purged 
of  its  grosser  evils. — But  thus  did  not  Paul. 
Wherever  he  established  Christianity  "old 
things  passed  away,  and  all  things  became 
new;"  or,  if  not,  it  was  the  fault  of  the 
people,  unauthorized  by  him.  He  taught 
Christians  to  consider  themselves  as  com- 
plete in  Christ ;  so  as  to  need  neither  the 


additions  of  heathen  philosophy,  nor  those 
of  Jewish  ceremony ;  though  each  would 
doubtless  recommend  itself  on  the  score  of 
"  decency,"  as  not  contrary  to  divine  in- 
junction, and  as  that  which  would  give 
Christianity  a  respectable  appearance. — 
Col.  ii. 

Mr.  R.'s  whole  scheme  rests  upon  suppo- 
sition ;  namely,  the  supposed  "  eminent  sanc- 
tity and  sufficiency  of  bishops,"  and  the 
supposed  "  solicitousness  of  civil  govern- 
ments to  promote  the  interest  of  real  Chris- 
tianity."— -pp.  viii.  20.  They  are  both  of 
them,  no  doubt,  supposable  cases  ;  such  as 
have  occurred,  and  may  occur ;  but  woe  to 
the  system  that  rests  upon  their  being  gen- 
erally true  !  Far  be  it  from  me  to  think  ill 
of  men  in  the  higher  spheres  of  office, 
whether  civil  or  ecclesiastical :  the  former  I 
revere,  as  ordained  of  God ;  and  towards 
the  latter  I  desire  to  cherish  all  due  benev- 
olence ;  but,  to  suppose  of  either  that  which 
is  not  generally  true,  is  deceiving  both 
ourselves  and  them.  Surely  there  is  a 
medium  between  a  spirit  of  "  insubordina- 
tion "  to  civil  government,  and  inviting  our 
rulers  to  frame  laws  and  ordinances  for  the 
government  of  Christ's  kingdom  within  their 
realm,  and  then  flattering  them  for  their 
pious  intentions. 

The  episcopalians  of  this  country  have 
not  been  wanting  in  zeal  for  what  has  af- 
fected their  own  interests  and  privileges. 
When  James  II.  published  his  declaration 
for  liberty  of  conscience,  thinking  to  intro- 
duce popery,  and  commanded  the  clergy 
to  read  it  in  all  their  churches,  the  great 
body  of  them  refused.  By  this  they  said 
in  effect,  It  appertaineth  not  unto  thee,  O 
king,  to  dispossess  us  of  our  privileges,  and 
to  give  them  to  the  ecclesiastics  of  Rome  ! 
I  hope  then  we  may  be  excused  if  we  feel 
equally  zealous  for  the  interest  and  exclusive 
authority  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  a  government 
be  solicitous  to  promote  the  interest  of  real 
Christianity,  it  should  not  be  by  making  or- 
dinances where  Christ  has  not  made  them  ; 
but  by  protecting  men  in  the  exercise  of  a 
good  conscience,  and  encouraging  them  to 
obey  the  ordinances  already  made  in  the 
holy  Scriptures. 

Mr.  R.  holds  up  the  piety  of  the  reformers : 
and  we  could  hold  up  the  piety  of  thousands 
who  have  refused  conforming  to  their  rules, 
as  not  answering  to  the  model  of  the  New 
Testament;  and  who  were  persecuted  in 
almost  every  form  on  this  account,  and  that 
by  men  who  should  have  been  "  eminent 
for  sanctity  and  sufficiency." 

Mr.  R.  has  hitherto  argued  chiefly  in  a 
way  of  defence  ;  but,  emboldened  by  his  suc- 
cess, he  now  commences  an  attack.  "  Many 
strong  objections,"  he  says,  "may  be  urged 
against  a  different  ecclesiastical  constitu- 
tion."—p.  25.  Let  us  hear  them.  "If  you 
be  solicited  to  depart  from  us,  it  will  become 


644 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


you  previously  to  consider  whither  you 
should  go."  Very  good.  "Would  any  solid 
advantage  be  gained  by  the  desertion  of 
our  ordinances,  by  the  demolition  of  our 
establishment,  and  by  the  appointment  of 
another  system? — Ah!  what  incalculable 
evils  would  ensue  !— How  injurious  to  soci- 
ety and  religion!"  Mr.  R.,  by  "another 
system,"  must  mean  that  of  infidelity  ;  and 
does  he  call  this  a  different  ecclesiastical 
constitution?"  I  hope  the  persons  whom 
he  wishes  to  retain  in  communion  are  not 
inclined  to  this.  "Insubordination  and  ex- 
cessive profligacy "  are  consequences  of 
leaving  Christian  worship,  and  not  merely 
that  of  the  episcopal  church. 

But  allowing  the  best,  that  they  thought 
of  being  dissenters,  "  What  is  that  plan  of 
worship,"  he  asks,  "  what  the  government 
and  principles  of  that  religious  society  you 
are  invited  to  join  ?  " — Very  good  ; — what 
are  they  ? 

"They,"  dissenters,  I  suppose  he  means, 
"  differ  from  each  other  as  much  as  they  do 
from  the  church,"— p.  26.  If  by  "  the 
church"  were  meant  her  doctrinal  articles, 
he  might  have  added,  and  much  more. — But 
those  things  should  not  be  alleged  against 
dissenters  which  are  eommon  to  all  parties. 
It  is  marvellous  that  churchmen  should  pre- 
tend to  be  of  one  mind,  and  that  at  a  time 
when  the  most  ardent  contentions  divide 
them ;  one  party  maintaining  that  the  arti- 
cles mean  this,  another  that,  and  a  third 
that  they  have  no  meaning,  but  are  merely 
articles  of  peace.*  Have  we  Arminians  ? — 
So  have  they  : — Arians  ? — So  have  they  : 
— Socinians  ? — So  have  they  : — Traitors, 
heady,  high-minded,  lovers  of  their  own- 
selves? — So  have  they.  The  only  differ- 
ence is,  our  churches  being  independent  of 
each  other,  we  have  no  general  bond  of  con- 
nection, so  as  to  compel  us  to  hold  com- 
munion with  such  people :  but  they  have. 
We  can,  if  so  disposed,  stand  aloof  from  all 
these  evils,  and  so  escape  the  charge  of  be- 
ing partakers  of  other  men's  sins  :  hut  they 
cannot;  for  the  church  is  one,  and  indivisi- 
ble, including  all  descriptions  of  men  who 
choose  to  frequent  her  assemblies.  Her 
barriers,  which  protect  the  sacred  symbols 
of  our  Saviour's  death  themselves  against  in- 
terested infidelity  and  profligacy,  are  well 
known  to  be  very  feeble,  and  such  as  must, 
in  various  instances,  give  way  to  worldly  ex- 
pediency. If,  indeed,  a  particular  parish 
church,  wherein  a  godly  clergyman  officiates 
were  secluded  from  the  rest  of  the  nation, 
and  he  were  not  accountable  for  any  thing 
which  is  done  beyond  the  limits  of  his  own 
immediate  charge,  the  evil  might  be  con- 
siderably lessened :  but  it  is  not  so.  He 
that  sweareth  by  this  altar,  sweareth  by  it  and 
all  things  thereon;  actually  holding  fellow- 

*See  Overton's   True   Churchman. 


ship  with  all  the  avowed  Arminians,  and 
disguised  Arians,  Socinians,  and  infidels, 
who  in  different  parts  of  the  land  are  admit- 
ted without  scruple  to  communion. 

It  is  further  objected  that  we  "  almost  all 
agree  in  giving  the  supreme  direction  and 
control  to  the  people."  It  seems,  then,  we 
are  agreed  in  something  ;  in  an  article  too, 
in  which,  as  ministers,  we  cannot  well  be 
accused  of"  lording  it  over  God's  heritage." 
Whether  the  power  of  admitting  members 
be  as  safe  in  the  hands  of  the  people,  in  con- 
junction with  their  pastor,  as  in  those  of  the 
pastor  alone,  or  not ;  surely  that  of  exclu- 
ding offenders,  by  a  solemn  act  of  the  whole 
body,  is  as  consistent  with  apostolical  order 
as  prosecuting  them  for  their  sins  in  a  spirit- 
ual court! — See  1  Cor.  v.  4,  5.  2  Cor.  ii.  6. 
"They  abolish  all  subscriptions  to  articles 
of  faith."  It  is  true  we  do  not  require  our 
ministers  to  swear  to  them;  looking  upon 
the  word  of  a  Christian  man  to  be  as  his 
oath.  But  it  is  not  true  of  perhaps  the  ma- 
jor part  of  dissenters  that  they  subscribe  no 
articles. 

Our  public  catechisms,  which  are  used  in 
instructing  our  children,  and  which,  were 
they  but  established  by  civil  authority,  would 
be  accounted  to  contain  as  great  a  treasure 
as  the  church  articles,  are  much  more  be- 
lieved and  regarded  among  us  than  the  latter 
are  among  them.  But,  besides  these,  many 
of  our  churches  express  their  leading  prin- 
ciples in  writing,  to  which  not  merely  the 
minister,  as  in  the  established  church,  but 
every  member,  subscribes  his  name.  And, 
where  this  is  not  done,  many  of  them  are  so 
attached  to  the  Scriptures,  and  so  well  ac- 
quainted with  one  another,  that  no  practical 
inconvenience  arises  from  it.  It  is  a  fact 
that  ought  forever  to  silence  our  accusers 
that  the  ministers  and  members  of  the 
church  of  England,  with  all  their  boasted 
security  against  error  in  virtue  of  their  arti- 
cles, are  become  so  degenerate  that  scarce- 
ly one  in  ten  believes  them  :  whereas  dis- 
senters, with  all  their  want  of  security,  do, 
two  out  of  three  at  least,  believe  the  doc- 
trines contained  in  them  !  The  church  has 
more  believers  of  her  doctrines  among  dis- 
senters than  among  her  own  members  ;  and 
that  notwithstanding  the  proportion  of  the 
former  to  the  latter  is  probably  less  than  as 
one  to  seven ! 

Yet  "a  society  of  Christians  thus  consti- 
tuted, without  establishing  any  test  of  ortho- 
doxy, or  forms  of  public  devotion,  though,  at 
their  first  union  they  may  be  sound  in  the 
faith,  upright  in  their  views,  and  exemplary 
in  their  conduct,  is  likely  to  degenerate." 
The  word  of  Christ  dwelling  richly  in  them, 
then,  is  no  competent  security,  unless  it  be 
reduced  to  proper  forms,  and  established  by 
authority  !  It  is  true  that,  "  from  the  cor- 
rupt tendency  of  the  human  mind,"  we  are 
always  in  danger  of  degenerating  ; "  but  that 


VINDICATION    OF    PROTESTANT    DISSENT. 


645 


Mr.  R.  should  confine  it  to  dissenters,  and 
talk  of  its  being  "confirmed  by  indubitable 
facts,"  is  passing  strange.  The  church  of 
England,  owing  to  her  excellent  means  of 
preservation,  is  in  no  danger,  it  seems,  of 
degeneracy!  The  descendants  of  the  first 
Reformers  have  not  departed  from  their  pu- 
rity, either  in  faith  or  practice  !  The  sub- 
scription of  the  articles  by  the  clergy, 
though  scarcely  one  in  ten  believes  them, 
has  preserved  not  only  themselves,  but  the 
people  who  do  not  subscribe  them  from  error ! 
And  buildings — I  should  have  said  "  tem- 
ples " — which  have  once  been  appropriated 
to  the  promotion  of  evangelical  religion,  are 
never  known  among  them  to  be  applied  to 
opposite  purposes! 

"They  leave  the  minister  at  large  to 
offer  up  prayer  and  praise,  according  to  the 
dictates  and  feelings  of  his  own  mind." 
Just  so  ;  and  thus,  for  any  thing  that  appears 
in  the  New  Testament  to  the  contrary,  were 
the  primitive  ministers  left.  Where  men 
are  destitute  of  a  praying  spirit,  it  may  not 
be  safe  to  leave  them  "  at  large  :  "  perhaps 
the  more  closely  they  are  confined  the  bet- 
ter :  but  they  that  fear  God  have  no  need 
of  being  so  treated.  Those  forms  which 
Mr.  R.  so  highly  extols  were  originally  the 
dictates  and  feelings  of  fallible  individuals  : 
and  if  it  be,  as  he  suggests,  that  "  much  evil 
results  from  such  a  mode,"  why  does  he 
himself  practise  it  ?  Are  the  dictates  and 
feelings  of  his  mind,  being  "a  man  under 
authority,"  different  from  those  of  other  min- 
isters ? 

But  the  course  of  things  among  us  tends 
to  encourage  "pride  and  contention."  That 
these  evils  are  too  prevalent  in  our  churches 
we  shall  not  deny :  they  were  so  in  the 
primitive  churches,  which  also  had  their 
Diotrepheses  as  well  as  we.  And  is  there 
no  danger  of  clerical  pride,  and  of  many  an 
official  Diotrephes  in  the  church  ?  It  de- 
serves to  be  considered,  whether  the  peace 
of  which  the  church  has  to  boast  among  her 
members,  instead  of  being  the  fruit  of 
meekness  and  brotherly  love,  be  not  rather 
the  ease  of  indifference,  and  the  stillness  of 
ecclesiastical  despotism.  Where  one  man 
is  all,  the  rest  are  nothing  at  all. 

What  is  urged  under  Mr.  R.'s  last  head  is 
built  entirely  upon  the  validity  of  what  was 
advanced  before  it.  If  the  church  of  Eng- 
land be  not  truly  apostolical — if  her  doctrines 
be  neither  believed  nor  taught  by  the  great 
body  of  her  clergy — if  her  forms  be  not  bind- 
ing on  men's  consciences,  and  ought  not  to 
be  made  so — if  the  ordinances  of  man,  to 
which  we  are  obliged  to  be  subject,  be  con- 
fined to  things  of  a  civil  and  moral  nature — 
the  charge  of  "schism"  falls  to  the  ground. 

I  doubt  not  but  that  there  are  many  of  the 
people  of  God  in  the  church  of  England  ; 
and  perhaps  Mr.  R.  will  admit  there  may  be 
some  in  the  church  of  Rome  ;  and  that  it  is 


their  duty  to  "  come  out  of  her,  that  they 
partake  not  of  her  sins,  and  receive  not  of 
her  plagues."  It  is  far  from  my  desire  to 
attack  the  national  church,  or  to  interfere 
with  its  concerns,  any  further  than  is  neces- 
sary to  vindicate  the  practice  of  dissent  from 
the  reproaches  heaped  upon  it  by  such  wri- 
ters as  Mr.  Robinson.  I  will  not,  like  some 
nonconformists,  complain  of  her  hard  terms 
of  admission  ;  for  if  they  were  easier,  or  even 
abolished,  I  have  no  idea,  at  present,  that  I 
should  covet  to  enter  in.  I  regret  not  the 
loss  of  any  advantages  which  I  might  there 
possess.  Whatever  be  the  articles  and 
forms,  or  even  the  belief  of  a  community, 
yet  if  it  put  itself  under  the  control  of  the 
civil  power  in  religious  matters,  for  the  sake 
of  outward  advantages,  and  acquiesce  in  the 
disposal  of  those  advantages  by  interested 
patronage,  this  itself  is  a  sufficient  ground 
for  separation.  For,  where  things  are  thus 
conducted,  "the  souls  of  men  "  are  become 
an  article  of  merchandize  ;  and  the  church 
is  little  other  than  an  instrument  of  power 
and  aggrandizement  in  the  hands  of  worldly 
men.  This  would  have  been  an  insupera- 
ble objection  to  me,  had  I  lived,  and  possess- 
ed my  present  views,  in  the  purest  times  of 
the  Reformation.  Such  a  constitution  must 
of  necessity  confound  the  church  and  the 
world.  All  the  difference  between  those 
times  and  these  is,  they  sowed  the  seeds,  and 
Ave  have  seen  the  harvest.  We  see  in  the 
great  body  of  the  members  of  this  commu- 
nity, not  saints,  and  faithful  in  Christ  Jesus, 
such  as  were  the  members  of  the  primitive 
churches:  but  men  of  the  world;  men  who 
would  be  ashamed  to  be  thought  "saints," 
and  who  scruple  not  to  deride  all  spiritual 
religion.  A  community  of  this  description 
is  not  a  "congregation  of  faithful  men;" 
and  so,  by  the  confession  of  the  church  itself, 
is  not  a  church  of  Christ. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  "  schisms,"  or 
divisions,  among  Christians,  they  are  things 
very  different  from  separations  from  the  world. 
From  the  latter  we  are  commanded  to  "  uith- 
draiv  ourselves :  "  not  "altogether  "  indeed, 
from  men  who  make  no  pretence  to  religion  ; 
for  then  we  must  needs  go  out  of  the  world  : 
but  from  those  who  are  called  brethren,  or 
profess  to  know  God,  but  in  works  deny  him. 
From  such  it  is  our  duty  to  stand  aloof,  even 
in  our  ordinary  intercourse  ;  and  much  more 
in  solemn  communion  at  the  table  of  the 
Lord.— 1  Cor.  v.  !>— 13. 

In  separating  from  the  church  of  England 
we  conform  to  the  divine  precept,  "  Be  not 
unequally  yoked  together  with  unbelievers ; 
for  what  fellowship  hath  righteousness  with 
unrighteousness;  and  what  communion  hath 
light  with  darkness?" — "Wherefore  come 
out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye  separate, 
saiththe  Lord;  and  touch  not  the  unclean 
thing  ;  and  I  will  receive  you,  and  will  be  a 
Father  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons 


646 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


and  daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty." 
Not  that  we  consider  the  whole  bo'dy  as  un- 
believers :  but  if  the  greater  part  be  such, 
and  the  principles  on  which  they  hold  com- 
munion make  no  provision  for  excluding 
them,  it  amounts  to  the  same  thing  in  effect 
as  if  they  were  all  such.  If  a  part  of  the 
people  of  God  themselves  resolve  to  hold 
communion  with  unbelievers,  we  ought  to 
ivithdraw  from  them,  lest  we  be  partakers  of 
other  men's  sins.  In  so  doing,  we  do  not 
divide  from  them  as  Christians,  but  as  "  bre- 
thren who  walk  disorderly,"  refusing  to  fol- 
low them  off  their  proper  ground,  or  to  assist 
them  in  breaking  down  the  fences  of  the 
church,  and  so  confounding  it  with  the  world. 

If  it  be  objected  that  the  practice  forbid- 
den to  the  Corinthians  was  not  their  admit- 
ting unbelievers  to  commune  with  them  in 
Christian  ordinances,  but  their  going  to  com- 
mune with  unbelievers  at  heathen  ordinances, 
this  is  granted  :  but  the  latter  practice  is  for- 
bidden on  principles  which  equally  forbid  the 
former.  The  impossibility  of  Christian  com- 
munion subsisting  between  them,  and  their 
being  called  to  be  separate,  are  each  as  appli- 
cable to  the  one  as  to  the  other. 

If  it  be  farther  objected  that— where  men 
profess  Christianity,  we  have  no  right  to  sit 
in  judgment  upon  their  hearts,  but  ought 
charitably  to  consider  and  treat  them  as  be- 
lievers,— I  answer:  If  the  thing  professed 
were  genuine  personal  Christianity,  and  there 
were  nothing  in  the  spirit  and  conduct  of 
the  party  that  rendered  his  profession  incred- 
ible, this  objection  were  valid  ;  but  where 
no  pretence  is  made  to  any  other  than  tra- 
ditional assent,  which  in  Turkey  would  have 
made  them  Mahomedans,  and  in  China  pa- 
gans ;  where  faith  is  manifestly  dead,  being 
alone,  or,  what  is  worse,  accompanied  by 
the  works  of  the  flesh;  Avhere  the  very  idea 
of  being  "born  of  God"  is  derided,  and  all 
spiritual  religion  regarded  with  contempt ; 
to  consider  such  persons  as  believers  is  an 
abuse  of  charity,  and  to  treat  them  as  such 
is  to  foster  them  in  self-deception. 

The  principles,  moreover,  on  which  the 
Corinthians  were  forbidden  to  commune  with 
unbelievers  in  theory,  equally  forbid  our 
communing  with  unbelievers  in  practice. 
There  can  be  no  Christian  communion  in  the 
one  case,  any  more  than  in  the  other.  "  Light 
and  darkness,  righteousness  and  unrighteous- 
ness," are  as  impossible  to  be  united  here  as 
there  ;  and  a  separation  from  the  world  is  as 
impracticable  in  the  latter  case  as  in  the  for- 
mer. The  reason  also  given  for  the  divine 
precept  applies  in  both  instances.  The  apos- 
tle intimates  that  associations  with  the  world, 
in  religious  matters,  straiten  believers,  whom 
he  wishes  to  be  enlarged.  Thus  a  lively 
animal  is  straitened  in  his  efforts,  by  being 
unequally  yoked  with  one  that  is  tardy :  and 
thus  Christians  are  restrained  from  holy  free- 
dom, and  the  proper  exertion  of  themselves 


in  the  cause  of  Christ,  by  their  connection 
with  worldly  men,  who  will  always  be  throw- 
ing difficulties  in  the  way  of  those  pursuits 
in  which  they  have  no  delight. 

Finally:  Notwithstanding  what  is  con- 
stantly alleged  of  the  usefulness  of  good  men 
by  continuing  in  the  national  church  (and,  if 
there  they  must  be,  I  wish  them  to  be  a  hun- 
dred times  more  useful  than  they  are,)  I  am 
persuaded  it  will  be  found  that  it  is  hereby 
not  a  little  impeded.  If  the  people  of  God, 
while  they  proved  themselves  to  be  the  cor- 
dial friends  of  civil  government  and  good 
order  in  society,  could  be  scripturally  sepa- 
rated from  the  world,  and  act  together  like  a 
band  of  men  whose  hearts  God  had  touched, 
their  usefulness  would  far  surpass  any  thing 
that  we  have  hitherto  seen. 

Infidels  would  not  then  have  to  reproach 
Christianity  with  being  an  engine  of  state, 
nor  to  object  that  the  principal  supporters  of 
it  were  too  deeply  interested  in  its  temporal 
advantages  for  their  testimony  to  be  regarded 
as  impartial.  This  is  the  reason  why  the 
writings  of  a  WiLBERFORCE,and  others  who 
are  called  laymen,  make  so  deep  an  impres- 
sion upon  the  public  mind,  in  comparison  of 
those  of  dignified  clergymen.  Many  among 
the  evangelical  clergy,  I  acknowledge,  have 
proved  themselves  to  be  very  disinterested. 
They  are  far  from  making  so  much  of  their 
time  and  talents  as  they  might  do  in  other 
pursuits.  But  the  church  of  which  they 
boast  is  as  much  a  place  of  merchandize  as 
the  Royal  Exchange.  The  disinterested 
testimony  of  a  few  people,  who  are  united 
together,  not  by  a  sectarian,  but  a  truly 
catholic  spirit,  and  whose  life  comports  with 
their  doctrine,  speaks  a  thousand  times  louder 
in  the  consciences  of  men  than  the  decrees 
of  a  council,  enforced  by  all  the  authority, 
ecclesiastical  or  civil,  which  the  greatest 
nation,  or  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  can 
muster  up.  The  army  of  the  Lamb,  by  which 
he  will  overcome  his  enemies,  is  not  describ- 
ed as  connected  with  the  states  of  the  re- 
spective kingdoms  of  the  earth  ;  but  as  a 
select  band,  acting  immediately  under  his 
authority.  He  is  Lord  of  lords,  and  King  of 
kings ;  and  they  that  are  with  him  are  called, 
and  chosen,  and  faithful. 


ON  THE  PRESENCE  OF  JUDAS  AT  THE  LORDS 
SUPPER. 

After  carefully  reading  the  account  of 
this  matter  by  the  four  evangelists,  it  appears 
to  me  that  Judas  was  not  present  at  the 
Lord's  supper,  but  went  out  immediately 
after  the  celebration  of  the  passover;  and 
that,  if  the  contrary  were  allowed,  it  would 
not  affect  the  order  of  the  dissenting 
churches. 

With  respect  to  the  former  of  these  posi- 
tions, Matthew  speaks  of  Judas  as  being 


ON    DISSENT. 


647 


present  at  the  Paschal  supper,  but  says  noth- 
ing of  his  being  present  at  the  Lord's  supper. 
— Ch.  xxii.  19—30.  The  whole  of  what  he 
writes  is  perfectly  consistent  with  his  leaving 
the  company  immediately  after  the  former, 
and  before  the  commencement  of  the  latter; 
but  it  makes  no  mention  of  it. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  the  account 
given  by  Mark. — Ch.  xiv.  16 — 2G.  Johx  is 
more  particular.  He  tells  us  that,  "  having 
received  the  sop,  he  went  immediately  out." 
— Ch.  xiii.  30.  Now  the  act  of  dipping  the 
bread  in  wine,  and  so  eating  it,  pertained  not 
to  the  Lord's  supper,  but  to  the  passover. 
The  bread  and  the  wine  were  each  distrib- 
uted separately  in  the  former,  as  is  manifest 
from  every  account  we  have  of  it;  but  in  the 
latter  it  was  not  so,  as  is  clear  from  Matt. 
xxvi.  23 ;  Mark  xiv.  20.  John's  testimony, 
therefore,  is  very  express,  that  the  time  of 
Judas's  going  out  was  immediately  after  the 
passover,  and  before  the  Lord's  supper. 

The  only  difficulty  arises  from  the  account 
of  Luke,  who,  after  narrating  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  Lord's  supper,  says,  "  But  be- 
hold the  hand  of  him  that  betrayeth  me  is 
ivith  me  on  the  table." — Ch.  xxii.  21.  The 
whole  force  of  the  argument  taken  from  this 
arises  not  from  any  thing  in  the  loords  them- 
selves ;  for  "  the  table  "  may  as  well  signify 
the  paschal  table  as  the  Lord's  table ;  but 
merely  from  the  order  in  which  they  are 
placed  in  the  narration.  And,  as  to  this, 
Calvin,  who  entertained  the  opinion  that  Ju- 
das was  present,  acknowledges  nevertheless 
that,  "  though  Luke  hath  set  down  this  saying 
of  Christ  after  the  celebration  of  his  supper, 
yet  the  order  of  time  cannot  be  certainly 
gathered  thereby,  which  we  know  was  often 
neglected  by  the  evangelists." 

But  whether  Judas  was  present  at  the 
Lord's  supper  or  not,  it  does  not,  as  I  con- 
ceive, affect  the  order  of  dissenting  churches. 
It  is  no  part  of  that  order  to  sit  in  judgment 
upon  the  hearts  of  communicants,  any  farther 
than  as  they  are  manifest  by  their  words  and 
actions.  It  is  as  making  a  credible  profes- 
sion of  Christianity  that  we  are  bound  to  ad- 
mit them,  and  not  on  the  ground  of  any  pri- 
vate opinion  that  this  profession  is  sincere. 
Should  we  feel  in  any  case  a  secret  dissatis- 
faction, owing  to  a  want  of  that  union  of 
spirit  which  a  profession  of  repentance  to- 
wards God  and  of  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  ordinarily  inspires  ;  yet  if  what  is  pro- 
fessed be  true  religion,  and  we  know  of 
nothing  that  discredits  the  sincerity  of  the 
party,  we  are  not  at  liberty  to  reject.  Now 
such  a  communicant  was  Judas,  allowing  him 
to  have  been  one.  It  appears  by  the  other 
apostles  applying  the  warning,  given  by 
Christ,  to  themselves  in  a  way  of  inquiry, 
that  they  had  no  particular  suspicion  of  him. 
And,  as  to  his  character  being  known  to 
Christ  as  the  searcher  of  hearts,  he  did  not 
act  upon  that  ground  in  his  treatment  of  men, 


but  upon  the  ground  of  what  they  manifested 
themselves  to  be  by  their  words  and  actions. 
If  Christ's  knowledge  of  Judas's  character 
warrants  the  admission  of  unbelievers  and 
known  hypocrites  into  the  church,  it  must 
also  warrant  the  admission  of  them  to  the 
highest  offices  in  the  church :  for  "  Jesus 
knew  from  the  beginning  who  it  was  that  be- 
lieved not,  and  who  should  betray  him." 


OX    DISSEXT. 

The  longer  a  Christian  lives,  and  the  more 
he  observes  of  what  is  passing  before  him, 
the  more  reason  he  will  see  for  preferring  a 
candid  and  impartial  judgment  of  men  and 
things.  All  parties  in  their  turn  declaim 
against  prejudice  and  party  zeal,  but  it  is  not 
from  declamation  that  we  must  form  our 
judgment.  If  we  wish  to  know  the  truth,  we 
must  read  those  who  think  differently  from 
us,  who,  whether  they  be  impartial  towards 
us  or  not,  will  be  much  more  likely  to  detect 
our  faults  than  we  are  to  detect  them  our- 
selves. 

These  remarks  have  been  occasioned  by 
reading  a  critique  on  "  The  History  of  Dis- 
senters," by  Messrs.  Bogue  and  Bennett,  and 
some  other  kindred  pieces,  in  "  the  Quar- 
terly Review  for  October,  1813."  This  ar- 
ticle, though  manifestly  written  by  one  who 
is  no  more  a  friend  to  the  puritans  and  non- 
conformists than  he  is  to  the  present  race  of 
dissenters,  and  probably  no  more  friendly  to 
evangelical  religion  in  the  church  than  out 
of  it,  yet  contains  a  considerable  portion  of 
impartiality  towards  individuals,  and  even  his 
censures  are  often  worthy  of  our  attention. 
From  reading  this  review,  as  well  as  from 
perusing  the  volumes  reviewed,  there  is  one 
truth  of  which  I  am  fully  convinced  ;  which 
is,  that  both  eulogy  and  censure  are  com- 
monly bestowed  with  too  little  discrimina- 
tion, and  often  applied  to  communities  where 
they  ought  to  be  confined  to  individuals.  If 
a  few  men  excel  in  a  community,  such  is  the 
vanity  of  human  nature  that  the  whole  must 
arrogate  to  themselves  the  praise  ;  or  if  a  few 
be  guilty  of  impropriety,  such  is  the  invidi- 
ousness  of  party  zeal  that  theAvhole  must  be 
censured  on  their  account.  Could  we  be 
more  discriminate,  both  in  our  praises  and 
censures,  we  should  be  much  nearer  the 
truth,  and  what  we  write  would  be  far  more 
likely  to  do  good.  We  can  consent  for  every 
man  to  have  his  due,  and  to  bear  his  own 
burden ;  but  are  disgusted  with  those  who 
are  continually  eulogizing  their  fathers  that 
they  may  exalt  themselves,  and  stigmatizing 
other  men's  fathers  that  they  may  depreciate 
their  neighbors. 

In  reading  the  lives  of  the  puritans  and 
nonconformists,  I  read  the  lives  of  men  of 
whom,  with  all  their  faults,  the  world  was 
not  worthy :  but,  if  I   be  impartial,  I  shall 


G48 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


find  many  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth  who 
did  not  rank  with  either  of  them :  and, 
among  those  who  did,  I  shall  find  many 
whose  principles  and  conduct  it  will  not  be 
in  my  power  to  vindicate.  Hardly  as  the 
puritans  were  treated,  if  I  had  been  one  of 
them,  and  had  held  those  intolerant  princi- 
ples which  many  of  them  avowed  and  carried 
with  them  into  the  new  world,  I  do  not  per- 
ceive how  I  could  have  expected  different 
treatment  from  others  who  were  in  power. 
I  might  have  been  treated  more  rigorously 
than  I  should  have  treated  them,  had  I  been 
in  their  place  and  they  in  mine  ;  but  the 
principle  of  intolerance  is  the  same.  That 
for  which  I  should  have  suffered  might  also 
have  been  truth,  while  that  for  which  I 
should  have  caused  others  to  suffer  might 
be  pernicious  error :  but,  in  a  question  of 
this  nature,  I  should  have  had  no  right 
to  take  this  for  granted,  seeing  it  would 
have  been  judging  in  my  own  cause.  My 
rule  ought  rather  to  have  been,  to  "  do  unto 
others  as  I  would  they  should  do  unto  me." 

1  am  not  able  to  vindicate  Messrs,  Bogue 
and  Bennett,  whose  praises  and  censures 
are  both,  as  it  appears  to  me,  much  too  in- 
discriminate ;  but  I  can  perceive  that  their 
reviewer,  while  chastising  them,  is  contin- 
ually exposing  himself  to  censure  for  the 
same  things. 

He  seldom  detects  a  fault  in  his  authors 
without  endeavoring  to  fix  it  upon  the 
whole  body,  by  ascribing  it  to  their  dissent. 
Speaking  of  divisions  and  separations 
among  dissenters,  he  says,  "  This  evil  grows 
out  of  the  principle  of  dissent.  The  minis- 
ter of  an  establishment  has  no  temptation 
from  vanity,  or  the  love  of  singularity,  or 
any  mere  worldly  motive,  to  labor  in  insig- 
nificant distinctions  :  but  amongst  dissenters 
the  right  of  private  judgment  is  so  inju- 
diciously inculcated  that  the  men  who  are 
trained  amongst  them  learn  notunfrequently 
to  despise  all  judgment  except  their  own." 
To  say  nothing  of  the  temptations  which 
the  minister  of  an  establishment  has,  though 
he  may  not  have  these,  it  is  sufficient  to 
reply, — If  unlovely  separations  arise  from 
an  injudicious  inculcation  of  the  right  of 
private  judgment,  let  them  be  traced  to  that 
cause,  and  not  to  dissent:  let  them  be  as- 
cribed to  the  abtise  of  the  right  of  private 
judgment,  but  not  to  the  principle  itself,  or 
to  any  necessary  step  in  order  to  obtain  it. 
An  advocate  for  despotic  government  might 
object  to  the  disorders  of  our  popular  elec- 
tions, and  to  the  violence  of  our  parliamen- 
tary debates,  and  might  tell  us  that  in  cer- 
tain countries  there  is  no  temptation  to 
such  disorder  and  such  violence :  but  we 
should  readily  answer, — They  have  tempta- 
tions as  bad,  or  worse,  of  another  kind,  and 
the  right  of  choosing  our  representatives, 
and  that  of  free  parliamentary  debate,  are 
of  such  importance  to  the  well-being  of  the 


nation  that  the  evils  which  they  occasion 
are  as  nothing  when  compared  with  it. 
The  right  of  private  judgment  in  matters 
of  religion  is  of  such  account  that  we  can- 
not part  with  it  without  making  shipivreck 
of  faith  and  of  a  good  conscience.  As  to  the 
abuses  of  it,  whoever  is  guilty  of  them,  let 
him  bear  his  own  burden.  The  "  schism 
which  took  place  in  the  Evangelical  Mag- 
azine "  should  not  have  been  lugged  in  by 
this  writer  for  an  example,  without  having 
first  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  true 
cause  of  it. 

If  I  dissent  from  antipathy  to  a  particular 
clergyman,  or  for  the  sake  of  gratifying  my 
own  will,  or  to  feed  my  own  vanity,  I  am 
what  this  reviewer  considers  me — a  sectari- 
an ;  but,  if  I  dissent  for  the  sake  of  obtaining 
liberty  to  follow  what  I  verily  believe  to  be 
the  mind  of  Christ,  I  am  not  a  sectarian  in 
the  ill  sense  of  the  term,  nor  in  any  sense 
except  that  in  which  Paul  avowed  himself 
to  be  one.  By  this  writer's  own  account,  if 
I  continue  in  the  established  church,  I  must 
make  no  "  profession."  That  is,  I  must  not 
profess  to  repent  of  my  sins,  and  to  believe 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  salvation  :  if  I 
do,  he  will  construe  it  into  "  a  profession  of 
being  better  than  my  neighbors,"  which  he 
tells  me  is  "  inconsistent  with  Christian  hu- 
mility," and  insinuates  that  the  whole  is 
"  pharisaical  hypocrisy."  This  is  certainly 
speaking  out;  and  standing,  as  it  does,  in 
direct  opposition  to  the  divine  command  of 
"  coming  out  from  among  unbelievers,  and 
being  separate  from  them,"  renders  it  easy 
to  determine  the  path  of  duty. 

The  writer  censures  Messrs.  Bogue  and 
Bennett  for  ascribing  almost  every  thing 
vicious  and  persecuting  to  churchmen  ;  yet 
he  himself  ascribes  almost  every  thing  sour, 
litigious,  and  splenetic  to  dissenters.  He 
represents  the  intolerance  of  the  puritans 
as  if  it  were  universal,  and  as  if  all  that 
settled  in  America  were  of  the  same  spirit. 
But  (  to  say  nothing  of  Roger  Williams, 
whom  he  himself  not  only  acquits,  but  ap- 
plauds, as  "  the  man  whose  name,  if  all  men 
had  their  due,  would  stand  as  high  as  that  of 
William  Penn,  as  having  begun  the  first 
civil  government  upon  earth  that  gave  equal 
liberty  of  conscience  "  )  there  was  a  broad 
line  of  distinction  between  those  puritans 
who  founded  the  colony  of  New  Plymouth, 
in  1620,  and  those  who  a  few  years  after 
founded  that  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  The 
former  were  the  members  of  Mr.  John  Rob- 
inson, who  had  peaceably  separated  from 
the  church  of  England,  and  with  his  friends 
retired  to  Holland,  for  the  sake  ofliberty  of 
conscience :  but  the  Massachusetts  people 
had  never  relinquished  the  principle  of  na- 
tional churches,  and  the  authority  of  the 
magistrate  in  matters  of  faith  and  worship. 
And  it  was  among  these  people,  and  owing 
to  this  principle,   that  the   persecutions  in 


STATE    OF    DISSENTING    DISCIPLINE. 


649 


America  were  carried  on.  Of  this  there  is 
a  full  account  given  in  "  Backus's  History 
of  the  American  Baptists,"  Vol.  I.  ;  and, 
as  the  baptists  bore  a  large  part  of  those 
persecutions,  they  may  well  be  supposed  to 
know  who  were  their  persecutors,  and  what 
were  their  avowed  principles. 

The  work  of  Messrs.  Bogue  and  Ben- 
nett is  considered  by  this  writer  as  a  fair 
specimen  of  dissenting  principles  in  the 
present  day,  or  as  "representing  the  gene- 
ral temper  of  those  to  whom  it  is  addressed." 
But,  so  far  as  I  have  had  the  means  of  judg- 
ing', it  is  considered  among  dissenters  in  a 
very  different  light.  Some  few  may  ad- 
mire it ;  but  all  that  I  have  heard  speak  of 
it  consider  it  as  deeply  tinged  with  party 
zeal  and  revolutionary  politics,  and  as  be- 
ing rather  a  eulogy  on  their  own  denomina- 
tion than  a  "History  of  Dissenters."  lam 
not  aware  that  the  French  revolution  has 
promoted  the  cause  of  dissent ;  and,  if  it 
were  so,  an  increase  on  such  principles  is 
of  no  value.  Men  may  leave  the  national 
church,  not  on  account  of  what  is  wrong  in 
it,  but  of  what  is  right,  in  which  case  dis- 
sent itself  must  be  wicked.  Dissent  is  not 
a  cause  for  a  Christian  to  rejoice  in,  any  fur- 
ther than  as  it  includes  the  cause  of  Christ. 
It  is  ground  on  which  may  be  erected  a 
temple  of  God  or  a  synagogue  of  Satan. 

That  there  are  many  among  dissenters 
who  feel  that  "moral  expatriation"  which 
the  reviewer  laments  is  admitted;  but  the 
same  is  true  of  churchmen.  The  numbers, 
however,  of  both,  have  of  late  years  consid- 
erably diminished. — Dissenters  must  ever 
be  friends  to  civil  and  religious  liberty,  as 
it  is  their  only  security  :  but  they  may  be 
this  without  turbulence,  or  envy,  or  spleen, 
or  any  of  those  unamiable  qualities  which 
this  writer  attaches  to  dissent.  I  believe  it 
will  be  found  that  from  the  beginning  those 
dissenters  who  have  separated  from  the 
church  of  England  for  the  purpose  of  form- 
ing churches  according  to  what  they  con- 
sider as  the  mind  of  Christ  have  been  of  a 
much  more  pacific  spirit  than  those  who,  re- 
taining the  principles  of  national  churches 
and  the  authority  of  the  magistrates  in  mat- 
ters of  faith  and  worship,  were  always  lin- 
gering after  a  comprehension  in  the  estab- 
lishment, and  finding  fault  with  particular 
ceremonies  and  forms  that  kept  them  out 
of  it.  That  this  was  the  case  among  the 
first  settlers  in  America  has  been  already 
noticed  ;  and,  so  far  as  my  observation  ex- 
tends, it  is  the  case  to  this  day.  Those 
who  dissent  for  the  sake  of  being  at  liberty 
to  follow  up  their  convictions  in  promoting 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  will  not  be  averse  to 
the  civil  institutions  of  their  country ;  and 
as  to  the  ecclesiastical,  unless  called  to  de- 
fend themselves  against  the  charge  of 
schism,  and  such  others  as  are  heaped  up- 
on them,  they  would  cherish  no  hostility. 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  82 


Being  allowed  to  follow  the  dictates  of  their 
own  consciences,  they  are  willing  that  oth- 
ers should  do  the  same.  They  dissent,  not 
so  much  from  antipathy  to  what  they  desert 
as  from  love  to  what  they  embrace  ;  and 
they  love  and  pray  for  the  government  that 
protects  them  in  the  enjoyment  of  it. 

They  cannot  approve  of  making  the  polit- 
ical prosperity  of  their  country  the  supreme 
object  of  their  pursuit,  nor  consent  that  the 
religion  of  Christ  should  be  rendered  sub- 
servient to  it ;  and  this,  in  the  esteem  of 
those  who  are  otherwise  minded,  will  often 
be  ascribed  to  the  want  of  patriotism  :  but  a 
wise  and  good  government  will  know  how 
to  distinguish  a  contumelious  behaviour  to- 
wards them  from  a  conscientious  obedience 
to  God ;  and,  while  they  properly  resent 
the  former,  will  not  fail  to  respect  the  latter. 


STATE  OF    DISSENTING    DISCIPLINE. 

It  may  be  difficult  to  determine  whether 
the  apostles  of  our  Lord,  in  the  first  plant- 
ing of  Christianity,  were  more  intent  on  the 
conversion  of  unbelievers  or  the  building  up 
of  believers  in  their  most  holy  faith.  It  is 
certain  that  both  these  objects  engaged 
their  attention. 

In  our  times  they  have  been  thought  to 
be  too  much  divided.  Towards  the  middle 
of  the  last  century,  several  eminent  men 
were  raised  up  in  the  established  church, 
whose  labors  were  singularly  useful  in  turn- 
ing sinners  to  God  :  but  whether  it  was  from 
the  advantages  of  their  situation  as  church- 
men, or  whatever  was  the  cause,  they  and 
others,  who  since  their  times  have  been  a 
kind  of  half  dissenters,  have  generally  been 
considered  as  neglecting  to  form  their  so- 
cieties after  the  model  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. And,  congregations  of  this  descrip- 
tion having  considerably  increased,  appre- 
hensions have  been  entertained  that  the 
order  and  discipline  of  the  Scriptures  would 
in  time  fall  into  general  disuse. 

From  a  somewhat  earlier  date,  many 
amongst  protestant  dissenters,  too  much  at- 
tentive perhaps  to  the  points  on  which  they 
separated  from  the  church  and  from  one 
another,  began  to  neglect  the  common  sal- 
vation, and  to  render  the  general  [theme  of 
their  ministrations  something  other  than 
Christ  crucified.  Even  many  of  those  who 
retained  the  doctrines  of  their  forefathers 
preached  them  in  so  cold  and  formal  a  way 
that  the  spirit  of  vital  religion  seemed  to  be 
fled.  Hence  many  serious  people  forsook 
them  in  favor  of  a  more  lively  and  evangeli- 
cal ministry,  even  though  unaccompanied 
with  the  discipline  and  government  to  which 
they  had  been  used.  Hence  arose  mutual 
jealousies,  and  the  distinction  of  regular 
and  irregular  dissenters. 

Suchj  alas !  is  the  contractedness  of  the 


650 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


human  mind,  that,  while  attending  to  one 
thing,  it  is  ever  in  danger  of  neglecting 
others  of  equal  if  not  superior  importance. 
It  is  a  fact  which  cannot  be  denied  that 
many,  who  have  exhibited  the  common  sal- 
vation with  great  success  to  the  unconvert- 
ed, have  at  the  same  time  been  sadly  negli- 
gent in  enforcing  the  legislative  authority 
of  Christ  upon  their  hearers:  nor  is  it  less 
manifest  that  others  who  have  been  the 
most  tenacious  of  the  forms  of  church  gov- 
ernment and  discipline  have  at  the  same 
time  been  wofully  deficient  in  preaching  the 
gospel  to  the  unconverted. 

But  is  it  not  possible  to  unite  these  im- 
portant objects,  at  least  in  a  good  degree, 
in  the  manner  in  which  they  were  united  in 
the  primitive  times  ?  One  should  think  it 
were  as  natural  for  a  minister,  and  a  peo- 
ple, where  God  is  pleased  to  bless  the 
word  to  the  conversion  of  sinners,  to  be 
anxious  for  their  edification,  as  for  parents 
who  are  blessed  with  a  numerous  offspring 
to  be  concerned  to  have  them  properly  fed, 
and  clothed,  and  educated.  It  is  not  enough 
that  a  company  of  Christians  unite  in  a 
preacher,  and  make  a  point  of  going  once 
or  twice  in  the  week  to  hear  him,  and  after 
having  exchanged  compliments  with  him, 
and  a  few  of  the  people,  depart  till  another 
Sabbath.  That  bids  fair  to  be  the  true  scrip- 
tural form  of  church  government  which 
tends  most  to  promote  brotherly  love,  which 
bring  the  members  into  the  closest  reli- 
gious contact,  and  which  is  accompanied 
with  the  greatest  faithfulness  one  towards 
another. 


DISCIPLINE     OF     THE     ENGLISH     AND     SCOT- 
TISH   BAPTIST  CHURCHES. 

[Extracts  from  two  letters  to  Mr.  M'Lean,  in 
1796.] 

As  to  our  churches,  it  would  be  very 
wrong  to  plead  on  their  behalf  that  they 
come  up  to  the  primitive  model.  It  is  our 
great  endeavor  as  ministers  (and  we  are 
joined  by  a  good  number  of  private  Chris- 
tians) to  form  them  in  doctrine,  in  discipline, 
in  spirit,  and  in  conduct,  after  the  example 
of  Christ  and  his  apostles.  But  after  all 
that  we  can  do,  if  reviewed  by  the  great 
Head  of  the  church,  and  perhaps  by  some 
of  his  servants  who  may  be  unconnected 
with  us,  there  would  be  a  few,  or  rather  not 
"  a  few  things  against  us." 

Till  of  late,  I  conceive,  there  was  such  a 
portion  of  erroneous  doctrine  and  false  re- 
ligion amongst  us  that,  if  we  had  carried 
matters  a  little  farther,  we  should  have  been 
a  very  dunghill  in  society.  Nor  can  this 
leaven  be  expected  to  be  yet  purged  out, 
though  I  hope  it  is  in  a  fair  way  of  beii 
so. 


In  discipline  there  is  a  great  propensity, 
in  some  churches  especially,  to  be  lax  and 
negligent.  In  our  annual  associations  we 
have  been  necessitated  to  remonstrate 
against  this  negligence,  and  to  declare  that, 
unless  they  would  execute  the  laws  of 
Christ  upon  disorderly  walkers,  we  would 
withdraw  from  all  connection  with  them  : 
and  such  remonstrances  from  the  associated 
churches  have  produced  a  good  effect.  It 
is  not  our  practice,  however,  lightly  to  sepa- 
rate from  churches  or  individuals.  We  con- 
sider the  churches  of  Corinth  and  Galatia, 
and  the  great  patience  of  the  apostle  amidst 
the  most  scandalous  disorders  ;  laboring  to 
reclaim  those  whom  others  of  less  patience 
would  have  given  up,  and  separated  from  ; 
and  wish  as  far  as  possible  to  follow  the 
example. 

Your  observations  on  the  difficulty  of  re- 
forming an  old  church  are  very  just,  and  on 
its  being  better  in  some  cases  to  begin  by  a 
new  formation.  In  this  way  we  have  pro- 
ceeded in  some  places.  Carey,  for  example, 
when  he  went  to  Leicester,  found  them  a 
very  corrupt  people.  The  very  officers  had 
indulged  in  drunkenness,  and  the  rest  were 
discouraged  ;  and  so  discipline  was  wholly 
neglected.  After  advising  with  his  brethren 
in  the  ministry,  brother  Carey  and  the  ma- 
jority of  the  church  agreed  to  renew  cove- 
nant. Accordingly  they  appointed  a  day  in 
which  they  would  consider  their  former  re- 
lation as  extinct,  and  the  church  book  should 
be  open  for  the  signatures  of  all  who  had 
heretofore  been  members,  but  upon  this 
condition,  that  they  subscribed  at  the  same 
time  a  solemn  declaration, — That  they 
would  in  future  execute  and  be  subject  to  a 
strict  and  faithful  discipline. 

This  measure  had  its  effect.  Almost  all 
their  loose  characters  stood  out :  or,  if  any 
signed,  they  were  subject  to  a  close  watch 
in  future.  By  these  means  the  church  was 
purged  ;  and  Carey,  before  he  went  to  In- 
dia, saw  the  good  effects  of  it.  A  consider- 
able revival  in  religion  ensued,  and  many 
were  added.  Hence  you  may  account  for 
his  language  afterwards  to  the  church  at 
Leicester.* 

It  is  a  great  fault  in  some  of  our  churches 
that  they  seem  afraid  to  execute  faithful 
discipline  upon  men  of  opulence.  "  The 
cause,  they  say,  cannot  be  supported  without 
them."  To  this  I  have  more  than  once  re- 
plied, That  a  cause  which  requires  to  be 
thus  supported  cannot  be  the  cause  of 
Christ ;  and  your  business  is  not  to  support 
the  ark  with  unhallowed  hands.  If  by  exe- 
cuting Christ's  laws  your  cause  sinks,  so  be 
it ;  he  will  never  blame  you  for  that. 

Another  evil  akin  to  this  is  a  partiality  for 
men  of  opulence,  in  the  choice  of  deacons. 


*  Periodical  Accounts  of  the  Baptist 
Vol.  I.  p.  132. 


Mission, 


DOCTRINE    OF    ENGLISH    AND    SCOTTISH    BAPTISTS. 


651 


I  consider  not  property,  but  the  use  that  is 
made  of  it,  as  entitling1  to  religious  regard. 

We  do  not  fail  publicly  and  privately  to 
inculcate  these  things:  but  habits  of  this 
kind  are  not  instantly,  nor  easily,  eradicated. 

You  observe  that  "the  commission  of 
Christ  is  not  fully  executed,  unless  the  con- 
verts are  taught  to  observe  '  all  things, 
whatsoever  he  hath  commanded;'  and  are 
brought  into  such  a  state  of  separation  from 
the  world,  and  of  union  and  order  among 
themselves,  after  the  model  of  the  apostolic 
churches,  as  puts  them  in  a  capacity  for 
doing  so." 

To  the  whole  of  this  I  freely  subscribe, 
whether  we  have  attained  to  such  a  state 
of  things  or  not.  My  views,  and  those  of 
my  brethren,  are  mucli  the  same  as  are  ex- 
pressed in  Mr.  Booth's  "  Essay  on  the  King- 
dom of  Christ."  I  am  not  conscious  but 
that  it  is  my  aim  to  inculcate  and  practise 
"  all  things,  whatsoever  our  Lord  hath  com- 
manded." Some  of  Christ's  commands, 
however,  I  suppose,  we  interpret  differently 
from  you.  If  I  am  rightly  informed,  you 
consider  "  the  washing  of  feet,  the  kiss  of 
charity,  &c,"  as  formally  binding  on  all 
Christians :  we  do  not.  We  consider  nei- 
ther of  them  as  religious  institutes,  but 
merely  civil  customs,  though  used  by  Christ 
and  his  apostles  to  a  religious  end,  as  what- 
soever they  did,  they  did  all  to  the  glory  of 
God.  They  were  in  use  both  among  Jews 
and  heathens,  long  before  the  coming  of 
Christ.  The  one  was  a  necessary  service, 
the  other  a  mode  of  expressing  kindness. 
We  conceive  it  was  the  design  of  Christ  by 
these  forms  to  enjoin  a  natural  interchange 
of  kind  and  beneficent  offices,  even  so  as 
"  by  love  to  serve  one  another."  The  usual 
forms  of  expressing  this  temper  of  mind 
were  at  that  time,  and  in  those  countries, 
washing  the  feet,  &c.  Christ  therefore 
made  use  of  these  forms,  much  the  same  as 
he  made  use  of  the  customary  language  of 
a  country,  to  convey  his  doctrines  and  pre- 
cepts. But,  as  neither  of  these  forms  is  or- 
dinarily used  in  our  age  and  country,  to  ex- 
press the  ideas  for  which  it  was  originally 
enjoined,  the  ground  or  reason  of  the  injunc- 
tion ceases  ;  a  literal  compliance  with  them 
would  not  now  answer  the  original  design, 
but  would  operate,  we  conceive,  in  a  very 
different  way.  It  seems  to  us,  therefore, 
not  only  lawful,  but  incumbent,  to  substi- 
tute such  signs  and  forms  as  are  adapted  to 
convey  the  spirit  of  the  injunction,  rather 
than  to  abide  by  the  letter,  since  that  is  be- 
come as  it  were  "a  dead  letter;  "  as  much 
so  as  to  disuse  the  original  language  of 
Scripture,  and  translate  it  into  a  language 
that  can  be  understood.  Herein  we  think 
we  follow  Christ's  example ;  he  used  the 
forms  and  customs  of  his  country  to  express 
kindness  and  humility  ;  and  we  do  the  same. 
Whether  we  understand  these   commands, 


however,  or  not,  according  to  the  mind  of 
Christ,  I  hope,  and  for  myself  am  certain, 
that  we  do  not  live  in  the  known  violation 
of  them. 

The  grounds  on  which  you  plead  for  the 
washing  of  feet,  I  should  have  no  objection 
to.  If  you  will  come  and  see  me,  and  it  be 
any  refreshment  to  you,  I  will  cheerfully 
wash  yours  ;  and  not  yours  only,  but,  if  the 
meanest  Christian  needed  it,  I  do  not  feel 
that  it  would  at  all  hurt  my  pride  to  gratify 
him.  I  have  pride,  as  well  as  other  sins, 
but  I  think  it  does  not  operate  in  that  way. 
My  objection  to  the  kiss  of  charity  is  not 
that  it  is  become  so  obsolete  that  people 
would  not  understand  it  as  a  token  of  affec- 
tion, but  being  confined  in  England  to  ex- 
press the  affection  of  relations,  or  of  the 
sexes,  it  would  be  understood  accordingly. 
Let  such  salutations  therefore  be  ever  so 
pure  in  themselves,  we  should  not  be  able 
to  "  abstain  from  the  appearance  of  evil  ;" 
and  many  scandals  and  reproaches  would  be 
raised. 

I  have  carefully,  and,  if  I  know  my  own 
spirit,  candidly  examined  the  New  Testa- 
ment concerning  the  time  of  administering 
the  Lord's  supper.  The  result  is  that  I  con- 
sider it  as  wholly  discretional,  as  much  so 
as  the  times  for  various  other  duties.  Such 
is  the  form  of  institution,  as  repeated  by 
Paul.— 1  Cor.  xi.  25,  26.  "  This  do  ye,  as 
oft  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me. 
For  as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink 
this  cup,  ye  do  show  the  Lord's  death  till  he 
come."  If  any  thing  can  be  gathered  from 
Acts  ii.  42,  which  says  that  the  disciples 
"  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  doc- 
trine and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of 
bread,  and  in  prayers  ;  "  it  is  that  it  was  done 
as  often  as  they  met  together  for  worship  ; 
but  this  was  much  of  ener than  once  a  week  ; 
for  they  "  continued  daily  with  one  accord 
in  the  temple,  and  the  Lord  added  to  them 
daily  such  as  should  be  saved. — ver.  46,  47. 
From  Acts  xx.  7,  we  learn  that  "  the  dis- 
ciples came  together  to  break  bread  on  the 
first  day  of  the  week  ; "  but  it  does  not  fol- 
low that  this  was  their  practice  on  every 
such  first  day.  It  might  be  so ;  but,  as 
Christ  left  the  matter  open,  I  suppose  they 
acted  accordingly.  At  Jerusalem,  soon 
after  the  pentecost,  it  seems  to  me  that  they 
did  it  oflentr  than  once  a  week  ;  afterwards 
they  might  do  it  once  a  week.  But,  if 
Christ  has  not  fixed  it,  neither  should  we.  lest 
we  go  beyond  the  rule  appointed  us. 

I  think  few  can  have  a  greater  dislike  to 
titles  than  I  have  among  ministers.  That 
of  "  brother"  is  most  agreeable  to  me.  My 
brother  Ryland,  without  his  own  knowledge, 
desire,  or  consent,  had  a  D.  D.  next  to 
forced  upon  him.  It  was  announced  by 
Rippon  in  his  register,  and  then  people 
would  call  him  by  it ;  but  I  am  persuaded 
he  would  much  rather  not  have  had  it.     He 


652 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


is  a  very  humble  godly  man,  and  he  now 
submits  to  it,  because  he  would  not  always 
be  employed  in  resisting  a  piece  of  insignifi- 
cance. For  my  part  I  think  with  you,  but  do 
not  know  whether  any  of  my  brethren  think 
with  me,  that  it  is  contrary  to  our  Lord's  pro- 
hibition :  "  Be  ye  not  called  Rabbi." 

As  to  academical  education  the  far  great- 
er part  of  our  ministers  have  it  not.*  Carey 
was  a  shoemaker  years  after  he  engaged  in 
the  ministry,  and  I  was  a  farmer.  I  have 
sometimes  however  regretted  my  want  of 
learning.  On  the  other  hand,  brother  Sut- 
clhT,  and  brother  Pearce,  have  both  been  at 
Bristol.  We  all  live  in  love,  without  any 
distinction  in  these  matters.  We  do  not 
consider  an  academy  as  any  qualification  for 
membership  or  preaching,  any  farther  than 
as  a  person  may  there  improve  his  talents. 
Those  who  go  to  our  academies  must  be 
members  of  a  church,  and  recommended  to 
them  as  possessing  gifts  adapted  to  the  min- 
istry. They  preach  about  the  neighborhood 
all  the  time,  and  their  going  is  considered 
in  no  other  light  than  as  a  young  minister 
might  apply  to  an  aged  one  for  improve- 
ment. Since  brother  Ryland  has  been  at 
Bristol,  I  think  he  has  been  a  great  blessing 
in  forming  the  principles  and  spirit  of  the 
young  men.  I  allow,  however,  that  the 
contrary  is  often  the  case  in  academies,  and 
that  when  it  is  so  they  prove  very  injurious 
to  the  churches  of  Christ. 


STATE      OF      THE       BAPTIST      CHURCHES     IN 
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 

1.  Out  of  the  twenty-t'nree  churches  in 
this  county,  nineteen  are  in  villages,  and 
four  in  market  towns.  Eleven  are  in  con- 
nection with  the  Northamptonshire  and 
Leicestershire  association  ;  the  other  twelve 
are  in  no  association.  The  average  num- 
ber of  members  in  each  church  is  about 
seventy,  and  of  hearers  about  three  hun- 
dred. 

2.  There  are  no  two  of  them  which  meet 
for  worship  in  the  same  village  or  town  in 
consequence  of  any  division  among  them- 
selves. Such  things  may  be  borne  with  in 
some  instances  rather  than  worse  ;  but  they 
are  not  among  the  things  which  are  lovely 
and  of  good  report.  Such  tilings  have  ex- 
isted among  these  churches,  but  they  exist 
no  longer. 

3.  There  are  only  three  which  meet  for 
worship  in  towns  where  there  are  indepen- 
dent congregations,  or  any  other  preaching 
which  is  ordinarily  considered  as  evangeli- 
cal ;  and  those  are  places  so  populous  as  to 
furnish  no  just  ground  of  complaint  on  the 
score  of  opposition.     If  our  object  therefore 

*Tliis  is  far  from  being  die  case  in  the  present 
day. — Ed. 


had  been  to  increase  our  number  from  other 
evangelical  connections,  rather  than  by. con- 
versions from  the  world,  we  have  acted  very 
unwisely  in  fixing  on  the  places  where  we 
should  take  our  stand.  It  is  acknowledged 
that  many  members  of  pedobaptist  churches 
have  joined  us  in  consequence  of  their  being 
convinced  of  believers'  baptism  being  the 
only  baptism  taught  and  exemplified  in  the 
Scriptures;  and  that  many  of  our  members 
owe  their  first  religious  impressions  to  the 
labors  of  a  Hervey,  a  Maddox,  and  other 
evangelical  clergymen,  whose  names  are 
dear  to  them  and  to  us  all.  But  the  num- 
ber of  persons  of  both  these  descriptions  fall 
short  of  that  of  persons  who  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  attending  our  worship,  or  have 
come  over  to  us  from  the  ranks  of  the  irre- 
ligious. 

4.  Of  those  who  are  not  in  the  associa- 
tion, three  or  four  are  what  are  called  high 
Calvinists,  holding  the  doctrines  of  election 
and  predestination  in  such  a  way  as  to  ex- 
clude exhortations  and  invitations  to  the  un- 
godly to  believe  in  Christ  for  salvation. 
The  rest,  whether  in  or  out  of  the  associa- 
tion, consider  these  doctrines  as  consistent 
with  exhortations  and  invitations,  as  the 
means  by  which  the  predestined  ends  are 
accomplished.  There  are  individuals  of  a 
different  mind  in  the  other  churches  ;  for 
we  distinguish  between  high  Calvinists  and 
antinomians :  with  the  former  we  do  not 
refuse  communion,  but  with  the  latter  we  do. 

5.  The  greater  part  of  these  ci*urches  are 
not  of  very  long  standing.  In  1689,  when 
a  meeting  of  the  elders  and  messengers  of 
more  than  one  hundred  baptist  churches  was 
held  in  London,  there  were  no  messengers 
from  this  county.  It  does  not  follow  that 
there  were  no  baptist  churches  in  the  county, 
but  they  certainly  were  very  few  and  small. 
Half  the  present  number  at  least  have  been 
raised  within  the  last  fifty  years,  and  many 
of  those  which  were  raised  before  have 
much  more  than  doubled  their  number  since 
that  period.  The  average  clear  increase  of 
those  churches  in  the  county  which  are  in 
the  association  during  the  above  period  is 
about  seventy-five  ;  and  probably  the  clear 
increase  of  the  churches  not  associated 
would  be  much  the  same.  Several  of  those 
which  are  now  flourishing  churches  were 
formerly  small  societies ;  some  of  them 
branches  of  other  churches,  supplied  princi- 
pally by  gifted  brethren  not  wholly  devoted 
to  the  ministry,  but  laboring  with  their  hands 
for  their  own  maintenance,  and  that  of  their 
families. 

G.  If  such  has  been  the  progress  of  things 
during  the  la^t  fifty  years,  what  may  we  not 
hope  for  in  fifty  years  to  come  ?  Were 
the  number  of  these  churches  even  to  con- 
tinue stationary  during  that  period — and 
were  nothing  reckoned  on  but  a  diligent 
perseverance  in  the  stated'  means  of  grace, 


BAPTIST    CHURCHES    IN    NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 


653 


only  including-  occasional  labors  in  adjacent    or  unchristian  behavior  towards  me,  I  have 
villages,  reckoning  three   generations  to  a    forgotten  it. 

century — a  testimony  will  have  been  borne  These  things  I  have  seen  in  some  of  our 
in  each  of  them  to  a  thousand,  and  in  all  of  churches,  and  would  fain  consider  them  as 
them  to  three-and-twenty  thousand  souls,  the  general  feature.  But  truth  obliges  me 
And  if  on  an  average  they  may  be  supposed  to  add,  I  have  also  seen  things  of  another 
to  contain  fifty  truly  Christian  people — for,  description.  1  have  seen  discipline  neglect- 
though  we  admit  none  but  those  who  pro-  ed,  apparently  lest  it  should  injure  the  sub- 
fess  and  appear  to  be  such,  yet  it  cannot  be  scription  ;  and,  if  exercised,  it  has  seemed 
expected  that  all  are  what  they  profess  to  be  to  be  more  from  regard  to  reputation  in  the 
— each  church  will  have  reared  seventy-five,  eyes  of  men  than  from  the  fear  of  God.  I 
and  altogether  seventeen  hundred  and  have  seen  an  evil  in  the  choice  of  ministers  ; 
twenty-live  plants  for  the  heavenly  paradise,  too  much  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  su- 
But  surely  we  need  not  calculate  on  their  perficial  qualification  of  a  ready  off-hand 
remaining  stationary.  If  genuine  Christian-  address,  calculated  to  fill  the  place,  and  too 
ity  does  but  live  among  them  it  will  both  little  to  those  solid  qualities  that  constitute 
"grow  and  multiply."  If  it  multiply  only  the  man  of  God,  and  the  serious,  faithful,  and 
in  the  same  proportion  as  it  has  done  in  the  affectionate  pastor.  I  have  also  seen,  or 
last  half  century,  in  respect  to  the  number  thought  I  have  seen,  in  the  choice  of  dea- 
of  churches,  and  of  members  in  each  church,  cons,  more  regard  paid  to  opulence  than  to 
it  will  increase  considerably  more  than  four-  those  qualifications  required  by  the  New 
fold ;  and  if  from  each  of  these  churches  Testament.  I  have  seen  too  much  of  a 
should  proceed  only  three  or  four  faithful  worldly  spirit,  and  a  conformity  to  the  max- 
and  useful  ministers  of  the  gospel — if  es-  ims  by  which  worldly  men  are  wont  to  regu- 
pecially  there  should  arise  among  them  only    late  their  conduct. 

now  and  then  "a  fruitful  bough" — say  a  I  do  not  know  that  such  things  are  more 
Thomas,  a  Carey,  a  Marshman,  a  Ward,  a  prevalent  in  these  than  in  other  churches  ; 
Chamberlain,  or  a  Chater — "  whose  branch-  but,  wherever  they  prevail,  they  will  be  a 
es  run  over  the  wall  "  of  Christendom  itself;  worm  at  the  root  of  the  gourd.  It  becomes 
who  can  calculate  the  fruits  ?  From  a  part  us  as  ministers  to  inquire  whether  a  large 
of  these  churches,  connected  in  association  portion  of  these  evils  may  not  originate 
with  others  in  the  adjacent  counties,  within  amongst  us.  If  we  were  more  spiritual, 
the  last  twenty  years,  has  "sounded  forth  evangelical,  and  zealous  in  the  work  of  God, 
the  word  of  the  Lord,"  into  the  very  heart  things*  would  be  different  with  the  people. 
of  heathen  and  Mahomcdan  Asia ;  and  as  We  are  apt  to  think  that,  if  we  have  but 
the  times  foretold  in  prophecy,  when  "a  made  up  our  minds  on  the  leading  points  of 
little  one  shall  become  a  thousand  and  a  controversy  afloat  in  the  world,  and  taken  the 
small  one  a  strong'  nation,"  appeared  to  be  side  of  truth,  we  are  safe  ;  but  it  is  not  so. 
fast  approaching,  it  behoves  us  not  only  to  If  we  walk  not  with  God,  we  shall  almost 
"attempt,"  but  also  to  "expect  great  be  certain  in  some  way  to  get  aside  from  the 
things."  gospel,  and  then  the  work  of  God  will  not 

Our  chief  concern  should  be  that  we  may  prosper  in  our  hands.  Ingenious  discourses 
not  disqualify  ourselves  for  possessing  these  may  be  delivered,  and  nothing  advanced  in- 
lively  hopes  by  a  relinquishment  of  the  doc-  consistent  with  the  gospel,  while  yet  the 
trine,  the  worship,  the  discipline,  the  spirit,  gospel  itself  is  not  preached.  We  may 
or  the  practice  of  vital  Christianity.  That  preach  about  Christ  himself,  and  yet  not 
God's  "  way  may  be  known  upon  earth,  and  "  preach  Christ."  We  may  pride  ourselves 
his  saving  health  among  all  nations,"  our  in  our  orthodoxy,  and  yet  be  far  from  the 
prayer  should  be,  "  God  be  merciful  unto  us,  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament ;  may  hold 
and  bless  us,  and  cause  thy  face  to  shine  with  exhortations  and  invitations  to  the  un- 
upon  us"  We  cannot  impart  that  which  we  converted,  and  yet  not  "  persuade  men  ;"  may 
do  not  possess.  plead  for  sound  doctrine,  and  yet  overlook 

I  have  seen  in  those  churches  with  which    the  things  that  "become  sound  doctrine." 
I  have  been  most  intimately  connected  many    Finally,  we  may  advocate  the  cause  of  holi- 
things  which   have   endeared   them  to  me.    ness,  while  we  ourselves  are  unholy. 
Particularly,  a  lively  interest  in  evangelical, 
faithful,  practical,  and  pungent   preaching  ; 
an  attention  to  things  more  than  to  words  ;  a 
taste  for  the  affectionate  more  than  for  the 
curious  ;  a  disposition  to  read  and  think  rather 
than  dispute  ;  a  spirit  to  promote  the  king- 
dom of  Christ :  in  fine,  a  modesty,  gentleness, 
and   kindness   of    behavior.      I   have   been 


DECLINE    OF    THE    DISSENTING    INTEREST. 


PART    THE    FIRST. 


On  looking  over  some  of  the  late  numbers 
of  the  Protestant  Dissenter's   Magazine,  I 


thirty  years  pastor  of  one  of  them;  and,  if   observed  a  complaint  of  the  dissenting  inter- 
there  has  ever  been  an  instance  of  unkind    est  being  on  the  decline.     It  is  true  it  wj 


654 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


not  the  first  time  nor  the  only  place  in  which 
I  had  met  with  this  complaint:  I  never  be- 
fore, however,  found  my  thoughts  so  much 
engaged  by  this  subject,  or  my  mind  equally 
inclined  to  make  inquiry  into  it. 

That  the  dissenting  interest  has  declined 
in  many  places  I  have  no  doubt ;  but 
whether  this  be  the  case  with  the  general 
body  is  the  question.  If  it  be,  it  becomes  us 
to  make  ourselves  acquainted  with  it,  and 
with  its  causes,  that  if  possible  the  malady 
may  be  lessened,  if  not  entirely  healed. 
Yea,  though  it  should  not  be  the  case  with 
the  general  body,  but  only  with  a  consider- 
able number  of  dissenters,  yet,  as  "  one 
member  cannot  suffer  without  the  whole 
body  suffering  with  it,"  it  is  an  object  well 
worthy  of  attention. 

The  present  inquiry  is  naturally  divided 
into  two  parts  ;  one  respects  the  fact  itself, 
and  the  other  the  reasons  of  it.  The  present 
piece  will  be  devoted  to  the  former  of  these 
inquiries,  which  will  be  followed  with  a  sec- 
ond, if  it  meets  with  approbation. 

Is  it  then  a  fact  that  the  dissenting  interest, 
taken  in  the  ivhole,  has,  suppose  I  say  for  the 
last  five-and-twenty  years,  been  upon  the  de- 
cline ? 

I  do  not  pretend  but  that  the  subject  has 
its  difficulties,  and  it  is  very  possible  that  I 
may  be  mistaken.  The  following  observa- 
tions are  however  submitted  to  the  consider- 
ation of  the  reader  : — 

1.  It  cannot  be  doubted  by  persons  of  ob- 
servation that  the  generality  of  the  clergy 
of  this  country  have  of  late  years  lost  ground 
in  the  estimation  of  the  common  people.  To 
say  nothing  of  their  ignorance  of  religion 
(the  people  being  equally  benighted  may 
prevent  their  discovering  this,)  the  oppres- 
sive disposition  of  great  numbers  of  them  in 
the  article  of  tithes,  their  imperious  carriage, 
and  great  inattention  to  morals,  are  matters 
that  all  men  understand.  On  these  accounts 
they  enjoy  but  a  small  portion  of  the  esteem 
of  the  people  ;  and  hence  perhaps,  in  part, 
arises  a  disposition  to  hear  dissenting-  preach- 
ing in  almost  every  place  where  it  is  intro- 
duced. Whether  it  arises  however  from 
this  cause  or  not,  so  far  as  my  observation 
reaches,  it  is  a  fact  that  there  is  a  far  great- 
er disposition  to  hear  dissenting  preaching 
than  there  formerly  was.  I  have  for  some 
time  been  in  the  habit  of  preaching,  on  the 
Lord's  day  evening,  in  eight  or  ten  villages 
round  my  situation,  and  never  met  with  any 
interruption  in  so  doing.  The  people  attend 
with  great  decorum,  from  fifty  to  five  hun- 
dred in  number  ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  but 
such  congregations  might  be  obtained  in  a 
hundred  villages  as  well  as  ten,  provided 
ministers  could  be  found  that  would  go  and 
preach  to  them.  Popular  prejudice,  it  is 
true,  was  kindled  against  the  dissenters  a 
few  years  ago,  by  the  disputes  concerning 
the  repeal  of  the  Corporation  and  Test  Acts ; 


but  this  has  now  very  nearly  subsided.  Men 
who  enter  deeply  into  party  prejudices  may 
continue  much  the  same,  but  the  common 
people  think  little  or  nothing  about  it. 

2.  That  part  of  the  clergy  usually  termed 
evangelical  may  be  said  to  be  more  in  a  state 
of  competition  with  the  dissenters  than  any 
other  ;  and  the  number  both  of  preachers 
and  hearers  of  this  description  has  of  late 
years  much  increased.  Instead  of  consider- 
ing this  circumstance  however  as  a  matter 
of  regret,  many  thinking  people  have  re- 
joiced in  it ;  and  that  not  only  on  account  of 
its  being  favorable  to  the  salvation  of  sin- 
ners, but  as  that  which  will  ultimately,  and 
which  does  already,  in  measure,  befriend  the 
dissenting  interest.  They  collect  large  au- 
ditories it  is  true  ;  but  they  are  very  rarely 
composed  of  persons  who  leave  our  congre- 
gations. This  is  not  the  case  however  in 
the  country.  Their  people  are  generally, 
and  almost  entirely,  made  up  of  persons  who 
were  always  in  the  habit  of  going  to  the  es- 
tablished places  of  worship,  excepting  some 
who  attended  nowhere.  So  far  then  we 
lose  nothing  by  them.  On  the  other  hand, 
considerable  numbers  have  been  gained  by 
their  instrumentality,  however  contrary  it 
may  have  been  to  their  inclinations.  As  the 
situation  of  such  clergymen  is  not  deter- 
mined by  the  choice  of  the  people,  it  often 
falls  out  that,  after  they  have  labored  in  a 
place  for  a  series  of  years,  they  are  removed, 
and  succeeded  by  others  of  a  very  different 
character.  The  consequence  in  almost  all 
such  cases  is  that  the  people  turn  dissenters. 
There  may  be  some  difference  as  to  the  op- 
peration  of  these  causes  between  large  cities 
and  country  towns  and  villages.  On  the 
removal  of  an  evangelical  clergyman  from 
a  parish  church  situated  in  the  former, 
the  people  may  not  be  under  the  like  neces- 
sity to  become  dissenters  as  in  the  latter, 
seeing  they  can  repair  to  others  in  the  same 
city  ;  and,  where  this  is  the  case,  they  may 
be  more  likely  to  form  a  party,  and  keep  up 
a  kind  of  competition  with  the  dissenters. 
But  this  is  the  case  chiefly,  if  not  entirely, 
in  London,  and  a  few  other  populous  places. 
In  the  country,  which  includes  the  far  great- 
er proportion  of  dissenters,  it  is  otherwise. 
I  am  acquainted  with  several  dissenting 
churches,  some  of  which  have  principally 
been  raised,  and  others  greatly  increased, 
by  persons  coming  from  under  what  is  term- 
ed evangelical  preaching  in  the  church  of 
England. 

Similar  observations  might  be  made  on 
the  JVesleyan  and  other  methodists.  It  is 
rare  that'  they  gather  materials  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  dissenters.  But  as  their  hear- 
ers become  truly  religious,  and  begin  to 
read  and  think  for  themselves,  they  are  fre- 
quently known,  either  for  the  sake  of  better 
instruction  or  a  purer  discipline,  to  come  off 
from  their  societies  to  ours.     If  I  were  in- 


DECLINE    OF    THE    DISSENTING     INTEREST. 


C55 


clined  to  act  merely  on  the  principles  of  a 
partizan  (which  God  forbid  I  should)  I  would 
neither  fret  myself  at  their  prosperity,  nor 
use  any  under-hand  means  of  persuasion  to 
bring  them  over.  There  is  no  need  of  ei- 
ther: they  will  come  of  their  own  accord,  if 
they  are  only  treated  by  us  as  we  wish  to 
be  treated  by  them  ;  and  the  same  might  be 
said  of  the  adherents  of  the  evangelical  cler- 
gy 

3.  It  may  be  difficult  to  ascertain,  with  any 

tolerable  de«ree  of  precision,  the  increase  or 
decrease  of  dissenters  throughout  the  nation. 
I  am  not  competent  to  decide  upon  the  state 
of  things  respecting  them,  especially  in  the 
city  of  London.  Of  the  country,  however, 
that  part  of  it  in  particular  which  falls  under 
my  own  immediate  observation,  and  still 
more  of  my  own  denomination,  I  think  I  can 
form  a  pretty  accurate  judgment.  In  the 
county  where  I  reside,  there  are  at  this 
time,  of  one  only  of  the  three  denominations 
of  dissenters,  twenty-four  congregations. 
Twenty-five  years  ago,  as  far  as  my  infor- 
mation extends,  there  were  but  seventeen. 
Three  of  these  have  since  become  extinct, 
but  they  consented  to  dissolve,  and  after- 
wards united  with  other  dissenting  congre- 
gations in  the  same  towns :  they  are  not 
lost  therefore  to  the  dissenting  body.  In 
their  place  ten  new  congregations  have  risen 
up.  Respecting  the  other  fourteen,  I  be- 
lieve that  none  of  them  have,  upon  the 
whole,  decreased,  and  seven  of  them  have 
doubled,  and  some  of  them  much  more  than 
doubled  their  number,  during  the  above  pe- 
riod. 

I  do  not  mention  this  as  a  specimen  of  the 
whole  kingdom.  It  may  not  be  so  in  all 
places.  If  it  were,  the  increase  of  the  dis- 
senting interest  would  be  very  considerable  ; 
but  I  do  suppose  that  nearly  the  same  things 
might  be  said  of  several  other  counties,  as 
well  as  of  that  where  I  reside.  I  cannot 
give  a  minute  account  of  any  of  them,  but  I 
know  of  many  new  and  large  congregations 
in  some  neighboring  counties.  A  respecta- 
ble minister,  of  a  different  denomination 
from  myself,  who  resides  in  one  of  them, 
lately  assured  me  that  he  believed  the  num- 
ber of  dissenters  in  their  county  had  within 
the  last  nine  years  increased  a  thousand. 

4.  If  any  estimate  might  be  taken  from  the 
number  of  places  of  worship  which  have  been 
raised  within  the  last  five-and-twenty  years, 
I  suppose  there  must  be  a  considerable  in- 
crease. It  is  true  they  have  not  all  been 
new  congregations,  but  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  them  have.  It  is  not  by  these  as  it 
is  by  an  increase  of  buildings  in  general,  in 
large  cities  and  trading  places.  These  may 
be  accounted  for  without  supposing  an  in- 
creasing population.  An  increase  of  wealth, 
though  there  should  be  no  alteration  as  to 
the  number  of  the  people,  will  produce  an 
increase  of  buildings.     Add  to  this,  that,  the 


enclosing  system  having  been  carried  to  a 
greater  extent  during  the  present  reign  than 
in  any  former  period,  multitudes  have  been 
driven  from  the  occupation  of  husbandry,  and 
other  employments  dependent  upon  it,  to 
settle  in  cities,  or  large  trading  and  manu- 
facturing towns  ;  by  means  of  which  the 
buildings  in  those  places  are  of  course  in- 
creased. I  know  of  no  causes  which  will 
equally  account  for  the  increase  of  places  of 
worship,  and  therefore  am  inclined  to  think 
it  implies  an  increase  of  the  number  of  wor- 
shippers. 

These  are  a  few,  and  possibly  but  a  few, 
of  the  mediums  by  which  we  may  judge  of 
the  fad.  Persons  of  more  extensive  infor- 
mation may  perhaps  add  to  their  number,  and 
throw  additional  light  upon  the  subject.  Yet, 
even  from  these  alone,  I  am  strongly  inclined 
to  think  that  the  dissenting  interest,  upon  the 
ivhole,  is  not  on  the  decline. 

PART    THE    SECOND. 

In  a  former  paper  I  offered  a  few  reasons 
for  doubting  whether  the  dissenting  interest 
be  upon  the  whole  in  a  state  of  decline.  I 
admit,  however,  that  some  part  of  it  is  so  ; 
and  the  design  of  this  paper  is  to  inquire  into 
the  reasons  or  causes  of  it. 

I  have  carefully  looked  over  a  sketch  of  a 
sermon  on  this  subject  which  appeared  in 
June  last,  and  greatly  approve  many  of  the 
remarks  of  the  worthy  author.  Indeed  there 
is  nothing  in  his  performance  but  what  I  do 
approve,  except  his  passing  over  matters  of 
a  doctrinal  nature,  and  confining  his  recom- 
mendations merely  to  those  of  conduct. 
What  I  have  therefore  to  offer  may  be  con- 
sidered as  an  addition  to  his  remarks. 

"  I  am  not  such  an  enemy  to  innovation," 
any  more  than  your  correspondent,  "  as  to 
think  every  principle  false  which  does  not 
exactly  accord  with  the  creed  of  our  fore- 
fathers ;  but  can  easily  conceive  that  in  the 
course  of  several  years,  in  which  this  king- 
dom has  been  favored  with  the  use  of  the 
sacred  writings,  some  light  may  have  been 
thrown  upon  some  controverted  points." 
Neither  do  I  think  that,  because  various 
points  have  been  disputed  since  their  time, 
we  must  needs  be  nearer  the  truth  than  they 
were ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  that  it  is  very 
possible  we  may  by  such  blasts  as  have  been 
suffered  to  blow  upon  the  church  have  moved 
in  a  degree  from  the  purity  of  the  gospel. 

Though  we  have  a  right  to  deviate  from 
our  ancestors,  provided  we  can  prove  them 
to  have  been  in  the  wrong;  yet,  if  the  dis- 
senting interest  prospered  in  their  hands, 
and  has  declined  in  ours,  it  affords  a  presump- 
tion, at  least,  that  they  were  not  in  the 
wrong,  and  that  a  change  of  principle  has 
been  made  to  a  disadvantage.  It  is  a  fact 
sufficiently  notorious  that  the  leading  doc- 
trines of  the  great  body  of  the  puritans  and 


656 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


nonconformists  were, — the  fall  and  depravity 
of  human  nature,  the  deity  and  atonement 
of  Christ,  justification  by  faith  in  his  righte- 
ousness, and  regeneration  and  sanctification 
by  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit. — Now  it 
is  not  for  the  sake  of  "  retailing  the  calum- 
nies of  our  enemies,"  but  from  a  serious  con- 
cern for  the  welfare  of  the  dissenting  interest, 
that  I  ask,  Is  it  not  a  fact  equally  notorious 
that  a  large  proportion  of  those  dissenting 
congregations  which  are  evidently  in  a  state 
of  declension  have  either  deserted  the  fore- 
going doctrines,  or  hold  communion  ivith  those 
who  have  ?  I  hope  I  need  not  repeat,  what 
has  so  often  been  said  by  others,  that  there 
is  something  in  these  doctrines  which  in- 
terests the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men, 
very  differently  from  a  mere  harangue  on 
the  beauty,  excellency,  and  advantages  of 
virtue  ;  or  from  any  other  kind  of  preaching 
where  they  are  admitted. 

What  is  the  reason  that  the  generality  of 
the  parish  churches  are  so  thinly  attended  ? 
Is  it  any  violation  of  Christian  charity  to  an- 
swer, because  the  generality  of  the  clergy 
do  not  preach  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  ? 
There  is  nothing  in  their  preaching  that  in- 
terests the  hearts,  or  reaches  the  consciences 
of  the  people.  They  have  "rejected  the 
knowledge  of  God,  and  God  hath  rejected 
them  from  being  priests  to  him." — Hos.  iv.  6. 
They  are  unconcerned  about  the  souls  of  the 
people,  and  the  people  perceive  it,  and  are 
not  concerned  to  attend  upon  their  ministry. 
The  same  causes  will  produce  the  same  ef- 
fects, whether  out  of  the  establishment  or 
in  it. 

If  we  have  rejected  the  atonement  of  Christ, 
it  is  not  difficult  to  prove  that  we  reject  the 
doctrine  of  the  cross,  which  is  the  grand 
doctrine  that  God  hath  blessed,  and  will 
bless,  to  the  salvation  of  men',  if  we  reject 
the  deity  of  Christ,  besides  relinquishing  the 
worship  of  him,  which  was  manifestly  a 
primitive  practice,  and  withdrawing  all  well- 
founded  trust  in  him  for  the  salvation  of  our 
souls,  we  reject  the  only  ground  upon  which 
an  atonement  can  be  supported,  and,  by  rest- 
ing all  its  efficacy  upon  divine  appointment, 
render  it  "  possible  that  the  blood  of  bulls  or 
of  goats,  or  the  ashes  of  a  heifer,  might  have 
taken  away  sin." — Heb.  x.  4.  If  we  reject 
the  doctrine  of  "justification  by  faith  "  in  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  we  are  on  a  footing 
with  those  Jews  who  "attained  not  to  the 
law  of  righteousness,  because  they  sought  it 
not  by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by  the  works  of 
the  law  ;  for  they  stumbled  at  that  stumbling- 
stone."  And,  if  we  reject  the  doctrine  of 
regeneration  and  sanctification  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  we  need  not  expect  him  to  set  his 
seal  to  our  labors. 

There  are  some  amongst  us  who  do  not 
reject  these  doctrines,  but  who  nevertheless 
hold  Christian  fellowship  with  those  that  do  ; 
and  this,  if  I  mistake  not,  will  tend  greatly 


to  undermine  their  spiritual  prosperity.  Let. 
no  man  be  persecuted  for  his  religious  senti- 
ments, not  even  an  infidel  or  an  atheist :  but 
persecution  is  one  thing,  and  declining  to 
hold  Christian  communion  with  them  is 
another.  Socinians  are  more  consistent  than 
some  who  would  be  accounted  moderate 
Calvinists.  They  plead  for  a  separate  com- 
munion ;  and  a  separate  communion  they 
ought  to  have.  The  ills  which  arise  from  a 
contrary  practice  are  more  than  a  few.  If 
you  admit  into  your  communion,  say  four 
or  five  individuals,  who  reject  the  foregoing 
doctrines,  you  cannot,  without  appearing  to 
insult  those  whom  you  have  acknowledged 
as  Christian  brethren,  dwell  upon  them  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  your  ministry.  Gen- 
erally speaking,  there  will  be  a  bar  to  pulpit 
freedom  ;  and  you  must  either  displease 
your  friends,  or  hold  the  leading  principles 
of  the  gospel  as  though  you  held  them  not. 

I  have  no  desire  that  any  doctrine  should 
be  insisted  upon  in  a  litigious  manner,  or  so 
as  to  supersede  any  other  doctrine  or  duty 
of  Christianity.  But  there  are  principles 
which  ought  to  form  the  prominent  feature 
of,  I  had  almost  said,  all  our  discourses.  It 
is  a  poor  excuse  for  a  Christian  minister  to 
make  for  his  omitting  in  some  way  or  other 
to  introduce  Christ,  that  his  subject  did  not 
lead  to  it.  There  is  not  an  important  sub- 
ject in  divinity,  either  doctrinal  or  practical, 
but  what  bears  an  intimate  relation  to  him. 
And  I  must  say,  if  any  of  these  important 
doctrines  are  withheld,  as  being  of  little  im- 
portance, or  because  there  are  individuals  in 
the  congregation  who  disapprove  of  them,  a 
blast  will  assuredly  follow  our  labors. 

Much  has  been  said  in  favor  of  what  is 
termed  liberality,  and  enlargedness  of  heart : 
but  perhaps  it  may  not  have  occurred  to  some, 
that  the  Christian  doctrine  of  enlargement 
differs  widely  from  that  which  is  generally 
inculcated  in  the  present  age.  "  O  ye  Co- 
rinthians," says  the  apostle,  "our  mouth  is 
open  to  you,  our  heart  is  enlarged.  Ye  are 
not  straitened  in  us,  but  ye  are  straitened  in 
your  own  bowels.  Now  for  a  recompense 
in  the  same — be  ye  also  enlarged."  And  to 
what  means  does  the  apostle  direct,  for  the 
accomplishment  of  so  desirable  an  object  ? 
Does  he  desire  them  to  extend  their  com- 
munion ?  Not  so  :  but  to  contract  it. — "  Be 
ye  not  unequally  yoked  together  with  un- 
believers :  for  what  fellowship  hath  righte- 
ousness with  unrighteousness,  and  what  com- 
munion hath  light  with  darkness,  and  what 
concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial,  and  what 
part  hath  he  that  believeth  with  an  infidel  ?  " 
—2  Cor.  vi.  11—15. 

This  direction  may  to  some  persons  ap- 
pear highly  paradoxical,  yet  it  is  founded  in 
the  reason  and  nature  of  things.  For — (1) 
Christian  enlargement  depends  upon  "  fel- 
lowship, communion,  concord,"  and  a  mutual 
participation  of  spiritual  interests.     If  only  a 


AGREEMENT    IN    SENTIMENT     THE    BOND    OF    UNION. 


657 


single  stranger  enter  into  a  society,  there  is 
at  once  a  bar  to  freedom  ;  and,  if  a  number 
of  them  be  admitted,  a  general  silence,  or 
what  is  next  to  silence,  ensues.  The  com- 
pany may  be  enlarged,  but  their  communion 
is  "straitened." — (2)  A  union  in  Christian 
fellowship  with  improper  persons  tends  to 
impede  tiie  progress  of  good  men  in  the  di- 
vine life.  It  is,  as  the  apostle  supposes,  like 
the  "yoking"  of  a  sprightly  horse  to  a  tardy 
ass  :  the  latter  will  be  certain  to  obstruct  the 
activity  and  usefulness  of  the  former. — (3) 
By  such  unions  good  men  are  frequently 
drawn  into  a  sinful  conformity  to  the  world. 
The  company  we  keep  will  ever  have  an  in- 
fluence upon  our  minds  and  affections,  and 
will  tend  to  transform  us  in  a  measure  into 
the  same  likeness. 

It  may  be  objected  that  the  apostle  does 
not  here  forbid  them  to  have  fellowship  with 
professed  Christians  of  different  sentiments, 
but  with  avowed  unbelievers,  or  "infidels." 
This  is  true  :  but  the  general  principle  upon 
which  he  proceeds  is  applicable  not  merely 
to  fellowship  with  professed  unbelievers,  but 
with  nominal  Christians  of  certain  descrip- 
tions. This  principle  is,  that  Christian  en- 
largement is  not  accomplished  by  extending 
our  connections,  but  by  confining  them  to  per- 
sons with  whom  we  can  have  fellowship,  com- 
munion, concord,  and  a  mutual  participation 
of  spiritual  interests.  There  are  few  per- 
sons of  serious  reflection  but  who  have  seen 
and  lamented  the  effects  of  a  union  between 
certain  good  men  in  the  national  establish- 
ment, and  others  of  a  very  different  charac- 
ter, with  whom,  on  account  of  their  continu- 
ing in  the  church,  they  are  in  the  habit  of 
associating.  They  are  all  professed  Chris- 
tians, and  all  unite  together  at  the  Lord's 
supper  ;  but  there  is  no  more  foundation  for 
Christian  fellowship  than  if  the  one  were 
what  they  are,  and  the  other  avowed  infi- 
dels. Some  of  these  good  men,  it  is  true, 
withdraw  from  all  intimate  acquaintance 
with  persons  even  in  their  own  communion 
who  do  not  discover  a  love  to  the  gospel, 
and  form  their  acquaintance  amongst  those 
who  do:  but  others  have  been  carried  away 
and  drawn  into  measures  highly  dishonora- 
ble to  their  Christian  character,  and  injuri- 
ous to  their  usefulness  in  the  cause  of  God. 
Now  the  same  reasoning  will  hold  good  out 
of  the  church  as  well  as  in  it.  If  we  form 
religious  connections  with  persons  in  whom 
there  is  no  proper  foundation  for  "  fellowship, 
communion,  concord,"  and  a  mutual  participa- 
tion of  spiritual  interests,  we  in  so  doing  be- 
come "straitened"  rather  than  "enlarged." 

Much  has  been  said  in  favor  of  unity  of 
affection  luithout  a  unity  in  principle.  But 
such  affection,  if  it  can  exist,  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  any  thing  inculcated  by  the  gos- 
pel. Christian  affection  is  "  for  the  truth's 
sake  that  dwelleth  in  us."  It  does  not  ap- 
pear to  me,  however,  that  it  can  exist. 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  83 


From  any  thing  that  I  have  felt  in  myself, 
or  observed  in  others,  I  cannot  perceive 
any  such  thing  as  unity  amongst  men,  ex- 
cept in  proportion  as  they  possess  a  conge- 
niality of  principles  and  pursuits.  It  is  not 
possible  in  the  nature  of  things  that  "  two 
can  walk  together  except  they  be  agreed." 
They  may  not  indeed  be  agreed  in  all  things  ; 
but,  so  far  as  they  disagree,  so  far  there  is  a 
want  of  union ;  and  the  ground  of  affection 
between  them  is  not  those  things  wherein 
they  are  at  variance,  but  those  things  where- 
in they  are  agreed.  It  argues  great  inat- 
tention to  the  human  mind  and  its  operations 
to  suppose  that  there  can  be  affection,  un- 
less it  can  be  merely  that  of  good -will, 
where  there  is  no  agreement.  Those  who 
plead  for  such  affection  are  as  much  united 
in  society  by  agreement  in  sentiment  as 
other  people,  only  that  sentiment  may  be  of 
a  different  kind.  They  may  set  aside  an 
agreement  in  the  great  principles  of  the 
gospel  as  a  ground  of  union,  but  they  are 
certain  to  substitute  something  else  in  their 
place.  They  have  their  fundamentals  and 
circumstantials  as  well  as  other  people. 
Whatever  things  they  are  which  deeply 
interest  the  mind,  whether  they  be  things 
evangelical  or  things  political,  things  which 
relate  to  doctrine  or  things  which  affect  the 
order,  form,  and  discipline  of  the  church, 
these  are  our  fundamentals,  and  in  these 
we  shall  ever  require  an  agreement,  while 
other  things  are  dispensed  with  as  matters 
of  less  importance. 

I  am  a  dissenter,  and  a  rigid  regard  to 
Christ's  kingly  authority  is  in  my  esteem  a 
sacred  thing.  For  all  the  honors  and  emolu- 
ments in  the  establishment,  I  would  not 
pollute  my  conscience  by  subscribing  to  its 
common  prayer,  or  conforming  to  its  un- 
scriptural  ceremonies.  Yet  1  do  not  consider 
my  dissent  as  the  chief  thing  in  religion. 
So  to  consider  it  would  in  my  judgment 
be  making  it  an  idol ;  and,  if  this  were  gene- 
ral, the  dissenting  interest  would  cease  to 
be  the  interest  of  Christ.  But  I  am  persua- 
ded that  at  present  this  is  not  the  case. 
May  those  things  which  are  amiss  amongst 
us  be  the  objects  of  our  attention,  that  we 
may  not  only  repent,  and  do  our  first  works, 
but  strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  and 
which  are  ready  to  die. 


AGREEMENT    IN    SENTIMENT     THE     BOND    OF 
CHRISTIAN    UNION. 

[Letter  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Palmer  of  Hack- 
ney, in  1796.] 

I  have  no  partiality,  certainly,  for  the 
established  church.  I  believe  it  will  come 
down,  because  it  is  inimical  to  the  kingdom 
of  Christ :  yet  I  respect  many  churchmen, 
and  shall  not  refuse  preaching  in  their  pul- 
pits, provided  I  may  go  on  in  my  own  way. 


658 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


Mr.  Eyre  pressed  me  to  preach  for  him ; 
and,  by  complying  with  his  request,  I  ma- 
terially served  the  mission. 

As  to  dissenters,  I  consider  a  dissent  from 
the  church  of  England,  or  any  other  church, 
as  affording  no  proper  ground  of  religious 
union.  The  thing  itself  is  merely  negative. 
As  dissenters  we  are  not  necessarily  united 
in  any  thing,  except  that  we  do  not  approve 
of  the  church  establishment.  We  may  be 
enemies  to  the  government  of  God,  and  the 
gospel  of  Christ ;  yea,  we  may  be  avowed 
infidels,  and  yet  hold  this.  I  therefore  have 
no  notion  of  throwing  what  little  weight  I 
may  possess  into  the  dissenting  scale,  mere- 
ly as  such  ;  though,  if  other  things  were 
equal,  I  should  certainly  do  so.  These  re- 
marks have  no  respect  to  my  conduct  at 
Hackney,  but  are  in  answer  to  what  you 
say  on  that  subject  in  general. 

The  doubts  which  I  expressed  respecting 
your  sentiments  arose  from  no  one's  insinua- 
tions, but  from  reading  a  pamphlet  which 
you  published  some  years  ago.  It  may  now 
be  fourteen  years  since  I  read  it;  but  I  then 
thought  it  too  much  in  favor  of  indifference 
to  what  I  esteemed  important  truth.  Since 
then,  you  know,  we  have  conversed  togeth- 
er ;  and,  from  the  whole,  I  was  inclined  to 
hope  that  your  regard  to  what  I  accounted 
evangelical  sentiments  was  greater  than  I 
had  supposed  it  to  be.  And  the  general 
approbation  which  you  have  since  bestowed 
upon  my  Letters  on  Socinianism  left  me  no 
reason  to  doubt  that,  whatever  might  be 
your  speculations  on  the  modus  of  the  divine 
subsistence,  you  did  not  reject  either  the 
atonement  of  Christ  or  his  proper  divinity. 
If  I  had  reason  to  believe  of  any  man  that 
he  did  not  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  or  rely  upon  his  atoning  sacrifice  for 
acceptance  with  God,  I  could  not  acknowl- 
edge him  as  a  Christian  brother,  or  pay  him 
any  respect  in  a  religious  way.  But,  by 
whomsoever  these  great  truths  are  cordially 
admitted,  I  trust  it  will  ever  be  the  desire 
of  my  heart  to  pray  on  their  behalf  with 
the  apostle,  Grace  and  peace  be  with  them  ! 

Now,  however,  you  inform  me  that  you 
"  reject  no  doctrine  from  any  dislike  to  it." 
But,  if  I  were  satisfied  that  the  worship  of 
Christ  is  idolatry,  I  think  I  ought  to  reject 
it  with  abhorrence.  I  imagine  however 
you  mean  that,  supposing  you  are  mistaken 
in  any  of  these  matters,  it  is  not  from  any 
bias  of  heart,  but  from  mere  mistake.  1 
own  that  I  dare  not  say  so  respecting  any 
mistakes  of  which  I  may  be  the  subject.  I 
reckon  that  such  is  the  perspicuity  of  God's 
word  that  if  I  err  on  any  important  truth,  or 
precept,  it  must  be  owing  to  some  evil  bias 
to  which  I  am  subject,  though  I  am  unhap- 
pily blinded  to  it. 

You  have  "  no  precise  ideas  of  the  person 
of  Christ,  and  you  suppose  that  I  have 
none."     We  may  neither  of  us  fully  com- 


prehend that  mysterious  subject ;  yet  you 
will  admit  that  there  is  a  material  difference 
between  the  ideas  of  one  who  calls  upon  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  one  who  does 
not,  but  considers  him  as  merely  a  fellow 
creature. 

You  "despise  the  man  who  cannot  main- 
tain a  brotherly  connection  with  another, 
because  he  thinks  for  himself."  I  wish 
every  man  to  think  for  himself,  and  also  to 
act  for  himself;  but  if  in  the  exercise  of  this 
right  he  thinks  the  Son  of  God  an  impostor, 
and  his  doctrine  a  lie,  or  lives  in  the  viola- 
tion of  his  commands,  I  think  myself  not 
only  entitled,  but  bound,  to  withhold  all 
brotherly  connection  with  him  of  a  religious 
nature;  not  because  he  thinks  or  acts  for 
himself,  but  because  in  my  judgment  (and 
my  judgment  must  be  the  rule  of  my  con- 
duct) he  thinks  and  acts  wrong.  We  may 
think  and  act  for  ourselves,  and  yet  do  both 
in  such  a  way  as  shall  subject  us  to  the 
just  abhorrence  of  every  friend  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  The  worst  of  beings  thinks 
for  himself:  "  when  he  speaketh  a  lie,  he 
speakoth  of  his  oivn." 

You  "  do  not  desire  the  friendship  of  any 
one  who  makes  a  similarity  of  opinion  the 
condition  of  it."  I  am  not  fond  of  calling 
the  great  articles  of  my  faith  "  opinions." 
Faith  and  opinion  are  different  things.  If 
you  mean  sentiment,  I  acknowledge  1  do  de- 
sire the  friendship  of  many  who  make  a 
similarity  in  the  one  the  condition  of  the 
other,  and  am  willing  they  should  ask  me 
any  question  they  think  proper  concerning 
my  faith.  Nay,  I  may  say  farther,  I  wish 
to  be  on  terms  of  religious  friendship  with 
no  man,  unless  he  be  a  friend  to  what  I  con- 
sider the  first  principles  of  the  oracles  of 
God.  Nor  can  I  persuade  myself  that  you, 
notwithstanding  your  strong  language,  will 
"  despise  "  me  on  that  account.  If  it  be  so, 
however,  I  must  bear  it  as  well  as  I  can. 

Christian  love  appears  to  me  to  be,  "for 
the  truth's  sake  that  dwelleth  in  us."  Eve- 
ry kind  of  union  that  has  not  truth  for  its 
bond  is  of  no  value  in  the  sight  of  God,  and 
ought  to  be  of  none  in  ours. 

You  tell  me,  there  are  "  those  who  consider 
me  as  unsound  in  other  doctrines,  but  this  does 
not  diminish  your  regard  forme."  Perhaps 
not:  it  were  rather  singular  to  suppose  it 
should.  You  have  too  much  good  sense, 
sir,  to  disregard  me  for  what  other  people 
think  of  me.  But,  if  you  yourself  thought  me 
unsound,  you  would  ;  or  at  least,  I  should 
say,  you  ought ;  and  perhaps  it  may  make 
you  smile  if  I  add,  I  should  think  the  worse 
of  you  if  you  did  not.  As  to  others,  who 
may  think  me  unsound,  I  imagine  they  do 
not  as  such  regard  me  ;  nay,  I  hope  for  their 
sakes  that  so  far  they  disregard  me.  I  may 
think  they  misjudge  me,  and  may  wish  to 
set  them  right.  I  may  think  ill  of  their  sen- 
timents, as  they  do  of  mine  ;  but,  while  they 


ON     OKJUINATIUN 


659 


judge  me  unsound,  I  neither  expect  nor  de- 
sire their  approbation.  I  had  rather  they 
should  disesteem  me  than  pretend  to  esteem 
me  in  a  religious  way,  irrespective  of  my 
religious  principles.  All  the  esteem  that  I 
desire  of  you,  sir,  or  of  any  man,  towards 
me,  is  for  the  truth  that  in  your  judgment 
dwelleth  in  me,  and  operateth  in  a  way  of 
righteousness. 

I  have  heard  a  great  deal  of  union  with- 
out sentiment ;  but  I  can  neither  feel  nor 
perceive  any  such  thing,  either  in  myself  or 
others.  All  the  union  that  I  can  feel  or 
perceive  arises  from  a  similarity  of  vines 
and  pursuits.  No  two  persons  may  think 
exactly  alike  ;  but,  so  far  as  they  are  unlike, 
so  far  there  is  a  want  of  union.  We  are 
united  to  God  himself  by  becoming  of  one 
mind  and  one  heart  with  him.  Consider  the 
force  and  design  of  Amos  iii.  3,  "  Can  two 
walk  together  except  they  be  agreed  ? " 
You  might  live  neighborly  with  Dr.  Priest- 
ley, but  you  would  not  feel  so  united  with 
him  in  heart  as  if  he  had  been  of  your  senti- 
ments, nor  he  with  you  as  if  you  had  been 
of  his.  You  may  esteem  a  churchman,  if 
he  agree  with  you  in  doctrine,  and  be  of  an 
amiable  disposition;  but  you  would  feel  much 
more  united  with  him  if  in  addition  to  this 
he  were  a  dissenter.  You  may  regard 
some  men  who  are  rigid  Calvinists,  on  some 
considerations  ;  but  you  would  regard  them 
more  if  they  were  what  you  account  more 
liberal  in  their  views,  and  more  moderate 
towards  others  who  differ  from  them ;  that 
is,  if  they  were  of  your  mind  upon  the  doc- 
trine of  Christian  forbearance. 

Men  of  one  a?e  may  have  quarrelled 
about  religious  differences  and  have  perse- 
cuted one  another,  as  papists  and  protest- 
ants  have  done  in  Prance  ;  and  the  same 
descriptions  of  men  in  another  age  may 
despise  these  litigations,  as  the  French  have 
lately  done,  and  not  care  at  all  whether  a 
man  be  papist  or  protestant,  provided  he  en- 
ters heartily  into  revolutionary  principles. 
But  all  this  arises  from  their  having  substi- 
tuted the  importance  of  an  agreement  in  a 
political  creed  in  the  place  of  one  that  is 
religious.  Agreement  in  sentiment  and 
pursuit  is  still  the  bond  of  union. — Even 
those  who  unite  in  church  fellowship  upon 
the  principle  of  what  they  term  free  inquiry, 
or  universal  toleration,  are  in  that  principle 
agreed:  and  this  is  the  bond  of  their  union. 
They  consider  this  as  the  all  in  all,  and  con- 
sent to  exercise  forbearance  towards  each 
other  in  every  thing  else.  Such  a  commu- 
nion, I  confess,  appears  to  be  just  as  scrip- 
tural and  as  rational  as  if  a  number  of  per- 
sons should  agree  to  worship  together,  but 
consent  that  every  one  should  be  at  liberty 
to  act  as  he  thought  proper,  and  so  admit 
the  universal  toleration  of  every  species 
of  immorality.      Nevertheless,  even   here, 


a  similarity  of  sentiments  would  be  the 
bond  of  union. 

You  can  unite  with  men  "  who  are  not 
exactly  of  your  sentiments." — So  can  I — 
But  that  in  which  I  unite  with  them  is  not 
any  thing  in  which  sentiment  has  no  con- 
cern. It  is  that  wherein  we  are  agreed  that 
is  the  bond  of  our  union ;  and  those  things 
wherein  we  differ  are  considered  as  objects 
of  forbearance,  on  account  of  human  imper- 
fection. Such  forbearance  ought  undoubt- 
edly to  be  exercised  in  a  degree,  especially 
in  things  which  both  sides  must  admit  to 
be  not  clearly  revealed,  which  are  properly 
called  opinions,  and  are  little  other  than 
mere  speculations.  And,  even  in  things 
which  in  our  judgment  are  clearly  revealed, 
there  ought  to  be  a  degree  of  forbearance  ; 
much  in  the  same  way  as  we  forbear  with 
each  other's  imperfections  of  a  practical 
nature,  where  the  essential  principles  of 
morality  are  not  affected. 

You  are  "not  a  party  man,  and  hope  you 
never  shall  be,  to  please  any  set  of  people 
whatever."  I  hope  so  too :  but  I  wish  in- 
flexibly to  adhere  to  the  side  of  truth  and 
righteousness,  so  far  as  I  understand  them, 
in  every  punctilio,  in  order  to  please  God. 

"A  decided  judgment  on  some  points," 
you  consider  as  "  unimportant,  and  think 
there  is  room  for  mutual  candor."  If  those 
points  are  unrevealed,  I  say  so  too :  but  I 
do  not  consider  either  the  deity  or  the 
atonement  of  Christ  as  coming  under  this 
description,  and  I  hope  you  think  the  same. 
Without  the  former,  we  cannot  with  any 
consistency  call  on  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,  which  is  the  characteristic 
of  a  primitive  believer ;  and  without  the 
latter,  I  need  not  say  to  you,  sir,  that  the 
gospel  is  rendered  of  none  effect.  As  to 
"candor,"  it  is  due  to  all  men,  even  infidels 
and  atheists ;  but  candor  will  not  lead  me 
to  treat  them  as  objects  of  divine  favor,  but 
to  speak  the  truth  to  them  in  love. 

Possibly  you  may  think  it  unfair  to  reason 
as  I  have  done  from  practices  to  principles, 
and  that  we  ought  to  make  a  wide  differ- 
ence between  the  one  and  the  other.  But 
the  difference,  as  it  appears  to  me,  is  only 
as  the  difference  between  root  and  branch. 
Faith  is  not  a  mere  speculation  of  the  un- 
derstanding, nor  unbelief  a  mere  mistake  in 
judgment.  They  are  both  of  amoral  nature, 
or  salvation  would  not  be  connected  with  the 
former  and  final  condemnation  with  the  latter. 

I  ought  perhaps  to  apologize  for  having 
written  so  much,  in  the  manner  I  have  done  ; 
but  I  think  you  will  not  take  it  amiss.  The 
collision  of  thoughts  from  persons  who  have 
been  in  different  habits  and  connections  is 
sometimes  of  mutual  advantage.  If  you 
should  disapprove  of  my  remarks,  try  and  set 
me  right,  and  you  will  be  entitled  to  my 
grateful  acknowledgments. 


660 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


ON    ORDINATION. 

RE-ORDINATION,   AND    THE    LAYING    ON     OF 
HANDS. 

[To  the  Editor  of  the  Biblical  Magazine.] 

It  having  been  the  practice  of  some  dis- 
senting ministers  to  receive  ordination  but 
once,  it  became  a  question  at  a  meeting 
lately  held  in  the  country  whether  a  pastor 
removing  to  another  church  should  be  re- 
ordained.  The  ministers  about  to  engage 
in  such  a  service,  considering  ordination 
not  as  a  designation  to  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry (of  which  they  find  no  examples  in  the 
New  Testament,)  but  as  a  solemn  appoint- 
ment to  office  in  a  Christian  church,  were  of 
opinion  that  a  previous  ordination  had  no 
influence  on  an  appointment  to  office  in 
another  church.  They  allowed  that  re- 
ordination  is  unprecedented  in  the  New 
Testament ;  and  so  also  is  the  removal  of  a 
pastor  from  one  church  to  another  :  if  the 
latter  were  found,  they  supposed  the  former 
would  accompany  it. 

Some  conversation  took  place  at  the  same 
meeting  also  on  the  scriptural  ground,  for 
the  laying  on  of  hands  in  ordination.  In  fa- 
vor of  this  practice  it  was  alleged — 1.  That 
it  appears  to  have  been  used  in  all  ages  of 
the  church,  where  persons  were  set  apart 
to  sacred  work. — Numb,  xxvii.  18 — 20. 
That  though  often  connected  with  the  com- 
munication of  extraordinary  gifts,  yet  it 
was  not  always  so.  It  is  not  certain  that  it 
was  for  this  purpose  that  hands  were  laid 
upon  the  seven  deacons  of  the  church  at 
Jerusalem  (Acts  vi.  6;)  and  it  is  certain  that 
when  the  church  at  Antioch  laid  hands  on 
Saul  and  Barnabas  (Acts  xiii.  3)  it  was  not 
for  this  purpose,  seeing  they  were  possessed 
of  extraordinary  gifts  already.  In  this  case, 
they  were  ordinary  persons  who  laid  hands 
upon  the  extraordinary. — 3.  That  when  the 
laying  on  of  hands  was  accompanied  with 
the  conferring  of  extraordinary  gifts,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  they  were  imposed  for 
that  specific  purpose  only. — See  Acts  viii. 
17 — 19,  xix.  5,  6.  4.  That  ordination  is  ex- 
pressed by  laying  on  of  hands  :  "  Lay  hands 
suddenly  on  no  man,"  &c.  But  that  which 
is  used  to  express  or  describe  a  practice, 
would  seem  to  be  an  important  if  not  an 
essential  part  of  it. 

Two  of  your  correspondents  have  honor- 
ed me  with  their  remarks  on  the  above  hints 
on  ordination.  If  I  add  a  few  more,  it  is 
with  no  design  to  enter  into  any  thing  like 
contention  on  the  subject.  "Mr.  Howe" 
was  a  great  and  good  man  ;  and,  while  he 
considered  ordination  as  a  designation  to 
the  Christian  ministry,  it  is  no  wonder  he 
should  answer  as  he  did.     But  I  see  no  evi- 


dence deducible  from  Acts  xiv.  23  that  this 
is  the  scriptural  idea  of  it.  Paul  and  his 
companions,  having  formed  these  believers 
into  Christian  churches,  proceeded  to  or- 
ganize them  with  proper  officers.  These 
elders  or  presbyters  who  were  ordained  by 
the  suffrage  of  the  churches  were  officers 
in  those  churches,  and  not  merely  Christian 
ministers  appointed  to  preach  the  gospel 
wherever  a  door  might  be  opened.  Your 
correspondent  C.  speaks  of  "other  passages 
which  he  forbears  to  quote."  If  he  can 
produce  an  instance  of  ordination  being  a 
designation  to  the  Christian  ministry  as  such, 
his  argument  will  be  established,  but  not 
else. 

Candor  requires  me  to  acknowledge,  in 
reply  to  Amicus,  that  from  what  he  has  re- 
marked on  Acts  xiii.  3,  I  suspect  myself  to 
have  been  under  a  mistake  in  supposing  that 
the  laying  on  of  hands  in  that  instance  was 
by  the  church.  My  reason  for  thinking  so 
was  that  the  exercises  of  fasting  and  prayer 
were  not  likely  to  be  confined  to  the  pro- 
phets and  teachers,  and  therefore  not  that 
of  laying  on  of  hands  ;  but  upon  a  review  of 
the  subject  I  incline  to  think  that  the  latter 
was  done  by  the  prophets  and  teachers  in 
the  name  of  the  church.  The  point  how- 
ever which  was  there  attempted  to  be  proved 
is  not  affected  by  this  mistake.  This  was, 
that  the  laying  on  of  hands  was  not  always 
for  the  purpose  of  conveying  extraordinary 
gifts ;  but,  whoever  they  were  that  laid 
hands  on  Barnabas  and  Saul,  it  could  not 
be  for  this  purpose,  since  it  is  pretty  evident 
that  they  were  possessed  of  them  before. 
I  may  add,  I  do  not  consider  this  as  an  in- 
stance of  ordination,  but  of  the  designation 
of  two  Christian  missionaries  to  the  gentiles. 

Amicus  speaks  of  "Saul  not  being  yet 
ordained  an  apostle."  Surely  he  is  here 
greatly  beside  the  mark.  Is  not  an  apostle 
one  immediately  seiit  of  Christ  without  any 
human  authority  ?  Did  not  Saul  receive 
ordination  to  that  office  at  the  time  of  his 
conversion? — See  Acts  xxvi.  16 — 18,  com- 
pared with  Gal.  i.  1, 12 — 17,  and  1  Cor.  xi.  1. 

With  respect  to  the  general  question  on 
what  grounds  the  practice  of  ordination  rests 
among  congregational  churches,  and  where- 
in the  essence  of  it  consists,  I  am  not  pre- 
pared to  enter  into  "  a  complete  investiga- 
tion of  the  subject ;"  a  close  examination  of 
the  Acts  and  the  epistles  with  this  point  in 
view  might  possibly  correct  some  of  my 
ideas.  At  preesnt  I  can  only  offer  a  few 
brief  hints. 

Viewing  the  subject  as  I  do,  namely,  as 
a  designation  of  a  persori  to  an  office  in  a 
Christian  church,  I  find  that  in  such  cases 
the  church  made  the  election,  and  the 
apostles  and  other  elders  set  him  apart  with 
prayer  (as  I  suppose)  and  the  laying  on  of 
hands. — Acts  vi.  3 ;  xiv.  23.  Titus  i.  5. 
Such  is  the  general  ground  of  my  practice 


ON    ORDINATIONS. 


661 


when  I  engage  in  an  ordination.  In  doing 
this,  I  claim  not  to  be  a  successor  of  the 
apostles,  any  otherwise  than  as  every  faith- 
ful pastor  is  such  :  nor  pretend  to  constitute 
the  party  ordained  a  Christian  minister,  for 
this  he  was  as  being  a  teacher  antecedent  to 
his  being  ordained  a  pastor  ;  nor  to  impart 
power  or  "  authority  to  administer  gospel 
ordinances."  It  appears  to  me  that  every 
approved  teacher  of  God's  word,  whether 
ordained  the  pastor  of  a  particular  church  or 
not,  is  authorised  to  baptize  ;  and  with  re- 
spect to  the  Lord's  supper,  though  I  should 
think  it  disorderly  for  a  young  man  who  is 
only  a  probationer,  and  not  an  ordained  pas- 
tor, to  administer  that  ordinance,  yet  I  see 
nothing  objectionable,  if,  when  a  church  is 
destitute  of  a  pastor,  it  were  administered 
by  a  deacon  or  an  aged  brother ;  I  know  of 
no  scriptural  authority  for  confining  it  to 
ministers.  Nay,  I  do  not  recollect  any 
mention  in  the  Scriptures  of  a  minister  being 
employed  in  it,  unless  we  reckon  our  Lord 
one.  I  do  not  question  but  that  the  primi- 
tive pastors,  whose  office  it  was  to  preside 
in  all  spiritual  affairs,  did  administer  that 
ordinance  as  well  as  receive  and  exclude 
members  ;  but,  as  a  church  when  destitute 
of  a  pastor  is  competent  to  appoint  a  deacon 
or  aged  brother  to  officiate  in  these  cases,  I 
know  of  no  reason  to  be  gathered  from  the 
Scriptures  why  they  should  not  be  the  same 
in  the  other. 

The  only  end  for  which  I  join  in  an  ordi- 
nation is  to  unite  with  the  elders  of  that  and 
other  churches  in  expressing  my  brotherly 
concurrence  in  the  election,  which,  if  it  fell  on 
ivhat  I  accounted  an  unsound  or  unworthy 
character,  I  should  withhold.  Though  church- 
es are  so  far  independent  of  each  other  as 
that  no  one  has  a  right  to  interfere  in  the 
concerns  of  another  without  their  consent, 
unless  it  be  as  we  all  have  a  right  to  exhort 
and  admonish  one  another,  yet  there  is  a 
common  union  required  to  subsist  between 
them,  for  the  good  of  the  whole  :  and,  so  far 
as  the  ordination  of  a  pastor  affects  this  com- 
mon or  general  interest,  it  is  fit  that  there 
should  be  a  general  concurrence  in  it.  It 
was  on  this  principle,  I  conceive,  rather  than 
as  an  exercise  of  authority,  that  the  apostles, 
whose  office  was  general,  took  the  lead  in 
the  primitive  ordinations.  When  the 
churches  increased,  they  appointed  such 
men  as  Timothy  and  Titus  to  do  what  they 
would  have  done  themselves,  had  they  been 
present  ;  and,  when  all  extraordinary  offi- 
cers ceased,  the  same  general  object  would 
be  answered-  by  the  concurrence  of  the 
elders  ofthe  surrounding  churches.  Though 
the  apostles  and  other  extraordinary  officers 
in  the  church  had  an  authority  which  no  or- 
dinary pastor,  or  company  of  pastors,  pos- 
sess ;  yet  in  many  things  they  did  no  more 
than  what  loould  be  lawful  for  others  to  do,  if 
they  could  and  would  do  it.     If  they  planted 


churches,  set  them  in  order,  and  ordained 
elders  over  them,  it  was  not  because  the 
same  things  would  not  have  been  valid  if 
done  without  them,  but  because  they  would 
not  have  been  done.  Let  but  churches  be 
planted,  set  in  order,  and  scripturally  organ- 
ized ;  and  whether  it  be  by  apostles,  evan- 
gelists, or  ordinary  pastors,  all  is  good  and 
acceptable  to  Christ.  Paul  left  Timothy  at 
Ephesus  that  he  might  "charge  some  that 
they  taught  no  other  doctrine."  But  if  the 
Ephesian  teachers  had  been  of  themselves 
attached  to  the  truth,  neither  Paul  nor  Tim- 
othy would  have  been  offended  for  their 
interference  being  rendered  unnecessary. 
Titus  was  left  in  Crete,  "  to  set  in  order  the 
things  that  were  wanting,  and  to  ordain 
elders  in  every  city : "  but  if  things  were 
but  set  in  order,  and  proper  elders  ordained 
in  the  churches  of  Crete,  it  were  no  matter 
whether  Paul  the  apostle,  Titus  the  evange- 
list, or  the  wisest  of  their  own  elders,  take 
the  lead  in  it.  Let  them  but  have  had  wis- 
dom and  virtue  enough  in  the  island  to  have 
accomplished  these  ends,  and  Paul  would 
have  "  rejoiced  in  beholding  their  order,  and 
the  steadfastness  of  their  faith  in  Christ." 

VALIDITY    OF  LAY  ORDINATION. 

While  I  was  at  Aberdeen,  I  was  waited 
upon  by  a  deputation,  consisting  ofthe  pas- 
tor, a  deacon,  and  another  member  of  a  little 
baptist  church,  lately  formed  at  New  Byth, 
near  Old  Deer,  Aberdeenshire.  A  baptist 
minister,  now  in  Norfolk,  was  the  episco- 
pal minister  at  Old  Deer,  till  the  year  1799. 
At  that  time  his  views  were  altered  concern- 
ing baptism  :  and  he  went  to  London,  and 
was  baptized  by  Mr.  Booth.  Soon  after  a 
baptist  church  of  ten  members,  out  of  his 
former  congregation,  was  formed  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  church  then  proceeded 
to  choose  one  of  their  members  to  be  their 
pastor;  and  on  March  2<>,  1803,  they  set 
him  apart  to  that  office  by  prayer.  Some  of 
the  members  however  were  not  satisfied  as 
to  the  validity  of  his  ordination,  seeing  there 
were  no  pastor  or  pastors  from  other  church- 
es present  to  join  in  it.  A  few  of  them  had 
communed  together  at  the  Lord's  table  ;  but 
the  rest  stood  aloof,  merely  on  this  account. 
Their  errand  to  me  was  to  request  my  judg- 
ment on  the  validity  of  his  ordination  ;  and, 
if  I  thought  it  invalid,  that  I  would  come 
and  ordain  him. 

I  told  them,  if  there  had  been  any  other 
pastors  of  churches  within  their  reach,  it 
would  have  been  proper  to  request  their 
concurrence  and  assistance;  and  that,  if  I 
had  been  there  at  the  time,  I  should  have 
had  no  objection  to  join  in  prayer,  and  in  the 
laying  on  of  hands.  But,  as  things  were,  I 
could  not  see  how  they  could  have  acted 
otherwise  than  they  had  done.  And,  as  to 
my  now  ordaining  him,  I  could  do  no  such 


662 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


thing;  partly  because  it  would  imply  that  I 
thought  him  not  as  yet  their  pastor,  which 
was  not  true  ;  and  partly  because  it  would 
convey  an  idea  of  my  having  to  impart  to 
another  minister  some  power  or  authority, 
of  which  I  had  no  conception.  My  advice 
was  that  they  should  all  be  satisfied  with 
what  was  done. 

ADMINISTERING    THE  LORD'S   SUPPER  WITH- 
OUT  ORDINATION. 

[Address  to  a  young  Minister.] 

Relative  to  your  question,  I  must  say,  it 
appears  to  me  very  wrong  to  administer  the 
Lord's  supper  without  ordination,  as  it  goes 
to  render  void  that  ordinance.  Ordination 
of  elders,  in  every  church,  was  a  practice  of 
the  first  churches  (Acts  xiv.  23,)  and  we 
should  not  make  light  of  it.  It  is  calculated 
to  keep  out  unworthy  characters  from  the 
churches. 

There  was  a  Mr. ,  that  would  have 

settled  at ,  if  we,  as  ministers,  would 

have  been  at  his  ordination  ;  but  we  knew 
the  man  to  be  of  a  bad  character,  and  re- 
fused it.     The  consequence  was,  he  stopped 

awhile,   and   then  left,  and  went  into , 

where  he  made  great  havock  of  some  of 
their  churches. 

Ordination  seems  originally  intended  for 
guarding  against  bad  characters  (1  Tim.  v. 
22 ;)  I  have,  therefore,  been  much  concern- 
ed to  see  the  practice  of  administering  the 
Lord's  supper  obtain  prior  to  it ;  which 
tends  to  set  it  aside  ;  and  will,  I  am  per- 
suaded, be  a  source  of  many  mischiefs  in 
the  churches. 

I  am  told  of  a  very  respectable  church, 
which  has  lately  fallen  a  prey  to  a  designing 
man,  whom  they  have  ordained.  As  none 
of  the  neighboring  ministers  would  attend, 
they  determined  to  do  without  them.  The 
consequence,  I  doubt  not,  will  be  mischiefs 
incalculable. — I  do  not  suppose  these  would 
occur  in  your  case  ;  but  you  should  not  make 
light  of  an  ordinance  of  Christ,  and  which, 
in  other  cases,  may  be  of  great  importance. 

ADMINISTERING    THE    LORD'S   SUPPER  WITH- 
OUT   A    MINISTER.* 

[Substance  of  the  reply  given  (in  1805)  to  a  bap- 
tist church  in  Edinburgh,  who,  being  destitute  of  a 
pastor,  bad  communicated  at  the  Lord's  table  with- 
out the  assistance  of  a  minister,  and  requested  the 
author's  opinion  of  the  validity  of  their  practice.] 

I  told  them  that  probably  there  were  few 
of  my  brethren  who  might  be  of  my  mind  ; 
but  I  had  long  been  of  opinion  that  there 

*  Though  this  article  has  no  immediate  connec- 
tion with  the  subject  of  ordination,  its  insertion 
here  is  deemed  advisable  from  its  relation  to  the 
topic  of  the  preceding  piece,  and  its  amplification 
of  a  sentiment  expressed  in  p.  660. — Ed. 


was  no  scriptural  authority  for  confining  the 
administration  of  the  Lord's  supper  to  a 
minister.  I  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  primi- 
tive pastors  did  preside  at  the  Lord's  table, 
as  well  as  in  the  reception  and  exclusion  of 
members,  and  in  short  in  all  the  proceedings 
of  the  church  ;  and  that,  where  there  was  a 
pastor,  it  was  proper  that  he  should  continue 
to  do  so.  But  that  when  a  pastor  died,  or 
was  removed,  the  church  was  not  obliged  to 
desist  from  commemorating  the  Lord's  death 
any  more  than  from  receiving  or  excluding 
members  ;  and  that  it  was  as  lawful  for  them 
to  appoint  a  deacon,  or  any  senior  member, 
to  preside  in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other. 

Neither  did  I  recollect  that  any  minister 
is  said  to  have  administered  the  Lord's  sup- 
per, unless  we  consider  our  Saviour  as  sus- 
taining that  character  at  the  time  of  its  in- 
stitution ;  and  this  silence  of  the  Scriptures 
concerning  the  administrator  appeared  to 
me  to  prove  that  it  was  a  matter  of  indif- 
ference.— Finally,  I  told  them  that  it  was 
not  the  practice  of  our  English  churches; 
that  they,  many  of  them,  would  send  for  the 
pastors  of  other  churches  to  perform  this 
office  ;  and  that  I  for  one  had  often  complied 
with  such  requests.  I  could  wish  however 
it  were  otherwise,  and  that  every  church, 
when  destitute  of  a  pastor  would  attend  to 
the  Lord's  supper  anions;  themselves. 

It  is  the  practice  of  this  and  all  the  bap- 
tist churches  in  Scotland  to  commemorate 
the  Lord's  death  every  Lord's  day.  I  do  not 
think  this  to  be  binding,  but  am  persuaded 
there  can  be  nothing  wrong  in  it,  and  that 
probably  it  was  the  practice  of  the  primitive 
churches. 

COUNSELS  TO  A    YOUNG    MINISTER    IN    PROS 
PECT    OF    ORDINATION. 

Kettering,  Aug.  30,  1810. 
My  dear  Friend, 

As  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  I  shall  be 
able  to  attend  your  ordination,  you  will  al- 
low me  to  fill  up  the  sheet  with  brotherly 
counsel. 

You  are  about  to  enter,  my  brother,  on  the 
solemn  work  of  a  pastor;  and  I  heartily  wish 
you  God  speed.  I  have  seldom  engaged  in 
an  ordination  of  late  in  which  I  have  had  to 
address  a  younger  brother,  without  thinking 
of  the  apostle's  words  in  2  Tim.  iv.  5,  6,  in 
reference  to  myself  and  others,  who  are  going 
off  the  stage. — "  Make  full  proof  of  thy  min- 
istry :  for  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and 
the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand  !  "  Your 
charge  at  present  is  small ;  but,  if  God  bless 
you,  it  may  be  expected  to  increase,  and  of 
course  your  labors  and  cares  will  increase 
with  it.  If  you  would  preserve  spirituality, 
purity,  peace,  and  good  order  in  the  church, 
you  must  live  near  to  God  yourself,  and  be 
diligent  to  feed  the  flock  of  God  with  evan- 
gelical truth.     Without  these,  nothing  good 


THE    APOSTOLIC    OFFICE. 


663 


will  be  done.  Love  your  brethren,  and  be 
familiar  with  them ;  not,  however,  with  that 
kind  of  familiarity  which  breeds  disrespect 
by  which  some  have  degraded  themselves  in 
the  eyes  of  the  people,  and  invited  the  op- 
position of  the  contentious  part  of  them  ; 
but  that  which  will  endear  your  fellowship, 
and  render  all  your  meetings  a  delight. 
Never  avail  yourself  of  your  independence 
of  the  people  in  respect  of  support  to  carry 
matters  with  a  high  hand  amongst  them. 
Teach  them  so  to  conduct  themselves  as  a 
church,  that,  if  you  were  to  die,  they  might 
continue  a  wise,  holy,  and  understanding 
people.  The  great  secret  of  ruling  a  church 
is  to  convince  them  that  you  love  them,  and 
say  and  do  every  thing  for  their  good.  Love, 
however,  requires  to  be  mingled  with  faith- 
fulness, as  well  as  faithfulness  with  love. 
Expect  to  find  defects  and  faults  in  your 
members,  and  give  them  to  expect  free  and 
faithful  dealing  while  connected  with  you : 
allow  them,  also,  to  be  free  and  faithful  to- 
wards you  in  return.  There  will  be  many 
faults  which  they  should  be  taught  and  en- 
couraged to  correct  in  one  another ;  others 
will  be  proper  subjects  of  pastoral  admoni- 
tion ;  and  some  must  be  brought  before  the 
church.  But  do  not  degrade  the  dignity  of 
'a  church  by  employing  it  to  sit  in  judgment 
on  the  shape  of  a  cap,  or  a  bonnet ;  or  on 
squabbles  between  individuals,  which  had 
better  be  healed  by  the  interposition  of  a 
common  friend.  The  church  should  be 
taught,  like  a  regiment  of  soldiers,  to  attend 
to  discipline,  when  called  to  it,  in  a  proper 
spirit:  not  with  ebullitions  of  anger  against 
an  offender,  but  with  fear  and  trembling,  con- 
sidering themselves,  lest  they  also  be  tempt- 
ed. Let  no  one  say  to  another,  Overlook 
my  fault  to-day,  and  I  will  overlook  yours  to- 
morrow ; — but,  rather,  Deal  faithfully  with 
me  to-day,  and  I  will  deal  faithfully  with  you 
to-morrow. 

I  have  always  found  it  good  to  have  an 
understanding  with  the  deacons  upon  every 
case  before  it  is  brought  before  the  church. 
Neither  they  nor  the  members  have  always 
been  of  my  opinion  ;  and  where  this  has 
been  the  case  I  have  not  attempted  to  carry 
a  measure  against  them,  but  have  yielded, 
and  this  not  merely  from  prudence,  but  as 
knowing  that  others  have  understanding  as 
well  as  I,  and  may  therefore  be  in  the  right. 
In  this  way  I  have  been  pastor  of  the  church 
which  I  now  serve  for  nearly  thirty  years, 
without  a  single  difference. 

A  young  man,  in  your  circumstances,  will 
have  an  advantage  in  beginning  a  church  on 
a  small  scale.  It  will  be  like  cultivating  a 
garden  before  you  undertake  a  field.  You 
may  also  form  them  in  many  respects  to 
your  own  mind  ;  but,  if  your  mind  be  not  the 
mind  of  Christ,  it  will,  after  all,  be  of  no  use. 
Labor  to  form  them  after  Christ's  mind,  and 


you  will  find  your  own  peace  and  happiness 
in  it. 

Mercy  and  truth  attend  you  and  the  part- 
ner of  your  cares  ! 

I  am,  &.c. 

A.  Fuller. 


ON    THE    APOSTOLIC    OFFICE. 

EuBULUS,in  what  he  has  written  upon  the 
apostolic  office,  having  expressed  a  wish  for 
the  subject  to  be  examined,  I  take  the  liberty 
of  suggesting  a  few  hints  to  his  considera- 
tion. 

Allowing  the  word  apostle  to  signify  a  mis- 
sionary, it  does  not  seem  to  follow  that  call- 
ing an  ordinary  preacher,  who  is  sent  to  pub- 
lish the  gospel  among  the  heathen,  by  the 
latter  name,  is  improper  or  "  unscriptural." 

The  word  haxovuv,  which  is  used  of  the 
office  of  a  deacon,  signifies  to  minister  to  the 
wants  of  others,  or  to  serve.  A  deacon  was 
a  servant ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  the  ap- 
plication of  the  word  servant  to  other  per- 
sons as  well  as  deacons  is  improper  or  un- 
scriptural. A  deacon  was  a  servant  of  a 
particular  kind ;  and  such  is  the  idea  which 
the  word  conveys  ;  but  the  term  servant  is 
more  generic,  and  therefore  is  properly  ap- 
plied to  persons  who  serve  in  other  capaci- 
ties as  well  as  this.  Every  deacon  was  a 
servant,  but  every  servant  was  not  a  deacon. 

It  should  seem  that  the  same  may  be  said 
of  a7ro(TTQKog,  the  term  used  to  express  the 
office  of  an  apostle.  It  signifies  a  messenger 
or  missionary ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
application  of  either  of  these  terms  to  other 
persons  as  well  as  apostles  is  improper  or  un- 
scriptural. An  apostle  was  a  messenger,  or 
missionary,  of  a  particular  kind ;  and  such 
is  the  idea  which  the  word  conveys  ;  but  the 
terms  messenger  and  7nissionan/  are  more 
generic,  and  therefore  are  properly  applied  to 
any  persons  who  are  sent  with  a  message  to 
a  distance.  Every  apostle  was  a  messenger 
and  a  missionary,  but  every  messenger  and 
missionary  was  not  an  apostle.  Epaphrodi- 
tus  was  the  «^-oa-TOXOg,  or  messenger,  of  the 
Philippians  to  Paul  (Phil.  ii.  25  ;)  and  those 
who  are  called  in  our  translation  "  the  mes- 
sengers  of  the  churches  "  (2  Cor.  viii.  23)  are 
denominated  by  the  same  name,  a7rcxrrohot. 
The  word  also  that  is  used  for  the  sending 
out  of  ordinary  preachers  of  the  gospel  among 
the  heathen,  properly  means  to  send  on  a 
mission  ;  and  is  the  same  (with  only  the  dif- 
ference of  the  verb  and  the- noun)  as  that 
which  is  rendered  an  apostle.  "  How  shall 
they  call  on  him,  in  whom  they  have  not  be- 
lieved ;  and  how  shall  they  believe  in  him  of 
whom  they  have  not  heard  ;  and  how  shall 
they  hear  without  a  preacher  ;  and  how  shall 
they  preach  except,  awrra^axri,  they  be  sent? 
— Rom.  x.  15. 


664 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


Upon  the  whole,  I  hope  Eubulus  will  re- 
consider his  censure  of  the  translators,  for 
naturalizing  the  term  aToa-T-oAO/,  when  ap- 
plied to  those  messengers  immediately  com- 
missioned by  Christ,  by  rendering  it  apostles, 
rather  than  translating  it  messengers  or  mis- 
sionaries.  The  naturalization  complained 
of  resembles,  in  this  instance  at  least,  that  of 
the  common  name  by  which  we  denominate 
the  holy  Scriptures,  calling  them  the  Bible, 
from  0i@KOg,  the  book.  To  have  translated 
this,  and  called  it  the  book,  would  not  have 
distinguished  it  from  certain  parts  of  it,  which 
also  bear  that  name. — Matt.  i.  1.  But  to 
call  it  the  Bible  suggests  the  very  idea  re- 
quired ;  that  is,  the  book  by  way  of  eminence, 
the  book  of  books.  So  avoo-roKoi,  if  transla- 
ted messengers,  or  missionaries,  would  not 
have  distinguished  the  twelve  disciples  from 
other  messengers,  or  missionaries  ;  but,  ren- 
dered apostles,  it  conveys  the  true  idea ; 
namely,  that  of  messengers  of  an  extraordi- 
nary kind,  or  messengers  by  way  of  eminence. 


ON    TERMS    OF    COMMUNION. 

REMARKS    ON    INFANT    BAPTISM     AND     INFANT 
COMMUNION. 

[Ill  reply  to  some  papers  written  by    the  Rev. 
S.  Newton,  of  Norwich.] 

The  piece  by  "  An  Old  Congregational- 
ist"  seems  to  invite  an  answer  from  both 
baptists  and  paidobaptists.  If  the  following 
remarks  be  acceptable  on  behalf  of  the  for- 
mer they  are  at  your  service. 

Whether  or  not  I  can  convince  your 
respectable  correspondent  (  with  whom,  if 
I  am  not  mistaken,  I  have  some  acquaint- 
ance )  I  hope  he  will  allow  what  I  advance 
to  be  "  friendly,"  and  as  free  from  "  the  air 
of  angry  controversy  "  as  he  can  desire. 

That  the  plea  for  infant  communion  is 
equally  valid  with  that  of  infant  baptism 
you  will  not  expect  me  to  dispute.  If  I 
could  be  convinced  of  the  one,  I  see  no 
reason  why  I  should  scruple  the  other.  If 
one  of  your  pa?dobaptist  correspondents 
should  think  proper  to  answer  in  behalf  of 
his  brethren,  it  will  belong  to  him  to  point 
out  the  grounds  for  admitting  the  former 
while  he  rejects  the  latter.  My  share  of 
the  answer  is  merely  to  notice  the  argu- 
ments for  infant  communion  taken  from 
the  Scriptures,  or  from  other  acknowledged 
duties. 

We  are  accused  at  the  outset  of  having, 
"  without  a  divine  precept,  separated  the 
children  of  believers  from  the  church  of 
God."  To  this  I  answer — 1.  Allowing 
them  to  have  been  in  the  church  under  the 
Old  Testament,  it  does  not  follow  that  they 
should  be  members  of  churches  under  the 
New  Testament.     "  A  Cono-regationalist " 


must  admit  of  a  very  material  difference  in 
the  constitution  of  the  church  under  these 
different  dispensations  ;  so  material  as  that 
the  laws  of  admission  to  the  one  are  no  rule 
by  which  to  judge  of  the  other.  If  he  will 
not,  however,  he  must  consider  as  members 
of  the  church,  not  only  his  own  children, 
but  all  that  are  born  in  his  house,  or  bought 
with  his  money.  Or,  if  he  refuse  this  con- 
sequence, he  brings  upon  himself  his  own 
charge,  of  separating  the  poor  servants 
from  the  church  of  God,  without  a  divine 
precept.  Should  he  in  this  case  allege  that 
there  is  no  precept  or  example  in  the  New 
Testament  for  admitting  them,  he  would 
furnish  an  answer  which  is  no  less  applica- 
ble to  the  other. — 2.  But,  before  the  charge 
of  separating  the  children  of  believers  from 
the  church  of  God  had  been  preferred,  it 
should  have  been  proved  that  they,  as  such, 
were  ever  in  it.  Unless  the  whole  Israel- 
itish  nation  were  believers,  it  could  not  be 
as  the  children  of  believers  that  their  de- 
scendants were  admitted  to  divine  ordinan- 
ces. If  "  the  habits  and  practices  of  the 
Jews"  prove  any  thing,  they  will  prove  too 
much,  at  least  for  a  "  Congregational  ist." 
They  will  not  only  require  the  admission 
of  servants  born  in  the  house,  or  bought 
with  money,  but  the  very  constitution  of  the 
church  must  be  national.  Their  children 
and  servants  must  not  only  be  admitted  in 
infancy,  but  continue  in  full  communion 
when  adults,  though  there  should  be  no 
proof  of  their  being  any  other  than  grace- 
less characters. 

But  we  agree,  it  is  said,  "  to  take  our 
children  to  family  and  public  worship  ;  to 
teach  them  to  read  the  Bible  with  serious- 
ness and  attention,  instruct  them  in  cate- 
chisms and  in  private  prayer ;  for  all  which 
they  have  no  more  understanding  than  for 
the  Lord's  supper."  It  is  not  however  for 
want  of  understanding  that  we  object  to  it, 
but  the  want  of  Scripture  precept  or  exam- 
ple. If  God  had  required  it,  or  the  first 
churches  practised  it,  we  should  think  our- 
selves as  much  obliged  to  bring  our  chil- 
dren to  the  Lord's  supper  as  ihe  Israelites 
were  to  bring  theirs  to  the  passover.  It 
appears  to  me  that  great  mistakes  have 
arisen  from  confounding  moral  obligations 
with  positive  institutes.  The  former  are 
binding  on  all  mankind,  and  therefore  re- 
quire to  be  inculcated  on  every  one  within 
the  reach  of  our  influence  :  the  latter  are 
limited  to  a  part  of  mankind,  usually  de- 
scribed in  the  institutions  themselves.  The 
one  being  founded  in  our  relation  to  God 
and  one  another,  and  approving  themselves 
to  the  conscience,  require  neither  precept 
nor  precedent,  but  merely  a  general  prin- 
ciple which  shall  comprehend  them ;  the 
other,  having  their  origin  merely  in  the 
sovereign  will  of  God,  require  a  punctilious 
adherence   to  what  is  revealed  concerning 


ON    TERMS    OF    COMMUNION. 


665 


them.  While  we  engage  in  what  is  purely 
moral,  and  what  is  therefore  right  for  every 
one  to  engage  in,  we  incur  no  relative  guilt, 
whatever  be  the  motives  or  even  the  mani- 
fest characters  of  those  who  unite  with  us, 
any  more  than  in  contributing  with  an  irre- 
ligious man  to  the  relief  of  the  poor:  but 
in  what  is  positive,  if  the  parties  with  whom 
we  unite  be  virtually  excluded  by  the  in- 
stitution, we  are  accessory  to  their  doing 
what,  in  their  present  state  of  mind,  they 
have  no  right  to  do.  For  want  of  attending 
to  this  plain  distinction,  some  have  gone  so 
fir  as  to  refuse  to  engage  in  public  prayer 
in  a  promiscuous  assembly,  and  even  to 
join  in  family  worship,  if  any  were  present 
whom  they  accounted  unbelievers.  Pro- 
ceeding on  the  same  principle,  the  "  Con- 
gregitionalist "  appears  to  me  to  err  in  the 
opposite  extreme;  arguing  from  our  joining 
in  what  is  right  for  all  men  that  we  ought 
to  join  in  what  the  Scriptures  limit  to  cer- 
tain   characters. 

The  appeal  is  next  made  to  the  New 
Testunent.  Here  it  becomes  us  to  be  all 
attention.  "Were  not  the  first  churches 
composed  of  households?"  That  there 
were  some  households  in  them  is  clear  ;  and 
we  have  some  in  many  of  our  churches. 
But  why  did  not  the  "  Congregationalist  " 
prove  that  some  of  them  at  least  were  in- 
fants ?  If  he  could  have  done  this,  all  his 
other  arguments  might  have  been  spared. 
It  might  indeed  be  supposed  that  households 
will  ordinarily  consist  of  some  of  this  de- 
scription ;  and,  if  we  were  not  given  to 
understand  the  contrary  in  these  instances, 
the  presumption  migrht  appear  in  favor  of 
this  supposition.  But  it  so  happens  that 
each  of  these  households  appears  from  the 
Scripture  accounts  to  have  been  composed 
of  believers. — Acts  xvi.  34 — 40. 1  Cor.  i.  16  ; 
xvi.  15. 

"Were  not  parents  told,  if  they  believed, 
they  and  their  house  should  be  saved?" 
The  head  of  one  family  was  thus  addressed: 
"Believe in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved,  and  thy  house."  But  surely 
the  meaning  of  this  is  that,  if  he  and  his 
house  believed,  they  should  all  be  saved. 
If  Paul  and  Silas  meant  to  say  his  house 
should  be  saved,  though  he  only  believed, 
why  is  it  added  in  the  next  verse,  "  And 
they  spoke  unto  him  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
and  to  all  that  ivere  in  his  house?"  The 
pharisees  seemed  desirous  of  establishing 
their  claim  on  the  ground  of  having  Abra- 
ham to  their  father :  but  John  the  baptist 
did  not  allow  of  it,  but  intimated  that  the  axe 
was  now  laid  to  the  root  of  the  tree,  and  that 
every  tree  which  brought  not  forth  good  fruit 
should  be  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire. 
Who  would  have  thought  that  "An  Old 
Congregationalist"  could  have  pleaded,  not 
merely  for  the  admission  of  children  to 
Christian  ordinances  in  virtue  of  the  faith  of 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  84 


their  parents,  but  for  their  being  actually 
saved  ?  I  have  heard  of  certain  professors  of 
religion  in  the  fens  of  Cambridgeshire  and 
Lincolnshire  who  hold  this  opinion  with  great 
earnestness,  and  who  on  the  ground  of  their 
forefathers'  faith  rest  assured  of  salvation, 
whatever  be  their  own  characters ;  but  I 
should  not  have  expected  such  a  notion  to 
have  found  an  advocate  in  your  worthy  cor- 
respondent. 

"Is  there  an  instance  of  an  adult  descend- 
ant of  a  believer  that  was  admitted  into  the 
church  throughout  the  whole  of  the  New 
Testament  ?  "  Yes,  several.  All  the  house- 
holds before  mentioned  were  adults,  and 
some  of  them  were  doubtless  descendants 
from  the  heads  of  those  families.  But  I  sup- 
pose your  correspondent  means  there  is  no 
instance  of  their  being  admitted  at  a  distance 
of  time  after  their  parents  ;  and  this  I  believe 
is  true.  But  it  is  equally  true  that  there 
is  no  instance  of  a  wife,  a  husband,  or  a 
child,  being  converted  after  their  partners  or 
their  parents ;  cases  which  nevertheless,  no 
doubt,  frequently  occurred.  The  truth  is, 
the  New  Testament  is  a  history  of  the  first 
planting  of  the  church,  and  not  of  its  progress. 
If  such  evidence  as  this  amounts  to  "  a  moral 
certainty  "  that  children  were  received  into 
the  church  with  their  parents,  I  am  at  a  loss 
what  to  denominate  uncertainty. 

The  Scriptures  inculcate  a  strict  and  holy 
discipline,  both  in  the  church  and  in  the  fam- 
ily ;  and  I  cannot  but  consider  it  as  a  strong 
presumption  against  the  practice  for  which 
your  correspondent  pleads  that  the  command 
to  "bring  up  our  children  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord  "  is  addressed  not  to 
ministers  or  churches,  but  to  parents.  Nor 
is  there,  that  I  recollect,  in  all  that  is  said  in 
the  apostolic  epistles,  to  parents  or  children, 
a  word  which  implies  the  latter  to  have  stood 
in  the  relation  of  church  members. 

There  is  some  ingenuity  in  what  is  said  in 
answer  to  objections  ;  and  if  moral  and  posi- 
tive duties  must  be  confounded,  and  we  are 
driven  to  reason  from  analogy  on  the  one  as 
well  as  the  other,  there  may  be  some  force 
in  it.  But,  if  positive  institutes  require  Scrip- 
ture precept  or  example,  the  want  of  these 
must  needs  be  the  grand,  and,  I  suspect,  the 
insurmountable  objection. 


STRICTURES  ON  THE  REV.  JOHN  CARTER'S 
"  THOUGHTS  ON  BAPTISM  AND  MIXED  COM- 
MUNION, IN  THREE  LETTERS  TO  A  FRIEND  ; 
IN  WHICH  SOME  ANIMADVERSIONS  ARE 
MADE  ON  THE  REV.  ABRAHAM  BOOTH'S 
APOLOGT." 

The  "Paedobaptist"  addresses  his  pam- 
phlet to  a  baptist.  The  first  letter  gives  the 
author's  reasons  for  his  own  practice.  The 
two  others  are  in  favor  of  a  mixed  commu- 
nion between  baptists  and  pasdobaptists  at 


66G 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


the  Lord's  table.  We  pass  over  that  part  of 
his  piece  which  relates  merely  to  baptism, 
with  only  observing  that  the  author  in  plead- 
ing for  sprinkling  is  not  so  convinced  of  it 
as  to  think  his  own  side  "exclusively  right." 
In  the  second  and  third  letters,  where  he 
pleads  for  mixed  communion,  it  is  observable 
too  that  he  admits  the  principle  of  the  strict 
baptists ;  namely,  that  baptism  is  an  indis- 
pensable prerequisite  to  fellowship  at  the 
Lord's  table.  But  he  thinks  that  each  may 
acknowledge  the  validity  of  the  other's  bap- 
tism, and  endeavors  to  persuade  his  corres- 
pondent that  he  ought  not,  unless  he  can 
establish  his  claim  to  infallibility, to  consider 
himself  as  exclusively  right ;  that  is,  he  would 
have  him  allow  that  those  who  have  been 
sprinkled  in  infancy  are  baptized,  though  it 
may  be  in  his  judgment  not  in  so  scriptural 
a  manner  as  himself.  He  censures  Mr. 
Booth  with  some  severity  for  assuming  in 
his  "Apology"  that  psedobaptists  are  unbap- 
tized, and  that  their  thinking  themselves  oth- 
erwise is  ajalse  persuasion.  Finally,  he  dis- 
claims any  dominion  over  the  faith  of  the 
baptists,  and  thinks  the  baptists  ought  to  claim 
none  over  his. 

To  the  above  reasoning  we  suppose  a  strict 
baptist,  it  may  be  his  correspondent,  would 
answer  nearly  as  follows  :  I  feel  obliged  to 
you,  dear  sir,  for  your  kindly  inviting  me  and 
my  brethren  to  unite  with  you  in  commemo- 
rating the  death  of  our  common  Lord.  I 
give  you  full  credit  for  the  brotherly  affec- 
tion by  which  you  are  influenced,  and  should 
be  happy  if  this  wall  of  separation  could  be 
removed,  without  our  dispensing  with  an 
ordinance  of  Christ.  As  the  ground  of  our 
union,  you  propose  to  me  a  principle  which, 
if  it  could  be  admitted,  would,  I  acknowledge, 
accomplish  the  end.  But  do  you  not  perceive 
that,  in  admitting  it,  I  must  relinquish  not 
merely  my  practice  of  strict  communion, 
but  my  principles  as  a  baptist,  or  if  you  please 
as  an  antipadobaplist,  and  either  refuse 
to  baptize  any  in  future  who  have  been 
sprinkled  in  their  infancy,  which  the  far 
greater  part  have  been,  or,  when  I  do  so,  be 
guilty  of  re-baptizing  them  and  thus  be- 
come in  reality,  what  1  have  hitherto  disown- 
ed with  abhorrence,  an  emabaptist. 

In  your  last  letter  you  say,  "  It  is  certainly 
just  and  right  that  each  should  act  upon  his 
own  principles."  And  no  doubt  if  a  union 
were  accomplished  it  must  proceed  on  this 
ground.  But  your  second  and  third  letters 
require  us  to  relinquish  what  is  essential  to 
our  being  antipctdoba  plisls,  and  insist,  as  I 
just  now  said,  on  our  either  giving  up  the 
practice  of  baptizing  those  who  have  been 
sprinkled  in  their  infancy,  or  becoming 
avowed  anabaptists.  If  indeed  our  princi- 
ples as  antipasdobaptists  be  unscriptural, 
they  ought  to  be  relinquished:  but  I  do  not 
perceive,  from  any  thing  you  have  advanced, 
that  they  are  so :  and,  in  pleading  for  mix- 


ed communion,  it  is  not  your  professed  ob- 
ject to  prove  them  so. 

I  make  no  pretence  to  being  infallibly 
right,  neither  do  you,  I  dare  say,  in  any  of 
your  religious  sentiments  ;  yet  there  are  ma- 
ny things  in  which  you  certainly  consider 
yourself,  and  those  of  your  mind,  as  exclu- 
sively so.  In  the  same  light  I  consider  my 
views  of  baptism.  You  express  astonish- 
ment and  offence  at  Mr.  Booth's  saying  that 
in  our  judgment  you  are  unbaptized.  But  I 
am  no  less  astonished  that  you  who  have 
known  so  much  of  us  should  yet  have  to 
learn  that  it  is  not  possible  for  a  baptist  to 
consider  you  in  any  other  light.  The  mo- 
ment he  does  so  he  ceases  to  be  a  baptist. 
Yes,  sir,  in  our  judgment  you  are  unbap- 
tized ;  and  our  judgment  must  decide  our 
practice.  You  have  doubtless  a  right  to 
judge  for  yourselves,  and  far  be  it  from  us 
to  wish  to  deprive  you  of  any  part  of  that 
inalienable  privilege  ;  but  in  a  question  of 
communion,  in  every  thing  necessary  to 
it,  which  you  allow  baptism  to  be,  our  judg- 
ment and  yours  must  coincide. 

If  Mr.  Booth  had  been  reasoning  with 
you,  lie  would  not  have  taken  it  for  granted 
that  you  were  baptized.  But,  when  reason- 
ing with  the  baptists,  he  had  a  right  to  do  so  ; 
nor  is  there  any  cause  for  you  to  be  offend- 
ed at  it.  There  would  be  an  end  of  argu- 
mentation, if  what  is  allowed  on  both  sides 
of  a  controversy  to  be  false  may  not  be  call- 
ed so. 

Admitting  the  validity  of  our  baptism,  you 
are  willing  to  receive  us  to  communion :  while 
we  cannot  admit  the  validity  of  yours,  and  so 
cannot  consent  to  commune  with  you.  This 
you  seem  to  think  hard,  and  consider  our 
conduct  as  claiming  dominion  over  your 
faith.  But  on  what  ground  is  it  that  you  ad- 
mit the  validity  of  our  baptism  ?  Is  it  mere- 
ly because  we  think  ourselves  baptized  ?  No  ; 
we  are  baptized  in  your  judgment,  as  well  as 
in  our  own.  In  receiving  us,  therefore,  you 
are  not  obliged  to  act  contrary  to  your  prin- 
ciples. But  the  case  is  otherwise  with  us. 
We  verily  believe  you  to  be  unbaptized,  not 
merely  as  being  only  sprinkled,  but  as  re- 
ceiving it  at  a  time  when  you  could  not  ac- 
tively "  put  on  Christ,"  which  "  as  many  as 
were  baptized  "  in  primitive  ages  did. — Gal. 
iii.  27.  In  receiving  you,  therefore,  we  must 
of  necessity  act  contrary  to  our  principles, 
by  uniting  with  those  at  the  Lord's  table 
whom  we  believe  to  be  unbaptized.  The 
result  is — the  dispute  between  us  on  mixed 
communion  is  at  an  end.  If  we  err,  it  is  as 
baptists,  by  considering  infant  baptism  as 
invalid. 

You  have  no  hope  it  seems  of  our  ever 
coming  together,  unless  we  could  allow 
your  baptism  to  be  valid  ;  that  is,  unless  we 
could  retract  the  principles  of  antipa^dobap- 
tism.  There  is  one  other  way  left,  howev- 
er, and  that  is,  by  your  retracting  those  of 


ON    TERMS    OF    COMMUNION. 


667 


paadobaptism  ;  and  why  should  we  not  hope  is  immoral,  or  they  have,  embraced  dangerous 

for  the  one  as  well  as  you  for  the  other  ?  heresies  ?  " 

The    controversy   on    strict    and    mixed  There    are    three   different    grounds    on 

communion,  in  respect  of  baptism,  is  redu-  which  mixed  communion  is  defended: — 1. 

cible  to  three  questions. — (1)  Is  baptism  ne-  That  baptism  is  not  essential  to  church  com- 

cessary  to  communion  at  the  Lord's  table  ?  munion.     2.  That,  if  it  be,  adult  immersion 

(2)  Is  a  being  immersed  on  a  profession  of  is  not  essential  to  baptism.     3.  That  if  nei- 

faith  necessary  to  baptism?     (3)  On  whom  tlier  of  these  be  true,  yet  the  right  of  judging 

does  the   duty  of  judging  what  is  baptism  what  is  and  what  is  not  baptism  lies  in  the 

devolve — on  the  party  baptized,  or  on   the  individual,  and  not  in  the  community.     The 

church,  or  on  both?  statement  of  your  question  proceeds  upon 

The  first  was   denied  by  John  Bunyan;  the  first  of  these  grounds  ;  to  this,  therefore, 

but,  being  generally  admitted  by  peedobap-  I  shall  confine  my  answer. 


tists,  they  are  not  entitled  to  his  arguments 
Those  who  follow  Bunyan  are  chiefly  bap- 
tists who  admit  of  mixed  communion  ;  and 
Bunyan  himself  was  of  this  denomination. 
Against  these  Mr.  Booth's  Apology  is  chief- 
ly directed. 


I  observe  you  do  not  plead  for  communion 
with  saints  as  saints;  for,  if  so,  you  could 
not  refuse  it  to  any  one,  unless  you  thought 
him  a  wicked  man  ;  whereas  your  question 
allows  that  real  Christians  if  they  are  guil- 
ty of  immorality,  or  if  they  have  embraced 


The  denial  of  the  second  is  ground  proper  dangerous  heresies,  ought  to  be  excluded 
for  paedobaptists.  But  if  they  make  it  good  This  they  doubtless  ought  to  be,  and  that 
against  the  baptists,  they  convict  them  of  partly  for  the  honor  of  God,  and  partly  for 
error  as  baptists  rather  than  as  strict  bap-  their  own  conviction.  They  are  a  kind  of 
tists.  lepers,  whom  the  people  of  God  should  re- 

Of  the  third  much  has  been  said  by  the  quire  to  be  without  the  camp, 
friends  of  mixed  communion,  both  among  You  admit  that  there  are  cases  in  which 
baptists  and  psdobaptists.  None,  we  appre-  it  is  right  for  good  men  to  be  kept  from 
hend,  will  plead  for  a  church  being  the  church  communion;  but  you  conceive  that 
judge  of  what  is  baptism,  to  the  exclusion  this  should  be  limited  to  cases  of  immorality 
of  the  candidate.  The  question  is  there-  and  dangerous  heresy.  If  there  be  any  dif- 
fore  reduced  to  this :  Is  it  for  the  candidate  ference  then  between  us  it  lies  in  your 
exclusively  to  judge  what  is  baptism ;  or  is  omitting  to  add  a  third  case,  viz.  an  omission 
it  necessary  that  his  judgment  and  that  of  or  essential  corruption  of  instituted  ivorship. 
the  church  should  coincide  upon  the  sub-  Without  this,  I  do  not  see  how  you  can  jus- 
ject?  tify  your  dissent  from  the  church  of  Eng- 

If  baptism  be  not  necessary  to  communion  ;  land,  or  even  from  the  church  of  Rome,  pro- 
or,  though  it  be,  yet  if  immersion  on  a  pro-  vided  you  agree  with  them  in  doctrine  and 
fession  of  faith  be  not  necessary  to  baptism  ;  in  morals,  and  were  satisfied  respecting  the 
or,  though  it  be,  yet  if  the  candidate  for  piety  of  your  fellow-communicants, 
communion  be  the  only  party  with  whom  You  must  admit  that,  so  far  as  primitive 
it  rests  to  judge  what  is  baptism;  then  the  example  is  binding,  it  has  every  appearance 
strict  communion  of  the  baptists  seems  to  be  of  establishing  the  necessity  of  baptism  pre- 
ivron<r.  viously  to  communion;  all  that  were  admit- 

But  if  baptism  be  necessary  to  church  ted  to  church  fellowship  were  in  those  times 
communion,  and  immersion  on  a  profession  baptized.  And  it  appears  that  the  one  was 
of  faith  be  necessary  to  baptism,  and  it  be  the  considered  as  necessary  to  the  other.  ^John, 
duty  of  a  church  to  judge  of  this  as  well  as  the  harbinger  of  Christ,  carne  to  "  make 
of  every  other  prerequisite  in  its  candidates;  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord 
then  the  strict  communion  of  the  baptists  (Luke  i.  17,)  or  to  prepare  materials  for  the 
seems  to  be  right.  kino-dom  of  heaven,  which  he  announced  as 

beino-  at  hand.  For  this  purpose  he  "  bap- 
tizetTwith  the  baptism  of  repentance"  (Acts 
xix.  4,)  saying  unto  the  people  that  "they 
should  believe  on  him  who  should  come  af- 
ter him,  that  is,  on  Christ  Jesus."— Acts  n. 
42  In  other  words,  his  object  was  to  ren- 
der them  Christians  and  to  baptize  them. 
It  was  thus  that  they  were  "  prepared  for  the 
Lord,"  or  rendered  fit  materials  for  gospel 
churches.  Peter  said,  "Repent  and  be 
baptized,  every  one  of  you.  Paul  in  a 
is   epistles,   takes  it  for  granted   that   all 


THOUGHTS  ON 
LETTER  TO 
SIONARY  AT 
21,    1800. 


OPEN       COMMUNION,      IN      A 

THE     REV.     W.      WARD,     MIS- 
SERAMPORE,     DATED      SEPT. 


"  The  colors  with  which  wit  or  eloquence  may 
have  adorned  a  false  system  will  gradually  die 
away,  sophistry  be  delected,  and  every  thing  esti- 
mated, at  length,  according  to  its  true  value." 

Hall's  Apology  for  the  Freedom  of  the  Press. 


In  answer  to  your  question,  "  Do  not  the    Christians   were  ^j^l^f  l^g!'^'  jf 
bounds  of  scriptural  communion  extend  to  all    Eph.  iv.  5.     Col.  u. ■  !<•  °  ■  "       '       '       ' 

who  are  real  Christians,  except  their  practice    When  baptism  and  the  Lord  *  supper   arc 


668 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


alluded  to,  it  is  in  connection  with  each  oth- 
er.—1  Cor.  x.  2,  3,  4. 

You  do  not  pretend  that  any  of  the  primi- 
tive Christians  were  unbaptized.  All  you 
allege  is  from  analogy,  or  that  the  apostles 
dispensed  with  various  other  things,  which 
you  suppose  to  have  been  of  equal  impor- 
tance ;  and  that,  therefore,  if  some  at  that 
time  had  neglected  to  be  baptized  on  some 
such  principle  as  that  on  which  the  quakers 
now  neglect  it,  they  would  have  dispensed 
with  this  also.  It  is  acknowledged  that 
they  did  dispense  with  a  uniformity  in  mat- 
ters of  circumcision  and  uncircumcision,  of 
days,  and  meats,  and  drinks,  and  whatever 
did  not  affect  the  "  Kingdom  of  Christ." — 
Rom.  xiv.  17.  But  it  appears  to  me  very 
unsafe  to  argue  from  abrogated  Jewish 
rites  to  New-Testament  ordinances,  espe- 
cially as  the  one  are  opposed  to  the  other. 
"  Circumcision  is  nothing,  and  uncircumci- 
sion is  nothing,  but  the  keeping  of  the  com- 
mandments of  God." — 1  Cor.  vii.  19.  Nor 
does  it  appear  to  me,  from  any  thing  that  is 
said  on  the  doctrine  of  forbearance  in  the 
New  Testament,  that  the  apostles  would 
have  dispensed  with  the  omission  of  baptism. 
The  importance  of  this  ordinance,  above 
every  thing  dispensed  with  in  the  primitive 
churches,  arises  from  its  being  the  distin- 
guished sign  of  Christianity — that  by  which 
they  were  to  be  known,  acknowledged,  and 
treated  as  members  of  Christ's  visible  king- 
dom: ''As  many  of  you  as  have  been  bap- 
tized into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ." — Gal. 
iii.  27.  It  is  analogous  to  a  soldier  on  his 
enlisting  into  his  majesty's  service  putting 
on  the  military  dress.  The  Scriptures  lay 
great  stress  upon  "confessing  Christ's  name 
before  men"  (Matt.  x.  32  ;)  and  baptism  is  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  ways  of  doing  this. 
When  a  man  becomes  a  believer  in  Christ, 
he  confesses  it  usually  in  words  to  other  be- 
lievers ;  but  the  appointed  way  of  confessing 
it  openly  to  the  world  is  by  being  baptized 
in  his  name.  If,  therefore,  we  profess  Chris- 
tianity only  in  words,  the  thing  professed 
may  be  genuine,  but  the  profession  is  essen- 
tially defective  ;  and,  as  it  is  not  Christian- 
ity (strictly  speaking)  but  the  profession  of  it 
which  entitles  us  to  a  place  in  Christ's  visi- 
ble kingdom,  our  claim  to  visible  commu- 
nion must  of  course  be  invalid. 

Baptism  is  an  act  by  which  we  declare 
before  God,  angels,  and  men,  that  we  yield 
ourselves  to  be  the  Lord's  ;  that  we  are  dead 
to  the  world,  and,  as  it  were,  buried  from 
it,  and  risen  again  "to  newness  of  life." — 
Rom.  vi.  3,  4.  Such  a  declaration  is  equal 
to  an  oath  of  allegiance  in  a  soldier.  He 
may  be  insincere,  yet,  if  there  be  no  proof 
of  his  insincerity,  the  king's  officers  are 
obliged  to  admit  him  into  the  army.  Another 
may  be  sincerely  on  the  side  of  the  king, 
yet,  if  he  refuse  the  oath  and  the  royal 
uniform,   he  cannot  be  admitted. 


To  treat  a  person  as  a  member  of  Christ's 
visible  kingdom,  and  as  being  in  a  state  of 
salvation,  who  lives  in  the  neglect  of  what 
Christ  has  commanded  to  all  his  followers, 
and  this,  it  may  be,  knowingly,  is  to  put 
asunder  what  Christ  has  joined  together. — 
See  Mark  xvi.  1(5.  "  He  that  believeth  and 
is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  be- 
lieveth not  shall  be  damned."  By  this  lan- 
guage he  hath  bound  its  ;  though,  not  having 
said  "he  that  is  not  baptized  shall  be  damn- 
ed," he  hath  mercifully  refrained  from  bi?id- 
ing  himself. 

To  dispense  with  baptism  as  a  term  of 
visible  communion  is  to  connive  either  at 
a  total  neglect  of  an  ordinance  which  by 
the  authority  of  Christ  is  binding  to  the  end 
of  the  world,  or  at  a  gross  corruption  of  that 
ordinance  ;  and  in  many  cases  at  both :  for 
there  are  great  numbers  who  do  not  believe 
themselves  to  be  baptized  according  to  the 
Scriptures,  who  yet  content  themselves 
with  the  baptism  they  have.  To  connive 
at  a  known  omission  of  the  will  of  Christ 
must  be  wrong,  and  must  render  us  parta- 
kers of  other  men's  sins  ;  yet  I  see  not  how 
this  can  be  avoided  on  the  principle  you 
espouse,  provided  you  account  such  persons 
to  be  real  Christians. 

But  supposing  them  to  be  sincere  in  their 
attachment  to  pa;dobaptism,  or  that  they 
really  believe  it  to  be  the  mind  of  Christ 
as  revealed  in  the  Scriptures ;  yet  still  if 
you  admit  them  to  the  Lord's  supper  you 
must  connive  at  what  you  consider  as  a 
gross  corruption  of  the  ordinance  of  Christ 
— a  corruption  that  amounts  to  a  subversion 
of  every  good  end  to  be  answered  by  it,  and 
that  has  introduced  a  flood  of  other  corrup- 
tions into  the  church.  To  me  it  appears 
evident  that  pasdobaptism  opened  the  door 
for  the  Romish  apostasy  ;  and  that  the  church 
will  never  be  restored  to  its  purity  while  it 
is  allowed  to  have  any  existence  in  it.  The 
grand  cause  of  the  church's  having  been 
corrupted  so  as  to  become  apostate  was  its 
being  mingled  with  the  world.  Pa?do- 
baptism  first  occasioned  this  fatal  mixture, 
and  national  establishments  of  religion 
completed  it.  The  one  introduced  the  un- 
converted posterity  of  believers  ;  the  other 
all  the  inhabitants  of  a  country,  considering 
none  but  pagans,  Jews,  and  deists  as  unbe- 
lievers. The  one  threw  open  the  door  ;  the 
other  broke  down  the  wall.  It  is  manifestly 
thus  that  the  church  and  the  world  have 
been  confounded,  and  will  always  be  con- 
founded, more  or  less,  till  psedobaptism  is 
no  more. 

If  you  admit  psedobaptists  to  communion, 
you  will  not  be  able  for  any  continuance  to 
secure  your  own  principle — that  none  but 
"real  Christians"  should  be  admitted.  It 
is  like  inviting  a  friend  to  your  table  whose 
company  you  value,  but  who  cannot  come 
without  bringing  his  whole  family  with  him. 


ON    TERMS    OF    COMMUNION. 


669 


In  the  earlier  ages  baptized  children  were 
actually  and  consistently  admitted  to  the 
Lord's  supper.  In  national  churches  they 
are  still  generally  admitted  I  believe  as  they 
grow  up,  if  no  gross  immorality  appears  in 
their  conduct,  and  in  some  if  it  does.  And 
even  in  congregational  churches  they  are 
taught  to  consider  themselves,  either  on 
account  of  their  birth  or  baptism,  or  both, 
as  somehow  members  of  the  visible  church. 
Such  an  idea  might  in  some  measure  be 
suppressed,  where  the  great  majority  were 
baptists  ;  but,  by  admitting  members  on  your 
principle,  it  would  soon  be  otherwise. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  was  never  suited 
to  the  spirit  of  this  world.  Its  subjects  re- 
quire to  be  born  again,  and  to  make  an  avow 
al  of  it.  Therefore,  when  worldly  men  took 
it  in  hand,  they  knew  not  what  to  make  of 
it,  nor  what  to  do  with  it,  till  they  had  framed 
it  to  their  mind  by  explaining  away  these 
uncouth  principles.  Psedobaptism  was  of 
essential  service  to  them  in  this  business. 
Its  language  was,  and  still  is,  "  One  birth 
will  do,  at  least  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
upon  earth,  provided  it  be  from  a  believing 
parent."  And  now,  the  great  difficulty  be- 
ing removed,  the  smaller  is  easily  surmount- 
ed. "  There  is  no  necessity  for  an  open 
and  public  avowal ;  a  little  water  in  a  private 
house  ivill  do."  Thus  the  two  grand  bar- 
riers that  should  separate  the  church  from 
the  world  are  broken  down. 

The  seven  Asiatic  churches  are  com- 
mended or  censured  in  proportion  to  their 
purity.  One  thing  alleged  against  the 
church  at  Thyatira  was  that  she  "suffered 
that  woman,  Jezebel,  to  teach  and  to  seduce 
God's  servants." — Rev.  ii.  20.  The  allusion 
is  doubtless  to  the  wife  of  Ahab,  who  cor- 
rupted the  pure  worship  and  ordinances  of 
God  in  her  time,  and  mingled  them  with 
idolatry.  Whoever  they  were  that  were 
thus  denominated,  it  was  doubtless  some 
person  or  body  of  persons  that  strove  to  draw 
off  the  church  from  her  purity,  and  to  in- 
troduce for  doctrines  the  commandments  of 
men.  It  seems,  too,  that  some  of  God's  ser- 
vants were  seduced  by  her  ;  good  men, 
whom  your  plan  of  admission  would  have 
tolerated.  And  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that 
the  censure  is  not  directed  against  her  for 
doing  so,  but  against  the  church  for  suffer- 
ing it. 

You  allow  immorality  or  dangerous  here- 
sy, even  in  good  men,  to  be  a  just  cause  of 
a  refusal  of  communion.  But  is  not  God  as 
jealous  of  his  sovereign  authority  as  he  is 
of  his  truth  and  holiness  ?  The  ruin  of 
mankind  was  by  means  of  the  breach  of  a 
positive  institution.  The  corruption  of  in- 
stituted worship  forms  a  large  part  of  anti- 
christianism,  and  is  to  the  full  as  severely 
censured  as  its  heresies  and  immoralities. 
Positive  commands,  like  the  bathing  of 
Naaman  in  Jordan,  are  designed  for  the  trial 


of  our  obedience.  And  with  respect  to  the 
gross  deviation  from  the  command  in  ques- 
tion, after  it  has  once  opened  the  door  for 
the  grand  apostasy  (an  apostasy  from  which 
ive  are  not  cleansed  to  this  day,)  shall  it  be 
pleaded  for  as  innocent,  and  ranked  with 
meats,  and  drinks,  and  days  ?  Rather  ought 
we  not  to  set  our  faces  against  the  seduc- 
tions of  Jezebel ;  and,  instead  of  conniving 
at  Go  Ps  servants  who  are  seduced  by  her, 
to  assure  them  that  much  as  we  love  them, 
and  long  for  communion  with  them,  we 
must,  while  we  have  ears  to  hear,  "  hear 
what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches  ?  " 
— Rev.  ii.  7. 


STRICT  COMMUMOS  I.N  THE  MISSION  CHURCH 
AT  SERAMPORE. 

[Letter    to    the    Editor  of  the    Instructer,    Jan. 
28th,  1314.  ] 

I  by  no  means  wish  to  obtrude  myself  on 
you  or  your  readers ;  but  the  letter,  by 
"A  Psedopabtist,"  which  you  inserted  in 
your  paper  of  the  19th  instant,  calls  upon 
me  for  an  answer. 

It  is  true  that  the  baptist  missionaries  at 
Serampore  do  practise  strict  communion. 
It  is  also  true  that  they  did  so  from  the  be- 
ginning, till  within  the  last  three  or  four 
years,  when  they  agreed  to  admit  of  open 
communion.  After  this  the  question  was 
resumed  and  discussed.  The  result  was 
that  they  determined  to  return  to  their 
original  practice.  As  to  any  injunction,  I 
know  of  none.  Most  of  our  churches  in 
England  practise  strict  communion,  but  do 
not  "enjoin"  it  upon  other  churches;  and 
I  suppose  it  is  the  same  with  the  churches 
at  Serampore  and  Calcutta.  They  may 
recommend  whatever  they  think  right,  with- 
out enjoining  it. 

I  can  easily  conceive  that  these  changes 
would  cause  some  feelings  among  baptists 
differently  minded  on  the  subject,  but  can- 
not conceive  why  our  pasdobaptist  brethren 
should  take  offence  at  it.  Those  baptists 
who  practise  open  communion  do  not  mean 
to  acknowledge  the  validitv  of  panlobaptism. 
Had  they  rather  then  be  admissible  into  our 
churches  as  unbaptized  in  the  account  of 
their  brethren,  than  not  at  all  ?  If  so,  to 
be  sure  we  ought  to  feel  obliged  by  their 
good  opinion  of  us  ;  as,  after  all  that  they 
have  said  and  written  and  done  against  us, 
they  cannot  really  think  ill  of  us. 

But  is  it  true  that  our  predobaptist  brethren 
seriously  wish  us  to  practise  open  commu- 
nion ?  I  give  them  the  fullest  credit  for 
desiring  as  Christians  to  be  in  fellowship 
with  us,  and  with  all  other  Christians  ;  and 
this  also  is  our  desire  as  much  as  it  is  theirs. 
But,  as  pa>dobaptisls,  do  they_  wish  us  to  ad- 
mit them  to  communion,  without  acknoivl- 


G70 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


edging  the  validity  of  their  baptism  ?  This 
is  the  question  ;  and  from  all  that  I  have 
read  of  their  writings  on  the  subject,  how- 
ever they  may  complain  of  strict  commu- 
nion, they  cannot  answer  in  the  affirmative. 

Dr.  Worcester,  in  his  friendly  letter  to 
Dr.  Baldwin,  though  he  pleads  for  a  free 
communion  between  baptists  and  psdobap- 
tists,  and  avows  it  to  be  the  object  of  his 
pamphlet,  yet  allows  that  "  if  professed  be- 
lievers are  the  only  proper  subjects  for  bap- 
tism, and  if  immersion  be  not  a  mere  cir- 
cumstance or  mode  of  baptism,  but  essential 
to  the  ordinance,  so  that  he  who  is  not  im- 
mersed is  not  baptized,  the  sentiment  of 
strict  communion  would  be  sufficiently  es- 
tablished." Now  Dr.  Worcester's  premises 
are  our  most  decided  principles,  and  this 
whether  we  practise  strict  or  open  commu- 
nion. He  therefore  admits  our  practice  to 
be  sufficiently  established,  and  has  only  to 
complain  of  us  for  not  allowing  the  validity 
of  their  baptism  ;  that  is,  for  being  baptists. 

The  same  is  manifest  from  a  review  of 
Mr.  Booth's  Apology  in  the  Evangelical 
Magazine.  The  reviewer  makes  nothing 
of  free  communion,  unless  it  were  on  the 
principle  of  admitting  the  validity  of  pado- 
baptism.  Those  baptists  who  practise  it, 
he  leaves  to  defend  themselves  as  they  can. 
The  result  is,  that  the  real  objection  against 
us  respects  us  not  as  strict  nor  as  open 
communionists,  but  as  baptists.  In  other 
words,  that  the  only  open  communion  that 
would. give  satisfaction  must  include  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  validity  of  pedobap- 
tism,  which,  for  any  baptist  to  make,  would 
be  ceasing  to  be  a  baptist. 


THE  ADMISSION  OF  UNBAPTIZED  PERSONS 
TO  THE  LORD'S  SUPPER  INCONSISTENT 
WITH  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  :  A  LETTER 
TO    A    FRIEND    (iN    1814.) 

Advertisement. 

[That  the  following  is  a  genuine  letter, 
written  by  the  hand  of  our  much  lamented 
friend  Mr.  Fuller,  no  one  who  is  at  all  ac- 
quainted with  his  manner  of  writing  will 
deny. 

In  making  war  upon  the  common  enemy, 
he  was  always  found  in  the  foremost  rank, 
always  among  the  first  to  take  the  field. 
But,  when  he  was  called  to  animadvert  on 
friends  and  allies,  how  strikingly  different 
was  his  conduct! 

In  January  last  I  received  a  parcel  from 
him,  enclosing  a  letter,  in  which  he  says — 

"  Dear  Brother, 

I  have  sent  you  Dr.  Baldwin,  which  you 

may  keep  till  I  see  you,  if  it  be  for  half  a  year. 
Also  a  manuscript  of  my  own  ....  and  I  wish 
noae  to  see  it  but  yourself,  and  that  no  mention  be 


made  of  it.  If  any  thing  be  written  on  the  other 
side,  it  may,  if  thought  proper,  be  printed,  but  not 
else.  Yours  affectionately, 

Kettering,  Jan.  16,  1815.  A.  Fuller." 

The  above  will  justify  me  in  withholding 
the  letter  till  now  ;  and  the  long-expected 
publication  of  Mr.  Hall,  which  has  just  ap- 
peared, equally  requires  that  I  withhold  it 
no  longer. 

The  manuscript  has  many  verbal  correc- 
tions and  interlineations,  exhibiting  proofs 
of  the  care  and  deliberation  with  which  this 
letter  was  composed.  It  may  be  proper  for 
me  to  say,  the  title  was  written  by  the  author 
himself,  and  the  whole  is  printed  with  that 
scrupulous  fidelity  which  I  have  thought 
due  to  the  writer,  as  to  one  of  the  greatest 
men  of  the  age,  and  one  of  the  brightest 
luminaries  of  the  Christian  church. 

Stepney,  July  25,  1815. 

William  Newman.] 

Letter,  fyc. 
Dear  Sir, 

The  long  and  intimate  friendship  that  I 
have  lived  in,  and  hope  to  die  in,  with 
several  who  are  differently  minded  from 
me  on  this  subject,  may  acquit  me  of 
any  other  motive  in  what  I  write  than  a 
desire  to  vindicate  what  appears  to  me  to 
be  the  mind  of  Christ. 

So  far  have  I  been  from  indulging  a  sec- 
tarian or  party  spirit,  that  my  desire  for  com- 
munion with  all  who  were  friendly  to  the 
Saviour  has,  in  one  instance,  led  me  practi- 
cally to  deviate  from  my  general  sentiments 
on  the  subject :  the  reflection  on  which, 
however,  having  afforded  me  no  satisfaction, 
I  do  not  intend  to  repeat  it. 

You  request  me  to  state  the  grounds  of 
my  objections  to  the  practice  in  a  letter,  and 
I  will  endeavor  to  do  so.  I  need  not  prove  to 
you  that  it  is  not  for  want  of  esteem  towards 
my  psedobaptist  brethren,  many  of  whom 
are  dear  to  me.  If  I  have  any  riling  like 
Christian  love  in  me,  I  feel  it  towards  all 
those  in  whom  I  perceive  the  image  of 
Christ,  whether  they  be  baptists  or  psedo- 
baptists ;  and  my  refusing  to  commune  with 
them  at  the  Lord's  table  is  not  because  I 
consider  them  as  improper  subjects,  but  as 
attending  to  it  in  an  improper  manner. 
Many  from  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  Issachar 
and  Zebulun,  who  partook  of  Hezekiah's 
passover,  are  supposed  by  that  pious  prince 
to  have  "  prepared  their  hearts  to  seek  the 
Lord  God  of  their  fathers  ; "  but,  having 
eaten  "  otherwise  than  it  was  written,"  he 
prayed  the  Lord  to  '■'■pardon  every  one  of 
them,"  and  therefore  could  not  intend  that 
the  disorder  should  be  repeated. — 2  Chron. 
xxx.  17—19. 

I  have  been  used  to  think  that  our  con- 
duct on  such  questions  should  not  be  gov- 


ON    TERMS    OF    COMMUNION. 


G71 


erned  by  affection  any  more  than  by  disaf- 
fection, but  by  a  regard  to  the  revealed  will 
of  Christ. 

A  brother  who  practises  mixed  commu- 
nion lately  acknowledged  to  me  that  "  he 
did  not  think  it  was  a  question  of  candor  or 
charity,  but  simply  this,  Whether  there  tvas 
or  was  not  an  instituted  connection  in  the 
New  Testament  between  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  supper.  If  there  was,  we  ought  not, 
under  a  pretence  of  charity,  to  divide  them  : 
for  surely  Jesus  Christ  may  be  allowed  to 
have  had  as  much  charity  and  candor  as 
we  !  "  Yet  we  hear  a  great  outcry,  not 
only  from  paedobaptists  but  baptists,  against 
our  want  of  candor,  liberality,  &c.  ;  all 
which,  if  this  concession  be  just,  is  mere 
declamation.  To  what  purpose  is  it,  too, 
that  such  characters  as  Owen,  JFatts,  Dod- 
dridge, Edwards,  &c,  are  brought  forward 
in  this  dispute,  unless  it  be  to  kindle  preju- 
dice ?  If  it  were  a  question  of  feeling,  their 
names  would  doubtless  have  weight ;  but, 
if  it  relate  to  the  revealed  will  of  Christ, 
they  weigh  nothing".  Is  there,  or  is  there 
not,  an  instituted  connection  between  bap- 
tism and  the  Lord's  supper,  as  much  as  be- 
tween faith  and  baptism  ?  If  there  be,  we 
might  as  well  be  asked,  how  we  can  refuse 
to  baptize  the  children  of  such  excellent 
men,  as  how  we  can  refuse  to  admit  them 
to  the  Lord's  supper.  If  a  man  call  me  a 
bigot,  I  might  in  reply  call  him  by  some 
other  name  ;  but  we  should  neither  of  us 
prove  any  thing  except  it  were  our  want  of 
something  better  to  allege.  The  question 
respects  not  men  but  things.  It  has  been 
painful  for  me  to  "  withdraw  from  a  brother 
who  has  walked  disorderly  ;  "  nevertheless 
I  have  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  do  so.  I  was 
not  long  since  assured  by  a  psedobaptist 
friend,  that,  "  If  I  could  think  free  commu- 
nion to  be  right,  I  should  be  much  happier 
than  I  was  ;"  and  it  is  possible  that  in  some 
respects  I  might.  If  I  could  think  well  of 
the  conduct  of  a  brother  whom  I  at  present 
consider  as  walking  disorderly,  or  if  I  could 
pass  it  by  without  being  partaker  of  it,  I 
doubt  not  but  I  should  be  the  happier:  but 
if  that  in  which  he  walks  be  disorder,  and  I 
cannot  pass  it  by  without  being  a  partaker  of 
it,  I  had  better  be  without  such  happiness 
than  possess  it. 

The  question  of  free  communion  as  main- 
tained by  baptists  is  very  different  from  that 
which  is  ordinarily  maintained  by  pagdobap- 
tists.  There  are  very  few  of  the  latter  who 
deny  baptism  to  be  a  term  of  communion,  or 
who  would  admit  any  man  to  the  Lord's  sup- 
per WHOM  THEY  CONSIDER  AS  UN-BAPTIZED. 

Some  few,  I  allow,  have  professed  a  willing- 
ness to  receive  any  person  whom  they  con- 
sider as  a  believer  in  Christ,  whether  he  be 
baptized  or  not.  But  this  is  probably  the 
effect  of  the  practice,  so  prevalent  of  late 
among  pasdobaptists,  of  decrying  the  impor- 


tance of  the  subject.  T  have  never  known  a 
pasdobaptist  of  any  note,  who  conscientiously 
adheres  to  what  he  thinks  the  mind  of  Christ 
relative  to  this  ordinance,  who  would  thus 
lightly  dispense  with  it.  The  ordinary 
ground  on  which  a  paedobaptist  would  per- 
suade us  to  practise  free  communion  is  that 
their  baptism,  whether  we  can  allow  it  to  be 
quite  so  primitive  as  ours  or  not,  is  neverthe- 
less valid,  and  that  we  should  allow  it  to  be 
so,  and  consequently  should  treit  them  as 
baptized  persons  by  admitting  them  to  the 
Lord's  table.  It  is  on  this  ground  that  Mr. 
Worcester  in  his  Friendly  Letter  to  Mr.  Bald- 
win, pleads  for  open  communion. — He  allows 
that  if  Mr.  Baldwin  could  demonstrate  that 
baptism  is  to  be  administered  only  in  one 
mode  and  to  one  kind  of  subject,  and  that 
immersion  is  not  a  mere  circumstance  or 
mode  of  baptism,  but  essential  to  the  ordi- 
nance, so  that  he  that  is  not  immersed  is  not 
baptized,  his  sentiment  of  close  communion 
"  would  be  sufficiently  established." — pp.  8, 
9.  To  the  same  purpose  is  the  drift  of  the 
Reviewer  of  Mr.  Booth's  Apology  in  the 
Evangelical  Magazine.  But  to  admit  the 
validity  of  psedobaptism  would  not  overthrow 
strict  communion  only,  but  baptism  itself  as 
performed  upon  persons  who  have  been  pre- 
viously baptized  in  their  infancy.  If  infant 
baptism  be  valid,  it  ought  not  to  be  repeated  ; 
and  he  that  repeats  it  is,  what  his  opponents 
have  been  used  to  call  him,  an  anabaptist. 
The  ground  of  argument,  therefore,  does 
not  belong  to  the  subject  at  issue.  Its  lan- 
guage is,  Do  acknowledge  our  baptism  to 
be  valid,  and  allow  that  whenever  you  bap- 
tize a  person  who  has  been  sprinkled  in  his 
infancy  you  re-baptize  him  ; — that  is.  Do 
give  up  your  principles  as  a  baptist,  in  order 
that  we  may  have  communion  together  at 
the  Lord's  table  ! ! ! 

Very  different  from  this  are  the  grounds 
on  which  our  baptist  brethren  plead  for  free 
communion.  As  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with 
them,  they  may  be  reduced  to  two  questions. 
1.  Has  baptism  any  such  instituted  connec- 
tion with  the  Lord's  supper  as  to  be  a  pre- 
requisite to  it  ?  2.  Supposing  it  has,  yet,  if 
the  candidate  consider  himself  as  having 
been  baptized,  ought  not  this  to  suffice  for 
his  being  treated  by  a  Christian  church  as  a 
baptized  person  ;  and  does  not  an  error  con- 
cerning the  mode  or  subjects  of  Christian 
baptism  come  within  the  precepts  of  the  New 
Testament  which  enjoin  forbearance,  and 
allow  every  man  to  be  "  fully  persuaded  in 
his  own  mind  ?" 

Let  us  calmly  examine  these  questions  in 
the  order  in  which  they  are  stated  : — 

First :  Has  baptism  any  such  instituted 
connection  with  (he  Lord's  supper  as  to  be  a 
pre-requisite  to  it  ?  No  baptist  will  deny  it 
to  be  a  duty  incumbent  on  believers,  but  he 
may  consider  it  as  having  no  more  connec- 
tion with  the  Lord's  supper  than  other  duties, 


G72 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


and  the  omission  of  it,  where  it  arises  from 
error,  as  resembling  other  omissions  of  duty, 
which  are  allowed  to  be  objects  of  forbear- 
ance. 

If  there  be  no  instituted  connection  be- 
tween them,  it  must  go  far  towards  estab- 
lishing the  position  of  Mr.  Bunyan,  that 
"Nonbaptism  (at  least  where  it  arises  from 
error)  is  no  bar  to  communion.'*  If  Mr.  Bun- 
yan's  position  be  tenable,  however,  it  is  ra- 
ther singular  that  it  should  have  been  so 
long  undiscovered  ;  for  it  does  not  appear 
that  such  a  notion  was  ever  advanced  till  he 
or  his  contemporaries  advanced  it.  What- 
ever difference  of  opinion  had  subsisted 
among  Christians  concerning  the  mode  and 
subjects  of  baptism,  I  have  seen  no  evidence 
that  baptism  was  considered  by  any  one  as 
unconnected  with  or  unnecessary  to  the  sup- 
per. "It  is  certain,"  says  Dr.  Doddridge, 
"that  as  far  as  our  knowledge  of  primitive 
antiquity  reaches,  no  unbaptized  person  re- 
ceived the  Lord's  supper." — Lectures,  p.  511. 
See  Mr.  Booth's  Apology,  sect.  1.  The 
practice  of  Christians  having  been  uniformly 
against  us,  I  acknowledge,  does  not  prove 
us  to  be  in  the  wrong ;  but  an  opinion  so 
circumstanced  certainly  requires  to  be  well 
established  from  the  Scriptures. 

To  ascertain  whether  there  be  any  insti- 
tuted connection  between  the  two  ordinan- 
ces, it  will  be  proper  to  observe  the  manner 
in  which  such  connections  are  ordinarily  ex- 
pressed in  the  New  Testament.  It  is  not 
unusual  for  persons  engaged  in  argument  to 
require  that  the  principle  which  they  oppose 
should,  if  true,  have  been  so  expressed  in 
the  Scriptures  as  to  place  it  beyond  dispute. 
This,  however,  is  not  the  ordinary  way  in 
which  any  thing  is  there  expressed.  Nor 
is  it  for  us  to  prescribe  to  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
what  manner  he  shall  enjoin  his  will,  but  to 
inquire  in  what  manner  he  has  enjoined  it. 
A  psedobaptist  might  say,  If  teaching  be  in- 
dispensably necessary  to  precede  baptizing, 
why  did  not  Christ  expressly  say  so,  and  for- 
bid his  disciples  to  baptize  any  who  were 
not  previously  taught  ?  A  Roman  Catholic 
also,  who  separates  the  bread  from  the  wine, 
might  insist  on  your  proving  from  the  New 
Testament  that  Christ  expressly  connected 
them  together,  and  required  the  one  before 
and  in  order  to  the  other. 

To  the  former  of  these  objections  you 
would  answer,  Let  us  read  the  commission  : 
— "  Go,  .  .  .  teach  all  nations  ....  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ....  Teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have 
commanded  you  ....  and  lo !  I  am  with  you 
always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 
Is  it  not  plainly  the  order  of  things  as  stated 
by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  you  would  add, 
that  we  are  first  to  teach  men,  by  imparting; 
to  them  the  gospel ;  then,  on  their  believing  it 
to  baptize  them  ;  and  then  to  go  on  to  instruct' 


them  in  all  the  ordinances  and  command- 
ments which  are  left  by  Christ  for  our  di- 
rection ?  Thus  also  to  the  Roman  catholic 
you  would  answer : — Let  us  read  the  insti- 
tution as  repeated  by  the  apostle  Paul  to  the 
Corinthians, — "  I  have  received  of  the  Lord 
that  which  also  I  delivered  unto  you, that  the 
Lord  Jesus,  the  night  in  which  he  was  be- 
trayed look  bread:  and,  when  he  had  given 
thanks,  he  brake  it,  and  said,  Take,  eat,  this 
is  my  body  which  is  broken  for  you  ;  this  do 
in  remembrance  of  me.  After  the  same 
manner  also  he  took  the  cup,  when  he  had 
supped,  saying,  This  cup  is  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  my  blood  :  this  do  ye,  as  oft  as  ye 
drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me.  For  as 
often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup, 
ye  do  show  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come." 
You  would  add  :  How  dare  you  put  asunder 
the  wine  and  the  bread  which  Christ  hath 
thus  manifestly  joined  together?  The  for- 
mer of  these  answers  must,  I  think,  be  ap- 
proved by  every  baptist,  and  the  latter  by 
every  protestant.  But  the  reasoning  in  both 
cases  proceeds  on  the  supposition  that  the 
ordinary  way  in  which  the  mind  of  Christ  is 
enjoined  in  the  New  Testament  is  by  simply 
stating  things  in  the  order  in  which  they  were 
appointed  and  are  to  be  practised:  and  that 
this  is  no  less  binding  on  us  than  if  the  con- 
nection had  been  more  fully  expressed.  It  is 
as  clear  in  the  first  case  as  if  it  had  been 
said,  Go,  first  teach  them  the  gospel  ;  and, 
when  they  have  received  it,  baptize  them  ; 
and,  after  this,  lead  them  on  in  a  course  of 
evangelical  obedience. — And  in  the  last  case , 
it  is  no  less  clear  than  if  it  had  been  said, 
First  take  the  bread,  then  the  cup,  and  never 
partake  of  the  one  without  the  other. 

But  if  this  be  just  reasoning  with  a  psedo- 
baptist  and  a  Roman  catholic,  why  should  it 
not  be  so  in  the  present  case?  If  the  above 
be  the  ordinary  mode  of  divine  injunction, 
we  can  be  at  no  loss  to  know  what  is  en- 
joined respecting  the  duties  in  question.  All 
the  recorded  facts  in  the  New  Testam  ent 
place  baptism  before  the  celebration  of  the 
Lord's  supper. 

The  first  company  who  joined  together  at. 
the  Lord's  table  were  all  baptized.  That 
Christ  was  so  himself  we  are  expressly  in- 
formed ;  and  of  the  disciples  we  are  told  that 
they  baptized  others  (John  iv.  2 ;)  which 
would  not  have  been  permitted  had  they,  like 
the  pharisees  and  lawyers,  refused  to  be 
baptized  themselves. 

The  next  mention  of  the  celebration  of 
the  supper  is  in  the  second  chapter  of  the 
Acts.  The  account  given  is,  that  every  one 
of  them  was  exhorted  to  "repent  and  be 
baptized,"  and  that  they  who  gladly  received 
the  word  "were  baptized;"  after  which 
they  were  "  added  to  the  church,"  and  "  con- 
tinued steadfastly  in  the  apostle's  doctrine 
and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and 
in  prayers." 


ON    TERMS    OF    COMMUNION. 


673 


The  question  put  by  the  apostle  Paul  to 
certain  disciples  at  Ephesus,  who  said  they 
had  not  heard  whether  there  were  any  Holy 
Ghost,  "  unto  what  then  were  ye  baptized  ?  " 
clearly  intimates  that  there  were  no  Chris- 
tians in  those  times  who  continued  unbap- 
tized.  He  does  not  ask  whether  they  had 
been  baptized,  taking  this  for  granted,  but 
merely  to  what  they  had  been  baptized. 

The  nature  and  design  of  baptism,  as  given 
us  in  the  New  Testament,  shows  it  to  have 
been  the  initiatory  ordinance  of  Christianity. 
It  was  not,  indeed,  an  initiation  into  a  par- 
ticular church,  seeing  it  was  instituted  prior 
to  the  formation  of  churches,  and  adminis- 
tered in  some  cases,  as  that  of  the  Ethiopian 
eunuch,  in  which  there  was  no  opportunity 
for  joining  to  any  one  of  them:  but  it  was 
an  initiation  into  the  body  of  professing  Chris- 
tians. And,  if  so,  it  must  be  necessary  to  an 
admission  into  a.  particular  church,  inasmuch 
as  what  is  particular  presupposes  what  is 
general.  No  man  could  with  propriety  occupy 
a  place  in  the  army  without  having  first  avow- 
ed his  loyalty,  or  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance. 
The  oath  of  allegiance  does  not,  indeed,  ini- 
tiate a  person  into  the  army,  as  one  nriy  take 
that  oath  who  is  no  soldier  ;  but  it  is  a  pre- 
requisite to  being  a  soldier.  Though  all  who 
take  the  oath  are  not  soldiers,  yet  all  soldiers 
take  the  oath.  N  ow  baptism  is  that  divine  or- 
dinance by  which  we  are  said  to  put  on  Christ, 
as  the  king's  livery  is  put  on  by  those  who 
enter  his  service  :  and,  by  universal  consent 
throughout  the  Christian  world,  is  consider- 
ed as  the  badge  of  a  Christian.  To  admit 
a  person  into  a  Christian  church  without  it 
were  equal  to  admitting  one  into  a  regiment 
who  scrupled  to  wear  the  soldier's  uniform, 
or  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance. 

There  are  instances  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  which  the  word  baptism  does  not 
mean  the  baptism  by  water,  but  yet  mani- 
festly alludes  to  it,  and  to  the  Lord's  supper 
as  connected  with  it ;  e.  g.  1  Cor.  x.  1 — 5. 
"  Moreover,  brethren,  I  would  not  that  ye 
should  be  ignorant  how  that  all  our  fathers 
were  under  the  cloud,  and  all  passed  through 
the  sea ;  and  were  all  baptized  unto  Moses, 
in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea  ;  and  did  all  eat 
the  same  spiritual  meat;  and  did  all  drink 
the  same  spiritual  drink ;  for  they  drank  of 
that  spiritual  rock  that  followed  them  :  and 
that  rock  was  Christ.  But  with  many  of 
them  God  was  not  well  pleased  ;  for  they 
were  overthrown  in  the  wilderness."  The 
Corinthians  had  many  amongst  them  who 
had  polluted  themselves  with  idolatrous 
practices,  and  yet  presumed  on  being  saved 
by  Christ.  The  design  of  the  apostle  was 
to  warn  them,  from  the  examples  of  the 
Jewish  fathers,  not  to  rely  upon  their  having 
been  partakers  of  the  Christian  privileges  of 
baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper  while  they 
indulged  in  sin.  The  manner  in  which  these 
allusions  are  introduced  clearly  shows  the 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  85 


connection  between  the  two  ordinances  in 
the  practice  of  the  primitive  churches. 

Thus  also  in  1  Cor.  xii.  13,  we  are  said 
"  by  one  spirit  "  to  be  "  all  baptized  into  one 
body,  whether  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether 
bond  or  free  ;  and  all  made  to  drink  into  one 
spirit."  The  design  may  be  to  illustrate 
the  spiritual  union  of  all  true  believers  in 
one  invisible  body,  as  originating  in  the 
washing  of  regeneration,  and  as  being  con- 
tinued by  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Spirit: 
but  the  allusion  is,  I  conceive,  to  the  ordi- 
nances of  baptism  and  the  Lord^s  supper; 
by  the  former  of  which  they  were  initiated 
into  the  body  of  professing  Christians,  and 
by  the  other  had  communion  in  it.  See 
Poole,  Henry,  and  Scott  on  the  passage. 

From  these  instances,  we  have  equal 
evidence  that  the  two  ordinances  were  con- 
nected in  the  practice  of  the  first  churches 
as  we  have  of  faith  being  connected  with 
baptism,  or  of  the  bread  being  connected 
with  the  wine  in  the  supper.  The  only 
difference  between  these  cases  is,  that  the 
one  requires  a  part  and  the  other  the  whole 
of  a  divine  institution  to  be  dispensed  with. 
Is  it  for  us  to  make  light  of  the  precepts  of 
Christ,  under  the  notion  of  profiting  and 
edifying  his  people  ?  If  we  have  any  ground 
to  expect  his  presence  and  blessing,  it  is 
in  "  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  he  has  commanded  "  us. 

But  let  us  proceed  to  the  second  question, 
Whether,  if  the  candidate  consider  himself  as 
having  been  baptized,  this  ought  not  to  suffice 
for  his  being  treated  by  a  Christian  church  as 
a  baptized  person  ;  and  whether  an  error  con- 
cerning the  mode  or  subjects  of  baptism  be 
not  a  subject  of  Christian  forbearance,  in 
which  every  one  may  be  alloived  to  be  fully 
persuaded  in  his  own  mind. 

That  there  are  cases  to  which  this  princi- 
ple will  apply  is  certain.  Concerning  eat- 
ing or  not  eating  meats,  and  observing  or 
not  observing  days,  the  apostle  teaches  that 
every  man  should  "  be  fully  persuaded  in 
his  own  mind."  "  Who  art  thou,"  he  asks, 
"  that  judgest  another  man's  servant?  To 
his  own  master  he  standeth  or  falleth. — Why 
dost  thou  judge  thy  brother  ;  or  why  dost 
thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother  ?  For  we 
shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of 
Christ. — Every  one  of  us  shall  give  account 
of  himself  to  God.— Hast  thou  faith  ?  have 
it  to  thyself." — Rom.  xiv. 

These  passages  have  often  been  alleged 
in  favor  of  free  communion  between  bap- 
tists and  ptedobaptists  ;  and  if  the  principle 
laid  down  by  the  apostle  applies  to  that  sub- 
ject, though  originally  he  had  no  reference 
to  it,  the  reasoning  of  our  brethren  is  just 
and  right. 

The  case,  I  conceive,  must  have  referred 
to  the  prohibition  of  certain  meats,  and  the 
observance  of  certain  days,  under  the  Jew- 
ish law  ;  which  being  no  longer  binding  on 


674 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


Christians,  some  would  avail  themselves  of 
this  liberty,  and  disregard  them  ;  others,  not 
having  sufficient  light,  would  regard  them. 
Had  it  referred  to  any  customs  of  heathen 
origin,  or  which  had  never  been,  nor  been 
understood  to  be,  of  divine  appointment,  it 
is  not  conceivable  that  those  who  regarded 
them  should  "regard  them  to  the  Lord."  In 
this  case,  every  man  was  allowed  to  judge 
and  act  for  himself,  and  required  to  forbear 
with  his  brethren  who  might  be  otherwise 
minded. 

That  we  are  to  apply  this  principle  with- 
out restriction  few  will  maintain.  Should 
the  first  principles  of  the  gospel,  for  exam- 
ple, be  rejected  by  a  candidate  for  commu- 
nion, few  who  pretend  to  serious  Christiani- 
ty would  think  of  receiving  him.  Yet  he 
might  allege  the  same  arguments,  and  ask, 
"Who  art  thou  that  judgest  another  man's 
servant  ?  To  his  own  master  he  standeth 
or  falleth.  Why  dost  thou  judge  thy 
brother ;  or  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought  thy 
brother  ?  for  we  shall  all  stand  before  the 
judgment-seat  of  Christ. — Every  one  of  us 
shall  give  account  of  himself  to  God. — Hast 
thou  faith  ?  have  it  to  thyself."  In  this 
case,  we  should  answer,  that  the  language 
of  the  apostle  was  misapplied;  and  that  it 
was  not  his  design  to  affirm  that  Christians 
in  a  slate  of  religious  society  had  no  right  to 
judge  of  each  other's  avowed  principles:  for 
if  so,  he  would  not  have  desired  some  to 
have  been  cut  off  who  troubled  the  Gala- 
tians. — Gal.  v.  12.  Nor  would  the  church 
at  Pergamos  have  been  censured  for  having 
those  amongst  them  that  held  pernicious 
doctrines. — Rev.  ii.  14,  15.  Private  judg- 
ment is  every  man's  birthright,  considered 
as  an  individual ;  but,  as  a  candidate  for 
admission  into  a  voluntary  society,  it  is  es- 
sential that  there  be  an  agreement,  at  least, 
in  first  principles:  for  "  how  can  two  walk 
together  except  they  be  agreed  ?  " 

And,  as  we  are  not  so  to  apply  this  for- 
bearing principle  in  matters  of  doctrine  as  to 
raze  the  foundations  of  divine  truth,  neither 
shall  we  be  justified  in  applying  it  to  the 
dispensing  with  any  of  the  commandments 
of  Christ.  The  meats  and  days  of  which 
the  apostle  speaks  are  represented  as  not 
affecting  the  kingdom  of  God.  "The  king- 
dom of  God,"  he  says,  "  is  not  meat  and 
drink  ;  but  righteousness  and  peace,  and 
joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." — ver.  17.  But, 
if  they  had  required  a  positive  command- 
ment of  Christ  to  be  dispensed  with,  they 
would  have  affected  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  the  apostle  would  not  have  written  con- 
cerning them  as  he  did.  In  short,  it  is  not 
just  to  argue  from  Jewish  customs,  which 
though  once  binding  had  ceased  to  be  so,  to 
Christian  ordinances  which  continue  in  full 
force.  The  tone  which  the  apostle  holds  in 
respect  of  those  Jewish  rites  which  ceased 
to  be  obligatory  is  very  different  from  that 
which  respects  commandments  still  in  force: 


"  Circumcision  is  nothing,  but  the  keeping  of 
the  commandments  of  God." — 1  Cor.  vii.  19. 
"  I  praise  you,  brethren,  that  you  remember 
me  in  all  things,  and  keep  the  ordinances  as 
I  delivered  them  unto  you." — 1  Cor.  xi.  2. 

If  to  be  baptized  be  a  qualification  requi- 
site to  Christian  communion  (which  under 
this  second  question  I  have  a  right  to  as- 
sume) it  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  it  belongs 
to  thecandidate  exclusively  to  judge  of  it.  It 
is  contrary  to  the  first  principles  of  all  socie- 
ty for  a  candidate  to  be  the  judge  of  his  own 
qualifications.  Apply  it  to  any  other  qual- 
ification, as  faith  in  Christ,  for  instance,  or  a 
consistency  of  character,  and  you  will  in- 
stantly perceive  its  absurdity.  We  must 
return  to  the  first  question  :  Is  baptism  pre- 
requisite to  the  Lord's  supper  ?  Ifitbeso, 
it  must  belong  to  the  church  to  judge 
whether  the  candidate  has  been  baptized 
or  not.  But  the  principle  on  which  the 
apostle  enforces  forbearance  is  often  alleged 
as  applicable  to  this  question. — "Him  that 
is  weak  in  the    faith  receive  ye, — for  God 

HATH       RECEIVED       HIM."         It      is       doubtful 

whether  receiving  here  means  admission  to 
communion.  Mr.  Booth  has  shown  that 
this  is  not  the  ordinary  meaning  of  the  term  : 
but  allowing  this  to  be  the  meaning,  and 
that  God's  having  received  a  person  furnish- 
es the  ground  and  rule  of  our  receiving  him, 
still  there  is  nothing  in  our  practice  incon- 
sistent with  it.  If  receiving  a  brother  here 
denote  receiving  him  into  Christian  fellow- 
ship, the  meaning  is,  receive  him  to  the  or- 
dinances, and  not  to  one  of  them  without 
the  other.  We  are  willing  to  receive  all 
who  appear  to  have  been  received  of  God 
to  the  ordinances  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's 
supper:  if  we  object,  it  is  because  they  wish 
to  be  received  to  the  one  without  the  other, 
of  which  there  was  no  example  in  the  first 
churches.  Let  it  also  be  particularly  no- 
ticed, that  our  brethren  who  plead  for  re- 
ceiving   Christians    as    Christians   receive 

them  TO    THE    ORDINANCES  AS   UNDERSTOOD 

and  practised  by  them,  and  this  we  do. 
If  the  prejudices  of  a  pious  catholic  would 
permit  him  to  request  to  join  with  them  at 
the  Lord's  supper,  they  would,  as  we  have 
often  been  tcld,  receive  him  :  but  to  what  ? 
Would  they  provide  a  wafer  for  him,  and 
excuse  him  from  drinking  of  the  cup  ?  No, 
they  would  say,  we  are  willing  to  receive 
you  to  the  Lord's  supper,  in  the  way  we 
understand  and  practise  it ;  but  we  cannot 
divide  the  wine  from  the  bread  without  dis- 
pensing with  an  essential  part  of  the  insti- 
tution. Such  is  our  answer  to  a  pious 
pasdobaptist.  We  are  willing  to  receive 
you  to  the  ordinances  of  Christ,  as  we  un- 
derstand and  practise  them  ;  but  we  cannot 
divide  the  one  from  the  other  without  dis- 
pensing with  an  institution  of  Christ. 

Objections, 
It  has  been  said  that  "  we  all  practise  a 


INSTRUMENTAL    MUSIC    IN    CHRISTIAN    WORSHIT. 


675 


worse  mixed  communion  than  that  with 
psedobaptists  ;  that  we  have  covetous  and 
other  bad  characters  amongst  us,"  &c.  If 
we  "  bear  them  that  are  evil  "  in  things  of  a 
moral  nature,  this  is  our  sin,  and  we  ought 
to  repent  of  it,  and  not  to  argue  that  because 
we  do  wrong  in  one  instance  we  ought  to 
do  so  in  another.  If  we  omit  to  admonish 
and  exclude  manifestly  wicked  characters, 
it  is  of  but  little  account  that  we  are  strict 
in  regard  to  baptism  ;  but,  in  reproving  us, 
our  Lord  would  not  complain  of  our  not 
being  alike  lax  in  things  positive  as  we  are 
in  things  moral,  but  of  our  not  being  alike 
strict  in  both.  "  These  ought  ye  to  have 
done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other  undone." 

There  is,  however,  a  wide  difference  be- 
tween bearing  with  individuals,  even  in 
things  which  are  evil,  where  that  evil  lies 
so  much  in  the  motive  as  to  be  very  difficult 
of  detection,  and  making  it  a  rule  to  tolerate 
men  in  such  vices.  It  was  no  reproach  to 
Christ  and  his  apostles  to  have  had  a  Judas 
amongst  them,  though  he  was  a  "  thief,"  so 
long  as  his  theft  was  not  manifested  :  but, 
had  there  been  a  rule  laid  down  that  cove- 
tousness  and  even  theft  should  be  no  bar  to 
communion,  the  reproach  had  been  indelible. 

It  has  been  said,  "  If  our  practice  of  strict 
communion  be  right,  it  ought  to  be  to  us  an 
act  of  selj '-denial,  and  not  of  pleasure,  inas- 
much as  charity  would  be  unable  to  take 
pleasure  in  excluding  those  from  communion 
whom  we  consider  as  Christians."  And 
this  so  far  as  it  relates  to  men  is  true,  but 
it  is  no  less  true  of  many  other  duties,  in 
which  we  may  be  called  to  act  differently 
from  our  brethren,  and  to  reprove  them. 

"But  in  thus  denying  ourselves,"  it  has 
been  further  said,  "we  deny  some  of  the 
best  feelings  of  the  human  heart."  This  I 
cannot  admit.  The  best  feelings  of  the 
human  heart  are  those  of  love  and  obedience 
to  God  :  and  if  I  deny  myself  of  the  pleasure 
which  fellowship  with  a  Christian  brother 
would  afford  me,  for  the  sake  of  acting  up  to 
the  mind  of  Christ,  or  according  to  primitive 
example,  I  do  not  deny  the  best  feelings  of 
the  human  heart,  but,  on  the  contrary,  fore- 
go the  less  for  the  greater.  It  is  a  greater 
pleasure  to  obey  the  will  of  God  than  to 
associate  with  creatures  in  a  way  deviating 
from  it. 

We  may  act  in  this  matter  from  temper 
or  from  prejudice,  rather  than  from  a  con- 
scientious regard  to  the  mind  of  Christ;  and 
they  who  oppose  us  may  act  from  worldly 
policy,  or  a  desire  to  court  applause  as  can- 
did and  liberal  men  ;  but  neither  of  these 
cases  proves  any  thing. — The  question  is, 
whether,  in  admitting  unbaptized  persons  to 
the  Lord's  table,  we  do  not  deviate  from  the 
mind  of  Christ. 

I  am  willing  to  allow  that  open  commu- 
nion may  be  practised  from  a  conscientious 
persuasion  of  its  being  the  mind  of  Christ ; 
and  they  ought  to  allow  the  same  of  strict 


communion  ;  and  thus,  instead  of  reproach- 
ing one  another  with  bigotry  on  the  one 
hand,  or  carnal  policy  on  the  other,  we 
should  confine  our  inquiries  to  the  precepts 
and  examples  of  the  New  Testament. — 
I  am  affectionately  yours, 

Andrew  Fuller. 


ON      INSTRUMENTAL      MUSIC      IN    CHRISTIAN 
WORSHIP. 

[In  Reply  to  a  Correspondent.] 

That  there  are  circumstances  attending 
the  worship  of  God,  whether  it  be  moral  or 
positive,  which  are  not  the  objects  of  divine 
appointment,  I  allow  ;  such  as  the  tunes  in 
singing,  and  whether  we  baptize  in  a  pool 
or  in  a  river,  or  drink  the  wine  at  the  Lord's 
supper  out  of  a  silver  or  pewter  or  wooden 
cup.  Each  of  these  is  alike  indifferent.  I 
do  not  admit,  however,  that  we  have  no  ex- 
ample of  uninspired  preaching.  On  the 
contrary,  we  have  no  proof,  that  I  remember, 
that  even  the  apostles  themselves  were  un- 
der the  infallible  inspiration  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  their  sermons,  nor  in  all  their  wri- 
tings ;  though  they  were  in  those  which 
have  place  in  the  holy  Scriptures.  Be  that 
as  it  may  :  If  what  every  preacher  advanced 
had  been  inspired,  it  would  itself  have  con- 
tained the  oracles  of  God;  but  in  that  case 
there  would  have  been  no  propriety  in  that 
direction — "  If  any  man  speak,  let  him  speak 
as  the  oracles  of  God." — 1  Pet.  iv.  11. 

As  to  our  using  human  compositions  in 
singing,  I  have  sometimes  had  my  doubts 
whether  we  ought  not  to  sing  the  poetical 
parts  of  Scripture  set  to  sacred  music.  I 
should  rejoice  to  see  a  book  of  such  divine 
hymns  introduced  into  all  our  churches, 
taking  place  of  a  vast  load  of  trash  and  in- 
sipidity. If  we  had  not  hymns  inspired, 
ready  to  our  hands,  any  more  than  tunes,  I 
should  then  think  that  the  composing  of  the 
one  as  well  as  of  the  other  was  a  circum- 
stance of  worship  left  to  human  powers. 
But  be  this  as  it  may,  whether  the  hymns 
we  sing  be  a  discretional  concomitant  of 
worship  or  not,  this  cannot  be  said  of  instru- 
mental music.  It  was  from  the  first  a  sub- 
ject of  divine  injunction.  The  very  passage 
which  you  have  quoted  proves  this. — 
2  Chron.  xxix.  25 — 28.  You  must  have 
seen  with  what  tender  regard  to  divine  au- 
thority it  was  introduced.  It  was  "accord- 
ing to  the  command  of  David,  and  of  Gad 
the  king's  seer,  and  Nathan  the  prophet  ; 
for  so  was  the  commandment  of  Jehovah  by 
his  prophets."  .If  the  writer  had  designed 
merely  to  guard  against  the  idea  of  David's 
having  done  it  of  his  own  discretion,  he 
could  not  have  chosen  words  better  adapt- 
ed to  his  purpose;  and  indeed  it  manifestly 
appears  that  this  was  his  design. 

But,  you  sayy  instrumental  music  "was 
not  instituted  by  any  express  command   of 


676 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


the  ceremonial  law ;  that  it  has  nothing  in 
it  of  the  nature  of  a  positive  institute,  and 
cannot  therefore  be  considered  as  abolished 
by  the  introduction  of  the  gospel."     To  this 

1  reply — 

1.  Its  not  being  required  by  the  law  of 
Moses  does  not  prove  that  it  "  was  not  in- 
stituted by  any  express  command."  You 
seem  to  be  aware  of  this,  and  therefore  have 
softened  your  position  by  adding  the  words, 
"  the  law  of  Moses." 

2.  Its  not  being  required  by  the  law  of 
Moses  does  not  prove  that  it  was  "  not  a 
part  of  the  ceremonial  law  which  is  abolish- 
ed by  the  gospel."  A  great  number  of  the 
directions  relating  to  the  building  of  the 
temple,  and  the  regulation  of  its  worship, 
were  ceremonial,  though  not  commanded 
"  by  the  law  of  Moses  ;"  and  were  all  abol- 
ished when  that  temple  ceased  to  exist. — 
See  1  Chron.  xxviii.  11 — 1!».  These  ap- 
pendages to  the  temple  could  not  survive 
the  temple,  and  it  appears  that  instrumental 
music  was  a  kind  of  appendage  to  the  sacri- 
fices of  those  times.  So  it  seems  to  be  re- 
presented in  2  Chron.  xxix.  25 — 28  ;  and  it 
was  as  much  abolished  when  sacrifices 
ceased  as  the  others  were  when  the  temple 
was  no  more. 

3.  If  instrumental  music  was  no  part  of 
ceremonial  worship,  it  must  have  been 
moral ;  for  what  has  already  been  advanced 
proves  that  it  was  not  a  mere  discretional 
circumstance  of  worship,  concerning  which 
no  commandment  was  given.  That  the  vo- 
cal prasing  of  God  is  a  moral  duty,  I  allow  ; 
but  the  use  of  instruments  is  not  so.  It  is 
a  practice  which  has  every  property  of  a 
positive  institute,  and  not  one,  that  I  recol- 
lect, of  moral  obligation.  That  all  duties, 
both  moral  and  positive,  are  commanded  of 
God,  is  true  ;  but  what  is  moral  is  command- 
ed because  it  is  right,  and  the  motive  by 
which  it  is  enforced  is  not  the  mere  will  of 
the  legislator ;  whereas  that  which  is  posi- 
tive is  right  because  it  is  commanded.  The 
whole  authority  in  the  latter  case  rests  upon 
the  divine  command,  and  this  is  the  ground 
on  which  the  practice  of  instrumental  music 
is  rested  in  the  Scriptures.  It  was  "  ac- 
cording to  the  commandment  of  David,  and 
of  Gad,  and  Nathan — For  so  was  the  com- 
mandment of  the  Lord  by  his  prophets." — 

2  Chron.  xxix.  25.  This  is  a  kind  of  lan- 
guage which  is  never  used  of  vocal  music, 
or  of  any  other  moral  duty,  but  which  exact- 
ly accords  with  what  is  said  of  other  posi- 
tive institutions;  particularly  those  which 
respected  the  appendages  of  temple  wor- 
ship.— 2  Chron.  viii.  14.  Another  thing  by 
which  moral  and  positive  duties  are  distin- 
guished is  that  the  former  are  binding  alike 
ia  all  ages  and  nations  ;  but  the  latter,  origi- 
nating in  divine  appointment,  are  binding 
only  at  those  places  to  which  the  appoint- 
ment extends.  Now  you  yourself  say 
that  instrumental  music  "  was  not  in  gen- 


eral use  till  David's  time,  which  was  five 
hundred  years  after  the  law."  If  it  had 
been  a  moral  duty,  it  would  have  been 
obligatory  at  all  times,  before  David's  time 
as  well  as  in  it;  and  we  should  have  read 
of  it,  as  I  think  we  do  of  every  moral  duty, 
in  the  New  Testament. 

4.  Your  argument  from  the  icorship.  of 
heaven  reminds  me  of  the  argument  in  favor 
of  the  surplice,  from  the  heavenly  inhabit- 
ants being  clothed  "  in  fine  linen,  clean  and 
white,  which  is  the  righteousness  of  saints  ; " 
to  which  Robinson  replies,  We  are  sorry  to 
say  it  is  all  the  righteousness  that  some 
saints  have  !  But,  seriously,  the  heavenly 
employments  and  enjoyments  are  frequently 
illustrated  by  things  borrowed  from  the  Jew- 
ish ceremonial,  which  things  were  once  right, 
but  in  our  day  would  be  "  will-worship." — 
Col.  ii.  23.  The  blessed  above  are  said  to 
be  "  made  kings  and  priests  unto  God."  In 
the  same  chapter  in  which  we  read  of 
"harps"  we  also  read  of  a  "temple,"  and 
an  "  altar,"  in  heaven. — Rev.  xiv.  17,  18. 
But  what  would  you  think  of  an  argument 
derived  from  this  in  favor  of  modern  priests, 
temples,  and  altars? 

In  short,  instrumental  music,  the  more  I 
think  of  it,  appears  with  increasing  evidence 
to  be  utterly  unsuited  to  the  genius  of  the 
gospel  dispensation.  There  was  a  glare,  if 
I  may  so  express  it,  which  characterized 
even  the  divine  appointment  of  Judaism. 
An  august  temple,  ornamented  with  gold 
and  silver,  and  precious  stones,  golden  can- 
dlesticks, golden  altars,  priests  in  rich  attire, 
trumpets,  cymbals  and  harps  ;  all  of  which 
were  adapted  to  an  age  and  dispensation 
when  the  church  was  in  a  state  of  infancy. 
But,  when  the  substance  is  come,  it  is  time 
that  the  shadows  flee  away.  The  best  ex- 
position of  harps  in  singing  is  given  by  Dr. 
Watts— 

"  Oh  may  my  heart  in  tune  be  found, 
Like  David's  harp  of  solemn  sound." 


I  cannot  forbear  remarking  the  great 
similarity  between  your  reasoning  and  that 
of  episcopalians  in  favor  of  certain  ceremo- 
nies to  which  the  puritans  objected.  They 
did  not  pretend  that  they  were  obligatory, 
but  merely  lawful ;  that  they  had  been  of 
divine  authority  under  the  former  dispensa- 
tion, and  were  now  matters  of  discretion.  If 
this  were  indeed  the  case,  and  they  had  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  an  apostle,  they  would 
have  relinquished  them  when  they  proved 
an  occasion  of  offence.  When  some  of  the 
Corinthians  pleaded  for  the  lawfulness  of 
eating  the  good  creatures  of  God,  though 
they  had  been  offered  in  sacrifice  to  idols, 
Paul  replies,  granting  them  their  principle, 
"Meat  commendeth  us  not  to  God:  for 
neither  if  we  eat  are  we  the  better,  neither 
if  we  eat  not  are  we  the  worse."  In  a  sim- 
ilar   manner    the    puritans    answered    the 


INSTRUMENTAL    MUSIC    IN    CHRISTIAN    WORSHIP. 


677 


episcopalians.  Uncommanded  ceremonies, 
granting  them  to  be  lawful,  commend  us  not 
to  God  :  for  neither  if  we  use  them  are  we 
the  better,  neither  if  we  disuse  them  are  we 
the  worse ;  and,  seeing  they  create  much 
offence,  they  ought  to  be  relinquished.  And 
thus,  though  your  principles  should  be  true, 
your  practice  may  be  condemned.  That 
for  which  you  plead  is  confessedly  not  a  du- 
ty. It  commendeth  you  not  to  God:  for 
neither  if  you  make  use  of  instruments  are 
you  the  better,  neither  if  you  disuse  them  are 
you  the  worse  ;  and,  seeing  the  use  of  them 
occasions  offence  to  many  serious  minds,  it 
ought  to  be  relinquished. 

But  as  Paul,  after  granting  the  Corinthi- 
ans their  argument,  and  condemning  their 
conduct  even  on  that  ground,  proceeded  to 
prove  that  the  thing  itself  was  unlawful ;  so 
I  hope  to  prove  the  unlawfulness  of  instru- 
mental music  in  Christian  worship. 

Instrumental  music,  I  grant,  was  before 
the  times  of  David  ;  but  if  it  was  for  the 
purpose  of  promoting  civil  joy,  or  when  em- 
ployed in  divine  worship,  authorized  by  di- 
vine appointment,  nothing  favorable  to  your 
argument  can  be  thence  inferred. 

Musical  instruments  were  first  invented 
by  Jubal,  a  descendant  of  Cain,  for  the  pro- 
moting of  civil  mirth  ;  and  to  this  purpose 
they  have  been  employed  in  all  ages  and 
nations  to  this  day.  That  they  were  used 
in  the  worship  of  God  before  the  times  of 
David  is  true  ;  but  it  is  also  true  that  there 
was  divine  authority  for  it.  Trumpets  were 
appointed  to  be  used  on  various  occasions 
by  the  law  of  Moses  (  Lev.  xxiii.  24  ;  xxv. 
ix.  Num.  x.  1 — 10;)  also  the  psaltery,  the 
harp,  and  the  cymbal.  You  suppose  it  was 
not  their  use  in  religious  worship,  but  the 
■manner  of  it,  that  was  the  object  of  divine 
appointment.  The  use  of  them,  you  sup- 
pose, was  discretionary,  and  not  appointed  ; 
seeing  mention  is  made  of  them  previous  to 
their  being  employed  in  the  temple  service. 
But  the  phraseology  of  the  passage  in  2 
Chron.  xxix.  25  does  not  favor  such  an  idea. 
Matthew  Henry  thus  expounds  it;  "While 
the  offerings  were  burning  upon  the  altar, 
the  levites  sang  the  song  of  the  Lord  (ver. 
27,)  the  psalms  composed  by  David  and 
Asaph  (ver.  30,)  with  the  musical  instru- 
ments, which  God  by  his  prophets  had  com- 
manded the  use  of."  (ver.  25.)  It  is  allowed, 
however,  that  the  appointment  of  instrumen- 
tal music,  in  the  times  of  David,  respected 
"  the  special  purposes  to  which  it  should  be 
applied  :  but  this  does  not  prove  that  it  was 
not  previously  appointed  for  other  sacred 
purposes. 

You  seem  to  take  it  for  granted  that 
nothing  was  appointed  of  God,  unless  that 
appointment  was  express  ;  but  God  has  not 
always  conveyed  truth  in  this  manner. 
Though  we  read  of  no  express  appointment, 
but  merely  of  things  being  ordered  or  done 
by  men  who   were  divinely  inspired,  yet  the 


same  thing  is  in  many  cases  clearly  to  be 
understood.  We  are  not  expressly  told 
that  God  appointed  the  means  of  Naaman's 
cure,  namely,  his  bathing  seven  times  in 
Jordan  ;  but,  as  a  prophet  of  God  directed 
him  to  it,  we  certainly  conclude  that  he  did 
so.  The  Spirit  of  God  that  was  in  the  pro- 
phet directed  it.  Thus,  though  the  use  of 
the  psaltery,  tabret,  pipe,  and  harp,  in  sacred 
things,  be  not  expressly  commanded  till  the 
times  of  David,  yet,  being  used  before  his 
time  as  the  means  of  prophetic  inspiration, 
their  being  divinely  appointed  for  the  pur- 
pose cannot  be  denied. — 1  Sam.  x.  5.  2 
Kings  iii.  15. 

I  incline  to  think  that  the  use  of  the  tim- 
brel by  Miriam  and  the  women  of  Israel 
was  merely  civil. — Exod.  xv.  20.  It  was  an 
instrument  necessary  to  the  dance,  and  most- 
ly, if  not  invariably,  connected  with  it.  It 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  used  in  sing- 
ing the  song  of  Moses,  but  at  certain  inter- 
vals. On  account  of  their  deliverance  from 
Egyptian  bondage,  one  while  they  sang 
praises,  and  another  while  Miriam  and  the 
women  went  forth  with  the  timbrel  and  the 
dance.  It  was  a  great  national  deliverance  ; 
and  civil  joy,  with  the  common  expressions 
of  it,  were  mingled  with  their  praises  of 
Jehovah.  But,  granting  it  was  a  part  of 
religious  exercises,  it  was  introduced  by 
one  who  in  the  very  act  is  called  "a  pro- 
phetess," a  name  which  is  no  were  else 
ascribed  to  her ;  and  no  reason  that  I  know 
of  can  be  given  for  its  being  ascribed  to 
her  here,  but  that  of  intimating  that  she 
acted  under  divine  authority.  If,  as  you 
contend,  it  was  a  part  of  "  discretionary  " 
Avorship,  the  same  must  be  said  of  dancing, 
which  accompanied  it ;  and  then  it  would 
be  lawful  in  our  worshipping  assemblies 
to  introduce  not  only  the  pipe,  but  the  dance. 

"Positive    institutions,"  you   say,  "were 
confined   to  time,  place,   manner,  and  other 
circumstances  ;  but  instrumental  music  was 
governed  by  such  a  variety  of  discretionary 
considerations  as  find   no  room  in  the  insti- 
tutes  of  Judaism.     It   might  be   performed 
at  any  other  time,  as  well  as  at  the  stated 
periods   of  public    worship ;   in   any   place, 
and  on  various  public  occasions,  which  are 
not   specified  by  any  law."     You  will  allow 
the  offering   of  sacrifices   to  have   been  a 
part   of  instituted    worship ;  yet   there   are 
almost  all  the  varieties  attending  it  as  those 
which  you  have  mentioned.     Those  of  Abel, 
Noah,  Abraham,  and  Jacob,  were  not  "spe- 
cified  by  the  letter  of  any  law  ;"  but  were 
offered  on  a  great  variety  of  occasions,  and, 
prior  to  the  time  that  the  ark  had  rest,  at  as 
great  a  variety  of  places.     Instead,  therefore, 
you  might   say  of  the  offering  of  sacrifi^ 
to  God   possessing  every  property  o€  Ltian 
itive  institute,  it  does  not  appe^-^s  a  uni- 
any  of  its  essentials.     Th<^uvarita£"e- 
one   of  the  things   yo-dt  Handel's  Messiah 
proof  for  or  ao-ai--111  effect?     It  is  in  part 


C78 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


is  equally  applicable  to  sacrifice  and  praise, 
though  the  one  is  a  positive  and  the  other  a 
moral  duty. 

Some  of  the  occasions  you  refer  to,  in 
which  instrumental  music  is  used,  might  be 
merely  civil.  Such  appears  to  be  the  going 
forth  of  Jephthah's  daughter,  with  "  timbrels 
and  dances,"  on  occasion  of  his  victory  over 
the  Ammonites;  and  the  female  processions 
on  occasion  of  David's  having  slain  Goliah, 
and  the  Philistines  being  defeated.  A  band 
of  Bengal  music  was  sent  before  Messrs. 
Thomas  and  Carey  in  their  curious  proces- 
sion to  Bote  Haut  ;*  to  which,  if  I  had  been 
in  their  place,  I  should  have  had  no  objec- 
tion, but  rather  have  enjoyed  it,  as  it  was 
an  expression  of  the  civility  and  friendship 
of  the  Booteas.  Others  I  allow  were  reli- 
gious ;  as  the  bringing  up  of  the  ark,  the 
building  of  the  city  wall,  &c.  But  in  these 
instances  there  are  plain  traces  of  divine 
authority,  and  such  as  indicate  that  instru- 
mental music  was  approved  of  God,  before 
the  arrangement  of  the  temple  service. 
The  music  used  on  the  former  of  these  oc- 
casions must  have  been  previous  to  this,  as 
it  was  before  the  ark  had  rest.  Yet  the 
whole  of  that  solemn  procession  was  "  before 
the  Lord,"  even  the  exercise  of  dancing  and 
playing,  which  exposed  David  to  the  revi- 
lings  of  Michal.  This  was  his  own  defence 
against  her. — 2  Sam.  vi.  21 — 23.  God  ac- 
cepted the  worship  too,  and  punished  the 
reviler.  But,  as  Paul  inferred  from  the  ac- 
ceptance of  Abel's  sacrifice  that  it  was 
offered  "in  faith,"  so  may  we  infer  from  the 
acceptance  of  the  worship  of  David  that  it 
was  performed  in  obedience  to  the  divine 
will.  The  conduct  of  David  in  praising 
the  Lord  with  instruments  of  music  is  more 
than  once  mentioned  as  a  model  of  divine 
authority  for  after  times.  Not  only  did  they 
follow  his  example  in  the  times  of  Hezekiah, 
as  being  according  to  the  commandment  of 
God  and  his  prophets  (2  Chron.  xxix.  25;) 
but,  when  the  foundation  of  the  second  tem- 
ple was  laid,  the  levites  are  said  to  have 
"  praised  the  Lord  with  cymbals,  according 
to  the  ordinance  of  David,  king  of  Israel." — 
Ezra  iii.  10.  And  afterwards,  when  the 
wall  of  the  city  was  built,  the  singers  are 
described  as  having  "  the  musical  instru- 
ments of  David,  the  man  of  God "  (Neh. 
xii.  36;)  which  is  a  mode  of  speaking  tanta- 
.  mount  to  their  being  ascribed  to  divine 
authority.  Tiie  example  of  David  need  not 
have  been  alleged,  if  it  had  been  a  mere 
discretionary  matter,  and  not  the  perform- 
ance of  a  sacred  duty. 

But,  admitting  my  position,  you  dispute 
the  application  of  it  to  the  case  in  hand  ;  ar- 
guing that  we  are  allowed  to  retain  some 
things  which  are  ceremonial,  though  not 
obliged  to  use   thern  as  formerly ;   and   in- 

*  Period.  Accounts  of  the  Baptist  Mission,  vol. 
i.  pp.  363,  364. 


stance  in  prostration,  in  certain  times  of 
worship,  and  certain  garments.  I  do  not 
know  that  prostration  is  ever  made  a  part 
of  instituted  worship  ;  it  was  a  posture  dic- 
tated by  an  humble  spirit  in  all  ages,  and  is 
still  the  same  on  various  occasions.  As  to 
garments,  we  are  allowed  to  use  them  in  a 
mere  civil  way,  as  they  were  always  used, 
but  not  as  making  any  part  of  religious  wor- 
ship. We  may  wear  a  linen  coat  for  cool- 
ness in  summer,  and  a  woollen  one  for  warmth 
in  winter  ;  but,  if  we  make  them  any  part  of 
religion,  we  sin.  Such  reasoning  would 
justify  all  the  fripperies  of  modern  supersti- 
tion, most  of  which  may  be  traced  to  Jew- 
ish origin.  The  Jews  were  obliged  to  wor- 
ship at  certain  times,  and  we  may  worship  at 
those  times.  We  must  worship  at  some 
time,  and  that  time  may  happen  to  be  the 
same  as  theirs;  but  we  are  not  at  liber- 
erty  to  choose  those  times  which  were  then 
of  divine  appointment.  If  we  do,  an  apos- 
tle will  be  "afraid  of  us."— Gal.  iv.  10,  11. 
Had  you  only  affirmed  that  what  was  obliga- 
tory on  the  Jews  is  with  us  discretionary  in 
civil  concerns,  I  should  have  had  no  objec- 
tion, no,  not  to  instrumental  music  ;  but,  if 
you  make  them  a  part  of  worship,  you  throw 
open  a  door  to  a  flood  of  corruption. 

Of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  Moses  "  saith  no- 
thing" concerning  priesthood.  Hence  Paul 
inferred  there  ivas  nothing.  Of  priests,  al- 
tars, sacred  garments,  and  instrumental  mu- 
sic in  Christian  worship,  the  New  Testa- 
ment "saith  nothing."  Is  it  improper  then 
to  infer  that  no  such  things  were  knoivn  in  the 
times  ofthejirst  Christians? 

You  perceive  nothing  in  instrumental  mu- 
sic contrary  to  the  genius  of  the  gospel. 
Another  might  say  the  same  of  dancing. 
But  suppose  you  were  to  read  in  some  an- 
cient writer  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
primitive  churches,  when  assembled  togeth- 
er for  worship,  to  sing  with  psalteries  and 
harps,  and  cymbals  and  organs,  and  to 
dance  like  David  before  the  ark.  Would 
you  not  suspect  the  veracity  of  the  writer, 
or  conclude  that  he  had  been  misinformed? 
Yet  why  should  you,  if  there  be  nothing  in 
these  things  contrary  to  the  genius  of  the 
gospel  ? 

The  New  Testament  speaks  of  praising 
God  by  singing,  but  farther  it  says  not. 
"After  supper  they  sang  a  hymn  " — "  I  will 
sing  with  the  spirit,  and  with  the  understand- 
ing also " — "  Speaking  to  yourselves  in 
psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  sing- 
ing and  making  melody  in  your  hearts  to 
the  Lord." 

Paul  speaks  more  than  once  in  his  epis- 
tle to  the  Corinthians  of  instruments  of  mu- 
sic, but  not  as  being  used  in  religion.  He 
describes  them  as  necessary  to  war,  but  not 
to  worship  ;  and  speaks  of  them  in  language 
of  degradation,  as  "things  without  life,  giving 
sound."  If  I  have  not  charity,  says  he,  I  am 
as  "sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbal." 


THOUGHTS    ON    SINGING. 


079 


The  history  of  the  church  during  the  first 
three  centuries  affords  many  instances  of 
the  primitive  Christians  engaged  in  singing  ; 
but  no  mention,  that  I  recollect,  is  made  of  in- 
struments. Even  in  the  times  of  Constantine, 
when  every  thing  grand  and  magnificent 
was  introduced  into  Christian  worship,  I 
find  no  mention  made  of  instrumental  music. 
If  my  memory  does  not  deceive  me,  it  origi- 
nated in  the  dark  ages  of  popery,  when  al- 
most every  other  superstition  was  introduced 
under  the  plea  of  its  according  with  the  wor- 
ship of  the  Old  Testament.  At  present  it 
is  most  in  use  where  these  kinds  of  super- 
stitions are  most  prevalent,  and  where  the 
least  regard  is  paid  to  primitive  simplicity. 
I  remember  lately  to  have  noticed  a  descrip- 
tion of  modern  Paris,  by  one  of  their  own 
writers.  "  If,"  says  he,  "  you  are  attached 
to  religious  solemnities,  you  will  find  some 
of  all  sorts.  Catholics,  who  offer  up  their 
prayers  to  the  deity  with  the  sound  of  mu- 
sical instruments.  Lutherans,  who  calmly 
listen  to  the  lectures  from  the  Bible  and  the 
gospel.  Theophilanthropists,  worshipping 
deists,  who  flourish  in  language,  and  sing  as 
if  they  were  at  the  opera." 

I  conclude  with  reminding  you  that  on 
the  principle  of  discretionary  worship  you 
may  introduce  the  dance,  and  commence 
Welsh  jumpers;  the  surplice,  and  become 
episcopalians  ;  and  even  the  mitre,  and  shake 
hands  with  his  holiness.  I  doubt  not  but 
your  discretion  will  keep  you  from  these 
things  ;  but,  if  there  be  no  bar  but  discre- 
tion, I  do  not  know  what  right  you  have  to 
censure  them  in  others. 

THOUGHTS    ON    SINGING. 

I  have  long  considered  the  manner  in 
which  our  singing  is  conducted  as  equally 
contrary  to  Scripture  and  reason.  The  in- 
tent of  singing  is  by  a  musical  pronuncia- 
tion of  affecting  truth  to  render  it  still  more 
affecting.  To  accomplish  this  end,  the 
music  ought,  at  all  events,  to  be  adapted  to 
the  sentiments.  As  in  common  speaking 
there  is  a  sound  e>r  modulation  of  the  voice 
adapted  to  convey  every  sentiment  or  pas- 
sion of  which  the  human  soul  is  at  any  time 
possessed,  so  I  conceive  it  is  in  a  consider- 
able degree  with  regard  to  singing  :  there 
are  certain  airs  or  tones  which  are  naturally 
expressive  of  joy,  sorrow,  pity,  indignation, 
&c,  and  the  grand  art  of  psalmody  seems 
to  consist  in  applying  these  to  the  senti- 
ments required  to  be  sung.  When  David 
had  composed  a  divine  song,  it  was  deliver- 
ed to  "  the  chief  musician,",  who  set  it  to 
sacred  music  ;  and  the  Levites  and  people 
would  probably  learn  both  the  song  and  the 
tune,  and  sing  them  on  the  days  appointed 
for  public  worship. 

Our  method  of  singing  is  the  reverse  of 
this.  Some  person  who  has  a  taste  for  mu- 
sic composes  a  tune,  a  mere  tune,  without 


any  sentiments  to  be  expressed.  He  divides 
and  subdivides  his  empty  sounds  into  lines 
and  bars,  &c  The  poet,  instead  of  going 
before  the  musician,  comes  after  him ;  and 
a  hymn  is  conformed  to  the  tune,  instead  of 
a  tune  to  the  hymn.  The  tune  being  com- 
posed to  four,  six,  or  eight  lines,  is  applied 
to  any  song  that  is  written  in  these  respect- 
ive measures,  and  repeated  over,  without 
any  regard  to  the  meaning,  as  many  times 
as  there  are  stanzas  to  be  sung ! 

I  do  not  mean  to  object  to  the  division  of 
music  into  parts  or  breaks,  so  as  to  afford 
proper  places  for  pausing  ;  but  this  division 
ought  not  to  be  uniform,  but  governed  en- 
tirely by  the  matter  to  be  sung.  There 
ought,  I  conceive,  to  be  no  pauses  in  music, 
any  more  than  in  speaking,  but  at  the  con- 
clusion of  a  sentence,  or  of  some  lesser 
break  in  the  division  of  it ;  and  the  length 
of  the  pause  ought  to  be  governed  by  the 
meaning  in  some  proportion  as  it  is  in  read- 
ing. Those  notes  also  which  belong  to 
words  of  but  little  meaning,  the  mere  par- 
ticles of  speech,  should  be  short;  and  those 
which  belong  to  words  of  full  meaning 
should  be  long  and  full  of  sound.  Nothing 
can  be  more  unnatural  than  for  a  congrega- 
tion to  dwell  in  a  long-swelling  sound  upon 
such  words  as  that,  in,  and,  from,  to,  &c, 
while  they  skip  over  words  expressing  the 
very  burden  of  the  song,  as  if  they  were  of 
no  account ;  yet  this  will  frequently  and 
almost  constantly  be  the  case  while  we 
make  hymns  to  tunes,  instead  of  tunes  to 
hymns. 

Our  anthems  appear  to  me  to  approach  the 
nearest  to  the  scriptural  way  of  singing ; 
only  they  possess  too  much  levity  for  wor- 
ship, and  abound  with  a  number  of  unneces- 
sary, because  unmeaning,  repeats. 

I  have  long  wished  to  see  introduced  into 
the  churches  (and  I  almost  believe  it  will  be 
at  some  future  time)  a  selection  of  divine 
hymns  or  songs,  taking  place  of  all  human 
compositions.  By  divine  hymns  or  songs,  I 
mean  the  pure  word  of  God  translated  with- 
out any  respect  to  rhyme  or  number,  after 
the  manner  of  Lowth's  Isaiah,  and  set  to 
plain,  serious,  and  solemn  music,  adapted  to 
the  sentiments. 

It  has  been  observed  by  some  of  the  ablest 
critics  that  the  spirit  of  David's  psalms  (and 
the  same  would  hold  true  of  the  other  poetic 
parts  of  Scripture)  can  never  be  preserved  in 
a  translation  of  them  into  modern  verse  ;  but 
in  a  translation  like  our  common  Bibles,  or 
that  of  Lowth's  Isaiah,  it  is  generally  allow- 
ed, I  believe,  that  the  spirit  of  them  is  well 
preserved.  Why  then  do  we  not  set  them 
as  they  are  to  sacred  music  ?  It  is  of  a 
thousand  times  more  importance  to  preserve 
the  spirit  of  a  psalm  or  scripture  song  than 
to  have  it  in  numbers,  even  supposing  a  uni- 
formity in  numbers  were  of  advantage. 

What  is  the  reason  that  Handel's  Messiah 
has  had  so  great  an  effect  ?     It  is  in  part 


CSO 


ECCLESIASTICAL    POLITY. 


owing  to  the  Scriptures  appearing  in  their 
native  majesty,  without  being  tortured  into 
rhyme  and  number,  and  set  to  music  adapted 
to  the  sentiments.  I  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  Handel's  music  is  in  general  adapted  to 
divine  worship :  it  was  not  designed  for  it, 
but  rather  for  a  company  of  musicians  who 
should  display  their  skill.  But  the  same 
words  might  be  set  to  plain  music  without 
any  of  those  trappings  which  recommend  it 
to  the  attention  of  a  merely  musical  audience. 
Such  a  sweetness  and  majesty  is  there  in  the 
poetic  language  of  Scripture  that  if  there 
were  nothing  offensive  in  the  music  it  must 
needs  recommend  itself  to  a  serious  mind. 
Without  disparaging  the  labors  of  any  one, 
there  is  as  great  a  disproportion  between  our 
best  compositions  and  those  of  the  Scrip- 
tures as  between  the  speeches  of  Job  and 
his  friends,  and  the  voice  of  the  Almighty. 
I  am  persuaded  there  are  but  few  if  any 
divine  subjects  upon  which  a  hymn  or  song 
might  not  be  collected  from  the  poetic  parts 
of  Scripture.  In  many  instances  the  whole 
song  might  be  furnished  from  a  single  psalm 
or  chapter  :  and  in  others  it  might  be  collect- 
ed from  different  passages  associated  to- 
gether and  properly  arranged. 

EXAMPLES. 

I. — A    SONG    OF    PRAISE    TO     THE     REDEEMER. 

Taken  from  Rev.  v. 


II. — ON  RECOVERY    FROM    SICKNESS. 

Taken  from  Hezekiah's  Song.— Isa.  38:  10—20. 


[Redeemed  sinners  signified  by  the  living  crea- 
tures and  the  elders.] 
Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book, 
And  to  open  the  seals  thereof  : 
For  thou  wast  slain, 

And  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood, 
Out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and 

nation; 
And  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and  priests: 
And  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth. 

[Thousands  of  thousajids    of  Angels  join  the 
Song  toith  a  loud  v0tce.] 
Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain 
To  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom, 
And  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing! 

[  The  whole  intelligent  creation  in  full  chorus.] 

Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power, 
Be  unto  him  that  sittcth  upon  the  throne, 
And  to  the  Lamb  forever  and  ever! 
[Redeemed  sinners  close  the  song  in  humblest 
•    prostration.] 

Amen. 

The  first  should  be  sung,  I  think,  with  a 
soft  tenor  only,  rather  increasing  in  vigor 
and  rapidity  in  the  fifth  and  following  lines  ; 
— the  second  in  bold,  loud,  and  animated 
notes,  but  not  quick:  there  ought  to  be  a 
full  swell  of  sound  to  each  of  the  seven  as- 
criptions ; — the  third  in  full  chorus,  yet  not 
so  loud  as  the  second,  but  more  pathetic  ; — 
the  last,  in  which  they  who  began  conclude 
the  song,  though  it  be  only  one  word,  yet 
the  notes  to  it  should  express  a  heart  full  of 
humility  and  gratitude. 


I  said  in  the  cutting  off  of  my  days, 
I  shall  go  to  the  gates  of  the  grave; 
I  am  deprived  of  the  residue  of  my  years. 
I  said,  I  shall  not  see  the  Lord, 
The  Lord,  in  the  land  of  the  living: 
I  shall  behold  man  no  more, 
With  the  inhabitants  of  the  world! 

I  reckoned  till  morning,  as  a  lion 
So  will  he  break  all  my  bones: 
From  day  to  night  wilt  thou  make,  an  end  of  me! 
Like  a  crane  or  a  swallow,  so  did  I  twitter: 
I  did  mourn  as  a  dove:* 
"Mine  eyes  fail  with  looking  upward: 
Oh  Lord!  I  am  oppressed,  undertake  for  me! 
What  shall  I  say!     He  hath  promised,  and  he  hath 

performed ; 
I  shall  go  softly  all  my  years, 
Remembering  the  bitterness  of  my  soul! 

0  Lord,  by  these  things  men  live, 
And  in  all  these  is  the  life  of  my  spirit: 

So  wilt  thou  recover  me,  and  make  me  to  live. 
Behold,  for  peace,  I  had  great  bitterness, 
But  thou  hast  in  love  to  my  soul 
Delivered  it  from  the  pit  of  corruption: 
For  thou  hast  cast  all  my  sins  behind  thy  back. 

The  grave  cannot  praise  thee: 
They  that  go  down  into  the  pit  cannot  hope  for  thy 

truth. 
The  living,  the  living,  he  shall  praise  thee: 
As  I  do  this  day. 
The  father  to  the   children  shall  make  known   thy 

truth. 

The  Lord  was  present  to  save  me. 
Therefore  will  we  utter  our  songs, 
All  the  days  of  our  life,  in  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

1  will  conclude  with  two  or  three  remarks  : 
— 1.  It  is  impossible,  whatever  skill  a  person 
may  have  in  music,  to  compose  a  tune  prop- 
erly without  entering-  into  the  spirit  of  the 
song. — 2.  It  is  manifest,  from  these  exam- 
ples of  sacred  song,  that  the  original  sing- 
ing was  much  of  it  responsive ;  and  that  jus- 
tice cannot  otherwise  be  done  to  it. — 3.  The 
criterion  of  a  good  tune  is,  not  its  pleasing  a 
scientific  ear,  but  its  being  quickly  caught  by 
a  congregation.  It  is,  I  think,  by  singing, 
as  it  is  by  preaching :  a  fine  judge  of  com- 
position will  admire  a  sermon  which  yet 
makes  no  manner  of  impression  upon  the 
public  mind,  and  therefore  cannot  be  a  good 
one.  That  is  the  best  sermon  which  is 
adapted  to  produce  the  best  effects  ;  and  the 
same  may  be  said  of  a  tune.  If  it  correspond 
with  the  feelings  of  a  pious  heart,  and  aid 
him  in  realizing  the  sentiments,  it  will  be 
quickly  learnt,  and  sung  'with  avidity. 
Where  this  effect  is  not  produced,  were  I  a 
composer,  I  would  throw  asidejny  perform- 
ance and  try  again. 

*  I  recollect,  some  years  ago,  when  in  a  very 
dejected  state  of  mind,  hearing  some  turtle-doves 
cooing  to  one  another.  Their  mourning  notes  made 
a  deep  impression  upon  my  heart,  their  tones  being, 
as  I  suppose,  in  unison  with  its  feelings.  Had  I  so 
much  skill  in  music  as  to  compose  a  tune  to  this 
song,  1  would  engraft  the  very  moan  of  the  turtle 
to  those  words,  I  did  mourn  as  a  dove. 


MISCELLANEOUS 


TRACTS,  ESSAYS,  LETTERS,  &c. 


ON    TRUTH.  count  the  leading- principles  of  Christian- 

ity,  sicpposing  it  to  be  wrong,  be  equally 
an  essay  on  truth;   containing  an    injurious  with  a  contrary  opinion,  suppos- 
inquiry  into  its    nature    and    im-    ing  that  to  be  wrong  1     To  think  unfavor- 
portance,    with     the     causes     op    ably  of  another  does  not  affect  his  state 
error,  and    the    reasons     of    its    towards  God  :  if,  therefore,  it  should  prove 

to  be  wrong,  it  only  interrupts  present  hap- 
piness. We  have  lately  been  told  indeed, 
but  from  what  authority  I  cannot  con- 
ceive, that  "  the  readiest  way  in  the  world 


BEING    PERMITTED. 


The  multifarious  and  discordant  senti- 
ments  which    divide    mankind,    afford    a 

great  temptation  to  scepticism,  and  many  to  thin  heaven,  and  to  replenish  the  re 
are  carried  away  by  it.  The  open  ene-  gions  of  hell,  is  to  call  in  the  spirit  of  big- 
mies  of  the  gospel  take  occasion  from  otry."  Far  be  it  from  me  to  advocate  the 
hence  to  justify  their  rejection  of  it;  and  cause  of  bigotry,  or  to  plead  for  a  bitter, 
many  of  its  professed  friends  have  written  censorious  spirit,  a  spirit  that  would  con- 
as  if  they  thought,  that  to  be  decided  fine  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  a  party  :  but 
amidst  so  many  minds  and  opinions  were  I  do  not  perceive  how  this  spirit,  bad  as  it 
almost  presumptuous.  The  principal,  if  is.,  is  productive  of  the  effects  ascribed  to  it. 
not  the  only  use  which  they  would  make  If,  on  the  other  hand,  through  an  aversion 
of  these  differences,  is  to  induce  a  spirit  to  bigotry,  we  treat  those  as  Christians  to 
of  moderation  and  charity,  and  to  declaim  whom  an  apostle  would  at  least  have  said 
against  bigotry.  "  I   stand  in  doubt   of  you,"  we    flatter 

To  say  nothing  at  present  how  these  and  deceive  them  ;  which  is  really  "  the 
terms  are  perverted  and  hackneyed  in  a  readiest  way  in  the  world  to  thin  heaven, 
certain  cause,  let  two  things  be  serious-  and  to  replenish  the  regions  of  hell." 
Iy  considered  : — First,  Whether  this  ivas  Surely  there  is  a  medium  between  big- 
the  use  made  by  the  apostles  of  the  discord-  otry  and  esteeming  and  treating  men  as 
ant  opinions  which  prevailed  in  their  times,  Christians,  irrespective  of  their  avowed 
even  among  those  ivho  "  acknowledged  the  principles.  Certainly,  a  benevolent  and 
divinity  of  our  Saviour's  7nission?  "  In  candid  treatment  is  due  to  men  of  all  de- 
differences  among  Christians  which  did  nominations  :  but  to  consider  all  princi- 
not  affect  the  kingdom  of  God,  nor  destroy  pies  as  equally  safe,  is  to  consider  truth 
the  ivork  of  God,  it  certainly  was  ;  such    as  of  no  importance. 

were  those  concerning  meats,  drinks,  and  Let  us  candidly  inquire,  Christian  read- 
days,  in  which  the  utmost  forbearance  er,  whether,  notwithstanding  the  diver- 
was  inculcated.  But  it  was  otherwise  in  sity  of  sentiments  in  the  Christian  world, 
differences  which  affected  the  leading  truth  may  not  be  clearly  ascertained  1 
doctrines  and  precepts  of  Christianity.  Whether  it  be  not  of  the  utmost  impor- 
Forbearance  hi  these  cases  would,  in  the  tance  1  Whether  the  prevalence  of  error 
account  of  the  sacred  writers,  have  been  may  not  be  accounted  fori  And,  lastly, 
a  crime.  Paul  "  would  they  were  even  Whether  the  wisdom,  as  well  as  the  jus- 
cut  off"  who  troubled  the  Galatian  tice  of  God  may  not  be  seen  in  his  permit- 
churches,  by  corrupting  the  Christian  ting  it  1 
doctrine  of  justification.  And  it  is  re- 
corded to  the  honor  of  the  church  at  Eph- 
esus,  that  it  "could  not  bear  "  them  that 
were    evil;    but    "had    tried    them  who 

said  they  were  apostles  and  were  not,  and  I  desire  to  take  nothing  for  granted  but 
found  them  liars." — Gal.  v.  12;  Rev.  ii.  that  Christianity  is  of  God,  and  that  the 
2.  Secondly,  Whether  an  unfavorable  Scriptures  are  a  revelation  of  his  will.  If 
opinion  of  those  who  reject  what  toe  ac-  Christianity  be  of  God,  and  he  has  re- 
Vol.  2— Sig.  87. 


What  is  Truth  ? 
In  attempting  to  answer  this  question, 


632 


MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,  ESSAYS,  &C 


vealed  his  will  in  the  holy  Scriptures, 
light  is  come  into  the  world,  though  the 
dark  minds  of  sinful  creatures  compre- 
hend it  not.  It  does  nut  follow,  because 
many  wander  in  mazes  of  fruitless  specu- 
lation, that  there  is  not  a  way  so  plain 
that  a  wayfaring  man,  or  one  who  "  walk- 
eth  in  the  truth,"  though  a  fool,  shall  not 
err.  The  numerous  sects  among  the 
Greeks  and  Romans,  and  even  among  the 
Jews,  at  the  time  of  our  Saviour's  appear- 
ing, did  not  prove  that  there  was  no  cer- 
tain knowledge  to  be  obtained  of  what 
was  truth.  Our  Lord  considered  himself 
as  speaking  plainly,  or  he  would  not  have 
asked  the  Jews  as  he  did,  "  Why  do  ye 
not  understand  my  speech  1"  The  apos- 
tles and  primitive  believers  saw  their  way 
plainly  :  and  though  we  cannot  pretend 
to  the  extraordinary  inspiration  which  was 
possessed  by  many  of  them,  yet  if  we 
humbly  follow  their  light,  depending  on 
the  ordinary  teachings  of  God's  Holy 
Spirit,  we  shall  see  ours. 

Truth,  we  may  be  certain,  is  the  same 
thing  as  what  in  the  Scriptures  is  denom- 
inated "  the  gospel  " — "  the  common  sal- 
vation"  "the  common  faith" "the 

faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints  " — "the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,"  &c,  and  what  this 
is  may  be  clearly  understood  by  the  brief 
summaries  of  the  gospel,  and  of  the  faith 
of  the  primitive  Christians,  which  abound 
in  the  New  Testament.  Of  the  former, 
the  following  are  a  few  of  many  examples  : 
— "God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life. — The  Son  of  Man  came 
to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost. — I 
am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  :  no 
man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me. 
— To  him  gave  all  the  prophets  witness, 
that  through  his  name  whosoever  believ- 
eth  in  him  shall  receive  remission  of  sins. 
— We  preach  Christ  crucified,  unto  the 
Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  unto  the 
Greeks  foolishness  ;  but  unto  them  which 
are  called,  both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ, 
the   power   of  God,  and  the    wisdom   of 

God. 1   determined   not   to   know    any 

thing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ  and 
him  crucified. — Moreover,  brethren,  I  de- 
clare unto  you  the  gospel  which  I  preached 
unto  you,  which  also  ye  have  received, 
and  wherein  ye  stand;  by  which  also  ye 
are  saved,  if  ye  hold  fast  what  I  preached 
unto  you,  unless  ye  have  believed  in  vain  : 
for  I  delivered  unto  you  first  of  all  that 
which  I  also  received,  how  that  Christ 
died  for  our  sins  according  to  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  that  he  was  buried,  and  that 
he  rose  again  the  third  day,  according  to 
the  Scriptures. — This  is  a  faithful  saying, 
and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ 


Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners, 
of  whom  I  am  chief. — This  is  the  record 
that  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  and 
this  life  is  in  his  Son. — Neither  is  there 
salvation  in  any  other  :  for  there  is  none 
other  name  under  heaven  given  among 
men  whereby  we  must  be  saved." 

If  language  has  any  delerminate  mean- 
ing, it  is  here  plainly  taught  that  mankind 
are  not  only  sinners,  but  in  a  lost  and  per- 
ishing condition,  without  help  or  hope, 
but  what  arises  from  the  free  grace  of 
God,  through  the  atonement  of  his  Son  ; 
that  he  died  as  our  substitute  ;  that  we 
are  forgiven  and  accepted  only  for  the 
sake  of  what  he  hath  done  and  suffered  ; 
that  in  his  person  and  work  all  evangelical 
truth  concentrates  ;  that  the  doctrine  of 
salvation  for  the  chief  of  sinners  through 
his  death  was  so  familiar  in  the  primitive 
times  as  to  become  a  kind  of  Christian 
proverb,  or  saying ;  and  that  on  our  re- 
ceiving and  retaining  this  depends  our 
present  standing  and  final  salvation.  If 
this  doctrine  be  received,  Christianity  is 
received  :  if  not,  the  record  which  God 
hath  given  of  his  Son  is  rejected,  and  he 
himself  treated  as  a  liar. 

WThen  this  doctrine  is  received  in  the 
true  spirit  of  it,  which  it  never  is  but  by 
a  sinner  ready  to  perish,  all  those  fruitless 
speculations  which  tend  only  to  bewilder 
the  mind  will  be  laid  aside  ;  just  as  mal- 
ice, and  guile,  and  envies,  and  evil  speak- 
ings are  laid  aside  by  him  who  is  born  of 
God.  They  will  fall  off  from  the  mind, 
like  the  coat  of  the  chrysalis,  of  their 
own  accord.  Many  instances  of  this  are 
constantly  occurring.  Persons  who,  after 
having  read  and  studied  controversies,  and 
leaned  first  to  one  opinion  and  then  to 
another,  till  their  minds  have  been  lost  in 
uncertainty,  have  at  length  been  brought 
to  think  of  the  gospel,  not  as  a  matter  of 
speculation,  but  as  that  which  seriously 
and  immediately  concerns  them  ;  and, 
embracing  it  as  good  news  to  them  who 
are  ready  to  perish,  have  not  only  found 
rest  to  their  souls,  but  all  their  former 
notions  have  departed  from  them  as  a 
dream  when  one  awaketh. 

Corresponding  with  the  brief  summa- 
ries of  the  gospel  are  the  concise  accounts 
given  of  the  faith  of  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians.— "  Whosoever  believeth  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ  is  born  of  God." — "  Who  is 
he  that  overcometh  the  world,  but  he  that 
believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God?  " 
— "If  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  believe  in  thine  heart 
that  God  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead, 
thou  shalt  be  saved."  The  sacred  writ- 
ers did  not  mean,  by  this  language,  to 
magnify  the  belief  of  one  or  two  divine 
truths  at  the   expense  of  others ;  but  to 


ON    TRUTH. 


683 


exhibit  them  as  bearing  an  inseparable 
connection  :  so  that,  if  these  were  truly 
embraced,  the  other  would  be  certain  to 
accompany  them.  They  considered  the 
doctrine  of  the  person  and  work  of  Christ 
as  a  golden  link,  that  would  draw  along 
with  it  the  whole  chain  of  evangelical 
truth.  Hence  we  perceive  the  propriety 
of  such  language  as  the  following  : — "  He 
that  hath  the  Son,  hath  life  ;  and  he  that 
hath  not  the  Son,  hath  not  life." — "  Who- 
soever denieth  the  Son,  the  same  hath  not 
the  Father." 

The  doctrine  and  faith  of  the  primitive 
Christians  were  summarily  avowed  every 
time  they  celebrated  the  Lord's  supper. 
The  leading  truth  exhibited  by  that  ordi- 
nance is  the  same  which  John  calls  "the 
record;"  namely,  that  "God  hath  given 
unto  us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  his 
Son."  Under  the  form  of  a  feast,  of 
which  we  are  invited  to  take,  to  eat,  and 
to  drink,  are  set  forth  the  blessings  of  the 
new  testament,  or  covenant,  and  the  me- 
dium through  which  they  were  obtained  ; 
namely,  "  the  blood  of  Jesus,  shed  for 
many  for  the  remission  of  sins  ;"  and  the 
way  in  which  they  must  be  received;  that 
is  to  say,  as  a.  free  gift,  bestowed  on  the 
unworthy  for  his  sake.  If  this  simple 
doctrine  were  believed  with  the  spirit  of 
a  little  child,  and  lived  upon  as  our  meat 
and  drink,  we  might  take  an  everlasting 
leave  of  speculations  of  things  beyond 
our  reach ;  and  that  without  sustaining 
the  loss  of  any  thing  but  what  were  better 
lost  than  retained. 

Importance  of  Truth. 

If  the  above  remarks  may  be  thought 
sufficient  to  ascertain  what  is  truth,  its 
importance  follows  as  a  necessary  conse- 
quence. If,  as  transgressors,  we  be  ex- 
posed to  the  eternal  displeasure  of  our 
Maker — if  a  door  of  hope  be  opened  to 
us — if  it  be  at  no  less  an  expense  than  the 
death  of  God's  only -begotten  Son  in  our 
nature — if,  through  this  great  propitiation, 
God  can  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  be- 
lievers— finally,  if  this  be  the  only  way  of 
escape,  and  the  present  the  only  state  in 
which  it  is  possible  to  flee  to  it  for  refuge, 
who,  that  is  not  infatuated  by  the  delu- 
sions of  this  world,  can  make  light  of  it  ? 
There  is  an  importance  in  truth,  as  it  re- 
lates to  philosophy,  history,  politics,  or 
any  other  branch  of  science,  inasmuch  as 
it  affects  the  present  happiness  of  man- 
kind:  but  what  is  this  when  compared 
with  that  which  involves  their  everlasting 
salvation  1  To  be  furnished  with  an  an- 
swer to  the  question,  "  What  shall  I  do  to 
be  saved  1  "  is  of  infinitely  greater  ac- 
count than  to  be  able  to  decide  whether  the 
Ptolemaic  or  Copernican  system  be  that 


of  nature.  The  temporal  salvation  of  a 
nation,  great  as  it  is,  and  greatly  as  it  in- 
terests the  minds  of  men,  is  nothing  when 
compared  with  the  eternal  salvation  of  a 
single  individual. 

But  many,  who  would  not  deny  the 
superior  value  of  eternal  salvation  to  all 
other  things,  have  yet  gone  about  to  de- 
preciate the  importance  of  divine  truth, 
and  to  represent  it  as  having  no  necessary 
connection  with  either  present  holiness  or 
future  happiness.  Such  appears  to  have 
been  the  design  of  those  well-known  lines 
of  Pope: — 

"  For  modes  of  faith  let  graceless  zealots  fight: 
His  can't  be  wrong  whose  life  is  in  the  right." 

And  to  the  same  purpose  we  have  often 
been  told  in  prose  that  we  shall  not  be 
judged  at  the  last  day  by  our  opinions,  but 
by  our  works.  If  truth  and  error  existed 
in  the  mind  merely  as  opinions,  or  objects 
of  speculation,  they  might  possibly  have 
but  little  influence  upon  us  :  but,  if  they 
be  principles  of  action,  they  enter  into  the 
essence  of  all  we  do.  Such  is  the  in- 
fluence of  living  faith,  otherwise  it  could 
not  be  shown  by  our  works  :*  and  such  is 
that  of  the  belief  of  falsehood,  else  we 
had  not  read  of  the  word  of  false  teach- 
ers "eating  as  doth  a  gangrene. "f  The 
works  by  which  we  shall  be  judged  can- 
not mean  actions,  in  distinction  from  their 
principles  (for  as  such  they  would  contain 
neither  good  nor  evil),  but  as  connected 
with  them.  All  pretences,  therefore,  to 
separate  the  one  from  the  other  are  as 
contrary  to  reason  as  to  Scripture. 

To  render  this  subject  more  evident, 
let  the  following  particulars  be  duly  con- 
sidered : — 

First :  It  is  by  the  belief  of  truth  that 
sinners  are  brought  into  a  state  of  salva- 
tion.— Great  things  are  ascribed  in  the 
Scriptures  to  faith  :  but  faith  could  have 
no  existence  without  revealed  truth  as 
its  foundation.  Whatever  importance, 
therefore,  attaches  to  the  one,  attaches  to 
the  other.  The  great  blessing  of  justifi- 
cation is  constantly  ascribed  to  faith,  not 
as  the  reward  of  a  virtue,  but  as  that  by 
which  we  become  one  with  Christ,  and  so 
partakers  of  his  benefits.  While  unbe- 
lievers, we  have  no  revealed  interest  in 
the  divine  favor  ;  but  are  declared  to  be 
under  condemnation :  but,  believing  in 
him,  we  are  no  longer  "under  the  law," 
as  a  term  of  life  and  death,  but  "under 
grace."  Hence  it  is  that,  in  the  gospel, 
as  heard  and  received,  we  are  said  to 
stand.  Take  away  evangelical  truth,  and 
you  take  away  the  standing  of  a  Christ- 
ian. Bereaved  of  this,  the  best  man  upon 
earth  must  despair  of  salvation. 

*  James  ii.  18.         t  r«y/naira,  2  Tim.  ii.  17. 


684 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


Secondly  :  Truth  is  the  model  and  stand- 
ard of  true  religion  in  the  mind. — That 
doctrines,  whether  true  or  false,  if  really 
believed,  become  principles  of  action — 
that  they  are  a  mould  into  which  the  mind 
is  cast,  and  from  which  it  receives  its  im- 
pression— is  evident  both  from  Scripture 
and  experience.  An  observant  eye  will 
easily  perceive  a  spirit  which  attaches  to 
the  different  species  of  religion ;  and 
which,  over  and  above  the  diversities 
arising  from  natural  temper,  will  man- 
ifest itself  in  their  respective  follow- 
ers. Paganism,  Mahomedism,  Deism, 
apostate  Judaism,  and  various  systems 
which  have  appeared  under  the  name  of 
Christianity,  have  each  discovered  a  spirit 
of  its  own.  Thus  also  it  was  from  the 
beginning.  Those  who  received  another 
doctrine  received  with  it  another  spirit  : 
and  hence  we  read  of  "  the  spirit  of  truth" 
and  "  the  spirit  of  error."  He  that  had 
the  one  is  said  to  be  "  of  God,"  and  he 
that  had  the  other  "  not  of  God.0'— 2  Cor. 
xi.  4.     1  John  iv.  6. 

Revealed  truth  is  represented  as  "  a 
form   of   doctrine "  into   which   believers 

are   "delivered." Rom.  vi.  17.      As  a 

melted  substance,  cast  into  a  mould,  re- 
ceives its  form  from  it,  and  every  line  in 
the  one  corresponds  with  that  of  the  oth- 
er; so  true  religion  in  the  soul  accords 
with  true  religion  in  the  Scriptures. 
Without  this  standard,  we  shall  either 
model  our  faith  by  our  own  pre-conceived 
notions  of  what  is  fit  and  reasonable,  or  be 
carried  away  by  our  feelings,  and  lose 
ourselves  among  the  extravagant  vagaries 
of  enthusiasm.  Our  views  may  seem  to 
us  very  rational,  or  our  feelings  may  be 
singularly  ardent ;  and  yet  we  may  be  far 
from  being  in  the  right.  The  question 
is,  Whether  they  agree  line  to  line  with 
the  divine  model  1  God  saith,  in  his 
word,  "  Seek  ye  my  face."  If  our  hearts 
say  unto  him,  "  Thy  face,  Lord,  will  we 
seek,"  then  does  line  answer  unto  line; 
and  this  is  true  religion.  Is  it  a  leading 
feature  of  evangelical  truth  that  it  honors 
the  divine  character  and  government  1  It 
is  the  same  with  true  religion  in  the  mind. 
Does  that  manifest  love  even  to  enemies  1 
So  does  this.  Is  it  the  object  of  the  for- 
mer to  abase  the  pride  of  man!  It  is  no 
less  the  nature  of  the  latter  to  rejoice  in 
lying  low.  Finally  :  Is  the  one  averse 
from  all  iniquity,  and  friendly  to  univer- 
sal holiness  1  The  other,  dissatisfied  with 
present  attainments,  "  presseth  towards 
the  mark,  for  the  prize  of  the  high  call- 
ing of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

Thirdly  :  Truth  is  that  which  furnishes 
the  motive  for  every  exercise  of  true  holi- 
ness.— If  once  we  are  enabled  to  behold 
its  glory,  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of 


Jesus  Christ,  it  changes  us  into  the  same 
image,  begets  and  excites  holy  affections, 
and  every  kind  of  gracious  exercise. — 
Hence  we  are  said  to  knoio  the  truth,  and 
the  truth  to  make  us  free  ;  to  be  sanctified 
through  it,  and  begotten  by  it. — John  viii. 
32;  xvii.  17.     James  i.  18. 

It  is  not  denied  that  there  is  much  of 
what  is  called  morality  in  persons  who 
know  and  believe  nothing  to  purpose  of 
evangelical  truth.  Honor,  interest,  and 
the  habit  of  education,  will  induce  men  to 
shun  open  immoralities,  and  to  comply  with 
things  which  are  reputable  and  praisewor- 
thy. But  though  there  be  great  cause  for 
thankfulness  to  God,  who,  by  his  provi- 
dence, thus  restrains  mankind  from  much 
evil ;  yet  this  is  not  holiness.  Holiness  is 
the  love  of  God  and  one  another  ;  where- 
as this  is  mere  self-love.  All  works  and 
worship  of  this  kind  are  no  better  than  the 
offering  of  Cain,  which,  being  without 
faith,  could  not  please  God. 

And,  as  there  may  be  a  semblance  of 
holiness  without  faith,  so  there  may  be  a 
semblance  of  faith  without  holiness.  The 
doctrines  of  the  Bible,  though  in  them- 
selves practical,  yet  may  be  treated  as 
mere  speculations,  and  frequently  are  so 
by  men  who  profess  to  believe  them  ;  and, 
where  this  is  the  case,  instead  of  produc- 
ing holiness,  they  may  have  a  contrary  ef- 
fect ;  but  this  is  owing  to  their  being  per- 
verted. God's  words  do  good  to  the  up- 
right. There  is  not  a  sentiment  in  the  liv- 
ing oracles  but  what,  if  received  in  the  true 
spirit  and  intent  of  it,  will  contribute  to 
the  sanctification  of  the  mind. 

True  religion  is,  with  great  beauty  and 
propriety,  called  walking  in  the  truth.  A 
life  of  sobriety,  righteousness,  and  godli- 
ness, is  Christian  principle  reduced  to 
practice.  Truth  is  a  system  of  love,  an 
overflow  of  the  divine  blessedness,  as  is 
intimated  by  its  being  called  "  the  glorious 
gospel  of  the  blessed  God  :"  a  system  of 
reconciliation,  peace  and  forgiveness  ;  full 
of  the  most  amazing  condescension,  and 
of  spotless  rectitude.  To  walk  in  truth 
like  this  is  to  walk  in  love,  to  be  tender- 
hearted, forgiving  one  another,  even  as 
God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  us  ;  to 
be  of  the  same  mind  with  him  who  "  made 
himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon 
him  the  form  of  a  servant;"  and  "to  be 
holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation." 

Such  were  the  fruits  of  truth  which 
were  actually  brought  forth  by  the  primi- 
tive believers ;  and  such,  in  different  de- 
grees, notwithstanding  the  many  defects 
and  scandals  which  abound  among  us,  are 
the  fruits  of  it  in  true  Christians  to  this 
day.  Thousands  of  examples,  both  in 
earlier  and  later  times,  might  be  produc- 
ed, in  which  men  who  previously  walked 


ON    TRUTH. 


685 


according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  in 
rioting  and  drunkenness,  in  chambering 
and  wantonness,  in  strife  and  envying,  on 
embracing  the  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified 
have  put  off  all  these,  and  become,  as  it 
were,  new  creatures. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  special  notice  that, 
in  every  instance  in  which  the  primitive 
churches  deviated  from  the  doctrine  of  the 
apostles,  they  appear  to  have  degenerated 
as  to  zeal  and  practical  godliness.  A  care- 
ful review  of  the  epistles  to  the  Corinthians, 
the  Galatians,  and  the  Hebrews,  who  de- 
parted more  than  any  other  churches  from 
the  simplicity  of  the  gospel,  would  furnish 
proof  of  the  justness  of  this  remark.  It 
was  not  without  reason  that  Paul  observed 
to  the  Corinthians,  "  evil  communications 
corrupt  good  manners  ;"  by  which  he  ap- 
pears to  have  meant  the  communications 
of  false  teachers,  who  endeavored  to  un- 
dermine the  resurrection,  and  other  im- 
portant truths.  And  such  was  the  corrup- 
tion of  manners  which  accompanied  these 
notions,  that,  degenerate  as  we  consider 
ourselves,  compared  with  the  primitive 
Christians,  if  any  one  of  our  churches  tol- 
erated the  same  things,  we  should  be  al- 
most ready  to  pronounce  it  a  synagogue  of 
Satan.  Among  other  tilings  they  divided 
into  parties,  boasted  of  the  talents  of  their 
preachers,  connived  at  the  most  unnatural 
kind  of  fornication,  went  to  law  with  one 
another,  communed  with  idolaters  at  their 
temples,  and  profaned  the  supper  of  the 
Lord  by  appropriating  it  to  purposes  of 
sensual  indulgence  !  Such  were  the  fruits 
of  error. 

If  we  look  into  the  epistle  to  the  Gala- 
tians, who  had  been  turned  aside  from  the 
apostolic  doctrine  of  justification,  we  shall 
find  fruits  of  the  same  kind.  They  are 
described  as  not  obeying  the  truth,  as  fool- 
ish, as  in  a  manner  bewitched;  as  having 
lost  their  former  zeal,  and  rendered  their 
Christianity  a  matter  of  doubt ;  as  needing 
to  have  "  Christ  again  formed  in  them  :" 
and  it  is  strongly  intimated  that  they  were 
guilty  of  biting,  and  as  it  were  devouring 
one  another,  of  "  fulfilling  the  lusts  of  the 
flesh,"  and  of  coveting  "  vain-glory,  pro- 
voking one  another,  and  envying  one  an- 
other."— See  chap.  iii.  1  ;  iv.  11,  19,  20; 
v.  7,  15,  16,  26. 

If  the  Hebrews  had  not,  in  turning  aside 
from  the  truth,  been  injured  in  their  spirit 
and  conduct,  it  is  very  improbable  that 
such  language  as  the  following  would  have 
been  addressed  to  them  :  "  Wherefore, 
as  the  Holy  Spirit  saith,  to-day,  if  ye  will 
hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts  as 
in  the  provocation,  in  the  day  of  tempta- 
tion in  the  wilderness,  when  your  fathers 
tempted  me,  proved  me,  and  saw  my  works 
forty  years  :  wherefore  I  was  grieved  with 


that  generation,  and  said,  they  do  always 
err  in  their  hearts,  and  they  have  not 
known  my  ways.  So  I  sware  in  my  wrath, 
They  shall  not  enter  into  my  rest. — Take 
heed,  brethren,  lest  there  be  in  any  of  you 
an  evil  heart  of  unbelief,  in  departing  from 
the  living  God  ! — Exhort  one  another  dai- 
ly, while  it  is  called  to-day,  lest  any  of 
you  be  hardened  through  the  deceitiulness 
of  sin  !  "  Neither  is  it  likely,  if  no  symp- 
toms had  appeared  among  them,  that  they 
would  have  been  exhorted  to  "look  dili- 
gently lest  any  man  should  fail  of  the  grace 
of  God  ;  lest  any  root  of  bitterness  spring- 
ing up  should  trouble  them,  and  thereby 
many  be  defiled  ;  lest  there  should  be  any 
fornicator,  or  profane  person,  as  Esau, 
who  for  one  morsel  of  meat  sold  his  birth- 
right." Finally  :  It  is  not  probable  that 
so  solemn  a  warning  against  whoredom 
and  adultery  would  have  been  introduced, 
and  the  offenders  cited  as  it  were  to  the 
tribunal  of  God,  if  there  had  been  no  oc- 
casion for  it  in  their  own  conduct. — Chap. 
iii.  7_13  ;   Xii.  12,  13,  15,  16  ;  xiii.  4. 

Whether  these  instances  of  the  pernicious 
effects  of  error  in  the  primitive  churches 
be  not  in  direct  opposition  to  the  modern 
notions  before  stated,  let  the  reader  judge. 
Nor  are  such  things  peculiar  to  the  primi- 
tive churches.  If  you  see  men  desert  the 
principles  before  stated,  or  hold  them  in  a 
corrupted  sense,  you  may  commonly  per- 
ceive a  change  in  their  spirit.  They  may 
retain  what  is  called  character,  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world  ;  but  the  savor  of  godliness  is 
departed.  They  may  retain  their  zeal  ; 
but  it  will  be  confined  to  some  little  pe- 
culiarity, to  the  neglect  of  the  common 
faith.  There  will  be  a  want  of  that  love- 
ly proportion  which  constitutes  the  true 
beauty  of  holiness.  A  man  who  chews 
opium,  or  tobacco,  may  prefer  it  to  the 
most  wholesome  food,  and  may  derive 
from  it  pleasure,  and  even  vigor  for  a 
time  :  but  his  pale  countenance  and  debil- 
itated constitution  will  soon  bear  witness 
to  the  folly  of  spending  his  money  for  that 
which  is  not  bread. 

Fourthly  :  The  love  which  the  primitive 
Christians  born  to  one  another  ivas  for 
the  truth's  sake. — 2  John  2 ;  3  John 
1. — Now  that  for  the  sake  of  which  we  love 
a  person  is  considered  as  of  greater  im- 
portance than  any  thing  else  pertaining  to 
him.  It  is  that  which  constitutes  his  value 
in  our  esteem  ;  and  which  if  he  abandon, 
we  should  no  longer  esteem  him. 

Here  we  may  perceive  what  is  essential 
to  the  true  legitimate  charity  of  the  primi- 
tive Christians.  Instead  of  regarding  men 
irrespectively  of  their  principles,  they 
"  knew  no  man  after  the  flesh."  John, 
who  was  the  most  loving,  or  charitable, 
perhaps,  of  all  the  disciples  of  Christ,  is 


686 


MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,  ESSAYS,  &C 


so  far  from  considering  a  departure  from 
the  truth  as  a  light  matter,  and  the  subject 
of  it  as  entitled  to  the  same  Christian  affec- 
tion as  heretofore,  that  he  expressly  writes 
as  follows  :  "  Whosoever  transgresseth, 
and  abideth  not  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ 

hath  not  God. If  there  come  any  unto 

you,  and  bring  not  this  doctrine,  receive  him 
not  into  your  house,  neither  bid  him  God- 
speed ;  for  he  that  biddeth  him  God-speed 
is  partaker  of  his  evil  deeds.'"  Would  not 
such  language,  I  ask,  in  our  days  be  reck- 
oned very  uncharitable  1  It  would.  But 
this  proves,  beyond  all  reasonable  doubt, 
that  the  common  ideas  of  charity  are  anti- 
scriptural.  Charity  will  not  take  it  for 
granted  that  whosoever  deviates  from  our 
views  must  needs  deviate  from  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ ;  but  will  carefully  inquire 
at  the  oracles  of  God,  what  is  truth  1  Yet 
there  is  no  need  of  being  ever  learning  and 
never  aide  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  it. 
The  lady  whom  John  addressed  was  sup- 
posed to  be  able  to  distinguish  between 
those  who  brought  the  doctrine  of  Christ 
and  those  who  came  without  it  :  and  so 
are  Christians  of  the  present  day.  Chari- 
ty hopeth  all  things,  and  will  always  put 
the  most  favorable  construction  upon  the 
motives  of  others  that  truth  will  admit ; 
but  without  truth,  as  its  ground  and  guide, 
it  will  not  proceed. 

Here  also  we  may  see  the  nature  of 
Christian  unity.  It  is  not  merely  for  two 
or  more  persons  to  be  agreed ;  for  this 
they  may  be  in  evil.  This  is  mere  party- 
attachment.  It  is  natural  for  men  to  love 
those  who  think  and  act  like  themselves, 
and  that  for  their  own  sake.  But  Chris- 
tian unity  is  to  love  one  another/or  Christ's 
sake,  and  for  the  truth's  sake  that  dwelleth 
in  them.  Christ,  as  revealed  in  the  gos- 
pel, forms  the  great  point  of  union.  A 
number  of  minds  are  drawn  towards  this 
point ;  and  the  nearer  they  approximate 
to  it,  the  nearer  they  approach  to  a  union 
with  one  another.  If  all  true  Christians 
were  nearer  to  the  mind  of  Christ,  their 
differences  would  soon  subside  ;  and  they 
would  feel  themselves,  as  they  approach- 
ed it,  to  be  of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul. 

Lastly  :  Truth  is  the  only  solid  founda- 
tion of  peace  and  happiness, — There  are 
cases,  it  is  granted,  in  which  the  mind 
may  rejoice  in  error,  or  be  distressed  by 
truth.  False  doctrine  will  operate  like 
opium,  filling  the  imagination  with  pleas- 
ing dreams  ;  but  all  is  transient  and  delu- 
sive. Truth,  on  the  other  hand,  when  it 
barely  commendeth  itself  to  the  conscience 
of  a  sinner,  may  render  him  extremely  un- 
happy. Such  was  the  effect  of  Judah's 
conviction  of  Christ's  innocence  :  and 
such  is  the  effect  of  similar  convictions  in 
the  present  times.     But  where  truth  takes 


possession  of  the  heart — or,  as  the  Scrip- 
tures express  it,  where  we  "  receive  the 
love  of  the  truth  " — peace  and  joy  accom- 
pany it.  This  is  a  fact  established  by  his- 
tory and  experience,  and  is  easily  account- 
ed for.  Revealed  truth  carries  in  it  a  mes- 
sage of  pardon,  reconciliation,  and  eternal 
life;  and  all  in  a  way  honorable  to  the  di- 
vine character  and  government.  This,  in 
itself,  is  good  news  ;  and  to  every  one 
who,  as  a  sinner  ready  to  perish,  receiveth 
it,  is  a  source  of  solid  and  lasting  happi- 
ness. Truth  also  pours  light  upon  all  the 
dark  and  mysterious  events  of  time,  and 
teaches  us,  while  weeping  over  human 
misery,  not  to  despond  or  repine ;  but, 
viewing  things  on  a  large  scale,  to  rejoice 
in  whatever  is.  It  exhibits  God  upon  the 
throne  of  the  universe,  ordering  every  thing 
for  the  best;  and  thus  reconciles  the  mind 
to  present  ill,  by  pointing  it  to  the  good 
that  shall  ultimately  rise  out  of  it. 

Contrast  with  this  the  horrible  com- 
plaints of  an  infidel.  "  Who  can,  without 
horror,  consider  the  whole  earth  as  the 
empire  of  destruction'?  It  abounds  in 
wonders  ;  it  abounds  also  in  victims  ;  it 
is  a  vast  field  of  carnage  and  contagion. 
Every  species  is,  without  pity,  pursued 
and  torn  to  pieces,  through  the  earth,  and 
air,  and  water  !  In  man  there  is  more 
wretchedness  than  in  all  other  animals  put 
together.  He  smarts  continually  under 
two  sources  which  other  animals  never 
feel ;  anxiety,  and  listlessness  in  appe- 
tence, which  makes  him  weary  of  himself. 
He  loves  life,  and  yet  he  knows  that  he 
must  die.  If  he  enjoy  some  transient 
good,  for  which  he  is  thankful  to  heaven, 
he  suffers  various  evils,  and  is  at  last  de- 
voured by  worms.  This  knowledge  is  his 
fatal  prerogative.  Other  animals  have  it 
not.  He  feels  it  every  moment  rankling 
and  corroding  in  his  breast.  Yet  he  spends 
the  transient  moment  of  his  existence  in 
diffusing  the  misery  which  he  suffers  :  in 
cutting  the  throats  of  his  fellow-creatures 
for  pay  ;  in  cheating  and  being  cheated  ; 
in  robbing  and  being  robbed  ;  in  serving, 
that  he  may  command  ;  and  in  repenting 
of  all  that  he  does.  The  bulk  of  mankind 
are  nothing  more  than  a  crowd  of  wretch- 
es, equally  criminal  and  unfortunate;  and 
the  globe  contains  rather  carcasses  than 
men.  I  tremble,  upon  a  review  of  this 
dreadful  picture,  to  find  that  it  implies  a 
complaint  against  providenck;  and  I 
wish  that  I  had  never  been  born  !  "  *  Such 
is  the  boasted  happiness  of  unbelievers  ! 

And,  though  we  should  not  go  these 
lengths,  yet,  if  we  forsake  truth,  by  de- 
viating materially  from  any  of  the  great 
doctrines  of  the  gospel,  it  will   affect  our 

*  Voltaire. 


ON    TRUTH. 


687 


peace.  Error  is  the  wandering  of  the 
mind  when  it  thinks  without  a  guide;  the 
issue  of  which  is  "  stumbling  upon  the 
dark  mountains."  It  is  possible,  in  suah 
circumstances,  that  the  stupor  of  insensi- 
bility may  be  mistaken  for  the  peace  of 
God  ;  but,  if  the  soul  be  once  roused  from 
its  slumber,  especially  if  it  be  the  subject 
of  any  true  religion,  it  will  find  itself  mis- 
erable. As  soon  might  we  expect  to  find 
happiness  in  the  mind  of  one  who  has  lost 
his  way,  and  knoweth  not  whither  he  go- 
eth,  as  in  a  mind  that  has  deviated  from 
evangelical  truth. 

Causes  of  Error. 

If  truth  be  of  this  importance,  it  may 
be  inquired,  How  are  we  to  account  for 
the  great  diversity  of  sentiment  in  the  re- 
ligious world  1  Whence  is  it  that  profess- 
ing Christians,  even  the  wise  and  the 
good  among  men,    should  be  so   divided  1 

It  certainly  is  not  owing  to  any  thing  in 
Christianity  itself.  This  will  be  found, 
on  the  strictest  inquiry,  to  be  one  consis- 
tent whole,  and  all  its  precepts  tend  to 
unity  of  judgment,  as  well  as  of  affection. 
To  this  end  were  all  the  epistles  address- 
ed to  the  primitive  churches.  In  some, 
the  writers  labor  to  establish  them  in  the 
truth  ;  in  others,  to  reclaim  them  from  er- 
ror ;  in  all,  to  promote  a  holy  unanimity 
in  principle  and  practice. 

Yet,  if  we  look  to  fact,  we  find  that  the 
churches,  even  in  the  purest  ages,  were 
never  free  from  error.  It  was  beyond  the 
power  of  the  apostles,  inspired  as  they 
were,  effectually  to  guard  them  against  it. 
Of  this  the  afore-mentioned  epistles  to  the 
Corinthians,  the  Galatians,  and  the  He- 
brews, are  standing  proofs  ;  and  in  after 
ages  things  were  much  worse.  Those 
principles  which  at  first  were  but  the  bud, 
or  at  most  the  blade,  now  became  the  full 
ear,  and  produced  a  harvest  of  corruption 
and  apostasy.  The  history  of  Christian- 
ity, from  that  day  to  this,  is  the  history  of 
one  continued  struggle  between  truth  and 
error  ;  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  the  rea- 
sonings of  flesh.  Nor  was  this  state  of 
things  unknown  to  the  apostles  :  they  saw, 
in  their  times,  the  mystery  of  iniquity  be- 
gin to  work,  and  by  the  spirit  of  inspiral  ion 
foretold  its  progress.  "In  the  latter 
times,"  say  they,  "  some  shall  depart 
from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  seducing 
spirits,  and  doctrines  of  demons." — "  In 
the  last  days  perilous  times  shall  come,  in 
which  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own 
selves  :  ever  learning,  and  never  able  to 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth." 
And  that,  "  as  there  were  false  prophets 
among  the  [Jewish]  people,  so  there 
should  be  false   teachers  among    [Chris- 


tians], who  would  bring  in  damnable  here- 
sies, even  denying  the  Lord  that  bought 
them  ;  and  bring  upon  themselves  swift 
destruction." 

What  shall  we  say  then  1  Shall  we  at- 
tribute the  multifarious  and  discordant 
doctrines  of  past  and  present  times  to  di- 
versity of  habits,  educations,  and  connec- 
tions ;  to  the  various  tastes  and  talents 
found  among  men  ;  or  to  the  frailty  and 
imbecility  of  the  human  mind]  These 
things  may  be  allowed  to  have  their  influ- 
ence :  but  it  is  not  to  them  principally  that 
the  Scriptures  attribute  the  corruption  of 
Christian  doctrine  or  worship. 

There  is  an  important  difference  be- 
tween diversity  and  contrariety.  The  for- 
mer belongs  to  men  as  men,  which  the 
latter  does  not.  One  man  comprehends 
more  of  truth,  another  less;  this  has  a 
talent  for  discovering  one  part  of  truth, 
and  that  another;  but  in  all  this  there  is 
nothing  discordant,  any  more  than  in  a 
diversity  of  features,  or  in  the  variegated 
face  of  the  earth,  which  abounds  in  clivers 
kinds  of  flowers,  every  one  of  which  con- 
tributes to  the  beauty  of  the  whole.  It  is 
not  so  with  respect  to  truth  and  error, 
which  are  as  opposite  as  right  and  wrong. 
True  doctrines  are  the  plants,  and  false 
doctrines  the  weeds  of  the  church.  They 
cannot  both  flourish  in  the  same  mind. 
The  one  must  be  rooted  up,  or  the 
other  will  be  overrun  and  rendered  unpro- 
ductive. 

The  causes  which  the  Scriptures  assign 
for  the  corruption  of  Christian  doctrine 
are  principally,  if  not  entirely,  of  a  moral 
nature.  They  represent  evangelical  truth 
as  a  holy  doctrine,  and  as  that  which  can- 
not be  understood  by  an  unholy  mind. 
"  The  natural,"  or  mere  worldly  wise, 
"man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  ;  for  they  are  foolishness 
unto  him  :  neither  can  he  know  them, 
because  they  are  spiritually  discerned." 
They  are  "  hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
and  revealed  unto  babes  ;"  and  thus  "  it 
seemeth  good  in  his  sight  "  whose  mind  it 
is  to  abase  the  pride  of  man.  If  the 
gospel  had  been  "  the  wisdom  of  this 
world,"  the  "  spirit  of  this  world  "  would 
have  sufficed  to  understand  it;  and  there 
would  be  no  more  errors  concerning  it 
than  what  arise  from  the  imbecility  of  the 
human  mind  on  all  other  subjects  ;  but  it 
is  not :  it  is  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above, 
and  therefore  requires  a  state  of  mind 
suited  to  it ;  or,  as  the  apostle  expresses 
it,  that  "  we  receive  not  the  spirit  of  the 
world,  but  the  spirit  which  is  of  God,  that 
we  may  know  the  things  which  are  freely 
given  to  us  of  God."  Now,  this  being 
the  case,  so  far  as  we  attempt  to  judge, 
preach,  or  write  of  the  gospel,  under  the 


688 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


influence  of  mere  worldly  wisdom,  or  in 
any  other  than  its  own  spirit,  we  are 
morally  certain,  in  some  way  or  other,  to 
pervert  it. 

Here  then  are  opened  to  our  view  three 
grand  sources  of  error ;  namely,  The 
number  of  unconverted  or  mere  worldly- 
wise  characters  who  intrude  themselves 
or  are  intruded  by  others  into  the  Chris- 
tian ministry — the  greater  number  of 
merely  nominal  Christians,  whose  taste 
calls  for  anti-scriptural  preaching — and  the 
large  portion  ol  unsanctilied  wisdom  found 
even  in  godly  men. 

First  :  The  great  number  ofunconvert- 
ed  ministers.  Far  be  it  from  me  to  judge 
of  men  otherwise  than  by  what  they  man- 
ifest themselves  to  be.  I  abhor  the  spirit 
of  our  modern  Antinomians,  who  would 
persuade  us  that  they  know  good  minis- 
ters from  others  by  a  kind  of  spiritual 
physiognomy  ;  but  who,  if  the  tree  be 
known  by  its  fruits,  have  much  more 
reason  to  judge  themselves.  Yet  the  per- 
sonal religion  of  many  preachers  must  be 
allowed  by  charity  itself  to  wear  more 
than  a  suspicious  appearance  ;  nor  is  it 
surprising  that  it  should  be  so.  If,  in  the 
purest  age  of  the  church,  when  there  were 
but  few  attractions  for  covetousness  and 
ambition,  there  were  "  men  of  corrupt 
minds,  reprobate  concerning  the  faith  ; 
men  who  had  "  the  form  of  godliness,  but 
denied  the  power  thereof ;"  is  it  any  won- 
der that  there  should  be  such  in  our  times  1 
And,  as  the  introduction  of  almost  every 
error  among  the  primitive  Christians  is  at- 
tributed to  this  sort  of  characters,  is  it  not 
reasonable  to  expect  that  things  should 
move  on  in  the  same  direction'? 

An  unrenewed  person,  whatever  be  his 
education,  talents,  or  natural  temper,  can 
never  fall  in  with  Christianity  as  it  is  taught 
in  the  New  Testament.  If,  therefore,  he 
occupy  a  station  in  the  church,  he  will 
be  almost  certain  to  transform  religion  so 
as  to  suit  himself.  This,  it  is  clear,  was 
the  grand  source  of  the  Romish  apostacy. 
No  sooner  was  Christianity  adopted  by  the 
state  than  it  became  the  interest  of  world- 
ly men  to  profess  it.  Ecclesiastical  offi- 
ces were  soon  filled,  in  a  great  degree,  by 
unbelievers  in  disguise.  The  effect  was, 
as  might  have  been  expected,  the  doctrine, 
worship,  discipline,  and  spirit  of  the  gos- 
pel were  gradually  lost,  and  a  system 
of  corruption  was  substituted  in  their 
place. 

This  has  been  a  source  of  departure 
from  the  truth  down  to  the  present  times  ; 
and  that,  in  different  degrees,  among  all 
denominations  of  Christians.  If  we  look 
into  the  establishments  of  protestant- 
Europe,  we  shall  find  that,  in  spite  of  oaths 
and  subscriptions,  devised  in  former  ages 


for  the  security  of  orthodoxy,  worldly 
men  have  a  system  of  their  own,  and  will 
explain  their  articles  and  creeds  according 
to  it.  Or,  if  we  look  out  of  establish- 
ments, wherever  worldly  men  are  admit- 
ted to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  we  shall 
find  things  much  the  same.  Some  of  the 
greatest  perverters  of  the  gospel,  during 
the  last  century,  have  descended  from 
pious  parents,  who,  fond  of  the  idea  of 
bringing  up  their  children  to  the  public 
service  of  God,  overlooked  the  necessity 
of  personal  religion ;  presuming,  as  it 
would  seem,  that  God  would  in  due  time 
supply  that  defect.  The  consequence  was, 
the  young  men,  finding  evangelical  truth 
sit  uneasily  upon  them,  threw  it  off,  and 
embraced  a  system  more  suited  to  the 
state  of  their  minds. 

Observing  these  tilings  among  men  of 
education,  many  serious  people  have  con- 
tracted a  prejudice  against  learning  itself; 
and  have  preferred  the  preaching  of  the 
most  illiterate,  for  the  sake  of  a  pure  doc- 
trine. But  neither  is  this  any  security  ; 
for  men  of  assurance  and  address,  pre- 
tending to  extraordinary  light  and  mar- 
vellous inspirations,  will  often  obtrude 
themselves  upon  the  people  and  draw  dis- 
ciples after  them,  especially  from  among 
the  unthinking  and  light-minded  part  of 
Christian  professors.  In  them  the  words 
of  Peter  have  been  eminently  fulfilled  : 
"  Speaking  great  swelling  words  of  vanity, 
they  have  allured,  through  the  lusts  of  the 
flesh,  those  that  for  a  while  were  escaped 
from  them  who  live  in  error."  Nor  has 
their  influence  been  confined  to  such  char- 
acters :  sincere  people  have  frequently 
been  misled  by  their  specious  pretences. 
When  Judas,  professing  a  solicitude  for 
the  poor,  condemned  an  expression  of  love 
to  Christ  as  an  unnecessary  piece  of  waste- 
fulness, he  drew  away  the  other  disci- 
ples after  him.  In  short,  men  who  have 
not  the  spirit  by  which  the  gospel  was  dic- 
tated, will  not  cleave  to  it.  Some  may 
err  on  this  side,  and  some  on  that  :  some 
having  greater  talents  may  do  greater  in- 
jury to  it,  and  others  less  ;  but  all  in  one 
way  or  other  will  pervert  it  :  and,  where 
this  is  the  case,  "  many  will  follow  their 
pernicious  ways  ;  and  the  way  of  truth," 
being  confounded  with  them,  "  will  be 
evil  spoken  of." 

Secondly  :  The  great  number  of  merely 
nominal  Christians. — In  the  present  state 
of  things,  the  bulk  of  mankind  are  not 
governed  by  principle,  but  by  custom — fol- 
lowing the  course  of  this  world,  whatever 
direction  it  may  take.  In  one  country 
they  are  heathens, in  another  Mahomedans, 
and  in  another  Christians  :  in  other  words, 
they  are  of  no  religion.  The  effect  of  this 
is,  that  a  large  proportion  of  ministers  are 


ON    TROTH, 


639 


certain  to   be   nominated   and   chosen  by  Reasons  why  error  is  permitted. 
men  who  have  no  taste  tor  the   searching, 

humbling,  and  holy  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  The   foregoing   remarks  may   suffice  to 

but  are  utterly  averse  from  it ;  and,  where  account  for  the  prevalence  of  error  so  far 

this  is  the  case,  it  requires  but   little   dis-  as  man  is  concerned  ;  but  it  may   be    far- 

cernment   to  perceive    what  will   be   the  ther  inquired,  Wherefore  doth  God  permit 

general  tone  of  preaching.     Even  in  con-  if?       Why  is  it  that   the   beauty    of  the 

gregational  churches,  if  the  people,  or  the  Christian  "church  is    suffered  to  be  marred 

leading  individuals  among  them,  be  world-  and  its  peace  invaded  by   a  succession  of 

ly-minded,  ambitious,  or   in   any   respect  perpetual    discords  1       This    is  an   awful 

loose  livers,  they  will  not    be  at  a  loss    to  subject ;  and,  if  we  were  left  to  our  own 

find     preachers    after     their   own     heart,  conjectures  upon  it,  it  would  be  our   wis- 

Thus  error  is  propagated,  and  thus  it   was  dom  to  leave  it  to  the  great  day   when   all 

propagated    from    a  very     early    period,  things  will  be  made  manifest  :  but  we  are 


"  The  time  will  come,"  said  Paul  to  Tim- 
othy, "  when  they  will  not  endure  sound 
doctrine  ;  but  after  their  own  lusts  shall 
they  heap  to  themselves  teachers,  having 
itching  ears  ;  and  they  shall  turn  away  their 
ears  from  the  truth,  and  shall  be  turned 
unto  tables."  . 

Thirdly  :  The  large  portion  of  unsancti- 
Jied  wisdom  found  even  in  godly  men. — 
The  wisdom  of  this  world,  as  opposed  to 
the  wisdom  of  God,  is  not  confined  to 
mere  worldly  men.  The  apostle,  after 
speaking  of  spiritual  men  as   "judging  all 


not.  The  Scriptures  of  truth  inform  us 
that  "  there  must  needs  be  heresies, 
that  they  who  are  approved  may  be  made 
manifest." 

All  the  influences  to  which  we  are  ex- 
posed, in  the  present  life,  are  adapted  to 
a  state  of  probation,  and  to  do  us  good  or 
harm,  according  to  the  state  of  mind  which 
we  possess.  We  are  not  only  fearfully 
made,  but  as  fearfully  situated.  The 
evidence  in  favor  of  true  religion  is  suf- 
ficient for  a  candid  mind,  but  not  for  one 
that  is  disposed   to    cavil.     If  we   attend 


things,"  and  as  "having  the  mind  of  to  it  simply  to  find  out  truth  and  obey 
Christ,"  adds,  "And  I,  brethren,  could  it,  we  shall  not  be  disappointed;  but,  if 
not  speak  unto  you  as  unto  spiritual,  but  our  souls  be  lifted  up  within  us,  the  very 
as  unto  carnal ;  even  as  unto  babes  in  rock  of  salvation  will  be  to  us  a  stone  of 
Christ."  And  this,  their  carnality,  is  rep-  stumbling.  The  Jews  required  a  sign  in 
resented  as  rendering  them  unable  to  un-  their  own  way:  "  Let  him  come  down 
derstand  the  great  doctrines  of  Christian-  from  the  cross,"  said  they.  "  and  we 
ity,  which  are  compared  to  meat,  and  as  will  believe  him."  If  he  had  publicly 
leading  them  to  build  upon  the  gospel-  risen  from  the  dead,  say  modern  unbe- 
foundation  a  mixture,  of  "  wood,  and  hay,  lievers,  none  could  have  doubted  it. — Yet 
and  stubble  ;"  all  of  which  shall  be  burnt  he  neither  came  down  from  the  cross  nor 
up  another  day,  though  they  themselves  rose  publicly  from  the  dead ;  and  let  them 
are  to  be  saved. — 1  Cor.  ii.  (3,  7,  12,  15,  say,  if  they  please,  that  he  could  not,  and 
16  ;  iii.  1,  2,  12 — 17.  that  all  his  miracles  were  the  work  of  im- 

There  is  a  slowness  of  heart  even  in  posture.  It  may  be  our  duty,  as  much  as 
good  men  to  believe  what  God  has  revealed,  in  us  lies,  to  cut  off  occasion  from  them 
especially  if  it  clash  with  their  pre-con-  who  desire  occasion  ;  but  God  often  acts 
ceived  ideas.  Such  was  the  state  of  mind  of  otherwise.  They  who  desire  a  handle  to 
the  apostles  themselves  previously  to  the  renounce  the  gospel  shall  have  it.  Thus 
resurrection  of  their  Lord  :  and  such  is  it  is  that  men  are  tried  by  false  doctrine, 
the  state  of  mind  of  great  numbers  among  and  even  by  the  immoralities  of  profess- 
us.     We  often   hear  men  in    controversy    ing  Christians. 


talk  of  being  open  to  conviction  and  wil 
ling  to  retract  their  sentiments  if  but  fair- 
ly confuted  :  but  such  professions  either 
mean  but  little,  or  at  best  indicate  a 
great    want   of    self-knowledge.      Those 


The  visible  kingdom  of  Christ  is  a  floor, 
containing  a  mixture  of  wheat  and  chaff; 
and  every  false  doctrine  is  a  wind,  which 
he,  whose  fan  is  in  his  hand,  makes  use  of 
to  purge  it.      There  are  great  numbers  of 


who  are  the  most  open  to   conviction  will  characters  who  profess  to  receive  the  truth, 

commonly   suspect  themselves    the   most,  on   whom,    notwithstanding,  it   never   sat 

and  of  course  will  not    be  very  forward  in  easily.     Its  holy  and  humbling  nature  galls 

the   use  of  such  language.     If  there  were  their  spirits.      In  such  cases,  the  mind  is 

not  a.  slowness  of  heart,  both  in   receiving  prepared  to  receive  any  representation  of 

truth  and  relinquishing  error,  a  large  pro-  the  gospel,  however   fallacious,   that  may 

portion  of  our  controversies  would  soon  be  comport  with  its  desires  :  and,  being  thus 

at  an  end.  averse  to  the  truth,  God,  in  just  judgment, 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  83. 


690 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


frequently  suffers  the  winds  of  false  doc- 
trine to  sweep  them  away.  Such  is  the 
account  prophetically  given  of  the  chief  in- 
struments iu  the  Romish  apostacy.  The 
introduction  of  that  mystery  of  iniquity  is 
thus  described:  "Whose  coining  is  alter 
the  working  of  Satan,  with  all  power,  and 
signs,  and  lying  wonders,  and  with  all  de- 
ceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them 
that  perish  ;  because  they  received  not  the 
love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be  saved. 
And  for  this  cause  God  shall  send  them 
strong  delusion,  that  they  should  believe  a 
lie  :  that  they  all  might  be  damned  who  be- 
lieved not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure  in 
unrighteousness." 

Not  only  is  false  doctrine  permitted, 
that  it  may  sweep  away  hypocritical  char- 
acters, but  the  discordance  which  appears 
among  the  professors  of  Christianity  is  it- 
self a  temptation  to  many,  and  that  in  di- 
vers ways.  Some,  who  consider  them- 
selves as  almost  if  not  altogether  infallible, 
are  hereby  furnished  with  a  plea  for  intol- 
erance and  persecution.  In  this  way  it 
operated  much  in  former  ages,  and  a  por- 
tion of  it  is  still  prevalent  among  us.  You 
see,  say  they,  whither  this  liberty  of  con- 
science will  lead  men.  If  they  be  left  to 
themselves,  and  form  their  own  notions  of 
religion,  there  will  be  no  end  to  their  er- 
rors and  divisions,  and  to  the  sects  that 
will  arise  out  of  them.  Thus  the  catholics 
attempted  to  discredit  the  reformation ; 
and  thus  some  protestants  have  endeavor- 
ed to  discredit  congregational  church  gov- 
ernment, as  fruitful  of  sects  and  divisions. 
But,  if  either  of  them  were  required  to 
prove  that  there  is  less  error  or  opposition 
among  themselves  than  among  their  neigh- 
bors, they  might  find  it  a  difficult  task. 
On  one  side,  men  find  it  necessary  either 
not  to  think  at  all,  or  to  conceal  their  sen- 
timents ;  on  the  other,  they  speak  and  write 
their  minds  with  greater  freedom  ;  but 
things  are  what  they  are,  whether  they  be 
avowed  or  not.  He  who  persecutes  men 
for  their  errors  may  at  last  be  found  equal- 
ly erroneous  himself;  but  allowing  that  he 
is  not,  and  that  his  creed  is  orthodox,  yet 
he  is  far  from  being  "  sound  in  the  faith," 
in  the  scriptural  sense  of  the  words.  He 
"  knoweth  not  what  manner  of  spirit  he  is 
of."  He  may  be  willing  to  fight ;  but  has 
yet  to  learn  what  are  those  weapons  by 
which  the  soldiers  of  the  Lamb  are  enabled 
to  overcome. 

Others,  on  the  same  ground,  have  re- 
jected all  religion.  You  cannot  agree,  say 
they,  as  to  what  is  truth  :  settle  it  among 
yourselves  before  you  attempt  to  trouble 
us  with  it.  Very  well :  if  you  can  satisfy 
your  consciences  with  this  evasion,  do  so. 
It  will  not  avail  you  at  death  or  judgment. 


You  will  then  be  reminded  that  you  did 
not  reason  thus  in  things  to  which  your 
hearts  were  inclined;  but  applied  with  all 
your  powers, and  used  every  possible  means 
to  ascertain  the  truth  for  yourselves,  and 
acted  accordingly.  On  your  own  princi- 
ples, therefore,  will  you  be  judged. 

Others,  who  have  not  gone  these  lengths, 
have  yet  been  tempted  to  despair  of  find- 
ing out  what  is  the  true  religion.  Amidst 
the  opposition  of  opinion  which  continual- 
ly presents  itself  before  us,  say  they,  how 
are  we  plain  people  to  judge  and  act  1 — If 
you  mean  to  intimate  that  it  is  vain  for 
you  to  concern  yourselves  about  it,  that  is 
the  same  as  saying,  it  is  vain  to  attempt 
any  thing  that  is  accompanied  with  diffi- 
culties, or  to  walk  in  any  way  that  is  at- 
tended with  temptations  ;  and  this  would 
lead  you  to  stand  still  in  other  things  as 
well  as  in  religion.  But,  if  it  be  the  real 
desire  of  your  soul  to  know  the  right  way 
and  walk  in  it,  there  is  no  reason  to  des- 
pair. Follow  no  man  as  your  guide  ;  but 
go  to  your  Bible  and  your  God,  and  there 
decide  the  question.  You  need  not  say  in 
your  heart,  "Who  shall  ascend  into  hea- 
ven; or  who  shall  descend  into  the  deep  V 
The  word  is  nigh  thee.  To  read  contro- 
versial books  may,  in  many  cases,  be  use- 
ful :  but  seldom  when  it  is  done  with  a 
view  to  decide  the  great  question,  What 
is  the  right  way  to  everlasting  life  1  A 
book,  as  well  as  a  sermon,  may  be  the 
means  of  affording  such  direction.  But, 
when  the  mind  is  in  a  state  of  suspense,  it 
is  beyond  all  comparison  the  safest  to  con- 
sult the  oracles  of  God.  To  launch  into 
controversy,  without  having  obtained  sat- 
isfaction on  the  first  principles  of  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ,  is  to  put  to  sea  in  a  storm 
without  a  rudder.  One  great  reason  why 
men  are  "  carried  about  with  divers  and 
strange  doctrines  "  is — their  "  hearts  are 
not  established  with  grace."  They  have 
no  principles  of  their  own,  and  therefore 
are  carried  away  with  any  thing  that  wears 
the  appearance  of  plausibility. 

But  one  of  the  worst  inferences  drawn 
from  the  discordant  doctrines  which  a- 
bound  in  the  world  is,  that  doctrine  itself 
is  of  little  or  no  account.  As  intolerance 
and  bigotry,  under  the  specious  name  of 
zeal,  distinguished  former  ages,  so  scepti- 
cal indifference,  under  the  specious  names 
of  candor,  liberality,  and  moderation,  dis- 
tinguishes this.  This  is  the  grand  tempta- 
tion, perhaps  of  the  present  times.  It 
would  seem  as  if  men  must  either  fight  for 
truth  with  carnal  weapons,  or  make  peace 
with  error  ;  either  our  religious  principles 
must  be  cognizable  by  human  legislators, 
or  they  are  neither  good  nor  evil,  and  God 
himself  must  not  call  us  to  account   for 


ON    TRUTH. 


691 


them  ;  either  we  must  call  men  masters 
upon  earth,  or  deny  that  we  have  any  mas- 
ter, even  in  heaven. 

It  is  a  favorite  principle  with  unbelievers, 
and  with  many  professing  Christians  who 
verge  towards  them,  that  error  not  only 
has  its  seat  in  the  mind,  but  that  it  is  purely 
intellectual,  and  therefore  innocent. — > 
Hence  they  plead  against  all  church  cen- 
sures, and  every  degree  of  unfavorable 
opinion  on  account  of  doctrinal  sentiments, 
as  though  it  were  a  species  of  persecution. 
But,  if  the  causes  of  error  be  principally 
moral,  it  will  follow  that  such  conclusions 
are  as  contrary  to  reason  as  they  are  to 
Scripture. 

The  above  remarks  are  far  from  being 
designed  to  cherish  a  spirit  of  bitterness 
against  one  another,  as  men,  or  as  Chris- 
tians. There  is  a  way  of  viewing  the 
corruption  and  depravity  of  mankind,  so 
as  to  excite  bitterness  and  wrath,  and  ev- 
ery species  of  evil  temper  ;  and  there  is  a 
way  of  viewing  them,  that,  without  ap- 
proving or  conniving  at  what  is  wrong, 
shall  excite  the  tear  of  compassion.  It 
does  not  become  us  to  declaim  against  the 
wickedness  of  the  wicked  in  a  manner 
as  if  we  expected  grapes  of  thorns,  or 
figs  of  thistles  :  but,  while  we  prove 
ourselves  the  decided  friends  of  God, 
to  bear  good  will  to  men.  It  becomes 
those  who  may  be  the  most  firmly  estab- 
lished in  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  to  con- 
sider that  a  portion  of  the  errors  of  the 
age,  in  all  probability,  attaches  to  them  ; 
and,  though  it  were  otherwise,  yet  they 
are  directed  to  carry  it  benevolently  to- 
wards others  who  may  err  :  "  In  meekness 
instructing  those  who  oppose  themselves  ; 
if  God,  peradventure,  will  give  them  re- 
pentance to  the  acknowledging  of  the 
truth." 

Finally  :  There  is  an  important  differ- 
ence between  razing  the  foundation,  and 
building  upon  that  foundation  a  portion  of 
wood,  and  hay,  and  stubble.  It  becomes 
us  not  to  make  light  of  either  ;  but  the  lat- 
ter may  be  an  object  of  forbearance, 
whereas  the  former  is  not.  With  the  en- 
emies of  Christ,  we  ought,  in  religious 
matters,  to  make  no  terms  ;  but  towards 
his  friends,  though  in  some  respects  erro- 
neous, it  behoves  us  to  come  as  near  as  it 
is  possible  to  do,  without  a  dereliction  of 
principle.  A  truly  Christian  spirit  will 
feel  the  force  of  such  language  as  the  fol- 
lowing, and  will  act  upon  it :  "All  that  in 
every  place  call  upon  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,  both  theirs  and  ours, 
grace  be  unto  them,  and  peace,  from  God 
our  Father,  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. — Grace  be  with  all  them  that  love 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity  !  " 


ON  THE  MANNER  IN  WHICH  DIVINE  TRUTH 
IS  COMMUNICATED  IN  THE  HOLY  SCRIP- 
TURES. 

It  is  a  fact  which  must  have  struck  ev- 
ery attentive  reader,that  God  has  not  com- 
municated his  mind  to  us  by  giving  us  a 
set  of  principles,  arranged  in  the  form  of  a 
scheme  ;  or  that  we  have  no  such  creed  as 
formally  includes  all  the  things  necessary 
to  be  believed  in  either  the  Old  or  New 
Testament.  On  the  contrary,  we  see  di- 
vine truth  introduced  rather  incidentally 
than  systematically.  It  is  scattered  from 
one  end  to  the  other,  through  all  the  histo- 
rical, devotional,  prophetic,  and  epistolary 
writings. 

I  have  no  intention  to  derive  an  argu- 
ment from  this,  as  some  have  done,  against 
creeds  and  confessions  of  faith  ;  nor  do  I 
conceive  that  such  an  argument  can  hence 
be  fairly  derived.  We  might  with  equal 
justice  argue  against  the  science  of  botany 
being  reduced  to  a  system,  on  the  ground 
of  herbs  and  flowers  of  the  same  kind  not 
growing  together,  but  being  scattered  over 
the  earth  in  beautiful  variety.  The  varie- 
gated face  of  nature  is  not  marred  by  its 
productions  being  scientifically  collected 
and  arranged ;  on  the  contrary,  its  beau- 
ties are  so  much  the  better  understood. 
Yet,  with  respect  to  the  actual  position  of 
the  products  of  nature,  we  must  needs  de- 
cide in  favor  of  variety  ;  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  the  actual  position  of  divine 
truth  in  the  holy  Scriptures  :  the  inciden- 
tal manner  in  which  it  is  commonly  intro- 
duced gives  it  great  energy  and  beauty.  It 
may  be  worthy  of  attention  to  consider  a 
few  of  the  incidents  and  occasions  on  which 
some  of  the  most  important  truths  are  in- 
troduced, and  to  notice  the  wisdom  of  God 
in  his  thus  introducing  them. 

It  is  a  truth  which  lies  at  the  foundation 
of  all  religion,  that  there  is  a  first  cause 
and  Creator  of  all  things,  visible  and  invis- 
ible. But  this  truth  is  never  introduced, 
that  I  recollect,  in  the  form  of  an  abstract 
proposition.  At  the  commencement  of 
revelation  it  is  rather  supposed  than  as- 
serted :  "  In  the  beginning,  God  created 
the  heaven  and  the  earth."  Moses  does 
not  expressly  inform  us  that  there  was  a 
God  who  existed  prior  to  this,  but  leaves 
us  to  infer  it ;  hereby  intimating,  perhaps, 
that  this  is  so  evident  a  truth  that  they 
who  doubt  it  need  reproof  rather  than  in- 
formation. 

The  perfections  of  God  are  taught  abun- 
dantly "in  the  Scriptures  ;  yet  I  do  not  re- 
collect a  single  instance  where  they  are  in- 
troduced merely  as  a  proposition,  without 
some  practical  end  to  be  answered.  When 
Abraham,   through   Sarah's  unbelief  and 


692 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


impatience,  bad  deviated  from  his  usual 
conduct,  in  taking  Hagar  to  wife,  hoping 
thereby  to  see  the  divine  promise  fulfilled, 
Jehovah  thus  reproved  him  :  "I  am  the 
Almighty  {or  all-sufficient)  God.  Walk 
1  i' ('ore  me  and  be  thou  perfecL."  When 
Israel  despondingly  exclaimed,  "My  way 
is  hid  from  the  Lord,  and  my  judgment  is 
passed  over  from  my  God,"  he  was  thus 
answered:  "Hast  thou  not  known, hast  thou 
not  heard,  that  the  everlasting  God,  the 
Lord,  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary  ?  There  is 
no  searching  of  his  understanding." 

In  this  manner  also  we  are  taught  the 
moral  government  of  God,  and  the  ac- 
countableness  of  rational  creatures.  These 
important  truths,  as  they  stand  in  the  sa- 
cred page,  do  not  barely  meet  our  eyes,  or 
our  understandings,  but  our  consciences. 
They  give  us  no  time  to  dispute  :  ere  we 
are  aware  we  feel  ourselves  arrested  by 
them,  as  by  an  almighty  and  irresistible 
force.  "  They  say,  the  Lord  shall  not  see, 
neither  shall  the  God  of  Jacob  regard. 
Understand,  ye  brutish  among  the  people  ; 
and  ye  fools,  when  will  ye  be  wise]  He 
that  planted  the  ear,  shall  he  not  hear] 
He  that  formed  the  eye,  shall  he  not  see] 
He  that  chastiseth  the  heathen,  shall  not 
he  correct  ]  He  that  teacheth  man  knowl- 
edge, shall  not  he  know  ?  Verily  there  is 
a  reward  for  the  righteous  ;  verily  he  is  a 
God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth  !  " 

Thus  also  are  we  instructed  respecting 
the  fall  and  depravity  of  human  nature. 
We  have  no  encouragement  curiously  to  in- 
quire beyond  the  fact ;  but  we  are  told  that 
"  God  made  man  upright,  and  he  sought 
out  many  inventions."  If  we  would  wish 
to  flatter  ourselves,  or  our  species,  from  a 
partial  view  of  human  virtue,  we  are  in- 
stantly cut  short,  in  being  told  that  "  God 
saw  that  the  wickedness  of  man  was  great 
in  the  earth,  and  that  every  imagination  of 
the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only  evil  con- 
tinually. They  are  all  gone  out  of  the  way, 
they  are  together  become  unprofitable; 
there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no  not  one." 
And  the  substance  of  this  is  stated  to  in- 
duce our  acquiescence  in  the  doctrine  of 
justification  "  by  free  grace,  through  the 
redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  doctrine  of  the  trinity  is  never  pro- 
posed to  us  as  an  object  of  speculation, 
but  as  a  truth  affecting  our  dearest  inter- 
ests. John  introduces  the  sacred  Thiee 
as  witnesses  to  the  truth  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  as  objects  of  instituted  worship, 
into  whose  name  we  are  baptized ;  and 
Paul  exhibits  them  as  the  source  of  all 
spiritual  good  :  "The  grace  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and  the  com- 
munion of  the  Holy  Spirit  be  with  you  all. 
Amen."     Again  :  "  The  Lord  direct  your 


hearts  into  the  love  of  God,  and  into  the 
patient  waiting  for  Christ." 

In  this  manner  we  are  taught  that  great 
mystery  of  godliness,  "God  manifest  in 
the  flesh,"  or  the  proper  deity  and  human- 
ity of  Christ.  One  sacred  writer  an- 
nounces, in  prophetic  language,  "  Unto 
us  a  child  is  born,  and  his  name  shall  be 
called  the  viighty  God."  Again  he  de- 
scribes him  as  the  Lord  God,  coming  with 
strong  hand ;  yet  feeding  his  flock  like  a 
shepherd,  gathering  his  lambs  with  his  arm, 
carrying  them  in  his  bosom,  and  gently 
leading  those  that  are  with  young.  An- 
other directs  his  followers  to  him,  and 
says,  "This  is  he  of  whom  I  said,  After 
me  cometh  a  man  who  is  preferred  before 
me,  for  heioas  before  me."  A  third  draws 
from  his  quiver  an  arrow  of  conviction  : 
"  Ye  have  killed  the  author  of  life  !  "  A 
fourth  finds  in  it  a  motive  of  compassion  to 
the  murderers  :  "  Who  are  Israelites,  of 
whom  as  concerning  the  flesh  Christ  came, 
who  is  over  all,  God  blessed  forever.  On 
one  occasion,  it  is  introduced  to  afford  a 
pattern  of  humility  and  condescension  : 
"  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also 
in  Christ  Jesus,  who,  being  in  the  form  of 
God,  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal 
with  God ;  but  made  himself  of  no  repu- 
tation, and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a 
servant,  and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of 
men."  On  another,  it  accounts  for  the 
wonderful  extremes  in  his  character  :  the 
sacred  writer  having  exhibited  him  as  God, 
whose  "  throne  was  forever  and  ever  " — 
as  having  "  laid  the  foundations  of  the 
earth,"  and  declared  the  heavens  to  be  the 
work  of  his  hands — an  objection  might 
arise  from  his  being  well  known  to  be  a 
man,  and  to  have  lived  among  men.  In 
answer  to  this  he  adds,  "  He  was  made  a 
little  lower  than  the  angels. — The  chil- 
dren being  partakers  of  flesh  and  blood,  he 
also  himself  took  part  of  the  same. — In  all 
things  it  behoved  him  to  be  made  like  un- 
to his  brethren,  that  he  might  be  a  faithful 
and  merciful  High-priest  in  things  per- 
taining to  God,  to  make  reconciliation  for 
the  sins  of  the  people."  Finally  :  It  is 
brought  in  at  the  close  of  the  Revelation, 
to  seal  it  with  divine  authority  :  "  I  Jesus 
have  sent  mine  angel,  to  testify  unto  you 
these  things  in  the  churches.  /  am  the 
root  and  the  offspring  of  David."  What 
a  majestic  sweetness  does  this  truth  afford 
in  these  connections  ! 

It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  the  vari- 
ous occasions  on  which  the  Scriptures  in- 
troduce the  doctrine  of  atonement  by  the 
death  of  Christ.  This  is,  to  the  doctrines 
and  precepts  of  the  Bible,  as  the  life-blood 
to  the  animal  system.  The  first  chapter 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians  is  often  re- 
sorted to,  as  treating  on  evangelical  bless- 


THE    GREAT    QUESTION    ANSWERED. 


693 


ings  :  but  there  is  a  design  which  runs 
through  that  whole  chapter,  nay  almost 
through  the  whole  epistle,  which  is  to  en- 
dear the  name  of  Christ,  and  to  exhibit  the 
invaluable  worth  of  his  redeeming  love. — 
Are  we  blessed  with  all  spiritual  bless- 
ings ?  It  is  "  in  Christ  Jesus."  Were  we 
predestinated  to  the  adoption  of  children  1 
It  was  "by  Jesus  Christ."  Are  we  ac- 
cepted! It  is  "  in  the  Beloved."  Have 
we  redemption,  even  the  forgiveness  of 
sins  1  It  is  "  through  his  blood."  And 
so  on.  Christ  crucified  is  the  substance  of 
the  Jewish  ceremonial,  and  the  spirit  of  its 
prophecies  ;  the  theme  of  the  Christian 
minister  on  earth,  and  the  song  of  the 
blessed  above  ! 

It  is  not  very  difficult  to  discern  the  wis- 
dom of  God  in  introducing  truth  in  such 
a  manner.  If  every  species  of  plants  and 
flowers  were  to  grow  together,  instead  of 
being  scattered  over  the  earth,  the  effect 
would  be  very  different,  and  much  for  the 
worse  :  and  if  all  truth  relating  to  one  sub- 
ject were  to  be  found  only  in  one  book, 
chapter,  or  epistle,  we  should  probably 
understand  much  less  than  we  do.  There 
are  some  divine  truths  which  are  less 
pleasant  than  others.  Even  good  men 
have  their  partialities,  or  favorite  princi- 
ples, which  would  induce  them  to  read 
those  parts  of  Scripture  which  favored 
them,  to  the  neglect  of  others.  But  truth 
being  scattered  throughout  the  Scriptures, 
we  are  thereby  necessitated,  if  we  read  at 
all,  to  read  the  whole  mind  of  God  ;  and 
thus  it  is  that  we  gradually  and  insensibly 
imbibe  it,  and  become  assimilated  to  the 
same  image.  The  conduct  of  God  in  this 
matter  resembles  that  of  a  wise  physician, 
who  in  prescribing  for  a  child,  directs  that 
its  medicines  be  mixed  with  its  necessary 
food. 

Moreover  :  Scripture  doctrines  being 
introduced  in  some  practical  connection, 
we  learn  them  in  that  connection.  The 
occasions  and  ends  of  truth  being  associ- 
ated in  our  minds  with  the  truth  itself,  the 
great  design  of  God  in  giving  us  a  revela- 
tion, which  is  to  sanctify  our  spirits  and 
fit  us  for  every  good  word  and  work,  is 
more  effectually  answered.  To  one  that 
has  learned  truth  from  the  Scriptures,  and 
in  whom  it  dwells  richly,  in  all  wisdom 
and  spiritual  understanding,  it  is  scarcely 
possible  to  think  of  a  doctrine  but  in  con- 
nection with  its  correspondent  duties,  or 
of  a  duty  without  the  principles  by  which 
it  is  enforced. 

Once  more  :  Truth  being  introduced  in 
connection  with  some  case  or  incident,  it 
more  readily  occurs  to  us,  when  such  case, 
or  something  similar  to  it,  becomes  our 
own.  If,  through  distrust  of  the  divine 
power  and  goodness,  and  with  hope  of  bet- 


ter accomplishing  my  object,  I  be  tempted 
to  turn  aside  from  the  straight-forward 
path  of  uprightness  ;  having  once  read  and 
felt  the  story  of  Abraham,  and  the  admo- 
nition that  was  given  him  on  that  occasion, 
it  is  much  more  likely  to  occur  to  my  mind, 
and  to  correct  my  folly,  than  if  I  had  bare- 
ly read  that  God  was  "Almighty,"  or  had 
only  found  a  general  admonition  to  "  walk 
before  him,  and  be  perfect."  Or,  if  I  be 
tempted  to  sink  in  despondency  on  account 
of  dark  and  intricate  providences,  having 
read  of  the  promises  of  God  to  Jacob,  of 
his  subsequent  fears,  and  of  the  happy  is- 
sue, such  promises  are  much  more  likely 
to  be  a  ready  remedy  than  if  I  had  barely 
read,  unconnected  with  any  particular 
case,  that  God  will  surely  do  his  people 
good.  In  the  one  case  truth  is  laid  down, 
as  it  were,  in  abstract  propositions;  in  the 
other,  it  is  illustrated  by  particular  exam- 
ples. 


THE  GREAT  QUESTION  AN- 
SWERED. 

"  And  he  brought  them  out,  and  said,  Sirs,  what 
must  I  do  to  be  saved1?  And  they  said,  Believe 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 
— Acts  xvi.  30,  31. 

PART    THE    FIRST. 

That  great  numbers  of  people,  even 
in  this  Christianized  country,  are  ignorant 
of  the  way  of  salvation,  is  too  evident  to 
be  denied.  It  is  manifestly  no  part  of 
their  concern,  any  more  than  if  they  were 
in  no  danger  of  being  lost,  or  there  had 
never  been  such  a  thing  as  salvation  heard 
of.  Nor  is  this  true  only  of  weak  and  il- 
literate people  :  men,  who  in  all  other 
concerns  are  wise,  in  these  things  have  no 
knowledge,  or  sense  to  direct  them.  The 
evil,  therefore,  cannot  be  ascribed  to  simple 
ignorance,  which,  as  far  as  it  goes,  tends 
to  excuse  ;  but  to  being  willingly  ignorant ; 
saying  unto  God,  "  Depart  from  us 
— we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy 
ways." 

God,  however,  has  a  witness  in  every 
man's  conscience.  Every  man,  whatever 
he  may  pretend,  feels  himself  to  be  a  sin- 
ner, and  to  need  forgiveness.  Ignorant 
and  idolatrous  as  the  Philippian  jailer  had 
been  all  his  life,  yet  when  death  looked 
him  in  the  face,  he  trembled  and  cried  for 
mercy.  And,  if  it  were  thus  with  the 
heathen,  much  more  with  those  who  have 
been  educated  under  the  light  of  revela- 
tion. The  most  careless  and  thoughtless 
cannot  stand  the  approach  of  death.  The 
courage     of    the   most    hardened   infidel 


694 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


commonly    fails     him     at     that     solemn 
period. 

Reader  !  Are  you  one  of  the  many  who 
scarcely  ever  think  of  these  things  ;  and 
whose  chief  concern  is  what  you  shall  eat, 
what  you  shall  drink,  and  wherewithal  you 
shall  be  clothed  1  Let  the  anxiety  of  a 
heathen  reprove  you. 

If,  like  other  animals,  you  were  made 
only  to  eat  and  figure  away  for  a  few 
years,  and  then  to  sink  into  nothing,  you 
might  well  throw  aside  every  care,  except 
that  which  respects  your  present  gratifica- 
tion. But  you  are  of  an  order  of  beings 
distinguished  from  all  others  in  the  crea- 
tion. In  your  nature  is  united  mortality 
and  immortality  ;  the  dust  of  the  ground, 
and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty.  Life  to 
you  is  but  the  introduction  to  existence,  a 
short  voyage  which  will  land  you  on  the 
shores  of  eternity.  You  are  surrounded 
by  a  number  of  objects,  and  feel  an  inter- 
est in  each.  You  build  houses,  plant  or- 
chards, rear  animals,  and  form  to  your- 
selves a  home  ;  but  you  are  not  at  home. 
Your  feelings  associate  with  these  things  ; 
but  they  are  not  fit  associates  for  you. 
You  may  have  a  portion  in  all  that  is  do- 
ing in  your  family  and  in  your  country  ; 
yea,  in  some  sort,  in  all  that  is  done  un- 
der the  sun  :  but  this  is  not  sufficient  for 
you.  The  time  drawelh  nigh  when  there 
will  be  an  end  to  all  these  things,  and 
they  will  be  as  though  they  had  not  been; 
but  you  will  still  live.  You  will  witness 
the  wreck  of  nature  itself,  and  survive 
it ;  and  stand  before  the  Son  of  Man  at 
his  appearing  and  kingdom.  Can  you 
think  of  these  things  and  be  unconcern- 
edl 

Or,  though  you  be  an  immortal  and  ac- 
countable creature  (as  your  conscience  tells 
you  you  are,  whenever  you  consult  it,  and 
sometimes  when  you  would  gladly  shut 
your  ears  against  it),  yet,  if  you  had  not 
sinned  against  your  Maker,  there  would 
be  no  cause  for  alarm.  A  sinless  creature 
has  nothing  to  fear  from  a  righteous  God. 
The  approach  of  an  assize,  with  all  its 
solemn  pomp,  does  not  terrify  the  inno- 
cent :  neither  would  judgment  or  eternity 
inspire  the  least  degree  of  dread  if  you 
were  guiltless.  But  you  are  a  sinner,  a 
corrupt  branch  of  a  corrupt  stock.  God 
placed,  as  I  may  say,  a  generous  confi- 
dence in  our  species,  and  required  nothing 
in  return  but  love  ;  but  we  have  returned 
him  evil  for  good.  You,  for  yourself,  are 
conscious  that  you  have  done  so,  and  that 
it  is  in  your  very  nature  to  do  evil. 

Or,  though  you  be  what  is  called  a  sin- 
ner, yet,  if  sin  were  your  misfortune,  ra- 
ther than  your  fault,  you  might  fly  for  ref- 
uge to  the  equity  of  your  Maker.  But 
this   is  not  the  case.     Whatever  may  be 


said  as  to  the  manner  in  which  you  be- 
came a  sinner,  and  however  you  may  wish 
to  excuse  yourself  on  that  ground,  your 
own  conscience  bears  witness  that  what 
you  are,  you  choose  to  be,  and  occasion- 
ally reproaches  you  for  being  so.  You 
may  speculate  upon  sin- as  a  kind  of  he- 
reditary disease,  which  is  merely  a  misfor- 
tune, not  a  fault ;  but,  if  so,  why  do  you 
feel  guilt  on  account  of  it,  any  more 
than  of  the  other  1  Why  do  you  not  also 
acquit  others  of  blame,  where  the  evil  is 
directed  against  you  1  You  do  not  think 
of  excusing  a  fellow-creature,  when  he 
injures  you,  upon  any  such  grounds  as  you 
allege  in  excuse  of  transgression  against 
God.  If  the  party  be  rational  and  volun- 
tary, you  make  no  farther  inquiry ;  but, 
without  any  hesitation,  pronounce  him 
criminal.  Out  of  your  own  mouth  there- 
fore shall  you  be  judged.  The  inability 
that  you  feel  to  do  good  is  entirely  owing 
to  your  having  no  heart  to  it.  It  is  of 
the  same  nature  as  that  of  an  unprincipled 
servant,  who  cannot  seek  his  master's  in- 
terest, but  is  impelled,  by  his  selfishness, 
to  be  always  defrauding  him.  You  Avould 
not  hold  such  a  servant  blameless,  nor  will 
God  hold  you  so.  You  are  not  destitute 
of  those  powers  which  render  us  account- 
able beings,  but  merely  of  a  heart  to 
make  use  of  them  for  God.  You  take 
pleasure  in  knowledge,  but  desire  not  the 
knowledge  of  his  ways  ;  in  conversation, 
but  the  mention  of  serious  religion  strikes 
you  dumb;  in  activity,  but  in  his  service 
you  are  as  one  that  is  dead.  You  are  fond 
of  news  ;  but  that  which  angels  announc- 
ed, and  the  Son  of  God  came  down  to 
publish,  gives  you  no  pleasure.  All  these 
things  prove,  beyond  a  doubt,  where  the 
inability  lies. 

Or,  if  sin  should  be  allowed  to  be  your 
fault,  yet,  if  it  were  a  small  offence,  an 
imperfection  that  might  be  overlooked,  or 
so  slight  a  matter  that  you  could  atone  for 
it  by  repentance,  prayers,  or  tears,  or  any 
effort  of  your  own,  there  might  be  less 
reason  for  alarm ;  but  neither  is  this  the 
case.  If  sin  were  so  light  a  matter  as  it 
is  commonly  made,  how  is  it  that  a  train 
of  the  most  awful  curses  should  be  de- 
nounced against  the  sinner  1  Is  it  pos- 
sible that  a  just  and  good  God  would  curse 
his  creatures  in  basket  and  in  store,  in 
their  houses  and  in  their  fields,  in  their 
lying  down  and  rising  up,  and  in  all  that 
they  set  their  hands  to,  for  a  mere  trifle, 
or  an  imperfection  that  might  be  over- 
looked! If  sin  were  a  light  thing,  how 
is  it  that  the  Father  of  mercies  should 
have  doomed  all  mankind  to  death,  and  to 
all  the  miseries  that  prepare  its  way,  on 
account  of  it  1  How  is  it  that  Avicked 
men  die  under  such  fearful  apprehensions  1 


THE    GREAT    QUESTION    ANSWERED. 


695 


Above  all,  how  is  it  that  it  should  require 
the  eternal  Son  of  God  to  become  incar- 
nate, and  to  be  made  a  sacrifice  to  atone 
for  it  !     But,  if  sin  be  thus  offensive  to 
God,  then  are  you  in  a  fearful  situation. 
If  you   had  the   whole  World  to   offer  for 
your   ransom,   and    could   shed   rivers    of 
tears,    and    give    even   the  fruit   of   your 
body  for  the  sin  of  your  soul,  it  would  be 
of  no  account.      Were  that  which  you  of- 
fered ever  so  pure,  it  could  have  no  influ- 
ence whatever  towards   atoning  for  your 
past  guilt,   any  more  than   the  tears  of  a 
murderer  can  atone  for  blood  :    but  this  is 
not  the  case  ;  those  very  performances  by 
which  you  hope  to  appease   the  divine  an- 
ger are  more  offensive  to  him  than  the  en- 
treaties of  a  detected  adulteress  would  be 
to   her  husband,  while   her   heart,  as   he 
well  knows,  is.  not  with  him,  but  with  her 
paramours.      You  are,  whether  you  know 
it  or  not,  a  lost  sinner,  and   that   in    the 
strongest  sense  of  the  term.     Men  judge 
of  sin  only  by  its  open  acts,  but  God  look- 
eth  directly  at  the  heart.     Their  censures 
fall  only  on  particular  branches  of  immo- 
rality,  which   strike   immediately   at   the 
well-being  of  society  :  but  God  views  the 
root  of  the  mischief,  and  takes  into  con- 
sideration  all   its    mischievous    bearings. 
"  Know    thou,    therefore,    and    consider, 
that  it  is  an  evil  thing  and  bitter  that  thou 
hast  done ;  that  thou  hast  departed  from 
the  living  God,  and  that  my  fear  is  not  in 
thee,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

Finally :  though  your  sin  be  exceed- 
ingly offensive  to  your  Creator,  and 
though  you  can  make  no  atonement  for 
it,  yet,  if  you  could  resist  his  power,  es- 
cape his  hand,  or  endure  his  wrath,  your 
unconcernedness  might  admit  of  some 
kind  of  apology.  Surely  I  need  not 
prove  to  you  that  you  cannot  resist  his 
power  ; — what  is  your  strength  when  tri- 
ed !  You  may,  in  the  hour  of  health  and 
festivity,  and  when  in  company  with  oth- 
ers like  yourself,  look  big,  and  put  out 
great  words,  but  they  are  words  only.  If 
God  do  but  touch  you  with  his  afflicting 
hand,  your  strength  and  your  courage 
instantly  forsake  you  :  and  will  you  go  on 
to  provoke  Omnipotence!  "If  thou  hast 
run  with  the  footmen,  and  they  have  wea- 
ried thee,  how  wilt  thou  contend  with 
horses'!  If  in  the  land  of  peace  thou 
hast  been  overcome,  how  wilt  thou  do  in 
the  swellings  of  Jordan!" — Neither  canst 
thou  "escape"  his  hand;  for  whither 
wilt  thou  tlee  !  If,  attentive  to  thy  safe- 
ty, the  rocks  could  fall  on  thee,  or  the 
mountains  cover  thee,  yet  should  they  not 
be  able  to  hide  thee  "  from  the  face  of  him 
that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  from  the 
wrath  of  the  Lamb." — "God  hath  beset 
thee  behind  and  before,  and  laid  his  hand 


upon  thee.  Whither  wilt  thou  go  from 
his  Spirit !  Whither  wilt  thou  flee  from 
his  presence!  If  thou  ascend  to  heaven, 
be  is  there  !  Or,  if  thou  make  thy  bed 
in  hell,  behold,  he  is  there!" — The  only 
question  that  remains  is,  whether  you  can 
"endure  his  displeasure!"  And  this 
must  surely  be  a  forlorn  hope  !  By  the 
horrid  imprecations  which  we  so  common- 
ly hear  from  hardened  sinners,  who  call 
upon  God  to  damn  their  bodies  and  souls, 
it  would  seem  as  if  they  laid  their  account 
with  damnation,  and  wished  to  familiarize 
it;  as  if  they  had  made  a  covenant  with 
death,  and  with  hell  were  at  agreement : 
but  when  God  shall  lay  judgment  to  the 
line,  and  righteousness  to  the  plummet, 
these  refuges  of  lies  will  suddenly  be 
swept  away. 

Reader!  "Can  thine  heart  endure, 
and  thine  hands  be  strong,  in  the  day  that 
he  shall  deal  with  thee  !  "  Think  of  the 
"wrath  to  come."  If  it  were  founded 
in  caprice  or  injustice,  supported  by  con- 
scious innocence  you  might  possibly  bear 
it ;  but,  should  you  perish,  you  will  be 
destitute  of  this.  Conscience  will  eter- 
nally say  Amen  to  the  justice  of  your 
sufferings.  If  you  had  mere  justice  done 
you,  unmixed  with  mercy,  your  sufferings 
would  be  more  tolerable  than  they  will 
be.  If  you  perish,  you  must  have  your 
portion  with  Bethsaida  and  Chorazin. 
Goodness  gives  an  edge  to  justice.  The 
displeasure  of  a  kind  and  merciful  being 
(and  such  is  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb)  is 
insupportable. 

If  after  having  heard  these  things,  and 
lived  in  a  country  where  they  are  fully  de- 
clared, you  do  not  feel  interested  by  them, 
you  have  reason  to  fear  that  God  has  giv- 
en you  up  to  hardness  of  heart,  and  that 
that  language  is  fulfilled  in  you  :  "  Go 
unto  this  people,  and  say,  Hearing,  ye 
shall  hear,  and  not  understand ;  and  see- 
ing, ye  shall  see,  and  not  perceive  :  for 
the  heart  of  this  people  is  waxed  gross, 
and  their  ears  are  dull  of  hearing;  and 
their  eyes  have  they  closed,  lest  they 
should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with 
their  ears,  and  understand  with  their 
heart,  and  should  be  converted,  and  I 
should  heal  them."  Remember  that  in 
old-testament  times,  when  God  blessed 
his  people  Israel  with  singular  temporal 
blessings,  lie  punished  their  transgressions 
mostly  by  temporal  judgments;  but,  now 
that  we  are  favored  with  singular  spiritual 
privileges,  the  neglect  of  them  is  common- 
ly punished  with  spiritual  judgments. 

But,  whether  you  will  hear,  or  whether 
you  will  forbear,  I  will  declare  unto  you 
the  only  way  of  salvation.  That  w1"-1' 
was  addressed  to  the  Philippian  \i 
addressed  to  you.     "  God  hath 


696 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,  &C. 


the  world  as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 
He  has  given  him  not  only  to  teach  us 
the  good  and  the  right  way,  but  to  be  made 
a  sacrifice  for  sin,  and  as  such  to  be  him- 
self the  way.  He  suffered  from  the  hands 
of  wicked  men  ;  but  this  was  not  all  :  "it. 
pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him.  He  hath 
put  him  to  grief,"  and  made  "his  soul  an 
offering  for  sin."  He  commanded  his 
sword  to  awake  against  him,  that  through 
his  death  he  might  turn  his  hand  in  mercy 
towards  perishing  sinners.  He  hath  set 
him  forth  "  to  be  a  propitiation  to  declare 
his  righteousness,  that  he  might  be  just, 
and  the  justifier  of  him  that  believeth  in 
Jesus."  This  is  the  only  sacrifice  which 
is  well-pleasing  to  God.  All  that  went 
before  were  of  no  account,  but  as  they 
pointed  to  it ;  and  all  the  prayers  and 
praises  of  sinful  creatures  are  no  other- 
wise acceptable  than  as  presented  through 
it.  It  is  not  for  you  to  go  about  to  ap- 
pease the  divine  displeasure,  or  to  recom- 
mend yourself  to  the  Saviour  by  any  ef- 
forts of  your  own ;  but,  despairing  of 
help  from  every  other  quarter,  to  "  re- 
ceive the  atonement  which  Christ  hath 
made."  To  this  you  are  invited,  and 
that  in  the  most  pressing  terms.  He  that 
made  him  to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no 
sin,  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteous- 
ness of  God  in  him,  hath  on  this  ground 
committed  to  his  servants  the  ministry  of 
reconciliation;  and  they  as  "ambassadors 
for  Christ,  as  though  God  did  beseech 
you  "  by  them,  "  pray  you  in  Christ's 
stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God." 

The  blessings  of  pardon,  peace,  and 
eternal  life,  are  compared  to  a  feast  or 
marriage-supper,  which  the  King  of  heav- 
en and  earth  hath  made  for  his  Son;  and 
he  hath  commanded  his  servants  to  go 
forth,  as  to  the  highways  and  hedges,  and 
to  invite,  without  distinction ;  yea,  to 
"compel  them  to  come  in."  Nor  is  this 
all  :  you  are  exhorted  and  commanded  to 
believe  in  Christ,  on  pain  of  damnation. 
All  your  other  sins  expose  you  merely  to 
the  curse  of  the  law  ;  but  the  sin  of  un- 
belief, if  persisted  in,  will  expose  you, 
like  the  barren  fig-tree,  to  the  curse  of 
the  Saviour,  from  which  there  is  no  re- 
demption. 

Say  not  in  thine  heart,  All  these  things 
I  have  believed  from  my  youth  up.  You 
may  indeed  have  been  taught  them,  and 
have  received  them  as  a  tradition  from 
your  fathers  ;  but  such  faith  is  dead, 
and  consequently  unoperative.  It  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Jews  towards  Moses, 
which  our  Saviour  would  not  admit  to  be 
faith.  "  If  ye  believed  Moses,"  saith  he, 
"  ye  would  believe  me,  for  he  wrote  of 


me."  It  is  no  better  than  the  faith  of 
devils,  and  in  some  respects  has  less  influ- 
ence ;  for  they  believe  and  tremble,  where- 
as you  believe  and  are  at  ease. 

But  it  may  be  you  will  say,  I  have  ex- 
amined Christianity  for  myself,  and  am 
fully  persuaded  it  is  true. — Yet  it  has  no 
effect  upon  you,  any  more  than  if  you 
disbelieved  it,  unless  it  be  to  restrain  you 
within  the  limits  of  exterior  decorum. 
Your  faith,  therefore,  must  still  be  "  dead, 
being  alone."  Believing  in  Christ  is  not 
the  exercise  of  a  mind  at  ease,  casting  up 
the  evidences  for  and  against,  and  then 
coldly  assenting,  as  in  a  question  of  sci- 
ence, to  that  side  which  seems  to  have  the 
greatest  weight  of  proof.  To  one  whose 
mind  is  subdued  to  the  obedience  of  faith, 
there  is  indeed  no  want  of  evidence ;  but 
it  is  not  so  much  from  external  proofs  as 
from  its  own  intrinsic  glory,  and  suitable- 
ness to  his  case  as  a  perishing  sinner,  that 
he  feels  himself  impelled  to  receive  it. 
The  gospel  is  too  interesting,  and  hath 
too  much  influence  on  our  past  and  future 
conduct,  to  be  an  object  of  unfeeling  spec- 
ulation. It  is  a  "hope  set  before  us," 
which  none  but  those  who  are  "ready  to 
perish"  will  ever  embrace.  To  believe 
it  is  to  renounce  our  own  wisdom,  our 
own  righteousness,  and  our  own  will  (each 
of  which  is  directly  opposed  to  it),  and  to 
fall  into  the  arms  of  mere  grace,  through 
the  atoning  blood  of  the  cross.  If  the 
good  news  of  salvation  be  not  in  this 
manner  believed,  it  signifies  but  little 
what  speculative  notions  we  may  enter- 
tain concerning  it ;  for,  where  there  is  no 
renunciation  of  self,  there  is  no  depend- 
ence upon  Christ  for  justification;  and, 
where  there  is  no  such  dependence,  there 
is  no  revealed  interest  in  that  important 
blessing  ;  but  the  curses  and  threatenings 
of  God  stand  in  all  their  force  against  us. 

If,  after  all  your  examinations  you  con- 
tinue to  make  light  of  the  gospel -feast, 
and  prefer  your  farms,  merchandizes,  or 
any  thing  else  before  it,  you  will  be  found 
to  have  no  part  in  it.  Yet,  be  it  known 
unto  you  that  the  feast  shall  not  be  unat- 
tended. Heaven  shall  not  go  without  in- 
habitants, nor  Christ  without  reward, 
whether  you  be  saved  or  lost.  The  stone 
set  at  nought  by  man  is  nevertheless  "  the 
head  of  the  corner."  Consider  then,  take 
advice,  and  speak  your  mind. 

PART    THE    SECOND. 

Had  this  question  been  addressed  to 
the  first  genius  upon  earth,  unacquainted 
with  the  gospel,  it  could  not  have  been 
answered.  Had  it  been  put  to  all  the 
great  philosophers  of  antiquity,  one  by 
one,  and  to  all  the  learned  doctors  among 


THE    GREAT    QUESTION    ANSWERED. 


697 


the  Jews,  none  of  them  could  have  resolv- 
ed it  to  any  good  purpose.  Nor,  amidst 
all  the  boasted  light  of  modern  times,  can 
a  single  unbeliever  be  found  who  would 
know  what  to  do  with  it.  Yet  it  is  a 
question  which  arises  in  almost  every 
man's  mind  at  one  period  or  other  of 
his  life,  and  a  question  that  must  be  re- 
solved, or  we  are  lost  forever. 

Reader  !  it  is  possible  this  impor- 
tant question  has  already  occupied  your 
mind.  An  alarming  sermon,  a  death  in 
your  family,  a  hint  from  a  faithful  friend, 
or  it  may  be  an  impressive  dream,  has 
awakened  your  attention.  You  cannot 
take  pleasure  as  formerly  in  worldly  com- 
pany and  pursuits,  yet  you  have  no  pleas- 
ure in  religion.  You  have  left  off  many 
vices,  and  have  complied  with  many  re- 
ligious duties,  but  can  find  no  rest  for 
your  soul.  The  remembrance  of  the  past 
is  bitter;  the  prospect  of  the  future  may 
be  more  so.  The  thoughts  of  God  trouble 
you.  You  have  even  wished  that  you 
had  never  been  born,  or  that  you  could 
now  shrink  back  into  non-existence,  or 
that  you  were  any  thing  rather  than  a 
man.  But  you  are  aware  that  all  these 
wishes  are  vain.  You  do  exist;  your  na- 
ture is  stamped  with  immortality  ;  you 
must  go  forward  and  die,  and  stand  before 
this  holy  Lord  God  ! 

If  these,  or  such  like  exercises  occupy 
your  mind,  the  question  of  the  Philippian 
jailer  is  yours  ;  and  to  you  let  me  address 
a  few  directions  included  or  implied  in 
the  answer. 

If  by  this  question  you  mean,  What  can 
you  do  to  appease  the  wrath  of  God,  or 
recommend  yourself  as  a  fit  object  of  his 
mercy  1  What  can  you  do  as  a  good 
deed,  or  the  beginning  of  a  course  of  good 
deeds,  in  reward  of  which  he  may  bestow 
upon  you  an  interest  in  the  Saviour  1  I 
answer,  Nothing.  An  interest  in  Christ 
and  eternal  lite  is  indeed  given  as  a  re- 
ward, but  not  of  any  thing  we  have  done 
or  can  do  :  no,  not  by  divine  assistance  ; 
it  is  the  reward  of  the  obedience  of  Christ 
unto  death.  To  us  it  is  of  mere  grace, 
and  as  such  must  be  received.  Faith, 
though  in  itself  a  holy  exercise  of  the 
mind,  yet,  as  that  by  which  we  are  justi- 
fied, is  directly  opposed  to  doing.  "  To 
him  that  worketh  is  the  reward  not  reck- 
oned of  grace,  but  of  debt :  but  to  him 
that  worketh  not,  but  believeth  on  him 
that  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is 
counted  for  righteousness."  He  that 
worketh  seeks  to  obtain  life  and  the  favor 
of  God  in  some  way  or  other  as  a  reward ; 
but  he  that  believeth  receives  it  as  a  free 
gift  to  the  unworthy.  And  let  me  apprize 
you  that  this  is  the  state  of  mind  you 
must  be  brought  to,  or  you  must  perish 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  89. 


forever.  So  far  as  you  think  of  doing  any 
thing,  call  it  what  you  may,  with  a  hope 
of  being  pardoned  and  justified  for  its 
sake,  so  far  you  reject  the  only  way  of 
salvation,  and  have  reason  to  expect  your 
portion  with  unbelievers. 

Let  me  deal  freely  with  you.  Yours  is 
a  most  serious  situation.  The  gos- 
pel-rest is  before  you;  and,  if  you  en- 
ter not  in,  it  will  be  because  of  unbelief. 
You  know  the  answer  given  to  the  jailer; 
and  this  is  the  only  answer  that  can  with 
safety  be  given  to  you.  Consider  and  be- 
ware, as  you  regard  your  eternal  salvation, 
that  you  take  up  your  rest  in  nothing  short 
of  it. 

But,  in  the  first  place,  let  me  declare 
unto  you  the  gospel  of  God,  which  you  are 
directed  to  believe.  If  this  meet  your 
case — if,  rightly  understood,  it  approve 
itself  not  only  to  your  conscience,  but 
your  whole  soul — if  it  accord  with  your 
desires,  as  it  undoubtedly  does  with  your 
necessities — all  is  well,  and  well  forever. 
I  shall  not  trouble  you  with  the  opinions 
of  men  as  to  what  the  gospel  is,  nor  even 
with  my  own,  but  direct  you  to  the  ac- 
counts given  of  it  by  him  whose  it  is. 
The  New  Testament  abounds  with  ep- 
itomes, or  brief  descriptions  of  it,  deliver- 
ed in  such  plain  and  pointed  language 
that  he  that  runs  may  read  it.  Such  are 
the  following  :  "God  so  loved  the  world 
that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. — More- 
over, brethren,  I  declare  unto  you  the  gos- 
pel which  I  preached  unto  you,  which  also 
ye  have  received,  and  wherein  ye  stand  ; 
by  which  also  ye  are  saved,  if  ye  keep  in 
memory  what  I  preached  unto  you,  unless 
ye  have  believed  in  vain.  For  I  delivered 
unto  you,  first  of  all,  that  which  I  also  re- 
ceived, how  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins 
according  to  the  Scriptures;  and  that  he  was 
buried,  and  that  he  rose  again  the  third 
day,  according  to  the  Scriptures. — This  is 
a  faithful  saying  (a  truth  of  such  impor- 
tance as  to  have  become  a  kind  of  Chris- 
tian proverb),  and  worthy  of  all  accepta- 
tion, that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief. — We 
preach  Christ  crucified. — I  determined  not 
to  know  any  thing  among  you,  save  Jesus 
Christ  and  him  crucified. — This  is  the  rec- 
ord,that  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life, 
and  this  life  is  in  his  Son." 

It  is  not  meant,  by  these  brief  descrip- 
tions of  the  gospel,  that  there  is  no  other 
truth  necessary  to  be  believed ;  but  that 
the  doctrine  of  the  cross,  properly  embra- 
ced, includes  all  others,  or  draws  after  it 
the  belief  of  them. 

The  import  of  this  gospel  is,  that  God  is 
in  the  right,  and  we  are  in  the  wrong  ;  that 


698 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAVS,    &C. 


we  have  transgressed  against  him  without 
cause,  and  are  justly  exposed  to  everlast- 
ing punishment ;  that  mercy,  originating 
purely  in  himself,  required  for  the  due 
honor  of  his  government  to  be  exercised 
through  the  atonement  of  his  beloved  Son  ; 
that  with  this  sacrifice  God  is  well  pleas- 
ed, and  can,  consistently  with  all  his  per- 
fections, pardon  and  accept  of  any  sinner, 
whatever  he  hath  done,  who  believeth  in 
him. 

What  say  you  to  this  1  The  truth  of  it 
has  been  confirmed  by  the  most  unques- 
tionable proofs.  It  first  began  to  be  spok- 
en by  the  Lord  himself,  and  has  been  con- 
firmed unto  us  by  them  that  heard  him; 
God  also  bearing  them  witness,  with  signs 
and  wonders,  and  divers  miracles.  The 
witness  of  the  three  in  heaven,  the  Father, 
the  Word,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  is  borne 
to  this  ;  namely,  that  "  God  hath  given  to 
us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son;" 
and  to  this  also  is  directed  the  witness  of 
the  three  on  earth,  the  spirit,  and  the  wa- 
ter, and  the  blood.  Can  you  subscribe  to 
this  great  truth  in  all  its  bearings,  and  rest 
the  salvation  of  your  soul  upon  it  1  or  do 
you  doubt  whether  you  be  so  guilty,  so 
helpless,  and  in  so  dangerous  a  state  as 
this  doctrine  supposes  1  Is  it  as  one  of 
the  chief  of  sinners  that  you  view  yourself? 
or  does  it  grate  with  your  feelings  to  re- 
ceive forgiveness  in  that  humble  charac- 
ter 1  In  suing  for  mercy,  are  you  content 
to  stand  on  the  same  low  ground  as  if  you 
were  a  convict  actually  going  to  be  exe- 
cuted ?  or  does  your  heart  secretly  pine 
after  a  salvation  less  humiliating,  in  which 
some  account  might  be  made  of  that  dif- 
ference of  character  by  which  you  may 
have  been  distinguished  from  the  vilest  of 
men,  and  in  which  you  might  be  somewhat 
a  co-operator  with  God  1  Does  that 
which  pleases  God,  please  you  1  or  does 
your  mind  revolt  at  it'?  It  meets  all  your 
wants  ;  but  not  one  of  your  prejudices, 
proud  thoughts,  or  vicious  propensities  : 
all  these  must  come  down,  and  be  made  a 
sacrifice  to  it.  Can  you  subscribe  it  on 
these  terms  1 

I  am  well  aware  that  the  great  concern 
of  persons  in  your  situation  is  to  obtain 
peace  of  mind  :  and  any  thing  which  prom- 
ises to  afford  this,  attracts  your  attention. 
If  this  gospel  be  believed  with  all  your 
heart,  it  will  give  you  peace.  This  is  the 
good,  and  the  old  way  ;  walk  in  it,  and  you 
will  find  rest  for  your  soul  :  but  it  is  not 
every  thing  which  promises  peace  that  will 
ultimately  afford  it.  It  is  at  our  peril  to 
offer  you  other  consolation,  and  at  yours 
to  receive  it. 

Consider,  and  beware,  I  say  again,  as 
you  regard  your  eternal  salvation,  that  you 
take   up    your   rest    in   nothing    short    of 


Christ ! — With  a  few  serious  cautions 
against  some  of  your  principal  dangers,  I 
shall  conclude  this  address. 

First :  Beware  of  brooding  over  your 
guilt  in  a  icay  of  unbelieving  despondency, 
and  so  standing  aloof  from  the  hope  ef  mer- 
cy. Say  not,  my  sins  have  been  too  great, 
too  numerous,  or  too  aggravated  to  be  for- 
given. "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his 
Son  cleanseth  from  all  sin  :"  believest  thou 
this  1  You  are  not  straitened  in  him  ;  but 
in  your  own  bowels.  "  God's  thoughts 
are  not  as  your  thoughts,  nor  his  ways  as 
your  ways  :  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than 
the  earth,  so  are  his  thoughts  higher  than 
your  thoughts,  and  his  ways  than  your 
ways."  On  the  sinner  that  returneth  to 
our  God  he  bestoweth  abundant  pardon. 
It  is  not,  If  thou  canst  do  any  thing,  help 
me;  but,  "  If  thou  canst  believe — all  things 
are  possible  to  him  that  believeth."  Of 
what  dost  thou  doubt — of  his  all-sufficien- 


cy 


"  He  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost 


all  that  come  unlo  God  by  him."  Of  his 
willingness'?  Ought  not  his  gracious  in- 
vitations to  satisfy  thee  on  this  head  1  Can 
you  imagine  that  he  would  proclaim,  say- 
ing, "  Whosoever  thirsteth,  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink,"  and  yet  be  reluctant 
to  gratify  the  desires  of  those  that  come  to 
him'?  Objections  on  the  ground  of  the 
greatness  of  guilt  and  unworthiness  may 
seem  to  wear  the  face  of  modesty  and  hu- 
mility ;  but,  after  all,  it  becomes  you  to 
consider  whether  they  be  any  other  than 
the  workings  of  a  self-righteous  spirit.  If 
you  could  find  in  your  heart  to  accept  of 
mercy  as  one  of  the  chief  of  sinners,  all 
your  objections  would  vanish  in  a  moment. 
One  sees  in  your  very  tears  of  desponden- 
cy a  pining  after  acceptance  with  God  by 
something  in  yourself.  Were  they  put  in- 
to words,  they  would  amount  to  something 
like  this  : — If  I  had  but  somewhat  to  re- 
commend me  to  the  Saviour,  I  could  go  to 
him  with  assurance  ;  or,  if  I  had  been  less 
wicked,  I  might  hope  for  acceptance.  And 
what  is  this  but  making  good  the  complaint 
of  our  Saviour?  "  Ye  will  not  come  to 
me  that  ye  may  have  life  !  "  Such  long- 
ing after  something  to  recommend  you  to 
the  Saviour  is  no  other  than  "  going  about 
to  establish  your  own  righteousness  ;" 
and,  while  this  is  the  case,  there  is  great 
danger  of  your  being  given  up  to  imagine 
that  you  find  the  worthiness  in  yourself 
which  your  soul  desireth. 

Secondly:  Beware  of  dwelling  in  a  way 
of  self-complacency  on  those  reformations 
tvhich  may  have  been  produced  by  the  pow- 
er of  conviction.  This  is  another  of  those 
workings  of  unbelief  by  which  many  have 
come  short  of  believing,  and  so  of  entering 
into  rest.  There  is  no  doubt  but  your 
convictions  have  driven  you  from  the  com- 


THE    GREAT    QUESTION    ANSWERED. 


699 


?<iission  of  grosser  vices,  and  probably 
have  frightened  you  into  a  compliance  with 
various  religious  duties  ;  but  these  are  on- 
ly the  loppings  off  of  the  branches  of  sin  : 
the  root  remains  unmortified.  It  is  not 
the  breaking  otf  of  your  sins  that  will  turn 
to  any  account,  unless  they  be  broken  off 
by  righteousness  ;  and  this  will  not  be  the 
case  but  by  believing  in  Christ.  The  power 
of  corruption  may  have  only  retired  into  its 
strong  holds,  from  whence,  if  you  embrace 
not  the  gospel  way  of  salvation,  it  will 
soon  come  forth  with  increased  energy, 
and  sweep  away  all  your  cobweb  reforma- 
tions. Nay,  it  is  very  possible,  that,  while 
the  "lusts  of  the  flesh  have  seemed  to 
recede,  those  of  the  mind,  particularly 
spiritual  pride,  may  have  already  increased 
in  strength.  If,  indeed,  you  dwell  on  your 
reformations,  and  draw  comfort  from 
them,  it  is  an  undoubted  proof  that  it  is 
so;  and  then,  instead  of  being  reformed, 
or  nearer  the  kingdom  of  heaven  than  you 
were  before,  your  character  is  more  offen- 
sive to  God  than  ever.  Publicans  and 
harlots  are  more  likely  to  enter  into  it  than 
you. — Besides,  if  your  reformations  were 
ever  so  virtuous  (which  they  are  not,  in 
his  sight  by  whom  actions  are  weighed), 
yet,  while  you  are  an  unbeliever,  they  can- 
not be  accepted.  You  yourself  must  first 
be  accepted  in  the  Beloved,  ere  any  thing 
that  you  offer  can  be  received.  "  It  does 
not  consist  with  the  honor  of  the  majesty 
of  the  King  of  heaven  and  earth  to  accept 
of  any  thing  from  a  condemned  malefac- 
tor, condemned  by  the  justice  of  his  own 
holy  law,  till  that  condemnation  be  remo- 
ved." 

Thirdly  :  Beware  of  deriving  comfort 
from  the  distress  of  mind  which  you  may 
have  undergone,  or  from  any  feelings  with- 
in you.  Some  religious  people  will  tell 
you  that  these  workings  of  mind  are  a  sign 
that  God  has  mercy  in  reserve  for  you  ; 
and  that  if  you  go  on  in  the  way  you  are 
in,  waiting  as  at  the  pool,  all  will  be  well 
in  the  end  :  but  do  not  you  believe  them. 
They  have  no  Scripture  warrant  for  what 
they  say.  It  is  not  your  being  distressed 
in  mind  that  will  prove  any  thing  in  your 
favor,  but  the  issue  of  it.  Saul  was  dis- 
tressed, as  well  as  David  ;  and  Judas  as 
well  as  Peter.  When  the  murderers  of  our 
Lord  were  pricked  in  their  hearts,  Peter 
did  not  comfort  them  by  representing  this 
their  unhappiness  as  a  hopeful  sign  of  con- 
version ;  but  exhorted  them  to  "  repent 
and  be  baptized,  every  one  of  them,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of 
sins."  And  thus  it  was  with  Paul  and  Si- 
las, when  the  jailer  was  impressed  with 
fear  and  dismay  :  they  gave  him  no  en- 
couragement from  thence,  but  preached 
Jusus  Christ  as  the  only  source  of  hope. 
If  one  who   had  slain  a  man  in    Israel  had 


stopped  short  of  the  city  of  refuge,  and 
endeavored  to  draw  comfort  from  the 
alarm  which  he  had  felt  lest  the  avenger 
of  blood  should  overtake  him,  would  he 
have  been  safe  1  There  is  no  security  to 
you,  or  to  any  man,  but  in  fleeing  imme- 
diately to  the  gospel-refuge,  and  laying 
hold  of  the  hope  set  before  you.  If  you 
take  comfort  from  your  distress,  you  are 
in  imminent  danger  of  stopping  short  of 
Christ,  and  so  of  perishing  for  ever.  Ma- 
ny, no  doubt,  have  done  so;  and  that  which 
they  have  accounted  waiting  at  the  pool 
for  the  moving  of  the  waters  has  proved 
no  other  than  settling  upon  a  false  founda- 
tion. Indeed  it  must  needs  be  so  ;  for  as 
there  is  no  medium,  in  one  that  has  heard 
the  gospel,  between  faith  and  unbelief,  he 
that  does  not  believe  in  Jesus  for  sal- 
vation, if  he  have  any  hope  of  it,  must 
derive  that  hope  from  something  in  him- 
self. 

Fourthly  :  Beware  of  making  faith  it- 
self, as  an  act  of  yours,  the  ground  of  ac- 
ceptance with  God.  It  is  true  that  believ- 
ing is  an  act  of  yours,  and  an  act  of  obe- 
dience to  God.  Far  be  it  from  me  that  I 
should  convey  an  idea  of  any  thing  short 
of  a  cordial  reception  of  the  gospel  being 
accompanied  with  salvation — a  reception 
that  involves  a  renunciation  of  self-right- 
eousness, and  a  submission  to  the  right- 
eousness of  God.  But  if  you  consider  it 
as  a  species  of  sincere  obedience  which 
God  has  consented  to  accept  instead  of  a 
perfect  one,  and  if  you  hope  to  be  justi- 
fied in  reward  of  it,  you  are  still  "  going 
about  to  establish  your  own  righteous- 
ness "  under  an  evangelical  name.  This 
is  the  commandment  of  God,  that  ye  be- 
lieve on  the  name  of  his  Son.  Faith  is 
an  act  of  obedience  to  God,  yet  it  is  not 
as  such  that  it  justifies  us,  but  as  receiv- 
ing Christ,  and  bringing  us  into  a  living 
union  with  him,  for  whose  sake  alone  we 
are  accepted  and  saved.  If  you  truly  be- 
lieve in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  salva- 
tion, you  will  think  nothing  of  the  work- 
ings of  your  own  mind,  but  of  his  work 
who  came  into  the  world  to  save  the  chief 
of  sinners. 

Finally  :  Beware  of  taking  comfort  from 
any  impulse,  or  unfounded  persuasion  that 
your  sins  are  forgiven,  and  that  you  are  a 
favorite  of  God.  Many  are  deceived  in 
this  way,  and  mistake  such  a  persuasion 
for  faith  itself.  When  a  sinner  is  driven 
from  all  his  former  holds,  it  is  not  unusual 
for  him,  instead  of  falling  at  the  feet  of 
Christ  as  utterly  lost,  to  catch  at  any  new 
conceit,  however  unscriptural  and  absurd, 
if  it  will  but  afford  him  relief.  If,  in  such 
a  state  of  mind,  he  receive  an  impression, 
perhaps  in  the  words  of  Scripture,  that 
God  has  forgiven  and  accepted  him,  or 
dream  that  he"  is  in  heaven,  or  read  a  book 


700 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


or  hear  a  sermon  which  is  favorable  to 
such  a  method  of  obtaining  relief,  he  ea- 
gerly imbibes  it,  and  becomes  intoxicated 
with  the  delicious  draught.  The  joy  of 
hope  being  so  new  and  unexpected  a  thing, 
and  succeeding  to  great  darkness  and  dis- 
tress, produces  a  wonderful  change  in  his 
mind.  Now  he  thinks  he  has  discovered 
the  light  of  life,  and  feels  to  have  lost  his 
burden.  Now  he  has  found  out  the  true 
religion,  and  all  that  he  read  or  heard  be- 
fore, not  affording  him  relief,  is  false  doc- 
trine, or  legal  preaching.  Being  treated 
also  as  one  of  the  dear  children  of  God, 
by  others  of  the  same  description,  he  is 
attached  to  his  flatterers,  and  despises 
those  as  graceless  who  would  rob  him  of 
his  comforts,  by  warning  him  against  the 
He  which  is  "in  his  right  hand." 

I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  all  consola- 
tion which  comes  suddenly  to  the  mind,  or 
by  the  impression  of  a  passage  of  Scrip- 
ture, any  more  than  by  reading  or  hearing, 
is  delusive.  It  is  not  the  manner  in  which 
we  obtain  relief  that  is  of  any  account, 
but  what  it  is  that  comforts  us.  If  it  be 
the  doctrine  of  the  cross,  or  any  revealed 
truth  pertaining  to  it,  this  is  gospel-conso- 
lation ;  but,  if  it  be  a  supposed  revelation 
from  heaven  of  something  which  is  not 
taught  in  the  Scriptures,  that  is  a  species 
of  comfort  on  which  no  dependence  can 
be  placed.  A  believer  may  be  so  far  mis- 
led as  to  be  carried  away  with  it ;  but,  if 
a  man  has  nothing  better,  he  is  still  an  un- 
believer. 

To  conclude  :  If  ever  you  obtain  that 
rest  for  your  soul  which  will  bear  the 
light,  it  must  be,  not  from  any  thing  with- 
in you,  but  by  looking  out  of  yourself  to 
Christ  as  revealed  in  the  gospel.  You 
may  afterwards  know  that  you  have  pass- 
ed from  death  unto  life  by  the  love  you 
bear  to  the  brethren,  and  by  many  other 
scriptural  evidences  ;  and,  from  the  time 
of  your  embracing  the  gospel  remedy,  you 
may  be  conscious  of  it,  and  so  enjoy  the 
hope  of  the  promised  salvation  ;  but  your 
first  relief,  if  it  be  genuine,  will  be  drawn 
directly  from  Christ,  or  from  finding  that 
in  the  doctrine  of  salvation  through  his 
death  which  suits  your  wants  and  wishes 
as  a  perishing  sinner. 


THE   AWAKENED   SINNER. 

[A  Correspondence  between  Archippus,  a  Minis- 
ter of  the  Gospel,  and  Epaphras,  a  young  man  who 
had  been  one  of  his  hearers.] 

LETTER   I. 

[Epaphras  to  Archippus.] 

My  dear  Sir, 

For  several   years  past,  you  know,  I 


have  sat  under  your  ministry.  Having  late- 
ly boon  removed  by  providence  beyond  the 
reach  of  it,  many  things,  which  made  but 
little  impression  upon  my  mind  at  the 
time,  have  been  called  to  remembrance. 
My  heart  often  sinks  at  the  thought  of 
the  non-improvement  of  my  former  mer- 
cies, and  trembles  lest  those  solemn  warn- 
ings and  tender  expostulations  which  I 
have  heard  from  you  should,  on  a  future 
day,  bear  witness  against  me. 

You  have  more  than  once  talked  on  the 
concerns  of  my  soul ;  but  I  could  never 
be  free  to  answer  you.  Indeed  I  did  not 
like  to  hear  of  the  subject.  It  always 
struck  a  damp  upon  my  spirits,  and  ren- 
dered your  company,  which  otherwise  was 
very  agreeable,  a  burden.  But  now,  seldom 
seeing  your  face,  I  feel  a  wish  to  open  my 
mind  to  you  ;  and  the  rather  because  the 
salvation  of  my  soul  has  of  late  concern- 
ed me  more  than  at  any  former  period. 

Though  you  were  well  acquainted  with 
my  person,  you  knew  but  little  of  my 
character,  or  of  the  things  which  were  at 
work  in  my  mind.  I  have  been  guilty  of 
many  evils  from  my  youth.  I  have  also 
been  the  subject  of  occasional  convictions  ; 
and  strange  thoughts  have  passed  my  mind 
concerning  religion.  When  about  twelve 
years  of  age,  the  death  of  several  persons 
around  me  impressed  my  mind  with 
solemn  reflections  about  my  own  future 
state.  I  conceived  of  God  as  an  almighty 
being ;  but  had  no  just  ideas  of  his 
moral  character.  It  appeared  to  me  that, 
being  stronger  than  we,  his  will  must  be 
our  law.  I  saw  no  justness  or  fitness  in 
its  being  so  ;  but,  as  we  were  unable  to 
dispute  with  him,  it  must  be  so.  I  enter- 
tained many  hard  thoughts  of  his  govern- 
ment, on  the  ground  of  our  first  parent 
being  constituted  the  head  of  his  poster- 
ity, and  of  the  consequence  of  his  sin  as 
affecting  us.  Sometimes  I  wished  I  had 
never  been  born  :  but  then  again  it  would 
recur  to  me,  born  I  am,  and  die  I  must, 
and  after  death  is  a  judgment!  At  other 
times,  my  thoughts  would  turn  to  the  only 
hope  set  before  us,  the  salvation  of  Jesus 
Christ.  I  conceived  of  him,  however,  as 
coming  into  the  world,  not  to  satisfy  the 
injured  justice  of  God,  but  to  make  us 
amends  for  the  injury  we  had  received 
from  Adam's  transgression,  and  to  give  us, 
as  it  were,  another  chance  for  our  life.  I 
thought  God  must  know  that  he  had  dealt 
hardly  with  us  ;  and,  therefore,  was  con- 
strained by  equity  to  do  as  he  did,  in  giv- 
ing his  Son  to  die  for  us  ;  and  that,  if  he 
had  not  done  this,  we  should  have  had  just 
cause  for  complaint,  whatever  we  might 
have  as  it  was. 

I  read  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  necessity 
of  repentance  and  conversion  ;  and  many 
thoughts  passed  through  my  mind  on  this 


THE    AWAKENED    SINNER. 


701 


subject;  but  I  generally  postponed  a 
serious  attention  to  it  to  some  future  day. 
I  formed  resolutions  of  amendment,  and 
fixed  times  when  I  would  return  to  God 
by  repentance  ;  but,  as  the  former  seldom 
proved  to  be  of  any  account  in  the  hour 
of  temptation,  so  the  latter  passed  over, 
and  left  me  where  I  was.  About  this  time 
I  fell  into  company,  which  often  drew  me 
into  a  breach  of  the  sabbath.  During  the 
summer  season,  we  used  to  walk  in  the 
fields,  to  the  neglect  of  public  worship.  I 
could  not  do  this,  however,  without  its 
being  followed  by  keen  remorse.  Such 
was  the  bitterness  of  my  soul  on  one  of 
these  occasions  that  I  invoked  the  curse 
of  the  Almighty  upon  myself,  and  wrote 
it  upon  the  walls  of  a  building  near  the 
outside  of  the  town,  if  I  passed  that  build- 
ing any  more  on  the  sabbath  day,  to  the 
neglect  of  his  worship. 

I  now  began  to  think  myself  a  little 
better ;  but  still  suspected  I  was  not  right 
at  heart.  The  words  of  Christ  to  Nico- 
demus  would  in  a  manner  strike  me  dead, 
"Ye  must  be  born  again!"  The  ideas 
which  I  formed  of  the  new  birth,  as  near- 
ly as  I  can  remember,  were,  that  I  must 
be  in  some  very  deep  distress,  next  to 
despair;  and  in  that  state  of  mind  a 
voice  from  heaven,  or  something  like  it, 
was  to  set  me  at  liberty.  I  used  to  go 
alone  into  the  fields  in  an  evening,  and 
there  weep  over  my  condition,  and  pray 
that  I  might  be  converted ;  but  it  always 
seemed  to  me  that  God  would  not  hear 
me.  At  length  I  began  to  despair.  I 
thought  I  never  should  be  converted,  and 
so  must  perish  forever.  Sometimes  I 
thought  of  giving  up  all  concern  about  it, 
and  enjoying  the  pleasures  of  life  while  I 
could ;  but  as  I  knew  not  how  to  shake 
off  my  uneasiness,  I  thought  I  would  try 
another  year,  and  wait  and  pray  .... 
peradventure  by  that  I  might  be  converted. 

During  this  year  I  was  often  beset 
with  thoughts  like  these — Perhaps,  after 
all,  there  is  nothing  in  religion;  perhaps 
the  Bible  is  nothing  more  than  the  inven- 
tion of  some  great  man,  to  keep  the 
world  in  order  ;  perhaps  the  Mahomedans 
have  as  good  ground  to  believe  in  the 
Alcoran  as  we  have  in  the  Scriptures ; 
perhaps  there  is  no  hereafter ;  perhaps 
there  is  no  God. — My  heart,  I  believe, 
would  willingly  have  received  these  prin- 
ciples, shocking  as  they  are;  but  my 
conscience  would  not  suffer  me  to  do  it. 
I  even  took  pains  to  convince  myself  of 
their  falsehood,  by  walking  out  into  the 
fields  in  a  star-light  evening,  viewing  the 
heavens,  and  inferring  thence  the  being 
of  a  God  ;  which,  when  admitted,  the  re- 
ality of  religion  followed  as  a  necessary 
consequence. 


About  this  time  I  read  "  Alleine's 
Alarm  to  the  Unconverted."  He  said, 
"  There  were  some  who  thought  them- 
selves converted,  but  were  not  so ;  and 
others  who  thought  they  were  not  con- 
verted, but  were  so.  I  overlooked  the 
alarming  part  of  the  treatise,  and  caught 
hold  of  this,  gathering  from  it  some  sort 
of  hope  that  the  latter  might  possibly  be 
my  case.  My  year  was"  now  expired; 
and,  though  I  had  a  few  hopes,  I  felt  no 
ground  for  any  satisfactory  conclusion.  I 
thought  I  must  be  better  than  I  was  :  yet 
how  to  make  myself  so  I  knew  not. 

But  my  sheet  is  full  ;  I  therefore  at 
present  subscribe  myself  yours  with  much 
respect,  Epaphras. 


LETTER  II. 

[Epaphras  to  Archippus.] 

My  dear  Sir, 

Let  me  presume  upon  your  patience, 
while  I  resume  the  narrative  of  my  past 
exercises  of  mind.  When  about  fourteen 
years  of  age,  I  remember,  as  I  was  one 
morning  musing  by  myself,  and  thinking 
of  the  number  and  magnitude  of  my  of- 
fences, the  bitter  pangs  of  despair  seized 
me.  Iniquity,  said  I,  will  be  my  ruin.  A 
sigh,  as  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart, 
succeeded  this  exclamation.  But,  all  on 
a  sudden,  I  seemed  to  hear  as  it  were  a 
voice  from  heaven,  saying  to  me,  "  Sin 
shall  not  have  dominion  over  thee ;  for 
thou  art  not  under  the  law,  but  under 
grace."  I  instantly  burst  into  a  flood  of 
tears,  and  went  on  weeping  for  joy,  till 
my  weeping  powers  seemed  to  be  exhaust- 
ed. In  reflecting  upon  this,  I  thought,  I 
am  now  surely  converted  ;  this  must  be 
the  new  birth.  I  was  the  subject  of  trans- 
porting joy,  and  confidence  of  having  found 
the  pearl  of  price. 

From  what  I  have  heard  you  say  con- 
cerning impressions,  even  in  Scripture 
language,  where  it  is  not  the  truth  con- 
tained in  the  words,  but  the  idea  of  their 
being  an  extraordinary  revelation  from 
heaven  made  to  the  soul  of  the  forgiveness 
of  its  sins,  I  have  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  your  thoughts  of  this  singular  part  of 
my  experience  will  accord  with  what  at 
that  time  were  mine.  Indeed,  from  what 
followed,  I  have  no  reason  to  think  fa- 
vorably of  it  myself,  for  within  a  few 
hours  all  was  forgotten,  as  though  it  had 
not  been  ;  and,  what  is  worse,  I  return- 
ed to  my  sins  as  eagerly  as  ever,  and 
lived  several  years  after  this  in  the  un- 
bridled indulgence  of  almost  every  species 
of  iniquity  that  came    within   my  reach. 


702 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,   ESSAYS,  &C. 


It  is  true,  I  could  not  sin  without  occa- 
sional pangs  of  remorse,  and  such  as 
were  very  bitter;  but  my  heart  was  set 
on  evil.  I  formed  intimacies  with  disso- 
lute young  people,  and  did  as  they  did.  I 
drew  many  into  my  wicked  courses,  as 
others  had  drawn  me  into  theirs  ;  and, 
having  never  made  any  profession  of  re- 
ligion, I  felt  the  less  concern.  I  seemed 
to  consider  religion  as  a  kind  of  discre- 
tional service.  Those  who  made  profes- 
sion of  it  I  thought  were  obliged  to  act 
accordingly;  but  others,  except  so  far  as 
they  might  be  induced  to  attend  to  it  for 
their  own  safety,  were  at  liberty  to  give 
scope  to  their  inclinations. 

My  heart  was  so  hardened  by  repeated 
acts  of  sin  that  God  was  scarcely  in  any 
of  my  thoughts.  His  all-piercing  eye 
did  not  restrain  me.  There  was  a  poor 
godly  man,  however,  one  of  my  father's 
laborers,  whose  eye  and  ear  used  to  strike 
me  with  terror.  If  at  any  time  I  had 
been  reading,  or  had  gone  a  few  miles 
to  hear  a  sermon,  or  any  thing  else  that 
looked  like  religion,  I  used  to  imagine  that 
he  looked  upon  me  with  complacency 
and  hope  :  but,  when  I  had  been  indulg- 
ing in  sin,  I  thought  I  saw  in  his  face 
the  very  frowns  of  heaven.  It  was  a 
strange  and  singular  regard  that  I  felt 
for  this  poor  man.  His  good  opinion  was 
what  I  desired  above  that  of  all  other 
persons.  When  he  has  been  going  to 
worship  on  a  Lord's-day  morning,  I  have 
run  with  eagerness  to  overtake  him  ;  yet 
when  in  his  company  I  had  nothing  to 
say.  If  ever  I  wished  for  riches,  it 
was  that  I  might  be  able  to  confer  them 
upon  him. 

Within  the  last  year  my  concern  has 
been  renewed.  Having  been  deeply  en- 
gaged in  a  very  ungodly  piece  of  con- 
duct, which  was  publicly  known,  I  dread- 
ed nothing  so  much  as  meeting  the  eyes 
of  this  poor  man.  He,  however,  said 
nothing  to  me;  and  I  suppose  thought 
no  more  of  it  than  he  would  of  seeing 
evil  fruit  growing  upon  an  evil  tree  :  but 
my  mind  from  that  time  became  habit- 
ually wretched.  Like  Sampson,  I  strove 
to  shake  myself,  and  to  do  as  at  other 
times  ;  but  my  strength  was  gone  :  the 
joy  of  my  heart  was  fled.  From  this 
time,  many  of  my  open  vices  were  re- 
linquished :  the  love  of  sin,  however,  was 
not  subdued.  On  the  contrary,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  restraints  under  which  my 
convictions  laid  me  as  to  some  evils,  such 
was  the  strength  of  my  inclinations  to- 
wards others.  For  two  or  three  months 
together,  it  was  common  for  me  to  in- 
dulge in  sin  in  an  evening;  and  when  I 
waked  in  the  morning  to  be  overwhelm- 
ed with  guilt   and  horror.      In  the   hour 


of  dejection  I  would  resolve  against 
future  compliances.  In  some  few  instan- 
ces I  kept  to  my  resolutions  ;  and  when 
I  did  so  I  had  peace ;  as  also  when  at 
any  time  I  had  wept  over  my  sin,  and 
bemoaned  my  miserable  condition,  I  en- 
joyed a  kind  of  secret  satisfaction  :  but 
when  my  resolutions  failed  me,  as  they 
mostly  did  in  the  hour  of  temptation,  all 
my  peace  and  comfort  would  forsake 
me.  I  have  learned,  by  these  things, 
that  there  is  no  help  in  me  ;  and  that,  if 
God  were  to  forgive  me  all  that  is  past, 
I  should  in  one  hour  destroy  my  soul. 

Formerly  1  used  to  sin  away  my  con- 
victions ;  but  have  not  been  able  to  do 
so  of  late.  Conscience  has  seemed  to 
follow  me  wherever  I  have  gone,  or 
rather,  like  an  angel  of  God  with  a 
drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  to  meet  me 
in  my  wicked  courses.  Indeed,  I  am 
now  afraid  of  losing  my  convictions, 
knowing  that  eternal  ruin  must  be  the 
consequence  in  that  case,  whatever  it  be 
as  it  is. 

O  sir  !  I  am  a  miserable  sinner.  My 
crimes  have  been  much  more  numerous 
and  aggravated  than  you  or  any  of  my 
friends  can  have  imagined.  I  have  long 
known  myself  to  be  a  sinner ;  but  now  I 
feel  it.  I  often  repeat  to  myself  the 
lamentations  of  a  sinnner  as  described 
by  Mr.  Mason— 

"  I  have  been  Satan's  willing  slave, 

And  his  most  easy  prey  ; 
He  was  not  readier  to  command 

Than  I  was  to  obey. 
If  any  time  he  left  my  soul, 

Yet  still  his  work  went  on  ; 
I've  been  a  tempter  to  myself  : 

Ah,  Lord,  what  have  I  done!  " 

I  sometimes  think  I  feel  the  wrath  of 
God,  as  an  earnest  of  hell,  kindled  al- 
ready in  my  bosom.  My  former  hopes, 
instead  of  affording  me  any  encourage- 
ment, work  despair.  It  seems  to  me 
presumptuous,  after  so  many  base  and 
repeated  relapses,  to  hope  for  mercy. 
When  I  look  into  the  Scriptures,  I  see, 
as  I  have  long  seen,  that  except  I  repent, 
and  believe  in  Christ,  I  must  inevitably 
perish  :  but  alas  !  loaded  as  I  am  with 
sorrow,  my  heart  is  too  hard  to  repent ; 
and  as  to  faith,  and  the  prayer  of  faith, 
they  are  things  foreign  from  the  state  of 
my  mind.  I  would  give  the  world,  if  I 
had  it,  to  be  possessed  of  them  :  but  O,  I 
cannot,  I  dare  not,  believe  ;  I  am  unwor- 
thy of  mercy.  I  fear  I  am  a  reprobate, 
of  whom  God  hath  determined  to  make 
an  example,  and  therefore  that  there  is  no 
hope  for  me.  My  heart  has  often  revolt- 
ed at  that  awful  doctrine  ;  and  now  it 
overwhelms   me.      I  know  you  will   feel 


THE    AWAKENED    SINNER. 


703 


for  me  :  but  whether  any  relief  can  be 
afforded  to  a  soul  like  mine  I  know  not. 
Let  me  conjure  you,  however,  to  be 
plain  with  me,  and  tell  me,  without  re- 
serve, what  you  think  of  my  case  ;  and, 
if  you  have  any  counsel  to  offer,  let  me 
entreat  you  to  impart  it. 
I  am,  with  unfeigned  respect,  yours,  &c. 
Epaphras. 


LETTER  III. 

[Archippus  to  Epaphras.] 

My  dear  young  Friend, 

The  narration  with  which  you  have 
favored  me  has  deeply  interested  my 
feelings  on  your  behalf.  My  desire  and 
prayer  to  God  for  you  is  that  you  may 
be  saved.  In  the  early  workings  of  your 
mind  I  see  much  of  the  enmity  and 
error  of  the  human  heart.  Your  thoughts 
of  God  and  his  government,  Christ  and 
his  gospel,  and  of'  the  nature  of  conver- 
sion, are  the  thoughts  of  many  much 
older  than  you :  but  they  are  not  the 
better  on  this  account.  These  are  among 
the  "  imaginations  and  high  thoughts  that 
exalt  themselves  against  the  knowledge 
of  God,"  and  require  to  be  "  cast  down, 
and  every  thought  to  be  brought  into  sub- 
jection to  the  obedience  of  Christ." 

Your  temptations  to  disbelieve  the  Bi- 
ble, and  even  the  being  of  God,  were  no 
more  than  the  ordinary  operations  of  a  de- 
praved heart,  disturbed  by  the  light  of  the 
gospel  having  made  its  way  into  the  con- 
science. Your  vows  and  endeavors  to  re- 
pent and  be  converted  appear  to  have  aris- 
en from  a  mixture  of  slavish  fear  and  self- 
righteous  hope.  You  were  not  sorry  for 
your  sin,  nor  wished  to  be  sorry,  from 
any  dislike  you  bore  to  it;  but  you  trem- 
bled at  the  wrath  to  come,  and  wished  to 
become  any  thing  that  you  might  escape 
it;  and,  not  knowing  the  deceitfulness  of 
your  own  heart,  you  flattered  yourself 
that,  by  putting  on  a  good  resolution,  you 
could  bend  it  into  a  compliance  with  the 
will  of  God. 

I  need  not  say  much  concerning  the  im- 
pression by  which  your  mind  was  filled 
with  joy.  You  yourself  seem  sufficiently 
convinced,  by  what  followed,  that  it  was 
not  conversion,  but  a  blossom  without 
fruit.  Those  who  conclude,  from  such 
feelings,  that  they  are  in  a  state  of  salva- 
tion, are  objects  of  pity. 

Concerning  your  late  and  present  dis- 
tress, I  feel  much  for  you  ;  not  only  in  a 
way  of  sympathy,  but  of  concern  for  the 
issue;  for  many  persons  have  been  as 
deeply  distressed  about  their  salvation  as 


you  appear  to  be,  who  have  yet  taken  up 
their  rest  in  something  short  of  Christ ; 
which  is  a  much  more  dangerous  state  than 
that  from  which  they  were  first  awakened, 
and,  if  persisted  in,  will  render  their  case 
less  tolerable  than  if  they  had  lived  and 
died  in  ignorance. 

Your  sins,  you  say,  "are  much  more 
numerous  and  aggravated  than  I  or  any  of 
your  friends  can  have  imagined."  Doubt- 
less you  have  been  guilty  of  things  which 
neither  I  nor  any  other  creature  can  have 
been  privy  to  :  but  I  apprehend  that,  at 
present,  you  have  but  a  very  imperfect 
sense  of  them.  So  far  from  thinking  that 
you  view  the  evil  of  your  way  in  too  strong 
a  light,  I  am  persuaded  you  are  a  thousand 
times  more  wicked  in  the  sight  of  God, 
whose  judgment  is  according  to  truth,  than 
ever  you  have  yet  been  in  your  own  sight ; 
your  heart  condemns  you  ;  but  "  God  is 
greater  than  your  heart,  and  knoweth  all 
things !" 

I  write  not  thus  to  drive  you  to  despair  : 
for,  though  your  sins  were  ten  times  more 
numerous  and  more  aggravated  than  they 
are,  while  the  good  news  of  eternal  life, 
through  the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ,  is 
held  up  to  you,  there  is  no  reason  for  this. 
You  have  learned,  you  think,  "  that  there 
is  no  help  in  you."  Be  it  so  ;  it  does  not 
follow  that  there  is  none  without  you. 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  by  a  thorough  and 
practical  knowledge  of  the  one  that  the 
other  becomes  acceptable.  If  the  help 
that  is  provided  without,  therefore,  give 
you  no  relief,  I  am  constrained  to  think  it 
is  because  you  are  not  yet  brought  to  de- 
spair of  help  from  within. 

Let  me  speak  freely  to  you  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ.  You  may  think  this  to 
contain  no  news  to  you  :  but  I  am  persua- 
ded that  hitherto  you  have  neither  under- 
stood nor  believed  it.  Your  despair  is  like 
that  of  a  man  who  gives  himself  up  for  lost 
without  having  tried  the  only  remedy. 
You  have  prayed  for  mercy,  but  hitherto 
you  have  asked  nothing  with  a  pure  respect 
to  the  atonement  of  Jesus.  Ask  in  his 
name,  and  vou  shall  receive,  and  your  joy 
shall  be  full. 

Consider  well  the  following  passages  of 
Scripture,  as  expressing  the  sum  of  the 
glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God  :  "  God 
so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only- 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal 
life. — This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy 
of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came 
into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  of  whom  I 
am  chief. — I  declare  unto  you  the  gospel 
which  I  preached  unto  you,  which  also  ye 
have  received,  and  wherein  ye  stand,  un- 
less ye  have  believed  in  vain — how  that 
Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the 


704 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


Scriptures;  and  that  he  was  buried,  and  about  to  establish  your'own righteousness, 
that  he  rose  again  the  third  day,  according  and  have  not  "  submitted  to  the  righteous- 
to    the    Scriptures. — The  Jews  require  a    ness  of  God;"  a  course  which,  if  not  re- 


sign, and  the  Greeks  seek  after  wisdom  : 
but  we  preach  Christ  crucified. — I  deter- 
mined not  to  know  any  thing  among  you 
save  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified. — God 
was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto 


linquished,  will  ruin  your  soul.  The  over- 
throw of  the  Jews,  in  the  times  of  our  Sa- 
viour and  his  apostles,  was  owing  to  this. 
They  were  anxiously  concerned  about  re- 
ligion ;  they    "followed  alter   the  law  of 


himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  righteousness  ;"  yet  they  attained  it  not  : 

them;    and   hath   committed  unto  us  the  and  wherefore  1     "  Because  they  sought  it 

word  of  reconciliation.     Now  then  we  are  not  by  faith  ;  but  as  it  were  by  the  works 

ambassadors  for  Christ,  as  though  God  did  of   the   law:    for   they   stumbled  at   that 

beseech  men  by  us,  we  pray  you,  in  Christ's  stumbling  stone!"     It  is  not  the  magni- 

stead,  be   ye   reconciled  to  God. — If  we  tude  of  your  sins  that  will  prove  a  bar  to 

confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful   and  just  to  your  salvation  :  if  there  be  any  bar,  it  will 

forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  be  your  unbelief.     "  If  thou  canst  believe 

all  unrighteousness. — The  blood  of  Jesus  — all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  be- 

Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin. —  lieveth  !  " 

By  him  all  that  believe  are  justified  from         I  am  apprehensive  that  you  have  never 

all  things,  from  which  they  could  not  be  yet  cordially  admitted  the  humbling  import 

justified  by  the  law  of  Moses. — Come  un-  of  the  gospel.      It   is  not  your  believing 

to  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  la-  from    the    tradition   of  your    fathers    that 

den,  and  I  will  give  you  rest. — Him  that  there  was  a  person  called  Jesus    Christ, 

cometh,  I  will  in  nowise  cast  out."  who  came    into   the    world    about    eigh- 

This,  my  dear  friend,  was  the  all-effica-  teen    hundred    years    ago,    and    who    is 

cious    doctrine  by  which  the   pressure  of  in    some   way     or    other     the    savior   of 

guilt  was  removed  from  thousands  in  the  sinners.       The   gospel  is    a   divine    sys- 

times    of  the   apostles,  and  has  been  re-  tem ;  the  wisdom  of  God  in   a  mystery, 

moved  from  millions  in  succeeding  ages.  It  implies  a  number  of  important  truths 

When  a  perishing  sinner  inquired,  "  What  to  which  the  corrupt  heart  of  man  is  nat- 

must  I  do  to  be  saved  V  the  answer  was  urally  averse;  and  cannot  properly  be  said 

at  hand,  "Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  believed  while   they  are   rejected  or 

and  thou  shalt  be  saved."     This  was  the  overlooked.     Such  are  the  equity  and  glo- 


plenteous  redemption  which  even  Old-tes- 
tament sinners  embraced  by  faith  These 
were  the  water,  the  wine,  and  the  milk, 
which  they  were  freely  invited  to  buy, 
"without  money,  and  without  price." 
This    is    the    wedding  supper,  which    the 


ry  of  the  divine  law,  and  the  guilty,  lost, 
and  perishing  condition  of  those  who  have 
transgressed  it.  More  particularly,  that 
God  is  worthy  of  being  loved  with  all  their 
heart,  however  depraved  that  heart  may 
be ;  that  our  transgressions    against   him 


Lord  hath  prepared,  and  concerning  which  have  been  without  cause;  that  we  are  justly 
he  hath  declared,  "All  things  are  ready;  deserving  of  his  eternal  displeasure ;  that 
come  ye  to  the  marriage."  there  is  no  help  in  us,  or  hope  of  recov- 
But,  you  will  say,  I  have  read  and  con-  ery  by  our  own  efforts  ;  finally,  that  we 
sidered,  and  believed,  all  this  long  ago;  are  utterly  unworthy  of  mercy,  and  must 
and  yet  I  am  not  relieved.  I  remember  be  saved,  if  at  all,  by  mere  grace.  These 
Saul,  on  a  certain  occasion,  said  to  Samu-  truths  are  plainly  implied  in  the  doctrine 
el,  "  I  have  performed  the  commandment  of  atonement  and  of  a  free  salvation  ;  and 
of  the  Lord:"  but  Samuel  answered,  without  admitting  them  it  is  impossible  we 
"  What  meaneth,  then,  this  bleating  of  the  should  admit  the  other.  While  we  con- 
sheep  in  mine  ears  ;  and  this  lowing  of  the  ceive  of  ourselves  as  injured  creatures, 
oxen  which  I  hearl"  That  you  have  read  and  of  the  gift  of  Christ  and  of  salvation 
these  things,  and  thought  of  them,  may  be  by  him  as  the  recompense  for  the  injury, 
admitted  ;  but,  if  you  have  believed  them  it  is  no  wonder  we  should  imagine  it  to 
with  all  your  heart,  how  is  it  that  I  hear  of  be  confined  to  the  comparatively  worthy, 
peace  and  satisfaction  arising  from  tears,  or  the  least  criminal,  and  so  begin  to  des- 


and  moans,  and  a  compliance  with  resolu- 
tions 1  How  is  it  that  the  magnitude  of 
guilt,  instead  of  leading  you  to  confess  it 
upon  the  head  of  the  gospel  sacrifice,  and 


pair  as  we  perceive  the  magnitude  of  our 
guilt.  Or,  if  in  words  we  disavow  all 
merit,  and  confess  ourselves  to  be  in  a 
helpless   and  hopeless   condition,  yet    we 


to  sue  for  mercy  wholly  in  his  name,  should  shall  view  it  as  our  misfortune  rather  than 

induce   you  to  despair1?     How  is  it  that  our  sin,  and  ourselves  as  more  deserving 

your  being  unworthy  of  mercy  is  made  an  of   pity  than  punishment.        And,    while 

objection  to  believing  1     Indeed,  my  young  this  is  the  case,  our  supposed  love   to  the 

friend,  these  are  but  too  manifest  indica-  Saviour  is  certain  to  operate  at  the  expense 

tions  that  hitherto  you  have  been  going  of  the  Lawgiver. 


THE    AWAKENED    SINNER. 


705 


You  acknowledge  that  in  your  earlier 
years  such  notions  possessed  your  mind. 
Let  me  intreat  you  to  consider  whether 
they  have  not  still  a  place  in  you,  and 
whether  your  present  unhappy  state 
of  mind  be  not  chiefly  to  be  ascrib- 
ed to  them.  If  you  do  not  admit 
what  the  gospel  necessarily  implies,  and 
that  in  a  practical  way,  so  as  to  act  upon 
it,  how  can  you  admit  the  thing  itself? 
There  is  no  grace  in  Christ's  laying  down 
his  life  for  us,  and  bestowing  salvation  up- 
on us,  but  upon  the  supposition  of  the  jus- 
tice of  the  divine  government,  and  there- 
fore we  cannot  perceive  any ;  for  it  is 
impossible  to  see  that  which  is  not  to  be 
seen.  But  if  you  perceive  the  rectitude 
of  the  divine  character  and  government, 
and  feel  yourself  to  be  a  justly  condemned 
sinner  without  help  or  hope,  or  a  single 
plea  to  offer  in  arrest  of  judgment,  the 
gospel  will  appear  in  its  glory,  and  all  its 
blessings  will  be  welcome  to  your  heart. 
Thus,  knowing  the  "only  living  and  true 
God,"  you  will  know  "Jesus  Christ, 
whom  he  hath  sent;"  hearing  and  learn- 
ing of  the  Father,  you  will  come  to  the 
Son  :  and  thus,  after  every  self-righte- 
ous effort  has  been  tried  in  vain,  you  will, 
ere  you  are  aware,  "repent  and  believe 
the  gospel."  Then  you  will  no  longer 
conceive  of  God  as  a  being  who  avails 
himself  of  his  almighty  power  to  awe  you 
into  silence  ;  but  as  one  who  has  righte- 
ousness on  his  side,  on  account  of  which 
*'  every  mouth  will  be  stopped,  and  all 
the  world  be  guilty  "  before  him.  Then, 
instead  of  being  overwhelmed  and  driven 
to  despair  by  the  doctrine  of  election,  it 
wili  appear  not  only  equitable  but 
the  only  source  of  hope.  You  will 
perceive  that  what  would  have  been  just 
towards  all  mankind  cannot  be  unjust  to- 
wards a  part  of  them  :  and,  feeling  your- 
self divested  of  all  claim,  unless  it  be  to 
shame  and  confusion  of  face,  you  will 
throw  yourself  at  the  feet  of  sovereign 
mercy.  I  do  not  say  you  will  be  willing 
to  be  saved  or  lost,  as  it  shall  please  God. 
Some  worthy  men  have  worked  themselves 
and  others  into  a  persuasion  that  they  were 
the  subjects  of  such  resignation  :  but  re- 
signation of  this  kind  is  not  required  at 
our  hands,  as  it  would  be  inconsistent  with 
that  importunity  for  the  blessing  with 
which  we  are  encouraged  to  besiege  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  even  with  love  to 
God  itself,  which  cannot  possibly  be  rec- 
onciled to  be  everlastingly  banished  from 
him,  and  to  live  in  enmity  against  him. 
But  this  I  say  :  you  will  feel  and  acknowl- 
edge that  God  might  justly  cast  you  off  for 
ever  ;  and  that,  if  he  accept  and  save  you, 
it  must  be  purely  of  undeserved  mercy. 

You  say  you  dare  not  believe.     If  you 
mean  that  you  dare  not  entertain  the  per- 
Vol.   2.— Sig.  90. 


suasion  of  your  being  saved  in  your  present 
condition,  that  may  be  very  proper ;  but 
has  God  any  where  revealed  that  you  shall  1 
If  not,  such  a  persuasion  would  not  be 
faith  but  presumption.  That  faith  which 
has  the  promise  of  eternal  life  has  revealed 
truth,  and  particularly  the  gospel  of  salva- 
tion by  Jesus  Christ,  for  its  object.  And 
dare  you  not  believe  this  1  Rather,  how 
dare  you  disbelieve  it  1  How  will  you 
"  escape  if  you  neglect  so  great  salvation  1" 
Is  it  presumption  to  take  God  at  his  word  1 
Is  it  presumption  to  renounce  your  own 
righteousness,  and  submit  to  the  right- 
eousness of  God  1  Is  it  presumption 
to  believe  that  Christ  "  is  able  to  save  to 
the  uttennost  all  them  that  come  unto 
God  by  him  I"  Rather,  is  it  not  the  great- 
est of  all  sins  to  question  these  truths, 
after  all  that  God  has  said  in  confirmation 
of  them  1 

But  you  will  answer,  That  at  which  I 
hesitate  is  embracing  the  promises,  ivith 
application  to  myself.  You  are  not  requir- 
ed or  allowed  to  take  the  promises  in  any 
other  than  their  true  meaning.  So  far  as 
that  meaning  includes  your  case,  so  far  you 
are  warranted  to  apply  them  to  it,  and  no 
farther.  For  example:  if  you  return  to 
the  Lord  you  have  a  right  to  conclude 
that  you  as  readily  as  any  sinner  in  the 
world  shall  receive  abundant  pardon  ;  if 
you  come  to  Jesus,  you  shall  in  nowise  be 
cast  out;  but  neither  these  promises  nor 
any  other  hold  up  any  assurance  of  sal- 
vation to  the  impenitent  and  unbelieving. 
First  believe  the  promises  to  be  what  they 
profess  to  be,  true,  great,  and  precious,  to 
the  renouncing  of  every  other  foundation 
of  hope  ;  and  then  the  consciousness  of  this 
will  afford  a  ground  of  persuasion  that  the 
blessings  contained  in  them  are  your  own. 

But  you  add,  you  cannot  repent,  and  can- 
not believe.  Consider,  I  beseech  you, 
what  it  is  that  hindereth  ;  and  whether  it 
be  any  thing  else  than  the  latent  enmity  of 
your  heart  to  God.  If  you  loved  him, 
surely  you  could  repent;  nay,  surely  you 
could  not  but  repent,  and  mourn  for  all 
your  transgressions  against  him  :  surely 
you  could  not  be  insensible  to  the  glory 
of  Christ,  and  the  way  of  salvation  by 
him.  You  love  yourself,  and  can  mourn 
on  your  own  account  ;  but  for  all  that  you 
have  done  against  him  you  cannot  be 
grieved  !  You  love  yourself,  and  would 
give  the  world,  if  you  had  it,  to  escape 
the  wrath  to  come  :  but,  for  all  that  the 
Saviour  has  done  and  suffered, 'you  can 
perceive  no  loveliness  in  him  !  You  can 
see  no  glory  in  being  pardoned  for  the 
sake  of  his  atonement;  no  comeliness  in 
him,  no  beauty  that  you'should  desire  him! 
Do  I  misrepresent  the  easel  Let  con- 
science answer. 

O,  my  dear  young  friend,  do  not  cover 


706 


MISCELLANOUS    EXTRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


your  sin,  nor  flatter  yourself  that  the  bar  to 
your  salvation  does  not  lie  in  your  own 
heart.  With  the  secret  purposes  of  God 
you  have  nothing  to  do  as  a  rule  of  con- 
duct :  the  things  that  are  revealed  belong 
to  you  ;  and  these  are,  that  you  should 
repent  of  your  sins  and  believe  in  Christ 
alone  for  salvation.  If  you  be  not  found 
an  unbeliever,  you  need  not  fear  being 
found  a  reprobate.  I  am  yours,  with 
much  affection,  Archippus. 


LETTER  IV. 

[Archippus  to  Epaphras.] 

My  dear  Friend, 

Several  months  have  elapsed  since 
I  wrote  to  you,  and  I  have  received 
no  answer.  Am  I  to  interpret  your  long 
silence  as  an  intimation  that  you  do  not 
wish  for  any  further  correspondence  with 
me  on  the  important  subject  of  your  last  1 
If  I  felt  no  concern  for  your  eternal  wel- 
fare, I  might  not  only  so  consider  it, 
but  remain  as  silent  on  my  part  as  you  do 
on  yours.  But  I  must  write  at  least 
this  once.  When  I  think  of  your  situa- 
tion, I  feel  somewhat  as  the  apostle  did 
towards  the  Galatians — a  "travailing  in 
birth  that  Christ  may  be  formed  in 
you." 

In  looking  over  the  copy  of  my  last, 
I  acknowledge  I  have  felt  some  misgiv- 
ings of  heart.  I  am  sometimes  ready  to 
ask,  May  it  not  appear  to  him  as  though 
I  were  unfeeling  1  Though  what  I  wrote 
was,  according  to  the  best  of  my  judg- 
ment, the  truth  of  God,  yet  was  there 
not  too  much  use  of  the  probe  for  a  single 
letter!  Might  I  not  have  dwelt  less  on 
the  searching,  and  more'  on  the  consola- 
tory 1  Yet,  after  all,  I  am  not  sure  that 
I  ought.  But  as  the  apostle,  after  ad- 
dressing a  searching  epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, had  many  conflicts  in  his  own 
mind  concerning  the  issue,  and  at  times 
half  repented,  so  it  is  with  me.  Yet 
what  counsel  or  direction  have  I  to  offer, 
which  has  not  already  been  offered  1  If 
the  free  grace  of  the  gospel,  or  the  all- 
sufficient  redemption  of  Jesus  Christ, 
would  comfort  you,  I  could  joyfully  en- 
large upon  them.  The  provisions  of  mer- 
cy are  free  and  ample.  "All  things  are 
ready  :"  millions  of  sinners  have  already 
come  to  the  marriage,  "  and  yet  there  is 
room."  If  there  were  only  a  peradven- 
ture  that  you  should  be  accepted,  that 
were  sufficient  to  warrant  an  application. 
Thus  the  lepers  reasoned  in  their  perish- 
ing condition  :  "  Why  sit  we  here  until 
we  die  1  If  we  say  we  will  enter  into 
the  city,  the   famine   is  there ;  and,  if  we 


sit  still  here,  we  die  also.  Now  there- 
fore come,  and  let  us  fall  into  the  host  of 
the  Syrians  :  if  they  save  us  alive,  we  shall 
live ;  and,  if  they  kill  us,  we  can  but 
die."  Thus  also  reasoned  Esther  :  "  I 
will  go  in  unto  the  king,  which  is  not 
according  to  law;  and,  if  I  perish,  I 
perish !"  But  in  applying  to  the  Saviour 
of  sinners  there  are  no  such  perad ventures. 
To  cut  off  every  objection,  he  has  pro- 
claimed with  his  own  lips,  "  Ho  1  every 
one  that  thirsteth,  let  him  come  unto  me 
and  drink  !  " — "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest !" — "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given 
you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find  ;  knock,  and 
it  shall  be  opened  unto  you  :  for  every  one 
that  asketh  receiveth  ;  and  he  that  seeketh 
findeth  ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall 
be  opened  !  " 

But  to  all  this  you  repulsively  answer, 
I  cannot  repent,  I  cannoiToelieve.  What 
then  can  I  do  1 — If  the  doctrine  of  the 
cross  contain  no  charms  which  can  attract 
you,  it  is  not  for  me  to  coin  another  gospel, 
nor  to  bend  the  Scriptures  to  the  inclina- 
tion of  man's  depraved  heart.  We  must 
bend  to  them,  and  not  they  to  us;  or,  if 
not,  they  will  be  found  to  be  true,  to  our 
confusion. 

I  am  aware  that  persons  in  your  con- 
dition desire  abve  all  things  to  be  soothed 
and  comforted  by  something  else  than  the 
gospel.  They  imagine  themselves  to  be 
willing  to  be  saved  in  God's  way,— as 
willing  as  the  impotent  man  that  waited  at 
the  pool  was  to  be  made  whole  :  there- 
fore they  wish  to  be  directed  to  wait  and 
hope  in  the  way  that  they  are  in,  till  it 
shall  please  God  to  release  them,  as  by 
the  moving  of  the  waters.  It  is  also 
grateful  to  them  to  be  encouraged,  on  the 
ground  of  their  present  distress,  to  hope 
that  God  has  mercy  in  reserve  for  them  ; 
for  that  it  is  his  usual  way  first  to  con- 
vince of  sin,  and  afterwards  to  impart  the 
joys  of  salvation.  A  company  of  gentle- 
men (on  board  a  ship  that  touched  at  one  of 
the  southernmost  parts  of  South  America) 
had  a  mind  to  make  a  short  botanical 
excursion.  They  accordingly  ascend- 
ed one  of  the  mountains.  Ere  they 
were  aware  night  came  on,  and  a  very 
cold  fog.  They  felt  an  unusual  propensi- 
ty to  sleep  :  but  a  medical  friend,  who 
was  with  them,  strongly  remonstrated 
against  every  indulgence  of  the  kind,  as 
they  would  be  in  the  utmost  danger  of 
never  waking  again.  What  would  you 
have  thought  of  this  gentleman's  conduct, 
if,  instead  of  urging  his  companions  to 
escape  from  the  mountain,  he  had  indulged 
them  in  their  wishes  1  The  Scriptures 
declare  that  "  he  that  believeth  not  the 
Son  shall  not  see  life  ;  but   the   wrath   of 


THE    AWAKENED    SINNER. 


707 


God  abideth  on  him  :"  and  surely  we 
ought  not  to  contradict  this  declaration, 
either  by  directing  to  the  use  of  means 
short  of  believing,  or  encouraging  those 
who  use  them  to  hope  for  a  happy  issue. 
The  erucifiers  of  Christ  were  in  great 
distress ;  but  Peter  did  not  encourage 
them  to  take  comfort  from  this,  but  direct- 
ed them  to  repent  and  be  converted — to 
repent  and  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
The  Philippian  jailer  was  in  great  dis- 
tress ;  but  Paul  had  no  comfort  for  him 
on  this  ground,  nor  any  counsel  to  offer 
but  believing  in  Jesus. 

A  necessity  is  laid  upon  me,  and  woe 
is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel  !  I  have 
not  deviated  from  this  point  in  what  I 
have  hitherto  written  ;  nor  will  I  deviate, 
whatever  be  the  consequence.  Where- 
fore 1  Because  I  love  you  not  1  God 
knoweth  !  I  am  determined  not  to  know 
anything  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him  cruci- 
fied !  If  this  doctrine  fail  to  relieve  you, 
the  cause  must  be  looked  for,  not  in  the 
want  of  encouragement,  but  of  desire  to 
embrace  it.  But,  O  my  dear  young  man, 
consider  Jesus  Christ,  the  Apostle  and 
High  Priest  of  our  profession!  As  one 
that  has  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious, 
though  a  perishing  sinner  like  yourself,  I 
do  most  heartily  recommend  him  to  you. 
I  was  brought  low,  and  he  helped  me ! 
The  sorrows  of  death  compassed  me,  and 
the  pains  of  hell  gat  hold  upon  me  :  I 
found  trouble  and  sorrow.  Then  called  I 
upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  O  Lord  I  be- 
seech thee,  deliver  my  soul  !  By  happy 
experience  I  can  bear  witness  that  gra- 
cious is  the  Lord  and  righteous  :  yea,  our 
God  is  merciful.  He  delivered  my  soul 
from  death,  my  eyes  from  tears,  and  my 
feet  from  falling.  O  taste  and  see  that 
the  Lord  is  gracious  !  The  eyes  of  many 
are  upon  you :  saints  and  angels  stand 
ready  to  embrace  you  as  a  brother,  as  soon 
as  you  shall  embrace  their  Lord.  The 
Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come  ;  and  he 
that  heareth  saith,  Come ;  and  Jesus  him- 
self, who  testifieth  these  things,  exalted 
as  he  is  in  the  highest  heavens,  closes  the 
invitation,  saying,  "  Whosoever  will,  let 
him  come,  and  take  of  the  water  of  life  free- 
ly." Pore  no  longer  on  your  misery  :  look 
no  longer  for  any  worthiness  in  yourself: 
but,  as  an  unworthy  sinner,  rely  for 
acceptance  with  God  on  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ  alone.  This  is  the  good 
old  way  in  which  believers  in  every  age 
have  walked  :  walk  therein,  and  you  shall 
find  rest  unto  your  soul.  I  am  your  affec- 
tionate friend,  Archippus. 


LETTER  V. 

[Epaphras  to   Archippus.] 

My  dear  Sir, 

My  mind  has  been  for  some  time  in  so 
confused  and  unhappy  a  state,  that  though 
I  felt  my  obligations  to  you,  and  by  no 
means  intended  to  slight  your  kindness, 
yet  I  knew  not  how  to  answer  you.  I 
rather  felt  a  wish  to  be  secluded,  at  least 
for  a  time,  that  I  might  bemoan  my  case  by 
myself  in  secret. 

Your  first  letter,  I  must  say,  yielded  me 
no  comfort.  On  the  contrary,  it  wounded 
me  not  a  little.  I  confessed  to  you  that 
I  had  been  a  great  sinner ;  you  persuaded 
me  that  I  was  much  worse  than  I  imagined. 
I  acknowledged  the  hardness  of  my  heart, 
and  the  prevalence  of  my  unbelief;  you 
attributed  both  to  my  being  destitute  of 
the  love  of  God.  I  wanted  relief,  and 
you  cut  off  every  source  of  consolation 
save  that  which  arises  from  faith  in  Christ, 
of  which  I  had  told  you  I  felt  myself  in- 
capable. When  I  considered  my  inability 
to  believe,  however,  I  did  not  mean  that  I 
could  not  believe  the  gospel;  I  supposed  I 
could  and  did  believe  that:  you  have  shown, 
however,  that  in  this  I  was  mistaken.  My 
heart,  it  seems,  is  that  of  an  infidel.  Alas 
for  me  !  instead  of  obtaining  any  relief, 
such  things  sink  me  deeper  and  deeper  into 
despondence.  Your  letter  seemed  to  be  a 
kind  of  message  from  God ;  but  it  was  a 
message  of  death.  After  reading  it  I  felt 
myself  locked  up  as  it  were  in  a  dungeon, 
and  loaded  with  inextricable  chains.  I 
could  find  no  words  to  vent  the  sorrow  of 
my  heart  but  those  of  the  weeping 
prophet.  "  He  hath  budded  against  me, 
and  compassed  me  with  gall  and  travail. 
He  hath  set  me  in  dark  places  as  those 
that  be  dead  of  old.  He  hath  hedged 
me  about  that  I  cannot  get  out ;  he  hath 
made  my  chain  heavy.  Also  when  I  cry 
and  shout,  he  shutteth  out  my  prayer!  " 
In  such  a  state  of  mind,  you  will  not 
wonder  that  I  should  have  no  heart  to 
write. 

Since  that  time,  however,  I  have  con- 
versed with  different  persons,  and  have 
heard  different  ministers  ;  from  one  of 
whom,  especially,  I  obtained  what  I  could 
never  obtain  before — encouragement.  As 
you  may  suppose,  it  was  impossible  whol- 
ly to  conceal  my  unhappiness  of  mind 
from  those  about  me.  One  day  I  fell 
in  company  with  a  gentleman  of  very 
respectable  appearance.  He,  observing 
in  my  countenance  an  habitual  dejection, 


708 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


and  learning,  it  should  seem,  by  some 
means  the  cause  of  it,  wished  to  offer  me 
a  little  advice.  I  heard  what  he  had  to 
say  ;  but  it  did  me  no  good.  He  observ- 
ed that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  being 
righteous  over-much  ;  that  he  did  not  ap- 
prehend I  had  been  a  greater  sinner  than 
other  men;  and  that  if  I  were  sober,  just, 
and  devout  in  moderation,  all  would  be 
well  enough  at  last.  1  had  too  much  light 
to  be  imposed  upon  by  this.  I  thought  I 
saw  plainly  that  though  he  might  be  a 
gentleman  and  a  scholar,  yet  he  had 
not  learned  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to 
him  that  is  weary. 

After  this  I  met  with  a  poor  man  who 
appeared  to  be  very  zealous  in  religion. 
On  perceiving  my  unhappiness,  he  was 
very  desirous  that  I  should  go  with  him  to 
his  place  of  worship.  He  told  me  that 
their  minister  would  pray  for  me,  and  give 
me  the  best  of  counsel ;  and  that  great 
numbers  of  people  in  my  case  had,  on  go- 
ing to  hear  him,  obtained  relief.  They 
had  gone,  he  said,  under  the  most  pungent 
distress,  but  had  come  away  pardoned,  and 
justified,  and  full  of  joy.  He  moreover 
cautioned  me  against  the  licentious  and 
horrible  doctrines  of  imputed  righteous- 
ness, invincible  grace,  and  predestination. 
I  heard  what  he  said,  and  it  appeared  to 
me  that  he  was  very  sincere  in  his  way : 
but  I  thought  I  had  long  ago  experienced 
what  he  called  a  being  pardoned  and  justi- 
fied ;  namely,  a  strong  impression  upon  my 
mind,  even  in  the  words  of  Scripture,  that 
I  was  so,  which  yet  have  proved  delusive. 
And  as  to  his  warnings,  though  I  had  felt 
many  inward  struggles  against  those  doc- 
trines, yet  I  could  never  persuade  myself 
to  think  them  any  other  than  scriptural. 
I  went,  however,  two  or  three  times  to 
hear  at  the  place  which  he  recommended  : 
but  though  they  might  be  very  good  peo- 
ple, yet  the  religion  which  they  taught  ap- 
peared to  me  exceedingly  superficial  and 
enthusiastic.  I  saw,  plainly  enough,  that 
almost  any  kind  of  unhappiness  concern- 
ing one's  future  state  would  be  admitted 
as  godly  sorrow  ;  and  any  sudden  impres- 
sion that  should  fill  the  mind  with  joy 
would  be  deemed  the  joy  of  the  gospel. 
My  conscience,  therefore,  would  not  suf- 
fer me,  however  desirable  consolation 
would  have  been  to  me,  to  take  up  my  rest 
with  them. 

One  day  I  was  induced  to  hear  a  stran- 
ger who  preached  an  occasional  sermon 
near  to  where  I  reside.  In  the  course  of 
his  sermon  he  spoke  much  of  the  duty  and 
privilege  of  prayer  ;  and,  when  addressing 
himself  to  the  unconverted,  observed  that 
they  had  no  power  of  themselves  to  turn 
to  God  through  Christ;  but  they  could  pray 
to  the  Lord  for  grace  to  enable  them  to  do 


it ;  and,  if  they  did  so,  he  would  hear  theft?, 
and  grant  them  the  thing  they  prayed  for. 
At  first  I  caught  at  this  idea,  as  appearing 
to  exhibit  something  that  was  more  with- 
in my  reach  than  repentance  and  faith 
themselves:  but,  when  I  came  to  the  trial, 
I  found  it  was  only  in  appearance ;  for  un- 
less I  prayed  in  faith,  that  is,  with  an  eye 
to  the  Saviour  in  all  I  asked,  God  would 
not  hear  me.  But  to  pray  in  faith  could 
not  be  more  within  my  reach  than  faith 
itself.  I  thought  of  you  at  the  time  ;  and 
that  this  was  a  kind  of  language  that  you 
would  not  use,  on  account  of  its  implying 
that  a  sinner  is  not  to  be  exhorted  imme- 
diately to  repent  and  believe  in  Christ,  nor 
to  any  thing  spiritually  good  ;  but  merely 
to  what  may  be  done  without  repentance, 
and  without  faith,  as  the  means  of  obtain- 
ing them. 

If  I  understand  your  sentiments,  you 
would  direct  an  unconverted  sinner  to 
pray,  and  to  pray  for  spiritual  blessings, 
as  Peter  did  the  sorcerer ;  but  it  must  be 
with  repentance,  and  in  the  name  of  Jesus  ; 
that  is,  it  must  be  the  prayer  of  penitence 
and  faith.  1  also  was  conscious  to  myself 
that  I  was  equally  able  to  repent  and  be- 
lieve in  Christ  as  I  was  sincerely  to  pray 
for  grace  to  enable  me  to  do  so  ;  and  that, 
if  I  could  once  find  a  heart  for  the  one,  I 
could  for  the  other. 

I  pass  over  some  other  interviews  and 
sermons,  and  proceed  to  relate  what  has 
been  more  interesting  to  my  heart  than'any 
thing  else.  One  Lord's  day  morning,  I 
was  very  much  dejected,  owing  to  some 
struggles  of  mind  about  embracing  the 
scheme  of  universal  salvation.  Having 
read  a  publication  in  favor  of  it,  my  heart 
would  gladly  have  acquiesced ;  but  my 
judgment  and  conscience  would  not  suffer 
me.  I  saw  clearly  that  that  doctrine  could 
never  be  embraced  without  offering  the 
most  indecent  violence  to  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures. Indeed,  I  was  conscious  that  I 
should  never  have  thought  of  believing  it 
to  be  true,  if  I  had  not  first  wished  to  have 
it  so. 

These  thoughts,  however,  sunk  me  into 
the  deepest  despondency,  as  they  seemed 
to  darken  a  gleam  of  hope  which,  though 
faintly,  I  cherished.  In  this  dejected 
state  of  mind,  I  went  to  hear  a  minister 
whom  I  had  more  than  once  heard  spoken 
of  as  singularly  evangelical,  and  his  preach- 
ing as  being  much  in  an  experimental 
strain.  I  attended  both  parts  of  that  day, 
and  once  or  twice  more,  before  I  obtained 
any  relief.  As  he  generally  addressed  him- 
self to  believers,  and  dwelt  upon  the  privi- 
leges and  blessings  to  which  they  are  enti- 
tled, I  did  not,  at  first,  feel  interested  in  his 
discourses.  At  length,  he  took  his  text  from 
Matt.  xi.  28  :  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 


THE    AWAKENED    SINNER. 


709 


labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest."  I  was  glad  to  hear  the  passage 
named,  as  I  hoped  that  something  might 
now  be  said  suited  to  my  case.  I  knew  I 
was  weary  and  heavy  laden  to  a  great 
degree,  and  rest  for  my  soul  was  the  very 
thing  I  wanted.  He  proposed  first  to  no- 
tice the  characters  addressed  ;  and,  second- 
ly, the  blessings  to  which  they  were  invited  ; 
or,  as  he  explained  it,  which  belonged  to 
them.  Under  the  first  head  of  discourse 
he  distinguished  sinners  into  insensible  and 
sensible,  and  endeavored  to  prove  that  it 
was  the  latter  only  who  were  here  invited 
to  come  to  Christ.  He  mentioned  several 
other  invitations,  as  "  Ho,  every  one  that 
thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he 
that  hath  no  money  :  come  ye,  buy  and 
eat,  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without 
money,  and  without  price." — "  If  any  man 
thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink." 
— "  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come, 
— and  let  him  that  is  athirst  come  :  and 
whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the  water 
of  life  freely."  Each  of  these  passages 
was  explained  in  the  same  way,  as  descrip- 
tive of  the  spiritual  thirst  of  a  soul  made 
sensible  of  its  wants. 

I  was  apprehensive,  at  first,  that  this 
distinction  would  exclude  me  from  having 
any  part  or  lot  in  the  matter  ;  but  when 
the  minister  came  to  explain  himself,  and 
to  depict  the  case  of  the  weary  and  heavy 
laden,  he  entered  so  fully  into  my  experi- 
ence that  all  my  apprehensions  were  re- 
moved. I  was  conscious  that  I  was  just 
that  poor  miserable  creature  that  he  de- 
scribed, who  had  long  been  seeking  rest, 
but  could  find  none.  He  warned  us 
against  making  a  righteousness  of  our  tears 
and  moans,  but  insisted  that  they  were  ev- 
idences of  a  work  of  grace  ;  proving  from 
God's  promises  to  the  "poor  in  spirit,"  to 
the  "broken-hearted,"  and  the  like,  that 
there  was  hope  in  Israel  for  such  charac- 
ters ;  and  that  these  their  distresses  were 
sure  signs  of  their  future  deliverance,  for 
that  whom  the  Lord  wounded  he  healed, 
and  whom  he  killed  he  would  make 
alive. 

After  worship  was  over,  I  could  not  for- 
bear speaking  to  the  minister,  and  thank- 
ing him  for  his  discourse  ;  and,  the  greater 
part  of  the  congregation  being  withdrawn, 
I  opened  my  mind  freely  to  him,  told  him 
how  long  I  had  been  under  distress  of 
mind,  and  that  I  could  never  before  obtain 
relief.  A  few  of  his  most  intimate  friends 
were  present,  who  also  heard  what  I  said. 
They  affectionately  smiled,  and  congratu- 
lated me  on  my  having  been  brought  un- 
der an  evangelical  ministry,  and  by  means 
of  it  found  rest  unto  my  soul.  Nor  did 
they  scruple  to  say  that  the  reason  why  so 
many  of  God's  dear  children  were  held  in 
bondage   for  so  long  a  time   was  that  the 


pure  gospel  was  withheld  from  them,  and 
a  kind  of  linsey-woolsey  doctrine  substi- 
tuted in  its  place.  I  confess  my  heart  had 
some  misgivings  at  that  time,  fearing  lest 
I  should  be  cheered  by  flattering  words, 
instead  of  the  water  of  life.  I  told  them 
that  I  dare  not  at  present  consider  myself 
a  converted  man  ;  but  that  I  hoped  I  should 
be  such.  They  answered  me  with  a  smile, 
intimating  that  such  thoughts  were  a  sign 
of  grace  ;  and  that  there  was  no  doubt  but 
that  in  waiting  at  the  pool  of  God's  ordi- 
nances I  should  obtain  all  that  peace  and 
joy  which  my  soul  desired. 

On  my  return  home,  I  cannot  say  that  I 
was  wholly  free  from  apprehensions  ;  but 
my  heart  was  greatly  lightened  of  its  load. 
I  have  attended  at  the  same  place  ever 
since  ;  and  have  often  been  encouraged  in 
the  same  way.  I  am  not  without  my 
doubts  and  fears  lest  my  peace  should 
prove  unfounded;  and,  by  a  careful  re-pe- 
rusal of  both  your  letters,  I  perceive  that, 
if  your  principles  be  true,  it  is  so.  Yet 
surely  my  hope  is  not  all  in  vain !  I 
tremble  at  the  thought  of  sinking  again  in- 
to the  horrors  of  despondency.  I  am 
yours,  with  much  respect, 

Epaphras. 


LETTER  VI. 

[Archippus  to  Epaphras.] 

My  dear  young  Friend, 

If  I  have  been  interested  by  your  for- 
mer letters,  I  must  say  I  am  doubly  so  by 
your  last.  Your  case  appears  to  me  to  be 
delicate  and  dangerous.  Yet  I  feel  my- 
self in  a  very  unpleasant  situation.  I  can- 
not speak  the  truth  without  its  having  the 
appearance  of  a  want  of  feeling  towards 
you, and  of'something  like  invidiousness  to- 
wards those  with  whom  you  associate.  If 
I  could  remain  silent  with  a  good  con- 
science, I  should  certainly  do  so. 

It  afforded  me  pleasure  to  learn  that 
you  had  refused  consolation  from  several 
of  those  sources  which  heal  the  hurt  of  a 
sinner  slightly,  crying,  "peace,  peace, 
when  there  is  no  peace  :"  but,  without 
taking  upon  me  to  decide  upon  the  per- 
sonal religion  of  the  parties,  I  must  declare 
my  firm  persuasion  that  you  have  not  re- 
fused them  all.  I  cannot  think  a  whit 
the  better  of  a  ministry  on  account  of  its 
being  spoken  of  as  "  singularly  evangeli- 
cal." Such  language  frequently  means  no 
more  than  that  a  preacher  is  very  ortho- 
dox in  his  own  esteem,  or,  at  most,  that 
his  preaching  is  singularly  adapted  to 
soothe  and  comfort  his  people.  But  these 
things  are  no  proof  that  it  is  the  pure  gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ.  1  do  not  deny  the  char- 
acter of  good  men,  or  of  gospel  ministers,  to 


710 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,     &C« 


all  who  have  advanced  doctrines  like  those 
by  which  you  were  comforted;  but  I  am 
persuaded  that,  in  respect  of  these  princi- 
ples, they  are  anti-evangelical.  I  have  no 
desire,  however,  to  impose  my  opinion 
upon  you.  Believe  neither  of  us  any  far- 
ther than  what  we  advance  accords  with 
the  oracles  of  God. 

What  is  it,  I  would  ask,  that  has  given 
you  relief?  Is  it  any  thing  in  the  gospel  1 
any  thing  in  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  1 
If  so,  rejoice  in  your  associates,  and  let 
your  associates  rejoice  in  you.  If  it  be  so, 
you  have  no  reason  to  "  doubt  or  fear,"  or 
cherish  any  "  misgivings  of  heart."  That 
consolation  which  proceeds  from  these 
sources  is  undoubtedly  of  God.  But,  you 
will  ask,  is  there  no  true  consolation  but 
what  is  derived  directly  from  the  doctrine 
of  the  cross  1  may  we  not  be  comforted  by 
a  consciousness  of  that  in  our  own  souls 
to  which  God  has  promised  everlasting 
life  1  I  answer,  We  certainly  may  :  the 
Scriptures  point  out  many  things  as 
evidences  of  a  work  of  grace  ;  and,  if  we 
be  conscious  that  we  are  the  subjects  of 
them,  we  are  warranted  to  conclude  our- 
selves interested  in  eternal  life.  But  it 
becomes  us  to  beware  of  reckoning  those 
things  as  evidences  of  grace  which  are  not 
so,  and  to  which  no  promises  are  made  in 
the  word  of  God.  If  the  account  which  you 
have  given  be  accurate,  the  evidence  from 
which  your  encouragement  was  drawn  was 
mere  distress — distress  in  which  your 
"heart  was  too  hard  to  repent,"  and  un- 
der which  you  "  could  not  believe." 
Yet,  on  account  of  this  distress,  you  have 
been  complimented  with  possessing  a 
"broken  heart,  a  poor  and  contrite  spirit;" 
and  the  promises  made  to  such  characters 
have  been  applied  to  you.  If  these  things 
be  just,  a  hard  heart  and  a  contrite  spirit 
may  be  found  in  the  same  person,  and  at 
the  same  time.  To  this  may  be  added, 
though  believers  derive  consolation  from 
a  consciousness  of  that  within  them  to 
which  the  Scriptures  promise  everlasting 
life;  yet  this  is  not  the  way  in  which 
the  Spirit  of  God  first  imparts  relief  to 
the  soul.  The  first  genuine  consolation 
that  is  afforded  is  by  something  without 
ourselves,  even  by  the  doctrine  of  the 
cross  :  whilst  this  is  rejected  or  disregard- 
ed, we  are  unbelievers,  and  cannot  pos- 
sibly be  the  subjects  of  any  disposition 
or  exercise  of  mind  which  is  pleasing  to 
God,  or  to  which  he  has  promised  salva- 
tion; and,  consequently,  cannot  be  con- 
scious of  any  thing  of  the  kind. 

The  first  relief  enjoyed  by  the  man- 
slayer  was  from  a  city  of  refuge  being- 
provided  :  after  he  had  entered  in,  he 
would  derive  additional  consolation  from 
knowing  that  he  was  within  its  gates  :  and 


thus  it  is  that  rest  to  the  soul  is  promised 
to  them  that  come  to  Jesus, — take  his  yoke 
— and  learn  his  spirit.  But  the  rest  which 
you  have  found  was  not  by  coming  to  him 
as  weary  and  heavy  laden,  but  from  a  con- 
sciousness that  you  were  weary  and  heavy 
laden,  and  by  being  taught  that  this  was  a 
true  sign  of  future  deliverance.  You  have 
found  rest,  it  seems,  without  coming  to 
Jesus  that  you  may  have  life  ! 

If  indeed  your  spirit  is  "  poor  and  con- 
trite " — if  it  be  a  grief  of  heart  to  you  to 
reflect  on  your  conduct  towards  the  best 
of  beings — if  a  view  of  the  cross  of  Christ 
excite  to  mourning,  on  account  of  that  for 
which  he  died — then  is  thy  heart,  with  my 
heart ;  and  with  the  greatest  satisfaction 
I  can  add,  give  me  thine  hand.  Yes  ;  if 
so,  your  heart  is  with  God's  heart,  with 
Christ's  heart,  and  with  the  heart  of  all 
holy  beings  ;  and  all  holy  beings  will  of- 
fer thee  their  hand.  But  in  this  case  you 
not  only  can,  but  do  repent  and  believe  in 
Jesus.  The  question  is,  Is  that  distress 
of  soul  which  is  antecedent  to  all  godly 
sorrow  for  sin,  and  in  the  midst  of  which 
the  sinner  is  not  willing  to  come  to  Jesus 
as  utterly  unworthy  that  he  may  have  life, 
any  evidence  of  a  work  of  grace  1  If  it 
be,  Saul  during  his  last  years,  and  Judas 
in  his  last  hours,  were  both  gracious  char- 
acters. If  ever  men  were  weary  and 
heavy  laden,  they  were  :  but  neither  of 
them  came  to  Jesus  with  his  burden — nei- 
ther of  them  found  rest  for  his  soul. 

Consider,  I  beseech  you,  whether  that 
distress  of  soul  which  has  preceded  and 
issued  in  true  conversion  be  ever  repre- 
sented in  the  Scripture  as  an  evidence  of 
a  work  of  grace  ;  or  whether  the  parties 
were  ever  comforted  on  that  ground.  Do 
re-peruse  the  cases  already  referred  to,  of 
Peter's  address  to  the  murderers  of  Christ, 
and  that  of  Paul  and  Silas  to  the  jailer. 

Consider  impartially  whether  the  dis- 
tinction of  sinners  into  insensible  and  sen- 
sible, with  a  design  to  exclude  the  former 
from  being  the  proper  objects  of  gospel 
invitation,  be  justifiable.  A  compliance 
with  the  invitation  doubtless  implies  a  just 
sense  of  sin,  and  a  thirst  after  spiritual 
blessings  ;  and  so  does  a  compliance  with 
the  divine  precepts  ;  but  it  does  not  fol- 
low that  either  the  invitations  or  the  pre- 
cepts are  improperly  addressed  to  sinners, 
whether  sensible  or  insensible.  Those 
who  made  light  of  the  gospel  supper  were 
as  really  and  properly  invited  to  it  as 
those  who  accepted  it.  Those  also  who 
were  invited  to  buy  and  eat,  to  buy  wine 
and  milk  without  money  and  without 
price,  are  described  as  spending  their  mo- 
ney for  that  which  was  not  bread,  and 
their  labor  for  that  which  satisfieth  not. 
The  same  invitation  which,  in  the  begin- 


SPIRITUAL    PRIDE. 


711 


ning  of  that  chapter,  is  given  in  figurative 
language,  is  immediately  afterwards  ex- 
pressed literally,  and  runs  thus — "  Let 
the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  un- 
righteous man  his  thoughts,  and  let  him 
return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have 
mercy  upon  him,  and  to  our  God,  for  he 
will  abundantly  pardon."  The  thirst, 
therefore,  which  they  are  supposed  to  feel, 
could  be  no  other  than  the  desire  of  hap- 
piness, which  they  vainly  hoped  to  assuage 
in  the  enjoyments  of  this  world ;  but 
which  God  assures  them  could  never  be 
assuaged  but  by  the  blessings  of  the  gos- 
pel, the  sure  mercies  of  David.  The  in- 
vitation of  our  Saviour  to  the  weary  and 
heavy  laden,  is  manifestly  a  quotation 
from  Jeremiah  vi.  16,  and  the  people  who 
were  there  invited  to  stand  in  the  ways 
and  see,  to  inquire  after  the  old  paths,  and 
the  good  way,  and  to  walk  therein,  with 
the  promise  that  they  should  find  rest  to 
their  souls,  were  so  far  from  being  sensi- 
ble of  their  sin  that  they  impudently  an- 
swered, "We  will  not  walk  therein."  To 
confine  the  invitations  of  Scripture  to  sen- 
sible sinners,  and  to  hold  up  the  blessings 
of  the  gospel  as  belonging  to  them,  before, 
and  as  the  ground  of  their  compliance,  is 
to  pervert  the  word  of  God. 

But  why  do  I  thus  write  1  Is  it  because 
I  want  to  plunge  my  dear  young  friend 
into  the  gulf  of  despondency  1  Far  be 
this  from  me  !  My  desire  is  to  draw  him 
off  from  all  false  dependences,  and  to  lead 
him,  if  it  might  be,  to  rest  upon  the  Rock 
of  Ages.  Is  it  consolation  that  he  wants  1 
Let  me  remind  him  of  what  I  have  said 
before.  If  he  be  willing  to  relinquish 
every  other  ground  of  hope,  and  to  em- 
brace Jesus  as  the  only  name  given  under 
heaven  and  among  men  by  which  we  can 
be  saved,  there  is  nothing  in  heaven  or 
earth  to  hinder  it.  I  have  no  desire  to 
persuade  you  that  you  are  not  in  a  con- 
verted state.  It  may  be  that  what  you 
have  said  of  your  being  unable  to  repent 
or  believe  in  Christ  was  the  language  of 
despondency.  Hardness  of  heart  and  un- 
belief are  found  even  in  unbelievers  them- 
selves, and  are  frequently  the  objects  of 
lamentation.  There  are  seasons  especi- 
ally in  which  it  may  seem,  even  to  a  good 
man,  as  if  he  were  void  of  all  tenderness 
of  heart,  and  all  regard  for  Christ. 
Whether  this  was  your  case  at  that  time, 
or  not,  I  feel  no  regret  for  having  directed 
you,  as  a  perishing  sinner,  to  believe  in 
Jesus  for  salvation,  rather  than  encour- 
aged you  to  think  the  best  of  your  state, 
from  any  supposed  symptoms  of  grace 
that  might  be  found  in  you.  I  would  do 
the  same  with  any  religious  professor  who 
should  be  in  a  state  of  doubt  and  dark- 
ness respecting  the  reality  of  his  religion ; 


for,  if  there  be  any  true  religion  in  us,  it 
is  much  more  likely  to  be  discovered  and 
drawn  forth  into  actual  exercise  by  an  ex- 
hibition of  the  glory  and  grace  of  Christ 
than  by  searching  for  it  among  the  rub- 
bish of  our  past  feelings.  To  discover 
the  small  grains  of  steel  mixed  among  a 
quantity  of  dust,  it  were  much  better  to 
make  use  of  a  magnet  than  a  microscope. 

An  exhibition  of  the  name  of" Christ  is 
that  by  which  the  thoughts  of  the  heart 
are  revealed.  To  him,  therefore,  as  a 
guilty  and  perishing  sinner,  I  must  still 
direct  you.  If  you  be  indeed  of  a  broken 
and  contrite  spirit ;  if  true  grace  have  a 
being  in  your  soul,  though  it  be  but  as 
the  smoking  flax,  his  name  will  so  far  be 
precious  to  you.  To  him  your  desires 
will  ascend;  in  him  they  will  centre;  on 
his  righteousness  all  your  hope  of  accept- 
ance with  God  will  be  placed ;  and,  when 
this  is  the  case,  you  will  find  rest  to  your 
soul. 

I  am  yours,  with  sincere  affection, 

Archippus. 


SPIRITUAL  PRIDE:  OR  THE  OC- 
CASIONS, CAUSES,  AND  EF- 
FECTS OF  HIGH-MINDEDNESS 
IN  RELIGION;  WITH  CONSID- 
ERATIONS EXCITING  TO  SELF- 
ABASEMENT. 

INTRODUCTION. 

As  there  is  nothing  pertaining  to  holi- 
ness which  renders  us  more  like  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  than  lowliness  of  mind,  so 
there  is  nothing  pertaining  to  sin  which 
approaches  nearer  to  the  image  of  Satan 
than  pride.  This  appears  to  have  been 
the  transgression  for  which  he  himself 
was  first  condemned,  and  by  which  he 
seduced  our  first  parents  to  follow  his 
example.  It  was  insinuated  to  them  that 
they  were  kept  in  ignorance  and  treated 
as  underlings,  and  that,  by  following  his 
counsel,  they  would  be  raised  in  the  scale 
of  being:  "  Ye  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing 
good  and  evil." 

All  the  evil  that  is  in  the  world  is  com- 
prehended in  three  things — "  the  lust  of 
the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the 
pride  of  life."  Each  of  these  cardinal 
vices  implies  that  man  is  alienated  from 
God,  and  that  all  his  affections  and 
thoughts  centre  in  himself:  but  the  last 
is  the  most  subtle  in  its  influence.  It 
consists  in  thinking  more  highly  of 

OURSELVES    THAN    WE   OUGHT  TO  THINK. 

It  is  a  mental  flatulency  that  pervades  all 
the  soul,  and  puffs  it  up  with  vain  con- 
ceits. It  is  visible  to  all  about  us,  but  to 
us  invisible.     It  seizes  those  revenues  of 


712 


MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,  ESSAVS,  &C< 


glory  which  are  due  to  God,  and  applies 
them  to  selfish  uses.  Strength,  beauty, 
genius,  opulence,  science,  the  success  of 
labor,  and  the  achievements  of  enter- 
prize,  are  all  perverted  to  its  purpose. 
Finally  :  It  renders  man  his  own  idol  :  he 
worshippeth  the  creature  more  than  the 
Creator ;  he  sacrificeth  to  his  own  net, 
and  burnetii  incense  to  his  own  drag. 

But  the  particular  species  of  pride 
which  I  shall  attempt  to  delineate  is  that 
which  is  spiritual,  or  which  has  religious 
excellence,  real  or  supposed,  for  its  ob- 
ject. 

Religion  is  not  the  only  object  by  which 
religious  professors  may  be  elated  ;  but 
the  elatedness  occasioned  by  it  is  that 
only  which  is  denominated  spiritual  pride. 

SECTION   I. 

THE    OCCASIONS,    OR    OBJECTS,  OF    SPIR- 
ITUAL     PRIDE. 

Though  a  considerable  part  of  the  fol- 
lowing remarks  will  have  respect  to  the 
faults  of  good  men;  yet  not  the  whole  of 
them  :  spiritual  pride  is  not  confined  to 
spiritual  men.  The  subject  of  it  indeed 
must  needs  be,  if  not  a  professor  of  re- 
ligion, yet  a  religious  man  in  his  own  es- 
teem, but  that  may  be  all.  One  of  its 
principal  operations  is  in  a  way  of  self- 
righteous  hope,  which  is  the  reigning  dis- 
position of  millions  who  have  no  just 
claim  to  the  character  of  religious  ;  and, 
as  this  is  a  species  of  spiritual  pride  which 
appears  at  a  very  early  period,  it  may  be 
proper  to  begin  with  this,  and  proceed  to 
others  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  com- 
monly manifested. 

The  likeness  which  is  drawn  by  our  Sa- 
viour of  the  Pharisees  in  his  time,  bears 
a  minute  resemblance  to  the  character  of 
great  numbers  in  every  age :  all  their 
works  are  done  to  be  seen  of  men,  and 
constitute  the  ground  of  their  hope  of  ac- 
ceptance with  God.  The  sentiments  of 
their  hearts  in  their  most  devout  address- 
es to  their  Maker,  if  put  into  words,  would 
be  to  this  effect :  "  God,  I  thank  thee  that 
I  am  not  as  other  men,  extortioners,  un- 
just, adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican." 
It  is  not  common  for  those  who  pay  any 
regard  to  the  Scriptures  expressly  to  ar- 
rogate to  themselves  the  honor  of  making 
themselves  to  differ.  Most  men  will 
thank  God  that  they  are  what  they  are ; 
and  the  Pharisee  did  the  same.  Many 
will  now  acknowledge,  in  addition  to  this, 
that  their  hopes  of  being  accepted  of  God 
are  "  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ :" 
but  it  is  not  by  such  language  that  a  self- 
righteous  spirit  is  to  be  disguised.  Nor  is 
it  peculiar  to  those  whom  we  call  decent 


characters  "  to  trust  that  they  are  right- 
eous, anil  despise  others  ;"  for  the  same 
spirit  may  be  seen  in  the  most  profligate 
of  mankind.  Judging  of  themselves  by 
others,  they  derive  comfort ;  for  they  can 
always  find  characters  worse  than  their 
own.  Reprove  a  common  swearer,  and 
he  will  thank  God  he  means  no  harm ;  for 
he  is  frank  and  open,  and  not  as  that  liar. 
Convict  a  liar,  and  he  will  argue  that  in 
this  wicked  world  a  man  cannot  live  if  he 
always  speak  truth  ;  and  he  is  not  a 
thief.  The  thief  pleads  that  he  never 
was  guilty  of  murder ;  and  even  the  mur- 
derer was  provoked  to  it.  Thus  they  can 
each  find  worse  characters  than  their  own  : 
the  motto  of  each  is,  "  God,  I  thank  thee 
that  I  am  not  as  other  men." 

A  minister  of  the  church  of  England 
was  some  years  since  appointed  chaplain 
to  a  certain  charitable  asylum,  where  his 
constant  business  would  be  to  visit  and 
converse  with  persons  who,  by  their  own 
misconduct,  were  reduced  to  the  most  de- 
plorable condition.  On  receiving  his  ap- 
pointment, he  thought  within  himself,  I 
shall  have  one  advantage,  however  :  I  shall 
not  have  to  encounter  a  self-righteous 
spirit.  But  on  entering  upon  his  office  he 
soon  perceived  his  mistake,  and  that  there 
was  no  less  pharisaism  in  these  dregs  of 
society  than  among  the  more  refined  and 
sober  part  of  mankind. 

Much  of  this  spirit  is  seen  under  the 
convictions  and  alarms  of  awakened  sin- 
ners. The  conflicts  of  mind  by  which 
many  for  a  long  time  are  deprived  of  all 
peace  and  enjoyment  are  no  other  than 
the  struggles  between  the  gospel-way  of 
salvation  and  a  secret  attachment  to  self- 
righteousness.  When  terrified  by  the 
threatenings  of  the  word,  or  the  near  ap- 
proach of  death,  the  first  refuge  to  which 
the  sinner  usually  betakes  himself  is  the 
promise  of  amendment.  He  vows  to  re- 
form, and  this  affords  him  a  little  ease. 
For  a  time,  it  may  be,  his  gross  vices  are 
relinquished ;  he  carefully  attends  to  re- 
ligious duties  ;  and,  while  this  lasts,  he 
flatters  himself  that  he  is  a  better  man, 
and  supposes  the  Almighty  is  no  less 
pleased  with  him  than  he  is  pleased  with 
himself.  If  he  rest  here,  his  pride  proves 
his  eternal  overthrow. 

But  it  may  be  his  rest  here  is  short- 
It  commonly  proves  that  the  vows  and 
resolutions  thus  made  are  like  the  morn- 
ing cloud  and  the  early  dew  that  goeth 
away.  A  new  temptation  to  some  old 
sin,  which  was  not  mortified,  but  had 
merely  retired  during  the  present  alarm, 
undoes  all.  Now  remorse  and  fearful  ap- 
prehension take  possession  of  the  soul, 
not  only  on  account  of  its  having  sinned 
against  greater  light  than  heretofore,  but 


SPIRITUAL     PRIDE. 


713 


for  destroying  its  own  refuge.  The  gourd 
is  smitten,  and  the  sinner,  exposed  as  to 
a  vehement  east  wind,  f'ainteth.  Yet  even 
here  spiritual  pride  will  insinuate  itself 
and  offer  a  species  of  false  comfort. 
While  he  is  weeping  over  his  sins,  and  be- 
moaning the  unhappiness  of  his  case,  that 
he  should  thus  undo  all  his  hopes,  a  sooth- 
ing thought  suggests  itself,  Will  not  the 
Almighty  have  compassion  on  me  for 
these  penitential  tears  1  surely  my  mourn- 
ings will  be  heard,  and  my  lamentations 
go  up  before  him  !  Many  have  stopped 
short  here,  and,  it  is  to  be  feared,  have 
missed  of  eternal  life  ! 

But  it  may  be  he  is  disturbed  from  this 
repose  also.  Conscience  becomes  more 
enlightened  by  reading  and  hearing  the 
word.  He  is  convinced  that  neither  tears 
nor  prayers,  nor  aught  else  but  the  blood- 
shedding  of  the  Saviour,  will  take  away 
sin;  and  that  there  is  no  way  of  being 
saved  by  him  but  by  believing  in  him. 
Yet  a  thought  occurs,  Can  such  a  sinner 
as  I  believe  in  Christ!  Would  it  not  be 
presumption  to  hope  that  one  so  unfit  and 
unworthy  as  I  am  should  be  accepted] 
This  thought  proceeds  upon  a  supposition 
that  some  degree  of  previous  fitness  or 
worthiness  is  necessary  to  recommend  us 
to  the  Saviour,  which  is  repugnant  to  the 
whole  tenor  of  the  gospel,  and  so  long  as 
it  continues  to  influence  our  decisions, 
will  be  an  insuperable  bar  to  believing. 

Self-righteousness,  at  some  stages,  will 
work  in  a  way  oi  despair.  The  sinner, 
finding  that  no  duties  performed  in  impen- 
itence and  unbelief  are  any  way  avail- 
able, or  in  the  least  degree  pleasing  to 
God — that  no  means  are  pointed  out  in 
the  Scriptures  by  which  a  hard-hearted 
sinner  may  obtain  a  heart  of  flesh — and 
that,  nevertheless,  he  is  told  to  repent  and 
believe  in  Jesus,  or  perish  forever — sinks 
into  despondency.  Hard  thoughts  are  en- 
tertained of  God.  He  thinks  he  has  tak- 
en all  possible  pains  with  himself;  and,  if 
what  he  possesses  be  not  repentance  nor 
faith,  he  has  no  hopes  of  ever  obtaining 
them.  God,  it  seems  to  him,  requires 
impossibilities,  and  can  therefore  be  no 
other  than  a  hard  master,  reaping  where 
he  has  not  sown  and  gathering  where  he 
has  not  strawed.  The  religious  efforts  of 
some,  like  those  of  the  slothful  servant, 
end  here.  All  is  given  up  as  a  hopeless 
case,  and  the  things  which  their  hearts, 
amidst  all  their  convictions,  have  been 
lingering  after,  are  again  pursued. 

To  come  to  Jesus  as  a  sinner  ready  to 
perish,  justifying  God  and  condemning 
self,  suing  for  mercy  as  utterly  unworthy, 
as  one  of  the  chief  of  sinners,  pleading 
mercy  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  atone- 
ment, is  a  hard  lesson  for  a  self-righteous 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  91 


heart  to  learn.  The  shiftings  of  pride  in 
such  cases  are  fitly  expressed  by  the  sin- 
ner's "  going  about  "  to  establish  his  own 
righteousness,  and  not  submitting  to  "the 
righteousness  of  God."  Like  the  priests 
of  Dagon,  he  will  set  up  his  idol  as  long 
as  he  can  possibly  make  it  stand.  But  if 
ever  he  obtains  mercy  he  must  desist. 
There  is  no  rest  for  the  soul  but  in  com- 
ing to  Jesus.  And,  if  he  be  once  brought 
to  this,  all  his  self-righteous  strivings, 
and  the  hopes  which  he  Vault  upon  them, 
with  all  his  hard  thoughts  of  God  for  re- 
quiring what  in  his  then  present  state  of 
mind  he  could  not  comply  with,  will  ap- 
pear in  their  true  light,  the  odious  work- 
ings of  a  deceitful  and  deceived  heart. 

Such,  and  many  other,  are  the  work- 
ings of  spiritual  pride  in  the  form  of  a 
self-righteous  spirit  under  first  awaken- 
ings :  but  it  is  not  in  this  form  only,  nor 
at  this  period  only,  that  it  operates.  You 
may  have  obtained  rest  for  your  souls  in 
the  doctrine  of  the  cross;  you  may  have 
communicated  your  case  to  others,  joined 
a  Christian  church,  and  may  purpose  to 
walk  in  communion  with  it  through  life  : 
but  still  it  becomes  you  to  be  upon  the 
watch  against  this  as  well  as  other  evils 
to  which  you  are  exposed. 

The  apostle,  in  giving  directions  for  the 
office  of  a  bishop,  objecis  to  a  "  novice," 
or  one  newly  converted  to  the  faith  ;  and 
for  this  reason,  "  lest,  being  lifted  up  with 
pride,  he  fall  into  the  condemnation  of 
the  devil."  It  is  here  plainly  implied 
that  the  early  stages  of  even  true  reli- 
gion, in  persons  possessed  of  promising 
gifts,  are  attended  with  peculiar  tempta- 
tions to  high-mindedness.  Alas,  what 
numerous  examples  of  this  are  daily  ap- 
parent in  young  ministers  !  The  transi- 
tion, in  many  instances,  is  great:  from  a 
dejected  state  of  mind  to  become  guides 
of  others,  or  from  obscure  circumstances 
to  be  elevated  to  the  situation  of  a  public 
teacher,  attracting  the  smiles  and  applaus- 
es of  the  people,  is  what  few  young  men 
are  able  to  bear.  When  alone,  convers- 
ing with  God,  or  with  their  own  souls, 
they  can  see  many  reasons  for  self-abase- 
ment ;  but  when  encircled  with  smiling 
crowds,  and  loaded  with  indiscreet  ap- 
plause, these  thoughts  evaporate.  Every 
one  proclaims  the  preacher's  excellence  ; 
and  surely  what  every  body  affirms  must 
be  true  !  In  short,  he  inhales  the  incense, 
and  becomes  intoxicated  with  its  fumes. 

Such  a  man,  we  sometimes  say,  posses- 
ses talents,  but  he  is  aware  of  it.  In  one 
sense  a  man  must  needs  be  aware  of  it. 
Humility  does  not  consist  in  being  igno- 
rant of  our  talents,  be  they  what  they 
may ;  but  in  being  properly  impressed 
with  the  end  tor  which  they   are   given. 


714 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


The  attention  of  a  vain  mind  is  fixed 
upon  the  talents  themselves,  dwelling  on 
them  with  secret  satisfaction,  and  expect- 
ing every  one  to  be  sensible  of  them  no 
less  than  himself.  Hence  it  is  that  the 
most  fulsome  adulation  is  acceptable. 
Hungering  and  thirsting  after  applause, 
he  is  ever  fishing  for  it,  and  the  highest 
degrees  of  it,  when  bestowed,  strike  but 
in  unison  with  his  own  previous  thoughts. 
Hence  the  flatterer,  whom  others  can 
easily  see  through,  appears  to  be  a  sensi- 
ble and  discerning  man,  who  has  discov- 
ered that  of  which  the  generality  of  peo- 
ple around  him  are  insensible.  Not  so 
the  humble.  His  attention  is  not  fixed 
so  much  upon  his  talents  as  on  the  use 
which  is  required  to  be  made  of  them. 
Feeling  himself  accountable  for  all  that 
he  has  received,  and  conscious  of  his  un- 
speakable defects  in  the  application  of 
them,  he  finds  matter  for  continual  shame 
and  self-abasement.  In  this  view  the 
greatest  of  men  may  consider  themselves 
as  the  "  least  of  all  saints,"  and  unworthy 
of  a  place  among  them. 

Vanity  of  mind,  so  far  as  it  relates  to 
our  behavior  towards  man,  will  frequently 
effect  its  own  cure.  It  is  certain  to  work 
disgust  in  others,  and  that  disgust  will  be 
followed  by  neglect,  and  other  mortifying 
treatment.  Thus  it  is  that  time  and  ex- 
perience, if  accompanied  by  a  moderate 
share  of  good  sense,  will  rub  off  the  ex- 
crescences of  youthful  foll)r,  and  reduce 
the  party  to  propriety  of  conduct.  And, 
if  there  be  true  religion  as  well  as  good 
sense,  such  things  may  be  the  means  of 
really  mortifying  the  evil,  and  may  teach 
a  lesson  of  genuine  humility  :  but,  where 
this  is  wanting  the  change  is  merely  exte- 
rior. Though  the  branches  may  be  lop- 
ped off,  the  root  remains,  and  is  strength- 
ened by  time,  rather  than  mortified. 
Youthful  vanity,  in  these  cases,  frequent- 
ly ripens  into  pride  and  overbearing  con- 
tempt. 

From  the  earliest  ages  of  Christianity, 
those  who  were  possessed  of  spiritual  gifts 
and  official  situations  in  the  church,  were 
in  danger  of  being  elated  by  them.  Though 
the  eye  cannot  in  truth  say  to  the  hand, 
"I  have  no  need  of  thee,  nor  the  head  to 
the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you  ;"  yet,  if 
there  had  not  been  something  nearly  re- 
sembling it  in  the  church,  such  language 
would  not  have  been  used.  Neither  would 
the  primitive  ministers  have  been  charged 
not  to  "  lord  it  over  God's  heritage,"  if 
such  things  had  never  made  their  appear- 
ance. The  primitive  churches  had  their 
Diotrephes,  who  cast  out  such  as  dis- 
pleased him  (3  John  9,  10);  and  such  men 
have  not  been  wanting  for  successors  in 
every  age.     This  lust   of  domination  has 


sometimes  been  formed  in  preachers,  and 
sometimes  in  men  of  opulence  among  pri- 
vate members;  but  commonly  in  persons, 
whether  preachers  or  hearers,  who  were 
the  least  qualified  for  the  exercise  of  le- 
gitimate rule.  The  churches  of  Christ, 
as  well  as  all  other  societies,  require  to 
be  governed,  and  he  has  prescribed  laws 
for  this  purpose  ;  but  no  man  is  fit  to  gov- 
ern but  he  that  is  of  a  meek  and  lowly 
disposition.  The  greatest  of  all  must  be 
the  servant  of  all.  The  authority  which 
he  maintains  must  not  be  sought  after, 
nor  supported  by  improper  measures  ;  but 
be  spontaneously  conferred  on  account  of 
superior  wisdom,  integrity,  and  love. 

There  are  various  other  things,  as  well 
as  official  situations,  which  furnish  occa- 
sion for  spiritual  pride.  Members  of 
churches  being  equal,  as  members,  with 
their  pastors,  may  assume  a  kind  of  demo- 
cratic consequence,  and  forget  that  it  is 
their  duty  to  honor  and  obey  them  that 
have  the  "  rule  over  them  in  the  Lord." 
If  ministers  are  called  the  servants  of  the 
churches,  it  is  because  their  lives  are  laid 
out  in  promoting  their  best  interests  ;  and, 
when  this  is  the  case,  they  are  entitled  to 
an  affectionate  and  respectful  demeanor. 
To  be  a  servant  of  a  Christian  church 
is  one  thing,  and  to  be  a  slave  to  the  ca- 
price of  a  few  of  its  members  is  another. 
Whatever  it  be  in  ivhich  we  excel,  or 
imagine  ourselves  to  do  so,  there  it  becomes 
us  to  beware  lest  xve  be  lifted  up  to  our 
hurl.  Those  differences  which  are  pro- 
duced by  religion  itself  may,  through  the 
corruptions  of  our  nature,  be  convert- 
ed into  food  for  this  pernicious  pro- 
pensity. 

Those  who  name  the  name  of  Christ 
are  taught  to  relinquish  the  chase  of  fash- 
ionable appearance,  and  to  be  sober  and 
modest  in  their  apparel  and  deportment : 
but,  while  they  are  renouncing  the  pride 
of  life  in  one  form,  let  them  beware  that 
they  cherish  it  not  in  another.  We  have 
seen  persons  whose  self-complacency,  on 
account  of  the  plainness  of  their  apparel, 
has  risen  to  a  most  insufferable  degree  of 
arrogance  ;  and  who  have  appeared  to  be 
much  more  affected  by  a  ribbon  or  a  bon- 
net on  another's  head  than  by  all  the 
abominations  of  their  own  hearts.  The 
genuine  "adoring"  of  the  Christian  is  not 
that  of  putting  on  of  apparel ;  no,  not 
that  which  is  plain,  any  more  than  that 
which  is  gaudy  ;  "but  the  ornament  of  a 
meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the 
sight  of  God  of  great  price."  To  value 
ourselves  on  account  of  outward  finery, 
which,  where  it  is  followed,  is  commonly 
the  case,  is  offensive  to  God,  and  incon- 
sistent with  a  proper  attention  to  the  inner 
man  :   but  to  value  ourselves  for  the  con- 


ON    SPIRITUAL    PRIDE. 


715 


irary  may  be  still  more  so.  The  former, 
though  a  proof  of  a  vain  and  little  mind, 
yet  is  never  considered,  I  suppose,  as  an 
exercise  of  holiness  ;  but  the  latter  is  : 
great  stress  is  laid  upon  it,  and  commonly 
to  the  neglect  of  the  weightier  matters  of 
religion.  In  short,  a  righteousness  is  made 
of  it,  which  of  all  things  is  most  odious  in 
the  sight  of  God. 

Those  who  name  the  name  of  Christ 
are  taught  also  to  demean  themselves  in 
such  a  manner  as  will  naturally  inspire  re- 
spect from  persons  of  character,  and  this 
may  become  a  snare  to  the  soul.  Religion, 
by  changing  the  course  of  a  man's  con- 
duct, often  raises  him  to  a  much  superior 
station  in  society  than  he  occupied  before. 
From  being  a  drunkard,  a  liar,  or  in  some 
form  a  loose  character,  he  becomes  sober, 
faithful,  and  regular  in  his  conduct.  Hence 
he  naturally  rises  in  esteem,  and,  in  some 
cases,  is  entrusted  with  important  con- 
cerns. All  this  is  doubtless  to  the  honor 
of  God  and  religion  ;  but  let  us  beware 
lest  a  self-complacent  thought  enter  our 
heart,  and  we  be  lifted  up  to  our  hurt. 
This  species  of  pride  will  frequently  ap- 
pear in  a  scornful  behavior  towards  others 
who  are  still  in  their  sins,  and  in  a  censo- 
rious and  unforgiving  spirit  towards  such 
members  of  the  church  as  have  conducted 
themselves  with  less  regularity  than  our- 
selves. A  lowly  mind  will  drop  a  tear 
over  the  evil  courses  of  the  ungodly,  and, 
feeling  its  obligations  to  renewing  and 
keeping  grace  that  hath  made  the  differ- 
ence, will  find  matter  even  in  a  public  ex- 
ecution for  humiliation,  prayer,  and  praise. 
The  falls  of  fellow-christians  will  likewise 
excite  a  holy  fear  and  trembling,  and  in- 
duce a  greater  degree  of  watchfulness  and 
supplication,  lest  we  should  in  a  similar 
way  dishonor  the  name  of  God;  and,  if 
called  to  unite  with  others  in  the  exercise 
of  scriptural  discipline,  it  will  be  with  a 
spirit  of  tenderness  ;  not  for  the  purpose 
of  revenge,  but  of  recovery.  Seest  thou 
a  man  whose  resentments  rise  high  when 
another  falls,  who  is  fierce  and  clamorous 
for  the  infliction  of  censure,  and  whose 
anger  cannot  be  otherwise  appeased,  there 
is  little  reason  to  expect  that  he  will  stand 
long.  He  "thinketh  he  standeth  :"  let 
him  "take  heed   lest  he    fall!" 

He  whose  character  is  established  by  a 
steady  and  uniform  conduct  is  doubtless 
worthy  of  our  esteem  :  but,  if  with  this 
he  be  unfeeling  towards  others  less  uni- 
form, there  are  three  or  four  questions 
which  it  might  be  well  for  him  to  consider. 
First :  Whether  the  difference  between 
him  and  them  be  owing  so  much  to  the 
prevalence  of  Christian  principles  as  to 
other  causes.  It  may  arise  merely  from  a 
difference   in    natural    temper.     The   sin 


which  easily  besets  them  may  be  of  a  kind 
which  exposes  them  to  the  censures  of  the 
world;  while  his  may  be  something  more 
private,  which  does  not  come  under  their 
cognizance.  It  may  arise  from  a  greater 
regard  to  reputation  in  him  than  in  them. 
Some  men  pique  themselves  much  more 
than  others  upon  the  immaculacy  of  their 
character.  But  these  are  motives  which 
if  weighed  in  the  balances  will  be  found 
wanting.  Secondly  :  Whether  a  censori- 
ous spirit  towards  those  who  have  fallen 
does  not  prove  that  we  arrogate  to  our- 
selves the  difference  and  depend  upon  our- 
selves for  the  resisting  of  temptation.  We 
may  "  thank  God  "  in  words  that  we  are 
"not  as  other  men,"  and  so  did  the  phari- 
see ;  but  we  may  be  certain  while  this  spirit 
prevails  that  God  is  not  the  rock  on 
which  we  rest.  Thirdly  :  Whether  arro- 
gancy  and  self-dependence  be  not  as  odi- 
ous in  the  sight  of  God  as  the  greatest  out- 
ward vices,  and  whether  it  be  not  likely  that 
he  will  give  us  up  to  the  latter  as  a  punish- 
ment for  the  former.  We  might  have 
thought  it  a  pity  that  so  eminent  a  charac- 
ter as  Simon  Peter,  one  that  was  to  take 
so  important  a  part  in  spreading  the  gospel, 
should  not  have  been  preserved  from  so 
shameful  a  denial  of  his  Lord.  He  pray- 
ed for  him  that  his  faith  should  not  fail  : 
why  did  he  not  pray  that  he  should  be  ei- 
ther exempted  from  the  trial,  or  preserv- 
ed from  falling  in  it  1  Surely  if  his  self- 
confidence  had  not  been  more  offensive  to 
Christ  than  even  his  open  denial  of  him,  it 
had  been  so  ;  but,  as  it  was,  rather  than  he 
should  be  indulged  in  spiritual  pride,  he 
must  be  rolled  in  the  dirt  of  infamy. 

God  abhors  the  occasional  exercises  of 
self-confidence  in  his  own  people,  and  still 
more  the  habitual  self-complacency  of  hy- 
pocrites. I  remember  a  professor  of  re- 
ligion, a  member  of  one  of  our  churches, 
who  for  a  series  of  years  maintained  a 
very  uniform  character.  He  was  constant 
in  his  attendance  on  all  opportunities.  At 
his  own  expense  he  erected  a  place  of  wor- 
ship in  his  village  for  the  occasional  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel.  Few  men  were  more 
respected  both  by  the  world  and  by  the 
church.  To  the  surprise  of  every  one  that 
knew  him,  all  at  once  he  was  found  to  have 
been  guilty  of  fornication.  The  church  of 
which  he  was  a  member  excluded  him 
From  this  time  he  sunk  into  a  kind  of  sul 
len  despondency,  shunning  all  company 
and  conversation,  and  giving  himself  up  to 
melancholy.  His  friends  felt  much  for 
him,  and  would  often  represent  to  him  the 
mercy  of  God  to  backsliders  who  return 
to  him  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  But  all  was 
of  no  account :  he  was  utterly  inconsola- 
ble. His  sorrow  did  not  appear  to  be  of 
that  kind   which,   while  it   weeps  for  sin, 


716 


MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,  ESSAYS,  &C. 


cleaves  to  the  Saviour ;  but  rather  like 
"  the  sorrow  of  the  world  "  which  "  work- 
eth  death,"  was  accompanied  with  a  hard 
heart,  and  seemed  to  excite  nothing  unless 
it  were  a  fruitless  sigh.  I  well  recollect 
having  some  conversation  with  him  at  the 
time,  and  that  his  state  of  mind  struck  me 
in  an  unfavorable  light.  It  appeared  to 
me  that  the  man  in  the  height  of  his  pro- 
fession was  eaten  up  with  spiritual  pride  ; 
that  God  had  let  loose  the  reins  of  his  lust 
to  the  staining  of  his  glory,  and  that  now, 
looking  upon  his  reputation  as  irrecovera- 
bly lost,  he  sunk  into  despair.  A  few  years 
after,  when  his  friends  had  begun  to  des- 
pair of  him,  all  at  once  he  wanted  to  come 
before  the  church  and  be  restored  to  his 
place.  In  his  confession  little  was  said  of 
the  evil  of  his  sin,  or  of  the  dishonor 
brought  upon  the  name  of  Christ  by  it ; 
but  of  certain  extraordinary  impulses 
which  he  had  received,  by  which  the  par- 
don of  his  sin  was  sealed  to  him.  The 
church,  though  with  some  hesitation,  re- 
ceived him.  They  were  soon  under  the 
necessity,  however,  of  re-excluding  him, 
as  from  that  time  he  became  a  most  self- 
important  and  contentious  Antinomian. 

God  in  calling  sinners  by  his  grace  has 
given  great  proof  of  his  sovereignty,  pass- 
ing over  the  wise  and  pvudent  and  reveal- 
ing himself  to  babes  ;  the  mighty  and  the 
noble,  and  choosing  the  base ;  yea,  the 
devout  and  the  honorable,  and  showing 
mercy  to  publicans  and  sinners.  This  is, 
doubtless,  of  a  humbling  nature,  and  its 
design  was  that  "no  flesh  should  glory  in 
his  presence."  But  even  in  this  case  there 
is  an  avenue  at  which  spiritual  pride  may 
insinuate  itself;  and  it  seems  to  have 
found  its  way  among  the  believing  gen- 
tiles. Hence  the  following  language  : 
"  Boast  not  against  the  branches  ;  but,  if 
thou  boast,  thou  bearest  not  the  root,  but 
the  root  thee.  Thou  wilt  say  then,  the 
branches  were  broken  off  that  I  might  be 
grafted  in.  Well,  because  of  unbelief 
they  were  broken  off,  and  thou  standest 
by  faith  :  be  not  high-minded,  but  fear." 
It  is  easy  to  perceive  how  the  same 
thoughts  may  be  admitted  in  weak,  igno- 
ble, and  once  profligate  characters  who 
have  obtained  mercy,  while  others  more 
respectable  are  yet  in  their  sins. 

Moreover,  the  Christian  religion  tends 
to  enlighten  and  enlarge  the  mind.  Men 
that  have  lived  a  number  of  years  in  the 
grossest  ignorance,  on  becoming  serious 
Christians,  have  gradually  obtained  a  con- 
siderable degree  of  intelligence.  They 
have  not  only  been  spiritually  illuminated, 
so  as  to  read  the  Scriptures  as  it  were 
with  other  eyes,  and  to  discourse  on  di- 
vine subjects  with  clearness  and  advan- 
tage ;  but  have  formed  a  hal  it  of  reading 


many  other  useful  publications  and  of 
thinking  over  their  contents.  All  this  is 
to  the  honor  of  Christianity  ;  but  through 
the  corruption  of  the  heart  it  may  become 
a  snare.  It  is  true  that  spiritual  know- 
ledge in  its  own  nature  tends  to  humble 
the  soul  both  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man  ; 
but  all  the  knowledge  that  good  men  pos- 
sess is  not  spiritual ;  and  that  which  is  so, 
when  it  comes  to  be  reflected  upon  in  un- 
worthier  moments,  may  furnish  food  for 
self-complacency.  Neither  are  all  whose 
minds  are  enlightened  by  the  gospel,  and 
Avhose  light  is  so  far  operative  as  even  to 
effect  some  change  of  conduct,  good 
men  :  we  read  of  some  who  "  escaped  the 
pollutions  of  the  world  through  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Lord  and  Saviour,"  who 
were  afterwards  entangled  and  overcome. 
— 2  Peter  ii.  10.  An  influx  of  knowledge 
to  some  men,  like  an  influx  of  wealth  to 
others,  is  more  than  they  are  able  to  bear, 
and,  if  they  have  not  the  grace  of  God  at 
heart  as  a  balance,  they  will  certainly  be 
overset.  A  disposition  for  raising  diffi- 
culties and  speculating  upon  abstruse  and 
unprofitable  questions,  a  captious ness  in 
hearing,  an  eagerness  for  disputing,  and 
an  itch  for  teaching,  are  certain  indica- 
tions of  a  vain  mind,  which  at  best  is  but 
half  instructed,  and,  in  many  eases,  des- 
titute of  the  truth.  Such  characters  are 
minutely  described  by  Paul  in  his  first 
epistle  to  Timothy  :  "  Give  no  heed," 
saith  he,  "  to  fables  and  endless  genealo- 
gies, which  minister  questions,  rather  than 
godly  edifying,  which  is  in  faith.  The  end 
of  the  commandment  is  charity,  out  of  a 
pure  heart  and  of  a  good  conscience,  and 
of  faith  unfeigned  :  from  which  some  hav- 
ing swerved,  have  turned  aside  unto  vain 
jangling;  desiring  to  be  teachers  of  the 
law,  understanding  neither  what  they  say, 
nor  whereof  they  affirm." 

If  a  little  knowledge  happen  to  unite 
with  a  litigious  temper,  it  is  a  dangerous 
thing.  Such  characters  are  the  bane  of 
churches.  If  they  might  be  believed,  they 
are  the  faithful  few  who  contend  for  the 
"  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints  :"  but 
they  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  they 
are  of,  nor  consider  that  there  is  a  species 
of  "contention"  that  "  cometh  only  by 
pride."  There  were  men  of  this  stamp 
in  the  times  of  the  apostle  Paul,  and 
whose  character  he  described,  with  the 
effects  produced  by  their  wrangling. 
"  Such  a  one,"  saith  he,  "  is  proud,  know- 
ing nothing,  but  doting  about  questions, 
and  strifes  of  words,  whence  cometh  en- 
vy, strife,  railings,  evil-surmisings,  per- 
verse disputings  of  men  of  corrupt  minds 
and  destitute  of  the  truth."  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  some  who  have  manifested 
this  litigious  spirit  may  not  be  altogether 


ON    SPIRITUAL    PRIDE. 


717 


tc  destitute  of  the  truth;"  and  it  maybe 
worthy  of  notice  that  the  persons  referred 
to  by  the  apostle  are  not  thus  denominat- 
ed, but  are  supposed  to  kindle  the  tire 
which  "  men  of  corrupt  minds  and  desti- 
tute of  the  truth "  keep  alive.  It  is 
doubtful,  however,  if  not  more  than  doubt- 
ful, whether  the  description  given  of  them 
will  admit  of  hope  in  their  favor.  But  if 
it  will,  and  the  same  hope  be  admitted  of 
some  litigious  spirits  in  our  times,  it  is 
doubtless  a  very  wicked  thing  to  furnish 
the  enemies  of  religion  with  brands,  as  I 
may  say,  wherewith  to  burn  the  temple  of 
God. 

Another  branch  of  this  species  of  pride 
is  seen  in  the  conduct  of  professors  who 
will  take  such  liberties,  and  go  such  lengths 
in  conformity  to  the  world,  as  frequently 
prove  a  stumbling-block  to  the  weak  and 
the  tender-hearted.  If  reproved  for  it,  they 
are  seldom  at  a  loss  in  vindicating  them- 
selves, attributing  it  to  a  more  liberal  and 
enlarged  way  of  thinking,  and  ascribing 
the  objections  of  others  to  weakness  and 
a  contractedness  of  mind.  Thus  some 
men  can  join  in  the  chase,  frequent  the 
assembly  room,  or  visit  the  theatre,  and 
still  think  themselves  entitled  to  the  char- 
acter of  Christians,  and  perhaps  to  a  place 
in  a  Christian  church.  A  case  nearly 
resembling  this  occurred  in  the  primitive 
times.  The  heathen  sacrifices  were  ac- 
companied with  feasts,  at  which  the  peo- 
ple ate  of  that  which  had  been  offered  to 
their  gods.  When  a  number  of  Corin- 
thian idolaters,  who  had  always  lived 
in  this  practice,  became  Christians,  it 
proved  a  snare  to  them.  They  seem  to 
have  thought  it  hard  to  be  obliged  to  deny 
themselves  of  these  social  repasts.  Some 
of  them  ventured  to  break  through  ;  and, 
when  spoken  to  on  the  subject,  pleaded 
that  the  "  idol  was  nothing,"  and  there- 
fore could  have  no  influence  on  the  food  ; 
adding  that  they  were  not  so  void  of 
■"  knowledge  "  as  not  to  be  able  to  distin- 
guish between  the  one  and  the  other. 
Paul,  in  answer,  first  reasons  with  them 
on  their  own  principles .  You  have  know- 
ledge   what  do  you  know  1     That 

an  idol  is  nothing  in  the  world,  and  there 
is  none  other  God  but  one.  Very  well  : 
we  know  the  same.  You,  it  seems,  by 
your  superior  discernment,  can  partake  of 
the  food  simply  as  food,  without  consider- 
ing it  as  offered  to  an  idol,  and  so  can  pre- 
serve your  consciences  from  being  defiled. 
Be  it  so  ;  yet  there  is  not  in  every  one  this 
knowledge.  Granting,  therefore,  that  the 
thing  itself,  as  performed  by  you,  is  inno- 
cent ;  it  becomes  an  occasion  of  stumbling 
to  others.  Your  mental  reservations  are 
unknown  to  them  :  while,  therefore,  you 
preserve     your    consciences   from    guilt, 


theirs  may  be  defiled  in  following  your 
example.  And  why  boast  of  your  know- 
ledge ?  "  knowledge  puffeth  up,  but  char- 
ity edifieth."  And  if  any  one  think  that 
he  knoweth  any  thing,  "  he  knoweth  noth- 
ing yet  as  he  ought  to  know." 

Having  thus  condemned  their  vain  con- 
duct, even  upon  their  own  principles,  the 
apostle  proceeds  to  show  that  it  is  in  itself 
sinful,  as  participating  of  idolatry.  "  Flee 
from  idolatry  !  I  speak  as  to  wise  men, 
judge  ye  what  I  say.  The  cup  of  bless- 
ing which  we  bless,  is  it  not  the  commu- 
nion of  the  blood  of  Christ  1  The  bread 
which  we  break,  is  it  not  the  communion 
of  the  body  of  Christ  1  Behold  Israel  af- 
ter the  flesh,  are  not  they  who  eat  of  the 
sacrifices  partakers  of  the  altar  1  What 
say  I  then  ]  that  the  idol  is  any  thing  1 
But  this  I  say,  that  the  things  which  the 
gentiles  sacrifice,  they  sacrifice  to  de- 
mons, and  not  to  God  :  and  I  would  not 
that  ye  should  have  fellowship  with  de- 
mons !  Do  we  provoke  the  Lord  to  jeal- 
ousy 1  Are  we  stronger  than  he  1 — 
Whether  therefore  ye  eat  or  drink,  or 
whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of 
God." 

This  admirable  counsel  will  serve  as  a 
universal  test  of  right  and  wrong.  Instead 
of  vindicating  fleshly  indulgences,  and 
priding  ourselves  on  the  superiority  of  our 
knowledge  to  that  of  others,  before  we  en- 
gage, let  us  look  seriously  ask  ourselves 
whether  that  which  we  are  about  to  do  be 
capable  of  being  done  "to  the  glory  of 
God."  We  can  take  exercise,  and  enjoy 
agreeable  society,  with  various  other 
things,  for  the  purpose  of  unbending  and 
recreating  the  mind.  By  these  means  we 
are  enabled  to  return  to  the  duties  of  our 
stations  with  renewed  vigor.  In  such  cases 
we  should  feel  no  difficulty  in  asking  a 
divine  blessing  upon  them  to  this  end. 
But  can  we  pursue  the  chase,  frequent  the 
theatre,  or  unite  at  the  card-table,  with 
such  an  object  in  view  1  Dare  we  pray  for 
a  divine  blessing  to  attend  these  exercises 
before  we  engage  in  them  1  If  not,  they 
must  needs  be  sinful. 

Moreover,  Christianity  confers  great  and 
important  privileges  upon  those  who  em- 
brace it.  "  To  as  many  as  received  him, 
to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons 
of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his 
name."  They  are  "justified  freely  by 
his  srrace,  through  the  redemption  that  is 
in  Christ  Jesus."  However  they  may 
have  been  estranged  from  God,  and  every 
thing  that  is  good,  they  are  now  "  no  more 
strangers  and  foreigners,  but  fellow-citi- 
zens with  the  saints"/  and  of  the  household 
of  God."  The  various  distinctions  of 
"  male  and  female,  rich  and  poor,  bond  and 
free,"  are  here  of  no  account,  "  all  are  one 


718  MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,   ESSAYS,  &C. 

in  Christ  Jesus."  This  is,  undoubtedly,  erally  extended  to  all  dealings  with  relig- 
one  of  the  glories  of  the  gospel,  and  that  ous  people.  I  have  heard  men  of  ex- 
which  proves  it  to  be  a  religion  framed  for  tensive  connexions  in  the  world,  however, 
man.  In  its  own  nature  it  is  also  adapted  speak  a  very  different  language.  "Of 
to  fill  the  soul  with  humility  and  gratitude,  -mere  professors,"  say  they,  "  we  have  no 
The  natural  language  inspired  by  a  proper  opinion  ;  but  give  us  men  of  religion  to 
sense  of  it  is,  "  Who  am  I,  O  Lord  God,  deal  with  :  others  may  be  held  by  their 
and  what  is  my  father's  house,  that  thou  honor,  and  their  interest ;  but  that  is  all  : 
hast  brought  me  hitherto  1  "  But  even  a  religious  man  is  a  man  of  principle." 
this  may  be  converted  into  food  for  spirit-  But  true  it  is  that  many  have  acted  as 
ual  pride.  To  be  raised  from  worse  than  though  their  extraordinary  hopes  and  priv- 
nothing,  and  placed  among  "  the  sons  and  ileges  as  Christians  tended  to  free  them, 
daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty,"  is  a  in  some  degree  at  least,  from  the  ordinary 
wonderful  transition;  and,  if  contemplated  obligations  of  men;  and  as  though  it  were 
in  an  unfavorable  state  of  mind,  may  prove  beneath  them  to  respect  and  honor  those 
the  occasion  of  evil.  A  place  and  a  name  persons  who  are  destitute  of  piety.  The 
in  a  Christian  church,  though  in  the  esteem  repeated  injunctions  of  the  New  Testa- 
of  some  persons  reproachful,  yet  in  that  of  ment  on  this  head,  while  they  acquit  Chris- 
others  may  be  honorable  ;  and  the  party  tianity  of  the  evil,  imply  that  Christians 
may  be  much  more  affected  by  it  in  this  are,  nevertheless,  in  danger  of  falling  in- 
than  in  the  other.     Members  of  churches   to  it. 

have  been  known  to  be  more  than  a  little        Nor  is  this  spirit  confined  in  its  opera- 
vain  of  the  distinction.  In  some  it  has  oper-   tion     towards     the    irreligious:      among 
ated  in  a  way  of  turbulence;  leading  a  mem-   Christians    themselves,   in   their  behavior 
ber  to  watch  with  an  evil  eye  every  meas-    towards  one  another,  it  too  often  intrudes 
ure  that  did  not  originate  with  himself,  as    itself.     The  parent  and  the  children,  the 
if  it  were  aimed  to  raze  the  foundations  of  master  and  the  servant,  the  magistrate  and 
all  religion.     In  others  it  has  operated  in   the  subject,  being  all  on  an   equal  footing 
a  way  of  meanness.     Pleased  with  the  fa-   in  the   house  of  God,   there  is   danger  of 
miliar! ty  and    friendly   treatment    which,   the  latter   forgetting  the  inequality   when 
while  their  conduct  is  uniform,  they  re-   out  of  it,  and  disregarding  that  order  and 
ceive  from  men  of  superior  stations,  they   subordination   which  are  essential   to  the 
have  no  principle  of  their  own  ;  their  study    well-being  of  society.     If  we  indulge  in 
is  to  please   others,    rather   than  to  show   high-mindedness,  it  will  be  natural  to  dwell 
themselves  approved  unto  God.    The  same   in  our  thoughts  upon  that  relation  wherein 
persons,  if  guilty  of  any   thing  which  ex-   we  stand  upon  even  ground  with  another, 
poses  them  to  censure,  commonly  discover  rather  than  upon  that  wherein  we  are  be- 
far  more   concern  for  the  dishonor  of  the   neath  him  ;  and  thus  a  parent,  a  master, 
thing  than  for  the  sin  of  it :  and  their  con-   or  a  magistrate,  will  not  be  honored  by  us 
fessions  wear  the  appearance,  not  so  much   in  these  relations,  on  account  of  his  being 
of  the  humble  acknowledgments  of  a  con-    a   fellow-christian.     If   nothing  like    this 
trite  spirit,  as  of  the  abject  cringings  of  aMiad  existed   in  the   times  of  the  apostles, 
mind  terrified  at  the  idea  of  losing  its  con-   it  is  not  likely  we  should  have  had  the  ex- 
sequence,  hortation  in  1  Tim.  vi.  1,2:   "  Let  as  ma- 
From  an  idea  of  the  honor  and  privi-   ny  servants  as  are   under   the  yoke  count 
leges  attached  to  Christianity,  some  have    their  own  masters   worthy  of  all   honor; 
been  tempted  to  look  down  upon  their  car-    that  the  name  of  God  and  his  doctrine  be 
nal  connexions  as  though  they  were  beings    not  blasphemed.     And  they  that  have  be- 
of  an  inferior  nature.     Religious  children    lieving  masters,  let  them  not  despise  them 
have  been  in  danger  of   losing  a   proper   because  they  are  brethren  :  but  rather  do 
filial  respect  towards  their  irreligious  pa-    them  service,  because  they  are  faithful  and 
rents,  and  religious  servants  towards  their   beloved,  partakers  of  the  benefit.     These 
irreligious    masters.       Indeed,    we    have    things  teach  and  exhort." 
heard  heavy   complaints  against  religious        To  the  above   may  be  added  privileges 
servants.     Some  have  resolved,  on  this  ac-   and  advantages  which,  though  of  a  worldly 
count,  to   employ   none  of  them.     I  hope    nature,   are    accidentally  attached  to   re- 
this  is  far  from  being  a  general  case.    With-    ligion.     The   circumstance   of  being  of  a 
in  the  sphere  of  my  observation  there  are,    party  or  denomination  which  has  the  sanc- 
I  am  persuaded,  more  respectable  families   tion  of  authority,  or  the  greatest  numbers, 
who  prefer  them   than  otherwise.     I  may   or  people  of  the  greatest  opulence  and  re- 
add,  that  such  complaints  too  often  pro-    spectability  belonging  to  it,  is   frequently 
ceed  from  persons  who  either  are  preju-   known   to   furnish   occasion   for    spiritual 
diced  against  religion,  or  who  possess  but   pride.     What  airs  have  some  men  assumed 
a  small  portion  of  it.     Nor  are  their  dec-     on  account  of  their  religion  happening  to 
larations  confined  to  servitude  ;  but  gen-    be  established  by  law,  and  what  an  outcry 


ON  SPIRITUAL  PRIDE. 


719 


have  they  made  against  schism,  as  though 
the  true  church  and  the  true  religion  were 
to  be  known  by  human  legislation  ;  not 
considering  that  the  same  legislature  es- 
tablishes different  forms  of  religion  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  empire  ;  and  that  epis- 
copalians, therefore,  are  no  less  schismati- 
cal  in  Scotland  than  presbyterians  and  other 
dissenters  in  England.  What  airs  also  have 
some  men  assumed  among  dissenters  on 
account  of  their  denomination,  or  the  con- 
gregation where  they  have  attended,  being 
distinguished  for  its  opulence  ;  as  if,  since 
the  times  of  our  Saviour  and  his  apostles, 
things  were  turned  upside  down,  and  that 
which  was  then  a  matter  of  no  account 
was  now  become  all  in  all. 

Even  where  persons  are  of  the  same  de- 
nomination, the  mere  circumstance  of  a 
regulur  and  strict  adherence  to  its  rules, 
though  of  little  or  no  importance,  becomes 
the  occasion  of  a  sort  of  spiritual  pride. 
We  have  heard  much  of  the  regular  cler- 
gy, and  of  the  regular  dissenters  too,  who 
each  value  themselves  and  despise  others 
whom  they  consider  as  irregular,  though, 
in  many  instances,  they  be  men  whose 
worth  is  superior  to  their  own. 

Nor  is  this  spirit  apparent  on  one  side 
only.  If  some  are  lifted  up  by  being  of 
that  party  which  has  the  greatest  number, 
others  are  no  less  so  in  being  of  that  which 
has  the  smallest.  To  despise  the  multi- 
tude, and  to  pique  themselves  on  being 
among  the  discerning  few,  is  common  with 
men  who  have  nothing  better  on  which  to 
ground  their  self-esteem.  Pride  will  also 
find  footing  to  support  it  in  being-  irregu- 
lar, as  well  as  regular.  The  contempt 
with  which  some  affect  to  treat  all  forms 
and  rules,  and  those  who  adhere  to  them, 
is  far  from  being  to  their  honor,  and  bears 
too  near  a  resemblance  to  the  spirit  of  Di- 
ogenes, who  trampled  upon  the  pride  of 
Plato,  and  that,  as  Plato  told  him,  "  with 
greater  pride." 


SECTION  II. 

THE  CAUSES   OK  SPIRITUAL  PRIDE. 

The  operations  of  this  principle  may 
not  only  be  traced  by  those  things  which 
furnish  occasion  for  it,  but  by  other  things 
which  have  a  direct  and  positive  influence  in 
producing  it.  The  occasion  and  the  cause 
must  not  be  confounded.  The  one  is  the 
object  upon  which  pride  fastens,  and  which 
it  perverts  to  its  use ;  the  other  is  the 
principle  by  which  it  is  produced.  The 
apostle  himself  was  in  danger  of  being 
"exalted  above  measure,  through  the 
abundance  of  revelations  that  were  given 
him  :  "  not  that  those   revelations  tended 


in  their  own  nature  to  produce  this  effect ; 
but,  like  all  other  good  things,  they  were 
capable  of  being  abused  through  the  re- 
mains of  indwelling  sin.  To  be  the  oc- 
casion of  spiritual  pride  reflects  no  dis- 
honor;  but  that  which  in  its  own  nature 
causes  it  must  needs  be  false  and  perni- 
cious. The  principal  sources  of  this  over- 
whelming stream  will  be  found  among  the 
dark  mountains  of  error  and  delusion. 

It  may  not  be  in  our  power  to  determine 
with  certainty  whether  the  spiritual  pride 
which  we  see  in  others  originates  in  their 
religion  or  operates  notwithstanding  it ; 
but,  if  we  be  only  able  to  show  that  the 
former  may  possibly  be  the  case,  we  shall  at 
least  furnish  grounds  for  self-examination  ; 
and,  if  withal  it  can  be  proved  that  certain 
notions  have  a  natural  tendency  to  pro- 
duce that  very  effect  which  is  manifest  in 
the  spirit  of  those  who  avow  them,  we 
shall  thereby  be  able  to  judge  with  some 
degree  of  satisfaction  what  is  true  and  false 
religion.  That  which  worketh  lowliness 
of  mind  is  from  above  ;  but  that  which 
produces  self-complacency  is  assuredly 
from  beneath. 

It  requires  also  to  be  noticed  that  these 
things  may  prevail  in  different  degrees. 
The  religion  of  some  is  wholly  false  ;  and 
spiritual  pride  compasseth  them  as  doth  a 
chain:  that  of  others  is  partly  so;  and 
they  are  greatly  affected  by  it :  but  the 
tendency  is  the  same  in  both. 

Once  more  :  It  requires  to  be  noticed 
that  the  prevalence  of  true  or  false  reli- 
gion in  individuals  cannot  be  ascertained 
with  certainty  by  the  truth  or  falsehood 
of  their  professed  creed.  This  may  be 
true,  and  we,  notwithstanding,  be  essen- 
tially erroneous  ;  or,  on  the  other  hand,  it 
may  include  much  error,  and  yet  the  prin- 
ciples which  really  govern  our  spirit  and 
conduct  may  be  so  different  that  the  truth 
may  nevertheless  be  said  to  dwell  in  us. 
Such  cases  may,  however,  be  considered 
as  rare — a  kind  of  exception  from  a  gen- 
eral rule. 

It  is  a  general  truth,  manifestly  taught 
in  the  Scriptures,  that  spiritual  pride  is 
fed  by  false  religion.  All  the  false  teach- 
ers of  whom  they  give  us  an  account  were 
distinguished  by  this  spirit.  "  They  loved 
to  pray  standing  in  the  synagogues  and  in 
the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  might 
be  seen  of  men.— They  loved  the  upper 
most  rooms  at  feasts,  and  the  chief  seats 
in  the  synagogues,  and  greetings  in  the 
markets,  and  to  be  called  of  men,  Rabbi, 
Rabbi. _There  was  a  certain  man  called 
Simon,  who  beforetime  in  the  same  city 
used  sorcery,  and  bewitched  the  people  of 
Samaria,  giving  out  that  himself  was  some 
great  one.— I  will  come  unto  you  shortly, 
and  not  know  the  speech  of  them  that  are 


720 


MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,  ESSAYS,  &C 


puffed  up,  but  the  power  :  for  ye  suffer  if 
a  man  bring  you  into  bondage,  if  a  man 
devour  you,  if  a  man  take  of  you,  if  a 
man  exalt  himself,  if  a  man  smite  you  on 
the  face. — Let  us  not  be  desirous  of  vain- 
glory :  if  a  man  think  himself  to  be  some- 
thing when  he  is  nothing,  he  deceiveth 
himself. — As  many  as  desire  to  make 
a  fair  show  in  the  flesh,  constrain  you  to 
be  circumcised. — Beware  lest  any  man 
spoil  you  through  philosophy  and  vain  de- 
ceit, after  the  rudiments  of  the  world,  and 
not  after  Christ.— Let  no  man  beguile  you 
of  your  reward  in  a  voluntary  humility, 
and  worshipping  of  angels,  intruding  into 
those  things  winch  he  hath  not  seen,  vain- 
ly puffed  up  by  his  fleshly  mind.— Pre- 
sumptuous are  they,  self-willed  ;  they  are 
not  afraid  to  speak  evil  of  dignities. — 
When  they  speak  great  swelling  words  of 
vanity,  they  allure  through  the  lusts  of  the 
flesh  those  that  were  clean  escaped  from 
them  who  live  in  error.— Diotrephes,  who 
loveth  to  have  the  pre-eminence,  receiveth 
us  not." 

It  should  seem,  from  hence,  that  though 
all  spiritual  pride  does  not  arise  from  false 
religion,  yet  all  false  religion  produces 
spiritual  pride.  The  best  of  men,  and 
those  who  adhere  to  the  best  of  principles, 
are  in  danger  of  this  sin  :  but  as  there  is 
a  wide  and  manifest  difference  between 
sinning  and  living  in  sin,  so  it  is  one  thing 
to  be  occasionally  lifted  up,  and  that  at  a 
time  when  the  great  principles  we  imbibe 
are  in  a  manner  out  of  sight,  and  another 
to  be  habitually  intoxicated  with  self-com- 
placency, and  that  as  the  immediate  effect 
of  our  religion.  See  you  a  man  whose 
meditation,  preaching,  or  writing,  pro- 
duces humble  charity,  a  pure  heart,  a  good 
conscience,  and  you  may  expect  to  find  in 
him  faith  unfeigned.  But  if  you  perceive 
in  him  a  fondness  for  unprofitable  themes 
of  discourse,  which  "  minister  questions 
rather  than  godly  edifying  which  is  in 
faith,"  with  a  forwardness  to  affirm  what 
he  does  not  understand,  you  may  be  almost 
certain  that  he  has  "  swerved  from  the 
truth,  and  turned  aside  to  vain  jangling." 

As  true  religion  principally  consists  in 
"  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  and  of 
Jesus  Christ  whom  he  hath  sent,"  or  in 
just  sentiments  of  the  Lawgiver  and  the 
Saviour  of  men;  so  almost  every  species 
of  error  will  be  found  in  the  contrary.  If 
we  err  in  our  conceptions  of  the  divine 
character,  it  resembles  an  error  at  the 
outset  of  a  journey,  the  consequence  of 
which  is  that  the  farther  we  travel,  the 
farther  we  are  off.  Without  a  proper 
sense  of  the  holy  excellence  of  the  divine 
nature,  it  will  be  impossible  to  perceive 
the  fitness  of  the  law  which  requires  us 
to  love  him  with  all  our  heart.     Such  a 


requirement  must  appear  rigorous  and 
cruel.  Hence  we  shall  be  disposed  either 
to  contract  it,  and  imagine  that  our  Crea- 
tor cannot  now  expect  any  thing  more  at 
our  hands  than  an  outward  decency  of 
conduct ;  or,  if  we  admit  that  perfect 
love  is  required,  we  shall  still  perceive  no 
equity  in  it,  and  feel  no  manner  of  obli- 
gation to  comply  with  it.  The  law  will 
be  accounted  a  task-master,  and  the  gos- 
pel praised  at  its  expense.  In  both  cases 
we  shall  be  blinded  to  the  multitude  and 
magnitude  of  our  sins  ;  for,  as  where  no 
law  is  there  is  no  transgression,  so  in  pro- 
portion as  we  are  insensible  of  the  spirit- 
uality or  equity  of  it,  we  must  needs  be 
insensible  of  the  evil  of  having  transgress- 
ed it.  And  thus  it  is  that  men  are  whole 
in  their  own  esteem,  and  think  they  need 
no  physician,  or  one  of  but  little  value. 
Thus  it  is  that  degrading  notions  are  en- 
tertained of  the  Saviour,  and  diminutive 
representations  given  of  his  salvation. 
In  short,  thus  it  is  that  justification  by 
free  grace,  through  the  redemption  which 
is  in  Christ  Jesus,  either  becomes  inad- 
missible, or,  if  admitted  in  words,  is  con- 
sidered as  a  victory  over  the  law,  and  as 
exonerating  from  all  obligations  to  obey 
its  precepts.  Here,  or  hereabouts,  will  be 
found  the  grand  springs  of  spiritual  pride. 

It  is  difficult  to  conceive  whence  the 
notion  of  sinless  perfection  in  the  present 
life,  and  all  the  spiritual  pride  that  attach- 
es to  it,  could  arise,  unless  it  was  from 
ignorance  of  the  glorious  holiness  of  God, 
the  spirituality  of  his  law,  and  the  corrup- 
tion of  the  human  heart.  A  proper  sense 
of  these  truths  would  impel  the  best  char- 
acter upon  earth  to  exclaim,  with  the  pro- 
phet, "  Wo  is  me,  I  am  a  man  of  unclean 
lips!" 

And  how  is  it  that  an  obligation  to  love 
the  Lord  supremely,  and  with  all  our 
hearts,  should  be  so  hard  to  be  under- 
stood 1  Yet  few  think  themselves  obliged 
to  love  him.  "  We  are  sinners,"  say 
they,  "and  cannot  love  him  !  and  if  we 
now  and  then  yield  him  a  little  formal  ser- 
vice, though  it  be  by  putting  s  force  upon 
our  inclinations,  we  imagine  we  do  great 
things,  nearly  as  much  as  ought  to  be  re- 
quired of  us,  and  much  more  than  many 
do  whom  we  could  name  !  " 

Thus  the  sin  of  not  loving  God  from 
our  heart,  and  our  neighbor  as  ourselves, 
is  made  nothing  of  in  the  world,  though  it 
be  the  fountain  and  sum  of  evil.  The 
conscience  itself  is  so  defiled  that,  if  we 
manifest  but  a  decent  behavior  in  our  re- 
lations among  men,  it  very  nearly  acquits 
us.  We  claim  a  kind  of  exemption  from 
every  thing  else.  And  whether  it  be  by 
the  dint  of  repetition  with  which  this 
claim  has  been  preferred,  or  Avhether  those 


ON    SPIRITUAL    PRIDE. 


721 


who  ought  to  resist  it  be  themselves  too 
much  inclined  to  favor  it,  so  it  is,  that  too 
many  ministers  give  it  up,  contenting 
themselves  with  exhorting  their  hearers 
to  things  with  which  they  can  comply  con- 
sistently with  reigning  enmity  to  God  in 
their  hearts — to  things  which  contain  noth- 
ing truly  good  in  them,  and  which  a  sin- 
ner may  therefore  perform  through  his 
whole  life,  and  be  shut  out  of  heaven  at 
last  as  "a  worker  of  iniquity."  There  is 
not  a  precept  in  the  Bible  that  can  be 
obeyed  without  love,  or  with  which  a  man 
may  comply  and  be  lost  forever  :  to  ex- 
hort sinners,  therefore,  to  things  which 
merely  qualify  them  for  this  world,  or 
even  to  reading,  hearing,  or  praying,  in 
such  a  manner  as  cannot  please  God,  is 
deviating  from  the  Scriptures,  and  yielding 
up  the  first  principles  of  moral  govern- 
ment to  the  inclinations  of  depraved  crea- 
tures. In  short,  it  is  no  better  than  to 
enforce  the  tithing  of  mint  and  cummin, 
to  the  neglect  of  judgment,  mercy,  and  the 
love  of  God. 

On  this  sandy  foundation  rests  the  whole 
fabric  of  self-righteous  hope,  and  all  the 
spiritual  pride  which  attaches  to  it.  So 
long  as  we  are  blinded  to  the  spirituality 
and  requirements  of  the  divine  law,  we 
are  in  effect  without  the  law  and  alive  in 
our  own  conceit :  and,  while  this  is  the 
case,  we  shall  see  no  necessity  for  salva- 
tion by  free  grace  through  a  mediator,  nor 
any  fitness  in  it.  Seeking  to  be  justified, 
as  it  were,  by  the  works  of  the  law,  we 
shall  continue  to  stumble  at  the  stumbling- 
stone.  But  when  the  cornmandment ,  in 
its  true  extent,  comes  home  to  the  con- 
science, we  find  ourselves  the  subjects  of 
abundance  of  sin,  of  which  we  never  be- 
fore suspected  ourselves ;  and  then,  and 
not  till  then,  we  die,  or  despair  of  accept- 
ance with  God  by  the  works  of  our  hands. 

We  are  clearly  and  expressly  taught 
what  that  doctrine  is  which  excludes 
boasting;  and,  by  consequence,  what  it 
is  that  nourishes  and  cherishes  it.  "  Be- 
ing justified  freely  by  his  grace,  through 
the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  : 
whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propiti- 
ation through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare 
his  righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins 
that  are  past,  through  the  forbearance  of 
God  :  to  declare,  I  say,  at  this  time  his 
righteousness  ;  that  he  might  be  just  and 
the  justifier  of  him  that  believeth  in  Je- 
sus. Where  is  boasting,  then  ?  It  is  ex- 
cluded. By  what  law  1  of  works  1  Nay, 
but  by  the  law  of  faith. — Not  of  works, 
lest  any  man  should  boast."  But  if,  in 
direct  opposition  to  this,  men  be  taught, 
and  induced  to  believe,  that  Christ  came 
into  the  world  only  to  give  us  good  in- 
struction, and  set  us  a  good  example— that 
Vol.  i.— Sig    92 


there  is  no  need  of  any  atonement,  for 
that  "  Repentance  and  a  good  life  are  of 
themselves    sufficient    to    recommend   us 

to     the    divine  favor" and   that    "all 

hopes  founded  upon  any  thing  else  than 
a  good  moral  life  are  merely  imagin- 
ary;"— where  is  boasting  now  1  Is  it 
excluded  1 

Moreover :  Though  the  divinity  and 
atonement  of  Christ  be  allowed,  yet  if 
men  be  taught  and  induced  to  believe  that 
the  grand  object  obtained  by  his  death  is 
that  repentance,  faith,  and  sincere  obe- 
dience should  be  accepted  as  the  ground  of 
justification,  instead  of  sinless  perfection, 
the  effect  will  not  be  materially  different.* 
On  this  principle  the  gospel  is  as  really 
a  covenant  of  works  as  the  law,  only  that 
its  terms  are  supposed  to  be  somewhat 
easier.  Nor  is  boasting  excluded  by  it. 
The  ground  of  acceptance  with  God,  be 
it  what  it  may,  must  be  that  which  is  made 
our  plea  for  mercy.  If  faith,  considered 
as  a  virtue,  be  that  ground,  we  may  then 
plead  it  before  God,  as  that  for  the  sake 
of  which  we  hope  to  be  saved;  and;  if  this 
be  not  boasting,  nothing  is.  This,  I  am 
persuaded,  no  real  Christian  ever  did,  or 
dares  attempt.  Many  good  men,  I  doubt 
not,  have  been  entangled  with  these  dis- 
putes in  theory  :  but,  when  upon  their 
knees,  it  is  in  the  name  of  Jesus  that  their 
petitions  for  mercy  are  presented,  and  for 
his  sake  only  that  they  hope  for  their  sins  to 
be  forgiven  them.  Faith,  in  the  one  case,, 
is  paying  a  composition,  and  all  that  in 
such  circumstances  ought  to  be  required  : 
but  faith,  in  the  other  case,  is  acquiescing 
in  the  bestowment  of  mercy  as  a  free  and 
undeserved  favor;  not  as  the  reward  of 
any  thing  good  in  us,  but  of  the  obedience 
and  death  of  the  Saviour.  The  interces- 
sion of  Christ,  in  the  first  instance,  would 
be  an  apology  for  the  well-disposed,  re- 
sembling that  which  he  offered  lor  Mary 
of  Bethany — They  have  done  what  they 
could:  but,  in  the  last,  it  is  what  the 
Scripture  denominates  it,  an  intercession 
for  transgressors.  Here  the  divine  gov- 
ernment is  justified,   the  conduct  of  sin- 

*  This  seems  to  have  been  the  idea  of  bishop  But- 
ler. "  The  doctrine  of  the  gospel,"  he  says,  "  ap- 
pears to  be,  not  only  that  he  [Christ]  taught  the  ef- 
ficacy of  repentance;  but  rendered  it  ot  the  efficacy 
which  it  is,  by  what  he  did  and  suffered  for  us;  that 
he  obtained  for  us  the  benefit  of  having  our  repent- 
ance accepted  unto  eternal  life:  not  only  that  he  re- 
revealed  to  sinners  that  they  were  in  a  capacity  of 
salvation,  and  how  they  might  obtain  it;  but  more- 
over, that  he  put  them  into  this  capacity  of  salvation 
by  what  he  did  and  suffered  for  them;  put  us  into  a 
capacity  of  escaping  future  punishment,  and  obtain- 
ing future  happiness."  See  ids  Analogy,  Part  II. 
Chap.  V.,  p.  305.  [The  worthy  prelate  seems,  how- 
ever, to  have  taken  refuge  in  more  scriptural  view* 
in  the  hour  of  death. — Ed.] 


722 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


ners  condemned,  and  the  all-prevailing  are  low  indeed  !  It  would  appear,  howev- 
worthiness  of  the  intercessor  alleged  as  er,  that  the  author  is  a  man  of  some  con- 
the  only  ground,  or  reason,  for  the  sake  of  sequence,  at  least  in  his  own  eyes,  as,  by 
which  mercy  should  be  bestowed.  Thus  the  motto  he  has  chosen,  he  seems  to  con- 
it  is  that,  while  officiating  as  the  advocate  sider  himself  as  set  for  the  defence  of  the 
of  sinners,  he    sustains    the   character   of  gospel. 

"Jesus  Christ  the  righteous."  Finally:  Defence  implies  attack.  Has  any  body 
Influenced  by  the  former  of  these  state-  in  Norfolk  then  been  attacking  what  he 
ments,  I  feel  myself  on  respectable  terms  calls  the  gospel  1  So  itshotdd  seem  ;  and 
with  my  Creator ;  though  not  sinless,  yet  I  should  almost  suspect  from  some  pas- 
entitled  to  mercy,  as  doing  my  best:  in-  sages  that  the  assailants  were  in  his  own 
fluenced  by  the  latter,  I  approach  my  Cre-  congregation.  He  certainly  appears  to  be 
ator  as  a  sinner  ready  to  perish,  without  a  out  of  humor  with  some  of  them. — p.  32. 
single  plea  for  mercy  but  what  arises  Indeed,  I  entertain  a  hope  for  their  sakes 
from  his  own  gracious  nature,  operating  that  this  may  be  the  case  ;  for  it  is  griev- 
through  the  atonement  of  his  Son.  And  ous  to  think  that  a  people  sustaining  the 
through  my  whole  life,  whatever  be  my  character  of  aChristian  church  should  suf- 
repentance,  my  faith,  or  the  sincerity  of  fer  themselves  to  be  imposed  upon  by  such 
my  obedience,  I  never  ground  a  single  plea  flimsy,  incoherent,  and  erroneous  preach- 
on  any  of  these  things  as  a  procuring  ing,  and  reckon  it  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
cause  of  mercy,  but  invariably  desire  that  Christ ! 
I  may  be  "  found  in  him."  Of  Mr.    Home   I   know    nothing,    save 

There    is   another   species    of  spiritual  from  this   publication.       He  seems  dispo- 

pride,  very  different  from  any  thing  which  sed,  however,  to   give  his   readers  all  the 

has  yet  been  described,  and  which   origin-  information  he  can  respecting  himself,  and 

ates  in  what  some  would  call  the  extremes  this,  even  in  his  title-page.     From  thence 

of  orthodoxy  j  but  which  might,  with  great-  we    learn,    First,   That   he  is  not  only  a 

er  propriety,  be  termed  gross  heterodoxy,  preacher   (which  we  might  have  gathered 

or  false  notions  of  the  doctrines  of  grace,  from  his    publishing    "Sermons"),    but  a 

I  have  said  it  arises  from  false  views  of  "  minister  of  the  gospel."  Secondly,  that 
the  doctrines  of  grace ;  and  this  I  am  per-  he  is  not  an  ordinary  minister,  but  one 
suaded  is  the  case  even  where  the  most  who  is  peculiarly  qualified  to  repel  the  at- 
orthodox  language  is  retained.  The  tacks  of  adversaries  ;"  set,"  like  an  apos- 
same  terms  may  be  used,  by  different  per-  tie,  "for  the  defence  of  the  gospel." 
sons,  to  express  very  different  ideas.  Thus  Thirdly,  That  he  not  only  preaches  and 
it  is  that  the  doctrines  of  election,  the  defends  the  gospel,  but  does  all  "  extern- 
atonement,  justification  by  imputed  right-  pore  ;"  that  is,  without  writing  or  studying 


eousness,  efficacious  grace  and  persever- 
ance in  a  life  of  faith,  are  held  fast  in 
words,  but  in  fact  perverted.* 


his  discourses  before  he  delivers  them. 
Fourthly,  That  though  he  neither  writes 
nor  thinks  himself  in  order  to  preaching, 
yet  such  is  the  importance  of  what  he  de- 
livers,   that   "James   Murden,"  a  short- 

REMARKS  ON  TWO  SERMONS  RY    haml  wri[er>  s,it\and  takf.s   down  his  dis" 

courses,  by  which  means  they  are  preserv- 
ed for  the  benefit  of  posterity.  Finally, 
On  the  back  of  the  same  leaf,  we  are  given 


W.  W.  HORNE,  OF  YARMOUTH. 

[A  letter  to  a  friend.] 


My  Hear  Friend, 
You   have    sent 


me    two   sermons    by 


to  understand  that  if  the  public  will  come 
forward,  and,  by  a  liberal  subscription, 
secure  him  in  a  pecuniary  view,   he  will 


William    Wales     Home,    entitled    "  The  give  them  a  whole  volume  of  these  ser- 

Faith  of  the  Gospel  Vindicated,"  request-  mons,   containing   300   pages,    all    on  the 

ing  my   opinion  of  them.       Why   did   you  most  "  interesting  and  edifying  subjects." 
wish  to  impose  upon    me  the  task  of  read- 


Whether  all  this  information  was  necessa- 


ing  such    a   performance  1       I  suppose   it  ry,   especially   that  which   relates  to    the 

was  owing  to   your  being  a  Norfolk   man,  sermons   being    "delivered   extempore," 

and  feeling  interested  in'any  thing  that  is  some   persons    may   doubt  :    thus    much, 

done  among   the    churches  in  that  part  of  however,    may  be   acknowledged,   that  if 

the  kingdom.      I  hope    this   is    not  a  fair  from  this  time  we  remain  ignorant  of  Mr. 

sample  of  Norfolk  divinity.     If  it  be,  they  Home's  extraordinary  talents,  and  be  ei- 
ther uninterested  or  unedified  by  his  writ- 

*  It  is  supposed  that  the  conclusion  of  this  Essay  ingS,  it  must  be   OUT  own  fault, 

is  identical  with  certain  parts  of  the  treatise  on  An-  After  a  great  deal  said    about   faith,    in 

tinomianism,  as,  in  the  first  edition   of  the   works,  whicn  the  belief  of  the  truth  is    frequently 

the  reader  is    referred  for  the  remainder   to  the  In-  confounded    with  the    truth   believed,    and 

t^^SSiSSS9^  much  declamation  again*  error,  in  which 


REMARKS  ON  HORNE  S  TWO  SERMONS. 


723 


we  are  after  all  left  to  guess  wherein  it 
consists,  the  preacher  at  length  comes  to 
the  point  which  he  appears  to  have  had  in 
view  ;  or  (as  he  does  not  think  beforehand) 
to  the  point  which  was  impressed  upon 
his  mind  at  the  time  ;  that  is  to  say, 
that/ai7A  is  not  the  duty  of  cither  siimers 
or  saints. 

Mr.  Home  asserts  that  "  men  in  nature's 
darkness  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  faith 
of  God's  elect."  He  does  not  mean  by 
this  that  they  are  destitute  of  it,  for  that 
would  be  saying  no  more  than  his  oppo- 
nents would  admit ;  but  that  they  have 
no  right  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ.  This 
he  attempts  to  prove  from  their  being  under 
a  covenant  of  works.  "  The  law,"  he 
says,  "  is  their  first  husband  ;  and  till 
they  become  dead  to  him  they  cannot  be 
married  to  another  (that  is,  to  Christ  by 
faith),  without  being  called  adulteresses. " 
— p.  26.  If  this  reasoning  were  allowed 
to  be  solid,  it  would  affect  only  those  who 
are  in  "  nature's  darkness  ;"  whereas  Mr. 
Home's  position  is,  That  faith  is  not  the 
duty  of  any  man,  of  believers  any  more 
than  of  unbelievers.  "  It  is  not,"  he  says, 
"  a  duty  which  God  requires  of  his  people, 
but  a  grace  which  he  gives  them." — p.  26. 
But  the  reasoning  itself  is  false.  That 
sinners  are  alive  to  the  law  as  a  covenant 
of  works  is  too  true  ;  but  that  the  law 
in  that  character  is  alive  to  them  is  not 
true. 

The  covenant  of  which  the  apostle 
speaks,  in  the  passage  alluded  to,  is  that 
which  was  made  with  Israel  at  Sinai,  to 
which  they  as  a  nation  were  bound  by 
divine  authority  till  the  coming  of  Christ, 
but  which  being  then  abolished,  they  were 
no  longer  under  obligation  to  adhere  to  it 
as  a  covenant,  but  were  at  liberty  to  em- 
brace a  new  and  better  dispensation.  This 
was  applicable  to  the  Jews,  to  whom  the 
apostle  addresses  himself  as  to  them  who 
knew  the  law,  but  is  totally  inapplicable  to 
gentiles,  who  never  were  married  to  the 
law.  But,  whether  the  covenant  of  works 
be  considered  as  made  with  Israel  at  Sinai 
or  with  man  in  innocence,  it  is  no  longer 
in  force  ;  that  is  to  say,  it  is  dead.  In  the 
former  view,  it  was  rendered  null  by  the 
introduction  of  the  gospel  :  "  For  in  that 
he  saith,  a  new  covenant,  he  hath  made 
the  first  old.  Now  that  which  decayeth 
and  waxeth  old  is  ready  to  vanish  away." 
In  the  latter  view  it  must  have  ceased  from 
the  time  of  man's  apostasy.  The  law  has 
no  promise  of  life  to  a  single  transgressor, 
and  never  had  ;  but  merely  a  threatening 
of  death.  God  is  not,  therefore,  in  cove- 
nant with  sinners,  nor  they  with  him  :  they 
are  not  under  a  covenant  of  works  ;  but 
merely  under  the  curse  for  transgressing 
it.     Thus,  taking  the  covenant  which  way 


we  will,  it  is  dead  ;  and  therefore,  on  Mr. 
Home's  own  principle,  sinners  ought  to 
be  dead  to  it ;  and,  in  virtue  of  the  free 
invitations  of  the  gospel,  are  at  liberty  to 
be  married  to  another. 

A  desire  to  be  under  the  law  is  not  now 
an  attachment  to  a  di\ine  constitution,  nor 
is  there  any  regard  to  God's  law  in  it;  it 
is  merely  a  proud  and  unbelieving  reluc- 
tance to  admit  that  we  have  broken  the 
law,  and  a  vain  desire  to  be  still  claiming 
life  as  the  reward  of  our  own  good  deeds. 
In  short,  it  is  no  other  than  an  attachment 
to  the  idol  of  our  own  righteousness  ;  and 
we  might  as  well  infer  that  while  a  sinner 
is  joined  to  idols  he  has  no  right  to  desert 
them,  and  return  to  God,  as  that  he  would 
be  found  guilty  of  spiritual  adultery  by 
coming  off  from  all  dependence  on  self, 
and  believing  in  Jesus  Christ.  If  this  doc- 
trine were  true,  our  Saviour,  instead  of 
complaining  of  the  unbelieving  Jews  that 
they  would  not  come  to  him  that  they  might 
have  life,  ought  to  have  commended  them 
for  their  fidelity  to  their  "  first  husband." 
Nay,  if  this  doctrine  be  true,  I  see  not 
why  Mr.  Home  should  exclaim  as  he 
does  against  people  being  of  a  pharisaical 
or  self-righteous  spirit ;  they  ought  rather 
to  be  commended  for  their  chaste  ad- 
herence to  the  law,  as  to  their  own  proper 
husband. 

Mr.  Home  tells  us  of  some  who  "strive 
to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate,  and  are  not 
able  ;"  and  that  the  reason  why  they  are 
not  able  is  that  they  "do  not  strive  law- 
fully, or  consistently  with  the  mind  and  will 
of  God,  not  coming  to  God  in  his  own  law- 
ful and  appointed  way."  "  The  Jews  of 
old,"  he  says,  "  strove  to  enter  in,  but 
were  not  able  ;  because  they  strove,  like 
our  modern  pharisees,  to  enter  in  by  the 
works  of  the  law." — Rom.  ix.  32,  33. 
(p.  7.)  Very  good:  but  how  can  these 
things  hang  together  1  If  coming  to  God 
by  Jesus  Christ,  and  not  by  the  works  of 
the  law,  accord  with  the  "  mind  and  will 
of  God,"  and  be  God's  "lawful  and  ap- 
pointed way;"  how  can  it  be  unlawful 
to  walk  in  it  1  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
law  as  a  covenant  be  the  proper  husband 
of  the  unconverted,  and  they  ought  faith- 
fully to  adhere  to  him,  and  not  to  come  to 
God  by  Jesus  Christ,  on  pain  of  being  called 
"adulteresses,"  why  complain  of  them  for 
striving  unlawfully,  and  tax  them  with 
losing  a  prize  by  this  their  unlawful  conduct 
with  which,  after  all,  they  had  "  nothing 
to  do!"  "Self-righteous  thoughts  and 
imaginations,"  says  he,  "are  as  inimical 
to  the  attributes  of  the  Deity,  and  as  of- 
fensive to  the  Lord  of  glory,  as  the  im- 
morality of  the  profligate  part  of  mankind." 
And  yet  they  have  no  right  to  relinquish 
them  by  believing  in  Jesus  Christ  !     "A 


724 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


self-righteous  sinner,"  he  adds,  "  is  in 
open  rebellion  against  the  Lord,  and 
against  his  anointed  Son."  And  yet  he 
has  no  rigid  to  be  reconciled  to  him,  or  to 
come  to  him  that  he  might  have  life  ! 
"  The  spirit  of  the  self-righteous  is  direct- 
ly opposite  to  that  humility,  self-abhor- 
rence, and  self-abasement  requisite  in 
poor,  undone,  rebellious  sinners,  when 
coming  before  a  God  of  immaculate  puri- 
ty."— p.  42.  And  yet,  strange  to  tell, 
they  ought  to  be  of  this  spirit,  and  not  of 
that  which  renounces  these  self-exalting 
notions  and  depends  entirely  on  Jesus 
Christ,  lest  they  be  called  "  adulteresses  !  " 
In  most  cases,  gross  inconsistencies 
are  reckoned  blemishes  :  whether  they 
will  be  so  in  this,  I  cannot  determine. 
As  the  preacher  does  not  profess  to 
think  before  he  speaks,  contradiction 
may,  for  aught  I  know,  be  here  in 
character. 

"Whatever  maybe  thought  of  univer- 
sal exhortations,  I  am  bold  to  assert," 
says  Mr.  Home,  "  that  not  one  of  the 
self-righteous  are  invited  to  come  to 
Christ. — Christ  '  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance.'  " 
—p.  26.  Of  Mr.  Home's  "  boldness  " 
there  is  certainly  no  doubt :  but  "where- 
in he  is  bold  (I  speak  foolishly)  I  am 
bold  also."  The  self-righteous  Jews 
were  invited  to  the  gospel-supper  before 
the  gentiles.  And,  though  they  made 
light  of  it,  yet  the  kingdom  of  God  at 
that  time  came  nigh  unto  them.  The 
same  characters  were  exhorted  "  while 
they  had  the  light,  to  believe  in  the  light, 
that  they  might  be  the  children  of  light." 
Now,  whether  we  should  hearken  to  God's 
word,  or  to  the  "  bold  "  assertions  of  Mr. 
Home,  let  Christians  judge. — But  Christ 
"came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sin- 
ners to  repentance."  True  ;  and  he 
came  into  the  world  to  save,  not  the  right- 
eous, but  sinners;  yet  Paul  and  many 
other  self-righteous  characters  were  saved 
by  him  ;  not,  however,  in  their  self-right- 
eousness, but  from  it :  and  thus  it  is  that 
self-righteous  characters  are  called  to 
relinquish  their  vain  hopes,  and  to 
come  to  Jesus  as  sinners  for  salvation. 

"  Faith,"  says  Mr.  Home,  "is  not  a 
natural  grace  :  it  is  no  duty  of  the  law." 
Having  no  idea  what  a  "  natural  grace"  is, 
unless  it  were  some  ornament  of  the  body 
or  mind,  I  can  make  no  answer  to  the 
former  part  of  this  assertion.  As  to  the 
latter,  it  is  true  that  obedience  to  the  law 
and  faith  in  Christ,  as  mediums  of  oblain- 
inglife,  are  in  the  Scriptures  opposed  to 
each  other.  The  one  receives  justification 
as  a  reward,  the  other  as  a  free  gift  to  the 
unworthy,  wholly  out  of  respect  to  the 
righteousness  of  another. 


It  is  on  the  medium  of  obtaining  life 
that  the  apostle  speaks,  when  he  says,  the 
law  is  not  of  faith.  "  The  just,"  says 
he,  "  shall  live  by  faith."  And  "  the  law 
is  not  of  faith ;  but  the  man  that  doeth 
them  shall  live  in  them."  Justification  by 
obedience  to  the  law  was  entirely  distinct, 
therefore,  from  justification  by  faith  in 
Christ;  the  one  would  be  by  works;  the 
other  is  by  grace. 

It  does  not  follow,  however,  that  the 
law,  considered  as  a  standard  of  right  and 
wrong,  is  opposed  to  faith,  or  that  it  does 
not  require  it.  It  is  manifest  that  faith  is 
a  part  of  the  revealed  will  of  God,  being 
commanded  in  the  Scriptures.  "Repent 
and  believe  the  gospel." — "  While  ye  have 
the  light,  believe  in  the  light,  that  ye  may 
be  the  children  of  light." — "This  is  his 
commandment,  that  we  believe  in  the 
name  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ."  If  these 
commandments  have  not  their  root  in  the 
moral  law,  which  requires  every  creature 
to  love  God  under  every  manifestation  by 
which  he  shall  at  any  time  make  himself 
known,  they  must  be  the  requirements  of 
the  gospel,  under  the  form  of  a  new  law  ; 
a  principle  which  has  been  generally 
rejected  by  the  friends  of  evangelical 
truth. 

"  Had  faith,"  says  Mr.  Home,  "been 
a  duty  of  the  law,  the  Jews  of  old  would 
have  obtained  that  which  they  sought  after 
(the  peculiar  favor  of  God) ;  for  they 
sought  it  by  the  works  of  the  law.  But 
faith  was  not  of  the  law,  and  therefore 
they  could  not  obtain  it. — p.  27.  By  this 
reasoning,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  carnal 
Jews  really  complied  with  the  divine  law  ; 
going  to  the  utmost  of  its  requirements, 
and  this  without  finding  faith  in  Christ 
among  them,  because  it  was  not  there  to 
be  found.  But  has  Mr.  Home  yet  to 
learn  that  in  all"  the  attachment  of  the 
carnal  Jews  to  the  works  of  the  law  there 
was  no  real  conformity  to  any  divine  pre- 
cept! "  For  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity 
against  God,  and  is  not  subject  to  the  law 
of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be." 

Mr.  Home  considers  faith  as  the  "gift, 
or  work,  of  God's  Holy  Spirit ;"  and 
therefore  concludes  that  it  cannot  be  a 
duty.  I  have  no  dispute  with  him  as  to 
faith,  and  every  thing  else  which  is  truly 
good  in  a  fallen  creature,  being  of  grace  : 
but  it  does  not  follow  thence  that  it  is  not 
a  duty  ;  for  there  is  no  good  performed  in 
the  world  but  that  which  grace  produces. 
If,  therefore,  nothing  be  the  duty  of  sinners 
but  that  which  may  be  done  without  the 
grace  of  God,  it  is  not  their  duty  to  do 
any  thing  good  :  and,  if  so,  all  their  aliena- 
tion of  heart  from  God  and  goodness  is 
not  their  sin  ;  nor  does  it  require  forgive- 
ness.— "  Is  it  the  duty  of  the  unconverted 


REMARKS    ON    HORNE's    TWO    SERMONS. 


725 


man/'  asks  Mr.  Home,  "to  make  him- 
self a  new  creature  in  Christ;  to  give 
himself  the  Holy  Ghost  1"  No;  but  it 
is  his  duty  to  be  that  which  nothing  short 
of  the  regenerating  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  can  make  him. 

Finally  :  "  If  evangelical  faith  be  a  du- 
ty, the  believer  may  glory,  and  boast  him- 
self against  the  unbeliever." — p.  31.  If  it 
were  a  duty  with  which  he  complied  of  his 
own  accord,  making  himself  to  differ,  he 
might ;  but  not  else.  I  suppose  Mr.  Home 
reckons  himself  a  believer,  ai.d  to  have 
done  some  good  in  the  world,  by  preach- 
ing and  "  defending  the  gospel  ;  "  and  does 
he  glory  on  this  account  1  He  may  ;  but 
he  cannot  have  so  learned  Christ,  if  so  be 
he  have  heard  him,  and  been  taught  by  him, 
as  the  truth  is  in  Jesus. 

If  I  could  have  access  to  the  churches 
in  Norfolk  who  are  connected  with  Mr. 
Home,  I  would  affectionately  and  earnest- 
ly entreat  their  attention  to  the  subject. 
Not  that  I  wish  them  to  embroil  them- 
selves and  one  another  in  furious  conten- 
tions. Far  from  it!  I  should  be  very 
sorry  to  hear  of  any  minister,  whom  I  con- 
sidered as  embracing  the  truth,  following 
Mr.  Home's  example.  It  is  not  by  con- 
verting the  pulpit  into  a  stage  of  strife, 
nor  by  availing  ourselves  of  the  silence 
which  decency  imposes  upon  an  audience 
to  pour  forth  personal  invective,  that  truth 
is  promoted.  Such  conduct  may  pass  with 
some  people  for  faithfulness  ;  but  in  reali- 
ty it  is  as  mean  as  it  is  injurious.  It  is  by 
reading,  by  calm  and  serious  reflection, 
by  humble  prayer,  and  by  a  free  and 
friendly  communication  of  our  thoughts  to 
one  another  in  private  conversation,  that 
truth  makes  progress. 

I  do  not  wish  the  churches  in  Norfolk, 
or  any  where  else,  to  be  engaged  in  un- 
profitable disputes  ;  but,  if  I  could  have 
access  to  them,  I  would  address  them  in 
some  such  manner  as  the  following  : — 

Be  not  led  away,  my  brethren,  by  vain 
men.  Judge  for  yourselves.  If  you  choose 
to  examine  the  subject  to  which  Mr. 
Home  refers  you,  read,  and  read  impar- 
tially, what  has  been  written  upon  it.* 
Or,  if  things  of  a  controversial  nature  be 
disagreeable  to  you,  read  the  lives  of  an 
Edioards,  a  Brainerd,  and  a  Pcarce  ;  and 
know — not  the  speeches  of  them  that  are 
puffed  up,  but  the  poiver.  Above  all,  read 
your  Bible,  and  carefully  notice  whether 
these  things  be  so.  Inquire  whether  the 
Scriptures  do  not  exhort,  admonish,  and 
persuade    sinners    to    those    very    things 

*  Partioularly,  Booth's  Glad  Tidings  to  Per- 
ishing Sinners;  Scott  on  The  Nature  and  War- 
rant of  Faith;  and  a  work  entitled  The  Gospel 
Worthy  of  all  Acceptation. 


which,  where  they  exist,  are  ascribed  to 
the  grace  of  Goth  Do  not  take  it  for 
granted  that  you  are  soundin  thefailhbe- 
cause  such  preachers  as  Mr.  Home  ex- 
hort you  to  hold  fast  your  present  senti- 
ments. That  faith  is  sound,  and  that  on- 
ly, which  accords  with  the  Scriptures,  and 
finds  a  use  for  every  part  of  them.  The 
Scriptures  are  not  written  systematically; 
yet  they  contain  materials  for  a  system. 
They  resemble  the  stones  which  were 
wrought  for  the  building  of  the  temple, 
previously  to  their  being  laid  in  it :  each 
was  prepared  for  its  proper  place,  and 
adapted  to  form  a  part  of  a  beautiful  whole. 
Some  of  these  materials  might  have  been 
worked  up  in  any  one  of  those  "  high  pla- 
ces "  which  wei'e  a  snare  to  Israel,  or  even 
in  a  "temple  for  Moloch:"  but  no  other 
building  than  that  which  was  erected  ac- 
cording to  the  divine  pattern  delivered  to 
Solomon  would  have  found  a  use  for  all. 
That  fabric  in  which  every  material  finds 
its  place  is  the  true  temple  of  God. 

Many  writers  and  preachers  have  form- 
ed their  favorite  schemes,  or  adopted  them 
from  others,  and  been  very  eager  in  de- 
fending them  :  but,  in  so  doing,  a  great 
part  of  the  Bible  has  been  thrown  aside  as 
useless,  and  has  rarely  been  mentioned 
but  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  it  away. 
Arminianism  can  find  but  little  use  for  the 
doctrinal  part  of  Paul's  epistles,  in  which 
free,  discriminating,  and  effectual  grace, 
is  clearly  taught ;  and  false  Calvinism 
looks  with  an  evil  eye  on  the  exhortations, 
warnings,  and  invitations  to  the  unconvert- 
ed, in  the  four  evangelists,  and  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles.  Is  not  this  a  plain  proof 
that  neither  of  these  systems  is  evangel- 
ical 1  That,  I  say  again,  is  the  true  gos- 
pel which  gives  to  every  part  of  Scripture 
its  fair  and  full  meaning;  and,  if  the  views 
we  have  hitherto  entertained  will  not  do 
this,  we  ought  to  conclude  that, whatever  we 
may  have  learned,  we  have  yet  to  learn 
"  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus." 

Judge  impartially,  my  brethren,  wheth- 
er the  doctrine  taught  by  Mr.  Home,  and 
others,  will  admit  of  such  exhortations  to 
the  unconverted  as  occur  in  the  preaching 
of  John  the  Baptist,  Christ,  and  his  apos- 
tles. If  the  language  in  which  they  ad- 
dress their  carnal  hearers  were  uttered  in 
your  pulpits,  and  nothing  added  by  the 
preacher  to  explain  away  its  force,  would 
you  not  begin  to  suspect  him  of  error  1 
Yet  your  so  doing  ought  in  reality  to  make 
you  suspect  yourselves  ;  and  to  fear  lest, 
while  you  think  you  are  doing  God  ser- 
vice, you  should  be  found  righting  against 
him. 

In  calling  the  doctrine  defended  by  Mr. 
Home  false  Calvinism  I  have  not  miscall- 
ed it.      In  proof  of  this,  I  appeal   to  the 


726 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


writings  of  that  great  reformer,  and  of  the 
ablest  defenders  of  his  system  in  later 
times — of  all  indeed  who  have  been  called 
Calvinists  till  within  a  hundred  years. 
Were  you  to  read  many  of  Calvin's  Ser- 
mons, without  knowing  who  was  the  au- 
thor, you  would  be  led,  from  the  ideas 
you  appear  at  present  to  entertain,  to  pro- 
nounce him  an  Arminian  ;  neither  would 
Goodwin,  nor  Owen,  nor  Charnock,  nor 
Flavel,  nor  Bunyan,  escape  the  charge. 
These  men  believed  and  preached  the  doc- 
trines of  grace;  but  not  in  such  away  as  to 
exclude  exhortations  to  the  unconverted 
to  repent  and  believe  in  Jesus  Christ. 
The  doctrine  which  you  call  Calvinism 
(but  which,  in  reality,  is  antinomianism)  is 
as  opposite  to  that  of  the  Reformers,  Puri- 
tans, and  Nonconformists,  as  it  is  to  that 
of  the  apostles. 

We  do  not  ask  you  to  relinquish  the 
doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace  alone  :  so 
far  from  it,  were  you  to  do  so  we  would, 
on  that  account,  have  no  fellowship  with 
you.  We  have  no  doubt  of  justification 
being  wholly  on  account  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  Jesus  ;  nor  of  faith,  wherever  it 
exists,  being  the  free  gift  of  God.  On 
such  subjects  we  could  say  with  Job,  "  We 
have  understanding  as  well  as  you  ;  we  are 
not  inferior  to  you  ;  yea,  who  knoweth  not 
such  things  as  these!  "  But  we  ask  you 
to  admit  other  principles,  equally  true, 
and  equally  important  as  they  are  ;  prin- 
ciples taught  by  the  same  inspired  writers, 
and  which,  therefore,  must  be  consistent 
with  them. 

Doctrinal  sentiments  will  have  a  great 
influence  on  the  whole  of  our  religion. 
They  will  operate  powerfully  in  the  form- 
ing of  our  spirit,  and  the  regulation  of  our 
conduct.  Many  people  have  complained 
of  the  unchristian  spirit  discovered  by  Mr. 
Huntington  and  his  followers.  "  We  have 
not  so  much  objection,"  say  they,  "to  his 
doctrine  ;  but  such  an  awful  degree  of  spir- 
itual pride  and  rancor  runs  through  all  he 
Avrites  —  ."  For  my  part,  I  never  make 
such  complaint  :  I  should  as  soon  complain 
of  thistles  and  thorns  for  their  bearing 
prickles.  Mr.  Huntington's  spirit  com- 
ports with  his  doctrine  ;  and,  if  we  receive 
one,  we  must  receive  both. 

False  doctrine  will  "  eat  as  doth  a  can- 
ker :  "  in  individuals  it  will  produce  self- 
importance,  self-will,  and  almost  every 
other  selfish  disposition  ;  and,  if  admitted 
into  churches,  it  will  be  followed  by  a 
neglect  of  faithful  discipline,  and  holy 
practice.  Such  have  been  the  effects  of 
that  doctrine  for  which  Mr.  Home  con- 
tends in  many  of  the  churches  in  the  mid- 
land parts  of  the  kingdom  ;  and  such,  it  is 
to  be  feared,  have  been  its  effects  in  some 
of  yours. 


Though  the  apostles  of  our  Lord  re- 
nounced all  dependence  upon  the  works  of 
the  law  for  justification,  yet  they  did  not 
"make  void  the  law,  but  established  it ; 
accounting  it  "  holy,  just,  and  good  ;  "  and 
"  delighted  in  it  after  the  inner  man  :"  but 
many  preachers,  who  are  eager  in  defend- 
ing these  principles,  do  not  scruple  to  dis- 
own it  entirely  as  a  rule  of  life  ;  and, 
though  Mr.  Home  has  not  done  this,  yet 
he  continually  confounds  what  the  Scrip- 
tures distinguish,  applying  that  which  is 
spoken  of  the  law  as  a  covenant,  or  term 
of  justification,  to  that  which  respects  it 
as  the  eternal  standard  of  right  and  wrong. 
But  those  who  scarcely  ever  mention  the 
law  of  God  without  disrespect  are  not  far 
from  disowning  it  as  a  rule  of  life  ;  and 
those  who  disown  it  as  a  rule  of  life  can 
hardly  be  expected  to  walk  by  it.  Far  be 
it  from  me  to  deal  in  indiscriminate  cen- 
sure. That  good  men  have  favored  these 
principles,  I  have  no  doubt  :  and,  where 
the  heart  is  upright,  an  erroneous  senti- 
ment, though  it  be  very  injurious,  will  not 
be  the  great  governing  principle  of  life. 
It  is  also  allowed  that  bad  men  will  be 
found  under  every  form  of  religious  pro- 
fession. But,  so  far  as  my  observation 
extends,  there  is  a  much  larger  propor- 
tion of  such  characters  among  ministers  of 
this  description  than  any  others  who  are 
accounted  evangelical.  Many  of  them  are 
not  only  known  to  be  loose  in  their  gener- 
al deportment,  but  seem  to  have  laid 
aside  all  honor  and  conscience  towards  the 
churches.  Some,  not  having  any  stated 
employment  (as  well  they  may  not),  wan- 
der up  and  down  the  country,  as  if  for  a 
piece  of  bread,  sowing  the  seeds  of  dis- 
sension, and  raising  a  party  for  themselves, 
in  every  place  where  they  come.  Others, 
when  invited  to  preach  to  a  church  on  pro- 
bation, after  having  divided  and  scattered 
it  by  their  violence,  have  been  necessitat- 
ed to  leave  it;  and,  finding  no  other  peo- 
ple who  would  employ  them,  have  fre- 
quently been  known  to  retire  with  a  party 
of  their  adherents,  and  to  set  up  an  oppo- 
site interest  in  the  same  place,  to  the  great 
injury  and  reproach  of  religion.  Yet  these 
men,  if  they  may  be  believed,  are  each 
"  set  for  the  defence  of  the  gospel." 

From  the  pen  of  an  apostle  and  prison- 
er of  Jesus  Christ  such  language  was  prop- 
er ;  but  the  "  words  of  the  wise  "  are  not 
fitted  in  the  lips  of  every  one.  Whether 
these  men  wish  to  imitate  Mr.  Hunting- 
ton, who  takes  for  his  motto  the  words  of 
Job,  "  The  root  of  the  matter  is  found  in 
me,"  or  whether  it  be  natural  to  them  to 
proclaim  to  the  world  the  high  opinion 
they  entertain  of  themselves,  I  cannot  de- 
termine :  but  this  is  certain,  that  if  they 
and  he  had  each  studied   to  imitate  a  cer- 


REMARKS    ON    MR.    HORNE  S    TWO    SERMONS. 


727 


tain  impostor,  who  "bewitched  the  peo- 
ple, giving  out  that  himself  was  some  great 
one,"  they  could  scarcely  have  acted  in 
stricter  conformity  to  his  example. 

I  have  little  or  no  acquaintance  with 
your  ministers  ;  but  I  know  something  of 
those  in  other  parts  of  the  country  who 
embrace  the  doctrine  taught  by  Mr.  Home, 
and  have  reason  to  believe  that  their 
preaching  is  mostly  composed  of  ludicrous 
rant  and  idle  declamation.  The  prin- 
cipal objects  against  which  they  declaim 
are  pharisaism  and  the  devil ;  and  the 
method  taken  to  persuade  their  hearers 
that  they  are  the  greatest  enemies  to  both 
is  telling  them  that  they  are  so  !  As  to  the 
former,  if  it  consists  in  trusting  that  we 
are  righteous,  and  despising  others,  per- 
haps there  are  few  religious  professors  who 
can  prefer  a  better  claim  to  it  than  them- 
selves. And,  as  to  their  boasting  and 
brandishing  against  the  latter,  what  seri- 
ous mind,  nay,  what  mind  possessed  of 
common  understanding,  can  endure  it  1  It 
may  furnish  the  ignorant  and  light-minded 
with  a  laugh  ;  but  every  man  of  sense 
must  be  disgusted  by  it.  To  hear  the  low 
and  vulgar  jokes  which  they  are  continual- 
ly uttering  against  the  grand  adversary  of 
God  and  man,  both  in  the  pulpit  and  out 
of  it,  one  might  be  tempted  to  conclude 
that,  instead  of  being  his  enemies,  they 
were  on  terms  of  more  than  ordinary  in- 
timacy with  him.  Mr.  Merryman  may 
have  high  words  with  his  master,  for  the 
amusement  of  the  audience  ;  but  he  will 
not  hurt  him  :  they  understand  one  anoth- 
er. Sure  I  am,  Satan  has  no  objection  to 
be  thus  treated. 

So  they  have  preached,  and  so  too  many 
have  believed.  Brethren,  "  Prove  all  things, 
hold  fast  that  which  is  good  !  And  the  very 
God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly  :  and  I 
pray  God  your  whole  spirit,  soul  and  body, 
be  preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


THE  MORAL  LAW  THE  RULE  OF 
CONDUCT  TO  BELIEVERS. 

[A  letter  to  a  friend.] 
My  dear  Brother, 

You  requested  me  to  give  you  my  rea- 
sons, in  the  brief  compass  of  a  letter,  for 
considering  the  moral  law  as  the  rule  of 
conduct  to  believers.  It  is  painful  that  a 
question  of  this  nature  should  ever  have 
been  started  among  professing  Christians  ; 
but  this,  and  other  things  of  the  kind,  are 
permitted,  that  they  who  are  approved 
may  be  made  manifest. 

You  do  not  wish  me,  my  dear  brother, 
to  encounter  the  foul  dogmas  of  our  pul- 
pit-libertines ;  but  to  state  a  few  plain, 


scriplural  evidences,  which  may  be  useful 
to  some  serious  minds,  who  have  been  en- 
tangled in  the  mazes  of  their  delusions. — 
Before  I  proceed  to  this,  however,  it  will 
be  proper  to  make  a  remark  or  two  in  a 
general  way. 

First :  There  is  no  dispute  on  the  ground 
of  our  acceptance  with  God.  We  are  not 
justified  on  account  of  any  thing  inherent, 
whether  before,  in,  or  after  believing  ;  but 
merely  for  the  sake  of  the  righteousness 
of  Christ,  believed  in  and  imputed  to  us. 
As  a  medium  of  life,  or  (as  our  divines 
commonly  express  it)  as  a  covenant,  be- 
lievers are  dead  to  the  law,  and  the  law  to 
them,  being  united  to  another  husband. 

Secondly  :  The  question  is  not  whether 
the  whole  of  Christian  obedience  be  for- 
mally required  in  the  Ten  Commandments. 
Certainly  it  is  not.  Neither  the  ordinance 
of  baptism,  nor  that  of  the  supper,  is  ex- 
pressly required  by  them  ;  and  there  may 
be  other  duties  which  they  do  not,  in  so 
many  words,  inculcate  ; — but  the  question 
is,  whether  it  be  not  virtually  required  by 
them,  and  whether  they  be  not  binding  on 
believers.  If  we  allow  our  Saviour  to  be 
a  just  expositor,  the  sum  of  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments is  the  love  of  God  with  all  the 
heart,  soul,  mind,  and  strength,  and  of  our 
neighbor  as  ourselves;  and  this  includes 
all  the  obedience  that  can  possibly  be 
yielded  by  a  creature.  If  we  love  God 
with  all  our  hearts,  we  shall  comply  with 
every  positive  institute  and  particular  pre- 
cept which  he  hath  enjoined  in  his  word  ; 
and  all  such  compliance  contains  just  so 
much  obedience  as  it  contains  love  to  him, 
and  no  more.  Let  an  instance  of  Chris- 
tian obedience  be  produced,  if  it  can, 
which  is  not  comprehended  in  the  general 
precept  of  love. 

In  objecting  to  the  perfection  of  the  Ten 
Commandments,  our  adversaries  would 
seem  to  hold  with  an  extensive  rule  ;  but 
the  design  manifestly  is  to  undermine  their 
authority,  and  that  without  substituting 
any  other  competent  rule  in  the  place  of 
them.  In  what  follows,  therefore,  I  shall 
endeavor  to  prove  both  the  authority  and 
perfection  of  the  law  ;  or  that  the  com- 
mandments of  God,  whether  we  consider 
them  as  ten  or  two,  are  still  binding  on 
Christians,  and  virtually  contain  the  whole 
revealed  will  of  God,  as  to  the  matter  of 
obedience. 

First :  To  prove  that  the  Ten  Command- 
ments are  binding,  let  any  person  read 
them,  one  by  one,  and  ask  his  own  con- 
science as  he  reads  whether  it  would  lie 
any  sin  to  break  them.  Is  the  believer  at 
liberty  to  have  other  gods  besides  the  true 
Godl  Would  there  be  no  harm  in  his 
making  to  himself  a  graven  image,  and 
falling  down  to  worship  it  1     Is  it  any  Jess 


728 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


sin  for  a  believer  to  take  God's  name  in 
vain  than  for  an  unbeliever'!  Are  believers 
at  liberty  to  profane  the  sabbath,  or  to  dis- 
obey their  parents,  or  to  kill  their  neigh- 
bors, or  to  commit  adultery,  or  to  steal, 
or  to  bear  false  witness,  or  to  covet  what 
is  not  their  own  1  Is  this,  or  any  part  of 
it,  the  liberty  of  the  gospel  1  Every  con- 
science that  is  not  seared  as  with  a  hot 
iron  must  answer  these  questions  in  the 
negative. 

Secondly  :  It  is  utterly  inconsistent  with 
the  nature  of  moral  government,  and  of 
the  great  designs  of  mercy,  as  revealed  in 
the  gospel,  that  believers  should  be  freed 
from  obligation  to  love  God  with  all  their 
hearts,  and  their  neighbors  as  themselves. 
The  requirement  of  love  is  founded  in  the 
nature  of  the  relation  between  God  and  a 
rational  creature ;  and  cannot  be  made 
void  so  long  as  the  latter  exists,  unless 
the  former  were  to  deny  himself.  The 
relation  between  a  father  and  son  is  such 
that  an  obligation  to  love  is  indispensable  ; 
and  should  the  son,  on  having  offended 
his  father,  be  forgiven  and  restored,  like 
the  prodigal  to  his  family,  to  pretend  to 
be  free  on  this  account  were  an  outrage 
on  decency.  Every  one  must  feel  that  his 
obligations,  in  such  a  case,  are  increased, 
rather  than  diminished. 

Thirdly  :  It  was  solemnly  declared  by 
our  Saviour,  "that  he  came,  not  to  de- 
stroy the  law,  but  to  fulfil  it ;  "  yea,  "  that 
heaven  and  earth  should  pass  away,  but 
not  a  jot  or  tittle  of  the  law  should  fail." 
A  considerable  part  of  his  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  is  taken  up  in  pointing  out  the  true 
meaning  of  its  particular  precepts,  and  in 
enforcing  them  upon  his  disciples.  To  the 
same  purpose  the  apostle  Paul,  after  dwel- 
ling largely  on  justification  by  faith  in 
Christ,  in  opposition  to  the  works  of  the 
law,  asks,  "Do  we  then  make  void  the 
law  through  faith  1  God  forbid;  yea,  we 
establish  the  law."  But,  if  the  law  ceases 
to  be  binding  on  believers,  Christ  did  come 
to  destroy  its  authority  over  them;  and 
faith  does  make  it  void  in  respect  of  them. 
The  faith  of  those  who  set  Moses  and 
Christ  at  variance  has  manifestly  this  ef- 
fect :  it  is  therefore  in  opposition  to  the 
faith  taught  by  our  Saviour  and  the  apos- 
tle Paul. 

Fourthly  :  In  executing  the  great  work 
of  redemption,  our  Saviour  invariably  did 
honor  to  the  law  :  it  was  written  in  his 
heart.  He  did  not  ask  for  the  salvation 
of  his  chosen  at  the  expense  of  the  law  ; 
but  laid  down  his  life  to  satisfy  its  right- 
eous demands.  Now,  the  essence  of  true 
religion  is  for  the  "  same  mind  to  be  in  us 
which  was  in  Christ  Jesus."  Hence  he 
prayed  that  they  all  might  be  one,  as  the 
Father  was  in  him,  and  he  in  the  Father, 


that  they  might  be  one  in  both.  The 
Lawgiver  and  the  Saviour  were  one  :  and 
believers  must  be  of  one  mind  with  the 
former  as  well  as  with  the  latter;  but  if 
we  depreciate  the  law,  which  Christ  de- 
lighted to  honor,  and  deny  our  obligations 
to  obey  it,  how  are  we  of  his  mind'?  Rath- 
er, are  we  not  of  that  mind  which  is  "  en- 
mity against  God,  which  is  not  subject  to 
the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be?" 

Fifthly  :  The  apostle,  in  what  he  writes 
to  the  Romans  and  Galatians  (two  epistles 
in  which  he  largely  explodes  the  idea  of 
justification  by  the  works  of  the  law),  en- 
forces brotherly  love  as  a  requirement  of 
the  law.  "  Love  one  another,"  says  he, 
"  for  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law — 
Brethren,  ye  have  been  called  unto  liber- 
ty ;  only  use  not  liberty  as  an  occasion  to 
the  flesh,  but  by  love  serve  one  another;  for 
all  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  one  word  :  thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  If 
the  liberty  of  the  primitive  Christians 
consisted  in  being  delivered  from  an  obli- 
gation to  obey  the  precepts  of  the  law,  the 
reasoning  of  the  apostle  was  self-contra- 
dictory :  Ye  are  not  obliged  to  love  one 
another  because  God  in  his  law  requires 
it ;  therefore,  love  one  another,  because 
God  in  his  law  requires  it !  ! 

Sixthly  :  If  the  law  be  not  a  rule  of 
conduct  to  believers,  and  a  perfect  rule 
too,  they  are  under  no  rule  ;  or,  which  is 
the  same  thing,  are  lawless.  But,  if  so, 
they  commit  no  sin  ;  for  "  where  no  law 
is,  there  is  no  transgression;"  and  in  this 
case  they  have  no  sins  to  confess,  either 
to  God  or  to  one  another  ;  nor  do  they 
stand  in  need  of  Christ  as  an  Advocate 
with  the  Father,  nor  of  daily  forgiveness 
through  his  blood.  Thus  it  is  that,  by 
disowning  the  law,  men  utterly  subvert 
the  gospel.  I  am  aware  that  those  who 
deny  the  law  to  be  the  rule  of  a  believer's 
conduct,  some  of  them,  at  least,  will  not 
pretend  to  be  lawless.  Sometimes  they 
will  profess  to  make  the  gospel  their  rule  ; 
but  the  gospel,  strictly  speaking,  is  not  a 
rule  of  conduct,  but  a  message  of  grace, 
providing  for  our  conformity  to  the  rule 
previously  given.  To  set  aside  the  moral 
law  as  a  rule,  and  to  substitute  the  gospel 
in  its  place,  is  making  the  gospel  a  new 
law,  and  affords  a  proof  how  antinomian- 
ism  and  Neonomianism,  after  all  their  dif- 
ferences, can  occasionally  agree.  The 
Scriptures  teach  us  that  "  by  the  law  is 
the  knowledge  of  sin  :"  which  clearly 
implies  that  there  is  no  sin  but  what  is  a 
breach  of  that  rule.  Hence  sin  is  defined 
"the  transgression  of  the  law."  But,  if 
sin  be  the  transgression  of  the  law,  the 
authority  of  the  law  must  be  still  binding; 
for  no  crime  or  offence  attaches  to  the 
breach   of  a   law  which   is    abrogated    or 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.  R.   ROBINSON. 


729 


repealed;  nor  can  it  be  known  by  such  a 
law  how  much  any  man  hath  sinned,  or 
whether  he  hath  sinned  at  all.  Moreover, 
if  there  be  no  sin  but  what  is  a  transgres- 
sion of  the  law,  ihere  can  be  no  rule  bind- 
ing on  men  which  is  not  comprehended  in 
that  law. 

Seventhly  :    The    apostle   writes    as    if 
there  were  no  medium  between  being  un- 
der the  law  to  Christ  and  without  law. — 
1  Cor.  ix.  21.     If  we  he  not  the  one,  we 
are  the  other.     Paul  declares  himself  un- 
der the  law  to  Christ,  which  implies  that 
Christ  has  taken  the  precepts  of  the  moral 
law  as  the  first   principles  of  his  legisla- 
tive   code.     Believers,  therefore,  instead 
of  being  freed  from  obligation  to   obey  it, 
are  under  greater  obligations  to  do  so  than 
any   men  in  the  world.     To   be    exempt 
from   this   is  to    be    without  law,  and,  of 
course,    without   sin ;  in   which  case    we 
might  do  without  a  Saviour,  which  is  ut- 
terly  subversive  of  all   religion. — I   have 
been  told  that  believers  are  not  to  be  ruled 
by  the  law,  but  by  love ;  and  that  it  is  by 
the   influence  of  the  Spirit  that  they  are 
moved   to  obedience,  rather  than   by   the 
precepts  of  the  law.     To  this  I  answer — 
1.     If  a  believer  be  ruled  by  love  in  such 
a  way  as  to  exclude  obligation,  this  is  the 
same  as  if  a  son  should  say  to  his  father, 
I  have  no  objection  to  oblige  you,  Sir:  I 
will  do  your    business  from    love;  but  I 
will   not   be   commanded!     That  is,  what 
he  pleases  he  will  do,  and  no  more. — No 
parent  could  bear  such  an  answer  from  a 
child  ;  and  how  can  we  suppose  that   God 
will  bear  it  from  us  !     "  If  I  be  a  father, 
where    is    my  honor!" — 2.  The    question 
is  not,  What  moves  or  causes  obedience  1 
— but,  What  is   the  rule  of  it!     It  is  al- 
lowed that  all  true  obedience  is  caused  by 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit;   but  that 
to  which  he  influences  the  mind  was  ante- 
cedently  required  of  us  :   He  leadeth   us 
"in   the   way  that  we  should  go." — 3.  If 
the  influence  of  the   Holy  Spirit  on   the 
mind  be  made  the  rule  of  obligation,  and 
that  influence  be   effectual,  it  will   follow 
that  believers  are   without  sin  ;  for  what- 
ever they  are  effectually  influenced  to   do 
they  do;   and,  if  this  be  all  they  are  ob- 
liged   to   do,   then  do  they  comply   with 
their    whole    duty,    and    so   are    sinless. 
Thus,    methinks,    we   have   arrived   at   a 
state    of  sinless    perfection  by   a  sort  of 
back  way  !     But  let  us   not  deceive  our- 
selves :   "  God  is  not  mocked  ;  whatsoever 
a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap." 

After  all,  my  dear  friend,  evidence, 
even  that  which  is  drawn  from  the  word  of 
God,  will  have  little  or  no  influence  on 
minds  which  have  drank  deeply  into  these 
corrupt  principles.  Where  men  have 
found  out  the  secret  of  happiness  without 
Vol.  2.— Sig.    93 


holiness,  there  is  something  so  bewitching 
in  it,  that  you  might  almost  as  well  en- 
counter insanity  as  hope  by  reasoning  to 
convince  them.  Indeed,  I  know  of  no 
character  to  whom  the  words  of  the 
prophet,  though  spoken  immediately  of 
idolaters,  will  more  fully  apply:  "He 
feedeth  on  ashes  :  a  deceived  heart  hath 
turned  him  aside,  that  he  cannot  deliver 
his  soul,  nor  say,  Is  there  not  a  lie  in  my 
right  handl"  There  are,  however,  de- 
grees in  this  kind  of  infatuation  ;  and  I 
doubt  not  but  many  sincere  minds  have 
been  infected  with  it.  If  some  of  this 
description  should  be  recovered,  it  is  worth 
our  utmost  attention;  and  even  those 
whose  prejudices  are  the  most  inveterate 
are  not  beyond  the  reach  of  omnipotent 
grace. 


STRICTURES  ON  SOME  OF  THE 
LEADING  SENTIMENTS  OF  MR. 
R.  ROBINSON. 

LETTER  I. 

ON    THE    IMPORTANCE    OF    TRUTH    AND  A 
RIGHT    BELIEF    OF    IT. 

My  dear  Friend, 

When  we  consider  the  shortness  of  time, 
and  the  variety  of  weighty  concerns  which 
call  for  our  attention  during  that  tran- 
sitory period,  you  will  agree  with  me  that 
whatever  has  not  some  degree  of  impor- 
tance attending  it  has  no  claim  upon  our 
regard.  Every  object  certainly  deserves 
regard  in  proportion  to  its  importance.  If, 
then,  truth  and  a  right  belief  of  it  are  things 
of  no  importance,  or  at  most  of  very  little, 
they  can  assuredly  lay  claim  but  to  a  small 
share  of  our  attention.  But  if,  on  the  other 
hand,  truth — divine  truth,  I  mean — should 
prove  to  be«a  matter  of  great,  yea,  of  the 
highest  importance,  then  inattention  to  it 
would  be  a  conduct  chargeable  with  the 
greatest  culpability.  Were  you  and  I  of 
that  fashionable  opinion— "  that  it  matters 
not  what  we  believe,  if  our  lives  be  but 
good,"— all  attempts  to  investigate  relig- 
ious sentiments,  it  should  seem,  would  be 
to  no  purpose  ;  for  why  need  I  put  myself 
to  the  trouble  of  writing,  and  you  of  read- 
ing what  I  write,  if,  after  all,  it  is  very  im- 
material what  we  think  or  believe  in  these 
matters'! 

Though  I  know  vou  have  no  such  ideas 
of  things,  yet,  seeing  that  the  importance 
of  truth  is  itself  a  truth  on  the  belief  of 
which  our  attention  and  attachment  to  all 
other  truths  depends,  you  will  allow  me  to 
begin  by  establishing  that.* 

*  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  tliis  is  Mr.  R.'s  grand  de- 
feet.     He  lias  all  along  professed  himself,  1  suppose. 


730 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


I  have  sometimes  wondered  why  it 
should  be  thought  more  criminal  to  diso- 
bey what  God  commands  than  to  disbe- 
lieve what  he  declares.  Certainly,  if  any 
master  of  a  family  came  into  his  o\\  n  house 
and  told  a  plain  tale  from  his  own  knowl- 
edge, and  if  any  of  the  family  were  to  af- 
fect to  doubt  it,  he  would  take  it  as  ill  as 
if  they  refused  to  do  what  he  commanded. 
Yea,  for  aught  I  know,  more  so  ;  for  to  call 
in  question  his  integrity  would  probably 
be  more  heinous  in  his  view,  than  merely 
to  disregard  his  authority. 

There  are  two  passages  of  Holy  Writ 
that  have  especially  struck  my  mind  on 
this  subject.  One  is,  that  solemn  piece  of 
advice  given  by  the  wise  man  :  "  Buy  the 
truth,  and  sell  it  not."  He  does  not  name 
the  price,  because  its  value  was  beyond  all 
price.  As  when  we  advise  a  friend  to 
purchase  some  very  valuable  and  necessa- 
ry articles,  we  say,  "  Buy  it,  give  what  you 
will  for  it,  let  nothing  part  you."  So 
here, — Buy  it.  at  any  rate  !  It  cannot  be 
too  dear  !  give  up  ease,  wealth,  or  reputa- 
tion, rather  than  miss  it !  part  with  your 
most  darling  prejudices,  preconceived  no- 
tions, beloved  lusts,  or  any  thing  else  that 
may  stand  in  the  way  !  And,  having  got 
it,  make  much  of  it — sell  it  not !  no,  not 
for  any  price  !  make  shipwreck  of  any 
thing  rather  than  of  faith  and  a  good  con- 
science !  part  with  life  itself  rather  than 
with  divine  truth ! — But  why  so  tenacious 

a  Calvinist ;  but  never  seems  to  have  been  in  earnest 
in  preaching  or  writing  on  these  principles — never 
seems  to  have  acted  as  though  lie  thought  they  were 
of  importance.  How  differently  has  he  acted  con- 
c  ruing  the  principles  of  nonconformity ,  and  some  oth- 
er favorite  subjects  !  How  coldly  has  he  treated  those 
in  comparison  with  these  !  Besides  acknowledging 
Arians  and  Socinians  as  "  mistaken  brethren, "  and 
choosing  rather  to  be  "a  frozen  formalist"  than 
•*  set  on  fire  of  hell," as  he  terms  it,  lie  openly  avows 
his  belief  of  the  innocence  of  mental  error;  which,  I 
think,  is  full  as  much  as  to  avow  the  non-importance 
of  truth. 

Here,  by  the  by,  I  think  it  must  require  a  very 
large  stretch  of  charity  to  acquit  him  of  inaiiiltst 
known  sophistry.  Alter  having  called  those  who  de- 
ny Christ's  divinity"  mistaken  brethren,"  he  supposes 
an  objector  would  say,  But  all  this  argues  great  cold- 
ness to  your  Lord  !  and  in  reply  his  words  arc — "  I 
would  rather  be  frozen  into  a  formalist,  than  inflamed 
with  the  fire  of  hell  :  in  the  first  case  I  should  be  a 
harmless  statue;  in  the  last  a  destroyer  like  the  dev- 
il."— :See  his  Plea  for  the  Divinity  of  Christ, 
near  the  conclusion.  .Surely,  he  must  know  this  to 
be  eva  ive  and  sophistical.  Could  lie  be  ignorant  of 
a  medium  between  cool  indifference  and  a  criminal 
heart  !  If  lie  be,  woe  be  to  him  !  Need  he  be  told 
that  the  Word  of  Cod  requires  us  to  contend  earnest- 
ly, though  not  angrily,  for  the  faith'  1  His  answer 
is  a  vindication  of  one  extreme  by  exclaiming  against 
another.  As  though  a  man  should  say,  when  reprov- 
ed for  sloth,  Better  be  a  sluggard  than  a  robber;  for 
in  that  case  1  should  do  a  woi  Id  of  mischief  !  Tine  • 
but  is  there  no  medium  '?  And  is  not  that  mediuir 
the  position  which  every  man  ought  to  occupy  1 


of  truth,  if  after  all  it  is  of  little  or  notro- 
portance  ? 

I  remember  not  many  years  since  hear- 
ing a  minister  preach  at  a  certain  ordina- 
tion from  Heb.  x.  23  :  "  Let  us  hold  last 
the  profession  of  our  faith  without  waver- 
ing." In  enforcing  his  subject  he  made 
use  of  what  might  be  supposed  to  be  the 
call  of  the  martyrs  from  heaven.  He  rep- 
resented one  as  crying  to  us,  "  Hold  it 
fast  ;  I  died  in  a  dungeon  rather  than 
forego  it."  "  Hold  it  fast !  "  says  another, 
"  I  bled  for  it."  "  Hold  it  fast!  "  says  a 
third,  "  I  burned  for  it."  These  senti- 
ments and  motives,  I  own,  met  with  my 
warmest  approbation.  But  if,  after  all, 
it  matters  not  what  we  believe,  why  all 
this  ado  1 

The  other  passage  that  has  especially 
struck  my  mind  is  that  memorable  com- 
mission of  our  Lord,  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature:  he  that  believeth  and  is  baptized 
shall  lie  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned."  He  that  believeth 
— what  1  The  gospel,  no  doubt,  which 
they  were  commissioned  to  preach. 
As  if  he  had  said,  Go  preach  the  gospel  : 
he  that  shall  receive  your  message,  and 
evidence  it  by  a  submission  to  my  authority, 
shall  be  saved  :  but  he  that  shall  reject  it, 
let  him  see  to  it — he  shall  be  damned  ! — 
This  is  very  awful,  and  ought  to  excite 
us,  instead  of  playing  with  truth  and  error, 
seriously  to  examine  whether  we  be  in 
the  faith  ! 

What  is  believing  the  gospel  but  hearti- 
ly admitting  what  it  implies  and  what  it 
declares  1  What  but  admitting  that  God 
is  an  infinitely  amiable  being,  and  that  his 
law  is  "  holy,  and  just,  and  good  1"  for, 
otherwise,  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  for  the 
breach  of  it  would  have  been  injustice 
and  cruelty.  WThat  but  admitting  that  sin 
is  an  infinite  evil,  and  that  we  are  infinitely 
to  blame  for  breaking  God's  law  without 
any  provocation  1  for,  if  otherwise,  an 
infinite  atonement  would  not  have  been  re- 
quired :  God  would  have  accepted  some 
other  sacrifice  rather  than  have  given  up 
his  own  Son.  What  but  admitting  that 
we  are  utterly  depraved  and  lost,  lying 
entirely  at  God's  discretion  1  If  he  save 
us  alive,  we  live  ;  or  if  we  have  our  por- 
tion with  devils,  with  whom  we  have  sided 
against  him,  he  and  his  throne  are  guiltless. 
This  is  implied  in  the  gospel  of  a  crucified 
Saviour-  for,  if  we  had  not  been  utterly 
lost,  we  had  not  needed  a  Saviour — at 
least,  such  a  great  one.  In  fine  :  what  is 
it  but  admitting  that  the  plan  of  redemp- 
tion is  a  plan  full  of  infinite  glory,  the 
device  of  infinite  wisdom,  the  expression 
of'infinite  love,  the  work  o!  infinite  power., 
and  the  display  of  infinite  glory,  justice. 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.  R.    ROBINSON 


731 


and  faithfulness  ] — a  plan  originating  in 
the  heart  of  God,  effected  by  means  the 
most  astonishing,  and  productive  of  ends 
the  most  glorious  ! — no  less  glorious  than 
the  eternal  honor  of  its  author,  the  triumph 
of  truth  and  righteousness,  the  confusion 
of  Satan,  the  destruction  of  sin,  and  the 
holiness  and  happiness  of  a  number  of 
lost  sinners  which  no  man  can  number! 
— a  plan  this,  therefore,  "  worthy  of  all 
acceptation!"  worthy  of  being  approved 
and  acquiesced  in  with  all  the  heart  ! 
These,  I  think,  are  some  of  the  principal 
truths  which  the  gospel  exhibits  ;  and  who- 
soever really  believes  them  shall  be  saved. 

On  the  other  hand,  what  is  it  to  disbe- 
lieve the  gospel,  but  to  remain  under  a 
persuasion  that  God  is  not  such  an  infi- 
nitely amiable  being  as  to  be  worthy  of 
being  loved  with  all  the  heart,  and  soul, 
and  mind,  and  strength  ] — that  therefore 
his  law  is  too  strict,  and,  if  it  must  extend 
to  the  heart,  too  broad,  requiring  more 
than  ought  to  be  required,  especially  of 
fallen  creatures  1 — that  consequently  a 
breach  of  it  is  not  so  very  criminal  as  to 
deserve  damnation  ] — that,  if  God  were 
to  damn  us,  it  would  be  a  very  hard  and 
cruel  thing] — that  we  are  not  so  depraved 
and  lost  but  that,  if  God  were  but  to  deal 
fairly  with  us,  we  should  do  very  well 
without  a  Saviour,  or  at  least  without 
such  a  Saviour  and  such  a  salvation  as 
is  altogether  of  grace  1 — that  there  is  no 
such  excellence  in  the  Saviour  that  we 
should  desire  him,  no  such  glory  in  his 
way  of  salvation  that  we  should  choose  it 
— so  choose  it,  however,  as  to  be  willing 
to  have  our  pride  mortified,  and  our  lusts 
sacrificed  to  it] — in  fine  :  that  there  is  no 
need  for  such  an  ado  about  the  concerns 
of  our  souls — no  need  to  become  new 
creatures,  to  be  at  war  with  all  sin,  and  to 
make  religion  our  daily  business  ]  This  I 
take  to  be  nearly  what  the  -Scriptures 
mean  by  unbelief.  However,  be  my  ideas 
of  the  gospel  right  or  wrong,  that  affects 
not  the  present  question  ;  for,  be  the  gos- 
pel what  it  may,  the  belief  of  it  has 
attached  to  it  the  promise  of  salvation, 
and  the  disbelief  of  it  the  threatening  of 
damnation. 

You  have  observed,  I  dare  say,  that  it 
is  very  common  to  represent  truth,  and 
the  belief  of  it,  as  of  small  account,  and 
morality  as  all  in  all  ;  nay,  more,  that 
the  preaching  of  the  former  is  the  way 
to  subvert  the  latter.  And  yet  how  easy 
were  it  to  prove  that  this  is  no  other  than 
destroying  the  means  in  order  to  effect  the 
end !  Whatever  may  be  pretended,  I 
believe  it  will  be  found  that  all  sin  springs 
from  error,  or  the  belief  of  some  false- 
hood ;  and  all  holy  actions  from  the  belief 
of  the  truth.     The  former  appears  in  that 


the  will  of  man  is  so  constituted  as  never 
to  choose  any  thing  but  an  apparent 
good.  It  is  impossible  we  should  choose 
what  appears  to  us  at  the  same  time  and 
in  the  same  respects  unlovely.  Therefore 
whenever  we  choose  evil  we  must  believe 
evil  to  lie  lovely  ;  that  is,  we  must  believe 
a  falsehood.  This  the  Scripture  repre- 
sents as  calling  "  evil  good,  and  good  evil." 
And  thus  all  vice  springs  from  error,  or 
false  views  of  things. 

On  the  other  hand,  whatever  there  may 
be  of  what  is  called  morality,  there  is  no 
real  obedience  to  God,  or  true  holiness, 
in  the  world,  but  what  arises  from  a  con- 
viction of  the  truth.  Does  holiness,  for 
instance,  consist  in  love  to  God!  what 
love  can  there  be  to  God,  but  in  propor- 
tion as  we  discern  the  infinite  excellency 
of  his  nature  1  Does  it  consist  in  abhor- 
ring sinl  How  can  we  do  this  any  further 
than  we  understand  and  believe  its  odious 
nature]  Does  it  consist  in  repentance  for 
sin  !  certainly  there  can  be  nothing  of  this, 
but  as  we  understand  the  obligations  we 
are  under,  and  the  unreasonableness  and 
vileness  of  acting  contrary  to  them.  Or 
does  it  consist  in  prizing  salvation]  this 
will  be  in  proportion  as  we  believe  our  lost 
estate.  From  whence  spring  those  heaven- 
ly virtues  of  fear,  contentment,  diligence 
in  divine  ordinances,  acquiescence  in  the 
will  of  God,  humility,  &c,  but  from  a  con- 
viction of  the  truth  ?  God  proclaims  be- 
fore the  universe  "I  am  the  Lord!" 
This  truth  realized,  or  heartily  believed, 
begets  a  holy  fear  towards  this  fearful 
name.  God  in  his  word  declares  the  van- 
ity of  all  things  under  the  sun,  and  the 
weight  of  future  bliss.  A  belief  of  these 
truths  damps  inordinate  anxiety,  and  raises 
our  desires  after  a  glorious  immortality. 
God  declares  that  a  day  in  his  courts  is 
better  than  a  thousand  elsewhere.  A  be- 
lief of  this  will  make  us  earnest  and  con- 
stant in  our  attendance — will  make  us 
leave  our  farms  and  merchandize,  and  all, 
to  come  and  worship  in  his  house.  God 
has  promised  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor 
forsake  thee  :  " — that  "  they  who  trust  in 
the  Lord  and  do  good  shall  dwell  in  the 
land,  and  verily  they  shall  be  fed."  A 
belief  of  this  calms  and  composes  the  mind 
under  the  darkest  providences.  Thus  it 
was  with  the  prophet  Habakkuk. — Hab. 
iii.  17,  IS.  God  has  told  us  concerning 
ourselves  that  we  are  "a  generation  of 
vipers," — a  race  of  abominable  and  filthy 
beings.  A  belief  of  this  humbles  us  in 
the  dust  before  him.  In  line,  he  has  told 
us  that  to  us  belongs  nothing  but  "shame 
and  confusion  of  face."  A  belief  of  this 
would  prevent  peevishness  under  adverse 
providences.  Under  the  belief  of  such  a 
declaration  we  should  not  wonder  if  God 


732 


MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,  ESSAYS,  &C 


made  us  as  miserable  as  we  have  made 
ourselves  sinful.  What  in  this  world  ever 
filled  a  soul  with  greater  humility  than  a 
realizing  view  of  a  holy  God  filled  Isaiah  1 
— Isa.  vi.  Then,  as  in  a  glass,  he  beheld 
his  own  deformity.  It  was  this  that  made 
him  exclaim,  with  the  deepest  self-abase- 
ment, "  Woe  is  me  !  for  I  am  undone  !  I 
am  a  man  of  unclean  lips;  for  mine  eyes 
have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  Hosts!  " 
Is  it  not  a  "  beholding  of  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  *'  (which  is  no  more  than  discerning 
and  believing  the  truth,  for  God  is  glo- 
rious whether  we  believe  it  or  not)  that 
changes  into  the  same  image'? — 2  Cor.  iii. 
18.  And  is  not  our  being  made  like  Christ 
at  last  ascribed  to  our "  seeing  him  as 
he  is  1  " 

In  short,  I  believe  it  will  be  found  that 
truth  wants  only  to  be  universally  realized 
in  order  to  produce  universal  holiness. 
Should  it  be  asked,  Then  why  is  not  uni- 
versal holiness  found  in  good  men  who 
believe  the  truth  1  the  answer  is,  Though 
they  believe  the  truth,  they  believe  not 
the  whole  truth,  nor  perhaps  do  they 
wholly  believe  any  truth.  When  they 
shall  be  perfectly  delivered  from  "an  evil 
heart  of  unbelief,"  they  shall  possess  per- 
fect holiness. 

You  will  naturally  reflect — if  these  things 
are  so,  what  an  important  thing  is  truth; 
and  what  awful  evils  are  error  and  unbe- 
lief; and  yet  how  prevalent  are  they  in 
the  world,  and  even  in  the  best  of  men! 
True  ;  and  I  will  add  one  more  reflection, 
and  that  is,  if  your  thoughts  coincide  with 
the  sentiments  expressed  in  this  letter, 
you  will  not  only  be  open,  but  eager  to 
hear  any  thing  that  may  tend  to  bring  it  to 
light. 


LETTER  II. 

ON    THE     CRIMINALITY     OF     MENTAL 
ERROR. 

flly  dear  Friend, 

If  what  has  been  already  said  be  just, 
there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  maintaining 
our  ground  here.  For,  certainly,  the  be- 
lief of  that  which  ought  to  be  bought  and 
held  fast  at  any  rate  cannot  be  a  matter  of 
indifference.  An  error  which  has  no  less 
than  eternal  damnation  threatened  against 
it  must  be  criminal,  and  that  in  a  high 
degree. 

One  main  article  in  Mr.  Robinson's 
creed  is,  that  the  Bible  knows  nothing  of 
mystery,  but  is  a  plain  book — so  plain  as 
to  be  level  with  the  common  sense  of  man- 
kind. Whether  the  Scriptures  contain 
any  thing  mysterious,  or  not,  it  appears 
to  me  altogether  a  mystery  that  any  man 


of  common  sense  should  maintain  two  such 
opposite  positions  as  the  simplicity  of  the 
Scriptures  and  the  innocence  of  mental 
error:  asserting  that  the  Bible  is  so  plain 
a  book  that  nobody,  without  either  neg- 
lecting or  doing  violence  to  common  sense, 
can  mistake  its  meaning;  and  yet  that  even 
a  thousand  errors  concerning  this  plain 
book  are  altogether  innocent!* 

I  agree  with  Mr.  R.  in  believing  that, 
upon  the  whole,  the  Bible  is  a  plain  book, 
adapted  to  the  common  understandings  of 
mankind  ;  and  that  men  in  general  may 
understand  all  they  are  required  to  under- 
stand, if  their  hearts  are  rightly  disposed. 
At  the  same  time,  there  are  things  reveal- 
ed in  the  Scriptures  which  must  be  to  us 
incomprehensible ;  as  the  incarnation  of 
the  Son  of  God,  which  even  an  inspired 
apostle  declares  to  be  "a  great  mystery." 
There  are  some  things  also  in  the  pro- 
phetic writings  which  can  never  be  fully 
understood  till  their  accomplishment. 
But  then  our  not  comprehending  these 
things  is  not  criminal,  though  the  little 
attention  we  devote  to  them  may  be. 

In  proportion,  however,  as  the  Scrip- 
tures are  plain,  and  easy  to  be  understood, 
must  be  our  criminality,  if  we  be  endow- 
ed with  common  sense,  in  not  understand- 
ing them.  If  the  way  of  salvation  is  so 
plain  that  "a  wayfaring  man,  though  a 
fool,  shall  not  err  therein,"  then  the  er- 
rors of  men  concerning  it  cannot  be  inno- 
cent. And  the  same  is  true  of  the  pre- 
ceptive parts  of  Scripture.  If  error  arise 
not  from  the  obscurity  of  Scripture,  from 
its  being  beyond  the  capacity  of  men  in 
general,  it  must  arise  from  other  causes  ; 
and  what  these  can  be  besides  indifference, 
indolence,  carelessyiess,  prejudice,  pride, 
or  aversion,  I  know  not. 

*  "  The  New  Testament  is  a  book  so  plain,  and 
the  religion  of  it  so  easy,  that  any  man  of  common 
sense  might  understand  it  if  he  would."  A  person 
who  has  examined  a  -Scripture  doctrine,  "  and  can- 
not obtain  evidence  of  the  truth  of  it,  is  indeed  in  a 
state  in  which  his  knowledge  is  imperfect  ;  but  his 
imperfection  is  innocent,  because  he  hath  exercised 
all  the  ability  and  virtue  lie  has,  and  his  ignorance 
is  involuntary  ;  yea,  perhaps  he  may  have  exercised 
ten  times  more  industry  and  application,  though  with- 
out success,  lhan  many  others  who  have  obtained 
evidence." — General  Doctrine  of  Toleration,  Src. 

"  Any  man  r.f  common  sense  might  understand  it 
if  he  would  ;  "  and  yet  many  such  men  may  exam- 
ine it,  "  with  all  their  ability  and  all  their  virtue," 
and  "  not  obtain  evidence  !  "  This  is  a  mystery, 
let  what  will  be  plain.  And  such  a  man's  imper- 
fection is  innocent,  because  he  hath  exercised  all  the 
ability  and  virtue  he  has!  If  our  obligations  are 
to  be  measured  by  the  degree  of  virtue  we  possess, 
the  way  to  get  clear  of  all  obligation  is  to  become 
totally  abandoned  to  vice.  Far  be  it  from  me  to  at- 
tach to  others  more  blame  than  I  would  acknowledge 
belongs  to  myself,  if  I  continue  in  error.  We  are 
all  imperfect ;  but  let  us  not  call  our  imperfections 
innocent. 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.   R.   ROBINSON. 


733 


"  Why  do  ye  not  understand  my 
speech'?"  said  our  Lord  to  the  Jews. 
Was  it  because  it  was  not  inportant 
enough  to  demand  their  attention,  or  he- 
cause  it  Was  not  plain  enough  to  meet 
the^r  capacities  1 — No.  Mark  the  an- 
swer. Why  1  "  Because  ye  cannot  hear 
my  word."  What,  then,  were  they  na- 
turally deaf] — No.  That  had  been  their 
felicity.  Belter  have  no  ears,  than  ears 
and  hear  not.  Their  deafness  was  like 
that  of  the  adder,  that  "  will  not  hear  the 
voice  of  the  charmer,  charm  he  never  so 
wisely."  Then  would  they  not  listen  to 
his  discourses  1  This  does  not  appear. 
But  they  could  not  receive  his  doctrine. 
This  is  the  import  of  the  answer.  And 
tuhy  could  they  not  receive  if?  Evidently 
because  of  their  pride,  prejudice,  and  love 
of  sin.  The  pride  of  their  hearts  could 
not  bear  the  doctrine  which  represented 
them  as  slaves  to  ignorance  and  sin,  and 
proposed  their  being  made  free  by  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  With  a  haughty, 
contemptuous  air,  they  spurn  the  propo- 
sal ;  replying,  "  We  be  Abraham's  seed, 
and  were  never  in  bondage  to  any  man  : 
how  sayest  thou,  Ye  shall  be  made  free  1" 
Their  prejudice  in  favor  of  their  old  re- 
ligion hardened  them  against  conviction, 
and  their  love  of  sin  set  them  against  that 
gospel  which  laid  the  axe  at  the  root  of 
that  evil  tree.  Our  Lord,  in  effect,  told 
them  so.  "  Ye  are  of  your  father,  the 
devil,  and  the  deeds  of  your  father  ye 
will  do."  As  if  he  had  said,  You  would 
rather  continue  slaves  to  Satan  than  that 
"the  Son"  should  make  you  free  ! 

There  seems  to  be  a  beautiful  propriety 
in  our  Lord's  parable  of  the  sower.  It  is 
observable  that,  of  the  four  sorts  of  ground, 
only  one  received  the  seed  so  as  to  bring 
forth  fruit  ;  and  that  one  is  explained  of 
persons  who  have  "  good  and  honest 
hearts:"  plainly  implying  that,  if  men's 
hearts  were  but  honest,  they  would  be 
sure  to  embrace  the  word  of  God.  Indeed 
the  nature  of  divine  revelation  is  such 
that  its  rejection  implies  a  dishonest 
heart.  For  instance,  does  the  word  of 
God  set  forth  the  rights  of  Deity,  and 
human  obligation  1  This  is  what  an  hon- 
est heart  loves.  That  heart  cannot  be 
honest  which  does  not  rejoice  in  every 
one  having  his  due,  and  consequently 
in  God's  having  his.  Does  it  represent 
man  as  having  forfeited  all  claim  to  the 
goodness  of  Godl  An  honest  heart  will 
acquiesce  in  this,  and  be  willing  to  receive 
all  as  a  free  donation.  Does  it  exhibit 
such  a  way  of  salvation  as  provides  for  the 
honor  of  injured  Majesty  1  This  is  sure 
to  be  embraced  by  an  honest  heart  :  such 
a  mind  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  be- 
ing saved  at  the  expense  of  righteousness. 


To  desire  to  receive  mercy  in  any  other 
than  an  honorable  way  indicates  a  dishon- 
est heart.  Whoever,  therefore,  does  not 
cordially  approve  and  embrace  the  salva- 
tion of  the  gospel,  the  reason  is  plain. 

Perhaps  it  will  be  said,  these  things  are 
spoken  of  wicked  men,  and  indicate  the 
criminality  of  their  errors.  But  surely 
the  errors  of  good  men  arise  from  differ- 
ent causes.  Surely  they  maybe  innocent. 
It  must  be  allowed  that  good  men  have 
errors  in  judgment,  as  well  as  in  practice; 
but  that  the  former,  any  more  than  the 
hitter,  are  innocent,  does  not  appear.  I 
wish  not  to  think  worse  of  any  man's  er- 
rors than  I  do  of  my  own,  or  of  him  than 
of  myself,  for  being  in  error.  No  doubt 
I  have  mistaken  apprehensions  of  some 
things,  as  well  as  other  people;  though 
wherein  is  unknown  to  me  :  but  I  would 
abhor  the  thought  of  pleading  innocence 
in  such  affairs.  If  my  mistakes,  be  they 
what  they  may,  do  not  arise  from  the  ob- 
scurity of  Scripture,  they  must  arise  from 
some  other  cause.  It  is  vain  to  allege 
that  our  errors  arise  from  weakness  ;  for 
the  Scriptures  can  be  no  otherwise  plain 
and  easy  than  as  they  are  level  with  com- 
mon capacities.  If  the  Scriptures  were 
written  for  the  bulk  of  mankind,  and  yet 
the  generality  of  men  are  too  weak  to  un- 
derstand them,  instead  of  being  plain  and 
easy,  they  must  be  essentially  obscure. 

The  truth  is,  our  mistakes,  as  well  as 
the  ignorance  of  wicked  men,  arise  from 
our  criminal  dispositions.  We  are  too 
careless  about  truth,  and  so  do  not  search 
for  it  "  as  one  searcheth  for  hid  treasure." 
Prov.  ii.  1 — 9.  Or  we  are  selj- sufficient, 
and  think  ourselves  competent  to  find  out 
the  truth  by  our  own  ingenuity  and  mere 
reason ;  and  so  neglect  to  pray  for  the 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Or  we  are 
prejudiced  in  favor  of  preconceived  no- 
tions, and  so  are  apt  to  stifle  evidence. 
The  prejudices  of  mankind,  of  both  bad 
and  good  men,  are  almost  infinite.  There 
is  not  a  mind  in  the  world  without  preju- 
dice, in  a  greater  or  less  degree.  And 
these  are  the  causes  why  the  truth  of  God's 
word  is  not  believed  and  obeyed.  We 
might  as  well  plead  iceakness  for  not  obey- 
ing God's  commands  as  for  not  believing 
his  declarations.  The  one,  as  well  as  the 
other,  is  a  moral  weakness  ;  and  that, 
strictly  speaking,  is  not  weakness,  but 
wickedness.  Doubtless,  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  excusable  weakness,  both  in  refer- 
ence to  obeying  God's  commands  and  to 
believing  his  sacred  truth.  If  a  man  be 
afflicted,  so  as  to  be  incapable  of  attend- 
ing the  house  of  God,  or  if  he  be  detained 
by  the  afflictions  of  others,  the  command 
for  publicly  worshipping  God  ceases,  at 
that  time,  to  be  binding.     The  same  may 


734 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


be  said  of  mental  debility.  If  a  man  be  in 
any  way  deprived  of  reason,  his  weakness, 
in  proportion  as  it  prevails,  excuses  him 
from  blame,  in  not  understanding  and  be- 
lieving the  truth.  Nay,  I  think  persons  of 
extremely  weak  capacities  are  comparative- 
ly excusable.  It  they  be  weak  in  other- 
things,  as  well  as  in  religion,  we  are  bound 
not  to  impute  it  to  the  want  of  a  disposi- 
tion, any  farther  than  their  weakness  in 
both  may  be  imputed  to  the  want  of  dili- 
gent application.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  persons  who  never  had  the  means,  or  the 
opportunity,  of  knowing  the  truth.  The 
heathen  will  not  he  condemned  for  reject- 
ing the  gospel,  unless  they  have,  or  might 
if  they  would  have  heard  it;  but  for  re- 
jecting the  light  of  nature. — Rom.  i.  18 
—25. 

But  I  believe,  if  we  examine,  we  shall 
find  the  far  greater  part  of  our  ignorance 
and  error  to  arise  from  very  different 
causes — causes  of  which  our  Lord  com- 
plains in  his  own  immediate  disciples  : 
"Oh,  fools,  and  slow  of  heart  to  believe 
all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken."  Our 
ignorance  and  errors,  like  theirs,  are  ow- 
ing in  a  great  degree  to  that  dulness  to 
spiritual  things  of  which  the  best  Chris- 
tians have  sometimes  reason  to  complain. 
The  Lord  Jesus,  so  remarkable  for  his 
tenderness,  and  especially  to  his  disciples, 
would  not  have  rebuked  them  so  severely 
for  an  error  wherein  they  were  blameless. 
Besides,  they  were  prejudiced  in  favor  of 
another  system.  They  had  been  long 
dreaming  of  an  earthly  kingdom,  and,  it  is 
to  be  feared,  of  the  figure  they  were,  to  cut 
in  it.  Their  pride,  therefore,  and  carnal- 
mindedness,  tended  greatly  to  warp  their 
judgments  in  this  matter;  so  that  all 
Christ  had  said  (and  he  had  said  much) 
about  his  death  and  resurrection  seemed  to 
stand  for  nothing.  Their  foolish  minds 
were  so  dazzled  with  the  false  ideas  of  a 
temporal  kingdom  that  they  were  blinded  to 
the  true  end  of  Christ's  coming,  and  to  all 
that  the  prophets  declared  concerning  it. 

Mr.  R.  says,  "  Variety  of  sentiment, 
which  is  the  life  of  society,  cannot  be  de- 
structive of  real  religion.  Mere  mental 
errors,  if  they  be  not  entirely  innocent  in 
the  account  of  the  Supreme  Governor  of 
mankind,  cannot,  however,  be  objects  of 
blame  and  punishment  among  men."  * 

So  far  as  this  relates  to  a  cognizance  of 
the  civil  powers,  or  any  powers  which  in- 
flict civil  penalties,  we  are  perfectly  agreed. 
But  I  suppose  Mr.  R.  means  to  extend  it 
to  the  opinion  and  behavior  of  churches 
towards  individual  members.  If,  for  in- 
stance, a  member  of  a  church  were  to  be- 
come a  Socinian,  and  the   church  were  to 

*  Siuirin'3  Sermori3,  vol.  hi.  Pref.  p.  7. 


blame  him  for  what  they  accounted  apos- 
tacy  from  the  truth,  and  ultimately,  if  he 
continued  in  this  error,  were  to  exclude 
him,  this  would  include  a  part  of  what  is 
meant  by  "  blame  and  punishment  among 
men  "  And  though  it  is  expressly  said, 
"  A.  heretic  reject,  after  the  first  and  sec- 
ond admonition,"  Mr.  R.  would  deny  that 
the  church  had  any  right  to  judge,  in  re- 
spect to  others,  what  is  heresy .f  Herein 
I  am  of  a  different  opinion  :  .but  as  I  may 
consider  this  subject  more  particularly  in 
my  next  letter,  on  Liberty,  I  shall  now  of- 
fer a  few  more  remarks  on  the  above  pas- 
sage. 

"  Variety  of  sentiment  is  the  life  of 
society."  True,  as  one  person  discovers 
one  truth,  and  another,  another ;  as  one 
views  the  same  truth  in  this  light,  and 
another  in  that ;  and  so  all  together  be- 
come serviceable  to  each  other  :  but  this 
does  not  prove  that  a  variety  of  false  sen- 
timents does  any  good.  I  greatly  query  if 
Mr.  R.,  or  any  one  else,  would  hold  this, 
when  it  affected  themselves.  Suppose,  for 
instance,  a  variety  of  sentiment  concern- 
ing his  character  as  a  minister  :  one  thinks 
he  is  a  worthy  minister  of  Christ,  as  well 
as  a  learned,  ingenious  man,  and  an  honor 
to  the  dissenting  interest;  another  thinks 
him,  though  very  ingenious,  not  equally 
ingenuous  ;  and  a  third,  for  variety's  sake, 
might  suggest  that  his  principles  were  even 
pcrniciozis  in  their  tendency.  Now  it  is 
very  doubtful  if  Mr.  R.,  however  he  may 
admire  variety  of  sentiment,  would  in  his 
heart  consider  this  variety  of  sentiment 
good,  either  in  itself,  or  as  tending  to  en- 
liven society.  It  is  a  question  if  he  would 
not  greatly  prefer  that  people  should  plod 
on,  in  the  old  dull  path  of  uniformity ,  and 
all  cordially  agree  in  believing  him  to  be 
an  honest  man.  And,  in  the  absence  of 
evidence  to  the  contrary,  this  uniformi- 
ty of  sentiment  ought  to  exist.  But  why 
in  this  case  only'?  Why  should  not  peo- 
ple be  obliged  to  unite  in  thinking  highly 
and  honorably  of  the  Lord  and  Saviour  of 
men,  as  well  as  of  a  creature  of  yester- 
day 1 

"  But  Mr.  R.  does  not  positively  affirm 
the  entire  innocence  of  mental  error  in 
the  account  of  the  Supreme  Governor  of 
mankind."  True;  but  he  writes  as  if 
he  thought  it.  very  nearly  innocent,  and  as 
if  it  were  very  doubtful   whether  it   is  not 

f  This  is  not  mere  supposition.  It  is  well  knoivn 
that  Mr.  R.  espoused  the  cause  of  some  who  were 
expelled  from  the  Homerton  Academy  for  what  the 
tutors  of  that  institution  thought  heresy.  Of  their 
principles  I  know  little  or  nothing,  and  therefore 
cannot  judge  :  but  Mr.  R.  has  not  only  endeavored 
to  vindicate  them  from  the  charge  of  heresy,  but  he 
has  also  denied  that  the  Society  has  any  right  to 
judge  what  is  heresy. 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OE    MR.    R.    ROBINSON. 


735 


entirely  innocent  :  and  in  one  sense,  it 
seems,  it  is  beneficial,  as  tending  to  enliven 
society. 

"But  he  guards  his  language,  by  say- 
ing mere  menial  error;  by  which,  may  he 
not  mean  such  errors  only  as  arise  from 
mental  weakness,  and  not  from  disposi- 
tion!" If  so,  we  are  agreed  as  to  its  in- 
nocence. But,  if  so,  he  would  not  have 
scrupled  to  assert  its' entire  innocence  in 
the  account  of  the  Supreme  Governor  of 
mankind.  It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  by 
mere  mental  error  he  means  errors  which 
have  there  existence  in  the  mind  merely, 
or  which  relate  to  principles,  in  distinction 
from  those  which  relate  to  practice.  If  he 
were  accosted  by  a  Calvinist,  he  might  il- 
lustrate his  meaning  by  an  error  respect- 
ing "  the  weight  of  the  shekel,"  or  an  er- 
ror in  "chronology,"  or  something  of  that 
kind  :  but  follow  him  into  the  company  of 
Arians  and  Socinians,  and  then  his  mean- 
ing extends  to  their  peculiar  sentiments! 
This  is  founded  on  fact,  and  not  on  sup- 
position. Indeed,  it  is  plain  by  his  writ- 
ings, life,  and  conduct,  that  he  means  to 
include  Arianism  and  Socinianism.  But 
to  call  these  mere  mental  errors,  in  the  in- 
nocent sense  of  the  phrase,  is  begging  the 
question  :  it  is  taking  for  granted  what  re- 
mains to  be  proved,  that  such  sentiments 
(if  they  be  errors)  are  in  that  sense  merely 
mental.  Certainly  it  cannot  be  pleaded, 
in  behalf  of  the  generality  of  those  who 
embrace  these  sentiments,  that  they  are 
not  endowed  with  the  use  of  reason,  or 
that  they  are  persons  of  weak  natural  ca- 
pacities, or  that  they  have  not  opportunity 
to  obtain  evidence. 

Should  it  be  said  that  some  of  them 
have  given  proof  of  their  being  honest  and 
sincere,  by  their  frankness  in  declaring 
their  sentiments,  and  relinquishing  world- 
ly emoluments  for  the  sake  of  enjoying 
them ;  I  answer,  in  the  words  of  Water- 
land,  "A  man  may  be  said  to  be  sincere — 
1.  When  he  speaks  what  he  really  thinks 
truth.  2.  When  he  searches  after  truth 
with  impartiality  and  perseverance." 
The  former,  we  believe,  many  of  these 
gentlemen  possess  ;  and  we  think  it  very 
commendable,  far  preferable  to  a  mean- 
spirited  concealment,  or  a  doubtful  and 
ambiguous  declaration  of  sentiment.  But 
to  believe  that  any  who  fundamentally  err, 
whether  they  or  ourselves,  "search  after 
truth  with  impartiality  and  perseverance," 
is  do  disbelieve  the  promise  of  God,  who 
declares,  "the  meek  will  he  guide  in 
judgment;  the  meek  will  he  teach  his 
way." 

I  wish  it  to  be  considered  whether,  if 
not  the  whole,  a  great  part  of  divine,  truth 
may  not  be  included  under  some  such  gen- 
eral topics  as  these  ;  viz.  Truth  concern- 


ing God,  Christ,  ourselves,  sin,  the  world, 
heaven,  hell,  &c.  Now,  of  which  of  these 
is  it  innocent  for  me  to  think  falsely  1  Am 
I  at  liberty  to  think  more  meanly  of  God 
than  he  has  revealed  himself!—  Can  I 
think  him  such  a  one  as  myself,  without 
offending  him  1  May  I  think  more  mean- 
ly of  Christ  than  the  word  of  God  exhib- 
its him'!  Can  I  detract  from  his  excel- 
lence, and  be  blameless'!  Am  I  allowed 
to  think  more  highly  of  myself  than  the 
word  of  God  represents  me  1  Can  I  be 
bloated  up  with  false  ideas  of  my  own  su- 
per-excellence, and  be  innocent  ?  May  I 
think  better  of  sin  than  it  deserves  1 
Must  I  not  view  it  as  it  is  represented  in 
the  Bible  1  Am  I  at  liberty  to  put  a  false 
estimate  on  Me  good  things  of  this  life? 
Is  not  too  low  an  estimate  of  them  ingrati- 
tude, and  too  high  an  estimate  idolatry  ! 
And  can  either  of  these  be  innocent  1  May 
I  undervalue  the  UJe  to  come?  Or  ought 
I  not,  seeing  God  has  called  it  a  "  weight 
of  glory,"  to  give  it  its  weight  in  deter- 
mining my  pursuits  !  Lastly,  seeing  that 
God  has  threatened  everlasting  destruc- 
tion to  the  finally  impenitent,  am  I  at  lib- 
erty to  qualify  these  terms,  and  accommo- 
date them  to  my  own  wishes  and  feelings, 
and  so  administer  comfort  to  God's  ene- 
mies, as  such  ?  Am  I  not  bound  to  be-* 
lieve  that  God  means  what  he  says  1  May 
I  presume  that  the  threatenings  of  the  Bi- 
ble were  never  intended  to  be  executed, 
but  were  uttered  merely  to  frighten  the 
vulgar  1  Ought  I  not  to  believe  that  God 
is  as  much  in  earnest  when  he  threatens  as 
when  he  promises  1  If  the  Bible  is  a 
plain  book,  can  I  misunderstand  it  and  be 
innocent ? 

Let  mc  conclude  with  one  remark 
more.  Much  has  been  said,  of  late  years, 
about  the  Scriptures  being  the  only  rule 
of  faith,  in  opposition  to  all  rules  of 
human  imposition.  In  this  I  agree.  But 
let  it  be  considered  whether  the  avowal 
of  the  innocence  of  mental  error  be  not  a 
virtual  denial  of  the  Scriptures  being  any 
rule  of  faith  at  all.  According  to  this 
sentiment,  faith  seems  to  have  no  rule — 
at  least  none  that  is  obligatory ;  for  there 
can  be  no  obligation  where  deviation  is  no 
crime.  If  mental  error  be  innocent,  the 
mind  can  be  subject  to  no  law  ;  and  if  the 
mind,  which  has  so  great  an  influence  on 
the  soul,  and  with  which  the  will  and 
all  the  other  powers  constantly  act  in 
concert — if  this  be  without  a  law,  it  can 
be  of  very  little  consequence  to  the  Su- 
preme Legislator  whether  any  thing  else 
in  man  be  left  under  his  dominion  or  not. 
While  we  are  so  jealous,  then,  lest  others 
should  infringe  on  our  liberty,  it  becomes 
us  to  tremble  lest  we  infringe  on  the 
divine  authority.      And  while  we  are  ex- 


736 


MISCELLANEOUS   TRACTS,   ESSAYS,  &C. 


claiming,  "  Call  no  man  master,"  let  ligious  liberty  is  the  power  of  forming 
us  not  forget,  "One  is  our  Master,  even  our  religious  sentiments,  and  conducting 
Christ."  our   religious  worship,    agreeably    to   the 

dictates  of  our  consciences,  without  being 
liable  to  civil  penalties. 
LETTER  III.  Now,  suppose  Mr.  R.'s  notions  of  civil 

and  religious   liberty  be  just,  yet  surely 
on  liberty.  he  makes,  if  not  too  much  of  these,   yet 

too  little  of  that  which  is  of  far   greater 
My  dear  Friend,  importance — moral   liberty.     This  "is  the 

It  has  long  been  the  opinion  of  many  liberty  of  which  the  Scriptures  chiefly 
persons,  who  are  by  no  means  unfriendly  speak  ;  this  is  the  glorious  liberty  of  the 
to  liberty,  that  Mr.  Robinson's  notions  gospel.  This  is  that  of  which  every  un- 
of  it  are  licentious  and  extravagant;  regenerate  man  is  destitute,  being  a  slave 
and  in  this  opinion  I  cannot  help  con-  to  sin  and  Satan.  This  is  the  liberty 
curring.  with  which  the  Son  makes  us  free;  with- 

Liberty  seems  to  consist  in  the  power  out  which  all  other  liberty  is  but  a  shadow 
o/  acting  without  control  or  impediment.  and  an  empty  boast.  This  is  implied 
But  the  term,  being  relative,  must  be  hi  the  reply  of  our  Lord  to  the  boasting 
understood  in  relation  to  the  different  Jews,  who  said  they  were  never  in  bon- 
objects  which  are  supposed  to  be  impedi-  ('age  to  any  man:  "If  Me  Son  make 
raents.  you  free,  then  are  ye   free   indeed."     It  is 

Some  have  defined  liberty  the  power  of  allowed,  indeed,  that  religious  liberty,  or 
doing  what  we  pleased;  and  this  defini-  a  freedom  to  think  and  act  according  to 
tion  will  doubtless  apply  to  every  kind  of  our  consciences,  without  fear,  is  of  great 
liberty  except  moral.  But  moral  liberty,  value,  and  perhaps  we  none  of  us  prize 
which  is  of  greater  importance  than  any  it  sutficiently  ;  but  what  is  this  to  moral 
other  kind  of  liberty,  does  not  consist  in  liberty  1  Suppose  a  man  liberated  from 
this.  Though  we  do  as  we  please  in  the  the  tyranny  of  sin  and  Salan,  and  deprived 
exercise  of  moral  liberty,  this  is  not  that  of  all  religious  and  civil  liberty,  groaning 
by  which  it  is  distinguished  from  other  under  the  yoke  of  powerful  persecution, 
things;  no,  not  from  moral  slavery  itself,  would  he  not  be  in  an  unspeakably  bet- 
Moral  slavery  is  not  that  stale  in  which  ter  situation  than  another  man  possessed 
a  person  is  compelled  to  act  against  his  of  all  the  liberty  he  desired,  whose  soul 
will;    but  rather  a    state  in  which  he    is    was  enslaved  to  sin  1 

impelled  to  act  against  his  conscience.  A  Is  it  not  strange,  then,  that  whenever 
person  may  have  the  power  of  doing  what  Mr.  R.  finds  the  term  liberty  in  the  New 
he  pleases,  to  the  greatest  possible  de-  Testament  he  should  reduce  it  to  a  simple 
gree,  and  yet  be  totally  destitute  of  moral  liberty  of  doing  as  we  please!  And  is 
liberty,  being  a  perfect  slave  to  his  own  it  not  passing  strange  that  "  the  glorious 
appetites.  liberty  of  the  sons  of    God"    should    be 

Some  persons,  perhaps  justly,  have  thus  explained  1 — Rom.viii.  21.  Mr.  R., 
classed  liberty  under  four  kinds — physical,  having  given  us  several  quotations  on  the 
moral,  civil,  and  religious.  Physical  lib-  text  from  Greek  and  Latin  writers,  sums 
erty  is  the  power  of  doing  what  we  up  the  whole  in  English,  by  adding — 
please  without  any  natural  restraints  "  The  amount,  then,  is  this  :  The  hea- 
or  impediments.  If  our  actions  are  not  thens  expected  some  great  revolution  to 
the  free  result  of  our  choice,  that  is,  if  be  brought  about  by  some  extraordinary 
they  are  directed  or  impeded  by  an  influ-  person  about  St.  Paul's  time.  St.  Paul 
ence  contrary  to  our  will,  we  are  destitute  was  well  acquainted  with  their  opinion: 
of  this  liberty.  Moral  liberty  is  the  it  is  natural,  therefore,  to  suppose  that 
power  of  doing  what  is  right,  without  the  apostle  would  speak  on  this  article, 
being  impeded  by  sinful  dispositions  or  and  direct  the  eyes  of  the  pagans  to  Jesus 
passions.  A  libertine,  with  all  his  boast-  Christ.  The  passage  is  capable  of  such 
ed  freedom,  is  here  a  perfect  slave,  a  meaning,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that 
"  While  they  promise  themselves  liberty,  this  is  the  sense  of  it.  The  gentiles  are  ear- 
they  themselves  are  the    servants   of  cor-    nestly  looking  for  such   a   liberty   as  the 

gospel  proposes  to  mankind."  "The 
question  is,"  continues  Mr.  R.,  "what 
liberty  the  gospel  does  bestow  on  man- 
kind." Very  good;  and  now  let  us  see 
what  his  "glorious  liberty  of  the  sons 
of  God  "  amounts  to.     "  In  days  of  yore," 


ruption;  for  of  whom  a  man  is  over- 
come, of  the  same  is  he  brought  in  bon- 
dage." Civil  liberty,  as  it  is  com- 
monly understood  in  Britain,  is  freedom 
from  all  fear  of  punishment  contrary  to 
law,  and   from    subjection    to    any    laws 


but  those    to  which    a   man    himself,  by    says  he,    "  divines   were  not  ashamed    to 
his  representatives,  gives  consent.      Re-    affirm  that  liberty  of  judging  and   deter- 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.    R.    ROBINSON.  737 

mining  matters  of  failh  and  conscience  the  truth,  as  well  as  to  obey  his  commands, 
was -a  prerogative  of  the  papal  tiara" —  He  has  given  us  a  rule  of  faith  as  well 
and  so  on  ;  a  long  story  of  this  kind,  for  as  of  practice,  and  requires  us  to  think 
four  or  five  columns,  reducing  "theglori-  and  act  according  to  it;  and  moreover 
ous  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God  "  to  a  mere  it  is  at  our  peril  that  we  allow  ourselves 
liberty  of  "judging  and  determining  for  in  the  contrary.  This,  however  is  a  dis- 
ourselves  in  matters  of  faith  and  con-  tinction  which  I  never  knew  Mr  R  to 
science  :"  a  freedom  from  the  control  of  have  made;  though  I  could  scarcely  have 
creeds  and  systems — as  though  it  did  not  thought  he  would  base  avowed  the  contra- 
signify  what  we  imbibed  so  that  we  acted    ry,  had  he  not  told  me  in  conversation  that 

freely.''     Suppose  this   freedom  were  in-    no  man  icas  bound  to  believe  the  gospel 

eluded,  yet  surely  it  is    not   the  whole   of    that  their  only  duly  was  to  examine  it 

the  meaning.  Probably  the  apostle  al-  and  that  to  make  it  their  duty  to  believe 
luded  especially  to  the  redemption  of  the  as  well  as  to  examine,  would  destroy  their 
bodies  of  believers  at  the  resurrection,  liberty,  and  render  their  errors  criminal! 
But,  if  Mr.  R.  were  right  in  applying  the  But  what  can  be  made  of  such  a  liberty 
passage  to  the  Gentile  world,  surely  he  as  this,  unless  it  be  a  divine  right  to  do 
might  have  conceived  of  a  more  glorious  wrongl  This  Mr.  R.  ridicules  in  politics 
liberty  than  That  of  thinking  and  acting  (Claude,  vol.  ii.  p.  42):  is  it  not  a  pity  he 
for  ourselves — a  moral  liberty — a  freedom  should  retain  it  in  divinity  1 
from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  Satan,  par-  Further:  there  is  a  material  difference 
ticularly  from  the  slavery  of  idolatry  and  between  my  being  at  liberty  to  believe  and 
superstition.  This  were  a  liberty  worth  act  in  religious  matters  without  being  ac- 
while  for  the  Son  of  God  to  come  from  countable  to  the  civil  authorities  or  to 
heaven  to  bestow.  any  fellow-creature  as  such  ;  and  my  hav- 

Mr.  Robinson  might  be  right   in   cen-    ing  a  right,  be  my  religious  principles  what 
suring  the  bishops  for  "  sacrificing  Chris-    they  may,  to  a  place  in  a  Christian  church, 
tianity  to  save  episcopacy  ;  "  but   let  him    If  I  act  with  decorum  in  my  civil  capacity, 
beware   of  undervaluing  moral  liberty  for    I  have  a  right,  whatever  be  my  religious 
the  sake  of  that  of  which  he  is  so  tena-    principles,  to  all  the  benefits  of  civil  °gov- 
cious,   of  an  inferior   kind.      Christianity    eminent;  but  it  does  not  therefore  follow 
is  of  greater  importance  than  nonconform-    that  I  am  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the 
ity.     A  remark  of  Mr.   Whitfield,   when    house  of  God.    Mr.  R.  blames  the  church 
he   had   attended   one    of  the    synods    of   of  England  for  not  allowing  avowed  So- 
Scotland,  and  had  heard  one  of  the  asso-    cinians  to  continue  in  its  service  and  re- 
ciate  presbytery  preach,  may  not  be-inap-    ceive  its  emoluments  (Claude,  vol.  ii.  p. 
propriate  : — "The  good    man,"  says   he,    212):    and   not    long   since,   unless    I    am 
"  so  spent  himself  in  talking  against  prel-    misinformed,  he  declared  in  public  compa- 
acy,  the  common-prayer  book,  the  surplice,    ny,  at  an  ordination,  that  no  church  had  a 
the  rose  in  the  hat,  and  such  like  externals,    right  to  refuse  any  man  communion,  wheth- 
that  when  he  came  to  the  latter  part  of  his    er  he  were  an  Arian,  a  Socinian,  a  Sabel- 
subject,  to    invite    poor  sinners    to  Jesus    lian,  or  an  Antinomian,  provided  he  was 
Christ,  his  breath  was   so   gone   that   he    of  good  moral  character, 
could   scarce   be   heard."     This   passage        If,   however,    this    notion   consist  with 
Mr.   R.   introduces   into  his  arcana  with    either  Scripture  or  common  sense,  I  must 
great  approbation,  and  adds — "  This  will    confess  myself  a  stranger  to  both.     The 
always    be    the  case  :    that  learning,  elo-    church  of  God  is  represented  as  a  city — a 
quence,  strength,  and  zeal,  which  should    city  with  walls  and  bulwarks;  a  city  with 
be  spent  in  enforcing  '  the  weightier  mat-    gates,  of  which  they  themselves  have  the 
ters    of  the   law,  judgment,    mercy,  and    care  and  keeping. — It  is  true  they  are  corn- 
faith,'  will  be  unprofitably  wasted  on  'the    manded  to  open  the  gates — but  to  whom  1 
tithing  of  mint,  anise,  and  cummin' — on    To  the  righteous  nation  "who  keep  the 
discarding  or  defending  a  bow  to  the  east,    truth."     These,    and   these   only,  are   to 
or  a  rose  in  the  hat." — p. 109.     How  far    enter  in. — Isa.   xxvi.    1,  2.     I   know  the 
this    describes  Mr.  R.'s  subsequent  con-    objection  Mr.  R.  would  make  to  this ;  viz. 
duct,  I  leave  you  to  judge.  Who  is  to  be  judge  what  is  truth'?     But, 

But  not  only  has  he  neglected  weightier  on  this  principle,  we  may  doubt  of  every 
things  in  defending  those  of  inferior  impor-  thing,  and  turn  sceptics  at  once;  or  else 
tance,  but  it  appears  tome  that  his  notions  consider  that  to  be  truth  which  any  man 
of  liberty  are  latitudinarian,  unscriptural,  thinks  is  truth.  But  if  it  be  indeed  so 
and  unreasonable.  difficult  to  ascertain  the  truth  as  that  we 

Though,  in   regard  to  men,  we  are  at    must  needs  give  over  judging  in  that  mat- 
liberty  to  act  and  think  as  we  please  in    ter,  and  that  must   pass   for  truth   which 
matters  of  religion,  this  is  not  true  in  re-    every  person  thinks  to  be  such,  then  sure- 
gard  to  God.     He  requires  us  to  believe    ly  the  Bible  cannot  be  such  a  plain  book 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  94 


738 


[ISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


as  Mr.  R.  represents.  Besides,  we  might 
on  the  same  principle  refrain  from  judging 
between  right  and  wrong;  for  there  are 
various  opinions  about  these,  as  well  as 
about  truth  and  error.  Suppose,  for  in- 
stance, a  person  were  to  apply  to  a  Chris- 
tian church  for  communion  who  approved 
and  practised  polygamy,  or  who  should 
think  that  Scripture  sanctioned  concubin- 
age, and  therefore  practised  it;  upon  this 
principle,  the  church  must  be  silent,  for, 
should  they  object  to  such  practices  as 
immoral,  it  might  be  replied — "I  think 
they  are  right ;  and  who  are  you,  that  you 
should  set  up  forjudges  of  right  and  wrong 
in  other  men's  conduct  1 — Mr.  R.  there- 
fore need  not  have  been  so  squeamish  in 
his  proposed  reception  of  Arians  and  So- 
cinians  as  to  provide  for  their  good  moral 
character.  Upon  his  principle,  the  want 
of  character  ought  to  be  no  objection, 
provided  they  are  so  abandoned  in  vice  as 
to  believe  that  evil  is  good,  or  so  versed  in 
hypocrisy  as  to  say  they  believe  so,  wheth- 
er they  do  or  not. 

I  do  not  see  how  the  church  at  Perga- 
mos  could  have  been  blamed  by  the  Lo.rd 
Jesus  for  having  those  among  them  that 
held  the  doctrine  of  Balaam  and  the  Ni- 
colaitans,  unless  they  were  authorized, 
and  even  required,  to  judge  of  right  and 
wrong,  truth  and  error,  in  relation  to  those 
whom  they  received  as  members.  On 
Mr.  R.'s  principles,  they  might  have  ex- 
cused themselves  in  some  such  manner  as 
this: — "Lord,  we  never  apprehended  we 
had  any  thing  to  do  in  judging  of  the  doc- 
trines that  people  held  who  became  mem- 
bers with  us  :  we  came  together  upon  the 
liberal  principles  of  universal  toleration, 
and  never  expected  to  be  called  to  account 
about  any  one's  sentiments  but  our  own, 
whatever  we  were  for  these."  But,  in 
reply  to  all  such  pleas  as  this,  it  is  suffi- 
cient to  say — "  Thus  saith  He  that  hath 
the  sharp  two-edged  sword,  I  have  some- 
what against  thee." 

As  to  the  bugbear  frequently  held  up — 
that  if  we  presume  to  judge  in  these  mat- 
ters we  assume  to  ourselves  infallibility, 
to  what  does  it  amount  1  On  this  princi- 
ple all  human  judgment  must  be  set  aside 
in  civil  as  well  as  in  sacred  things.  No 
man,  nor  any  set  of  men,  can  pretend  to 
this  ;  neither  need  they.  It  is  sufficient 
that  they  act  to  the  best  of  their  capacity, 
availing  themselves  of  all  the  means  of 
information  they  possess.  All  men,  un- 
doubtedly, are  fallible  :  it  becomes  them, 
therefore,  to  judge  with  meekness  and 
fear;  and  to  consider  that  our  decisions 
are  not  final — that  they  must  all  be  brought 
over  again,  and  themselves  be  tried  with 
them  at  the  great  assize !  But  does  it 
thence  follow  that  all  human  judgment 
jnust  be  laid  aside  1     Surely  not. 


The  great  outcry  that  Mr.  R.  has  matte 
of  our  Lord's  words — "  Call  no  man  mas- 
ter," &c,  is  no  more  to  his  purpose  than 
the  other.  Surely  it  is  one  thing  to  dic- 
tate to  a  man  what  he  shall  believe,  and 
persecute  him  if  he  does  not ;  and  another 
to  require  a  union  of  principles,  in  order 
that  we  may  unite  with  him  in  church 
fellowship,  and  have  communion  with  him 
in  the  ordinances  of  Jesus  Christ.  As  an 
individual,  we  have  nothing  to  do  with 
him  :  to  his  own  Master  he  standeth  or 
falleth  ;  and  we  the  same.  But,  if  he 
propose  to  have  Christian  fellowship  with 
us,  it  is  right  that  we  should  inquire 
whether  his  principles  so  far  coincide  with 
ours  as  that  the  end  proposed  may  be  ac- 
complished. Is  there  not  a  wide  differ- 
ence between  my  persecuting,  or  wishing 
to  persecute,  a  deist,  and  refusing  to  unite 
with  him  in  church  fellowship  1 

I  believe  also  that  Mr.  R.'s  principles 
arc  as  opposed  to  right  reason,  to  common 
sense,  and  to  the  rules  of  society  in  gene- 
ral, as  they  are  to  Scripture. 

In  large  societies,  the  government  of  a 
nation  for  instance,  they  are  obliged  to  be 
very  general,  and  cannot  maintain  such  a 
regularity  as  in  societies  of  less  extent. 
But  even  here  some  unity  of  sentiment 
is  required.  Suppose  a  Jacobite,  for  ex- 
ample, were  to  insist  that  king  George 
was  not  the  rightful  possessor  of  the 
throne,  would  he  have  a  right  to  form  one 
of  his  majesty's  ministry  1  And  suppose 
he  were  to  express  his  intention,  if  oppor- 
tunity offered,  of  uniting  to  dethrone 
him,  would  not  the  government  have  a 
right  to  banish  him  the  kingdom  1  Wheth- 
er they  would  invariably  use  their  right  is 
another  thing  ;  but  the  right  itself  they 
would  undoubtedly  possess. 

In  smaller  societies,  where  persons  unite 
for  the  sake  of  obtaining  certain  ends,  it 
is  always  expected  that  they  should  agree 
in  certain  leading  principles  necessary  to 
the  accomplishment  of  those  ends.  Hence 
there  is  scarcely  a  society  without  articles 
testifying  the  agreement  of  the  members 
in  certain  fundamental  particulars.  Sup- 
pose, for  example,  a  common  club,  united 
for  the  purpose  of  assisting  each  other  in 
time  of  affliction.  It  is  supposed  to  be  a 
leading  principle  of  such  a  society  that 
the  lesser  number  of  members  should,  in 
all  matters  of  debate,  submit  to  the  great- 
er; and  another,  that  a  certain  sum  of 
money  should  be  paid  by  each  member  at 
certain  times.  Now,  just  suppose  any 
one  member  should  dissent  from  the 
rules  ;  common  sense  suggests  the  neces- 
sity of  his  being  convinced  or  excluded. 
But  it  seems  a  Christian  society  has  not 
the  authority  of  a  common  club  ! 

It  cannot  be  difficult  to  prove  that  a 
union  of  faith  respecting  the  proper  deity 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.   R.   ROBINSON. 


739 


of  the  Great  Author  of  our  religion,  and 
the  object  of  our  worship,  is  of  quite  as 
much  importance  in  religious  society,  as 
any  of  the  above  in  civil  society.  Surely, 
the  dethroning  of  the  Son  of  God,  by  the 
denial  of  his  essential  divinity,  cannot  be 
less  pernicious  in  the  gospel  dispensation, 
than  the  denial  of  his  majesty's  authority, 
and  the  endeavor  to  dethrone  him,  would 
be  in  these  realms. 

Some   of  the    grand   ends    of  Christian 
society  are,  unitedly  to  worship  God — to 
devote  ourselves  to  the  blessed  Trinity  by 
Christian   baptism — and    to    acknowledge 
the  atonement  made  by  the  Redeemer,  by 
a   participation  of  the   ordinance    of    the 
Lord's    supper.      But   what    union   could 
there  be  in  worship  where  the  object  wor- 
shipped is  not  the  same — where  one  party 
believes   the   other  to  be  an  idolater,  and 
the  other  believes  him  to  be  a  degrader  of 
Him  who  is  "over  all,  God,   blessed  for- 
ever"? "     What  fellowship  could  there  be 
in  the  Lord's  supper,  for  instance  (not  to 
mention  baptism),  where  one  party  thought 
sin  to  be  an  infinite  evil — that  they,  being 
the  subjects    of    it,    deserved   an   infinite 
curse — that  no   atonement  could  be  made 
but  by  an  infinite  sacrifice — that  the  sac- 
rifice of  Christ  was  such,  and  an  instance 
of  infinite  grace  and  love — and  that  the  de- 
sign of  the   sacred   supper  is  to  revive  in 
our   minds    these    affecting   truths  ; — and 
where  the    other   party   believed   none  of 
these  things — had  no  conception  that  sin 
was  so  great  an  evil  as  to  deserve  infinite 
punishment,  or  to  need  an  infinite  atone- 
ment— that,  in  fact,  they  are  not  such  great 
sinners  as  to  need  not  only  a  Saviour,  but  a 
great  one  ?     That  what  is  to  the  one  "  the 
glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God  "  is  to 
the  other  foolishness,  and   an  insult,  for- 
sooth, upon  his  dignity  ! 

If  ever  any  professed  Christians  differ- 
ed in  the  essentials  of  religion,  Calvinists 
and  Socinians  do.  I  wish  to  conduct  my- 
self towards  a  Socinian  no  otherwise  than 
I  believe  a  Socinian  ought  to  conduct  him- 
self towards  me,  on  the  supposition  that  I 
am  in  error.  Dr.  Priestley  acts  more 
consistently,  and  more  like  an  honest  man 
than  Mr.  R.  He  denies  the  propriety  of 
Unitarians  and  Trinitarians  uniting  togeth- 
er in  divine  worship,  and  exhorts  all  of  the 
former  class  to  form  separate  societies. 
This  I  cordially  approve  ;  for  verily,  what- 
ever esteem  we  may  entertain  for  each 
other  as  men,  in"religion  there  can  be  no 
harmony.  Either  we  are  a  company  of 
idolaters,  or  they  are  enemies  to  the  gos- 
pel— rendering  the  cross  of  Christ  of  none 
effect.  Either  they  are  unbelievers,  or 
we  are  at  least  as  bad — rendering  to  a  crea- 
ture that  homage  which  is  due  only  to  the 


Creator;  and,  in   either  case,  a  union  is 
the  last  degree  of  absurdity. 

Whatever  then,  my  dear  friend,  Mr.  R. 
or  any  one  else  may  suggest,  under  the 
specious  pretence  of  liberality  of  senti- 
ment, I  trust  you  and  I  shall  ever  give 
heed  to  the  belter  reasonings  of  an  in- 
spired apostle  :—"  What  fellowship  hath 
righteousness  with  unrighteousness  1  and 
what  communion  hath  light  with  darkness  1 
and  what  concord  hath  Christ  witii  Belial  1 
and  what  part  hath  he  that  believeth 
with  an  infidel  1  Be  ye  not  unequally 
yoked  together  with  unbelievers." 


LETTER  IV. 

ON  THE  NECESSITY  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 
FOR  THE  RIGHT  UNDERSTANDING  AND 
BELIEVING  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES. 

My  dear  Friend, 

I  do  not  know,  from  any  thing  Mr.  R. 
has  written,  unless  it  be  his  sermon  on 
"  The  Sufficiency  of  the  Holy  Scriptures," 
that  on  the  subject  of  the  present  letter 
there  is  any  difference  between  his  senti- 
ments and  my  own.  That  sermon,  which 
I  read  some  time  since,  appears  to  me  to 
contain  some  things,  obscurely  expressed, 
of  which,  I  confess,  I  can  form  very  little 
judgment.  But  I  have  been  lately  in- 
formed by  a  friend  of  unquestionable  judg- 
ment and  veracity,  and  who  was  far  from 
being  prejudiced  against  Mr.  R.,  that  such 
sentences  as  this  not  infrequently  escape 
him: — "What  more  than  common  sense 
is  necessary  to  understand  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures 1  Not  the  Holy  Spirit;  for  then  Judas 
could  not  have  understood  them."  So 
also,  I  have  been  informed,  by  equally 
good  authority,  that  he  denies  any  thing  of 
a  principle  being  created  or  produced  in 
the  soul  in  the  regeneration.  In  the  ser- 
mon just  alluded  to  beseems  to  ridicule 
the  idea:  "A  positive  act  of  power  (he 
says)  would  produce  an  occult  quality,  for 
which  we  have  no  name,  and  of  which  we 
know  no  use." — Occasional  Sermons,  V. 
p.  98. 

However,  if  he  would  adhere  to  what 
he  says  in  his  notes  to  Claude,  vol.  ii.  p. 
320,  I  am  inclined  to  think  we  should 
agree.  "  The  Holy  Spirit  proposeth  truth 
in  the  Scriptures,  and  formeth,  in  those  who 
believe,  dispositions  to  admit  it."  By  this, 
it  would  seem  as  if  he  thought  something 
more  than  common  sense  was  necessary 
to  the  reception  of  divine  truth  ;  viz.  dis- 
positions formed  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  With 
this  I  am  perfectly  satisfied.  What  ideas 
some  may  have  entertained  of  the  produc- 
tion of  a  divine  principle  I  know  not;  but 


740 


MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,   ESSAYS,  &C. 


the  whole  idea  I  have  of  it  is,  that  it  is 

the  formation  of  a  disposition. 

With  this  representation  of  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  I  am  satisfied.  For  aught  I  see, 
it  is  clear  and  comprehensive.  And  I  only 
wish  Mr.  R.  would  adhere  to  it.  It  supposes 
three  things,  on  each  of  which  I  shall  offer 
a  few  remarks  : — 1.  That  holy  dispositions 
are  necessary,  in  order  to  the  admission  of 
Scripture  truth.  2.  That  men  by  nature 
have  no  such  disposition.  3.  That  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  necessary  to 
produce  it. 

First :  Holy  dispositions  are  necessary 
in  order  to  the  admission  of  Scripture 
truth.  This,  I  think,  Scripture  and  com- 
mon sense  concur  to  prove.  Really  and 
properly  to  understand  any  writer,  it  is 
necessary  that  we  enter  into  his  spirit, 
sentiments,  and  feelings.  Thus,  to  un- 
derstand Sir  Isaac  Newton,  we  must  have 
a  taste  for  philosophy  :  otherwise,  though 
we  understand  the  words  and  sentences 
abstractedly,  we  shall  never  enter  into  his 
spirit  and  views.  The  writings  of  a  phi- 
losopher must  be  philosophically  discerned. 
So,  without  a  taste  for  poetry,  we  shall 
never  enter  into  the  views  and  feelings  of 
a  Milton  ;  his  writings  must  be  poetically 
discerned.  And,  by  a  parity  of  reasoning, 
properly  to  understand  the  inspired  wri- 
ters, we  must  enter  into  their  views  and 
feelings,  and  be,  in  a  sort,  inspired  too. 
We  must  have,  in  some  degree,  the  same 
spirit  in  reading  as  they  had  in  writing. 
Hence  the  apostle  Paul,  in  perfect  agree- 
ment with  the  principles  of  right  reason- 
ing and  common  sense,  declares  that  the 
things  of  God,  which  are  spiritual  things, 
must  be  spiritually  discerned.  To  sup- 
pose the  Scriptures  within  the  compre- 
hension of  an  abandoned,  vicious  mind, 
would  be  to  their  reproach,  rather  than  to 
their  praise- — a  far  greater  reproach  than 
would  attach  to  the  writings  of  the  most 
profound  philosopher,  were  they  supposed 
to  be  within  the  comprehension  of  an  idiot. 
It  would  be  to  the  eternal  dishonor  of  the 
sacred  writings,  if  they  did  not  exhibit  a 
beauty  and  a  life  utterly  incomprehensi- 
ble to  an  unholy  mind,  and  to  which  such 
a  mind  is  an  absolute  stranger. 

Secondly  :  Men  by  nature  have  no  dis- 
position to  admit  divine  truth.  The  gospel 
contains  a  system  of  principles  directly 
levelled  against  the  evil  bias  of  the  human 
heart.  Wherever  divine  truth  is  admitted, 
pride  must  be  abased,  lust  be  mortified, 
and  every  sinful  enjoyment  abandoned. 
No  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  carnal  mind 
should  be  indisposed  to  the  reception  of 
this  truth:  It  would  be  a  much  greater- 
wonder  if  it  were  not  thus  indisposed. 
But  this  aversion  blinds  the  understanding, 
and  warps  the  judgment.     Take,  for  ex- 


ample, four  or  five  Scripture  truths — the 
evil  of  sin — the  justice  of  God  in  punish- 
ing it  with  everlasting  destruction — the 
unspeakable  love  of  God  in  the  gift  of  his 
Son — the  grace  of  God  in  saving  sinners — 
and  the  beauty  and  bliss  of  a  holy  life. 
Now  what  unholy  mind  can  receive  these 
truths'!  He  that  receives  one  will  re- 
ceive all  ;  but  he  that  is  blind  to  one  will 
be  blind  to  all. 

Common  sense  proves  a  number  of  dis- 
positions necessary  to  the  right  under- 
standing of  divine  truth,  of  which  Scrip- 
ture and  experience  prove  men  by  nature 
to  be  destitute.  One  thing  absolutely 
necessary  is  an  earnestness  of  spirit  after 
it.  We  must  have  a  heart  to  know  God. 
— Jer.  xxiv.  7.  We  must  search  for  di- 
vine knowledge  as  one  searcheth  for  hid 
treasure.  "  If  thou  wilt  incline  thine  ear 
unto  wisdom,  and  apply  thine  heart  to  un- 
derstanding— if  thou  criest  after  knowl- 
edge, and  liftest  up  thy  voice  for  under- 
standing— if  thou  seekest  her  as  silver,  and 
searchest  for  her  as  for  hid  treasures — 
then  shalt  thou  understand  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge  of  God." — 
Prov.  ii. 

But  he  that  is  under  the  dominion  of  sin 
is  generally  under  the  dominion  of  care- 
lessness and  indifference  to  divine  truth  ; 
and,  so  long  as  this  is  the  case,  all  the 
common  sense  in  the  world  will  be  of  no 
avail.  A  price  is,  indeed,  put  into  his  hand 
to  get  wisdom  :  but  it  is  a  price  in  the  hand 
of  a  fool,  seeing  he  has  no  heart  to  possess 
it.  His  attention  is  absorbed  by  carnal  ob- 
jects :  what  cares  he  for  religion  1  Hence 
the  complaint — "Whom  shall  he  teach 
knowledge  1  whom  shall  he  make  to  un- 
derstand doctrine  1  Them  that  are  weaned 
from  the  milk,  and  draicn  from  the  breasts." 
So  long  as  people  are  careless  about  spir- 
itual things,  and  know  no  pleasure  beyond 
that  of  drinking  at  the  fountains  of  sensu- 
al enjoyments,  "  precept  may  be  upon 
precept,  precept  upon  precept,  line  upon 
line,  line  upon  line,"  over  and  over  again; 
but  they  will  not  hear. — Isa.  xxviii.  7 — 13. 

Or  suppose  carelessness  and  sensual  in- 
dulgences be  not  the  obstacle — suppose  a 
diligent  attention  to  the  acquirement  of 
religious  knowledge — still  how  many  want 
a  spirit  of  meekness,  openness  to  convic- 
tion, self -diffidence,  and  impartiality  !  all 
which  are  necessary  to  a  right  understand- 
ing of  divine  truth.  The  Bereans  not 
only  searched  the  Scriptures  daily,  but 
received  the  word  with  readiness  of  mind. 
God  declares  "the  meek  he  will  guide  in 
judgment ;  the  mceA'he  will  teach  his  way." 
But  the  natural  man,  with  all  his  common 
sense,  is  not  emptied  of  self-sufficiency . 
On  the  contrary,  his  heart  puffeth  him  up; 
and  while  he  "  thinketh  he  knoweth  any 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.    R.    ROBINSON. 


741 


thing,  he  knoweth  nothing  as  he  ought  to 
know."  This,  I  apprehend,  was  the  case 
with  Balaam  and  Judas,  and  every  other 
naturally  but  not  divinely  enlightened  sin- 
ner. With  all  their  knowledge,  they  know 
not  God  ;  nor  can  they,  in  such  a  slate  of 
mind,  enter  into  the  spirit  of  his  word. 
-  I  have  sometimes  wondered  that  the 
words  of  the  apostle  Paul  should  seem 
so  difficult  to  he  understood  : — "  The  nat- 
ural man  discerneth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  ;  neither  can  he  know  them  ; 
for  they  are  spiritually  discerned." 

Any  man  may  affirm,  and  no  man  mis- 
understand him,  or  doubt  the  truth  of  the 
assertion, — that  a  careless  man  cannot  find 
out  knowledge,  that  a  self-conceited  man 
cannot  be  wise,  or  that  a  man  under  the 
influence  of  prejudice  will  not  ascertain 
the  truth  :  why,  then,  should  the  words 
of  the  apostle  be  accounted  mysterious, 
and  their  truth  be  called  in  question,  or 
explained  away  1 

In  any  common  quarrel  among  men,  it 
is  sure  to  be  the  case  that  he  that  is  in  the 
wrong  is  blind  to  truth  and  reason.  To  a 
bystander  the  matter  appears  plain ;  but 
should  he  attempt  to  mediate  between  the 
parties — to  reason  with  the  offender,  and 
convince  him  of  his  evil — he  will  soon  find 
that  a  right  spirit  is  necessary  to  render 
his  mediation  successful.  The  man  cannot 
see  this,  nor  understand  that;  he  cannot 
perceive  wherein  he  was  to  blame  in  this 
thing,  or  so  much  in  fault  in  the  other. 
And  whyl  Surely  not  for  want  of 'a  nat- 
ural capacity  ;  for  he  is  exceedingly  inge- 
nious in  finding  excuses.  Should  the  me- 
diator proceed  on  the  supposition  of  the 
man's  being  wholly  and  greatly  to  blame, 
and  require  satisfaction  to  be  made,  pro- 
posing, however,  from  his  regard  for  the 
offender,  as  well  as  to  equity,  to  make 
satisfaction  for  him,  only  insisting  that  the 
offender  should  acknowledge  the  offence, 
and  ask  pardon;  so  long  as  the  man  in- 
dulged a  wrong  spirit,  this  would  be  inex- 
plicable. True,  he  must  admit  the  gen- 
erosity of  the  mediator;  but  he  cannot  see 
what  necessity  there  is  for  such  a  proposi- 
tion, and  especially  why  so  much  should 
be  made  of  it :  and  as  to  his  falling  under, 
and  asking  pardon,  these  are  terms  to 
which  he  cannot  submit,  and  the  propriety 
of  which  he  cannot  discern.  Should  these 
terms  be  proposed  to  him  in  writing,  it  is 
a  hundred  to  one  but  he  puts  some  other 
meaning  upon  the  words  than  that  apparent 
to  an  impartial  person,  and  so  excuses 
himself.  If,  however,  the  offended  party 
be  a  person  of  power,  so  that  the  offender 
must  yield,  self-interest  may  dictate  a 
feigned  submission;  but,  alter  all,  he  will 
secretly  think  the  whole  an  unfair  pro- 
cedure.    The   application   of  this  to  the 


quarrel  between  God  and  the  sinner,  the 
mediation  of  Christ,  and  the  reception 
given  to  it  by  the  unregenerate,  is  perfect- 
ly easy.  The  sinner  has  no  disposition  to 
see  things  in  their  true  light. 

Thirdly  :  The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  necessary  to  produce  a  right  disposition 
for  the  reception  of  the  gospel.  This  ac- 
cords with  our  Lord's  representations  to 
Nicodemus.  We  have  no  reason  to  think 
that  this  "ruler  of  the  Jews  "  was  desti- 
tute of  common  sense.  Yet  Jesus  told 
him  that,  unless  he  was  born  again,  he 
could  not  see  the  kingdom  of  God'.  If 
ever  we  have  a  heart  to  know  God,  it 
must  be  of  God's  giving. — Jer.  xxiv.  7. 
A  man  may  read  his^Bible,  and  he  mightily 
pleased  with  himself  for  the  discoveries 
he  makes  by  the  mere  dint  of  common 
sense  ;  but,  if  he  have  no  other  perception, 
with  all  his  ingenuity  he  will  be  blind  to 
its  real  glory.  Our  own  times  furnish  us 
with  too  many  exemplifications.  Let  us 
tremble,  lest  we  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  by 
undervaluing  his  influences.  If  those 
who  think  they  can  do  without  the  Spirit 
were  left  to  their  own  ingenuity,  He 
would  be  just,  nor  could  they  complain.  I 
wish  our  character  be  not  drawn  in  that  of 
the  Laodiceans :  "  Thou  sayest  I  am 
rich,  and  increased  in  goods,  and  have 
need  of  nothing  ;  but  knowest  not  that 
thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and 
poor,  and  blind,  and  naked."  May  we 
hearken  to  the  counsel  given  to  that  de- 
luded people,  and  apply  to  the  true  source 
of  all  spiritual  light,  for  "  eye-salve  that 
we  may  see."  They  were  wonderfully 
enamored  with  their  discernment ;  but 
Christ  pronounced  them  blind.  They  had 
applied  to  a  wrong  source  for  light.  If 
they  wished  for  knowledge  worth  obtain- 
ing, they  must  apply  to  him  for  it. 
Oli  that  we  had  a  heart  to  hearken  to  this 
counsel ! 

You  will  not  understand,  by  what  I 
have  written,  that  I  think  there  is  nothing 
in  the  Scriptures  which  a  man  may  discern 
by  common  sense  without  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Doubtless  this  is  the  case  with  many  of 
the  facts  of  Scripture.  All  I  mean  to 
affirm  is  that  there  are  truths  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures — truths,  too,  which  constitute 
the  essence  and  glory  of  the  gospel — truths 
the  discernment  and  belief  of  which  firm 
the  essence  of  true  religion,  which  cannot 
be  admitted  without  an  answerable  disposi- 
tion ;  and  that  this  disposition  must  be  pro- 
duced  by  the  Holy   Spirit. 

Whoever  may  think  lightly  of  his  influ- 
ences, and  fondly  imagine  they  can  do 
without  them,  may  it  be  your  prayer  and 
mine — "Take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from 
me  " — "  Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may 
behold  wondrous  things  out  of  thy  law." 


742 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


LETTER   V. 

ON    THE    CANONICALNESS   OF  SOLOMOJSf's 
SONG.* 

My  dear  Friend, 

It  is  an  important  observation  of  an  in- 
spired writer,  "  Happy  is  the  man  who 
condemneth  not  himself  in  the  thing 
which  he  alloweth."  Such  is  the  dark- 
ness, and  such  are  the  prejudices,  of  the 
present  state,  that  a  consistent  character 
is  a  rarity.  I  am  naturally  led  to  these 
reflections  by  a  survey  of  the  course  pur- 
sued by  Mr.  R.  in  relation  to  the  word 
of  God.  It  is  well  known  that,  for  many 
years,  he  has  levelled  all  his  artillery 
against  the  practice  of  sacrificing  Scripture 
to  creeds  and  systems.  So  far  he  has 
done  well ;  but,  alas  !  how  much  easier 
is  it  to  ridicule  the  foibles  and  propensi- 
ties of  others  than  to  keep  in  subjection 
our  own.  Here,  I  think,  he  has  failed. 
There  tuas  a  time  when  he  did  not  hold 
that  there  is  nothing  mysterious  in  Scrip- 
ture ;  as  witness  the  postscript  to  his  Plea 
for  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  on  mystery. 
But  of  late  years  two  capital  articles  of 
his  creed  are,  "  That  the  Scriptures  con- 
tain in  them  nothing  mysterious — nothing 
but  what  common  sense  alone  is  sufficient 
to  understand  ;  and  that  to  explain  them 
in  away  of  allegory  is  all  froth  and  non- 
sense." He  lately  preached  a  sermon 
from  Micah  ii.  5,  which  was  taken  down  in 
short-hand,  in  which  he  pronounced,  a- 
mong  other  things,  that  "Rome  first  at- 
tached the  idea  of  mystery  to  religion." 
Now  it  is  easy  to  see  that,  if  Solomon's 
Song  be  a  Divine  allegory  (which  it  cer- 
tainly is,  if  canonical),  it  bears  very  hard 
upon  both  these  positions.  As  to  the  first, 
I  suppose,  that  Mr.  R.,  with  that  great 
share  of  common  sense  of  which  he  is 
undoubtedly  possessed,  would  find  some 
things  here,  like  what  Peter  said  of  some 
things  in  Paul's  epistles,  "  hard  to  be  un- 
derstood." And  as  to  the  latter,  if  this 
Song  be  divine,  it  must  either  be  entirely 
neglected,  or  an  allegorical  style  of 
preaching,  occasionally,  is  unavoidable. 

That  I  have  not  misrepresented  Mr.  R. 

*  Before  these  letters  were  penned  a  review  of 
"  Williams  on  Solomon's  Song  "  had  appeared  in 
the  "  Biblical  Magazine,"  containing  the  following 
query — "  Had  Solomon  in  writing  this  poem  any 
spiritual  intention  in  reference  to  the  Messiah,  or 
was  it  accommodated  by  some  pious  teachers  in  the 
Jewish  church  to  illustrate  the  sublime  connection 
between  the  Son  of  God  and  his  church,  as  the 
domestic  relation  of  Sarah  and  Hagar,  Isaac  and 
Ishmael,  do  that  of  the  two  covenants  1  "  To  this 
Mr.  Fuller  wrote  a  brief  reply,  which  it  is  not 
thought  necessary  to  retain  in  the  present  edition  of 
his  works,  as  it  is  embodied  and  every  topic  more 
amply  discussed  in  this  letter. — Ed. 


is  evident  from  his  own  words,  in  his  Dis- 
sertation on  Preaching,  prefixed  to  the 
second  volume  of  Claude  :  "  The  fathers 
were  fond  of  allegory ;  for  Origen,  that 
everlasting  allegorizer,  had  set  them  the 
example.  I  hope  they  had  better  proofs 
of  the  canonicalness  of  Solomon's  Song 
than  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing." 
The  amount  of  which  is,  "  The  fathers 
were  fond  of  allegory — Solomon's  Song 
supported  them  in  it — I  do  not  like  alle- 
gory— I  reject  Solomon's  Song." 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  countenance  all 
that  has  appeared  in  the  world  in  the  way 
of  spiritualizing  Scripture,  as  it  is  called. 
Whether  the  "  fathers,"  or  the  children, 
were  the  publishers,  it  matters  not. 
Doubtless  the  greater  part  deserves  no 
better  name  than  that  of  "froth  and  non- 
sense." Yet  there  are  parts  of  Scripture 
which  cannot,  without  doing  violence  to 
"  common  sense,"  be  understood  other- 
wise than  as  types  or  allegories.  The 
whole  Jewish  ceremonial,  if  thus  under- 
stood, bespeaks  the  wisdom  of  its  author, 
has  an  intrinsic  glory,  and  answers  to  the 
New  Testament  exposition  of  it.  But  if 
otherwise,  to  say  the  least,  it  must  have 
been  an  intolerable  load  of  unmeaning 
ceremonies. 

One  would  think  that  no  Christian 
could  doubt  whether  the]  sacrifices  under 
the  law  were  instituted  for  the  purpose  of 
pointing  to  the  great  sacrifice  under  the 
gospel  ;  or  that  the  manna  of  which  the 
Israelites  partook,  and  the  water  of  which 
they  drank,  had  a  typical  allusion. — 1  Cor. 
x.  3,  4.  And  if  any  entertain  doubts 
whether  their  ceremonial  purity  (consist- 
ing in  eating  none  but  clean  creatures — in 
their  priests  wearing  none  but  clean  gar- 
ments— and  in  their  frequent  ivashings) 
were  intended  to  typify  moral  purity,  they 
may  have  those  doubts  removed,  if  they 
wish,  by  inquiring  of  an  inspired  apostle. 
Compare  1  Peter  i.  16  with  Lev.  xi.  44. 

To  account  for  these  ceremonial  injunc- 
tions, as  Mr.  R.  does  in  his  "Christian 
Doctrine  of  Ceremonies,"  by  suggesting 
the  necessity  of  linen  garments,  frequent 
washings,  &c,  because  they  had  so  much 
"  butchery  and  dirty  work  to  do,"  is  nei- 
ther to  the  honor  of  God,  nor  of  his  peo- 
ple Israel.  To  suppose  the  Most  High  to 
deliver  such  injunctions  and  prohibitions, 
and  to  annex  such  awful  penalties,  in  ac- 
commodation to  a  system  of  "■butchery," 
is  not  much  to  the  honor  of  his  character, 
or  his  consummate  wisdom.  And  to  sup- 
pose that  the  people  of  Israel  did  not 
know  how  to  do  "  dirty  work,"  without 
such  a  body  of  laws  and  penalties  to  in- 
struct and  awe  them,  is  not  much  to  the 
credit  of  their  common  sense.  I  submit 
to  you  whether  the  apostle  to  the  Hebrews 


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743 


had  not  a  much  better  notion  of  things 
when  he  styled  the  whole  Jewish  ceremo- 
nial "  a  shadow  of  good  things  to  come'?" 
— Heb.  x.  1.  And  what  but  an  allegor- 
ical meaning  can  be  attached  to  the  forty  - 
fifth  Psabnl  The  "King,"  of  whom 
David  sang  can  be  none  other  than  the 
Son  of  God. — Heb.  i.  8.  And  through- 
out the  whole  Psalm  he  is  described  under 
precisely  the  same  character  as  in  Solo- 
mon's Song. 

But,  not  longer  to  exercise  your  pa- 
tience, by  remarks  on  types  and  allegories 
in  general,  allow  me  to  offer  a  few  rea- 
sons why  I  think  the  Song  of  Solomon  an 
allegory. 

It  is  allowed  on  all  hands  that  this  song 
was  esteemed  canonical  by  the  Jewish 
church  before  and  at  our  Lord's  coming. 
This  is  evident  from  its  being  retained  in 
the  Septuagint ;  and  nothing  appears  that 
in  the  least  degree  invalidates  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  was  always  received  by  the 
Jews  as  authentic. 

There  are  two  things  which  render  this 
fact  of  weight  in  determining  the  ques- 
tion : — 1.  That  to  the  Jewish  church,  until 
their  rejection  of  the  Messiah,  were  com- 
mitted the  oracles  of  God  (Rom.iii.  2); 
to  keep  them,  no  doubt,  from  all  additions 
and  diminutions.  Now,  had  they  betray- 
ed their  trust,  surely  our  Lord  would 
not  have  overlooked  a  matter  of  such  im- 
portance. Since,  therefore,  he  never 
charged  them  with  any  such  thing,  there 
is  every  reason  to  conclude  that  in  this 
matter  they  were  blameless.  It  is  true, 
they  invented  a  number  of  traditions,  by 
which  they  made  void  the  law  of  God  : 
but  they  never  pretended  that  these  were 
Scripture,  but  simply  what  they  were — 
the  traditions  of  the  Robbies.  For  making 
void  the  law,  by  these  traditions,  Jesus 
rebuked  them  in  the  severest  terms  ;  but 
he  never  once  hinted  that  they  had  cor- 
rupted, added  to,  or  diminished  from  the 
Scriptures.  On  the  contrary,  2.  Jesus 
and  his  apostles,  in  addressing  the  Jews, 
appealed  to  those  very  Scriptures  of  which 
they  had  possession,  for  the  truth  of  their 
doctrine.  "  Search  the  Scriptures,"  said 
our  Lord,  "for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have 
eternal  life,  and  these  are  they  which  tes- 
tify of  me."  By  Scriptures  undoubtedly 
they  must  have  understood  him  to  mean 
all  the  books,  at  that  time  in  their  hands, 
accounted  canonical.  Had  he  meant  any 
thing  else,  he  should,  and  doubtless 
would,  have  explained  his  meaning.  For 
Christ  to  inveigh  so  sharply  and  so  fre- 
quently as  he  did  against  traditions,  which 
were  never  pretended  to  be  canonical,  or 
a  part  of  the  inspired  writings,  and  at  the 
same  time  know  that  the  Jews  had  added 
a  mere  love-song  to  the  sacred  canon,  and 


yet  say  nothing  about  that — but  on  the 
contrary,  by  appealing  to  their  Scriptures 
in  the  bulk,  allow  their  purity — is  most 
unaccountable,  quite  unworthy  of  such  a 
Divine  Instructor,  and  past  all  belief. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  apostolic 
declaration,  "  All  Scripture  is  given  by 
inspiration,"  &c.  By  "  all  Scripture  " 
the  apostle  must  have  meant  to  include 
either  all  those  books  which  the  Jews  ac- 
counted canonical,  or  only  apart  of  them. 
If  the  former,  the  point  is  granted  ;  and 
the  apostle  may  be  considered  as  setting 
his  seal  to  all  the  ivritings  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. If  the  latter,  then  it  became  him, 
as  an  inspired  guide,  to  detect  and  expose 
the  forgery,  and  not  to  speak  of  the  Scrip- 
tures in  the  gross,  knowing  that  so  idle  an 
affair  as  a  mere  love-song  was  universally 
received  as  a  part  of  them. 

In  fine,  if  the  Song  of  Solomon  is  a  cor- 
rupt addition  to  the  Bible,  either  Christ 
and  his  apostles  were  ignorant  of  the  fact, 
or  thought  it  unimportant,  or  designedly 
avoided  its  exposure.  The  first  of  these 
suppositions  is  totally  inadmissible,  unless 
we  deny  the  omniscience  of  the  Son  of 
God,  and  the  inspiration  of  the  apostles. 
The  second  would  imply  that  they  were 
indifferent  to  the  great  end  of  their  mis- 
sion, viz.  to  seal  up  the  vision  of  prophecy, 
and  to  perfect  the  holy  canon ;  and  render 
null  and  void  all  those  solemn  charges  and 
awful  threatenings,  to  those  who  should 
presume  to  add  to  or  to  take  from  it. 
And,  to  suppose  the  last,  is  deliberately 
accounting  Christ  and  his  apostles  a  com- 
pany of  impostors  :  and  then,  to  adopt  Mr. 
R.'s  own  words  on  another  occasion  (Plea 
for  Divinity  of  Christ,  p.  50,  First  edi- 
tion), "  What  becomes  of  all  their  fine 
professions  of  declaring  the  whole  counsel 
of  God — of  keeping  back  nothing  that 
might  be  profitable — of  imparting  their 
own  souls — and  so  on  1  Are  not  all  these 
rather  romantic  1" 

I  have  no  doubt  that  the  veil,  covering, 
or  coloring  of  this  Song,  is  borrowed  from 
an  Epithalamium,  or  marriage  song.  This 
certainly  appears  to  be  carried  on  through- 
out, as  it  is  also  in  the  forty-fifth  Psalm  ; 
and  probably  the  speakers  introduced,  in 
addition  to  the  bridegroom  and  the  bride, 
allude  to  the  companions  who  usually  at- 
tended at  Jewish  marriages.  Yet  it  is 
easy  to  see,  in  several  expressions  scatter- 
ed, probably  on  purpose,  throughout  the 
Son°:,  marks  of  its  sacred  meaning;  ex- 
pressions which  are  totally  inapplicable  to 
any  thing  but  what  is  divine.  This  is  ob- 
servable in  many  of  the  Psalms,  particu- 
larly in  the  sixteenth,  wherein  are  many 
things  applicable  to  David,  and  which  the 
reader  would  naturally  apply  to  him,  with- 
out thinking  of  Christ.      But,  as  he  pro,- 


744 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


ceeds,  he  finds  some  things  which  cannot 
apply  to  David — such  as  that  God  would 
not  suller  his  Holy  One  to  see  corruption  ; 
but  show  him  the  path  ot  life ;  in  his  pres- 
ence, fullness  of  joy ;  and  at  his  iiy.li  t  hand, 
pleasures  for  evermore.  Hence  it  is  evi- 
dent that,  though  many  things  were  true  of 
David,  yet  the  main  design  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  was,  under  the  form  of  a  prayer  of 
David,  to  furnish  a  glorious  prophecy  of 
the  Messiah — his  resurrection,  ascension, 
and  glorification  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father.  Thus  the  apostles  Peter  and 
Paul  understood  it,  and  thus  they  reason- 
ed from  it.— Acts  ii.  -25—36  ;  xiii.  35—37. 
Other  instances,  equally  in  point,  might 
be  quoted,  but  this  is  sufficient.  And  so 
here,  in  this  Song  of  Solomon,  it  is  easy 
to  observe  (and  that  without  the  help  of  a 
wild  imagination)  a  divine  glory,  the  beams 
of  which  are  loo  bright  not  to  be  seen 
through  the  veil,  tcro  resplendent  for  all 
this  covering  to  conceal. 

To  begin  with  the  introduction  of  the 
poem — "  The  Song  of  songs,  which  is  Sol- 
omon's." It  is  allowed,  I  suppose,  wheth- 
er it  be  canonical  or  not,  that  Solomon 
was  the  author.  Now,  for  him  to  com- 
pose a  song  abounding  with  idleness  and 
impurity,  which  is  insinuated  of  this,  and 
to  style  it  "the  Song  of  songs,"  that  is, 
the  most  excellent  of  all  songs,  bears  hard 
on  his  character  either  as  a  good  or  a  wise 
man.  If  he  knew  the  whole  was  dictated 
by  wantonness,  and  yet,  by  setting  out 
with  such  high  pretensions,  gave  the  read- 
er to  expect  great  and  glorious  things, 
he  was  an  impostor.  Or,  if  he  did  not  in- 
tend any  imposition,  but  really  thought  his 
poem,  though  not  a  Divine  allegory,  yet  a 
most  excellent  song,  then  it  proves  him,  so 
far  from  being  the  wisest  of  men,  little  bet- 
ter than  a  fool  :  for  however,  in  some 
parts,  it  may  abound  with  finer  lan- 
guage, equal,  and  perhaps  superior,  to  any 
other  human  composition,  yet  the  self- 
commendation  which,  upon  this  principle, 
runs  through  the  whole,  renders  it  in  the 
last  degree  fulsome  and  disgusting.  "I 
am  the  rose  of  Sharon,  and  the  lily  of  the 
valley — white  and  ruddy — the  chief  among 
ten  thousand,  and  the  altogether  lovely," 
are  expressions,  I  will  venture  to  say,  im- 
possible to  drop  from  the  pen  of  any  mere 
creature,  if  applied  to  himself,  but  a  stark 
fool.  And  either  of  the  above  supposi- 
tions would  invalidate,  not  this  song  only, 
but  the  book  of  Proverbs  and  Ecclesiastes  ; 
which  are  referred  to  as  canonical  by  an 
inspired  apostle.  Compare  Heb.xii.  5,6, 
with  Prov.  iii.  11,  12.  And  not  only  so, 
but  the  Old  Testament,  as  such,  would  he 
invalidated,  for  representing  him  as  a  wise 
and  good  man. 

Many  other  things  are   uttered  in   this 


Song,  of  which  I  may  instance  a  few, 
which  cannot  comport  with  the  idea  of  a 
mere  love-song.  For  example  :  in  chap. 
i.  4  the  bride  is  represented  as  saying  to 
her  beloved,  "The  upright  love  thee." 
This,  if  applied  to  Christ,  is  eminently 
true,  and  conveys  this  glorious  sentiment 
— that  such  is  the  excellence  of  his  per- 
son, character,  and  conduct,  that  every 
"upright"  heart  must  needs  love  him. 
But  apply  this  to  mere  creatures,  and 
what  uprightness  of  character  is  requir- 
ed ]  Especially  apply  it  to  Solomon,  and 
some  of  his  associates — I  presume  they 
were  not  pre-eminently  "upright"  that 
loved  him  ! 

Immediately  after,  the  bride  is  repre- 
sented as  calling  herself  "  black,  but 
comely:"  and,  by  black,  it  is  evident  she 
meant  the  very  opposite  of  comely  ;  see- 
ing she  further  compares  herself  to  the 
black  and  beggarly  "  tents  of  Kedar,"  as 
well  as  to  the  beautiful  curtains  of  Solo- 
mon. This,  if  applied  to  the  church  of 
Christ,  sets  forth,  in  the  most  lively  man- 
ner, her  external  meanness  and  deformity 
in  the  estimation  of  the  world,  and  her 
spiritual  beauty  in  the  eyes  of  Christ. 
Thus,  in  the  forty-fifth  Psalm,  the  king's 
daughter  is  represented  as  "  all  glorious 
within."  But  apply  the  language  to  a 
female  as  such,  and  I  see  not  how  she 
could  be  both  black  and  comely,  repulsive 
and  beautiful ;  and,  if  this  were  possible, 
it  is  scarcely  conceivable  that  she  should 
so  freely  acknowledge  her  uncomeliness, 
any  more  than  that,  consistently  with  mo- 
desty, she  should  sing  of  her  beauty. 
Especially  apply  this  to  one  of  Solomon's 
wives  ;  and  it  is  scarcely  conceivable  that 
she  should  be  a  sun-burnt  vineyard  keep- 
er ! 

Again  :  in  the  ninth  verse,  the  bride- 
groom is  represented  as  comparing  his 
bride  to  "  a  company  of  horses  in  Pha- 
raoh's chariot."  This,  if  applied  to  the 
church  of  Christ,  is  a  fine  representation 
of  her  union,  order,  and  activity,  in  her 
social  capacity.  But  how  a  female,  as 
such,  can  be  likened  to  a  company  of 
horses,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  conceive. 

Again  :  the  bride  is  represented  as  en- 
deavoring to  endear  her  beloved  to  others, 
setting  him  forth  in  all  his  beauty ;  and 
the  consequence. is,  they  are  taken  with 
him;  and  instead  of  the  scornful  question, 
"  What  is  thy  beloved  more  than  another 
beloved  1"  they  change  their  note,  and 
ask  very  respectfully,  "  Where  is  thy  be- 
loved, that  we  may  seek  him  with  thee'?  " 
This,  if  applied  to  Christ  and  the  church, 
is  a  beautiful  representation  of  that  con- 
cern which  occupies  every  pious  breast 
that  others  should  know  and  love  the 
Saviour  as  well  as    themselves,  of  their 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.   R.   ROBINSON. 


745 


eagerness  to  proclaim  his  excellencies, 
and  of  the  good  effects  which  frequently 
follow,  as  in  the  case  of  the  woman  of 
Samaria.  But,  to  apply  it  to  one  of  Solo- 
mon's wives  endeavoring  to  excite  the  ad- 
miration of  others,  is  most  extraordinary, 
and  far  enough  from  the  way  in  which 
female  affection  ordinarily  works  ! 

Again  :  the  bridegroom,  in  expressing 
his  admiration  of  the  bride,  declares  her 
to  be  "  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners." 
How  this  could  be  a  recommendation  of 
one  of  Solomon's  wives  I  cannot  con- 
ceive. But  apply  it  to  the  church  of 
Christ,  and  it  beautifully  sets  forth  the 
terror  with  which  their  testimony,  attend- 
ed with  unity,  order,  zeal,  and  inflexible 
piety,  strikes  the  enemies  of  God.  Mary, 
queen  of  Scots,  declared  that  she  feared 
the  prayers  of  John  Knox  more  than  an 
army  of  ten  thousand  men  ! 

"But  is  it  not  a  q  unseemly-  allegory  1" 
I  answer  by  asking,  Is  there  any  thing 
unseemly  in  virtuous  love  1  Has  not  the 
Holy  Ghost  made  use  of  this  imagery 
throughout  the  Scriptures  1  The  forty- 
fifth  Psalm  will  stand  or  fall  with  this 
Song. — See  also  John  iii.  29;  Ephes.  v. 
23—32.  Moreover,  did  not  the  Holy 
Ghost,  in  inspiring  the  sacred  writers, 
make  use  of  their  natural  propensities,  so 
that  each  writer  wrote  according  to  his 
turn  and  taste  1  Thus  David,  who  had  a 
taste  for  music,  tuned  his  harp,  and  wrote 
an  inspired  Psalm  book.  John,  who  was 
naturally  amiable,  treated  largely  on  love. 
And  Solomon,  who  was  famed  for  wis- 
dom, wrote  the  Proverbs  and  Ecclesias- 
tes.  Nor  was  this  the  only  prominent 
feature  in  the  character  of  Solomon. 
God  had  made  him  susceptible  of  the 
tenderest  and  most  endearing  affections, 
which,  under  the  dominion  of  virtue,  are 
productive  of  the  happiest  social  effects. 
And  under  the  dominion  of  virtue  these 
affections  in  Solomon,  doubtless,  were  for 
a  time  ;  and  during  that  time  he  was  in- 
spired to  compose  this  Song. 

"  But  does  it  not  contain  indelicate  im- 
agery 1"  Suppose  it  should  appear  so  in 
our  age  and  country,  it  does  not  follow 
that  it  was  so  when  and  where  it  was 
written.  It  is  well  known  that  words  be- 
come indelicate  in  one  age  which  were  in 
another  considered  pure.  Words  are  but 
arbitrary  signs,  and  their  meaning  varies 
according  to  the  variations  of  custom. 
Custom,  which  is  governed  by  ten  thou- 
sand accidents,  may  affix  ideas  to  a  word 
in  one  age  which  in  another  it  never  in- 
cluded. There  are  words  which  our  fa- 
thers used  in  English  which  would  offend  a 
Vol.  2.— Sig   95 


modern  ear,  and  which  would  now  convey 
very  different  ideas  from  what  they  did 
then.  It  is  also  well  known  that  eastern 
imagery  is  widely  different  from  ours,  in 
respect  of  what  we  account  delicacy,  as 
well  as  boldness.  They  would  have 
scorned,  if  I  may  so  say,  to  have  truckled 
to  our  finical  rules.  If  we  reject  all  the 
Scriptures  which  do  not  accord  with  these 
rules,  we  must  reject  much  more  than 
Solomon's  Song. 

Mr.  R.  enumerates  a  long  list  of  Scrip- 
ture phrases  which  he  accounts  indelicate 
to  repeat  in  this  age  and  country,  and  tells 
of  a  young  clergyman  of  his  acquaintance 
to  whom  the  mention  of  some  such  in  a 
sermon  had  well  nigh  proved  an  emetic  ! — 
Claude,  vol.  ii.  p.  32.  I  must  confess,  I 
am  so  attached  to  Scripture  phraseology 
that  I  am  not  so  apt  to  sicken  at  the  sound 
as  some  people  may  be.  Mr.  R.  has  much 
better  expressed  my  mind  on  this  subject 
in  another  page  of  the  same  volume  (p. 
341),  where,  speaking  on  "finical  delica- 
q/,"  he  says,  "  We  may  observe,  on  the 
one  hand,  that  purity  and  simplicity  of 
manners  are  generally  accompanied  with 
a  blunt,  rough,  rank  speech  ;  and,  on  the 
other,  that  depravity  of  manners  general- 
ly hides  itself  under  an  affected  refine- 
ment and  delicacy  of  style.  The  old 
prophets  spoke  bluntly,  but  they  were 
very  holy.  Modern  courtiers  speak  re- 
finedly  ;  but  they  are,  behind  the  curtain, 
extremely  vicious." 

However,  as  he  has  selected  a  number 
of  expressions  to  be  excluded  from  the 
pulpit,  without  rejecting  the  books  whence 
thev  are  taken  as  uncanonical,  why  should 
he  not  do  the  same  by  Solomon's  Song  1 
Two  or  three  passages  at  most  would  have 
sufficed.  Or  if  a  whole  book  must  be  re- 
jected, on  account  of  its  containing  such 
and  such  expressions,  why  does  he  not  re- 
ject the  other  parts  of  Scripture,  and  com- 
mence deist  at  once  1 

Surely  I  might  appeal  to  all  serious 
Christians  whether  the  reading  of  this  po- 
em has  had  an  improper  influence  on  their 
minds.  I  believe,  were  it  not  for  some 
wanton  would-be-wits,  encouraged,  I  am 
sorry  to  sav,  by  such  critics  as  Mr.  R., 
the  sentiments  of  this  sacred  song  would 
never  have  been  so  awfully  perverted. 
Holy  men  have,  in  all  ages,  found  in  it  a 
holy  tendency — a  tendency  to  raise  in  their 
minds  a  flame  of  genuine  and  ardent  af- 
fection towards  Him  who  is  the  subject  of 
the  Song — "  The  chief  among  ten  thou- 
sand, the  altogether  lovely!" — "To  the 
pure  all  things  are  pure  !  " 


746 


M 


ISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,  ESSAYS,  &C 


LETTER  VI. 

ON  THE   INFLUENCE  OF  SATAN  UPON   THE 
HUMAN  MIND. 

My  dear  Friend, 

In  reply  to  your  observations  on  the  in- 
fluence of  Satan  on  the  human  mind,  I  am 
free  to  acknowledge  that  it  is  a  subject  of 
such  a  nature  that  in  speculating  upon  it 
we  may  presently  lose  ourselves.  But 
this  is  true  of  every  subject  connected 
with  the  operations  of  spirit. 

To  the  opinion  of  Mr.  R.  on  this  subject 
I  was  not  wholly  a  stranger;  nor,  proba- 
bly, are  you  ignorant  that  it  is  one  of  the 
tenets  of  Dr.  Priestley  and  the  modern  So- 
cinians.  That  writer  thus  expresses  him- 
self:  «  The  word  devil,  or   Satan,  in  the 

Old  and  New  Testaments,  signifies  only 
the  principle  of  natural  or  moral  evil,  per- 
sonified by  a  well-known  figure  in  rheto- 
ric. The  devil  is  only  an  allegorical  per- 
sonage." 

I  presume  Mr.  R.  would  not  go  quite  so 
far  as  Dr.  P.,  to  deny  the  existence  of  evil 
spirits  ;  yet  he  is  very  little  behind  him  in 
denying  their  influence  on  the  human 
mind. 

It  is  no  contemptible  instance  of  Sa- 
tan's policy  to  get  the  notions  of  his  exist- 
ence and  influence  exploded;  well  know- 
ing that,  in  that  case,  no  prayers  would 
ascend  to  heaven,  and  no  vigilance  be  ex- 
ercised on  earth,  against  his  allurements. 
Nothing  would  discover  more  admirable 
policy  in  a  thief  or  a  murderer,  who  was 
prowling  about  the  outskirts  of  a  town  for 
the  purposes  of  plunder,  than  to  quiet  the 
alarms  of  the  people  by  procuring  the  cir- 
culation of  an  opinion,  either  that  no  such 
person  existed,  or  that,  if  he  did,  he  could 
not  possibly  enter  their  houses;  in  fact, 
that  the  whole  was  a  popular  prejudice,  in- 
vented by  designing  priests,  and  perpetu- 
ated by  a  few  old  women,  to  frighten  the 
vulgar. 

It  is  allowed  that  the  devil  has  no  pow- 
er over  our  minds  without  divine  permis- 
sion ;  yea,  further,  that  he  has  no  such 
power  over  us  as  to  draw  us  into  sin  with- 
out our  own  consent.  I  will  not  say  (hat 
he  cannot  suggest  sinful  thoughts  without 
our  consent;  but  certainly  he  cannot, 
without  our  consent,  draw  us  into  sin.  If 
we  yield  not,  we  may  be  said  to  be  tempt- 
ed, as  Christ  was ;  but  sin  does  not  con- 
sist in  being  tempted,  but  in  falling  in 
with  the  temptation. 

Farther,  it  is  allowed  that  the  principal 
and  immediate  objects  of  our  dread  ought 
to  he  the  snares  and  allurements  of  the 
world. — These  are  sometimes  called  lemp- 
titions,  being  the  means  adopted  by  the 
god  of  this  world  to  draw  away  the  heart. 


But  not  a  fish  that  swims  need  fear  the 
most  subtle  and  expert  fisherman,  provid- 
ed it  keep  clear  of  his  nets  and  baits. 

Once  more,  it  is  allowed  that  the  doc- 
trine of  Satanic  influence  has  been  greatly 
abused  by  some  who  profess  to  maintain 
it ;  as  when  they  consider  themselves 
merely  passive,  and  that  all  the  evil  of 
their  minds  is  to  be  charged  upon  foreign 
agency  ;  thus  imputing  all  their  wicked- 
ness to  the  devil,  for  the  purpose  of  exon- 
erating themselves.  But  this  is  no  proof 
that  the  doctrine  itself  is  not  true.  Mul- 
titudes abuse  the  doctrine  of  human  de- 
pravity ;  and  by  imputing  their  sinful  con- 
duct to  their  poor  wicked  hearts,  or  to  the 
old  man,  as  they  express  themselves,  en- 
deavor to  elude  the  blame.  But  shall  we, 
on  this  account,  deny  that  doctrine  \ 
Surely  not. 

You  will  receive  my  present  thoughts 
on  Satanic  influence  under  three  obser- 
vations. 

First — The  language  of  Scripture  on 
this  subject  is  such  that  nothing  but  an  ab- 
solute impossibility  of  its  being  understood 
literally  should  render  any  other  sense  ad- 
missible. 

The  language  of  inspiration,  it  must  be 
allowed,  not  only  represents  the  devil  as  a 
real,  intelligent  agent,  but  describes  him  as 
having  an  influence  on  the  human  mind. 
Among  others,  let  the  following  passages 
be  seriously  considered  :  "  The  god  of  this 
world  blinded)  the  minds  of  them  that  be- 
lieve not. — The  prince  of  the  power  of  the 
air,  the  spirit  that  now  worketh  in  the 
children  of  disobedience. — Be  sober,  be 
vigilant,  because  your  adversary  the  devil, 
as  a  roaring  lion,  walked)  about,  seeking 
whom  he  may  devour. — That  they  may 
recover  themselves  out  of  the  snare  of  the 
devil  who  are  taken  captive  by  him  at  his 
will. — For  this  purpose  the  Son  of  God  was 
manifested,  that  he  might  destroy  the  works 
of  the  devil. — Satan  hath  desired  to  have 
thee,  that  he  may  sift  thee  as  wheat. — 
Resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you. 
— Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye 
may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of 
the  devil  :  for  we  wrestle  not  against  flesh 
and  blood,  but  against  principalities  and 
powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness 
of  this  world,  sgainst  spiritual  wickedness 
(or  wicked  spirits)  in  high  places." 

In  considering  the  above  testimonies,  it 
is  only  necessary  that  Satanic  influence, 
literally  speaking,  is  possible  ;  and  no  man 
ought  to  dispute  it,  unless  he  can  prove  it 
absolutely  impossible.  But  by  what  me- 
diums will  that  be  attempted  1  Can  it  be 
proved  that  Satan  cannot  communicate 
ideas  to  the  human  mind]  That  simple 
finite  spirits  can  convey  ideas  to  each  other, 
and  influence  each  other,  cannot  be  denied, 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.     R.    ROBINSON.  747 

without  denying  the  possibility  of  recipro-  tained  evidence  that  God  speaks  ;  accord- 
cal  communication  between  angels,  and  ing  to  them,  reason  is  to  reject  what  is 
between  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  per-  spoken,  ij  they  cannot  comprehend  it." 
feet.  And  that  simple  spirit  can  influence  Claude,  Vol.  I.  p.  153. 
spirits  dwelling  in  bo  dies  cannot  be  denied,  In  short,  considering  the  plain  import 
without  denying  the  influence  of  the  Ho-  of  the  fore-cited  passages  to  any  reader  of 
ly  Spirit  on  the  souls  of  men.  If  there  common  sense  and  common  honesty,  if  no 
be  any  impossibility  in  the  matter,  it  must  such  influence  existed  it  would  he  difficult 
consist  in  this  :  for  a.  finite  simple  spirit  to  to  vindicate  the  writers  from  bein°-  either 
convey  ideas  to  another  spirit  dwelling  in  ignorant  men,  carried  away  with  vulvar 
flesh.  But  wherein  consists  the  impossi-  prejudices;  or,  what  is  worse,  designing 
bility  of  this!  He  that  can  prove  it  so,  impostors,  pretending  to  use  great  plain- 
let  him  undertake  it.  But  let  him  reflect  ness  of  speech,  when,  at  the  same  time 
that,  in  proving  this,  he  will  also  prove  the  whole  current  of  their  writings  tended 
that  there  has  been  no  fellowship  between  much  more  to  deceive  mankind,  and  to 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  and  conjure  up  a  number  of  imaginary  hug- 
the  spirits  of  Enoch,  Elijah,  and  our  Lord;  bears,  than  to  convey  solid  and  useful  in- 
for  their  spirits  inhabit  bodies.  On  this  struction.  Mr.  R.  himself  adopts  this  rea- 
principle  the  translation,  instead  of  the  soning  on  another  subject.  See  his  "  Plea 
death,  of  Enoch  and  Elijah,  is  a  disad-  for  the  Divinity  of  Christ;"  the  first  two 
vantage  rather  than  a  privilege;  and  the  arguments  from  the  language  of  the  New 
resurrection  of  our  Lord's  body  must  oc      Testament. 

casion,  for  the  present,  an  unspeakable  Secondly  : — If  the  Scriptures  on  this 
loss  to  the  church  above.  1  am  inclined  subject  are  not  to  be  understood  literally, 
to  think  the  man  is  not  yet  born  who  will    but  metaphorically,  the  influence  of  Satan 

undertake    to    prove   the   impossibility   of    meaning  no   more    than  moral  evil then 

Satanic  influence  on  the  human  mind.  the  writers  must  have  been  metaphor-mad. 

I  have  been  given  to  understand  that  According  to  this  they  first  metaphorize 
Mr.  R.  does  not  reject  the  sentiment  on  things  into  persons,  and  then  again  meta- 
file around  of  its  impossibility,  but  rather  phorize  these  persons  into  things  !  It  is 
on  this  principle  : — that  there  is  no  need  well  known  that  the  devil,  in  his  influence 
to  impute  that  to  infernal  agency  which  can  upon  men,  is  represented  under  the  names 
be  accounted  for  in  a  more  simple  way."  of  a  serpent,  a  lion,  fowls  of  the  air, 
Now,  if  we  had  no  other  source  of  in-  &c.  These  representations,  if  descriptive 
formation  on  the  subject  than  our  own  ob-  of  the  influence  of  a  real  intelligent  agent, 
servation,  this  maxim  might  be  a  good  are  proper  and  beautiful.  Thev  are  met- 
one  :  but  if  God  has  told  us  that  Satan  aphors.  But,  if  they  are  intended  to  de- 
has  an  influence  on  the  human  mind —  scribe  a  mere  principle  of  moral  evil, 
(and  this,  if  words  have  any  meaning,  he  where  is  the  beauty,  where  the  propriety  1 
most  certainly  has) — that  ought  to  put  the  Is  it  not  all  confusion  1  First,  moral  evil 
matter  out  of  all  doubt.  Otherwise  it  is  personified,  or  converted  into  a  devil; 
will  amount  to  this  : — That  though  God  and  then  this  devil  is  metaphorized  into  a 
declares  that  such  things  are  the  effects  of   serpent,  a  lion,  &c. 

such  causes,  yet  there  is  no  need  for  be-  To  suppose  Christ,  in  his  explication  of 
lieving  this,  provided  we  can  discover  what  the  parable  of  the  sower,  for  instance, 
we  conceive  to  be  a  more  simple  way  of  when  he  was  stripping  it  of  its  parabolical 
accounting  for  them!  And  that,  having  clothing,  and  giving  the  plain,  literal  mean- 
made  this  important  discovery,  we  are  at  ing,  to  explain  one  dark  metaphor  by 
liberty  to  explain  away  the  literal  sense  another  equally  dark,  is  most  extraordina- 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  understand  them  ry.  "When  any  one  heareth  the  word, 
metaphorically!  But  this  is  setting  up  and  understandeth  it  not,"  says  he,  "  then 
our  own  wisdom  as  the  standard  whereby  cometh  the  wicked  one,  and  catcheth  away 
to  try  the  wisdom  of  God,  which  is  the  very  that  which  was  sown  in  the  heart :  this  is 
essence  of  Socinianism — the  main  pillar  he  which  received  seed  by  the  way  side." 
on  which  their  system  rests.  Thus  they  A  very  curious  explanation  indeed,  on 
metaphorize  the  Word,  or  Son  of  God,  this  principle  !  The  wicked  one  taking 
in  the  first  chapter  of  the  gospel  of  John,  the  word  out  of  their  hearts  must  have 
and  every  thing  else  that  stands  in  their  been  quite  as  obscure  as  the  fowls  of  the 
way.  This  is  the  rock  on  which  they  split,  air  devouring  it — an  explanation  which  it- 
Mr.  R.  himself  says,  "The  difference  be-  self  needed  explaining! 
tween  the  Socinians  and  our  churches,  on  The  same  might  he  observed  of  the 
this  article,  seems  to  be  this:  we  apply  parable  of  the  tares.  It  is  said  that,  while 
reason  to  the  evidences  of  revelation  ;  and  men  slept,  the  enemy  came  and  sowed 
they  to  all  its  doctrines  ;  according  to  us,  tares  among  the  wheat,  and  went  his  way. 
reason  has  done  its  office  when  it  has  ob-  In  giving  the  plain  and  real  meaning  of  this 


748 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


parable, our  Lord  said,  the  enemy  that  sow- 
ed them  was  the  devil.  This,  we  may  pre- 
sume, he  thought  sufficiently  plain.  But, 
if  Satan  has  no  influence  on  the  mind, 
this  was  perplexing  the  subject,  not  ex- 
plaining it. 

In  fine,  it  is  easy  to  see  from  hence  that 
the  existence  and  the  influence  of  evil  spir- 
ts must  stand  or  fall  together.  If  the  one 
^metaphorical,  so  is  the  other.  The 
word  of  God  speaks  as  explicitly  and  un- 
equivocally in  favor  of  the  latter  as  of  the 
former  ;  and,  if  the  one  be  abandoned,  so 
must  the  other.  And  thus  the  Scripture 
account  of  "  angels  who  kept  not  their 
first  estate  being  reserved  to  everlasting 
chains,  under  darkness,  unto  the  judg- 
ment of  the  great  day,"  may  be  all 
nothing. 

There  may  be  no  such  beings  in  reality  ; 
the  whole  may  be  metaphorical.  And,  in 
that  case,  the  whole  testimony  of  Scripture 
is  reduced  to  uncertainty  ;  and  hell,  yea, 
heaven  itself,  may  be  an  eastern  metaphor 
— a  poetic  fiction  ! 

Thirdly  : — If  a  series  of  actions  take 
place,  which  discover  some  great  design, 
we  naturally  suppose  an  agent  equal  to 
those  actions,  as  exercising  such  design. 

Every  design  must  have  a  designer ; 
every  contrivance  a  contriver.  Thus  we 
prove  the  being  and  superintending  prov- 
idence of  God.  We  see  a  creation — a 
system  full  of  design  ;  and  we  conclude 
that  there  must  be  a  creator.  We  see 
also,  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  a  wonder- 
ful combination  of  events,  operating  in 
many  cases  without  the  knowledge  of 
those  who  are  instruments  in  bringing  them 
to  pass,  and  concurring  to  produce  the 
most  astonishing  results  ;  and  hence  we 
infer  that  there  must  be  a  Supreme  Being, 
who  sits  at  the  helm  of  affairs,  and 
controls  the  whole  with  an  invisible 
hand. 

Now  just  apply  this  reasoning  to  the 
case  in  hand.  The  opposition  carried  on 
against  the  cause  of  God,  from  the  very 
beginning,  bears  evident  marks  of  design 
— of  design  far  superior  to  theirs  who 
were  the  visible  and  immediate  instru- 
ments. 

When  God  instituted  sacrifices,  to 
teach  mankind  the  necessity  of  an  atone- 
ment, they  were  presently  perverted  to 
purposes  of  idolatry. 

When  all  people  were  become  idolaters, 
and  God  separated  a  people  to  himself,  to 
serve  him,  every  measure  was  adopted  to 
oppose  and  crush  that  people.  Thousands 
of  them  were  murdered  in  Egypt  in  in- 
fancy, and  the  remainder  cruelly  oppress- 
ed. When  in  the  wilderness,  enchant- 
ments and  divinations  were  employed  to 
curse  them.     And,  from  their  first  settle- 


ment in  Canaan  until  the  coming  of  life 
Messiah,  the  surrounding  nations  were 
leagued  together  against  them.  Jerusalem 
especially,  the  place  where  Jehovah  had 
fixed  his  name,  was  the  mark  of  their  hot 
displeasure.  "Raze  it — raze  it  to  the 
foundation  !  "  was  their  cry. 

A  most  marked  opposition  was  discover- 
ed to  the  great  corner-stone  of  the  church 
—  Christ  Jesus.  When  he  came  into  the 
world,  the  children  of  a  whole  town  must 
be  slain,  in  the  hope  of  slaying  him. 
When  he  entered  on  his  ministry,  an 
especial  effort  was  made  to  draw  him  into 
sin,  to  taint  his  holy  mind  with  distrust, 
presumption,  and  vain-glory  ;  and,  when 
that  temptation  failed,  the  main  object 
was  to  get  him  dispatched. 

After  his  ascension,  every  opposition 
that  could  be  made  to  the  church  of  God 
was  pursued  with  greediness.  Persecu- 
tion raged  in  the  first  three  centuries  with 
relentless  fury,  carrying  off  its  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  by  the  most  cruel 
deaths.  At  a  very  early  period,  heresies 
and  animosities  found  their  way  into  the 
bosom  of  the  church.  Even  the  apostles 
were  fully  employed  in  stemming  the  tor- 
rent ;  and,  after  their  decease,  a  variety 
of  corrupt  notions  and  idle  ceremonies 
tarnished  the  glory  of  the  church,  and 
introduced  that  flood  of  iniquity — the  pa- 
pal apostacy. 

The  same  mighty  mischief  has  been 
planned  and  executed  against  the  church 
ever  since.  In  every  age,  they  have  been 
desolated  by  cruel  persecution,  poisoned 
by  pernicious  principles,  or  torn  in  pieces 
by  intestine  divisions. 

If  ever  any  opposition  can  be  said  to  be 
carried  on  by  design,  surely  this  must. 
An  opposition  so  long  in  duration,  and 
maintained  so  uniformly,  and  by  such 
complicated  and  opposite  measures,  could 
not  have  been  conducted  without  an  in- 
telligent agent  at  the  head  of  it.  And,  if 
any  credit  is  to  be  given  to  the  word  of 
God,  such  an  agent  does  exist.  Of  this 
we  have,  in  the  word  of  God,  several 
striking  intimations. 

The  perversion  of  sacrifices  to  idolatrous 
purposes  appears  very  much  like  a  design 
on  the  part  of  Satan  to  draw  off  the  atten- 
tion of  mankind  from  the  Lord  Messiah. 
Indeed,  this  seems  to  be  intimated  by  the 
sacrifices  of  idols  being  designated  by  an 
inspired  apostle — "  The  sacrifices  of  dev- 
ils."    1  Cor.  x.  20,  21. 

The  opposition  of  the  nations  to  Israel 
may  be  ascribed  to  the  same  cause.  In 
the  days  of  David  they  repeatedly  made 
war  against  them,  but  in  vain  ;  for  we 
read  that  "  the  Lord  preserved  David 
whithersoever  he  went."  But,  when  Sa- 
tan could  obtain  no  advantage  over  Israel 


STRICTURES    ON    THE    SENTIMENTS    OF    MR.   R.   ROBINSON.  749 

by  the   sword   of   his   heathen  vassals,  he  would  only  correspond   with   the   facts  of 

took  the  field  himself;  and  the  next  news  the  case. 

we  read  is,  that  "  Satan  stood  up  against  This,  moreover,  seems  to  he  intimated 

Israel,    and    provoked    David    to    number  in   those    Scriptures   which  speak   of  the 

Israel."     He    vented   his    malice    against  sufferings   of  Christ — as    "  the  hour   and 

them  by  moving  their  chief  to  sin,  and  to  power  of  darkness — breaking  the  serpent's 

sin  of  such  a  kind  as  should  provoke  the    head — spoiling  principalities  and  powers 

Lord  to  diminish  their   numbers.     And  it    making  a  show  of  them  openly iriumph- 

proved  that,  by  drawing  David  into  sin, —   ing  over  them  in  his  cross." 

inflating  his  heart  with  pride  on  a  review  It  was  glorious,  indeed,  that  at  the  very 

of  his  numerous  forces,  Satan  slew   more  hour  when    hell   was  just  ready  to  burst 

Israelites  in  a  few  days,  than  his  vassals,  forth  into  triumph,  then  it  should  receive 

the  heathen  princes,  could  in  a  succession  its  fatal  shock  ;  and  that  those  very  means 

of  years.     1  Chron.  xviii.  13;  xxi.  1.  which   were   designed   to  crush  the  Lord 

The -efforts    that   were    made   to   draw  Jesus  and  his  rising  interest,  and  overturn 

Christ  into  sin,  as  recorded  in  the  fourth  the   work  of  human   redemption,  should 
chapter   of    Matthew,  are    expressive    of   be   made    to   subserve    the    overthrow   of 

the   same    design.     They    were    natural,  Satan's  empire,  and  lay  the  foundation  of 

from  one  whose  main  object  was  to  over-  that  very  work  which  they  were  intended 

throw   the   work   of    human   redemption,  to    destroy  !     This    was    killing    Goliath 

It  might  be  supposed  he  would   try  all  he  with   his   own  sword — this  was  making  a 

could  to  undermine  the  foundation  of  the  show  of  him  indeed  ! 

church,  well  knowing  that  in  that  case  the  The  persecution  that  raged  against  the 

structure  must  fall.     This  is  intimated  in  church,  and   the  heresies  that  were  intro- 

that  memorable  saying  of  our  Lord — "  On  duced,  are  also  ascribed  to  the  devil,  and 

this  rock   will   I   build  my  church,  and  the  equally  marked   by  design.     It  was   said 

gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  to    the    church    at    Smyrna — "  The    devil 

The  crucifixion  of  Christ  is  also  attrib-  shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison."  And 
uted  to  the  devil,  who  is  represented  as  the  persecutions  which  raged  are  repre- 
eniering  into  Judas,  for  the  purpose  of  sented  as  a  flood  coming  out  of  the  mouth 
getting  the  Son  of  man  betrayed  into  the  of  the  great  red  dragon,  that  old  serpent 
hands  of  sinners.  Tormented,  it  seems,  called  the  devil  and  Sata7i,  against  the  too- 
with  the  success  of  our  Lord,  and  per-  man  and  her  seed.  Rev.ii.10;  xii.  9 
ceiving  that  his  gospel  was  silently  insin-  14 — 17.  Not,  indeed,  that  Satan  assumed 
uating  itself  into  the  hearts  of  men,  he  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace;  but  he 
determines  to  get  him  dispatched  out  of  stirred  up  his  vassals,  as  he  had  previous- 
the  way.  Every  circumstance  of  this  ly  moved  Judas,  to  betray  the  Lord, 
tragical  affair  unfolds  design,  all  bearing  When,  in  the  days  of  Constantine  the 
on  one  point — the  crushing  of  the  rising  Great,  the  Roman  empire  became  Chris- 
interest,  tian,  and  so  an  end  for  a  time  was  put  to 

Just   suppose  Satan   to   have   reasoned  persecution,  then  the  devil  betook  himself 

thus  with  himself: — What  shall  I  do  ?     If  to  another  method.     Popery,  that  mystery 

I  let  him    alone,  the  world  will  believe  in  of  iniquity ,  which  had  long  begun  to  work 

him.     I  cannot  draw  him  into  sin  :  he  has  now  made   its  appearance,   and  was  soon 

baffled  me  at  every  effort.     I  will   get  him  openly  revealed,  in  a  grand  though  gradual 

dispatched;  and   the    more    effectually  to  apostacy.     2  Thess.  ii.   7,  S.     Arianism, 

make    an   end   of  him,  and    of  all   future  Pelagianism,    and    the    whole    farrago  of 

attachment  to  him,  I  will  get  him  execut-  popery,  soon  overrun  the  church.     False 

ed    in    the    most    shameful    manner.     He  doctrines  are  called  the  doctrines  of  devils; 

shall  be  hanged  as   a  common  malefactor,  and  the  beast  of  Rome  is  said  to  receive 

at  the   place  of  public  execution  ;  so  that  his  power  from  the  dragon.     1  Tim.  iv.  1; 

his  name  shall  be  had  in  execration  to  the  Rev.  xiii.  2. 

end  of  time.       Yea,  and  that  his  memory  And  now  I  leave  you  to  judge,  and  to 

may  be  covered  with  everlasting   infamy,  consider  whether  those  who  deny  the  in- 

I    will   stir   up  his   own   countrymen,  the  fluence  of  evil  spirits  on  the  human  mind 

Jews,    the    only   religious   people    in   the  are  very  far  from  denying  the  influence  of 

world,  to  put  him  to  death  :   and  not  mere-  the  Good  Spirit,  and  whether  the  one  may 

ly    the   rabble,    but    the    sanhedrim,   the  not  very  naturally  pave  the  way   for  the 

scribes    and    pharisees,  the   very  gods    of  other.     Indeed,  if  it  be  just  to  metaphor- 

the  people,  whose  reputation   is  such  that  ize  the    Scriptures   in   the   one  case,   it  is 

all  the  world  will  conclude  that  if  he  had  equally  just   in  the  other.     They  do  not 

not  been  a  malefactor  he  had  nc*  been  put  speak  more  fully  and  decidedly  of  the  one 

to   death — and  thus  I  hope   to   overcome  than  they  do  of  the  other.     Paul  was  sent 

him!     Were   we  to  suppose,  I   say,  that  forth  to  turn  men  "  from  darkness  to  light, 

Satan  had  reasoned  thus,  the  supposition  from   the   power   of  Satan    unto    God," 


750 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


Acts  xxvi.  18.  But,  if  the  power  of 
Satan  be  a  metaphor,  the  power  of  God, 
in  delivering  men  from  it  may  be  so  too. 
In  short,  if  such  a  liberty  is  to  be  taken  in 
metaphorizing  Scripture  in  this  instance,  it 
may  in  any  other  ;  and  then  nothing  will 
be  able  to  stand  before  it.  There  is  not  a 
doctrine  in  the  Bible  but  might  be  thus 
metaphorized  away. 

I  have  made  my  observations  with  free- 
dom. My  desire  is  that  you  should  do  the 
same  in  perusing  them.  Read  them,  not 
with  the  partiality  of  a  friend,  but  with 
the  non-prepossession  of  an  indifferent 
person.  I  may  in  some  things  be  mistaken. 
Receive  nothing  but  in  proportion  to  evi- 
dence. Though  you  are  bound  implicitly 
to  believe  God,  you  are  not  bound  so  to 
believe  me  or  any  other  creature.  Wheth- 
er all  I  have  said  be  approved  or  not,  be- 
lieve me,  I  am,  and  desire  to  remain,  your 
sincere  friend, 

Andrew  Fuller. 


ON     SPIRITUAL     DECLENSION 
AND  THE  MEANS  OF  REVIVAL. 

It  is  a  matter  of  complaint  too  common, 
as  well  as  too  well  founded,  that  the  bulk 
of  Christians  in  the  present  age  are  very 
deficient  in  spirituality,  and  come  far  short 
of  the  primitive  Christians  in  a  close  walk 
with  God.  We  lament  over  our  unfruit- 
fulness,  our  want  of  growth  in  grace  and 
increasing  conformity  to  Christ.  Com- 
plaints of  this  kind,  if  they  arise  from  the 
integrity  of  our  hearts,  are  necessary  and 
proper;  but  complaining  alone  will  not 
effect  a  cure.  We  may  sigh  and  go  back- 
ward to  the  last  period  of  our  lives.  One 
necessary  means  of  effecting  a  cure  is  to 
inquire  into  the  cause  or  causes  of  the 
complaint.  An  investigation  of  this  na- 
ture may,  through  a  divine  blessing,  answer 
some  good  end  upon  the  minds  of  those 
whose  desire  it  is  to  be  searched  and  tried, 
that  every  evil  way  may  be  detected. 

It  is  not  here  intended  to  inquire  into 
all  the  different  causes  of  unfruitfulness, 
but  only  to  point  out  a  few  of  those  which 
are  the  most  obvious.  That  which  I  shall 
insist  upon  in  this  paper  is,  The  want  of 

A    PROPER     REGARD    TO     THE     WORD     OF 

God.  It  has  been  the  pleasure  of  God  to 
"  magnify  his  word  more  than  all  his 
name;"  and,  if  we  are  under  the  influ- 
ence of  a  right  spirit,  we  shall  magnify  it 
too.  It  is  by  the  knowledge  of  its  sacred 
truths  that  we  are  freed  from  the  slavery 
of  sin,  and  our  spirits  sanctified.  In  it,  as 
in  a  glass,  "we  behold  the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  and  are  changed  into  the  same  im- 
age, from  glory  to  glory,  by  the  Spirit  of 
God." 


In  almost  all  the  remarkable  declensions 
in  the  church  of  God,  a  neglect  of  the 
Scriptures  has  been  at  the  root.  On  the 
contrary,  in  all  the  seasons  of  revival  and 
reformation,  the  Scriptures  have  been  the 
grand  means  of  their  being  brought  about. 
During  the  long  and  wicked  reign  of 
Manasseh,  the  book  of  the  law  of  the 
Lord  was  lost,  was  lost  even  in  the  tem- 
ple ;  and  then  it  was  that  idolatry  prevail- 
ed :  when  Josiah  came  to  the  throne,  and 
a  reformation  was  brought  about,  the  lost 
book  was  found,  and  read,  and  regarded. 
During  the  captivity,  the  word  of  God 
seems  to  have  been  neglected.  In  the 
times  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  a  glorious 
reformation  was  brought  about ;  but  by 
what  means  !  The  sum  of  the  account  is 
this  :  Ezra  and  his  companions  stood  upon 
a  pulpit  of  toood,  read  the  law,  and  gave 
the  meaning ;  and  the  people  understood 
the  law,  and  wept  bitterly,  and  entered  into 
a  covenant  with  their  God.  Religion  was 
reduced  to  a  low  state  at  the  time  of  our 
Lord's  coming;  and  one  cause  assigned 
for  it  was,  that  the  pharisees,  by  their  tra- 
ditions, had  "  made  void  the  law  of  God." 
On  the  contrary,  the  glorious  revival  which 
then  succeeded,  by  the  ministry  of  John 
the  Baptist,  Christ,  and  his  apostles,  was 
by  means  of  their  disseminating  the  true 
knowledge  of  God  as  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures.  It  is  true,  they  themselves 
were  inspired,  but  yet  even  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  appealed  to  the  word,  calling  upon 
his  hearers  to  "search  the  Scriptures." 
To  what  can  we  attribute  the  great  anti- 
ehristian  apostasy,  but  to  a  disregard  of 
the  word  of  God!  The  original  cause,  as 
prophetically  given  us  by  the  apostle  him- 
self, was  this,  "  Because  they  received  not 
the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be 
saved,  God  shall  send  them  strong  delu- 
sion, that  they  should  believe  a  lie."  The 
foundation  of  popery  was  laid  in  a  disre- 
gard to  the  Bible,  and  an  overweening  at- 
tachment to  traditions  and  unscriptural 
ceremonies.  As  the  apostacy  ripened,  the 
Scriptures  were  neglected  ;  and  at  length, 
when  it  arrived  to  its  height,  they  were  ut- 
terly discarded,  being  absolutely  forbid- 
den to  be  read  by  the  common  people  in 
their  own  language.  On  the  contrary,  by 
what  means  was  the  glorious  reformation 
effected!  Was  it  not  by  translating,  ex- 
posing, and  preaching  the  Scriptures ! 
From  the  foregoing  facts,  we  ought  at  least 
to  suspect  that  a  want  of  regard  to  the 
holy  Scriptures  lies  at  the  foundation  of 
our  departures  from  God. 

There  are  several  ways  in  which  a  want 
of  proper  regard  to  God's  word  is  dis- 
covered. I  shall  mention  three  in  par- 
ticular : — 

First :  By   a  neglect  of  reading,   medi- 


SPIRITUAL    DECLENSION  AND  MEANS  OF  REVIVAL. 


751 


tating,  and  praying  over  it.  We  have  great 
advantages  for  knowing  the  mind  of  God. 
He  hath  told  us  all  his  heart.  Our  advan- 
tages are  superior,  not  only  to  heathens, 
who  walk  in  the  dark,  without  a  revela- 
tion, but  to  those  of  the  church  of  God 
itself  in  any  former  period.  Old-testa- 
ment saints  valued  the  Scriptures  "more 
than  thousands  of  gold  and  silver,"  more 
than  their  necessary  food  ;  and  yet  they 
had  but  a  small  part  of  the  sacred  canon 
to  what  we  have.  That  which  has  crown- 
ed all,  and  brought  life  and  immortality 
to  light,  was  then  wanting.  The  most 
glorious  of  all  the  displays  of  God  has 
been  added  since  their  death.  Christians 
themselves,  in  former  ages,  had  not  our 
advantages.  Till  the  art  of  printing  was 
discovered,  it  must  have  been  very  diffi- 
cult for  many  families  to  obtain  a  Bible  ; 
and  no  doubt  a  great  number  of  Christians, 
who  were  generally  a  poor  people,  were 
denied  the  pleasure  of  having  those  sacred 
books  in  their  families.  Since  then  cir- 
cumstances are  altered;  we  have  now, 
through  a  kind  providence,  the  most  easy 
access  to  the  Scriptures.  But  whether 
we  have  more  of  a  spiritual  understanding 
into  the  mind  of  God  than  our  pre- 
decessors had  may  be  questioned  ;  yea, 
whether  the  word  of  God,  upon  the  whole, 
is  read  -more  now  by  Christians  than  it 
was  then,  may  be  a  matter  of  doubt. 
Does  not  its  being  common  anil  easy  of 
access  seem  to  diminish  its  value  in  our 
eyes  1  Are  we  not  apt  to  think  light  of  it, 
as  Israel  did  of  the  manna  when  rained  in 
plenty  round  their  tents  1 

The  sacred  Scripture  is  a  rich  mine 
abounding  with  substantial  treasures  ;  but 
it  is  a  mine  that  must  be  worked.  If  we 
would  read  it  to  advantage,  it  must  be  with 
prayer  and  meditation.  "My  son,"  said 
the  wise  man,  "if  thou  incline  thine  ear 
unto  wisdom,  and  apply  thine  heart  *o 
understanding  ;  if  thou  criest  after  knowl- 
edge, and  liflest  up  thy  voice  for  un- 
derstanding; if  thou  seekest  her  as 
silver,  and  searchest  for  her  as  for  hid 
treasures  ;  then  shalt  thou  understand  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge 
of  God."  A  blessing  is  pronounced  up- 
on the  man  "  who  meditates  in  God's 
law  by  day  and  by  night.  He  shall  be 
like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of  water, 
which  bringeth  forth  fruit  in  its  season." 
If  any  think  to  excuse  themselves  by  al- 
leging that  they  were  never  taught  to 
read;  I  answer,  if  they  were  interest- 
ed in  a  common  will,  or  testament,  they 
would  never  think  of  remaining  ignorant 
of  its  contents.  If  they  could  not  read, 
they  would  procure  some  person  to  read 
it  to  them  ;  or,  if  that  could  not  be  done, 
rather  than  not  know  its  real  meaning, 
they  would  be  at  some  considerable  pains 


to  learn  to  read  it  themselves.  Now  shall 
all  this  regard  be  shown  to  a  common  will, 
and  that  spontaneously  of  our  own  accord  ; 
and  no  more  respect  be  paid  to  the  inval- 
uable testament  of  our  dying  Redeemer  1 
Where  then  is  the  sincerity>.of  our  religious 
profession  1  "  Where  a  man's  treasure  is, 
there  will  his  heart  be  also." 

Secondly :  By  not  reading  it  for  the 
ends  and  purposes  for  which  it  was  writ- 
ten. What  those  ends  are,  we  are  ex- 
pressly informed  in  the  book  itself.  "All 
Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God  ; 
and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof, 
for  correction,  for  instruction  inrighteous- 
ncss."  To  read  the  Scripture  for  doctrine 
is  to  learn  our  religious  sentiments  from 
it,  and  form  them  by  it.  So  far  as  we 
are  under  the  influence  of  prejudice,  or 
receive  systems  on  humanauthority  ;  and 
go  to  the  Scriptures  not  so  much  with  a 
desire  to  be  instructed  in  what  we  know 
not  as  to  strengthen  ourselves  in  what  we 
have  already  imbibed,  be  it  right  or 
wrong;  so  far  we  exercise  a  sinful  disre- 
gard to  the  Scriptures,  and  many  justly 
be  given  up  of  God  to  our  own  deceits. 
If  we  read  the  word  of  God  to  any  good 
purpose,  we  must  suppose  beforehand  that 
we  do  not  know  every  thing,  that  we  are 
liable  to  error  in  judgment  and  evil  in 
practice ;  how  else  shall  we  read  if  for 
reproof  or  for  correction? 

If  we  set  up  our  own  reason,  so  as  to 
resolve  to  admit  of  nothing  as  divine  truth 
but  what  shall  be  within  its  comprehension, 
we  despise  God's  word,  and  cannot  be 
said  to  read  it  either  for  doctrine  or  cor- 
rection. It  is  not  enough  that  we  "call 
no  man  master;"  we  must  have  "one 
master,  even  Christ."  Our  own  reason 
is  also  another  word  for  our  own  creed; 
and  we  are  as  much  in  danger  of  being 
ruined  by  our  own  creed  as  by  that  of 
another  man.  It  matters  not  by  what 
name  we  call  it,  ouiyeason  or  our  creed  ; 
if  the  infallible  dictates  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
are  to  give  way  to  this,  adieu  to  all 
religion.  Where  such  presumption  be- 
gins,   it  may   truly  be  said,  religion  ends. 

In  reading  the  preceptive  part  of  Scrip- 
ture, it  will  be  but  of  little  use  to  us, 
unless  we  read  it  with  an  intention  and 
determination,  through  divine  assistance, 
to  form  our  conduct  by  it.  To  read  for 
instruction  in  righteousness  is  the  same 
thing  as  searching  to  know  what  is  the 
good,  perfect,  and  acceptable  will  of  God, 
with  a  design  to  do  it,  let  it  grate  ever 
so  much  with  our  carnal  inclinations.  It 
answers  but  a  poor  end  to  read  a  chapter 
once  or  twice  a  day  in  the  family,  merely 
for  the  sake  of  decency,  without  so  much 
as  an  intention  of  complying  with  what 
shall  be  found  to  be  the  mind  of  Got). 

If  our  judgment  or  conduct  is  formed 


752 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,  ESSAYS,   &C. 


by  dreams,  visions,  or  supposed  immediate 
revelations  from  heaven,  and  not  by  the 
plain  meaning  of  the  word  of  God  as  it 
stands  in  our  Bibles,  then  do  we  slight  the 
word  of  God,  and  God  may  justly  give  us 
up  to  our  own  delusions.  It  is  no  just 
plea  in  behalf  of  these  supposed  revela- 
tions, that  they  often  come  in  the  words 
of  Scripture.  If  we  infer  any  thing  from 
certain  words  of  Scripture  being  impress- 
ed upon  our  mind,  either  in  favor  of  our- 
selves, or  for  the  guiding  of  our  conduct, 
which  cannot  be  proved  to  have  been  the 
meaning  of  Scripture  independent  of  that 
impression,  it  is  no  other  than  real  enthu- 
siasm, and  will  in  the  great  day  be  found 
to  be  a  disregard  and  perversion  of  the 
Scripture  itself. 

Thirdly  :  By  forming  a  low  opinion  of 
the  importance  of  the  truths  contained  in 
it.  It  seems  to  be  very  much  the  spirit 
and  opinion  of  the  present  age  that  it 
matters  not  how  polluted  the  fountain  is, 
if  the  streams  are  but  pure  :  but  the  ques- 
tion is,  whether  the  streams  can  be  pure, 
if  the  fountain  is  polluted.  Actions  ma- 
terially good  and  beneficial  to  society 
may  flow  from  a  heart  at  essential  vari- 
ance with  the  doctrines  of  revelation  ;  but 
it  wants  proof  that  any  action  can  be  tru- 
ly good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of 
God,  unless  it  originate  in  evangelical 
principle.  On  the  contrary,  the  Scripture 
is  express,  that  "without  faith  it  is  im- 
possible to  please  God." 

Some  good  people  have  contracted  a 
strange  prejudice  against  the  doctrines  of 
the  gospel,  accounting  them  dry  and  un- 
interesting matters.  They  like  experi- 
mental religion  the  best,  they  tell  us. 
But  I  do  not  understand  the  distinction 
of  religion  into  doctrinal  and  experiment- 
al after  this  sort.  I  would  ask  such  a 
person,  What  is  experimental  religion! 
Is  it  any  other  than  the  influence  of  truth 
upon  the.  mind  by  the  agency  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  1  You  love  to  feel  godly  sorrow 
for  sin;  so  do  I  :  but  what  is  godly  sor- 
row for  sin  but  the  influence  of  truth  upon 
your  heart  1  Is  it  not  the  consideration 
of  the  great  evil  of  sin,  its  contrariety  to 
what  ought  to  be,  its  being  committed 
against  light,  love,  8fC,  that  dissolves  your 
heart  in  grief!  Were  you  not  to  realize 
these  truths,  it  would  be  impossible  for 
you  to  weep  over  your  sins.  But  you  love 
to  feel  joy  and  peace  in  believing;  so  do 
I  :  but  must  you  not  have  an  object  to 
believe  in!  Take  away  the  great  doc- 
trine of  the  atonement,  and  all  your  faith, 
joy,  and  peace,  are  annihilated.  Much 
the'  same  might  be  said  of  other  gospel 
doctrines  :  instead  of  being  opposed  to 
experimental  religion,  they  are  essential 
to   its  existence.     That    some    doctrinal 


sermons  have  been  dry  and  uninteresting 
is  granted  ;  but  that  must  have  been  the 
fault  of  either  the  preacher  or  the  hearer. 
If  Scripture  doctrines  were  delivered  in 
their  native  simplicity,  and  heard  with  a 
heart  suitable  to  their  importance,  they 
could  not  be  dry  :  they  must  be  like  the 
doctrine  of  Moses,  which  "  dropped  as 
the  rain  upon  the  grass,  and  as  the  dew 
upon  the  tender  herb." 

There  is  another  prejudice  against  the 
doctrines  of  the  gospel  in  the  minds  of 
many  people.  They  imagine  them  to  be 
unfriendly  to  practical  religion.  That 
practical  religion  may  be  neglected 
through  an  excessive  attachment  to  fa- 
vorite opinions,  is  allowed ;  but  if  we 
imbibe  and  inculcate  the  truths  of  the 
gospel  according  to  the  lovely  proportion 
in  which  they  stand  in  the  Bible,  and  ad- 
here to  them,  not  because  we  have  once 
imbibed  them,  but  because  God  hath  re- 
vealed them,  such  a  reception  of  the 
truth,  and  adherence  to  it,  instead  of  en- 
ervating practical  godliness,  will  be  found 
to  be  the  life  of  it.  Doctrinal,  experi- 
mental, and  practical  religion  are  all  ne- 
cessarily connected  together :  they  can 
have  no  existence  separate  from  each  oth- 
er. The  influence  of  truth  upon  the 
mind  is  the  source  of  all  our  spiritual 
feelings,  and  those  feelings  are  the  springs 
of  every  good  word  and  action. 

The  above  are  some  of  the  different 
ways  in  which  we  are  liable  to  be  wanting 
in  our  regard  to  the  word  of  God  ;  and, 
in  proportion  as  these  prevail,  it  is  natural 
to  suppose  we  shall  be  wanting  in  spirit- 
uality and  communion  ivith  God:  instead 
of  growing  in  grace,  we  shall  dwindle  like 
the  unwatered  plant  in  the  drought  of 
summer.  This  may  be  expected  on  two 
accounts.  First :  As  an  awful  chastise- 
ment for  our  sin  in  such  disregard.  God's 
word  is  indited  by  his  Holy  Spirit:  a 
want  of  proper  regard  to  that  word  must 
therefore  be  one  of  those  evil  things  by 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  is  grieved;  and, 
where  that  is  the  case,  it  is  natural  to 
suppose  he  will  withdraw  his  reviving, 
fructifying  influences,  the  consequence  of 
which  will  ever  be  a  discernible  want  of 
spirituality.  I  call  this  an  awful  chas- 
tisement ;  and  such  it  is,  because  of  a 
spiritual  kind.  As  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
sum  of  spiritual  good,  so  his  withdraw- 
ment  is  the  completion  of  every  spiritual 
evil.  When  David  was  threatened  with 
the  loss  of  all  that  was  dear  to  him,  he 
deprecated  this  more  than  any  thing  be- 
side :  "  Take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from 
me  !  "  "  Wo  unto  them,"  saith  the  Lord, 
"  if  I  depart  from  them."  Secondly  :  As 
a  natural  consequence  of  it.  God's  word 
is  that  to  those  who   "  meditate  in  it   by 


SPIRITUAL    DECLENSION    AND    MEANS    OF    REVIVAL. 


753 


day  and  by  night  "  which  "  the  rivers  of 
waters  "  are  to  a  tree  planted  by  their 
side.  It  is  that  by  means  of  which  they 
"  bring  forth  fruit  in  their  season."  From 
the  want  of  a  spiritual  and  experimental 
acquaintance  with  God's  word  proceeds  a 
want  of  religious  principle ;  and  this 
seems  to  be  the  case  of  multitudes  of 
professors  in  the  present  age.  From 
want  of  religious  principle  proceeds  a 
more  than  ordinary  liability  to  errors  in 
judgment :  the  house  that  was  empty, 
though  swept  and  garnished,  was  ready 
for  the  reception  of  unclean  spirits. 
From  errors  in  judgment  proceed  errors 
in  spirit  and  conduct;  if  once  the  truths 
of  God  sink  into  disesieem,  his  precepts 
in  the  spirituality  of  them  will  not  con- 
tinue to  be  regarded.  Little  sins,  as  they 
are  accounted,  will  be  indulged,  and  the 
most  difficult  and  self-denying  duties  neg- 
lected. And  then,  if  things  come  to  this, 
that  we  give  way  a  little,  we  shall  soon 
go  further:  want  of  universal  obedience 
will  soon  lead  to  a  universal  want  of  obe- 
dience ;  and  thus,  if  infinite  mercy  pre- 
vent not,  we  shall  wax  worse  and  worse. 
This  is  no  other  than  the  high  road  to 
apostasy,  towards  which  it  is  to  be  feared 
great  numbers  of  professors  are  verging, 
and  in  which  great  numbers  are  already 
walking!  Happy  should  I  be  if  any  one 
by  these  hints  might  be  led  to  reflection, 
and  recover  himself  out  of  the  snare  of 
the  devil,  by  whom  he  is  led  captive  at  his 
will  ! 

I  have  only  one  thought  more  to  add. 
If  a  regard  to  the  word  of  God  is  of  such 
great  importance  to  Christians,  what  must 
it  be  to  ministers  !  A  defection  in  a  pri- 
vate character  nearly  terminates  in  him- 
self; but  a  defection  in  a  minister  may 
affect  many  thousands.  If  as  ministers 
we  sink  into  a  disregard  for  divine  truth, 
to  say  the  least,  we  shall  not  preach  it 
with  that  ardor  which  is  necessary,  if  at 
all.  It  becomes  us  to  tremble,  and  to  in- 
quire whether  the  defections  among  our 
people  be  not  owing  in  part  to  the  whole- 
some truths  of  God  being  withheld  from 
them,  or  delivered  in  a  languid  and  care- 
less manner;  and,  if  so,  it  behoves  us 
farther  to  consider  how  we  shall  endure 
that  cutting  rebuke  :  "  My  people  are  de- 
stroyed for  lack  of  knowledge  :  because 
thou  hast  rejected  knowledge,  I  will  also 
reject  thee,  that  thou  shalt  be  no  priest  to 
me  :  seeing  thou  hast  forgotten  the  law  of 
thy  God,  I  will  also  forget  thy  children  !  " 

In  the  last  paper,  it  was  supposed  that 
one  cause  to  which  declensions  in  religion 
might  be  imputed  was  a  disregard  to  the 
ivord  of  God  :  in  this  I  shall  attempt  to 
prove  that  another  cause  is  the  manner  in 
Vol.  2.— Sic.  9G 


lohich  we  attend  to  the  duty  of  prayer. 
Prayer  is  the  ascending  of  the  heart  to 
God.  it  is  one  of  the  ordinary  means  of 
our  communion  with  God.  A  great  part 
of  the  religious  life  consists  in  the  exer- 
cise of  it,  either  in  public  or  in  private, 
either  vocal  or  mental.  It  may  be  sup- 
posed that  our  spiritual  prosperity  will 
bear  some  proportion  to  the  degree  of  fer- 
vor and  constancy  with  which  this  duty  is 
attended  to.  All  our  spiritual  life  is  de- 
rived from  Christ,  as  that  of  the  branch 
is  from  the  vine  ;  and  prayer  is  that  by 
which  we  receive  of  his  fulness  grace  for 
grace.  If  this  duty  is  either  restrained 
before  God,  or  performed  in  a  careless, 
carnal  manner,  our  souls  must  of  course 
dwindle  away  and  lose  their  fruitfulness. 

But,  as  the  persons  to  whose  considera- 
tion these  papers  are  humbly  recommend- 
ed are  such  as  profess  godliness,  I  shall  take 
it  for  granted  that  they  make  a  point  of 
prayer,  and  shall  say  nothing  of  its  be- 
ing omitted,  but  confine  my  remarks  to 
the  manner  in  tohich  it  is  performed. 

It  is  a  fact,  to  which  I  suppose  many  can 
subscribe,  that  it  is  very  common  for  us  to 
pray  to  the  Lord,  and  yet  for  our  prayers 
to  remain  unanswered.  We  pray,  for  in- 
stance, that  the  kingdom  of  Christ  may 
increase  in  the  world,  and  yet  we  see  but 
little  of  that  kind  taking  place  :  that  our 
sins  may  be  forgiven,  and  yet  sin  remains 
upon  our  consciences  from  time  to  time; 
and  we  lose  it,  not  so  much  by  its  being 
blotted  out  by  God's  pardoning  mercy,  as 
worn  out  by  our  own  forgctfuiness  :  that 
our  graces  may  be  lively  and  active,  yet 
we  remain  wretchedly  insensible  and  for- 
mal :  in  a  word,  that  we  may  enjoy  com- 
munion with  God,  and  conformity  to  him; 
and  yet  the  decree  that  we  possess  of  either 
is  so  small  that  we  have  reason  to  be  great- 
lv  ashamed,  and  to  tremble  lest  it  should 
he  said  of  us  at  last,  "Cut  it  down,  why 
cumbereth  it  the  ground  1  " 

But  how  is  it  that  our  prayers  should  be 
thus  unanswered  1  "Is  the  Lord's  arm 
shortened,  that  it  cannot  save;  or  his  ear 
heavy,  that  it  cannot  hear!"  Or  is  he 
slack  concerning  his  promise  of  hearing 
and  answering  the  prayers  of  his  people] 
None  of  all  these;  he  himself  has  told  us 
the  reason  :  "  Ye  ask,  and  receive  not, 
because  ye  ask  amiss."  "  If  I  regard  in- 
iquity in  my  heart,"  said  the  Psalmist, 
"the  Lord  will  not  hear  me."  Let  the 
following  questions  be  seriously  consid- 
ered. 

First :  When  we  pray,  do  toe  really  and 
earnestly  desire  what  we  pray  for  ?  It  is 
awful  to  think  of  approaching  the  Searcher 
of  hearts  without  meaning  as  we  speak; 
and  yet  it  is  to  be  feared  that  a  spice  of 
this  solemn  mockery  runs  through  many 


754 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


of  our  petitions.  It  were  well  for  such 
persons  as  always  pray  in  a  set  form  of 
words  to  examine  whether  they  mean 
what  they  say.  It  is  granted  that  a  per- 
son may  as  really  pray  in  the  words  of 
others,  provided  they  do  but  express  his 
case,  as  in  his  own  ;  but  cases  are  so  nu- 
merous in  different  persons,  and  so  various 
in  the  same  person  at  different  times,  that 
it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  any  set  of 
words  of  human  composition  should  fully 
answer  the  end  proposed  by  it.  Nor  is 
formality  in  prayer  confined  to  those  who 
use  a  form.  Persons  who  pray  extempore 
may  fall  into  a  habit  of  repeating  words 
without  meaning,  or  words  which,  however 
good  and  proper  in  themselves,  are  not  the 
expressions  of  the  heart.  Prayers  offered 
up  in  public  are  very  liable  to  this  abuse, 
and  that  both  in  the  speaker  and  hearer. 
The  speaker  is  under  a  temptation  to  for- 
get the  God  he  approaches,  and  to  consid- 
er himself  barely  as  in  the  hearing  of  men, 
and  so  to  ask,  not  for  such  things  as  he 
really  desires,  but  such  as  next  occur  to 
his  mind,  as  things,  if  I  may  so  speak, 
that  will  do  to  be  prayed  for;  and  the 
hearer  is  apt  to  consider  himself  as  not 
immediately  concerned  in  the  petitions  of 
another,  and  so  to  indulge  his  mind  in 
wandering  after  other  things  ;  whereas,  by 
joining  in  public  prayer,  we  solemnly  pro- 
fess to  unite  with  it  :  he  that  prays  is  to 
be  considered  as  the  mouth  of  the  assem- 
bly to  God. 

There  is  one  considerable  evidence  that 
we  do  not  mean  what  we  say  in  many  of 
our  approaches  to  God,  and  that  is  the 
want  of  what  the  apostle  calls  watching 
unto  prayer.  If  a  poor  man  in  real  neces- 
sity ask  relief  at  a  rich  man's  door,  he  will 
not  think  it  sufficient  to  repeat  over  a  few- 
words  and  return  without  an  answer  :  no, 
he  watches  and  looks  with  longing  expecta- 
tion after  that  for  which  he  has  been  peti- 
tioning. And  if  the  party  to  whom  he  ap- 
plies should  have  previously  invited  him, 
and  even  laid  his  commands  upon  him 
whenever  he  is  in  want  to  repair  to  him, 
the  poor  man  in  that  case  will  not  be  so 
apt  to  consider  his  applications  so  much  in 
the  light  of  duties  as  privileges.  It  is  ea- 
sy to  apply  this  to  our  approaches  to  God. 
Are  we  of  such  a  spirit  in  those  approach- 
es as  to  reckon  them  a  privilege,  or  do  we 
satisfy  ourselves  with  having  gone  through 
the  exercise,  and  performed,  as  we  think, 
our  duty,  without  waiting,  or  scarcely 
thinking  of  our  petitions  being  granted  1 
When  we  say  Amen,  so  be  it,  at  the  close 
of  our  prayers,  do  we  really  desire  that  so 
it  should  be  1  It  is  a  dangerous  state  of 
mind  to  be  praying  daily  for  keeping  and 
quickening  grace,  and  yet  to  be  easy  with- 
out it ;  to  rest  contented  with  asking  com- 


munion with  God,  instead  of  enjoying  it. 
The  least  that  can  be  supposed  in  such 
cases  is  that  God  will  punish  our  indiffer- 
ence, not  to  say  our  hypocrisy,  by  wilhold- 
ing  the  blessings  for  which  we  make  re- 
quest. 

Secondly  :  Are  we  not  apt  to  be  less  ear- 
nest in  matters  wherein  we  should  take  no 
denial,  than  in  others  wherein  it  would  be- 
come us  to  be  submissive?     There  are  two 
sorts   of   mercies    for   which   we  have   to 
pray  ;  mercies  which   God  hath  not  bound 
himself  to  bestow,  even  though   we  pray 
for  them  in  ever  such  a  right  spirit — and 
mercies   which   he   hath.     Of   the  former 
class  are  all  our  earthly  comforts,  and  some 
things  in  the  religious  life  :  of  the  latter 
are  all  those  spiritual    blessings  essential 
to  salvation.     David  prayed  for  the  life  of 
his   child  :    God  did  not  reprove  him  for 
praying,  yet   neither  did  he   grant  him  his 
request.     David  desired  also  to  build  God 
a  house  :  God  took  it  well   that  it  was  in 
his  heart,  yet  he  denied   him  the  thing  he 
desired.     In    neither   of  these   cases    had 
God  promised  to   grant  the  desire  of  his 
servant,  and  he   saw  fit  to  counteract  it  : 
but,  in    respect    to   spiritual    and    eternal 
blessings,  God  has  bound  himself  to  grant 
the  desire  of  the  righteous,  and  to  perfect 
that  which  concerns  his    praying  people. 
Now,  if  things  are  so,  it  is  easy  to  see  that 
when  we   are  praying  for  the  one  sort  of 
blessings  a  peculiar  submission  to  the  will 
of  God  becomes  us,  which  is  not  required 
in  the  other.     If  we  pray,  with  Jabez,  to 
have  our  coast  enlarged  in  temporal  things, 
we   ought  to  feel  a  contented  mind,  and 
submit  to  God,  though  our  prayers  should 
be  unanswered  :  but,  if  we  are  praying  for 
an  interest  in   Christ  as   our  spiritual  and 
everlasting  portion,  contentment  of  mind 
is  not  there  required.     God  does  not  re- 
quire us  to  be  willing  to    be  lost  forever; 
for  that  would   be  the  same  thing  as  to  be 
willing  to  be  forever  employed  in    cursing 
and  blaspheming,  instead  of  blessing,  his 
holy  name.     Again,  if  we  adopt  the  latter 
part  of  the  prayer  of  Jabez — "  O  that  thou 
wouldst  keep   me   from  evil,  that  it  may 
not  grieve  me!" — if  by  evil  we  understand 
the  evil  of  affliction,  a  resignation  to  the 
will  of  God  becomes  us  ;  but,  if  by  evil  we 
understand  the  evil  ofsin,  resignation  would 
then  become  criminal.     But,  if  we  inspect 
the  generality  of  our  prayers,  I  am  afraid 
there  is  more  resignation,  as  it  is  account- 
ed, in  respect  to  the  enjoyment  of  spiritual 
blessings,  where  it  is  not  required,  than 
there  is  in  temporal  blessings,  where  it  is  re- 
quired.   In  those  things  wherein  we  should 
take  no  denial,  we  are  too   easy  ;  but,  in 
those  wherein  resignation   would   become 
us,  we  are  too  urgent.     The  phrase  "  If  it 
be  thy  will,"  which   so   often   occurs  in 


SPIRITUAL    DECLENSION  AND  MEANS  OF   REVIVAL. 


755 


prayer,  is  perhaps  more  frequently  appli- 
ed to  things  in  which  God  requires  us  to 
be  all  importunity  than  to  things  wherein 
such  language  would  be  suitable. 

Thirdly  :  When  we  pray  for  good  things 
is  it  always  to  a  good  end?  It  is  possible 
we  may  go  to  God,  and  really  desire  the 
things  we  ask,  and  yet,  not  desiring  them 
to  a  good  end,  we  fail  of  obtaining  our  de- 
sires. We  may  pray  for  blessings  upon 
our  worldly  engagements,  and  it  is  very 
right  we  should  do  so  ;  but  such  prayer 
may  be  merely  for  the  purposes  of  sensual 
gratification.  Thus  the  apostle  James 
speaks,  "  Ye  ask,  and  receive  not,  because 
ye  ask  amiss,  that  ye  may  consume  it  up- 
on your  lusts."  And  thus  the  Lord  charg- 
ed Israel,  before  they  entered  into  the 
promised  land,  saying,  "I  know  their  im- 
agination which  they  go  about,  even  now, 
before  1  have  brought  thein  into  the  land 
which  I  sware."  If  these  be  our  ends, 
our  prayers  can  be  no  other  than  abomina- 
tion in  the  sight  of  God.  We  may  even 
pray  for  the  success  of  the  gospel,  and  it 
is  doubtless  right  that  we  should  do  so  ; 
but  it  is  possible  such  desires  may  be  ut- 
tered, not  out  of  regard  to  the  prosperity 
of  Christ's  cause,  but  of  our  own;  and, 
if  so,  it  is  a  low  and  carnal  end,  and  we 
cannot  expect  that  God  should  hear  us. 

Fourthly  :  When  toe  confess  our  sins, 
and  pray  to  be  restored,  do  we  really  la- 
ment them,  and  mean  to  forsake  them  1  I 
fear  too  many  of  our  petitions  are  unan- 
swered, because  they  do  not  arise  from 
godly  sorrow.  We  confess  from  custom  or 
conscience,  but  do  not  feel  our  hearts  go  out 
against  the  sin,  so  as  to  return  to  the  Lord 
with  all  our  soul.  Confession  is  of  the 
nature  of  a  solemn  oath,  an  oath  of  abjur- 
ation ;  and  it  is  awful  to  think  that  we 
should  ever  use  it  without  a  desire  and 
determination  to  forsake !  Where  this 
takes  place,  it  is  no  wonder  that  prayer 
for  the  forgiveness  of  sins  and  communion 
with  God  should  be  unanswered.  This  is 
regarding  iniquity  in  our  hearts;  and  then 
we  are  assured  the  Lord  will  not  hear  us. 

Fifthly  :  When  we  pray  for  divine  di- 
rection in  matters  of  faith  or  practice  are 
we  sincerely  determined  to  follow  the  dic- 
tates of  God's  word  1  We  may  pray  to  be 
led  into  all  truth,  and  yet  feel  a  prejudice 
in  favor  of  sentiments  already  imbibed, 
and  against  others  which  may  be  propo- 
sed :  in  this  case,  while  we  pray  and  search 
the  Scriptures,  we  shall  feel  a  secret  wish 
to  have  them  speak  according  to  our  pre- 
conceived ideas  of  things,  not  knowing 
how  to  endure  the  shame  of  having  been 
mistaken.  Much  the  same  may  be  said  of 
things  which  relate  to  practice.  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  to  £0  to  God  for  direction 
in  doubtful  matters,  not  with  a  resolution 


to  be  determined  by  the  word  of  God,  but 
with  a  hope  to  find  God's  word  in  favor  of 
our  inclinations.  This  was  the  motive  of 
Ahab  in  sending  for  Micaiah,  to  know 
whether  he  should  go  up  to  Ramoth-Gilead 
to  battle  ;  and  of  the  Jews  left  in  Judea,  to 
know  whether  they  should  tarry  there,  or 
go  down  to  Egypt.  In  both  these  cases 
they  had  determined  what  to  do :  their 
asking  counsel  of  God,  therefore,  was 
mere  hypocrisy.  "  Son  of  man,"  said  the 
Lord  to  Ezekiel,  concerning  such  charac- 
ters, "  these  men  have  set  up  their  idols 
in  their  heart,  and  put  the  stumbling-block 
of  their  iniquity  before  their  face  :  should 
I  be  inquired  of  at  all  by  them  1  There- 
fore speak  unto  them,  and  say,  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God,  Every  man — that  setteth 
up  his  idols  in  his  heart,  and  putteth  the 
stumbling-block  of  his  iniquity  before  his 
face,  and  cometh  to  the  prophet,  I  the 
Lord  will  answer  him  that  cometh,  ac- 
cording to  the  multitude  of  his  idols." 

Sixthly  :  Are  toe  not  greatly  loanting  in 
what  may  be  called  religious  public  spirit, 
in  our  prayers  ?  It  is  a  fact  that  a  great 
number  of  Christians  in  the  present  day 
are  perpetually  harassed  in  determining 
the  reality  of  their  own  Christianity  :  they 
are  all  their  life-time  poring  upon  that  sub- 
ject, and  perhaps  die  at  last  full  of  fear 
and  anxiety.  The  primitive  Christians 
do  not  seem  to  have  been  so  much  troub- 
led with  these  thoughts  as  with  their  want 
of  conformity  to  Christ.  Christ  taught 
his  disciples  to  approach  daily  to  God  as 
their  Father;  and,  by  the  accounts  we 
have,  it  would  seem  they  generally  did  so  : 
but  such  sweet  freedom  is  now  rarely  to 
be  found,  even  among  the  godly.  How  is 
this  to  be  accounted  for  ]  There  is  no 
doubt  that  such  darkness  of  mind  is  in  a 
degree  pitiable,  and  that  such  persons  re- 
quire to  be  dealt  with  in  a  way  of  wisdom 
and  tenderness.  It  is  a  thought,  however, 
that  deserves  consideration,  whether  one 
great  cause  of  this  darkness  of  mind  may 
not  arise  from  an  excessive  attention  to 
our  own  safety,  to  the  neglect  of  the  glory 
of  God  and  the  prosperity  of  Christ's 
kingdom.  Christ  enjoins  us  to  pray, 
"  Hallowed  be  thy  name,  thy  king'dom 
come,"  before  we  ask  for  the  forgiveness 
of  our  sins,  or  even  for  our  daily  bread. 
A  person  that  is  employed  in  scarcely 
any  thing  else  but  recollecting  former  evi- 
dences for  the  purpose  of  heinsr  able  to 
answer  the  question,  Am  I  a  Christian  1 
is  not  likely  to  gain  his  object.  The 
means  he  pursues  tend  to  defeat  their 
own  end.  Self-examination,  however 
necessary  in  a  degree,  yet,  if  attended  to 
to  the  neglect  of  other  things, is  like  the 
conduct  of  a  man  in  trade,  who  should 
spend  three-fourths  of  his  time  in  casting 


756 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


up  his  accounts  that  he  may  determine 
whether  he  has  gained  or  lost.  It  is 
doubtless  very  desirable  to  enjoy  a  full 
satisfaction  respecting  our  interest  in 
Christ,  and  such  a  satisfaction  is  to  be  en- 
joyed in  the  present  life  ;  but  the  question 
is,  What  are  the  means  by  which  it  is  to 
be  obtained  1  Like  reputation,  and  some 
other  things,  to  pursue  it  as  an  end  is  the 
way  to  lose  it.  If  we  care  so  little  about 
Gods  glory  as  to  pray  scarcely  at  all  for 
the  advancement  of  his  kingdom  in  the 
world;  but  are  continually  taken  up  about 
our  own  safety,  it  is  right  that  God  should 
so  order  things  as  that  we  should  be  dis- 
appointed. If  we  wish  for  satisfaction  on 
that  head,  it  must  be  sought  only  as  a  sec- 
ondary object.  If  we  were  to  seek  first 
the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness, 
these  would  be  among  the  things  that 
would  be  added  unto  us.  "Pray  for  the 
peace  of  Jerusalem  :  they  shall  prosper 
that  love  thee." 

Lastly  :  Do  ice  ask  blessings  wholly  in 
the  name  of  Christ?  I  do  not  mean  to 
ask  whether  we  conclude  our  prayers  in 
so  many  icords,  but  whether  we  come  to 
God  under  a  full  persuasion  of  our  utter 
unworthiness,  knowing  and  feeling  that 
while  we  implore  the  best  of  blessings 
we  deserve  the  heaviest  of  curses  ;  and 
desiring  all  to  be  given,  not  for  our  sakes, 
but  wholly  lor  the  sake  of  Christ.  We 
have  reason  to  believe  that  if  our  prayers 
were  more  presented  in  the  name  of  Christ 
they  would  be  more  successful,  seeing  that 
it  stands  on  sacred  record  whatsoever  we 
ask  in  his   name,  it  shall  be  given  us. 


In  the  last  paper,  I  considered  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  duty  of  prayer  is  attended 
to  as  one  considerable  reason  of  spiritual 
declension  :  in  this  I  shall  propose  to  con- 
sideration another  cause,  as  contributing 
to  the  same  end  :  it  is  that  of  sin  lying  on 
the  conscience  unlamentcd.  When  the  apos- 
tle Paul  wrote  his  First  Epistle  to  the 
church  at  Corinth,  they  were  sunk  into  a 
most  wretched  condition  indeed.  With 
admirable  faithfulness,  wisdom,  patience, 
and  tenderness,  he  wrote  that  epistle  with 
a  view  to  reclaim  them.  Many  of  them 
were  reclaimed  :  but  some,  it  seems,  con- 
tinued insensible,  which  induced  him,  when 
he  wrote  his  Second  Epistle  to  that  church, 
to  express  himself  thus:  "I  fear  lest, 
when  I  come  again,  my  God  will  humble 
me  among  you;  and  that  I  shall  bewail 
many  who  have  sinned  already,  and  have, 
not  repented  of  their  deeds." 

Sin,  if  not  habitually  lamented,  and  re- 
moved by  repeated  applications  to  the 
cross  of  Christ,  is  like  poison  in  the  bones  : 
it  rankles  within  us,  and  is  destructive  of 
our  soul's  prosperity.     So  long  as  sin  re- 


mains unlamented,  so  long  we  have  an 
habitual  liking  to  it;  and  so  long,  to  say 
the  least,  God  has  a  controversy  with  us. 
To  assist  any  one  who  wishes  to  make 
strict  inquiry  into  this  matter,  I  would 
state  a  few  evidences  by  which  it  may  be 
known  whether  we  have  sinned  and  not 
repented,  and  point  out  the  danger  of  such 
a  condition. 

If  there  is  any  particular  evil  to  which 
we  have  been  especially  addicted,  and  that 
evil  is  still  persisted  in,  we  may  be  certain 
that  we  have  not  lamented  it  sufficiently, 
or  to  any  good  purpose.  Saul  confessed 
his  sin  unto  David  ;  but  his  persisting  in  it 
but  too  plainly  proved  that  he  never  truly 
repented  of  it.  How  often  soever  we  may 
have  confessed  our  sins  before  God,  if 
these  confessions  are  not  attended  with  a 
forsaking  of  them,  we  are  none  the  nearer;, 
but  perhaps  the  farther  off:  it  is  an  awful 
state  of  mind  indeed  to  be  able  to  perse- 
vere, at  the  same  time,  in  sinful  indulgences 
and  religious  exercises. 

Farther :  Though  we  should  refrain  from 
the  evil  as  to  practical  compliance,  yet,  if 
such  refraining  arises  from  mere  pruden- 
tial considerations,  we  may  certainly  con- 
clude that  we  have  never  truly  repented  of 
it.  If  the  bias  of  the  heart  is  towards  an 
evil,  and  we  are  withheld  merely,  or  prin- 
cipally, by  regard  to  our  reputation,  or 
worldly  interest,  or  fear  of  hell,  and  not 
by  the  fear  and  love  of  God,  our  condition 
is  very  dangerous.  If,  when  we  are  plied 
with  temptation,  the  arguments  we  use  to 
repel  it  are  taken,  not  so  much  from  its 
evil  nature,  or  its  God-dishonoring  tenden- 
cy, as  from  the  consequences  it  will  pro- 
duce, let  us  tremble  :  surely  we  stand  upon 
the  brink  of  a  tremendous  precipice. 
"That  man,"  says  Dr.  Owen,  "who  op- 
poses nothing  to  the  seduction  of  evil  in 
his  own  heart,  but  fear  of  shame  among 
men,  or  hell  from  God,  is  sufficiently  re- 
solved to  do  that  evil  if  there  were  no  pun- 
ishment attending  it ;  which,  what  it  differs 
from  living  in  the  practice  of  sin,  I  know 
not!" 

Again  :  Suppose  we  have  been  guilty  of 
no  one  particular  sin,  either  of  commission 
or  omission  ;  yet  we  have  accumulated  a 
load  of  guilt  by  small  degrees.  This  is 
the  more  likely  to  go  unlamented,  because, 
being  contracted  by  little  at  a  time,  it  has 
obtained  a  place  in  the  heart  almost  un- 
noticed. But  as  little  and  repeated  colds, 
when  they  settle  upon  the  constitution, 
will  in  the  end  bring  on  a  fit  of  sickness, 
so  will  these  little  neglects  and  indulgences 
bring  on  a  sore  disorder  upon  our  souls. 
There  is  not  a  day  passes  but  we  are  con- 
tracting fresh  guilt  :  unless  therefore  we 
maintain  an  habitual  communion  with 
Christ,  daily  bewailing  our  sins  at  the  foot 


SPIRITUAL    DECLENSION    AND    MEANS    OF    REVIVAL. 


757 


of  his  cross,  we  may  certainly   conclude 
that  we  have  sinned  and  not  repented. 

Farther  :  If  past  evils  are  remembered 
with  pleasure  and  approbation — if  the 
thoughts  and  imaginations  are  fed  by 
dwelling  upon  them — or  if  we  can  take  a 
pleasure  in  speaking  of  our  former  sinful 
exploits,  though  it  may  be  at  the  same 
time  we  would  be  thought  to  disapprove 
of  them — these  are  but  too  forc.ble  a  kind 
of  evidence  that  we  have  not  yet  repented 
of  our  deeds.  To  say  the  least,  if  we  have 
repented,  we  have  again  made  the  evils 
our  own,  by  a  re-commission  of  them  in 
the  mind;  which  requires  renewed  re- 
pentance, and  application  to  Christ,  as 
otherwise  we  are  as  much  under  the  guilt 
of  them  as  ever.  True  repentance  is  at- 
tended with  a  holy  shams,  a  shame  that 
will  teach  us  to  wish  our  evil  ways  anni- 
hilated, and  the  very  name  of  them  buried 
in  oblivion.  There  are  some  sins  which 
expose  us  to  shame  among  men  ;  and  these 
it  is  natural  for  us  to  wish  to  have  buried 
in  forgetfulness,  whether  we  repent  of 
them  or  not :  but  there  are  others,  very 
offensive  to  God,  which  yet  will  gain  the 
applause  of  men  ;  and  here  it  is  the  temp- 
tation in  question  lies.  True  repentance 
will  make  us  ashamed  to  repeat  these,  as 
well  as  others.  "  Thou  shalt  remember, 
and  be  confounded,  and  never  open  thy 
mouth  any  more,  because  of  thy  shame, 
when  I  am  pacified  toward  thee  for  all 
that  thou  hast  done,  saith  the  Lord  God." 

In  fine  :  If  we  have  not  with  holy  ab- 
horrence confessed  and  rejected  our  sin, 
we  have  not  yet  repented  of  it.  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  the  conscience  being  ha- 
bitually burdened  with  guilt,  and  the  spirit 
depressed  with  long-continued  dejec- 
tion, and  yet  the  soul  not  be  brought  to  a 
thorough  contrition.  The  heart  seems 
now  ready  to  dissolve,  but  yet  not  alto- 
gether come  to  a  point.  Such  a  state  of 
mind  is  tenderly  described  by  David  in 
the  32d  and  38th  Psalms.  Both  these 
psalms  were  probably  written  after  his 
repentance  for  his  remarkable  fall  ;  and 
in  them  he  describes,  not  only  the  break- 
ings forth  of  godly  sorrow  bat  the  previous 
operations  of  his  mind  during  the  time  of 
his  lying  under  the  guilt  of  that  great 
sin.  "  When  I  kept  silence,"  saith  he, 
"  my  bones  waxed  old  through  my  roar- 
ing all  the  day  long.  For  day  and  night 
thy  hand  was  heavy  upon  me  ;  my  moist- 
ure is  turned  into  the  drought  of  snmmer! 
Thine  arrows  stick  fast  in  me,  and  thy 
hand  presseth  me  sore." — "  My  wounds 
stink  and  are  corrupt,  because  of  my  fool- 
ishness." Now  he  comes  to  the  crisis  : 
"  I  am  ready  to  halt ;  my  sorrow  is  con- 
tinually before  me  !  I  will  declare  my 
iniquity,  I  will  be  sorry  for  my  sin  !" 


The  state  of  mind  last  described  is  far 
less  dangerous  than  any  of  the  above,  be- 
cause it  promises  to  come  to  a  speedy  and 
happy  issue  ;  but  yet  things  are  never 
safe  till  the  soul,  dissolved  in  grief,  lies 
prostrate  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  We  have 
reason  to  think  that  a  great  deal  of  re- 
morse of  conscience  and  depression  of 
mind  may  come  on  and  go  off  again  ;  and 
there  is  nothing  that  we  have  greater  rea- 
son to  dread  than  a  being  so  given  up  of 
God  as  that  the  guilt  of  our  consciences 
shall  wear  away  by  degrees,  instead  of 
being  washed  away  by  an  application  to 
the  blood  of  Christ. 

A  few  additional  observations,  on  the 
danger  of  having  sinned  and  not  repent- 
ed, shall  close  this  paper.  In  the  first 
place,  it  weakens  and  enervates  our  graces, 
and  by  consequence  spoils  our  usefulness. 
Godliness,  in  all  its  lovely  forms,  is  a  ten- 
der plant :  sin  indulged  in  the  soul,  like 
weeds  in  the  garden,  will  impoverish  it, 
and  cause  the  tender  plant  to  dwindle 
away.  Righteousness  and  unrighteous- 
ness cannot  flourish  together.  Experience 
but  too  plainly  proves  that  carnality  in- 
dulged damps  the  flames  of  love,  kills 
holy  resolution,  joy  and  peace  fly  before 
its  malignant  influence,  hope  sickens  into 
fear,  and  faith  loses  sight  of  invisible  re- 
alities. When  this  is  the  case,  of  what 
use  are  we]  what  in  the  family?  what  in 
the  church'?  what  in  the  world?  where  is 
now  the  savor  with  which  our  spirit  and 
conversation  should  be  attended  ?  Alas, 
we  are  but  too  much  like  salt  that  has 
lost  its  savor,  fit  for  neither  the  land  nor 
the  dunghill  ! 

Farther  :  //  cuts  off  all  communion  with 
God.  The  joys  of  salvation  were  with- 
drawn from  David  when  he  withdrew 
from  God.  It  is  well  if  prayer  and  all 
close  dealing  with  God  is  not  neglected; 
or,  if  we  approach  to  God  in  form,  still 
while  iniquity  is  regarded  in  our  hearts, 
the  Lord  will  not  hear  us.  We  may  go 
morning  and  evening,  and  oftener;  but 
the  Lord  is  not  there  !  The  pleasures  of 
religion  are  fled.  Our  soul  is  removed 
far  off  from  peace,  and  we  shall  soon 
have  forgotten  spiritual  prosperity.  There 
are  only  two  states  of  mind  which  we  now 
alternately  experience  :  we  are  either 
locked  up  in  insensibility,  or  pierced  with 
self-reflection. 

Again  :  It  gives  Satan  a  great  advan- 
tage over  us.  It  tempts  the  tempter  to 
apply  to  us  with  renewed  force.  While 
sin  lies  unlainented  upon  the  conscience, 
we  are  like  a  besieged  city,  enfeebled  by 
famine,  sickly,  and  without  a  heart  to 
resist;  and  this  must  needs  invite  the 
besieger  to  renew  his  onsets.  It  is  bv 
resistine:  the  devil  that  he  flies  from  us  : 


758 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,   ESSAYS,  &C. 


and  so,  vice  versa,  by  dropping  resistance 
he  is  encouraged  to  approach  towards  us. 
This  in  fact  is  the  case  with  us  :  while 
sin  remains  unlamented,  there  are  gener- 
ally more  temptations  ply  the  mind  than 
at  other  times.  When  Sampson  slept 
and  lost  his  strength,  the  Philistines  were 
soon  upon  him.  And  now  put  these  all 
together  :  our  strength  gone,  the  Holy 
Spirit  departed,  and  temptation  coming 
upon  us  with  redoubled  force  :  alas  !  where 
are  we  1  Well  did  the  Psalmist  exclaim, 
"Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is 
forgiven, — and  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no 
guile." 

Again:  Secret  sins  indulged  will,  in  all 
probability,  soon  become  manifest  and 
open.  It  is  not  in  human  nature  to  be 
able  for  a  long  continuance  to  conceal  the 
ruling  bias  of  the  heart.  It  will  come  out 
in  some  way  or  other,  and  it  is  fit  it  should. 
A  wise  providence  has  so  ordered  it  that 
the  heart  and  conduct  shall  not  be  at  per- 
petual variance.  It  is  worthy  the  charac- 
ter of  a  holy  and  a  jealous  God  to  show 
his  abhorrence  to  secret  sin,  by  suffering 
the  party  to  be  rolled  in  the  dirt  of  public 
reproach.  If  we  regard  not  the  honor  of 
God's  name,  can  we  wonder  if  he  regards 
not  the  honor  of  ours  1  "  Him  that  hon- 
oreth  me,  I  will  honor  ;  but  he  that  des- 
piseth  me  shall  be  lightly  esteemed." 

Once  more  :  Does  it  not  hereby  become 
a  matter  of  doubt  how  it  is  with  us  as  to 
our  state  before  God  ?  Though  no  true 
Christian  will  ever  sink  into  total  aposta- 
sy, yet  while  sin  is  unlamented  we  are  in 
the  direct  road  to  it,  the  same  road  that 
those  have  trod  who  have  apostatized. 
They  once  thought  themselves  right  as 
well  as  we,  and  began  to  sin  by  little  and 
little  :  yes,  they  went  on,  and  presumed  it 
may  be  that  they  should  be  some  time  or 
other  restored  :  but,  instead  of  that,  have 
gone  on  and  on,  till  death  has  cut  them  off, 
and  beyond  the  grave  they  have  found  their 
dreadful  disappointment. 

These  things  should  make  us  tremble, 
and  consider  the  danger  of  trifling  with  sin, 
and  presuming  upon  being  reclaimed,  and 
so  making  ourselves  easy  in  impenitence. 
If  we  go  on  in  sin,  have  we  not  reason  to 
think  things  were  never  right  with  us  from 
the  first  1  If  the  waters  are  naught,  does 
it  not  seem  to  indicate  that  the  spring 
has  never  been  healed  1 


Having,  in  the  three  foregoing  papers, 
pointed  out  some  of  the  causes  of  spiritu- 
al declension,  I  come  now  to  inquire  into 
the  means  of  revival.  But,  before  any 
tiling  can  be  said  by  way  of  direction,  two 
or  three  things  must  be  premised. 

1.  That  in  the  use  of  all  means  we  con- 
sider them  but  cs  means,  place  no  depend- 


ence upon  them,  but  entirely  upon  the 
Spirit  of  God  as  the  first  cause.  We  can 
of  our  own  accord  find  the  way  out  of 
God's  path,  but  if  left  to  ourselves  we  shall 
never  find  the  way  in  again. 

2.  If  we  have  so  backslidden  from  the 
Lord  as  to  live  in  the  indulgence  of  any 
known  sin,  whether  of  omission  or  com- 
mission, that  we  immediately  put  away 
these  idols,  and  that  without  reserve.  God 
will  not  hear  us  while  iniquity  is  regarded 
in  our  hearts.  If  any  or  all  of  those  thing9 
pointed  out  in  the  foregoing  papers  as 
causes  of  declension  are  so  indeed,  those 
causes  must  be  lamented  and  forsaken,  or 
depend  upon  it  the  effects  will  not  be  re- 
moved. 

3.  In  whatever  mode  we  have  departed 
from  God,  that  there  be  a  real  desire  of 
returning  to  him  again.  Without  this,  all 
directions  will  be  in  vain,  and  all  means 
without  effect.  "  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and 
find  me,  when  ye  shall  search  for  me  with 
all  your  heart."  It  may  be  we  are  accus- 
tomed to  live  without  close  communion 
with  God,  and  are  almost  contented  with 
such  a  kind  of  life.  Perhaps  we  lay  our 
accounts  with  going  through  life  without 
habitual  close  walking  with  God.  If  so,  I 
only  say  this,  Let  us  not  at  the  same  time 
lay  our  accounts  with  dwelling  forever 
with  him  at  last. 

But,  if  the  above  three  things  may  be 
supposed,  there  are  then  other  scriptural 
directions  which  may  be  given.  That 
which  I  shall  insist  upon  in  this  paper  is  as 
follows  :  That  we  closely  consider  the  evil 
nature  of  that  sin  which  is  committed  after 
our  conversion  to  God. — As  our  first  return 
to  God  begins  with  conviction  of  sin,  so 
must  every  other  return.  The  ordinary 
means  of  obtaining  conviction  of  sin,  to- 
gether with  a  mournful  sense  of  it,  is  by 
seriously  and  closely  reflecting  upon  its 
evil  nature  and  aggravating  circumstances. 
"  I  thought  on  my  ways,  and  turned  my 
feet  unto  thy  testimonies." — "  Then  shall 
ye  remember  your  own  evil  wajs,  and 
your  doings  that  were  not  good,  and  shall 
loath  yourselves  in  your  own  sight  for 
your  iniquities,  and  for  your  abomina- 
tions." 

Perhaps  we  cannot  obtain  a  more  affect- 
ing representation  of  the  evil  of  our  back- 
slidings  from  God  than  that  which  is  given 
us  by  the  prophet  Jeremiah,  in  his  address 
to  Israel,  contained  in  the  second  chapter; 
and,  as  advice  from  such  a  quarter  comes 
with  divine  authority,  I  do  not  think  I  can 
do  better  than  to  refer  the  reader  to  Jer. 
ii.  1 — 13,  on  which  I  shall  now  make  a 
few  remarks. 

From  this  affecting  passage  we  ma)*  ob- 
serve  four  things  in  particular,  which  are 
represented    as    aggravating    those    sins 


SPIRITUAL  DECLENSION  AND  MEANS   OF  REVIVAL. 


759 


which  are  committed  after  we  have  known 
the  Lord  ;  they  are  committed  in  violation 
of  the  most  solemn  vows,  without  any  the 
least  provocation,  are  expressive  of  the 
blackest  ingratitude,  and  the  most  extreme 
and  singular  folly. 

First:  They  are  committed  in  violation 
of  all  those  solemn  vows  and  covenant  en- 
gagements which  we  made  and  into  which 
we  entered  at  our  first  conversion.  Not 
only  was  there  a  covenant  between  the 
Father  and  the  Son  before  time,  but  as 
well  there  is  a  covenant  between  Christ 
and  his  people  in  time. 

Conversion  is  a  marriage  wherein  (with 
reverence  be  it  spoken)  Christ  resigns  up 
himself  with  all  he  is  and  has  to  us,  and 
we  resign  ourselves,  with  all  we  are  and 
have,  to  him.  Such  a  union  is  here  allud- 
ed to.  The  love  we  bore  to  Christ  at  that 
time  might  filly  be  called  the  love  of  our 
espousals.  Was  there  not  a  time  when  we 
scarcely  wished  for  any  other  pleasure 
than  what  was  to  be  enjoyed  in  commu- 
nion with  himself  and  his  saints — when 
his  name  was  as  ointment  poured  forth — 
when  we  loved  the  very  image  of  it  1  And, 
when  we  have  seen  those  who  we  thought 
bore  most  of  that  in  their  spirit  and  con- 
duct, has  it  not  been  as  though  we  had 
seen  an  angel  of  God  ]  Was  there  not  a 
time  when  closet  exercises  were  reckoned 
our  highest  privileges — when  the  return  of 
public  ordinances  was  wailed  for  with  ea- 
ger expectation — in  short,  when  we  took 
Christ's  cause  for  our  cause,  his  people 
for  our  people,  his  will  for  our  law,  his 
glory  for  our  end,  and  himself  for  our  por- 
tion 1  Now  these  were  times  from  whence 
we  may  each  say,  "Thy  vows,  O  God, 
are  upon  me  !  "  But  have  we  not  since 
then  strangely  forsaken  him  1  How  is 
this  ]  Did  we  love  him  too  well  then  1  Is 
he  not  as  worthy  now  as  then  ]  If  a  prince 
espouse  a  poor  miserable  outcast,  and  give 
himself  with  all  he  is  and  has  to  her,  and 
only  require  her  heart  in  return,  shall  she 
refuse  him  that  1  shall  she  be  the  first  that 
shall  be  dissatisfied  ]  must  she  go  after 
other  lovers,  and  that  in  spite  of  all  her 
solemn  vows  1  And  yet  may  each  back- 
slider say,  Thus  it  has  been  with  me  !  "  O, 
my  soul,  thou  hast  said  unto  the  Lord, 
thou  art  my  Lord;"  thou  hast  taken  him 
for  thy  lawgiver  and  thy  portion  :  how  is 
it  that  thou  shouldest  bow  down  to  other 
lords,  and  seek  satisfaction  in  that  which 
is  not  God  1 

Secondly  :  Whatever  departures  from 
God  have  taken  place,  they  have  been 
without  any  provocation  whatever,  on  his 
part.  "  What  iniquity  have  your  fathers 
found  in  me,  that  they  are  gone  far  from 
me]"  This  is  a  question  that  ought  to 
cut  us  to  the  very  soul,  and  open  every 


spring  of  sensibility  and  self-abhorrence  ! 
While  we  were  in  open  rebellion  against 
him,  was  he  wanting  in  forbearance? 
When  he  saw  us  in  our  impoverished  and 
ruined  condition,  and  gave  his  own  Son  to 
die  for  us,  did  he  act  an  unfeeling  part  to- 
ward us  ]  Was  it  hard  on  our  side  that 
Christ  should  be  "  made  sin  for  us,  who 
knew  no  sin,  that  we  might  be  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  him]"  Since  we 
have  been  engaged  in  his  service,  has  he 
been  a  hard  master  1  Has  his  yoke  been 
galling  to  us]  Did  he  ever  prove  to  us  a 
barren  wilderness,  or  a  land  of  drought  1 
Was  ever  the  path  of  obedience  a  barren 
path  ]  Is  it  better  with  us  now  than  for- 
merly ]  Has  he  been  a  churlish  father  t» 
us  ]  Did  he  ever  refuse  us  free  access  to 
him  in  a  time  of  need]  When  we  have 
asked  for  bread,  did  he  ever  give  us  a 
stone]  When  he  has  smitten  us,  was  it 
not  always  with  a  mixture  of  mercy,  and 
all  to  do  us  good  in  the  latter  end  ]  When- 
ever we  have  returned  to  him  with  our 
whole  heart,  has  he  not  been  always  ready 
to  receive  us,  and  to  bury  all  in  forgetful- 
ness  ] — Methinks  I  hear  him  appeal  to  the 
very  rocks  and  mountains  (as  being  less 
insensible  than  we)  for  the  equity  and 
goodness  of  his  cause :  "  Hear,  O  ye 
mountains,  the  Lord's  controversy,  and  ye 
strong  foundations  of  the  earth  :  for  the 
Lord  hath  a  controversy  wilh  his  people, 
and  he  will  plead  with  Israel  :  O,  my  peo- 
ple, what  have  I  done  unto  thee,  and 
wherein  have  I  wearied  thee]  testify 
against  me  !"  Alas,  what  shall  we  say  un- 
to the  Lord]  what  shall  we  speak]  or 
how  shall  we  clear  ourselves  ]  "  O  Lord, 
righteousness  belongeth  unto  thee,  but 
unto  us  belongeth  confusion  of  face,  as  it 
is  this  day  !" 

Thirdly  :  Sins  after  conversion  are  at- 
tended with  circumstances  of  peculiar  and 
horrible  ingratitude. — This  was  a  part  of 
God's  charge  against  Israel.  He  had 
brought  them  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
had  led  them  through  the  wilderness, 
through  a  dangerous,  barren,  and  lonesome 
wilderness  ;  "  a  land  of  deserts  and  of 
pits;  a  land  of  drought,  and  of  the  shad- 
ow of  death  ;  a  land  where  no  man  passed 
through,  and  where  no  man  dwelt."  He 
had  brought  them  also  into  a  plentiful 
country ;  but  they  had  polluted  it,  and 
even  made  his  heritage  an  abomination. 
It  is  true,  God  has  not  done  the  self-same 
things  for  us  as  he  did  for  them  :  he  has 
not  given  Egypt  for  us,  nor  Ethiopia  for 
our  ransom  ;  but  he  has  given  what  is  of 
infinitely  greater  account — his  own  blood! 
Neither  has  he  redeemed  us  from  Egyp- 
tian thraldom  ;  but  he  has  "delivered  us 
from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  transla- 
ted us  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son." 


760 


[ISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


We  never  were  supported  by  miracle,  in 
the  dangerous,  barren,  and  lonesome  des- 
erts of  Arabia  ;  but  we  have  been  led  and 
supplied  by  a  kind  hand,  both  in  a  way  of 
providence  and  grace,  through  a  wilder- 
ness equally  lonesome  and  barren,  and 
much  more  dangerous.  We  never  were 
possessed  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  that 
plentiful  country,  that  rest  for  the  weary 
Israelites  ;  but  we  were  born  in  a  country 
but  little  inferior  to  it,  even  as  to  the  en- 
joyments of  this  life;  and  the  rest  of  gos- 
pe'l-privileges  into  which  we  are  entered, 
with  a  glorious  inheritance  into  which  we 
hope  to*  enter,  abundantly  transcend  every 
thing  of  that  sort,  and  lay  us  under  far 
greater  obligations.  If  we  have  any  thing 
ingenuous  left  in  us,  surely  a  spirit  and 
conduct  that  has  slighted  and  dishonored 
a  God  of  such  love  as  this,  must,  on  re- 
flection, deeply  wound  us. 

Fourthly  :  Such  departures  from  God 
are  expressive  of  the  most  extreme  snd 
singular  folly.  The  Lord  charged  Israel 
with  folly  ;  and  such  it  doubtless  was. 
We  should  think  so  of  any  people  who, 
in  want  of  water,  should  remove  their 
tents  from  an  overflowing  fountain,  and 
promise  themselves  a  greater  fulness  by 
settling  in  a  desert,  and  hewing  out  cis- 
terns which,  after  all,  could  hold  no  wa- 
ter. And  yet  this  is  no  more  than  we  have 
done,  as  well  as  Israel.  We  have  sought 
happiness  in  the  creature,  to  the  neglect  of 
God;  and  all  created  comforts,  when  pos- 
sessed in  that  way,  are  but  broken  cis- 
terns. We  have  found  them  so  :  let  us  be 
ashamed  of  our  folly,  and  return  to  the 
fountain  of  living  waters. 

Departing  from  God,  and  indulging  our- 
selves in  sinning  against  him,  is  a  kind  of 
exchange,  but  it  is  a  foolish  one  ;  it  is  an 
exchange  of  liberty  for  drudgery  and  sla- 
very, of  peace  of  conscience  for  bitter  re- 
morse, of  joyfulness  and  gladness  of  heart 
for  sorrow  and  anguish,  and  of  abun- 
dance of  all  things  for  hunger,  thirst,  na- 
kedness, and  want  of  all  things.  It  is  a 
being  weary  of  the  government,  of  the 
Prince  of  peace,  whose  yoke  is  easy,  and 
whose  burden  is  light,  and  a  putting  our 
necks  under  the  iron  yoke  of  a  tyrant, 
which  tends  to  our  destruction. 

Israel  was  not  only  charged  with  folly, 
but  with  singular  folly.  "Pass  over  the 
Isles  of  Chittim,  saith  the  Lord,  and  see, 
and  send  unto  Kedar,  and  consider  dili- 
gently, and  see  if  there  be  such  a  thing. 
Hath  a  nation  changed  their  gods,  which 
are  yet  no  gods  1  But  my  people  have 
changed  their  glory  for  that  which  doth 
not  profit!"  There  are  some  foolish 
people  in  the  world  who  never  know  when 
they  are  well,  but  will  always  be  changing 
and  exchanging,  though  they  always  con- 


tinue to  lose  by  it.  To  be  compared  to 
these  were  enough  to  shame  us  ;  but  this 
is  not  the  worst.  Notwithstanding  the 
fickleness  of  the  human  mind  in  lesser 
matters,  they  seem  in  general,  each  na- 
tion, to  be  firm  to  their  gods,  even  though 
they  were  no  gods  ;  so  firm,  I  suppose, 
that,  if  they  could  have  exchanged  wood 
for  silver,  or  stone  for  gold,  they  would 
not  have  complied.  But  Israel,  the  only 
people  upon  the  earth  who  had  a  God 
worth  cleaving  to,  Israel  must  be  the  only 
people  who  desire  to  change  !  Well  may 
it  be  added,  "  Be  astonished,  O  ye  heav- 
ens, at  this,  and  be  ye  horribly  afraid  !" 
Shall  the  people  of  the  only  true  God,  and 
only  they,  prove  untrue  1 

But,  alas  !  we  wonder  at  the  sottish 
stupidity  of  Israel,  and  forget  that  in 
them  we  see  our  own  picture.  Extreme 
and  singular  as  their  folly  might  be,  in 
their  idolatries,  it  was  not  more  so  than  is 
ours,  when  we  feel  reluctant  to  draw  near 
to  God  in  close  communion,  and  fly  for 
happiness  to  sensual  and  carnal  gratifica- 
tion. 


As  one  great  cause  of  our  departures 
from  God  has  been  supposed  to  be  a  neg- 
lect of  the  word  of  God,  it  will  ill  be- 
come me,  in  writing  on  the  means  of  re- 
turning to  him,  to  forget  to  make  use  of 
that  unerring  guide.  Hence  it  is  that  I 
have  endeavored,  as  much  as  possible,  to 
introduce  some  particular  part  or  parts  of 
the  word  of  God,  as  the  ground  of  what 
has  been  advanced  on  every  subject. 

There  is  much  advice  given  in  Scrip- 
ture respecting  the  return  of  backsliders, 
both  as  individuals,  and  as  collective  bod- 
ies. But  that  which  I  shall  here  notice 
is  the  counsel  of  Christ  to  the  church  at 
Ephesus,  who  had  fallen  under  rebuke  for 
having  left  their  first  love.  "  Remember 
from  whence  thou  art  fallen,  and  repent; 
and  do  the  first  works." 

The  first  thing  observable  in  this  piece 
of  sacred  counsel  is,  that  we  remember 
from  whence  we  are  fallen.  This  might 
have  a  tendency  to  convince  us  of  our  sad 
defects,  if  we  were  to  compare  our  spirit 
with  that  of  the  primitive  Christians,  and 
consider  the  difference.  They  are  fre- 
quently described  as  "  little  children," 
denoting,  no  doubt,  their  littleness  in 
their  own  eyes,  their  love  one  to  another, 
their  readiness  to  forgive  injuries,  their 
modesty,  and  above  all  their  godly  sim- 
plicity. Like  little  children,  they  were 
unacquainted  with  the  arts  of  dissimula- 
tion and  intrigue.  "  Laying  aside  all 
malice,  and  guile,  and  hypocrisies,  and 
envies,  and  evil  speakings,  as  new  born 
babes  they  desired  and  fed  upon  the  sin- 
cere milk  of  the  word,  and  grew  thereby." 


SPIRITUAL    DECLENSION    AND    MEANS     OF    REVIVAL. 


7G1 


la  there  nothing  in  this  picture  of  a  primi- 
tive Christian  that  makes  us  blush!  Sure 
I  am,  it  ought,  whether  it  does  or  not. 
In  them  surely  we  must  see  and  "  remem- 
ber from  whence  we  are  fallen." 

Another  picture  of  primitive  Christian- 
ity is  given  us  in  Acts  ii.  42.  "  And  they 
continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles' doc- 
trine, in  fellowship,  in  breaking  of  bread, 
and  in  prayers.  From  this  account  we 
may  learn,  1.  That  primitive  Christians 
looked  upon  soundness  in  the  faith  as  of 
great  importance.  They  were  strangers 
to  that  spirit  of  indifference  to  truth  which 
loves  to  represent  its  doctrines  as  mere 
matters  of  speculation,  and  insinuates 
that  "it  matters  not  what  a  man  believes,  if 
his  practice  be  but  good."  They  would 
have  trembled  at  the  thought  of  deviating 
from  that  gospel  which  had  been  made 
the  power  of  God  to  their  salvation.  2. 
That  the  fellowship  which  they  maintain- 
ed with  one  another  arose  out  of  a  union 
of  sentiments  in  apostolical  doctrines. 
They  were  full  of  charity  ;  but  their 
charity  was  not  of  that  kind  which  led 
them  to  have  fellowship  with  men  of  all 
principles.  They  loved  the  souls  of  men 
too  well  to  deceive  them  by  countenancing 
wiiat  they  believed  to  be  pernicious  and 
destructive  errors.  3.  They  exercised  a 
religious  regard  to  the  positive  institutions 
of  Christ,  as  well  as  to  the  doctrine  of 
salvation  through  his  name.  They  not 
only  listened  to  his  instructions  as  their 
Prophet,  and  relied  upon  his  atonement 
as  their  Priest,  but  cheerfully  complied 
with  his  institutions  as  their  King.  4. 
They  were  men  that  dwelt  much  with 
God  in  prayer.  Having  obtained  mercy 
themselves,  they  joined  in  supplicating 
the  divine  throne  for  the  salvation  of  oth- 
ers. Nor  did  they  confine  their  devotions 
to  the  church,  but  carried  them  into  their 
families  and  their  closets.  Let  this  love- 
ly picture  of  primitive  Christianity  be 
closely  reviewed  ;  and  let  us,  by  this 
means,  "  remember  from  whence  we  are 
fallen,  and  repent." 

Farther:  It  might  be  of  use  to  compare 
our  spirit  and  conduct  with  that  which 
prevailed  at  the  Reformation.  It  may  be 
difficult  to  ascertain  with  precision  the  dif- 
ference between  that  age  and  the  present. 
But  there  are  two  things  which  I  think  may 
be  pointed  out,  which  are  self-evident.  1. 
The  principles  they  imbibed  and  preached 
were  very  different  from  what  at  this  time 
generally  prevail.  The  doctrines  which 
the  generality  of  the  Reformers  held  were 
such  as  follow  :  a  trinity  of  persons  in 
the  Godhead  ;  the  deity  and  atonement  of 
Christ  ;  justification  by  faith  ;  predesti- 
nation;  efficacious  grace;  the. certain  per- 
severance of  the  saints,  &c.  These  doc- 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  97 


trines    they    preached,    and   looked    upon 
them  as  consistent  with  a  free  and  unre- 
served   address     to    unconverted    sinners. 
Hmv  far  the  body  of  the  reformed  churches 
are  gone   off  from  them,  I  need  not  say. 
It  is  true,  the  Reformers   imbibing  these 
or  any  other   sentiments   is    no   proof  of 
their  being  divine  :   but  there  is  one  thing 
that  deserves  notice,  viz.  their  moral  ten- 
dency.    Have  not  the  reformed  churches, 
in  proportion   as   they  have  forsaken  the 
doctrines  of  the  Reformers,  forsaken  also 
that  purity,  zeal,  and  ardor,  that  uprightness 
before  men,  and  close  walking  with  God, 
for  which   they    were    distinguished  1     2. 
Their  attachment  to   what  they  accounted 
divine  truth  was  very  different  from  ours. 
To  maintain  the  doctrines  and  ordinances 
of   Christ,   in   their  primitive    simplicity, 
they  hazarded  the  loss  of  all  things  ;  and 
great  numbers   of  them  actually  resigned 
their  lives   rather  than  give  them  up.     It 
was  to   enjoy    these    that  they  threw  off 
the  yoke  of  popery,  and  claimed  the  right 
of  private  judgment.     We  also  claim  this 
right,  and  so  far  we  do  well  ;  yea,  herein 
we  exceed  them,  particularly  in  allowing 
to   others   that  right  which  we  claim  for 
ourselves.      But,    though    we    understand 
religious  liberty  better  than  they  did,  yet 
it  is  too  evident  we  make  a  much  worse  use 
of  it.     Instead  of  using  it  as  a  means  for 
obtaining  truth,  great  numbers  among  us 
rest   in   it  as  an  end.     Religious   liberty, 
however  equitable   and   valuable  it  is   in 
itself,  is  certainly  of  no  farther  use  to  us 
than  as  it  is  applied  to  the  discovery  of 
truth,  and  the  practice  of  righteousness. 
But  the  spirit  of  the  present  age  is  to  boast 
of  the  liberty  of  thinking   for   ourselves, 
till   we   lose    all    attachment   to   religious 
principles,    except    an    overweening   one 
towards  our  own  conceits,  be  they  right  or 
wrong:  and  this  is   the  same  thing  as  to 
boast  of  a  means  till  we  have  lost  the  only 
good  end  to  be  answered  by  it.     The  tem- 
per of  the  present  age,  so  far  as  I  have  had 
opportunity  to  observe  it,  is  loudly  to  cry 
up   the   right   of  judging   for  themselves, 
which  undoubtedly  ail  men  ought  to  have: 
but  then  they  very  unjustly  infer  from  this 
that  it  matters  not  what  they  believe,  if  they 
are  but  sincere  in  it  ;  that  is,  if  a   man's 
thoughts  are  but  Ids  own,  it  matters  not 
whether  they  be  right  or  wrong!     Anoth- 
er false  inference  which  they  draw  is  that 
because    they    have    a    right    to  think  for 
themselves,   without    being    called   to  ac- 
count   for    il    by    their    fellow-creatures, 
therefore  they  have  the  same  right  in  re- 
gard to  the  Governor  of  the  world.     The 
indifference  of  truth  and  error  being  thus 
admitted,  the  mind  becomes  susceptible  of 
any  thing  that  offers;  and   thus  the  great 
truths  of  revelation  are  slighted,  perhaps, 


702 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


if  for  no  other  reason,  because  they  occu- 
pied a  place  in  the  creeds  of  their  forefa- 
thers. A  comparison  of  times,  on  these 
subjects,  may  assist  us  in  remembering 
from  whence  we  are  fallen. 

Once  more  :  It  would  be  profitable  to 
recollect  the  best  parts  of  our  lives,  and 
compare  them  with  what  we  now  are. 
Think,  backsliding  Christian,  what  an  ef- 
fect those  sacred  truths  have  had  upon 
your  heart,  which  since,  it  may  be,  you 
have  held  with  a  loose  hand,  and  have 
been  almost  inclined  to  abandon;  think 
what  delight  you  have  taken  in  those  ways 
which  you  have  since  neglected;  what 
abhorrence  you  have  felt  against  those  sins 
in  which  you  have  since  thought  there  was 
no  great  harm,  and  so  have  yielded  to 
them  ;  how  you  have  been  grieved  when 
you  have  seen  other  Christians  degenerate 
into  carnality,  sloth,  pride,  or  worldly 
mindedness  :  think — ah!  where  shall  I 
stop!  Do  not  forget  to  ask  your  soul,  at 
the  close  of  every  thought,  Is  it  better  ivith 
me  now  than  then  1  We  are  not  only  coun- 
selled to  "  remember  from  whence  we  are 
fallen,"  but  also  called  onto  "repent." 

Repentance  is  a  godly  sorrow  for  sin ; 
and,  if  ever  there  be  any  true  revival  of 
religion,  it  must  originate  in  this.  When 
Judah  returned  to  the  Lord,  after  their 
captivity,  it  was  with  bitter  weeping  : 
"  Going  and  weeping,  they  sought  the  Lord 
their  God."  There  can  be  no  well-ground- 
ed peace  or  joy  restored  to  our  mind  while 
the  idols  of  our  hearts  remain  unlamented. 
God  insists  upon  these  being  given  up  ; 
and  that,  not  in  a  way  of  secret  reluctance, 
but  with  holy  abhorrence.  Nor  are  we 
called  upon  to  lament  merely  on  account 
of  positive  acts  of  sin,  but  even  for  our 
sins  of  omission — because  we  have  "for- 
saken our  first  love." 

Some  professingChristians  seem  to  have 
no  notion  of  any  obligation  that  they  are 
under  to  love  Christ  and  divine  things.  It 
is  the  work  of  God,  say  they,  to  affect 
our  hearts,  and  enable  us  to  love  Christ; 
we  cannot  command  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit,  nor  keep  our  own  souls  alive.  This 
is  very  true,  but  not  in  the  sense  in  which 
they  plead  it.  The  hearts  of  men,  even 
of  the  best  of  men,  are  so  very  bad  that 
unless  a  kind  of  perpetual  miracle  be 
wrought  in  them  their  love  will  be  sure  to 
expire.  To  preserve  alive  a  spark  in  the 
midst  of  an  ocean  would  not  be  so  great  a 
wonder  as  preserving  the  love  of  Christ 
in  our  hearts.  But  if  nothing  be  obliga- 
tory on  us  but  what  we  can  do  of  ourselves, 
or,  in  other  words,  what  we,  in  this  our  cor- 
rupted state,  can  find  in  our  hearts  to  do,  it 
must  follow  that  we  are  not  obliged  to  do 
any  good  thing  whatever;  for  "without 
Christ  we  can  do  nothing  ;  "  and  so  it  must 


follow  that  we  have  no  cause  for  self-re- 
flection for  the  contrary,  but  have  a  good 
right  to  make  ourselves  easy,  and  lo  be 
contented  with  that  degree  of  love  and  ho- 
liness which  we  have,  seeing  it  is  such  a 
measure  as  God  pleases  to  bestow  upon 
us.  But,  in  this  case,  there  could  be  no 
propriety  in  the  church  at  Ephesus  being 
rebuked  for  having  left  their  first  lo\e,  or 
called  upon  to  repent  for  it.  Repentance, 
if  genuine,  will  lead  us  to  the  other  part 
of  Christ's  advice  ;  namely,  "  Do  the  first 
works."  The  first  works  are  the  works  of 
the  best  ages  of  the  church,  and  the  best 
times  in  our  life.  If  there  be  any  consid- 
erable revival  in  the  church,  or  in  the  souls 
of  individuals,  it  will  be  when  the  dili- 
gence, disinterestedness,  tenderness  of 
conscience,  generosity,  and  faithfulness 
of  those  times  are  imitated. 


In  the  last  paper  I  attempted  to  point 
out  some  of  the  means  of  returning  to 
God,  founded  on  the  advice  given  to  the 
church  at  Ephesus  :  in  this  I  shall  make 
a  few  observations  upon  the  address  to 
the  church  at  Laodicea  ;  whose  character, 
I  am  afraid,  bears  but  too  near  a  resem- 
blance to  that  of  the  present  age.  The 
address  of  Christ  to  that  lukeivarm  and 
self-sufficient  people  is  as  follows  :  "  Thou 
sayest,  I  am  rich  and  increased  in  goods, 
and  have  need  of  nothing  :  and  knowest 
not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable, 
and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked.  I  coun- 
sel thee  to  buy  of  me  gold  tried  in  the 
fire,  that  thou  mayest  be  rich  ;  and  white 
raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed,  and 
that  the  shame  of  thy  nakedness  do  not 
appear  :  and  anoint  thine  eyes  with  eye- 
salve,  that  thou  mayest  see.  As  many  as 
I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten  ;  be  zealous 
therefore,  and  repent." 

Laodicea  seems  to  have  been  a  place  of 
trade.  Trade  usually  produces  riches  ; 
and  riches,  pride,  indifference  in  divine 
things,  and  spiritual  wretchedness.  There 
were  three  things  of  which  these  people 
had  very  wrong  notions  ;  namely,  riches, 
beauty,  and  discernment.  They  thought 
an  increase  of  goods  made  them  rich; 
that  the  splendid  figure  which  on  that  ac- 
count they  cut  among  the  churches  made 
them  beautiful ;  and  that  their  philosoph- 
ical knowledge,  it  is  probable,  made  them 
loise.  But  they  had  been  for  each  of 
these  commodities,  if  I  may  so  speak,  to 
a  wrong  market;  namely,  to  the  world. 
If  they  would  possess  either,  they  are 
told  to  deal  with  Christ  for  it.  The  coun- 
sel of  Christ  is  as  if  he  had  said,  Trade 
with  me.  Part  with  all  your  own  frippery 
for  spiritual  things,  and  learn  to  derive 
these  from  me.  They  are  articles  with 
which  none  else  can  supply  you.     Count 


SPIRITUAL    DECLENSION    AND    MEANS    OF    REVIVAL. 


763 


mv  grace  your  riches,  and  part  with  your 
dross  for  it  ;  my  righteousness  your  or- 
nament, and  part  with  your  own  for  it  ; 
and  my  word  and  Spirit  that  which  is  able 
to  make  you  wise  unto  salvation;  and 
come  to  me  as  fools  in  your  own  eyes. 

Britain,  like  Laodicea,  is  a  place  of 
trade  :  trade  has  produced  riches ;  and 
riches,  pride,  indifference,  and  spiritual 
wretchedness.  If  there  is  any  people 
therefore  in  the  world  to  whom  the  coun- 
sel to  Laodicea  is  applicable,  rather  than 
to  others,  it  seems  to  be  the  churches  of 
Britain.  What  is  addressed  to  them, 
therefore,  I  shall  understand  as  if  it  were 
immediately  addressed  to  us. 

The  principal  thing  contained  in  this 
counsel  is  that  we  deal  with  Christ; 
and  this  is  the  subject  with  which  I  shall 
close  this  paper.  As  Christ  is  the  only 
way  to  which  we  are  to  point  lost  sinners 
to  repair  for  sahation,so  he  is  the  only 
way  in  which  we  can  make  any  progress 
in  real  religion.  "As  ye  have  received 
Christ  Jesus,"  says  the  apostle,  "so  walk 
ye  in  him."  Neither  is  there  any  other 
way  of  returning  to  God,  when  we  have 
backslidden  from  him.  To  return  home 
to  God  is  to  return  to  a  close  walk  with 
him,  to  a  serving  him  "  acceptably,  and 
with  godly  fear;"  and,  to  this  end,  we 
must  "have  grace:"  but  there  is  no  way 
of  obtaining  grace,  but  by  dealing  with 
Christ.  "  It  hath  pleased  the  Father  that 
in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell ;"  audit 
is  "  out  of  his  fulness  that  we  all  must 
receive,  and  grace  for  grace." 

Christ  is  a  believer's  life  ;  the  bread  of 
life,  the  water  of  life,  the  tree  of  life,  the 
vine  that  communicates  life  to  the  branch- 
es. Each  of  these  metaphors  implies 
that  we  cannot  live  at  all  spiritually  with- 
out union  to  him  ;  so  neither  can  we  be 
lively  and  fruitful,  without  close  commu- 
nion with  him.  If  we  be  strengthened 
"  with  might  in  the  inner  man,"  it  must 
be  by  Christ's  "  dwelling  in  our  hearts  by 
faith,"  or,  in  other  words,  by  his  having 
place  in  our  thoughts,  desires,  and  best 
affections. 

Those  three  things  concerning  which 
the  church  at  Laodicea  was  counselled — 
namely,  spiritual  riches,  spiritual  beauty, 
and  spiritual  discernment,  can  neither  of 
them  be  obtained  but  by  dealing  with 
Christ.  It  is  not  enough  for  us  to  be  once 
interested  in  pardoning  and  justifying 
grace:  if  we  would  be  rich  in  the  sight  of 
God,  we  must  be  dealing  with  Christ  as 
guilty  self-condemned  sinners  for  forgive- 
ness and  acceptance.  It  is  not  enough 
that  we  reckon  upon  going  to  heaven 
when  we  die  :  our  conversation  must  be 
there  even  now  ;  there  must  be  a  corres- 
pondence kept  up  between  Christ  and  our 


souls,  or  we  shall  be  poor  and  miserable 
indeed  !  Nor  is  it  enough  that  we  con- 
fess our  sanclifioation,  or  spiritual  beauty, 
to  come  from  him  :  there  must  be  a  daily 
dealing  with  Christ  for  the  mortification 
of  sin,  and  for  the  increase  of  grace  and 
peace.  Our  garments  are  not  to  be  "  made 
white,"  or  beautiful,  but  by  being  "  wash- 
ed in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  There 
are  very  few  if  any  ol  us  who  are  suffi- 
ciently sensible  of  our  entire  dependence 
upon  Christ  for  sanetification.  But  what- 
ever methods  we  may  take  to  promote  it 
short  of  dealing  with  him  they  will  not 
do.  We  may  become  beautiful  in  our 
own  eyes,  like  Laodicea;  but  shall  be 
miserable  and  naked  in  the  sight  of  God. 
What  is  the  reason  of  the  multitude  of 
contradictory  sentiments  at  this  day,  even 
upon  the  great  doctrines  of  the  gospel, 
which  are  written  in  the  Scriptures  so 
plain  that  "  he  that  runs  may  read"  them  1 
Is  it  not  for  want  of  dealing  with  Christ 
for  wisdom'!  We  may  think,  and  reason, 
and  dispute  all  our  life-time  ;  but  unless 
we  become  fools  in  our  own  eyes,  and  re- 
ly upon  the  word  and  Spirit  of  God  for  in- 
struction, we  shall  be  wretchedly  blind  to 
the  real  glory  of  the  gospel.  Spiritual 
things  must  be  "  spiritually  discerned." 
Without  this  eye-salve,  whatever  be  our 
conceit  of  ourselves,  we  shall  not  be  wise. 
It  is  by  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One 
that  we  know  al!  things,  and  without  that 
unction  we  "know  nothing  as  we  ought  to 
know  it."  We  are  not  to  abandon  either 
thinking,  reasoning,  or  on  all  occasions 
even  disputing;  but  to  take  heed  that  they 
be  so  exercised  as  not  to  interrupt,  but 
promote,  our  correspondence  with  Christ. 
There  are  certain  sentiments  and  feel- 
ings which  are  necessary  and  encouraging 
in  our  returning  to  God  ;  such  as  a  deep 
sense  of  the  evil  nature  of  sin,  godly  sor- 
row for  it,  and  a  hope  of  forgiveness  on 
our  return  ;  each  of  which  is  produced  and 
promoted  by  a  dealing  with  Christ. 

Where  can  we  learn  the  evil  of  sin  so 
as  it  is  to  be  seen  in  the  death  of  Christ "? 
True,  it  is  to  be  seen  in  the  glass  of  the 
law,  and  in  the  moral  character  of  God  ; 
but  it  never  was  seen,  nor  can  be  seen,  in 
so  odious  a  light  as  that  in  which  it  ap- 
pears on  Calvary.  And  here  indeed  it  is 
that  we  not  only  see  the  evil  of  sin,  but 
view  the  law  and  moral  character  of  God 
in  all  their  glory.  What  an  idea  must  it 
afford  us  of  God's  displeasure  against  sin 
to  see  him  pouring  out  his  wrath  upon  his 
dear  and  only-begotten  Son,  exposing  him 
whom  he  loved  more  than  all  the  creation 
together  to  ignominy  and  death,  rather 
than  suffer  it  to  go  unpunished  !  Chris- 
tian, the  more  thou  art  acquainted  with 
Christ,  the  more  bitter,  unnatural,  disin- 


764 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


genuous,   and  shameful,   will  thy  sin  ap- 
pear to  thee. 

What  will  open  the  springs  of  godly  sor- 
row for  sin  like  an  intimate  and  close 
dealing  with  Christ!  If  any  thing  will 
dissolve  the  hardness  of  our  hearts,  it  is 
the  consideration  of  his  dying  love.  If  we 
are  brought  to  "  mourn  as  one  that  mourn- 
eth  for  an  only  son,  and  to  be  in  bitter- 
ness as  one  that  is  in  bitterness  for  his 
first-born,"  it  is  by  "looking  upon  him 
whom  we  have  pierced."  Come,  back- 
sliding Christian,  come  but  to  the  Sa- 
viour's feet,  and  thou  shall  soon  be  able  to 
wash  them  with  thy  tears. 

Finally:  What  can  afford  us  any  hope 
and  encouragement  to  return  to  God,  but 
the  name  of  Christ  1  It  is  in  him  alone 
that  we  can  obtain  forgiveness.  He  is  the 
advocate  with  the  Father,  to  whom  they 
that  have  sinned  are  encouraged  to  look 
for  relief.  It  was  his  blood  in  which  Da- 
vid prayed  to  be  washed  from  his  unclean- 
ness  and  blood-guiltiness.  Under  all  our 
guilt,  darkness,  and  confusion,  let  us  not 
despair.  We  have  an  "intercessor  for 
transgressors  before  the  throne  ;  a  faithful 
and  merciful  High  Priest,  who  was  tempt- 
ed in  all  points  like  unto  us,  yet  without 
sin;  and  in  that  he  himself  has  suffered, 
being  tempted,  he  is  able  to  succor  them 
that  are  tempted."  Let  us  consider  how 
he  interceded  for  those  that  were  "  in  the 
world."  "lam  no  more  in  the  world, 
but  these  are  in  the  world  :  holy  Father, 
keep  them  !"  Think  of  the  Lord's  hav- 
ing "laid  upon  him  the  iniquity  of  us 
all;"  even  of  such  as  "like  sheep  have 
gone  astray,  and  turned  every  one  to  his 
own  way" — of  his  being  "able  to  save  to 
the  uttermost  all  them  that  come  unto  God 
by  him,"  seeing  he  "ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession  for  us."  Think  how  he  ex- 
postulates with  us,  invites  us  to  leturn  in 
the  most  melting  language,  and  stands 
with  open  arms  to  receive  us:  "O  that 
there  were  such  a  heart  in  them  ;  that  they 
would  love  me  and  fear  me,  and  keep  all 
my  commandments  always  ! — O  that  my 
people  had  hearkened  to  my  voice;  then 
had  their  peace  been  as  a  river,  and  their 
righteousness  as  the  waves  of  the  sea  ! — 
Set  thee  up  way-marks,  make  thee  high 
heaps;  set  thine  heart  toward  the  high- 
.  way,  even  the  way  that  thou  wente'st  'I — 
Return,  O  thou  backsliding  children,  for  I 
am  married  unto  you,  saith  the  Lord. — 
Take  with  you  words,  and  turn  to  the 
Lord  :  say  unto  him,  Take  away  all  ini- 
quity, and  receive  us  graciously ;  so  will 
we  render  the  calves  of  our  lips  ;  for  in 
thee  the  fatherless  findelh  mercy. — I  will 
heal  your  backslidings  ;  I  will  love  you 
freely.  I  will  be  as  the  dew  unto  Israel ; 
and  he  shall  grow  as  the   lily,    and   cast 


forth  his  roots  as  Lebanon. — Ephraira 
shall  say,  What  have  I  to  do  any  more 
with  idols  1 — I  am  like  a  green  fir  tree; 
from  me  is  thy  fruit  found." 

If  this,  or  any  of  the  foregoing  papers, 
should  be  the  means  of  reclaiming  any 
from  the  error  of  their  ways,  either  men- 
tal or  practical — if  they  should  tend  to 
excite  either  myself  or  others  lo  a  closer 
walk  with  God,  I  shall  enjoy  the  satistae- 
tion  of  not  having  written  in  vain. 


THE  BACKSLIDER:  OR  AN  IN- 
QUIRY INTO  THE  NATURE, 
SYMPTOMS,  AND  EFFECTS,  OF 
RELIGIOUS  DECLENSION,  WITH 
THE  MEANS  OF  RECOVERY.* 

"  I  went  by  the  field  of  the  slothful,  anil  by  the 
vineyard  of  the  man  void  of  understanding  :  and  lo  ! 
it  was  all  grown  over  with  (horns  ;  nettles  had  cov- 
ered the  face  thereof,  and  the  stone  wall  thereof  was 
broken  down.  Then  I  saw,  and  considered  it  well  : 
I  looked  upon  it,  and  received  instruction." 

Solomon. 

Whether  the  present  age  be  worse 
than  others  which  have  preceded  it,  I  shall 
not  determine  ;  but  this  is  manifest  that  it 
abounds  not  only  in  infidelity  and  profliga- 
cy, but  with  great  numbers  of  loose  char- 
acters among  professing  Christians.  It  is 
true,  there  are  some  eminently  zealous 
and  spiritual,  perhaps  as  much  so  as  at  al- 
most any  former  period  :  the  disinterested 
concern  which  has  appeared  for  the  diffu- 
sion of  evangelical  religion  is  doubtless  a 
hopeful  feature  of  our  times;  yet  it  is  no 
less  evident  that  others  are  in  a  sad  degree 
conformed  to  this  world,  instead  of  being 
transformed  by  the  renewing  of  their 
minds.  Even  of  those  who  retain  a  de- 
cency of  character,  many  are  sunk  into  a 
Laodicean  lukewarmness.  Professors  are 
continually  falling  away  from  Christ ;  ei- 
ther totally,  so  as  to  walk  no  more  with 
him  ;  or  partially,  so  as  greatly  to  dishonor 
his  name.  Alas,  how  many  characters  of 
this  description  are  to  be  found  in  our  con- 
gregations !  If  we  only  review  the  pro- 
gress of  things  for  twenty  or  thirty  3-ears 
past,  we  shall  perceive  many  who  once  bid 
fair  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  now  fallen 
a  prey  to  the  temptations  of  the  world. 
Like  the   blossoms  in  the   spring,  they  for 

*  This  treatise  was  occasioned  by  the  writer's  ob- 
serving several  persons,  of  whom  lie  had  formerly  en- 
tertained a  favorable  opinion,  and  will)  whom  he  had 
walked  in  Christian  fellowship,  having  fallen,  either 
from  the  doctrine  or  practice  of  pure  religion.  A 
view  of  their  unhappy  condition  made  a  deep  im- 
pression upon  his  mind.  If  he  has  been  enabled  to 
describe  the  case  of  a  backslider  to  any  good  pur- 
pose, it  has  been  chiefly  owing  to  this  circumstance. 
He  hopes  that,  though  it  was  written  with  a  special 
eye  to  a  few,  it  may  jet  be  useful  to  many. 


THE  BACKSLIDER. 


765 


a  time  excited  our  hopes  ;  but  a  blight  has 
succeeded:  the  blossom  "has  gone  up  as 
the  dust,"  and  the  "root  "  in  many  cases 
appears  to  he  "rottenness." 

It  is  one  important  branch  of  the  work 
of  a  faithful  pastor  to  strengthen  the  dis- 
eased, to  heal  the  sick,  to  bind  up  the  bro- 
ken, to  bring  again  that  which  is  driven 
away,  and  to  seek  that  which  is  lost. — 
Ezek.  xxxiv.  4.  If  these  pages  should 
fall  into  the  hands  of  but  a  few  of  the 
above  description,  and  contribute  in  any 
decree  to  their  recovery  from  the  snare  of 
the  devil,  the  writer  will  be  amply  reward- 
ed. It  is  a  pleasure  to  recover  any  sinner 
from  the  error  of  his  way  ;  but  much  more 
those  of  whom  we  once  thought  favora- 
bly. The  place  which  they  formerly  oc- 
cupied in  our  esteem,  our  hopes,  and  our 
social  exercises,  now  seems  to  be  a  kind 
of  chasm,  which  can  be  filled  up  only  by 
the  return  of  the  party.  If  a  child  depart 
from  his  father's  house,  and  plunge  into 
profligacy  and  ruin,  the  father  may  have 
other  children,  and  may  love  them  ;  but 
none  of  them  can  heal  his  wound,  nor  can 
any  thing  satisfy  him,  but  the  return  of 
"  him  that  was  lost." 

In  pursuit  of  this  desirable  object,  I 
shall  describe  the  nature  and  different  spe- 
cies of  backsliding  from  God — notice  the 
symptoms  of  it — trace  its  injurious  and 
dangerous  effects — and  point  out  the  means 
of  recovery. 


ON  THE   GENERAL    NATURE  AND  DIFFER- 
ENT SPECIES   OF   BACKSLIDING. 

All  backsliding  from  God  originates  in 
a  departure  of  heart  from  him  :  herein  con- 
sists the  essence  and  the  evii  of  it.  "  Thine 
own  wickedness  shall  correct  thee,  and 
thy  backslidings  shall  reprove  thee  :  know, 
therefore,  and  see,  that  it  is  an  evil  thing 
and  bitter,  that  thou  hast  forsaken  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  that  my  fear  is  not  in 
thee,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  But  the 
degree  of  this  sin,  and  the  modes  in  which 
it  operates,  are  various. 

The  backsliding  of  some  is  total.  Af- 
ter having  made  a  profession  of  the  true 
religion,  they  apostatize  from  it.  I  am 
aware  it  is  common  to  consider  a  backsli- 
der as  being  a  good  man,  though  in  a  bad 
state  of  mind  :  but  the  Scriptures  do  not 
confine  the  term  to  this  application.  Those 
who  are  addressed  in  the  passage  just  quot- 
ed had  not  the  fear  of  God  in  them,  which 
can  never  be  said  of  a  good  man.  Back- 
sliding, it  is  true,  always  suppose  a  pro- 
fession of  t!.e  true  religion  ;  but  it  does 
not  necessarily  suppose  the  existence  of 
the  thing  professed.  There  is  a  "perpet- 
ual backsliding,"  and  a  "  drawing   back 


unto  perdition." — Jer.  viii.  5  ;  Heb.  x.  39. 
Such  characters  were  Saul,  and  Ahitophel, 
and  Judas.  Many  persons  have  in  a  great 
degree  declined  the  practice  of  religion 
who  yet  comfort  themselves* with  an  idea 
that  they  shall  be  brought  to  repentance 
before  they  die  ;  but  this  is  presumptuously 
tempting  God.  Whosoever  plunges  into 
this  gulf,  or  continues  easy  in  it,  under  an 
idea  of  being  recovered  by  repentance, 
may  find  himself  mistaken.  Both  Peter 
and  Judas  went  in  ;  but  only  one  of  them 
came  out  !  There  is  reason  to  fear  that 
thousands  of  professors  are  now  lifting  up 
their  eyes  in  torment,  who  in  this  world 
reckoned  themselves  good  men,  who  con- 
sidered their  sins  as  pardonable  errors,  and 
laid  their  accounts  with  being  brought  to 
repentance  ;  but,  ere  they  were  aware,  the 
bridegroom  came,  and  they  were  not  ready 
to  meet  him  ! 

The  nature  and  deadly  tendency  of  sin 
is  the  same  in  itself,  whether  in  a  wicked 
or  in  a  righteous  man  :  there  is  an  impor- 
tant difference,  however,  between  the 
backsliding  of  the  one  and  that  of  the  oth- 
er. That  of  the  hypocrite  arises  from  his 
"  having  no  root  in  himself;  "  therefore  it 
is  that  in  the  time  of  temptation  he  falleth 
away  :  but  that  of  the  sincere  Christian 
respects  the  culture  of  the  branch,  and  is 
owing  to  unwatchfulness,  or  remissness  in 
duty.  The  former,  in  turning  back,  re- 
turns to  a  course  which  his  heart  always 
preferred  :  the  latter,  though  in  what  he 
does  he  is  not  absolutely  involuntary,  for 
then  it  were  innocent;  yet  it  is  not  with 
a  full  or  perfect  consent  of  his  will.  He 
does  not  sin  wilfully  :  that  which  he  does 
he  alloivs  not:  it  is  against  the  habitual 
disj/osition  of  his  soul  :  he  is  not  himself, 
as  we  should  say,  while  so  acting.*  Fi- 
nally :  The  one,  were  it  not  for  the  remorse 
of  conscience  which  may  continue  to 
haunt  him  and  disturb  his  peace,  would  be 
in  his  element  in  having  made  a  full  rid- 
dance of  religion;  but  this  is  not  the  case 
with  the  other.  A  life  of  deviation  and 
distance  from  God  is  not  his  element,  nor 
can  he  enjoy  himself  in  it.  This  difference 
is  remarkably  exemplified  in  the  cases  of 
Saul  and  David.  The  religion  of  the  for- 
mer never  appears  to  have  fitted  him  :  he 
was  continually  acting  awkwardly  with  it, 
and  presently  threw  it  aside.     If,  in  addi- 

*  It  is  usual  to  denominate  a  character  by  his  ha- 
bitual, or  ruling  disposition,  and  not  by  occasional 
deviations  from  it.  Thus  when  we  hear  of  him  who 
was  famed  for  meekness  speaking  unadvisedly  with 
his  lips,  we  say,  This  was  not  Moses;  or  of  him  who 
was  distinguished  by  his  courageous  avowal  of  his 
Lord  denying  with  oaths  that  he  knew  him,  we  say, 
This  was  not  Peter.  Both  these  great  characters,  in 
these  instances,  acted  beside  themselves:  It  was  not 
they,  as  it  weie,  but  sin  thai  dwelt  in  them.  See 
Heb.  x.  26.     Rom.  vii.  15—25. 


766 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


tion  to  this,  he  could  have  forgotten  it,  and 
lived  without  being  terrified  by  the  appre- 
hension of  consequences,  he  would  doubt- 
less have  been  much  the  happier  for  hav- 
ing cast  it  off.  But,  when  the  latter  had  sin- 
neil,  he  was  not  like  the  raven  which  went 
forth  of  the  ark,  and  came  no  more  ;  but 
like  the  dove  which  could  find  no  rest  for 
the  sole  of  her  foot  till  she  returned.  The 
thirty-second  and  thirty-eighth  psalms  ex- 
press the  wretchedness  of  his  mind  till  he 
confessed  his  sin  and  obtained  mercy. 

But,  whatever  difference  there  be  be- 
tween a  partial  and  a  total  departure  from 
God,  it  will  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
for  the  party  himself,  at  the  time,  to  per- 
ceive it.  So  long  as  any  man  continues  in 
a  backsliding  stale,  the  reality  of  his  re- 
ligion must  remain  uncertain.  He  may  not 
be  without  hope,  nor  ought  he  to  be  with- 
out fear.  The  Scriptures  know  nothing 
of  that  kind  of  confidence  which  renders 
men  easy  in  their  sins.  Paul  stood  in  doubt 
of  the  Galatians,  and  they  ought  to  have 
stood  in  doubt  of  themselves.  The  species 
of  backsliding  are  various  :  some  respect 
doctrine,  others  practice ;  but  all  are  the 
operations  of  a  heart  departing  from  the 
living  God. 

In  some,  a  backsliding  spirit  first  appears 
by  a  relinquishment  of  evangelical  doctrine. 
Where  truth  is  treated  merely  as  a  matter 
of  speculation,  or  as  an  opinion  of  no  great 
moment,  it  is  not  held  fast ;  and,  where  this 
is  the  case,  it  is  easily  surrendered.  If  a 
plausible  book  in  favor  of  deism,  or  any 
of  those  vain  systems  which  nearly  ap- 
proach it,  fall  in  their  way,  they  are  ready 
to  yield;  and  by  reading  the  performance 
a  second  time,  or  conversing  with  a  per- 
son who  favors  it,  they  make  shipwreck  of 
their  faith,  and  are  driven  on  the  rocks  of 
infidelity.  Such  was  the  process  in  the 
days  of  the  apostles  :  those  who  "received 
not  the  love  of  the  truth,"  were  given  up 
to  "believe  a  lie."— 2  Thes.  ii.  10,  11. 

If  these  departures  from  evangelical 
principles  were  closely  examined,  it  would 
be  found  that  they  were  preceded  by  a  neg- 
lect of  private  prayer,  watchfulness,  self- 
diffidence,  and  walking  humbly  with  God  ; 
and  every  one  may  perceive  that  they  are 
followed  with  similar  effects.  It  has  been 
acknowledged,  by  some  who  have  embraced 
the  Socinian  system,  that  since  they  enter- 
tained those  views  they  had  lost  even  the 
gift  of  prayer.  Perhaps  they  might  draw 
up  and  read  an  address  to  the  Deity;  but 
they  could  not  pray.  Where  the  principles 
of  the  gospel  are  abandoned,  the  spirit  of 
prayer,  and  of  all  close  walking  with  God, 
will  go  with  it.  The  confession  of  Peter 
that  Jesus  "was  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,"  is  thought  to  be  that  which  our  Lord 
denominates  the  rock  on  which  he  would 


build  his  church.  We  are  sure  that  the  be- 
lief of  this  article  of  faith  was  required  as 
a  kind  of  test  of  Christianity  :  and  who  can 
look  into  the  Christian  world  with  atten- 
tion, and  not  perceive  that  it  still  continues 
a  sort  of  key -stone  to  the  building  1  If  this 
give  way,  the  fabric,  falls.  Backslidings  of 
this  nature  are  infinitely  dangerous.  He 
that  declines  in  holy  practice  has  to  labor 
against  the  remonstrances  of  conscience  : 
but  he  that  brings  himself  to  think  lightly 
of  sin  and  meanly  of  the  Saviour  (which  is 
what  every  false  system  of  religion  teach- 
es) has  gone  far  towards  silencing  the  ac- 
cusations of  this  unpleasant  monitor.  He 
is  upon  good  terms  with  himself.  The  dis- 
order of  his  soul  is  deep  ;  but  it  is  of  a 
flattering  nature.  The  declension  of  se- 
rious religion  in  him  is  no  less  apparent 
to  others  than  that  of  the  constitution  by  a 
consuming  hectic  :  yet,  as  is  common  in 
such  cases,  the  party  himself  thinks  he  shall 
do  well.  In  short,  "  the  light  which  is  in 
him  is  darkness  ;  "  and  this  is  the  greatest 
of  all  darkness  ! 

In  others,  a  departure  of  heart  from 
God  is  followed  by  falling  into  some  gross 
immorality. — There  are  instances  in  which 
a  sudden  misconduct  of  this  sort  has  been 
overruled  for  the  awakening  of  the  mind 
from  its  stupor,  and  divesting  it  of  its 
self-confidence.  It  was  manifestly  thus 
with  the  apostle  Peter.  The  stumbling 
of  such  persons  is  not  that  they  should 
fall ;  but  rather  that  they  should  stand 
with  greater  care  and  firmness.  But  the 
greatest  danger  arises  from  those  cases 
where  some  lust  of  the  flesh  has  gradual- 
ly obtained  an  ascendancy  over  the  heart; 
so  that  when  the  subject  of  it  falls,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world,  it  is  only  appearing  to 
be  what  he  has  long  been  in  secret ;  and 
the  first  wrong  step  that  he  makes,  instead 
of  alarming  him,  and  occasioning  his  go- 
ing aside  to  weep  bitterly,  is  only  the  pre- 
lude to  a  succession  of  others.  This  is 
not  the  fall  of  one  who  is  "overtaken  in 
a  fault;"  but  of  one  who  is  entangled  in 
the  net  of  his  own  corruptions.  One  sin 
prepares  the  way  for  another.  Like  the 
insect  infolded  in  the  spider's  web,  he 
loses  all  power  of  resistance,  and  falls  a 
prey  to  the  destroyer.  Some  have  fallen 
sacrifices  to  intemperance,  not  by  being- 
overtaken  in  a  single  act  of  intoxication, 
but  by  contracting  a  habit  of  hard  drink- 
ing. First,  it  was  indulged  in  private, 
perhaps  under  some  outward  trouble,  in- 
stead of  carrying  it  to  a  throne  of  grace. 
In  a  little  time  its  demands  increased. 
At  length  it  could  no  longer  be  kept  a  se- 
cret; reason  was  enslaved  to  sense,  and 
the  Christian  professor  sunk  below  the 
man  !  Others  have  indulged  in  impurity. 
Intimacies  which  may  have  arisen  from 


THE    BACKSLIDER. 


767 


nothing  worse  than  a  few  improper  famil- 
iarities— yea,  which  in  some  instances 
have  originated  in  religion  itself,  have 
been  known,  through  the  corrupt  propen- 
sities of  the  human  heart,  which  turns 
every  thing  it  touches  into  poison,  to  pro- 
duce the  most  fatal  effects.  Passions  of 
this  sort  once  kindled  will  soon  possess 
all  the  soul.  They  leave  no  room  for  any 
thing  that  should  resist  them  :  not  only 
consuming  every  spiritual  desire  anil  holy 
thought,  but  banishing  from  the  mind  even 
the  sober  dictates  of  reason,  reducing 
the  most  exalted  characters  to  the  rank 
of  fools  in  Israel.  Near  these  rocks  are 
seen  many  a  floating  wreck  ;  and  among 
these  quicksands  numbers  who  once 
bade  fair  for  the  haven  of  everlasting  life. 

Another  way  in  which  a  departure  from 
God  very  often  operates   is  by  the  love  of 
the  world. — It   is  not  uncommon   for  per- 
sons who  once  appeared  to  be  zealous,  af- 
fectionate, and  devoted  to  God,  when  they 
come  to  be  settled  in  life,  and  to  enter  in- 
to  its    necessary    avocations,   to   lose   all 
heart   for  religion,  and   take  no  delight  in 
any  thing  but  saving  money.     This,  it  is 
true,  is  not  generally   considered   by    the 
world  as   disreputable  :  on   the  contrary, 
provided   we  be  fair  in  our  dealings,  it  is 
reckoned  a  mark  of  wisdom.     "  Men  will 
praise  thee  when  thou  doest  well  to  thy- 
self."    Such  a  one,  say  they,  is  a  discreet 
man,  and  one  that  knows   how   to   secure 
the  main  chance.     Yet  the  Scriptures  are 
very   decisive    against     such    characters. 
This    is   the   sin  which    they   denominate 
"  the  lust  of  the  eye."      The   cares,   and 
riches,  and  pleasures  of  this  life,  are  de- 
scribed as  choking  the  word,  and  rendering 
it  unfruitful.     It  is  worthy  of  special  no- 
tice that,  when  our  Lord   had  warned  his 
followers    "  to   take   heed  and  beware  of 
covetousness,"     the     example    which    he 
gives  of  this  sin  is  not  of  one  that  was  a 
plunderer  of  other  men's  property,  an  un- 
fair dealer,  or  an  oppressor  of  the  poor; 
but  of  a  "  certain  rich  man  whose  ground 
brought   forth    plentifully  ;"    and    whose 
only   object   appeared   to   be,  first,  to  ac- 
quire a  handsome  fortune,  and  then  to  re- 
tire from   business,  and  live  at  his  ease. 
This    also    appears    to    be    the    character 
which  is  blessed  by  wicked  men,  but  ab- 
horred of  God. — Psa.  x.  3.     A  man  who 
deals   unfairly  with  men  gains    not   their 
blessing,  but  their  curse.     Men  in  general 
regard  only  themselves  :    so  long,   there- 
fore, as  any  person  deals  justly  with  them, 
they  care  not  what  his  conduct  is  towards 
God.     But  it  is  affecting  to  think  that  the 
very  character  which  they  bless  and  envy, 
God  abhors.     The   decision  of  heaven  is 
nothing  less  than  this,  "If  any  man  love 
the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in 


him."  So  far  is  the  love  of  this  world 
from  being  the  less  dangerous  on  account 
of  its  falling  so  little  under  human  cen- 
sure, that  it  is  the  more  so.  If  we  be  guilty 
of  any  thing  which  exposes  us  to  the  re- 
proach of  mankind,  such  reproach  may 
assist  the  remonstrances  of  conscience, 
and  of  God,  in  carrying  conviction  to  our 
bosoms  ;  but  of  that  for  which  the  world 
acquits  us  we  shall  be  exceedingly  dispos- 
ed to  acquit  ourselves. 

It  has  long  appeared  to  me  that  this 
species  of  covetousness  will,  in  all  prob- 
ability, prove  the  eternal  overthrow  of 
more  characters  among  professing  people 
than  almost  any  other  sin  ;  and  this  be- 
cause it  is  almost  the  only  sin  which  may 
be  indulged,  and  a  profession  of  religion 
at  the  same  time  supported.  If  a  man  be 
a  drunkard,  a  fornicator,  an  adulterer,  or 
a  liar — if  he  rob  his  neighbor,  oppress  the 
poor,  or  deal  unjustly — he  must  give  up 
his  pretensions  to  religion  ;  or,  if  not,  his 
religious  connections,  if  they  are  worthy 
of  being  so  denominated,  will  give  him 
up  :  but  he  may  "  love  the  world,  and  the 
things  of  the  world,"  and  at  the  same 
time  retain  his  character.  If  the  deprav- 
ity of  the  human  heart  be  not  subdued  by 
the  grace  of  God,  it  will  operate.  If  a 
dam  be  placed  across  some  of  its  ordinary 
channels,  it  will  flow  with  greater  depth 
and  rapidity  in  those  which  remain.  It  is 
thus,  perhaps,  that  avarice  is  most  preva- 
lent in  old  age,  when  the  power  of  pursu- 
ing other  vices  has  in  a  great  measure 
subsided.  And  thus  it  is  with  religious 
professors  whose  hearts  are  not  right  with 
God.  They  cannot  figure  away  with  the 
profane,  nor  indulge  in  gross  immoralities  : 
but  they  can  love  the  world  supremely,  to 
the  neglect  of  God,  and  be  scarcely  amen- 
able to  human  judgment. 

And  whatever  may  prove  the  overthrow 
of  a  mere  professor  may  be  a  temptation 
to  a  good  man,  and  greatly  injure  his  soul. 
Of  this  the  case  of  Lot,  when  he  parted 
with  Abraham,  furnishes  an  affecting  ex- 
ample. When  a  situation  was  put  to  his 
choice,  "  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  beheld 
all  the  plain  of  Jordan,  that  it  was  well 
watered  every  where  ;"  and  he  took  up 
his  residence  in  Sodom.  He  had  better 
have  dwelt  in  a  wilderness  than  among 
that  debauched  people:  but  he  consulted 
worldly  advantages,  and  the  spiritual 
well-being  of  his  family  was  overlooked. 
And  what  was  the  consequence  1  It  is 
true,  he  was  a  righteous  man,  and  his 
righteous  soul  was  grieved  with  the  filthy 
conversation  of  the  wicked  from  day  to 
day  :  but  he  could  have  very  little  influ- 
ence over  them  ;  while  they,  on  the  con- 
trary, found  means  of  communicating 
their  odious  vices  to  his  family.     Some  of 


768  MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 

his  daughters  appear  to  have  been  mar-  ing  us  an  easy  prey  to  temptation,  when 
ried  while  in  Sodom  ;  and,  when  the  city  solicited  to  do  as  others  do  in  an  evil 
was  to  he  destroyed,  neither  they  nor  thing.  A  Christian's  rule  is  the  revealed 
their  husbands  could  be  persuaded  to  will  of  God;  and,  where  the  customs  of 
make  their  escape,  and  so  probably  perish-  the  world  run  counter  to  this,  it  is  his 
ed  in  the  overthrow.  The  heart  of  his  business  to  withstand  them,  even  though 
wife  was  so  attached,  it  seems,  to  what  in  so  doing  he  may  have  to  withstand  a 
she  had  left  behind,  that  she  must  needs  multitude,  yea,  and  a  multitude  of  people 
lookback;  for  which  she  was  rendered  a  of  fashion:  but,  if  we  feel  ambitious  of 
monument  of  divine  displeasure.  And  as  their  applause,  we  shall  not  be  able  to 
to  his  two  single  daughters,  though  they  endure  the  scorn  which  a  singularity  of 
escape  with  him  to  the  mountain,  yet  conduct  will  draw  upon  us.  Thus  we 
they  had  learnt  so  much  of  the  ways  of  shall  be  carried  down  the  stream  by  the 
Sodom  as  to  cover  his  old  age  with  infamy,  course  of  this  world  ;  and  shall  either  fall 
This,  together  with  the  loss  of  all  his  into  the  gulf  of  perdition,  or,  if  any 
substance,  was  the  fruit  of  the  "  well-  good  thing  should  be  found  in  us  towards 
watered  plain,"  which  he  had  fixed  his  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  it  will  be  al- 
eyes  upon,  to  the  neglect  of  his  spiritual  most  indiscernible  and  useless.  In  short, 
interest.  Yet  how  frequently  is  the  same  such  characters  are  certainly  in  a  back- 
part  acted  over  again  !  In  the  choice  of  sliding  state,  whether  they  he  ever  recov- 
settlements  for  ourselves,  or  our  children,  ered  from  it  or  not.  The  case  of  the 
how  common  is  it  to  overlook  the  iinmo-  Laodiceans  seems  to  approach  the  near- 
rality  of  the  place,  the  irreligiousness  of  est  to  theirs  of  any  thing  which  in  Serip- 
the  connections,  or  the  want  of  a  gospel  ture  occurs  to  me.  They  were  "  neither 
ministry  ;  and  to  direct  our  inquiries  only  cold  nor  hot;"  neither  the  decided  friends 
to  temporal  advantages  !  From  the  same  of  Christ,  nor  his  avowed  enemies  :  they 
principle,  also,  many  have  dealt  largely  could  not  relinquish  the  world  in  favor  of 
in  speculation,  and  plunged  into  engage-  religion,  yet  neither  could  they  let  religion 
ments  far  beyond  their  circumstances,  alone.  They  were  vainly  puffed  up  with 
The  hope  of  making  a  fortune,  as  it  is  a  notion  of  their  wealth,  their  wisdom, 
termed,  by  some  lucky  hit,  draws  them  and  their  finery  ;  saying,  "  I  am  rich, 
into  measures  which  ruin,  not  only  them-  and  increased  in  goods,  and  have  need  of 
selves,  but  many  who  confide  in  them,  nothing  :"  but,  in  the  account  of  the  faith- 
That  mere  worldly  men  should  act  in  ful  and  true  witness,  they  were  "  poor, 
this  manner  is  not  a  matter  of  surprise  ;  and  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  blind, 
but  that  men  professing  to  fear  God  should  and  naked."  Such  a  decision  ought  to 
imitate  them  .  .  .  .  "  this  is  a  lamentation,  make  us  tremble  at  the  thought  of  aspir- 
and  shall  be  for  a  lamentation."  ing  to  intimate  people  of  fashion. 

Farther:  Many  have  fallen  sacrifices  Finally:  There  is  another  species  of 
not  only  to  the  love  of  the  world,  but  departure  from  God  which  it  becomes 
to  a  conformity  to  if.— These  are  fnot  the  me  to  notice,  as  many  in  the  present 
same  thing,  though  frequently. found  in  the  age  have  fallen  sacrifices  to  it.  This  is, 
same  person.  The  object  of  the  one  is  taking  an  eager  and  deep  interest  in  politi- 
principally  the  acquisition  of  wealth  ;  the  cal  disputes. — The  state  of  things  in  the 
other  respects  the  manner  of  spending  it.  world  has  of  late  been  such  as  to  attract 
That  is  often  penurious;  this  wishes  to  the  attention,  and  employ  the  conversation, 
cut  a  fisrure,  and  to  appear  like  people  of  of  all  classes  of  people.  As  success  has 
fashion."  The  former  is  "  the  lust  of  the  attended  each  of  the  contending  parties, 
eye:"  the  latter  is  "  the  pride  of  life."  the  minds  of  men,  according  to  their 
We  need  not  affect  singularity  in  things  views  and  attachments,  have  been  affect- 
indifferent;  but  to  engage  in  the  chase  of  ed;  some  with  fear  and  dismay,  lest 
fashionable  appearance  is  not  only  an  in-  their  party  interests  should  be  ruined  ; 
dication  of  a  vain  and  little  mind,  but  is  others  with  the  most  sanguine  hopes,  as 
certainly  inconsistent  with  pressing  to-  if  the  world  were  shortly  to  be  emanei- 
wards  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  pated,  war  abolished,  and  all  degrees  of 
calling;  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  de-  men  rendered  happy.  This  is  one  of 
sire  of  making  an  appearance  has  ruined  those  strong  winds  of  temptation  that  oc- 
many  people  in  their  circumstances,  casionally  arise  in  the  troubled  ocean  of 
more  in  their  characters,  and  most  this  worid,  against  which  those  who  are 
of  all  in  their  souls.  We  may  flatter  bound  to  a  better  had  need  to  be  on  their 
ourselves  that  we  can  pursue  these  things,  guard.  The  flattering  objects  held  out 
and  be  religious  at  the  same  time  ;  but  by  revolutionists  were  so  congenial  with 
it  is  a  mistake:.  The  vanity  of  mind  the  wishes  of  humanity,  and  their  pre- 
which  they  cherish  eats  up  evey  thing  of  a  fences  to  disinterested  philanthropy  so 
humble,  serious,  and  holy  nature  :  render-  fair,   that  many  religious    people,  for    a 


THE    BACKSLIDER. 


769 


time,  forgot  their  own  principles.  While 
gazing  on  the  splendid  spectacle,  it  did 
not  occur  to  them  that  the  wicked,  what- 
ever name  they  assumed,  would  do  wick- 
edly. By  observing  the  progress  of  things, 
however,  they  have  been  convinced  that 
all  hopes  of  the  state  of  mankind  being 
essentially  meliorated  by  any  means 
short  of  the  prevalence  of  the  gospel  are 
visionary,  and  have  accordingly  turned 
their  attention  to  better  things.  But  some 
have  gone  greater  lengths.  Their  whole 
heart  has  been  engaged  in  this  pursuit.  It 
has  been  their  meat  and  their  drink  : 
and,  this  being  the  case,  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  they  have  become  indifferent  to 
religion  ;  for  these  things  cannot  consist 
with  each  other.  It  is  not  only  contrary 
to  the  whole  tenor  of  the  New  Testament, 
but  tends  in  its  own  nature  to  eat  up 
true  religion.  If  any  worldly  matter, 
however  lawful  in  itself,  engage  our  at- 
tention, inordinately,  it  becomes  a  snare  ; 
and  more  so  in  matters  that  do  not  come 
within  the  line  of  our  immediate  duly. 
But  if,  in  attending  to  it,  we  are  obliged 
to  neglect  what  manifestly  is  our  duty, 
and  to  overleap  the  boundaries  of  God's 
holy  word,  let  us  look  to  it  :  beyond  those 
boundaries  is  a  pit,  in  which  there  is  rea- 
son to  fear  great  numbers  have  been  lost. 
There  were  many,  in  the  early  ages  of 
Christianity,  who  "  despised  government," 
and  were  "  not  afraid  to  speak  evil  of 
dignities :"  but  were  they  good  men  1 
Far  from  it.  They  were  professors  of 
Christianity,  however:  for  they  are  said 
to  have  "escaped  the  pollutions  of 
the  world,  through  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  :"  yea,  and  what  is  more,  they  had 
attained  the  character  of  Christian  teach- 
ers. But  of  what  description  1  "False 
teachers,  who  privily  brought  in  damnable 
heresies,  denying  the  Lord  who  bought 
them,  bringing  upon  themselves  swift  de- 
struction— whose  ways,  though  followed  by 
many,  were  pernicious,  occasioning  "  the 
way  of  truth  to  be  evil  spoken  of."  To 
copy  the  examples  of  such  men  is  no  light 
matter. 

When  a  man's  thoughts  and  affections 
are  fdled  with  such  things  as  these,  the 
Scriptures  become  a  kind  of  dead  letter, 
while  the  speeches  and  writings  of  politi- 
cians are  the  lively  oracles  :  spiritual  con- 
versation is  unheard,  or,  if  introduced  by 
others,  considered  as  a  flat  and  uninterest- 
ing topic  ;  and  leisure  hours,  whether  sit- 
ting in  the  house  or  walking  by  the  way, 
instead  of  being  employed  in  talking  and 
meditating  on  divine  subjects,  are  engross- 
ed by  things  which  do  not  profit.  Such 
are  the  rocks  among  which  many  have 
made  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good  con- 
science. 

Vol.  2.— Sig.  98 


Whatever  may  be  the  duty  of  a  nation 
in  extraordinary  cases,  there  is  scarcely 
any  thing  in  all  the  New  Testament  in- 
culcated with  more  solemnity  than  that  in- 
dividuals, and  especially  Christians,  should 
be  obedierrt,  peaceable,  and  loyal  subjects  ; 
nor  is  there  any  sin  much  more  awfully 
censured  than  the  contrary  conduct.  It 
requires  not  only  that  we  keep  within  the 
compass  of  the  laws  (which  is  easily  done 
by  men  of  the  most  unprincipled  minds), 
but  that  we  honor  and  intercede  with  God 
for  those  who  administer  them.  These 
duties  were  pressed  particularly  upon  the 
Romans,  who,  l>y  their  situation,  were 
more  exposed  than  others  to  the  tempta- 
tion of  joining  in  factions  and  conspira- 
cies, which  were  almost  continually  at 
work  in  that  tumultuous  city. 

Nor  does  the  danger  belong  exclusively 
to  one  side.  We  may  sin  by  an  adherence 
to  the  measures  of  a  government,  as  well 
as  by  an  opposition  to  them.  If  we  enlist 
under  the  banners  of  the  party  in  power, 
considered  as  a  party,  we  shall  be  disposed 
to  vindicate  or  palliate  all  their  proceed- 
ings, which  may  be  very  inconsistent  with 
Christianity.  Paul,  though  he  enjoined 
obedience  to  the  existing  government,  yet 
was  never  an  advocate  for  Roman  ambi- 
tion; and,  when  addressing  himself  to  a 
governor,  did  not  fail  to  "reason  on  righ- 
teousness, temperance,  and  judgment  to 
come."  It  is  our  duty,  no  doubt,  to  con- 
sider that  many  tilings  which  seem  evil  to 
us  might  appear  otherwise,  if  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case  were  known  ;  and 
therefore  to  forbear  passing  hasty  cen- 
sures :  but,  on  the  other  hand,  we  ought  to 
be  aware  of  applauding  every  thing  that  is 
done,  lest,  if  it  be  evil,  we  be  partakers  of 
other  men's  sins,  and  contribute  to  their 
being  repeated. 

While  some,  burning  with  revolutionary 
zeal,  have  imagined  they  could  discover  all 
the  wonderful  events  of  the  present  day  in 
Scripture  prophecy,  and  have  been  nearly 
blinded  to  the  criminality  of  the  principal 
agents;  others,  by  a  contrary  prejudice, 
have  disregarded  the  works  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  operations  of  his  hand.  Whatev- 
er may  be  said  of  means  and  instruments, 
we  must  be  strangely  insensible  not  to  see 
the  hand  of  God  in  the  late  overturnings 
among  the  papal  powers  ;  and  if  we  be  in- 
duced by  political  attachment,  instead  of 
joining  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  in  a  song 
of  praise,  to  unite  with  the  merchants  of 
the  earth  in  their  lamentations,  are  we  not 
carnal  1  There  is  no  need  of  vindicating 
or  palliating  the  measures  of  men,  which 
may  be  wicked  in  the  extreme  ;  but  nei- 
ther ought  we  to  overlook  the  hand  of  God. 

The  great  point  with  Christians  should 
be,  an  attachment  to  government  as  gov-- 


770 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


ernment,  irrespective  of  the  party  which 
administers  it ;  for  this  is  right,  and  would 
tend  more  than  any  thing  to  promote  the 
kingdom  of  Christ.  We  are  not  called  to 
yield  up  our  consciences  in  religious  mat- 
ters, nor  to  approve  of  what  is  wrong  in 
those  which  are  civil ;  but  we  are  not  at 
liberty  to  deal  in  acrimony,  or  evil  speak- 
ing. The  good  which  results  to  society 
from  the  very  worst  government  upon 
earth  is  great  when  compared  with  the 
evils  of  anarchy.  On  this  principle  it  is 
probable  the  apostle  enjoined  obedience  to 
the  powers  that  were,  even  during  the  reign 
of  Nero.  Christians  are  soldiers  under  the 
King  of  kings  :  their  object  should  be  to 
conquer  all  ranks  and  degrees  of  men  to 
the  obedience  of  faith.  But,  to  do  this, 
it  is  necessary  that  they  avoid  all  those 
embranglements  and  disputes  which  retard 
their  main  design.  If  a  wise  man  wishes 
to  gain  over  a  nation  to  any  great  and  wor- 
thy object,  he  does  not  enter  into  their  lit- 
tle differences,  nor  embroil  himself  in  their 
party  contentions  ;  but,  bearing  good-will 
to  all,  seeks  the  general  good  :  by  these 
means  he  is  respected  by  all,  and  all  are 
ready  to  hear  what  he  has  to  offer.  Such 
should  be  the  wisdom  of  Christians.  There 
is  enmity  enough  lor  us  to  encounter  with- 
out unnecessarily  adding  to  it. 

If  a  Christian  be  under  the  necessity  of 
siding  with  a  party,  undoubtedly  he  ought 
to  act  in  favor  of  that  which  appears  to 
him  the  best;  but  even  in  this  case  it  is 
not  becoming  him  to  enter  with  eagerness 
into  their  disputes.  Let  worldly  men, 
who  thirst  after  preferment,  busy  them- 
selves in  a  contested  election — (they  have 
their  reward) — but  let  Christians,  if  call- 
ed to  appear,  discharge  their  duty,  and  re- 
tire from  the  tumultuous  scene. 

By  entering  deeply  into  (he  -party  con- 
tentions of  the  nation,  religious  people 
will  be  charged,  on  both  sides  in  their 
turn,  with  disloyalty  ;  and,  it  may  be,  not 
always  without  a  cause.  Fifty  years  ago 
that  party  was  out  of  power  which  at  pres- 
ent is  in  power.  At  that  time  the  charge 
of  disloyalty  was  directed  against  them  ; 
and  they  were  then  denominated  patriots. 
It  is  possible  that  many  who  now  seem  to 
abhor  a  spirit  of  disaffection  towards  ad- 
ministrative government  would  be  them- 
selves not  the  best  affected  were  the  other 
side  to  recover  its  authority.  But,  if  we 
enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  though 
we  may  have  our  preferences  of  men  and 
measures,  we  shall  bear  good-will  to  all  ; 
and,  whoever  be  at  the  head  of  affairs, 
shall  reverence  "the  powers  that  be." 
Whatever  be  our  private  opinion  of  the 
men,  we  shall  respect  and  honor  the  rulers. 
That  loyalty  which  operates  only  with  the 
prevalence  of  a  party,  whichever  it  be,  is 


at  a  great  remove  from  the  loyalty  enjoin- 
ed by  the  Scriptures. 

By  standing  aloof  from  all  parties  as 
such,  and  approving  themselves  the  friends 
of  government  and  good  order,  by  whom- 
soever administered,  Christians  would  ac- 
quire a  dignity  of  character  worthy  of 
their  profession,  would  be  respected  by  all, 
and  possess  greater  opportunities  of  doing 
good  :  while,  by  a  contrary  conduct,  they 
render  one  part  of  the  community  their 
enemies,  and  the  other,  I  fear,  derive  but 
little  spiritual  advantage  from  being  their 
friends. 


ON     THE     SYMPTOMS    OF    A    BACKSLIDING 
SPIRIT. 

It  was  reckoned  a  matter  of  conse- 
quence in  cases  of  leprosy,  real  or  sup- 
posed, that  the  true  slate  of  the  party 
should  be  examined,  and  judgment  given 
accordingly  :  and  by  how  much  a  moral 
disease  is  more  odious,  contagious,  and 
dangerous,  than  one  that  is  natural,  by  so 
much  is  it  more  necessary  to  form  a  true 
judgment  concerning  it.  Every  spot  was 
not  a  leprosy  ;  and  every  sinful  imperfec- 
tion in  a  Christian  professor  does  not  de- 
nominate him  a  backslider.  Paul  had  to 
lament  the  body  of  death  :  he  had  not  at- 
tained, nor  was  he  already  perfect ;  yet 
he  pressed  forward;  and  while  this  was 
the  case  he  could  not  be  said  to  draw  back. 
On  the  other  hand,  every  departure  from 
God  must  not  be  reckoned  a  mere  imper- 
fection which  is  common  to  good  men. 
We  are  extremely  apt,  in  certain  cases,  to 
flatter  ourselves  that  our  spots  are  only 
the  spots  of  God's  children,  or  such  as  the 
best  of  men  are  subject  to,  and  therefore 
to  conclude  lhat  there  is  nothing  very  dan- 
gerous about  them.  We  do  not  pretend 
to  deny  that  we  have  our  faults  :  but  are 
ready  to  ask,  "  What  have  we  done  so 
much  against  thee'?"  This  self-justily- 
ing  spirit,  however,  so  far  from  indicating 
any  thing  favorable,  is  a  strong  mark  of 
the  contrary.  It  is  said  of  Ephraim, 
"  He  is  a  merchant,  the  balances  of  deceit 
are  in  his  hand :  he  loveth  to  oppress. 
And  Ephraim  said,  Yet  I  am  become  rich  : 
I  have  found  me  out  substance  :  in  all  my 
labors  they  shall  find  none  iniquity  in  me 
that  were  sin."  A  more  finished  picture 
of  a  modern  oppressor  could  not  be  drawn. 
He  studies  to  keep  within  the  limits  of 
the  law,  and  defies  any  man  to  impeach 
his  character:  he  has  imperfections,  but 
they  are  only  such  as  are  common  to  good 
men  :  there  is  nothing  criminal  to  be  found 
in  him  :  yet  he  is  carrying  on  at  the  time 
a  system  of  iniquity. 

The  apostle   Paul  speaks  of  a  certain 


THE  BACKSLIDER. 


771 


state  of  mind  which  he  feared  he  should 
find  in  the  Corinthians  :  that  of  their  "hav- 
ing sinned,  and  not  repented  of  their 
deeds."  This  it  is  which  denominates  a 
man  a  backslider;  and  which,  so  long  as  it 
continues,  deprives  him  of  any  scriptural 
foundation  for  concluding  himself  interest- 
ed in  forgiving  mercy. — What  are  the  par- 
ticular symptoms  of  this  state  of  mind  is 
the  object  of  our  present  inquiry. 

If  our  departing  from  the  Lord  have 
issued  in  some  outward  misconduct,  there 
is  no  need  of  inquiring  into  the  proofs  of 
it,  as  the  thing  speaks  for  itself:  but,  if 
its  operations  have  been  at  present  only 
internal,  the  inquiry  may  be  highly  neces- 
sary, that  we  may  become  acquainted  with 
our  condition,  and  that  the  disease  may  be 
healed  ere  it  finishes  its  operations.  Far- 
ther, though  it  may  be  out  of  all  doubt  that 
we  have  sinned,  yet  it  may  be  a  matter  of 
uncertainty  whether  or  not  we  have  re- 
pented :  if  we  imagine  we  have  when  we 
have  not,  the  consequence  may  be  of  the 
most  serious  nature.  Let  the  following 
observations,  then,  be  attended  to. 

First  :  If  religious  duties  are  attended 
to  rather  from  custom  or  conscience  than 
love,  we  must  either  never  have  known 
what  true  religion  is,  or,  in  a  great  degree, 
have  lost  the  spirit  of  it. — It  is  possible 
that  we  may  have  been  guilty  of  no  par- 
ticular outward  evil,  so  as  to  have  fallen 
under  the  censure  of  the  world,  or  of  even 
our  nearest  connections,  and  yet  have  so 
far  lost  the  spirit  of  religion  as  to  be  real- 
ly in  a  backsliding  state.  The  exercises 
of  prayer,  reading  the  Scriptures,  hearing 
the  word,  and  giving  something  to  the 
poor,  may  be  kept  up  in  form,  and  yet  be 
little,  if  any  thing,  more  than  a  form. 
The  church  of  Ephesus  was  not  accused 
of  any  particular  outward  misconduct  ; 
but  they  had  "  left  their  first  love." 
Where  this  is  the  case,  however,  much 
will  be  neglected,  especially  of  those  parts 
of  duty  which  fall  not  under  the  eye  of 
creaiures.  It  is  supposed  of  the  church 
just  referred  to,  that  they  had  relaxed,  if 
not  in  the  actual  performance,  yet  in  the 
manner  of  performing  their  religious  ex- 
ercises ;  therefore  they  are  exhorted  to 
"  repent,  and  to  do  their  first  works."  A 
departure  from  our  first  love  is  commonly 
the  first  step  of  a  backsliding  course. 
Perhaps,  if  the  truth  were  known,  there 
are  few  open  falls  but  what  are  preceded 
by  a  secret  departure  of  heart  from  the 
living  God. 

Secondly  :  If  we  have  fallen  into  any 
particular  sin,  which  exposes  us  to  the  cen- 
sures of  our  friends,  and  instead  of  con- 
fessing it  with  sorrow  are  employed  in  de- 
fending or  palliating  it,  it  is  a  certain 
proof  that  we  are  at  present  under  the 


power  of  it. — There  are  some  sins  that 
cannot  be  defended  ;  but  there  are  others 
which  will  admit  of  much  being  said  on 
their  behalf;  and  it  is  admirable  with 
what  ingenuity  men  will  go  about  to  find 
excuses  where  self  is  concerned.  People 
that  you  would  hardly  think  possessed  of 
common  sense  will,  in  this  case,  be  singu- 
larly quick-sighted,  discerning  every  cir- 
cumstance that  may  make  in  their  favor, 
or  serve  to  extenuate  their  fault.  The 
cunning  of  the  old  serpent,  which  appear- 
ed in  the  excuses  of  our  first  parents, 
seems  here  to  supply  the  place  of  wis- 
dom. This  self-justifying  spirit  is  a  very 
dangerous  symptom  :  while  it  continues 
there  is  no  hope  of  a  good  issue.  We 
read  of  the  deceitfulness  of  sin  ;  and  truly 
it  is  with  great  propriety  that  deceit  is 
ascribed  to  it.  Perhaps  there  are  few 
persons  who  are  employed  in  justifying 
their  failings,  but  who  are  first  imposed 
upon,  or  brought  to  think,  some  how,  that 
they  are,  if  not  quite  justifiable,  yet  very 
excusable.  Sin,  when  we  have  committed 
it,  loses  its  sinfulness,  and  appears  a  very 
different  thing  to  what  it  did  in  others. 
David's  indignation  could  rise  against  the 
man  that  had  taken  a  ewe-lamb,  while 
to  his  own  conduct,  which  was  much 
more  criminal,  he  was  blinded  !  When 
any  sin  is  committed  by  us,  it  is  common 
for  it  to  assume  another  name;  and  by 
means  of  this  we  become  easily  reconcil- 
ed to  it,  and  are  ready  to  enter  on  a  vin- 
dication of  it.  Covetousness  will  admit 
of  a  defence  under  the  names  of  prudence, 
industry,  or  frugality  ;  conformity  to  the 
world  may  be  pleaded  for  as  an  exercise 
of  sociability  and  good  breeding;  unchris- 
tian resentment,  as  necessary  self-defence; 
foolish  levity,  as  innocent  mirth  ;  malig- 
nant contentions,  as  zeal  for  the  truth  ; 
and  indifference  to  the  truth,  as  candor,  or 
liberality  of  sentiment. 

Thirdly  :  Though  we  do  not  defend  or 
palliate  our  sin  in  words,  yet,  if  tee  con- 
tinue in  the  practice  of  it,  we  may  be  cer- 
tain we  have  not  repented. — All  true  re- 
pentance is  followed  by  a  forsaking  of  the 
evil,  and,  where  this  effect  is  not  produced, 
there  can  be  no  scriptural  ground  to  hope 
for  forgiveness.  There  are  sins,  as  before 
observed,  which  will  admit  of  no  defence. 
If  a  person  be  convicted  of  them,  he  can 
do  no  other  than  own  himself  in  the 
wrong,  or  at  least  be  silent  :  yet  he  may 
feel  no  sorrow  on  their  account,  nor  scarce- 
ly any  intention  to  forsake  them.  When 
Samuel  reproved  Saul  for  his  rebellion 
against  the  commandment  of  the  Lord, 
assuring  him  that  God  had  rejected  him 
from  being  king,  and  had  given  the  king- 
dom to  a  neighbor  of  his  that  was  better 
than  he,  he  was  confounded,  and  compel- 


772 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,     &C« 


led  to  say,  "  I  have  sinned  :"  yet  the  only 
concern  he  discovered  was  on  account  of 
having  lost  his  honor  ;  and,  as  soon  as  he 
suspected  who  was  his  rival,  he  sought  to 
slay  him.  Even  Solomon  discovered  a 
very  similar  disposition.  Instead  of  la- 
menting and  forsaking  the  sin  for  which  he 
had  been  reproved,  as  soon  as  he  knew 
that  Jeroboam  had  been  anointed  by  the 
prophet  Ahijah,  he  "  sought  to  kill  him." 
A  sullen  silence  under  reproof,  and  a  per- 
severance in  the  evil,  are  certain  signs  of 
a  hard  and  impenitent  heart. 

Fourthly  :  Though  we  should  refrain 
from  the  practice  of  the  evil,  yet,  if  it  be 
only  a  temporary  effect  of  conviction,  there 
is  no  true  repentance. — It  is  very  common 
for  persons,  when  they  first  fall  into  any 
gross  sin,  to  feel  ashamed  and  alarmed,  to 
wish  they  had  not  acted  as  they  have,  and 
to  resolve  that  they  will  do  so  no  more  : 
and  this,  though  the  love  of  the  evil  be 
the  same,  and  on  the  first  temptation  that 
returns  it  is  committed  again,  is  neverthe- 
less frequently  mistaken  for  repentance. 
When  Saul's  life  was  spared  by  David, 
and  his  groundless  malice  against  him  de- 
tected, his  heart  seemed  to  relent :  he  felt 
ashamed,  owned  his  sin,  lifted  up  his  voice 
and  wept,  and  promised  to  do  so  no  more; 
but  this  was  not  repentance.  David  ap- 
pears to  have  suspected  it  at  the  time  ; 
for  he  would  not  trust  himself  in  his 
hands  ;  but  gat  him  up  into  the  hold  :  and 
the  event  justified  his  conduct.  The  first 
opportunity  that  offered,  Saul  returned  to 
the  folly  that  he  had  condemned. — A  tem- 
porary abstinence  from  evil  may  also  be 
produced  by  some  alarming  providence. 
When  judgments  overtake  us,  and  con- 
science tells  us  that  it  is  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  stretched  out  against  us  for  our  sin, 
the  mind  is  appalled  with  fear,  and  so 
ceases  to  be  in  a  state  to  pursue  its  favor- 
ite devices.  But  if,  as  soon  as  the  press- 
ing hand  of  providence  is  removed,  the 
heart  returns,  like  a  spring,  to  its  former 
position,  there  is  no  reason  to  consider  its 
temporary  depression  as  containing  any 
true  repentance. 

Dr.  Owen  has  expressed  these  senti- 
ments with  that  unction  of  spirit,  and  deep 
insight  into  the  human  heart,  which  is  pe- 
culiar to  himself: — 

"  There  are  two  occasions,"  says  he, 
<c  wherein  men  who  are  contending  with 
any  sin  may  seem  to  themselves  to  have 
mortified  it. — First,  when  it  hath  had  some 
sad  eruption  to  the  disturbance  of  their 
peace,  terror  of  their  consciences,  dread 
of  scandal,  and  evident  provocation  of 
God.  This  awakens  and  stirs  up  all  that 
is  in  the  man,  and  amazes  him,  fills  him 
with  abhorrency  of  sin,  and  himself  for 
it;  sends  him  to  God,  makes  him  cry  out 


as  for  life,  to  abhor  his  lust  as  hell,  and  to 
set  himself  against  it.  The  whole  man, 
spiritual  and  natural,  beinir  now  awaken- 
ed, sin  shrinks  in  its  head,  appears  not, 
luit  lies  as  dead  before  him.  As  when 
one  that  hath  drawn  nigh  to  an  army  in  the 
night,  and  hath  killed  a  principal  person, 
instantly  the  guards  awake,  men  are  roused 
up,  and  strict  inquiry  is  made  after  the  en- 
emy ;  who,  in  the  mean  time,  until  the 
noise  and  tumult  be  over,  hides  himself, 
or  lies  like  one  that  is  dead,  yet  with  firm 
resolution  to  do  the  like  mischief  again 
upon  the  like  opportunity. — Secondly  :  In 
a  time  of  some  judgment,  calamity,  or 
pressing  affliction.  The  heart  is  then 
taken  up  with  thoughts  and  contrivances 
of  flying  from  the  present  troubles,  fears, 
and  dangers.  This,  as  a  convinced  per- 
son concludes,  is  to  be  done  only  by  relin- 
quishment of  sin,  which  gains  peace  with 
God.  It  is  the  anger  of  God  in  every 
affliction  that  galls  a  convinced  person. 
To  be  quit  of  this,  men  resolve  at  such 
times  against  their  sins.  Sin  shall  never 
more  have  any  place  in  them  ;  they  will 
never  again  give  up  themselves  to  the  ser- 
vice of  it.  Accordingly  sin  is  quiet,  stirs 
not,  seems  to  be  mortified ;  not  indeed 
that  it  has  received  any  one  wound,  but 
merely  because  the  soul  hath  possessed  its 
faculties  whereby  it  should  exert  itself, 
with  thoughts  inconsistent  with  the  mo- 
tions thereof;  which  when  they  are  laid 
aside,  sin  returns  again  to  its  former  life 
and  visor.  Of  this  we  have  a  full  instance 
in  Psa.  lxxviii.  32— 3S  :  '  For  all  this  they 
sinned  still,  and  believed  not  for  his  won- 
drous works.  Therefore  their  days  did  he 
consume  in  vanity,  and  their  years  in 
trouble.  When  he  slew  them,  then  they 
sought  him  :  and  they  returned  and  in- 
quired early  after  God.  And  they  remem- 
bered that  God  was  their  rock,  and  the 
most  high  God  their  redeemer.  Never- 
theless they  did  flatter  him  with  their 
mouth,  and  they  lied  unto  him  with  their 
tongues.  For  their  heart  was  not  right 
with  him,  neither  were  they  steadfast  in 
his  covenant.'  I  no  way  doubt  but  that 
when  they  sought  and  returned,  and  in- 
quired earnestly  after  God,  they  did  it 
with  full  purpose  of  heart,  as  to  the  relin- 
quishment of  their  sins.  This  is  express- 
ed in  the  word  returned.  To  turn,  or  re- 
turn, unto  the  Lord  is  by  a  relinquishment 
of  sin.  And  this  they  did  early,  with  ear- 
nestness and  diligence;  but  yet  their  sin 
was  unmortified  for  all  this  (ver.  36,  37)  : 
and  this  is  the  state  of  many  humiliations 
in  the  days  of  affliction,  and  a  great  deceit 
in  the  hearts  of  believers  themselves  lies 
oftentimes  herein."* 

*  On   The  Mortification  of  Sin  in  Believers. 
Chap.  V. 


THE    BACKSLIDER. 


773 


When  a  professor  of  religion  has  fallen 
into  some  odious  vice,  and  wishes  to  shel- 
ter himself  from  the  censures  of  his  con- 
nexions, you  will  often  hear  him  allege, 
"  I  have  repented  ;"  whereas  it  amounts  to 
little  more  than  the  shame  and  alarm 
above  described,  as  his  after  conduct  very 
frequently  proves.  Indeed  it  is  not  of  the 
nature  of  true  repentance  to  talk  of  hav- 
ing repented,  and  especially  for  the  pur- 
pose of  evading  a  faithful  censure. 

Fifthly  :  Though  we  should  refrainfrom 
the  open  practice  of  the  sin,  and  that  for 
a  continuance,  yet,  if  it  be  merely  from 
prudential  or  selfish  considerations,  we 
may  be  certain  that  we  have  not  yet 
repented  it. — Though  we  had  no  religion, 
and  pretended  to  none,  we  might  rind  va- 
rious inducements  to  refrain  from  gross 
immoralities.  They  affect  our  interest, 
our  health,  and  our  reputation:  it  is  on 
such  principles  that  mere  worldly  men 
will  guard  against  them;  and,  if  we  act 
from  the  same  motives,  wherein  are  we 
better  than  they  1  Or  if  the  dread  of  fu- 
ture punishment  may  be  supposed  to  have 
some  influence  upon  us,  this  is  a  very  dif- 
ferent thing  from  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
which  is  to  hate  evil.  And,  where  the  mo- 
tives for  abstaining  from  any  evil  are 
merely  prudential  or  selfish,  we  shall  ab- 
stain from  very  little  more  than  that  which 
falls  under  the  eye  of  creatures.  Our 
watchfulness  will  respect  little,  if  any 
thing,  more  than  outward  actions.  The 
daily  care  of  our  lives  will  be,  not  how  we 
shall  please  God,  but  how  we  shall  conceal 
the  prevailing  dispositions  of  our  hearts 
from  those  about  us — a  task  this  as  difficult 
as  it  is  mean;  for  whatever  occupies  our 
thoughts  and  affections  will  on  various  oc- 
casions, notwithstanding  our  utmost  care, 
escape  us.  Looks,  gestures,  manner  of 
speaking  and  acting,  as  well  as  words  and 
deeds  themselves,  betray  what  is  predom- 
inant within.  Hence  it  is  that  we  gener- 
ally deceive  ourselves  in  these  matters. 
We  often  fancy  our  character  to  be  un- 
known when  it  is  well  known  :  and,  if  it 
were  otherwise,  all  is  naked  and  open  to 
the  eyes  of  him  with  whom  we  have  to  do. 
Of  this  we  may  be  certain,  that  while  our 
chief  concern  is  to  hide  our  sins  from  those 
about  us,  should  we  be  summoned  to  give 
an  account  of  our  stewardship,  it  will  ap- 
pear that  we  have  sinned,  and  not  repented 
of  our  deeds;  and  wherein  this  differs 
from  going  down  to  the  grave  with  our 
guilt  upon  our  heads  it  is  difficult  to  say. 

Sixthly  :  If  we  take  pleasure  in  talking 
of  the  evil,  or  in  dioelling  upon  it  in  our 
thoughts,  it  is  a  certain  sign  of  the  same 
thing.  True  repentance  works  in  a  way 
of  silent  shame  and  self-abasement :  "  That 
thou  mayest  remember  and  be  confounded, 


and  never  open  thy  mouth  any  more,  be- 
cause of  thy  shame,  when  I  am  pacified 
towards  thee  for  all  that  thou  hast  done, 
saith  the  Lord  God."  When  men  can  talk 
and  even  write  of  their  former  wicked 
courses  with  lightness,  it  is  a  certain  proof 
that,  whatever  repentance  they  have  had, 
they  do  not  at  present  repent  of  it  :  and 
though  nothing  be  said  or  written,  yet  if 
such  things  occupy  our  thoughts,  imagina- 
tions, and  affections,  it  is  much  the  same. 
A  mind  full  of  this  must  needs  be  lacking 
of  those  spiritual  exercises  which  render 
us  that  we  shall  neither  be  barren  nor  un- 
fruitful in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ  ;  and  those  that  are 
such  are  fitly  enough  described  as  having 
"forgotten  that  they  were  purged  from 
their  old  sins."  If  old  sins  are  thought 
of  with  new  delight,  they  are  re-acted  and 
persisted  in ;  and,  where  this  continues  to 
be  the  case,  the  guilt  of  them  must  remain 
upon  us,  and  may  be  found  upon  our  heads 
when  we  go  down  to  the  grave. 

Lastly  :  If  ice  trifle  ivith  temptation,  or 
be  not  afraid  of  putting  ourselves  in  the  way 
of  it,  or  even  of  being  led  into  it,  we  may  be 
certain  that  at  present  we  have  not  repent- 
ed of  our  sin. — It  is  a  saying  almost  grown 
into  a  proverb,  He  that  is  not  afraid  of 
temptation  is  not  afraid  of  sin  ;  and  he  that 
is  not  afraid  of  sin  must  needs  be  in  danger 
of  being  destroyed  by  it.  If,  after  having 
been  repeatedly  drawn  into  sin  by  associat- 
ing in  certain  companies,  or  certain  pur- 
suits, we  can,  nevertheless,  run  into  them 
again  without  fear,  we  cannot  possibly  have 
repented  of  our  deeds.  Nay,  more,  though 
we  should  fear  to  plunge  ourselves  into 
temptation,  yet  if,  when  providence  brings 
us  into  such  situations  and  companies,  our 
hearts  secretly  rejoice  in  it,  this  is  no  less 
an  evidence  of  our  impenitent  stale  than 
the  other.  True  repentance  will  not  only 
teach  us  to  shun  the  way  of  evil,  but  to  be 
averse  to  every  avenue  that  leads  to  it.  If, 
therefore,  we  either  run  into  temptation, 
or  are  glad  when  we  are  led  into  it,  we  are, 
beyond  all  doubt,  under  the  power  of  it. 


ON  THE  INJURIOUS  AND  DANGEROUS  EF- 
FECTS OF  SIN  LYING  UPON  THE  CON- 
SCIENCE   UX  LAMENTED. 

It  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  fall  into  sin, 
whether  secretly  or  openly  ;  and  the  effects 
of  it,  sooner  or  later,  will  certainly  be  fell  : 
but  to  continue  in  it  is  much  more  so.  A 
very  heavy  threateningis  denounced  against. 
God's  open  enemies  for  their  persisting  in 
sin  :  "  God  shall  wound  the  head  of  his  en- 
emies, and  the  hairy  scalp  of  such  an  one 
as  goeth  on  still  in  his  trespasses."  But 
the  same  thing,  in  persons  who  have  known 


774 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


the  way  of  righteousness,  must  be  abun- 
dantly more  offensive.  "  He  that  chastis- 
eth  the  heathen,  shall  not  he  correct'!" 
There  is  a  remedy  at  hand  of  God's  provid- 
ing; a  "  propitiation  for  our  sins;"  and  it 
is  declared  "  If  any  man  sin,  we  have  an 
advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the 
righteous."  But  if,  instead  of  confessing 
our  sins  on  the  head  of  this  propitiation, 
and  imploring  mercy  in  his  name,  we  sink 
into  hardness  of  heart,  neglect  prayer,  shun 
the  company  of  the  faithful,  and  efface  the 
remembrance  of  one  sin  only  by  the  com- 
mission of  another,  what  have  we  to  expect1? 

I  am  aware  that  it  is  one  of  the  devices 
of  Satan,  after  having  drawn  a  soul  from 
God,  and  entangled  him  in  the  net  of  his 
own  corruptions,  to  persuade  him  that  the 
prayer  of  faith,  in  his  circumstances,  would 
be  presumption,  and  that  it  is  much  more 
modest  and  becoming  for  him  to  stand  aloof 
both  from  God  and  his  people.  And  if  by 
faith  were  meant  what  some  would  seem  to 
understand  by  it,  a  working  up  ourselves 
into  a  persuasion  that,  owing  to  the  immu- 
tability of  God,  all  is  safe  and  right,  what- 
ever be  our  spirit  or  conduct,  it  would  be 
presumptuous  enough  :  but  genuine  faith  in 
Christ  is  never  out  of  season.  The  greater 
our  sin  has  been,  the  greater  reason  there  is 
for  us  to  confess  it  upon  the  head  of  the 
gospel  sacrifice,  and  to  plead  for  mercy  in 
his  name.  We  may  not  be  able  to  go  as 
Christians,  but  this  affords  no  reason  why 
we  should  not  go  as  sinners. 

The  injury  and  danger  of  such  a  state 
of  mind  will  appear  from  a  consideration 
of  the  effects  which  it  produces,  and  must 
continue  to  produce,  if  not  healed  by  a 
return  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ. 

First  :  It  will  necessarily  deprive  us  of  all 
true  enjoyment  in  religion,  and,  by  conse- 
quence, of  all  that  preservation  to  the  heart 
and  mind  which  such  enjoyment  affords. — 
The  principal  sources  of  enjoyment,  to  a 
Christian  that  walketh  spiritually,  are  com- 
munion with  God  and  his  people:  but,  to 
him  that  is  out  of  the  way,  these  streams  are 
dried  up  ;  or,  which  is  the  same  thing  in 
effect  to  him,  they  are  so  impeded  as  not  to 
reach  him.  Guilt,  shame,  darkness,  and 
defilement  have  taken  possession  of  the 
soul  ;  love  is  quenched,  hope  clouded,  joy 
fled,  prayer  restrained,  and  every  other 
grace  enervated.  It  becomes  the  holiness 
of  God  to  frown  upon  us  under  such  a  state 
of  mind,  by  withholding  the  light  of  his 
countenance  ;  and,  if  it  were  otherwise, 
we  have  no  manner  of  desire  after  it. 
Such  was  the  state  of  David  after  he  had 
sinned  and  before  he  had  repented  :  the 
joys  of  God's  salvation  were  far  from 
him.  The  thirty-second  and  thirty-eighth 
Psaims  appear  to  have  been  written,  as 
has  already  been  observed,   after  his  re- 


covery :  but  he  there  describes  what  was 
the  state  of  his  mind  previously  to  it. 
There  is  much  meaning  in  what  he  sets 
out  with  in  the  former  of  these  psalms: 
"Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is 
forgiven,  and  whose  sin  is  covered. 
Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord^ 
imputeth  not  iniquity,  and  in  whose  spirit 
there  is  no  guile  !  "  He  knew  the  con- 
trary of  this  by  bitter  experience.  Guilt 
and  defilement  had  eaten  up  all  his  enjoy- 
ment. "  When  I  kept  silence,"  saith  he, 
"my  bones  waxed  old,  through  my  roar- 
ing all  the  daylong;  for  day  and  night 
thy  hand  was  heavy  upon  me  :  my  mois- 
ture is  turned  into  the  drought  of  summer." 
It  does  not  appear  that  he  fully  desisted 
from  prayer ;  but  there  was  none  of  that 
freedom  in  it  which  he  was  wont  to  enjoy. 
It  was  roaring  rather  than  praying  ;  and 
God  is  represented  as  disregarding  it.  In 
the  thirty-eighth  Psalm,  he  speaks  of  the 
rebukes  of  God's  wrath,  and  the  chastening 
of  his  hot  displeasure  ;  of  his  arrotos  stick- 
ing fast  in  him,  and  his  hand  pressing  him 
sore  :  of  there  being  no  soundness  in  his 
flesh,  because  of  his  anger ;  nor  rest  in 
his  bones,  because  of  his  sin.  There  is 
one  expression  exceedingly  appropri- 
ate :  "  My  wounds  stink  and  are  corrupt, 
because  of  my  foolishness."  A  wound 
may  be  dangerous  at  the  time  of  its  being 
received  ;  but  much  more  so  if  it  be  neg- 
lected till  the  humors  of  the  body  are 
drawn  towards  it.  In  this  case  it  is  hard 
to  be  healed  ;  and  the  patient  has  not  only 
to  reflect  on  his  heedlessness  in  first  ex- 
posing himself  to  danger,  but  on  his 
foolishness  in  so  long  neglecting  the  pre- 
scribed remedy.  Such  was  the  state  of 
his  mind,  till,  as  he  informs  us,  he  "  ac- 
knowledged his  transgressions,"  and  was 
"  sorry  for  his   sin." 

And,  as  there  can  be  no  communion 
with  God,  so  neither  can  there  be  any  vnth 
his  people.  If  our  sin  be  known  it  must 
naturally  occasion  a  reservedness,  if  not 
an  exclusion  from  their  society.  Or,  if  it 
be  unknown,  we  shall  be  equally  unable 
to  enjoy  communion  with  them.  Guilt 
in  our  consciences  will  beget  shame,  and 
incline  us  rather  to  stand  aloof  than  to 
come  near  them  ;  or,  if  we  go  into  their 
company,  it  will  prove  a  bar  to  freedom. 
There  is  something  at  first  sight  rather 
singular  in  the  language  of  the  apostle 
John  ;  but  upon  closer  inspection  it  will 
be  found  to  be  perfectly  just:  "If  we 
walk  in  the  light  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we 
have  fellowship  one  with  another." 

But,  if  we  are  deprived  of  fellowship 
with  God  and  his  people,  from  what  can 
we  derive  consolation  1  If  we  have  only 
had  a  name  to  live,  and  been  dead,  the 
joy  arising  from  vain  hope  may  possibly 


THE    BACKSLIDER. 


775 


be  supplied  by  carnal  pleasures.  We 
may  drown  reflection  by  busying  ourselves 
in  worldly  pursuits,  mingling  with  world- 
ly company,  and,  in  short,  returning  "  like 
the  dog  to  his  vomit,  and  the  sow  that 
was  washed  to  her  wallowing  in  the  mire  :" 
but,  if  we  have  any  true  religion  in  us,  we 
cannot  do  this  ;  and  then  what  is  there 
under  the   sun  that  can  yield  us  relief! 

Nor  shall  we  he  deprived  merely  of  the 
enjoyments  of  religion,  but  of  all  that 
preservation  to  the  soul  which  they  afford. 
The  peace  of  God  is  represented  as  that 
which  keeps,  or  fortifies,  our  hearts  and 
minds.  Without  this,  the  heart  will  be  in 
perpetual  danger  of  being  seduced  by  the 
wiles,  or  sunk  by  the  pressures,  of  this 
world  ;  and  the  mind  of  being  drawn  aside 
from  the  simplicity  of  the    gospel. 

Secondly  :  It  xoill  render  us  useless  in 
our  generation. — The  great  end  of  exist- 
ence with  a  good  man  is  to  live  to  him  who 
died  for  us  and  rose  again.  If  God  bless 
us,  it  is  that,  like  Abraham,  we  may  be 
blessings  toothers.  Christians  are  said  to 
be  the  salt  of  the  earth,  and  the  light  of  the 
world  ;  but,  while  we  are  in  the  state  above 
described,  we  are  as  "  salt  that  has  lost  its 
savor,"  which  is  "good  for  nothing;  "  or 
as  a  light  that  is  hid  under  a  vessel.  Of 
what  use,  with  respect  to  religion,  are  we 
in  our  families,  while  this  is  the  easel 
Neither  servants  nor  children  can  think 
well  of  religion,  from  any  thing  they  see 
in  us  ;  and  when  we  go  into  the  world,  and 
mingle  among  mankind  in  our  dealings,  in 
whose  conscience  does  our  conversation 
or  behavior  plant  conviction  1  Where  is 
the  man  who,  on  leaving  our  company,  has 
been  compelled  by  it  to  acknowledge  the 
reality  of  religion  1  Or,  if  we  occupy  a 
station  in  the  church  of  God  (and  this  char- 
acter may  belong  to  a  minister  no  less  than 
to  another  man),  we  shall  do  little  or  no 
good  in  it;  but  be  as  "vessels  in  which 
the  Lord  taketh  no  pleasure."  There  is  a 
threatening  directed  against  vain  pastors, 
which  ought  to  make  a  minister  tremble. 
"  Wo  to  the  idol  shepherd,  that  leaveth  the 
flock  !  The  sword  shall  be  upon  his  arm, 
and  upon  his  right  eye  :  his  arm  shall  be 
clean  dried  up,  and  his  right  eye  shall  be 
utterly  darkened."  Perhaps  one  of  the 
greatest  temptations  to  backsliding  in  min- 
isters may  lie  in  this  way  :  being  selected 
from  their  brethren,  and  chosen  to  the  of- 
fice of  public  instructers,  they  are  in  dan- 
ger of  indulging  in  self-valuation.  A  man 
may  labor  night  and  day  in  his  study,  and 
all  to  get  accomplished  that  he  may  shine 
before  the  people.  Where  this  is  the  case, 
the  preacher  is  his  own  idol,  and  it  may  be 
that  of  the  people.  He  feels  also  little  or 
no  regard  to  the  charge  which  he  has  un- 
dertaken, but  is  ready  to  desert  it  when- 


ever a  difficulty  arises,  or  any  opportunity 
offers  of  improving  his  circumstances. 
The  consequence  is,  the  sword  of  the  Lord 
is  upon  his  arm — he  does  no  manner  of 
execution  in  his  work;  and  upon  his  right 
eye — whatever  proficiency  he  may  make  in 
science,  or  polite  accomplishments,  he  has 
but  little  if  any  spiritual  understanding  in 
the  things  of  God.  This  character  may 
respect  ungodly  preachers,  such  to  whom 
the  Jewish  nation  were  given  up  for  their 
rejection  of  Christ ;  but  there  is  no  sin 
committed  by  the  most  ungodly  man  of 
which  the  most  godly  is  not  in  danger. 

Thirdly  :  We  shall  not  only  be  useless, 
but  injurious  to  the  cause  of  Christ. — In- 
deed, it  is  impossible  to  stand  neuter  in  this 
cause.  If  we  do  no  good,  we  shall  do 
harm;  not  only  as  cumberers  of  the 
ground,  occupying  that  place  in  society 
which  might  be  better  filled  by  others,  but 
as  giving  a  false  representation  of  religion, 
and  diffusing  a  savor  of  death  among 
mankind.  If  our  domestics  infer  nothing 
favorable  to  religion  from  our  conduct  in 
the  family,  they  will  infer  something  un- 
favorable ;  and,  if  there  be  but  little  good 
to  be  seen  in  our  example,  it  is  well  if 
there  be  not  much  evil  ;  and  this  will  sure- 
ly be  imitated.  Who  can  calculate  what 
influence  the  treachery,  unchastity,  and 
murder,  committed  by  David,  had  upon 
his  family  1  We  know  that  each  was 
acted  over  again  by  Amnon  and  Absalom. 
And  thus  many  a  parent  has  seen  his  own 
sins  repeated  in  his  posterity  ;  and  per- 
haps, if  he  had  lived  longer,  might  have 
seen  them  multiplied  still  more,  to  his 
shame  and  confusion. 

The  servants  of  God  are  called  to  bear 
testimony  for  him  :  "  Ye  are  my  witnesses, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  This  is  done 
not  merely  by  words,  but  by  deeds.  There 
is  a  way  of  bearing  witness  to  the  reality 
and  importance  of  religion,  by  a  zealous 
perseverance  in  it;  to  its  dignity,  by 
our  firmness  ;  to  its  happy  influence,  by 
contentedness  and  cheerfulness  ;  and  to 
its  purity,  by  being  holy  in  all  manner  of 
conversation  :  and  this  is  a  kind  of  testi- 
mony which  is  more  regarded  than  any 
other.  Men  in  common  form  their  opin- 
ion of  religion  more  by  what  they  see  in 
the  professors  of  it  than  by  the  profession 
itself.  Hence  it  was  that  David  by  his 
deed  is  said  to  have  given  "great  occasion 
to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme." 
They  were  not  contented  with  reproach- 
ing him,  but  must  speak  against  God  and 
religion  on  his  account.  In  this  view  he 
considered  his  sin  when  he  was  brought  to 
repentance  for  it.  "Against  thee,  thee 
only  have  I  sinned,  and  done  this  evil  in 
thy  sight." — "  Do  good  in  thy  good  pleas- 
ure unto    Zion  :    build  thou  the  walls  of 


776 


MISCELLANEOUS  TRACTS,   ESSAYS,  &.C. 


Jerusalem."  If  his  sin  had  not  greatly 
dishonored  God's  name,  and,  as  it  were, 
broken  down  the  walls  of  Zion,  such  lan- 
guage would  not  have  appeared  among  his 
lamentations.  Things  operate  much  the 
same  to  this  day.  Whatever  evil  is  done 
by  a  professor,  it  is  ascribed  to  his  religion. 
In  tills  view  we  may  justly  consider  our 
unchristian  conduct  as  bearing  false  wit- 
ness of  God  ;  for  it  is  giving  false  repre- 
sentations of  his  gospel  and  government  to 
the  world.  A  grasping,  selfish  spirit  is 
saying  to  those  around  us,  that,  after  all 
which  we  have  professed  of  living  by  faith 
in  a  portion  beyond  death,  the  present 
world  is  the  best,  and  therefore  we  are  for 
making  sure  of  that,  and  running  all  haz- 
ards as  to  the  other.  In  like  manner,  a 
cruel  and  revengeful  disposition  towards 
those  who  have  offended  us  is  saying  that 
Christianity,  after  all  its  professions  of 
meekness  and  forgiveness  of  injuries,  ren- 
ders its  adherents  no  better  than  others. 
And,  when  a  Christian  professor  is  detect- 
ed of  having  privately  indulged  in  the 
lusts  of  the  flesh,  the  conclusion  that  is 
drawn  from  it  is  that  there  is  nothing  in 
religion  but  outside  appearance,  and  that 
in  secret  religious  people  are  the  same  as 
others.  It  is  impossible  to  say  how  much 
such  conduct  operates  to  the  hardening  of 
men  in  sin,  to  the  quenching  of  their  con- 
victions, to  the  weakening  the  hands  of 
God's  servants,  and  to  the  stumbling  of 
persons  who  are  inquiring  the  way  to  Zion. 

Tiiese  things,  if  we  be  mere  professors, 
may  have  but  little  effect  upon  us.  We  do 
not  care  for  God's  being  dishonored,  pro- 
vided we  do  but  get  pardoned  at  last :  but, 
if  there  be  any  true  religion  about  us,  it 
will  be  otherwise.  An  ingenuous  mind 
will  feel  more  for  the  dishonor  which  he 
has  done  to  Christ,  and  injury  to  his  fel- 
low-creatures, than  for  the  reproach 
which  he  has  brought  upon  himself. 

Fourthly  :  We  are  in  the  utmost  danger 
of  falling  into  future  temptations,  and  so 
of   sinking    deeper,    and  falling   farther 

from     God. So    long    as    sin    remains 

upon  the  conscience  unlamented,  it  is 
like  poison  in  the  constitution  :  it  will 
be  certain  to  operate,  and  that  in  a  way 
that  shall  go  on  more  to  kill  all  holy 
resolution,  to  harden  the  heart,  and  to  de- 
file the  imaginations  and  desires.  "Whore- 
dom and  wine,  and  new  wine,  take  away 
the  heart."  It  was  from  sad  experience 
of  the  defiling  nature  of  past  sin  that  Da- 
vid, when  he  came  to  himself,  prayed, 
"  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God,  and 
renew  a  right  spirit  within  me." 

A  mind  thus  enfeebled,  stupified,  and 
defiled,  must  needs  be  in  a  very  unfit  con- 
dition to  resist  new  temptations.  The  in- 
habitants   of  a    besieged    city,    who   are 


weakened  by  famine  and  disease,  and  dis- 
couraged by  a  number  of  disaffected  per- 
sons within  their  walls,  have  no  heart  to 
resist,  but  stand  ready  to  listen  to  the  first 
proposals  of  the  besiegers. 

And  in  proportion  as  we  are  disabled 
for  resistance,  it  may  be  expected  that 
the  tempter  will  renew  his  attempts  upon 
us.  If  Satan  has  any  influence  upon  the 
human  mind,  it  may  be  supposed  that  he 
acts  with  design,  and  knows  how  to  avail 
himself  of  the  most  favorable  seasons  to 
effect  his  purpose.  And  this  we  find  to 
be  true  by  experience.  In  proportion  as 
we  have  yielded  to  temptation,  it  will  rise 
in  its  demands  ;  solicitations,  greater  in 
number  and  in  force,  will  ply  our  minds. 
As  a  resistance  of  the  devil  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  his  fleeing  from  us,  so,  on  the 
contrary,  a  non-resistance  of  him  will  be 
followed  by  renewed  and  stronger  attempts 
upon  us.  One  sin  makes  way  for  another, 
and  renders  us  less  able  to  resist,  or  to 
return  to  God  by  repentance.  When  once 
the  thief  has  gained  admission  into  our 
habitation,  he  will  bid  us  defiance.  "In- 
numerable evils  will  compass  us  about, 
and  our  iniquities  take  hold  upon  us,  so 
that  we  shall  not  be  able  to  look  up  :  they 
will  be  more  than  the  hairs  of  our  heads  : 
therefore  our  hearts  will  fail  us."  Sam- 
son first  yielded  to  his  sensual  desires ; 
after  this  to  the  intreaties  of  his  Delilah  ; 
who,  in  proportion  as  she  found  him  pliant 
to  her  wishes,  increased  in  her  assiduous- 
ness, till  at  length  he  lost  his  hair,  his  lib- 
erty, his  eyes,  and  his  life. 

If  we  be  mere  professors,  these  consid- 
erations may  affect  us  but  little  :  we  shall 
continue  the  willing  slaves  of  our  own 
corruptions,  hoping  it  may  be,  neverthe- 
less, that  we  shall  some  time  be  brought 
back  again,  till,  at  some  unexpected  hour, 
we  are  taken  out  of  the  world.  But,  if 
there  be  any  good  thing  in  us  toward  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel,  this  part  of  the  sub- 
ject must  alarm  us  ;  for,  of  all  the  meth- 
ods which  God  takes  to  punish  sin,  there 
is  none  more  awful  and  more  dreaded  by 
a  good  man  than  that  of  being  given  up  to 
sin. 

Fifthly  :  So  long  as  sin  remains  upon 
the  conscience  unlamented,  vie  are  in  dan- 
ger  of   eternal   damnation. It   may   be 

thought  by  some  that  such  language  is 
inconsistent  with  the  final  perseverance  of 
believers  :  but  it  is  manifest  that  our  Lord 
did  not  so  teach  the  doctrine  of  persever- 
ance as  to  render  cautions  of  this  kind  un- 
necessary. He  did  not  scruple  to  declare 
even  to  his  own  disciples,  that  whosoever 
should  say  to  his  brother,  Thou  fool, 
should  be  in  danger  of  hell  fire — that,  if 
they  forgave  not  men  their  trespasses, 
neither  would   God  forarive  theirs — and  if 


THE    BACKSLIDER.  777 

a  right  hand,  or  a  right  eye,  caused  them  on  the  means  of  recovery. 

to  offend,  it  must   be  cut  off,  or  plucked 

out,  and   tliflt  lest  the  whole  body  should        Were  it  not    for  the  hope  of  being  in- 
be  cast  into  hell.  strumental  in  saving  some  Horn  the    error 

The  object  at  which   sin   aims,  whether    of  their    way,  and  of  inducing  others  to  a 
in  believers  or  unbelievers,  is  death,  eter-    greater   degree  of  watchfulness,    I  should 
nal  death  ;  and  to  this  it  has  a  natural  and    not  have  written  the  preceding  pages.     It 
direct   tendency.     The  apostle  James,  in    can    afford    no  satisfaction   to  expose    the 
a  very  affecting  manner,  describes  its  pro-    evil  conduct  of  a  fellow  sinner,  or  to  trace 
cess.     "  Let   no   man    say,    when    he    is    its  dangerous  effects,    unless  it  be    with  a 
tempted,  I  am   tempted  of  God  :   for  God    view  to  his  salvation  or  preservation, 
cannot  be  tempted  with  evil,  neither  tempt-        It  is  natural  for  those    who  have  fallen 
eth  he  any  man  :  but  every  man  is  tempt-    into  sin,  unless   they  be  given  up  to  a  re- 
ed when  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own  lust   jection    of  all  religion,   to  wish,    on   some 
and  enticed.     Then  when  lust  hath  con-    considerations,  to  be  restored.      A    back- 
ceived,  it  bringeth  forth  sin,  and  sin,  when    sliding  state  is  far   from   being   agreeable, 
it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death."     If  it    Hence  it  is  that   many  have   prematurely 
does  not  in  all  cases  come   to  this  issue,  it    grasped  at  the  promise  of  forgiveness,  and 
is  not  because  of  its  being  different   as   to    said  to  their  souls,  "Peace,   peace,  when 
its  nature  or  tendency  in  some  persons  to    there  was  no  peace."     It  is  desirable  that 
what  it  is  in  others,  but  because  a  timely    we   be  recovered  from  our  hackslidings  ; 
stop  is   put  to  its  operations.     Only  let  it    but  it  is  not  desirable  that  we  should  think 
go  on  without  repentance  till  it  has  finish-    ourselves    recovered  when    we  are  not  so. 
ed  its  work,  and  eternal  death  will  be  the        As    there   are   many    ways  by   which  a 
issue.  convinced    sinner  seeks  peace  to  his  soul, 

Whatever  we  are,  so   long  as   sin   lies    without   being  able  to  find  it,  so  it  is  with 
unlamented  upon   the  conscience,  we  can    a  backslider.     Self-righteous  attempts  to 
have  no  scriptural  foundation  to  conclude    mortify  sin,  and  gain  peace  with  God,  are 
that  we  are  Christians.     No  real   Chris-    not  confined  to  the  first  period  of  religious 
tian,  it  is   true,   will    prove   an   apostate;    concern.       Having,  through  the  power  of 
yet,  while  we  are   under  the  influence  of    alarm,  desisted   from  the  open  practice  of 
sin,  we  are  moving  in  the  direction  which    sin,  many  have  labored  to  derive   comfort 
leads   to   apostacy.     If  we   are  contented    from  this  consideration,    without  confess- 
with  a  relapsed  state  of  mind,  what  ground    ing  their  sin  on    the    head,    as  it  were,  of 
can  we  have  to  conclude  that  it  is  not  our    the  gospel  sacrifice.       Their  sins    may  be 
element,  or   that   we  have   ever  been  the    said  rather  lo  have  been  worn  away  from 
subjects  of  true  religion  1     If  the  waters    their   remembrance,    by    length   of  time, 
continue  to  be  naught,  it  is  a  sign  that  the    than    washed   away   by    the  blood  of  the 
spring  has  not  been  healed.     There   is  no    cross.     But  this  is  not  recovery  :  the  hurt, 
reason  to  think  that  Judas  himself  laid  his    if  healed,  is  healed  slightly;   and  maybe 
account  with  such  an  issue  of  his  treach-    expected  to  break  out  again.       The  same 
ery  as  actually  came  to  pass.     During  the    way    in  which,  if  we  be   true    Christians, 
ministry  of  our   Lord,  while  he   kept  the    we  first    found  rest  to  our  souls,    must  be 
bag,  and  sometimes    made    free    with    its    pursued  in  order  to    recover   it;    namely, 
contents,  it    is   probable   he    nevertheless    "repentance    toward   God,    and    faith  to- 
reckoned  himself  a  good  man.     He  saw    ward  our  Lord    Jesus  Christ."      This  is 
many  failings   in   his   fellow  disciples,  and    the  way  to  which  the  Scriptures  uniform- 
in  all  other  good  men  ;  and  he  might  think    Iy  direct  us.       "  My  little    children,  these 
this  to  be  his.     When  he   had  covenanted    things  I  write  unto  you,    that   ye    sin  not. 
with  the  chief  priests,  it  does  not  appear    And  if  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate 
that   he    expected   his    master   would   be    with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righte- 
eventually    taken    and    crucified.     When    ous." — "If  we    confess    our   sins,    he   is 
they  were  about   to  lay  hands  on  him,  he    faithful  and  just  to  forgive  usoursins,  and 
had    often    passed    through    the    midst   of   to  cleanse  us    from  all    unrighteousness." 
them,  and    gone   his   way;  and    he   might    This  was  the  way  in  which  David  was  re- 
suppose  that  it  would  be  so  again.   "When    covered.     He  confessed  his  sin  with  deep 
therefore  he  saw  that  he  was  condemned,"    contrition,  pleading    to  be  purged  "with 
he    was    thrown   into    a   state    of  terrible    hyssop  that  he  might  be  clean,  and  wash- 
amazement,  and   in  the  issue  "  went  and    ed  that   he  might   be  whiter  than   snow." 
hanged  himself."     Such  was  the  process    By    this    language    he    could     not      mean 
of  an  apostate,  and  such  his  end.     Surely    that   his  sin    should    be    purged    away  by 
it  behoves   us  to  take  heed  how  we  trifle    any  thing  pertaining  to  the  ceremonial  law, 
with   those   things,  the   end  of  which   is    for  that  law  made  no  provision  for  the  par- 
death  !  don  of  his  crimes  :  he  must,  therefore,  in- 

Vol.   2.— Sig.  99 


778 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C 


tend  that  which  the  sprinkling  of  the  un- 
clean with  a  bunch  of  hyssop,  dipt  in  the 
water  of  purification,  was  designed  to  pre- 
figure; which,  as  we  are  taught  in  the 
New  Testament,  was  the  purging  of  the 
conscience,  by  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood 
of  Jesus." 

This  is  the  only  way  in  which  it  is  pos- 
sible to  rind  rest  to  our  souls.  As  "there 
is  no  other  name  given  under  heaven,  or 
among  men,  by  which  we  can  be  saved," 
so  neither  is  there  any  other  by  which  we 
:an  be  restored.  What  ever  be  the  na- 
ture of  our  backsliding  from  God,  this 
must  be  the  remedy.  If  it  be  a  relin- 
quishment oj  evangelical  principles,  we 
must  return  to  the  way,  even  the  highway 
whither  we  went.  Paul  "  travailed  in 
birth  "  for  the  recovery  of  the  Galatians  ; 
and  in  what  did  he  expect  it  to  consist  1 
In  "  Christ  being  formed  in  them."  He 
also  strove  to  bring  hack  the  Hebrews  ; 
and  all  his  labors  were  directed  to  the  same 
point.  His  epistle  to  them  is  full  of  Christ, 
and  of  warnings  and  of  cautions  against 
neglecting  and  rejecting  him.  If  any  man 
have  been  perplexed  concerning  the  deity 
or  atonement  of  Christ,  let  him  humbly 
and  carefully  read  that  epistle  :  and,  if  his 
heart  be  right  with  God,  it  will  do  him 
good.  If  our  departure  from  God  have 
issued  in  some  gross  immorality,  or  in  the 
love  of  the  world,  or  in  conformity  to  it,  the 
remedy  must  be  the  same.  It  is  by  this 
medium,  if  at  all,  that  the  world  will  be 
crucified  unto  us,  and  we  unto  the  world. 
If  we  have  no  heart  to  repent,  and  to  re- 
turn to  God  by  Jesus  Christ,  we  are  yet 
in  our  sins,  and  may  expect  to  reap  the 
fruits  of  them.  The  Scriptures  give  no 
counsel  to  any  thing  short  of  this.  They 
are  not  wanting,  however,  in  directions 
that  may  lead  to  it,  and  considerations 
that  may  induce  it.  What  these  are,  I 
shall  now  proceed  to  inquire. 

In  general  I  may  observe,  The  Scrip- 
tures assure  us  oi  the  exceeding  great  and 
tender  mercy  of  God,  and  of  his  willing- 
ness to  forgive  all  those  who  return  to  him 
in  the  name  of  his  Son. — It  is  necessary 
that  we  be  well  persuaded  of  this  truth, 
lest,  instead  of  applying  as  supplicants, 
we  sink  into  despair.  If  an  awakened 
sinner,  under  his  first  religious  concern, 
be  in  danger  of  this  species  of  desponden- 
cy, a  backslider  is  still  more  so.  His 
transgressions  are  much  more  heinous  in 
their  circumstances  than  those  of  the  oth- 
er, having  been  committed  under  greater 
light,  and  against  greater  goodness  :  and, 
when  to  this  is  added  the  treatment  which 
his  conduct  must  necessarily  draw  upon 
him  from  his  religious  connections,  he  may 
be  tempted  to  relinquish  all  hopes  of  re- 
covery, and  to  consider  himself  as  an  out- 


cast of  both  God  and  man.  Unhappy 
man  !  Thy  breach  may  be  great  like  the 
sea,  and  the  language  of  an  awakened  con- 
science may  suggest,  "  Who  can  heal 
me]"  Yet  do  not  despair.  "Hear  what 
God  the  Lord  will  speak. — He  will  speak 
peace  unto  his  people,  and  to  his  saints  : 
but  let  them  not  turn  again  to  lolly." 
Hear  what  he  speaks  to  the  backsliding 
Israelites,  reduced  by  their  sins  to  the 
most  deploral  le  slate  of  guilt  and  wretch- 
edness. "  The  Lord  shall  scatter  you 
among  the  nations,  and  ye  shall  be  left 
few  in  number  among  the  heathen,  whith- 
er the  Lord  shall  lead  you.  And  there  ye 
shall  serve  gods,  the  work  of  men's  hands  ; 
but,  if  from  thence  thou  shalt  seek  the 
Lord  thy  God,  thou  shall  find  him,  if  thou 
seek  him  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all 
thy  soul  :  when  thou  art  in  tribulation,  and 
all  these  things  are  come  upon  thee,  if  thou 
turn  to  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  shalt  be 
obedient  unto  his  voice  (for  the  Lord  thy 
God  is  a  merciful  God),  he  will  not  for- 
sake thee,  nor  forget  the  covenant  of  thy 
lathers,  which  he  sware  unto  them."  The 
pardoning  mercy  of  God  towards  those 
who  return  to  him  by  Jesus  Christ  is  not 
limited  by  such  measures  as  are  framed  by 
creatures  in  their  treatment  of  one  anoth- 
er, or  by  such  expectations  as,  on  this  ac- 
count, they  are  apt  to  form.  There  are 
circumstances  which  may  render  it  almost 
impossible  for  forgiveness  to  be  exercised 
amongst  men  ;  and  therefore  men  are  rea- 
dy to  think  it  must  be  so  with  respect  to 
God.  But  "  with  the  Lord  there  is  mer- 
cy, and  with  him  there  is  plenteous  re- 
demption." He  will  not  only  pardon, 
but  pardon  abundantly :  "  for  his  thoughts 
are  not  our  thoughts,  nor  his  ways  our 
ways.  For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than 
the  earth,  so  are  his  ways  higher  than  our 
ways,  and  his  thoughts  than  our  thoughts. 
— The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son 
cleanseth  us  from  all  sin. — If  we  confess 
our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive 
us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  un- 
righteousness.'" The  threatenings  against 
Ihe  unpardonable  sin  itself  do  not  affect 
•the  truth  of  these  merciful  declarations; 
for  that  sin  is  all  along  described  as  ex- 
cluding repentance  as  well  as  forgiveness. 
— Heb.  vi.  6.  The  party  is  supposed  to 
be  given  up  to  hardness  of  heart.  If, 
therefore,  we  confess  our  sin  with  contri- 
tion, we  may  be  certain  it  is  not  unpar- 
donable, and  that  we  shall  obtain  mercy 
through  the  blood  of  the  cross. 

But  the  great  question  is,  How  shall  we 
repent  of  our  sins,  and  return  to  God  by 
Jesus  Christ  ?— Undoubtedly  it  is  much 
easier  to  get  out  of  the  way  than  to  get  in 
again  ;  to  lose  the  peace  of  our  minds 
than  to  recover  it.     Sin  is  of  a  hardening 


THE    BACKSLIDER. 


779 


nature  ;  and,  the  farther  we  have  proceed- 
ed in  it,  the  more  inextricable  are  its 
chains.  But,  however  this  he,  we  either 
do  desire  to  return,  or  we  do  not.  If  not, 
it  will  be  in  vain  to  address  any  directions 
to  us.  It  is  right, indeed,  for  the  servants 
of  Christ  to  point  them  out,  whether  we 
will  hear  or  whether  we  will  forbear, 
and  there  leave  them ;  but  as  to  any 
hope  of  our  recovery,  while  such  is  the 
state  of  our  minds,  there  can  be  none. 
If  we  can  think  of  our  sin  without  grief, 
and  of  the  cross  of  Christ  without  any 
meltings  of  spirit,  there  is  great  reason  to 
fear  that  our  "  hearts  are  not  right  in  the 
sight  of  God,"  but  that  we  are  yet  in  the 
"gall  of  bitterness,  and  the  bonds  of  ini- 
quity." If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  do  de- 
sire to  return  ;  if,  like  Israel  in  the  days 
of  Samuel,  we  "lament  after  the  Lord," 
we  shall  readily  hearken  to  every  direction 
given  us  in  his  word. 

If  my  reader,  supposing  him  to  have 
backslidden  from  God,  be  in  such  a  state 
of  mind,  it  is  with  a  mixture  of  hope  and 
tenderness  that  I  attempt  to  point  out  to 
him  the  means  of  recovery.  Or,  should 
it  even  be  otherwise,  I  will,  nevertheless, 
endeavor  to  show  him  the  good  and  the 
the  right  way,  that  at  least  I  may  deliver 
my  own  soul. 

First  :  Embrace  every  possible  season  of 
retirement  for  reading  the  holy  Scriptures, 
especially  those  parts  which  are  suited  to 
thy  case  ;  and  accompany  it  with  prayer. — 
God's  word  hid  in  the  heart  is  not  only  a 
preservative  against  sin,  but  a  restorative 
from  it.  It  both  wounds  and  heals  :  if  it 
rebukes,  it  is  with  the  faithfulness  of  a 
friend  ;  or,  if  it  consoles,  its  consolations 
carry  in  them  an  implication  which,  if 
properly  understood,  will  melt  us  into  re- 
pentance. 

Read  especially  those  parts  of  Scripture 
whicn  are  addressed  to  persons  in  your  sit- 
uation, as  the  second  chapter  of  Jeremi- 
ah :  or  which  express  the  desires  ot  a  re- 
turning sinner,  as  the  twenty-filth,  thirty- 
second,  thirty-eighth,  fifty-first,  and  hun- 
dred-and  -thirtieth  Psalms.  You  may 
not  be  able  to  adopt  all  this  language  as 
your  own  :  but  it  may  be  useful  neverthe- 
less. To  read  the  genuine  expressions  of 
a  contrite  heart  may  produce  at  least  a 
conviction  of  the  disparity  between  the 
frame  of  mind  possessed  by  the  writer 
and  yourself ;  and  such  a  conviction  may 
be  accompanied  with  a  sensation  of  shame 
and  grief. 

It  is  also  of  importance  that  you  read 
the  Scriptures  by  yourself.  To  read  a 
portion  of  them  in  your  families  is  right, 
and  ought  not  to  be  neglected  ;  but  there 
is  a  wide  difference,  as  to  personal  ad  van" 
tage,  between  this  and  reading  them  alone- 


Your  mind  may  then  be  more  at  liberty 
for  reflection ;  you  can  read  and  pause,  and 
think,  and  apply  the  subject  to  your  case. 

It  is  of  still  greater  importance  to  unite 
prayer  with  it.  Reading  the  word  of  God 
and  prayer  are  duties  which  mutually  as- 
sist each  other  :  the  one  furnishes  us  with 
confessions,  pleas,  and  arguments  ;  while 
the  other  promotes  solemnity  and  spiritu- 
ality of  mind,  which  goes  further  towards 
understanding  the  Scriptures  than  a  libra- 
ry of  expositions. 

It  was  in  one  of  these  seasons  of  retire- 
ment that  David  put  up  this  petition,  "  I 
have  gone  stray  like  a  lost  sheep:  seek 
thy  servant,  for  I  do  not  forget  thy  com- 
mandments." He  seems  to  have  had  in 
his  thoughts  the  condition  of  a  poor, 
wandering  sheep,  that  had  left  the  flock, 
and  the  rich  pastures  whither  it  was  wont 
to  be  led;  ranging  rather  like  a  native  of 
the  woods,  than  one  which  had  been  used 
to  be  led,  and  fed,  and  protected  by  an 
owner.  Bewildered  by  its  own  wander- 
ings, entangled  in  the  thorns  and  briers  of 
the  wilderness,  and  exposed  to  beasts  of 
prey,  it  feels  its  forlorn  condition,  and 
bleats  after  the  shepherd  of  the  flock  !  Is 
there  nothing  in  this  that  may  suit  thy 
case  "?  Yes,  thou  art  the  man  !  Thou 
hast  gone  astray  like  a  lost  sheep,  got  en- 
tangled in  thine  own  corruptions,  and 
knowest  not  how  to  find  the  way  back  : 
yet  it  may  be  thou  hast  not  forgotten  his 
commandments,  nor  utterly  lost  the 
savor  of  those  happy  days  when  walking 
in  them.  Let  thy  prayer  then  be  direct- 
ed, like  that  of  the  Psalmist,  to  the 
good  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  "  Seek  thy 
servant !  " 

Prayer  is  a  kind  of  religious  exercise 
which  is  necessary  to  accompany  all 
others.  "In  everything  by  prayer  and 
supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  let  your 
requests  be  made  known  unto  God." 
Solemn  approaches  to  God  are  adapted 
to  impress  the  mind  with  a  sense  of  sin, 
and  to  inspire  us  with  self-abhorrence  on 
account  of  it.  It  was  by  a  view  of  the 
holiness  of  God  that  Isaiah  felt  himself  to 
be  "  a  man  of  unclean  lips  ;"  and  by  con- 
versing with  him  that  Job  was  brought  to 
"  abhor  himself,  and  repent  in  dust  and 
ashes."  The  very  exercise  of  prayer  car- 
ries in  it  an  implication  that  our  help  must 
come  from  above  ;  a  truth  which,  in  all 
cases,  is  highly  necossary  for  us  to  know, 
and  with  which,  in  this  case  especially, 
we  cannot  be  too  deeply  impressed.  VVe 
easily  get  out  of  the  way  ;  but,  if  ever 
we  return  to  it,  it  must  be  by  his  influ- 
ence who  "  restoreth  our  souls,  and  Iead- 
eth  us  in  the  paths  of  righteousness,  for 
his  name's  sake." 
To  tell  a  person  who  is  out  of  the  way 


780 


MISCELLANEOUS   TRACTS,   ESSAYS,  &C. 


that  he  has  no  help  in  himself,  and  that  if 
ever  he  get  in  again  it  must  1  e  by  the 
restoring  grace  of  God,  may  seem,  to 
some  people,  paradoxical  and  disheai ten- 
ing  :  1'Ut  it  is  a  truth,  and  a  truth  which,  if 
properly  understood  and  felt,  would  go 
farther  towards  our  recovery  than  we  at 
first  may  apprehend.  Paul  found  that 
"  when  he  was  weak  then  he  was  strong;" 
and  many  others  have  found  the  same. 
The  more  we  are  emptied  of  self-suffi- 
ciency, the  more  sensibly  shall  we  feel 
our  dependence,  and  the  more  importu- 
nately implore  that  the  Lord  would  save 
us  as  it  were  from  ourselves,  and  restore 
■us  "for  his  name's  sake." 

This  was  the  way  in  which  we  at  first 
found  rest  for  our  souls,  and  this  must  be 
the  way  in  which  we  recover  it.  An 
awakened  sinner  frequently  labors  hanl 
after  peace,  without  being  able  to  obtain 
it.  Wherefore  1  Because  he  seeks  it 
not  by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by  the  works 
of  the  law,  stumbling  at  that  stumbling- 
stone.  In  all  his  labors  there  is  a  large 
portion  of  self-righteous  hope,  or  an  idea 
that  God  will  pity  him  on  account 
of  his  painful  endeavors  to  please 
him.  But  this  is  like  bad  flesh  in  a 
wound,  which  must  be  eaten  out  before 
it  can  be  healed.  If  ever  he  obtain 
peace,  it  must  be  by  utterly  despairing 
of  all  help  from  himself,  and  falling,  as  a 
sinner  entirely  lost,  into  the  arms  of 
sovereign  mercy.  This  is  ivalking  "  in 
the  good  old  way,"  which  brings  rest  to 
the  soidj  and  the  same  sense  of  our 
insufficiency  which  is  necessary  to  find 
rest  in  the  first  instance  is  equally  neces- 
sary to  find  it  in  all  that  follow. 

We  may  pray  from  year  to  year,  and  all 
without  effect.  It  is  only  "  the  prayer 
of  faith  "  that  succeeds  •  the  distinguish- 
ing characteristic  of  which  is,  under  a 
sense  of  there  being  no  help  in  us,  to  lay 
hold  of  the  mercy  and  faithfulness  of  God, 
as  revealed  in  the  gospel.  David  for  a 
time  "  groaned,"  and  even  "  roared, 
by  reason  of  the  disquietness  of  his 
heart:"  but  he  obtained  no  relief  from 
this.  On  the  contrary,  he  sunk  deeper 
and  deeper  into  despondency.  At  length, 
he  betook  him  to  another  manner  of  pray- 
ing. "  Out  of  the  depths  cried  I  unto 
thee."  ....  and  thou  heardest  my  voice  !  " 
We  find  him  here  pleading  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  God's  merry,  and  the  plcnte- 
ousness  of  his  redemption.  Here  he 
found  rest  for  his  soul ! — Jonah  also,  for 
a  time,  was  in  much  the  same  state. 
With  a  conscience  so  far  awakened  as  to 
deprive  him  of  all  enjoyment,  he  retired 
to  the  bottom  of  the  ship;  and,  wearied 
with  the  load  of  his  guilt,  slept  away  his 
.time.     Even  the  horror  of  a  tempest  did 


not  awaken  him.  At  length,  being  roused 
and  reproved  by  heathens,  and  marked 
out  by  lot  as  the  guilty  person,  he  con- 
fesses who  he  is,  and  what  he  had  done, 
and  advises  them  to  cast  him  into  the 
sea.  Humanity,  for  a  time,  struggles 
with  the  elements,  but  in  vain — he  must 
be  cast  away.  Think  what  a  stale  of 
mind  he  must  at  this  time  have  possess- 
ed !  He  is  thrown  into  the  deep,  is 
swallowed  by  a  fish,  and  retains  his  rea- 
son even  in  that  situation  ;  but  no  light 
shines  upon  his  soul.  Conceiving  himself 
to  be  on  the  point  of  expiring,  his  heart 
sighed  within  him,  "  I  am  cast  out  of  thy 
sight  !  "  But,  ere  the  thought  had  well 
passed  his  mind,  another  struck  him  .... 
"  Yet  will  I  look  again  towards  thy 
holy  temple !  "  He  looked,  and  was 
lightened:  "  Out  of  the  belly  of  hell  cried 
I  unto  thee,  and  thou  heardest  my  voice  !" 

Secondly  :  Reflect  on  the  aggravating 
circumstances  of  thine  offences,  or  on  those 
things  ichich  render  it  an  evil  and  bit- 
ter thing  to  have  departed  from  the  liv- 
ing God,  and  to  have  sinned  against  him 
in  the  manner  thou  hast  done. — Every  re- 
turn to  God  begins  with  reflection.  "  I 
thought  on  my  ways,  and  turned  my  feet 
unto  thy  testimonies." — "  Commune  with 
thine  own  heart  upon  thy  bed,  and  be 
still."  If  the  God  against  whom  I  have 
sinned  had  been  like  the  idols  of  this 
world,  I  might  have  been  justified  in  de- 
parting from  him  :  but  I  have  acted  the 
part  of  the  backsliding  Israelites,  who 
were  the  only  people  who  had  a  God 
worth  cleaving  to,  and  yet  were  the  only 
people  distinguished  by  their  fickleness. 
The  world  cleave  close  enough  to  their 
gods,  which  yet  are  no  gods  :  but  I  have 
committed  these  two  evils,  at  which  the 
heavens  are  astonished  ;  I  have  forsaken 
the  fountain  of  living  waters,  and  hewed 
to  myself  cisterns,  broken  cisterns,  that 
can  hold  no  water!  If  the  service  of  the 
Lord  had  been  a  heavy  yoke,  and  if  the 
way  of  his  commandments  had  been  an 
unfruitful*  and  miserable  path,  I  might 
have  some  plea  for  deserting  it :  but  what 
have  I  gained,  except  guilt,  and  shame, 
and  wretchedness,  by  leaving  him  1  Was 
he  a  barren  wilderness  to  me,  or  a  land  of 
darkness  1  How  can  I  answer  his  tender, 
yet  cutting  expostulations — "  O  my  peo- 
ple, what  have  I  done  unto  thee"?  wherein 
have  I  wearied  thee!   testify  against  me!" 

If  I  had  been  born  and  educated  a  be- 
nighted pagan,  a  deluded  Mahomedan,  or 
a  superstitious  papist — if  the  oracles  of 
God  had  been  withheld  from  me— or  if  I 
had  lived  all  my  days  in  a  state  of  igno- 
rance and  insensibility,  like  multitudes  in 
my  native  country — the  sins  that  I  have 
committed  had  been  little  in  comparison 


THE    BACKSLIDER. 


781 


of  what  they  now  are.  I  have  verged 
near  to  the  unpardonable  sin.  It  is  against 
light  and  love  that  I  have  offended.  He 
has  been  as  a  husband  unto  me ;  but  I 
have  forsaken  him,  and  have  gone  alter 
other  lovers.     Yet  he   still  invites  me  to 

return And  what  hindereth  1    I  am 

not  straitened  in  him,  but  in  my  own  bow- 
els. Lord  save  me  from  myself!  Surely 
"  I  will  return  to  my  first  husband,  for 
then  was  it  better  with  me  than  now." 

Thirdly :  Reflect,  on  the  goodness  of 
God  in  having  hitherto  borne  with  thee, 
and  preventing  thy  sins  from  fully  oper- 
ating according  to  their  native  tendency. 
— It  is  a  common  observation  that  one 
sin  leads  on  to  another.  Of  this,  history 
and  experience  furnish  many  tragical  ex- 
amples. The  sauntering  indolence  of 
David  occasioned  his  adultery.  Adultery, 
when  committed,  must  be  concealed,  and 
this  leads  to  treachery  and  intrigue.  When 
these  fail,  recourse  is  had  to  murder.  And 
when  the  murder  is  effected,  to  carry  on 
the  concealment,  the  event  must  be  attrib- 
uted to  providence — "  The  sword  devour- 
eth  one  as  well  as  another!"  The  con- 
nection between  uncleanness  and  blood 
is  strongly  marked  in  the  history  of  hu- 
man crimes.  A  large  proportion  of  those 
who  have  been  publicly  executed  for  the 
one  were  induced  to  perpetrate  the  horrid 
deed  as  a  covert  to  the  other.  And  hast 
thou  been  tampering  with  these  vices  ; 
playing  at  the  hole  of  the  cockatrice  den] 
How  is  it  that  death  and  hell  have  not  ere 
now  swallowed  thee  up  ]  Behold  that 
wretch  who  went  but  yesterday  to  suffer 
the  just  vengeance  of  his  country,  for  hav- 
ing murdered  the  object  whom  he  had 
first  seduced  ;  and  see  what  thou  might- 
est  have  been  !  Is  it  not  owing  to  singu- 
lar mercy  that  thy  sins  have  been  restrain- 
ed from  their  wonted  and  deadly  issues  ] 

It  may  be,  some  who  have  been  com- 
panions, or  at  least  contemporaries  with 
thee  in  the  first  stages  of  sin,  have  mean- 
while been  suffered  to  make  more  rapid 
progress.  Their  follies  have  ended  in  in- 
famy, while  thine  have  been  restrained, 
and  comparatively  hid.  And  is  it  possible, 
while  the  public  voice  has  been  raised 
against  them,  thou  hast  joined  it1?  "  And 
thinkest  thou  this,  O  man,  that  judgest 
them  which  do  such  things,  and  doest 
the  same,  that  thou  shalt  escape  the  judg- 
ment of  God  ]  Or  despisest  thou  the 
riches  of  his  goodness,  and  forbearance, 
and  long-suffering,  not  knowing  that  the 
goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  repent- 
ance'!" If  the  recollection  of  such  things 
leadeth  thee  not  to  repentance,  it  is  a 
dark  sign  of  a  hard  and  impenitent  heart, 
"  treasuring  up  to  itself  wrath  against  the 


day  of  wrath,  and  revelation  of  the  right- 
eous judgment  of  God." 

Fourthly  :  Reflect  on  the  state  and  ex- 
ercises of  thy  mind  informer  times. — This 
was  the  counsel  of  the  apostle  to  the  He- 
brews, who,  disheartened  by  persecution, 
were  half  inclined  to  go  back  again  to  Ju- 
daism :  "Call  to  remembrance  the  former 
days,  in  which,  after  that  ye  were  illumin- 
ated, ye  endured  a  great  fight  of  afflic- 
tions." This  was  the  counsel  of  our 
Lord  himself  to  the  churches  of  Ephesus 
and  Sardis  :  "  Remember  from  whence 
thou  art  fallen,  and  repent." — "  Remem- 
ber how  thou  hast  received  and  heard,  and 
hold  fast,  and  repent."  Ask  thine  own 
soul,  Are  there  no  seasons  of  tenderness 
in  my  life  which  it  would  be  for  my  profit 
to  recall  to  mind]  I  have  professed  re- 
pentance toward  God,  and  faith  toward 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  was  it  only  a 
profession  ]  Was  there  not  a  time  when 
my  sins  were  more  bitterto  me  than  death, 
and  more  dreaded  than  hell  ]  How  is  it 
that  I  have  turned  again  to  folly  ]  Has 
sin  changed  its  nature,  or  become  less 
odious  1  Rather  is  not  the  change  in  me] 
Was  there  not  a  time  when  the  word  of 
the  Lord  was  precious  to  my  soul — when 
my  sabbaths  were  my  happiest  days,  and 
godly  people  my  chosen  companions  ] 
Whence  this  lamentable  change]  Is 
Christ  or  the  gospel  less  precious  than 
heretofore  ]  I  once  thought  that,  if  I 
might  but  be  found  in  him,  and  live  for- 
ever with  him,  and  those  that  love  him,  I 
should  not  care  what  I  lost  or  suffered  in 
the  present  world.  And  was  I  all  this 
time  deceiving  myself  ]  Were  my  repent- 
ance, and  faith,  and  hope,  and  love,  and 
joy,  all  counterfeit  ]  I  endured  reproach- 
es and  losses,  as  I  supposed,  for  his  name 
sake;  and  is  it  all  in  vain?  Must  I  at 
last  be  separated  forever  from  him,  and 
have  my  portion  with  unbelievers  ]  "  O 
Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me,  a  most 
wretched  caitiff,  and  miserable  sinner! 
I  have  offended  both  against  heaven  and 
earth,  more  than  my  tongue  can  express  ! 
Whither  then  may  I  go,  or  whither  shall 
I  flee  ]  To  heaven  I  may  be  ashamed  to 
lift  up  mine  eyes,  and  on  earth  I  find  no 
place  of  refuge,  or  succor.  To  thee, 
therefore,  O  Lord,  do  I  run  :  to  thee  do 
I  humble  myself.  O  Lord,  my  God,  my 
sins  are  great;  but  yet  have  mercy  upon 
me,  for  thy  great  mercy.  The  great  mys- 
tery, that  God  became  man,  was  not 
wrought  for  small  or  few  offences.  Thou 
didst  not  give  thy  Son  unto  death  for  little 
sins  only  ;  but  for  all  the  greatest  sins  of 
the  world  ;  so  that  the  sinner  returns  to 
thee  with  his  whole  heart,  as  I  do  here  at 
this  present.     Wherefore  have  mercy  on 


782 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


me,  O  God,  whose  property  is  always  to 
have  mercy.  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O 
Lord,  for  thy  great  mercy.  O  Lord,  I 
crave  nothing  for  my  own  merits,  but  for 
thy  names  sake,  that  it  might  he  hallowed 
thereby,  and  for  thy  dear  Son  Jesus 
Christ's  sake."* 

This  part  of  our  Lord's  counsel  would 
apply  not  only  to  those  who  have  fallen 
into  gross  immoralities,  but  to  such  as 
have  deserted  the  principles  of  the  gospel. 
It  was  asked  the  Galatians,  through  what 
medium  it  was  that  they  first  "  received 
the  Spirit;  by  the  works  of  the  law,  or 
by  the  hearing  of  faith."  This  question 
proceeds  upon  the  principle  of  that  being 
the  true  doctrine  which  is  productive  of 
the  best  effects;  and  by  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  introduced,  "This  only  would 
I  learn  of  you,"  it  is  intimated  that  the 
solution  is  of  itself  sufficient  to  determine 
what  the  true  doctrine  is.  And  what  are 
the  effects  produced  by  a  relinquishment 
of  the  doctrines  usually  denominated  evan- 
gelical 1  Nay,  I  might  say,  by  only  a 
hesitation  concerning  them'?  I  appeal  to 
those  who  have  made  the  trial.  Have  you 
the  same  joy  and  peace  in  believing  your 
present  principles  as  you  had  in  your  for- 
mer ones  1  Can  you,  or  do  you,  go  to  a 
throne  of  grace  with  the  same  holy  free- 
dom as  heretofore  1  Do  you  feel  an  equal 
concern  for  the  salvation  of  your  poor  un- 
godly neighbors  1  Rather  is  not  the  far 
greater  part  of  your  zeal  consumed  in  la- 
boring: to  make  proselytes  of  serious 
Christians  to  your  new  way  of  thinking  1 
Does  the  society  of  those  who  are  like- 
minded  with  yourself  afford  that  inward 
satisfaction  which  you  once  enjoyed  in  the 
fellowship  of  those  whom  you  are  now 
taught  to  pity  as  enthusiasts'?  If,  while 
professing  these  things,  you  were  stran- 
gers to  them,  you  may  answer  these  ques- 
tions in  the  affirmative  :  but,  if  otherwise, 
you  will  not.  "  Remember  from  whence 
you  are  fallen,  and  repent !  "  "  Remember 
how  you  have  received  and  heard,  and 
hold  fast,  and  repent." 

Fifthly  :  Set  apart  special  times  to  hum- 
ble yourself  before  God  by  fasting  and 
prayer. — Extraordinary  cases  require  the 
use  of  extraordinary  means.  When  a 
great  army  was  coming  against  Jehosha- 
phat,  it  is  said,  "  he  feared,  and  set  himself 
to  seek  the  Lord,  and  proclaimed  a  last 
throughout  all  Judah."  But  the  loss  of  the 

*  That  wliic.h  is  included  in  reversed  commas  is  a 
part  of  i  lie  prayer  of  archbishop  Cranmer  ;  who, 
through  fear  of  man,  had  denied  his  faith,  but  was, 
notwithstanding,  burned  to  death.  When  brought 
to  execution  (which  was  at  Oxford,  on  March  21, 
1556),  he  uttered  the  above  prayer;  and,  on  the 
flames  approaching  him,  first  thrust  into  the  fire  the 
hand  with  which  he  had  signed  his  recantation. 


soul  is  of  more  account  to  jrou  than  the 
temporal  overthrow  of  a  country  was  to 
him.  When  Judah,  for  its  hackslidings, 
was  under  the  frowns  of  God  in  Babylon, 
and  had  been  so  for  about  seventy  years, 
Daniel  says,  "  I  set  my  face  unto  the  Lord 
God,  to  seek  by  prayer  and  supplication, 
with  fasting  and  sackcloth  and  ashes." 
The  apostle  Paul  plainly  intimates  that 
there  are  times  wherein  we  are  required 
to  "give  ourselves  to  fasting  and  prayer." 
And  surely  there  can  be  no  limes  in  which 
these  means  are  more  necessary  than  when 
we  have  got  out  of  the  way,  and  desire  to 
recover  it.  There  is  much  meaning  in  the 
words,  "  Hese</u//ise//"toseek  the  Lord  ;" 
and  "  I  set  my  face  unto  the  Lord  God." 
They  denote  something  more  than  the  or- 
dinary exercises  of  prayer  ;  even  a  spe- 
cial fixedness  of  the  thoughts,  purposes, 
and  desires,  to  a  particular  object:  and 
God  has  usually  honored  those  extraordi- 
nary approaches  to  him,  when  influenced 
by  a  pure  motive,  with  success.  It  is 
true,  we  may  attend  to  duty  in  a  supersti- 
tious, or  self-righteous  spirit;  resting  in 
it  as  an  end,  instead  of  using  it  as  a  means  : 
but  this  is  not  setting  our  face  unto  the 
Lord  God,  or  seeking  him.  A  day  devoted 
to  God  in  humiliation,  fasting,  and  prayer, 
occasionally  occupied  with  reading  suita- 
ble parts  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  may,  by 
the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  contribute 
more  to  the  subduing  of  sin,  and  the  re- 
covery of  a  right  mind,  than  years  spent 
in  a  sort  of  half-hearted  exercises. 

Sixthly:  To  prayer  it  is  necessary  to 
add  watchfulness. — Our  Lord  unites  these 
together  as  an  antidote  against  temptation. 
It  has  sometimes  been  one  of  the  devices  of 
Satan,  after  a  backslider  has  been  drawing 
near  to  God,  and  strongly  soliciting  for 
mercy,  yea,  after  a  time  has  been  set  apart 
for  this  particular  purpose,  to  ply  him 
afresh  with  some  powerful  temptation : 
and  while  his  mind  has  been  unsuspicious, 
and,  it  may  be,  thinking  itself  to  be  some- 
what secure,  on  account  of  having  so  late- 
ly been  engaged  in  earnest  devotion,  he 
has  been  surprised  and  overcome  !  The 
consequence,  as  might  be  expected,  has 
been  a  future  neglect  of  prayer,  under  the 
idea  that  it  must  have  been  mere  hypocri- 
sy before,  and  would  now  be  adding  sin  to 
sin.  Instead  of  depending  upon  spiritual 
frames  for  preservation,  and  especially 
when  they  are  over,  perhaps  we  ought  to 
expect  that  our  comforts  should  be  suc- 
ceeded by  conflicts.  We  know  it  was  so 
in  several  cases  recorded  in  the  Scriptures. 
Immediately  after  drinking  at  the  smitten 
rock  at  Repiiidim,  Israel  was  called  to 
fight  with  Atnalek.  Paul's  thorn  in  the 
flesh  succeeded  to  extraordinary  revela- 
tions.    Our  Lord  himself  went  up  from 


PROGRESSIVENESS    OF    SIN    AND    OF    HOLINESS. 


783 


Jordan  into  the  wilderness,  to  be  tempted 
of  the  devil. 

Seventhly  :  In  your  approaches  to  the 
Saviour,  let  it  be  under  the  character  in 
whichyou  first  applied  to  him  for  mercy, 
that  of  a  sinner. — If  you  attempt  to  ap- 
proach the  throne  of  grace  as  a  good  man 
who  has  backslidden  from  God,  you  may 
find  it  impossihle  to  support  that  charac- 
ter. The  reality  of  your  conversion  may 
be  doubtful,  not  only  in  your  apprehension, 
but  in  itself.  Your  approach,  therefore, 
must  not  be  as  one  that  "  is  washed,  and 
needeth  not,  save  to  wash  his  feet:"  but 
as  one  who  is  defiled  throughout,  whose 
hands  and  head,  and  every  part  need  to  be 
cleansed.  Do  not  employ  yourself  in 
raking  over  the  rubbish  of  your  past  life 
in  search  of  evidence  that  you  are  a 
Christian.  You  will  not  be  able,  in  your 
present  state  of  mind,  to  decide  that  ques- 
tion :  nor  would  it  be  of  any  service  to 
you  if  you  could  decide  it.  One  thing  is 
certain  :  you  are  a  sinner,  a  poor,  miser- 
able, and  perishing  sinner:  the  door  of 
mercy  is  open  ;  and  you  are  welcome  to 
enter  in.  Let  your  past  character  then 
have  been  what  it  may,  and  let  your 
conversion  be  ever  so  doubtful,  if  you 
can  from  this  time  relinquish  all  for  Christ, 
eternal  life  is  before  you. 

The  Laodiceans,  who,  though  compos- 
ing a  Christian  church,  were  doubtful 
characters,  are  counselled  to  deal  with 
Christ  in  the  same  manner  as  sinners  deal 
with  him,  for  riches,  tor  righteousness,  and 
for  heavenly  wisdom. 

Lastly  :  In  all  your  supplications,  be  con- 
tented with  nothing  short  of  a  complete  re- 
covery. It  is  possible  you  may  obtain  so 
much  ascendency  over  your  evil  propen- 
sities that  they  may  seem  to  be  slain  be- 
fore you  ;  or,  at  least,  that  you  are  in 
no  particular  danger  of  yielding  to  them 
any  more  ;  and  yet  you  may  not  have  re- 
covered that  holy  rest  in  God,  that  sweet 
peace  which  arises  from  confessing  our 
sins  upon  the  head  of  the  gospel  sacrifice. 
But  while  this  is  the  case  there  is  no  se- 
curity against  their  revival.  The  first 
temptation  by  which  you  are  assaulted 
may  afford  lamentable  proof  that  they  are 
yet  alive.  Nothing  will  serve  as  a  preser- 
vative against  the  risings  of  evil  propensi- 
ties, short  of  walking  with  God.  There 
is  much  important  truth  in  that  declara- 
tion of  the  apostle,  "This  I  say,  then, 
walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  ye  shall  not  fulfil 
the  lusts  of  the  flesh."  Sin  is  not  to  be 
opposed  so  much  directly  as  indirectly  ; 
not  by  mere  resistance,  but  by  opposing 
other  principles  to  it,  which  shall  over- 
come it.  It  is  not  by  contending  with 
the  fire,  especially  with  combustible  ma- 
terials about  us,  that  we  shall  be  able  to 


quench  it  ;  but  by  dealing  plentifully  with 
the  opposite  element.  The  pleasures  of 
sense  will  not  be  effectually  subdued  by 
foregoing  all  enjoyment;  but  by  imbibing 
other  pleasures,  the  relish  of  which  shall 
deaden  the  heart  to  what  is  opposite.  It 
was  thus  that  the  apostle  became  "dead 
to  the  world  by  the  cross  of  Christ." 
Do  not,  therefore,  reckon  thyself  restored 
till  thou  hast  recovered  communion  with 
God.  David,  though  the  subject  of  deep 
contrition,  yet  was  not  contented  without 
gaining  this  important  point.  Till  then 
the  poison  would  still,  at  times,  be  rank- 
ling in  his  imagination.  Hence  arose 
the  following  petitions  :  "  Create  in  me  a 
clean  heart,  O  God,  and  renew  a  right 
spirit  within  me.  Cast  me  not  away  from 
thy  presence;  and  take  not  thy  Holy 
Spirit  from  me.  Restore  unto  me  the 
joy  of  thy  salvation  ;  and  uphold  me  with 
thy  free  Spirit."  Make  these  petitions 
thy  own ;  and,  if  God  grant  the  thing 
that  thine  heart  desireth,  go  and  sin 
no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  come  upon 
thee  ! 


ON  THE  PROGRESSIVENESS  OF 
SIN  AND  OF  HOLINESS. 

[To  the  Editor  of  the  Biblical  Magazine.] 
THE    PROGRESS    OF    SIN. 

When  our  Saviour  spoke  of  his  mak- 
ing men  free,  the  Jews  were  offended. 
It  hurt  their  pride  to  be  represented  as 
slaves;  yet  slaves  they  were — and  such  is 
every  sinner,  however  insensible  of  it,  till 
Christ  has  made  him  free.  And,  the 
longer  he  continues  in  this  state,  the  more 
he  is  entangled,  and  the  less  capable  he 
becomes  of  making  his  escape.  Sin  is  a 
master  that  will  not  suffer  its  slaves  to 
rest,  but  is  always  hurrying  them  on  from 
one  thing  to  another,  till,  having  finished 
its  operations,  it  bringeth  forth  death. 
The  way  of  sin  is  a  way  in  which  there  is 
no  standing  still — a  kind  of  down  hill 
road,  in  which  every  step  gives  an  accel- 
erated force,  till  you  reach  the  bottom. 
Such  is  the  import  ofthose  emphatic  words 
of  the  apostle,  "Ye  were  servants  to  in- 
iquity, unto  iniquity." 

To  be  a  servant  to  iniquity  is  descrip- 
tive of  the  state  of  every  unconverted 
sinner.  All  may  not  be  subject  to  the 
same  kind  of  evils  :  one  may  be  enslaved 
to  drunkenness,  another  to  uncleanness, 
another  to  covetousness,  another  to  fash- 
ion, and  another  to  self-righteous  pride  ; 
but  these  are  only  different  forms  of  gov- 
ernment, suited  to  different  tempers  and 
constitutions  :  all  are  servants  to  iniquity  ; 


784 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


and  all  who  continue  such  are  impelled  in 
a  manner  to  go  on  in  their  work,  "  ser- 
vants to  iniquity,  unto  iniquity."  The 
proofs  of  this  tendency  to  progression 
will  appear  in  the  following  remarks. 

First  :  He  that  yields  himself  a  servant 
to  sin,  in  any  one  of  its  forms,  admits  a 
principle  which  opens  the  door  to  sin  in 
every  other  form.  This  principle  is,  that 
the  authority  of  God  is  not  to  be  regarded 
when  it  stands  in  the  way  of  our  inclina- 
tions ;  if  you  admit  of  this  principle,  there 
is  nothing  to  hinder  you  from  going  into 
any  evil  which  your  soul  lusteth  after. 
You  may  not,  indeed,  commit  every  bad 
practice;  but,  while  such  is  the  state  of 
your  mind,  it  is  not  the  fear  of  God,  but 
a  regard  to  man,  or  a  concern  for  your  own 
interest,  safety  or  reputation,  that  re- 
strains you.  If  you  indulge  in  theft,  for 
instance,  you  would,  with  the  same  uncon- 
cern, commit  adultery,  robbery,  or  mur- 
der, provided  you  were  tempted  to  such 
things,  and  could  commit  them  with  the 
hope  of  escaping  punishment.  It  is  thus 
that  he  wfio  transgresses  the  law  in  one 
point  is  guilty  of  all  :  for  He  that  forbids 
one  sin  forbids  all :  and  a  deliberate  of- 
fence against  Him  in  one  particular  is  as 
really  a  rejection  of  his  authority  as  in 
many. 

Moreover,  if  the  mind  be  unrestrained 
by  the  fear  of  God,  a  regard  to  man  will 
have  but  a  feeble  hold  of  it.  Sin,  in  va- 
rious shapes,  will  be  frequently  indulged 
in  secret ;  and,  being  so  indulged,  it  will 
soon  break  out  into  open  vices  ;  for  it  is 
not  in  the  power  of  a  man,  with  all  his 
contrivances,  long  to  conceal  the  ruling 
dispositions  of  his  soul.  When  king  Saul 
had  once  disregarded  the  divine  authority 
in  his  treatment  of  the  Amalekites,  there 
were  no  bounds  to  the  evil  workings  of  his 
mind  :  full  of  jealousy,  envy,  and  malig- 
nity, he  murders  a  whole  city  of  innocent 
men,  repairs  to  a  witch  for  counsel,  and  at 
last  puts  an  end  to  his  miserable  life. 

Secondly  :  Every  sin  we  commit  goes 
to  destroy  the  principle  of  resistance,  and 
it  produces  a  kind  of  desperate  careless- 
ness. Purity  of  mind,  like  cleanliness  of 
apparel,  is  accompanied  with  a  desire  of 
avoiding  every  thing  that  might  defile; 
and,  even  where  this  has  no  place,  con- 
science, aided  by  education  and  example, 
is  a  great  preservative  against  immoral 
and  destructive  courses  ;  but,  if  we  once 
plunge  into  the  vices  of  the  world,  emula- 
tion is  extinguished.  The  child  that  is 
accustomed  to  rags  and  tilth  loses  all 
shame,  and  feels  no  ambition  to  appear 
neat  and  decent. 

The  first  time  a  person  yields  to  a  par- 
ticular temptation  it  is  not  without  some 
struggles   of  conscience  ;  and,  when  it  is 


past,  his  soul  is  usually  smitten  with  re- 
morse ;  and,  it  may  be,  he  thinks  he  shall 
never  do  the  like  again;  but  temptation 
returning,  and  the  motive  to  resist  being 
weakened,  he  becomes  an  easy  prey  to  the 
tempter.  And  now  the  clamors  of  con- 
science subside,  his  heart  grows  hard,  and 
his  mind  desperate.  "  There  is  no  hope,-" 
saith  he,  "I  have  loved  strangers,  and  af- 
ter them  I  will  go."  Under  the  first 
workings  of  temptation  he  set  bounds  to 
himself;  "Hitherto,"  said  he,  "I  will 
go,  and  no  further  :"  but  now  all  such 
promises  are  of  no  account.  The  insect 
entangled  in  the  spider's  web  can  do  noth- 
ing :  every  effort  it  makes  only  winds 
another  thread  round  its  wings  ;  and,  after 
a  few  ineffectual  struggles,  it  falls  a  prey 
to  the  destroyer. 

Thirdly  :  Every  sin  we  commit  not  only 
goes  to  destroy  the  principle  of  resistance, 
but  produces  an  inordinate  desire  after  the 
repetition  of  it;  and  thus,  like  half  an 
army  going  over  to  the  enemy,  operates 
both  ways  against  us,  weakening  our  scru- 
ples, and  strengthening  our  propensities. — 
This  is  manifestly  the  effect  in  such  sins 
as  drunkenness,  gaming,  and  fornication. 
It  is  one  of  the  deceits  of  sin  to  promise 
that,  if  we  will  but  grant  its  wishes  in  this 
or  that  particular,  it  will  ask  no  more,  or 
to  persuade  its  deluded  votaries  that  in- 
dulgence will  assuage  the  torrent  of  de- 
sire :  but,  though  this  may  be  the  case  for 
a  short  time,  sin  will  return  with  re- 
doubled violence.  It  rises  in  its  demands, 
from  every  concession  you  make  to  it. 
He  that  has  entered  the  paths  of  the  de- 
stroyer can  tell,  from  experience,  that  it 
is  a  thousand  times  more  difficult  to  recede 
than  to  refrain  from  engaging.  The  thirst 
of  the  leach  at  the  vein,  and  of  the  drunk- 
ard at  his  bottle,  are  hut  faint  emblems  of 
the  burnings  of  desire  in  the  mind  in  these 
stages  of  depravity. 

Fourthly  :  If  we  yield  to  one  sin,  we 
shall  find  ourselves  under  a  kind  of  neces- 
sity of  going  into  other  sins,  in  order  to 
hide  or  excuse  it. — This  is  a  truth  so  evi- 
dent that  it  needs  only  to  be  stated  in  order 
to  be  admitted.  Examples  abound,  both 
in  Scripture  and  common  life.  When  sin 
is  committed,  the  first  thing  that  suggests 
itself  to  the  sinner  is,  if  possible,  to  con- 
ceal it  ;  or,  if  that  cannot  be,  to  excuse  it. 
Adam  first  strove  to  hide  himself  in  the 
trees  of  the  garden,  and,  when  this  refuge 
failed  him,  it  was  the  woman,  and  the  wo- 
man that  God  gave  to  be  with  him  too,  who 
tempted  him  to  do  as  he  did.  Nearly  the 
same  course  was  pursued  by  David.  Hav- 
ing outraged  decorum,  he  first  betakes 
himself  to  intrigue,  in  hope  to  cover  his 
crime  ;  and,  when  this  failed  him,  he  has 
recourse  to  murder;  and,  this  being  ac- 


PROGRESSIVENESS    OF    SIN    AND    OF    HOLINESS. 


785 


complished,  the  horrible  event  is,  with  an 
air  of  affected  resignation,  ascribed  to  Provi- 
dence :  "The  sword  devoureth  one  as  well 
as  another  !  "  Nor  is  this  the  only  instance 
wherein  that  which  has  beo-un  in  a  wanton 
look  has  ended  in  blood.  What  numbers  of 
innocent  babes  are  murdered,  and  one  or 
both  of  their  unhappy  parents  executed,  for 
that  which  is  resorted  to  merely  as  a  cover 
for  illicit  practices  ! 

Fifthly  :  Every  act  of  sin  tends  to  form  a 
sinful  habit ;  or,  if  already  formed,  to 
strengthen  it. — Single  acts  of  sin  are  as  drops 
of  water,  which  possess  but  little  force;  but, 
when  they  become  a  habit,  they  are  a  mighty 
stream  which  bears  down  all  before  it.  The 
drunkard  had  no  natural  thirst  for  strong 
liquors.  Soma  worldly  trouble,  or  the  love 
of  loose  company,  first  brought  him  to  make 
free  with  them  ;  but,  having  once  contracted 
the  habit,  though  he  knows  he  is  every  day 
wasting  his  substance,  shortening  his  life, 
and  ruining  his  soul,  yet  he  cannot  desist. 
Even  under  the  power  of  stupefaction,  he 
calls  for  more  drink  :  his  very  dreams  betray 
his  lusts.  "They  have  smitten  me,"  says 
he,  "  and  I  was  not  sick  ;  they  have  beaten 
me,  and  I  felt  it  not:  when  shall  I  awake  ? 
I  will  seek  it  yet  again." — The  gamester,  at 
the  first,  thought  but  little  of  doing  what  he 
now  does.  He  fell  in  company,  it  may  be, 
with  a  card-party,  or  had  heard  of  a  lucky 
adventure  in  the  lottery,  or  known  a  person 
who  had  made  his  fortune  by  a  successful 
speculation  in  the  stocks.  So  he  resolves 
to  try  a  little  of  it  himself.  He  succeeds. 
He  tries  again  ;  ventures  deeper,  and  deeper, 
with  various  success.  His  circumstances 
become  embarrassed  ;  yet,  having  begun,  he 
must  go  on.  One  more  great  adventure  is 
to  recover  all,  and  free  him  from  his  difficul- 
ties. He  loses  ;  his  family  is  ruined ;  his 
creditors  are  wronged  ;  and  himself,  it  is 
not  impossible,  driven  to  the  use  of  such 
means  of  support  as  shall  bring  him  to  an 
untimely  end  ! — The  debauchee  was  once,  it 
may  be,  a  sober  man.  His  illicit  connections 
might  originate  in  what  were  thought  at  the 
time  very  innocent  familiarities.  But,  hav- 
ing once  invaded  the  laws  of  chastity,  he 
sets  no  bounds  to  his  desires.  "  His  eyes 
are  full  of  adultery,  and  he  cannot  cease  from 
sin." 

Sixthly  :  When  the  sinner  becomes  thus 
besotted  in  the  ways  of  sin,  there  are  com- 
monly a  number  of  circumstances  and  con- 
siderations, besides  his  own  attachment  to 
it,  which  entano-le  his  soul,  and.  if  infinite 
mercy  interpose  not,  prevent  his  escape. 
He  has  formed  connections  among  men  like 

himself His   interest    will   suffer 

His  companions   will  reproach   him 

The  world  will  laugh  at  him.     Many 

in  such  circumstances  have  been  the  sub- 
jects of  strong  convictions,  have  shed  many 
tears,  and  professed  great  desire  to  return 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  100 


from  their  evil  course ;  yet,  when  it  has 
come  to  the  test,  they  could  not  recede : 
having  begun  and  gone  on  so  far,  they  can- 
not relinquish  it  now,  whatever  be  the  con- 
sequence. 

Reader,  is  this,  or  something  like  it,  your 
case  ?  Permit  a  well-wisher  to  your  soul 
to  be  free  with  you.  Be  assured  you  must 
return  or  perish  forever,  and  that  in  a  little 
time.  Infidels  may  tell  you  there  is  no  dan- 
ger ;  but  when  they  come  to  die  they  have 
commonly  discovered  that  they  did  not  be- 
lieve their  own  words  or  writings.  "  Verily 
there  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth;" 
and  before  Him  you  must  shortly  give  an 
account.  Will  you  plunge  yourself  into  the 
pit  from  whence  there  is  no  redemption  ? 
That  tremendous  punishment  is  represented 
as  not  prepared  originally  for  you,  but  for 
the  devil  and  his  angels.  If  you  go  thither, 
you  in  a  manner  take  the  kingdom  of  dark- 
ness by  force. 

Let  me  add,  It  is  not  enough  for  you  to 
return,  unless  in  so  doing  you  return  to  God. 
— "  Ye  have  returned,  but  not  unto  me, 
saith  the  Lord."  If  I  felt  only  for  your  credit 
and  comfort  in  this  world,  I  might  have  con- 
tented myself  with  warning  you  to  break  off" 
your  outward  vices,  and  cautioning  you 
against  the  inlets  of  future  evils.  Animals, 
though  void  of  reason,  yet,  through  mere  in- 
stinct, fly  from  present  danger.  "In  vain  is 
the  net  spread  in  the  sight  of  any  bird." 
The  fishes  of  the  sea  avoid  the  whirlpool. 
And  shall  man  go  with  his  eyes  open  into 
the  net?  Will  he  sail  unconcerned  into  the 
vortex  of  destruction  ?  But  it  is  not  from 
present  danger  only,  or  chiefly,  that  I  would 
warn  you  to  flee.  My  heart's  desire  and 
prayer  to  God  for  you  is,  that  you  may  be 
saved  from  the  wrath  to  come.  Know,  then, 
that  though  you  should  escape  the  grosser 
immoralities  of  the  world,  yet  you  may  be 
still  in  your  sins,  and  exposed  to  eternal  ruin. 
Your  danger  does  not  lie  merely  nor  mainly 
in  open  vices.  Satan  may  be  cast  out  with 
respect  to  these,  and  yet  retire  into  the 
strong  holds  of  proud  self-satisfaction.  It  is 
not  the  outward  spot  that  will  kill  you,  but 
the  inward  disease  whence  it  proceeds. 
"  From  within,  even  from  the  heart,  proceed 
evil  thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  fornica- 
tions, thefts,  false  witness,  and  blasphemies." 
Every  out-breaking  of  sin  in  your  life  is  a 
proof  of  the  inward  corruption  of  your  na- 
ture. If  this  fountain  be  not  healed,  in  vain 
will  you  go  about  to  purify  the  streams.  I 
mean  not  to  dissuade  you  from  breaking  off 
your  sins ;  but  to  persuade  you  to  break 
them  off  "  by  righteousness."  But  the  only 
way  in  which  this  is  to  be  done  is  that  to 
which  our  Saviour  directed  in  his  preaching 

"  Repent   and  believe   the   gospel." 

All  reformation  short  of  this  is  only  an  ex- 
change of  vices.  But  if  you  can,  guilty  and 
unworthy  as  you  are,  renouncing  all  other 


786 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


hopes  and  dependencies,  believe  in  Christ, 
you  shall  be  saved.  His  blood  was  shed  for 
sinners,  even  tbe  chief  of  sinners.  His 
obedience  unto  death  was  so  well-pleasing 
to  God  that  any  sinner,  whatever  has  been 
his  conduct  or  character,  that  comes  to  him 
in  his  name,  pleading  his  righteousness  and 
his  only,  will  be  accepted  for  his  sake.  He 
has  not  only  obeyed  and  died  for  such  as 
you,  but  is  now  at  the  right  hand  of  God, 
carrying  into  effect  the  great  ends  of  his  in- 
carnation, life,  and  death.  "  Wherefore  he 
is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come 
unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to 
make  intercession  for  them." 

If,  reader,  thou  canst  embrace  this  doc- 
trine, it  will  heal  thy  malady.  If  from  thine 
heart  thou  canst  receive  salvation  as  of  mere 
grace,  through  the  redemption  of  Jesus 
Christ,  it  is  thine  own.  If  thou  canst  con- 
fess thy  sins  upon  the  head  of  this  sacrifice, 
"  God  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  thy  sins, 
and  to  cleanse  thee  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness." God  makes  nothing  of  thy  reforma- 
tions, prayers,  or  tears,  as  a  reason  why  he 
should  accept  and  save  thee ;  but  every 
thing  of  what  his  Son  has  done  and  suffered. 
If  thou  canst  be  of  his  mind,  making  nothing 
of  them  in  thy  pleas  and  hopes  for  mercy, 
but  every  thing  of  Him  in  whom  he  is  well 
pleased,  eternal  life  is  before  thee.  And,  at 
what  time  this  doctrine  shall  give  peace  to 
thy  troubled  soul,  it  shall  purify  thy  heart  in 
such  a  manner  that  all  thy  former  ways  shall 
become  hateful  unto  thee,  and  sobriety, 
righteousness,  and  godliness  shall  be  thy 
delight. 

But  if  thy  heart  be  still  hardened  in  sin: 
if  Jesus,  and  salvation  by  grace  through  his 
name  contain  nothing  attractive,  but  rather 

offensive    to   thy   mind Know  this, 

"  There  is  no  other  name  given  under  hea- 
ven, among  men,  by  which  thou  canst  be 
saved  ;  and  the  remembrance  of  thy  having 
once  in  thy  life  at  least  been  told  the  truth 
may  not  a  little  embitter  thy  dying  moments. 
Happy  are  all  they  who  returning,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  his  Father  and  their 
Father,  his  God  and  their  God,  are  made  free 
from  sin,  and  have  their  fruit  unto  holiness ! 
They  too  are  progressive,  but  it  is  in  a  course 
the  opposite  of  that  which  has  been  set  be- 
fore the  reader.  "  The  righteous  shall  hold 
on  his  way,  and  he  that  hath  clean  hands 
shall  wax  stronger  and  stronger."  The  ser- 
vice of  God  shall  become  more  easy  to  him  ; 
truth  shall  appear  more  evident ;  the  marks 
of  his  conversion  shall  multiply  ;  his  charac- 
ter shall  strike  its  roots  deeper ;  the  hope  of 
his  perseverance  shall  continually  renew  its 
strength  ;  and  sorrow  and  joy,  retirement 
and  society,  the  dispensations  of  providence 
and  the  ordinances  of  grace,  shall  all  contrib- 
ute to  make  him  more  meet  for  the  inherit- 
ance of  the  saints  in  light. 


THE    PROGRESS    OF    RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Having  offered  a  few  thoughts  on  the 
progress  of  sin,  in  your  last  number,  the  fol- 
lowing may  be  considered  as  a  counterpart. 
Righteousness  is  no  less  progressive  than 
unrighteousness.  As,  in  the  one  case,  sin- 
ners are  "  servants  to  iniquity  unto  iniquity ;" 
so,  in  the  other,  believers  are  "servants  to 
righteousness  unto  holiness." 

Some,  I  am  aware,  have  denied  that  sane - 
tification  is  progressive  ;  but  this,  if  they  un- 
derstand what  they  say,  is  only  a  proof,  I 
fear,  that  they  are  strangers  to  it.  The  fol- 
lowing remarks  may  serve  to  show  the  ten- 
dency of  true  holiness  to  aspire  after  perfec- 
tion, however  far  we  may  be  from  attaining 
to  it. 

First :  The  right  discharge  of  any  one  duty 
supposes  a  principle  which  will  lead  us  to 
be  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation. — 
Strictly  speaking,  there  is  no  duty  performed, 
nor  any  thing  done  by  a  sinner  that  is  well- 
pleasing  to  God,  till,  repenting  of  sin,  he  be- 
lieves in  Jesus  for  salvation.  This  is  the 
turning  point  which  gives  a  new  direction  to 
his  future  course  ;  all  before  it  is  worse  than 
nothing.  When,  therefore,  the  Jews  inquir- 
ed of  Christ  "  What  shall  we  do  to  work  the 
works  of  God?  "the  answer  was,  "This  is 
the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  in  him 
whom  he  hath  sent."  It  is  on  this  principle 
that  the  apostle  declares  of  him  that  "  doeth 
righteousness  "  that  he  "  is  righteous."  A 
single  act  of  righteousness  proves  that  the 
subject  of  it  is  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus 
unto  good  works.  But,  where  this  is  the 
case,  there  is  that  in  the  mind  which  tends 
to  universal  holiness.  A  few  insulated  ser- 
vices may  satisfy  a  formalist ;  but  he  that 
believeth  in  Jesus  has  his  heart  enlarged, 
and  runs  with  delight  in  the  way  of  his  com- 
mandments. It  is  not  the  inquiry  of  such  a 
person  how  low  a  degree  of  spirituality  will 
consist  with  true  religion,  but  how  high  a 
degree  of  it  is  attainable  in  this  state  of  im- 
perfection. The  religion  of  a  mere  profes- 
sor resembles  the  legs  of  the  lame,  which 
are  not  equal.  In  the  house  of  God  he  weeps 
and  seems  to  be  all  devotion ;  but  if  a  poor 
man,  or  even  a  poor  Christian,  call  at  his  door, 
his  heart  is  shut  against  him.  Or,  it  may  be, 
he  prides  himself  in  his  generosity  ;  but  then 
he  is  dead  to  every  thing  spiritual  and  heav- 
enly-minded. Not  so  the  true  Christian  ; 
his  religion  is  uniform.  In  him,  the  fear  of 
God  produces  good  will  to  men  ;  and  his 
charity  to  men  operates  in  harmony  with 
zeal  for  truth,  for  righteousness,  and  for  God. 
When  a  mere  professor  has  once  established 
his  religious  character,  he  will  commonly  sit 
down  to  rest,  and  leave  the  young  people  to 
be  zealous  in  their  turn,  as  he  thinks  he  has 
been  sufficiently  in  his  ;  but  love  will  go  on 
to  "bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age."    When  the 


PItOGRESSIVENESS    OF    SIN    AND    OF    HOLINESS. 


787 


Lord  had  given  David  rest  round  about  from 
all  his  enemies,  lie  is  said  to  have  "sat  in 
his  house  ;"  not,  however,  in  a  state  of  in- 
dolence, as  though  he  had  done  enough,  but 
meditating  what  more  he  could  do  for  God, 
now  that  new  opportunities  were  afforded 
him.  "See  now,"  said  he  to  Nathan,  "I 
dwell  in  a  house  of  cedar;  but  the  ark  of 
God  dwelleth  within  curtains."  And  more 
than  twenty  years  afterwards,  when  he  was 
old  and  grey-headed,  and  nature  worn  out 
with  troubles  in  his  family  and  his  kingdom, 
he  still  resolves  to  "  go  in  the  strength  of 
the  Lord  God,  and  to  praise  him  more  and 
more." 

Secondly :  Every  duty  rightly  performed 
prepares  the  heart  for  the  discharge  of  other 
duties. — It  was  a  remark  of  the  great  and 
good  Mr.  Whitfield,  and  there  is  no  man's 
lips  whom  it  would  have  better  fitted,  "that 
the  more  a  man  does  for  God  the  more  he 
may."  Gracious  dispositions  strengthen 
and  increase  by  exercise.  The  chariot  in 
full  motion  surmounts  hills  of  difficulty  with 
much  less  effort  than  at  its  first  outset. 
The  truth  of  these  remarks  is  most  sensibly 
felt  in  exercises  of  self-denial,  and  in  the 
influence  of  private  on  public  duties.  Every 
act  of  self-denial  for  Christ's  sake  is  a  vic- 
tory over  temptation,  and  every  such  victory 
doubles  our  strength  for  a  future  onset. 
Thus,  also,  the  spiritual  and  retired  exer- 
cises of  the  closet  prepare  the  mind  for 
those  of  the  family,  and  both  have  a  tenden- 
cy to  fit  us  for  those  of  the  house  of  God. 
A  little  religion,  it  has  been  said,  and  with 
much  propriety,  will  make  a  man  miserable  ; 
but  much  will  make  him  happy.  It  is  by 
following  the  Lord  fully,  like  Caleb  and 
Joshua,  that  we  enter  into  the  gospel  rest. 
Thirdly  :  Every  degree  of  holiness  tends 
to  an  increase  of  spiritual  knowledge,  which 
in  return  produces  more  holiness. — It  has 
been  a  question  much  disputed  whether  ho- 
liness leads  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth, 
or  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  to  holiness  ; 
but  both  are  true:  "He  that  doeth  God's 
will,  shall  know  of  his  doctrine  ; "  and,  "  be- 
holding as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord, 
we  are  changed  into  the  same  image,  from 
glory  to  glory — by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 
The  influence  of  each  upon  the  other  is  as 
that  of  capital  and  interest,  in  trade.  Capi- 
tal is  a  stimulus  to  interest,  and  interest  in- 
creases capital.  The  influence  which  hu- 
mility has,  for  instance,  upon  a  discovery  of 
the  mind  of  God  in  his  word,  and  upon  the 
increase  of  true  religion  in  the  soul,  is  be- 
yond all  calculation.  God  will  "guide  the 
meek  in  judgment;  the  meek  will  he  teach 
his  way."  He  giveth  "  more  grace  "  to  the 
humble. 

Fourthly  :  Holy  acts  tend  to  form  and 
strengthen  holy  habits,  which  constitute  the 
highest  degrees  of  holiness. — In  one  sense 
every  person  who  is  the  subject  of  true  re- 


ligion possesses  a  holy  habit:  religion  with 
him  is  not  occasional,  but  an  habitual  pur- 
suit. But  the  term  is  more  properly  applied 
to  those  fixed  dispositions  of  the  soul  which 
are  the  effect  of  repeated  exercises.  God 
has  so  formed  the  mind  that  a  number  of 
acts  of  the  same  kind,  whether  good  or  evil, 
shall  give  a  tone  or  direction  to  it :  by  this 
righteousness  is  encouraged  and  sin  is  pun- 
ished. Every  exercise  of  repentance  goes 
to  form  an  habitual  tenderness  of  conscience, 
and  abhorrence  of  that  which  is  evil  ;  and 
every  exercise  of  faith  tends  to  a  life  of 
faith  on  him  who  loved  us,  and  gave  himself 
for  us.  The  more  we  read  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures, the  more  we  shall  imbibe  their  spirit, 
and  be  formed  by  them  as  by  a  model.  It 
is  thus  that  the  word  of  Christ  dwells  richly 
in  us  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understand- 
ing. It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  general 
strain  of  apostolic  exhortation  is  directed  to 
habitual  religion.  "Simplicity  in  giving, 
diligence  in  ruling,  cheerfulness  in  showing 
mercy,  love  without  dissimulation,  abhor- 
rence of  evil,  cleaving  to  that  which  is  good, 
being  kindly  affectioned  one  to  another, 
with  brotherly  love,  in  honor  preferring  one 
another  ;  not  slothful  in  business,  fervent  in 
spirit,  serving  the  Lord :  rejoicing  in  hope, 
patient  in  tribulation,  continuing  instant  in 
prayer  ;  distributing  to  the  necessity  of  the 
saints,  given  to  hospitality  ;"  are  all  expres- 
sive, not  of  one  or  two  particular  acts,  but  of 
a  life  of  devotedness  to  God,  and  kindness 
to  men.  And,  whatever  acts  the  apostles 
exhorted  to,  they  were  considered  only  as 
so  many  steps  in  a  race,  each  of  which  con- 
tributed to  its  success,  or  to  the  winning  of 
the  prize. 

Fifthly :  Holy  habits  are  friendly  to  a  life 
of  communion  with  God,  by  whieh  the  soul 
becomes  more  and  more  meetened  for  the 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. — "  He  that 
keepethhis  commandments  dwelleth  in  God, 
and  God  in  him."  The  ecstacies  of  some, 
whose  walk  is  manifestly  carnal,  worldly, 
fleshly,  and  even  devilish,  arise  from  a  fire 
of  their  own  kindling.  But  he  whose  con- 
solations are  accompanied  with  a  close  walk 
with  God,  and  render  him  more  and  more 
Avatchful,  diligent,  and  circumspect,  he  it  is 
that  walks  in  the  light  of  God's  counte- 
nance. The  enjoyment  he  finds  in  the  com- 
mandments of  God  enlarges  his  heart:  and, 
his  heart  being  enlarged,  he  runs  with 
greater  pleasure  in  the  way  of  his  com- 
mandments. 

From  the  whole  we  see:  1.  The  vast 
importance  of  a  right  begimring  in  religion. 
If  we  be  wrong  in  the  outset,  the  farther 
we  go  the  farther  we  are  off:  hut,  entering 
in  at  the  door  of  the  sheepfold,  we  shall  go 
in  and  out,  and  find  pasture.  The  reason 
why  so  many  are  not  progressive  in  religion 
is  the  want  of  this.  Having  no  connection 
with  Christ,  they  bring  forth  no  fruit,  and, 


788 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


as  dead  branches,  are  taken  away,  having 
no  oil  in  their  vessels,  the  lamp  soon  ex- 
pires. 2.  The  importance  of  every  act  of 
holiness,  or  duty  performed  with  an  eye  to 
the  glory  of  God. — It  tells,  as  I  may  say,  in 
the  divine  life.  It  tends  to  accumulate  a 
store  of  heavenly  wealth,  and  to  meeten  us 
for  employments  and  enjoyments  in  another 
and  better  world. 


A  FEW  PERSUASIVES  TO  "  A  GENERAL 
UNION  IN  PRAYER"  FOR  THE  REVIVAL  OF 
RELIGION.* 

[Addressed  to  all  who  love  and  long  for  the 
coming  of  Christ's  blessed  kingdom,  and  whose 
hearts  may  be  inclined  to  unite  in  seeking  its  wel- 
fare.] 

Christian  Brethren  ! 

The  business  for  the  promotion  of  which 
these  few  hints  are  with  all  due  respect 
recommended  to  your  candid  attention  is 
such  that  we  are  persuaded  you  will  cheer- 
fully unite  in  it.  Indeed  it  would  be  un- 
friendly in  us  to  suspect  your  readiness  to 
so  good  a  work.  Nevertheless,  considering 
the  backwardness  and  inattention  common 
to  us  all  in  this  world,  you  will  not  think  it 
superfluous  in  this  case  to  urge  a  few  mo- 
tives, for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  us  to 
wrestle  hard  with  God.  We  wish  you  then 
and  ourselves  with  you,  seriously  to  attend 
to  the  following  considerations  : — 

1.  Consider  Christ's  readiness  to  hear  and 
answer  prayer,  especially  on  these  subjects. 
We  are  greatly  mistaken  if  we  imagine  our 
Lord  Jesus  takes  no  pleasure  in  his  own 
work,  but  is  loth  to  prosper  it,  and  only  is 
persuaded  by  us,  or  does  it  to  oblige  us. 
He  takes  infinitely  more  pleasure  in  it  than 
we  do  ;  and,  when  he  does  it  in  answer  to 
our  prayers,  it  is  that  we  may  be  encouraged 
and  that  his  favors  may  be  thankfully  re- 
ceived. Christ  takes  care  to  let  us  know 
how  ready  he  is  to  hear  prayer,  especially 
in  behalf  of  his  own  cause,  in  that  he  directs 
us  to  pray  for  these  blessings  ;  yea,  he  even 
commands  us  to  pray  for  the  coming  of  his 
kingdom  before  we  ask  for  our  daily  bread  ; 
and  to  "  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
his  righteousness,"  promising  that  "  all  other 
things  shall  be  added  unto  us." — Matt.  vi.  33. 
Indeed  it  may  well  be  supposed  that 
Christ's  heart  is  in  this  work  ;  for  he  laid 
down  his  life  as  a  ground  whereon  to  rear 
the  structure.  The  foundation  of  this  glo- 
rious kingdom  was  laid  in  blood, — not,  like 
too  many  earthly  kingdoms,  in  the  blood  of 
the  conquered,  but  in  that  of  the  conqueror. 
Yes,  he  died  that  he  might  live  and  see  a 
numerous  seed  of  converts;  and  might  pro- 

*  This  was  the  author's  first  publication.  See 
vol.  I.  p.  lvii.     Ed. 


long  his  days,  or  lengthen  out  his  holy  and 
happy  kingdom.  When  he  ascended  into 
heaven,  and  took  the  government  of  all 
worlds  into  his  hands,  it  was  with  a  view  to 
the  carrying  on  of  this  blessed  cause.  He 
became  Head  over  all  things,  but  it  was  to 
the  church,  that  he  might  cause  every  thing 
to  subserve  her  welfare. 

And  now  having  thus  died  to  lay  the 
foundation  of  his  kingdom,  and  thus  long 
presided  over  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world 
to  ripen  things  for  it,  it  would  be  very 
strange  indeed  if  he  were  indifferent  about 
it!  So  far  from  that,  nothing  seems  to  lie 
so  near  his  heart.  He  is  pleased  to  look 
upon  the  conversion  of  sinners  as  reward 
enough  for  all  his  sorrows — as  sufficient  to 
make  him  forget  all  his  trials  !  As  a  woman, 
as  soon  as  she  is  delivered  from  travail,  re- 
members no  more  the  anguish  for  joy  that 
a  man-child  is  born  into  the  world,  so  it  is 
said  "He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul, 
and  shall  be  satisfied  !"  Yes,  Christians,  so 
far  is  he  from  being  reluctant  to  grant  us 
these  requests,  that  he  is  pleased  in  these 
matters  not  only  to  command  us  to  ask,  but 
to  represent  himself  as  waiting  to  be  gra- 
cious ;  yea,  as  being  at  our  command,  as 
ready  to  bestow  these  mercies  whenever 
we  shall  earnestly  pray  for  them.  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  Ask 
me  of  things  to  come  concerning  my  sons, 
and  concerning  the  work  of  my  hands  com- 
mand ye  me!"  See  how  intent  he  is  upon 
what  concerns  his  sons,  and  the  work  of 
his  hands.  O,  let  us  not  be  backward  on 
our  part. 

2.  Consider  what  the  Lord  has  done  in 
times  past,  and  that  in  answer  to  prayer. 
When  Israel,  who  was  God's  church  at  that 
time,  was  in  Egypt,  and  things  looked  very 
dark  indeed,  they  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard 
their  cry,  and  came  down  to  deliver  them. 
Their  deliverance  was  the  extending  of 
Christ's  kingdom  ;  and  God  overthrew 
Pharaoh  and  all  his  host  for  setting  them- 
selves against  it.  The  church  in  after  ages, 
when  in  her  low  estate  at  Babylon,  is  repre- 
sented as  making  use  of  this  as  a  plea,  with 
God.  Thus  they  cry  to  him,  "  Awake, 
awake,  put  on  strength,  O  arm  of  the  Lord  ; 
awake  as  in  the  ancient  days,  in  the  gene- 
rations of  old.  Art  thou  not  it  that  hath  cut 
Rahab,  and  wounded  the  drag-on  ?  Art 
thou  not  it  which  hath  dried  the  sea,  the 
waters  of  the  great  deep  :  that  hath  made 
the  depth  of  the  sea  a  way  for  the  ransomed 
to  pass  over  ? "  And  was  their  prayei 
answered  ?  Yes  ;  the  Lord  presently  re- 
plied, "  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  that  divided 
the  sea,  whose  waves  roared  ;  the  Lord  of 
hosts  is  his  name !  " — Yea,  as  a  kind  of 
echo  to  their  request,  "  Awake,  awake,  stand 
up,  O  Jerusalem,  which  hast  drunk  at  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  the  cup  of  his  fury — Thus 
saith  thy  Lord  Jehovah,  and  thy  God  that 


PERSUASIVES    TO    UNION    IN    PRAYER. 


739 


pleadeth  the  cause  of  his  people,  Behold,  I 
have  taken  out  of  thine  hand  the  cup  of 
trembling,  the  dregs  of  the  cup  of  my  fury  ; 
thou  shalt  no  more  drink  it  again." — See 
Isa.  li.  9,  17,  22. 

While  Judah  groaned  beneath  Babel's 
yoke,  Daniel  set  his  face  three  times  a-day 
towards  Jerusalem;  at  length  his  prayers 
and  supplications  are  heard,  and  an  angel  is 
sent  to  comfort  him,  yea  and  to  inform  him 
that  at  the  beginning  of  his  supplications  the 
commandment  in  favor  of  Judah  came  forth. 
And  now  God's  conduct  towards  Pharaoh 
and  all  his  host  shall  be  acted  over  again 
towards  Belshazzar  and  his.  Yes,  he  not 
only  gave  Egypt  and  Ethiopia,  but  Babylon 
for  their  ransom. 

The  church  of  God  was  reduced  exceed- 
ingly low  just  before  the  coming  of  Christ, 
but  what  was  the  conduct  of  those  few  that 
were  on  God's  side  ?  Some  of  them  are 
distinguished  by  the  character  of  those  who 
"  looked  for  redemption  in  Jerusalem,"  and 
others  are  said  to  have  "continued  in  pray- 
er night  and  day."  At  length,  through  the 
tender  mercy  of  God,  their  prayers  were 
answered,  and  "the  day-spring  from  on  high 
visited  them  !  " 

Just  before  that  great  out-pouring  of  the 
Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  church 
was  in  a  low  and  disconsolate  condition, 
having  lost  Christ's  personal  presence  :  how- 
ever, they  united  with  one  accord  in  ardent 
prayer,  in  an  upper  room,  to  the  number  of 
about  a  hundred  and  twenty.  Presently, 
their  light  broke  forth  as  the  morning — a 
little  one  becomes  a  thousand,  and  a  small 
one  a  strong  nation.  Thousands  are  con- 
verted by  a  single  sermon,  and  Satan  tails 
before  the  gospel  of  Christ  like  lightning 
from  heaven — May  we  not  make  the  same 
use  of  these  glorious  works  of  God,  with 
some  others  in  that  day,  as  Judah  did  in 
Bibylon  of  what  God  had  done  for  them  in 
Egypt  ? — O,  let  us  pray  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
that  the  work  may  be  carried  on  ;  that  An- 
tichrist may  be  consumed  with  the  Spirit  of 
his  mouth,  and  destroyed  by  the  brightness 
of  his  coming  ;  that  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world  may  become  the  kingdoms  of  our 
Lord  and  his  Christ,  and  that  he  may  reign 
forever  and  ever. 

3.  Let  the  present  religious  state  of  the 
world  be  considered  to  this  end.  Christianity 
has  not  yet  made  its  way,  even  in  name, 
over  one-fifth  part  of  the  world.  Out  of 
about  one  thousand  millions,  who  are  sup- 
posed to  inhabit  our  globe,  not  above  one 
hundred  and  seventy  millions  profess  the 
Christian  name  ;  all  the  rest  are  heathens, 
Jews,  or  Mahomedans ;  and,  of  those  who 
do  profess  it,  the  far  greater  part  are  either 
of  the  apostate  church  of  Rome  or  of  the 
Greek  church,  which  is  nearly  as  corrupt. 
Add  to  this,  what  great  numbers  of  real 
heathens  abound  in  Christian  lands,  and  un- 


believers even  in  the  congregations  of  the 
faithful.  Surely  it  is  high  time  for  us  to 
awake  out  of  sleep,  and  to  send  our  united 
cries  to  heaven  in  behalf  of  our  fellow-crea- 
tures ! 

4.  Consider  what  God  has  promised  to  do 
for  his  church  in  times  to  come.  For  an  ab- 
solute impossibility  we  can  have  no  hope, 
and  for  what  God  hath  declared  shall  never 
come  to  pass  we  can  have  no  warrant  to 
pray  ;  but,  when  we  pray  for  the  spread  of 
Christ's  kingdom,  our  object  is  clogged  with 
neither  of  these  difficulties.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  is  accompanied  with  the  strongest 
assurances  of  success.  Let  us  not  imagine 
that  God  has  yet  done  all  he  intends  to  do 
for  his  church  ;  or  that  Christ  has  yet  seen 
of  the  travail  of  his  soul  so  as  to  be  satisfied. 
Besides  the  various  promises  referred  to  in 
the  foregoing  pages,  the  first  setting  up  of 
Christ's  kingdom  is  compared  to  a  little 
stone,  cut  out  of  a  mountain  without  hands, 
but  which  should  in  time  break  in  pieces  all 
the  rest,  and  become  "  a  great  mountain, 
and  fill  the  ichole  earth." — Dan.  h.  35. 
The  king  himself  compared  this  his  blessed 
kingdom  in  its  infancy  to  a  "  grain  of  mus- 
tard-seed," the  least  of  all  seeds,  but  when 
grown  the  "  greatest  of  all  herbs  ;"  implying, 
no  doubt,  that  his  kingdom  in  its  beginning 
was  apparently  the  most  weak  and  despica- 
ble of  any  kingdom  ;  but  before  it  should  be 
finished  it  should  be  the  greatest,  most  glo- 
rious, and  extensive,  of  all  the  kingdoms 
that  were  ever  set  up — greater  than  that  of 
Alexander  himself,  and  more  durable  than 
that  of  Rome.— Matt.  xiii.  31,  32,  33.  In 
the  same  place,  he  compares  it  to  a  little 
leaven  which  a  woman  put  into  three  meas- 
ures of  meal  till  the  whole  was  leavened. 
Glorious  thought!  Christ  has  been  leaven- 
ing the  world  for  many  a  hundred  years,  by 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel ;  and  yet,  aw- 
ful to  think,  what  a  great  part  of  it  contin- 
ues unleavened  to  this  day  !  But  O,  bles- 
sed be  God,  it  shall  not  be  given  up  till  the 
lohole  is  leavened !  Forlorn  as  the  state  of 
the  heathen  world  is,  our  Lord  Jesus  has 
asked  them  for  his  inheritance  and  he  will 
have  them,  even  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  his  possession. — Psalm  ii.  8.  O, 
blessed  period  !  when  Jew  and  Gentile,  the 
fair  European  and  the  sun-burnt  African, 
with  men  of  every  other  description,  shall 
all  unite  to  serve  the  Lord. 

Must  it  not  be  very  reviving  to  see  those 
branches  that  have  been  so  long  broken  off 
the  olive-tree,  because  of  unbelief,  grafted 
in  again  ? — to  see  them  return,  and,  with  the 
bitter  tears  of  reflection,  "seek  the  Lord 
their  God,  and  David  their  king,  and  fear 
the  Lord  and  his  goodness  in  the  latter 
days  ? "— Hos.  iii.  5.  Yes,  verily,  the  re- 
ceiving of  them  back  again  shall  be  to  the 
gentiles  like  "life  from  the  dead  ! "—Rom. 
xi.  15.    Then  shall  they  be  restored  to  their 


790 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


own  land,  and  no  more  be  exposed  to  the 
hostile  attacks  of  quarrelsome  neighbors  as 
heretofore,  but  "  Israel  shall  be  with  Egypt 
and  with  Assyria  a  blessing  in  the  midst  of 
the  land  ;  whom  Jehovah  of  Hosts  shall  bless, 
saying,  Blessed  be  Egypt  my  people,  and 
Assyria  the  work  of  my  hands,  and  Israel 
mine  inheritance." — Isaiah  xix.  23,  25. 
Then  those  glorious  things  spoken  of  the 
city  of  God,  in  the  eighty-seventh  Psalm, 
shall  be  accomplished. — We  shall  see  "  Ra- 
hab  and  Babylon,  Philistia  and  Tyre,  with 
Ethiopia,"  given  to  the  church.  "  Ethiopia 
shall  stretch  out  her  hands  to  God." — Psalm 
lxviii.  31.  O,  what  encouragement  is  here 
to  pray  !  How  long  these  things  will  be  we 
know  not ;  but  this  we  know,  we  are  nearer 
by  above  two  thousand  four  hundred  years 
than  the  church  was  in  Isaiah's  time,  and 
even  then  they  that  made  mention  of  Jeho- 
vah were  charged,  saying,  "  Keep  not 
silence,  and  give  him  no  rest,  till  he  make 
Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the  earth." — Isaiah 
lxii.  6,  7.  Let  us  never  forget  that  Jehovah 
connects  the  fulfilment  of  his  own  promises 
with  the  fervent  supplications  of  his  people. 
"I  will  yet  for  this  be  inquired  of  by  the 
house  of  Israel  to  do  it  for  them." — Ezek. 
xxxvi.  37. 

5.  If  we  have  any  regard  to  the  welfare 
of  our  countrymen,  connections,  and  friends, 
let  that  stimulate  us  in  this  work.  Let  us  re- 
member we  have  not  only  heathens,  and 
Jews,  and  others  abroad,  to  pray  for  ;  but 
few  of  us  are  wholly  unconnected  with  hea- 
then neighbors,  heathen  relations,  or  stub- 
born and  unbelieving  children.  Let  these 
be  borne  in  the  arms  of  prayer  before  the 
Lord.  Though  they  can  claim  no  pity  from 
God,  yet  they  have  a  right  to  ours,  because 
we  were  in  the  same  condition.  Let  our 
pity  then  be  extended  to  those  who  have 
none  for  themselves,  and  our  prayers  as- 
cend for  such  who  as  yet  call  not  upon  God's 
name.  Though  there  be  no  reason  why  God 
should  save  our  children,  relations,  or  friends, 
before  others,  yet  there  is  a  reason  why  we 
should  seek  their  salvation  before  others,  be- 
cause they  are  particularly  put  under  our 
care,  or  stand  in  connection  with  us. 

To  neglect  to  carry  our  children  to  Christ 
for  a  blessing  from  want  of  love,  if  such  a 
thing  could  be  in  a  good  man,  would  be  more 
cruel  than  the  ostrich  in  the  wilderness!  So 
were  it  possible  for  a  Christian  to  be  amongst 
wicked  neighbors  and  wicked  relations,  and, 
seeing  he  is  safe  himself,  care  nothing  about 
them,  surely  he  must  be  beside  himself! 
How  unlike  would  this  be  to  the  spirit  of  his 
Lord  and  Saviour — he  wept  over  those  who 
wept  not  for  themselves  !  O,  Christians,  for 
your  country's  sake,  your  neighbors'  sake, 
your  friends'  sake,  yea,  your  enemies'  sake, 
as  well  as  for  the  honor  of  Christ,  seek  the 
welfare  of  Zion,  and  pray  for  the  extending 
of  his  kingdom  in  the  world ! 


(5.  Consider  that  what  is  requested  is  so 
very  small.  The  Lord  does  not  ask  us  in  this 
case  for  our  silver  or  our  gold,  which,  if  he 
did,  it  were  but  a  trifle  to  give. — He  does 
not  require  us  to  sacrifice  our  lives,  families, 
or  friends,  in  support  of  his  cause,  which,  if 
he  did,  it  is  no  more  than  multitudes  of  the 
best  men  that  ever  the  world  saw  have  com- 
plied with, — but  he  only  says,  "  Give  me 
thine  heart !  "  Seek  the  prosperity  of  His 
interest  who  died  for  yours — of  that  interest 
with  which  your  own  is  so  inseparably  uni- 
ted— yea  of  that  interest  which  is  your 
own;  for  Christ  and  you  have  no  separate 
interests. 

As  to  the  times  for  public  prayer,  nothing 
can  be  less  burdensome  than  once  in  a  month 
— but  what  did  I  say,  burdensome? — God 
forbid  that  any  employment  of  this  sort 
should  ever  prove  a  burden  !  It  is  hoped 
it  will  be  attended  to  as  a  privilege  rather 
than  merely  as  a  duty.  It  is  hoped  that 
Christians  will  feel  a  pleasure,  and  find  a 
benefit,  in  these  meetings,  that  will  induce 
them  of  their  own  accord  to  meet  together 
more  frequently  than  this  proposes,  either 
on  Lord's-day  mornings,  or  on  any  conve- 
nient opportunities,  for  the  same  most  de- 
sirable purposes. 

7,  and  lastly.  It  will  not  be  in  vain,  whatever 
be  the  immediate  and  apparent  issue  of  it. 
Could  we  but  heartily  unite  and  make  an 
earnest  effort,  there  is  great  reason  to  hope 
great  good  might  follow.  Whenever  those 
glorious  out-pourings  of  God's  Spirit  shall 
come,  all  over  the  world,  no  doubt  it  will  be 
in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  his  people. — 
But,  suppose  we  should  never  live  to  see 
those  days,  still  our  labor  shall  not  be  in  vain 
in  the  Lord.  God  would  be  glorified  ;  and 
is  this  of  no  moment?  It  would  convey  this 
piece  of  intelligence  to  the  world,  that  God 
has  yet  some  hearty  friends  in  it,  who  will 
continue  to  pray  to  him  in  the  darkest  times. 
— But  this  is  not  all :  our  petitions  may  prove 
like  seed  in  the  earth,  that  shall  not  perish, 
though  it  may  not  spring  up  in  our  days. 
Thus  the  "  prophets  labored,  and  the  apostles 
entered  into  their  labors"  (John  iv.  38);  and 
what  if  we  should  be  the  sowers,  and  our 
posterity  the  reapers,  shall  we  grudge  at 
this  ?  As  great  an  honor  at  the  last  day, 
perhaps,  may  attend  Isaiah,  who  hardly  knew 
who  had  believed  his  report,  as  Peter,  by 
whose  sermon  thousands  were  converted  in 
an  hour. — But  neither  is  this  all. — There  are 
different  degrees  of  prosperity  bestowed 
upon  different  parts  of  Zion,  and  these  fa- 
vors are  often  granted  to  those  particular 
communities  where  most  ardent  prayer,  love, 
and  holiness  prevail. — Add  to  all  this,  the 
prosperity  of  our  souls,  as  Christians,  is  gen- 
erally connected  with  an  earnest  pursuit  of 
God's  glory  and  Christ's  kingdom.  Conso- 
lation, like  reputation,  will  not  do  to  be 
sought   directly  and  for  its   own  sake.     In 


THOUGHTS    ON    CIVIL    POLITY. 


791 


that  case  it  will  flee  from  us.  But  let  us 
seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  right- 
eousness, and  all  these  things  will  be  added 
to  us.  One  great  reason  perhaps  of  so  many 
Christians  going  so  destitute  of  divine  com- 
fort is  because  they  care  about  scarcely  any 
thing  else  ;  God  therefore  justly  withholds 
it  from  them.  If  they  were  more  to  seek  his 
glory  and  the  extending  of  his  kingdom  in 
the  world,  they  would  find  consolation  come 
of  its  own  accord.  He  that  cannot  lie, 
speaking  of  his  church, 'hath  said,  "They 
shall  prosper  that  love  her." 


THOUGHTS  ON  CIVIL  POLITY. 

ON  ATTACHMENT  TO  GOVERNMENT. 
[Written  in  March,  1808.] 

The  question  proposed  for  discussion  is, 
—  Whether  the  obedience  to  Civil  Government 
required  in  the  Scriptures  includes  attach- 
ment. 

It  certainly  does  not  include  attachment 
to  any  thing  but  what  is  declared  to  be  "  an 
ordinance  of  God ; "  nor  to  any  person  or 
persons,  but  as  officers  executing  that  ordi- 
nance. It  does  not  necessarily  include  an 
attachment  to  the  constitution  of  a  country, 
which,  when  compared  with  others,  may  be 
very  oppressive  and  unjust ;  nor  to  particu- 
lar measures,  which  may  be  equally  so.  But 
even  in  such  cases  there  is  an  "  honor  "  due 
to  government,  which  in  its  worst  forms  is 
preferable  to  anarchy  ;  and  which,  notwith- 
standing the  most  unjust  procedures,  is  still 
in  itself  the  ordinance  of  God.  It  is  thus  in 
parental  authority.  The  duty  of  a  child  to 
obey  a  parent  who  may  be  harsh  and  unkind 
is  not  obliterated  ;  nor  is  it  enough  for  him 
to  yield  the  obedience  of  fear,  out  of  regard 
to  his  own  interest.  He  ought  to  do  it  from 
a  conscientious  regard  to  the  will  of  God, 
who  has  made  him  his  parent.  A  violent 
father  once  fell  foul  upon  his  son,  a  young 
man  about  twenty  years  of  age.  The  son 
made  no  other  resistance  than  to  ward  off" 
the  blows,  and  said,  "  I  could  do  what  I  please 
with  you  ;  but  you  are  my  father !  "  Such  is 
the  spirit  which  ought  to  be  cherished  to- 
wards the  worst  civil  government.  The 
young  man  not  only  conformed  to  those  or- 
ders which  his  father  might  give  him,  but 
felt  an  attachment  to  him  as  a  father ;  and 
was  not  to  be  driven  from  his  duty  because 
the  other  had  forgotten  his. 

All  this  proceeds  upon  the  supposition  of 
our  living  under  the  worst  of  governments, 
which  is  so  far  from  being  the  truth  that  al- 
most any  one  would  think  it  the  best  in  Eu- 
rope, if  not  in  the  world.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  those  who  have  left  their  country, 
under  a  contrary  impression,  have  seen  cause 
to  repent  of  their  folly  and  ingratitude.     The 


civil  liberty  contained  in  the  British  govern- 
ment is  the  very  cause  of  its  being  worse 
thought  of  and  spoken  against,  by  one  part 
of  its  subjects,  than  that  of  any  other  coun- 
try. Were  one  of  these  in  France,  and 
even  a  member  of  the  legislature,  he  must 
not  open  his  mouth  in  the  manner  he  does 
in  England.  It  is  a  part  of  our  civil  consti- 
tution to  admit  of  free  debate  ;  and  an  oppo- 
sition to  the  administration  of  the  day,  though 
generally  conducted  on  mere  party  princi- 
ples, is  considered  upon  the  whole  as  a  sal- 
utary check  on  men  in  power.  It  is  a  mode 
of  balancing  evils,  by  suffering  one  set  of 
them  to  weigh  against  another.  Hence  it 
is  that  a  Tory  administration  in  England, 
being  watched  by  Whigs,  would  not  be  ma- 
terially unfriendly  to  liberty  ;  and  Whigs,  if 
not  watched  by  Tories,  would  soon  become 
as  bad  as  the  other.  But  while  these  par- 
ties are  invariably  assailing  their  rivals,  in 
hope  of  supplanting  them,  it  is  not  for  the 
wise  and  the  good  to  enlist  themselves  under 
their  respective  standards,  or  to  believe  half 
what  they  say.  If,  within  my  remembrance, 
only  a  tenth  part  of  what  has  been  foretold 
by  the  opposition  interest  had  been  true,  we 
should  ere  now  have  ceased  to  be  a  nation. 

Oh  but,  say  some,  we  are  going  fast  to 
ruin  !  Provisions  rise,  farms  let  for  double 
and  treble  what  they  did,  and  the  taxes  are 
enormous.  And  what  does  the  rise  of  pro- 
visions and  of  land  prove,  except  that  the 
country  is  full  of  money  ?  All  buying  and 
selling  is  only  an  exchange  of  commodities  ; 
and  according  to  the  quantity  and  demand 
for  any  article  such  is  the  price.  To  say 
that  provisions  are  dear  is  only  saying  that 
money  is  cheap.  Oh,  but  it  is  not  money,  it 
is  paper.  So  long  however  as  the  nation  is 
solvent,  and  can  pay  its  debts,  paper  is  the 
same  as  money.  With  respect  to  the  amount 
of  taxes,  it  is  not  of  much  account  so  long 
as  we  have  the  means  of  paying  them.  A 
London  tradesman  might  say,  My  rent  and 
taxes  are  so  high  in  the  city,  I'll  go  and  take 
a  farm  or  a  house  in  the  woodlands  !  Such 
in  effect  has  been  the  reasoning  of  some  of 
our  emigrants.  Yet,  it  may  be  asked,  do  we 
not  live  better,  wear  better  clothes,  and  oc- 
cupy more  comfortable  dwellings  than  our 
forefathers  did  ?  and  whether,  where  one 
fortune  was  gained  a  century  ago,  there  be 
not  six  or  seven  now  ?  These  things  may 
seem  nothing  to  those  who  are  complainers 
by  profession;  for  if  God  should  have  deter- 
mined for  our  ingratitude  and  other  sins  to 
bring  us  under  a  foreign  yoke,  as  he  has 
brought  the  continent  of  Europe,  we  shall 
then  know  our  present  advantages  by  the 
loss  of  them. 

To  form  our  opinion  of  the  measures  of 
government,  by  daily  reading  one  class  of 
the  opposition  papers,  is  much  the  same  as 
judging  of  them  from  the  philippics  of  the 
French  Moniteur ;  or  making  up  an  opinion 


792 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


of  the  mission  to  the  east,  by  purchasing  and 
reading  all  the  pieces  of  Major  Scott  War- 
ing! If  we  choose  to  be  deceived,  deceived 
we  shall  be  and  ought  to  be.  If  I  am  attach- 
ed to  government  as  government,  irrespect- 
ive of  the  men  who  administer  it,  I  shall  be 
willing  to  find  their  measures  right,  and  un- 
willing to  find  them  otherwise,  unless  com- 
pelled so  to  tliink  by  evidence.  I  shall  nev- 
er take  pleasure  in  traducing  it,  nor  in  hear- 
ing it  traduced.  If  in  any  case  I  think  it  in 
the  wrong,  I  shall  speak  of  it,  if  at  all,  with 
regret.  But  if  I  choose  to  enlist  under  the 
banriers  of  a  systematic  opposition,  and  to 
learn  all  that  occurs  from  their  report,  I 
shall  presently  e-nter  into  their  prejudices, 
and  become  their  dupe.  They  are  fighting 
for  a  substance  indeed,  but  I  for  a  phantom. 
So  when  these  patriots  ffet  into  power,  I 
wonder  and  admire,  and  am  then  attached  to 
government,  not  because  the  New  Testa- 
ment enjoins  it,  but  because  my  favorites 
bear  rule  ;  and  thus,  both  when  they  are  out 
of  office  and  when  they  are  in,  I  am  out  of 
the  way  of  Christian  obedience. 

How  can  I  be  said  to  honor  magistrates, 
while  I  view  all  their  actions  through  the 
representations  of  men  whose  interest  it  is 
to  supplant  them  ;  discrediting  every  thing 
good,  and  believing  every  thing  evil? 
"  Buonaparte,"  said  one  of  the  opposition 
prints,  "is  conciliating  people  of  all  reli- 
gions ;  but  our  government  is  g'oing  to 
convert  the  Hindoos  to  Christianity  !  "  Is 
not  such  a  suggestion  sufficient  to  show 
what  these  men  are  ?  It  is  well  enough 
known  that  our  government  are  not  going 
to  convert  the  Hindoos,  and  that,  if  they  let 
those  men  alone  who  would  endeavor  to 
convert  them,  it  is  all  that  can  be  said  or 
hoped  of  them.  How  utterly  unprincipled 
and  base  therefore  must  such  a  writer  be  ! 
Yet  from  these  men  some  people  form  their 
ideas  of  the  government  that  protects  them. 
If  I  must  judge  of  public  measures,  let  me 
judge  righteously  and  not  by  appearance, 
or   from  personal  regards. — John  vii.  24. 

Government  may  have  done  wrong  in  pur- 
suing certain  measures,  but  it  is  not  from 
their  being  accused  of  it  by  interested  men 
that  we  ought  to  believe  it.  Those  who 
are  now  in  power  were  lately  in  opposition, 
and  then  they  were  patriots,  and  every 
thing  was  going  to  ruin.  There  never  was 
a  period  in  British  history  when,  in  the 
opinion  of  what  is  called  the  opposition,  let 
that  opposition  be  on  which  side  it  might, 
the  nation  was  not  going  to  ruin  ;  and  when 
its  humble  adherents  did  not  think  so.  The 
New  Testament  tells  us,  "  they  are  God's 
ministers,  attending  continually  upon  this 
very  thing."  Now  a  small  acquaintance 
with  things  will  enable  us  to  perceive  that 
they  who  attend  continually  to  one  thing 
may  in  a  hundred  instances  have  reasons 
for  their  conduct  of  which  those  who  only 


attend  to  it  as  an  occasional  amusement  are 
very  incompetent  to  judge.  Let  a  disaffect- 
ed member  of  a  Christian  church  judge  of 
the  measures  of  its  officers,  and  he  will  find 
them  all  wrong.  Should  he  also  be  desirous 
of  gaining  an  ascendancy,  and  can  persuade 
a  few  others  to  judge  of  those  measures 
through  the  medium  of  his  representations, 
it  is  easy  to  imagine  what  sort  of  treatment 
the  pastor  and  his  colleagues  would  be  like- 
ly to  receive  at  their  hands.  The  minister 
might  feel  indignant,  and  say  to  his  friends, 
This  man  wants  to  be  in  power,  and  the 
rest  are  his  dupes.  We  attend  continually 
upon  this  very  thing,  and  do  to  the  best  of 
our  ability.  But  these  men  neither  know 
our  reasons,  nor  wish  to  know  them  ;  but, 
having  set  us  down  as  bad,  conclude  that 
nothing  we  do  can  be  right. 

What  is  that  "  honor  "  and  "  obedience  " 
due  to  government,  and  that  prayer  to  God 
"  for  all  who  are  in  authority,"  which  the 
Scriptures  enjoin  (Rom.  xiii.  1 — 7;  1  Tim. 
ii.  1,  2  ;  Titus  iii.  1  ;  1  Pet.  ii.  13—17,)  but 
an  attachment  to  them  as  magistrates,  irre- 
spective of  their  party  ?  We  cannot  pray 
for  them  as  we  ought,  unless  we  feel  a  sin- 
cere attachment.  There  needs  not  a  greater 
proof  of  this  than  the  base  perversions  of 
God's  word  which  have  been  made  on  this 
subject  by  some  disaffected  men.  I  pray 
for  kings  and  rulers  as  men,  says  one,  the 
same  as  I  pray  for  other  men.  Yes,  but  you 
are  required  to  pray  for  them  as  men  in  au- 
thority. Well,  says  another,  I  can  pray  that 
God  would  restrain  their  iniquity,  and  pre- 
vent their  doing  mischief,  that  good  people 
may  lead  quiet  and  peaceable  lives,  in  all 
godliness  and  honesty.  Would  you  then 
presume  thus  to  pervert  the  oracles  of  God  ? 
Can  you  say  that  the  exhortation  in  1  Tim. 
ii.  2,  proceeds  on  the  supposition  that  civil 
governors  are  the  parties  which  you  are  to 
pray  God  to  restrain  ?  Does  it  not  rather 
suppose,  what  is  manifestly  true,  that  the 
great  body  of  wicked  men  around  you  would 
persecute  and  destroy  you  as  Christians, 
were  they  not  prevented  by  the  civil  power  ? 
The  exhortation  is  to  intercede  for  kings, 
and  for  all  that  are  in  authority  ;  but  this 
would  be  interceding  against  them. 

Without  attachment  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  obedience,  whether  to  parents,  hus- 
bands, masters,  ministers,  magistrates,  or 
to  God.  A  disaffected  person  may  abstain 
from  conspiracies  and  seditious  conversation 
from  mere  prudential  motives :  but  in  all 
this  there  is  not  a  grain  of  honor  or  obedi- 
ence. He  who  thinks  otherwise,  and  im- 
agines that  an  outward  compliance  with  the 
laws  is  all  that  ought  to  be  required  of  him, 
only  proves  himself  to  be  given  up  in  a 
great  degree  to  a  mind  void  of  judgment. 
Let  such  a  one  ask  himself  as  a  father,  a 
husband,  a  master,  or  a  minister,  whether  a 
mere  outward  compliance  with    his   direc- 


THOUGHTS    ON    CIVIL    POLITY. 


793 


tions  would  satisfy  him.     By  the  same  means    tures.     You  know  me  too  well  to  impute  to 
he   may   find    an   answer  to  all    his    other    me  a  spirit  that   would  cringe   to  any  man. 
objections.     What!  says  an  undutiful  child,    You  know  also  that  I  have   no  temporal  in- 
you  think,  I  suppose,  everything  is   rig-lit    terest  to  serve,  and  no  prejudices  to  gratify, 
that   my  father   does. — No,  you  reply,  your    If  I  have  any    political  predilections,  they 
father  is  a  man  like  other   men,  and   has  his    are  on  the  side  of  whiggism.     It  is  true    I 
faults  ;  but  it  is  not  for  you  to  expose  them,    have  lately  perceived  some  infidels  amonu-st 
He  is  your  father,  and  you  are  commanded    them,  giving  into  a  persecuting  spirit  against 
of  God  to  honor  and  obey   him   in  all   his    evangelical   religion,  and   have   denounced 
lawful  commands. — What !  and  am  I  bound    them  in  my  Letter  to  the  Chairman  of  the 
to  esteem  him,  and  to  feel  attached  to  him,    East  India  Company.     And  I  should  not  be 
when    he  has   all  along  been    my    enemy,    surprised  to  find  the  greater  part  of  them 
doing   everything  for  my  hurt?     The  an-    holding  these  principles  when  it  comes  to 
sweris,  such  a  supposition  is   as  unnatural    the  trial :  but,  if  it  be  so,  it  would  be  a  mor- 
as it  is  undutiful.     Have  you  not  contracted    tification  to  me  as  belonging  to  the   whiff 
this  prejudice   by  associating  with  persons    interest.   On  this  account,  as  well  as  others, 
who  have  an  end  to  answer  by  supplanting    I  have  said  nothing  against  them  as  a  politi- 
hiin  in  your  esteem? — For  me  to  esteem  or    cal  party,  but  have  contented  myself  with 
be  attached  to  him  would  be  the  same  thing    attacking  the  principle, 
as  to  be  attached  to  what  is  wrong. — Surely         It  is  a  fact,  of  which  few  will  doubt,  that 
this  objection  can  arise  from  nothing  but  per-    great  numbers  are  attached  to  government 
verseness.     You  know  there  is  no  necessity    because  they  are  hired,  both  in  church  and 
for  this,  and  no  one  wishes   it.     You   seem    state.     It   is  no  less  a  fact  that  great  num- 
to  forget  that  he  is  your  father,  and  to  think    bers  are   disaffected  because  they   are  not 
of  him  only  as  a  bad  man  ;  but  these  thoughts    hired.      I   accuse  neither  the  one  nor  the 
arise    from  your  listening  to   evil   counsel,    other  by  the  lump  ;  but  who  can  doubt  that 
intended  for  sinister  ends  to  lower   him   in    the   cause   of  disaffection  in   thousands   is 
your  estimation. — Well,  I  cannot  help  it. —    that  they  are  not  treated  in  all  respects  as 
Such    also    might   be   the   answer    of   the    their  fellow-subjects  ;  and  that,  in  the  pres- 
worst  of  beings.  ent   reign   especially,    the     political    party 

A  disaffected  heart  will  lead  men  to  talk  which  has  been  used  to  favor  dissenters  and 
of  providence,  so  far  as  it  favors  their  wish-  the  cause  of  religious  liberty  has  been  kept 
es,  but  renders  them  blind  to  it  in  every  out  of  power  ;  this  party  has  ever  maintain- 
other  view :  some  have  pleaded  that  provi-  ed  a  war,  as  all  parties  do,  against  their  op- 
dence  has  favored  the  arms  of  France,  and  ponents.  They  have  their  newspapers,  by 
they  have  subdued  their  enemies  before  which  they  give  their  own  representations 
them  ;  it  is  folly,  therefore,  to  resist  them,  of  every  thing  done  by  the  other.  They 
But,  if  it  be  true  that  providence  has  favor-  are  not  scrupulous  to  state  things  as  they 
ed  the  military  power  of  France,  it  is  no  less  are,  but  as  they  appear  to  their  own  preju- 
true  that  the  naval  power  of  England  has  diced  and  violent  minds.  If  any  person 
been  equally  favored  and  destined  of  provi-  forms  his  ideas  according  to  these  state- 
dence  to  check  the  inordinate  ambition  of  ments,  he  will  soon  become  an  inconsiderate 
our  rival  and  our  enemy  ;  and,  but  for  this,  partizan,  laying  aside  not  only  the  Chris- 
liberty  would  find  no  asylum  upon  earth,  tian,  but  the  man  of  sober  sense,  who  views 
Yet,  were  I  a  subject  of  the  French  gov-  both  these  parties  as  aiming  to  supplant  the 
ernment,  I  should  think  it  my  duty,  while  I  other ;  and,  therefore,  though  he  may  hear 
experienced  its  protection,  to  cherish  a  sin-  what  both  advance,  and  may  think  it  neces- 
cere  attachment,  and  to  pray  for  its  pros-  sary  on  the  whole  that  the  one  should  watch 
perity  in  all  its  lawful  undertakings,  what-  the  other,  yet,  in  forming  his  own  judgment 
ever  I  might  think  of  the  private  character  of  men  and  things,  will  take  neither  of  them 
of  those  by  whom  the  government  is  admin-  for  his  guide, 
istered.  I  should  think  it  wrong  to  magni- 
fy the  faults  of  such  a  government,  even 
though  I  could  do  it  with  safety  to  myself, 
or  to  read  only  those  accounts  of  it  which 
came  from  a  quarter  where  a  systematic  op-  [Extracts  of  a  Letter  written  during  the  alarm  of 
position  was  carrying  on   against  it.     How  an  Invasion  in  1803.] 

much  more  then  ought  I  to  be  attached  to  a 

legitimate  government,  under  whose  pro-  I  have  been  much  struck  of  late  in  read- 
tection  the  church  of  God,  for  more  than  a  ing  the  Epistle  of  Jude  ;  and  think  I  see 
century,  has  had  an  opportunity  to  live  a  there  the  very  character  of  some  of  our 
quiet  and  peaceable  life,  in  all  godliness  modern  democrats.  1.  They  were  wicked 
and  honesty  ?  men  ;  yet  they  crept  in  unawares  amongst 

Surely  you  cannot  account  for  my  imbi-    religious   people. — ver.  4.      2.  They    were 
bing   these   sentiments,   but   by  supposing    apostates  from  the  truth,  after  the  example 
that  I  have  learned  them  from  the   Scrip-    of  the   devil  himself. — ver.  5,  G.    3.  They 
Vol.  2.— Sig.  101 


REFLECTIONS    ON    THE    EPISTLE   OF  JUDE. 


794 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


were  lascivious  characters,  given  over  to 
fornication  and  all  unclcanness. — ver.  7. 
4.  They  were  despisers  and  depreciaters 
of  civil  government,  using  language  con- 
cerning their  superiors  which  an  angel  dare 
not  use  of  Satan  himself. — ver.  8,  9.  5. 
Their  real  object,  whatever  were  their  pre- 
tences, was  the  hope  of  plunder  and  of  pow- 
er.— ver.  11.  6.  The  admission  which  some 
Christians  gave  them  into  their  churches 
was  to  their  reproach. — ver.  12.  7.  They 
are  characters  whose  society  we  should 
avoid  as  we  tender  our  own  salvation  ;  for 
the  course  which  they  steer  leads  to  perdi- 
tion.— ver.  12,  13. 


[A  correspondent  having  intimated  that  as  the 
descriptions  referred  to  apostates  from  the  truth, 
and  the  cases  of  Cain,  Balaam,  and  Corah,  were 
cited  by  the  apostle  as  a  warning  to  Ills  contempo- 
raries, the  allusion  could  not  be  to  political  but 
religious  disobedience,  Mr.  Fuller  replied  as  fol- 
lows.] 

It  is  certainly  true  that  "  the  error  of  Ba- 
laam," Jude  11,  was  not  jacobinism,  and  that 
the  sin  of  Cain  and  of  Corah  was  not  com- 
mitted against  civil  government.  But,  on  a 
re-perusal  of  the  Epistles  of  Peter  and  Jude, 
it  does  not  appear  to  me  that  civil  govern- 
ment can  justly  be  excluded  from  the  things 
against  which  these  men  set  themselves. 
There  is  nothing  surprising  that  they  should 
despise  and  set  themselves  against  all  that 
which  set  itself  against  their  lusts,  which 
every  species  of  legitimate  authority  did, 
whether  civil  or  ecclesiastical.  It  is  thus 
interpreted  by  all  the  expositors  and  lexi- 
cons to  which  I  have  access.  They  admit 
indeed  that  the  passage  referred  to  in  1  Pet. 
ii.  10  proves  a  part  of  their  opposition  and 
contempt  to  have  been  directed  against 
Christ,  and  the  authorities  in  his  church  ; 
but  consider  other  parts  of  it  as  directed 
against  civil  government.  The  term  ren- 
dered "  government  or  dominion,"  in  2  Pet. 
ii.  10,  and  Jude  8,  is  never  applied.  I  be- 
lieve, to  ecclesiastical  authority,  but  either 
to  that  which  subsists  among  the  different 
orders  of  angels,  or  to  civil  government 
amongst  men. — Ephes.  i.  21  ;  Col.  i.  16. 

Christ,  it  is  true,  exercises  all  authority 
and  dominion  ;  but  the  dignities  which  they 
blasphemed  do  not  seem  to  relate  to  his 
spiritual  authority.  Moreover,  the  argu- 
ment used  by  the  apostle  Jude,  in  ver.  9, 
seems  to  imply  that  the  authority,  or  domin- 
ion, against  which  these  men  set  themselves, 
had  in  it  a  mixture  of  evil,  which  afforded 
them  a  handle  for  running  it  down.  Jude's 
answer  is,  Be  it  so,  that  it  has  a  great  many 
evils  attending  it,  as  administered  by  wick- 
ed men ;  yet  an  archangel,  when  speaking 
to  the  worst  of  beings,  did  not  dare  to  use 
such  language  as  theirs.     The  answer  sup- 


poses that  to  exist  which  did  not  exist  in 
Christ's  spiritual  government,  nor  yet  in  the 
ecclesiastical  government  of  the  church  at 
that  time  ;  but  which  might  well  be  sup- 
posed to  exist  in  the  imperial  government 
of  Rome,  under  which  the  early  Christians 
suffered  so  much  persecution. 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  CONDUCT  OF  RELI- 
GIOUS PEOPLE  ON  THE  WELL-BEING  OF 
A    COUNTRY. 

The  21st  of  September,  1803,  was  fixed 
upon,  by  several  dissenting  ministers  in 
London,  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  on 
account  of  the  state  of  the  nation  ;  and  they 
expressed  a  wish  that  their  brethren  in  the 
country  would  unite  with  them.  Being  at 
one  of  those  meetings  in  the  country,  I  was 
forcibly  struck  with  an  idea  suggested  in  a 
passage  of  Scripture  which  was  read  on 
that  occasion.  It  was  Isai.  v.  5  :  "  And  now, 
go  to:  I  will  tell  you  what  I  will  do  to  my 
vineyard.  I  will  take  away  the  hedge  there- 
of, and  it  shall  be  eaten  up  ;  and  break  down 
the  wall  thereof,  and  it  shall  be  trodden 
down." 

I  had  often  heard  it  observed,  from  the 
intercession  of  Abraham  in  behalf  of  Sodom, 
and  other  Scriptures,  that  God  might  spare 
a  country  for  the  sake  of  the  righteous  few  ; 
but  never  recollect  hearing  it  noticed  before 
that  the  sins  of  professing  Christians  might 
also  be  the  principal  cause  of  a  nation's 
overthrow.  Certainly  the  church  is  here 
represented  as  God's  vine,  the  grand  object 
of  his  care.  He  fences  it  by  his  providence, 
cultivates  it  by  the  means  of  his  grace,  and 
looks  that  it  should  bring  forth  grapes,  or 
fruit  to  his  glory.  But  if  instead  of  this  it 
bring  forth  wild  grapes,  what  inducement 
can  he  have  to  continue  the  fence  ? 

I  am  more  afraid,  said  the  minister  on  the 
above  occasion,  on  account  of  the  sins  of  my 
country,  than  from  the  threatenings  of  the 
enemy  :  and  I  am  much  more  afraid  for  the 
sins  of  professing  Christians  in  my  country 
than  I  am  for  those  who  are  openly  profane. 
It  is  true  they  are  wicked,  and  will  not  go 
unpunished  :  but  God  does  not  look  to  them 
for  fruit  in  such  a  manner  as  he  does  to  us. 
If  the  hedge  be  taken  away,  and  the  wild 
boar  of  the  wood  suffered  to  enter  in  and 
destroy,  I  fear  it  will  be  principally,  though 
not  wholly,  on  our  account.  Our  ingrati- 
tude, lukewarmness,  worldly-mindedness, 
animosities,  divisions,  scandals,  and  other 
evils,  may  be  more  offensive  to  God  than  all 
the  wickedness  of  the  land  besides. 

If  these  remarks  be  just,  what  a  weight 
lies  upon  the  religious  part  of  a  nation  ;  who 
either  prove,  like  Paul,  the  salvation  of  them 
that  sail  with  them  ;  or,  like  Jonah,  the  prin- 
cipal cause  of  the  storm! 


THOUGHTS    ON    CIVIL    POLITY. 


795 


POLITICAL    SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

I  have  been  much  edified  by  some  things 
which  appeared  in  print,  respecting  the  pres- 
ent state  of  our  country,  especially  by  those 
which  have  been  directed  against  what  may 
with  propriety  be  called  political  self-righte- 
ousness. I  am  persuaded  this  is  a  sin  which 
cleaves  closer  to  men,  and  even  "religious 
men,  at  the  present  time,  than  most  of  us 
are  aware  of;  and  that  we  are  more  in  dan- 
ger from  it  than  from  almost  all  our  national 
sins  put  together. 

I  have  heard  it  said  in  conversation,  when 
the  sins  of  the  nation  have  been  mentioned 
as  a  ground  of  fear,  True  ;  but  we  are  not  so 
bad  as  our  enemies.  Mr.  Robert  Hall,  in 
his  fast  sermon  lately  published,*  has  shown, 
with  great  force  of  evidence,  the  folly  of 
this  way  of  speaking.  "The  thing  itself," 
considering  our  religious  advantages,  he  ob- 
serves, "is  very  doubtful;  and,  if  it  were 
otherwise,  it  has  been  common  with  the 
great  Disposer  of  events  to  punish  a  nation 
that  has  had  a  portion  of  true  religion  in  it 
by  one  that  has  been  utterly  irreligious, 
though  afterwards  he  has  poured  out  his 
wrath  upon  the  latter." 

I  have  heard  it  still  more  frequently  said, 
"The  Lord  has  many  praying  people  in  this 
country  ;  surely  therefore  he  will  not  deliver 
us  up."  A  praying  people  may  indeed  avert 
the  divine  judgments  ;  but,  if  we  trust  to  the 
efficacy  of  our  prayers,  we  shall  be  more 
likely  to  bring  them  upon  us.  This  notion 
has  been  well  combated  by  another  corres- 
pondent; and  my  soul  unites  with  his  in 
trembling  for  the  consequences  of  our  reli- 
gious self-complacency.  Alas,  our  navy 
and  our  arm}',  it  is  to  be  feared,  will  too  gen- 
erally trust  in  themselves  :  but  let  not  them 
that  fear  God  do  so  too.  Our  brethren  in 
distant  countries  may  hope  the  best  of  us; 
the  good  minister  at  Berlin  may  be  allowed 
to  mention  "  the  numbers  whose  prayers 
continually  rise  to  God  in  this  country  ; " 
but  we  must  not  depend  upon  them  ourselves, 
for  this  will  render  them  of  none  effect. 

There  is  a  passage  in  that  admirable  book, 
the  "  Holy  War,"  which  I  could  scarcely 
ever  read  without  tears.  When  Mansoul, 
in  the  day  of  her  distress,  had  drawn  up  a 
petition  to  Emanuel,  a  question  arose,  by 
whom  it  should  be  sent.  "  Now,"  says  the 
writer,  "  there  was  an  old  man  in  the  town, 
and  his  name  was  Mr.  Good-deed,  a  man 
that  bore  only  the  name,  but  had  nothing  of 
the  nature  of  the  thing.  Now  some  were 
for  sending  him  ;  but  the  recorder,  Con- 
science, was  by  no  means  for  that ;  for,  said 
he,  we  now  stand  in  need  of  and  are  pleading 

*  "  Sentiments  proper  to  the  present  Crisis." 
Oct.  19th,  1803. 


for  mercy ;  wherefore,  to  send  our  petition 
by  a  man  of  his  name,  will  seem  to  cross  the 
petition  itself.  Should  we  make  Mr.  Good- 
deed  our  messenger,  when  our  petition  cries 
for  mercy  ?  Besides,  quotli  the  old  gentle- 
man, should  the  prince  now,  as  he  receives 
the  petition,  ask  him  and  say,  What  is  thy 
name  ?  and  nobody  knows  but  he  will,  and 
he  should  say,  old  Good-deed,  what  think 
you  that  Emanuel  should  say  but  this  :  Aye, 
is  old  Good-deed  yet  alive  in  Mansoul? 
Then  let  old  Good-deed  save  you  from  your 
distresses. — And,  if  he  says  so,  I  am  sure  we 
are  lost ;  nor  can  a  thousand  old  Good-deeds 
save  Mansoul." 

We  subscribe  to  all  this  in  matters  which 
respect  our  eternal  salvation,  but  it  is  no  less 
applicable  to  things  of  time.  Instead  of  re- 
ligious people  flattering  themselves  with  the 
idea  of  being  the  bulwark  of  their  country, 
it  becomes  them  to  take  heed  lest  they  prove 
the  contrary.  Though  the  religious  people 
in  a  nation  may,  by  their  interest  with  hea- 
ven, be  its  greatest  blessings ;  yet  there  are 
cases  in  which  they  may  prove  the  reverse. 
To  Paul  was  given,  not  only  his  own  life, 
but  the  lives  of  all  them  that  sailed  with 
him  :  but  Jonah  had  well  nigh  been  the  de- 
struction of  those  that  sailed  with  him.  God 
does  not  look  for  those  things,  as  I  may  say, 
from  the  ignorant  and  ungodly,  as  he  does 
from  them  that  know  him.  It  is  their  prov- 
ince to  stand  between  God  and  their  coun- 
try :  but  if  they  be  loose,  light-minded,  vain, 
or  worldly,  what  is  to  be  expected  ?  We 
may  declaim  against  the  wickedness  of  the 
slave-trade,  and  many  other  things :  but  are 
there  not  with  us,  even  with  us,  sins  against 
the  Lord  our  God  ? 

Thus  spoke  the  Lord  by  his  prophet. 
"The  people  of  the  land  have  used  oppres- 
sion, and  exercised  robbery,  and  have  vexed 
tiie  poor  and  needy  ;  yea,  they  have  oppres- 
sed the  stranger  wrongfully.  And  I  sought 
for  a  man  among  them  that  should  make  up 
the  hedge,  and  stand  in  the  gap  before  me 
for  the  land,  that  I  should  not  destroy  it ;  but 
I  found  none.  Therefore  have  I  poured  out 
mine  indignation  upon  them  :  I  have  consum- 
ed them  with  the  fire  of  my  wrath." — Ezek. 
xxii.  29—31. 

God's  ancient  people  were  compared  to  a 
vine,  and  their  country  to  a  vineyard :  this 
vine  was  cultivated  with  great  care  and  ex- 
pense, and  a  hedge  of  defence  was  set  about 
it.  But,  when  he  looked  that  it  should  bring 
forth  grapes,  it  brought  forth  wild  grapes. 
What  was  the  consequence  ?  "  Go  to,  saith 
the  Lord,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  will  do  to  my 
vineyard.  I  will  take  away  the  hedge  there- 
of, and  it  shall  be  eaten  up  :  and  I  will  break 
down  the  wall  thereof,  and  it  shall  be  trod- 
den down." — Isai.  v.  5.  If  God's  vine  bear 
no  fruit,  the  wall  that  protects  it  may  be  ex- 
pected to  be  broken  down  on  its  account ; 
and   thus   our  unfruitfulness  may  not  only 


796 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


dishonor  God,  and  injure  ourselves,  but  ren- 
der us  a  curse  to  our  country. 

I  write  not  thus  to  promote  dismay.  I  have 
never  for  a  moment  been  the  subject  of  such 
a  feeling  ;  but  to  cut  up,  as  far  as  may  be, 
self-righteous  hope,  and  to  excite  that  hum- 
ble and  holy  trembling  which  becomes  sinful 
creatures,  whether  in  respect  to  this  world, 
or  that  which  is  to  come. 


ON    THE     PROPER     AND     IMPROPER     USE      OF 

TERMS. 

Notwithstanding  the  number  of  words 
found  in  every  language,  they  are  far  from 
being  equal  to  the  number  of  ideas  in  the 
human  mind.  Hence  it  is  that  one  and  the 
same  term  has  a  variety  of  meanings  ;  hence 
also  arises  the  distinction  between  the  prop- 
er and  improper,  the  literal  and  figurative, 
use  of  terms.  The  word  33N,  abib,  the  first 
in  the  Hebrew  lexicon,  signifies  (1)  verdure, 
or  greenness,  Job  viii.  12  :  (2)  an  ear  of  corn 
on  its  first  appearance,  being  then  of  a  green 
color,  Lev.  ii.  14:  (3)  a  month  in  the  Jewish 
year,  falling  somewhere  about  March  or 
April,  when  corn  in  that  country  began  to 
ear. 

Here  we  see  the  progress  of  language, 
and  the  causes  of  different  ideas  being  affix- 
ed to  the  same  term.  When  a  name  is 
wanted  to  express  an  idea,  men  do  not  think 
of  making  a  new  one  ;  but  call  it  by  some- 
thing already  known,  to  which  it  bears  a  re- 
semblance ;  and  as  this  resemblance  is  fre- 
quently confined  to  one  leading  property, 
and  sometimes  to  one  that  is  not  so,  it  hence 
comes  to  pass  that  the  more  objects  a  term 
is  applied  to,  the  farther  it  commonly  advan- 
ces from  the  original  idea.  In  mentioning 
the  month  Abib,  for  example,  a  Jew  would 
think  nothing  of  greenness  or  verdure,  which 
is  its  true  and  primary  meaning;  but  merely 
of  the  time  of  his  forefathers  coming  out  <  f 
Egypt,  and  of  the  institution  of  the  passover. 
Yet,  in  arguments  from  the  meaning  of 
Scripture  terms,  it  becomes  us  to  ascertain 
the  true,  primitive,  or  proper  sense,  and  to 
measure  all  secondary  and  figurative  appli- 
cations by  it  as  a  standard.  It  appears  to 
me  that  many  important  errors  have  been  in- 
troduced and  defended  for  want  of  attending 
to  this  rule,  which  is  dictated  by  common 
sense.  Instead  of  defining  a  term  according 
to  its  proper  and  primary  meaning,  and  rest- 
ing nothing  upon  its  secondary  or  figurative 
applications,  any  farther  than  they  accord 
with  it,  the  reverse  has  been  the  practice. 
The  proper  meaning  has  been  made  to  give 
way  to  the  figurative,  rather  than  the  figura- 
tive to  the  proper. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  The  Universalist,  finding  the  terms  used 
to  express  the  duration  of  future  punishment 


frequently  applied  to  things  which  have  rrn 
end,  endeavors  from  thence  to  set  aside  the 
evidence  of  its  eternity.  That  is,  he  grounds 
his  argument  on  the  secondary  and  figura- 
tive application  of  terms,  to  the  setting  aside 
of  that  which  is  primary  or  proper.  Thus 
eu&v,  though  its  proper  meaning  is  always 
being,  is  made  to  mean  no  more  than  age  or 
ages ;  and  etuenos,  though  it  literally  sig- 
nifies everlasting  or  endless,  yet  is  said  to 
mean  no  more  than  age-lasting.  Thus,  in- 
stead of  measuring  the  secondary  sense  of 
words  by  the  primary,  the  primary  is  meas- 
ured and  excluded  by  the  secondary,  which 
goes  to  exclude  all  just  reasoning  and  to  in- 
troduce everlasting  wrangling.  It  were  just 
as  reasonable  to  contend  that  the  English 
word  "turnpike  "  signifies  a  road  made  by 
act  of  parliament,  though  it  is  so  called  mere- 
ly in  a  way  of  contraction,  and  because  such 
roads  have  toll-gates,  and  such  gates  a  turn- 
pike for  the  accommodation  of  foot  passen- 
gers. 

2.  The  adversaries  of  the  doctrine  of  atone- 
ment have  taken  the  same  method.  "  By  a 
sacrifice,'1''  says  Dr.  Taylor,  "is  meant  a  sym- 
bolical address  to  God,  intending  to  express 
before  him  the  devout  affections,  by  signifi- 
cant emblematical  actions  ;  and,  consequent- 
ly, whatever  is  expressive  of  a  pious  and  vir- 
tuous disposition  may  rightly  be  included  in 
the  idea  of  a  sacrifice  ;  as  prayers,  thanks- 
givings, expenses,  labors,  &c."  It  is  easy 
to  see  that  the  primary  notion  of  a  sacrifice 
is  here  explained  away,  or  lost  in  the  crowd 
of  secondary  meanings;  by  which  any  thing 
may  be  proved  or  disproved,  as  the  writer 
pleases. 

3.  Let  it  be  dispassionately  and  impar- 
tially considered  whether  the  principal  ob- 
jections brought  against  the  ordinance  of 
baptism  being  administered  exclusively  by 
immersion  do  not  originate  in  the  same  cause. 
The  word  t&wrrtgte,  it  is  said,  will  not  always 
agree  with  the  idea  of  immersion.  It  is  ap- 
plied to  the  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
to  some  other  things  wherein  immersion  is 
inadmissible.  Be  it  so  :  still  it  amounts  to 
no  more  than  this,  That  the  term  /2a7r<riga; 
like  almost  every  other  term,  has  its  secon- 
dary and  figurative  sense.  Its  proper  and 
primary  meaning  is  allowed,  by  the  most 
learned  pcdobaptists  in  all  ages,  to  be  that 
which  the  antipsedobaptists  contend  for  ;  and 
this  is  the  only  meaning  which  ought  to  be 
called  in  to  settle  the  dispute.  By  the  con- 
trary method,  it  were  easy  to  prove  that  the 
English  word  immersion  does  not  mean  dip- 
ping or  plunging :  for,  if  a  person  be  very 
wet  by  rain,  it  is  common  to  say  he  is  im- 
mersed, merely  because  he  is  as  wet  as  if  he 
had  been  immersed. 

To  generalize  the  meaning  of  a  term,  in 
order  to  include  its  secondary  or  figurative 
senses,  is  the  way  to  lose  its  tiue  and  proper 
sense  ;    and,  if  applied   universally,   might 


ON    THE    PROPER    AND    IMPROPER    USE    OF    TERMS. 


797 


go  to  undermine  all  the  great  doctrines  of 
Christianity. 

The  rule  of  fair  and  just  reasoning-,  with 
respect  to  the  use  of  terms,  as  I  have  always 
understood  it,  is,  That  eve>~y  word  be  taken 
in  its  literal  and  primary  sense,  unless  there 
be,  any  thing  in  the  connection  which  requires 
it  to  be  taken  otherwise.  Now  apply  this 
rule  to  the  foregoing  examples,  and  the  re- 
sult will  be  this — 

The  Universalist  must  either  deny  that 
the  proper  or  primary  meaning  of  aim  and 
aiwtst  is  always  being  and  eternal;  or  else 
prove  that,  when  these  terms  are  applied  to 
the  duration  of  future  punishment,  there 
is  something  in  the  subject  ivhich  requires 
them  to  be  taken,  not  in  a  proper,  but  im- 
proper sense. 

The  adversaries  of  the  atonement  also  must 
either  set  aside  the  proof  that  the  proper 
and  primary  notion  of  a  sacrifice  includes 
in  it  the  idea  of  expiation,  or  show  cause 
why  this  meaning  should  not  attach  to  it 
when  applied  to  the  sacrifice  of  Christ. 

Thus  also  those  who  object  to  immersion, 
as  being  the  only  proper  mode  of  baptism, 
should  either  disprove  what  has  been  ac- 
knowledged by  more  than  eighty  of  their 
most  learned  writers,*  that  the  native  and 
proper  signification  of  the  word  is  to  dip  or 
plunge  ;  or  show  cause  why  it  should  not 
be  taken  in  this  sense  when  applied  to  the 
ordinance   in  question. 

[The  insertion  of  the  foregoing  piece  in  the 
Theological  and  Biblical  Magazine  called  forth 
the  animadversions  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Great  heed. 
The  remaining  parts  consist  of  replies  to  his  ob- 
jections.] 

The  animadversions  of  your  correspond- 
ent require  a  reply,  not  so  much  on  account 
of  what  relates  to  baptism  as  to  the  general 
principle  which  he  attempts  to  overturn. 
Mr.  Greatheed  will  give  me  credit  that  I  had 
no  unkind  design  against  my  pasdobaptist 
brethren  ;  but  he  must  excuse  me  in  saying, 
if  psedobaptism  will  keep  bad  company,  it 
must  take  the  consequences. 

By  "  measuring  the  secondary  and  figura- 
tive application  of  a  term  by  that  which  is 
proper  or  primary,"  I  did  not  mean  to  suggest 
that  the  primary  sense  is  to  be  invariably 
retained  ;  but  merely  that  it  ought  to  be  so, 
unless  there  be  any  thing  in  the  connection 
ivhich  requires  the  contrary.  The  primary, 
literal,  or  proper  sense  of  a  word,  is  its 
true  sense,  and  the  standard  of  all  others 
which  it  may  bear  by  way  of  figure  or  al- 
lusion. My  mind  is  sufficiently  expressed 
by  Dr.  Williams.  "  The  improper  or  figu- 
rative use  of  terms,"  says  he,  "  does  not  alter 
the  literal  sense  :  otherwise  the  very  foun- 
dation   of  figures    and   allusions  would   be 

*  See  "  Booth's  Padobaptism  Examined,'' 
vol.  I.  ch.  2. 


destroyed."  The  rule  also  which  I  have 
laid  down  is  th»-  same  as  his:  "It  is  not 
fair  nor  agreeable  to  the  just  rules  of  crit- 
icism," he  says,  "  to  interpret  the  words  of 
an  author  allusively,  improperly,  and  met- 
aphorically, except  when  plain  necessity 
urges."  f 

I  do  not  deny  that  the  figurative  sense 
of  a  term  may,  in  many  cases,  be  equal,  and 
even  of  superior  importance,  to  the  literal 
one.  If,  for  instance,  we  were  to  understand 
the  first  promise,  "  he  shall  bruise  thy 
head,"  of  a  descendant  of  Eve  occasionally 
killing;  a  serpent;  the  meaning  would  be 
puerile,  in  comparison  of  what  it  is  general- 
ly, and  no  doubt  justly,  applied  to.  But 
here  the  connection  requires  a  departure  from 
the  literal  meaning.  Let  the  same  be  proved 
of  any  other  term,  and  I  acquiesce. 

Your  correspondent  does  not  wish  to  set 
aside  the  primary  meaning  of  a  term,  in 
favor  of  one  that  is  figurative,  "  when  it  can 
be  clearly  ascertained;"  but  in  various 
cases  he  thinks  it  is  "  very  difficult  to  decide, 
of  two  senses,  which  is  its  primary  and 
which  its  figurative  meaning."  I  suppose 
he  intends  to  say  that  words  in  a  long  course 
of  time  change  their  meaning  ;  and  that 
the  original  sense,  or  that  which  was  at- 
tached to  a  term  in  the  earliest  usage,  may 
be  lost.  There  may,  for  aught  I  know,  be 
some  truth  in  this  remark  ;  but  it  does  not 
appear  to  me  to  affect  the  argument.  Al- 
lowing it  to  be  so,  and  that  what  was  at 
first  only  an  allusive  or  figurative  sense 
may  have  become  the  earliest  sense  with 
which  we  are  acquainted,  yet,  as  all  words 
are  mere  arbitrary  signs  of  ideas,  that  which 
is  the  secondary  sense  of  a  term  might  have 
been  its  primany  sense,  provided  it  had  been 
so  applied;  and,  if  the  primary  sense  be 
lost,  the  secondary  of  course  may  become 
primary.  In  other  words,  it  may  become 
by  general  consent  the  obvious  sense  of  the 
term,  there  being  no  anterior  idea  excited 
in  the  mind  when  it  is  expressed.  If  then 
we  can  ascertain  what  was  the  obvious 
meaning  of  the  word  at  the  time  when  the 
author  wrote,  we  thereby  ascertain,  to  every 
purpose  of  just  reasoning,  what  is  its  pri 
mary  or  proper  meaning,  and  ought  to  abide 
by  it  unless  the  connection  requires  a  differ- 
ent one.  If  this  cannot  be  ascertained, 
there  is  no  certain  conclusion  to  be  drawn 
from  the  word,  any  more  than  from  "selah  " 
in  the  Psalms,  and  we  ought  to  rest  no  ar- 
gument upon  it. 

With  respect  to  the  notion  of  the  univer- 
salists,  which  is  chiefly  founded  upon  the 
supposed  ambiguity  of  the  terms  *ua  and 
uicevtos  your  correspondent  half  concedes 
to  them  that  these  terms  might  originally 
express  only  a  limited  duration.  He  cannot 
decide,  as  it  would  seem,  whether  they  were 

^Antipadobaptism  Examined,"  vol.  II.  p.  146. 


79S 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


"  primarily  used  of  visible  or  invisible  ob- 
jects." At  least,  he  does  not  choose  to 
rest  his  opposition  to  that  system  upon  such 
a  ground.  Yet  every  lexicographer  that  I 
have  seen  makes  no  scruple  of  asserting 
that  the  proper  meaning  of  mw  is  always  be- 
ing, or  eternity  ;  and  of  *<»woj  everlasting,  or 
endless.  It  is  an  opinion,  I  am  aware,  which 
has  been  advanced  by  great  authorities,  that 
terms  which  now  signify  spiritual  and  invisi- 
ble objects  were  originally  applied  to  those 
which  are  sensible  and  visible.  But,  how- 
ever true  this  may  be  in  many  cases,  it  will 
not  hold  good  in  all. 

Mr.  Locke,  in  what  he  says  on  this  sub- 
ject,* argues  as  if  he  thought  language  to 
have  been  a  human  invention,  and  that  men 
learned  it  by  slow  degrees  :  whereas  it  was 
manifestly  concreated  with  man  from  the 
beginning.  We  might  as  well  argue  from 
the  gradual  progress  of  strength  and  knowl- 
edge in  an  infant  that  Adam  must  have  been 
created  a  child,  and  have  grown  in  wisdom 
and  stature  as  we  do,  as  that  all  the  names 
by  which  he  expressed  spiritual  and  invisi- 
ble objects  were  first  applied  to  those  which 
are  sensible  and  visible.  On  this  principle 
we  must  either  suppose  him  to  have  had  no 
ideas  of  his  Creator,  of  his  own  immortality, 
or  of  endless  life  ;  or,  if  he  had,  that  he  had 
no  terms  by  which  to  express  them.  But 
neither  of  these  suppositions  will  consist 
with  the  important  station  which  he  occupi- 
ed, or  the  account  which  is  given  of  his 
communion  with  Jehovah  Elohim.  To 
what  visible  or  sensible  object,  I  ask,  could 
the  names  of  the  everlasting  God  be  ap- 
plied, before  they  were  applied  to  him  ? 

Mr.  Greatheed  thinks  the  meaning  of  a 
word  "  may  he  made  perfectly  clear  and 
certain  by  the  connection  in  which  it  stands. 
For  example  :  when  the  word  everlasting  is 
applied  to  God,  it  always  signifies  without 
end:  when  applied  to  a  hill,  it  can  only  mean 
of  long  duration."  To  the  same  purpose 
says  the  Universalist, "  Where  a  word  is  used 
in  relation  to  different  things,  the  subject 
itself  must  determine  the  meaning  of  the 
word."  Whether  the  absurdity  of  this  po- 
sition has  not  been  proved  beyond  all  rea- 
sonable contradiction  in  my  sixth  letter  to 
Mr.  Vidler,  &.nd  in  the  seventh  and  eleventh 
letters  of  Mr.  Jerram's  Review,f  the  reader 
of  those  pamphlets  will  easily  determine. 

If  aicev  an  atuvioc  with  their  correspond- 
ing words  in  Hebrew,  be  allowed  to  have 
been  originally  applied  to  limited  duration, 
and  this  to  be  their  proper  meaning,  I  ac- 
knowledge myself  unable  to  prove,  from  the 
use  of  these  terms,  the  doctrine  of  eternal 
punishment  or  of  eternal  happiness,  or  even 
of  the  eternal  existence  of  God.  I  might 
conclude,  indeed,  with  Mr.  Greatheed  that 
everlasting,  as  applied  to  God,  plainly  signi- 

*  Essay  on   Understanding,  book  iii.  chap.    1. 
t  Letters  to  a  Universalist. 


fies  without  end.  This,  however,  would  not 
be  proving  the  eternity  of  God  from  the 
word  everlasting  being  applied  to  him  ;  but 
merely  that  everlasting  in  this  case  means 
endless  because  of  its  being  applied  to  God, 
whom  we  know  ;  from  other  sources  of  evi- 
dence, to  be  eternal.  Thus  the  terms  by 
which  endless  duration  is  commonly  ex- 
pressed in  the  Scriptures  are  reduced  to  si- 
lence, proving  nothing  but  what  can  be 
proved  by  the  subject  without  them. 

Your  correspondent  thinks  that  "  when  the 
term  everlasting  is  applied  both  to  the  states 
of  the  righteous   and  the    wicked,   after  the 
day  of  judgment,  nothing  but  the  most  in- 
veterate prejudice  can  interpret  it  in  differ- 
ent senses."     Allowing  this  to  be  a  solid  ar- 
gument, it  only  proves  that  the  doctrine  may 
be  defended  from  other  sources  of  evidence 
as  well  as  from  the   proper  meaning  of  the 
term  ;  but  it  is  giving  up  the  argument  from 
that  source.     It  is  allowing  that  the  term 
everlasting  stands  for  nothing,  unless  you 
can  prove  from  the  connection  that  it  must 
mean  endless  :  whereas,  by  the  other  mode 
of  reasoning,  the  word  itself,   wherever  it 
occurs,  establishes  the  doctrine,  unless  they 
can   prove    from   the    connection    that   the 
proper  sense   is   inadmissible.     But  farther  : 
the  above  is  only  argumenlum  ad  hominem, 
which  is  adapted  to  silence  an  opposer  rath- 
er than   convince  him.     I  do   not   say   it  is 
unfair  reasoning  with  persons  who  hold  the 
eternity  of  future  rewards  ;  but  universal- 
ists,  rather  than  admit  of  eternal  punishment, 
will  call  this  in  question.     This  is  actually 
done  by   Mr.  Vidler  :}  and,  if  we   concede 
with    your    correspondent    that   the    word 
cutoviK  itself  proves  nothing,  I  acknowledge 
that  I  do  not  perceive  how  the  doctrine  of 
endless  punishment,  or  of  endless  rewards, 
is  to  be    maintained    from   Matt.    xxv.   46. 
We  must,  as   far  I   see,  relinquish   that  im- 
portant post,  and  fly  to  some   other  source 
of  evidence.     We  may  assert  that  "  the  term 
being  applied  to  the  states  of  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked  after  the  day  of  judgment  re- 
quires it  to  be  taken  in  the  sense  of  endless  : 
but  we  should   be  told   this   is  begging  the 
question ;    the    very    point   at   issue   being 
whether  every  thing  that  takes  place  after 
the  day  of  judgment  be  endless. 

Respecting  baptism,  your  correspondent 
"willingly  admits  that  I  might  introduce  that 
topic  for  no  other  reason  than  that  it  ap- 
peared to  me  an  apt  illustration  of  the  rule  I 
was  endeavoring  to  establish  for  the  inter- 
pretation of  Scripture,  and  hopes  that  I  shall 
as  readily  give  him  credit  for  a  proper  mo- 
tive in  entering  a  protest  against  such  an 
application  of  my  principle."  As  to  motives, 
I  had  no  other  than  a  desire  to  ascertain 
what  is  truth  ;  and  I  give  him  credit  that 
such  is  his.     But  why   must  not  the  princi- 

t  Letters  to  Mr.  Fuller,  p.  95. 


ON    THE    PROPER    AND    IMPROPER    USE    OF    TERMS. 


799 


pie  in  question  be  applied  to  pa?dobaptism 
as  well  as  other  things  ?  He  does  not 
mean  to  suggest,  I  presume,  that  this  sub- 
ject is  exempted  from  examination  by  the 
courtesy  of  the  country.  If  the  principle  be 
false,  or  misapplied,  I  hope  we  shall  be  able 
to  discover  the  fallacy,  or  wherein  the  mis- 
application consists. 

Mr.  Greatheed  calls  in  question  two 
things:  (1)  Whether  the  word  /?o.tt/£&>  pri- 
marily signifies  to  immerse.  (2)  If  it  do, 
whether  this  be  the  only  meaning  that  ought 
to  be  called  in  to  settle  the  dispute.  With 
respect  to  the  former,  my  assertion  may,  as 
he  observes,  be  "  too  comprehensive  to  be 
supported  by  due  evidence  in  your  publica- 
tion." I  was  aware  of  this  at  the  time,  and 
therefore  referred  to  Mr.  Booth's  "  Paedo- 
baptism  Examined,"  vol.  i.  chap.  2,  where 
no  fewer  than  eighty-two  of  the  most  learned 
psedobaptists  acknowledge  the  native  pri- 
mary  or  proper  meaning  of  the  word  to  be 
immersion.  Your  correspondent,  in  an- 
swer, refers  to  Dr.  Williams's  "Antipsedo- 
baptism  Examined  ; "  and  I  in  reply  may 
refer  to  Mr.  Booth's  "  Defence."  The  read- 
er who  wishes  to  examine  this  subject  to  the 
bottom  will  find,  I  presume,  in  these  three 
performances  all  that  is  necessary  for  the 
purpose. 

Your  correspondent  asks,  in  the  second 
place,  "If  the  primary  meaning  of  the  word 
0m7rTi^u>  were  to  immerse,  yet  why  should 
that  be  the  only  meaning  called  in  to  settle 
the  dispute  ?"  I  answer — (1)  Because,  as 
Dr.  Williams  says,  "  It  is  not  fair,  nor 
agreeable  to  the  just  rules  of  criticism,  to 
interpret  the  words  of  an  author  allusively, 
improperly,  and  metaphorically,  except  when 
plain  necessity  urges."  Let  it  but  be  proved 
that  plain  necessity  urges  the  proper  mean- 
ing of  /2*2nw<fa>,  when  applied  to  the  ordi- 
nance of  baptism,  to  be  given  up  in  favor  of 
one  that  is  improper,  and  I  consent  to  call 
it  in.  (2)  Because,  as  Mr.  Greatheed  him- 
self allows,  "  the  primitive  sense  of  a  term, 
when  it  can  clearly  be  ascertained,  ought  not 
to  be  accommodated  to  any  of  its  figurative 
applications  :  "  and  that  it  can  easily  be  as- 
certained in  this  case  is  granted  in  the  sup- 
position. All  secondary  and  figurative 
meanings,  therefore,  by  his  own  concession, 
ought  to  be  excluded  in  the  settling  of  this 
controversy. 

But  your  correspondent  supposes  that 
though  the  word  (barri^m  should  be  allowed 
primarily  to  mean  immersion,  yet  a  second- 
ary or  improper  sense  of  the  term  might  be 
that  on  which  the  primitive  Christians  acted. 
"  Wherefore  is  it  impossible,  he  asks,  that 
the  first  Christians  should  have  used  the 
term  with  as  little  idea  of  immersion,  even 
had  that  been  its  primary  sense,  as  the  Jews 
had  of  greenness,  when  they  spoke  of  the 
month  Abib  ?  " — Nothing  that  I  have  ad- 
vanced supposes    this  to  be   "impossible." 


But  it  lies  upon  my  friendly  opponent  to 
prove  that  it  must  have  been  so  :  otherwise, 
according  to  Dr.  Williams's  and  his  own  ac- 
knowledgment, it  is  "unfair, and  contrary  to 
the  just  rules  of  criticism,"  to  suppose  this 
to  have  been  the  case.  I  can  prove  that 
when  the  term  abib  is  applied  to  a  month  it 
must  needs  be  taken  in  a  figurative  sense,  as 
it  would  involve  an  absurdity  to  translate  it 
as  in  Job  viii.  12,  by  the  abstract  term  green- 
ness. Let  him  prove  the  same  necessity  for 
affixing  a  figurative  meaning  to  ,8u.7rri£a>,  and 
his  point  is  gained. 

Mr.  Greatheed  goes  farther:  he  affirms 
that  "  when  the  term  &to^  is  specifically 
used  for  the  initiatory  ordinance  of  the  gos- 
pel dispensation  its  application  must  be  ad- 
mitted to  be  figurative.'"  Indeed !  But 
wherefore  ?  If  instead  of  this  assertion, 
which  appears  to  me  to  be  utterly  unfounded, 
he  had  given  evidence  of  it,  it  had  been  to 
purpose.  Let  him  but  prove  that  the  word, 
when  applied  to  baptism,  requires  to  be  un- 
derstood in  a  secondary  or  improper  sense, 
or  that  to  understand  it  properly  would  in- 
volve an  absurdity  ;  and,  I  say  again,  his 
point  is  gained.  If  he  succeed  in  proving 
this,  however,  he  will  disprove  what  he  says 
he  has  "  long  since  been  led  to  apprehend — 
that  its  primary  meaning  is  not  immersion." 
I  suppose  he  means  ablution;  for  if  the  pri- 
mary meaning  of  fixTTigw  be  ablution,  and 
baptism  were  originally  administered  by  im- 
mersion, the  term,  with  respect  to  that  or- 
dinance, must  have  been  applied  in  its  literal, 
and  not  in  a  figurative  sense. 


Your  correspondent  intimates  that  some 
things  in  my  last  tended  to  "  provoke  asper- 
ity." Nothing  was  farther  from  my  design  : 
but  if.  by  what  I  considered  a  stroke  or  two 
of  pleasantry,  I  have  excited  any  such  feel- 
ings, I  sincerely  beg  his  pardon,  and  will 
endeavor  to  avoid  every  thing  of  the  kind  in 
future.  It  never  was  my  intention  to  rank 
paBdobaptists  with  Universalists  or  Socinians, 
in  the  manner  which  his  note  represents  ; 
but  merely  to  point  out  their  agreement  in 
one  principle  of  reasoning ;  and  I  should 
think,  notwithstanding  his  assertion,  he 
would  be  sorry  to  be  put  to  the  proof  of  it. 

With  respect  to  the  principle  of  interpre- 
tation, he  thinks,  "  nothing  is  more  necessary 
than  to  bring  into  one  point  of  view  the  va- 
riations in  my  manner  of  stating  it."  By 
this  it  would  seem  that  I  have  shifted  my 
ground,  and  in  effect  conceded  the  matter 
in  dispute.  At  first,  my  statement  was  thus 
expressed  :  "  In  arguments  from  the  mean- 
ing of  Scripture  terms,  it  becomes  of  impor- 
tance to  ascertain  the  true,  primitive,  or 
proper  sense,  and  to  measure  all  secondary 
and  figurative  applications  by  it  as  a  stand- 
ard." Afterwards,  it  seems,  I  modified  this 
principle,  requiring  only  that  every  word  be 


800 


ISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


"  taken  in  its  literal,  primary,  or  proper 
sense,  unless  there  be  any  thing  in  the  con- 
nection or  in  the  subject  which  requires  it  to 
be  taken  otherwise."  And,  lastly,  I  am 
contented  with  saying,  "If  we  can  ascertain 
wii  t  was  the  obvious  meaning  of  the  word 
at  the  time  ivhen  the  author  wrote,  we  thereby 
ascertain,  to  every  purpose  of  just  reason- 
ing, what  is  its  primary  or  proper  meaning." 
Whether  any  "change  has  occurred  in  my 
judgment  on  this  subject,  or  whether  we 
have  only  misunderstood  each  other,"  he 
does  not  determine ;  but  seems  to  think 
that,  as  to  the  general  principle,  we  are 
now  nearly  agreed. 

In  answer,  I  must  say,  there  is  no  altera- 
tion in  my  judgment:  the  whole,  therefore, 
must  be  attributed  to  misunderstanding. 
With  respect  to  the  first  statement,  it  never 
entered  my  mind  that  all  words  are  to  be 
understood  literally,  or  properly  ;  but  mere- 
ly that  the  literal  is  the  standard  sense,  or 
that  all  allusive  meanings  are  to  be  measured 
by  that  to  which  they  allude.  But  the  an- 
swers of  Mr.  Greatheed  proceed  upon  the 
supposition  that  I  was  pleading  forthe  prim- 
itive sense  of  the  term  "being  invariably 
adhered  to."  It  is  only  on  this  supposition 
that  what  was  afterwards  said  could  be  con- 
sidered as  "a  modification  of  my  principle." 
The  truth  is,  I  held  no  principle  that  re- 
quired modifying.  I  never  for  a  moment 
thought  of  maintaining  any  other  idea  than 
that  every  word  should  be  taken  in  its  lit- 
eral, primary,  or  proper  sense,  unless  there 
be  any  thing  in  the  subject  that  requires  it 
to  be  taken  otherwise.  In  proof  of  this,  I 
could  refer  to  two  pamphlets,  of  which  you 
know  that  I  approve  ;  and  in  which  this  sub- 
ject is  more  fully  handled  than  can  be  ex- 
pected in  these  papers.* 

With  respect  to  my  last  "  variation,"  as  it 
is  called,  it  was  merely  in  answer  to  an  ex- 
ception which  he  had  made  to  a  general  rule, 
owing  to  the  difficulty  in  many  cases  of  as- 
certaining which  is  the  primitive  and  which 
the  figurative  sense  of  a  word.  To  this  I 
answered,  that  where  the  primitive  sense  of 
a  word  was  lost,  or  became  uncertain,  it  was 
sufficient  for  all  the  purposes  of  just  reason- 
ing to  consider  the  obvious  idea  conveyed 
by  it  at  the  time  when  the  author  wrote  as 
its  primary  meaning.  But  this  can  have 
nothing  to  do  with  words  whose  primitive 
meaning  is  not  lost,  and  therefore  nothing 
to  do  with  the  present  dispute.  The 
amount  of  all  that  I  have  stated  is  this: — 
the  primary,  literal,  or  propei  meaning  of 
words,  is  their  standard  meaning,  and  that 
which  always  ought  to  be  adhered  to,  imless 
there  be  any  thing  in  the  connection  which 
requires  a  departure  from  it;  and,  should  a 
case  occur  in  which  it  cannot  be  clearly  de- 
cided what  was  its  primitive  meaning,  it   is 

*  Letters  to  Mr.Vidler,  Letter  vi.  Scruta- 
tor's Review,  Letters  vii.  xi. 


sufficient  to  ascertain  what  was  its  obvious 
meaning  at  the  time  when  the  author  wrote.f 
— In  all  this  I  can  perceive  no  "  variation  " 
of  judgment. 

To  allow  of  an  expedient,  in  a  particular 
case,  is  very  different  from  adopting  it  as  a 
general  rule,  where  that  case  does  not  exist. 
1  have  contended,  and  do  still  contend,  that 
the  primitive  meaning  of  the  terms  aiavice 
and  {i-j-mi'^u}  is  not  lost;  that  it  can  lie 
"clearly  ascertained;"  and,  consequently, 
that  a  recourse  to  the  sense  in  which  th  y 
are  used  in  the  New  Testament,  in  order  to 
determine  it,  is  unnecessary,  and  contrary  to 
fair  reasoning.  I  have  no  doubt  of  what 
would  be  the  issue  of  an  impartial  inquiry, 
even  upon  that  ground  ;  but  there  is  no 
justice  in  setting  the  meaning  of  a  word 
afloat,  when  the  ordinary  methods  of  deci- 
sion in  all  cases  have  fixed  it. 

Surely  my  respected  opponent  will  not 
deny  that  the  proper  meaning  of  aim  is 
"  clearly  ascertained "  to  be  always  being, 
and  that  of  atwics  to  be  everlasting.  Is  it 
not  to  be  lamented,  then,  that  he  should  un- 
dermine the  argument  against  the  Univer- 
salists  from  this  ground,  and  endeavor  to 
rest  the  doctrine  of  endless  punishment  on 
the  term  no  vto%  being;  so  "  obviously  used 
in  the  New  Testament  to  denote  what  is 
strictly  everlasting  that  he  is  not  aware  of 
any  instance  in  which  the  connection  re- 
quires a  different  sense  to  be  admitted  ?" 
Were  I  a  Universalist,  I  would  not  wish  for 
a  fuller  concession  by  which  to  overturn  his 
principle.  To  give  up,  as  he  does  in  effect, 
the  original  use  of  the  term  antecedently  to 
its  being  adopted  by  the  apostles,  and  to 
rest  his  faith  upon  its  being  always  applied 
by  them  to  unlimited  duration,  is  in  my 
opinion,  whatever  be  his  design,  to  betray 
the  truth.  A  Universalist  might  reply  as 
follows — You  are  mistaken,  Sir.  It  is  obvi- 
ous that  aiaiv,  though  sometimes  used  in  the 
endless  sense,  which  we  never  deny,  yet  in 
other  places  is  applied  to  the  temporary  ex- 
istence of  the  present  world,  and  to  the  ages 
and  times  of  limited  duration. — Matt.  xiii. 
39  ;  xxviii.  20.     John  ix.  32.     Acts  iii.  21. 

1  Cor.  ii.  7.  Ephes.  iii.  9.  Col.  i.  26.  Heb. 
i.  2.  It  is  also  obvious  that  ou»m«,  though 
it  sometimes  means  eternal,  yet  in  other 
places  is  applied,  like  a/vai,  to  limited  dura- 
tion ;  namely,  to  the  ages  or  times,  since 
the  beginning  of  the  world. — Rom.  xvi.  25. 

2  Tim.  i.  9.  Titus  i.  2.  comp.  with  Ephes. 
i.  4.     1  Pet.  i.  20.     See  Parkhurst.     What 

t  Chambers,  in  his  Cyclopedia,  says,  under  the 
word  proper,  "In  respect  of  words,  it  denotes 
their  immediate  and  peculiar  signification,  or  that 
which  is  directly  or  peculiarly  attached  to  them  ; 
in  which  sense  the  word  stands  opposed  to  figura- 
tive and  metaphorical."  And  Barclay,  under  the 
word  figure,  says,  "  In  rhetoric,  any  mode  of 
speaking  by  which  words  are  used  in  a  sense  dif- 
ferent from  their  primary  and  literal  meaning." 
MS.     Note  by  Mr.  Fuller. 


ON    THE    PROPER    AND    IMPROPER    USE    OF    TERMS. 


801 


proof  therefore  is  there  of  the  endless  du- 
ration of  future  punishment  from  the  use 
of  these  terms,  which  are  generic,  including 
all  degrees  of  duration,  unlimited  and  lim- 
ited ? 

To  this  reasoning  /should  reply  by  grant- 
ing that  the  obvious  design  of  thesNe  terms, 
in  certain  connections,  is  to  express  the 
idea  of  an  age  or  ages;  but  that  it  is  not 
their  primary,  literal,  or  proper  meaning, 
and  therefore  ought  not  to  be  applied  to  the 
duration  of  future  punishment,  unless  there 
were  something  in  that  subject,  as  there  is 
in  the  others,  which  rendered  the  literal 
meaning  inadmissible.  But  how  my  oppo- 
nent could  answer  the  objection,  upon  his 
principles,  it  remains  for  him  to  show.  To 
me  it  appears  that,  by  his  method  of  reason 
ing,  we  should  always  be  at  sea,  and  with- 
out a  compass  ;  able  to  prove  scarcely  any 
divine  truth  from  the  words  by  which  it  is 
expressed,  inasmuch  as  almost  all  words  are 
used  in  more  senses  than  one.  I  wish  he 
would  carefully  and  candidly  read  "Scru- 
tator's "  seventh  and  eleventh  Letters  on 
this  subject.* 

Mr.  Greatheed,  as  if  to  depreciate  the 
primary  sense  of  the  term  muvm,  speaks 
of  its  being'  "  invented  by  the  heathens," 
and  thinks  that  I  cannot  believe  it  to  have 
been  "created  or  revealed."  I  question 
whether  any  language,  dead  or  living,  can 
be  proved  to  have  had  its  origin  in  human 
invention.  The  account  of  the  origin  of  all 
languages  appears  to  be  given  in  the 
eleventh  chapter  of  Genesis  ;  and  all  that 
men  have  done  seems  to  have  been  to  mod- 
ify, compound,  and  change  them  into  differ- 
ent forms.  But,  whatever  was  the  origin  of 
this  and  other  terms,  they  were  adopted  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  medium  of  conveying 
divine  truth ;  and,  if  the  sacred  writers 
meant  to  be  understood,  they  must,  one 
would  think,  have  used  them  in  the  ordinary 
acceptation  in  which  they  were  used  by 
those  who  spoke  and  wrote  in  the  Greek 
language.  That  they  applied  them  to  new 
objects  is  true  ;  but  it  does  notr  follow  that 
they  changed  their  meaning.  In  the  wri- 
tings of  Aristotle,  turn  properly  means  al- 
■wai/s  being,  no  less  than  in  the  epistles  of 
Paul,  f 

"  Upon  the  same  ground,"  says  Mr. 
Greatheed,  "I  have  formed  my  judgment 
of  the  terms  /Zzirrigu  and  fiaurrw/tos.  In 
whatever  sense  the  heathens,  who  invented 
these  terms,  may  have  used  them,  it  ap- 
pears to  me  that  the  writers  of  the  New 
Testament  apply  them  so  constantly  to  the 
signification  of  a  sacred  cleansing  that  I  am 
not  aware  of  an  instance  in  which  the  con- 
nection requires  a  different  sense  to  be  ad- 

*  Letters  to  a  Universalist :  by  Rev.  Charles 
J  err  am. 

1    Fuller's  Letters  to  Vidltr,  pp.  53,  54,  Note. 

Vol.  2.— Sig.   102 


mitted.  I  therefore  consider  this  the  obvi- 
ous meaning  of  those  words  at  the  time, 
ana  in  the  circumstances  in  which  the  au- 
thors wrote."  On  this  passage  I  would  of- 
fer the  following  remarks: — 

1.  My  worthy  opponent  is  sufficiently 
aware  that  fix?rTi^a>  was  used  origin  illy  by 
the  Greek  writers  to  express  immersion. 
But  they  were  "  heathens  !  "}  And  will  he 
affirm  that  the  word  was  so  applied  by  hea- 
thens only  ?  Did  not  the  Septuagint  trans- 
lators of  the  Old  Testament,  and  Josephus, 
so  apply  it?  If  proofs  of  this  be  called  for, 
they  will  be  produced. 

2.  The  word  ^xtttu,  from  whence  @ct7rri£a> 
is  derived,  it  will  not  be  denied,  is  used  in 
the  New  Testament  for  immersion.  Thus 
in  John  xiii.  26.  "  He  it  is  to  whom  I  shall 
give  a  sop  when  I  have  dipped  it."  Luke 
xvi.  24,  "  Send  Lazarus,  that  he  may  dip  the 
tip  of  his  finger  in  water."  Rev.  xix.  13. 
"  He  was  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipped  in 
blood."  In  these  sentences  there  is  no  idea 
of  "cleansing"  of  any  kind;  and,  in  the 
last,  the  reverse  of  it. 

3.  Dr.  Williams,  to  whose  work  Mr. 
Greatheed  refers  us,  allows,  and  says,  "  It  is 
universally  agreed  among  the  learned  that 
both  fixTTTon  and  ,8*7niga>  etymologically, 
and  according  to  their  radical,  primary,  and 
proper  meaning,  are  justly  rendered  by  the 
worde  lingo  and  mergo,  to  tinge  or  plunge."  § 
But  every  one  knows  that  to  tinge  is  the  op- 
posite of  to  cleanse.  One  would  think  that 
this  acknowledgment  were  sufficient  to  set- 
tle the  meaning  of  the  word.  And,  as  Dr. 
Williams  elsewhere  says,  it  is  "  neither  fair, 
nor  agreeable  to  the  just  rules  of  criticism, 
to  interpret  the  words  of  an  author  allusive- 
ly, improperly,  or  metaphorically,  except 
when  plain  necessity  urges,"  it  must  lie  on 
him  and  his  brethren,  before  they  plead  for 
any  thing  short  of  immersion  being  Chris- 
tian baptism,  to  prove  that  the  primitive 
sense  of  the  term  in  this  instance  involves 
an  absurdity,  and  therefore  that  a  seconda- 
ry one  requires  to  be  admitted. 

4.  The  term  baptism,  as  applied  to  the 
sufferings  of  Christ,  conveys  a  full  idea  of 
immersion,  but  none  of  "cleansing." 

5.  That  water  baptism,  Avhich  is  the 
Christian  ordinance,  generally  includes  the 
idea  of  "  cleansing,"  may  be  allowed  ;  but  it 
is  only  in  a  secondary  or  consequential 
sense,  as  he  that  is  immersed  in  water  is 
thereby  cleansed.  Cleansmg,  in  water  bap- 
tism, is  that  which  its  opposite,  staining,  is 
in  a  vesture  being  dipped  in  blood  :  it  is  not 

X  Mr.  G.,  in  alleging  "that  according  to  my 
statement  the  Scriptures  are  not  sufficient  to  deter- 
mine the  meaning  of  words,  without  going  among 
the  heathen,"  might  as  well  have  said,  That  the 
grace  of  God  is  sufficient  to  make  a  Christian, 
without  being  indebted  to  nature  in  first  making 
him  a  man. 
§  Antipcedobaptism  Examined,  vol.  ii.  p.  30. 


802 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,    ESSAYS,    &C. 


the  thing  itself,  but  its  necessary  effect. 
Such  is  the  idea  conveyed  in  Acts  xxii.  16: 
"  Be  baptized,  and  ivash  away  thy  sins."  To 
render  the  first  of  these  terms  cleansed, 
would  make  the  sacred  writer  utter  a  mere 
tautology. 

"  If  the  apostles  used  the  term  fiATrrta  y.ct 
merely  for  immersion,  then,  it  is  said,  every 
person  who  has  been  immersed,  whether 
for  health,  diversion,  or  punishment,  is  a 
baptized  person."  True,  he  is  so,  though 
not  with  Christian  baptism. 

"But  if  something  more  than  simple  im- 
mersion is  meant,  when  the  apostles  speak 
of  the  baptism  of  their  converts,  and  yet 
the  primary  and  proper  meaning  is  nothing 
but  immersion,  then  the  apostles  used  that 
term  in  a  secondary  or  figurative  sense  when 
they  applied  it  to  the  initiatory  ordinance  of 
the  Christian  dispensation."  If  there  be 
"no  flaw  "  in  this  argument,  Mr.  Greatheed 
thinks  his  point  is  gained.  I  think  there  is 
a  flaw  in  it,  and  that  it  lies  in  confounding 
the  act  with  the  end  or  the  design  to  be  an- 
swered by  it.  An  act,  say  that  of  eating, 
may  be  one  and  the  same,  whatever  be  the 
end  of  it;  whether  refreshment,  or  a  show- 
ing forth  of  the  Lord's  death.  Nor  is  the 
term  designed  to  express  any  thing  more 
than  the  act:  the  design  is  to  be  learned 
from  other  terms  connected  with  it,  and  not 
from  that.  To  represent  different  ends  as 
giving  a  secondary  or  figurative  meaning 
to  the  term  which  expresses  the  action  is 
what  I  apprehended  no  writer  ever  thought 
of  on  any  other  subject.  At  this  rate,  if  I 
be  said  to  walk,  simply,  or  without  an  end, 
the  term  is  literal  ;  if  for  health,  or  to  see 
a  friend,  it  becomes  figurative ;  and  if  to 
meditate  and  pray,  like  Isaac,  it  becomes 
still  more  figurative  !  The  truth  is,  if  I  be 
not  greatly  mistaken,  to  baptize,  to  eat,  or 
to  walk,  is  each  expressive  of  the  action, 
ichatever  be  the  end ;  and  the  term  is  no  less 
literally  used  in  the  one  case  than  in  the 
other. 

The  last  argument  of  Mr.  Greatheed's 
proceeds  upon  a  principle  which  should  not 
have  been  taken  for  granted ;  namely,  that 
0u7TTt7ixo;  signifies  any  sacred  cleansing. 
The  divers  baptisms  among  the  Jews  (to 
which  the  word  fix.7rTtTy.os,  by  the  way,  is 
applied,  rather  than  to  the  Christian  ordi- 
nance) may  relate  not  to  divers  modes  of 
baptizing,  but  to  the  divers  cases  in  which 
persons  and  things  were  required  to  be  im- 
mersed in  water,  and  which  cases  were 
numerous  and  diverse.  Thus,  or  to  this 
effect,  it  is  expressed  by  Grotius.  Were 
I  to  speak  of  divers  journeys,  which  my 
worthy  friend  has  undertaken,  to  promote 
the  interest  of  evangelical  religion,  it  would 
indeed  imply  some  kind  of  difference  be- 
tween them  ;  but  it  were  putting  an  unnat- 
ural force  upon  the   words    to   understand 


them  as  intimating  that  in  every  journey 
he  adopted  a  different  mode  of  travelling. 


ON    THE    IMMACULATE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 

The  character  and  work  of  Christ  form  a 
very  considerable  part  of  the  gospel  embas- 
sy. The  attention  of  Christians  in  all  ages 
has  been  deservedly  drawn  towards  this 
important  subject.  His  God-head,  his  man- 
hood, his  miraculous  conception,  his  life, 
death,  resurrection,  ascension,  and  interces- 
sion at  the  right  hand  of  God,  are  topics 
each  of  them  full  of  the  richest  consolation 
to  believers.  There  is  nothing  pertaining 
to  Christ  which  is  uninteresting.  It  has 
lately  struck  my  mind  that  the  immaculate 
life  of  Christ  is  a  subject  that  has  not  been 
insisted  on,  in  our  sermons  and  bodies  of 
divinity,  in  proportion  to  its  importance  in 
the  evangelical  scheme.  The  thoughts 
which  I  have  to  offer  upon  this  subject  will 
be  contained  in  two  parts.  In  the  first,  I 
shall  take  a  view  of  the  evidences  with 
which  it  is  supported ;  and,  in  the  second, 
consider  its  connection  with  the  truth  of 
Christianity,  and  some  of  its  leading  prin- 
ciples. 

The  evidences  by  which  the  immaculate 
life  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  supported 
are  as  follows  : — 

First :  His  friends,  who  kneio  the  most  of 
him,  and  who  w-rote  his  life,  describe  him  as 
without  fault.  The  characters  of  men  are 
often  best  esteemed  by  those  who  know  the 
least  of  them.  Like  works  of  art,  they  will 
not  bear  a  close  inspection  ;  but  those  who 
were  most  conversant  with  Jesus  beheld  his 
glory,  and  loved  him  best.  Peter  tells  us, 
"He  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in 
his  mouth."  He  describes  him  as  "  a  lamb 
without  spot."  Paul  speaks  of  him  as  being 
"made  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin."  John 
teaches  that  "  he  was  manifested  to  take 
away  our  sins;  and  in  him  was  no  sin:" 
and  the  whole  company  of  the  disciples,  in 
their  address  to  God,  speak  of  him  as  his 
"  holy  child  Jesus." — Acts  iv.  27.  It  is  true, 
some  of  the  evangelists  do  not  make  express 
mention  of  his  perfect  innocence  ;  but  they 
all  write  his  life  as  faultless.  There  is  not 
a  shade  of  imperfection  that  attaches  to  his 
character,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
their  accounts  of  him.  This  evidence  de- 
rives peculiar  weight  from  the  evident  im- 
partiality of  those  writers  in  other  cases ; 
they  do  not  hide  each  other's  faults,  nor  even 
their  own.  The  imperfections  of  the  apos- 
tles, during  Christ's  life  upon  earth,  were 
numerous,  and,  in  some  cases,  affecting ; 
yet  they  narrate  them  with  the  greatest  sin- 
cerity. Even  those  faults  which  are  most 
degrading  to  dignity  of  character,  and  the 
most  mortifying  to  reflect  upon,  they  never 


THE    IMMACULATE    LIFE    OF    CHRIST. 


803 


affect  to  conceal.  They  tell  of  their  little 
foolish  contests  for  superiority,  of  their  car- 
nality in  desiring  an  earthly  kingdom,  and 
of  their  cowardice  in  forsaking  their  Lord 
and  Master  in  the  hour  of  extremity ;  but 
never  do  they  suggest  any  thing  to  his  dis- 
advantage. 

Secondly  :  His  icorsl  enemies  have  never 
been  able  to  substantiate  a  single  charge 
against  him.  Though  our  friends  have  the 
greatest  advantages  of  knowing  us,  yet  it 
may  be  alleged  they  are  partial,  and  that 
the  scrutiny  of  an  adversary  is  most  likely 
to  discover  our  imperfections.  Be  it  so  :  it 
is  to  the  glory  of  Christ's  character  that  it 
will  bear  the  test  of  both.  A  public  chal- 
lenge was  given  to  the  Jews,  his  most  invet- 
erate enemies,  to  accuse  him  of  sin  (John 
viii.  46) ;  and  not  one  of  them  dared  to  ac- 
cept it.  That  which  adds  peculiar  weight 
to  this  evidence  is  the  circumstance  that 
Christ  had  just  before  inveighed  against 
them  with  the  keenest  severity :  "  Ye  are 
of  your  father  the  devil,"  said  he,  "and  the 
lusts  of  your  father  ye  will  do.  He  was  a 
liar  from  the  beginning  ;"  and,  "  because  I 
tell  you  the  truth,  ye  believe  me  not."  Un- 
der such  charges  from  him,  if  there  had 
been  any  shadow  of  a  ground  for  accusation, 
they  would  most  certainly  have  seized  it. 
The  apostles  gave  nearly  a  similar  challenge 
on  behalf  of  their  Lord,  as  he  had  given  for 
himself.  They  taxed  their  countrymen  with 
having  "  denied  the  Holy  One  and  the  Just, 
and  preferred  a  murderer  before  him."  How 
are  we  to  account  for  the  silence  of  these 
adversaries  ?  It  was  not  for  want  of  will  ; 
it  must,  therefore,  be  for  want  of  power. 

But  there  were  some  who,  in  the  lifetime 
of  Jesus,  did  accuse  him.  They  said  "He 
is  a  wine-bibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and 
sinners."  They  insinuated  that  he  was 
ambitious.  Jesus  having  declared,  saying, 
"lam  the  light  of  the  world,"  they  answer- 
ed, "  Thou  bearest  record  of  thyself,  thy 
record  is  not  true  ;  "  and  the  same  objection 
is  repeated  by  a  modern  Jewish  writer.* 
They  also  charged  him  with  blasphemy  in 
that  he,  being  a  man,  made  himself  God; 
and  for  this  supposed  blasphemy  they  put 
him  to  death.  To  the  former  part  of  these 
charges  it  may  be  answered  that  they  who 
preferred  them  do  not  appear  to  have  be- 
lieved them  :  if  they  had,  they  would  have 
made  use  of  them,  especially  when  challeng- 
ed to  accuse  our  Lord  of  sin.  As  to  the  lat- 
ter part  of  them,  I  acknowledge,  were  I  to 
embrace  any  system  of  Christianity  which 
leaves  out  the.  proper  deity  of  Christ,  I 
should  be  unable  to  vindicate  him.  Either 
his  words  did  mean  what  the  Jews  under- 
stood him  to  mean,  or  they  did  not.  If  they 
did,  upon  every  hypothesis  which  excludes 
his  proper   deity,  he   was  a  blasphemer ;  if 

*  Mr.  Levi. 


they  did  not,  he  ought  explicitly,  and  with 
abhorrence,  to  have  rejected  the  idea  of 
making  himself  God ; — but,  if  I  admit  that 
he  really  was  God  manifest  in  thejlcsh,  all 
these  objections  fall  to  the  ground. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  modern  unbe- 
lievers are  not  very  eager  to  attack  the  mo- 
ral character  of  Christ.  Through  all  their 
wiritings,  full  of  railing  accusations  on  every 
other  subject,  one  cannot  but  remark  a  cau- 
tious reserve  upon  this.  Mr.  Paine,  who  in 
a  talent  of  the  highest  importance  to  the 
cause  of  infidelity — I  mean  impudence — has 
had  but  kw  equals,  even  Mr.  Paine  declines 
this  part  of  the  business.  Amidst  all  his 
rancor  against  revelation,  he  seems  dis- 
posed to  follow  the  advice  of  Pilate's  wife, 
to  "  have  nothing  to  do  with  that  just  man." 
"  Nothing,"  he  observes  in  his  '  Age  of  Rea- 
son,' "  which  is  here  said,  can  apply  even 
with  the  most  distant  disrespect  to  the  real 
character  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  a  virtu- 
ous and  an  amiable  man.  The  morality 
that  he  preached  and  practised  was  of  the 
most  benevolent  kind."  Whether  Mr.  Paine 
can,  consistently  with  these  concessions, 
reject  the  evangelical  history,  we  shall  by 
and  by  inquire  ;  suffice  it  at  present  to  ob- 
serve that  though  he  disowns  Jesus  to  be 
the  Son  of  God,  yet  he  ranks  among  the 
witnesses  in  favor  of  his  moral  character. 
But  can  it  be  true,  we  may  be  tempted  to 
ask,  that  Mr.  Paine,  that  determined  adver- 
sary to  Christianity,  should  have  made  such 
a  concession  in  favor  of  Christ?  "  Is  Saul 
also  among  the  prophets  ?  "  It  is  even  so  ; 
nor  let  it  appear  a  matter  of  surprise  :  the 
father  of  lies  himself  was  constrained  to 
unite  in  this  truth  :  "  I  know  thee  who  thou 
art,  the  Holy  One  of  God." 

Thirdly  :  Christ  himself,  ivho  best  knew 
his  own  heart,  and  who  never  was  knoivn  to 
boast,  bore  witness  of  himself  that  he  was  free 
from  sin.  Not  only  did  he  challenge  his 
most  inveterate  enemies,  saying,  "Which 
of  you  accuseth  me  of  sin?"  but  declared, 
what  no  other  man  did  or  could,  that  he  al- 
ways did  those  things  which  pleased  God; 
that  there  was  "  no  unrighteousness  in  him  ;" 
that  when  the  prince  of  this  world  should 
come  he  should  "  find  nothing  in  him  ;"  and 
that  he  was  "  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,"  a 
perfect  model  for  his  followers  to  imitate, 
and  into  whose  image  they  were  predestina- 
ted to  be  conformed.  If  it  be  objected,  in 
the  words  of  the  ancient  Jews,  "He  beareth 
record  of  himself,  his  record  is  not  true," — 
it  might  be  answered  in  the  words  of  Jesus, 
"Though  he  bare  record  of  himself,  yet  his 
record  is  true  ;  for  he  knew  whence  and  what 
he  was  ;"  and,  as  he  was  never  known  to  deal 
in  empty  boasting,  his  testimony  has  great 
weight. 

Fourthly :  The  temptations  that  our  Lord 
underwent,  instead  of  drawing  him  aside,  dis- 
played his   character  to  greater  advantage. 


804 


MISCELLANEOUS    TRACTS,     ESSAYS,    &C. 


Seasons  of  temptation  in  the  lives  of  men,    sufferings  he  prayed,  saying,  "  Now  is  my 
even  of  good  men,  are  commonly  dark  sea-    soul  troubled,  and  what  shall  I  say  ?     Father, 
sons,  and  leave  behind  them  sad  evidences    save  me  from  this  hour  ;  but  for  this  cause 
of  their  imperfection.     It  was  not  without    came  I  to   this    hour.     Father,   glorify  thy 
reason  that  our  Lord  cautioned  us  to  pray,    name."     Never,  surely,  was  such  a  flood  of 
saying,    "Lead    us   not    into    temptation."    tenderness  poured  forth  as  that  which  fol- 
There  are  but  few,  if  any  instances,  in  which    lows  in  his  last  discourse  to  his  disciples,  and 
we  enter  the  field  of  contest  and  come   oft*   in  his  concluding  prayer  for  them.      Follow 
without  a   wound;  but,   to   our   Redeemer,    him  to  the  Jewish  and  Roman  tribunals,  and 
temptation  was  the  pathway  to  glory.     There    witness  his  meekness  and  patience.    "When 
was  nothing  in  him  on  which  it  could  fasten  :    he  was  reviled,  he  reviled  not  again  ;  when  ho 
its    arrows,   therefore,  rebounded   upon  the    suffered  he  threatened  not;    but  committed 
head  of  the  tempter.     "  In  all  points  he  was    himself  to    Him   that  judgeth    righteously, 
tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without   sin."    He  was  brought  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter  ; 
He  underwent  the  trials  of  poverty  and  want,    and,  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb, 
He  was  often  hungry  and  thirsty,  and  "  had    so  he  opened  not  his  mouth.     There  are  two 
not  where  to  lay  his  head  ;  "  yet  he  bore  it    kinds  of  characters  which  are  common  among 
without   repining;  he    wrought  miracles  to    men, — oppressive   tyrants,  and  cringing  sy- 
satisfy  the  wants  and  alleviate  the  miseries    cophants.     The  first  are  lords,  the  last  are 
of  others;  but  for  himself,  strictly  speaking,    slaves;    but  the  character  given   of  Christ 
he   wrought  no  miracle.     It  was  upon  this    shows  that  he  was  neither  the  one  nor  the 
ground  that  Satan  first  accosted  him:  uIf   other.     "He  did  no  violence,  neither  was 
thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  command  that  these    any   deceit   in   his   mouth."       Though   the 
stones   be   made  bread:"  q.  d. — Would    I,    Lord   and  Master  of  his   disciples,   he  was 
having  all  creation  at  command,  know  the    among   them   as  their   servant;   and,  when 
want  of  a  piece  of  bread? — But  this  tempta-    brought  before  Herod  and  Pilate,  he  betray- 
tion  was  repelled  in  a  manner  that  discover-    ed  no  signs  of  fear  ;  but  amidst  their  bluster- 
ed  his  heart  to   be  wholly  devoted   to  the    ing,  imperious,  and  scornful  treatment,  main- 
will  of  God.     Our  Lord  had  also  temptations    tained  a  dignified  silence, 
of  another  kind  ;  he  had  worldly  honors  of-        "  Surely  he  hath  borne  our  griefs,  and  car- 
fered  him.     Not  only  did  Satan  present  to    ried  our  sorrows."     Throughout  his  sufler- 
him  "  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,"  but  the    ings  he  manifested  the  tenderest  concern  for 
Jewish  populace  would  have  made  him  a  king,    sinners,  and  even  for  his  murderers.     "  The 
even  by  force,  if  he  had  not  withdrawn  him-    same  night  in  which  he  was  betrayed  "  he 
self.     If  Jesus  had  possessed  the  least  de-    was  employed  in  providing  for  us,  by  insti- 
gree  of  worldly  ambition,  there  were  argu-    tuting  the  sacred  supper;  and  as  he  hung 
ments  enough  to   have  induced  him  to  com-    npon   the  cross,  and  beheld  his  enemies,  he 
ply  with  the  popular  desire.     They  had  no    prayed,    "  Father,   forgive    them  ;    for   they 
king  but  Caesar,  and  he  was  a  tyrannic  inva-    know  not  what  they  do  !  " 
der,  who  had  just  as  much  right  in  Judea  as        Let  not  fastidious  infidelity  object  his  want 
the  empress  of  Russia  and  the  king  of  Prus-    of  fortitude  in  the  garden  ;  or,  rather,  let  it 
sia  in  Poland.     If  the  virtue  of  Jesus  had  re-    object,  and  make  the  most  it  can  of  the  ob- 
sembled  that  of  the  great  sages  of  Grecian    jection.     It  is  true  "his  soul  was  troubled  ;  " 
and  Roman   antiquity,  he  would   have  em-    it  is  true  he  prayed,  saying,  "  Father,  if  it  be 
braced  this  opportunity,  and  his  name  might    possible,  let  this  cup  pass   from   me!  That 
have  been  enrolled  in  the  annals  of  fame,    is,  he  discovered  what,  among  men   of  the 
Their   pride    was  to  be  patriots  ;   but    that    most  refined  sense,   are  always  accounted 
which  they  called   patriotism  was  abhorrent    "the  amiable  weaknesses  of  human  nature." 
to  the  spirit  of  Christ.     He   possessed   too    Is  it  an  honor  under  affliction  to  carry  it  off 
much  philanthropy    to   enter    into  national    or  affect  to  carry  it  off,  with  a  high  hand  ? 
prejudices  and  antipathies  :  though  the   de-    Rather,  is  it  not  an  honor  to  feel  the  hand  of 
liverance  of  his  country  from  the  Roman  yoke    God  in  it,  and  to  acknowledge  that  we  feel 
might  have  been  doing  a  great  national  jus-     it  ?     And  if,  amidst  these  feelings,  we  be  in 
tice,  and,  in  this  view,  very   lawful  for  some    "  subjection   to   the  Father   of  spirits  " — if, 
persons  to  have  undertaken,  yet  he  declined    while  we  mourn,  we  do  not  murmur — this  is 
it;  for  it  made  no  part  of  that  all-important    the   highest  degree  of  perfection  of  which 
design  for  which  he  came  into  the  world.     He    human   nature    is   capable.     Such   was  the 
was  doing  a  great  ivorl:,  and  therefore  could    spirit  of  our  Redeemer,  and  such  the  conclu- 
not  come  down.  sion  of  his  prayer  in  the  garden  :  "  Not  my 

As  his  last  sufferings  drew  on,  his  devo-    will,  but  thine  be  done." 


tedness  to  God,  and  his  disinterested  love  to 
men,  appeared  more  and  more  conspicuous. 
He  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  Samari- 


That  our  blessed  Lord  was  not  deficient 
in  real  fortitude  is  manifest  from  his  conduct 
during  his  trial  and  crucifixion.     He  feared 


tans  by  steadfastly  setting  his  face  to  go  up  to  God,  and  put  up